Category: Anime

Mob Psycho 100 anime episode 2 review (SPOILER ALERT)

I watched the second episode of Mob Psycho 100 last night and though I said in my episode 1 reaction that I found the manga chapters 1 and 2 were funnier than anime’s episode 1, I liked the anime’s episode 2 better than manga chapters 3 and 4. Mob Psycho 100 episode 2 featured funny scenes that were either not in the manga (or did I just forget them? hope not), or not as well-presented in the manga.

Oh look, it’s a reference to the One-Punch Man manga:

It seems that Reigen has more talent in other fields than being a psychic. He should be massage therapist instead. 😆

NOOOOOOO– close your eyes and scroll past the next photo!

Haha. What a smooth fraud! His massage skills saved him.

“One” really likes this kind of cleft chin. 😆

Tome Kurata, president of Telepathy Club, trying to be cute with a cutesy pose. This is one of the scenes that is funnier in the anime than manga.

Reigen vs. Kurata over the phone 😆 I liked the execution of this scene.

So Kurata has an idea how Reigen is a fake psychic and is only using Mob. 😆 While Reigen has an idea how the Telepathy Club only needs the club room and club budget so they could stay in the room while playing cards and eating snacks.

The second half of Mob Psyscho 100 episode 2 shows us Reigen and Mob dressed as school girls. 😆 I don’t remember seeing this in the first four chapters of the manga. I liked how female Reigen acted and spoke. xD He looked like he could pass as a tall school girl.

…not! Ugh. He planned everything so that only Mob would get into the school to exorcise the spirit.

This is the Mob Psycho Episode 2 evil spirit: The Scent-Ghoul.

This episode actually made me think about my own life 🙁 If I were still in middle school like Mob, I would choose to be a programmer and start my career much earlier than I actually did.

Mob in the bath tub: if this were One-Punch Man, there would be bubble popping from the bath water. lol.

In the end, Mob decided to join a club…

Unexpectedly, the Body Improvement Club! 😆

All for his crush Takane Tsubomi, who likes athletic guys. Awww.

Tsubomi in manga looks so different from Tsubomi in manga. LOL. I think that I was cracking up at the manga chapters 1 and 2 because of the art style. The characters’ faces look funny in the manga. 😆

Tsubomi in manga

Tsubomi in anime

July 23, 2016
Mob Psycho 100 anime episode 1 review (SPOILER ALERT)

My office friends are watching Mob Psycho 100, an anime series that just started airing last week. It’s from the same creator of One-Punch Man, who is called One.

I read chapter 1 of the Mob Psycho 100 manga after watching episode 1 of the anime, and honestly, the manga made me laugh more than the anime. Probably because of the drawing style — they look funnier in the manga. 😆

Hanako in anime

Hanako in Manga

In Mob Psycho 100 episode 1, the anime introduced notable characters such as Reigen the fake psychic and Shigeo, the main character who we are calling “Mob”.

I wonder how he got the nickname Mob.

Episode 1 also showed us a man with large cleft chin that looked like a butt, and I started cracking up with mild cursing when I saw that! “One” really likes that kind of chin, huh? 😆 I could only imagine that the “kid with large chin” in One-Punch Man had grown up to be that guy in Mob Psycho 100.

Anyway, that kid Mob, with his passive carefree attitude and constantly bored facial expression reminds me so much of Saitama from One-Punch Man. My friends think it’s a good thing but I’m torn like, haha he reminds me so much of that funny guy Saitama, while thinking, can’t One create a more unique main character?

This scene made me chuckle when Reigen was like “Hey come here Mob, the client and the evil spirit that we need to exorcise are waiting” combined with the chill look on the spirit while waiting. 😆

Hehe, the thug ghost in the second part of Mob Psycho episode 1 turned into a cute li’l blue ghost with a mustache and high-pitched voice.

