V's rapid fire anime reviews - Charlotte, Food Wars, Pokémon Sun & Moon and the Emiya family

About rapid-fire reviews

Ever had that moment when writing about an anime, you just can't find a good hook to write about? I get that a lot. Like writing a draft for a review and then scratching it because it looks just as bland as a wikipedia article.

And while I do have opinions on everything I watch, I just don't feel like writing a full-length blog post about everything. Sometimes anime is just "okay", or "average" or "not bad enough to rant about it".

So I came with a compromise. Once per month (or so), I'm going to do a rapid-fire post, where I briefly touch 3-5 anime I've seen in the past month and give my opinion about it. This is the first of these.

Rapid-fire review: Charlotte

Recently added on Netflix Belgium, so I gave it a try. And I enjoyed it... safe the last episode.

I liked the hook of teenagers experiencing superpowers for the first time and them not being fully useful, thus often creating hilarious circumstances. And the dramatic hook of a dark organization trying to catch them for experimenting was good enough to keep me hooked. Also, the overall music was VERY good and actually had a point in the story.

But since this was a one-cours anime (1 season of 12 or 13 episodes) of a manga that is still running, it had to be cut short. And boy, did that shortcut feel forced. A climax of sorts was reached in the second-to-last episode. And so Yuu (the main protagonist) sets on a journey to erase the superpowers from all other "powered" beings on earth. you see him go from country to country to face a very minor challenge, steal a power and move on. And it repeats for the entire episode. And it's boring.

This anime received mixed reviews on MAL and I can see why. The tone shifts a lot, some "twists" in the story don't work as well as intended and people keep mentioning that Angel Beats did this story before, but way better... Well, Guess I'll have to look up that one later, eh?

Me, I'm giving this a careful 7/10. Could've been higher if it wasn't for the last episode.

Rapid-fire reviews: Today's menu for the Emiya family

Waaaay too early to make a full review on it, but from the 8 episodes already released I can already state: best Fate series anime to have been released in the past few years (Heaven's feels movies not included, haven't seen those yet).

And I didn't want to wait to share my opinion, since studio Ufotable is only releasing ONE episode per month. So it'll take months before this anime has reached its end (if ever).

The concept of this anime is SO simple... but it works. Instead of fighting, every Fate/Stay Night character has their own daily life. And one of Emiya's core character traits from the original series has been turned into the core concept of this anime... Emiya loves to cook for his friends. So this anime is now turned into a full cooking show! No, really!

Yes, I understand perfectly that a cooking show is not what you may have been looking for. But for some reason i can't stop watching this series. When I have a chill Sunday afternoon with nothing much to do, this anime was the perfect series on the perfect moment for me.

I have no other ways to describe it. It just works. Also, if you want to try any episode, go for episode 7; it is the most meme-heavy episode with everybody going to a swimming resort. And it was this meme that convinced me to give this anime a shot. No regrets. Solid 8/10.

rapid-fire reviews: Shoukugeki no Soma / Food wars

Started watching this earlier this year on a whim, thinking I would dislike it due to the many fan-service screenshots I've seen over the years. But surprisingly I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would. and I recently finished the latest season (the Totsuki Train Arc).

Yes: The fanservice exists, but is focused on the food tasting moments. And I get the feeling if I know in advance WHEN the "fanservice" is happening, I'm not as annoyed by it compared to its abuse in other series. here, it actually fits perfectly (which is a phrase I never thought I would utter).

And yes, I know this show is a rip-off from Yakitate!!! Japan, but I loved that show as much as I love this one. But Yakitate finished airing over a decade ago (wow, I feel old all of a sudden), so I think I was yearning for an anime similar to Yakitate. And Food Wars fills that void. And since this series is far from over (more seasons!), I'll be keeping an eye on it.

So yes, i'm giving it overall an 8/10. None of the seasons have disappointed so far. let's hope they can keep it up in the years to come.

Rapid-fire review: Pokémon Sun & Moon (43 episodes)

Similar to Charlotte, the first 43 episodes have been added to Netflix BE. More will become available when the (horrible) Dutch dubs are made available (sigh, they're bad).

And on the topic of WHY Pokémon? People in the anime community have been praising the hell out of this latest season as the best thing since the original series. And I agree, it has improved a LOT!

Ash's pokémon have more personality than before, the supporting characters are a lot more likable and more varied. Not to mention, the comedy has improved a lot. I laughed my ass off so many times during this first batch of episodes. And... Meowth dies... a lot. Mimikyu is a friggin' killer and I love every minute of it (lol).

Often censored in the US, but oh so funny if you catch it.

Also, after you get used to the new animation style, you're often welcomed by gorgeous and fantastic sakuga that I honestly have never seen before in Pokémon series. Not only are the Z-moves and Team Rocket intro animated gorgeously, in several random moments throughout the series you're welcomed by great and lengthy shots in which the love and passion of the animators is clearly visible. It makes watching pokémon so much more enjoyable. For a full breakdown, I refer to Canipa's video on it (this link).

Is it all good? No, there s still the odd pokémon-of-the-week cringe episodes that instantly reminded me why I stopped watching the series (most notably "Getting the band back together" - Skip it!). But luckily there's way less of these than before. Also, I've grown to hate Bewear. While the jokes surrounding the bear pokémon were fun in the first episodes, they got real old real fast. And it occurs nearly every episode to the point of annoyance.

All in all, this series has seriously improved since the last time I bothered watching this never-ending show. Good points. A solid 7,5/10.

Afterword

Well, that's it for now. I'll be back soon with another full review. Until then, V out.

PS: I simply ADORE Rockruff. Puppies forever!

V reviews - Fate/Extra Last Encore: Anime in hard mode

There used to be a time where I was wildly excited about a new anime from the Fate franchise coming to TV or theaters. Oh how times have changed.

When it was announced that the adaptation of the Fate Extra game (Last Encore) would be available on Netflix, I couldn't utter more than a sarcastic "yeey". It didn't really help that when I recently looked up the score on MyAnimelist, I saw a mediocre 6.5/10. Not to mention the game this anime was based upon has a metacritic score of 58%. The most interesting thing this anime adaptation has going for it, is that it is animated by Studio Shaft. This meant that if the anime would be bad, I could at least partake in the "Studio Shaft tropes Drinking Game".

