Lately, while I haven’t been able to make much progress on the projects on this website, I’ve been watching anime. Here I will talk about some of the anime I watched, and am currently watching.
Summer 2015 Anime
In this period I watched three anime: Castle Town Dandelion, School-Live!, and Wakaba*Girl. Notably, all three of these anime were adaptations of Manga Time Kirara manga (although Wakaba*Girl only became part of Manga Time Kirara after the magazine it was originally published in was cancelled and the manga finished as a result). Also notable is that M.A.O played a role in all three of these anime, either in a major or a minor role (one of Akane’s classmates in Castle Town Dandelion, a main character in School-Live! and Wakaba*Girl).
Castle Town Dandelion (城下町のダンデライオン) is a slice-of-life comedy set in a fictional kingdom, where the king has decided to hold an election to choose his successor out of his nine(!) children. The main character is Akane Sakurada, the fourth child and third daughter of the royal family. Like all of her siblings, she has a special power; in her case it’s the ability to manipulate the weight of anything she touches, including herself. However, she’s very shy and hates being seen by one of the thousands of security cameras set up by her father around town to monitor his children.
While Akane is supposed to be the main character, many of the stories in this anime focus on the other siblings. These are the eldest child and daughter, Aoi (whose special power is apparently to remember anything she comes across), second child and eldest son Shū (whose special power is to teleport himself or anything he touches anywhere with a thought), third child and second daughter Kanade (whose special power is to materialise anything, provided she can pay for it), fifth child and fourth daughter Misaki (whose special power is to create seven clones of herself, each with a distinct personality), sixth child and second son Haruka (whose special power is to determine the probabilities of any event), seventh child and fifth daughter Hikari (whose special power is to modify the age of anything she touches, including herself), eighth child and youngest son Teru (whose special power is superhuman strength) and the youngest child and daughter Shiori (whose special power is to converse with any animal or inanimate object).
While the anime did have some points which could have been done without (especially trying to make Akane embarrassed over and over again, or her clothes inexplicably being ripped due to her power going haywire), overall I found it enjoyable. While it hardly featured any yuri subtext (especially when compared to other Manga Time Kirara manga such as Sakura Trick or Kiniro Mosaic), it had quite a fair amount of incest subtext. As for whether I would recommend it, if you don’t mind some fanservice and incest subtext and enjoy slice-of-life comedies, then it’s probably worth checking out. It is not available on Crunchyroll, so check your regional anime streaming service for the anime. The manga is currently ongoing and is serialised in Manga Time Kirara Miracle.
Cast:
- For brevity, I will only list the nine Sakurada (櫻田) siblings.
- Kana Hanazawa (花澤 香菜) as Akane (茜)
- Ai Kayano (茅野 愛衣) as Aoi (葵)
- Ryōhei Kimura (木村 良平) as Shū (修)
- Kaori Ishihara (石原 夏織) as Kanade (奏)
- Eriko Matsui (松井 恵理子) as Misaki (岬)
- Ayumu Murase (村瀬 歩) as Haruka (遥)
- Yui Ogura (小倉 唯) as Hikari (光)
- Shiori Katsuta (勝田 詩織) as Teru (輝)
- Aina Suzuki (鈴木 愛奈) as Shiori (栞)
Trivia:
- How many times has Kana Hanazawa worked together with Ai Kayano and Yui Ogura? Or for that matter, Ogura and Kaori Ishihara?
- The opening theme is sung by YuiKaori (ゆいかおり; Yui Ogura and Kaori Ishihara) and the ending is sung by Yui Ogura.
- Ai Kayano also features in School-Live! (see below).
School-Live! (がっこうぐらし!) is set in a high school. It follows four of its students: Yuki Takeya, Kurumi Ebisuzawa, Yūri Wakasa and Miki Naoki, all who are apparently living in the school. The first episode itself has a spoiler, so it’ll be hard to avoid it when discussing later episodes. However, the spoiler has had the fans comparing it to Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Since I can’t talk about the anime without the spoiler, I’ll go and say it: it’s actually set in a zombie apocalypse and Yuki is deluding herself into thinking everything’s normal.
For those who haven’t read the manga, it was a very surprising revelation. The only ones still alive at the start of the story appear to be the four aformentioned girls, their pet Shiba Inu puppy Tarōmaru and their teacher Megumi Sakura (nicknamed ‘Megu-nee’ by her students). However, only Yuki seems to notice and interact with Megu-nee, and the others only play along when Yuki tells them to interact with Megu-nee (this has drawn comparisons with Akari Akaza of YuruYuri, who also struggles with a lack of presence). The first few episodes depict them trying to get on with something resembling a normal life. However, the later episodes have several revelations about the zombies (simply referred to as ‘them’ by the girls) and the cause of the outbreak, and things get really tense near the end.
