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🐱Cheshire Cat's Fun Uncle °8.2° °Excellent ° 💯%🔍

The wonder of childhood.

A family with two young girls, Satsuki & Mei, moves to the countryside to be near the hospital where mom is getting treatment.

When the girls walk into the dilapidated house they immediately meet little dust creatures that scurry and scatter to escape the light. The countryside contains special magic, it seems. They meet the rest of their cheerful neighbors. A granny, a boy their age, schoolmates... and Totoro. What is Totoro? He looks like a giant cat-blob with huge human-like teeth. (What Teeth! The Better To Roar With!) He likes acorns. Two mini Totortos follow ... him around. He rumbles and it sounds growly, but Satsuki & Mei aren't scared.

Once again, studio Ghilbi lights our world with the liteness of childhood imagination. These easily made friends will delight the whole family. This movie is gentle and calmative. It's a cheerful visit to the countryside. The lovely artistry and the sounds - from the voices to corn rustling in the soft warm wind, to crickets chirping- it all soothes the soul. The English voice actors are outstanding. Mei slowly breaks into tears - the actress outdid herself. The sound of little feet running in the dirt is like a brain caress. The sound production radiates a peacefulness. It's outstanding.

At first the girls are filled with wonder over everything - a rotted pillar, an acorn in the house... Well, the wonders will never cease. They'll get even more wonderful. There's also a budding romance - nearly...maybe... There's no maybes about how much you & your family will 💗 the movie.

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬8.2 📝7.9 🎭 8.5 💓5 🦋5 🌞8.2 🎨8.4 ⚡🎵/🔊10 😅6.5 😭4 😱2.5 😯3.5 😖0 🤔5 🔚 10

Age 4+ but it depends on the child. Some elements could be scary.

Re-📺? 🔛

Originally 〰️🖊 5/2024

Can Two Halves Fill A Hole? °6.9° °good° 💯%🔍

GT starts with Men In Black. FBI? Mid 20th century IBM employees? Mormons? Nope. They're law students. But what kind of a lawyer can you be if you fall apart over a female stalker? Law student, Yanagisawa Mitsuo, can't handle his cloying childhood friend, Kaga Kouko. She's determined to marry him, and nothing can distract Kaga from her goals. Tada Banri becomes Mitsuo's friend. When Banri first sees Kaga he is blown away: She's gorgeous. Satou Takaya, Oka Chinami, and Linda (Banri's hometown bestie) round out the group of friends.

Kaga, our FL, comes over as imbalanced because ... she's chasing a guy - and she's well over the line; she's into the mental illness zone. It's uncomfortable for the men around her and for the viewer. She finally starts to understand the psychology underneath her motivations. She realizes it was all about her and going after something she wanted. She never thought about the man at all - not who he is and what he wants, at least. The odd thing about attraction is that if it's real, it's always mutual. When it's not mutual, it's usually a situation in which one person likes the idea of the other person, not that person h/herself.

"I decided I want to move on. I don't want to be persecuted by things that happened to me anymore. I want to live. I want to live my life," Banri moans. The concept of self, who we are, and what we are, is brought into question. Banri Tada suffered a traumatic fall a few years back and has had amnesia since then. He doesn't remember the person that he was prior to the accident. In fact, he sees /that/ Banri as another human being all together - a complete stranger. He feels out of place in his own body, and he knows that his family and friends miss the old version of him. It's isolating. As time goes by, the more upset and anxious his loved ones seem because he is not the old Banri - They want that °other° person, they don't want °him°. He doesn't know that Banri, and he doesn't want to lose who he is now.

Are we us without our memories? When Banri woke up from his accident he was a clean slate. Part of who we are in the present is our past mistakes, failures, and successes, along with the good and bad times. Our memories are a collection of the result of our choices, but they shouldn't control what and who we are. The past can boost us, but it can also shackle us. Even our past successes can shackle us if we get trapped in our "Glory Days". Banri gets to start over, and any of us can do that. We need to be free to be the best version of ourselves. "Free your mind," the sages, En Vogue, tell us: "The rest will follow." We see Banri's old self as a forlorn ghost feeling forgotten and left out. Ironically, Banri does to his old self what others do to his new self (just wishing this Banri would go away and the other Banri would stay) until he is finally able to shake free of the mold.

He isn't the only one that shakes free. Kokuo finally learns to let go as well. She thinks about the other person, finally, and that is also oddly freeing. Too much self-focus will only lead to anxiety and despair. Helping someone can, at times, help the helper more than the receiver. We need to always be improving, but also to forget about ourselves. It's a balancing act.

GT is 25 24-minute episodes. The art and the English dubbing are VG. The song for the closing credits is quite nice. The opening song is Japanese pink-pop. One Scooby-Doo Snack they threw in is a character named Nana, who is clearly based on the punker, Nana, from the popular anime of the same name. It's a fun shout-out. It is a pleasant series to watch, with plenty that's good, but it's also a bit bland, even though Kaga's antics generate anxiety. More than a romance, the primary appeal is hanging with a group of school buds. The episodes roll by quickly. I kept thinking that I would ditch the show, but each episode put me in the mood to watch another one the following day. I never caught binge-fever, so one-a-day was the right pace. It is not a waste of time, but there are anime that are worth your time before this one, particularly if romance is what you are looking for. For example: Toradora is an excellent romance in every way. Real Girl is a fun HS story about how a nerd, who only likes 2D girls, scores a hottie. Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun is HS romantic anime in which a young artist helps out her crush with his monthly girls manga story. Interestingly, this nerd can write about teen girls in love, but in reality he has no clue what's going on around him. Love- Chunibyo And Other Delusions - Heartthrob is one that cannot be denied. It starts out good and it keeps getting better. It's truly an excellent show with some superb romantic moments scattered in the mix. Finally, Maid Sama is a top-tier romcom, hand drawn or not. It's in the highly rewatchable category. The real currency in GT is how damaged people move past their mistakes and regrets to grow. That storyline is always golden.

QUOTES📢

Is fear of rejection a form of rejecting yourself?

You're the next to the next to the next person I like as much as Linda.

This is how time flows for everyone. Right after it's born, every moment becomes the past, and eventually has to die.

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬70 📝57 🎭74 💓53 🦋49 🌞67 🎨70⚡45 🎵/🔊77 😅38 😭35 😱15 😯63 😖0 🤔57 💤35 🔚70

Age 14+ with the following cautions: The tea club throws a wild party. Some dancing in bras and a bizarre crotch sniffing incident. Those b!+che$ are brazen! There's also the usual close-ups of cleavage with a case of the jiggles.

Re-📺? This one's in the good-to-pass-the-time category, but I may never pass this way again....

