All posts by Jack Scheibelein

They/Them. Anime/writing blogger and future author. Contributor to a number of other blogs. Sometimes vibing, most of the time procrastinating. Introverted, but would love to talk to more people!

Anime/Manga

My Top 5 Favorite Manga (As of March 2023)

March 22, 2023 Jack Scheibelein 6 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Between last year and this year, my interest in talking about manga has gone up quite a bit. Part of that comes from wanting to diversify my media diet a bit and experience more of what there is to offer when it comes to art. The other part comes from the fact that, well, there’s been a lot of great manga coming out in the last few years. Because of that, this list skews pretty heavily toward more recent stuff.

Normally I would do a top 10 list for this sort of thing, like with my most recent anime and anime opening posts, respectively. However, while I have consumed a significant amount more manga than before, there are not really 10 series about which I feel particularly strongly. Thus, doing five makes a bit more sense. That being said, let’s get into it.

HM: Tokyo Ghoul

Regardless of the anime adaptation, which still is not that bad, the Tokyo Ghoul manga is a great piece of fiction. It has a great cast of characters who each shine through in their own way, whether as an ally of Kaneki or as an enemy in the larger ghoul world. The interplay between the focus on Kaneki as well as on the investigator team also lends a bit more perspective to the storytelling in what might be an otherwise one-note manga. The art also looks really damn, so that helps. However, given how long it has been since reading it, putting it any higher would probably be wrong.

5. Chainsaw Man

Another series that blends action and gore incredibly well, Chainsaw Man absolutely deserves a spot on this list. Denji alone is an infinitely fascinating character. On top of that, though, the various devils introduced throughout the series along with their range of power levels really shows a sense of creativity when it comes to the power system. Though my bias absolutely leans more toward part one, even part two has been adding some uniqueness to the universe which is greatly appreciated. This series is one of the primary drivers of my return to manga, and for that, I am definitely grateful.

4. The Flowers of Evil

Named after Charles Baudelaire’s influential collection of poetry, The Flowers of Evil is a strange series. It starts out with a middle schooler stealing his crush’s gym clothes and quickly escalates into an insane psychological journey, one that ultimately ends up scaring Kasuga for life. It ends up being one of the weirdest and yet strangely engaging works I have read to date, with themes of sexuality and self-identity being pushed to the forefront.

3. Blue Flag

Gay romance…that’s it, that’s the thought. I was initially skeptical about how this series would handle the subject matter, but it ended up being one of the most heartfelt romance series this side of shonen manga. Sure, there are parts that feel a bit drawn out and maybe could have been less wordy. But, it is still a slow burn with a lot of passion and an ending that will genuinely make people cry. At just around 50 chapters it is short enough that people could binge it in a day. A perfect length

2. My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness

It is very rare that anime turns towards the realm of autobiography, which makes My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, along with Kabi Nagata’s other works, a breath of fresh air. The illustrations are fairly simple, but it only adds to the style, one that emphasizes her character’s anxiety about the various situations she finds herself in. Queer representation in manga can be fairly hit or miss, so it is nice to have this as a prime example of how good it can be.

1. Goodbye, Eri

Tatsuki Fujimoto gets to entries. Normally I would limit it to be otherwise, but this one-shot is honestly just too damn important. Great pacing, amazing paneling, and a layered set-up that could rival even some of the most historically important tragedies, hitting hardest when one would least expect. I can still count on two hands the number of media that have made me cry, but Goodbye, Eri is definitely near the top, of that list and this one.

What are some of your favorite manga right now? Let me know down in the comments below.

If you are interested in reading more from me, check under blog to read my most recent stuff, or look below for some related posts. Also, if you would like to support Animated Observations, consider donating on Ko-fi or through paypal, or pledging on Patreon. You can even support by just liking and sharing this post.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting the blog on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, Opinion

Monk and Robot and the Spirit of Iyashikei

March 19, 2023 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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It has been a while since I properly rambled about a niche topic…well, actually, no it has not, since that happens two times every week. Rather, it has been a while since doing so in a purely opinion piece/essay style format. Call it a lack of motivation or maybe even a moderation of my stronger, more out there opinions, but I have not had that much to say.

However, today is different. After recently finishing both halves of Becky Chamber’s Monk and Robot series “A Psalm for the Wild Built” and “A Prayer for the Crown Shy,” a lot of things ran through my mind. Most of them were about how damn good the novella actually was. Which is true, definitely go read it. However, a few of those thoughts drifted towards series like Yokohama Shopping Trip and one I started recently: Aria the animation.

