First Impression: My Next Life as a Villainess

     So I recently watched the first few episodes of an anime called, "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom." Like a lot of anime the main character has died and is reborn in a fantasy-like setting. Our heroine (?) Catarina Claes is no different. The catch is that she has been reborn as the evil rival in a world very similar to a love simulation game she played in her original life. Knowing how her fate will end if the story fulfills any natural conclusions programmed into the game (ie. tragedy, exile, and or death) Catarina attempts to change her destiny for the better. Her main strategy seems to be befriending all the other characters (the original Catarina was a notorious bully). We love conquering through the power of friendship!

     I have only watched the first two episodes and Catarina has successfully befriended 3/4 of the love interests and 1/3 of the other rivals. I'm assuming she will continue the same tactics for the rest, but we will have to see. Currently Catarina & the crew are all about 10 years old. I'm hoping they have a time skip sooner rather than later - maybe after she has met all the other characters. Already Catarina seems to be making a difference in her world, but I am curious to see what obstacles pop up along the way. I am also interested to know if Catarina manages to divert catastrophe, will she also end up with one of the love interests in the end? 

     So far there is only one season of this anime. I don't know how long it will go, but I hope there is an acceptable conclusion of some kind by the last episode. If you are interested in watching this anime, it is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

First Impression: Ascendance of a Bookworm

     When I first started watching this show I thought it was going to be your average isekai - the main character dies and is reborn in a fantasy world, however that is not what I discovered. This show keeps surprising me. It does start out with the basic premise of an isekai, but there is a twist. In "Ascendance of a Bookworm" the main character is reborn as a child - someone who is weak and at the bottom of the social system. It almost seems like the person previously inhabiting her new body dies and then she is inserted in their place. I hope that the anime plays with this concept in future episodes.

     At first I didn't really like Main (pronounced 'mine') the main character. Her central personality trait is that she likes books. At the beginning of the show she is rather self-absorbed in her books (or lack thereof being born into a low class family) and tries to manipulate others to get her way. She is also a bit of a prodigy and tends to succeed quickly/easily often due to her previous life experiences. However, the show does have the advantage of character growth, both in Main and other central characters, steady plot development, and obstacles to be overcome.

     Although Main has the advantage with knowledge of today's technologies, she has a fatal flaw in her physical weakness. If her illness is not addressed she really will die - and no amount of knowledge about modern medicine will help her here. This produces a great foil for potential plot and character development. Also, it is through this weakness that her character is really able to shine. 

     At the time of this 'impression' I have watched about a season and a half of "Ascendance of a Bookworm," It has been cool to see how Main has grown as a character. She has really come to love the world that she is in. While she still goes crazy over books she loves her new family and wants to do right by the rules of this world. I am interested to see how she will continue to grow.

"Ascendance of a Bookworm" is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

First Impression: Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Got some somewhat recent content for you all! Enjoy.

FI: Voltron (Legendary Defenders): The Start of Something Good

First Impression: Voltron (Legendary Defenders)

I've been putting off watching Voltron for years now. With Dreamworks and some of the directors of Avatar: The Last Airbender being involved, along with Netflix's "hands off" approach to content, many saw it as being an automatic slam dunk.

But if I learned anything from Legend of Korra, just because you have good animation, directors, and crew doesn't mean a consistently good show. The reason I felt that Korra just let down The Last Airbender was its ability to just be fun. The Last Airbender was simply friends telling a story; Korra was people with something out to prove. And what I really love in any genre is for them not to care about the trends or hot topics of the time, and simply tell me a story. And that is what Voltron has done in many ways. While it is constrained in some ways by its predecessor, you have the feel of friend simply telling an amazing story. It can go from zaney to serious, from epic or simple, and never takes itself too seriously. 

As you may know this is not the first Voltron, as an original series aired in the 80's. What I remember vaguely from the original series is, well, really nothing (aside from all the Voltron action figures). It was quite forgettable, not because the plot or villains were bad (simply mediocre) , but because we never got to really know the characters. It suffered from the "Power Ranger Problem"--that is you never really knew the characters any more than their colors. You could say, for example, I like the red one, but that's was about the extent.

But not so in this Voltron reboot. Each character looks similar to their 80's persona, but with a very detailed and modern vibe. From simply the first two episodes, they already have so much personality. And I start to get that sense of adventure that I haven't had since I watched The Last Airbender. See, going into Voltron, we already know that they will defend the universe and defeat the Galra, much like we knew Aang was going to defeat the Fire Lord. But don't know what the adventure will entail--and that is what makes it such an amazing watch.

