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If I told you this show was actually about the setting and not actually a magical girl show, would you believe me?

Fushigi Mahou Fun Fun Pharmacy is actually not the "typical" magical girl shows people would expect. It's an old-school little girl anime (and nobody really makes anime like this anymore). It's reminiscent of Tamako Market, a show not about the plot or characters but about the lively market atmosphere.

Some of the best episodes of Fun Fun Pharmacy involve the market people and Popuri's interactions with them. Of course, being an old school mahou shoujo and all, you do see silly magical and supernatural ... elements. But they're actually secondary to the characterization of the townspeople. Many episodes focus on the lives of these people. There is a surprising amount of depth toward the supporting characters and each episode, I feel, is memorable.

The show is wacky and requires a lot of suspension of disbelief (which kids do have unlike us cynical adults). However, it's all done in the name of Fun and Character that I really don't mind it.

For a childish little girl show, Fushigi Mahou Fun Fun Pharmacy has put me onto the verge of tears. The ending is truly a heartbreaker.

If you enjoy old-school anime for kids, then Fun Fun Pharmacy is definitely a must-watch.

(writing reviews is so めんどくさい)

Walking on the streets of Kobe one late night on the eve of Christmas has showed me wonderful sights: couples holding hands together, wispy white breaths from salarymen rushing past me, swinging leather briefcases and purses, glaring red and green lights, smiles, and the children who sneaked out at night to sing carols in that small corner right over there.

Of all the things that make Christmas what it is, this Kobe street is missing something. Not Santa Claus -- that large man with a huge belly donned in that trademark woolen clothing of his is crying out, "Hohoho~," in the wooden chair. Not Rudolf ... the Reindeer -- he's there but not as a living being; he's just a cardboard cutout standing beside him. And definitely not the jingles -- Frosty the Snowman is being played on the speakers.

What this Christmas is lacking is snow.

It is something I look forward to, even if winter is not my favorite season. It's hard to picture Santa Claus in the tropics of Malaysia; even in Kuala Lumpur, his stature is in front of a snowy backdrop. Many people see snow as purifying, romantic, and cleansing. But it can also be harsh and bitter.

I see White Album 2 (both this season and the obviously-going-to-exist next season) as an extension of it. In this show, WA2 dives into a high school love triangle start with humble beginnings. Like all love triangles, it fosters innocently like a child clinging to his mother and then festers like a sore blister. White Album 2 seeks to not only hurt their lovable characters but you the viewer as well.

It is hard for me to remember a show with a cast so likable and hatable at the same time. Kitahara Haruki, the protagonist, is just an average high school honors student. Until he finds himself loving two distinct personalities: Ogiso Setsuna (the idol) and Touma Kazusa (the aloof pianist). Setsuna's a homely, hardworking girl in a family that cries, "We're family alright!" On the other hand, Kazusa's estranged relationship with her mother leaves her in shambles and she practices piano alone in a small music room at school. These three characters, bland when separated, harmonize like those seamless sequences of chords Kazusa plays on her piano. They love each other dearly. A genuinely affectionate relationship between three friends who wanted to play some good music on the school concert.

Without that bond, I don't think the show (or even the VN) will work. One of the strengths of White Album 2 is Setsuna's insistence in that they must be together. At all costs. Even though they know it's not going to end well, the characters in their own quirky ways want to be together.

This is where the drama takes place. The problem with most love triangles is simply this: you care about siding with the so-called "best girl". White Album 2 differs from the typical bunch and moves on a different path: there are no best girls. You want everyone to be together. Is friendship better than love? That's a very good question and you're going to struggle with it as the show moves on. Preserve the status quo or confess that you like him/her? Another good question.

Nobody has the right answers to them. By the end of this season, the characters are in a mess so unsolvable world-class detectives refuse to approach it. All you can do is be a miserable wreck and cry yourself out.

"I want to shine." ― James Joyce, Dubliners

Why is Hanasaku Iroha: Home Sweet Home so good?

