Anime Review of Golden Time

Each anime season I look forward to seeing new josei titles, only to be disappointed at the lack of josei series, routinely dismissing the adult female demographic. However, I get a little bit of solace from the fact that sometimes a seinen title will be in there that is just gender neutral enough to make it a worthwhile watch. Last anime season Golden Time finished airing, which was definitely a title that blurs the lines between seinen and josei as it has something to offer for the whole young adult demographic.

Below is my review of this little romantic anime!

Synopsis

 

Golden Time is centered around Tada Banri who is a freshmen in college, looking to survive the ups and downs of college life and romance. He meets Yanagisawa Mitsuo (Yana-san) and Kaga Kouko on his very first day, becoming entangled in a complicated love triangle. He meets other friends (old and new) at his new school who help him learn to deal with his past while attempting to make a future with someone new. This series is a Romance Drama with Slice of Life and Comedy elements.

Love Lab Review

Now that the summer anime season has finished I'm going to be reviewing all the shows I had been watching for the past few months. I've enjoyed them all a lot for different reasons, but I thought I'd start with Love Lab. A shoujo comedy with a sparkle of romance, this show was a lot of fun to watch and had me chuckling on multiple occasions. This is a spoiler free review, so if you're interested in checking this anime out, I'll be going over the good and the bad so continue reading!

Cousin Manga Review (Volumes 1 & 2)

Thanks to peachgummie I was able to find a new series called Cousin. It's a josei series that flew under the radar, but deals with difficult topics such as self-esteem, weight issues, and building self-confidence. I think these are all problems women deal with as they mature and grow into adults, sometimes we never fully realize how to deal with these issues. Cousin by Ikuemi Ryou tackles these problems in an approachable and realistic manner. This really drew me in to continue reading until the end of the second volume (the manga had an official release but Jmanga who translated it shutdown, making the last volume hard to track down) but I'll give you my review so you can consider reading and supporting the official release. I will update this review when I get a chance to finish reading it in its entirety.

Summary

This manga is considered a Drama, Romance, Josei, Comedy and Slice-of-Life

The story follows Tsubomi, a recent high school graduate who begins working part-time out of school. She led a normal boring life thus far and feels unsatisfied with herself in many respects. To further this dissatisfaction she has a cousin she is always compared to. Her cousin is an upcoming idol, good-looking and thin. Tsubomi in contrast wears no make-up and is chubby. She does her best to break out of her past habits by making friends with a coworker Shiro, and finding new love. It's a story of overcoming your own demons and working towards being the person you want to be. It may be a typical plot for a josei manga, but what differentiates this title is how Tsubomi learns to stop being a self-pitying woman, and becomes someone who constantly tries to better herself.

Story

The story isn't finished after 2 volumes, it was completed at 3 volumes but the first 2 develop a lot that I can talk about. I have technically read the first 2 chapters of volume 3, but it's not enough to make a judgment on that volume as of yet. In my summary I highlighted the development of Tsubomi's character as that is obviously the big mover of the plot. At first I found her frustrating, but I quickly related to her when she began to think about positively changing herself. I of course went through a similar phase, however I don't think I was as conscious about it when it was happening. But much like Tsubomi what helped me to change were the people I surrounded myself with. I loved that this story felt real, and that it was relatable on many different levels (that I didn't expect). All this being said, I found the plot at times was slow moving, spending too much time on little points that weren't interesting. Certain points that were the cause of conflict were not very compelling, making them unimportant and not interesting to developing the plot. Although these are problems, they're not major issues to the overall effect of the story. The story gets an 8.0 out of 10 because of its ability to tackle issues in a convincing and relatable manner.

My Top 5 Couples from Josei Series

Merry Christmas everyone! I thought that what this winter needs a little heating up with soome romance, so I’m going to do my top 5 favourite couples from josei series that I’ve enjoyed. It was tough to boil it down, but I think these couples are all dynamic and interesting for different reasons. So let’s get to the list!

