The struggle is real. You know what else is real? LOVE: Sakura Trick

We feel for you. Really. Now get back to work.

RIGHT after the end of a hiatus and you know what happens? EVERYTHING. Everything happens. It's fine. I won't cry. Among a myriad of other struggles, one rose above all else. I am met with the crisis of reviewing not one, but two of my favorite anime of all time! So then, what is the issue? Well......






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No.

You know, with Valentines day right on the horizon, what better thing to talk about than love? Two girls, to be specific. ~CONTENT WARNING:~ this anime is about two girls! Kissing specifically. Ah forbidden fruit... For me, all fruit is forbidden. Huh? No I am not allergic. I just prefer spaghetti. I guess it is also about friendship, but let's not pretend that is why you're watching it. Also flower petals or something.



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Sakura Trick

Episodes: 12

 Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

 Tags: Slice of Life, Comedy,
Romance, School, Seinen, Shoujo Ai









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 This is the part where normally we discuss the plot, but...well..alright lets give this a go. This anime centers around Takayama Haruka and Sonoda Yuu; two girls who met in junior high and quickly became best friends. When they both move on to high school, (A high school that will close down after the girls finish school there, if you care.) Yuu quickly makes more friends, making Haruka jealous. When she goes to Yuu with this, Yuu suggests they do something to strengthen their bond. Something no other two girls would ever do. Haruka suggests.................................................................

Whaaaaaaaaaaat.

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Just in it for the review? Click here!

Anyways, lets get right into this and talk about the girls huh?

Wonder what she is thinking about...

Takayama, Haruka (Protagonist)
--------------------------------------------------

 Haruka is a very sweet girl though deeply affected by the curse of jealousy. She is a very decent cook, and is always happy when she sees other female couples. She is very in love with Yuu and is proud to show it, having no sense of censorship regarding the matter. She is also quite smart and is happy to provide assistant whenever it is needed [for a price]. For all of her talents, she seems to be quite terrible at art.

"I don't."

Sonoda Yuu (Cotagonist)
----------------------------------------------

A little more on the childish side, with a height to match, Yuu is nonetheless a very cute (sometimes so much it hurts) character. She really, really loves matcha (green tea powder) flavored things. Though she is not the smartest girl, she is very sweet and friendly and is always able to make friends much more quickly than Haruka. Perhaps a little more Tsundere  than her counterpart, Yuu is very shy about her relationship with Haruka and sometimes seems a little annoyed at her lack of restraint and constant desire to kiss. Throughout she does warm up, however.


There may be other girls...other romances...but I don't kiss and tell.

"Is he talking about us?" Nahhhh...

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Plot - 3/10

Alright, lets be real for a minute here. This is an anime about kissing. The theme is kissing. The intro is kissing. The plot is kissing. There is a little bit of character development but I mean.. the story just...it's not there; But then, That isn't why you are watching this and you know it.

Sound/Music - 8/10

Right out the gate you will be treated to some bwipp noises, a dog barking in the background...and a very pretty song played on the piano to set the mood. It seems kind of strange really, but I feel like the sounds and music accompanying this anime mesh really well in a sort of....you know what you're getting sort of way. I mean the intro is literally called "Won(*chu*) Kissme", c'mon (chu is the Japanese "sound" for kissing). I freaking love that intro, its catchy guys, seriously. Don't bother trying to find it on Youtube though because it's all nightcore covers. Nobody wants that.

Bonus points for the intro song being sung by the cast. I love when they do that.

Voices (Dubbed) - ~ No dub, likely ever.

 Voices (Subbed) - 6.5/10

So so. The voices chosen per character do seem right, but this isn't the sort of anime where they are really given any opportunity to shine in any spectacular way. How can you talk when you're busy making out, you know?

Art - 6/10

This is another anime that is really stylistic with its art. Though it is rather pretty a lot of the time, with a lot of very bright colors to again set the mood, and characters represented by fruit and flowers. "...What?" Shhhhh....fruit and flowers. The characters are quite cute and well drawn as well, however I don't suspect people would describe the art as anything other than "decent".

Awful lot of kissing pictures...

Characters - 5/10

I find each and every character likable in their own way, however there isn't any remarkable amount of character development, and not a lot changes other than a sort of acceptance that falls over a few of the characters. There are definitely tender moments, but it isn't anything terribly special.


Overall - 5.7/10

Soup, this is a rather low score, don't you think? Well...no. Let me get this out of this way. I like this anime; no, I love this anime, it is one of my absolute favorites, but that does not make it good. So why do I like it? Well, because it is REALLY...FREAKING...CUTE. Not a lot really happens throughout the story, its just moment after moment of just soul exploding cuteness, and for some people, that is what they want. People like me. I came here for the kissing, the romance, and the cute. That is what I got, along with a few decent laughs, but did we really expect anything more? Despite the score, I recommend you give this a watch if your soul can take it.

