2016 Favourite Manga/Anime

So, I'll limit myself and choose my favourite manga and anime this year. This is different from a manga/anime of the month because I didn't necessarily read/watch the whole thing in one month but it's definitely something I'd say that I enjoyed the most in the year of 2016. It's hard to find translated manga that came out in 2016 besides the really popular ones, so I'll just pick whatever I loved the most this year. Still okay though, since Kingdom is ongoing so, it counts hahaha.

As for anime, I'll choose one that came out this year :D


Kingdom by Hara Yasuhisa
Genre: Action, Adventure, Historical, Martial Arts, Seinen, Fantasy, Tragedy, Comedy, Drama
Status: Ongoing, 499 chapters scanlated

Wow! Kingdom nearly has 500 chapters! So excited! I have to say, Kingdom by far had the most interesting development this year. The great big war is breaking out and we have so many great generals in the lead that I'm just soo hyped with what's about to happen! Oh, and Shin holding Ouki's glaive makes me so happy and proud at the same time, he's grown so much throughout these chapters, it's amazing. With the addition of members into Shin's army and the reaffirming of Sei's resolve as a king to unite the whole land, the journey for Shin in becoming a great general is one that can only continue to be even better. I love seeing Shin mature along with his comrades but retaining his own principles in a world wrought with war and chaos, he can get a bit OTT sometimes but I love how Sei and his relationship make them try their best to improve themselves so that they can all achieve a unified China.

The story follows our protagonist Shin who is aiming to become a great general in Qin. It is a story revolving around the events in history with Qin Shi Huang unifying China. Naturally, it is a fictional historical manga and thus there will be things here and there that are exaggerated or made up to make it entertaining and interesting and I love it. I also love how the manga puts its own interpretations of historical events but retains the general timeline of events and important happenings of historical figures etc. Shin apparently is a historical figure with a lack of info on and thus allowing the mangaka to expand his own freedom on what type of person he is and that's good! The interpretation of Sei (future Qin Shi Huang) is also very enamouring and interesting considering his predominately 'good' nature.

All in all, besides the lovely grand swings that can fall tens of enemies in one fell swoop, there are also very interesting war tactics, interesting generals on our protagonist's side and the enemies' sides that make this a very compelling story that depicts a time of bloodshed and turmoil as they all fight for a better future that each individual believes in. It isn't only a great battle manga! There is some nudity and blood though so heads up on that!

I would recommend the anime as well, but I really hate the 3D animation that makes it pretty bad lol. Gonna say this again and again lol, the manga is so much better!

Yuri!! on Ice

Genre: Comedy, Sports

Episodes: 12

When I first saw Yuri!! On Ice in the season chart, I was so excited because I have always loved watching figure skating ever since I watched Ginban Kaleidoscope. The best thing about this one though is that it's very much focused on figure skating with proper soundtracks, costumes and skating programs for the individual skaters. The animation is top notch most of the time and the selection of music and costumes are so beautiful, I loved the whole anime from beginning to end. The opening and ending theme songs are so great and captivating as well omgg. The soundtrack Yuri on Ice that our protagonist Katsuki Yuri dances to is so dazzling and enchanting that I just can't help but love listening to it every time it plays! 

The story revolves around Yuri who suffers a crushing defeat in the Grand Prix Final and returns to his hometown wondering whether he should continue skating or not. After a series of events, the figure skating champion Victor comes along and says that he'll be Yuri's coach and that begins their gruelling training and lovely journey growing as skaters and individuals. What I love about this anime is that not only are the skating programs wonderful to the eyes, the characters are also very dynamic and constantly growing. Victor and Yuri (and the other Yuri too, which is his rival) all have their flaws but they learn from each other and inspire each other to reach new heights and break through their respective barriers that limit their growth. It was because of this experience as coach and student that they were both able to teach each other things they would not have picked up alone and I loved that.

Note though that Victor and Yuri do essentially become a couple so that might not be to your tastes but I think their relationship is so much more than a mere romantic relationship. They love each other as individuals and merely cherish each other as the one they would like to stay together with, although I guess there is some fanservice here and there hahaha. But overall, the anime focuses on individual challenges and growth in characters rather than romance. It was wonderfully played out as an anime and I would encourage anyone to watch this! Our Yuri may be a bit meek but very relatable and he gets stronger emotionally through the episodes and I really liked that!

His rival Yuri (same name) is a bit arrogant and prideful but most definitely an exceptional guy. I loved his skating programs, they were so enjoyable! Especially his costume, omggg, it was so cool! He's a bit cute when he's not that angry hahaha. Phichit the Thai skater is my favourite though, he's so sweet and cute, I love him! Definitely a short but enjoyable anime.

P.S Hope everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy new year! <3 See you all in January! :)

December Manga of the Month (MOTM)

Only one this month! Since Christmas is coming soon and my sister is coming back from Japan for a bit so gonna be busyy~ Oh and I'm gonna do a 2016 Favourites kinda thing so yeah~~ But I guess if there was a theme for this month, it would be to learn to love yourself because our heroine in this manga is a great example of that.

Pochamani by Hirama Kaname

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School Life, Shoujo

Status: Ongoing, 21 chapters scanlated

I probably say this all the time but I was thinking this was going to be another typical shoujo and it's not incorrect to think of it as quite a typical shoujo except with a chubby girl. However, what makes this one good has to be the heroine. The guy is okay. What I like about our heroine is how mature she is when she handles her problems and how she handles herself. Alike many other people, she has insecurities since she is chubby and others are skinny but what I like about her is that she accepts herself for who she is and has learned to love herself without needing someone else to love her. When she said "I'm glad that I'm fat. I like my fat self." because if she wasn't chubby, she wouldn't have met the main male character and she wouldn't have found her good friends. I really respect her outlook towards her life and her surroundings and I think she is a great heroine to look up to compared to a lot of other questionable ones, to say the least.

My negative impression for this is probably because of how the synopsis describes this manga; romantic comedy with a chubby high school student and her handsome boyfriend who is a chubby maniac LOL. Great, absolutely great. It's not wrong but it's definitely much more than that, especially seeing the progress between the two's relationship is really nice. They both have flaws but they both do their best to work it out in their own way and bring each other up. I think this is a really nice relationship. They both have their problems but deal with it maturely and try their best to work out the best outcome themselves and with their friends etc.

I also like that they clarify with the main male that although he is a chubby maniac, the reason she is special and not the other chubby girls is because of the way our heroine carries herself as a person. Albeit a bit insecure when she compares herself with others considering how handsome her boyfriend is, she nevertheless understands that she should at least love herself even if other people won't because she is chubby. She cherishes herself for who she is and I like her and that's why the guy likes her too hahaha. I guess I just really like the positive message that it sends out; that we should learn to love ourselves.

November Anime of the Month (AOTM)

Ranma 1/2

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Slice of Life

Episodes: 161 (Finished airing)

One of the most nostalgic classics from the '90s would have to be Ranma 1/2. I never realised it was once cancelled for poor ratings in the beginning, since I absolutely loved it as a kid, but I watched this in the Cantonese dub. I've never watched it in Japanese just because I'm so used to watching it in Chinese, just like Rurouni Kenshin hahaha.

Anyway, the story follows our main character Ranma who went to some cursed springs in China with his father for some martial arts training and ended up falling into one of them that turned him into a girl! From then on, whenever he is splashed with cold water, he turns into a girl but he changes back into a boy by splashing himself with hot water. As he returns to Japan, he starts to live with the Tendou family as a fiance of Akane's although they are both rather reluctant to be tied for marriage. And that's all you really need to know about this anime hahaha. It's a comedy so there's not much actual plot besides the budding romance with Akane and the other girls/fiancee candidates that chase after Ranma as he tries to find a way to change himself back to being a guy completely. Many people love Ukyo and Shampoo but I've always loved Ranma and Akane because of how annoying they can be as well as how sweet they can be.

