Overlord : First Look

Now we have our first impressions of Overlord!  Before we start, I'd like to thank @AnimeRetweet for retweeting one of my post links (the one about Seinen Anime) on twitter --- it has now become my most viewed post here on this blog. Anyway, on to the Review then?

Synopsis: Momonga, a man playing in a DMMORPG (Dive Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) called Yggdrasil decides to enjoy his final moments in the game before its server officially shuts down. To his surprise however, he continues to live in the game (past the server shut down schedule) and he can't log out. The NPCs under his guild surprisingly developed personalities and their own will, and they are all under his command. He then decides to continue to live in the game and takeover the world he currently resides in. 

Now, why watch Overlord?

• A fresh new take on the MMORPG genre

Overlord follows its predecessors who all did splendidly with the MMORPG setting: Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, recently Danmachi --- so what does Overlord have to offer that's different from all the previous animes? A different perspective: the main character is already lvl. 100 and he plans to live in that world rather than escape it, he has NPCs for allies, and he's...

• Not Human! 

yep you heard me right: the main character has an undead avatar ( a lich/skeleton to be precise) and now that he resides in that body and is essentially what he is, the main character isn't 'human' anymore. He still thinks like one but physically he's made of bones, and he's becoming less human psychologically too (watch the anime i don't want to spoil)

Overall: 

Sadly that's all I got from the first three episodes: the anime is kind of slow-paced as of the moment, and there are some content I didn't like. There were scenes that seem unnecessarily gory (they could tone down the blood a bit pls) and the main character isn't that interesting for me (he kind of lacks bravado), he seems so plain. But it's only been the beginning for the anime and it has a still has a lot of room for surprises. Maybe you could watch it and comment your thoughts / impressions below? I'll be waiting :)

Seinen Manga/Anime: Is it good?

Recently, a friend asked me if School Days was any good ( I immediately thought 'yeah, if you wanted to punch your screen or rage at characters') and what surprised me was, I didn't think it was particularly bad (hate me, but think about it). I immediately researched it and discovered it was under a certain 'type/genre', called Seinen.


What is Seinen?

The Seinen tag describes those anime/ manga who have scenes not appropriate for younger viewers such as some mild sexual content, strong profanity, or extreme violence. Basically, Seinen manga/anime is literary work intended for mature viewers. So rounding it up:

• Intended for the Mature Demographic (around 18+)

• May contain Mild Sexual Content, Strong Profanity, and Violence / Gore
• Different from Shounen (male leads in action storylines) who target a much younger audience (usually boys)

I'm not 18 yet :O can I watch this?

Of course, even if you're not old enough you can watch/read Seinen works as long as you keep a mature outlook and try to understand what the anime is conveying. Meaning don't whine like a baby after seeing gory scenes / sexual content and try to find the deeper meaning behind those scenes.


Wow, Seinen Anime looks promising. Any examples I could watch? 

You might have not noticed it but a lot of good animes are actually Seinen. Some of these are

• Death Note 
• Psycho Pass
• Durarara!
• Baccano
• Steins; Gate
• Shingeki no Kyojin
• Hellsing
• Elfen Lied
• Etc, etc 

leading us to our initial, and final question:

Is Seinen Anime any good?

YES! Seinen Anime usually hold very deep messages behind their complex stories, and is definitely worth watching. They say anime is for kids? Clearly they haven't seen any Seinen anime. 

Bonus Question: Is School Days any good?

This was where it all started so I guess I have to answer it: Yes, personally I think School Days is actually not that bad for an anime, People might rage over the needless sex / gore, BUT it WAS NEEDED: like I said every part of the plot holds a deep meaning and an overall message to the viewers. 

In this case School Days message is telling us: Don't f*ck up your teenage life. Make responsible decisions. Sorry for the use of the cuss word, but I do believe it was appropriate. 

Any comments are appreciated!

Dere Directory: A Comprehensive Guide to -Dere Archetypes

I just decided I should do other posts besides reviews since I'm lacking content on my blog, and I came up with creating a Dere Directory! Scouring the Internet for different types of our lovable anime stereotypes, I found 9 main -dere personalities so let's take our time and examine each.

1) Tsundere 

Starting off our list is the Tsundere, probably the most famous and well known stereotype in the anime industry! The word tsundere is derived from the onomatopoeic terms tsuntsun (meaning cold, blunt, rash, violent, tough, hostile, etc.) and deredere (meaning sweet, gentle, lovestruck) to form a word describing a person who maybe 'tsun' at first, but has a sweet, loving side.