As of today, GT is available on Hidive. Some dubbed titles worthy of a visit of Hidive are:
Maid Sama 10, Made in Abyss 9 (currently the 3rd movie and S2 are not dubbed. Per Hidive: "Since MADE IN ABYSS: Journey's Dawn... and MADE IN ABYSS: Wandering Twilight... are compilation movies, you can either watch MADE IN ABYSS season 1 or just the two movies before moving on to the MADE IN ABYSS: Dawn of the Deep Soul..., the third movie is NOT optional ");
Parasyte the Maxim 8.9,
The Eminence in Shadow 8.8,
No Game No Life Zero 8.8,
RahXephon 8.6,
Akame ga Kill! 8.6,
Princess Principal 8.6,
Chihayafuru 8.5,
Girls Last Tour 8.5,
CR Chaika The Coffin Princess 8.4,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4,
Special A Class 8.2,
Food Wars 8.2,
Land Of The Lustrous 8.1,
Girls Und Panzer 8,
Land Of The Lustrous 8,
Reincarnated as a Sword 8,
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU 8,
Gate 7.9,
Ao-chan Can't Study 7.8,
Beyond the Boundary 7.8,
You're Under Arrest 7.8,
Pet Shop of Horrors 7.8,
Hakkenden 7.7,
Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun 7.7,
Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? 7.7,
Flowers of Evil 7.7 (not dubbed),
Farming Life in Another World 7.7,
Princess Resurrection 7.6,
Akiba Maid War 7.5,
Real Girl 7.5,
School Live 7.5,
Kokkoku 7.5,
Needless 7.5,
Senryu Girl 7.5,
D4DJ 7.5,
Iria 7.5
Kokoro Connect 7.4,
Aura Battler Dunbine 7.4,
Pet Girl of Sakura Hall 7.3,
After the Rain 7.3,
BToom! 7.3,
Ice 7.3,
Armed Girl's Machiavellism 7.1

Honorable Mention: Wasteful Days of High School Girls,
Blue Seed, Patlabor, Get Backers, Clannad, Tsurune, Tada Never Falls in Love, Kino's Journey, Lupin III.

Originally 〰️🖊 4/2024

Beauty Among Blessings In Disguise °8.8° °Outstanding° S1 episodes 1-13🔍

A newly reinstated son of Heaven's emperor has a mission on earth to clear out an evil spirit that is nabbing and killing brides. He sets out with two lesser-god/warriors. One thing leads to another and they end up in several skirmishes while meeting a variety of characters while encountering a mystery or two, to-boot.

HOB is a 2020 release that is rated 8.34 on MAL. It is 2 seasons consisting of 24 24-minute subtitled episodes, including the caboose episode: Tian Guan Cifu Special/Heaven Official's Blessing Special. This is the most popular offering of Haoliners Animation League. ... They are faithful to the style and feel of Japanese anime but the show also has the elegance that is strictly Chinese. The voice acting is exactly like a Chinese live-action fantasy piece, and China does some of the best fantasy in the world. I have a preference for dubbed anime because I usually like the English-speaking dubbing more than the original acting, which tends to be alittle monotone for my taste. HOB's voices are a pleasure. When spoken by professional actors, the Chinese language is lilting and melodious. It is very beautiful.

The opening credit visuals and music are arrestingly gorgeous. The shows that find me watching the opening and closing credits every time, no skipping, are mostly Chinese with a couple of Japanese animes in the mix. HOB 's artistry is wonderful. People are drawn with simplicity, but realistically, and backgrounds are artistically beautiful and detailed.

The best fantasy takes place on the road. Xie Lian is on the move for most of the show. He gets into one scrape after another along with his lesser-deity sidekicks. He picks up a stranger (Hua Cheng in disguise) around mid-show. He knows his new friend is mysterious, but he also trusts him implicitly. Together they unravel a viperish mystery and correct a longstanding wrong. The thrills just keep coming.

I'll just quote HOB Wiki on the characters and their backgrounds, as once I read this content, it became hard to leave it out: "Hua Cheng is the male lead of the novel. As one of the Four Great Calamities, Hua Cheng is known as the richest and most dangerous of the three Devastation class Demons. One learns to fear the silver butterflies and blood rains for they are the heralds of his presence. He is charismatic and intelligent, with a nonchalant attitude...

Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Xianle. He was loved by his citizens and was considered the darling of the world. He ascended to the heavens at a young age; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, was quickly banished back to the mortal realm. Years later, he ascends again-only to be banished again a few minutes after his ascension.

During the inaugural years of his divinity, his kingdom experiences upheaval and war, due in part to drought and a terrifying new disease. Going against the edicts of both the heavenly realm and of fate, Xie Lian involves himself in the affairs of the mortals who have always loved and supported him, hoping to achieve peace and relieve suffering in his kingdom. Unfortunately, his appearance in the mortal world only amplifies the conflicts between his people, and their desperation leads to the dramatic and abrupt downfall of Xianle, as well as the downfall of Xie Lian. The people destroy his temples, statues, and shrines, abandoning him as their most respected religious figure and earning him the reputation of a God of Misfortune... Now known as a peculiar, peripatetic scrap-collector with perennially bad luck, Xie Lian is ridiculed or ignored by most other heavenly officials. Nevertheless, he retains his good-hearted nature and only wishes to fulfill his duties as a god.

Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the heavens for the third time as the laughing stock among all three realms. On his first task as a god thrice ascended, he meets a mysterious ghost who rules the ghosts and terrifies the heavens, yet, unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this ghost king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time... By the time of his third ascension, Xie Lian is a kind and gentle person... He never holds his status above others and treats people equally, disregarding status as a sign of one's worth. He is a compassionate man who's willing to offer his help, being indifferent towards opinions of others. Although he does not care for reputation, he still finds himself often caught in situations that make him unsure whether to laugh or cry, usually when faced with moments that cause him embarrassment or feeling awkward..."

Along with kindness, especially to the powerless, and the courage to do right, "Shatter all taboos." is the Theme. There is an understated romance building between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. They actually do a mock wedding walk in the early episodes, while on a mission, though it feels real when the show looks back at the ritual later. Love does not come to fruition in S1, but there is a sadness and longing that appears to run deeply in Hua Cheng, as if he's been taken with these feelings for centuries, while Xie Lian seems to have no memory of Hua Cheng. It's rare for China to feature a same-sex romance. They usually wipe it from the story, like they did in The Untamed, so they are loosening up. China had a 1 child per household rule for an extended period of time towards the latter 20th. It resulted in millions of forced abortions and a shortage of women as girls were routinely aborted or adopted out to the West. One has to wonder if a shortage of women is playing a hand in the changes we see in such a traditionally conservative censorship-prone government. "If you can't find a reason to live, then take me as your reason to live. If you can't find the meaning of living, then take me as the meaning of your life." Xie Lian chuckles as he recalls what he told somebody long ago. It's obvious to the viewer that he must have said it to Hua Cheng, who looks soulfully sad that Xie Lian has forgotten so much. Right now, S2 is not available without a Crunchyroll subscription. I will be opting for that before too long and plan to see what they get into in S2. HOB is truly otherworldly.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣9 📝8 🎭8.5 💓6 🦋6 🌞5 🎨9.4 ⚡6 🎵/🔊8 😅3.5 😭6 😱5 😯4 😖4.5 🤔5 💤0 🔚?