The sub genre of Iyashikei is not one that gets talked particularly often, usually drowned out by discussion of the latest one piece arc or whatever seasonal powerhouse has ahold of people’s attention. This is not to say these conversations cannot exist simultaneously, only that they usually do not. Which, in my eyes, is a real shame.

For those unaware, Iyashikei (literally “healing type” or “healing”) refers more specifically to shows intended to have a calming effect on its audience. This is usually done with more laidback storylines, either by focusing on characters’ individual journeys, their connection with their immediate environment, or a combination of both. This often results in less overarching story and more of a focus on episodic or segmented story beats.

In anime and manga, Iyashikei tends to overlap quite a bit with the concept of slice of life, since many stories focus on one or just a few characters. Additionally, there is often a sense of intimacy within that focus, both from the characters’ previously mentioned connections with their environment, but also in their self-discovery-oriented journeys, regardless of whether they realize that is happening.

Pretty much all of what I have just described as Iyashikei is represented and celebrated within Monk and Robot, a series about a traveling tea monk who gets bored of their everyday routine, only to travel off-road into woods set aside for the Robots that gained consciousness and left society several generations ago. Said tea monk Dex then meets Mosscap, a robot who’s mission involves reconnecting with human society and finding out what it is people “need.”

It’s a big question for what feels like a relatively short series. Still, despite the sci-fi, solar-punk aesthetic that frames a large portion of the story’s setting, Monk and Robot is arguably one of the most Iyashikei stories to be released in a long time. This is because, rather than turning into some kind of big action adventure story about a society that rejects and becomes afraid of technology that has “turned against them,” the premise is very much taken at face value.

We are instead dropped into a much more understanding society. Humans in Monk and Robot, while clearly having some differences in opinion on the nature of the robot awakening, as well as on matters of ethics and religious philosophy, seem to by and large accept the idea that their abuse and exploitation of these now sentient creatures was and is wrong.

This is even true of Dex. Despite being well-traveled and seemingly enlightened, their knowledge of how Robots work is basically zero. This is probably true of most others in modern human society (the novellas are less focused on “expert scientific opinion” than it is on the nature and implications of human and robot sentience) but, of course, the main focus is Dex’s relationship with Mosscap.

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Speaking of, Mosscap comes across as a classic non-human mannerism adjusted robot, an entity whose curiosity directs them just as much as their stereotypically logic infused personality. As such, they serve as a great foil to the occasionally hot-headed and distraught Dex, who finds the robot right around the time they begin asking the same question Mosscap hopes to answer.

What starts as an incredibly awkward meeting with Dex naked in a forest quickly turns into a mutually enjoyable journey in which the two find purpose in each other. Every chapter lends itself a new adventure worth pursuing, even at the expense of some immediate comfort, which is saying a lot considering Dex’s entire religion basically revolves around small comforts like the tea they serve.

Regardless of whatever town or long stretch of road they happen to be arriving at or treading through, Mosscap manages to find something worth appreciating in a way Dex never could, at least not in their current mental state. The teachings of Allalae say that, as long it is not hurting the land or any people, that engaging in comforts is ok. However, it seems that lost in those teachings were the idea that the land and people themselves could also be those comforts.

The end of their journey feels representative of this. During the final chapter of book two, rather than going back towards the city where Dex trained to be a monk, the two instead take a detour to the beach. They eat, sleep, play, until the weight of their final journey forces them to have a candid conversation. The two ultimately conclude that, while everyone might have a purpose or something they feel like they need to do, that purpose is not something that needs to be figured out right away.

The story of Monk and Robot certainly is not always immediately feel good. It does throw out a lot of big questions with very little in the way of warning. Questions about what it means for things other than humans to be as intelligent as them. Questions about the nature of belief and its effects on our lives as people. Questions especially about human purpose.

However, most Iyashikei stories, even most stories period, operate on this principle of self-reflection before significant change or decisions. Yokohama Shopping Trip, set in the distance future and with a considerably lower human population, sees Alpha deal with extreme loneliness before she sets off on her trip in search of her boss. Though I have not seen it myself, one of the more popular anime that draws on ideas of Iyashikei is Yuru Camp. The series revolves around four teens who go camping in various locations around Japan. Despite the difficulty involved in said process, there is a joy at the end when they can wake up the next day to a beautiful sunrise.

There are certainly elements of the story that someone could nit pick at and find problems in. The beginning does border on being a little bit info-dumpy, especially when it comes to lore that feels less consequential than it really should. On top of that, while the non-binary representation is greatly appreciated, there is some really awkward sentence construction around gender neutral pronouns which could have been done a bit better.