I must also say I dislike how Reigen’s personality. Yeah, I know, I know. Reigen being a fraud is supposed to be funny and I do find him funny, but at the same time I don’t like him. Maybe because I have seen [and hated] people in real life getting all the credit when they are not really the ones who do the amazing job. And the ending, when Reigen treats Mob to ramen and told him he may only order up to two add-on chashu pork, while Reigen had so many add-ons to his ramen. I felt bad for Mob during that scene. Yeah maybe this is just me taking things too seriously again. :p

Well, I will surely watch Mob Psycho 100 up to the last episode and will try to keep reading the manga. 🙂

July 20, 2016
Plastic Memories – anime review

Warning: potential spoilers may be written in this post.

In my previous posts, the common topic was Android app development. But this post is going to be about androids (robots) in the anime Plastic Memories. 🙂

This anime features androids called “Giftia”, and they look and move exactly like humans — they can even get bruises, feel itching on their skin, and feel emotions just like humans. But their life span is only 81,920 hours or 9 years. When the life span is reached, they need to be retrieved. Otherwise, consequences follow due to the decline of the androids’ programming functions.

Plastic Memories is a romantic drama sci-fi about Giftias, their lives with humans, and their retrieval when the “time” comes. The drama in Plastic Memories mostly comes from the retrieval process of Giftias. Comedy is also present in this show, and I guess the funny scenes are well done because it made me laugh, and it’s not very easy for comedy shows to make me laugh.:oops:

Image source: MyAnimeList

Warning: I do try to avoid it, but potential spoilers may be written in this post.

The ending was predictable and I would have enjoyed it more if something bizarre happened, but I still liked it. It like, you already know something’s gonna happen, but when it happens, you’re still affected. 😆

Most anime shows are set in high school and I’m getting sick of high school anime characters. Plastic Memories is set in a workplace and it’s so refreshing!

Maybe I’m just too serious a person, but even during the heartfelt scenes, what kept running in my head was how did people invent these androids? They have emotions just like humans – they feel sad, they fall in love, and they feel happiness. There were also scenes where Isla got bruised and felt itching on her legs. How in the world were humans able to program androids so that they could feel emotions and physical sensations? Fascinating, right?

What bothers me the most is regarding the “rending of memories”. If technology in the world has advanced so much that we are able to build and program robots who look, move, bruise, itch, and love exactly like humans, WHY are we not able to develop something [I think] is much simpler like a backup system for Giftia’s memory. Why can’t we re-install the operating system and then recover backup?

I wanted more sci-fi elements from Plastic Memories, unlike Full Metal Panic, which satisfied my liking for sci-fi well enough. I think Plastic Memories’ autopilot cars, translucent computer screens, and other futuristic inventions seem cool. Hmm… Isn’t it hard to read stuff on translucent screens though?

By the way, I read in some online news that Full Metal Panic might get a new season. I really hope they push through the plan because I really liked that anime. 😀

So yeah, to conclude this review…

Plastic Memories is a really good anime as a “drama”. Prepare tissue or face towel for the tears you’re about to shed if you’re gonna watch this. 😆 I’m not satisfied with the science fiction part, but its comedy is good too.

Watch Plastic Memories if you like anime set in a futuristic world, especially one that’s not in high school setting, and if you like it when makes you cry. 🙂

Source featured image of this post: ZeroChan.net

March 24, 2016
Charlotte – anime review

This would be a shorter than usual anime review from me. Just some random thoughts about Charlotte anime.

I usually watch the anime series that my office friends and my boyfriend recommend. My boyfriend didn’t like Charlotte that much, but I watched it anyway because it’s one of the series I copied from a friend. It’s not so bad and I kinda liked it.

Charlotte has 13 episodes and I watched them all in 2 or 3 days during the holidays. It made my holidays more enjoyable! 😀

So… how will I remember the anime Charlotte? Hmm.

Charlotte might be the first anime I watched whose main character I did not like that much. In episode 1 you’d see how much of a cheater he is. Later in the series you’d see more of his “dark side”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate him. After all, in the end, he’s gone through many difficulty just to do everyone a favor. And you gotta like how Charlotte showed us a main character who is truly human. Humans are prone to temptation. How can you not be tempted to cheat if you have the power to do so? Charlotte only showed us a character who gave in to temptation, which is refreshing in a way.