5. Chiaki and Nodame from Nodame Cantabile

These two are as much a polar opposite as you can get. But what I love about them is that music brings them together! For anyone who plays an instrument you’ll understand the magnetic force that music can have on one musician to another. And even those who just enjoy music will know how attractive a musical talent really is. I also enjoyed the banter of the two characters, the sensible Chiaki and the kooky Nodame who can’t sit still. It takes a while for the two to warm up to each other, but watching their relationship unfold is the highlight of the series.

4. Sumire and Momo from Tramps Like Us/Kimi Wa Petto

One of my favourite josei manga features this couple which takes a typical relationship dynamic and spins it on its head. Sumire takes in Momo as her ‘pet’ and learns to love his easy-going kindhearted nature over time. The story of their love takes up the entirety of the story, but is interesting from beginning to finish. It really makes you question exactly what conventions can be broken while still having a fulfilling relationship with another person.

3. Shion and Nezumi from No. 6

Who knew I’d include a homosexual couple on this list! But it’s definitely a well-warranted addition. The relationship between them starts when they’re preteens and blossoms into something quite moving bythe time they’ve reached adulthood. Living in a dystopian future

First Impressions of Golden Time

The new anime season is upon us! One of the first titles to be released for the season is Golden Time. A comedy romance anime will have any josei interested as it features an older cast of characters freshly graduated from high school. There’s only one episode out so far, but does it warrant a second look for next week? Let’s find out! This quick review is spoiler free!
It begins with a scene out of context but introduces the 3 main characters, Tada Banri, Yanagisawa Mitsuo, and the female love interest who is riddled throughout the intro, Kaga Kouko. Tada stumbles into his entrance ceremony at law school late, giving the audience the impression that he’s hard working but might not live up to everyone’s expectations. Kouko is conniving as the swats that rose bouquet in Yana’s (Yanagisawa’s) face. And Yana plays off as a too cool, but somehow very befuddled young man. He however holds the mysterious past with his involvement with Kouko, who in his words, is someone to be feared. The anticipation that plays through the episode is funny and exciting, making the comedy romance duo a nicely executed combination.

All the characters make for a funny combination as it seems Kouko runs the show. Their interaction is entertaining, and I look forward to what hijinks they’re going to get into. The love triangle is obvious, but there’s a lot of anticipation regardless. The inclusion of other girl characters later on in the episode alludes to some sort of harem type dynamic, but that isn’t really deterring me as each character feels unique enough to not be a cliche. The setting is also interesting, as it thrusts you into a colourful university with the clubs that are recruiting freshman. It opens up the antics to the other students, which could also play for some interesting comedy later on. But it’s not just about the comedy, small internal monologues from Tada suggest that this show is going to attempt to get at the heart of young love and new experiences; entering college is a big step in anyone’s life, and there’s a lot of life experience to be learned from it. I’m glad to see this show will be lighthearted,while also addressing deeper issues too.
Will I stay for next week? Yes!This show has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to what it has to offer by addressing an older audience. If you’re a romance fan, a drama slice of life fan or a josei fan you should give this first episode a try, you might get hooked like me!
Christina

Love Lab Episode 10 Highlights & Thoughts

This week offered us a light and fun episode of Love Lab. Although not a whole lot of development moving the story forward happened we did get some perspective by means of new characters (involving siblings) who enlightened us on Mizushima’s and Suzu’s past. It was a lot of fun to watch, so Spoilers ahead let’s discuss what happened.
Mizushima’s Reluctant Fashion Show

It opens with a funny skit of dressing up Mizushima for her next prospective date. What we get is some funny shots of her in different ridiculous outfits and her stumbling around without her glasses. It’s nice to see this fun scene that makes light of the serious Mizushima and pokes some fun at her for once. I enjoy that a slice of life comedy can make a scene worthwhile and funny even though it doesn’t develop much for the story (*cough* *cough* Servant x Service this week *cough*) so I appreciate the thought that has gone into this show week after week that’s made it so enjoyable thus far.
A History of Romance..?