Age 13+ Language: PG-13, scares, violence, blood and gore

Rated TV-PG-13: Parents Cautioned

Re-📺? Yes

Originally 〰️🖊 3/2024

Recommendation: Legend of Exorcism-8.8

✂🌀Who Knew There Was That Much Crack In The🌀✂World? 💈Excellent💈

🌀 Here he is! Running in 1.5 dimensions, scissors in hand, with his battle cry: "I am The Senior Hairstylist at Dai Bo Fei Hair Salon!!"

The author picked the right day to sniff glue. S7 somehow comes together as a series that is pure pleasure to watch. Snip and a clip with him at least until Ep10 before you make a decision about the show. Episodes are under 20 minutes, so they fly and spin by. S7's so strange that one cannot tell in the early episodes what it really is. I'm still slightly confuzzled (though ... pleased).

Seven. Scissor-007, is his name. License To Kill is his game, and ✂ are his weapon of fame. He gets some blame, he thinks it's a game, but it's 💴 down the drain. So his partner is poor and he is the same. He is... The Hairstylist... of Dai Bo Fei Hair Salon. Fear him, for he is the #17,369 ranked assassin! Eh, hired assassin is his part-time gig, actually. He's a hairstylist and sometime beef offal seller. His voice is by none other than his author & creator, Xiaofeng He. It's evidence that this dude is enjoying life.

S7 takes place in a world where being an assassin is a commonplace profession (it's all about supply and demand, right?). Assassins are divided into guilds and factions, etc. They are ranked from #1 to um... what /is/ the counting-up-but-going-down limit? Our assassin is ranked #17,369... We can just say that they are many in number. Furthermore, demand is fluid, so relying on temps (also ranked) is necessary at times.

When we first meet S7 we might be tempted to turn away. Trust me, he grows on ya. He looks like any giambroni in his black shorts and white hoodie which has variations of the Chinese character for "7" in the usual places. Sometimes it's depicted with the character for 6 as his name is a Mandarin pun for 5-6-7. He has half-moon dark -no- /jet-black/ circles under his eyes (it's apparently a cry for help from sleep deprived animators) and hair just long enough to tie up. Ironically, even tied up, his hair always looks sloppy. He has a fuzzy side that has powered through to manifest itself in the form of drama and Romcom posters on his bedroom walls. They don't help him remember any of his past life, though. He's an amnesiac.

His best friend, Dai Bo, runs the business, and their group is rounded out with a little blue chick named Xiao Fei (Fei). They work and reside together in the sleepy little community of Chicken Island. (Did I mention that Dai Bo is also a blue 🐔?) Anyway, despite S7's obvious talent (He has quite the flair for hair) the Dai Bo Hair Salon is just a front. S7's an assassin undercover with a dream to make lots of money. The team's current plan is to turn S7 into the #1 Assassin. Then he could make a fortune. S7 wants to use it to travel to the technology capital of the universe, Stan, in hopes that they can restore his memory. The blue chicken just likes 💰. As an assassin, S7 utilizes telekinesis to make scissors ✂🌀✂ spin through the air after his target. He also has Gaiba Eggs which transform him instantly into the appearance of whatever he pictures in his head. It's only the appearance; no extra abilities can be acquired this way.

The first few episodes follow him on assignments in which we quickly learn that S7 may be the worst assassin ever. He happens to be a 1st-rate problem solver, though. His ineptness does gain him some friends, like Cola. He can't understand why someone wants her dead, so when she demands he help her with her bucket list before he kills her, he agrees to it. You get the picture: He never gets the job done, and he never gets paid. At his core he's a lover, not a fighter. That's the intro. You'll soon get a feel for the author's affectionate sense of humor. I think that's the right word. Amidst the spouting blood, killin and invasions, there's a sincere warmth to the show.

It's funny too. Chicken Island is descended on by assassins in one episode. S7's been ordered to hunt down and kill said assassins, but he's not in the mood. He's planned a chill day. He keeps running into them, however, and is forced to tangle it up. For example, he sets out in the morning wondering how he would even find these killers he's been ordered to take on. He orders food from a stand and jokingly says: "Are you an assassin?" The cashier exclaims: "You found me‼," as he attacks S7, who ends up spending the whole day trying (unsuccessfully) to avoid such fights. Naturally, when there's an assassin he /wants/ to find, he gets squat, and his ✂ lay fallow.

Chicken Island is a peaceful and friendly little community in which to live. They even have an armbanded purity enforcer. (Some of The Party structure seeped in). She's one of the first people with whom S7 twists it up... over a panty thief. He's always flirting with female assassin Plum Blossom 13, who is assigned to kill him. After an attack has failed and she's leaving to regroup, he'll call out that it was 'nice seeing her, and maybe they could get tea together sometime?' Or: '13 is a strange name, how did you get it?' (🙄) Her mission is foiled when he saves her life, so she feels she owes him. Next, they have to fight off even badder guys together, such as the invader from Stan. Finally, he saves her life once again, so their relationship is becoming more and more complex. They have a contest one night. All he wants, if he wins, is a day at the beach with her👙 - forget about his safety or her orders to kill him. That's not important right now, because she's just his type☑

Most seemingly side characters get a story arc. Enjoy meeting DaChun, and get ready for some twists! The animation is simple but effective. The imagination is there. The crude look of the drawing actually augments the humor. Per recent news, while season 4 hasn't been officially announced, that might be because they are getting ready to release a movie. The unofficial word is that they're planning for 10 more seasons over 20 years. Only a government as powerful as the Chinese can make a 20 year programming plan for 1 show. Obviously, things change at every moment, so who knows? Fans like me, love what they're thinking. The majority of viewers that watch S7 would agree!

S7 has R-rated violence (actually, it might be closer to PG-13. It's drawn more for chuckles, and is not graphic). It shows genius level imagination with a lighthearted, childlike side plus a dash of romance folded in. It's got it all, folks! So, step right up, or have Fei drop you off, and wander around this quirky world. Just no eating chicken when you visit. It's a matter of manners.

QUOTES📢

The world is still a beautiful place

I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue. ((Wait a moment.. That's actually Lloyd Bridges in Airplane. Anyway, the shoe fits and all, so it stays))

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬9 🎭7 🤔7 ⚡8 💓7 🌞7 🎨 who can say?