Wait. This is where you chose not to put a kissing picture? "BUT LOOK HOW CUTE"

Kissing scenes 10/10

We came here for the shoujo-ai. We got it ladies and gentlemen. We got it.









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The anime:
Sakura Trick (adblock off for this site folks, they are touchy about that crap)





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Oh no. Please.

Thanks to the various souls this anime has crushed under its tiny little loafers.

The Dango (Hiatus) Obliterator: CLANNAD

A lot of things can happen in a person's life. You go full force breakneck into a project one day, and the next you just kind of lose that spark of inspiration that kept you pushing on towards that crazy dream of yours. For the some of us, that is it, and the tale ends there, but for others, a new spark is all it takes to light that flame anew, brighter than before. Yes everyone, Otaku Soup is back in full hd, with lots of big plans, and hopefully even a team to help move things along a little more smooth like. The team will also have some openings which will be posted in a new jobs section here when I am able to get around to it;

There will also be some small format changes but nothing heartbreaking probably. ~

Stay tuned!
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What, you thought this was a joke??

Dango. Dumplings by day, central reoccurring theme to an anime by anime day. Sure, there is supposedly a whole lot more to this anime than dango, but damn it I swear that Dango Daikazoku should have at least some support credits or something! You may wonder what it is I am talking about, as I often do myself. Dango Daikazoku, or Big Dango family of course. Merchandise and a TV show based around food? WE CERTAINLY HAVE NOTHING LIKE THAT AROUND HERE. Huh? No. I don't know what Shopkins are. Get out.
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CLANNAD

Episodes: 23, 1 Special (CLANNAD) || 24, 1 Special (CLANNAD: After Story)  1 Movie

Age Rating: Teen 13+

Tags: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Slice of Life, Supernatural

wait... supernatural..?

.......Oh..

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Do you like this school?

CLANNAD, and of course CLANNAD: After Story centers around a boy, Okazaki Tomoya, A boy labeled as a delinquent, his general distaste for life, and his drug fueled descent into tattoos and decaffeinated coffee. Hm? That isn't delinquency?  Okay. Fine. Some of the above IS true though. Mainly the part about him being a delinquent. In his case, it's less about hardcore crack cocaine and more about missing school a lot cause ugh, learning. His general distaste for life is also real. He for the most part just finds everything tedious and dreary because for him, up until now, it has been.

As I said before, However, a small spark is all it takes to light a giant flame. For Tomoya, that spark is Furukawa Nagisa. An adorable girl with a strange obsession, some serious self esteem issues, and just..the most ridiculous level of adorableness ever. In this anime we explore the relationship and lives of these two teenagers, and subsequent growth into adults. It is a long, long ride, but well worth it in the end.


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How many members are there in this Dango Daikazoku? A lot. A lot of members. So lets focus on the protagonists this time, shall we?

D'aww

Furukawa Nagisa



(Lead Support)
----------------------


Traditionally speaking, the typical lead support is an almost perfect character, with perhaps what would be looked at as minor flaws. In Nagisa's case, well.. not so much. She is shy, awkward, has a strange obsession with Dango Daikazoku and lacks any kind of self confidence. She is also quite frail, limiting any and all physical abilities. She also has the rather strange habit of whispering the name of a food she plans to eat later to motivate herself, kind of like a sort of reward for overcoming whatever may be troubling her at the time.

All of that aside, she is extremely cute and sweet, and wouldn't hesitate to help anyone in need, even if she had to sacrifice to do so.

On top of all of this, Nagisa was afflicted with a mysterious illness at a young age, and often times will fall ill for months at a time. As a result of this, she is required to repeat a grade in high school, leading to a fateful meeting with our protagonist.

Pictured: Depth

  Okazaki Tomoya

  (Protagonist)
  --------------------------
Ah, where to even begin. Tomoya is on the surface, a rather simple, underdeveloped character. He is your typical delinquent with a troubled past and daddy issues ala unfortunate child abuse.  Except that it is far from that simple. Upon the death of his mother, his father is forced to raise him alone, work insane hours, and often suffer the consequences just to get by. Constantly striving to give his son a good life, he failed to be the one thing Tomoya needed, a parent. Giving in to alcoholism, Tomoya's father became disinterested in life, and as a result, they would often fight, until the point in which Tomoya lost all faith in his father. Growing up, Tomoya was very active, taking an interest in basketball, and quickly becoming one of the best players on his team. One day, the strain on his relationship with his father reached its breaking point, and during an argument, Tomoya suffered a severe injury, losing the ability to raise his right arm past his shoulder, thus ending his basketball career for good. With his main interest gone, his interest in schooling went with it, and thus, he became a delinquent, often skipping class to hang out with his close friend Youhei. Despite all of this, and a rather mischievous nature, his kindness mirrors that of Nagisa, and he can seldom ignore a person in need.