The next scene involves Mizushima still as we get an introspective on how her relationship with her current boyfriend all started. It’s done in the perspective of her boyfriend which is nice as he is not only mysterious but he demonstrates to us how he would remain interested in her despite the fact that they barely see each other. If you’ll notice from the above screencap, their relationship starts on the wrong foot but it’s actually an endearing moment. He gets to see an expression of hers that shows there’s more to her than most other people notice. It’s a bit strange but I like that they’ve shared her relationship past with the audience and in the perspective of her boyfriend to boot. I just don’t understand why they give him no eyes. What’s with that anyway?
The Girls’ Siblings

There’s also a short segment involving the siblings of Suzu and Enomoto. Seeing Suzu as a toddler is pretty adorable, and the scene is too cute. They also poke a bit of fun at an old anime classic My Neighbor Totoro. There’s also a moment from Enomoto’s brother who’s very strange and a bit scary too. He also dons the feature of no eyes. That just adds to his scariness in my opinion. Both scenes are funny and a change of pace to feature some of the other girls for a few minutes.
Suzu’s Perspective

Lastly we get a few minutes featuring Suzu and getting a little taste of how things look from her view. She’s pretty self conscious which can be frustrating to watch but she is sweet and admires her senpais a lot. We see how even though she’s close to the other girls she still looks at them from more of an outsider’s opinion as she gets easily flustered by Maki and Riko. Either way it’s nice to see her featured for a little bit as she’s typically in the background.
So that was this week’s episode. A lot of fun and funny too. I could probably watch this show for more seasons if it continued because of how well they can make the girls’ daily lives interesting and charming, even if a whole lot doesn’t happen. I’ll probably look into the manga for that reason. I’m looking forward to further developments coming next week as well!
Christina

Sweet Fuse: At Your Side Review

Another title from the guys who brought Hakuoki on the PSP comes their next translated title on both the PSP and Playstation Vita, Sweet Fuse At Your Side. An original title that doesn’t play like most other otome games, offering a strange but interesting story and some new unexpected gameplay mechanics. My review will go in depth into the pros and cons of this title, focusing on story, characters and gameplay. At the end I tally up my overall score on it with my final thoughts. So Let’s get into the review!

The Introduction & Story

The game thrusts you into its story within the first 10 minutes. It doesn’t beat around the bush, you’re playing for life or death (and you can get GameOver!). It has a sort of 999 feel to it as you have to play through games that the terrorist Count Hogstein has created, and if you fail you and everyone playing the game will die. Also like 999 it is text heavy as it is a visual novel first and foremost. This game however is much shorter than 999 as you can finish a story-arc in about 5/6 hours.

It’s set in a theme park centered around video games! How could it not when its host and park designer is Keiji Inafune? So it features some awesome backgrounds while paying homage to titles like Mario Kart, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil etc. The setting is fun and the story is kooky and mysterious enough to make you want more out of the game. The mystery won’t be completely solved after one playthrough, so you have to go through different story-arcs to fully flesh out the mystery behind the Count Hogstein and his treacherous plot. Each story-arc feels meaningful as you get to know the past of different characters as well as their motivations. Each playthrough feels like a genuinely new experience which is unheard of in most otome games, and you have to give Sweet Fuse credit for that.

Sweet Fuse’s story gets an 9.0 out of 10. It’s extensive, mysterious and fascinating as it’s just weird enough to keep you guessing! The story will surprise you as it isn’t clear cut, so even on new playthroughs it throws you more curveballs. Each story-arc changes the story and perspective completely as you gain the affection of the different characters. It was very enjoyable despite it being text heavy (and you can skip through already read text with the square button so the introductions fly by quickly).

Love Lab Episode 8 Highlights & Thoughts

A lot happened this week in Love Lab, and not all is happy go lucky in the student council anymore! We get to understand the perspective of the Newspaper Society a bit better while seeing the back of Mizushima’s boyfriend’s head! (SCANDAL ALERT! *cough not really*) The episode leaves on a big cliffhanger while the whole episode is a wave of ups and downs regardless. So let’s get into the highlights of this dramatic episode. Spoilers Ahead!


