Musings and Reflections – Winter 2018 Week 13

One phrase impressions:

Fate/Extra Last EncoreActually something comprehensible. Hm…
Violet Evergarden
Apparently the show excels more at feels than at fights.
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni –  Great ending of a great show.
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One Lovely Blog Award

     Well. It just so happens that I usually don’t do these award posts. Why? I already have enough material for quite a few posts and everything of course is way behind the schedule. Well, I don’t have a strict one but still there’re lots of things I’d like to have already written about. Such award posts pretty much since the beginning of this blog  have been finding a place in the heap of things that can be procrastinated, but you know the saying – there’s nothing more permanent than temporary… Yep, I’m guilty. Very guilty. But here I am, and here’s an award post (though it’s still after about 2 weeks of being nominated. Procrastination is in my blood…). Why? Somehow Keiko‘s (thanks again – very much) questions looked very intriguing, and I guess I shouldn’t look for a better way to get back to paying more attention to the community. There wouldn’t be much joy in blogging without the community so unused opportunities to strengthen it isn’t the wisest thing. For everybody else who has awarded me in the past, I’m sorry that it’s not your post that (hopefully) got me back on track, and I’m very grateful for every single nomination, but it is as it is.


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Musings and Reflections – Winter 2018 Week 12

One phrase impressions:

Fate/Extra Last EncoreOnce again more questions than answers.
Violet Evergarden
Why are osananajimis always so unlucky?
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni –  Tension before the finale.
Ito Junji: Collection – It’s over. Thank goodness.
Mahoutsukai no Yome – Good shows deserve good endings, but that’s not given.
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Musings and Reflections – Winter 2018 Week 11

One phrase impressions:

Fate/Extra Last EncoreStill Madoka.
Violet Evergarden
 Anime is obsessed with dead moms, isn’t it?
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni –  And finally that’s a healthy relationship starting to grow.
Ito Junji: Collection – It’s an Angel! It’s an Angel! It’s a Gundam! It’s an Angel! It’s an Angeru! OMG, it’s Gojiraaa!
Mahoutsukai no Yome – Is it possible to wrap everything up next time?
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Scattered Thoughts – Ito Junji: Collection and how to fail at horror

     It’s no secret that this season’s biggest horror anime isn’t that great. It’s really a shame because manga of Junji Ito usually is very entertaining. On the other hand, the outcome was to be expected to some extent – a previous attempt to adapt Ito’s manga also failed horribly. Then maybe Ito’s works aren’t suited to be animated? Looking even more broadly, are horror stories capable of evoking that specific emotion in an animated form? At least to this question I have an answer, and that is yes. So let’s look at what Collection did wrong, comparing it to some better representatives of the genre.

     ///EDIT: last night Super Eyepatch Wolf uploaded a video about Collection, and it’s not unexpectedly right to the point. I’m not sure I can add much to the discussion, but this piece is already written, so oh well. I guess I need to execute my ideas immediately…///

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Musings and Reflections – Winter 2018 Week 10

One phrase impressions:

Violet Evergarden Very very poor girl…
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni –  Chihiro, finally.
Ito Junji: Collection – I’m glad I didn’t eat before this.
Mahoutsukai no Yome – Flashbacks, flashbacks…
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Musings and Reflections – Winter 2018 Week 9

One phrase impressions:

Violet Evergarden Poor girl…
Koi wa Ameagari no You ni –  Rashomon and stuff.
Ito Junji: Collection – Tomie!
Mahoutsukai no Yome – Well, Elias deserved that.
Fate/Extra Last EncoreFate is suffering.
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Light Novel Corner – Welcome to the NHK

Alternative title NHK ni youkoso
Author Tatsuhiko Takimoto
Illustrator Yoshitoshi ABe
Genres Drama
Published 2002 (JP) / 2007 (EN)
Pages 248
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      You probably have come across Welcome to the NHK at one point or another in its anime or, less likely, manga form but I doubt many are aware that the story originated from a light novel by the same name written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. First of all, Welcome to the NHK isn’t an ordinary light novel, though it comes very close to being that. Its length isn’t that impressive, the narrative examines problems of young adults, and the cover illustration was made by none other than Yoshitoshi ABe. On the other hand, the novel certainly isn’t a graphic novel – there’s not a single picture inside, these young adults are past a high-school age, and their problems are a bit more complicated and dark than “Oh, senpai…”. Typical light novels often leave a hook in the end so that the series could be extended to at least several more volumes, and that’s not really the case with Welcome to the NHK. That should be enough to prove that this novel isn’t like anything else you can find, even if you have no idea what it’s about, and in that case I strongly encourage you to find that out. (more…)