However, none of these minor problems really take away from the point of Monk and Robot. It is a story about a transformational journey, sure, but it is also a story about enjoying life’s comfort and finding one’s place. Peace in the truest sense is hard to come by nowadays, especially in a post pandemic landscape where the general social attitude feels continually pessimistic in a way that’s hard to escape. This is not to say the correct response is throwing hands up at social ills and ignoring real problems. However, in between these battles for equality and better living conditions, there should be time for finding moments of real happiness and relaxation.

This turned out…ok. In all seriousness, I had the idea for this post a month ago when I started reading Monk and Robot’s first book. However, I also read The Afictionado’s post about cozy sci-fi during the pandemic and that inspired it even more, so shout out to them. Have you all ready this series? What do you think? Let me know down the comments.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting the blog on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga

Finally, the Beginning of the End for Attack on Titan?

March 15, 2023 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Should…should I make the joke again? Yeah sure why not.

“Look guys, this one says final season, guess that means we’re getting more next year.”

Attack on Titan’s horrendous advertising of the final season aside, it does seem there is finally going to be a conclusion to what has been a literal decade-long journey through the adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s groundbreaking work. According to the article linked above, the hour-long special which will be the focus of this post is part one of two of the show’s final arc. However, it seems as though this second part is not going to be airing until the fall. Sigh…oh well, there is still plenty to talk about with this first special. So, with that being said, let’s talk about the first part of the final arc.

Speaking of finales, wow, what a cliffhanger to leave on. Seeing basically an entire army gets wiped out only for the last fighting force of Eldia to swoop in and charge at Eren full force was an incredible scene. Attack on Titan is a series that lives to create hype moments and watching Reiner titan bomb on top of Zeke was certainly nothing if not hype. There’s also a sense of simultaneous dread and hope in the fact that a group of the last of humanity is watching all of this play out in much the same way Eren and the others believed themselves to be the last of humanity at the beginning of the series.

The special also does a great job of creating those feelings throughout the course of the entire episode. As Eren and the colossal Titans march through the world, it quickly devolves into utter chaos, with people desperately trying to get away while they only watch out for themselves. There is also a whole section where the episode focuses on Eren apologizing to a small child while they are visiting the outside world, knowing full well how the future plays out. This then goes into a heartwrenching scene where that same kid and his friend are stomped on by one of the colossal titans.

Attack on Titan really does do a great job at creating its atmosphere, and part of what contributes to that atmosphere are some excellent character moments. I mentioned the episode’s cliffhanger already, but the midsection which focused on Hange and her defense of the plane had some amazing direction and camerawork, adding to the already intense scene of her trying to buy as much time as possible while burning up in the process.

The animation for this episode also feels above average, even by Attack on Titan standards. My guess is that a lot of that has to do with the fact that it is basically a short film which means MAPPA did not have to put as much planning and coordination into it as they would have done with a full season.

While my overall impression of the special is fairly positive, I do think some things about it feel a bit, for lack of a better word, meh. For example, the relationship between Annie and Armin, while not coming out of nowhere, does not seem to add much to the overall narrative other than giving her a potential reason to join the fight later.

Also, though this is not directly related to the episode itself, the whole Eren being able to see the future plot point never really sat right with me. On the one hand, the planning around said plot point mostly makes sense within the context of the series, and even some easter egg stuff I have seen floating around on Twitter seems to further confirm it. On the other, it does feel a bit retroactive in how it has been implemented in the story. IDK, it has not significantly altered the quality, so it is not like there is much room for complaining, but it still feels weird.

Overall, it was a great episode/special, and assuming part two does not go off the rails production-wise, it will likely serve as a great conclusion to the series.

How do you feel about the first half of Attack on Titan’s conclusion? Let me know in the comments below.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting us on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga

What I’m (Probably) Watching for Spring 2023

March 12, 2023 Jack Scheibelein 3 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Well, it is about that time again…eh, not really. We’re still a few weeks out from the first of the spring season actually starting. However, I also have a few other things that I have not quite gotten all the way through yet, so those are on the back burner for now. With that being said, here are some of the things that I will (probably) be watching for Spring 2023. Or maybe not, who knows.

Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World

It has been a hot minute since my last time consuming anything Konosuba related, so seeing this random side-story about Megumin and YunYun getting an anime adaptation is a pleasant surprise. While neither was my favorite character from the series, and their jokes did often feel one note and gimmicky, they were still incredibly likeable (and also those jokes were still really funny). Now, the series has always been oriented towards uh…more vulgar types of humor, lets say, in its quest to poke fun at isekai tropes. I cannot say for sure if this side story will do the same, but regardless it seems like it will be a fun time.