So let's say I wasn't really looking forward to watching it.

But after watching it, I've changed my mind completely. This is a really interesting piece of entertainment! But I also understand why so many people hate it, since it's clearly not aimed at a general audience. So here is my review for the first season of 10 episodes, available on Netflix since June 30th 2018.

A review of: Fate/Extra Last Encore - Anime in hard mode

A word of advice: This anime is clearly not for everyone

Now that I've watched (and rewatched) the first batch of 10 episodes, I can clearly say: there are some prerequisites before you can watch this series.

• You should have watched at least one decent Fate anime series before watching this. This includes Fate Zero, Unlimited Blade Works (TV) or the original Fate Stay Night (which sadly enough is still the best introduction to the franchise). For easy digesting, Unlimited Blade Works is also available on Netflix, the rest depends on regional licensing.
• You should've watched at least TWO Shaft anime, in order to get a feel of their style of animation and storytelling. Preferably I'd recommend a Monogatari series and one of their anime with a deconstruction-style narrative. Madoka Magica for example is of the same creative team and has recently been added to Netflix here in Europe (so are Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari).

If you have NOT experienced the above, I will say truthfully to you: You will NOT enjoy this new Fate anime. You'll just bulge your eyes out wondering what the hell you just watched.

Also, if you're a Fate fanboy who has never watched Shaft anime (or do not like their style), this might be worthy of the "skip" button. Shaft is kind of special by itself, and this game has been reinterpreted to fit a storytelling style akin to Madoka Magica.

The first episode is just awful

A lot of people who have started with this anime have dropped the series after the first episode. And I completely understand if you did as well. With the hundreds of anime coming out each year (let alone other non-anime tv-series), people have a lower attention span and a trigger finger to drop anime on the fly that doesn't meet their interest.

And yes, the first time I watched it I also had a WTF-look all over my face. The animation is off at several points, the story doesn't make a lick of sense and the editing is all over the place. For a first viewing attempt, this episode can only be experienced as "AWFUL".

Hey, we know this scene is really awful...
So let us distract you with this weirdly animated background!

The first episode - why it's awful

This anime story doesn't bother to take your hand to explain the story. Instead of storytelling, the anime instead focuses on "showing things that are happening" and have our protagonist wander between these "things that happen".

The story concept is explained in class - a person is murdered because he lost a chess match (okaaaaaay), the body is moved to the nursery (WHY?), since there are too many bodies there, the oldest dead body is moved to the trash heap (again, WHY?). Once the body is dumped, our protagonist gets a talk about why he's the chosen one (because of course). Then suddenly a purge is happening and our protagonist is seemingly killed by Shinji... Because of course Shinji is an asshole.

I am shocked at Shinji backst... frontstabbing his friends [/sarcasm]

And all the while our protagonist has no real clue what's going on, is moving around in typical Shaft environments (huge, very artistic, very detailed, but ultimately very empty looking) while contemplating on how he hates everything with that typical dull surprise on his face. No wonder people have labeled him as an Absolute potato of a man. Jeezes, how dull can you look?

You certainly look very hateful [/sarcasm]

And at the end of this trainwreck ride, you're greeted by this anime's variant of Saber. Similarly to how every Pokémon generation has its Pikachu clone, each Fate franchise has its clone of the original Saber. This one is thus: "Red Saber", also nicknamed "Umu Saber" (after her catchphrase) or "Waifu Saber". But more on her later. Her charming face is what has to push viewers past this "abomination" of a first episode and into better territories.

... and that can be taken quite literally, because one of the first scenes in the second episode is a nude scene between protagonist and our waifu Saber. Why? Because the Shaft drinking game clearly needs more victims.

The first episode - Redeeming qualities?

However, after revisiting the first episode for this review, a lot more things fall into place. It certainly doesn't redeem this first episode (it's still awful), but there were a lot off of: "Oh, that's what they meant" moments when revisiting. Case in point, I suddenly noticed that the plot is totally spoiled in the very first and very last scene of the first episode, but never noticed until I rewatched it.

You also start paying more attention to the "glitchiness" of this world and pay attention to the explanation that this world really is broken and that our hero isn't the chosen one... he's just an anomaly. The chosen one was somebody else who died in the opening scene... Although "Chosen One" and "Anomaly" basically are the same thing.

Turning a dungeon crawling game into an existential crisis

I think it's safe to say that this anime is only a "loose" adaptation of the video game. And while the die-hard fans of this game have found this a sacrilege, the rest didn't really mind it... because the game is mediocre at best. They also had to adapt the game mechanics of 128 masters in a dungeon fighting dungeon masters to raise up to another floor and... and god, it already feels boring just writing it.

So the director and writer have taken everybody on a loop with this adaptation, including the original voice actors. Only slowly have they are revealing their hand. And the end result is a weird trip to be honest.

While the basic principle of "128 masters fighting and beating floor masters to get to the top floor" is kept, everything else is changed. This is no longer a generic hack and slash game... it's an existential crisis, time and time again. And every floor has a different way of expressing that crisis.

Shinji is living in a fantasy world (in more than one way). Another master is actively wondering why he can never ascend to another floor, even if he keeps killing new challengers. Another master is no more than a monster. 2 other masters create constant AI clones of themselves to duke it out in an infinite number of possibilities. And so one and so on. Time and time again you get the feeling that this simulated world is broken beyond repair and we're the last survivors trying to crawl our way out of this wreckage.

Let's talk about: Waifu Saber

Sakura Tange (Red Saber's voice actress) noted in a panel that Red Saber acted a lot more cute in this anime than the more boyish Red Saber from the game. And she wasn't the only one who noticed. There's a reason why the nickname "Waifu Saber" was pasted on this character. This Saber acts a lot more cute, dresses weirdly (watch what remains when she takes her red coat off) and the Shaft tropes have been applied to her. Yes, this means the typical gratuitous (semi-)nudity scenes and scenes that arouse everybody except the people in the scene itself.

