Review | The Chuuni Corner

February 15, 2017

Review/discussion about: Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin

Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin / Episode 2 / Ikta honoring some fallen soldiers

A middle-of-the-sky ride

Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin localizes to Alderamin on the Sky. While the anime itself doesn’t take place in the sky, I’ve been up there myself a handful of times when flying to other states.

I don’t hate flying, but I much prefer to be on the ground. It’s safer, has better Internet, and I don’t have to share an armrest with another. Also, fast food. I can go get some tasty McDonald’s whenever I want; can’t do that on a plane.

Alderamin is like flying on a plane: It has its perks, but it could improve in certain areas.

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February 11, 2017

Review/discussion about: ReLIFE

ReLIFE / Episode 10 / Kaizaki supporting Hishiro during a certain conversation

Maybe needs its own second chance

I’m happy with the life I have.

My family is wonderful, I’m in relatively good health, and my interests are rewarding to me on many different levels. Sure, some aspects could be better, but I don’t like to think negatively. Instead, I tend to think with my eyes on the future and what I can do right here, right now.

ReLIFE provides a shot at such happiness, but, for the here-and-now, it does not quite succeed.

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February 6, 2017

Review/discussion about: Kiznaiver

Kiznaiver / Episode 9 / Nico, Yuta, Tenga, Agata, Hisomu, Chidori, and Maki together

You just remember what your old pal said….

Like everyone else (and that’s not hyperbole), I’ve experienced pain.

After my first day at my first ever job, my shin splints made me unable to move my legs. When I was a kid, my heart sunk when my mother read some mean words I wrote about her in my journal. Continuous strep throat crippled me for months of my fifth-grade education.

Pain has this remarkable ability to make us react to the world around us. However, pain is often not something felt individually. Rather, it’s shared. Shared between random people or the closest of family members.

Kiznaiver depicts pain shared between friends – and what such sharing not only brings but means.

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February 2, 2017

Review/discussion about: Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou — The Last Song

Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou -- The Last Song / Episode 5 / Jiro in a field of Canadian golden rods

Its own worst villain

For the first season of Concrete Revolutio, I talked about Superman and how lame of a hero he is. I even went so far as to say that the (and I quote myself) “kryptonite will not be taking down Concrete anytime soon.”

Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou – The Last Song proved me wrong – and not about Superman.

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January 26, 2017

Review/discussion about: Flying Witch

Flying Witch / Episode 1 / Makoto arriving at the town for the first time

Magically simple

I used to practice magic tricks with cards a lot when I was a kid.

I wasn’t very good at it, but I could do a few. Double-flipping, “stories,” rigged decks. It was fun trying to trick my family members, seeing their bewildered faces as I did something seemingly impossible. Something that only magic could account for.

Flying Witch does not have card tricks, but it does have lots of magic – of a different kind.

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January 20, 2017

Review/discussion about: Boku no Hero Academia

Boku no Hero Academia / Episode 13 / Deku clenching his fist

Neither bird nor plane, but super all the same

(As supplementary material for this review, please refer to my essay on hype, Boku no Hero Academia and How to Hype a Fight.)

The greatest heroes in my life are none other than my parents.

They have taught me that understanding wins arguments and kindness wins hearts. They have picked me up when I am sick, and they have looked after me as I have accomplished my goals. And they have always made sure that, no matter what, I am loved unconditionally.

They can’t fly in the sky, and they certainly don’t wear capes. But they are heroes. My heroes.

A sentiment Boku no Hero Academia would more than advocate.

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January 4, 2017

Review/discussion about: Koutetsujou no Kabaneri

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri / Episode 4 / The main cast standing atop their train

Derailed

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri has, as you may know, a lot of trains.

I’ve always wanted to ride a train myself. Not a subway or one of those speedy bullet ones. A traditional train with coal that fuels the engine and an old-timey design that hearkens back to 1800’s America.

There’s just something about sitting alone, putting the window up, and taking in the countryside as it rolls on by. Maybe I’m drinking some cocoa from a teacup or clacking away on my laptop. Either way, I hope to someday cross this dream of mine off my bucket list.

Kabaneri is not quite as relaxing – and not nearly as wishful.

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December 29, 2016

Review/discussion about: World Trigger

World Trigger / Episode 39 / Chika, Osamu, and Yuma standing together

Bah humbug

I have a personal tradition for Christmas.

Every time the holidays roll around, and I am out and about getting gifts for my parents, I always make sure to pick them up a couple of ornaments. A new Santa one for my father, and a new snowman one for my mother. Fancy. Cute. Interesting. Whatever the make, I make sure that whichever I choose is a fun one to unwrap.

If World Trigger were a gift, I would never give it to my parents. I would never give it to any of my friends or strangers on the street. I wouldn’t even give it to my sworn nemesis.

It’s that deplorable.

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December 5, 2016

Review/discussion about: Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta?

Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? / Episode 12 / The whole group in their guild-victory picture

Thoughtful but not min-maxed

When I used to play World of Warcraft heavily, I would always set aside time for a female Draenei player that I fast befriended.

We would often just sit in Ironforge, using the emote phrases to goof around or talking to one another in our party chat. I was not smitten with her, but, being a teenage boy who managed to form a close bond with a girl who also had an interest in the same exact hobby, I will not lie and say I did not enjoy making her laugh.

I never did learn much about her, though. If she had her own family or what her age was. In fact, I cannot even say for certain that she was a girl.

That situation – a male playing a female character (and vice versa) – is a strange and possible one that comes with the territory, and, depending on the people and feelings involved, it can make for some awkward and embarrassing moments.

Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? shows this outcome all too well.

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November 20, 2016

Review/discussion about: Joker Game

Joker Game / Episode 12 / D-Agency holding a meeting

Bluff gone wrong

When I was a kid, I would often try to eavesdrop on my parents’ “secretive” conversations.

I would be in the basement, playing a video game or watching television. When I heard the pitter-patter above me, however, I would move to the foot of the steps. The door was closed, indicating further that my parents were discussing topics not meant for my ears.

But I was curious. I would sneak up and crack open the door ever so slightly. I would then close my eyes and concentrate, focusing only on their words. Doing it so many times, I eventually got quite good at it. My mother and father talked about problems: other family members, financial issues, and even me (and my siblings) on occasion.

When I had my fill, I would creep back down, acting as though I were none the wiser. It was thrilling to me, being able to catch information without getting caught. Very much like a spy.

And with spying in mind, Joker Game proves that spies are more than just a bunch of eavesdroppers.

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