End of April/Mid-May Update 5/24/16

Hello cafegoers, ’tis I, Takuto, with a hodgepodge of updates from this last April to now, the middle-end of May. Woah, it’s been that long?

Whew! So April was a pretty busy month – Well, just busy enough to hold up on an end-of-the-month update at least. Like most everyone on the planet, I was occupied with way too much school for my own good. Seriously, all this homework and you’re telling me it only counts for 20% of my total grade?? F this sh*t, and then these daily grade boosters mini quizzes with only 10 points, so if I score a 9/10 it’s still a B? What is wrong with this system (talking to you, math classes)??

I could go on, but you get the drift. School sucks. Homework sucks. Extracurricular activities are draining. And at the end of each day, the last thing I wanted to do was sit at my desk and write reviews. It’s not like I hate doing it – oh no – it’s that a certain level of creativity and time has to spent on each post – each sentence – so that it all flows together in a unique style. To muster that kind of technical level required for a half-decent post, in my experience, requires a nice long weekend, which was sadly few and far between. In the evening, I just want to watch, not write.

Then May comes alone, and by golly, don’t we all just love May? Who doesn’t enjoy the last-minute cram sessions for chapter tests followed by the study review for the FREAKIN’ final next week, or the hustling and bustling of obligatory graduation parties galore, or how about the short evenings spent stressing about summer jobs, more schooling, and when the HELL am I gonna get back on the blog? Good question. That’s why I occupied myself with a few pre-planned activities, which you will find below. It’s update time!

Recently Finished:

. . . Nothing, I’ve been pushing for more writing and reading. That and I have four lovely simulcasts to keep me hot and bothered. That’ll change this summer, just you wait.

Well, actually there are a couple of reviews for March anime I completed. Those are for Cowboy Bebop and Dimension W. I used a different stylistic approach to Bebop just to stand out of the crowd a bit more, and you guys seemed to enjoy it. I stuck to my more traditional approach with my DW rant, and that got just about the same solid reception, so I must be doing something right, haha. My awesome buddy Matthew of Matt-in-the-Hat and I are actually still talking about that one, so it’s never to late to hobnob with the cool guys 🙂

Click on either of their titles to read! I also appreciate those who took the time to check out my old Fairy Dance posts. That’s cool of you.

Currently Watching:

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress – While I’m only five episodes in, I can officially say that even if the story goes under the rails, the plummet will be an exciting one. Being an original source (my favorite kind of anime) with only 12 episodes, it will probably wrap up leaving much of the history unexplained. I suppose that’s fine, because the conclusion will more than likely get me to the edge of my seat. At this point, I’m strongly tapping my foot to intense train action and Hiroyuki Sawano’s beats. And that opening, ooh, I think it’s one of Egoist’s best works yet! Kabaneri is still engaging, still epic, but lacking in direction.

Kiznaiver – This is one of those anime that I really want to call in my figurative “Top Ten,” but so far, it’s falling oh-so short. With five episodes watched, I think the biggest problem lies in the characters themselves, in that they’re only shells of the archetypes they belong to simply for the cause of contrasting each other, much like the seven deadly sins do. In theory, Kiznaiver should be great (I am especially captivated by the lead character’s personality for some reason, IDK, maybe it’s his hair, yeah, probably), but unless it really digs deep with its cast, it’ll be nothing more than another pretty piece recycling the same old themes.

My Hero Academia – So I just claimed that the downfall of Kiznaiver would be it’s tropish characters, but then there’s this little gem that is guilty of the same crime, yet gets away with it superbly. MHA is one of those go get ’em, feel good anime. It’s a cliché clash of heroes and an underdog, though it all works because Izuku, the main character, is such a keep-on-keepin’-on youngster, and that’s both heartwarming and exciting. Full of relatable feelings and flashy animation, six episodes is enough to judge that MHA is a good adaptation of its source material. It’s also, and I rarely use this word on action anime, cute.

The Lost Village – AKA Mayoiga, this is the odd egg in the batch of simulcasts this season. It’s really bad – like from a review perspective, the characters are complete one-lined garbage – yet it’s so fun to watch. Isn’t that what all anime strive to be? Fun? With six episodes in, I can’t tell if this anime is trying to pull my leg or be genuinely creepy. Whatever happens, it’s still engaging enough to pull me back each week. That alone is enough to give me a mini heart attack during the nights I watch.

But wait, THERE’S MORE!

As with my Revisit of Evangelion and In Defense of Fairy Dance, I recently tacked another HUGE project called the Heroic Spirit Manifesto or “Hero Week” for short. While I consider it a somewhat ‘failed’ project (huge gap in start and finish), it still was an undertaking that I was proud of accomplishing. If you’re interested in the following anime, click each title because I wrote my thoughts on each one in a specialized format with a heroism section specific to each show. Please enjoy these amazing anime to your heart’s content!

ERASED

One Punch Man

Yuki Yuna is a Hero

My Hero Academia

Café Talk Wrap-Up Segment

So what can we look forward to from me the rest of May? My comments. Lots, and lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of catching up to do on all of the posts you guys have written during my sporadic absences! Don’t expect a review anytime soon, as the only anime I am currently watching are simulcasts. I do, however, have a couple of café talks planned and even an unboxing post (ooh ooh~), so stay tuned for my gradual slide back into the community. I also got a summer job . . . outside . . . as a pool lifeguard. I already have mad sunburns on my shoulders from two days of training. Why do I hate myself? Hahaha, thanks for keeping my seat warm, like ya do, and until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host

Oh yeah, Twitter? It will happen. Soon. Hopefully. Muah.