It begins with Riko wanting to reinvent herself and demolish her title of The Wild One. I like how she has this funny nickname that she thinks is terrible, but it suits her well! It’s not terrible to be wild, I’m not sure if the translation from English to Japanese translates over but wild can be a compliment! Anyone else think her feminine obsession is overrated? Anyway we get some cute and funny banter between the 5 girls involving this sudden change of heart.

And didn’t we all forget about the Newspaper Society? We’ve had no clue what was up their sleeve and even at the end of this episode we still don’t. How can they keep this secret from us for a span of 3+ episodes? This time around though these two have caused much more serious trouble, snagging candid shots of Mizushima with her boyfriend. Does Mizushima even like the guy? It seems like she enjoys just having him around to say he exists. Anyway, we find out that the Newspaper Society has had some friction with Mizushima and the gang as they cut their budget and were demoted from Club Status to an Honorary Society. But even those facts are not sufficient as this isn’t their motive, so what is it exactly? I’m excited for next week’s episode to find out!

My bets are on the fact that Mizushima and Momo have some unfinished business between each other, anyone else get that impression? So because of the bad blood between the two groups Mizushima ends up being blackmailed into admitting to the school faculty that she has a boyfriend (although she admits it semi out of choice). So we know something is up her sleeve as she’s cunning enough to make the best out of these bad situations. I really liked that she was the showcase for the second half of this episode as we get to understand her and how clever she is. She’s easily becoming my favourite character (currently it’s Riko) but next episode will be the judge of that!
So that was the episode! It was full of drama and questions, and it revitalized a dry one from last week where not much happened. This week it leaves us wondering what’s going to happen to the school council, but I know Mizushima won’t lose her accounting position so easily even though she got expelled from the school council! So I’m excited to see just exactly how she intends on getting her rightful place back on next week’s episode.
*Ahem* We also got this golden moment. Let me now erase it from my memory.

Anyone else feel uncomfortable with the blatant black face?

Christina

Love Lab Episode 7 Highlights & Thoughts

This week I watched the 7th episode of Love Lab, and it was quite a funny episode. We get some good interaction between the 5 girls which makes for a fun watch. We get a few teasers for what to expect in the upcoming episodes, but not much else this episode. It’s still enjoyable though, so let’s get into the highlights. Warning Spoilers ahead!


The episode begins with Nana from the school newspaper hopelessly trying to snoop on what the school council girls. The moment is short lived and we don’t get much tension between them and the school council, but we do get a funny scene of Mizushima and Enomoto just watch her struggle. Mizushima is so ruthless, she’s one of my favourite characters on the show for that reason. She observes a lot more than she tampers with, but when she does tamper it makes for an enjoyable scene. I’d like to see the confrontation that unfolds between her and Riko. The tension seems to build all the time. Will she reveal Riko’s lies? If anyone’s going to I imagine it would be her.

The second part of the episode consists of the girls all visiting Riko. Of course her little brother Ren falls for Maki. It’s funny how extremely he changes around her compared to the other girls. Unfortunately for him Maki is oblivious, and moreover uninterested in younger boys! Perhaps there will be more of Ren’s struggle to win over Maki. It would make for some funny scenes. Too bad he doesn’t have short curly hair, then maybe he’d be more her type.

And so in the last few minutes we see Satoshi reappear! I knew he wasn’t going anywhere. I’m excited to see what happens between these two. It’s pretty obvious Riko is almost falling for him, while he’s still hopelessly attracted to her. It’s a fun spin on the story that will make for a gratifying ending if they end up together! And Yan makes another appearance as well. Will he terrorize Maki’s ego some more? Probably.