I love the tie-in of martial arts in Ranma 1/2 because it makes everything very entertaining. Many things are done in jest obviously so it's really a bundle of fun with martial arts. The martial arts to keep ramen noodles safe and figure skating martial arts etc are just a few of the crazy techniques and arts that the people they meet use and it's absolutely hilarious. This anime has a special place in my heart and Ranma and Akane's relationship is what makes my heart warm and happy all the time. They're both very stubborn and probably tsundere but I love it when they show affection and care towards each other.

One of the most memorable scenes in Ranma 1/2 for me was the ice skating episodes where Ranma declared to everyone that Akane is his fiancee and that he won't allow anyone to hurt her. It was so sweet! And when they were spinning and Akane told him to let go so that he won't get hurt by continuing to hold on to her, I think the ice skating arc really showed how much Akane and Ranma care for each other in their own respective ways. She was also so cute when she made him cookies and was so determined to get him to eat it though hahaha.

But of course, the show runs mostly on the comedy factor and it never fails to make me laugh although some characters can get quite annoying loll. I remember there was an episode where Akane went to hospital and the other fiancee candidates gave her presents and Kodachi gave her a bomb that exploded and then a tape recording her laugh 'ohohoho' plays LMAO. That was so hilarious omg.  Ryoga is also a good character that is always lost (just like Zoro in OP), it's crazy where he ends up hahahaha but I still love him. Everyone seems to love Shampoo the most though and I guess she is rather entertaining in how hard she tries to win Ranma's affections.

Nevertheless, this is a great classic comedy that can get repetitive after 100+ episodes but still really good and funny. I mean Genma and Soun are such hilariously stupid fathers that I absolutely love and Happosai can be so annoying but stupidly funny when he gets weak due to not being close to his favourite lingerie or girls lmao. Needless to say, I love Ranma but I always question how they always have the money to fix the buildings and the house that Ranma and gang break every single episode LOL. It's definitely something I would rewatch again and again. It does have a rather abrupt ending though so I think if you want a conclusive ending, you'll have to read the manga.

November Manga of the Month (MOTM)

This month we have two rather unique manga that are similar to each other in essence but the main characters are entertaining for different reasons. It's hard to find such perfect protagonists that are flawlessly cool and calm and they're so natural about it, that it's ridiculous! But that is exactly the point of these manga, that it's ridiculously perfect but amazing at the same time, Gotta say, I enjoyed these ones very much.


Sakamoto desu ga? (Haven't you heard? I'm Sakamoto!) by Sano Nami
Genre: Comedy, School Life, Seinen, Slice of Life
Status: Complete, 24 chapters scanlated

Many of you may already know this one since the anime finished not too long ago with quite positive reviews. Personally, I like the manga more since I feel that Sakamoto has more of that natural poise and elegance with still images but that's me hahaha. Basically, it revolves around how our hero Sakamoto manages his everyday average life with average people in an extraordinarily cool but natural way. It's like, everything he does is supposed to be ridiculous but when he does it, you can't help but think that he's cool instead hahaha! It's such an amusing and different manga. The comments on Batoto are gold as well, they've labelled him Swagamoto LOL.

It's definitely unique though since it's not exactly a manga that everyone will appreciate but if you read it and it's your thing, you'll definitely love the whole of it. Also, it only has 4 volumes so it doesn't downspiral into a repetitive manga but instead something we can appreciate ending on its own volition and exiting in its own cool status.

Gotta love Hayabusa-senpai the most hahaha, chapter 11 is my favourite with the hand-push sumo thing like omg. The taxi and everything, it was done so well, I was so damn impressed and absolutely loved it. I guess the great thing about this manga also is that every character finds a way to relish and revere in Sakamoto's greatness and everything is like so weird but the best at the same time LOL. It's just so crazily cool hahaha! Definitely a unique manga.


Machida-kun no Sekai by Ando Yuki
Genre: Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Status: Ongoing, 7 chapters scanlated

This is like the epitome of a feel good manga (without the need of babies in manga healing you LOL). He's just like Sakamoto in that he's perfect as well but in a completely different way. Sakamoto would be perfect in every way but on the other hand, Machida is probably socially perfect even if he isn't perfect at cooking and other things like grades haha. The common thing between them would be their natural poise in executing their actions and in this manga, Machida would be on the same level as Sakamoto in that he's so natural about helping people. This one's got a bit of romance in it but it's the best fluffy kind <3

He also doesn't think that he's a cool person or that he's doing anything particularly exceptional or out-of-this-world kind of actions when he extends his help to others which really makes the reader feel like they could be like Machida and help and love people as much as he does. Also, he tries very hard to do everything even if he's not good at it and he's such a natural at making the people around him happy even if he doesn't notice it. He's such a sweetie.

My favourite chapter has got to be chapter 5 because of Kazumi-chan. I love how naturally appreciative he was of his Aunt's existence when she was feeling down about whether she really was of much help at all since her husband didn't understand how big of an impact her presence there could be for when Machida's mother is giving birth. It was such a good chapter, I teared. Definitely an awesome feel good manga that makes you wanna be a better person as well and help others around you. If only I was a natural like Machida! But I guess I gotta start off being as nice and kind as him first!

October Anime of the Month (AOTM)

Here's another anime recommendation! Obviously, I've finally started going through my anime list that I've accumulated for years hahaha. So, yeah, I'll probably be talking about old anime more than new ones every month or so. There's always this beauty and spark in older ones that don't seem to always be in newer anime. Which reminds me, I don't think I'll do a Summer 2016 Anime Review. Not just because it's extremely time consuming but because I really wasn't interested in much anime that season anyway hahahah so yes, I only watched like 3 series and they weren't that interesting either sooo....yeah.

Spice and Wolf has been on my list for a loonggg time and I'm so glad I finally watched it hahaha. It's not too different from what I expected since I have read some reviews but I did end up enjoying Lawrence and Holo's relationship much more than I thought I would haha. I mean, Holo and Lawrence are such great partners!

Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinryou)

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Historical, Romance

Episodes: Season 1, 2008 (12 Episodes) + Season 2, 2009 (12 episodes)

Spice and Wolf is an anime I've heard that people have loved for many years. Not as crazy popular and revolutionising as Madoka Magica (I assume) but it has quite a big fanbase for it making me unable to forget it. It follows our travelling merchant Kraft Lawrence and a 600 year old pagan harvest deity called Holo. Holo is a wolf but can move about in human form as above, but she retains her animal ears and tail. They begin travelling together for their own interests but end up forming a bond that is romantic but essentially an unbreakable partnership between two people who can trust each other with their lives. Holo travels to find her hometown again and Lawrence travels to earn the money to open his own shop one day and thus that is the aim of their journey as they travel from town to town gathering information to increase money profits and to find clues of Holo's birthplace. 

The story mostly revolves around how people lived and did business in the Middle Ages/Medieval period. It goes on with how the market works, how merchants do business, the major consequences that can occur from sudden crashes in the market and failed business ventures but also adds the fantasy element of Holo, our wolf that helps Lawrence whenever he is in a serious pinch. It would suffice to say that Lawrence is well informed about business and the trade whereas Holo is well informed about the ways of the world and that's how they accompany and help each other with their respective skills. It's certainly an admirable and beautiful relationship. It's also a very peaceful one at that. It's a mostly dialogue anime with a bit of action (less to none in the second season though) and mostly rides on the witty dialogue between our two main characters as well as the interactions of trade between them and others.