Another first for me in Charlotte is that in this anime, an English-speaking non-Japanese character actually sounds like a native speaker of English. Usually in anime series, foreigners speak English in Japanese accent, making it unrealistic.

This anime reminded me of Full Metal Panic in a way, since there were children who acquired special abilities because of certain events. And Steins;Gate shares a similar concept with Charlotte: time-leap.

Charlotte was an anime that made me laugh and shed tears. The teleporter guy always made me laugh because of his suicidal attempts, the way Misa would make me chuckle when she says rude words. There were really sad scenes that brought me in tears, the way some heart-touching scenes did.

There was romance in Charlotte, but don’t get your hopes up too much on it because it’s not good. :p

I’ll also remember that Charlotte featured the Philippines in one of the scenes. The environment did look like what I usually see in my country. 😆

January 6, 2016
Steins;Gate anime review

I just finished watching all episodes of the anime Steins;Gate and I LOVED it!

It’s about “mad scientist” Okabe Rintarou and his lab mates, who accidentally discovered/invent a “Phone Microwave” that could send messages to the past. Their experiments and curiosity led into consequences that they couldn’t handle.

Art in Steins;Gate anime

I like the character art of Steins;Gate. They are not like the too cutesy art style that is common in anime, where everyone looks almost the same and looks too young for their age. You’d see how Okabe has a defined face shape, and a some stubble around his chin.

Sound in Steins;Gate anime

There’s a sound effect that I really like. It’s when “something happens to someone over and over and over again”… there’s that spine-chilling sound effect that they play. I think it helped convey the mood to us viewers, while we think “Ohshitohshitohshit why is this happening?!?!” Try episode 13 at 20:35 to check out what I mean.

Story in Steins;Gate anime

Steins;Gate has an exciting plot. I personally like mystery and thrill in the shows I watch, and Steins;Gate sure didn’t lack it.

What I think about each character in Steins;Gate…

Okabe Rintarou

You gotta like Okabe for caring for his lab mates. He can also be funny because he’s a chuunibyou (delusive behavior where one thinks he has a superpower that nobody else has)

Makise Kurisu

She’s my favorite character in Steins;Gate. She’s a cute type of tsundere, and a genius! As I watched the series I always wished she would end up with Okabe because I think they have the chemistry. xD Whether they end up with each other or not, is for you to find out if you haven’t yet.

Mayushi Shiina

Mayushi is an adorable character to me… cute, kind, and all innocent. At some point in the anime, I thought I’ll be happy if Okabe ends up with Kurisu or Mayuri, but not with any other girl. 😆 I still liked Kurisu better for Okabe because I couldn’t feel any romantic chemistry between Okabe and Mayushi. They seem to be more like siblings to me than a couple.

Itaru “Daru” Hashida

Daru is a guy who makes a lot of perverted statements and says he’s not a pervert but a “gentleman pervert”. Setting that aside, I like his geeky character. I always adore people who are savvy in technology and programming so… Daru is also a likable character to me. 🙂

Moeka Kiryuu

Attractive but very weird, this girl is. 😆

“Faris”

I’m not saying the full name of Faris here to avoid spoilers. But I personally don’t like characters who act/speak like cats. In Rokka no Yuusha, I disliked how Hans would always add “meows” or “nyan” to his speech.

Suzuha Amane

Suzuha is someone I saw as just a carefree “part time warrior” but later on in the story as more details were revealed about her, I saw her as a cool, awesome girl. :3

Okay, that would be all for my thoughts on the Steins;Gate characters.