Yes, there is a figurine of this "ribbon Saber". Why do you ask?

Do I personally mind? The gratuitous nudity: yes (not a fan); her change in character: no, not that much.

I haven't played the game, so I don't know how she was "supposed to be". And honestly, I've seen worse in other Fate series (*cough*Apocrypha*cough*). However, what I did notice during my trip to Japan last May, was that she was being heavily marketed as a waifu character.

Every store I visited had (next to the tons of One Piece merch) one shelf reserved for Fate, and the red dress of this Saber catches your eye immediately. More than any other character from the franchise (which is saying something), Red Saber had the most figurines, and the cutest looking ones. And yes, there were a LOT of them. Now that I've seen the series, I kind of regret not taking pictures of the tons of figurines.

Personal opinion

So now that I've done all my ranting, what do I think of this series? I find it an interesting watch and even worth rewatching over time. During my second viewing for this review, I've noticed lots of details and moments I didn't pick up the firs time around. And that makes me think that there is a lot to analyze about his series as a whole (if you take the time for it and are able to stand cringe moments).

Though I will admit that the series does cross the thin red line between an interesting art piece and a pretentious piece of sh!t from time to time. When? I'll let you figure that out.

But overall it certainly gets a careful recommendation from me. I give this anime a 7/10. Worth your time, IF you take into account the prerequisites and the awful first episode.

If all else fails: The Shaft tropes drinking game

This series not to your liking? You can still partake in the Shaft tropes drinking game. Very lethal, but more fun than whatever you're watching.

A character doing a head tilt: take a shot. Gratuitous nudity shot: Take a shot. Overly complex room that looks way too large and utterly empty: take a shot. And so on and so on. For the full list, check TV-tropes.

While the term "drinking game" is said in an ironic fashion (seriously, don't do it for real. It's lethal); it makes for a fun viewing experience to count how many times you should have taken that shot. And boy... that counter went up a LOT.

In a way of closing off, here's a few examples.
But until next time, V out.

PS: No, it won't take two months until my next blog post... I promise.

nudity, big empty rooms, head tilts, etc. Fill that bingo card!

Netflix, anime and me: a follow-up

First: about me

*Looks at his last few posts and sighs*. Yeah, that whole "going youtube-thing" isn't going to work out, eh? Let's face it: Doing youtube videos for a perfectionist like me (who can't ad-lib) was way too much work, while I have way too little time to properly edit all the footage I have. And unlike your average youtube editor, I can't afford to stay awake until 4 in the morning; I still have a day job.

And since I can't do ad-libs properly (I go off-topic and start rambling waaaay too often), I had to write the script beforehand completely. The moment I came to the conclusion that I was writing the entire script like I would write my blog posts, I caved in. This had no point, other than exhausting me.

So I took a break for some retrospective thoughts. In the meantime I've been writing a Dutch blog (about my travels in Japan). But since the last post is planned to be released in the next week, I wanted to shift my focus on anime again.

But I want to change my writing according to my current viewing habits and not the other way around (which was a mistake I have made in the past). And my viewing habit has become that of a casual anime fan: watching one or two of the current seasonal anime, but then watch whatever pops up on Netflix.

Let's face it: Crunchyroll may have the biggest selection of anime, most people watching it are the seasonal anime fans. And those viewers aren't blog readers (there are some, but they're a minority). People that visit this blog (or most anime blogs for that matter) are those who are looking for reviews of an entire series that just popped up on their radar (e.g. via Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc). They read whether or not it's good and start binge-watching.

Long story short: The plan is that I'm going to be writing reviews for anime on Netflix.

Anime on Netflix - the follow-up

Since I'm talking about Netflix, let's first do a follow-up post on my post of last August about anime on Netflix; just to see what has happened and what has changed ever since.

For the original post, check this link: https://thevproject.blogspot.com/2017/08/a-talk-about-anime-netflix-funimation.html

What has been released since my post in 2017:

• Little Witch Academia: Both (short) movies and both seasons have been released. The only thing missing is Netflix linking them all together chronologically for convenient watching experience (seriously, Netflix. Get to it!)
• Fate / Apocrypha: Season 1 was added this past winter, season 2 was added March 31st and is thus complete.
• Devilman Crybaby: Has been added January 5th 2018 and was one of the most talked about series of the past winter season.
• Kakegurui: I have no idea why this anime took SO long. But it's been added since February 1st. Oh, and the live action adaptation followed soon after.
• ID-0: I always thought this was an Amazon exclusive. I now realize it was a Netflix exclusive... it's a bad series, but it's been added.
• Godzilla Monster Planet: Has been added January 17th. The second movie will be added from July 18th! There will be more Godzilla animated movies released in the coming years and they will all come to Netflix after their respective theater run has completed.
• B the Beginning: Season 1 has been added March 2nd, season 2 has been announced for later this year.
• A.I.C.O. Incarnation: Has been released, March 9th 2018
• Children of the whale: Sneaked its way in below the radar, but yes: it's on Netflix since March 13th 2018.
• Sword Gai: Yup, it's been added since March 23rd. Season 2 will be added at the end of July
• Violet Evergarden: First anime to be released on a weekly basis in the west (except in the US, who got everything afterwards in one go, on April 5th).
• Aggretsuko: Released April 20th. This is without a doubt the best anime of spring 2018! - Update: Confirmed on July 6th: Will receive a second season in 2019!
• Mob Psycho 100: Oh how big the disappointment was when we noticed it was the Live-action adaptation instead of the anime.
• The disastrous life of Saiki K Season 2 (first half): Added June 26th. The first season was added to the catalog only this spring, so I was pretty amazed we got the second season so soon afterwards... until I saw we got only half of it (booh!).
• Fate/EXTRA Last Encore: Most recent addition: June 30th. Season 2 to be added later on.

Other series have been added where I live, but I noticed that's more due to local licenses from MangaUK (like One Punch Man & Saiki K) and French licensing, rather than being "Netflix originals" or netflix-sponsored shows.

One lucky shift is that more recently Netflix seems to be bothering more with Dutch subtitles, because only a few months ago half of the anime titles available on Netflix only had French subs/audio alongside the Japanese audio (which is really frustrating as a fan). Thank god, that has changed with the more recent additions.

