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Honestly for a 15 minute special this was really a pleasant surprise and a super fun watch. Most of the time I don't expect much from CGDCT anime since quality is often low, especially when sports are involved, but this special left me wanting so much more and really wishing/hoping that this gets a full anime season.

As someone who golfs fairly frequently, but obviously dealt with the frustrations of being a novice amongst my better peers, this was relatable, fun, and gave me the nostalgic vibes of when I was first starting out. Also, while animation quality is not crazy (as you'd expect from ... a short special), the fact that they still made sure to focus on the differences in the stances depending on the club that you're using was really nice and refreshing to see. In case you didn't notice this because you're unfamiliar with golf, just pay attention to the difference in lean and elbow position when Minami is using the driver vs. when she's putting.

All in all, I thought the premise was fun, the girls were very cute, and I really enjoyed watching it! My only qualm, and the reason I gave it a 7 rather than something higher, is because I'm undeniably bitter that this is only a short rather than a full show...at least for now.

I don’t write very many reviews, as most of the time I feel like other people can convey my feelings about a work better, or my opinion on a show is similar enough to the masses that it’s an unnecessary effort. HOWEVER, that is not the case with Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo, also known as Rumble Garanndoll. This show is honestly so much god damn fun, one of my favorites of 2021, and I just can’t understand how other people don’t see it (aggregate score reflects that). Also, this won’t be some long, drawn-out review to breakdown the "quality" of the story, sound-direction, and ... animation because if that's what you're looking for, then you're already approaching the show wrong.

THE STORY:

First things first, Garanndoll is not just some generic Mecha/Comedy as the tags make it appear, but rather it’s effectively a parody anime, particularly of the Mecha genre, and somehow so many people fail to recognize that. The entire premise of the show is damn hilarious as it’s literally about an organization, called the True Army, seizing power and using Mechs and WWII-esque propaganda to suppress the predominant problem plaguing Japanese society…Otaku culture (Games, Anime, Idols, etc.). Meanwhile, our “heroes” are members of a rebel group, called Arahabaki, trying to fight back against the True Army and reclaim what was lost before the True Army took control. Considering the meme plot of suppressing Otaku Culture, it shouldn’t shock anybody that the main geographic location of our story is Otaku central, aka Akihabara, Japan.

THE CHARACTERS:

The characters in Garanndall are all "uniquely generic" and super fun in their own ways. They all play out stupid/common tropes and yet they are unique and add nothing but enjoyment to the series! For example, all the three main villains (Outside of Akatsuki) are classic waifu cliches for female characters, being the princess, the ninja, and the stern military general. And then we have our “heroes” which are (1) Hosomichi -who is basically Shinji Ikari since he was scarred by his relationship with his father but still has to get in the damn robot; (2) Rin - a Mecha weeb whose goal is recover a boxset of her favorite discontinued anime; (3) Yuki - an Idol who just wants to continue Japanese Idol culture and; (4) Misa - a shut-in who loves to play fighting games. Not only that, but the leaders of Arahabaki, the rebel group which our heroes support, are just as "dumb" - (1) Balzac – A guy who just wants to be Kamina (Watch Gurren Lagann); (2) Mimi – the tech wiz who is legitimately just a cosplayer and; (3) Tanaka-san - A loli with seemingly endless resources and some mystic aura (because why not?). Like seriously guys, these characters are all just funny and if you don’t see it, you’re completely missing the point.

THE MECHS:

The mechs in this show are just hilarious and it just fits so perfectly. At first, I too took the show seriously, and was like “are you being serious with these dumb designs right now?!” only to realize that I was the one being dumb. The goofy aesthetic of the Mechs, both on the True Army and Arahabaki sides, all perfectly fits the over-the-top nature and overall theme of the show. Not to mention that the fights aren’t even that bad, especially when you factor in how hilarious the Mech transformations are (See Misa Kotatsu fight).

THE MUSIC

The OP is a banger, that is all you need to know.

