I’ve been going through a slight phase where I am trying to find some of the oldest anime possible. While I could only find Princess Knight in English, it has all of the classic cartoon charm that I love: obvious clip art being moved in front of a camera, the same animation being played repeatedly, forward and backward, and villains that sound like goofy mafia bosses. This was before the classic style of anime we know today, so if I hadn’t been watching on Crunchyroll, I probably would have thought I was watching a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. And I must say that this anime was at least very trans-positive for the time, or they just completely forgot that the protagonist was trans about halfway through production; I cannot decide which. We at least start Princess Knight with Prince Knight, an AFAB prince who must hide the fact that he is trans. And then, of course, chaos ensues with wacky hijinks and plans that definitely shouldn’t work. It was a fun, laid-back anime that felt like I was watching Saturday Morning Cartoons again. The nostalgia was great.
Category: Anime/Manga
Space Trash
Sci-Fi is once again a great genre to explore social dynamics. In Planetes, that exploration is on full display. In a time where space travel is the norm and available to the general public, there is a team whose job is to clean up space from all the space junk that is stuck in orbit. On top of the beautiful atmosphere, there were topics I didn’t imagine would be discussed from the get-go. From the commercialization of space that is currently happening, I imagine that such a show is going to become even more relatable as we start to adapt to the new frontier of expansion. Not usually a fan of space, I was surprised by how much more there was than just exploring the outer atmosphere.
A Past in the Future
Samurai stories are similar to westerns. It’s the good guys fighting for justice and bad guys being bad guys. Now, instead of a distant past that is featured in some samurai stories, we are in a future where samurai are probably not the good guys typically portrayed. What if Samurai traded their human limbs for mechanical parts in a society run by what should be considered theft? Instead of the total historical view expected from something called Samurai 7, mecha are fought against to liberate people. It was interesting to see a science-fiction, futuristic take on issues many may consider of the past. Instead of a clash between the two styles, they came together as a beautiful art piece that appreciated both. While I haven’t seen the original story this anime was based on, I am fascinated by the possible comparisons and whether the futuristic take added to or enhanced the story that was told. The show is fun, and the characters are fleshed out and engaging. I would recommend having this show for your next binge-watching weekend.
Undercover Legend
Becoming a legend of the underworld can be a hassle. Especially when you are apparently too good for your job. That is the story behind The Fable. A hired assassin is forced to go into hiding for a year for being way too good at his job. I also wish there were more to say. Unfortunately, I wish this show were more than just a guy living his life, especially with the setup. Had it been told as more of a slice of life, I probably wouldn’t have been as disappointed. While there was action, nothing had consequences, as there was nothing to be gained or lost, as he is known to be the best, and that is not something questioned by anyone. There was one interesting plotline, but the longer it went on, the intrigue was lost. It was a decent anime to have play in the background, just not at all what I was expecting to happen.
Rocking That Online Life
To be fair, if I could spend all of my time online playing games, I might. Sure, I’ll do other things, but hiding from the world online sounds fun. Here, we follow the life of a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) woman who spends her entire time playing an MMO. The only problem is that she is playing as a male avatar with a total crush on someone with a female avatar. In Recovery of an MMO Junkie, Moriko quits her job after 11 years to live out her NEET dreams, which I can honestly understand from time to time. The two timelines explored are heartwarming as we explore who our characters are on the outside and who they are behind the mask of an online persona, both of which are hilariously stupid. On top of the cute love story, it really made me want to get back into MMOs, even if I just play by myself and don’t talk with any of my fellow players.
Building a Family Pt 1
Not all families start the same way. Sometimes they are built to a much bigger game: the spy game. That is where we are in Spy x Family. It is a cute little anime about a fake family living out their completely fake lives where everything is definitely normal, except for the fact that a war is on the brink of starting. Absolutely nothing to worry about except school grades, hiding all kinds of secrets from everyone, going on missions around the country, and living as a happy family. It’s all in a day’s work with our cute little trio of miscreants, though how they are not getting caught is getting more and more ridiculous. I’ve heard whispers from my friends that the story is probably going to heat up soon, with more drama and intrigue, and I cannot wait.
What a Bizarre Adventure Pt 4
I’m back after a long while from reading a part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure with Diamond is Unbreakable. It continues with the concept of stands and introduces a lot more of them. Sometimes they evolve. Sometimes they test the limits of time. Either way, it was very interesting to continue along the adventure. One thing I did not like much about this arc was that there was no buildup to anything. It was very episodic. While it did leave some clues I suspect to be answered in the upcoming arc, it was a little disappointing that they were not resolved in the here and now. I really wanted the exploration to lead to something, but it seems there was just too much about the world we needed to learn first.
The Poison Taster
Undisclosed poisonings. A humongous list of mysteries to be solved. A will-they-won’t-they-can-they romance. What could be better? Probably a bunch of things, but in terms of this anime, nothing. This week’s foray into anime is the beautiful world of Li in The Apothecary’s Diaries. In this pseudo Ancient China, there are a bunch of mysteries to solve, and apparently, only one woman is right for the job, a Maomao.
So, one of my favorite things about this anime is just how connected everything is. Every little thing is something that appears later and is connected. Paying close attention to every piece of dialogue or animation is crucial to understanding everything. That, and all of the characters are memorable and lovable. While only two seasons of this amazing show are out, I am now determined to read the source materials so I can try to solve the mysteries faster than the characters: the best thing someone obsessed with mysteries can do. Whelp, I have some books to find.
Restarting Humanity
What would happen if humanity as we know it today were gone? No technology, no extensive travel, no types of media. Essentially, the route of human evolution starts over. With that in mind, that is Dr. Stone. After 3700 years of being turned to stone, humanity fundamentally begins again, with having to figure out how to get to this point of humanity again. Luckily, figuring it out is easy when an obsessed scientist is one of the first people to awaken.
As a scientist myself, I was expecting this to be more along the lines of a Sci-Fi anime. I was not expecting the actual amount of science there would be. And this is real science, which was written in actual science textbooks. While the science is correct, some liberties were taken. I honestly don’t think everything would magically work out the way they want us to believe, but it is a fun suspension of disbelief. Although our protagonist having the worst luck imaginable helps balance things out.
First in Class
What is even more horrifying than boarding school? A bunch of children with supernatural powers at said boarding school. That is the basis of the story of Gakuen Alice by Tachibana Higuchi. After her best friend Hotaru is basically kidnapped, Mikan runs away to follow her to a super-secret school, which turns out to be full of people with powers. At times, it is a really sweet story featuring self-discovery. At other times, it is a jaw-dropping story to learn more about the situation that is behind the scenes.
Overall, it is a very cute story. If you love shoujos, you will love this. There is a dash of slice-of-life, romance, and mystery. Although we are ignoring the thing that occurred in volume 2, if you know, you know. The mangaka says it was an accident, and I’m choosing to believe her. It was the only thing like that, so I’m staying in my obliviousness; no one try to take off my rose-colored glasses.
Drabble Geeks 