To be released in 2018, from July onward:

Sources: ANN, Netflix itself, the official Netflix Youtube Channel and AnimeUKNews.net

Title	About	Release date
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle	2nd of the 3 Godzilla movies. Third one is released in theaters in October '18. So Netflix release will be somewhere in spring of 2019.	July 5th
Sword Guy (season 2)	Not the best of anime, but be "excited" for the second half this month!	July 30th
Flavors of Youth (Shikioriori)	A cooperation between ComicWave Films (the studio behind most Makoto Shinkai movies) and the Chinese Haoliners Animation League comes a collection of three shorts, woven together into a movie format. Hence the name Shikioriori or Poem of Seasons Woven Together.	August 4th (worldwide)
Last Hope (Jūshinki Pandora)	Total dud (around 5,5/10 on MAL), but we're getting this anyway.	September 14 (first half), December 21 (second half)
Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan	Studio Bones anime that aired in Japan this Spring season.	September 21
The disastrous life of Saiki K Season 2 (2nd half)	Not a Netflix-exclusive, but we're finally caught up now	September 21
Gundam Unicorn	Never expected a Gundam series to hit Netflix here, but it was added alongside Saiki S2.	September 21
Piano Forest TV (dubbed as Forest of Piano)	A new adaptation of this manga, this time a tv-series instead of a movie. Aired in Japan this spring season.	September 28, 2018 (first season), 2019 (second season)
Lost Song	Aired this spring in Japan. Slightly postponed from September to October 5th	October 5th 2018
Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of The Commandments	Edit: Netflix has corrected its season 2 as "Signs of the Holy War", so when the the ACTUAL season 2 comes around, you will know. Japan has had the 24-episode run past Spring. To be seen if we get all 24 episodes in one go, though.	October 15
Castlevania (Season 2)	Yeah-yeah-yeah, not an anime. F**k it, it fits in this list! Also, third season is also greenlit for 2019!	October 26th
Fate/EXTRA Last Encore: Illustrias Geocentric Theory	We finally got a release date for the "second season" of Fate Extra... The full 3 episodes	October 30
Ingress the Animation	You remember that other game from Niantic (the one that is NOT Pokémon go)? It's getting an anime adaptation in October for some weird reason. Update: Delayed with (at least) a month.	October 2018 (Japan), November 23(worldwide)
Baki	My It's going to be a 2-cours run (26 episodes) and it will start airing this summer (Japan first release). Rest of the world is in Fall	Japan: June 26th, Worldwide: December 18th (first half)
Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger	A P.A. Works anime about vampire hunters with music instruments (err, sure?).	Japan: July '18, Worldwide: December 21st
Hi Score Girl	Another J.C. Staff anime (huh, really). This one is about a boy who encounters a girl that's a genius at gaming. Twist: it's set in the early 90s.	Japan: July 2018. Worldwide: 24 December
Back Street Girls: Gokudolls	A J.C. Staff anime about Yakuza undergoing a sex operation to become idols (wut?). Obviously a seinen series.	Japan: July 2018. Worldwide: Fall season 2018

 

Coming to Netflix in 2019

Title	About	Release date
Kakegurui (Season 2)	Yeey, more of our favorite gambler!	Japan: Fall 2018, Worldwide: Somewhere in 2019
B the Beginning (season 2)	First season was so-so. But Netflix has renewed it for a second season. While originally scheduled for fall '18, that reference got removed later on. Now it's confirmed to be postponed to somewhere in 2019.	Postponed to 2019
Cannon Busters	Finally some more info on this LeSean Thomas project. It's been postponed to 2019. But as compensation, Boondock Saints has been added to the catalog (lol).	April 1st 2019
Rilakkuma and Kaoru	The only thing released this year is the teaser trailer (booh!). The actual release has been postponed to Spring 2019.	Spring 2019
Ultraman	An anime adaptation of the Ultraman series? Though this one is going to be based on the 2011 manga that just recently ended. Cool! Though... 3D CG series by Production I.G. has me a bit worried (they're... hit and miss).	Spring 2019
Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya	The new CG incarnation of the classic Saint Seiya story. Also delayed until 2019. But similarly, we got The Lost Canvas in the catalog as a compensation price?	Somewhere in 2019
Kengan Ashura	Fresh announcement from AnimeExpo. The adaptation of this martial arts anime is slated for a 2019 release.	Somewhere in 2019
Revisions	Recently announced. Slated for a January 2019 release in Japan, no confirmation if worldwide or Japan first.	Japan: January 2019, Worldwide: Somewhere in 2019
Seis Manos	Viz recently announced they would create an original anime for Netflix, created (US side) by the people behind the Castlevania series, but no Japanese studio has been confirmed yet.	Somewhere in 2019
Aggretsuko (Season 2)	Anime of the spring season has a 2nd season greenlit for 2019! Yeey!	Somewhere in 2019
Forest of Piano (Season 2)	As originally slated	Somewhere in 2019
Baki (Second half)	As originally slated	Somewhere in 2019
Carole & Tuesday	Original anime by Studio Bones, music-based	Somewhere in 2019
Yasuke	A collab between Lesean Thomas and Studio Mappa? Feudal Japan with mechs and magic? Sign me the heck up!	No date confirmed
Seven Deadly Sins: Prisoners of the Sky (movie)	The Seven Deadly Sins movie has been confirmed to get a Netflix release.	Somewhere in 2019
Altered Carbon	An animated spin-off from the live action series	No date confirmed. Could be 2019.
Cagaster of an Insect Cage	A Gonzo anime for Netflix, based upon the manga Mushikago no Cagaster? Interesting. But full CG?...	No date confirmed

Oh, and if you want to cringe... A Sword Art Online Live Action adaptation has also been sold to Netflix. So if the anime wasn't bad enough, we can now cringe at real live actors reenacting that horrible story. I know a few anitubers that will love to tear this one apart.

Afterword

Now that Fate Last Encore is out, I'll be watching that (trainwreck) and write a review about it. Considering the score it's getting on review sites, I get the feeling I'm going to need some alcohol to finish it.