If you’ve been following the manga, you may have noticed that the anime has deviated significantly from it. That’s why, if you’re a manga purist, don’t bother watching it. If you don’t mind the changes, or you haven’t read the manga at all, and you want either a dark twist to the ‘cute girls doing cute things’ genre or something different in the zombie apocalypse genre, then I highly recommend it. It is available on Crunchyroll here. The manga is currently ongoing and is serialised in Manga Time Kirara Forward.
Cast:
- Inori Minase (水瀬 いのり) as Yuki Takeya (丈槍 由紀)
- Ari Ozawa (小澤 亜李) as Kurumi Ebisuzawa (恵飛須沢 胡桃)
- M.A.O (Mao Ichimichi, 市道 真央) as Yūri Wakasa (若狭 悠里)
- Rie Takahashi (高橋 李依) as Miki Naoki (直樹 美紀)
- Ai Kayano (茅野 愛衣) as Megumi Sakura (佐倉 慈)
- Emiri Katō (加藤 英美里) as Tarōmaru (太郎丸)
Trivia:
- The opening is sung by the School Living Club (学園生活部; Inori Minase, Ari Ozawa, M.A.O and Rie Takahashi). For all but one episode, the ending is sung by Maon Kurosaki (黒崎 真音). In episode 4, a different ending is sung by Kaori Sawada (澤田 かおり)
- Ai Kayano also features in Castle Town Dandelion (see above).
- Ari Ozawa and M.A.O also feature in Wakaba*Girl (see below).
- Furthering the links fans made between School-Live! and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Tarōmaru and Kyubey share the same voice actress.
- Kurumi resembles Aya Komichi of Kiniro Mosaic and Rize Tedeza of Is the Order a Rabbit?, especially the twintails. Kurumi’s appearance may have been based on Aya.
- Likewise, Yuki’s appearance may have been based on Yuzuko Nonohara of Yuyushiki.
Wakaba*Girl (わかば*ガール) is a short-episode anime (episodes last about 7-8 minutes). Based on the manga by Yui Hara, this slice-of-life comedy focuses on a rich girl named Wakaba Kohashi, who for most of her life transferred between schools repeatedly, so she hasn’t been able to make any friends. On her first day of high school, she befriends three girls: Moeko Tokita (called ‘Moe-chan’ by her friends), Mao Kurokawa and Nao Mashiba (called ‘Shiba-san’ by her friends). Notably, Wakaba is clueless as to how the outside world works; one of her goals is to become a ‘gyaru’ (without knowing what they actually are), and she blindly accepts her mother’s suggestion of going to France for lunch (despite the thousands of miles separating Japan and France), not to mention trying to imitate Mao.
Unlike Yui Hara’s other manga series Kiniro Mosaic, Wakaba*Girl features very little yuri subtext; the four girls are just friends. On the other hand, it is quite an enjoyable show, so if you don’t mind moe and cute girls doing cute things, then give it a try. It is available on Crunchyroll here. The manga has already finished, but its sole volume is currently being sold by Houbunsha (as part of the Manga Time KR Comics brand).
Cast:
- Ari Ozawa (小澤 亜李) as Wakaba Kohashi (小橋 若葉)
- Mikako Izawa (井澤 美香子) as Moeko Tokita (時田 萌子)
- M.A.O (Mao Ichimichi, 市道 真央) as Mao Kurokawa (黒川 真魚)
- Rie Murakawa (村川 梨衣) as Nao Mashiba (真柴 直)
Trivia:
- The anime has no ending theme or ending sequence. The opening is sung by Ray for all but one episode, where the four main characters (Ari Ozawa, Mikako Izawa, M.A.O and Rie Murakawa) sing it instead.
- Ari Ozawa and M.A.O also feature in School-Live! (see above).
- Rie Murakawa also voices a character in Kiniro Mosaic (Mitsuki Inokuma).
Autumn (Fall) 2015 Anime
I’m currently watching several anime, much of them shorts. The shorts aren’t as good as I would like them to be (most likely because they don’t even last four minutes per episode), although I will continue watching them. The two full-length episode anime I’m currently watching are Is the Order a Rabbit?? (second season of Is the Order a Rabbit?; note the second question mark) and YuruYuri San Hai! (third season of YuruYuri).