Ruka Urushibara

Cute, polite, very feminine… and might be more feminine than most women. But he’s a dude. 😆

I find it a little disturbing how someone who totally looks and acts like a girl is actually a boy! xD

Concluding this Steins;Gate anime review…

I’ll be honest. Every time I watched a Steins;Gate episode, I was about to fall asleep because I only watched after finishing my house chores in those times. xD So, maybe that’s why I don’t have much to say in this review.

The ending was a bit predictable, but still good.

I’ll definitely watch the movie “Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu” some time.

By the way, there was a 25th episode included in the copy I had. I think it’s a bonus/special episode. 😀 You’ll see Suzuha’s mother in that episode! 😉

Edit: Could this special episode be the one called “Steins;Gate: Oukoubakko no Poriomania” ?

Extra: What would you do if you can do a “time leap”?

In Steins;Gate, there’s a concept called “time leap” where you can leap back in time and still retain your memory.

What would you do if you can perform a time leap?

If you ask me, I would do a time leap after learning more about Android app development, which I’m trying to rush in the middle of a hectic schedule right now. xD I would tinker with codes for hours, then do a time leap and be at an earlier time of the day while preserving new things I learned… and do this over and over until I’m good enough to be called an “Android app developer”. 😆

Credits

I used character photos from MyAnimeList.

December 31, 2015
Rokka no Yuusha: Braves of the Six Flowers review

Rokka no Yuusha: Braves of the Six Flowers, as I type this, is the most recent anime series that I finished. When I watched the first episode, I thought it was a dull show about a typical adventure where heroes set out on a journey to defeat a demon. But the friend who gave me a copy of the Rokka no Yuusha episodes insisted that it was a good anime series, and so I tried to bear with it and watched a couple more episodes. And I did not regret doing so!

The mystery involved in this anime series was AWESOME, and I will leave it at that to avoid spoiling anyone in this Rokka no Yuusha review. :p

Plot in Rokka no Yuusha

When the Demon God awakes from the depths of darkness, the Goddess of Fate selects six heroes and bequeaths them with the power to save the world. Adlet, a boy who proclaims himself the strongest man in the world, has been selected among “The Heroes of the Six Flowers”. However, as the heroes gather, they soon begin to suspect that someone amongst them is an imposter. Source: MyAnimeList.net

Since I don’t think this is a spoiler, and I think that you actually need to know it: Rokka no Yuusha doesn not focus on the Braves’ journey and their battle against the demon god. I was hesitant to watch the show at first because that was what I thought, and I was wrong. 😆 The plot in this series of 12 episodes revolves around the mystery of who might be the impostor within the group.

Art style in Rokka no Yuusha

The art in Rokka no Yuusha wasn’t bad. I have nothing much to say, aside from my relief to find that the characters do not look too young for their age, unlike in the anime series I watched right before Rokka no Yuusha (Chaos Dragon).

Characters in Rokka no Yuusha

Adlet

Adlet is the main character of Rokka no Yuusha. He may be an overconfident fighter, calling himself the strongest man in the world, but you can learn something from him: that smiling can help you get through your hardships.

Nachetania

Nachetania Loei Piena Augustra is the crown princess of Piena. From beginning to end, I did not like this character. Her outfit looks silly — bunny ears plus a revealing outfit. She’s sometimes an easygoing girl, and sometimes seems to lose her mind then becomes a scary, bitchy Saint of Blades.

Goldov

Part of me dislikes Goldov for acting against someone because of his emotions, but can you really blame him? Jealousy is a strong emotion.

It’s easy to admire Goldov because of his loyalty to Nachetania and because of his strength in battle, though I’m in doubt if his outfit can really protect him from battles. 😆 He is clad in what seems to be heavy armor, but leaves his torso open in the front. Or am I missing any practical purpose for that opening in his torso?

Fremie

Another character in Rokka no Yuusha with what I would call a “silly outfit”, Fremie wears an attire that is somewhat similar with Goldov’s, with an exposed front of the torso and only a narrow strip of clothing across the chest. But I dislike the fact that Fremie’s “narrow strip of clothing across the chest” barely covers up her breasts.