Insomniacs After School

To say nothing of the quality of the actual source material, I think studio Lidenfilms has a really interesting concept on there hands. Insomnia is not just a quirky, teehee mental disorder associated NEETs but rather a reality for a lot of people, especially those who are older, of a lower socio-economic status, and those who have secondary conditions (these things are not mutually exclusive, but you get what I am saying).

I think the best thing I could say about this series, at the risk of jumping the gun a bit, is that it looks lived in and real. The trailer portrays two characters who care about each other and are significantly altered as people by the presence of someone else who understands them. As someone who themselves has had problems sleeping, even recently, this is something I would love to be able to find a bit of comfort in.

My Home Hero

I do not consider myself the biggest fan of crime drama, by which I mean my last time consuming one was…Death Note? Probably. Basically, it is not a story genre I often seek out on my own. Still, something about My Home Hero does look fairly interesting. Call it the lack of parent focused stories in anime, at least until recently, or maybe even my time spent apart from said crime stories. Despite having an a genuine interest in the series, though, nothing about the staff or the writer of the original series feels particularly noteworthy. Idk, Tezuka Productions does have Dorororo under their belt, so that is something.

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2

So yeah, this is happening…cool.

In all seriousness, I am interested in the fact that the second season is happening. It took me a while to actually bother finishing the first season, but after a friend of mine begged me to do so, I finished season one and it was good. Not amazing, by any means, but good. The aesthetic of the series really drew me in for the initial episodes, and it definitely keeps that up even throughout the second half.

However, the arc that season two is going to cover seems to be going in a much different direction, setting Chise in a mages college where she will presumably learn more about magic. The series does not seem that exciting when it comes to the story, but at the very least it will look and sound pretty. Probably.

Oh yeah, something something I will catch up on Demon Slayer eventually something something.

What are you planning on watching for this upcoming season? Let me know down in the comments.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting the blog on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, Initial Results

Initial Results: The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins

March 8, 2023 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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(spoiler warning for all the available chapters)

Ever read something and just been…confused, horrified, excited, and gone through the entire emotional spectrum? Then, in the end, it turns out most people have not even read it much less heard about it? Well, that was not exactly the case for me since this series was shown to me by a friend of mine, but I had not seen anyone talking about it until I went out of my way to look it up.

The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins is by far one of the strangest series this side of English publications, and I say this while the series only has 15 chapters. The author, Taizan5, is most known for their 2021 series Takopi’s Original Sin which went semi-viral for its darker subject matter related to bullying, a lot of which seems to have transferred over into this series as well.

For those who are unaware, which is likely most people reading based on its general level of popularity, The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins follows a family of amnesiacs who has recently woken up in the hospital following some sort of accident. The group, unsure of the nature of their past relationships, tries to reconnect by discussing potential memories. However, it seems as though there are some darker secrets hidden behind the fog of the past.

Normally, I would just put the spoiler warning and call it a day, but if you’re at all interested in this series based on that description I highly recommend just catching up since it is still pretty early on and most of the chapters are pretty short. It is not unrealistic that medium-paced readers could catch up in about an hour or so, and probably a little over two-ish hours for those on the slower side like myself. So yeah, go do it.

If it was not clear enough already, this manga is crazy. The premise and more psychological/horror vibes to the story feel reminiscent of the early 2010’s Amnesia series that got popularized by a lot of Lets Players like Markiplier and PewdiePie. Although, without most of the gorier elements of those games, by which I mean all of them really, at least so far.

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Tsubasa, the second youngest of the family of six and a high schooler, serves as main vantage point from which the story unfolds. The story reveals very quickly that, despite having fairly positive attitudes about their situations overall (minus Shiori but we’ll get to her in a sec), it is obvious there are some darker secrets that are being hidden by the rest of the family.

Younger sister Shiori, for example, ends up getting messaged by an older man who is implied to have been messaging and hitting on her prior to the accident. She ends up trying to please this man only for Tsubasa to come in and get her out of it. All of this happens while Shiori is angered by Tsubasa’s seeming lack of urgency about their situation.

One of the things that really contributes to this often uncomfortable but nevertheless intriguing atmosphere is the contrast between the manga’s story and its character designs. Outside of being solidly written, the manga’s characters themselves are drawn in a way that feels very family friendly, with big, expressive faces that simultaneously look depressed as hell.

With respect to that sentiment, Taizan5 really knows how to draw his characters eyes. Tsubasa constantly has a look in said eyes that feel both full of hope and yet somehow constantly defeated. This is especially true in the opening chapters when dealing with his best friend turned bully and the rest of his classmates.

Despite being 15 chapters in, a not insubstantial amount, it feels like The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins has only gotten started. Between Kakeru being memory swapped out of existence by the new guy and his mom just straight getting CIA eliminated in the last chapter, the level of what the fuckery is only elevating.