And that was the episode! Once again we’re teased with the tension between the school newspaper and the girls and yet nothing comes of it! The teaser at the end shows that they are planning something, but let’s be honest, are they even a threat anymore? Or were they never one? I want to see more conflict! This episode had some nice jokes but not a whole lot really happened. Nothing that I felt was direly significant except the end scene with Satoshi. Despite the lack of development it was enjoyable though. I’ll be expecting episode 8 along with some story drivers to make this anime move! Until then!
Christina

Servant x Service Episode 7 Highlights and Thoughts

I’m loving this anime! Each episode brings something new to the table that keeps the show interesting and spontaneous. This episode didn’t deviate from my expectations whatsoever. We get to understand the relationship between Ichimiya and Chihaya better as well as learn about the mysterious grandson Tanaka and his connection to Hasebe. Watch out! Spoilers ahead! Let’s get into the highlights of this episode!

It begins with Chihaya having a bit of fun with Toko, as she dresses her up into one the magical girls that Chihaya fantasizes about. We get to learn that Chihaya honestly likes both of them for different reasons, and that Toko is not just a conduit for Chihaya to get to Ichimiya. I sympathize a lot with Chihaya, it seems like she’s dating quite the airhead. It’s nice that they give us a little bit of their office romance (which isn’t very steamy unfortunately) and lets us in to their dynamic. That’s something I really like about this anime, it doesn’t skimp on letting us know more about all the different characters it features. We learn a bit about all of them every episode.

The second half of this episode introduces us to old lady Tanaka’s grandson. He’s a very responsible A type banker, and doesn’t seem too bad to look at either which is a plus for Miyoshi. Unfortunately he also has a score to settle with Hasebe, which eats up all of his interest leaving none for Miyoshi (or maybe a few scraps) but perhaps there’s more to their romance than meets the eye? Here’s hoping! I’d like to learn more about Miyoshi, I bet they’re going to delve further into her character so it’s something to look forward to in the upcoming episodes!

So that was another enjoyable episode of Servant x Service, which is one of my top picks for this anime season. It’s definitely up there as a josei title, I would group it in with many of the others. It’s lighthearted enough to make funny jokes but also serious enough to get us honestly involved in the characters. There’s a lot to look forward to, and I’m anticipating episode 8 which is out next week! This episode left me with more questions than answers so I hope they get answered soon!
Christina

Love Lab Episode 6 Highlights & Thoughts

This episode was another fun one as we got introduced to 2 more characters, both who are mysteriously connected to Riko. The episode doesn’t have much focus on the other characters, (Suzu, Enomoto and Sayori are barely in it) but it’s nice to learn about Riko and her history with boys (and moreover learn about her credibility, or lack thereof!). Spoilers are ahead and with that out of the way, let’s talk about the episode!

The episode begins with Riko’s morning, we get to see her family life with her brother and mother. It seems like both of them give her a hard time. They both claim she’s not feminine, but I disagree! Either way we get to learn that she’s been rejected in the past. Maybe we’ll get to learn about this later on the show? Maybe not? Who’s to say yet. It is interesting to know that she has bad luck with guys, making her lies to Maki all that more potent. Either way I’d like to know more of her past, so this episode is a nice addition to her story.

We find out about her old soccer teammate Satoshi who once confessed to her. Unfortunately for him, Riko doesn’t even remember this! She does end up remembering him though, although with age he’s changed and grown up a lot. I guess back then he didn’t really matter to her, but who knows if we’ll see him pop up again later on in the story. It seems like he has unfinished feelings with her.

Maki also gets her moment to shine (although she’s really confused by the whole situation). A boy calls her cute! … Just to call her stupid? Will he pop up again as well? Probably. It seems like those two definitely have unfinished business. I do think he’s going to cause more frustration than happiness however. Unfortunately for Maki, this episode isn’t really about her so the moment is short lived. I’d like to have Maki find her first boyfriend though, she’s so determined! It’s cute to see that she’s not forgotten in this episode.