Tsunderes, once in love, are famous for their characteristics such as:

- saying "It's not like I'm doing this because I like you or anything" or something similar
- calling their love interest an idiot (repeatedly) or claiming to hate them (yeah right)
-  blushing while muttering a weak "arigatou" which the lead char. won't probably hear
- forces herself to hate/be disgusted at the lead char. but actually experiences love

Basically, a character who denies her love for someone and acts tough/hostile outside towards that person, while actually caring/liking him inside. I just read something interesting in a reddit thread, in where there are two types of tsunderes:

Classic Tsundere - tsun at the start while gradually warming up to the person she likes as her character develops to a more 'dere' one (mainly found in the romance genre)

Modern Tsundere - switches from tsun to dere or back spontaneously and dramatically (mainly found in the comedy / harem genre)

2) Kuudere

Next up is the Kuudere, from the terms "Kuu" (cool, calm, collected) and deredere. Almost a complete opposite of the Tsundere. Kuuderes are slowly rising in terms of popularity because of their unemotional, almost innocent personalities that develop into something cute and 'dere' when the person they love comes along. They usually have a lot of self-control, speak in a monotone voice, and may seem emotionless but acts of kindness actually get to them and they may just fall for a person who treats them with such.

Kuuderes are almost taking over the romance genre: A bishoujo playing cool and unemotional shows a unique, supper cute appeal to the viewers when they finally break out of their comfort zone and display their emotions. Being unemotional / innocent most of the time, if a kuudere lets as much as a slight blush cover their face or a single squeal get out, the audience swoons; and watching a kuudere lose her composure and try to let her emotions be felt by the one she loves is never boring.

3) Dandere

Danderes are almost too similar to Kuuderes but have one other defining characteristic: being antisocial. "Dan" comes from the word 'Danmari' meaning "silent" making Danderes characters who rarely communicate with others. Their being anti-social may be caused by reasons like being too shy, too scared, too awkward, put into an isolated environment, or even maybe having a condition/disability. These make them characters who don't usually keep company and prefer to be by themselves.

The Dandere-type doesn't seem as popular because of its absurd similarity to the kuudere and its tendency to be erased when a lead character becomes friends with them (causing them to develop their character and overcome their anti-social nature).

Personally I only know a few examples who may fit in this category: the most popular being Nagato Yuki (Haruhi Suzumiya series), and arguably Misaki Mei (Another), Hyuuga Hinata (Naruto), Shiina Mashiro (Sakurasou), and Shiraishi Urara (Yamada-kun) solely for being antisocial at the beginning of their respective animes.

4) Yandere

Once in a while, a very rare kind of -dere appears... and it's the Yandere! Why so rare, you ask? Yandere is derived from terms Yanderu (to be sick) and deredere, meaning an unhealty infatuation or devotion that can often be destructive. Yanderes have tendencies to hurt others who might hinder her relationship with a love interest, and may even hurt the person she loves if he doesn't love her back/ interacts with other potential lovers.

Among the different types Yandere is definitely the most unique, and rarely has connections to other dere archetypes simply because of its dark concept (obsession) which leads to people involving the yandere's loved one getting hurt. Although Yanderes prove very hostile to most people, they display a loving 'dere' personality to the person they like, and seem normal when interacting with this person.

Famous examples would be Gasai Yuno (Mirai Nikki) who would kill for Yuki, and Senjougahara (Monogatari Series) who would either hurt or hurt for Araragi. Other examples would be Kotonoha and Sekai from School Days.

5) DereDere

Deredere must definitely be THE most boring -dere archetype. Derederes have only one side to them, which is being sweet, loving, caring, generally being 'dere' to everyone. Usually only included in comedy animes as side characters, possibly a younger sister archetype. I did label derederes as 'boring' since it offers almost no character development (which is what I look for) they can still be cute and charming, and can hold their own against the other archetypes. I a popular Deredere would be Nagisa (Clannad) who played a dramatic role (hehe) despite not having a side personality.

6) Himedere / Kamidere 

I guess I should note this -dere type as it is appearing in a lot more shows lately. Hime means "princess" and Kami means "god", meaning these archetypes refer to characters who think they are of higher standing than common people, (thus referring to themselves as royalty or gods/goddesses) but actually have a dere side to them. Ojou-samas would be classified here as well (rich girls who think they're a class above others). These deres usually have a tsuntsun side with them, and may be considered a subtype of the tsundere.

7) Others 

• Mayadere - start off as an enemy but switches sides when she falls in love
• Bakadere - ditzy, clumsy, airhead, but deredere of course
• Tsunshun - a tsuntsun who gets depressed after insulting someone
• Yangire - someone who would kill for friends and family rather than love/romance
• Undere - always agrees / says yes / approves to gain favor 

If you have anything to add, comment below ^_^ I hope the list helps!