As far as the actually quality of the series, I am a bit torn so far. On the one hand, the writing does feel pretty good. However, it does seem like there is a nonzero possibility that the manga keeps introducing plot points for shock value and then ends up with a lot more questions than answers by the end of it. Still, I am hopeful the series can stick the landing in the future.

Have you read The Ichinose Family’s Deadly Sins? What are your thoughts on the series? Let me know down in the comments.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for the support on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, Opinion

My Brief Thoughts on the 2023 Crunchyroll Anime Awards

March 5, 2023 Jack Scheibelein 2 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Whether bringing together people in community or mockery, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards have been a pillar of the community since their inception back in 2016. The now infamous award show often has some…controversial takes in their various categories. These often involve a very obviously popular show winning big swaths of categories without much rhyme or reason.

Of course, this is particular problem is not unique to the anime awards. The same can be said of the Oscars, Grammys, as well as various other awards shows. This is because many of these show thrive off of big ad campaigns and sometimes even direct donations to judges. Thus, the integrity of award shows has always been a bit of a mute point. Still, it is fun to look and see where the majority opinion for X group has landed, So, here are some of my takes on the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

The Triforce of Anime Awards

I mentioned above that Crunchyroll Awards tend to get dominated by a few shows, and this year was no exception. Attack on Titan, Spy x Family, and Demon Slayer‘s second season dominated the categories and brought home the vast majority of awards. Jujutsu Kaisen, along with a few other scattered series, took the remaining spots.

Normally this would be the part where I talk about how undeserved most of these wins are, except…well, here’s the thing. First, I do not have the technical knowledge to say for sure whether or not the big winners actually deserved their wins or not. Second, I actually do think they deserve a good amount of representation. Attack on Titan and Spy x Family were genuinely good, and season two of Demon Slayer was fairly well received.

Cyberpunk Edgerunners Deserves Anime of the Year

2022 was an insane year for anime, and will likely go down among the best in term of high quality. Unfortunately, some of the bigger contenders from fall, primarily Chainsaw Man and Bocchi the Rock, were left out of the running due to the award’s strange rule change. Still, even out of the remaining series, there are a lot of greatness. However, despite that fact, Cyberpunk Edgerunners still feels like an appropriate choice

Not only is the series incredibly produced, from the animation and direction to the wonderful sounding soundtrack, it is a show that feels incredibly relevant in its story and messaging. David Martinez is ultimately forced down a bath of no return because his environment left him with no other choice, detailing a capitalist hellscape that seems less fantasy and more reality with each passing day. So yeah, for my money, it feels like a good pick.

Kaguya-sama Where?

As a totally unbiased and reasonable commentator-

No, but seriously, aside from my own personal enjoyment of the series, Kaguya always seemed like the type of show that other critics and judges would eat up. After all, despite being a rom-com, it has the more cerebral elements that make people feel smart when they get the joke, and manages to balance that with some genuinely down to earth and relatable characters. Yet, it only won in the romance category.

Part of this, I think, comes from the noticeable absence of previous categories like Best Boy/Girl, which felt more biased towards those cuter, more relatable characters which rom-coms, and Kaguya-sama especially, do really well. Looking at the categories for this year, I could see it having won the Japanese voice performances had it been nominated, but realistically, outside of that, not much else. Well, that and Best Comedy, but honestly Spy X Family does legit deserve that one as well, so I cannot really be mad.

How did you all feel about the Crunchyroll Anime Awards? Let me know in the comments below.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for the support on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, Initial Results

Initial Results: High Card

March 1, 2023 Jack Scheibelein 4 Comments

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Oh wow, I’ve gotten super behind on seasonal (per the usual) and now it is almost time for spring shows. I guess I better check out some of the new stuff before its too la-

oh, ok. Well, so much for that.

Kidding, kidding (kind of). A friend of mine asked me about High Card over the weekend and, not having anything better to do, decided to watch it and get back to them about it. Well, after giving the show a solid three episodes I can confidently say that…uh, its ok ig.

For those who are unaware, High Card is an action focused series which follows Finn Oldman, a high-school age kid who, after finding out about the potential shut-down of his former orphanage, looks for a way to help them out. Snooping around a casino leads him to the discovery of X-playing cards, 52 cards that grant people powers when used, and the various factions looking to collect them.

One such organization, High Card, disguises itself as a car dealership by day while simultaneously collected the X-playing cards for the royal government. The group recruits Finn and he agrees in order to help paying to save the orphanage.

Is it just me, or has this show been done already? No, I don’t mean to say this is a remake or anything, but it kinda feels like High Card represents that same not-an-isekai but “insert action series here” type of story that feels present in basically every season. Some of you, if you have a separate brain space for obscure seasonal shows, might remember Code Breaker from back in 2012. It was one of those series I consumed when I first got into anime and basically watched anything I came across.