Characters: In the first three episodes, while I don't know the characters very well yet, each seems to have their own fleshed out personalities. They are not stereotyped, despite being very heavily based off of the 80's cast.
Keith is still in his red, but modernized and, as the show puts it, "emo." While brooding, and by far the moodiest of the bunch, it never distracts from the plot or feel too cheesy. Although, as a side note, I love that they kept the mullet from the 80's version (don't worry, it's not too bad).
Lance is the craziest one of the bunch, and at first I thought the main character (but this show doesn't really have a 'main' main character). While the first episode focuses heavily on him, he doesn't steel the spotlight from any of the other characters. In this version he is more of a flirt rather than a womanizer who feels entitled to women. Always a plus! In many ways he is the sarcastic comic relief, but I am already getting to see a deeper side to the character.
Pidge seems to be the stereotypical nerd that he is in the 80's version, but things dramatically change (can't tell you 'cause spoilers!). Yes, Pidge is smart and loves technology, but Pidge also cares for the others that make up Voltron. There is a depth to the character.
Hunk is the most changed. In the original, he was the brunt of many fat jokes, something that is definitely a product of its time and did not age well. But so far he seems kind and courageous, although not in the traditional way. And while his is the butt of many jokes, he is always a good sport about it.
Shiro really stumped me at first. I couldn't remember him at all, so I thought he was a new character. Turns out he is Sven in the original, but his Japanese name was Shiro (I don't really get it either). Believe it or not, he's my favorite character so far. He is mature, but not a stick-in-the-mud, kind, but not sappy, a leader, but not a dictator.
Allura, I can't really say much about her yet, but at least she isn't the Zelda rip-off she used to be.

Animation: The animation is amazing. Like, seriously go watch it. And I really appreciate how they try to mix up the space battles. I mean, in most shows (I'm looking at you Star Trek) if you've seen one space battle, you've seen them all. The animators of Voltron play with angles and so on, and really focus on dialogue. The only complaint is the recycled animation--that's one trend that should have stayed in the 80's and 90's--but it isn't too overbearing.

First Impression: Free! Iwatobi Swim Club Season 3

First Impression: Record of Grancrest War (video)

First Impression: Tsukigakirei

For a video version of this first impression visit our YouTube channel.

     The first thing I noticed about this show is the animation. It caught my eye because I couldn't figure out if they were using 2D or 3D animation. I think it is a blend, but it is hard to tell even when they are using 2D animation because of this thing that they do when the characters and standing in the sunlight. They use a very distinct white hi-light  on the characters that almost acts as an outline, and mimics the look of 3D animation.

Comments on the theme song:
    If I could describe the theme song in one sentence, it would be: Cherry blossom petals raining from the sky! Almost all of the theme song is seen through this veil of cherry blossom petals. The background hi-lights  scenes and settings that are important to the story (at least I'm assuming they are important). A fun touch they added at the end were scenes that preview what is going to happen in the upcoming episode.
     Some of the theme song includes live-action film, except it is slightly blurred and distorted. I didn't like it as much and thought that it felt a bit out of place.

First Episode Info:
     Your two main characters, a guy and a girl, are entering their third year of middle school. The guy's name is Kotaro and the girl's name is Akane. Something I noticed was that Akane seems to struggle with some form of anxiety. She has a little stress ball that she carries around and relies on to help calm her nerves. Despite that, she is outgoing and is a valuable member of the track team. Kotaro, on the other hand, spends his club time in an independent writing club.
     After school one day Akane's family decides to go out for supper. Interestingly, they end up sitting in a booth across from Kotaro's family. Maybe it's just me, but in middle school, when I would see someone I don't know particularly well in public it was kind of awkward. Akane and Kotaro both notice and recognize the other person. To make matters worse, their parents find out they know each other and introduce themselves. As they are leaving the restaurant after supper, Akane asks Kotaro if he wouldn't mention to anyone at school that they met. Kotaro is a bit confused, but agrees.
     Later that week both Kotaro and Akane get put on the equipment team to prepare for the school sports festival (aka field day). To keep up to date about the upcoming event, they share their LINE contact information. This we assume, is the start of what will become a romantic relationship between the two.

Other Stuff:

LINE - LINE is a type of social media that is popular in Asia. One of the reasons this anime caught my eye was because, I have LINE myself. It allows for free texting with internet and lets me keep my phone bill down. I think it will be interesting to see how the two character's relationship grows through their use of LINE, but also if that becomes a hinderance to them interacting in real life.

Angst Levels? - Both middle school/high school settings (especially in the shojo genre) seem to generate a lot of drama and angst. We'll have to wait and see how much of a factor this becomes.

