The Chuuni Corner

Anime reviews, Chuunibyou, and other writings

Tag: Review

Review/discussion about: Tsuki ga Kirei

Tsuki ga Kirei / Episode 11 / Kotarou and Akane back-to-back while on a date

Like poetry

Dazai once said, “The weak fear happiness itself.”

That’s a pretty powerful statement, for it dares the reader to contemplate thrice. “Am I weak?” “Am I fearful?” “Am I happy?” To answer those introspections, I like to believe that most people strive for strength and confidence – which inevitably leads to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

For Tsuki ga Kirei, the characters ask themselves those same questions. And although there may not be either gold or rainbows, it instead replaces that wealth and those colors with something as equally rewarding and beautiful.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2

Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2 / Episode 1 (26 overall) / Eren waking up from sleep

Boom-shaka-laka

I consider myself one of what I like to call the “Attack on Titan baby boomers.”

I had never hated or looked down on anime; I had just never cared enough about it to see what it could be. When fate put this gateway series in front of me during the Summer of 2013, however, I was kicking myself for not taking part in the medium at an earlier point in my life.

Technically speaking, it wouldn’t be until months later (in early-ish 2014) that I officially dove into anime and became hooked on all that it offers. My initial experience with Shingeki no Kyojin left a positive impression on me that eventually contributed to my growing interest in this hobby and thus got me to where I am today.

Four years later, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2 finally drops. And with it come rushing back the feelings and the memories that I fondly remember of that time from long ago.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen / Episode 12 / The generations of this descending story

One for the ages

It’s not every day that we get to witness history in the making.

Take the first season of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. As critics such as myself agree on, it is nothing short of phenomenal. The drama, the maturity, the writing, the execution. That first season redefined what anime as a medium is capable of. Greatness incarnate.

So, understandably, the sequel here, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen, not only has the difficult job of concluding this tale but also maintaining that same level of excellence. The big question, then, is: did Rakugo Season 2 make history?

Suffice it to say, it did.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: KonoSuba Season 2

KonoSuba Season 2 / Episode 6 / Aqua, Kazuma, Darkness, and Megumin together

A hilarious, still-not-useless sequel

During a sequel trip to Disney, my family and I visited Disney Springs (which will forever be Downtown Disney to me). In my teal polo, white hat, and matching white shorts, I looked, dare I say, dashing.

I wasn’t there to strut my stuff, though. Instead, we sat down and dug into some delectable Ghirardelli sweets, making excuses about ignoring our calorie count. When the last morsel of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream settled in my belly, we began walking back to the bus station. It didn’t take long, however, for a drunk man somewhere in the crowd of people to holler out in a North-American-Southern accent.

“Ha! You dun crapped your pants!”

People started to stare, and a little girl pointed – everything directed at me. I had no idea what was going on until my younger brother chimed in. Apparently, the spot on the bricked enclosure where I sat to eat my ice cream also had a small chocolate surprise of its own to share.

The brown leftovers smeared onto my white shorts, giving the drunkard and the onlookers a mishap to behold. When we finally understood what all the hubbub was about, we all started laughing. My family huddled around me like a football formation to protect my backside from any more interested eyes, and no shortage of bathroom humor left our mouths that night.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2 (or KonoSuba Season 2 for short) prompted me to share a Disney-related anecdote since the first season made me do the same. Thankfully, it also brought along more of its comedy gold.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: Sousei no Onmyouji

Sousei no Onmyouji / Episode 18 / Benio and Rokuro right before they officially confront Yuto for the first time

Exorcised itself

Sousei no Onmyouji contains no shortage of ohagi, a Japanese sweet treat filled with rice and covered in a delectable, bean paste. I’ve never eaten the food myself; what I know of it comes from this show and the quick Google search I did in preparation for writing this anecdote out.

However, I have seen all of Sousei no Onmyouji. Which is kind of like a ball of ohagi – if it were spoiled, unappetizing, and missing any semblance of nutritional value.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: Kemono Friends

Kemono Friends / Episode 7 / Serval, Boss, and Kaban looking forwards

Friendship will never die

Kemono Friends reminds me of one of my most favorite films of all time: Toy Story.