At the end of the day, Code Breaker was not bad by anime means, but it also was not particularly good either, and that is the impression I get from watching High Card. It felt like Studio Hibari and the writers who worked on it were trying to create an action series without much thought about the story itself. Maybe that is a bit harsh for three episodes, but it is a feeling I cannot help but come back to.

Still, that is not to say there are not good things worth mentioning. The idea of Finn coming from nothing and entering a more high class society is certainly an interesting angle. That is, assuming they do something with it beyond surfaces level details, though Leo’s character makes it seem like that is going to be more or less unavoidable.

The series’ aesthetic is also fairly unique. The main characters are generally wearing suits, and since the cards turn into gloves when their powers activate, it gives a sense of completeness to their looks. A sort of suave energy, if you will. Like…government butlers. Yeah, that kind of makes sense.

The neon-esque color palette in a lot of the setting and character designs, including the literal casino they go to in the first episode, feel very Vegas. That, in contrast with the suits and playing cards, further distinguish between the have and have not energy in a lot of the interactions between the characters.

I cannot say anyone outside of Finn or Leo have cemented themselves as particularly memorable, but again, three episodes might not be the fairest way to judge that. The opening credits do seem to imply so fairly interesting storylines in later episodes, especially with the secretary who seems to have a fairly wild side to her.

Ultimately, High Card has left me really unsure. Nothing about it on the surface seems particularly special, but a lot of what is hinted to come next might just make it worth continuing. My plan for now is to give it another few episodes and re-evaluate. Until then, my opinion is kind of up in the air.

Are you caught up on High Card? How do you feel about the show? Let me know (without spoilers) down in the comments.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for the support on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Series, The Best of Us, The Worst of Us, The Lot of Us

The Best, The Worst, The Lot of Us: Ryou Yamada

February 26, 2023 Jack Scheibelein 1 Comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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As I talked about in my review of the series last month, Bocchi the Rock does not have a typical sense of character development. Given its origins as a four panel gag manga, much of its story revolves around set-up punchline scenarios that leave a lot less room for traditional storytelling. While I cannot speak for the source material itself, the adaptation manages to circumvent this and give all of the girls meaningful focus, including Ryou.

Ryou Yamada serves as the chaotic neutral of the group, doing whatever and whenever she pleases while barely hiding her excitement and lack of concern about the rest of the group. She might not seem high energy in the first few episodes, but given the right topic of discussion she opens up fairly easily. Ryou is also known for admitting to her weirdness without a second thought.

One of the things that made Bocchi the Rock! such an interesting experience from a character perspective is the way it incorporated their development into a lot of the comedic bits. Now, the center of these bits is usually centered in one way or another on Bocchi herself, but the ones that do end up focusing on Ryou are also pretty interesting.

There are, of course, the various quirky moments where she chooses to simply do the dumb. However, many also highlight the weird contradiction between her coming from a rich family while simultaneously begging the others for money and food, usually to the detriment Bocchi and Nijika.

On top of that, while usually not presenting herself as such, Ryou is very much a music nerd’s music nerds. She feels like if every music influencer on social media were put together into one person. Basically, she is there for the vibes and not much else. Which, honestly, who can blame her most of time?

Though it is not much explored in the first season, there is so implied backstory that has to do with Ryou complicated connection to music. Primarily, this comes in the form of her previous band, as one scene near the beginning of the show has her staring at a battle of the bands poster rather closely.

Despite not being the most stable herself, financially or otherwise, Ryou does end up becoming part of Bocchi’s mental support system. In particular, the scene with her and Bocchi at the café conveys a lot of the two’s personality. While not having any idea what to do about the bands lyrics, Bocchi confides in her and vice-versa. Ryou ultimately ends up giving her one of the most important pieces of advice, and one that helps get her out of her shell. Basically, even if the lyrics feel niche, they can still convey a lot of emotion, and that is what matters the most.

This is something I can speak to personally as a creative writing major, specifically someone who spent a lot of time in poetry classes, and it is often referred to as the paradox of specificity. In poetics, it refers to the idea that the more specific a personal experience, the more compelling and relatable that experience becomes. Adversely, the more generalized a piece of writing is, the more abstract and uninteresting it is. Thus, Ryou’s advice is genuinely very good, on top of being good for Bocchi.

Assuming there is a season two at some point, it is likely that Ryou’s character will only get better. She’s witty and quick to make bad decisions, but simultaneously introspective and wise beyond her years in a way that does not feel like a stretch. Overall, despite not being the most deep character, she is still a really well-written character for a well-written gag-comedy show.

