A Journey Forward Equals The You Now Being Abandoned

Posted on by Karandi
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Episode Review title

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Episode 12 Review

Bunny Girl Senpai continues to impress as Kaede, who should be a stereotypical and fairly bland little-sister-character, continues to show that she is anything but. Over the last few episodes they’ve built her up beautifully and as Sakuta explains to Mai and Nodoka what happened with Kaede and his family it is really sad. But instead of dwelling on that, we see Sakuta continue to support Kaede and we watch her flourish under his attention and her own determination until… well let’s just say the end of the episode is absolutely a cliff-hanger designed to force you to watch the final (as if we weren’t already going to).

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Episode 12 Kaede and Sakuta

Though, it is at least a cliff-hanger done right with real stakes built up over time and the situation being as complicated as it is and the emotional mine-field that it is, it is unlikely to be wrapped up in the first couple of minutes of the next episode. I’m actually invested in finding out how this situation resolves and I think they are going to struggle to bring it together in a single episode, but Bunny Girl Senpai has been full of pleasant narrative surprises so far so I have absolute confidence it will succeed.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Episode 12 Kaede

Mai once again is a little bit sidelined and her work is a convenient excuse to send her away. However, unlike other stories where sending a character away means everyone just kind of forgets their existence, here Sakuta’s father asks him to introduce Mai in the future and we know that Sakuta will call Mai if needed. She is gone but not forgotten.

However, Sakuta and Kaede are more than enough to carry the majority of this episode. The dynamic between the siblings has always been interesting and here we see them at their finest. The trip to the zoo is glorious and fantastic to watch and seeing Kaede that enthused and bubbly just brings a smile to your face.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai Episode 12 Kaede School

I do also like that they aren’t over-simplifying Kaede’s fear of going to school. Their repeated attempts to walk there, the meeting with the guidance officer before even trying to go, Kaede wanting mentally to go but her body being unable to take the steps, it all just adds to the grounding of this series in reality even as it uses supernatural elements to exaggerate the drama of being a teenager.

Another incredibly solid episode and the only criticism I’ll give this one is that I have to wait a week to see how it ends.

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SEISHUN BUTA YAROU WA BUNNY GIRL SENPAI NO YUME WO MINAI 1/8 SCALE PRE-PAINTED FIGURE: SAKURAJIMA MAI
SEISHUN BUTA YAROU WA BUNNY GIRL SENPAI NO YUME WO MINAI 1/8 SCALE PRE-PAINTED FIGURE: SAKURAJIMA MAI

12 Days of Anime Characters – Akari Kawamoto

Posted on by Karandi
12 Days of Anime Title Image

As we move into Day 9 of the 12 Days of Anime I have realised just how many amazing characters there are that I never really focus on for my blog. I’ve really enjoyed visiting with these characters each day and am glad they’ve each had a moment to shine. Day 8 turned to Lin from Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens but today we are going to focus on someone who has a smile that can make you melt and will take care of you when you are sick, help you when you are down, and stand back and let you go when you need to move forward. Yes, we are turning our attention to the amazing Akari from March Comes in Like a Lion.

March Comes in Like a Lion - Akari

Akari is an amazing character and one I regularly overlook because with Rei and Hina to talk about, and even Shimada who was visited early in the 12 Days, Akari just doesn’t get a look in. But that really isn’t fair as she is the back bone of the family and the one who’s words reach both Rei and Hina at their lowest moments. She sits on the side of so much of the story but without her these other characters would not be the people that they are.

March Comes in Like a Lion - Akari and Hina

It was Akari who saved Rei in the very beginning when he was taken out and drank. Akari was the one who forcibly invited Rei over for dinner so many times, confronting him and making him face people. She was the one who nursed him when he was sick. When Hina wanted to make a lunch box for a boy, Akari was the one who first gave advice and then stepped back and let Hina take charge of the situation as she needed to, but provided comfort for her when it didn’t go well. And it was Akari who tried to deal with the bullying situation at school as Hina’s guardian. 

March Comes in Like a Lion Akari

Akari is a source of endless strength and warmth. Her few moments of weakness, where she doubts and questions herself are understandable, and make her even more endearing. Her masterful cooking and ability to help her grandfather, her aunt, and both her sisters, should certainly be recognised as should her effort and good spirit.

March Comes in Like a Lion - The Kawamoto sisters

For all that I haven’t given Akari enough attention, I really think that needs to end. Akari is not just an awesome character, she’s the big sister all of us want and at some point in our lives needed. 

Thank you Akari for being you.