I was disappointed when I heard the movie was 66 minutes. Like seriously, a film in 66 minutes is weird. Hanasaku Iroha, the TV show, is a masterful telling of the stories. Okada Mari is one of the best series composers out there. From her masterful work in Aquarion EVOL to AnoHana, she has somehow weaved all the spaghetti noodles of plot and characters into this wonderful bolognese of a strong anime. PA Works is one of the better studios, even more so than the legendary Kyoto Animation. Yes, PA ... Works is a better chef than KyoAni who gave us masterpieces. PA is a rising studio, rising higher than the world of the Wonderland of anime. It is from this studio that Hanasaku Iroha that it was created from the depths of the creativity of the animators of the legendary plottellers.

So you can understand the disappointment I had from the length. And yet, and yet, and yet...

“Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.”
― James Joyce, Ulysses

The movie was anything but amazing.

First off, the film is like a sidestory thing. It's not a continuation of the last episode but it's set before there. But it was very good. Here's why:

It focuses on the great character that is Satsuki, Ohana's mom. I've always been interested in how she left the inn ever and this film answered the question for me, the curiouser and curiouser rabbit that I am. I did not know she was angry at her mother, the grandma if you forget, and that she left because of her. The anger was very provocative and it made me think. Think about family themes and love themes and passion.

Satsuki wanted to shine angrily and she is very relatable. This happened 10 minutes into the film. And 40 minutes into the film. She appeared the many times (two times, I recall). You can tell she's a vital character of this film and the setting. For her two short appearances meant so much in this wonderful, wonderful film.

But we must go back to Ohana and her friends. They are the main characters of this film after all. Ohana and co are great. They are closely packed and you can see the slice-of-life atmosphere in the air. Everyone is having fun. The things are happening. No, everything is happening. So much things, so many feelings. This film evokes so many emotions you can love the film even if there are flaws (because there are flaws but I will talk about them later). Ohana is very cute, with her flower on her broccoli hair, and she is your genki girl. Very strong, very cute. She's stronger than any woman character I know. Amazing. Beautiful. Fascinating. I want to be like her.

“Remember that we sometimes demand explanations for the sake not of their content, but of their form. Our requirement is an architectural one; the explanation a kind of sham corbel that supports nothing.”
― Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations

Nako is also great she is very attractive and is voiced by Toyosaki Aki (K-ON!, Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing). She plays Nako. She's a motherly person. Takes care of all the little boys and girls in the family. We learn about her worries as a motherly person, trying to handle taking care, school, and working in the inn. It's a touching tale. The film is set onto her and focuses her struggle. It parallels Ohana's mom's story of going to Tokyo with Ohana's dad. I learned a lot about her problems. It made me cry.

Music was incredibly good. I noticed it because there were many strings played. It was like a Beethoven roaring Satie. It played at the most dramatic moments and it touched my heart very much. It was very sweet. All these dramatic moments were played with these great music. Wow, it's really good.

But sometimes, the pasta doesn't cook well. Where do you and here? The film is so dramatic. And yet, there are so much flaws aging like no return. Understand that all works have flaws. So something like me putting is awkward. No, clearly it's going to have flaws. No choice. Cannot be helped.

There is too much fanservice. The film is too short. I think the film should just be about Nako; there is too much screentime for Satsuki. Arguably and comparatively, the film suffers from Satsuki's appearance. She throws the film down into a ditch that never ends. Politically, the film could be better if we learn more about Mana, the central focus of this film. It made regrettable decisions.

But the film is one of the most physically beautiful things. Evisceratingly beautiful. The plot is a beauty, the characters is a beauty, the world is a beauty. I learned many morals from Hanasaku Iroha and I hope everyone watches it so they can take away something from this massive cake of a film.

And thus, I end a quote from my favorite book:

“Don't cry, I'm sorry to have deceived you so much, but that's how life is.”
― Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

With the death of Studio Shaft (look at their Monogatari S2 OPs and observe how stale they are!), druggy anime is almost dead. People are now suffering from withdrawal. They are looking at reality in the face and they couldn't handle it -- no, life is unbearable for all of us. We have become manchildren.

But wait, I hear the voice of our Lord and Savior Itagaki Shin! Just for us suffering plebeians, He gave us Teekyuu almost a year ago. And now, he returns from Heaven and set his feet on our rotting, earthly soil. Teekyuu S2 is more than anything Teekyuu S1 has done: ... it has transcended Wimbledon.

And what does Teekyuu S2 teach us?

Many, many incidents no matter what we do (many, many!)
Money, money, all right, everything'll be resolved (money!)
This is a hurricane of energy and instantly that'll get you dizzy.
Sunny with a chance of Teekyuu!

Smoke Teekyuu erryday, people.

A particular scene in Girls und Panzer always struck me as the most beautiful thing animated. Reizei Mako is a loli with black hair; she wears a white headband and goes to school. The problem is she’s often sleepy and is always late for school. The other members of the cast are worried because they need a teammate for their panzer team (more on that later). Mako is perfect for the role of the driver. But once again, on the day when she is needed, she is still sleeping in her comfy bed. Nishizumi Miho, the protagonist, with her brownish-orange hair decides to wake her ... up osananamiji-style. In the early morning, cuckoos and alarm clocks cry out to wake Mako up. Yet, she is still asleep. Miho drives a panzer and shoots a bullet into the sky, waking Mako up from her dreams.

This is the ingenuity of Girls und Panzer. It is the ultimate form of cute girls doing cute things; it’s self-aware of its silliness and plays on it.

In the setting of Girls und Panzer, Sensha-do or Panzerfahren is considered a ladylike sport. Flower arrangement is one thing, but driving panzers is something else. It apparently makes you a strong, independent female. A competition of the best schools with panzers is held. It is where Girls und Panzer takes its ride to us.

Fusing the sports and cute-girls-doing-cute-things genre, this show takes its absurdity to the max. It is comparable to a flat-chested-lesbians-playing-mahjong anime titled Saki and a certain scientific work. You know they’re slice-of-life. However, these shows don’t pretend they’re intelligent. In Garupan’s case, it has girls driving panzers. It’s silly plus intense.

And it knows how to make the work intense.

When the tournament starts, you are immediately diving into a battlefield of panzers shooting left and right. One of the greatest things in Garupan is its sound design. Its quirky anthem-like soundtrack coupled with the noisy sounds of bullets shooting and tracks rolling create this jarring (and hilarious) sensation that war can be amusing. Think back to your war movies. While there are films like Full Metal Jacket that are funny, they haven’t played on the fact the act of war itself is funny. Few works have done that and this silly anime is one of them. And to do it mostly by sound is a giant accomplishment. Try turning off your video feed: you would still feel the greatness of Garupan. The sound design adds to the epic scale of these battles and it’s something worth commending for.

During these battles, Miho stands out as an incredible protagonist. In sports works, we always get the hot-blooded shounen (who’s probably a bishie). Sometimes, we get the overpowered character who can summon the winning hand with 1MP. Not Miho. She’s just smart and can adapt to anything. Her tactics, just like the show, are ingenious. Who would have thought of tank drifting? Miho, of course.

But inside these panzers are girls and girls like cute things. Director Mizushima Tsutomu (Joshiraku, Another) likes cute girls who like cute things. He knows that this show needs some breather episodes. They’re not actually fanservice, but they are showing us the world-building in Garupan. Yukari, a giant panzer geek, brings the cast to a shop dealing in panzerfahren items. We get the cute-girls-doing-cute-things antics here. Instead of getting turned off, people will find it too surreal (and therefore, enjoyable) seeing these girls get excited about panzers.

This makes me wish more people should pick up this masterpiece. It reminds us entertainment is just as artistic and creative as artsy animes. A giant world waits for us despite being inferred in a mere twelve episodes. It’s a refreshing look on how the cute-girls-doing-cute-things genre can change. So grab the Commie subs, some popcorn, and cry out these two words: “Panzer vor!”

Anime is a dying medium.

We spit on the carcasses of animators and seiyuus from past battles. No anime has particularly captured the spirit of the good times (the 80s and 90s). Look at ourselves squabbling what is the best anime this season; we are not united. There's even some of us who say none of the anime this season is actually good. Inside our corrupted minds, the inner voice is telling us, "No, this anime will never be good as Anime X." It is how human nature works: we are negative, brutish, cynical beings.