The CG style, the presentation aimed at a younger audience, and the fact that the premises align to an extent (non-human entities become “human”) are the first comparisons that come to mind. The biggest factor, though, is an extremely famous song from the Pixar movie that became an instant Disney classic that’s still hummed and whistled by people today: “You’ve Got A Friend In Me.”

This two-minute track exemplifies the heartfelt feelings behind friendship with its measured, easygoing pace and lines like “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.” If nothing else, the over 44,000,000 plays on Spotify should indicate well enough this song’s immense popularity.

Now, truth be told, Kemono Friends does not contain a musical phenomenon let alone holds a candle to such a pioneering project of cinema. But, when this anime similarly focuses on friends and crafts something strangely magical, it makes it tough to not appreciate such a thoughtful outing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: Kuzu no Honkai

Kuzu no Honkai / Episode 1 / Mugi and Hanabi meeting for the first time

Scummy but not scum

Many years ago, I found myself chatting it up with an attractive woman at a mixer. In talking about our interests and hobbies, it seemed as if a tiny romantic spark existed between us. That is until our conversation went where I didn’t want it to go.

“Oh, yea, my boyfriend and I…”

Boom. She dropped the dreaded B-word. That courage I worked up? The flirting I did? Gone in an instant. I didn’t press my luck any further, and, as life would have it, that meet-up was the last time I ever saw her.

It reaffirmed a simple life lesson: sometimes things just don’t work out. Love (apparently) included. For Kuzu no Honkai, it focuses on this unfortunate detail too. And, luckily, the anime itself doesn’t succumb to this same lesson.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: ClassicaLoid

ClassicaLoid / Episode 25 / The whole cast together

Andante

When I was in high school, prepping for my college-entrance exams, I would sometimes listen to classical music.

I read online somewhere that it could calm one’s nerves and increase thinking capacity. Wanting every edge available to me, I made it a point to play these pieces when the opportunity arose. Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro, K. 492” was usually my go-to choice for its rising-and-falling notes.

I don’t listen to a whole lot of classical music nowadays; metal has instead trounced everything else. But, as ClassicaLoid depicts, metal and many other motifs go together with the classics more so than one may initially believe.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: 3-gatsu no Lion

3-gatsu no Lion / Episode 12 / Rei standing still as the wind batters his body

Checkmate

The pawns were my friends, the knights my family, and the queen my lover. For I was king.

When it came to chess, I was the best. In my corner of the world, anyway. I lived the sport as much as I could. Winning school tournaments, going to summer camps to learn new skills. Squaring off against multiple opponents simultaneously. Practicing with a plastic travel set and a versus timer and a book on named openings. For a while, chess was my calling. A passion that neither bishop nor rook could squander.

Today, that’s no longer the case. Writing, programming, and other -ing’s have replaced what was once my kingly domain. But, even today, having not played chess for years, I know that I could go back to that board. See the same familiar pieces. And they would invite me back with open arms (if they had arms, anyway).

Because, just as 3-gatsu no Lion would claim, what we experience never really leaves us – and that there’s always someone waiting to lend a loving hand.

Read the rest of this entry »

Review/discussion about: Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon / Episode 1 / Tohru meeting Kobayashi in maid form for the first time

while (true) cout << “Pretty good.\n”;

In Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon, Kobayashi herself writes code for a living. She seems to use a language akin to Python. Fine and dandy. But where it’s really at is C++.

Lambdas. Iterators. Queues and deques. The “auto” keyword. Pointers (and now smart pointers). Sure, the language is more verbose than a dictionary, and it can be a pain in the butt with all the object files and explicit data types floating around. But it’s such a fascinating, complex, and strong programming language otherwise. It’s the best one out there. To me, anyway.

Dragon Maid isn’t the C++ of the anime world, but it constructs enough fun objects to make for a very entertaining time.

Read the rest of this entry »