My Biggest Anime Letdown Moments

Strap in, Kiddies, it’s time to rant.

 

Picture yourself watching a show that you’ve been glued to for ages. It’s had you gripping the edge of your seat for episode after episode, never let you down before. Then, out of nowhere, a moment happens. The moment is so wrong, so stupid, or just so poorly thought out that you can’t help but feel anger alongside your bitter disappointment. 

No no no no no no–!

This post is dedicated to these moments, specifically the ones I felt. These are my let downs, my moments in anime that almost or succeeded in making me give up a show. These are my biggest anime letdown moments, meaning there will be spoilers.  This is your only warning.

The point of a post like this is not to say any of these shows are bad, no. The point is to acknowledge that a “perfect” anime show is hard to find, probably impossible. In fact, the higher the pedestal we put it on, the more likely it may be to fall.

Now, onto the spoilers

• Near The Copycat

Of all the shows I’ll mention here, Death Note is one of the hardest you could possibly kill. It’s a reverse Sherlock Holmes, where the villain (Light Yagami) must outwit and kill our Sherlock (L Lawliet) over a killer notebook. A battle of two geniuses is always fun to watch, sitting in eager anticipation of the next chess move. This makes the introduction of a new character difficult as you’ve already attached your audience to two important figures.

But Death Note did so anyway, just like the manga, and tried to ingratiate their new character, Near, to the viewing audience.

 

It might have worked, had Near not been a cheap knockoff of L in almost every aspect. He’s got the same childish behavior, the same crouched posture; he even picks up objects the same way. When Near isn’t copying his mentor, he’s a stale character that doesn’t offer much originality beyond playing with toys and being a little less snarky. Since Near doesn’t have much of the charm L had, he didn’t go over well. He has a tiny following among Death Note fans, but not enough to save him.

• Dante’s “Big Plan”

This one actually did kill the show in question for me, though it was already falling apart as it was. Whether it was Mustang killing the Rockbells, or Shou Tucker being allowed to live and continue his experiments, it’s safe to say that I was on my way to abandoning the original Fullmetal Alchemist show. But the kicker that finally made me abandon ship came from the show’s new main villain: the alchemist named Dante, the one without the pink hair in the picture beside.  The spurned lover of Ed & Al’s dad, her goal was to use philosopher’s stones to hop from body to body and live forever.

Even someone who hasn’t seen Brotherhood all the way through, or hasn’t read the manga completely, can see that Dante’s plan is a joke. It’s simple and stupid when compare to the big web of intrigue and deception Father weaves in the original story.  Arakawa may have given the show permission to go their own way, but I seriously wish they’d put some more thought into it.

• Black Butler Season 2

 

Now I discussed Kuroshitsuji in a previous post as one wickedly successful anime. In short summary, the young Earl Ciel Phantomhive makes a deal with a demon, Sebastian, to track down his parents’ killers in exchange for his soul. It’s a brilliant concept and hilarious show that’s really only guilty of yaoi-baiting the audience. The ending of season one was amazing, tying up all the dangling plot threads and giving the audience closure.

Ah, but the story hadn’t ended in the manga. In fact, it had a widely different storyline. So a second season was slated, despite the fact that the first ending was just perfect.

And I’d be lying if I thought it didn’t have anything to do with more money

One cannot simply call “the end” and “just kidding” in something like this. This big, powerful moment, in the end, is undone in an instant, losing its emotional value and becoming just another step in the time.  That kind of bait-and-switch is frustrating and shows the dangers of an anime going too far ahead of the source material.

• Fruit’s Basket “Non-Ending”

The last thing I can recall the most disappointment from is rather fitting as it was the last thing I saw of a series. Fruits Basket was my introduction to reverse-harem stories as a whole, along with some pretty heavy subjects. The story, in short, is all about Ms. Tohru Honda, a mildly thick but cute as a button high school student, giving a form of Pollyanna Therapy to the dysfunctional Sohma family. When they aren’t suffering from the family curse that turns them into creatures from the Zodiac, they tend to suffer from abusive relationships, social ostracization, and other problems. It’s thick stuff that’s far more dramatic in the manga. The anime gutted most of the juicy bits, but still had a nice story behind it.

And then… it just stopped.

Is that closure? NOOOO!

Granted, after discovering Kyo’s big secret, and facing off against the terrifying family matriarch/patriarch that caused most of the trauma, there’s not much to do. But the fact that the family curse is never resolved that any lingering feelings between Kyo and Tohru aren’t addressed completely is still are cause for concern. The non-ending of the anime is sad when compared to the manga.

In a way, it illustrates how it feels when we run into these “let downs.” It feels like this great show we were watching has just given up; it dropped the ball and walked away. It’s frustrating, annoying, and here’s to hoping I never have to lengthen this list.

But something tells me I’ll be back

Is there a moment in a show that let you down? Feel free to share in the angst and torment below. And don’t forget to like and follow for more content like this.

Otome Review: The Crossroads

No more side trips, no more interruptions. It’s NaNo Time!

NaNoRen, much like NaNoWriMo, is a writing event where visual novel creators must create a full VN in one month’s time. Stitching together a full VN with branch-able paths in such a short time is a difficult prospect for anyone, amateur or veteran.it’s its not shock and no problem that some projects don’t end up finished on time. But the ones that are, and function decently, are worth all the praise they could get.

Our journey begins with an entry by Seraphinite, the writer and artist behind Regency Simulator de jure, The Lady’s Choice. She does the art and story all by herself in these things, so I’m really not surprised we’ve gone down from three choices to two. But, for what tiny product we are given, we’ve got a lot to chew on.

Still one of my favorite gifs.

 

• Plot

 

Tiana (or whatever you decide to call her) lost everything in the past month; her job and her appartment more specifically. And yet, a job presents itself right as her life appears to be falling apart. She’s asked to house-sit while lawyers duke it out over ownership, which seems simple enough. What they fail to mention was that the house is a mansion, fittingly named The Crossroads.

Nice looking bugger, too.

The only other souls in this lovely house are two handsome gents, as luck would have it: Lucan, the bold and charming steward; and Tristan, the rugged and friendly handyman. The more time she spends with these souls, the more she starts to notice that something seems a bit off. The boys have a strange feud going between them and won’t explain a series of strange happenings around the house. What’s going on at this massive estate and why does it all connect back to her?

 

• Gameplay

 

The point behind a visual novel is to set up a story that has branching pathways, that shifts depending on the choices the reader makes. However, when you only have a month to choke out a full VN story, you can’t exactly blame the writer for cutting a few corners to finish on time. This is a big inevitability of NaNoRen, so I wasn’t too surprised that Crossroads only featured two plots with minimal difference between them. The story plays out pretty much the same whether you chase after Tristan or Lucan. I was, however, surprised to see a protagonist who could be customized a little. That’s ambitious for a NaNoRen project, so kudos.

I made a pale ginger for the hell of it

But, as always, the meat of our gameplay comes from choices. Seraphinite saved herself a headache and adopted the same choice system from The Lady’s Choice. You’ll be greeted with either four choices to decide what kind of person Tiana is or three choices to make an important character-interaction choice. This time, however, you’ll also see two choice moments where you must pick to either trail after the gardener or the stewart, as neither are willing to spend time together. 

Sometimes they make this easy

You’ll end up with whoever you spend the most time with. You’ll know you’re on the right track when, every so often, you’ll be greeted with a jaw-dropping CG. Both paths are unique in tone, despite the similar structure, and make all playthroughs a fun time. The actual story in and of itself is not terribly detailed but makes narrative sense at its core.

 

• Art

 

Seraphinite also returns as the artist, producing highly detailed art that’s a treat for the eyes. Backgrounds are lush, even though you’ll be seeing only a few different areas all the time. With the hunks being, well, hunky, and the CG’s looking like the cover of a romance novel, it’s safe to say that this game is easy on the eyes.

Which is why I’m mildly sad at points to see a fade to black, where things have to be glossed over. It’s an inevitability of a NaNoRen project, but still something that’s unfortunate.

• Romance Interests

 

Tristan

 

The handyman and gardener of the estate, Tristan is easy-going, friendly, and sweet as can be. He’s got a “good ‘ole boy” vibe about him that makes him attractive to approach, and a calming aura to keep you hanging around. Casual and warm, you’ll rarely ever find him in the house. He’s almost always trimming something leafy and green, enjoying the nature around him, or just hanging around wherever there’s greenery. He’s a gentle, sweet soul who seems to blunder about his way romantically, and yet it’s hard not to find his genuine nature charming.

 

• Lucan

 

Lucan the steward is very interested in Tiana, interested to the point of it being uncomfortable. He’s our bold flirt, making almost every conversation into innuendo, and struts a very forced sounding charisma. His flirty approach will work, most certainly, but one can’t shake the feeling that it’s a mask. When he’s not dropping spicy lines, he’s sophisticated, suave and dazzling. If you can pry off that flirtatious mask of his, you’ll find a wonderful gentleman crouching in the wings.

• Final Verdict

 

The Crossroads is good for what it is: a short-story done in a month’s time. It’s short and sweet with good dialogue and art, but not as many details as The Lady’s Choice. I would have loved to see either path have a different plot, but also understand that such things would likely take more time than given. As a quick project, The Crossroads is fun distraction and I’d adore seeing it improved.

 

Next time: What’s Your Name?

 

Got a favorite NaNoRen project this year? Have any opinions on this genere at all? Feel free to share the comments below. And don’t forget to like and follow for more content like this.

“Types” Treated Differently In Anime

 

 

I see anime as a medium about exploration and new ideas.

The medium has its fair share of cliches and character tropes it clings to, but few other mediums can boast to have explored new interpretations as much as anime has. Certain tropes and cliches have been reexamined under Anime’s large-eyed-lens and given a unique perspective. It makes the medium stand out, especially when compared to other styles of cartoons and storytelling.

To prove my point, these are four characters “types” that are treated very differently in anime than in western media or other media types.  Some were researched with the wonderful help that was TV Tropes because I am a puny human who lacks Ultimate Knowlege.

• Hikikomori

 

Remember L from Death Note (the weirdly adorable fella on your left)? When he’s behaving in his odd but cute fashion, stacking creamer cups and pinching sweets between his fingers, it’s easy to forget that he’s a socially awkward shut-in who doesn’t go outside or brush his hair. He’s got pupils that take up his whole iris, gargantuan shadows under those eyes (as an insomniac) and has never really shown his face to the world… or gone outside much if that pale skin is an indicator.

L is also one of the most well-loved characters in anime. Because anime has no problems with socially awkward shut-ins.

This type, known as the Hikikomori, never goes outside if they can help it. They hole themselves up in their rooms for months, sometimes days, and become unable to properly function in society as a result. The character is certainly more common in anime than other media, but it’s also more welcomed in the medium. As mentioned above, L has a massive female following despite his scrawny appearance and odd behaviors and only God knows how many fans Japan from Hetalia has. Other mediums tend to make these characters uncomfortably creepy and hard to be around, but anime seems more sympathetic to them at times. 

 

 

• The “Perv With a Heart Of Gold.”

 

I’d like for you to recall a slightly obscure anime/manga by the name of GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka. People who talk about the anime, and Onizuka himself, tend to focus on the fact that he’s a badass, but kinda gloss over that he initially became a teacher to hook up with underage girls. Let’s also not forget that our very first scene with the Onizuka is watching him look up young girl skirts at the local mall. Just about every time the audience sees the man, he’s doing something perverted and/or disgusting.

And yet fans love him because he stands up for his students and actually tries to help them… mostly.

In short, you’ll find anime fans are far more forgiving of extreme anime perverts so long as they do something else commendable. Sanji from One Piece routinely fawns over any attractive woman he meets but gets a pass for being a badass who never turns away a starving person (and genuinely being a nice guy). Hideki from Chobits may get pushed and jerked around a lot for his perverted tendencies, but he’s still shown to be sympathetic and likable. This trope is not entirely limited to anime, but I find anime a lot more open to it than Western media.

 

• The Dorky Man Who Gets All ‘Dem Girls

 

Harem anime and reverse harem anime stem from a very basic fantasy: the want of being the object of desire for pretty girls/handsome dudes. The harem part just takes this desire to a fantastical extreme, with lots and lots of attractive partners fighting each other for the prize that is little old you. In short, the popularity of shows like Tenchi Muyo, Love Hina, and Fruits Basket isn’t an accident. It’s the ability to tap into a common human fantasy.

But the astute viewer will notice that this genre is mysteriously absent from Western media, or even other media forms. In fact, characters who have multiple perspective partners are treated rather negatively in most other media. They get called “womanizers” or “maneaters”, shown to be a negative person who plays with emotions or a charming character who just has a lot of one-night stands. But a hop and skip over the pond to Japan brings us to the land of dense protagonists, who find their multiple female/male pursuers to be intimidating and/or annoying.

It’s hard to say what causes this divide. One side seems to long to be a smooth pickup artist with a pick of the litter; the other desires to be taken as they are, warts and all. As both are wish fulfillment fantasies neither are really right vs. wrong, but they make a very interesting contrast.

 

 

• The School Idol

 

Lastly, we stop in anime high school, a common breeding ground for alien invasion and magical girl transformations. When it comes to high school hierarchy, anime tends to put the popular crowd in pretty high esteem. Sure, they have their fair share of Evil Jocks, Mean Girls, and Corrosive Cliques, but they also feature the School Superstar. They are the ones who transcend merely being “popular” and are treated like a celebrity. They often have several fans who are obsessively protective, theme music that seems to follow them everywhere, and even the teachers treat them like they just saw Brad Pitt.

And then you take a look at other media, be it books or Western cartoons, and something goes missing: the adoration.

The tippy-top of high school nobility is treated very differently outside of anime, especially western media. Popularity is usually treated as a stigma in high school stories – especially underdog stories – and the people who have it are often horrific individuals who don’t consider other people’s feelings. You’ll likely find the school idol being humiliated by the end of it where, in anime, they’ll likely be the love interest or secretly the best fighter of the whole group.

That being said, I’ve personally read Western media that treats the popular crowd differently, and even several who make them the end love interest, but they seem few and far between. Maybe it stems from a different school culture, or maybe a different style. It’s worth note either way.

 

 

• Final Thought

 

To say that these types are always treated differently in anime would be fictitious and generalizing. But it is clear that anime seems more open to different interpretations of these characters. Whatever it may stem from, cultural or otherwise, it offers a whole new set of story-telling tools that fans like myself are always grateful for. Because it will “go there” even when other media just can’t.

 

Do you notice any types that get different treatment? Feel free to comment about it and anything else you want below. And feel free to give it a like if you enjoyed yourself and follow for more content just like it.

Otome Review: The Lady’s Choice

The Regency Period is an odd place to romanticize, with its strict rules of decorum and acidic societal pressure. And yet bookwork girls like myself seem to chase after regency romance stories like it’s free gourmet chocolate. There’s an innocence and intrigue about it that’s fascinating, the perfect breeding ground for a secret romance that feels both chaste and forbidden. Now, I can only speak for myself, but isn’t it more special when your partner is willing to break social etiquette because of their strong feelings?

That and many more reasons is why I agreed to make one last side trip before we dig into NaNoRen2017. The Lady’s Choice is a regency, Austenian style visual novel that puts the player right in the thick of Regency England and lets you play your way to romance. This story is a previous project of a current NaNo writer that got high praise, so I’d be remiss not to look at it before her new project,

Can you conduct yourself properly this season and find true love? Or will you fumble about and be the laughingstock of society?

• Plot

After years of seclusion at her country estate, Lady Sophia Ingham (or whatever you decide to call her) is called back to join Society at the behest of her childhood friend, Arabella. As a daughter of a viscount and heiress to a great fortune, she couldn’t be expected to stay holed up outside of the city forever. Whatever drew her away from society (something the player gets to decide) is all in the past; it’s time to return to the city of Bath and help her widowed friend enter the season.

“You fret too much, dear Sofia.”

Ah, but a single lady in possession of a great fortune must be in want of a husband; this is a truth society has universally accepted.

Stolen phrases aside, Sofia has three striking gentlemen chasing after her charming wit and caring nature (and one chasing after her money). Which handsome gent will have her hand by the end of the season, or will the gossip and scandal burn her up?

• Gameplay

Your standard visual novel is all about the player’s choices shifting the story towards a specific ending. The Lady’s Choice keeps to that theme but adds twice as many choices to the gameplay. Any choice with four options is about shaping Sofia’s personality as either headstrong, witty, proper, whatever the player wants. The choices with three options are crucial deciding moments, where you either correctly blend into your judgemental peers or ostracize yourself. This simple little mechanic, with only minor consequences behind it, means the player’s gonna be so immersed they’ll be craving tea and tower dresses at the close of the window.

But we’re not here to blend in with society; we’re here to get our Austenian Flirt on. Because yes, you have a choice of three eligible bachelors in the game: a returning lord, a disgraced lord, and a captain in the army. To win the heart of said men, one must pick the correct response in those three-option choices. If you’re on the right track, you’ll be graced with a glorious CG that will likely leave you fanning yourself from the vapors. Get enough of them and you’ll earn one of four endings: bad, love one, love two, and true love.

You can’t see the smile on my face

Storywise, the game usually has a main plot and one subplot: the main plot of the bachelor and the sub-plot of your friend Arabella and her own love, Colonel Foxley. It’s fun to watch the two of them banter off each other’s exciting relationships and speak to each other in an honest, affectionate fashion. The game also has a habit of Lip-Teasing the player; it’ll set you up for a kiss only to break you away at the last minute. It’s both frustrating and romantic and left me fanning both angry and grinning like a maniac.

These two are the king and queen of Lip-Blocking.

• Art

I am in love with the art of this game. This game has a lush variety of detailed backgrounds, well-crafted sprites, and some downright stunning CG’s. The historical accuracy of the clothes is occasionally suspect (as I’m pretty sure the protagonist’s dress wouldn’t pass) but everything otherwise looks like it was plucked right out of any Austen book.

I only found one art mistake whilst playing, and it could very well be a matter of opinion. The art in this game otherwise is solid.

• Romance Options

Mr. Amesbury

Our Colin Firth look-alike was an add-on to the final product, and a homerun to be sure. He’s bold and capricious in his flirtations, possessing a wild and rebellious streak that rubs the prim and proper the wrong way. To make matters worse, he arrives at the same time as a scoundrel appears in the streets: The Society Swindler. When the Swindler isn’t robbing the rich to give to other rich, he seems to be specifically targeting Sofia for all manner of intimate things. Things take an even stranger turn when Amesbury’s good friend, Mr. Montfort, arrives in town for the season. Will the dashing rogue steal her heart, or is there something far darker underfoot?

As previously mentioned, Mr. Laurence Amesbury is the “bad-boy” of this particular period. He flirts boldly, enjoys seeing society is dysfunction, and just genuinely likes to stir the pot. His path is a steamy one with a fairly predictable main plot and surprise sub-plot, but highly worth the wait.

Captain Blake

Just like us, the girls back then went crazy for a man in uniform – a red one specifically.

If Amesbury looks like Mr. Darcy, then Captain Guy Blake of the Royal British Army took his moody and romantic attitude. Born in trade, Guy sees socialites with great disdain. They treat him like a military charity case but Sofia is the first to make him feel accepted. This causes tension when the rich and uber-creepy Lord Huntington is willing to go out of his way to make Sofia marry him.

To play Guy’s path is to watch two men fight over you, something I think at least a few of us have fantasized about. It’s a fun, albeit short, path that really turns up the caustic aspect of strict social structures and the cast system of money and power.

 

Sir Stanton

When you think of the personification of Tall, Dark and Handsome (™) than Sir Isaac Stanton should pop into your mind. Stanton practically bleeds Byronic Hero; he has a reputation tarnished by a gambling house and Sofia is warned on all sides that she should stay far, far away from him. And yet, the more time she spends with him, the more she finds a strong-willed and deeply gentle soul who seems trapped more by outside forces than an internal vice. In short, there’s very much more than meets the eye with dear Isaac and a kind, patient soul can be the savior he’s been waiting for.

As mentioned, Isaac is the guy if you ever fantasized about being the hero in the relationship. You get to swoop to the rescue of this “socially dangerous” man and pull him out of the abyss he’s trapped in. It’s also one of the most visually, ahem, stimulating paths in game. That makes the game’s tendency to kiss-tease all the more frustrating.

• Final Verdict

With its witty and smooth sense of humor, and risk-taking liberties of the source material, The Lady’s Choice is a great game for regency geeks like myself who wished they could be Elizabeth Bennett at one point or another. It simulates the romanticized version of old England we all fell in love with: social danger, intrigue, innocence, and passionate romance. It’s a chaste romance novel, no denying that, but the story is so good I hardly even care.

 

Next Time: The Crossroads

Do you wish you could meet your own Darcy? Or do you find the Regency Period overrated? Feel free to comment whatever below. And don’t forget to like and follow for more content just like this.

My Childhood Anime Heroes

Who said anime never makes an impact?

Children tend to idolize the characters they see in their favorite media: books, tv or otherwise. After all, to a five-year-old there is little more awesome and “heroic” than Superman lifting a train off the ground so that one of the normies can crawl out. They take up our entire lives when we’re young, and become people in and unto themselves. 

How many of us cried from Pokemon The Firs Movie? Be honest…

It’s only later in life that we look back on the people we dressed up as on Halloween, and start to sort out the people we thought were “cool” and the people we carried with us for much deeper reasons.  Since I dove head-first into anime at a pretty young age (thanks again, Toonami) most of the characters I really liked or really resonated with usually came from there. These are my childhood anime heroes: the characters who spoke to me on another level and still resonate with me to this day.

• Usagi/Serena Tsukino

 

If we’re going back in my anime experience, I’d be remiss not to start with she who started my love for it all. The grandmother of all magical girl anime, Usagi Tsukino, was the klutzy, scaredy-cat crybaby who transformed into the beautiful sailor soldier, Sailor Moon, to fight monsters in Tokyo. She was a very odd addition to the heroes pantheon as she lacked the confidence of most superheroes and tended to cry during fights. But she always pushed past her fears to save the day, proving that all you needed to be a hero was enough courage and enough heart.

This, above all things, is what draws me to Sailor Moon. I was always klutzy as a child; I cried at the drop of a hat, and it didn’t take much to scare me. Yet here was this hero who was just like me, breaking past her flaws to be a hero and save the day. Usagi taught me that anyone can be great, no matter what their weaknesses are. I can only hope the new generation picks that up from this unlikely hero.

• Sakura Kinomoto

On the train of underdog heroes, Cardcaptors (the dub of Cardcaptor Sakura) became my new daily watch when Sailor Moon ran out of “safe” dubs. I was intrigued by the cute animation and magic, but even more so by lead: Sakura Kinomoto. She was much younger than Usagi and just as easily scared, but she was much better at running into the fight and finishing it. But what she had one extra thing that made all the difference: Leeway.

I’d like to think that Sakura had far more stacked against her than Usagi. She was the one who accidentally scattered the Clow cards, thus it makes sense that she’s tasked with recollecting them. This is a scary prospect to have shoved onto you and yet she embraces it as best as she can. She’s allowed to have shortcomings in that she has to get help from Kero, her best friend, and other allies she meets. She taught me that it’s okay to reach out and ask for help, something I think more anime needs to stress in these “unlikely hero” scenarios.

• Kenshin Himura

Speaking of mistakes, sometimes those mistakes can come back to haunt you. Coming to you live from the “I was too young for this” department, meet the girly-looking swordsman with the badass skills and soft heart: Kenshin Himura

As I said, I found Rurouni Kenshin at a point where I was too young to truly understand the plot. But I had a basic enough grasp of the characters to know that Kenshin was a former samurai that instigated most of the death in some big war of the time. He became a wandering samurai to atone for his deeds in the war and wound up staying at the Kamiya Dojo with a hot-tempered assistant master and her student. He vowed to never kill again, a vow difficult to keep when everything from the past is rushing back with swords drawn, ready to gut you and everyone you care about. And yet, through all this strife, Kenshin finds himself a new life, a place to put down roots, and a new will to live. It’s all about second chances, and I took that to heart.

 

• Gene Starwind

Once again, this was someone I shouldn’t have known about at such a young age. Outlaw Star is not a kid’s anime at all, but it is an excellent anime if you like sci-fi and cyberpunk things. And part of the reason I love it so much is because of its protagonist, the jerkass with standards: Gene Starwind.

Gene is a perverted, sarcastic, foul-mouthed, space handyman. A Jack-Of-All-Trades that did a variety of jobs, he accidentally wound up helping a space outlaw and found himself in possession of an awesome ship. From there, the rest is a fun-filled search for the mythical Galactic Leyline. It’s a pretty fun, pretty chill anime that’s about cruising around space and meeting neat sci-fi things, and all to the most unlikely of people. Gene is not perfect by any definition but he can still get his rear in gear and be a true hero. You don’t have to be a paragon of morals to do the right thing; that’s a powerful lesson to take away at any age.

• Monkey D. Luffy

Our last entry today is one that still endures and inspires to this day. When you have endless oodles of energy and a dream that cannot be shattered, how can you not inspire for years on end?

Monkey D. Luffy is hardly the smartest pirate on the ocean or the most strategic. In fact, his only real leg up in this madness comes from his physical strength and his straight moral compass. But where Luffy cannot be defeated is his stubborn tenacity. When idiot meets determined, magic can happen, and almost nothing can break his spirit (and several will try). Luffy is my hero purely on strength of will and his battering-ram like chase after his dream. He’s gonna get that treasure someday, even if every building behind him has to fall.

 

Who was (or is) your anime hero? Feel free to leave a comment below. And don’t forget to like the post and follow if you want more content just like this.

Otome Review: Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve

 NaNoRen 2017 has passed, meaning it’s time to pan for new digital boyfriends. But before we get the prospector gear on and start grazing the fresh crop of Visual Novels, I wanna take a moment to glance at a title that came out last year on Halloween. Since I missed NaNoRen last year, it’s only fitting I look at once of the success stories before any of the new releases.

Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve is a two-year project that looks very promising. Written by Lemmasoft user Ran, the novel promises a spooky msyery, alongside serious romantic drama.

• Plot

Our is the slightly spoiled Cara Lee, a graduating college student on a hiking trip with her friends. She wakes up after being caught in a landslide and manages to wobble her way through the woods on a bad leg and broken arm. She stumbles upon a decrepit old mansion with three attractive boys within and begs them to shelter her from the rain. While the oldest seems willing to help her out, the youngest is afraid and the middle boy is doing all he can to make her unwelcome.

 

Cara is beginning to agree with him. As the days go by, the boys seem hesitant to take her down to the village to call for help, as they promised to do. Cara begins to notice that time passes strangely; there are no clocks anywhere in the house; she can’t find a mirror anywhere, and the boys are tight-lipped about their situation to the point of being defensive.  What are the brothers hiding from her and can it be undone? Or is Cara stuck in this strange mansion forever?

 

• Gameplay

Since this was made with the plethora of VN engines available for creators, it runs predictably: sprites dance in front of painted backgrounds while the player makes a narrative choices. Specifically, the decisions in the first half of the game dictate which of the three brothers you’ll be warming up to. The latter half is spent hopefully making the correct conversational calls to make them fall head-over-heels for this somewhat spoiled college student that sorta fainted her way through the door. The problem is that it’s not obvious which choice warms you up to which brother and you could very well find yourself cozying up to the wrong guy.

Furthermore, playing the game is an interesting auditory experience. There’s lots of really well done piano pieces ranging from beautiful to spooky, but the background music changes so suddenly at times it can be pretty jarring. Some of the score choices are a little odd as well; I would never have thought to pick a plinky-plonky xylophone track for a spooky mystery game. I might have also just been a little salty since Cara herself is rather abrasive to viewers. She comes off as vain and spoiled, which could be an acceptable flaw if her good qualities were given more polish.

This is also the first protagonist I wasn’t a big fan off right off the bat. Cara Lee is friendly and bouncy as a person but also spoiled and used to getting her own way. Maybe such is the life of an only child, but I feel that her good characteristics need to be pushed a little harder to balance things.

 

But while the game has some rough spots to buff out, it’s solid in the story area. The mystery itself has really good build up. And while getting to the correct guy isn’t easy, it’s easy to get his good ending once you do get to him.The Game has no CG’s as of right now but I saw sketches on their page, so, fingers are very much crossed.

• Art

Lemmasoft user Ermun did a great job on the art. It’s very clean and crisp for most of the game, with only the forest areas looking oddly fuzzy. The sprites themselves have a very bare-minimum look to them, but I have no issues telling anyone apart. I can see the anime inspiration from the figures and a realistic look to the mansion backgrounds. It all blended together very well, so I’m excited to see what Ermun can do with some more detailed pictures.

• Romance Options

Viktor

Vik is the eldest of the brothers and a trained medical student. When he isn’t bandaging up Cara’s broken arm he’s usually doing the cooking, cleaning, and other household necessities. He’ll do anything to take care of his brothers, including pretending that nothing sinister is going on. How do you hold in such a deep, dark secret?

Viktor feels like a weird hybrid between the Cheery Type and the Moody Man, but it kinda works in its own fashion. The romance between Cara and Vicktor needs some fleshing out in places but, ultimately, it comes across like your average Rom-Com.

Vonn

Speaking of moody, meet the socially inept middle brother who quickly turned into my favorite. The first meeting of Vonn is sour indeed; remember the pouty blond who asked why you hadn’t left? But when Vonn isn’t overreacting to protect his family, he’s passionate, snarky, and an old-fashioned romantic. Poor Vonn, however, has a lot of guilt resting on his shoulders. If you’re gonna get past his caustic behavior, you’ll have to sift through an avalanche of trouble.

As Vonn has dreams of being a writer, how could I not find myself attached? Snippy and temperamental, yet sweet and caring, it’s hard not to think of Vonn as some Byronic prince. It was why I was disappointed when his romance turned out to be far too chaste for me. There was real drama here and the mystery played off a lot of strong emotions. It’s sad that this is the one they chose to be coy with.

Vern

The last and youngest of the brothers is left out of the loop on a lot of things. HIs memory before the mansion is pretty shot and he seems deathly afraid of their new guest. Not too talkative and childish to the extreme, Vern wants to know the truth just as much as Cara does, but his fears might be the only thing stopping him.

I wanted Vern’s path to be fun and, in a way, it was. The “Shy Guy Romance” is always adorable in its own right and there is some appeal in a guy who behaves immaturely. But when you lay it on this thick, it doesn’t always trigger romantic feelings. I didn’t want to date Vern; I wanted to buy him ice cream and hang out at the park. But as there is no accounting for taste, I encourage everyone to still give it a shot.

• Final Verdict

Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve still has some kinks. There are some tiny art inconsistencies and the characters lack a little polish. But the plot in and of itself is very well done and I did enjoy the final twist. I ended up liking the game when all was said and done and look forward to seeing what this game could be with some more elbow grease. I do hope this creator tries again as I’m sure what pops up will be even better.

 

Next Time: The Lady’s Choice

 

Did you have fun with this new title? Feel free to comment below. Don’t forget to like and follow for more content just like this. Also, feel free to play the game at the link below:
https://ran.itch.io/once-upon-a-hallows-eve

The Signs of an Anime Mary Sue

The goal of art is to be an outlet for the artist. The idea is usually to send a message. But, sometimes, it’s just a place to work out your frustrations or your greatest desire.

The medium offers all writers a chance to explore a lot of “what ifs,” and thus a lot of inner fantasies end up dancing on screen for viewer entertainment. This idea in and of itself isn’t bad at all, as lots of us share the same wish: finding the love of our lives, getting superpowers, becoming the popular person in school, etc. The key to success, in this case, is for writers to be skilled enough to make the ride enjoyable for everyone, not just the author, and to share the wish fulfillment with everyone.

Case in Point, Yana Toboso shares Sebastian iberally

And then there’s Anime Mary/Gary Sue: the shining beacon of selfish writing. Any old school fanfic-er should recognize Mary: a badly written character that suffers no real conflict or character growth and acts as the author’s fantasy persona. As the term arose from Star Trek fanfiction, it’s assumed that she/he cling to the fanfiction circuit. But Human Error is real; Mary/Gary can rear their pretty heads just about anywhere.

There are a few basic signs that these two may have infected the building. Are these signs always omens of bad to come? No. But they do require quite a bit of writing prowse to make work, which most new writers just do not have.

• Things Just Work Out For Me, Babe

This one is a universal trait of bad writing, but it’s almost pervasive in anime as a whole. Our protagonist barely lifts a finger, doesn’t even try very hard in his/her miserable existence, and yet bizarre and cool events just present themselves like a burlesque dancer. Rather than having the protagonist make conscious decisions that set the story in motion, reacting to the world around them with some agency, they can’t take five steps without a neko-alien woman falling into their lap.

Thankfully, most anime are not very overtly sue-ish in this regard. Shonen anime can be guilty of dipping into this technique – and I would point a loaded finger at Bleach – but only a few titles are overt about it. In fact, this trait only becomes a problem when the writing alongside it is bland and/or poor. It’s not very fun to watch someone get everything in life “just because” after all.

• Romance Options Ten Miles Wide

It’s human to want a significant other or just someone who’s okay doing the horizontal rumba with you. It’s also very human to fantasize about being the King of Attraction Mountain, atop a throne of gorgeous people clawing to reach you. Harem anime usually gets away with this fantasy by having a protagonist who’s basically a blank slate for the watcher to slide into.  However, sometimes there are protagonists who get all the attention from the opposite sex when, really, they shouldn’t.

Maybe they’re really boring and lack any depth; maybe they do things that are supposed to be seen as good but are actually reprehensible; maybe, just maybe, they’re Sasuke Uchiha and behave like an emotionally unstable baby, and no one should be all over them. These and many other repellent personality types getting massive chances to get lucky, unironically, can only lead to disaster.

• PHENOMENAL, Unearned, COSMIC POWER!

Becoming bad-ass is universally awesome, naturally. But consumers tend to prefer characters who earn their badassitude, who clawed their way tooth and nail towards awesome power and prestige. When it’s handed to you, with follow-up gifts of other special powers, you have a quick means of annoying the hell out of your audience if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Shounen is once again very guilty of this every so often, such as Erza Scarlet’s constantly changing plot armor, but shojo has its moments as well. After all, Berry from Tokyo Mew Mew A La Mode hardly earned her powers and she became more powerful than all the mews combines. 

 However, most of these animes also save themselves by having the character only get the “access pass” to these powers and forcing them to climb the rest of the mountain before getting the premium Badass membership. If your anime, however, gives the goods away for free with no real consequence, then Mary and Gary have infected the area.

Everybody panic!

• So, Why all the Fuss?

Writers like me spend so much time discussing this archetype of character because they can ruin everything or make everything awesome. It’s a very fine line with a hair-thin trip and setting it off can make the entirety of the web explode. These kinds of tropes be it overpowered protagonists or romantically popular ones, need to be handled with care and experience. Because, while Superman won’t draw as much ire, others will trigger someone and send them into a frothing rage.

In short, it’s not the wraiters should avoid everything listed above but be aware how these tropes can be harmful. All is possible with good writing, but lazy execution is the nector of the terrible Mary Sue.

 

Do you know any Mary Sues in anime? Feel free to comment below! And don’t forget to like and follow if you wanna see more content just like this.

Otome Review: Long Live the Queen

 

Otome is wish fulfillment, with the greatest focus being on finding a boyfriend/girlfriend in one of many romantic scenarios. However, for this round, we’ve abandoned the wish of romance for the wish of power: what would you do if you were suddenly queen of the whole kingdom?

Hanako Games returns to our review table, with a title that is both bizarre and insanely difficult. Long Live the Queen is royal strategy simulator, with far more freedom than previous games featured here and twice the danger. Instead of chasing bishie-boys for that elusive happy ending, players must make decisions to train themselves in a perpetual game of skill: you come unprepared, you could very well die.

If you dare, enter

• Plot

You are fourteen year old Elodie, princess of the kingdom of Nova. Your poor mother, Fidella, has just met her untimely end and you’ve been pulled from the safety of your boarding school to become the new queen. You must train yourself to rule as best you can and possibly to pick up magical mantele left over from your mother. But there are others who will gladly take that power away from you and there are lethal dangers everywhere you look.

But at least you’ll be a well-trained dead-girl

The goal is to survive to your fifteenth birthday, when you’ll be officially coronated as the queen. But can you handle the many twists and turns of a selfish court that will happily slit your throat for power? Or will you slit others throats in return, becoming just as nasty as they are?

• Gameplay

Long Live The Queen may not be concerned with wish-fulfilment romance, but still has all the basic trimmings of a visual novel/sim. As the story unfolds you’ll be called to make basic decisions that dictate the ending, for better or for worse. But, like other Hanako titles, the game also features sim-like stat building, which could very well save your life in game.

So how do we protect ourselves? Well, it starts here on the home screen. Elodie is here to take classes after all, lots of them. There are thirteen different education branches, with three different classes in each. This is an overwhelming amount of skills the player can learn and any of these really could be the difference between success and failure.  You, as the player, have to make calculated decisions weeks in advanced, building certain stats to perfection while letting others rot away. This means that sometimes Elodie will look like the inexperienced child that she is. Other times, if you play your cards right, she’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

You get free time on the weekends, which you can spend doing whatever you want in the castle. This plays into the second part of this game: Elodie’s mood. Each activity pushes Elodie into a certain mood: Depressed, Angry, Scared, Yielding, Willing, or Cheerful. Some activities will take away from one of these; others will add to them. Mood will add either a penalty or bonus towards learning specific skills. This makes strategizing over the weekend absolutely essential, as it allows her to learn some skills much faster.

And there are times when learning one skill faster than the other is essential. As you go through the weeks, you’ll be faced with several political challenges. Some may just be diplomatic disputes; others are outright assassination attempts. It’s up to the player to decide what kind of queen they wanna be to keep Elodie alive. She can fall flat on their face or become the most powerful woman in the kingdom. It all depends on how you play.

• Art

Hanako Games never skimps on the attractive, anime-esque art. This time, they’ve leaned towards a very distinct, magical girl art, with a rainbow of bright colors. In fact, my biggest complaint about the art is only that I don’t get to see very much of it. There’s no CG’s to speak of until you get to the end of the game, and most of the time you’re either staring at an empty background or the outside of the castle.

That being said, there are periods where props or important moments get emphasis, and the art that follows is downright beautiful. And you even get stained glass windows at the end if you bought the steam version.

• Romantic Interests Paths

So here, normally, is where I talk about the different romantic options you have in game. However, since this game is far more focused on the political aspect than the romantic one, there aren’t very many to speak of. Elodie certainly has some marriage prospects, but they have no discernible personalities beyond want of power and how gruff they are. Instead, the player has the choice of deciding what kind of person Elodie is.

There are over 24 different kinds of endings, too many to recount here, so we’ll narrow it down to three: the good, the bad, and the magical. Keep in mind that this is just from what I’ve played of the game, both here and in my own free time, and everyone gets their own unique experience.

• The Good:

If you’ve avoided the cruel executions, blackmails, and defeated all the magical/military threats that pop onto Nova’s doorstep, you can make it to the coronation and get one of the many good endings. Being a benevolent monarch isn’t easy, but there is a sense of pride in knowing you kept your good standing through all of this.

The good endings, like it or not, required a heavy amount of approval from the commoners. This means lots of reasonable compromise, decisions that likely aren’t in favor of the nobility, and avoiding all cruel actions. This also means planning ahead for several border disputes and territorial threats that come into play later, be it by military strategy or magic (to be discussed later). You can even add a marriage onto one of these endings, tying yourself to one of the eligible bachelors and gaining whatever power you want from it. The game doesn’t make the good endings easier or harder than the others, and there really is a sense of accomplishment when you get to that coronation screen.

• The Bad

Ah, but some of us may find being a goody-two-shoes to be boring or maybe Elodie just isn’t very good and the kingdom falls. All are viable options in “the bad” endings, depending on how cruel or inept you really want to be.

The tyrannical approach is actually rather easy and deals with a lot of problems early on. It involves raising your hidden “cruelty” stat with lots of executions, public displays of brutality, and just general sadistic things out in the open. Or, if you really lust for power, you can even surrender your throne and become the servant of an evil king. Really, I’m rather impressed with just how bad of a person this game will let you be. How many other VN’s are perfectly fine with the player being an outright tyrant?

• The Magical

So, because this game is a fantasy game, it introduces the element of magic. Elodie’s mother was what the game calls a Lumen: a magical user who gets their power from their crystal. The problem is that Elodie’s father, Joclyn, is against Elodie learning any magic. Her mother died from using her magic, from being drained to save the kingdom. But, if the player so desires, they can bypass their father and get their lumen powers. It adds a whole new level of gameplay and some amazing story arcs.

 

• Final Verdict

Long Live the Queen is an odd addition to this series, what with its lack of romantic elements and heavy focus on politics and strategy. But the idea of putting a very young lady in a seat of such power, surrounded by danger on all sides, is exhilarating enough that it earns itself a shiny passing grade. This game is hard and will not hold your hand at all, but it’s super rewarding if you can figure it out.

Next Time: Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve

How did you do in Long Live the Queen? Is this game truly an Otome? Feel free to leave comments below. If you like this post, follow for updates on more just like it. And don’t forget to like if you’re so inclined!

 

A Handful of Awesome Anime Geniuses

Anime has a reputation for brawlers. Shonen has done a good job of making the genre a home for over-muscled beefcakes who can punch through steel, defeat legions of aliens, and then return home to consume a buffet table’s worth of food. But anime as we know it doesn’t just revel in the Goku’s and the Jojo characters, oh no. It also understands that intelligence is a weapon, especially when wielded by the unnaturally smart.

Or by the unnaturally attractive

Fans love their genius characters. They not only make any combat far more interesting (spotting weaknesses and what not) but they also make less actiony plots more complex and interesting. In celebration of characters who put their big brains on the frontlines, these are my six favorite anime geniuses. As always, this is just my list, and they aren’t in any particular order this time.

• Ami Mizuno – Sailor Moon

We start with something childish and sweet. Sailor Moon was the five-man-band for girls, and Ami was “The Smart One.” But she wasn’t just smart, she was a quick-fire genius and a great sleuth.

Sailor Moon, the grandmama of all magical girl anime, featured five girls who magically transformed into sailor-suited warriors of justice. Ami was the smart but shy Sailor Mercury, who’s powers focused on water and ice, and worked in a more defensive manner: bubbles that froze the enemy, a mist that created illusions, etc. When Ami wasn’t weakening enemies, she was using her mini-computer to find an enemy weak spot or passing tests at Juuban High School at the top of her class.  With big plans to be a doctor, she sure has to hit the books… or her baddies, whichever comes first.

• Radical Edward – Cowboy BeBop

For the rare specimens who never saw Cowboy Bebop, meet Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV – Ed for short. She’s a great example of a fangirl gone crazy awesome, and what happens when an obsessive genius won’t stop until she’s a part of the team.

Cowboy Bebop introduced fans to a plethora of amazing characters, though it mainly focused on the space bounty hunters Spike Spiegel, Jett Black, and Faye Valentine. Ed, the daughter of a cartographer, was a huge fan of the Bebop Crew and set her sights on joining after escaping her childhood orphanage.

She grew quite skilled in computer science and earned herself the hacker nickname Radical Ed. She’s a master at bypassing security, cracking passwords, and just about the only person on the ship who understands little Eine the dog. Is she crazy? Quite possibly, but count your blessings she’s a good guy.

 

• Kurama/ Shuichi Minamino – Yu Yu Hakusho

Lots of people mistake Kurama as the pretty boy who isn’t a threat. Those people are wrong and probably dead.

Yu Yu Hakusho follows the exploits of Yusuke Urameshi, high school thug turned spirit detective. He meets Kurama on one of his “Cases”, and notices right away that he’s not like the demons he’d met thus far. The former fox demon was reborn into human form after his death in the spirit world and grew empathy for the human world as a result.  Thus he became one of Yusuke’s comrades against threats to the Spirit World and believe me, you want Kurama on your side. His battle strategies are brilliant; his logic quite impressive, and his calm demeanor almost intimidating.

• Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang – Fullmetal Alchemist

Alchemy is the magical science of equivalent exchange, breaking down and building back up with only the materials you have. No one understands this better than Edward Elric, who now must travel the world in search of the philosopher stone to undo a terrible mistake he made to his little brother, Al, and to himself. He has lots of people there to help, including the famed Flame Alchemist: Lt. Colonel Mustang.

Mustang is a high-ranking officer in the Amestrian army and a super powerful Alchemist. This soldier has dealt with fire of all types: be it flames at his fingertips or licking at his heels The enemies in this series, the homunculi and the ever enigmatic Father, constantly change things and work in increasingly underhanded ways of infiltrating the government and playing everyone like one giant chess game. But Mustang has not only survived their attempts to keep him pinned, but found several ways to ingeniously outmaneuver them and get what he wants.  Mustang’s battle smarts and tactician skills make him absolutely brilliant and anyone who gets in his way will find themselves outgunned and outmatched.

• L Lawliet & Light Yagami – Death Note

I’m cheating, I know. But picking between these two is almost impossible. The whole first half of the show is watching these two collide, after all, so they both deserve their due respect.

If you’ve managed to avoid the show up to this point, Death Note is the utterly amazing story about a boy getting a notebook from a God of Death, a notebook that can kill anyone if you have their name their face. Light decides to use it to kill international criminals and become the god of a new world. The show puts Light, arguably the villain, in the lead while L, the detective trying to catch him, becomes an antagonist. Light is the golden boy who thinks three steps ahead, coming up with genius strategies to hide his secret life and manipulating everyone around him. L, a pasty, scraggly, sunken-eyed insomniac, also seems to think three or even four steps ahead of everybody, and capable of genius logic chains that bring him to the right conclusions despite Light’s attempts at hiding.

Sure, characters like this cause sections of the plot to go over a few heads, but it also promises a story that’s as gripping as it is complex. Our anime Geniuses may not always be flashy in the physical department, but they know how to keep us spellbound and keep us guessing.