Follow-ups

July 6th-17th: Done a few additions in the past few weeks, based on AnimeExpo reveals.

July 17th: Did a retooling of the to-be-aired section, to make it easier overview.

September (gen.): A few minor tweaks as some release dates get fixed (7 Deadly sins, Saiki, Fate Extra) or postponed a bit (Piano Forest, Lost Song)

November: Added new titles, got a few delay updates.

V Reviews - Haikyuu: Hype, the Anime

When I decided that I would watch some of the most recent sports anime, the first one I decided upon was Haikyuu. Why? Because volleyball is a sport that has always had a soft spot in my heart. I always liked playing it in school and I think if I ever would pick up sports again, volleyball would probably be among my first choices. I dunno why, it's a sport that clicked with me.

So did this anime live up to my expectations? Let's find out

V Reviews: Haikyuu!! (seasons 1-3)

Backstory

Haikyuu is a sports manga created by Furudate Haruichi. And this author is the polar opposite of the mangaka of Yowamushi Pedal (see my earlier blog post). Wataru has many public appearances and his image is publicly known. Haruichi on the other end uses a pen name and almost everything about him is unknown, safe the date of birth (March 7 1982 - yes, there's a typo on ANN's bio page).

The few things we do know is from the "about" section of the manga volumes and the general "mangaka comments" page of Shonen Jump. From this information I was able to filter out that:

• The author is male. This may sound banal, but the gender has been heavily debated among fans due to the high level of anonymity the author keeps.
• The author has a high level of anxiety issues. He commented once that riding vehicles (like buses) or going outside in general makes him REALLY nervous. This kind of explains his lack of appearances at Haikyuu events. He's just conflicted with anxiety. I can't imagine how meeting up with editors must be for him.
• The author has at least an older and younger brother. The latter of which has recently become a light novel author.
• The author used to play volleyball in high school. His position was a middle blocker. This kind of explains why he started a manga about volleyball.

It starts to make you think. How can an anxious person go and play a team sport like Volleyball? From my experience, the only way to do that would be to latch onto a friend you can trust. Like how the anxious Yamaguchi hangs with Tsukishima.

Hold on... Central blocker, anxious kid who hangs with best friend... Is Yamaguchi the personification of the author? That would make sense and it is a recurring thing that authors put their own persona in their own stories as a supporting or side character.

Well, it's only speculation, but let's call this my personal "Anime Theory"

Since the author is a very anxious person, it was kind of to be expected that he doesn't have a Twitter account or blog of any kind. And I think it's for the better that fans don't try to pry any further into his privacy.

Anyway, back on topic. Haruichi started out in 2008 as a manga artist. And after a few short-lived series (King Kid, Playground & the horror manga Kiben Gakuha), he finally struck gold in 2012 with Haikyuu. The series has resulted in a tv-series of 3 seasons (at this moment), several recap movies, several OVA's and also a (Japanese) 3DS game.

Fully understanding the title

Before going further, let's back up a bit. What exactly does the title "Haikyuu!!" even mean? Since Haikyuu is written in Katakana (reserved for foreign words), you can read it as High Queue or HQ. But reading it like that would miss the point completely, since the word "Haikyuu" is an advanced pun.

It actually goes like this:

• Haikyuu!! is written as "ハイキュー!!" in Katakana.
• Volleyball is written as "バレーボール", which is also Katakana and pronounced in approximately the same way the English word is.
• If "Haikyuu" would be rewritten as hiragana (reserved for Japanese words) and then "upgraded" to Kanji characters, you would end up with the following: 排球
• And while it's usually written in katakana, there are also Kanji characters available for volleyball, which are exactly the same as Haikyuu: 排球.
• In other words: Haikyuu = Volleyball (but in a very roundabout way).

Story

After watching the volleyball legend "The Little Giant" on tv, Shōyō Hinata is dreaming of becoming a volleyball star himself. But while his attempts to form a volleyball club in his middle school came with "mixed results" (they end up being beaten in the first round of the big regional tournament), he does not want to give up his dream.

What do you mean, we lost?

So when needing to select a high school to enroll into, Hinata obviously chooses the school of "Little Giant", Karasuno High School. But when entering the volleyball club, he encounters the star player of the team that beat him in middle school, Tobio Kageyama. The two get in each other's hairs and annoy the other players so much as well as incidentally hurting the vice principal of the school, the team leader (Daichi Sawamura) kicks both of them out of the club.

The sole reason for letting them back in, is if they show they can work together as a team. And that is a bigger hurdle than the two thought. Hinata lacks good experience, since the only people he played with were girls or elder women; while Kageyama has some issues of himself, bossing around everybody so much that they stop trusting him (and in a team sport like volleyball that is deadly). But with due time and training, and with the help of the other team members the two slowly start to become better at working together. Hinata and Kageyama show they can work together by challenging the other first-year players to a match. And by winning against them, they're allowed back in the team.

Once this rag-tag team has been formed, the school councilor sets them up a practice match against Aoba Johsai High school, which they somehow win (albeit that was due to the absence of the team's main setter for most of the match). But in order to prepare for the upcoming big tournament, they need to make sure some former players return, get an actual trainer and do a training camp.

Interesting team, but we'll beat them next time...

And each episode will get you pumped for the next.

Characters

This anime has SO many characters. The main focus of this show is presenting each team with at least a handful of interesting characters (at which it succeeds). But it's karasuno's team that remains the most interesting...

	Shōyō Hinata: Main character of the series. He's a short guy that radiates like the sun (literally, the Hi in his name means "sun"). He's a middle blocker who has a LOT of stamina and focuses on running and jumping (since he can't rely on height). Since he's able to draw everybody's attention with his jump and his radiant aura, his teammates quickly call him the perfect distraction.
	Tobio Kageyama: Nicknamed "King of the Court" by his teammates in Middle school. But while you would think that's a good name, we quickly find out it's an insult. Tobio is a genius setter, but has real personality issues. He was being mocked of being a dictator who insults everybody around him for not being up to his level. After being abandoned by his teammates, Tobio realizes that he has to improve his temper and slowly starts to open up to others.
	Daichi Sawamura: Third-year and team leader of the Volleyball team. And yes, he sure does live up to that title. When playing, he's quick and precise in handing out commands. This in such a way that everybody can trust in him. But when his "kouhai" are too loud or obnoxious, he can get REALLY angry, like scarily angry.
	Kōshi Sugawara: vice-captain and setter of the team. tactical genius who knows his team mates the best, but he realizes that Tobio is a much talented setter than he is. But he doesn't let that set him down. He aims to get better and is ready to take Tobio's place at anytime.
	Ryūnosuke Tanaka: Second year wing spiker. He's the loud and extrovert guy. He can get really annoying at times (making Daichi angry), but is still there when it matters. Tanaka is a player you can count on and who even looks out for his own underclassmen (kouhai).
	Asahi Azumane: Left-wing spiker and the team's current "Ace". He left the team, due a traumatic experience on the field where every single one of his smashes had been blocked (and thus resulted in his confidence being crushed like ice). But Hinata aims to get him back on the team. Azumane looks older than he is and is often mocked for looking even creepy at times, while he's probably one of the most gentle people in the entire team.
	Yū Nishinoya: Second year Libero. Is a two-man team with Azamune and thus left the team as well after Azamune left. But he's a very energetic and passionate guy, aiming to become the world's best Libero player, able to block any play. Similar to Hinata, he's also short and has a very positive attitude.
	Kei Tsukishima: First year "glasses guy". And while Hinata is the sun, Tsukishima is the moon (again, literal. Tsuki means "moon"). And it shows in his character. He's the tall guy that hides in the shadow, but is able to block most plays. The only problem he has, is his overall sarcastic and demeaning attitude. When you see him interact, you'd think he has no interest in playing at all. But nothing is less true.
	Tadashi Yamaguchi: Best friend of Tsukishima and a bit of a shy guy with a bit of anxiety issues. He gets by, by hanging around Tsukishima. He's a central blocker, but since other players are better, he's in the reserve team. In the meantime, he tries to perfect a "float jump serve" to be somewhat useful to the team.
	Kiyoko Shimizu: Team manager and subject of many of the school boys' dreams. Silent and hard worker
	Ittetsu Takeda: School teacher and faculty advisor for the volleyball club. He easily admits he won't be able to do such a good job, because he doesn't know all that much about volleyball. But he gives it his all none the less. Do not underestimate this guy, because he's the one bringing in the new coach and is able to make arrangements with other teams for matches and training camps.
	Keishin Ukai: Former Karasuno student and grandson of the famous coach Ukai. Holds open the shop of his mother where our school boys often frequent. Teacher Takeda tries to convince him to become the new coach for the Karasuno team. But he requires some time to be convinced. Halfway through the third season his voice actor suddenly changed. Sadly enough, this was because the original voice actor Kazunari Tanaka passed away due to brain stem hemorrhage. And while the new VA (Hisao Egawa) does his best, you feel that it just isn't the same coach Ukai. Rest in peace.

But boy, I could go on for a while naming characters (SO many of them). Amongst the list of "others", the most notable characters are: Tōru Oikawa (setter for Aoba Johsai High school and rival to Kageyama), Kenma Kozume (setter for Nekoma high and friend/rival of Hinata) and Wakatoshi Ushijima (ace of Shiratorizawa Academy, and "main enemy to beat" in the regional tournament and thus the first three seasons).

Animation

Animation is being handled by Production I.G. and the studio has been pumping out the seasons on a steady pace. Season 1 was 2014, with season 3 airing past Fall of 2016. 2017 will have no fourth season. Instead, the studio is trying to comfort the fans with a recap movie and a special OVA instead.

The reason for that was quite obvious. The anime was catching up to the manga. That's why the third season was already shorter than the previous two. There has been no official message of when Season 4 will be done, but speculation is that the studio wishes for the manga to move a little further before they start animating it. Fans already have mentioned that the special training of Tobio (which is revealed at the end of the third season) itself could not contain a fourth season of 1 cours, by itself. So if a fourth season comes, it'll probably be 25 episodes again (like the first and second season).

In terms of quality, there's nothing to say in particular. Production I.G. is one of the most renown animation studios in the anime industry. There's a quality label attached to the name of the studio. Even if a Production I.G. anime doesn't do well, it's never because of the animation.

Sound

The music is composed by the young and talented Asami Tachibani. And if to be described in one word, it's: "Hype". Listen to tracks like "The Battle of Concepts" (for example) will get you pumped up and ready to play ball.

And the OP's try to do the same thing. They're animated to maximize the interest curve system to get your interest set up for the show to start. But hey, don't take my word for it. Here is Geoff from Mother's Basement explaining the Interest Curve system used in the Haikyuu OP.

Personal Enjoyment

This has been a VERY enjoyable anime to watch... and to binge watch especially. The longer you hang around these characters, the more you want to be with the characters. You feel the main characters' struggle to become better in volleyball.

And the show makes it clear that these are no superheroes performing supernatural sports performances. They fail to receive the ball, they f**k up passes, they hit the net when setting up and even lose matches. They get frustrated and annoyed after losing. They want to train harder, but don't always find the right way to be successful. And while reviewers who play volleyball have already commented that the stuff these characters do are feats that even Olympic athletes couldn't do (like constant triple blocking), it's still closer to reality than most sports anime (for example Kuroko's Basketball).

And best of all, the flow feels more natural, akin to the real sport. With that I mean that the distance people run and the duration of the passes are more aligned to our real world (unlike sports anime like Prince of Tennis or Yowamushi Pedal). There's only one episode in the first season where I caught them doing exactly that: A single pass lasting over 5 minutes (which I found hilarious). But I think they received complaints about that, because the creators never did something this stupid ever again.

But what sold it completely for me is the great sense of humor this series had. I was laughing my ass off due to the shenanigans our heroes and the other rival schools tend to do.

Personally, I'd give the three seasons together a solid 8.5/10. It's a really good anime. Can't wait for the next season!

Until next time, V out.

V Reviews - Yowamushi Pedal: How to make a boring sport interesting

Lately I've been trying to catch up on some of the bigger multi-season sports anime of the past years. So obviously, after catching up to them completely (not there yet, it's taking longer than expected), I'm going to write reviews about them! Ha-haah!

First up, the anime that makes one of the most boring sports around (safe fishing and golf) into pure, gold entertainment: Cycling - or as they call in in this anime: Road Racing. The anime I'm talking about is Yowamushi Pedal! Let's get this show on the road.

V Reviews - Yowamushi Pedal (Seasons 1 + 2)

Backstory

Yowamushi Pedal ("The Cowardly Cyclist" in English) is a manga created by Wataru Watanabe. And boy, if you look up his name it will result in pictures of him in cycling (otaku) gear. He's totally into cycling!

Wataru has been active as a mangaka since 2002 and has created a certain amount of manga that all lasted somewhere between 1-4 volumes. This includes titles like Seifuku Nuidara (4 vol), Densha Otoko (3 vol, with a main char that looks exactly like the one from YowaPeda), Go GO Kochira (4 vol), Hanatan (3 volumes) and MajiMoji Rurumo (13 volumes over 3 different series)

But no matter how short or long-lived his titles are, one thing is common: They all got published. If you look at track records of many other big manga authors, that's not always a given.

But Wataru's biggest success story began in 2008, with the launch of a series of his favorite sports: Yowamushi Pedal. And success story it is. The manga is one of the top series in Weekly Shonen Champion and has amassed 50 volumes already. And the series shows no signs of stopping anywhere near soon.

In 2013, TMS Entertainment has picked up the manga for a 38-episode anime series (+1 OVA and recap movie). Due to the popularity, a sequel was quickly green-lit and from then it went onward. Today we have 4 movies (including 2 recap movies), 1 OVA, 1 short-lived Drama series and a third season (New Generation) that is currently airing that can be watched on Crunchyroll (Note: this sequel is the only one that doesn't have strict region restrictions at the moment of writing!!).

And oh boy, does Wataru enjoy every minute of his success story. He's one of the few mangaka around who can actually perform his hobby and get away with it ("It's research!!!"). If you look at his blog, you will find many pictures of him either ready to train, ready to perform at a road race or MTB race, or cycling around "just because".

I bet there are many mangaka out there that are at least a bit jealous of Wataru's success story. It's hard to find mangaka that aren't devoting night and day to making their own series into a possible success. Even the most talented ones tend to struggle through their daily lives. So then seeing "a mangaka" posting pictures about how he's enjoying his bike ride is bound to make a few artist eyes twitch. But hey, I can only applaud mangaka who are willing to both work hard and take some time off for themselves. Too many people in the manga/anime industry end up working too hard or are physically damaging their bodies to make deadlines work.

There's a reason why editors try to push authors into making series (not just manga, but series in general) about the things that you like yourself. It's easier to get invested and do research when it's about things you want to do yourself.

Story

Our protagonist (Sakamichi Onoda) is your typical Otaku. He loves anime (the fictional Love Hime in particular), loves Akihabara (or Akiba as it's nicknamed here) and wants to share his joy with everybody he knows. When choosing a high school, he specifically chose a school that is known to have an anime club and is within cycling range of Akihabara (45 km distance).

However, there is only one problem for Onoda: Reality.

In case you might be in the illusion that anime is everywhere in Japan and that everybody knows and loves anime, let me dispel that. This series depicts reality a little better. Both in his middle school and now in Sohoku High School, he is about the only person to give a damn' about anime. Even if his fellow students do like anime, most people don't want that to be publicly known (because teenagers like being "cool" more than being a weeaboo outcast).

In Onoda's case specifically, he runs into the notice that the anime club has been closed due to the club no longer having the necessary amount of members (FYI: A minimum of 5 members is necessary to keep any school club going). Onoda thus desperately searches for 4 more people that are interested in anime to revive the club. But since he's shy and a total wimp, that is quite a struggle for him (hence the term yowamushi, which can mean weakling/wimp or coward).

All the while, something else is happening behind Onoda's back. People are taking notice of him. Not because of his passion for anime, but because of his cycling. He is able to take a women's bicycle (nicknamed an "old grandma bycicle") up the steep slope (2km of of 20° slope) without real issue and his claim that he goes to Akihabara from school and to home afterwards (which again is about 2x45 km) is catching the attention of cyclist Shunsuke Imaizumi and Cycling club manager Miki Kanzaki.

There's being interested in somebody,
and then there's Miki-level of creepy obsession.

Both want to test Onoda's claims and they organize a race between Imaizumi and Onoda. Onoda initially refuses. But when Imaizumi offers to join the anime club if he would lose, Onoda becomes passionate about winning!

Due to Imaizumi cycling on a road racer and Onoda on his "granny bike", nobody expects Onoda to actually win. But he catches a lot of attention when he's actually able to keep up with Imaizumi for most of the race.

Slowly, Onoda is being convinced to join the cycling team instead of focusing on recreating the anime club. And slowly he becomes good enough to join Sohoku's main roster of road racers and join them to partake in the upcoming Inter-High road racing tournament, which lasts 3 full days.

The first 20 episodes focus on Onoda's efforts to join the cycling team and the main roster of cyclists. The rest of the first season and the entirety of the second season is the three full days of the Inter-High tournament. But if you think that is boring, think again. This anime has the power to make one of the most mundane things (watching people cycle on a road racer) into one of the most thrilling fights in existence. You'll never look at road racing in the same light again after you finished watching this anime.