In summary, Garanndoll Rumble is absolutely ridiculous and it’s easily one of the most fun shows I’ve seen in a long time, especially as a long-time participant of general Otaku culture. I don’t want to come off as “elitist,” but I legitimately believe that one’s enjoyment of Garanndoll will increase with not only of anime you have watched prior, but also your own personal connection to things that fall under the “Otaku” umbrella. It’s sad to see something I love this much be so misunderstood, and received so “poorly” as a result, but I do think this show is absolutely worth a watch for any anime fan.

This review will contain very minor spoilers:

Sannensa, or Three Years Apart, is an adorable story of childhood friends turned husband and wife. This manga is Comedy/Romance/Slice of Life in its purest form, as there is never a chapter intended to make you feel drama, upset, or disillusioned with our characters. It simply follows our husband-and-wife duo, Kazuya and Mizuki (respectively), as well as their son Naoto and them living their daily lives. The mangaka also manages to weave in two other minor romantic sub-plots into our story, and those are both very cute as well! Also, in case you’re curious about the manga’s title, ... it comes directly from the fact that all of our romantic sub-plots deal with a 3-year age-gap, but, of course, Mizuki being 3 years Kazuya’s junior is the primary focus.

While I want to keep this review short, I want to make note of how masterfully done, but yet incredibly nuanced, the age-gap romance is between Mizuki and Kazuya. Even though 3 years is not much, and many people are even more so okay with a gap if the characters have known each other since their youth, it’s still a topic that’s hard for some to swallow, myself included. However, the way it’s handled here is SO well done – About every 10 chapters or so, interspersed with our short daily-life chapters, are longer chapters about Kazuya and Mizuki’s past together. Within them, while Mizuki has always been head-over-heels for Kazuya, we get to see a wonderful progression with Kazuya and how he views Mizuki. At first, Kazuya saw Mizuki as nothing more than a close friend, or even like a sister, but, starting around the time that she was 15 [and him 18], he couldn’t help but notice her charms. Despite recognizing that he had feelings for her, because of their age-gap and situation, he was always concerned to act on those feelings. While I will save the details and the timing of the confession for you to read, I wanted to make note of how well done the approach was because it’s something I really appreciated and loved about this series.

In summary, Sannensa is a quick, cute, and extremely enjoyable read! If I had any gripe with the manga as a whole, it would be the fact that the last 15 chapters or so actually pulled away from the main couple, which I always wanted to see more of! Regardless, if you like things that you can turn off your brain and read just to feel happy, then this is certainly a manga I would recommend trying!

This review will contain very minor spoilers:

Hana to Sakazuki, or Flowers and Pints, is a very short, fun, and heartwarming read about a girl named Ayame who has recently moved into a home with her new family following her mother’s remarriage.

Despite having lost her father 15 years ago, Ayame is still very attached to the memories that remain of him and, even though she urged her mother to remarry, struggles to accept her new step-father and family. Trying to escape her new life in pursuit of reliving old memories Ayame shared with her father, she spends her nights going around town in search ... of the pub that she visited with her father before he passed. One evening, she arrives at a pub with a familiar feeling, where she meets Tetta, a crude, but caring man. While I won’t spoil what’s to come, through Tetta, and subsequent interactions with Ayame’s newly formed family, Saka to Hanazuki becomes a wonderful story of accepting loss, getting the closure necessary to make that happen, and moving on.

What this manga manages to accomplish in just 7 brief chapters is more impressive than many 100+ chapter manga that I’ve read. It’s not just Ayame that we end up feeling for, but all of the characters whose lives are impacted by the changes extending from the death of Ayame’s father. It paints realistic depictions of the stress and fear associated with life changing events, and resolves them in a way that will warm your heart. If you want a nice read that can be completed in under an hour, I certainly recommend Hana to Sakazuki.

This review will contain very minor spoilers:

Despite its romance & slice of life tags, 1122, or For a Happy Marriage, is not what you’d typically expect when reading a story circling around a married couple. Many of us like to idolize the idea of finding our best friend, getting married, and spending the rest of our lives together with them happily. However, while an idea we may love conceptually, marriage, humans, and our relationships are not always so simple. Rather than delve into the happy post-marriage life of a couple that we may hope for or expect to see, 1122 presents us with Otoya and ... Ichiko, a husband and wife (respectively) who are many years into marriage, have no children and are “sexless.”