Honestly, I hate to be that person but I personally preferred Season 1 over Season 2, whether it's because the second season skipped over a part of the light novel to rush to the kiss scene or something or because it wasn't as fun and exciting, I'm not sure. But I just felt that it didn't flow as nicely as peacefully as it did in the first season. Maybe Amarty and them just didn't please me LOL. I just felt that the first season had more of the right balance of romance, economics and development of character bonds. Whereas the second season seemed to fall over trying to balance them all, but that's my opinion. Second season's ending was rather inconclusive as well. Sucks that there's no third season either, guess I'll buy the light novels~

I really loved the excitement and tension that came along with the first season when Lawrence needed to acquire quite a bit of money to continue his livelihood as a merchant. It really rang deep in how fragile this job could be if you make one wrong decision but it also progressed development in Holo and Lawrence's relationship when he pushed her away but immediately apologised. The great thing about their relationship is that they have fights, go through hardships and fall down at times but they pick each other up and move on. They enjoy the present and embrace the future. They're very much human but they carry resilience (not individually) by being together to support each other. The best thing about this show is most definitely the two's relationship but I love the trade aspect as well.

I love the character designs and really enjoyed the atmosphere of the show. The atmosphere definitely makes this show something great. There's not much variation in the music but it's quite enough because it is only needed when relevant and I think it was inserted very well into the situations our main characters landed in.

 It's been a while since I sat down and just concentrated on watching something and not mult-tasking alongside haha. It's a bit hard to get Lelouch out of my mind whenever I hear Lawrence though since they have the same VA hahaha. Anyway, if you're interested in medieval trading + endearing main character relationships + a bit of fantasy adventure in regards to our wise wolf, Holo, then you'd probably enjoy this. But then again, this is good enough just to watch Holo and Lawrence's relationship hahaha. Now let me just go buy the light novels now....

October Manga of the Month (MOTM)

Well, well, well.. I guess this month will have to be the red hair heroine month! LOL I seriously didn't plan this, I just happened to read two manga that I've been wanting to read for a while and they just happened to be the ones I liked enough to talk about loll. I read other new manga but they weren't very interesting so you know~ Red hair month ftw~ Hahaha! Oh, another red hair heroine manga I would recommend is of course Akagami no Shirayuki-hime, this and Akatsuki no Yona are probably the classic red hair shoujo heroine that you'd think of nowadays. In the past, I'd think of Youko from Juuni Kokki, dang, I feel so old whenever I mention that one haha, but that's a good anime if you're looking for one, a bit of a slow start but really good classic.

Anywho~ I'd say these are quite shoujo in my perspective (yes, I know it's a demographic) but they are manga that do not survive on the mere element of romance but instead rely on their fantastical story and setting that garners interest from readers. But of course, there are romance elements to keep the shippers happy, I'm proudly one of them hahaha.

Akatsuki no Yona by Kusanagi Mizuho

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo

Status: Ongoing, 128 chapters scanlated

I didn't expect to like this manga that much since I watched the first episode of the anime and thought it seemed rather cliche. I can't say anything else about the anime but the manga is definitely well worth a read. It's similar to Akagami no Shirayukihime in terms of having good romance parts but also relevant parts for our heroine to grow independently as a person, so I think you would like it if you like Shirayukihime.  I've gotta give props to this for being a pretty good shoujo. Art is pretty nice too, loads of pretty boys hahaha!

 It follows the story of our naive princess Yona who is betrayed by the one she loves and ends up having to run for her life away from the castle with her closest friend and bodyguard Hak. It's a story about her journey as she gathers companions and notices how different the world inside the castle was compared to the outside and how she wants to protect the people of her country in her own way even if she isn't' a princess anymore. I like that resolve of hers and I love her character very much since she's very much a little girl but also a headstrong woman. The romance is also very adorable.

It's like an adventure with her bishounen harem gang! Lmao. Although not exactly lighthearted all the time, Akatsuki no Yona has a great balance of comedy and seriousness in its story. The comedy is very funny as well, I love our pretty boy Yoon being the mother for them all hahaha. What Kusanagi Mizuho does well in this manga though would be the characters, their development and their stories. She really knows how to play with your heartstrings in terms of the relationship between Soo-Won, Hak and Yona as all being childhood friends that love each other, but all that was ruined when Soo-Won murdered Yona's father and took the throne. Considering how the story is going though, Soo-Won is most likely not supposed to be an evil character and I really hope so because I really like him. He's definitely trash for what he has done towards Hak and Yona since they trusted him so much, but as the story goes on, you start to understand that he probably did it because the country was not faring well under Yona's father's rule, but who knows?

All the characters are very likeable and they all have distinct personalities that balance out when they are all brought together. I'm really glad that Yona has a girl friend her age which is Lili and dangg she's got good taste for liking Geun-Tae, I love him too. But basically, one this manga excels at would be the characters and their relationships and feelings which are portrayed very well. So far, the story is also decent considering that their main goal is to make this country better for its people, which is a wonderful goal that we'd all love to see. As a shoujo, it's got better battle scenes than most, but don't expect anything too much besides Hak slashing everyone in half, but they are emphasised really well emotionally. I cried when Soo-Won and Hak understood each other so well and combined their efforts to save Lili. It was so heartbreaking and sweet at the same time. 

Definitely recommended! It's a bit linear in the beginning when they find the four dragon warriors but it gets much better when their party stabilises and they have a proper goal besides looking for companions. I read everything in one go and I can't help but love Soo-Won and Hak the best. I'd totally cheer for their relationship if I was into that lmao. I just really love how much they trusted and cared for each other. If only Hak's wish of Soo-Won and Yona getting married being king and queen and him guarding them for the rest of their lives came true... But I guess this way, Hak can be with Yona though haha.


Mahou Tsukai no Yome by Yamazaki Kore
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Slice of Life, Supernatural
Status: Ongoing, 32 chapters scanlated

This one definitely surprised me in a different way. I've been seeing this as a popular series on Batoto for a while but never touched it until now and now I'm wondering why I never did. It definitely is interesting in a different way from the usual manga. It tells of the story of Chise who is passed on from relative to relative until she finds her place in an auction to be bid on. She gets bought by the boneheaded monster (if you want to call him that lol) Elias and they start living together as a teacher and apprentice, oh and as a bride too.

The story mostly revolves around two as they learn to open their hearts to each other and find company with each other's existences even though in the beginning, the two of them never expected much from the other at their first meeting. In turn, Elias teaches Chise magic and Chise teaches him and makes him understand and experience human emotions that he has probably always wanted to experience. Elias is really cute when he doesn't understand these emotions. However, along with the cute moments are the fantasy adventure sort of elements with Chise's exposure to different mythological beings such as dragons, different types of fae and the antagonist (I assume) that likes to toy with people for his experiments with magic. It's a very interesting story that exposes you to a lot of different mythical beings and the myths surrounding them, as well as a solid character growth with the characters emotionally and magic-wise. The side characters are also very endearing with their own stories that touch the heart and drive the story along.

I think this one's a well balanced solid story. It's informative with different mythological beings, there are intellectual and physical fights involving magic and the mythological beings, there's some romance but not OTT and it has a sprinkle of humour here and there that just can't help but amuse readers. It's a great read and the main characters are very likeable in that it is easy to empathise with them and grow with them. The side character stories that they encounter (like the mythical being they'll help today!) are also very touching but realistic situations (not the monster part, of course) that you can understand their dilemmas and problems. A very engaging and interesting story. Too bad it's a monthly serialisation, so it's easy to forget what happens, it's quite a tight-knit story as well so I guess it might need some re-reading every now and then haha. On another note, the art is beautifully drawn, especially the mythical beings, they can be so beautiful and menacing at the same time. And cute another time hahaha.