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March Comes in Like a Lion Akari KawamotoMarch Comes in Like a Lion Akari Kawamoto

Tuesday’s Top 5: Anime Sisters

Posted on by Karandi
Tuesday's Top 5

Two weeks ago I looked at some of the awesome brothers out there in the anime world. Today, I’m looking at all the great sisters that exist out there. Admittedly, both of these lists have made me want to write the top 5 most horrible sibling list so I guess I’ll have to get around to it at some point. For best sister though, I was really just looking for someone who looked out for their family.

Please Note: There will be some spoilers below.

Honourable mention this week to  Ryo and Kyo from Clannad for obvious reasons.

Number 5: Mikasa from Attack on Titan

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Okay, technically adopted sister, but her loyalty to Eren is pretty obvious (if not a little bit obsessive). Still, just think how many times Eren wouldn’t have been beaten senseless if not for Mikasa. Her presence is life saving.

Number 4: Akari from Chaika: Coffin Princess

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Another slightly obsessive sister, only in her case she’s not overly protective. She’s fine if her brother does die as long as his body can be stuffed and kept. Despite that somewhat cavalier attitude, Akari is always there as part of the team and her skills are pretty first rate even if her weapon of choice is a bit less precise than Touru’s. All and all though, she’s got her brother’s back and follows him half-way across the country after he accepts Chaika’s job.

Number 3: Kyon’s Sister from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

kyons sister

Now this is one cute little sister. She has no name (that I know of or have been able to find) but she is adorable. Not creepily obsessed, she likes getting her brother’s attention but is happy to tease him, look to his friends for their attention, or just play with the cat. This girl gets my vote for one of the most plausible little sisters I have seen in anime yet.

Number 2: Suzuna from Kaichou wa Maid-Sama

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This girl needs the theme song ‘My Way’. While Misaki as the older sister works hard to help out her family, this younger sister isn’t exactly dead weight. With a fierce focus on entering competitions, Suzuna brings many much needed items into the house taking some of the strain off of her overly serious sister. It is impossible to know what Suzuna would be like if their money situation hadn’t developed, but everything she does in the series is to benefit the household and so she definitely earned her place on this list.

Number 1: Akari from March Comes in Like a Lion

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If Kyon’s sister is my most plausible little sister, than Akari is kind of the dream version of an older sister. She’s patient, calm, wise enough given her own age and also knows when to keep her mouth shut. What makes her an even better older sister is she extends that protection and warmth beyond her blood siblings to Rei who she sees struggling to find his way. Akari is definitely the perfect older sister.

 

Over to you, who would you have included on your list of anime sisters?

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Karandi James.

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The Eccentric Family Season 1 Series Review: Grief, Family, Adventure, and Foolishness – This Tanuki Will Experience Them All

Posted on by Karandi
eccentric1

Overview:

Yasaburo is a tanuki and one of four brothers who have recently lost their father, the one who used to lead the Tanuki world in Kyoto. With an election fast approaching to decide who the next leader will be, plenty of family drama, and an absolute sense of adventure, this is one story that will quickly take on a life of its own. I’ve already reviewed season 2 of this so if you are looking for that review please click here.

Review:

It is hard work having a famous father. Regardless of how down to earth he might be, people outside the family are always going to judge you based on a comparison to him. For Yasaburo and his brothers they have for most of their lives been found wanting as each one seems to have one part of their father within them but none of them can really match up to the man they remember only as the warm and comforting father who cared for them regardless of their faults and foolish ways (and actually encouraged some of their sillier traits).

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The Eccentric Family tries to keep the slice-of-life and upbeat comedic tone going through its run time with quirky and fast paced dialogue. Certainly the story is jumping around through a series of seemingly disconnected events as Yasaburo pokes his nose into the business of his mother, his various brothers, his uncle and cousins, his tengu mentor and the mentor’s protegé, and the human group that eats Tanuki the Friday Fellows. All of this would make you think that perhaps this is kind of empty viewing or light hearted at best. But this is a show not afraid to delve headfirst into grief and how grief can change a family. For all their foolish actions and the distractions they are seeking out, at their core, every member of the family is deeply hurt by the death of a man they much admired.

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Though, the same can be true of all the characters. None of them are what they at first appear, or at least that isn’t all there is to them. As the story progresses we learn small details about them, we see the characters pushed into a variety of situations and how they respond, and occasionally we see the masks they have carefully constructed for the world come down.

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The character designs are interesting and characters are easy to distinguish though that isn’t the same as being pretty to look at. There’s a weird thing going on with ears in this show, and to be honest the characters aren’t that good to look at, but they are distinct and after awhile you realise how their appearance is such a reflection of their personality, or at least the personality they are trying to project. In that sense, Yasaburo’s near constant shifts early in the show make a great deal more sense.