Age 12+


Originally 〰️🖊 1/2022

✒Scripting the Absolute Power to Kill at Will 🍎 How About Them Apples? ~ °8.8° °Outstanding° 💯%🔍

Here's a show that proves once you begin a kill list, there won't ever be an 🔚 to it.

DN is an intricate mouse trap of a chess game. Being fairly new to anime, DN is unlike anything else I've seen. Don't expect any laughs, DN is as utterly cheerless as it is enthralling. Don't expect any warmth, either: DN is all head, no ❤.

Light Yagami is like many other anime protagonists. In the West, we are charmed with teen girl warriors, and in the East, they can't get enough ... of brave & daring high IQ'd teen males who embody cold-blooded, paralyzing logic. I've since seen Code Geass and Kaguya Sama which also feature masculine protagonists who have all their logical 🔐tumblers in place, quite similarly to Light. {The adorable and funny Kaguya Sama actually involves a HS romance, so it has plenty of heart, and Code Geass involves a widescale rebellion, a family tearing itself apart, and an emperor that plans to kill God, but it's warmer than DN by far, just as a reference.}

Doubtless there's dozens, if not 💯's of these anime dudes. That's a good thing, especially for enlightening our minds. Light Yagami is such. He's a brilliant HS student, residing in a loving, well-adjusted home with mom, his detective father, and his sister. He is #1 in his class, and headed for a bright, full of light, future. He's also interested in a smart & practical girl that is much like him, Kiyomi Takada.

Light's life alights on a new path when he crosses paths with a strange 📓. Light uproots the volume from the ground without pausing to reflect on its strange allure. On the blackest of black covers is written: Death Note. Inscribed inside are rules, or operating instructions:

1. The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

2. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

3. If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

4. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

5. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The 📓 also has the caution that users are not permitted to go to heaven nor hell, but will rather face oblivion.

Nevertheless, after watching a horrific newscast about Kurou Otoharada, who killed 6 people before taking hostages at a nursery school, Light, out of anger and disgust, decides to try it out.

It worked like magic. It works... like... it's supernatural.

GAME 🎱N

Light starts 〰🖋 names in the 📓 every day - after his homework📚 is done, of course. He can rid the world of its most heinous villains! He is doing good work! He can recreate society. He applies🔍 himself in the same manner that he's adopted for schoolwork. Scouring the 📰, he has no trouble finding names worthy of inscription, in our world of trouble.

It doesn't take long for law enforcement to realize there's a mysterious killer afoot. Even though the targets are, arguably, deserving of their fates, this killer is breaking the law by, from the shadows, taking on the role of judge and executioner. (We all know police can't stand vigilantes. No one likes being shown up). The investigation begins. Eventually, a group of world famous detectives get involved, which is when the real fun starts. The rest of the show is 🐱-and-🐭, the hunter and the prey, next the prey becomes the hunter. Who is the 🦅, and who's the 🐿? And around it goes. It's a supreme battle of deductive reasoning, stratagems, and wits, and it is terribly clever.

Light starts to become corrupted by the power he's obtained. Having not read the manga, it isn't clear if the very DN📓 itself is corrupting, but certainly, human nature alone is plenty sufficient to wholly rot the core of a person who is afforded absolute power. The tragedy of human nature is that most individuals believe they are better than that; that they would only use this power for good.

Even so, it's smooth riding shotgun with Light, until the cops start closing in. As all the initial deaths occurred in the vicinity of Tokyo, the culprit's likely location is pinpointed as being there. In order for Light to avoid arrest and continue his virtuous work of creating a new and better 🌏, what will he do? Will Light become dark?

Another aspect of the DN📓 is that once a human touches it, they can see Shinigamis. Shinigamis are the reapers who own the 📓📓📓. It is their job to 〰🖋 & deal death at the proper time. Once in awhile, Shinigamis misplace their DNs📓. Sometimes they'll do it on purpose; especially when they're bored. The creepy looking guy in the show's artwork is Ryuk, the owner of the DN📓 that Light found. He becomes Light's constant companion. Ryuk seems easygoing, and he has a sufficient sense of humor. As long as he gets 🍎🍎🍎 to eat (his one obsession) he's no trouble. As Ryuk is enjoying his time and particularly his discussions with the bright Light, Ryuk's attentions and flatteries only embolden Light more.

The manga and the show take place over several years. The timeline is from November, 2003, when Light first picks up the DN📓, until early 2011. We'll see Light 🎓 school and become a detective himself, working on the taskforce assigned to catch the killer, who has taken the moniker, "Kira".

Eventually, governments, the media, and the mobs weigh in on Kira. Everyone has an opinion, right? Even a mature and carefully virtuous person might succumb to out-of-control pride with all of these multiplying factors, but when we first meet Light, he seems considerate, thoughtful, and modest about his accomplishments. How would worldwide attention affect him?

DN has become my prototype example of all-head-no-❤ anime. One can easily infer from the name that there's a fair amount of killing in the show. As my temperament is on the softer side, DN dem😟ralized me a little. I was often sad as I watched. However, it's too good to not keep watching. Small doses was the 🗝 for me.

On one hand, claiming that DN is 'merely intellectual curiosity about unmitigated power over life and death' could be an exercise in feeding the monster that's in each of us. Only by nurturing the good within can we quiet the brute. On the other hand, DN is an honest look at the human condition and how our choices can slowly corrode us, if we aren't careful.

Regardless, DN is outstanding. Periodt. It has passionate fans, many of whom consider it in company with the all-time great mangas/anime. They have their valid arguments. DN delivers the goods, without question. While it's high quality throughout, the last handful of episodes are decidedly riveting. The exciting outcome is not revealed until the final episode, which is titled: New World.

Not superficial for one moment, DN is also an examination of justice and society. One character spouts: "Evil must be deleted. There are only good⬜ and bad⬛ people." While many readers/watchers may feel that way about many individuals or groups these days, (particularly about those on the opposite political spectrum) it's rigidly simplistic thinking; it would create a brutal culture. True justice punishes wrongdoing for the good of society.

{Justice and forgiveness are wholly unique in perspective, btw. Justice is corporate, being by community🏛 for the benefit of community, while forgiveness is personal, and practiced for our own good. Forgiveness is allowing one to put a person and event behind them, in order to move on. Forgiveness does not allow an offender to inhabit one's brain, which h/s otherwise would. Don't carry the weighty burden of offenses with you. Free yourself. Ain't nobody sayin it's easy. Forgiveness is hard. I find I'm only able to forgive with divine help. Sometimes, it doesn't stick, & a repeat cycle is necessary. As important as it is, forgiveness does not negate the need for justice, though.}

Regardless of the full spectrum of my reactions along the way, when the final credit rolled (I was immobile during the closing music) the only conclusion to be drawn is that DN is a true thrill. The artwork, sound, voices, directing, and editing are crisp & skillful. The English voice actors for the dubbing were excellent as well. The last shot is beautifully eerie.