September Anime of the Month (AOTM)

Hey! I watched a new anime for once! Well, it's not exactly new, but it's new to me. This has been on my list for a long time but I always pushed it back but then when I was procrastinating.. I was like, stuff this, I'm gonna watch an anime. Annddd...since this only had 12 episodes, why not? I'm glad I did as well, it really goes to show that the length of anime isn't an excuse for it to be bad. I've watched so many 12 episode anime that I really gave up on them but I guess I should try again now hahaha.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Genre: Drama, Magic, Psychological, Thriller

Episodes: 12 (Finished, 2011)

I've always held off from watching this because I didn't like how the characters looked, but since there were such good ratings and reviews for this, I thought I should try it anyway. I'd say the turning points of this show would be episode 3 and episode 8. What made me like this would probably be the music and the portrayal of the story. The music was done by Yuki Kajiura and I have been impressed by her and loved her since she was in the group See-Saw and sang many of the Gundam Seed songs which I still love to this day. So, the soundtrack was great throughout the whole show. The story is most definitely not something surprising or original considering how it loves to drop hints on everything, especially death flags haha, in any case, I'd say it's a rather predictable story, but that doesn't mean it's bad. I have my reserves on some plot points such as why Homura seems to be able to continuously use her Soul Gem without ever wasting away with corruption since it's not supposed to be just despair in concerns of your wish that corrupts it but overall, I really like this anime.

Like every other mahou shoujo, it starts off with the MFC (if you can say Madoka is, considering everyone seemed to have a fair amount of screen time in terms of Madoka, Sayaka and Homura) knowing about the existence of witches destroying the peace of this world and magical girls who need to defeat them. It goes along with the trope of the pet partner choosing the girl to be a magical girl but instead of the idea that she should be one to merely save the world, if you choose to be a magical girl, you can have one wish granted. It's more like an exchange, rather than a simple save the world thing. I liked how the MFC actually thinks about whether she should become one or not and episode likes to highlight the fact that being a magical girl isn't all rainbows. So, yeah, probably won't be your thing if you want to watch a typical mahou shoujo that is all about positivity and optimism because this one is all about the sadness and tragedy that comes along with being a magical girl instead.

The most appealing thing would probably be the emotional rollercoaster. A lot of people seem to dislike Sayaka's supposed overreaction but I personally liked it and could relate very well with it because I've always thought about the idea whether people really do make these wishes for themselves or others. The crying from Madoka was also understandable since it's not like she's had the need to grow up and be so realistic with things in comparison to the others who have had pretty bad experiences that forced them to grow up or just be more pessimistic towards life. I'd say that the driving force of this anime would be the central characters, their motivations and the revamp of the idea of a mahou shoujo anime.

This basically has everything a mahou shoujo anime has but changes it in a dark way. For example, Kyuube's existence as a pet partner to the magical girl is still apparent but he is not her best friend and does not help her in need. Instead, he is motivated for his own interests and is constantly suspiciously trying to convince Madoka into becoming a magical girl. He's cute but dang he's ruthless lol. There is also the presence and importance of friendship between magical girls like they all do but this anime likes to make it seem like that instead of them fighting to save the world, they're all fighting for their own interests, in order to survive. I like that.

I guess another disappointment would be that it's not as dark as other people have stated it to be. But I do like the contrast of how cutesy the characters look and yet how saddening of a turn the story decides to take in terms of magical girls and witches. The magical girl and witch thing was definitely something I surmised but didn't expect to really be the truth, I'm glad it was though because I thought it was a great angle to take in terms of some real sacrifices magical girls need to take for such power of granting wishes.

Overall, I really liked it because I felt the emotions ran quite deep for me. All of the characters had understandable reasons for doing what they did and the most important thing was that, within the tragedy and sadness, all everyone really wanted was just to be happy but it seemed so hard to be granted in their circumstances.

September Manga of the Month (MOTM)

This month is filled with all the comedies!! They're all hilarious in their own ways which makes me hard to pick any of them as the best but Yotsubato is undoubtedly a gem, well it is an award-winning one after all! I'm bombarded with assignments this month so I'll see if I have a manga or two for next month, but otherwise these manga below are super recommended for a good laugh! I've read Yotsubato and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun multiple times so they're definitely awesome in my opinion!


Yotsubato! by Azuma Kiyohiko
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Status: Ongoing, 91 chapters scanlated

As stated in the manga, the greatest thing about Yotsuba is that she can enjoy anything and everything. Oh, and that she's invincible! Hahaha! I still think that Yotsuba & Revenge (chapter 9) is the most hilarious thing I have ever read. Lmao. Not only is it hilarious, but it even has a good message at the end! Revenge will get you nowhere. And it's done in such an entertaining way as well! Today is always the most enjoyable day!! So true for this manga! It's a manga by the same author as Azumanga Daioh so it's funny and amazingly entertaining.

It follows a 5 y/o girl that is able to find anything and everything entertaining because this is the time when they have awareness and start to understand things and perceive the world around them. It's hilarious seeing Yotsuba learning about all these different things like yoga and being so excited at trying these things. It makes everything look so fun! Not only that, but every single character is likeable and dangg, the dad is awesome! He's parent-like and strict at times but he's also very fun and outgoing and goes along with a lot of Yotsuba's antics. It's a slice of life thing so obviously there's no real plot but it's just so damn enjoyable to see this little girl explore her little world and enjoy every bit of it. It really makes me think I should be enjoying the little things in life as much as her hahaha. Btw, I've read it again and again so many times, it never gets old and it's still hilarious, gotta say the art and expressions make this manga a gem!

I loved this so much, I even got a Danbo charger!! Hahaha! But yes, definitely recommended, always recommended! Makes me want to have a kid like her hahaha! But I'm not a cool enough dad to get her to turn out the way she is haha. I love how simple this manga is and yet how extraordinary it is at the same time.


Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, Romance, School Life
Status: Ongoing 80 chapters scanlated

Hahaha omg! I absolutely love this one! I was so happy when the anime came out and other people knew about it and loved it too! I think it would be so fun to have another season haha! Anywho, if you don't know this one, basically, it's about a girl called Sakura Chiyo who tries to confess to her crush and he mistakes her for a fan, because he is actually a Shoujo mangaka! That was the start of everything hilarious hahaha. The thing I love about this one is that every character is likeable (maybe except Maeno lmao) and the pairings are the best. They suit each other so well and they're so cute and funny together as well.

The series never gets boring either since Nozaki-kun (our MC) is always trying to find good source material for his manga even though he's never even experienced his first love lmao. I love how his characters are based on his friends around him hahaahha and his manga, omg, if only we could actually read his manga, because all those scenes he draws is so hilarious. The comedy in this one is cute and funny and since it's to do with a shoujo manga, it really makes fun of a lot of shoujo tropes and cliches. Gotta feel sorry for Sakura sometimes but they're both such idiots hahaha.

There are also touching moments where you can tell how solid the pairings are because they love each other in their own ways so there's definitely that dose of shoujo along with the comedy that makes it so sweet at times as well which is why I love this. It has the right balance of everything! I look forward to every chapter that comes out. It's way too hard to choose a favourite pairing because they're all awesome in different ways though <3 Oh and it also made me more knowledgable about the ins and outs of drawing manga, it's like wow, I never knew that you buy screentones and apply it like that! This also definitely made me realise how important an editor can be for sure ..


Maou-jou de Oyasumi by Kumanomata Kagiji
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Shounen
Status: Ongoing, 8 chapters scanlated

This is one I recently picked up and omg, it's so funny. I love how they twist the 'save the princess from the demon king's castle' trope to a new level lmao. It goes along with the typical story of how the demon king has captured the much loved human princess and they have sent heroes to save her thinking she must be in despair being locked in a castle. However, she's really living a not bad life considering she's well fed and her biggest problem is that she's bored and her bed isn't comfortable enough lmao. Thus begins the daily antics of our princess wondering around the castle out of her cell trying to make the most comfortable bed ever while making trouble for the demons.

I coincidentally happened to read this one and I don't regret it one bit, it's seriously entertaining and hilarious. She's cute and she does anything and everything to get her bed as comfy as possible, but damn, the havoc she creates, hahaha so funny! Recommended for sure! I also love how the story is set like RPG style so that even if they die, they all get resurrected at the local church so anything they do is really in jest and you know that no one realllyyy gets harmed hahaha!

