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Imomushi Shoujo to Comyushou Danshi is what you get when you cross Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" with your girlfriend asking you if you would still love her if she turned into a worm, to surprisingly good results.

A quick tangent before I get to the meat of the review, but this manga's name is officially localized in English as Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy, which is a bit of an odd translation, considering the boy does not send or receive any texts for the entire duration of the story. It should be more akin to "Bad Communicator Boy" or "Bad Social Skills Boy" or something, ... but I digress.

This story initially seemingly plays itself as a lighthearted, cutesy comedy, where Suzume (the Caterpillar Girl) and Akane (the Bad Texter Boy) have to adjust to Suzume being turned into large bug, while trying to find a way to turn her back to normal; hilarity ensues. And for early on in the story, that's exactly what happens.

However, its not all fun and games. Akane's self-esteem is in the negatives, and it effects his relationships with those close to him, and Suzume is ever-so-slowly losing parts of her humanity. Akane having to come to terms with how he feels about himself and others was really well done, and aspects of Suzume that were revealed to the reader over the course of the story really tied it all together. I believe this manga's strongest suit is creating sympathetic characters that you still want to route for even though their problems were essentially the result of their own doing.

I do think some aspects such as the arc concerning Akane's mother could have been wrapped up a little more definitively, but overall it told a very solid, complete story.

One thing in particular that I liked was the ending, including the denouement leading up to it. Obviously I can't say too much without spoiling parts of the story, but I would categorize the ending as "happy", but with some melancholic undertones. I'm refraining from using the word "bittersweet" though, because I just feel that word doesn't quite capture the feeling; it, dare I say, hit different.

Honestly, this story could've been super dark if it was written in a different way while still keeping the events and plot basically in tact, but I like the way this story played out. 8/10 mfw no Kafkaesque caterpillar gf

Despite being out for roughly an entire year, this anime has around a mere 30 members on MAL, so I'd like to shed some light on what I think is truly something special.

Here I am, your average mecha enthusiast in 2020, lamenting over the fact that the mecha genre just isn't what it used to be. (Can you believe that Sunrise's--the once frontrunners of the mecha genre--latest original mecha work that isn't an adaptation or a continuation of an already existing series is Cross Ange from 2014?)

In the pits of despair of big robot purgatory, I found myself searching the mecha genre tag on ... MAL's database by start date to see if there were any recent mecha anime that I haven't heard about. Unfortunately, as my soul is in denial about the state of the genre, this wasn't the first time I've done this, so most of it was not a surprise. But this time was different; the stars had aligned, my fate had sealed, and there it was, bright as day, clear as night; it didn't even take a third of a page of scrolling.

Kuuchuu Gunkan Atlantis, or Aerial Battleship Atlantis, is an independent anime by a group of college students under the name 激画団 (Romanized as Gekigadan.) This anime project is available for public viewing though their YouTube channel of the same name, with English subtitles to boot. Atlantis is only 18 minutes long, but it's 18 minutes well spent.

The story is pretty simple, a girl from an island named Luna is held captive on a floating fortress by what is assumed to be an evil organization, and Cyan, a boy hailing from the same island, comes to rescue her with the help of the ancient robot, Gekiga-go. The narrative isn't breaking any new ground, but it doesn't need to; the emotional beats and action sequences are executed very well, and besides, this anime is an animation and production showcase foremost.

Speaking of animation and production, I was extremely impressed, all things considered. As I mentioned earlier, this anime was a college animation project, so we're not going to see ufotable or Bones level of polish here, but good sakuga is good sakuga. The action sequences were the highlight for me in this anime, the Gekiga-go flying through the air and delivering blows to the enemy were really well composed. The sound design and soundtrack were solid as well, although at times the SFX overpowered the music a little bit in certain areas; the credits theme is a nice listen as well.