How do you feel about Ryou as a character? Let me know in the comments.

As always, special thanks to the Jenn for the support on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, Observation Deck

The Observation Deck: Aggretsuko Season 5

February 22, 2023 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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Season four of Aggretsuko ended up being one of the more disappointing elements of last year’s anime releases, so much so that I honestly forgot it only came out a year ago. The second half turned into a soap opera style drama that did not match the vibe of any of the previous episodes, essentially abandoning what made the show so unique in the first place. Now, it is possible that I would be a little a bit nicer to season four if I re-watched it now, but it still would not rate particularly highly.

However, Aggretsuko season five feels like a bit more of a return to form, albeit in a direction that still feels incredibly different than the original seasons. The newest storyline looks as a whole look at work-life culture primarily from the perspective of the now unemployed Haida, as well as his and Retsuko’s journey together through self-betterment and their romantic relationship.

Dejection and Apathy

The story of season five is also one that shows just how easy it is to go from well off and secure to utter disaster, even for those who might otherwise might be assumed to be well off or smart enough to “make it.” The opening few episodes, in particular, follow Haida’s brief bout with homelessness after his big wealthy father sends his brother Jiro to kick him out of his apartment. Having spent all his savings on Gacha pulls, he is forced to spend sleep in a net café

The show drives that point home even further with Shikabane, a 21-year-old who happens to be Haida’s video game buddy. Though the two get along well, Shikabane is very much his opposite in her philosophy on life, as she argues that aspiring towards “stability” simply means spending more time to make money for other people. Aggretsuko more or less makes this idea that tagline of the show during the opening episode, starting the season with “the prison of freedom.”

It is Shikabane’s story, along with the story of many like herself, that ultimately fuel the conflict towards the second half, in a way that feels more in line with the spirit of Aggretsuko than did the last season. After meeting Haida’s family and then later getting recruited by the party of rage, Retsuko is ultimately convinced to run against Jiro in a race for the house of representatives.

As confusing as that sounds, the show does tie the narrative together pretty well. Haida’s brother Jiro and his father represent conservative politics in Japan, with his dad’s money coming from right before the bubble of the 90s. Because of this, he tends to look down on poor people, arguing that they simply do not work hard enough. Haida and Retsuko, presumed to be on a much different end of the political spectrum, decide together it would be best to run against them.

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Politics?

The storyline surprised me a bit as well, at least at first. Of course, Aggretsuko always gets into an expected bit of wackiness, buffoonery even, but this still seemed a bit out of left field. However, with Haida no longer working at the same company, a pivot that takes them out of the workplace and into the “real world,” so to speak does feel appropriate. I mean, what else is Retsuko gonna do with all that rage?

At the end of the day, though, Aggretsuko has always had a pretty punk-rock outlook on life. Sure, Japan’s shitty work culture was the main focus, but part of what contributes to that is the lack of political willpower to change anything about it. Even Jiro recognizes this at the end when he says he’ll introduce a bill to force those who are 65 and older to retire. It is not exactly the most nuanced approach to the topic, but nonetheless feels fitting.

The Time for Jokes is Over

Part of what made season four, and to an extent season five as well, so disappointing was, at the end of the day, that it really was not that funny. One of the show’s biggest draws was its ability to weave in edgy and even sometimes incredibly dark humor alongside stories about the usual suspects dealing with their workplace.

Do not get me wrong, it is not as if the season was completely devoid of comedy. The scene where Retsuko and the others find Haida camped out in the net café with Shikabane is pretty funny. In fact, the opening episodes as a whole do a decent job of interweaving those comedic elements someone who has watched the show up until this point might come to expect. However, none of it really rises to the level of being “laugh out loud” hilarious.

Conclusion

If the internet is to be believed, this will be the final season of Aggretsuko, which leaves me with mixed feelings. Though the plotline of season five makes a lot more sense than the back half of season four, it ultimately still feels like a less than ideal departure from where the series was in its initial installments. Not to say it was ever perfect, but a lot of the comedic elements that made it so comedically potent are unfortunately missing.

58/100

How did you feel about Aggretsuko’s potential final season? Let me know in the comments.

As always, special thanks to Jenn for supporting us on Patreon.

If you can’t, or just don’t feel like it, no worries. Thank you all for reading, and goodbye, for now, friends!

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Anime/Manga, Observation Deck

The Observation Deck: Kaguya-Sama Love is War – The First Kiss That Never Ends

February 19, 2023 Jack Scheibelein Leave a comment

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

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(Minor spoilers ahead)

I have talked a lot about Love is War over the past couple of years, and for good reason. The show has only gotten better with time and additional seasons, further developing its characters into some of the most compelling in all of the medium. Additionally, it does so while basing its entire premise around the conceit of not wanting to confess first out of fear of being seen as weak, which itself is born out of the implicit relationships people have based on socioeconomic status and perceived importance.