August Manga of the Month (MOTM) Part 2

Since I was MIA for the past couple of months, I thought I'd include a few other things I read this month. I read many more but I thought these were pretty nice with potential to be better. Otherwise, they still touch on more of a romance route so I guess this month is more the month of romance rather than Shoujo itself hahaha! They were all rather enjoyable in their respects but can get a little heartbreaking. It won't make you cry but these aren't exactly the happiest of stories I guess. I usually like these types of stories though haha.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty by Gi Meng-gi

Genre: Drama, Josei, Romance

Status: Ongoing, 12+ chapters scanlated

If you're unaware of what a Gangnam beauty is, I believe it basically refers to girls who have had copious amounts of plastic surgery done to their face and it probably looks quite obvious as well. I didn't know about this before I read this webtoon but just a heads up that its' a story revolving around a girl who has done lots of plastic surgery to get the face above. She was a girl who was bullied for her ugliness since she was young and because of that, she went through this decision. It touches upon things like beauty standards, beauty inequality and society's focus on beauty that must be natural. It's a Korean webtoon and apparently Gangnam is known for the superficiality of the place and the plastic surgery clinics. So really, it's a story of how important beauty can be in society and I guess just like China and Hong Kong, being a bit on the chubbier side is something to be bullied and laughed at as well since being fat can never equate to being pretty in Asian countries most of the time.

But anyway, enough about generalisations. The story revolves around our heroine trying her best to fit into college life with this new face, but since the only thing that has changed is her face, she is undeniably extremely incapable of having the confidence that people can like her, mostly because of how others have treated her in the past due to her ugliness. She tries hard to get out of her shell but is rudely rejected by a disgusting piece of shit that chased after her thinking she was easy and superficial for being a Gangnam beauty and then rejecting her because he thought someone prettier was interested in him. And let's just say, if he only rejected her, that would have been fine since that means she's saved from his disgusting superficiality but he does other things that are plainly irritable, outrageous and downright disgusting as a person. So yes, there are infuriating characters such as this guy and a natural beauty that has a crappy personality as well, so yes rage meter can get pretty high with this webtoon.

Personally, I think this story is rather interesting because I want to see our heroine grow as a person and learn to accept that it's okay to have had plastic surgery and to just basically live as a person, I want to see her happy. I'm not someone who advocates for plastic surgery but I feel like I can sort of understand. At the end of the day, how can I judge someone when her only dream is to be treated as any average person? It's something so simple but yet couldn't be achieved with the superficiality of her surroundings and most probably entrenched in the society itself. I'm interested in how this one will go. It really shows a difficult situation for our heroine to be in. It's like, if you're ugly, people bully you, if your'e a plastic surgery beauty, people bully you. You really can't win in this world, sigh, and I think this webtoon shows just that.


Weekly Boys' Dating Agency by Bak Shi In
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life, Romance
Status: Ongoing, 10+ chapters scanlated

When I first read the title of this webtoon, it sounded so eugh but after I tried it, I found that it was a completely different story from what I was expecting and I'm very glad about that. The story revolves around five boys who all became orphans at the same time because their parents died on a trip together. Due to certain reasons, someone picked them up and got them to all live together in one apartment so they could get along since they're 'similar' in circumstances. Naturally, the boys don't get along and don't want anything to do with each other.

However, this all changes when the guy who is paying for their housing and tuition fees says he'll kick them out if they don't live properly, get along with each other and stray away from romantic endeavours that can cause problems. Here, our MC is the only one who cares about this since he's probably the only realistic one that understands he needs the support to survive and so it's up to him to fix the other four up so he can stay there.

One thing I really like about this webtoon is that the pairings are solidified and there probably won't be any annoying love triangles but instead important character growth that needs to be adopted for all the characters. With the death of their parents, they all spiralled down an unhealthy living style with one spending money like it's paper, one that's practically an alcoholic and player, one that gets into fights every day, one that's in a relationship with a teacher and our MC who I guess lacks the empathy and care a normal person has. Although to be fair, the MC and the fighting one is the most normal but you can see that all of them are deeply hurt by their surroundings, situations and individual circumstances. It's hard to hate them because you can see how deeply affected they are with their parents' passing and I am interested in how they will develop.

Frankly, I'm really liking this because I've always been fond of stories where people learn how to bond and care for each other like a family. It's difficult for them to live together considering their existence to each other reminds themselves that they are alone in this world now but I am really looking forward to how our MC will be able to tie them together along with the female partners of each one that will probably help them. Relationships, emotions and portrayals of characters seem pretty solid for now and art is nice so if you're a person that likes complicated 'family' situations that will eventually work out, try this one~


Transparent Cohabitation by Jungsuh
Genre: Josei, Romance, Psychological, Drama, Supernatural
Status: Ongoing, 14+ chapters scanlated

I really really like this webtoon. It can be a heavy one though. It's about a woman who can see ghosts but lives her life pretending that they don't exist and that she can't see them, until an incident occurs where she got caught off guard and the ghost that lives in her house realised that she can actually see him. Although repulsed at first, she begins to understand that her past traumatic experience with a ghost as a child doesn't mean that all her experiences with a ghost will be like that. She starts to break out of her shell a little bit by accepting him into her life and cohabiting with him but really, it's a difficult relationship to root for considering that he is dead and she isn't.

What makes this one interesting is most probably the different insight to how much of a burden being able to see ghosts can be considering the paramount of stories I've seen have a more optimistic view of saving ghosts. Our heroine's actions on a whim as a child ending up hurting her and the ghost she tried to help so severely that it affects her to this day and makes her scared to involve herself too much with others be it ghosts or people. Having to see that event unfold accompanied with the distinct art that translates well with the story gave a very heavy feeling to the memory and it made me see how soul crushing of an experience it was.

Reading this story makes you feel like you're carrying a baggage yourself haha, but it is also sweet in how the ghost and the heroine are beginning to interact and open themselves to each other. It's not a feel good type of story though. I'd recommend it though because of how interesting it was to see how experiences in the past can impact on people's lives so much, I liked the way it was shown.

August Manga of the Month (MOTM) Part 1

Yes, I took a really long break haha. I've been bludging a lot huh? Well, I've been watching some anime so I'll see if I'll do some reviews again but otherwise, I like reviewing manga each month more because of how stress free it is and I can talk about recent manga that I've picked up and liked. It's early in the month but I thought I'd post it now before I get really busy with uni zzzz

For this month, I guess it's gotta be shoujo!

Jigoku no Enra by Shimada Chie

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Shoujo

Status: Ongoing, 9 chapters scanlated

This is actually much cuter than I thought! It's a bit repetitive but I really like the concept so it never really gets old for me. It's about a guy who is the son of the King of Hell that has to erase sinners from a list delegated by the king in order to be appointed as the next king and so he encounters our herione because she is one of the higher ranking ones on that list. Funnily though, our heroine is a righteous, positive and straight laced girl that doesn't let any sort of minor crime or wrong go just like that so it really makes you wonder why she is so high up on that list and what sort of crime could she possibly commit?

On the other hand, the heroine and our MC is so cute together! He's arrogant as usual but he's really cute in that he really softens up to her and is being influenced by her heavily. It's also really cute how possessive he is of her loll. But otherwise, this manga delves shallowly into inherent problems and possible problems humans can encounter that may cause them to go down the wrong path and commit a crime. As someone who studied Criminology, of course I think it's pretty interesting to see the different reasons that pop up. It's more of cleansing a sinner each chapter kinda thing though so it's not very deep and is more of a shoujo comedy that is sweet and cute though so it's pretty easygoing but I think there is more potential to it considering our heroine is probably the ultimate sinner on that list. I'm definitely liking this one so far.