Music! - I have noted before that I don't really tend to pay attention to music in a show. This time, it actually stuck out to me, so I am looking forward to see how music is used through the rest of the show.

First Impression: Silver Spoon

     I just got Netflix! I'm a bit behind the times, I know, but you should know by now, that's just how I roll!

     As you know, with Netflix comes with a bevy of ever-changing options. One of these options is an anime called Silver Spoon. As far as I can tell, Silver Spoon is about a city boy who goes to an agriculture-focused high school. The anime follows his adventures and experiences with animals, as well as his search for what he wants to do in his life.

     This show is extremely funny! I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a laugh; no previous experience with animals is needed to enjoy this show. Plus, it was based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa, the same creator of Fullmetal Alchemist! What is not to like?

Note: To read my review of this anime go here.

First Impression: Sweetness and Lightning

For a video version of this first impression go here.  (The video came first for once, guys!!)

   Note: This is an anime that aired during the Summer 2016 season.

     Comments on the theme song:
          The theme song revolves around the main characters of the show (as it often does - this show is no different. The main character is a single father trying to raise his 6 year old. How cool is that? You almost never get anime with those kinds of characters! Obviously, his daughter is also a main character. Originally, I thought that she was going to be REALLY annoying. You know, that squeaky voiced character that tries too hard to be cute. The third main character is a student at the school where the main character teaches.
          Overall, the theme song is upbeat and catchy, as well as slightly reminiscent of the theme song for Ouran High School Host Club.

     The basic premise of the show is that the main character is trying to raise his daughter to the best of his ability without his wife, who passed away six months previously. Since he is gone all day at his job he often has to resort to buying food from the convenience store for their meals. He will get home late from work most days, so they rarely eat supper together. Despite these struggles you can really tell how much they love each other.

     His daughter did not actually annoy me as much as I thought she would, which was a pleasant surprise. She is very cute and sweet!

     One weekend they go to a flower viewing together. It is spring and the cherry blossoms are blooming and many families can be seen spending time together. At the flower viewing they meet a girl who is eating her lunch alone under a tree. Her pleasure in eating the food is evident in her facial expressions and the daughter salivates over her description. The girl apologizes that she has nothing left to share, but she offers to give the main character the business card for the restaurant her mother owns (who made the food she was enjoying).

     That night the main character and his daughter are eating supper - food from the convenience store  again. He asks her if it is good and she says that it's okay. The next night he comes home to find her salivating over a cooking show on TV. This prompts him to take her to the restaurant for supper so she can get real food for once.

     However, they arrive at the restaurant to find it empty. The girl they met before apologizes, saying that the restaurant is temporarily closed because her mother is away on a trip. They turn away disappointed, intending to come back another night, when the girl stops them on the way out. She says that she can make rice and convinces them to stay for supper.

     With her mom gone on trips frequently (she hosts a cooking show) the girl is often lonely. She really enjoys getting to eat supper with other people and at the very end of the episode she asks the main character if he and his daughter would be willing to come back and make supper with her again.

     I am expecting this short series (there are only 12 episodes) to be a fun, light-hearted anime that is relaxing and enjoyable to watch!

Note: To read my review for this anime go here. Likewise, for a video version of the previously mentioned review go here.

First Impression: WWW.WAGNARIA!!

     For the first time ever, we are posting a video and it's corresponding review (or in this case, first impression) on the same day! For a video version of this first impression go here.

     WWW.WAGNARIA!! is an anime that I have started watching recently. It is part of the Fall 2016 anime lineup on Crunchyroll, and is fairly recent (yay! another first for me!). It is about a guy (your main character) who gets a job at an family restaurant chain called Wagnaria. His coworkers are all rather odd, to put it that way. The anime is a slice of life about their adventures.

     While there are ups to slice of life anime (usually they are light and happy and entertaining to watch) there are also downs (they can get boring fast). However, I thought that this anime had more plot that most and it hasn't lost me yet! It is one I plan to keep watching.

     Also, it so happens that WWW.WAGNARIA!! is a spin-off of an earlier anime called Wagnaria!!. I watched the first few episodes of this one, but it didn't really catch my attention. Either way, I think it would be interesting if some of the characters from the previous anime showed up in the recent spin-off.

     Anyway, if this catches your interest feel free to watch this anime on Crunchyroll!

First Impressions: Your Lie in April

For a video version of this first impression please go here.

Going into this episode all I knew about the anime was that it was about a guy who played piano and a girl who played violin. Well, that and a few other basic plot details, but I had no idea how it was going to happen!

My first impression of the first impression: Beautiful animation! Just gorgeous!

