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.