This is not a food anime.

This Dango Daikazoku is waaaay too big to get too into, so join the family and discover the rest by yourself!
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Plot - 9/10

This anime, in my not so expert opinion borders on perfect. The plot is absolutely beautiful, well crafted, and emotional. It is an absolute roller coaster of feels. Just when you finish a character arc (there are a lot) and you just finished crying or whatever it is you do when faced with heart wrenching sadness, it launches right into another one, and you get to go on the ride all over again. Over the course of this Tomoya's relationships with all of his friends and of course, Nagisa grows, and it is a beautiful experience. The only reason I couldn't give this a 10 is because the ending is one hell of a cop out. To tell you the truth, I loved the ending. Even still, however, I can recognize serious bs when I see it. To say nothing of the girl in the illusionary world... ugh

Sound - 10/10


AHHH!!! I FINALLY GET TO TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC!!!






Okay, So the song "Dango Daikazoku" comes to mind. Real quick, a story. I was at work, doing my thing, not thinking about anything really, just listening to music, cleaning up, the usual. This song comes on, and I freeze. I freeze and everything from CLANNAD comes back in a storm of feels. My heart skips a beat and I just...choke a little bit. This song seems a little silly, a little trivial, but I said before, Dango Daikazoku has a huge role in this anime. It is Nagisa's obsession, she sings this song, this song is the outro, and when this song comes on, it draws so much emotion, and once you know what this song means....hearing it will make you freeze up too (unless you are a heartless monster). I have heard a lot of epic and beautiful songs, but this song....well, it's special. Honestly though...it's not just that song, all of the music fits right where it needs to, and it's just freaking perfect.

The sound is pretty standard beyond the music. I mean, it's good, but that song though!

Voices (Dubbed) - 8.5/10

The dubs in this anime are pretty good. If you are a fan of dubs I feel like you will definately enjoy this version of the anime. My only real complaints here are some minor pronunciation quirks (as per usual) and the way Nagisa (Christian Lucy) sings Dango Daikazoku really just kinda sucks (imo). Beyond that, the voices match the characters quite well and the cast for the dub is quite talented.  Everyone's emotions are...or well, FEEL, real. For a dub, it seems like that is especially rare.


It should be noted that even though I hate how the song sounds in English, Nagisa's voice dubbed is really rather adorable. ^-^



Voices (Subbed) - 10/10

This time the subs just barely edge out the dubs, everything matches up just like a brand new jigsaw puzzle, and it is a beautiful thing. I don't know what else to say.. Even more so than the dub, which did a great job, the emotions expressed by the cast felt absolutely real. I felt convinced that everything they went through was really being gone through. I felt captivated by every speech, every story, and every conversation.

Art - 10/10

Where do I even begin? CLANNAD makes the art part of the story in a way that you seldom see in anime today. Nagisa brings color to the otherwise dreary world Tomoya lives in, and we see it. The backdrop is often times faded, but still very alive. The colors always directly reflect the mood of the current setting, and sometimes the backdrop even looks almost...painted, rather than drawn.



 Then we get to the illusionary world and the art style completely changes to some kind of pseudo 3d, which I thought was pretty cool. (Between wondering what the hell the illusionary world was, that is.)









Characters - 10/10

Now, in anime, character arcs tend to be pretty hit or miss. If you screw up and overdo it, you can ruin an anime with enough filler to turn away even a die hard fan. (Looking at you, history of the leaf.) Other times, when done right, it can fully flesh out a story and make it beautiful. In CLANNAD, every single character has an arc, and they are all done really well. (I think because this was originally a visual novel?) It has harem elements, but for once it doesn't matter. Though most characters do like Tomoya, they have lives outside of him, they have pasts, some with him, some not with him. Their lives go beyond that of just wanting to marry the protagonist and this just makes  them all come alive and feel much, much more real to me.










Overall - 9/10


And then...we bring it all together. The anime opens and it is bleak, borderline sad. Tomoya speaks about how boring life is, his voice melancholic. The muted colors and music pointing to a lifeless, sad world. Then, on the hill leading to their school, Tomoya sets his eyes on a strange girl, Nagisa, and when they meet, we get the explosion of color, the character dynamics, the music, voices, and that beautiful art all blend together all at once and it is one of my favorite scenes in anime. From the emotions to the humor, to the deep characters and beautiful story, I would recommend Clannad to anyone. Just....bring a box of tissues.





The Movie - 0/10 Normally I reserve this section to pretend I am funny. Not so this time. Take all of the things I just said, and defecate all over them, and you have the movie. Character arcs? Nope, Great voices? Nope. (VA swaps, NOOOO). They even ruin everyone's fantastic personalities, because why not. The movie retells the same story, again, except with minor changes. Missing support characters, some only showing up in cameo form. This is a bland, terrible retelling, and the only reason to watch it is to VISUALLY see what happens to Tomoya's shoulder. They even butcher Dango Daikazoku with a new version that I hate. Jerks.

Spoiler alert from movie for those that don't want to watch it :

Click to Skip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yaaaay!

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 The Anime:

CLANNAD

CLANNAD: After Story

 No, You don't get a link to the movie. Find it yourself.
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I need to go wipe my eyes but totally not because I am crying. BYE T_T

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Thanks to Ashley C. Who truly understands how to CLANNAD feels.

Tales of Phantasia: Not the game!

Ah, Tales of Phantasia, few games ring that nostalgic bell quite like this one...the game lives on in the hearts of eve........oh what am I doing, you all know about this anime already. BUT NONETHELESS.


WHAT IF a story as grand as ToP could be an anime!? WELL IT IS, GOT IT!? Now your turn, pretend you are excited and that this is news. Just...give me this one, okay?

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Eheheh...haha.....ANYWAYS.

If I could travel through time, would I spend all of my time trying to be a hero? Would I valiantly battle the evil time wizard and be known for just being awesome all the time? Probably not, I think I would use time travel more efficiently. SUPERSIZE THAT MEAL OTAKU SOUP, IT WON'T BE AROUND FOREVER!! I imagine myself saying. So you can imagine that fast food is the only reason I am not a time hero. Yup, that must be it.
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Tales of Phantasia: The Animation

Episodes: 4

Age Rating: Teen 13+ (mild violence)

Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
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HERO TIME!!! Time hero. Same difference.

Tales of Phantasia tells the story of a group of five heroes (and Suzu I guess), and their epic, valiant battle with the mighty demon king Dhaos. Our protagonist and co must travel back and forth through time, gathering everyone, and everything necessary to thwart this threat to humanity. Why are they doing that you ask? Well because he is bad and stuff, right? Well THAT... is for you to decide.
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Who are these brave warriors who will combat this apparent evil, you ask?

I am concerned by the lack of blood on this sword.

Cress Albane/Cless Alvein (Protagonist)

Likes: Mint, protecting others

Dislikes: When people are upset

Skills/Hobbies: Swords

Misc: His first sword is really...interesting.


Cless as I have chosen to call him is a bit of an..uninteresting character. On one hand he is your typical hero, stalwart, defend everyone, save the world, knight's armor, "warrior class" the whole 9 yards, but I dunno, the anime just kind of made him seem...weak. He relies very heavily on the assistance of his team, and you know, that is fine, but at the same time, I have a really hard time buying that he is the hero. Yeah, he can use a sword, and use it well, but compared to some of the other characters, I just wasn't impressed. On the upside, that does add realism to his character, except that they don't treat him as kind of weak, he is, well... the hero.

Don't stare at me please..

Mint Adenade / Minto Adoneedo (Adnade)

Likes: Peace, helping people, Cless

Dislikes: Seeing others in pain / distress

Skills/Hobbies: Healing

Misc: Doesn't get more good guy-ey than Mint!

If Cless is the warrior, then mint is certainly without question the gentle priest/cleric that stands forever at his side, ensuring that he never dies...at least not for realsies. Mint has been through a lot but still holds her head high, ever honing her healing abilities, because harming anything would be horrible in her eyes. She is about as sweet as a good guy can be, and above everything else, just wants everyone to get through this whole ordeal safe and sound (except Chester, it seems, since she never heals him for some reason). Nurse!

Oooooooh...Can we have some fun now!?

Aache Kurain / Arche Klein

Likes: Mischief, flying, a challenge, boys,  

Dislikes: Discrimination, easy fights

Skills/Hobbies: Magician

Misc: She's a pervert. I am pretty sure of it.

Arche is a half elf, which is regarded in the anime as a human that can use magic. OH NO! In ToP this is for some reason an issue as they are not accepted too graciously by either humans, or elves. Arche must sadly deal with this discrimination throughout her life even though she has done the world so much good that she is considered a legendary hero. Despite this she is always in high spirits, mischievous, playful, and fun to be around. Arche is an incredible magician and can use a vast array of spells to lay waste to pretty much everything, including the ever amazing INDIGNATION!!! Oh, right, and she shows signs of attraction to all the male main characters. Don't worry Arche, you will find love someday!

Yo.

Claus F. Lester / Klarth F. Lester

Likes: Books, Summoning things, learning

Dislikes: Being lied to by a pretty face

Skills/Hobbies: Reading, teaching.

Misc: I suspect he might be clumsy.


Klarth is the sort of person who is wise beyond his years. Spending all of his time either studying or teaching has honed his mind to be far, far sharper than his age would indicate. Overall he is a very calm, very patient person, and wields unreal power in the form of summoning. Though powerful, his summons do however take a lot of time to prepare, so if he is left unprotected, he is basically useless. Luckily with a group like his, this isn't an issue, and he is well protected while he summons a very, very large amount of badassery to smite anyone who poses any kind of threat. He also sports that hat of his like a beast.


Aselia is a pretty big place, especially when you factor in time travel. So if you want to meet the rest of the incredible people there, you will need to take a trip!

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Plot - 6.5/10

Okay, right out of the gate, I get what this anime is trying to do. It can really only be one of two things. A little gift for the people that have already played the game, or a sort of....go play this game sort of deal. The plot is really, really good, don't get me wrong, but the anime leaves out a LOT of stuff that is in the game, and though I was lucky enough to have someone I could consult about the intricacies of the game, there were still a lot of questions left at the end. I mean a lot. The ending was pretty awesome, but felt rushed at the same time, and it just left me hating the fact that I never beat the game as a kid. I mean seriously. I wouldn't even recommend you watch this unless you have played the game to SOME extent before.


Sound - 7/10

Okay, for one thing, this anime will forever be known as the one that made me have to change my music section to "sound" The music was good. I enjoyed it quite a bit and from what I remember, it was pretty faithful to the game... However, it did not really make me feel anything, and I consider that a fail overall, no matter HOW pleasant it was to the ears. Still though, some of it WAS pretty awesome. The sound, ugh, I had issues with it. Three sounds in particular just hit my ears wrong. The bow draw fire twangy noise, the enemy stabbing noise, and for the holy love of hell, the sword unsheathing. I don't recommend any sheath that sounds like it is made out of cloth, not to anyone.


Voices (Dubbed) - 5.5/10

Okay, already have an issue here. Hearing mint talk just grated on my ears in such a way that I was tempted to end the episode early. Cless did a little better, but his voice was kind of...he didn't put enough into it. When he did, he came across as well, not a hero. I know I said he was weak, but you didn't need to drive that point home like that. He kinda does that on his own, he didn't need the help. Klarth, Arche, Dhaos, Mars, Chester were all voiced....okay. I didn't really hate their voices, and I think Klarth and Chester were actually pretty well done, but still. I also hated that the English dub straight up changed the personality of some of the characters as well. *cough* (Arche)


Voices (Subbed) - 8/10

Luckily, what in English made me cringe, had me on the edge of my seat in Japanese. Though not the BEST subbed voices I have ever heard, I have to admit that I found Mint and Arche's voices to be adorable, Cless to be suitable to the character, and Klarth to be sufficiently awesome. Put everything into the voices, and you can bring an entire world to life.

Art - 7/10

Well, the art was...The best example of hit and miss every, really. On one hand, the character designs and spell designs were top notch. I was impressed by the energy that went into all of the summons, the summoning circles, the spell circles, and the spells themselves, and the characters were brilliantly brought to life. The enemies in the anime were...well to be blunt, there just wasn't enough variety. The backdrop and the world also seemed a little lazily done, often opting for hazy shots, long periods of flashing spell lights, etc. the end result was a world that, even though you know in your heart it is pretty big, felt a little bit small and undefined.



Characters - 7/10

Well, the bottom line here is, I love the characters, I wanted to spend a LOT more time getting to know more about them, but well, time passed too quick, and you really didn't get a detailed look at anyone in any kind of profound way. This was a shame. Once again, they want you playing that game. At the same time, you just kind of know that depth is there, and that's why you WANT to play the game, to learn more, and know more about these characters that in such a short period you suddenly grow to love.

Overall - 7.1/10

Now, overall as you can see this anime got a pretty average rating, but don't get me wrong here, it was incredible... If you have already played the games. If you haven't you are probably going to hate it. The last thing people want is to end an anime going "Huh?" The sad truth is, you probably will if you don't know the story behind the games. I sort of hate that they went this route, but I get it at the same time. For those of you who have already played it though? This re-imagining of the story through the scope of an anime is a wonderful treat to add to an already incredible series. Go play the game, then come back and watch this one.

Mystek Cannon power:  Too much, tone it down, guy.
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The anime:

Tales of Phantasia: The Animation
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Awesome picture in lieu of clever joke.

I was trying really hard to think of something clever to say, but Arche and Klarth insisted that I have already done quite enough damage, so tail between my legs, I will slink back to my little corners of the internet. Don't you worry. I am everywhere.

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Thanks to Gogotaku who would agree that you should never chant indignation at a police officer. Next time summon sylph, they could probably get you off the hook.

We are back!!! Update, Plans, Hiyokoi!

I bet you thought this blog was dead. Huh. WELL YOU ARE WRONG


The holidays are done, the procrastination is done, and now that the dust has settled, it's time for.... an update!


1. A close friend and I have started a Youtube channel, (Anime/Games) WOW! Link will be at the bottom of the page

Why is that news? I know It seems like alllllll we do is let's plays! Well that is going to change, because now my reviews will be available in a video format as well! Of course the videos will be a wee bit different from what you might see here, but that is because I am a strange fellow. That being said, everything I have reviewed on the site is also going to retroactively have a video made of it. On that note, one is actually done! Out of the gate, but I now have a writing and recording schedule which should help improve both how frequently I update for you guys over here, and for you guys over there as well.

And our first ever anime review issss....

MM! ~ The review!
--
2. Not doing challenge accepted anymore, tut tut, that isn't to say I am not gonna watch horrible, random, insane, chaos having, brain melting anime, just that the standard sequence will no longer be a factor, it will just come as it comes, since I do not back out of an anime when I watch it.

--
3. Site changes:

a. The image board that nobody new existed now no longer exists, it simply wasn't necessary.

b. Same for the chat box

c. I added a forum to the site, discuss anime, make suggestions, do other things, it is neatly embedded on the page when you smartly click "forums!" or whatever the crap I titled that button

d. Probably some other stuff I forgot. If you have any suggestions email me at animeslashgames@gmail.com or discover2d@gmail.com or leave a comment in the forums!


BUT, WE HAVE MORE ANIME TO REVIEW, ENOUGH JIBBER JABBER!! HERE WE GO!!!


E/N: **FIGHTING FOODONS IS NOT AN ANIME, GOGOTAKU**


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When I was younger, I always felt like I was pretty shy. I didn't really like the idea of going to school, or being around people, but then again.. I never..

That's a locker.

Okay, So she is shy. Is that the theme of an entire anime? Yes.


A THEME I IDENTIFY WITH BECAUSE I AM ALSO SHY, OKAY!?

though to be fair I don't suppose I could pull off the skirt with a blazer and whatever the hell kind of shoes those are look..


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 Hiyokoi

Episodes: 1, 3 mini specials

**WHAT ARE YOU SERIOUS!?** Yes. Don't bother looking for more, it doesn't exist.

Age rating: Teen 13+ (for some reason)

Scaaaary...

Tags: School, Slice of life, Shoujo



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 Hiyokoi centers around a young girl who is absolutely the shyest, most adorable person in the world.

Teen 13+ ?

Following a severe accident, she is not able to attend her first year of high school late into the year. Being as scared as she is of people and social situations in general, returning for her is a nightmare. During her terrified attempt to greet her class properly, a strange boy enters the classroom late, rudely interrupting her introduction. The worst part? She sits right next to him.

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And class 1-4 sure is an interesting group of kids!

Shhh... She knows you are staring.

Nishiyama Hiyori (Protagonist), Hiyo-rin, Hiyo

Likes: Ritsuka, Hiding, Hiyoko ('chicks' baby chickens..not girls)

Dislikes: Social situations, rudeness, self introductions,getting measurements taken

Skills/Hobbies: Studying.

Misc: She is 140cm tall. Also has a little hiyoko (baby chick) on her head sometimes (not real), I think her animal avatar. Its name is Piyo-chan, but I don't think this is addressed in the anime.

Hiyori is teeny tiny, you know, like..a baby..chick... and that's sort of her thing.  Unfortunately being as small as she is, she is often the recipient of unwanted attention. If I had to guess, it's not that she really dislikes people, she wants to not be as shy as she is, but that is a pretty big hurdle to jump, especially when you aren't even 5 feet tall. She has her eyes set on Yuushin, and strives to both be like him, and maybe some day, even be with him. I guess that sort of spoils the mysterious plot summary huh?

Yay Hiyori! YAY!!! YAAAY!!! YAY!!! yay.

Nakano Ritsuka, Ric-chan, Ri-chan,

Likes: Hiyori, bunnies

Dislikes: Do not mess with Hiyori, I'm serious. She will murder you.

Skills/Hobbies: Archery, Cooking

Misc: In the manga, she is in love with someone.




Ritsuka is a headstrong sort of character who above any and everything is Hiyori's best friend, and has been since kindergarten. She cares for her more than anyone, and would sacrifice anything to see that her friend is happy. She also tends to cry like a parent at Hiyori's successes, and cheers her on the whole way when she tries to overcome an obstacle. It is very seldom she puts herself first.

If you smile, good things will surely happen.
Hirose Yuushin

Hirose Yuushin

Likes: People, sleep, food, skipping class

Dislikes: None covered in the anime really, but here are some things from the manga: Dating (at first) people who are mean to Hiyori, people talking about his relationship with an old friend.

Skills/Hobbies: Very charismatic. Skipping class.

Misc: Most certainly not a mecha-otaku, 190cm

Yuushin is the polar opposite of Hiyori, because of course he is. Standing at 190cm, he is a giant. He is also extremely social, on a first name basis with almost everyone, forgoing standard "use the last name" rules that Japan usually has. Everyone in turn refers to him by his first name (with the exception of Hiyori, who refers to him as Hirose-kun. He is also one of the nicest people Hiyori meets, even though initially seen as rude. He just wants to laugh and smile, and in turn, for the world to do the same.