What I enjoyed the most about Kuuchuu Gunkan Atlantis is that you could just feel the passion oozing out of every scene. During the credits, there are mid-production photos of the staff, and that was cool to have some insight on as well. Also, there are a number of Gainax/GunBuster references like the classic "Gainax Pose" and the Inazuma Kick which were fun to see. Moreover, the people of Gekigadan are reminiscent of Gainax themselves when they started out: animators really passionate about the medium.

This anime isn't a six-figure theatrical spectacle, but it's the first anime I've seen in a long time that really made me feel inspired by it. I wish the people behind Gekigadan the best with their endeavors.

Score: 9/10

Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku is a bit of an odd egg in terms of chronology, as this OVA takes place after the last episode of Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta, its parent series. However, Tsuki ni Naku started to release just three days after Hana no Uta started airing, and that’s not to mention Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi, which takes place between episodes 8 and 9 of Hana no Uta, an OVA that came out in 2010.

So yeah, it’s a little confusing.

Speaking of which, it just so happens my biggest gripe with Tsuki ni Naku is it’s awkward placement. All three of ... the Yozakura anime adaptations I mentioned above encompasses a story arc where the protagonists have to take down a group of four villains known as the youkai hunters. By the end of Hana no Uta, three out of four were defeated (one being fought in Hoshi no Umi), leaving the fourth hunter for Tsuki ni Naku. There’s no problem here, except it didn’t feel nearly at grand as the first three. Don’t get me wrong, the action scenes where beautifully animated and the sound and music choices were definitely spot-on, but it was missing one big thing Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi had: the main characters.

Part of what made Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi so enjoyable was it’s colorful and quirky cast of characters. Tsuki ni Naku focuses instead on the police force taking down the last youkai hunter while the rest of the cast is taking a vacation. What happens is that even though Tsuki ni Naku resolves the arc the anime focuses on, it doesn’t feel like a huge resolution, more like a side story. Nevertheless, as I said earlier, the action was fantastic, but character interaction and development took a backseat for this one, and depending on what you liked more in Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi, your opinion may vary on Tsuki ni Naku.

So, is Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku worth watching?

Well, to start, you should have watched Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi first, as Tsuki ni Naku chronologically happens after the two. Prerequisites aside, if you want to see Hime, Ao, Akina and the rest of the main cast back in action, you won’t find much here. However, if you want to see some supporting characters get more spotlight, then it certainly delivers on that front. If you liked the first two Yozakura Quartet adaptations I’ve mentioned for the action sequences, then Tsuki ni Naku is definitely worth the watch.

To put it in other terms, Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku is like a dessert that isn’t quite as good as the main course, but it’s still sweet and a nice little treat nonetheless.

Double Decker! Doug & Kirill: Extra is, as the title states, an extra addition to the main series, which is titled (you guessed it!) Double Decker! Doug & Kirill. While canon, these 3 new episodes are not at all necessary to get the full story out of the main series. However, if you become invested in the colorful cast of characters throughout the main series, these extra episodes are well worth the time.

The plot of these episodes are not directly related to each other as they take place during different points throughout the main series, with the final of the 3 acting as an ... epilogue of sorts to the main series (an obligatory hot springs episode, no less). Although, just watching all of them after the main 13 episode run is certainly an option and doesn’t break any sequencing or immersion.

Given the nature of these episodes, nothing of real importance happens, but instead focuses on character interactions and minor trivia about them. In my opinion, this is where Double Decker: Doug & Kirill shines brightest, not on the story itself, but its entertaining characters and their diverse personalities leading to a variety of amusing situations, and the Extra episodes definitely deliver on that.

So, is Double Decker! Doug & Kirill: Extra worth watching?

If you enjoyed its parent series and are itching for more, then it is definitely worth watching. It preserves all the charm and humor from the original and adds more scenarios to showcase the characters’ personalities and chemistry with each other.

To wrap things up, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill: Extra is an excellent companion piece to the original 13 episode run, which withholds and strengthens the already fun cast of characters.