In summary, DN is mandatory for those who are interested in anime or a good dectective story. It's a shining milestone on anime's path to world domination. Write it on your list.

Case closed.

IMHO...
🎬8 🎭8 😅0 🤔10 🎨7 🌞0 🎵8 ⚡9 🔚10

Age 14+

From lite&trite to heavy&serious, here's some recs ~

Food Wars 8.2,
Maid Sama 10,
The Eminence in Shadow 8.8,
Trollhunters-9.5,
The Last Airbender-10,
Akiba Maid War 7.5,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4,
Toradora-8.5,
Assassination Classroom-9,
Chaika The Coffin Princess 8.4,
Reincarnated as a Sword 8,
Hunter × Hunter-10,
Invincible-8.5,
Jujutsu Kaisen-9.5,
Made in Abyss 9,
Your Lie In April-9,
Parasyte the Maxim 8.9,
Blade Runner: Black Lotus-8.6,
Akame ga Kill! 8.6,
Castlevania-8.4,
Death Note-8.8,
Demon Slayer 9.3,
Tokyo Ghoul-8.5,
Tokyo Revengers-8.2,
Watership Down-8.5,
Violet Evergarden-9.5,
Fullmetal Alchemist-10,
Psycho Pass-8.6,
Vinland Saga-10,
Attack On Titan-8.9.

Originally 〰️🖊 5/2022

🏍 Wonder as she wanders °7.3° °VG° 💯%🔍

KJ is structured much like Aesop's Fables. Each episode is a simplified cautionary tale of the foibles of human nature, particularly mankind's tendency to go to extremes. Kino inhabits a sparsely populated world - most likely a post-apocalyptic world, though that information is not divulged. Staying at each place for 3 days, she is exploring various lands with her talking 🏍, Hermes.

Her first stop is a country in which the inhabitants thought they could eliminate pain if they all understood eachother better. To that end, they all drank an elixir ... that would enable them to read eachother 's minds. Obviously, people separated, grew apart, isolated themselves, and now the population is dying out. No babies are born. Nobody can tolerate another's presence. Yes, it should have been obvious. The motif ends with non-verbal communication via expression alone that is eerily like mind reading.

A 2003 release that is rated 8.29 on MAL, KJ is 1 season consisting of 13 24-minute English dubbed episodes with CC available. Several sources say it is 12 episodes. Hidive, on Prime, has 13 episodes to watch. Ep2 is bad@$$. In ep4 we get her backstory, and it's rough.

The show feels ancient as these "countries" are much like ancient walled off cities. Every city-state she visits has people with foolish notions. Due to isolation, each country comes up with rather extreme and mostly untenable solutions to problems. Quite often these countries are ruthless and harsh. (Like a fable, it's not entirely make-believe, it mirrors reality). We'll see a threatening inspector explain through gritted teeth that every country has its customs and it's no outsider's business. Yet a traveler does step in to save the life of a girl, leaving the residents befuddled.

In one country machines do all the work. Since resources are limited, they created useless jobs as a measure to divvy out their scarce resources: Those with the highest stress (useless) jobs get the most resources. And around and around we go. In a land where books are banned because 📚 cause readers to get lost in illusions, we hear that "All people exist in the illusion that /they/ are the main character." People get trapped in irony's cruel grip because nature always denies them the ability to truly be the main 🎭. The solution? Escape by becoming an author. "All I know is that no one sane would become an author," says Kino. My favorite philosophical discussion is Kino discussing man's-obligation-to-man with Hermes.

The art supports the simplicity of the show. People are drawn on a low reality scale with little detail and some exaggeration, all fitting in with the fable setting. Backgrounds are slightly more detailed with simplified, minimized and stylized realism. Though simple, the art is plenty expressive, reinforcing the sounds and verbiage that increase the sense of wonder. We wonder as she wanders 🏍〰〰


QUOTES📢

A traveler's most important asset is what helps you get back up after a struggle's left you so close to the end.

The Critics: "All they do is expound their store of knowledge. They excite themselves with their ranting. Their disapproval excites them with a feeling of importance and sick victory. They thrive on spoiling the pleasure and trashing the creativity of others."


〰🖍 IMHO

📣7 📝7.5 🎭7.5 🌞6 🎨7⚡5 🎵/🔊7 😅3 😭5 😱7 😯3 😖2 🤔6.5 💤3 🔚7

Age 14+ We see a 🐰 shot in the head, fall, bleed out in the snow. The episode is called: "I want to live." Kino says she has an obligation to the rabbit. Rabbit is skinned and fed to homeless people. Violence and blood. Cannibalism. Rated R-17+

Re-📺? Probably not, but once was great.
There are offshoot productions that do not appear available for streaming currently: Sequel Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Byouki no Kuni - For You; PrequelKino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Nanika wo Suru Tame ni - Life Goes On; Alternative VersionKino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - The Animated Series; Side StoryKino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - Tou no Kuni - Free Lance; and CharacterDengeki Bunko 2007 Movie Festival Special.


From lite&trite to heavy&serious, here's some recs ~

Girls und Panzer-8,
Akiba Maid War 7.5,
Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4,
Assassination Classroom-9,
Chaika The Coffin Princess 8.4,
Reincarnated as a Sword 8,
Belle-8.5,
Princess Principal 8.6,
Girls' Last Tour-8.5
Made in Abyss 9,
Your Lie In April-9,
Land Of The Lustrous 8,
Watership Down-8.5,
Violet Evergarden-9.5,
Psycho Pass-8.6

✒ 🍬Shiro & Sora Find Their Candyland🍭 VG 7.5

NGNL is about a nerd paradise where gamers RULE. That's because everything in World Disboard is won through games.

Back on earth, gamers are atwitter over a player they've dubbed "Blank". Blank has taken over the top few spots in all the hot games, they protest in wonder. This gamer has never filled in any user name, thus the title.

First, let's meet our protags: Sora - 18, & younger sis, Shiro - 11. As the show opens, these urban troglodytes are in their cave. Multiple monitors, set to night-time dim, provide weak resistance against the enveloping shadows. Viewers ... can almost smell stale Calbee Chips & Doritos: These kids don't get out enough.

We'll learn that this duo is Blank, and they act as 1 person. Together they are unbeatable. While they are both strong, each has strengths that compliment the other perfectly. If Sora doesn't have the record, Shiro does. They've just wrapped up another impressive win when we first gaze on these masters. Sora wants to play again, but Shiro says she has to get some rest and eat something - or she'll never grow. As if he didn't hear her, Sora just complains: 'It's difficult to play 4 accounts at once; he'll have to use his foot'. Shiro, who always speaks with emotionless economy, replies uninterestedly: "You can do it." That encapsulates their life: Always together, they game. Periodt.