There are plenty more friends to meet in class 1-4, but you need to watch the anime to meet the rest of them. C'mon, don't be lazy, it doesn't get much shorter than one episode and three mini episodes.
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 Plot: 3/10

Well, here is the the thing. With one episode, and 3 specials, there just isn't enough time to really develop one, they let it go long enough for you to get the idea, but that's about it. The anime and specials are really mainly there to get you to read the manga, which you should if you like shoujo, because really, its awesome and adorable

Music: 6/10

Well, it does what it is supposed to do, but really that is about it, rather unremarkable overall.

Voices (Subbed): 10/10

Nailed it. I find it funny because Taketatsu, Ayana is the person who voiced Hiyorin, and she was also the voice of Mio in MM! and her shrill voice was the cause of a slight nick in the rating for that voice over section, despite being most of the perfection in this one. For this anime I read the manga first, and as such I was ready to be highly critical of the voices, but they were simply perfect. Everyone was perfect, and sounded exactly as I imagined them. I also have to hand it to the actors and actresses in the three special episodes, as they sounded extremely similar to the ones from the single episode anime version, though I can't help but wonder why they didn't just use the same people.

Art: 8/10

Because shiny.

The art style for this anime was pretty adorable and certainly faithful to the manga, there were a few artistic choices I would have changed. The character and scenario art was very vibrant, and in some cases that simply worked, other times I felt like things were maybe just a little TOO bright, but at times that just worked.
overall, I was impressed.




Characters: 8.5/10

Internal dilemma!!! The characters themselves would normally get an easy 10, I love them. I love everything about them. The issue is that again, with such a short time to get a story across, you don't really get to know the characters the way you do in the manga.

Overall: 7.1/10

Well, it is rare that I compare an anime to its manga counterpart. There is a reason for this, its because I fully understand that when there is an anime adaptation to a manga, it's going to have differences, and that is to be expected. In this case, the adaptation was meant to exactly follow the manga, and well, it did. The first chapter that is. The specials cover a lot further into the story, summing it up to the fireworks festival in about 5 minutes. All in all its nice to see them bring life into something I love, but its simply too short. If you don't read the manga, you will be left with nothing but questions. That right there is the issue, I feel that the anime and specials exist for the sole purpose of selling the manga, which I get because it is really, really great, but still. Make the rest of the story an anime already.

Adorability: 43122dacx@#!/~!@###Ax

My meter broke
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The anime:

Hiyokoi (The single episode)

Hiyokoi specials (1, 2, and 3 all in one video)

Normally I don't do this but you knew this was coming, the manga: Hiyokoi (Manga)

Heads up, the manga isn't fully subbed yet, but it is still worth your time
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Don't look here. I am not right here.

-Looks around frantically- Well crap. Hiyori is missing again. I suppose I should go look for her, knowing that girl she is probably in some cupboard somewhere, I will go look, you check these places:






Anime/Games on Youtube (Still us, I swear)

Otaku Soup on Twitter

Otaku Soup on Tumblr

Otaku Soup on Facebook


Thanks to Ashley, who would happily take Piyo-chan's place on Hiyori's head if she could. So would I Ashley, so would I.

Huh!? nonononononononono

The Clothes Make the Man (Crazy) Challenge Accepted: Kill la Kill

I often find myself thinking, 'Man, if my clothes would just give me superpowers, my pants wouldn't be sitting in the corner right now. So let's imagine it. (Superpowers, not me without pants.) There is a school in which you are provided uniforms based on your performance in your field of specialty, Tennis? Got ya covered. Gardening? Yup! Sewing? You bet! These uniforms come in varying ranks from one to three, and provide you powers that are themed around said specialty. The catch? If you suck at things you are a no star, and you get NOTHING. So try not to die.

Oh, and remember not to become a slave to fashion, kids.

My Uniform Spec? Repelling Women.

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Kill la Kill

Episodes: 24, 1 special episode

Age Rating: Everyone (Blood, Ecchi)


 

Wait...

What...?

Seriously. Who rates this stuff?

Tags: Action, School

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Did you say Goku?

Of course, the place hinted at above exists. Honnōji Academy is a school in which goku uniforms are produced and worn by skilled club members (1 star) club presidents (2 star) and the elite 4 (3 star) and are granted when the wearer has demonstrated the skill to actually use them properly. Our protagonist, the wandering guitar case transfer student heads to the academy in search of her father's killer. When she arrives, she learns that it wont be so easy to get the answers she seeks.

The transfer student must make her way to the top of the food chain if she is ever to have any hope. The problem? She doesn't even have a goku uniform.

Just in it for the review? Click Here!

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Honnōji Academy and the surrounding Honnō City sure do keep some strange people...

What an oddly shaped guitar.