References:

http://kotaku.com/how-to-identify-popular-japanese-character-types-1169085239

https://www.asianfanfics.com/blog/view/411262/url

Images:

http://gasaiyuno14.deviantart.com

http://www.zerochan.net/1432354

http://www.zerochan.net/670134

Charlotte: First Look

Here we have our first view on Charlotte! Brought to us by PA Works (same studio who brought us Angel Beats, Another, Glasslip, NagiAsu) Charlotte breeds a lot of high expectations from its viewers.

I'll be doing this review based on the first three episodes, so enjoy!

Synopsis: Yuu Otosaka, having discovered his ability to possess people for 5 seconds, uses it for misdeeds to bolster his social standing. Not long after being admitted to a prestigious high school (after cheating ofc) students from another high school having abilities just like him put a stop to his wrongdoings, and asks him to transfer over and help them save other adolescents from misusing their powers. 

• PA Works and Key 

           When the staff who brought you Angel Beats and Clannad team up once more, YOU JUST HAVE TO WATCH WHAT GODDAMN BEAUTY of an anime they're about to create. Remember the tears you shed for Angel Beats? From the first three episodes I could get the same dramatic vibe, where the story focuses on troubled teenagers and the plot revolves around the characters. Of course, comedy is on point as well and what makes the anime entertaining before the dramatic feels kick in.

• School Life + Powers + Adolescence

           Sounds just like Yamada-kun and the 7 witches, right? It almost has the same idea; ONLY TEENAGERS obtain "imperfect powers" (because their powers have a drawback of some sort) that's related to the current problems they are facing with their adolescent life. Like I already said, each character having an individual story for the anime to focus on and having the audience relate to the 

characters is a trait of a work of high caliber.

• Strong-Spirited, Dynamic Leader Heroine!

           Seriously, who doesn't love strong willed girl presidents? Prepare to meet another hyper-heroine leader on par with Yurippe and Haruhi because here we have --- Tomori Nao! A whirl of cute and cunning, she's the student council president and the one with the drive to save all students with special abilities. Such charming personality and character combined with great art (resembling that of NagiAsu) make her as lovable as our other accomplished female presidents. 

• Music! Bands!
  

          It's no question that everyone loved Angel Beats' Opening and Ending songs --- especially their in-anime girl band, GirlDeMo! We can expect the same quality of music from Charlotte as background music, OP and ED songs for the anime are already fantastic, and guess what - an Idol character in the anime? Prepare for eargasms everybody. 

Overall, Charlotte may be one of the best animes to be released this season. Some say it might even surpass Angel Beats; everyone sure has high hopes for this anime, and I don't think it will disappoint. 

Comments are very much appreciated!

Rokka no Yuusha : First Look

Hello everyone! First of all I'd like to thank you all for the support, 'cause as of this moment I've hit 400 views! (It might not seem that much but it's a big thing for me) And to celebrate we'll be looking at the pilot episodes of this seasons new anime! I hope you'll continue to check my blog for the latest reviews <3

For starters, a first look at Rokka no Yuusha. Synopsis: In a land where every hundreds of years the Demon King awakens and Fiends terrorize the people, six heroes are chosen by the Goddess of Fate to defeat the Demon King and save the world from its doom.

• Good vs Evil Storyline 

           It might seem cliche but it's actually been a long time since an anime with this type of story have a lot of potential. Seriously, I'm mostly a fan of the romance genre, but I do know that since Akame Ga Kill and Nanatsu no Taizai there's been  a distinct lack of Action-GoodVSEvil-Anime (tell me of anime I might
have missed) and thus Rokka no Yuusha steps up
to fill in the gap.

• Dynamic (Kick Ass) Fight Scenes 

           A very important factor in Action genre anime is, of course, the Action. Well animated fight scenes can instantly draw people to like an anime (unlike fight scenes where shounen MCs just hack and slash through monsters), and the first fight scene shown in the pilot episode KICKED ASS. The camera angles were so dynamic it felt like you were standing in the middle of the fight, amidst the beautiful chaos, I hope the anime continues to provide such thrilling action to the rest of the series.

• Art and 3D Demons

           The art for the characters are beautifully drawn and animated, yes, but what catches my eye is the use of 3D animation for the Demons/Fiends. It can either turn out to be good, or really really bad depending on how well they mix the 2D characters and 3D monsters in fight scenes. So far, they're pulling it off ( the only anime I could think of who did the same was Letter Bee) and it's definitely a unique characteristic of Rokka no Yuusha.

Overall, Rokka no Yuusha is definitely one of the better anime releases this season, with other anime like Charlotte / Gangsta / ''Others I haven't looked into yet'' to look out for. The first three episodes released are almost a guarantee that Rokka no Yuusha, as an anime, won't disappoint.

