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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 8, 2017

Banjo’s Top 10 Spring 2016 Anime

Flying Witch / Episode 12 / Makoto flying with Chito in the sky

And the winners of Spring 2016 are…

I should preface my list here by saying that it’s kind of weird.

For the first time since I started writing these Top 10 posts, I am including anime that I technically wouldn’t recommend to others based on how I score. In fact, the tenth-ranked show is the lesser of three evils.

These less-than-ideal anime are still included because the criteria for the list is simply being the best from the season. For me, though, such a development says a lot about how much I got out of this set of shows.

Positives still exist. Shows featuring the number one-hundred or massive metal trains have a lot of flaws attached to them, but that doesn’t mean they lack strength whatsoever. Maybe they have a particular scene that is super memorable. Maybe they try for something unique despite failing. Maybe they connect only with a niche group of people.

Regardless, it’s important (perhaps necessary) to not only have one’s own perspective on anime but also have an understanding of the other side (whatever that may be).

Yes, there will be those shows that we view as so deplorable that it’s basically impossible to do so. And, no, that doesn’t mean we must automatically concede and flip opinions. But so long as we do our best to think beyond our mindset, we will certainly find our anime-watching adventures a lot more worthwhile.

Keeping all this in mind, this season, eighteen different anime stepped up to the plate. Nothing managed to hit a home-run, but some hit a nice double and a couple even a noteworthy triple. Yet only one walked away with the title of Best Anime of Spring 2016.

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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 14, 2017

Boku no Hero Academia and How to Hype a Fight

Boku no Hero Academia / Episode 1 / First meeting with All Might

How can the build-up of a character hype what’s to come?

There’s a lot to talk about with Boku no Hero Academia. The crazy Quirks. The show’s theme on heroes. The fun character designs.

The anime does a lot to capture the audience’s attention. However, one of Boku no Hero Academia‘s greatest moments comes near the end of the first season: All Might’s first true fight.

Many were taken in by the flashiness of the combat and the overall feeling of triumph. (At least, I was.) And rightly so. Those are qualities of the fight that made it so awesome.

But, perhaps unbeknownst to some, there was a lot of hype, a lot build-up to that fight beforehand. In fact, it was happening throughout the entire season. With All Might’s character.

The question is, what did the anime do?

The following essay will be a small dissection of how All Might’s character is slowly built over the course of the season and the hype such building brings. Hopefully, by the end of my piece, you’ll not only have a greater appreciation of All Might but also a greater appreciation of Boku no Hero Academia overall.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

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January 10, 2017

Review/discussion about: Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge

Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge / Episode 1 / Tanaka resting his head on his left hand

No rest for the listless

I’ve been sick lately.

A too private and too embarrassing medical issue has kept me down. Headache. Sore all over. Low energy. I’ll most likely talk about it in-depth in the future, but, for now, I will simply say that I am not at 100%.

Know what has helped? Sleeping. The other day I slept for fifteen hours. I did have a bizarre dream where any action I took compelled me to take a similar yet opposite action. (It was weird.) Other than that, though, my knockout was bliss. For my body and my mind.

Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge is like a really nice sleep session: wholly satisfying.

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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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