Thoughts on the theme song: Not what I expected, but it introduces the characters nicely. I can tell that there will be two female main characters and two male main characters. I especially liked the crescendo in the middle.

So, your main character is this bespectacled dude named Kousei. He was a child prodigy at piano. The episode opens with a scene of him playing in a giant concert hall. Then the music stops and there is an abrupt time skip and scene change that brings us to the present. Kousei is a middle schooler (which I was surprised to learn).

At the end of the school day he walks home with his friends. One of his friends mentions how when you love somebody everything is colorful. Kousei thinks to himself that he obviously has never been in love because he sees the world in a monotone. I got the feeling that part of this had to do with his mother who pushed him to become a talented pianist, but died when he was 11. This caused him to lose the ability to hear himself play the piano.

One Saturday morning Kousei is waiting to meet his friends near a playground when he hears the sound of live music. He sees a girl playing an instrument called a melodica (think a mini piano that you blow into - I swear I’m not making this up!). She plays with an obvious joy that surprises him.

As matters would have it, the girl (her name is Kaori) and Kousei go to the same school and have some mutual friends. She is a violinist and is performing for a contest that day. When Kaori invites him to come watch her performance Kousei tries to back out of going, but he gets dragged along.

I sensed that Kousei tends to avoid musical events because they remind him of his mother and his inability to hear the piano, so I was curious to see what would happen when he went to watch Kaori play. I was so curious to see what would happen next that instead of recording my observations in a more permanent form than field notes I pushed the ‘next video’ button. This happened again and again until I had watched the first five episodes and it was 11:00 at night (which for me is late). ;)

Note: To read my review for this anime go here.

First Impressions: Kuroko's Basketball

For a video version of this first impression please go here.

At the beginning of each episode a clip is shown about the Generation of Miracles. This is a group of five basketball players that all went to the same middle school and swept their league. However, there is a secret sixth member of the group who is rarely mentioned. I assumed this would be the main character (I was right).

I’m going to take some time to talk about the opening. The opening song of an anime is important because it is often the first thing you see about the show and helps set up the basic plot and characters of the anime. I enjoyed the opening and thought it was well done. It was nice to see the characters both on and off the basketball court. Right away I noticed two characters that the opening seemed to be showcasing. One was tall with red hair, while the other was shorter with blue hair (obviously main character material here). I also made the guess that the girl that kept popping up was the manager of the team (I was wrong - she is actually the coach).

The show starts out at a private high school's club fair. The red haired guy is introduced as Taiga Kagami, who spent the last few years studying in America. I thought it was funny how they comment on how he ‘learned from the source.’ America kind of owns basketball, but it’s not like we are experts or anything. The blue haired guy shows up as well. His name is Tetsuya Kuroko. Both Kuroko and Kagami apply to join the school’s basketball club.

The next day they join the club’s practice for the first time. The coach has the ability to tell how good a player is just by looking at them with their shirts off (a weird ability, but it has its uses). She pegs Kagami right away as being an exemplary player. After getting to the last new recruit she looks down at her list and sees that Kuroko hasn’t shown up yet. He is from the famous middle school where the Generation of Miracles originated, so they are all excited to see what kind of player he is. She asks if he is there, but apparently no one has seen him all day. Suddenly Kuroko pops up claiming to have been there all along. It’s almost as if he has a negative presence!

The coach is surprised to see that his potential is a little below average. This bothers her as she travels home from school, wondering how a player with such little potential could have played with the Generation of Miracles. Meanwhile, back at school Kagami and Kuroko are facing off in a game of one on one. Kagami realizes immediately that Kuroko isn’t that great of a player. I kept thinking, there has to be a catch somewhere. He has to have some sort of skill. At that moment Kuroko said something vague, but also really cool. He said, “I am a shadow.” I still didn’t know what the catch was, but I bet it had something to do with that statement.

At practice the next day Kuroko finally reveals what his skill is. He uses his negative presence to his advantage so he can slip in and steal the ball and pass it to other members of his team. At the end of the episode Kuroko proposes to help Kagami beat the other members of the Generation of Miracles and become the best basketball player in Japan.

I thought that was a nice change from the multiple ‘I’m going to become the best ____  in all the world!” anime. Instead, the main character is helping someone else become the best. I also really liked how Kuroko and Kagami contrast. They have the potential to be really good friends, but they are complete opposites. Kagami has a short temper and is outwardly passionate about basketball. Kuroko is more laid-back. He tends to keep a straight face most of the time.

All in all, I enjoyed the first episode of Kuroko’s Basketball. I laughed outloud at multiple points and am curious to see what Kuroko and Kagami will do next to achieve their goal.