But one adventurous director has decided to fight against the odds ... -- the nasty public that prides itself in deriding other animes. He walks to us, face-to-face. Despite the possible violence, he believe this is a fateful night for us. We may change our ideals and therefore should stay, he argues. Who is this man and why is he trying to make an anime that will unite us together? This brave soul is merely reckless. Not one fractale of hope remains in our miserable anime lives. He will need more than just a bunch of lucky stars and blessing from some shrine maidens.

This man takes out his sketchbook and flips the pages to show his masterpiece. Was it godly enough to cause the world to change at a whim? Us skeptics take a step closer, breathing more and more air than usual. Are we excited?

We can't be. Anime is a dying medium after all. The sick invasion of moe has dumbed anime down to the depths of stupidity. And we feel the greatness of today's animes are attributed to some form of disgusting perversion. We do not wish to understand. No, why should we understand today's minds? Let the kids play their iPads and watch their crappy Precure shows; us real anime fans want to engage in discussing and writing essays on the structuralist conventions and philosophical themes in our children's cartoons while listening to "Canon in D".

So what is this irrational excitement we are feeling? Is it a return to the bygone days of anime intellectualism? Why are we panicking as if this is our second chance to see a good anime?

What is this "Senyuu."?

It is an Anime. By Yamamoto Yutaka.

Anime is saved.

Thank you, Yamakan.

Build a time machine, tune the dial to 1972, walk the streets of the Japanese suburbs, and you may hear that catchy Mazinger Z opening song blasting from a cathode-ray tube TV set. The famous opening animation introduces a swimming pool separating to allow the first super robot to be controlled by a human being to walk and save Japan. Mazinger Z is one of those influential works you have to know regardless of your interest in the mecha series.

However, one of the main criticisms of the well-loved kid show is that the protagonist is nothing like Go Nagai envisioned. Kabuto Kouji is supposed to ... be red-blooded, reckless, and be all GAR. That over-the-top insanity and dark humor Nagai created disappeared.

Imagawa Yasuhiro and his team corrected that mistake by giving birth to Shin Mazinger Z. Every small detail gives off the smell of old school super robot shows with a modern twist. Some may find the previous sentence a good description of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, a Gainax mecha show. But while that show is a good homage to the bygone days in Gainax’s special twist, Shin Mazinger Z is a true homage. The latter is more like a replica!

For example, the animation techniques and art style comes from that era: character designs and mecha designs are simple; the show looks gritty and unpolished; and, for the diehard Mazinger fans, the music from the old show gets a sweet rearrangement by Miyagawa Akira. All of these minor details, when stacked together, fool you into thinking you are watching a classic mecha anime.

But not all of those minor details will be wasted if you don’t have the classic super robot protagonists. Kabuto Kouji, as I mentioned previously, is not just a crazy virile high school student; he is one of the epitomes of GAR. Let us remember what GAR means: it’s a word that describes someone’s masculinity and that it is so overpowering it makes you want to cry like a little girl. Kouji is so reckless and absurd you have to give kudos to the guy. As the show progresses, you sympathize with the protagonist’s family troubles. The secrets that lie in the Kabuto family are complicated and no normal person can take that much pressure; Kouji can. And he’ll rocket punch and BUUUUUREEEEESTOOOO FIRREEEEEEEEE every villain in the face with his MAZINGERRRR ZETTTTOOOOO!!!

His friends and family support his reckless ventures by being badasses themselves. Nishikori Tsubasa, who first appeared not in Mazinger Z but Violent Jack, is my favorite character in Shin Mazinger Z. Supposedly the boss of the Kurogane House onsen, she actually leads a gang of superhumans. She is also the puppet-master combatting for good against the evils of Dr. Hell and his minions. Undeniably the most dynamic character, she is the unsung heroine. While Kouji might be fighting Mechanical Beasts, she is the one that oversees the safety of everyone. In her own way.

Likewise, Kabuto Juzo, the creator of the god mecha Mazinger Z, is a mad professor who is hardcore enough to ride a rocket punch and still scream in joy. His nemesis, Dr. Hell, is a creepy villain who hides in the shadows. He doesn’t appear much, but he lets a creepier monstrosity take the lead: Baron Ashura.