Matoi Ryuko (Protagonist)

Likes: Mako, fighting, revenge

Dislikes: Skimpy clothing, peeping toms, being alone

Skills/Hobbies: Fighting

Misc:Wait till you see what's in her guitar case

Ryuko appears to be a standard "punkish" delinquent. She dresses in a manner that kind of screams "I can kick your ass" and well, she certainly could. She is quite fixated on finding out who her father's killer is, and is very passionate about her quest for revenge. Despite all this, Ryuko proves time and time again that she is a very good, very loyal friend, and despite the fact that she gets heated at times, values those friends more than anything in the world. Especially her best friend;

   

I would clone myself to eat more cheese too.

Mankanshoku Mako

Likes: Sleeping, mystery croquettes, cheese, Ryuko

Dislikes: Stealing, hurting people

Skills/Hobbies: Eating quickly then falling asleep. Inspirational speeches.

Misc: Mako takes bubbly to a new level, and is always uplifting and energetic. It just makes you wanna smile.

Are these even food?

Mako liked Ryuko from the first time they met. She immediately and energetically requested they sit next to each other when she learned they would be in the same class, and from there they became fast friends. She is always there with a smile and mystery croquettes to snap Ryuko out of her bad moods. She is also somehow both very intelligent, and yet very stupid at the same time. You think she is crazy? Wait till you meet her family.. What? Now? Okay, I guess. There is a first time for everything.

An appetite. For justice.

Mankanshoku Family; (Quite the appetite)

Barazo (Father)
Sukuyo (Mother)
Mataro (Brother)
Guts (Dog)

Likes: Mystery croquettes, perving out on Ryuko, having gratuitous amounts of energy, other foods

Dislikes: Any harm coming to the family

Skills/Hobbies: Doctoring? (Barazo), Cooking? (Sukuyo),  Theft? (Mataro)

Misc: I love this family.

The Mankanshoku family, What can I say? The family took in Ryuko immediately when finding out that she had no place to stay, and immediately she became part of the family. This is one bizarre group. All of them are very energetic, much like Mako, and all of them are incredible at supporting Ryuko though all of her ordeals, usually with croquettes and love (and peeping). also GUTS! GUTS! They also seem to be 100% oblivious to any danger around them most of the time.

Shh.. The performance is about to start..

wonder who this is? Shes cute, right? Guess you gotta watch and find out.
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Plot: 5/10

Alright fan boys/girls, calm down. ;) I didn't think the plot was "bad" per say, however, it was a little silly, (second half, tune in for that plot twist). Some may argue that that is the point, however, I didn't really feel as though there was much to the plot. Sure, there were twists, and there were turns, and even some awesome moments, HOWEVER, I didn't really care too much about the why this time, I just sat back and enjoyed the action-y goodness, and I am sure a lot of you will do the same.

Music: 8/10

At first, the music didn't matter to me all that much, after a little while I started to note that it was pretty decent in setting the mood, however I (personally) didn't find any of it to really be "special" but then something happened. The anime weaponized music. Any anime that weaponizes music gets a huge score boost, because that is awesome. I love bards/performers! It was a creative idea, and it worked out really well.

Voices (Subbed): 8/10

I have said this before and I will say it again. ENERGY!! When the actors get into the role, and hold nothing back, you get a brilliant performance. Almost every character was highly emotional, and the cast really felt like they were passionate about their respective characters.

Voices (Dubbed): ? /10

There is a dub that is currently in progress, however I did not check it out because it is not finished.


Art: 6/10

Well, again, here. The art isn't particularly BAD, its just, well, not great. There are very few (in fact, only three for me) characters that are even moderately attractive (hey, this matters) and a lot of times, generics are used (several students looking exactly the same, etc) I get that this is most likely intentional and I am not saying that it is a bad choice, however it feels a little lazy. That being said, the uniform designs? Very creative, very cool.


Characters: 9/10

Characters in this anime all come together like a delicious stew. All of them mesh well with each other, and they are all unique, energetic, and have brilliant personalities. The voice choices are again, very good, the art, while not my particular taste, adds an intensity to the characters that is just amazing.

Overall: 7.2/10

This anime was pretty good. If you raise your eyebrows at the idea of magic uniforms and clothing being the center of a plot line,  shut your face and watch it anyways. I feel like it is really worth your time, and even though I wasn't this anime's number one fan, I thought it was pretty good, and I kept watching episode after violent episode just to savor them action scenes. Be warned that this anime travels at breakneck speed. (Wait till you see the recap episode!)

Tea Quality: 9/10

It's pretty good, maybe a little bitter.

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The Anime:

Kill la Kill


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*Looks around.* Huh? Everyone is gone. Did something happen? Did my uniform work THAT well? Fine, be that way, I'll be hiding on the social networks if you need me

*Sniffle*

....Oh....

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Thanks to David, holder of the mythical 3 star Magic the Gathering uniform. Easy there, Yu-Gi-Oh.

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