This is when they receive an odd challenge to an online chess match. Soon it becomes obvious that their competition knows h/h way around a gameboard. It was, perhaps, their toughest match. They do pull out a victory, though. You see, Sora never loses, we're told, & Shiro never loses at chess. Never. The moment the match is decided in their favor, they are offered the chance to visit their opponent's world. Thinking it's all in fun, they agree. No time to celebrate, to their disoriented amazement, the surroundings change around them. They've really been transported to another world! They had defeated Tet, the god of play. He says his world, Disboard, is the place for them! It looks like Tet may want a rematch, too.

Everything in Disboard is decided by games, Tet hurriedly explains. Any contender can take the crown via a successful game challenge. A country can lay down a contest for lands or holdings. Disboard is bound by Tet's spell of the 10 pledges. Invasions, violence, or merely harming others is prohibited in Disboard. Disputes are settled by games as naturally and immutably as rain falls from the sky: It's absolutely foundational in dis world.

Games!? YOWZA! Geeks in Paradise! "I'm game!" They each exclaim. When their feet meet the ground, they walk toward civilization and find a bustling inn. Before entering, they take a seat at the 1st table on the porch and briskly make a withdrawal from the ATM (a random poker player) they meet, via a successful round. Quick cash in hand, they enter the inn to start scope & assess recon. One interaction leads to another, and soon they've met the princess.

The princess is in the throes of shock and horror. She was challenged for the crown and lost. A new leader is about to be crowned. Sora looks at Shiro, and muses out loud that he might think, perhaps, that he wants to be king: If Princess Stephanie can't beat the challenger, he'll do it for her.

We learn, before long, that Sora's endgame is to defeat Tet and become THE GOD of Disboard. He will have to conquer Disboard first, including every country and faction, of which there are many. Each culture has its skills and gaming secrets painstakingly hidden away. Each presents its distinct challenges. We'll have to read the Manga to find out about that, though, because NGNL is only 1 season of 12 Eps that comprise a full story loop that could be considered "Part 1" of their journey.

That's how the pieces are set on dis board for the balance of the show to play out.

NGNL is silly at times in typical anime fashion, such as the pervy junior highish jokes for the Panty Peepin Boobie Brothers. I know, some of you are thinking: "Aight! Count me in!" It's menz-a-menz for me - not my poison. NGNL, doesn't overdo it. It mostly centerpieces snappy logic and lofty stratagems as it's main dish. Everything comes together for 12 fun episodes.

They do pick on Princess Stephanie alot. She's written as a bimbo, and she's mostly condescended to by the hi IQ sibs. From what can be gleaned about the rest of the story, her character has a steady growth arc in the subsequent chapters. She'll never rise to S+S's level, but she develops solid skills. They may belittle her in these 12 episodes, but they aren't using her, and they won't abandon her. Sure, slapping Sora seems like it would be gratifying at times, but, hey! It's just a running joke in a 'cartoon' - a pretty good 'toon' at that. Anyone who blows their top b/c an anime features a bimbo: 1. Will appear more cartoonish then Sora, and 2. Probably shouldn't bother watching anime at all. It's critical to keep a sense or humor, or the joke's on you.

Sora and Shiro's relationship is unique. They are step-sibs. We get who Sora is rather quickly, but Shiro's character is rolled out gradually. She actually has the higher IQ of the duo. The two bonded almost immediately, upon becoming step-sibs when she was 3. By the start of the show they operate as two halves of a whole. Their trust is absolute. They barely need to communicate; One already knows what the other's thinking. They cannot stand to be separated. They even share a bed. While that might seem odd to Westerners, it's traditionally not uncommon for Asian families to sleep in one room, often due to space constraints. Their relationship is innocent, and quite cute. Their refusal to separate is clearly due to the fact that they've spent their lives holed up together in a bedroom full of monitors. The dynamic between the duo is one of the best things about the show. Shiro is an awesome character. This miniature old soul is stoic and she seems more mature than Sora. Maybe that's because he's crackin the jokes.

The animation is a refreshingly bright palette, much like the colors of candy. Shiro and a librarian, both who've lived an indoor life, are colored as ghostlike in pale lavender, like fish in the waters of deep caves. It's the details that show the 💘.

Cognitive intimacy is what propels them safely through some tense situations. Their coordination is more refined than a team of high-end grifters. Their interlocking logical acuity makes the show. The last contest, against the Kingdom of the Warbeasts, is a bonafide thrill. ("I have to get to all those hot animal women!" says Sora. "Hopefully you won't always be a virgin," agrees Shiro).

QUOTE🗣

People who are content are just an urban legend anyway.

IMHO〰🖍

🎬7 🤔7 🎭 7 🌞6 🎨7⚡8🎵 6😅6 🔚9

Age 14+


Originally 〰️🖊 5/2022

S1-2 ⚠ The seeds of civilization 🆚 the weeds of human nature ⚠ °Good° °6.9° 💯%🔍

7S is planted in post-apocalyptic soil. Varied Teams of 7 awaken to what is, apparently, a pristine alien-like 🌏; one that's different than the world they all remember in more ways than just the strange virgin landscape.

The team we follow (Summer B) doesn't know what is going on or why they are here; neither do they have any special knowledge or skills. It later comes out that they are a back-up, or alternate team to one of the main ones (Summer A) which only serves to exacerbate the frustration & ... confusion.

Straightaway, they learn that their situation is perilous. It's been many multiple decades since civilization went under. They aren't entirely sure /how long/ they've been asleep, but there's been sufficient 🕝 for new creatures to evolve. (Radiation may have had a hand in that). The fauna & flora aren't familiar, and much of it is killer. Seriously, it's deadly. People are dying. As the team ventures out, they will begin to meet other teams, some of which woke up years ago. Are you guessing that one of the biggest threats turns out to be mankind? To write it any other way would just be /too/ fantastical! Will these teams be able to cultivate a better society this time around? Things never seem to ev♻lve /that/ way, D🤔 they?

As we get to know assorted teams & individuals, it just gets weirder. What IS the plan? There's no pattern to any of it. Some teams have specialists, some just have high schoolers & college athletes, and some have specific vocations. Some teams are combat trained, some teams had intensive survivalist training, and other teams, like Summer B wake up with no idea ~at all~ of what is going on. They all have team leaders, but there's no pattern to the leaders, either. They're are of all different hues.

One team is the furthest from typical: They are weapons trained, highly dangerous, and probably highly disturbed. There are other shady characters, put forth as monitors of some type, spotted here and there. It does make the viewer wonder: 'What is really going on?' That scary team, the one with the intensive training, always talks about the rough tests that they were put through. Some even have flashbacks about them. Some of them get confused as to whether the tests are still going on or not... With no idea what the coming story is, one still is tempted (or taunted) to speculate about the nature of the reality depicted.