Thus, with a sequel movie getting announced after the end of an already incredible third season, there was going to be a lot more to talk about. Expectations, my own included, were pretty high considering what had transpired previously. Now, after having watched the film in the company of a friend of mine, I would have to say this movie was terrible, just awful, a total departure from-

Of course not, Kaguya-sama: Love is War – The First Kiss That Never Ends is one of the best anime films in recent memory. Anything it could have done right it did and manages to navigate both the comedic elements as well as the more genuinely tragic moments with the same level of gravitas.

The Narrative Setup

Japanese Christmas, not having the same sorts of religious connotations for most people as it does here in the west, tends to be a more romantic holiday like Valentine’s day (hence the marketing and release schedule). Anyone who has watched an anime with any sort of romantic plot or even just a subplot has probably figured this out already. Thus, it makes a perfect setup given Shirogane and Kaguya’s kiss at the end of season three. The race against the clock set-up also gives them a perfect window in which to create snappy, comedically effective bits as well as build on previous jokes such as Kaguya’s internal courtroom and various personas.

The two of them clearly want to be together. The problem, and what makes this film so brilliant, is that rather than fighting each other, the two spend most of it fighting themselves. Both Kaguya and Shirogane still have a strong sense of pride, one that will not let themselves be vulnerable around another person. This is especially true in Shirogane’s case, to the point that he ends up collapsing due to sleep deprivation. That strong sense of tension helps to propel the movie forward through its fairly accelerated pace.

Though the film was most obviously going to focus on the two leads, Ishigami’s love for Tsubame felt like one of the more important plotlines of the last season, and the show seemed to imply it was going to get resolved in this film as well. However, the parts of their story that are adapted feel a bit thin, getting a fairly suggestive couple of seconds at the end followed by Tsubame going to a psychic for advice. It was not bad, per se, but lacked the same kind of satisfying resolution that Kaguya and Shirogane ended up with.

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Did Someone Say Comedy?

Yeah, I did.

Kaguya-sama has always been known for its fairly ludicrous gag comedy and visual bits, but the animators and editors really turned it up to eleven for this film. The first half is slathered in some of the most out-of-pocket, unhinged humor in the whole series. Hell, the first 20 seconds include Ishigami reading softcore porn and while talking about how publishers skirt obscenity laws by only including four pages of suggestive material, and it really only gets better from there.

The latter half, meanwhile, slows down a bit, switching between comedy and tragic backstory. However, despite doing so fairly often, the weight of the situation is never compromised, because at this point in the series, it is understood how awkward and corny both Kaguya and Shirogane can be. In fact, wearing various masks such as the ones featured in season three’s climax becomes the main visual metaphor for how the two have had to hide their true selves from the world and each other.

Granted, the film is not exactly treading new thematic ground when it comes to this subject. Plenty of media in the past has played with the idea of having to hide one’s true self (Persona 5 comes to mind, primarily because of the way he shouts “persona!” halfway through while transitioning through backstory). Still, The First Kiss That Never Ends brings a sense of freshness to the topic that is uniquely its own.

Experimental Visuals

Ok, maybe “experimental” is not the right word. Still, it is hard to deny, just how much trippy-ass stuff happens in blink-or-you-miss-it moments. One moment that sticks out, in particular, happens during a flashback about Kaguya, where she blankly stares forward into the camera, with black nothingness rotating through her eyes. She does as she is being taught by someone who is presumably a private tutor bought by her family, someone who is also revealed to be just as abusive as the other Shinomiyas. It was genuinely very creepy and out of left field in a way that contributed to the tragedy of her situation.

Additionally, the show also has shot composition and timing down to a science, not just when it comes to comedy, but especially for its more serious moments. The film does a great job of creating further tension by focusing on just a frame or two over the span of a few seconds. Again, not exactly new, but utilized in combination with a distinctive soundtrack and characters’ trademark expressions to ride the fine line between comedic and serious nearly perfectly.

Although, at this point, experimental could be considered standard when it comes to Kaguya-sama, and Bocchi was arguably doing way more experimental stuff for scenes that had way fewer stakes.

Conclusion

I could go on about just how amazing this film is, and depending on my boredom after finishing this review I might, but rather than overexplaining jokes that someone else could probably do a better job of anyway, I will simply say go watch the movie. It absolutely earns every single one of its 96 minutes down to the credits scene. Kaguya-sama fans will not be disappointed.