The art is also very cute and cool. The guys are definitely cute bishies and the heroine has a very likeable personality imo. She's strong and resolute, can be naive but she's honest and she tries her best.


Hana o Meshimase by Iwashita Keiko
Genre: Shoujo, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
Status: 3 chapters scanlated

My favourite line from this manga would be "we love flowers and people because things don't always go well for them". They're both not perfect. This is a short piece in that there is only one volume so it may be a bit rushed to the end when it gets translated but I think the first two chapters set the story and characters out really well and simply enough for you to understand that our heroine has been left at a florist and the owner takes her in as a live in employee. She works and starts to understand flowers and the owner a bit better and falls in love with him. But along the way, she also learns life lessons through these flowers that the owner cares for everyday. She understands why people buys flowers and how even though flowers are imperfect in that they will eventually wilt, it is important to cherish these times of happiness when they bloom just like with people. Personally, I wouldn't have minded if there was romance there or not but it is a shoujo and so..yeah.

Romance may seem a bit rushed since it's a one volume manga but I think it's pretty decent for a one volume manga although it does goes with the cliche of the guy having a bit of traumatic past with the ex-girlfriend and so believes he doesn't deserve happiness with another girl or something as his reason for rejecting our herioine. But I'd say this one is short and sweet with an interesting touch with pretty flowers! I don't think I'll ever understand the point of flowers since they're so temporary and fleeting but I do like the idea that just like humans, flowers also need support in order to live longer and to stay healthy and pretty.


Kakao 79% by Aoi Umi
Genre: Romance, School life, Comedy
Status: Ongoing, 11 chapters scanlated

This one's a pretty cute webtoon with two childhood friends that have been together forever since they live next to each other and have spent most of their lives together. It's another case where because they're so close like family, they fail to realise how important and irreplaceable the other is as a partner to them and as the most important person to them, but I guess in a way, they do realise it but just wish to not break the relationship that they have currently. The guy is probably the one that's more gung-ho for actually going out though whereas for the girl it seems like something happened in the past that has made her feel like a hindrance to his romantic endeavours.

Anywho, cute and funny in their interactions and I always like a super strong and cute girl that wants to make friends with girls but gets along with guys more haha. They seem to both admire each other personalities and I think they match well in how they're both honest and straightforward in their different respective ways. I'm liking the main couple so far :D

April Manga of the Month (MOTM)

So I'm a little early with this month's but better early than late right? Hahaha, I've read a few new manga but I thought I'd keep it to these 3 since my thoughts on Gantz is super longgg. Happy April~

Gantz by Oku Hiroya

Rating: 8/10 - Has some flaws but overall good (long rant)

As a manga reader, it's hard to not have heard of Gantz unless you're new to it since this was crazy popular when it came out and the anime just fueled it even more, probably. I don't really remember anymore haha, but when I was young, I never bothered to touch it because I wasn't into anything overly violent and Berserk and Gantz were in a sense the epitome of it (popular series wise). Now, I realise I really should have read these earlier because they're pretty good for shounen-esque story with seinen elements. Just a heads up, if you're not into heavy violence and sexual content such as some rape, nudity etc, then skip this. Also, it's a male-centric manga so most of the girls are really only there because they are somehow or another in love with the men or for some boobs. Personally, most shounen stuff is like that so I didn't really care but it can get frustrating.

Gantz is set in the modern world where 2 high schoolers are rammed down by a train but then suddenly teleported into a room with a black sphere that tells them that their lives are over and is in their control now in which they are then handed the weird futuristic black suits (that even if you haven't heard of Gantz, you'll have seen these suits) and guns to be equipped with in order to battle against aliens that they have been assigned to kill by this black ball. And that's how their journey starts on what exactly this ball is, why they have to do this and why do they have to face their comrades dying left and right every single time there is a mission.

I'd say the main appeal of this story would have to be the battles since to be honest, the whole mystery of what Gantz (the black sphere) is wasn't hard to decipher as the story goes along, although I have to say, I really don't buy how Gantz works though so I was disappointed about that aspect very much since that was the only thing I was curious about but whatever. Battles were pretty epic and I really liked many of our male main characters especially that old man our MC was fond of as a sidekick as well. Story was paced quite well and I loved how Kurono changed by finding Tae. It was so funny when Tae became a target and the ball said her favourite phrase was "Kei-chan" because that's usually the only thing she says in this manga hahaha. The vampire arc was weird though, it was cool since they were strong but I had no idea what was the point of making Kurono's brother somewhat important only to kill him off screen later and not care anymore lol. Osaka arc was pretty cool since you start to see other teams and I liked how Katou and Kei were insistent on reviving each other, that option was rather obvious for the 100 points. Last arc was pretty downright sickening but interesting and I guess, what I was looking forward to since we knew there was some sort of alien invasion for a while now. BUT THAT ENDING. When I read some comments about the disastrous ending, I was thinking what could be so crappy about it? Deus ex machina? Stupid ending to the story? NO, it was the type of ending I hate the most, it was an inconclusive ending. Where the moment the last battle ended, the manga ended along with it. It was ridiculous. I can see how annoying it must have been for the readers who invested 10+ years into this to not even get an epilogue. It was outrageous.

 I do buy Kurono and Tae's relationship and I like it and think it made sense. I don't get all the Tae hate lol. The only hate I would have for her is that the author dragged on with the saving Tae bits like omgg but I think that her character really enhanced Kurono's and made him more of caring person so I like that bit about it. Personally, I didn't like Reika, from the beginning to end, she was probably the most selfish and obsessed with an idealistic hero. Reika and Kurono is probably the most ideal couple you can find in a manga, a hero with a perfect heroine in appearance and possibly personality. To be fair, everyone is selfish to an extent in this manga (besides Katou) but Reika disgusted me when she made a 2nd Kurono. Personally, I think the author only did that so he could show the two sides of Kurono, the one that is a hero and the one that only cares about Tae. Considering Kurono's personality, the one who saved Tae is most definitely the genuine one because in essence, the only thing he cares about is Tae and the world is not important to him because frankly he doesn't care and I liked that he was like that. But, readers wouldn't be satisfied with a wimpy mc like that so there was the second one to fulfill the saving the world role. Reika always seemed to only like the heroic him and couldn't see that the real him was the one who was always trying to save Tae but whatever. The moment she made the second one, I knew they were both going to die like the tragic story she desired it to end like.

As for the other characters, Katou was amusing, I love how he always has a girl that is willing to sacrifice her life for him loll. It seems like he'd go with the Osaka girl so that's good. My favourite character was Kaze though and I thought it was so hilarious when that girl who liked him said that he can't be a virgin and he blushed and then she thought he was so cute hahahaha. I liked how his relationship with Takeshi developed and how Takeshi grew from a weak boy that could only cry to a man who followed Kaze's fighting style. I thought it was so adorable and touching.

Art was superb and I loved how the author bothered to draw the detail on the sliced humans, I know that sounds disgusting loll but it was a welcome addition instead of just blood spurting out all the time. I also liked the use of the katanas or whatever they are, although it seemed like a lot of the time, they scrapped the use of the guns and just changed it to using the katanas as the main source of weapon to killing these aliens but whatever, it was cool. Overall, definitely worth a read, I really liked it despite the flaws and finished it all in 3 days.

Tomodachi Game by Yamaguchi Mikoto, Artist: Satou Yuuki

Rating: 6/10 - OK

To be fair, I've only read 7 chapters so it's hard to tell whether I like it or not but I guess it's amusing? However, I still think that in comparison, the author's other works such as Dead Tube and Mayonaka no X Giten are much more interesting and engaging. I guess what this manga lacks for now would be the impact it tries to deliver but isn't being achieved. There's nothing surprising or shocking besides the entertainment in our characters digging up secrets about each other that I don't really care for right now since we don't really know much about the characters besides the stereotype that they are labelled with for us to know what sort of person they're supposed to be. 