This is where Shin Mazinger Z shines from all the rust that pervades in most animes: a villain where you both sympathize and hate. Ashura is the main henchman but it has no gender -- no, it has two: male and female. Born from the corpses of two lovers, Ashura has two personalities, two voices, and two bodies. It is like a Frankenstein creation, something that should have never been born. Ashura is disgusting and yet, one finds it hard to not pity their tragic love story. To be revived by sharing your lover’s body is indescribable. That unfathomable horror makes the character intriguing and its personality twisted. It blames Zeus, the soul of Mazinger Z, for this disaster. Ashura leaves anyone emotionally confused. How do you hate someone who has a good reason to be a villain?

Sadly, for a show this superb, there are some glaring mistakes. While the story is a beautiful, convoluted mess, one may find it tiring to figure things through. I feel that the length is a bit too long; the Germany arc especially feels a bit stretched for my liking. The worst part about that arc is that they repeat the first scene in every episode. This is different from the other episodes’ openings because it’s the same sequence of animation. And then, there’s that SKE48 ending song. Yes, SKE48 -- the sister group for AKB48. I have no qualms against the group but it’s a huge mismatch. When you have JAM Project playing “The Guardian” in the opening, you can’t honestly think, “Hm, SKE48 might have a good song~”, right?

Of course, with all these small flaws, it still means the show is great. It’s a fun study in anime history for people interested in what the super robot subgenre has to offer. One step into the series and you shall be immersed in the Mazinger franchise. There’s no need to use that time machine anymore; you can sell it off on eBay for a copy of this DVD. It’s worth it.

If you're smoking too much SHAFT anime and can't stand normal anime (e.g. non-SHAFT animes), watch Teekyuu. It's about a bunch of girls on crack playing tennis. The director's the same guy who did Ben-To and also did some episodes of TTGL. So you know it's gonna be absurd to the max.

And what does the show make you feel after you finish 12 episodes of greatness?

It's kind of like a gentle wind.
It's kind of like a delicious rice cake.
It's kind of like a clamorous city.
It's kind of like a precious everyday.

That's how awesome Teekyuu is. Smoke Teekyuu everyday, people.

Studio Shaft is an eccentric animation studio that likes being weird for the sake of being weird. Take a look in the HidaSketch franchise: if you read the original yonkoma, you will know how much original material Shaft included. They have also added their own eccentricities like adding pictures of actual food onto clips of animation.

And it’s freaking cute.

Now, it’s the time for Shaft to mature. Shaft has always played on the seesaw of seriousness and absurdity, especially in Bakemonogatari. HidaSketch was created for people who indulge in the heinous genre known as slice-of-life. When the protagonist, Yuno, appears, I have succumbed to the evils ... of the Ume Aoki wideface. The series is diabetic-inducing antics.

But Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb is not just the fourth season to the HidaSketch series; it is a step into a new direction for Shaft. The palette is more subdued and a new director, besides Shinbo Akiyuki, is directing it. Honeycomb is more aware of its yuri aspects. That’s its greatest strength.

This is not to say there isn’t any shipping involved: the previous seasons are like budding flowers waiting to bloom. Sae and Hiro are obviously in love with each other, but the Yuno/Miyako and Nori/Nazuna couples are not like couples. They’re like friends. Deluded fans love to see them together though.

But now, Honeycomb has made it official. The small romances are adorable. Every character interaction makes anyone blush in the inside. While the series is comedic for the most part, it’s romantic. Everyone has feelings for each other. I cannot state how adorable this show has become. For the first time, nutbladders who have stayed dormant for the past three seasons will finally explode.

So what do these observations say about Shaft? That they now pander to fans? Maybe. But when has fanservice, in its purest, untarnished form, become bad? It is a derogatory term that is not specific. A show can have fanservice and still be just plain fun to watch. That is in fact the essence of fanservice. And making four seasons of the same series is service for the fans who followed Shaft for so long.

Honeycomb can discomfort people though. Its sudden direction into complete yuri shipping is confusing sometimes. Shaft is trying too hard to please some fans; it’s disorienting for people who expected only cutesy things, which is what Hidamari Sketch stood for. It’s not iyashikei anymore too -- just a show about cute girls loving each other in their own special way.