I started 7S and another anime at the same time. I'm still familiarizing myself with anime by mixing subgenres and a variety of ratings. The other show is a light-hearted space romp following a pure-hearted teenaged boy who discovers he has powers. Tired out template aside, it's a fun piece. Initially, 7S seemed slow by comparison, so I picked off single episodes gradually, and appreciation finally swelled like the growing tide.

Every episode uncovers new drama or mystery all leading to more adventure. The plants are new, the animals are new, the dangers are new (and old) and the net 🌐 is down. ALL the nets are down. Later episodes deal with a crazy abandoned ship that they explore. The whole sequence is just good 'ol 📺. The artwork🎨 is largely standard, but it's also gorgeous at times. There's close ups of water that are mesmerizing.

7S is imaginative & clever. It's sad and rough and even shocking at times. Sadly, by the end of S2, even the likable protags aren't likely to form a strong bond with viewers. There's potential, but the stage is still being set. The seeds (ahem) have been sewn for alliances and families to form. Next could only be factions & war. Some other heavy drama is in the forecast as well. I think we can all feel a shocker or two rumbling in the distance

Who's the troublemaker? In a show with almost no 😅, we have the Ginger. Our Ginger is not a Weasley, but he is a bit of a weasel & thief. Perhaps he'll try to be better for the wholesome female he seems to like: At the times when it /really/ matters, he's been coming through. Snarkily fun, he's written right down the middle & could go either way. You just wouldn't want to buy a used car from him. He's the closest thing to any sort of fun. {Understood; it's not Shaun Of The Dead & the post-apocalyptic era isn't supposed to be fun ~> T👀 s👀n}

The bad news is that it's a 2-&-done. When it's just getting good, it ends. The show probably lost viewers between seasons 1 & 2 since S1 doesn't provide much bounty. Many viewers probably didn't care to see what's growing up at 7S in S2. It's a shame, because S2 carries the story up like a climbing vine.

All-in-all, 7S is good. It starts average, but ends up better-than. Furthermore, this anime, based on a 35 vol manga that was written over a span of 16 impressive years, has not been officially canceled. This means that there's a chance that S3, though not yet announced, may still happen. Without a doubt, I want to know what 🌱sprouts up next. Manga readers already know. No spilling the seeds, though, until we're sure the anime is fully grown🌾

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬6.5 〰🖋7.5 🎭7 💓5 🦋5 😅1⚡ 7 🤔7 🎨7.5 🌞1 🔚?

Age 14+
I was surprised to see 7S listed with a mature rating. I don't recall anything that would warrant it. Some 14 year-olds might find this too disturbing, but most probably won't. There are difficult emotional, and physically violent situations (though not gratuitous, gory, nor graphic).

There's one attempted sexual assault, though it stops as it starts, almost. It's brought into question later whether it was merely an attempt to scare the woman. (I realize that doesn't matter much; it's scary, and it's assault either way, but it aptly illustrates how, after the fact, more than one version of things is likely to come out). 7S is actually sugar-coated. In a world where there are no law enforcers, and no laws, it's dangerous for everybody; that always goes 10-fold for women. The female protags in 7S are worth emulating. They are growing strong, so as to stand on their own. They're learning to rely on themselves, not other people, and at the same time, they want to contribute and not let the team down.

Anime, in general, is not something that you watch with your brain turned off. The 🖋〰 in shows like 7S, and the more jolting Tokyo Ghoul and Psycho Pass, is always about overcoming the black 🖤 heart of humanity. How can one do that, if one is not aware of it or not able to comprehend it? Anime usually leaves us with many things to be pondered and discussed later. Thus, all the geek🤓fans....

Age recommendations are listed to enable parents to evaluate what they want their kids to 👀, and what they permit their kids to watch alone. We all have to consider our philosophy of parenting: Is parenting supposed to be about shielding your children from everything unpleasant, or exposing them in the right way at the right time, so that you can prepare them to deal with the big bad 🌏? I'll encourage you to consider taking every opportunity available to let your daughter know: 1. She needs to be aware of what's going on around her 2. Be prepared to defend oneself. Be strong. 3. But! Factually, at the end of the day, most women won't be able to fend off most men. Therefore, to maintain safety, avoid bad situations that could set up something like that. 4. Don't go into a potentially vulnerable situation with somebody who has not earned your trust yet. Trust should not be given, it should be earned.

Originally 〰️🖊 8/2022

🌻The Spider Monkey,The Engineer, & The (not so) Dumb Broad °Excellent° °8.6° 💯%🔍

It's a road trip! They're gonna travel the Mickey Rourke and Russell Crowe way - fighting their way across Japan.

It starts in the tea house. The thugs enter, again, with their thuggery. Fuu is a teahouse maiden. She had already hired personal security. Though this Mugen guy seems sketchy, he's all she could afford. Jin is no thug; he beats down thugs for breakfast, but Mugen doesn't know that. In fairness, Mugen wouldn't care. He beats down anybody and anyone for snacks. He's ... a heavy snacker. Fuu sees that Mugen is not fighting the actual enemy and gets between him & Jin. Skipping forward from C to F, she eventually brokers a tentative peace and somehow gets them to agree to escort her on a mission if she wins a coin toss. If she loses, they can continue to clobber eachother. Heads it is, she announces. So, before these two Samurai can even process what's happened, they're following her down the road.

Produced by Manglobe studio, SC is a 2004 release that is rated 8.51 on MAL. It is 1 season consisting of 26 24-minute English dubbed episodes with CC available. It takes place in the Edo period (AD 1603–1868). By ep3 SC hits its stride, being action packed and hilarious. The dialogue is witty, the situational humor generates steady smiles & slashes boredom, and it's just a good-ol-time. The best teams are well-rounded. Jin & Mugen are opposites, but they end up balancing eachother well.

Director Shinichiro Watanabe created the premise and the characters. He also brought us Cowboy Bebop. Even before I knew that, I picked up on the vibe. They are similar in feel, but overall, quite different. SC is more violent. Weirdly, it's warmer, too. CB is in cold space, it's more sexual and intellectual. SC takes place on the warm ground.

Mugen - “His fighting style is described as a "champloo," which means "mix." It combines all sorts of martial arts, unorthodox swordplay, and break dancing. He relies on instinct and reflexes to surprise his enemies. And he knows how to use his shoes! He's all knees, elbows, and stringy arms & legs. He is so oppositional he's malleable: To get him to do what you want him to do, just command him to do the opposite. He's exactly like a kid who grew up across the street from us. He has visceral and explosive reactions to situations, while Jin remains cool and pensive. Jin is the nerdy glasses wearing type who practices precision moves. It's Legolas and Gimli all over again. Mugen is so much fun he makes regimented, cold, logical Jin look boring. Jin is elegant. Mugen is a spider monkey. Jin can, in fairness, occasionally be all sexy with his hair down.