Ignoring Fremie’s outfit which can be uncomfortable to look at, her personality can be likable once you hear her story.

Hans

Nyaa! …is something you’d often hear from Hans. It was so annoying at first, combined with his seemingly dark character. But I got used to it especially when I learned that he’s imitating cats as respect. He looks more like a rat than a cat though. 😆

Hans is intelligent, as shown when the Braves were trying to figure out who the impostor was.

Maura

Maura is the Saint of Mountain and can get scary sometimes.

At some point in Rokka no Yuusha, Maura was the most suspicious character to me because of how determined she was to kill another Brave.

Chamot

Chamot the Saint of the Swamp and is said to be one of the strongest fighters.

I think I hate Chamot more than Nachetania because this brat is really selfish and uncooperative without intervention from Maura. Ugh!

Images taken from CrunchyRoll.com
Okay, so, I think I dislike a lot of things about the characters, from the way they dress to the way they act. 😆

Do I recommend Rokka no Yuusha: Braves of the Six Flowers?

YES! Especially if you love the thrill from mystery, go ahead and watch Rokka no Yuusha.

Rokka no Yuusha Season 2?

There’s still no news as of now (Nov. 7, 2015) if there’s gonna be a season 2 for Rokka no Yuusha. Maybe it depends on the ratings/performance of this series. I do hope it gets season 2 though!

Makes me wonder… should they push through with Rokka no Yuusha season 2, will it finally focus on the battle with the demon? Or will it focus on another mystery before actually facing the demon? I think either way, it’s going to make us feel thrilled with another mystery! 🙂

November 9, 2015
Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Seneki review

As usual, I do my best not to drop spoilers as I myself hate those. But since my judgement is not flawless, please beware that I might mention potential minor spoilers here.

Thanks to having friends who like watching anime, I am once again an anime fan. 🙂 When I was in high school, I really loved anime, especially Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040. I was also obsessed about Final Fantasy X-2.

Chaos Dragon was one of the recent anime series that I watched. It wasn’t one of the best series to me, but I still liked it.

The story takes place in Huanli (the Year of Dazzling) 3015. Donatia and Kouran, two countries fighting for supremacy, are causing the world to be torn apart due to the constant war. Amidst the strife is the island country Nil Kamui, which has lost its independence. Red Dragon, the guardian god of Nil Kamui, goes out of control. Will the island country be able to regain its independence? (Source: MyAnimeList News)

Chaos dragon: The art

It was nice to glance at the art of Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Seneki, but upon inspection, I don’t like how the characters were drawn.

Personally, I don’t like it when anime characters are drawn like this. Look at Fugaku in the picture above. I don’t know his age, but he looks like a young boy when I think he’s supposed to be at least 18 years old, judging by his character and the depth of his voice.

Also notice how their eyes were drawn. There are straight lines and corners, and it bothers me.

Of course not everyone would care about the character art that much. A friend won’t even watch Kids on the Slope just because the character art wasn’t classic “cutesy” anime drawing. But I LOVED how Kids on the Slope characters were drawn! So, yeah, it comes from viewers’ personal tastes. 🙂

Chaos Dragon: Story

When I had watched up to a certain episode, I was wondering if all of Ibuki’s friends will die! Not telling you who kills who though. And it’s up to you to find out by watching Chaos Dragon. :p

It was nice how in every episode, they reminded us what’s going on with Nil Kamui, Donatia, and Kouran.

Chaos Dragon: Characters

I don’t recall any character development or any outstanding personality in Chaos Dragon. I guess it wasn’t a good anime in this aspect.

Would I recommend Chaos Dragon?

Hmmm.. Uh, maybe if you’re really bored, yes. Go ahead and watch it. 😆 I was in tears near the ending, so I guess it’s not that bad for an anime series.

Have you watched Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Seneki? What do you think of it?

October 28, 2015
Attack on Titan: Season 1, one of the best anime I watched so far

Attack on Titan is one of the recent anime series that I watched. I loved it! It was really refreshing for me because I had not watched any action-packed anime for a long time.