Anywho the plot revolves around a group of friends who have been thrown into a game because one of them volunteered for it and forced everyone to participate because of the cliche "we need to help our friends in need!" since to participate in this game, they needed to give a deposit of 20 million yen and so if they don't participate, that friend will be in debt and since everyone's a nice little angel, they decided to participate and earn the money back. For me, I'd say it's a pretty forced premise or just one that I'm not very keen on. I'd much rather read Dead Tube and Mayonaka but I guess the good thing about this one is that no one's dead yet? Whereas in Dead Tube, there's so many people dying and boobs everywhere I guess? loll The most amusing thing about Dead Tube is probably how very interestingly screwed up and disturbing it is but it's still rather tame to a certain extent although there's plenty of nudity in that loll. I can imagine people thinking how disturbing I must be to actually like to read that more than this loll. But yeah anyways, back to this manga, I'd read it a bit more and then decide whether to keep reading or not.

Living Like a Flower by Hun, Artists: Park Hyeong-jun, Song Rae-Hyeon

Rating: 7/10 - Enjoyable

I'm surprised, I actually quite liked this. This is a slice of life webtoon where we have the stories of 4 different people trying to deal with real life problems and somehow or another, they meet this flower shop owner that dispenses his advice and knowledge to them and thus helping them solve their problems. I like the idea that even though the flower shop owner helps them, in the end, what he gives them is a little chance and the one who makes them succeed is in the end themselves. I think this webtoon sends out a great message for those who are in a stump as well and albeit that it is a bit more on the optimistic side, I think for realistic problems like these, you really need some sort of optimism to go on. I think if you have some spare time, it would definitely be worth a read, it's light-hearted but at the same time touching and really does strike a chord in relatabiltiy as to how we live our lives and how we cope. I think I liked the first couple's relationship and memories the most but I really enjoyed the celebrity girl's journey, mainly because of the brother and because he thought that his life wasn't a sacrifice for hers because in the end, we ourselves make our own decisions, it may have benefited her life but this was the life he himself chose and I liked that.

Winter Anime 2016 - Final Review

Boku Dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED)

Rating: 7/10 - Good but didn't like the ending

So, after seeing the ending, I'm actually quite disappointed. I thought they'd just be rushing the last 3 episodes but it cut out stuff from the manga and changed it as well so when I watched it, I actually thought it ended very awkwardly. In addition, because the anime didn't have time to show Airi after he wakes up from his coma, there really isn't that much relief when he sees her again in the end, I think it'd be good enough that you remember who she is loll. But yeah, basically, everything up to the end of Kayo's story was good and I liked it but I didn't like the ending. I don't want to be one of those that will always say "the manga is better than the anime" (although I usually am) but in this case, it most definitely is just because that rooftop scene just made everything feel so,,stupid or something whereas in the manga, it felt like everything rounded up better and it was definitely a better showdown between Yashiro. 

Basically, it's an OK anime, it's straightforward like the manga but since this story was more focused on characters' feelings, reactions and how they went about more than the mystery story itself, the anime rushing the ending really made me rate it lower than I originally wanted it to be. It's worth watching but still a disappointment I guess. Well, probably mainly because that rooftop falling thing felt so corny in the story, whereas I much preferred Satoru and Yashiro in the manga's showdown; it felt much more exciting and I liked the scene in the manga where Yashiro believed that Satoru knew his plans so well because he had really gone to the future and come back. I liked it a lot and I think the anime ending really didn't do it justice. It was so moving in the manga when Satoru said he had to spend 18 years catching up to Yashiro just to get that 15 minute advantage. It made Satoru really feel like any other normal person and fit so well into this straightforward normal story that didn't need fluff or anything mindbreaking to make it interesting. What's interesting was how interesting it was as a normal story. I'd definitely read the manga again but highly unlikely I would watch anime again.

 Oh and I also liked the fact that in the manga, you are aware that Yashiro is clearly outplaying Satoru and that it would never be doubted that Yashiro would never lose to him in any of these games if they went head on but it was because Satoru had a head start knowing what Yashiro would do along with his resolve and strength to risking his life to save everyone is what made him win. The anime made it seem like Yashiro got tricked like an idiot and that he was so simply willing to suicide after that, Personally, I don't think he would've been satisfied at all if Satoru died like that but whatever, this is too long of a rant already.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (KonoSuba)

Rating:.7.5/10 - I like it

If you're looking for an anime for some comedy then look no further!~ Although it was much funnier in the beginning, it's still great how light-hearted and fun this anime is in a place that could've been really grim. It's probably the tenacity and resilience our main characters have that despite the many problematic situations they encounter, they can always face it head on and recover from it with their own funny ways. I really liked this and am definitely looking forward to the second season! Btw, I love the scene where he used steal and took the thief's panties and then started going crazy over it hahahahaa or our goddess getting eaten by frogs hahahaa. Definitely recommended for some fun and laughing.

Dagashi Kashi

Rating: 7/10 - Enjoyed it

Surprisingly,  I really enjoyed this one. Despite it practically being a fun candy ad anime hahaha. But it really was interesting and fun at the same time, I really love Hotaru and Saya, they are so cute and funny lol! It's worth it to just watch it for them and candy lmao. It also really made me want to try out all the dagashi they talked about, I especially want to play with that whistle candy! I also love the little stories they have for every candy and then they animate stupid lifelike candy to tell you the story hahahaha, it was so amusing yet engaging. If you just take this as a slice of life candy orientated ad anime, you'll love it~

Dimension W

Rating: 6/10 - Average

Many people were hyped over this when it first came out but were disappointed after halfway through it. Personally, I do agree that I liked it more in the beginning as well but this one never really impressed me. I'd agree that the fights and stuff were cool and fun though but as for characters and story, quite lacklustre, it felt like they were actually trying to build something up in the first half of the anime and then just decided to degenerate into the usual crazy scientist crap just to chuck in a proper villain for the series or something. It would've been better if they bothered to expand our understanding of this world a bit more and the numbered coils etc because everything that happened in the second half was a cliché that we could've spared from. However, Miyabi was cute, I liked her.

Gate: Jietai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri 2nd Season

Rating: 6.5/10 - I like Lelei at the dragon scene~

I was so surprised when they skipped that arc in the manga! loll, I got so confused that it was faster than the manga chapters I had read! But I guess like someone else said, that part was rather self-contained so it wouldn't really have mattered much to the story even if they skipped it and the anime has to broadcast the exciting bits. Dragon scene didn't disappoint since Lelei was so cool~~ but not sure how I really feel about the rest. I'd say the first season was more fun and exciting whereas this season is more about the JSDF and the Empire's clashes and so it got a bit..meh since the main reason I'm still kinda iffy about GATE in general is how useless everyone seems to be against the JSDF and that you know everything's just a massive slaughter with Japan steamrolling everyone with no effort whatsoever because barely anyone knows magic, there's barely anything fantastical such as other dragon-like class monsters but I guess that's not the point of the story. We gotta take the story as it is and so I think it's decent. Sherry and Sugawara was actually very cute especially since I think Sherry is so cool hahaha. But yeah~

Schwarzesmarken

Rating: 6/10

This was an all right show but I think the biggest problem with this show like somebody else said was that they went full melodrama when I barely cared or knew anything about the characters to care for them besides the fact that everyone was risking their lives for the hope in overturning the Stasi and returning freedom to Germany. And I did like the whole spying on everyone thing but yeah, the whole drama was just a bit awkward in that it was over the top I guess. Like, for how much he cared for his sister, he killed her rather quickly, and I don't know when his relationship with that girl that the sister killed was so close and important because it was only a minute ago in that episode that they decided that they should have some sort of proper bond so that the sister's actions would be absolutely unforgivable when technically, it should've been quite unforgivable anyway since she was your comrade but whatever, gotta heighten the melodrama even though it was such a clear death flag. 