The episode ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. If you remember from last episode there was a cliffhanger ending involving the school newspaper. Wonder what happened? Well they remind you right at the end of this episode. A bit strange as I thought that’s what this episode was going to be about. I almost completely forgot about that from last week’s episode until they kindly reminded me! I hope this finally gets explored as this could get all the girls into a lot of trouble if they get exposed. Somehow I know everything will work out for them though. For Riko though? She might take the fall on it, who’s to say? I’m anticipating next week’s episode for sure.
Christina

The Essential Anime Josei List

For those new and old to this genre, it’s hard to find something new to watch or look into when you’ve run out of ideas. This list is to help those who are into josei find something to enjoy by giving a background and quick summary of individual titles. I might deviate a little bit from what is considered josei but it is something that can appeal to those who like the genre as it contains josei elements. So without further ado, let’s get to the list.
Paradise Kiss

This was one of the first animes that introduced me to the josei genre altogether. As a young adult female it’s hard to find entertainment specifically targeted at this demographic so to watch this anime and finally find out about josei helped me explore more titles under this category. Paradise Kiss is a story of love and finding yourself as the main character Yukari breaks out of her shell by exploring the world of fashion and modelling. With an overbearing mother she is liberated through her love interest Johji as well as the world her new friends introduce her to. This scenario seems almost too good to be true as so many of Yukari’s wishes are coming true, but the story isn’t following the fairytale formula that you would expect. It has a serious tone to it that never lets it become anything a shoujo would become. If you like stories about growing up and becoming confident in your own skin with a bit of love mixed in the middle then you will love the series. I always recommend it to friends of mine. The manga is great as well if you prefer that medium. The anime stays true to the manga so you won’t be missing out if you skip the manga.
Honey and Clover

This story does not feature a female protagonist but instead has the shy unsure freshman, Yuta Takemoto at the forefront of the story. This story doesn’t center solely around him alone though, there is a cast of quirky characters that make for funny as well as very serious scenarios. Young women can relate to Ayumi Yamada’s character who struggles with the rejection of  her longtime love interest. That said, I also believe Yuta’s predicament is universal. He struggles to find his muse and purpose as he goes through university. I think anyone entering university struggles with this problem, deciding your future at such a young age is never an easy decision. If that’s not enough then you’re likely to find something relatable in one of the other characters, their personalities are very diverse. The intermixing of soul searching with love stories makes for a nice dynamic that keeps the story flowing and moving forward. It’s the kind of story that could keep going and going but [unfortunately!] it ends at 2 seasons. I’d suggest this to anyone who’s just entering university/college or looking for a slice of life that hits home a little harder than most other animes.

Codename:Sailor V Manga Review

Along with the re-release of the Sailor Moon Manga (which has been fully released into 12 volumes, I cover it here if you’re interested) was the re-release of 2 volumes that make up Naoko Takeuchi’s preceding series to Sailor Moon, Codename: Sailor V. For those who need a bit of background to this, Takeuchi began work on Sailor V before Sailor moon. This series was serialized in Kodansha’s magazine Run-Run, but a year after its development she began work on her Sailor Moon series as well. As her second series progressed she slowly faded this storyline and segued it in to feature her Sailor Moon manga, leaving Codename: Sailor V a short series of 16 installments. It features Minako Aino who’s character is unchanged from her character in Sailor Moon, the only difference is her change in costume. However, in this series she is in the forefront, introduced into the series as a peppy and easily excitable young teen. She dreams of being an idol and finding a boyfriend, the typical young teen attitude. You get to learn about her past as a Sailor Guardian before she is introduced later on in the Sailor Moon series, as well as learn about her struggles growing up and accepting responsibility along with finding her first love (this side-story is well worth reading if you’re a huge Sailor Moon fan, it has a big twist to it that fans of the series will not expect!).

If you read the manga you will soon realize how this manga has a very different tone to it when compared to the Sailor Moon franchise. It takes a very lighthearted look at being a teenager magical girl whereas Sailor Moon is filled more with emotional struggle. The only real struggle Sailor Venus has to deal with is her own clumsiness preventing her from making an idol debut; it’s kind of silly, it never delves very deep into her emotions. The manga has a very shoujo feel to it, so those looking for a dynamic deep story will not find it here. The manga feels a lot like the Sailor Moon anime, it’s repetitive with little character development in each chapter. The only mover in the story is Minako herself, her friends and family make no impact or lasting impression. You can argue Minako herself doesn’t leave much of an impression either, but she does show some development by the end of the final volume.