Update: We found a trailer for season 2 of Attack on Titan! Ugh, I can’t wait!

If you haven’t watched season 1 though, I suggest you watch all season 1 anime episodes first before watching the season 2 trailer. 🙂

Most of the anime series I watched prior to Attack on Titan were “slice of life” type with comedy and romance, the kind of anime that relieved my daily stress. The kind of anime that didn’t make me think a lot. Attack on Titan aroused my curiosity about many things in the anime series.

Then I realized that these anime series that I’ve been watching had began to bore me. So I opened the folder where my boyfriend transferred several anime series videos into. I chose to watch Shingeki no Kyojin, or “Attack on Titan” in English. I was told that this anime could get really addictive at around episode 15 when things get really interesting.

Titan drawing by Catzie

Just sharing a titan that I drew:

Attack on Titan drawing by Catzie. Quickly drawn on a sketch pad using a gel pen, and then edited in Photoshop to adjust brightness and contrast, and then filled the hair with translucent black.

Here’s a raw version of the drawing:

Attack on Titan drawing by Catzie, raw.

This might have been my first time drawing a male character, especially one that looks like a monster. Over 10 years ago, I was so addicted to drawing and most of what I drew were pretty anime girls. I didn’t feel like drawing male anime characters. Until now. xD I guess people always change.

Something to think about from Attack on Titan

“People who can’t throw something important away can never hope to change anything.” – Armin Arlert

The quote above is something that Armin Arlert said in one of the last episodes of Attach on Titan. This somehow inspires me, being someone who desires many changes in life.

What I liked about Attack on Titan

The 3D Maneuver Gears are so cool! I hope there’s a theme park or studio that features 3D Maneuver Gears that fans can try on. That would be a great experience, right? It would also be really great if there were titans you can control from the back of the neck — you’ll get what I mean when you watch the anime. 😉

If you watch the anime, you would see how hard humanity struggle to regain freedom from their predators – the titans. You’d see how much the characters had to sacrifice for their goals. And this brings back that quote from Armin in my head: People who can’t throw something important away can never hope to change anything.

In a certain scene with that female titan, when they were about to find out the identity… oh dear, I can’t remember any anime with a scene that made my heart beat that fast! Kudos to the production team of Attack on Titan anime. :3

I liked how strong Eren’s will is. He sometimes seems to become really scary when he says he’ll exterminate the titans, but I can relate to him. After all, the titans have taken away so many lives around him, including that of his beloved mother.

Mikasa who’s always there for Eren is another character that I liked. I admire how she’s devoted to Eren who she calls her “family”, well, her last remaining family. She’s also a very skilled soldier — I like it when a girl is tough. Sometimes I feel bad for her when Eren kind of turns away from her. I hope they end up together someday. Tee-hee.

I can’t say I like Armin as much as I like Eren and Mikasa, but I do admire the way he thinks. His body may not be strong, but his mind is. Armin helped the military survive many times, thanks to his brilliant mind.

The character development on Jean Kirstein. It was nice how the anime showed us his internal struggle.

What I hope for in Attack on Titan season 2

Like I said, I hope Mikasa and Eren end up together. :3

I hope to find out more about Eren’s dad. Where the heck is he all this time? Is he involved with titans? Is he actually a villain?

I want to find out exactly how the titans came into the earth. How do they reproduce?

Attach on Titan is getting season 2 in 2016! This gives me 3 very exciting things to wait for in 2016: Attack on Titans season 2, the next season of Game of Thrones, and someone I’m hoping to come home from Japan! 😀

Attack on Titan movie trailer

Every person I talk about the live action movie of Attack on Titan with, says that it’s a horrible one! A friend said that the story deviated from what was in the anime.

I checked the trailer, and I didn’t like the way things looked. The setup didn’t look realistic to me. All I liked were the acting of Hanji (going nuts as usual), as well as how cool the titan on my drawing looked even in the movie. 🙂

See for yourself:

October 3, 2015