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For me the strength of the show is in the character dialogue and the music. Both are distinct enough to be memorable and there are some very good exchanges between the characters that leve you smiling or just a little bit broken hearted. However, if you aren’t the kind to enjoy listening to characters exchange barbs, or quirky comments, than you may just find episodes becoming tedious because while there is some action to be found it is definitely spread sparsely throughout the series run time.

I certainly recommend trying this anime though. It has a real charm to it and really portrays the connections between family members in a way that I feel few anime really get (while at the same time it seldom falls into slow drama). There’s a lot going on but all the stories eventually come together and ultimately it is hard to follow Yasaburo around and not get a smile.

I’d love to know your thoughts if you’ve watched The Eccentric Family.

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Karandi James

The Eccentric Family Season 2 Episode 4

Posted on by Karandi
eccentric4b

Review:

This is another of those rambling episodes where lots happens but it is difficult to know what if anything will be important later (though someone those final few minutes must be because I did not see that twist to the final game of shogi).

Benten and Nadaime have a brief moment following on from their confrontation last episode but then we move on to the more mundane event of Tanuki Shogi (weird to use the word mundane for that but it still fits in the context of this show).

Eccentric4

Of course, this seems to be the episode for women using guilt to manipulate Yasaburo. First his elder brother’s maybe love interest uses Yaichiro and his hard work to guilt Yasaburo into turning up to the tournament at all (although given the outcome it might have been better if she hadn’t). Then Yasaburo’s mother hits him with some guilt, first bribing him with food and then making him feel bad that he was partially responsible for how the tournament ended.

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It was nice to see Yaichiro get some more characterisation than just being the overly proud big brother and this episode moves quickly and is pretty amusing even while it deepens our understanding of the family dynamics at work here. All and all, a fairly good episode.

The Eccentric Family is available on Crunchyroll.

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La storia della Arcana Famiglia Series Review

Posted on by Karandi
famiglia

Overview:

Felicita is the daughter of Mondo who runs an organisation called the Arcana Famiglia who protects an Italian island. The Famiglia is pretty much made up of people who have made contracts with tarot (Arcana) cards and therefore have special powers. However Mondo has decided it is time for Felicita to marry and decides to hold a tournament with the winner receiving the title of ‘Papa’ and his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Review:

For an anime that introduces the idea of a tournament in episode 1, it kind of then spends most of the rest of the series forgetting that it is a significant and upcoming plot point. Felicita, Liberta, and Nova spend most of the series getting themselves in and out of various bits of trouble under the guise of completing their famiglia duties, dealing with past baggage, learning to control their powers, or just sticking their noses into various situations. We do eventually get back to the tournament but it lacks any real punch and to be honest by the time we get around to it any sense that this was what kicked the whole story off has kind of faded. It’s more, ‘oh, that’s right, they were trying to do something about that’.

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That doesn’t mean there isn’t some entertainment to be had here. Some of the cast are fantastic and there are some genuinely amusing moments. The show stumbles when it actually tries for drama which is a shame because some of these characters have pretty awful back stories and seeing these dealt with in a serious and dramatic fashion could have been quite compelling.

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Nova probably suffers the most from this. He is a very straight and no-nonsense character which puts him at odds with Liberta at almost every step (Liberta being a bundle of impulse and lacking any kind of self-control). Nova also has one of the darker back stories and we do explore this but it just feels kind of tacked on without any real drama or human emotion invested in it. It’s more like reading an encyclopedia about what went wrong for a character, marking it down, and then we close the book and never look at it again.

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Of all the members of the family it is probably Jolly I like the most. He’s cold, calculating and manipulative and terrifies almost everyone, but some of the more interesting plot points are brought about because of him and some of the most dramatic moments in the series only exist because of his character. This story without Jolly would be a much duller experience. That said I still wouldn’t want to meet Jolly in real life because that seems like a terrible idea.

Then we have Felicita. For the central character she is pretty dull. At times she comes off like the typical hot-headed red-haired girl as she kicks other characters or whips out one of her knives, but its all pretty much for show. And stripped of sharp over-reactions, she’s just a pretty bland character who for all that she seems to want to rebel against her father handing her over as a prize doesn’t really take an overly active role in progressing that objective. She might claim she’s trying to get stronger or whatever but mostly her actions lack focus.

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Overall though, if you are okay with three teenagers who remain pretty much strictly friends despite both the guys having an obvious and poorly hidden affection for the central female, running around an Italian island occasionally getting into fights, occasionally using super powers, and a whole bunch of other guys who do stuff every now and then before you get to watch all the characters take each other on in a tournament, then you’ll get a fun afternoon out of this. If you’re after something with a bit more meat to the characters and the plot, I’d probably give this one a miss.

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Karandi James.

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