Is the Order a Rabbit? (ご注文はうさぎですか?) is a healing-type slice-of-life anime set in an idyllic European-style town. Based on the manga by Koi, it follows five girls as they attend school and work for their respective cafés. There is Cocoa, the rather ditzy main character who adores rabbits and sees Chino as a little sister; Chino, the quiet and bashful granddaughter of the owner of the Rabbit House café; Rize, a rich girl who comes from a military background; Chiya, a gentle girl who thinks up ridiculous names for desserts for her sweets café; and Syaro, a sophisticated girl who looks up to Rize, is afraid of rabbits, and gives the impression of a rich girl to her friends. Other characters who appear include Chino’s friends Maya and Megu, and ‘Blue Mountain’ Aoyama, who is a novelist.
As for whether I would recommend it, it is worth checking out if you like gentle slice-of-life anime and moe, especially if you like Kiniro Mosaic. It is available on Crunchyroll here. The manga is currently ongoing and is serialised in Manga Time Kirara Max.
Cast:
- Ayane Sakura (佐倉 綾音) as Cocoa Hoto (保登 心愛)
- Inori Minase (水瀬 いのり) as Chino Kafū (香風 智乃)
- Risa Taneda (種田 梨沙) as Rize Tedeza (天々座 理世)
- Satomi Satō (佐藤 聡美) as Chiya Ujimatsu (宇治松 千夜)
- Maaya Uchida (内田 真礼) as Syaro Kirima (桐間 紗路)
- Sora Tokui (徳井 青空) as Maya Jōga (条河 麻耶)
- Rie Murakawa (村川 梨衣) as Megumi Natsu (奈津 恵)
- Saori Hayami (早見 沙織) as ‘Blue Mountain’ Aoyama (青山 ブルーマウンテン)
Trivia:
- Cocoa is ‘hot cocoa’, Chino is ‘capuccino’, Rize is ‘thé des Alizés’ (a blend of green tea with fruit), Chiya is ‘uji matcha’ (otherwise known as green tea), Syaro is ‘Kilimanjaro’ (the coffee, not the mountain), Maya is ‘Jogmaya’ (a tea estate in Darjeeling) and Megu is ‘nutmeg’.
- ‘Blue Mountain’ Aoyama is redundant (aoyama means ‘blue mountain’ in Japanese).
- Chino (144 cm) is a full five centimetres taller than Alice Cartalet (139 cm) of Kiniro Mosaic, despite being two to three years younger.
YuruYuri (ゆるゆり) is a slice-of-life yuri comedy anime. Based on the manga by Namori, it follows the four girls of the Amusement Club and their activities. As they occupy the building of the now-disbanded Tea Ceremony Club, this brings them into conflict with the student council. Of course, in the end, all is forgotten and everyone goes back to what they were doing.
The Amusement Club consists of Akari, a rather childish girl who is supposed to be the main character, but suffers from a lack of presence; Kyōko, who’s a big fan of the fictional magical girl series featured in the anime and manga, and also loves rum raisin ice cream; Yui, whose calm demeanor contrasts with Kyōko’s antics; and Chinatsu, who is in love with Yui and whose artworks are terrible (not to mention traumatising Akari by forcibly kissing her as practice).
The student council’s members include Ayano, the vice-president who is a tsundere when it comes to Kyōko; Chitose, who develops nosebleeds whenever she fantasises about Ayano and Kyōko doing romantic things with each other; and Sakurako and Himawari, who, despite their bickering, are best friends.
As for whether I would recommend it, if you’re thinking of watching it looking for ‘explicit’ yuri (as opposed to what some Western fans call ‘shōjo-ai’, which in Japan actually refers to female-oriented paedophilia), then you’ll be disappointed. In fact, it’s debatable whether the yuri featured is maintext or subtext. However, if you don’t mind yuri (or like it) and like slice-of-life comedies and moe, then you should check it out. It is available on Crunchyroll here. The manga is currently ongoing and is serialised in Comic Yuri Hime.
Cast:
- Shiori Mikami (三上 枝織) as Akari Akaza (赤座 あかり)
- Yuka Ōtsubo (大坪 由佳) as Kyōko Toshinō (歳納 京子)
- Minami Tsuda (津田 美波) as Yui Funami (船見 結衣)
- Rumi Ōkubo (大久保 瑠美) as Chinatsu Yoshikawa (吉川 ちなつ)
- Saki Fujita (藤田 咲) as Ayano Sugiura (杉浦 綾乃)
- Aki Toyosaki (豊崎 愛生) as Chitose Ikeda (池田 千歳)
- Emiri Katō (加藤 英美里) as Sakurako Ōmuro (大室 櫻子)
- Suzuko Mimori (三森 すずこ) as Himawari Furutani (古谷 向日葵)
Sources: