goal reflection

End of March Update 4/9/21

Posted by

0

Hey guys,

Once again, I don’t have too much to report on from March. Throughout the past month, I mainly spent my days studying, reading manga, and rewatching a few of my favorite anime. It was a therapeutic month, if a somewhat unproductive one on the blog side. While I want to spend April making posts over the things I enjoyed in March, another part of me wants to keep on moving forward. So, there may be posts for older stuff, but also maybe not. I’ll play it by ear. For now though, let’s look at how terribly I failed my goals for March. >.<

Goal Reflection

Write Five Posts Each Month | Did I really only write two or three posts in March? Yikes.

Review More Anime | I did not do this either. If it counts, I did discuss my hopes and dreams for the Evangelion 3.0+1.0 now that it is finally in theaters! And it was a “Cafe Talk” post–like, when was the last time I wrote one of those!?

Continue Writing Manga Reflections | I was able to write a post (AND film a video) for my first impressions of Battle Angel Alita that you can read right here! April will have more manga content for sure!

Write Posts for Video Content | All four of my March videos were uploaded here as blog posts. I’m one short of my YouTube goal there of five videos a month, but please check those out if you’re interested!

Achieve 750 Followers | Current count is 724. Thank you so much for reading and following along~!

What I’ve Watched

The Mystic Archives of Dantalian — I actually started this early 2010s gem quite some time back, but I’ve yet to go further than the first 3 or so episodes. My main reason for starting Dantalian was because it had the same look and feel as Gosick, one of my favorite mystery anime. Although the plots differ, the energy is the same, and I’ll try to keep going with it even if it leans on the slower side. Has anyone else seen this show?

Crest of the Stars — The hype of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 has led me down a tunnel of craving vintage sci-fi anime. I won’t lie, this series didn’t initially catch my eye until Funimation licensed and released it on DVD a couple years back. The art looked mystifying, and I finally caved to watching. I’m 3 episodes out from the end (I think) and I’m enjoying how sad yet romantic it is. Loving the space travel aspect, too. More to come in a review!

Sword of the Stranger — I plan to watch more films in 2021, and it looks like this samurai-turned-vagabond adventure flick was first up. I won’t lie, this era of Japanese history isn’t my favorite. BUT, it’s definitely starting to grow on me, and this film was fantastic from start to finish. The fight choreo and animation hold up super well after all these years, and the MUSIC, oh my GOD, so riveting and passionate!! I might review it, but . . . just know that the Blu-ray will stay on my shelf.

Great Pretender — HELLS YEAH I watched Great Pretender, and HELLS YEAH I loved the shit out of it. This is the kind of series I needed to fill the void left by Eden of the East, Baccano!, and Terror in Resonance, and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more than I did. In fact, I binged all 23 episodes of the series in a SINGLE DAY it was that good, and while I want to review it, I already know my words will be senseless squealing over my mans Laurent, my queen Cynthia, my girl Abigail, and mah boi Edamameeee ❤ Seriously, this was the thrill ride I needed to kickstart my love for anime again. The dub is phenomenal, too! GO WATCH IT!

Attack on Titan Final Season — This was the ONLY simulcast I actually finished in time, and WOW what a series this has been. Of course, we’re not done yet, though, as a the second cour of this anime giant is set to conclude the story this winter. I’m thrilled to see how it ends, especially with the manga’s recent completion. But for now, we wait!

The Promised Neverland Season 2 — CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIRST SIMULCAST ANIME I EVER DROPPED. LOL. After 5 or 6 episodes, I couldn’t do it anymore. Because I still love the story and characters, however, I took to the Shounen Jump app to start reading the manga. That’s right fam, ya boy’s reading Neverland. I can’t wait to get past the content of the first anime to see where the sequel started. Maybe I’ll revisit season 2 after I’ve read it all just to see how some of it was animated, but otherwise it’s manga-only for me from here on out!

Fire Force Season 2 — With all of the Simuldub episodes finally available on Funimation, I was able to binge the second half of the series and see how it compares to the manga. The good news? Fire Force remains one of the most consistently adapted series that the anime fandom has ever seen. The bad news? At present, we’ve no guarantee for a third season. Keep on supporting the manga and the anime and maybe we’ll get a season 3 before too long!!

***I have yet to continue watching episodes of Wonder Egg Priority, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Skate-Leading Stars, Horimiya. Finishing these simulcasts is the first goal of April! I will have more to report then.

What I’ve Read

Please watch my March 2021 Manga Reading Log video if you have the chance, as I discuss all of these titles there in more depth!!

Battle Angel Alita Volume 1 — Read full the post here!

My Androgynous Boyfriend Volume 1 — Here we have a start to the relationship between a beautiful man who likes makeup and his wonderful graphic designer girlfriend. The art style is super cute, and these two pretty much just support each other for life! It’s a simpler story than I thought it’d initially be, but who knows where the story will go. Looking forward to reading more.

Eniale & Dewiela Volume 1 — Between this hope-yearning angel and trouble-seeking demon, a minor fashion disaster in heaven can spell major catastrophe for the people of Earth. Eniale and Dewiela are just about the pettiest (and prettiest) pair of friends you’ll ever find, yet their individual quirks and charms often cause the other to wreak havoc on the other. And of course, who else would be caught in the conflict than the innocent mortals of the lower world. I think there are only 3 volumes in this series, and you bet I plan to read all of it!

Phantom Tales of the Night Volume 1 — My favorite read of the month! In this series, we are following the innkeeper of an enchanted inn that exists between the spiritual and mortal realms. Seemingly innocent passerbys stumble upon the inn, and for safe passage, they are admitted at a single cost: they must forfeit one of their secrets to the innkeeper. Of course, in monkey’s paw fashion, nothing ever goes right for the guests, but that doesn’t stop the devilish innkeeper from preying on humanity and learning more about them. My only regret from this read was that I didn’t have the next 4 volumes waiting for me on my shelf!

Caste Heaven Volume 1 — This darker BL series explores what happens when high schoolers are forced to find cards scattered all throughout the school and that also dictate that student’s role in the social hierarchy. Poor Ones and Twos will yield to Fives and Sixes, and Sevens and Eights will obey Jacks and Queens. Of course, the King is on top, and anything they say goes–including manipulation and sexual favors. This series is far from clean, but I’m interested in seeing how certain characters will play the game past this initial volume.

Fire Force Volumes 19-20 — When you watch more Fire Force, you naturally want to read more of it, too. Things are starting to gear up towards the series’ climax, I can almost feel it. These volumes cover the end of Season 2 and some change, so if you’re dying to know what is happening to the Tokyo Empire and Company 8, Volume 20 will give you that sneak peak! Now that I’m all caught up with what I own, I can go out and pick up the two latest volumes, yay!

As a whole, March enjoyed a bunch of odd watches, random catch-ups, and much relaxation from school work. That said, April will be tricky if I try to blog more. But, as I’m sure you all know, I never choose the easy way out, heh heh. I’ve already got a head start into manga reading for April, and I don’t plan to slow down. Also, I’ll get back on my simulcast game so I can take a look at what’s new and airing. WAIT, are you telling me that the Spring 2021 anime season has already begun!? Looks like I’ve got lots to catch up on this weekend!

We had a couple rainy days this past week, which was an amazing relief from the dramatically warmer temperatures we’ve been having. Though, it also snowed the other day, so who knows what’s what with weather anymore. I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. Here’s to hoping I get my vaccine shot this weekend!! Thanks for reading, and ’til next time!

– Takuto

End of February Update 3/1/21

Posted by

0

Hey guys,

With school ramping up for midterms, I haven’t had much time or energy to blog. Even my anime watching has diminished, and I can’t remember when I last picked up a volume of manga that wasn’t for the Manga Love Readathon on Valentine’s Day weekend. (You don’t know how badly I just want to drop all my school work and crack into some Yona of the Dawn >.<)

So, this monthly update will be pretty sparse, but I hope you enjoy reading about what I’ve been up to. First, let’s discuss goals.

Goal Reflection

Write Five Posts Each Month | I fell two posts short of this goal. School is tough!!

Review More Anime | I published two anime reviews this month, one for Gunbuster: The Movie and another for its sequel, Gunbuster 2 or Diebuster. We’ll see if I write another post about Diebuster: The Movie. An “Anime Revisted” post for Emma: A Victorian Romance is in the works!

Continue Writing Manga Reflections | As previously mentioned, I was able to book off the entire Valentine’s weekend to read for the Manga Love Readathon. During the readathon, I read from five different titles, yet I never got around to writing about them! I’ll see if I can give some of them proper reviews, but until then, I hope my recap vlog will suffice. ^ . ^

Write Posts for Video Content | All four of my February videos were uploaded here as blog posts. I’m one short of my YouTube goal there of five videos a month, but please check those out if you’re interested!

Achieve 750 Followers | Current count is 714. Thank you so much for reading and following along~!

What I’ve Watched

Gunbuster: The Movie — A mere 1200-word post cannot describe the magical experience that is the classic Gunbuster. This year’s V-Day Special was dedicated to the popular GAINAX franchise, and I couldn’t be more pleased with what I watched. In case you missed it, I wrote an entire review that you can read here!

Gunbuster 2 — Most of the same glowing compliments could be said about Gunbuster‘s sequel, Diebuster. While I enjoyed Gunbuster more, I found the zany nature of Gunbuster 2 (review here!) to scratch that itch that the Evangelion Rebuild films left for me. (Who’s excited for the final Evangelion film to come out March 8!?! DEFINITELY ME!!!)

Diebuster: The Movie — I just finished my journey through this franchise with the Diebuster recap film last night. It takes on the daunting task of cramming six 30-minute episodes into a single hour-and-a-half-long film (like its predecessor). Despite the cuts, I really enjoyed it! I’ll try to write a post over this film, but should this be the end for now, check out my two reviews. 🙂

Attack on Titan Final Season — SASHA NOOOO. I’m about ready to YEET a dumb little kid off the face of the planet if we continue this frustrating BS. My anger aside, however, I LOVE where this series is going. The War Hammer Titan rises to the top as my favorite of the Nine Titans (so cool!), and I continue to soak in the wondrous sounds of Hiroyuki Sawano’s OST. Still a little scared about how this is all going to wrap up in the coming months!

The Promised Neverland Season 2 — I’m a little disappointed, not gonna lie. If y’all are following this one, you’ll know that the latest episodes deviate from the manga significantly (or rather, jump ahead seeeveral chapters). A certain character makes a comeback, and I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t milked for all its worth. Like, we knew, we knew, but it’s still weird to know that hey, this is it. We’ll see if things get better.

Wonder Egg Priority — I’m behind the latest couple episodes, but where I last left off, the four girls have gathered together! Looking forward to catching up on egg time ~~

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation — Rudy leaves home and we meet Eris. She’s a brat, but I’m sure Rudy can handle her. I’m also behind on this one, but I’ll catch up!

Skate-Leading Stars — While I don’t “love” this series, I do find it entertaining enough to be worth finishing. That said, I’m behind on the latest couple episodes, but I hope to finish it soon.

Horimiya — Annnd I’m also terribly behind on the season’s most popular romantic drama! (See a reoccuring theme here? Yeah, school bites.) I’m loving the screencaps that I see of this series on Twitter, though. 😛

What I’ve Read

5 Centimeters Per Second: One More Side — This is the only novel I’ve been able to follow since February started. It was a spontaneous decision to pick up, but then I remember telling myself I would reward my reading efforts by picking up Shinkai’s hardcover published novels from Yen Press–IF and only if I read what I already had. So here we are reading this alternate perspective story of Shinkai’s popular 5 Centimeters film, and I’m surprisingly enjoying it a lot. If the film is a favorite of yours, consider picking up this novel which explores the other side of the story!

This begins the titles I read for the Manga Love Readathon, so check out the vlog for more information!

Love in Focus — This is my first Yoko Nigiri manga and OMG, I love her style so much! Love in Focus is a quaint little three-volume series which follows a high school love triangle between two members of the photography club and an ex-child model (who is now an introverted high school boy living at their dorm). It’s cute, quick, and I like the childhood friend (AKA the other boy, Kei). Love in Focus is the perfect Valentine’s read!

A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow — I read the first three volumes of this sweet yuri series and I love the main couple so much! Anything aquatic will generally catch my eye, so the days spent doing activities with the aquarium club are pleasant. This is kind of one of those healing manga, but it does have a romance plot. Looking forward to picking up the rest of the series!

Let’s Dance a Waltz — After YEARS of sitting on my shelf, I finally gave this short three-volume shoujo drama manga a read. The good news—it’s earned the spot on my shelf for a long time to come! The series follows a girl who picks up ballroom dancing because she fell in love with a boy. At the boy’s family studio, she meets two other professional youth dancers, and the four grow to enjoy each other’s company (some wishing to push the boundary of friends). The characters are so kind to one another, and if you’re wanting a fast-paced manga that showcases the beauty of ballroom dance, definitely give it a shot.

The Young Master’s Revenge — I finally got around to reading volume one of this series and omg, no regrets! Rich boy Leo wants to get revenge on rich girl Tenma for making him look like a fool during their childhood. However, upon reuniting as teenagers, Leo finds out that the Tenma’s family business has gone under, leaving her out to dry. She wishes to serve Leo as a personal maid to make some money, but Leo’s not sure how this change of events will affect his plans for revenge! Such a fun premise. I’ll pick up the other three volumes sometime.

Komi Can’t Communicate — Last but not least, I started Komi! This is the highly beloved shounen comedy manga about an antisocial girl who just wants to make 100 friends. Komi leans far more on the gag comedy side, so I’m not sure if I’ll keep up with this digitally or find copies at my library. It’s a fun series, but IDK how long I’ll keep up with it. Glad I read this first volume, though!

If you couldn’t tell, the whole of my February was occupied by two projects: the Manga Love Readathon and my Gunbuster marathon. Not much else got done, but I still enjoyed myself immensely. February is one of my favorite months, perhaps because I always use the Valentine’s holiday as a time for self-love. We also slowly emerge from the slow cold of winter (hope all my midwestern pals withstood the sudden freeze!), and the onset of spring begins. I hope the warmer weather will boost my productivity, and I also hope to work harder on the blog and my channel in March.

School continues to be tough, but we never asked for the easy way out, did we? Hahaha, oh how I can taste the end! Only three months of my undergraduate career remain, and as I gear up for graduation, I hope you’ll continue to come back and read my posts. But what am I saying, we still have all of March and April—and this update has gone on too long! Please let me know what you all enjoyed this past month, and remember to take care of yourselves! Thanks for reading, and ’til next time!

– Takuto

End of January Update 1/31/21

Posted by

2

Hey guys,

Is it just me or is the weather still kinda nasty outside? Right when I thought spring was on her way, we had a snowstorm that left us trapped indoors for a few days. It’s wild how one snow day can throw off an entire week, am I right? Anyway, I hope the weather is a lot warmer wherever you are reading this from.

In case you missed my big blog update of 2021, I’m thrilled to let you know that I’m returning to my traditional monthly updates that I used to do for years during the start of the blog! Along with making me more active on here, it’s also a nice return-to-form for me, given that I want to get back into the spirit of blogging and all. Anyway, let’s check out what I’ve been enjoying this past month.

Goal Reflection

Write Five Posts Each Month | With the publishing of this post tonight, I will have accomplished this goal for January!

Review More Anime | I published two anime reviews this month, one for Maria the Virgin Witch and another for Akudama Drive. More anime reviews to come.

Continue Writing Manga Reflections | I didn’t have much time to read manga in January. BUT, I did finish volume 10 of Yona of the Dawn this weekend, so hopefully I’ll have more Yona content for you all.

Write Posts for Video Content | Aside from the latest video over the BLACKPINK online concert, all of my videos have been uploaded here as blog posts. I do hope someone has been enjoying them. 🙂

Achieve 750 Followers | WE JUST HIT 700 FOLLOWERS A COUPLE DAYS AGO. Thank you so much for all the love and support!!! I think it’d be so cool to do something fun to celebrate, but I’m not sure what. (Or, if I should wait until the 750 milestone.) Regardless, many thanks again!! ^ . ^

What I’ve Watched

Emma: A Victorian Romance — If you’ll recall my recent video showcasing all the rewards I received from the Emma Kickstarter, you may remember that Nozomi Entertainment and RightStuf successfully crowdfunded an authentic English dub to go along with this 18th century Victorian romance. And guess what? It’s. AMAZING. I love it so much, it’s too perfect. Definitely planning on revisiting this title in a post, either to reflect on its intricate character drama or simply rave about the English dub!

Psychic School Wars — An odd little film about young love and time travel. Simply Gee and I talked about it briefly on Twitter. Yeah, it’s pretty, but the plot is all over the place. I may review it, but I’m more so happy that I finally got around to watching the Blu-ray on my shelf.

Maria the Virgin Witch — This Blu-ray watch turned out much better. In fact, I share my pleasantries with this title in my review (which you can read right here)!

MAGATSU WARHEIT — A terrible mutant-changing disease ravages through the land when a secret government project goes wrong. This series follows two boys on opposite sides of the discourse. I like the angle, but I couldn’t help but feel I was missing something critical about the plot . . . like, why is the MC all aged up in the poster, yet young in the series? I think this anime is a prequel project for the game. It was an ok watch.

Attack on Titan Final Season — Ironically, this one has a similar plot to the previous title. BUT THIS ONE’S DOIN’ THINGS RIGHT, lemme tell you! If you’re not watching AoT this season, I dare say that YES, you are in fact missing out on an epic in the making (to quote Funi on the series). Every episode is more mind-blowing than the one that came before, and I can’t believe it’ll all end here in a month or two!

The Promised Neverland Season 2 — Unlike the first season which knew exactly where it was going from the first episode, The Promised Neverland S2 got off to a weird start. It introduced some characters, then left them behind (?), so IDK if they’ll come back or not. The latest episode was more promising (heh) than the others, so I’ll still stick it out for the kids.

Wonder Egg Priority — Aside from AoT, this little curiosity is by far my favorite watch of the season. Each episode brings with it much emotional baggage, but also equally satisfying payoff as we watch young girls help each other combat their worst fears. With fluid yet trippy visuals and a bright color palette livening the scene, Wonder Egg borders on the creepy, the dreamy, and the sublime of what anime can deliver.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation — I know I’m not supposed to like this show to the extent that I do, yet here we are. While I don’t appreciate the MC’s personality, I can acknowledge the growth and development his character is undergoing in this other world. The series is also very well animated, especially during the spell-casting scenes. OKAY, and Rudeus is kind of a cutie. Only in that childlike cute sort of way. Sue me.

Skate-Leading Stars — Ahhh yes, a trashy shounen sports anime with semi-quality animation and 110% teenage ANGST. I’m clearly at home with this title. The latest episode really places Maeshima on a pedestal, and I don’t like that (I’m #TeamKubota all the way!), so I hope my boy Kubota will get to shine on his own in the episodes to come.

Horimiya — I finally got around to watching the first episode the other day and I can already tell this one’s gonna make my heart melt. I love the character designs, and I think Miyamura being bad at so many things (yet lookin’ so fine with all his tattoos and piercings) is absolutely hilarious. We also stan Hori as #BossMom, so Horimiya pretty much wins on all accounts for me!

Galaxy Express 999 — Currently on hold. Will revisit when I want to moan about the sadness of deep space.

What I’ve Read

At Night, I Become a Monster — I took to Insta to talk my thoughts out for this one. Yoru Sumino of Pancreas novel and anime fame has written a novel that tackles the issue of bullying in an interesting way. In a Kafkaesque manner, our protagonist Adachi finds himself waking up at night transforming into a terrifying monster. But, every morning, he reverts back to his shy, nonconfrontational school boy self. When Yano Satsuki, the subject of his class’ bullying and hatred, witnesses his transformation, however, the two form a peculiar bond. Never had I finished a book that I so quickly wanted to pick back up again and reread. I’ll have to review this one for sure.

Yona of the Dawn Volume 10 — Tae-jun catches wind that the object of his affection, Princess Yona, had actually survived her perilous fall—and that she’s roped up with a group of bandits!? Yona continues to win my heart. When I read the next two volumes, I’ll do a recap of all three together.

Night on the Galactic Railroad — Yes, it’s the classic Japanese fantasy novel by Kenji Miyazawa! I picked up a copy of the anthology by One Peace Books and I’m slowly making my way through it. 🙂

A lot of material’s been covered in January, and I hope to keep up this pace as we enter February. My last semester of uni will no doubt get tougher, but we’ll make it through, as we have these past 7 semesters (and every year of high school before this). Time sure flies, doesn’t it? I hope you’re all staying warm and keeping busy with your favorite anime, manga, games, music—what have you. The winter 2021 simulcast season is especially exciting, a little something there for everyone to enjoy. You ought to let me know what you’re watching down in the comments!

Thank you so much for reading and for following along with this blog of mine. I do love writing for you all, and I look forward to the next post!

– Takuto

Where are the Posts??? || Quarterly Update (Fall 2020)

Posted by

9

Hey guys!

WOW has it been a minute. Just three months ago, we were living in an entirely different world from the one we are in now. Lots has changed, politically, socially, and otherwise. Plus, school started up again, and that’s never been good for the health of this blog. Still, though, we manage to find time for our hobbies, and so I’d like to share with you all what I’ve been going through the past few months. I imagine I haven’t done too keen of a job on keeping up with them, but let’s begin with a bit of goal reflection.

Goal Reflection

#1 – Read More Posts

Nope. I’ve been a terrible blogger buddy, and I’m sorry. While I technically have been popping in on any blog posts that I like and retweet on Twitter, I haven’t personally made my way to the WP reader in quite some time. It doesn’t help that WP is not letting my account leave likes, but I’m finding ways around that. I’ll try harder.

#2 – Write More Succinct Posts

It’s hard to say on this one. I wrote but TEN measly blog posts since last update, and only half of those were my typical review-type posts. Given this, my other announcement-y posts were technically on the shorter end, so I’ll give myself this one.

#3 – Read & Review More Books

With all the manga I’ve been talking about here and on my YouTube channel, it would seem that I hardly review anime anymore! While not entirely untrue at the moment, I do want to get back in the anime game. As for manga, I’ll be reading Yona of the Dawn and Fire Force with you guys, reviewing volumes as I go here on the blog. Soon, I’d like to start up Requiem of the Rose King, Snow White with the Red Hair, and Seraph of the End. If you’re interested in hearing my thoughts on any of those titles, do stick around for the coming months!

#4 – Write More About Me

In September and early October, I celebrated 6 years of blogging here on the cafe (thank you to all those who left me kind words) and also shared five anime that I love rewatching just because all I had been doing then was rewatching my favorites. Otherwise, I need to get back into fulfilling these tag and award posts that have been piling up in my drafts. More posts about me coming soon!

#5 – Build Up My “Personal Brand”

Like I’ve covered in previous updates, this goal took the form of my YouTube channel, Takuto. Since July, I have gained 130 new subs (we’re up to 170!) and have uploaded, like, 20 new videos. The success hasn’t gone as planned, admittedly, but I’ve never played the numbers game—neither here on my blog, nor on the channel—and I don’t plan to start anytime soon. That said, if you (or a friend) may be interested in vlog-style manga and K-pop rambling videos, consider checking the channel out! I’d greatly appreciate it!

What I’ve Read

Although I haven’t read nearly as much as I would have liked to, I’ve since (as in the past week) picked up my manga game SIGNIFICANTLY. That is, I’m currently pacing myself at a volume of manga per day. I’m not sure if this kick will last just for the Halloween festivities or if it’ll carry over long after, but regardless, I’m currently enjoying reading a bit of manga to wind down each night.

Way back at the beginning of July, I shared my thoughts on Fire Force volumes 10-12. It took me a bit to get back into the series, but very soon I’ll have reflection posts for volumes 13-15 and volumes 16-18, respectively. Guys, I love me some Fire Force, and while I’m not sure why I hesitated on reading more for so long, I’m glad nevertheless that I’m back with Company 8!

I FINALLY started reading Yona of the Dawn, which has led me to also doing 3-volume reflections over the series. I find these characters to be some of the most supportive, heartwarming kind in all of shoujo manga. Seriously, the four dragons are too good for us! Anyway, expect more Yona here soon, as with some of the other shoujo titles I mentioned above!

What I’ve Watched

Despite the sparse number of reviews that I’ve posted, I actually watched more anime this summer than I had in a long time. (And trust me, it sure felt good.) I took a general break from seasonal content to hammer away on the backlog, and thankfully the results were somewhat fruitful.

Starting with the most notable one, I finally got around to watching Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, which I even talked about here! And what would you know—it was exactly as good as everyone had been telling me it was. Glad to have this one under my belt after all these months of endless conversation and fame the series has gotten!

I took to my Blu-ray shelves for this next one, that being DEN-NOH COIL. You can read my review of this mid-2000s sci-fi adventure, but this series is easily one of the most underrated, least-discussed sci-fi anime out there. Sometimes it’s silly, sometimes it’s sad. But always is it smart, fascinating, and thought-provoking when it comes to humanity’s deepening relationship with technology. Check it out sometime!

Next we had more Blu-ray watches from my shelves, including Sakurada Reset (review here!). This one was understandably swept under the rug, as it’s not only slow but features some of the most BORING characters ever. For a show about esper abilities, this was a crime. On the bright side, I ended up enjoying Knights of Sidonia and its sequel Battle for Planet Nine quite a bit. They’re still on Netflix, so if I fail to review them, just know the series gets the OK from me.

Then I watched The World is Still Beautiful, which was perhaps one of the most enjoyable watches of the entire year. Although I came in with few expectations, I came out wanting so much more from Princess Nike and King Livius’ hilarious yet endearing relationship—I love them!! Defs still want to review this gem if I get the chance.

Also one of the most wholesome watches in recent years was Barakamon. YES, I finally watched the calligraphy anime. And yes, the Blu-ray is staying on my shelves. On the other hand, the Handa-kun spinoff was a total waste of time. The humor just didn’t stick with me, but I did finish it out just to give it a fair chance.

My most recent watches have all been superb ones: PROMARE (which was literally fire), Fog Hill of Five Elements (which I don’t remember much of, but it was hella good-looking), and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power seasons 1-3 (which, UGH, I freakin’ love this series)! As I near the end of She-Ra, I will also finally share my thoughts on the Netflix beauty Violet Evergarden. Hopefully I will have reviews for each of these titles SOONER rather than later!!

What Comes Next for the Blog?

The short answer: I’m not sure. School’s been kicking my butt since mid-August (hence the sudden lack of posts starting there), and any energy I do have left is divided between writing for classes and filming videos for my YouTube channel. I have considered taking a formal break from blogging, but you may want to hear the long answer first . . .

Really, I just need to manage my time better. I take plenty of naps, snack breaks, and YT breaks throughout a given day, and much of that energy could instead be redirected to the blog. The only big problem is that, when I do have the inspiration to write, it isn’t over anime. In fact, much of the shows I recently watched come from the dangling weeks of summer. Anymore, I average a couple episodes per week, which is why it’s taken me nearly a month now to finish a short title like Violet Evergarden.

So I guess the real question is not if I should blog, but rather what should I blog about? Should I really write posts about manga and K-pop and whatever else is going on in my life? (Does anyone even care about that stuff?) Or should I keep trying to make the anime thing work? It’s not that I’m tired of reviewing—I just want to make sure that I have fun writing every single post. I’d much rather avoid writing altogether than struggle to push out content. Maybe someone out there can relate, idk. But this is where we currently are, and I want to stay transparent with you all.

When I’m not writing papers, posting for class discussion boards, reading journal articles, or lifeguarding at our university’s pool (I GOT MY JOB BACK BTW!!), I really am watching YT videos, filming YT videos, and editing YT videos. And sleeping. And snacking. (Which reminds me, I ought to get back on the workout game. Yikes.)

But overall, I’m still healthy, physically and mentally, if but ~slightly~ more inactive on the blog than I usually am. How are you doing? Are you getting enough sleep? Drinking enough water? Making enough time for yourself? It sucks that we chose to adapt to this pandemic rather than fight it, but I’m sure you tried to do your part (as I did). Who knows how much longer things will last this way . . . But what I do know is that the world keeps moving, and so should we.

Whenever you can, I encourage you to watch more anime, write more posts, listen to more of your favorite music and podcasts, read your favorite manga and novels—whatever can bring you happiness and connect you with that positive and creative synergy. We need that sense of connection—either to art or the artist—now more than ever.

In the meantime, I will actively try to stop in more often. No promises, what with school pretty much ending for me in a month. But I’ll try, and I hope that will be enough to tie us over until I can get back to this full-time like I was this past summer. What a great summer that was. Man, I hate this gloomy cold. It’ll be a long winter—but knowing that you’ll be there with me almost makes the thought a tad bit warmer.

Have a Happy Halloween (I’ll be watching Fire Force Season 2 to celebrate the spooky weekend!) and stay safe, my friends! Thank you for reading, and much love for all your support! ‘Till next time! ❤

– Takuto