The Chuuni Corner

Anime reviews, Chuunibyou, and other writings

Tag: The Chuuni Corner

December 4, 2018

Review/discussion about: Fate/Apocrypha

Fate/Apocrypha / Episode 5 / Jeanne looking out over a valley

An average destiny

The online definition of “apocrypha” from Merriam-Webster states the following: “writings or statements of dubious authenticity”.

For those people in-universe who somehow got their hands on Shakespeare’s perspective of the trials and tribulations within Fate/Apocrypha, they would most likely agree that such a word fits his work all too well.

But for the Masters and Servants who underwent these troubles themselves, they would obviously disagree, stating that fate decreed it so.

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December 2, 2018

Review/discussion about: Just Because!

Just Because! / Episode 2 / Mio and Eita standing together at the aquarium

Loudness begone

Like a couple of the characters in Just Because!, I too went through the grueling process of test taking in the hopes of earning high scores and favorable university-related invitations. They went to cram school, so they have a one-up on me in terms of drive, but, as someone who empathizes with their position, I don’t envy them one bit.

As for the tale told around them and their close friends, the results may just barely pass the mark.

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November 30, 2018

Review/discussion about: Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale

Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale / Kirito, Yui, and Asuna standing together

The big screen for a big franchise

As technology advances, so do the ways in which we consume its generated content.

Two of the more intriguing concepts warp our very perceptions: virtual reality (called VR) and augmented reality (called AR). VR puts us, the player, into a computerized world as if it were all we have ever known. AR keeps us in our understood space but instead adds those computerized elements as if they were a natural extension.

Both have their cool points and oddities, their benefits and detriments. In Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale, AR becomes the prominent vehicle, and its usage leads down the next crazy path for this isekai-centric series.

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November 16, 2018

Review/discussion about: Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season

Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season / Episode 12 / The girls of Aquors standing side-by-side

An average encore

Each sunrise brings sunshine. But, eventually, that sunshine must give way to a sunset.

The same similarly goes for Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season, a metaphorical sunset for the school-idol group Aquors and their hard-fought journey. While it does not sing nearly as loudly or as proudly as its prequel, a few rays of hope sneak in nonetheless.

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November 10, 2018

Review/discussion about: Ballroom e Youkoso

Ballroom e Youkoso / Episode 24 / Tatara smiling wide at all that he has accomplished in his dancing career thus far

Dances towards victory

For as long as I have known my older sister, she has been a dancer through and through.

Everywhere has counted: at the school talent show, at her local studio, at numerous recitals, at different states. Everything has counted as well: tap, ballet, hip-hop, Latin. Across her entire leg-driven journey, she has claimed enough awards and cheers and experience to last a lifetime.

Basically, she has seen and partaken in nearly all that dance has to offer. Despite her dancing expertise, though, I have yet to hear any mention of ballrooms. And after watching the entirety of Ballroom e Youkoso, I can confidently say, as someone with zero dance moves whatsoever, she is seriously missing out.

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November 8, 2018

Review/discussion about: Konohana Kitan

Konohana Kitan / Episode 9 / The caretakers of Konohanatei standing outside, waiting to greet their next guest

Rest and iyashikei-tion

Circles, triangles, and rectangles begone. In Konohana Kitan, rhombuses rule as queen.

A peculiar shape, that. Some people refer to it as a diamond (hence the royalty). Others, with technical knowledge of Euclidean geometry, are quick to point out that squares are special exceptions (to said rule).

No matter which side jousts first, this anime makes two ideas clear. One, a rhombus for a mouth makes for a darn cute reaction. And two, our lives have many sides and corners to hold dear.

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November 5, 2018

Review/discussion about: Blend S

Blend S / Episode 9 / Maika with a warm smile on her face

Order up and opposite

I like to think that I’m an okay kind of dude. So, my opposite alter ego, if I were ever to have one, would be someone downright dastardly. He would perform misdeeds like wearing mismatched socks and inserting a silent “m” at the beginning of every word he spoke out loud.

Such super-evil antics would befit his own motives and contrast my own personality. If I could control this hypothetical alternate self of mine, I could then potentially earn a job at Stile, the fictional maid café of Blend S where the employees’ own personas balance out into a straightforward experience.

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October 31, 2018

Review/discussion about: Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara

Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara / Episode 1 / Erina getting mad at Souma (per usual)

More treat than trick

Onions taste delectable.

I didn’t always believe so, though. For a long time, I avoided their presence, viewing them as a white blight upon the meals they complemented. But now? I try to get them on everything (where it makes sense). Burgers. Pizza. Tacos. Onions no longer go unwelcome but instead have won me over, earning a seat at my table any day of the week.

Just as taste buds change, anime can do the same. For Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara, some of its own changes both help and hurt what once was.

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September 2, 2018

Review/discussion about: Net-juu no Susume

Net-juu no Susume / Episode 3 / Hayashi and Lily promising each other to be partners forevermore

To game is to grow

I’ve written about my World of Warcraft days in the past. How I would obsessively get lost within its continents as I raided dungeons, finished quests, and earned achievements. I remember it vividly. I hailed from Ironforge, taking on the guise of an old, gentlemanly dwarf with a formidable white beard.

Believe it or not, I’m neither short in stature (but instead slightly over six-feet tall) nor at such a wizened age (but instead as spry as ever). But that was part of the fun of playing the game: being somebody else within a fantastical land. I would venture a guess that Net-juu no Susume concurs. That it would even go so far as to advocate that games can – and do – lead to even greater happiness.

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August 21, 2018

Banjo’s Top 7 Summer 2017 Anime

Sakura Quest / Episode 20 / Sanae, Maki, Yoshino, Shiori, and Ririko standing together

And the best from Summer 2017 include….

Thinking about these past few months, a lot has happened for and around me.

Some of it was good, like indulging in other hobbies and being recognized at my day job. Some of it wasn’t so good, like a recent medical scare (which thankfully turned out to be nothing) and the passing of a close family member. In the end, life’s responsibilities shift and sway in importance and priority, and so anime cannot always be the foremost thing on my mind.

Despite the above detours and difficulties on both sides, though, an apparent truth has surfaced: Anime itself isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. A tale about a mysterious interdimensional restaurant or a story about a psychotic gambler are here to stay no matter how late I myself happen to be in posting these various threads.

As such, it makes perfect sense for me to finally reveal my favorite anime from this interesting season. Fourteen separate shows had the opportunity for glory. While seven spots were available, only one has claimed the title of Best Anime of Summer 2017.

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