By the end of this, I just didn't care who died and who survived anymore and it also kinda felt like they tossed the whole alien thing to the back of their minds and just focused on the Stasi in the latter episodes but I guess the whole thing was just to imply that once they united Germany, these aliens wouldn't be able to kill them anymore but okay. Overall, it was an okay anime, just beware of the drama I guess lol. Fights with people were more exciting with the fights against the BETA but that's probably because I don't like how the aliens look lolll. Yeah, skippable.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

Rating: 7.5/10 - I  quite like it

I think my feelings towards this anime stayed the same throughout the whole 12 episodes. Neutral but I guess I liked it quite a bit just because of the good moments here and there. Seriously, in the beginning, I felt nearly done with it because I didn't want to deal with these guys without Manato but I knew it was a story about their growth and I kept with it and I'm glad I did. Mary is such a great character, I love her~ I guess the great thing about this anime is how realistic it seems to be and how realistic their situations and feelings are, it doesn't make them less annoying but you can understand their actions and feelings behind their personalities and attitudes which makes it good. I still think that the first time they killed a goblin was quite gut punching since it really did feel quite disgusting knowing that they were killing something alive I guess. It's so easy to forget stuff like this sometimes and this anime was great in how they portrayed it. I really felt disgusted for a moment.

Manato's death was anticlimactic but still a bit saddening since I liked him but he had death flags everywhere for everything he said so I guess it wasn't surprising but yeah~ Luckily Haruhiro and them get a bit more likeable afterwards so that's good. I think Mary's story was one that was really dispiriting and saddening. They did it really well. Her past team mates seemed like really good people which made it all the worse but I think the most touching part was when she casted Dispel on them in the mines. When the leader patted her on the head, omg it was an emotional scene.

 It was a very smooth running show where it wasn't particularly good but it wasn't bad at all for each and every episode and it kept that smooth pace. I really liked this. It was a great portrayal of how parties grow together and learn to work together through life and death situations and how people bond despite their different personalities and they don't need any sort of villain or antagonist to make things more interesting because them growing up is what makes this show interesting! Looking forward to a season 2~ hopefully plsss!

Durarara!!x2 Ketsu

Rating: 7.5/10 - Like it as always~

I am so sad that it's the end! But I loved it! Celty getting her head back was all the more exciting and I just really really love Celty and Shinra's relationship and that it fit so well that Shinra would know exactly what she was thinking. I keep forgetting that despite Celty supposedly being the weirdest phenomenon in Ikebukuro, she is actually the most normal and I guess human-like character in this show. Varona getting attached to Shizuo was so cute and hahaha, I love how Shizuo always pisses Izaya off, they were the two that got me into Durarara in the first place hahaha. Personally, Mikado's last stand wasn't as great of an impact as I thought it would be, maybe because I read a bit of it in the novel and thought it was so amazingly portrayed that I felt it was lacklustre here, I dunno hahaha but yeah doesn't matter, I still liked it. The whole show felt like utter chaos everywhere but it connected and that made it fun. The best thing about Durarara is always how our characters manage to connect and interact when their lives are completely different yet they intertwine so impeccably with each and every one of them. I like, I like~ Definitely recommend Durarara, sadly my brother doesn't understand what the appeal of Durarara is hahaha but that's okay, it's something you'll either absolutely love or just not care for.

Musaigen no Phantom World

Rating: 6.5/10 - I like it

Well, well, welllll... Despite the weird as fanservice in the first episode or two with Mai's breasts lmao and other fanservice, this was a stupid but fun little anime as well. It's also very interesting how our main 3 characters actually have their powers derived from mythologies. I especially liked Haruhiko's power, I thought it was really interesting and how Marchosias(?) was a little puppy! Hahahahaa that was so adorable! It was really cool when they became stronger at the end, I feel like it was a very fitting ending for the very random slice of life show this was. Every episode didn't really connect with each other that much but it was a guaranteed episode of some fun with phantoms. I loved that gorilla or whatever episode since you get to actually see that there are other people in this phantom hunting club lmao and that they were pretty cool as well but yeah. I think if you're just looking for something fun to watch in your spare time and to learn a fun thing or two like the Schrodinger's Cat thingo that I never really knew about (as an unscientific person) was kinda interesting. Overall, I liked this.

Prince of Stride: Alternative

Rating: 6/10 - I like it b/c of the sport

My thoughts haven't changed from my initial impression, I really only liked this anime because of the idea of the sport stride. Everything else was really shallow. The relationships between our main characters, their rivals, yeah, it was quite cliché and it went along with that with some run of the mill character development that didn't feel like development at all. The most disappointing thing would have been how they tried to hype up the last match with his brother but they didn't show much of the whole match at all! It was a pretty bland and generic series that I think is barely worth watching because of the sport just because they really don't have that many exciting moments with the sport albeit how interesting it could have been. Kuga-senpai so cool though <3 

Bubuki Buranki

 Rating: 6/10

To be honest, I'm not sure what to think about this, it was better than some of the others but I'm still irked by the 3D but I do like how even though Reoko and them are shown like antagonists, they're not really evil or anything, it's because of their own reasons that they've been doing this and you really can't fault her for acting like she has. Although I do agree that 12 episodes just to start understanding what the hell is going on is a bit of a stretch but since I continued watching it, I might as well watch the second season when we finally see the sister again. I just think the show is a bit of confused blob of ideas since we don't know a lot of stuff like how Kazuma met Kogane, why was he not here for like 10 years, where did he go, where's his dad etc etc that I can go on and on with. But I guess I'll just keep trying to ignore the 3D just to see if the second season will be more of a development story-wise since it was quite amusing to watch.

Shoujo-tachi  wa Kouya o Mezasu

Rating: 5/10

This was the most cliché anime of the season with bad, boring development all around whether it be story-wise or characters. I won't say it's unrealistic since I can imagine this happening with others trying to make a game and communicate with each other efficiently about their ideas and how they try and make a project successful but as an anime, it was simply not engaging, exciting and the characters weren't very interesting either. It was a very linear storyline where each character will have some sort of problem with their part of the project and they'll solve it within the episode (because friendship helps you solve all your problems) which makes the problem seem so inconsequential when these problems are actually quite problematic but whatever. Definitely would not recommend. It's probably my least favourite this season. 

Norn 9: Norn + Nonetto

 Rating: 5.5/10 - For a shoujo, I like it!

Norn.....HMMMM... I really don't know how much I like this one. I feel like the first half was nice and I really enjoyed the development of the girls' relationships but then it just went downhill after that because the story tried to bite off more than it could chew. The idea was amusing and I did like but I guess the way it was executed made the whole thing seem quite shallow and then it brought down the relationships along with them. I didn't mind that Mikoto didn't go with Sakuya despite the fact that they liked each other because I thought it was understandable and I accepted it but Koharu's relationship just seemed so shallow afterwards with all the crappy drama that came along with it when it felt so cute and magical in the beginning. So yeah, I was disappointed but it was an OK anime. Definitely skippable though because it was really nothing special character and story-wise halfway through. I guess, watch it if you like pretty boys? hahaaha Natsuhiko looked the best or maybe Kakeru's dad loll. But yeah, the story was OK, just not executed very well in that you could feel for their actions. I understood it but couldn't feel it and so I didn't like it. Yeah, that's what I think.

And we're doneee! So happy that the Spring Anime season has begun! I think what I'm most looking forward to would be Big Order, Sakamoto Desu ga?, Boku no Hero Academia (just to see whether I should read the manga), 12-sai, Joker Game, Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? and the new Detective Conan movieee! Not as good of a lineup for what I'm excited for in the Summer omgggg but good enough!~ Hopefully it'll be better than this Winter Season~~