Winter 2016 | The Chuuni Corner

August 5, 2016

Review/discussion about: Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm

Ao no Kanata no Rhythm / Episode 1 / Asuka arriving back to the Four-Islands Archipelagos after ten years away

A bumpy flight

When I was a kid, say five years old or so, I liked picking dandelions.

Specifically, I picked them whenever I played soccer on my uncles’ team. They were kind enough to help guide us youngsters to victory – at least, those who had such goals. For I, playing goalie and having zero interest in what was happening around me, happily took to weeding the ground. The ball rolled and the players ran, but I concerned myself only with the dirt and the dandelions before me.

I was bored; I wasn’t having fun. That element is key to any sport, any activity: fun. Because if you are not having fun, then what is the point?

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm answers this question, with goals on the ground and dreams in the sky, as a surprising yet slightly subpar anime.

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August 2, 2016

Review/discussion about: Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri 2nd Season

Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri 2nd Season / Episode 6 / Yao, Tuka, Lelei, and Rory looking on as Youji gets scolded

A worse war

Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri 2nd Season, much like its predecessor, makes me think about the advancement of technology. Last time, it was weapons. This time, it is transportation.

We started with running on the ground. Then we tamed horses. Then we drove cars. Then we took subways. And then we piloted helicopters. We, as a people, have made advancements in movement at a rate that we (figuratively and ironically) cannot keep up with.

The citizens of the Empire within Gate (reducing the title at this point) are still stuck with just horses. And, sadly, they are still stuck with a mediocre anime.

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July 29, 2016

Review/discussion about: Heavy Object

Heavy Object / Episode 3 / Qwenthur and Havia about to receive their recognition for destroying the Object and saving Milinda with her and Frolaytia there to support the guys

Not heavy enough

The heaviest item I have ever picked up was a giant television in my parents’ basement.

Though, at the time, it felt like I was carrying a medium-sized engine rather than a piece of technology that I once played all of my video games on. I distinctly remember picking it up, but, I had so much trouble, my father had to help out. Even then, when it finally got stashed away, the muscles in my arms convulsed from the strain.

That either says a lot about the TV or a lot about me. Probably both.

Regardless, it weighs nothing compared to the monstrosities created within Heavy Object. I’m talking pounds versus tons. Hundreds of thousands of tons. But more than weight, it also has tons of problems, too.

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July 28, 2016

Review/discussion about: Oshiete! Galko-chan

Oshiete! Galko-chan / Episode 6 / Ojou, Galko, and Otako hanging out and eating lunch at the mall

Girl talk time

When people look at me, they cannot believe that I love to listen to heavy metal.

The most recent disbelief actually came from someone close: my brother-in-law. We were talking about bands and music in general when I brought up Metallica, both my favorite heavy-metal band and my favorite music group ever. I rattled off some of my favorite songs – “Disposable Heroes,” “Blackened,” and so on – and he was taken aback at my adoration.

I don’t blame him for his surprise because, as an unassuming nerdy white guy, I don’t “appear to be” a fan of that kind of music. But that’s why we talk and listen to others in order to really understand them. In other words, interests, personality, and actions mean more than some jeans and a polo ever could.

And Oshiete! Galko-chan agrees.

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July 23, 2016

Review/discussion about: Musaigen no Phantom World

Musaigen no Phantom World / Episode 13 / Koito, Mai, Kurumi, Ruru, Haruhiko, and Reina in the last shot of the season

More gray than colorful

My brother, while he was growing up, had an imaginary friend: Ghost Friend. Not so imaginative.

I never had one myself, but my brother always made sure Ghost Friend was around. Playing outside, eating at the dinner table, and sitting around the house. They were inseparable.

At some point, though, my brother no longer had Ghost Friend with him. I am not saying he stopped believing because that is not what happened. What happened was that Ghost Friend took a “permanent vacation” elsewhere. Nobody knows where. He just went away to live his own life (which is weird wording for the supernatural).

Musaigen no Phantom World (Phantom World for short) does not have Ghost Friend, but it does have a myriad of ghostly creatures. They come together to create quite the toss-up of an anime.

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Tag: Winter 2016