Comments are appreciated :))

           

AnoHana: The Flower We Saw that Day

It's about DAMN TIME I did a review on AnoHana. To tell you the truth it isn't really one of my favorites because dead/dying heroines aren't my thing (it's not a spoiler, chill, the main heroine is a spirit from the very start) but the anime managed to provide a very satisfactory and touching ending to one awesome Romance Drama anime.

Synopsis: A group of six childhood friends get emotionally distraught and separated after one of them , a girl named Menma, dies in an accident. Jinta, being the closest to Menma, can suddenly see Menma's ghost a few years later when Jinta's life reaches it's lowest since she died. Menma's final wish must be granted for her to rest peacefully, and in order to grant that wish all of them must reconcile and work together.

From now on I'll be doing a "3 Reasons" format, as in 3 Reasons to watch this anime! It makes for an easier read for those who cut to the chase and don't want to bother reading MY VERY BORING INTROS (I'm sorry). If you have comments about the new format please tell me below. So let's get started?

1)  It's 100% Pure Romance Drama. 
Yes Sir. It doesn't have Fanservice (rather it doesn't NEED Fanservice), and has only moderate amounts of Comedy. AnoHana is true to itself; its aim is to touch the viewers' hearts, and it does so without relying on Fanservice to draw attention or heavy Comedy to sidetrack the drama. The only thing you should focus on when you watch this anime is the relationships and interactions of its characters and drama build-up of its main storyline; nothing unnecessary and unrelated to the plot. 

2) Real Life Friendship - Relationship Theme
Nope, it's not one of those shounen manga that go "I have to protect my friends!"~ This is the real deal. Anime that people can relate to regarding real life relationships with friends are guaranteed to be good. AnoHana focuses on the concept that bonds formed by strong friendship may weaken over time, but it is never, ever broken --- it appeals to the viewers on how they feel about the bonds they have with other people at the moment, and admire the anime on nailing the concept of real, close friendship.

3) Unique. Characters. Love Pentagon. 'Nuff Said.
That's right! You heard me. Unique Characters meaning each of them has a beautifully written backstory, and their personalities have little to no stereotypical traits. They develop their character over time as the plot progresses and endears the reader, lulling them to watch more of the anime. What's more is have you seen a romance drama where 5 main characters form an actual Love Pentagon??!!! Not only that, there are Love Triangles INSIDE the Love Pentagon; and I'll remind you this IS NOT A CHEESY ROMCOM but rather a VERY VERY SERIOUS ROMANCE DRAMA. Must watch for the romance genre fans.

Regarding the genre and theme you may notice a strong similarity to NagiAsu (Friendship? Romance? Drama?) as many have, and I assure you AnoHana is just as good: meaning VERY GOOD.

But hey, I'll leave you to decide for yourself.

Kekkai Sensen (Blood Blockade Battlefront)

THIS. It's one of those Anime that uses different perspectives and small short stories to build up its setting and develop the unique characters that dwell in it. IN SHORT IT'S AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD WATCH IT. Okay, synopsis first:

Hell Salem's Lot, once called New York City, is a city where humans and otherworldly creatures coexist; a rift connecting it to another dimension opens up trapping humans and entities from it in a barrier. What comes with the city's peculiar situation is everyday crime enticed with madness and magic, and now someone wants to destroy the barrier to unleash the city's horrors, and only a team of special humans can stop them.

So even after ripping off some synopses from other sites, it's still confusing but here's the catch: if you like anime like Baccano, or Durarara this anime has the same sort of feel. Using short stories from different characters' perspectives builds up the setting, Hellsalem's lot, while providing progress of the main plot and development of each unique character.

The anime provides distinct personalities for each and every character, with intriguing backstories relevant to the main storyline. Having each story center around different characters' perspectives makes you see more of Hell Salem's lot while familiarizing yourself with every person involved. It also shows how they interact with other characters and the madness/crazy vibe of the city itself.

The protagonists are members of 'Libra' (symbolizing a scale, balance), a secret organization fighting crime in the shadows, maintaining order in the city, and preventing it from falling into chaos. Leonardo Watch, hoping to find a cure for his sister's blindness, comes to the city and joins Libra. In the anime, he's the closest person you could call a 'main character', as his power is essential to penetrating the bubble wrapped around the city. He lacks fighting abilities making him lackluster in action scenes, but is involved in the major plot points of the story.

I'm expecting a lot from the season finale (june 11 or 12) which is in 5 days, because they took 2 weeks to plan it and apparently they "can't fit it in a 30-minute episode". Kekkai Sensen is a great anime, and I wholly recommend everyone to watch it.

P.S. The OP and ED song is also certainly one of the best summer

Comments very much appreciated :)