Characters

One of the strong points of Yowamushi Pedal is the characters. And there are A LOT of characters! Let's do this team by team

Team Sohoku, from left to right: Sakamichi Onoda: Main character. The titular wimp, but a genius in climbing and a master in catching up to others. He's a full-blown otaku and his biggest dream is taking his friends to Akihabara. Shunsuke Imaizumi: The fitting image for the solitary cyclist, but has a grudge towards a cyclist named Midousuji. His purpose is to grow stronger as a cyclist and beat Midousuji in a race. But meeting Onoda helps to soften his cold and distant demeanor. He slowly opens up befriends the other cyclists. Shingo Kinjou: 3rd year and leader/Ace of the Sohoku cycling team. Is nearsighted and has specific UV-blocking glasses he has a tendency of putting on / taking off to look cooler (no, really).	Jin Todoroki: The big tough guy with a golden heart. Is a born sprinter and often butts heads with the other sprinters of the school team (they're all just as competitive). Shoukichi Naruko: The Red Bean of the team. Osaka-stereotype (loud, rough and very competitive). He's a sprinter at heart and gives everybody a nickname. He may be loud, but he's very hung-up on the team and his friends. Yuusuke Makishima: "The cool and mysterious one". Third year and ace climber. He has a weird way of climbing up hills (which earned him the nickname of "peak spider") and isn't very good at socializing, but is a real softie when you get to know him. As sempai-climber, he coaches Onoda into becoming better.
Hakone High School, from left to right: Sangaku Manami: First-year climber like Onoda. He's carefree and absent-minded. And he likes to do things on his own terms. But when it comes down to it, he's an ace climber. Hayato Shinkai: 3rd year sprinter and power bar addict. Seriously, unless he's in his berserker mode he constantly has an power bar in his mouth. Considering how long each course is, you'd wonder how long he's sobbing on each of those bars. Touichirou Izumida: ABS! ABS! ABS! ABS!	Yasutomo Arakita: The street punk turned cyclist. 3rd year support rider. You'll hear him before you even see him, that is how loud he is. But he's very reliable as a drafter. Jinpachi Toudou: Pretty boy of the team and he knows it! Juichi Fukutomi: The literal number 1 of the school (the Kanji for "1" is in his actual name). His nickname is "stone-face" and with reason. He barely shows any sign of emotion on his face. He's stoic, steadfast and most of all: He is STRONG!
	Kyoto Fushimi High School A mostly forgettable team, safe the one man that towers above all others: Akira Midousuji. He's a twisted man that will lie and play mind games on all other cyclists, in order to break their mentality and force them to quit or give up. But don't let that foul attitude fool you, he is also one of the best cyclists out there. And since he's an all-rounder, he can compete in sprints, climbs as well as the overall finish.
	Hiroshima Kureminami Technical High School A new threat in the second season. Most riders are forgettable except the ace in the middle: Machimiya Eikichi. Rather than focussing on sheer power and ability, his team aims for survival and the win on the third day, when most teams have lost members (except theirs + Hakone & Sohoku). Eikichi is able to manipulate the thinned-out teams and turn them into an "angry mob" aiming to swallow up all the teams. But there's more to this trick than meets the eye.

Animation

If you ever want an example of a show that is able to blend classic animation and CG graphics, this is one of the prime examples of blending done right. Shots that focus on the faces of the characters are done in 2D, while distant shots, back shots and overall quick movement shots are done in CG. And the two blend together so well, you barely notice it. And this blending is getting better the further along the show goes. Considering the amount of horrible CG that has been used in this season's new anime, I can really applaud the use of CG in this anime franchise.

The more you look at it, the more you wonder:
Outside of Imaizumi's face, How much is still classic 2D-animation?

Sound

Most of the OPs are hype tracks to get you pumped, but none of them specifically "trigger" something in me. But on the other end, the entire soundtrack is really good. The returning tracks easily get stuck in you head and several of the specific sound moments (like the epic finish music) really gets your blood pumping! It's so good to listen to! Kudo's to composer Kan Sawada. Most of the time, Sawada composes for TV-series and movies; but in a few rare exceptions, he will compose for anime as well (like Doraemon, Sergeant Keroro, Moonlight Mile (huh?) and now also Yowamushi Pedal.

Any downsides?

Well, If I have to be completely honest: there are a few minor things that do bug me throughout this series. Minor nitpicks, but it still keeps returning. One is the obvious: "This route isn't as long" that many sports anime fall victim to (remember Prince of Tennis? Yeah, that kind of running logic). If the dialogue spoken is longer than the distance that needs to be crossed, the cyclists keep riding at full speed; often causing the weird feeling that 50 meters suddenly turns into a friggin kilometer. Luckily this mostly happens at final checkpoints, but it can get annoying if it pops up.

Another nitpick is... well, how do I put this? Everybody is WAY TOO NICE! Yes, obviously Midousuji & Eikichi are portrayed as villains. But other than that, most people are genuinely nice guys. And sometimes being nice to a fault. Throughout the entire series, for example, I can't seem to hear or see one scene where Onoda pays for his gear or bicycle. Everything he uses in this anime is borrowed from somebody or given to him without a need to return. Could you try to do the same things Onoda did in real life, I can bet 100$ on it you won't be able to obtain the amount of gear Onoda uses "for free". Nobody is that gullible or friendly in real life.

Big female fanbase

It is kind of a phenomenon that sports anime tend to be favored by female anime viewers. I guess it has something to do with muscular or tender looking men doing sports, being all sweaty and going all "bromance" on each other?

And this anime series delivers such female fanservice in spades. While none of the characters are gay in any way, the anime doesn't shy away from delivering fanservice to the female audience.

Yes, Imaizumi has his arm around Onoda in this scene.
Out of context, this scene could've been from a BL anime

How much of an impact did it have? Well, reports have stated that the sales of bicycles in japan has gone through the roof ever since the anime started airing. And most surprisingly, the people that were buying bikes were mostly women in their 20s-30s. So that gave a clear indication of the fanbase that got triggered after watching the series.

But do I care about this? Do I hate this? No! Unlike some other over-the-top anime targetted at a female audience (*cough*YuriOnIce*cough*) this anime is actually really good, even if you take said undertone away. And because of that, it turns this into a series that both males and females can enjoy watching (even together).

Overall enjoyment

I'm hooked! I'm almost caught up with the current season of "New Generation" and I'm going to keep watching. It's interesting to watch and the way this show is directed really pushes you forward into keeping this on your to-watch list. Let's hope even more seasons will be greenlit!

Overall, I'm giving both seasons a solid 8/10! A must watch if you're into cycling/road racing, or just into sports anime in general.

That's it for me now. Until next time, V out.