Kasumi Fuu just wants to find the sunflower samurai - as she puts it, the knight who /smells/ like 🌻🌻🌻. Do they even have a smell? Fuu is just a girl. She can't fight her way out of a paper bag. But she gets the better of these two.

The show is hilarious. In ep6 they are looking for the European (outsiders were not permitted in Japan at this time). He's portrayed as a giant - because to the Japanese, he IS a giant😝. Beetle Sumo wrestling! The training is murder. Mugen’s pitching is murder! We see baseball played to the death ~ epic game. It's also fun picking up tidbits of Edo history. We will see the beginning of exposure to Europeans and reference is made to underground Christians. The more I learn about the history of the middle ages, the clearer it becomes that folks got around in the old days.

The art is simple and classic. Reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop, it enhances the light tone. People are drawn with old-style round eyes and simple features with a flat affect. Backgrounds are minimized realism also with a flat affect. There's a steady stream of fun touches. Francis Xavier has an awesome gun. Music by Nujabes is super swanky cool hip-hop and one of the best things about the series. The Romance in ep15 is one for the ages.

Ep21 is entitled Elegy of Entrapment. An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the dead, but it has a broader application that extends to poetry that's bleak. (The first draft of the show was too bleak and they decided to inject humor). Fuu's quest for revenge doesn't end like she thought it would. The final 2 episodes are top tier drama. The last episode title is Evanescent Encounter, meaning soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing. It's all fun and games until it sneaks up on the viewer and manages to be quite profound.

🤔Why did we even make this trip❓

😵FUU(L) YAH❗


QUOTES📢

It's become painfully clear I was born in the wrong era… as were you.

This girl's stomach is a cosmos unto itself. It's connected to the void of the universe!

Absence of proof does not always mean proof of absence.

For some reason, I just don't feel like killing you at all.


〰🖍 IMHO

📣8 📝9 🎭8.5 💓🦋🎨8 🎵/🔊9 🔚9 ▪ 🌞5.5 ⚡7 😅6.5 😭3.5 😱3 😯3 🤢6 🤔4.5 💤0 🤗7


*There's Some Dutch characters who have a conversation and there's no dubbing or cc for it. I checked online and couldn't find a direct translation, but one redditer said the Dutch national's people showed up and asked him to return to work. He responds he doesn't want to. When they point out that he cannot continue like this, he relents.


Age 15+ scattered R-rated language, violence; Rated R-17+

Re-📺? Most definitely

🎲Ya wanna bet? °Good° 💯%🔍

KT is a 6 episode short anime series about another menacing, elite HS with yet more sinister offspring of well💰moneyed High-Rollers.

The concept seems Against the Spread, ie. Underwhelming😑 (right?). How it was Dealt to my queue is more mysterious than a Random Number Generator, but watchlist Roulette landed on KT, so it seemed only proper to Play a Round or two🎰

Like a High-Stakes Buy-in, the premise is a bit of a pauser. It's Long Odds that a show featuring a HS that revolves around betting will Pay Off big. You may Speculate: Does KT's S1 Reel in some Beginner's Luck, or ... does this table have a Low Limit? Once Ep2's Chips are counted, it's clear that logic and🀄strategy are a deck of cards, and the premise, a dealer. KT is not dumbed-down; it has a good hand to play.

Mary Satoame is new to HPA (Hyakkou Private Academy), and Mary is as talented as a card-counting card sharp. She doesn't enter Hyakkou with the Bankroll to be a Whale, nor does she plan to be top gambler, though we can Tell she's curious about how she'll Cut the Deck compared to the school's lauded prodigies.

Her game plan is to survive - alone.

The academy is a Cage in which students get some Action: Payline, Payout Percentage, and sometimes Tapping Out. It's not a place where one Hits the buddy Jackpot. Yet, Mary manages to score 2 teammates without a Wager! It's Better than a Double or Nothing. One day she stumbles into HPA's long forgotten library📚 and Collects her snake-eyes Bonus: 2 unforgettable friends, shiny clean, like a fresh deck of cards. Their bond is not Progressive; it's immediate & sincere, which opens Slots for Free Spins against the disdainful Croupiers & Pit Bosses. The risk, effort, and Toke are shared, with friends, which Chips at the House Edge. In time, they share Hands by turning the library into their own den o' yen💴, aka, a casino.

HPA is a Derby for Platinum Members only. Like William Macy in The Cooler, newbies aren't allowed to 'let it ride' or run Hot; they are kept in the Cold. Along come the frigid snobs, the sadistic mavens, the appealing but calculating Blackjack-of-a-redhead, the nefarious House counsel, and long queues of wildcats, madcats, & housecats, as well as a House Comp of dweebs🃏. It's as if HPA is one big Fruit Machine. They all want to Double-Down on their constant Riffling with Mary's Futures. It's Certain: She's a guessing game. Guess where she'll end up? The malevolence of the jealous, those 2-dimensional Face Cards who do not want Mary passing them on the Track, may be the biggest Risk.

Mary realizes that, while her friends are Railbirds & not gambling savants, they have Skills that are worth so much more: Trustworthiness. Loyalty. Courage. That's 3 aces. The 🎲 are Loaded. Watch how Mary's gonna pull the Blinds off and set things a'tumblin.

It's a slow Tumble at first. Ep1 is a Fold, and Ep2 is an only slightly better hand. From there, the House of Cards begins to take shape. Ep3: more interesting; 4: Calling it pretty darn good; 5: plenty of Juice; and the Cashout episode - Well, it's looking Down-and-Out for Mary and the Librarians (That will be MY indie band. The name is taken)... Is it true that The House Always Wins? Or might Mary have an ace tucked in her thigh-high socks?

KT's animation is like Texas Hold Em: New, exciting twists on an old game. The English speaking dubs are the usual excellence found in anime. 🐰🕳··> As an aside, in anime, the dubs are 100% better (imho) while with foreign live action... Hey! Subtitles are a Whiz in under 90 seconds. When watching dubbed live action, one is starting at a Loss▶ a loss of 1/2 of the performance. You are better off watching cartoons<··🕳🐇.

Sure Thing, there's some better anime out there, but there's also much more that is much worse. KT's 6-chip Wager is easily Better than Breakeven, and Mary is the Queen of Clubs.

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬7 🖋〰 6.5 🎭6 🌞4 🎨7.6 😅2 (no jokers!) 🤔6.7 🔚8.3

Age 15+ cruelty amongst kids. The worst role models are depicted, mild language
(Bℹ+ch ×1) Well rounded🎱🎱 girls in micro pleated plaid

👁📺again? - rewatch probability is Low Odds.

Originally 〰️🖊 11/2022