Regular sex in a relationship, while it certainly isn’t everything, is often an indicator of a relationship’s health. If a couple mutually agrees that they don’t want/need sex to be happy, then more power to them, but situations like that are rare, and that is not the case in 1122. Otoya and Ichiko, while sexless, have only become so because Ichiko lost her sex drive and Otoya, trying to be respectful of his partner’s feelings, agreed that they did not need to have sex. Otoya, still wanting to share a unique intimacy with his partner, did try on occasion to have sex with Ichiko, but Ichiko neither felt the desire nor could force herself to fake it. Noticing Otoya’s increasing feeling of inadequacy as a result of their sexless life, Ichiko tells Otoya outright that they can stay together, but he can find another woman to satisfy his needs. Otoya, holding out for as long as he could, ultimately takes Ichiko up on her offer, and from here stems all of the drama, complex relationships, and emotions that the story has to offer.

Even if 1122 is a tad exaggerated, it’s a great story of how love is not so simple. We tend to idealize love and marriage, and often forget about the difficulties that can come with committing your life to another. While a unique example, 1122 challenges the happy marriages we’re used to and instead explores the feelings of “boredom,” or “monotony,” that we hate to admit can occur spending your life with one person, the inadequacy and self-doubt that plagues our hearts and minds when you feel unwanted or worry that there is something or someone better, and the fear and pain of losing someone we love, even when things aren’t going right. Even though the story may not be applicable to most real-world examples we’re familiar with and may not be personally relatable, I do think it’s a read with your while. However, I do want to note that if you can't handle the topic of infidelity, then this is one you should probably stay away from.

Let me start this off by saying that I do have bias toward Idol anime and Love Live on the whole because I do really like the series. Also, I don’t score/assess anime entirely in a vacuum, I compare them amongst other anime of the genre.
That being said, Love Live Superstar is absolutely excellent thus far and I think this is a must watch for people who at least enjoy the series a little bit, or enjoy idol anime in general.

Characters - 9/10:

Right of the bat the characters design wise are great. Love Live never has a shortage of unique designs for its ... characters, albeit some of them do end up maybe a tad generic, but I don’t have that issue with any of the characters in Superstar thus far aside from maybe Hazuki.

Design aside, personality wise all of the characters are already so endearing, whether it’s Kanon’s adorable reactions, Keke with her over-the-top energy, Chi with her relaxed but fun-loving vibe, Sumire’s personal foil between her confident exterior and anxious interior, and, well, jury is still out on Hazuki. All in all, I could easily see this becoming my favorite collection of characters in Love Live, or maybe any idol show for that matter.

Art/Animation - 10/10:

Honestly, it’s stunning. It’s not like it’s the best or most unique style amongst all anime or anything, but it fits perfectly. The way the character expressions and reactions are animated never fail to make me smile and/or laugh and even sequences where the characters are dancing (e.g. practice) are done very fluidly. Also, everyone who has watched idol anime before knows that performances typically rely fairly heavily on CGI, and that often takes away from the appeal. While I can’t say superstar doesn’t do this, the usage is not only mostly light comparatively, but also, it’s done extremely well as can be seen in the “Tiny Stars” performance.

Music - 10/10:

The OP, the multiple EDs, and the intermittent performances that we have gotten so far have been incredible. I’m one of many who is guilty of being a serial skipper of OPs and EDs and yet I haven’t done that a single time with Superstar. In fact, I’ve actually rewound to listen to the ED again and listened to

Story - Love Live/10:

Quite frankly, this is a Love Live installment, so let’s not pretend like we’re going to get some groundbreaking story. However, to evaluate it how it is, the character progression for Kanon and Sumire already has been great, and I can’t wait to delve further into Chi’s and Hazuki’s side and to see what trials and tribulations these girls will face as they strive for Love Live.


To summarize, if you’re a fan of Love Live or the idol genre, this is already a must watch in my opinion. Sure, I may be jumping the gun, but I could easily see this becoming my favorite Idol anime, and certainly my favorite installment of Love Live.