The Chuuni Corner

August 21, 2015

Review/discussion about: Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku

More min than max

After completing Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku, I started to wonder what kind of ability I would have if I was granted one based on what I do. At first I thought of a keyboard that would create out of thin air anything I typed out in full – “Manifest Words” would be the name I would give it – because of how much I write. Then my mind wandered to a snowboard that was not so restricted and could go on all surfaces – “Any Board” – because I like to hit the snow when such an opportunity presents itself (it is pretty rare nowadays). Regardless, I know that whatever I happened to receive I would have as much fun with it as possible because that is what life needs to be: good, safe, and reasonable fun. This is what the anime tries to convey, but somewhere along the way, it loses sight of what it has to say.

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August 15, 2015

Review/discussion about: High School DxD BorN

Born to fail

Jugs, bazoongas, melons; no matter what they are called, breasts are a universal constant. Boobs bear the “nectar of life,” cause men and women alike to turn heads, and are something that everyone can get behind. High School DxD BorN, returning for a third season, believes the same, providing busts of the large, small, round, supple, and bodacious variety. Mammaries are a wonderful part of the world, and it is lovely to see them in anime or anywhere, but the question remains: for this one, is it enough? Can its smorgasbord of boobies keep itself afloat from start to finish? Sadly, no, the anime sinks where its brethren swam.

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August 8, 2015

Review/discussion about: Houkago no Pleiades

Wishful thinking

As a kid in elementary school, I remember a special event that only happened about once a year. Our class would line up, head down the halls, and into the gymnasium where the “star globe” would be set up in all its glory. The star globe was a big, inflatable, silver dome that, once filled with air, could be crawled into (it was rather big). My fellow classmates and I, upon going inside, could see only darkness. That is, until the rotating fixture in the middle was turned on. Then, we were able to see, much to our wonderment, lights and constellations filling the ceiling, rotating slowly about us. At the time, I took for granted the knowledge and beauty that such a contraption provided – I saw this merely as an opportunity to escape our everyday work. Today, I have come to appreciate “the final frontier” and the phenomenon it holds, believing that our existence among the infinite mass of stars is incredibly special. Houkago no Pleiades will definitely make you wish upon the stars for something: for it to end as quickly as possible.

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August 1, 2015

Review/discussion about: I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying: 2nd Thread

I do…again

There are friends and there is family, both of which are important relationships to have and to maintain. But there is arguably one that is even greater, or at the minimum is incredibly unique when compared to the previous two: the connection to a lover. The wife or husband, the companion, the darling; the relationship that is made between two people who love each other, more so than anyone else, is a special bond that is extremely valuable. After all, they do not include the phrase “’till death do you part” because it sounds cool. I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying: 2nd Thread hones in on this very bond, providing an anime that does not really know what it wants to do.

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July 29, 2015

Review/discussion about: Re-Kan!

Nothing to be scared of

My sister was born on Halloween, so I am no stranger to all of the common tropes that follow such a holiday. There are pumpkins to carve, candy to pass out, and the movie Hocus Pocus to watch at least once, all done to commemorate such a special occasion. Another major trait that Halloween almost always has is the prevalence of ghosts. Ghosts are not real (like most other phenomenon hosted during that time of year) but they usually beg the question: what if? If ghosts suddenly became corporeal tomorrow, would you avoid them entirely? Or would you attempt to converse with them to learn more about who they happened to be? Re-Kan! focuses on these supernatural beings, giving an anime that relaxes both body and mind.

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July 24, 2015

Review/discussion about: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Needs both help and an answer

I think it is pretty typical for people to have a role model. It might be someone who is always around us, like a family member or a close friend. Or it might be a celebrity or athlete who, while not having direct impact on another’s life, manages to affect countless others by simply being. For me, it is my father. He provides for his family, he works extremely hard, and he always, always wants only the best for his kids. Something simple he does that I hope to replicate is, during Christmas (we call him Mr. Christmas because he gets so into it), he wraps the base of the trees around his house with green lights and the branches wrapped in red and white ones, so that they become trees of lights rather than simply trees with lights. He is someone I will never fail to look up to, and will always aspire to be. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? is actually a rhetorical question, with it instead focusing on this kind of inspiration, providing its audience with a less than stellar anime.

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July 19, 2015

Review/discussion about: Hibike! Euphonium

Get motivated

(As supplementary material for this review, please refer to my writing on the mood-setting for this anime, Hibike! Euphonium and Setting the Mood)

Most people might think going through school is “only” to get an education. That is well and good, and indeed the major purpose. Accruing years of knowledge makes someone more well-rounded and capable as a person, more so than not learning the “ABCs,” integrals of calculus, or the implications of the American Civil War. A smaller reason, but one that is just as important, is a bit more personable: providing motivation. Schooling houses mentors in the form of advisers, teachers looking to instill long-lasting lessons, and professors that give impossible opportunities, who all want nothing more than to make their students shoot for the stars. Hibike! Euphonium shows that motivation is not easy to come by – this is partly why education requires so much time and effort – but once it is obtained, the need and the want to reach new heights never leaves.

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July 15, 2015

Hibike! Euphonium and Setting the Mood

What goes into setting the mood?

An Introduction

Spring 2015 has ended (despite me still reviewing!), with some pretty interesting anime graciously provided for us. One in particular caught my attention: Hibike! Euphonium. Now, I know what you might be thinking. “Banjo, you only like it because it’s KyoAni, the same people who crafted the glorious Chu2Koi and Chu2Ren anime!”

…Maybe.

I won’t lie and say that I love KyoAni for partly that reason. Other positives of the studio include: their ability to do adorable better than anyone, their stories are often filled with heart, and they enjoy moving from one series to the next to flex their prowess. But here (and while these previous three aspects are in full force), they do something expertly once more: setting the mood.

The following essay will be looking at what the heck this thing called mood really is, how it’s used, and ultimately how it’s composed to create not just the right atmosphere but also those oh so magical moments we come to remember. Hopefully, by the end of this piece, you’ll have both a greater respect for mood and higher appreciation of Hibike! Euphonium overall.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

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July 13, 2015

Review/discussion about: Plastic Memories

Memories last a lifetime

I have talked about memories in other reviews that I have written, and it is fascinating the things you start to recollect when you begin contemplating that word. I remember this time when I played indoor soccer as the goalie. I will never forget how, during one match, I managed to kick the ball from our end into their net due to a super lucky bounce. I rarely scored (I was not very good) so such a rare occurrence combined with the manner in which it happened is something that will stick with me forever. There are also those not-so-happy memories; I remember my grandpa’s funeral, watching my mother and her siblings weeping for their father, with me, my brother, and my other cousins carrying the casket. It is one of the saddest moments I have ever experienced, with me still owning the cotton glove to this day. Soccer or family, happy or sad, memories are, as Plastic Memories somewhat depicts, a beautiful existence that should not be tossed aside but instead embraced for as long as humanly (and Giftia-ly) possible.

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July 10, 2015

Review/discussion about: Nisekoi:

What are we “allowed” to expect?

Nisekoi: has a strange title when you stare at it. It is the second season of an anime that is quite popular, but instead of giving it a number or some kind of continuation phrase, it simply adds a colon to the end of its name. It seems quite out of place, perhaps making you wonder, “Why is that even there?” Traditionally colons in sentences are used in conjunction with lists or highlighting something specific. Or to put it another way, a colon is used when wishing to speak about a relevant thing or set of things. But Nisekoi: has nothing after its colon, and the reason for this becomes obvious when thought about briefly: there is “nothing” to say about the show. While this spells certain doom for the anime as a whole, it at least provides the audience with an interesting question pertaining to expectations.

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