Should anyone hate this work for going off in such a radical direction, it’s understandable. Shaft is growing up from all the childish shows it made in the past. Shinbo’s getting old and HidaSketch won’t be here forever. The studio is now along the likes of KyoAni. It’s time to let the young directors be the vanguards for the studio and take Shinbo’s helm.

And Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb shows that Shaft is still a healthy studio and will continue producing great works. I look forward to their new shows after the eventual retirement of Shinbo.

Suppose you watch a work that seems to have a lot of effort put into it. It’s easy to tell the staff members have worked their ass off to make this work look pretty. Gorgeous character designs and backgrounds. Hell, it’s possible to just watch the show for the art. Turn off the sounds and take off the subtitles from the screen. It’s fantastic animation. I expect nothing less from Kyoto Animation, which has given us Hyouka gifs on our Tumblr. To expect mediocrity in art direction is an insult to the members of this talented studio.

Yet, prettiness is not always watchable. When the plot ... dives, frustration skyrockets. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai suffers from its poor writing. There are clichés on every step.

Take the premise of chuunibyous, which roughly translates into ‘eighth grade syndrome.’ This social phenomena is worth exploring despite the lack of attention to it. I’m glad the writers are giving this attention. Some may call this Kyoto Animation’s answer to “Welcome to the NHK”, a critique of hikikomori and depressive disorders. It can be good, albeit bitter, medicine for people still suffering from the syndrome.

However, Chu2koi finds delight in such escapism. Not that it’s a bad thing -- it saves this work from the need of being ultra-preachy. You can’t really create such a provocative work in just 12 episodes. KyoAni is a master of slice-of-life humor, as seen in the K-On! franchise. In the genre where girls drink tea and eat cake, add in crazy animations of teens pretending they’re superheroes and we get a comedic masterpiece. If this work stays that way, I wouldn’t feel the need to write this review.

Instead, KyoAni apparently wanted to preach... something.

This is where it gets messy. I have no idea who to blame, but the writing suddenly took a dramatic turn. KyoAni is trying desperately hard to combine Chu2koi’s unique humor and dramatic preaching. In the first half of the series, it’s humorous. The latter half shows grim, dark melodrama. Its main characters, Rikka and Yuuta, are introduced as a dynamic comedic pair; in the end, they whine at every moment possible. Melodramatic events surround the protagonists while the supporting characters goof around.

Chu2koi is, in a word, bipolar.

Because of these senseless, abrupt changes in tone and mood, you don’t really understand where the work is going, let alone what it is about. When the work finally gives some closure, there is much to be questioned. It feels rushed; there are contradictions and glaring plot-holes in the final episodes. Bandaging those plot-holes with clichés just makes it worse. They’re an eyesore. You can separate the final episode into sections -- and in these sections pinpoint which scene of Chu2koi ripped off from which anime. Supporting characters, who did nothing in this work, suddenly become important. One character who did nothing for the first twelve episodes except being cute became an important character in the finale. Anime-original character Dekomori fares better because she is relevant to the plot. But because she is a comedic character, she unintentionally destroys atmospheres in dramatic episodes. The script is just plain chaotic.

And so the confusing million-dollar question: Does this work actually have something to say? It does end with a message, but it’s not convincing with all these mood whiplashes. I hear its sermon, but it’s gibberish. It seems to accept the chuunibyou culture as a facet of individualism; yet, once you take Rikka’s reason for the desperate escapism, it becomes nonsense. It’s hard to explain what this work is saying.

But it’s undeniable Chu2koi is a good work if we look at other technicalities. Animation and music are superb as always. Ignoring the plot, the characters are fun to watch. Their interactions make anyone envious of their lives. It’s a good slice-of-life comedy.

Which begs the question: why did this work not stay that way? The first half is strong; the second half is just unwatchable melodrama. It is despairing that Chu2koi has so much potential. Instead, it wanted to be something like Welcome to the NHK.

In a one-cour show, the themes have to be focused. To diverge off and be something else is absurd. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai tries too much to be something special, but falls off from the ladder; it’s just too emotionally unstable like an angsty teenager.