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!

Sailor Moon Short Stories Review

I'm finally reviewing these two books! I just recently picked up the second volume, so now my collection of Sailor Moon manga is complete! Now I'm waiting for the artbook which is going to be amazing! But back to these two manga volumes, if you're curious about them keep reading for the review. I'll answer the question about whether they're worth purchasing or not; are they worth the extra $30 that they cost together? Is it necessary for every Sailor Moon enthusiast? Keep reading to find out!

Short Stories Volume One

If you're unaware, each volume contains chapters involving each of the inner senshi where they're each featured in their own little snippet story. The first volume contains seven small chapters, with four featuring Chibi-Usa (one with Hotaru included), one featuring Makoto, one featuring Ami, and one featuring Rei and Minako. I believe Minako never gets her own true short story because of the two large Sailor V volumes which catalogue her own story in better detail. And speaking of Sailor V, that's what these manga read like, especially this first volume. They feel like they're taking a vein from the Sailor V formula, having minor enemies appear and disappear within the span of 30 pages or so. Don't expect much depth, and don't expect any sort of real canon here either. This first volume in particular feels more like filler than genuine development. The stories are flimsy and are only held up by the characters that take part in them. I won't go into too much detail about each chapter because honestly, there isn't much to say about any of them. Nothing particularly interesting happens, no character development is done, it was mostly a waste of my time reading these. The main driver of each plot is the enemy rather than the characters themselves, so the story revolves around their reaction to the enemy rather than any sort of development on their side of the spectrum. I didn't particularly enjoy the Sailor V series, and I didn't particularly enjoy this volume either. It's nice to see Chibi-Usa in the spotlight, but I would've liked to have seen her with her own troupe rather than her being the kid once again.

I'd recommend this volume if you're looking to finish your collection, but not if you're looking for more Sailor Moon entertainment. The stories don't develop any of the characters in particular, save for the story involving Rei and Minako. I felt especially disappointed by Ami's and Makoto's stories that featured them as desperate teenage girls looking to feel bad about themselves. This volume felt like a way to bring in a little more money before the series finished, and I was disappointed at how empty it was. Volume One gets a 4.0 out of 10 from me. I know this is a low score, if you disagree with me I'd love to hear your responses so send me a message or put a comment down below! I'd love to hear your opinions!

Short Stories Volume Two

Volume Two offers a different set-up than the first one, having only three chapters, with one long chapter featuring Luna. Finally the little feline gets a story of her own, and she deserves it! There's one chapter that features Rei afterward, as well as one final chapter looking into the future of the senshi, with their children. This time the chapters (save for the last one) read nicer, having more integrity than just pumping out empty stories expecting us to buy it because Sailor Moon is on the cover. The story featuring Luna drags out a little bit, but overall I enjoyed it. The enemy is more menacing, and the love story is really cute (especially because Luna cannot act out on her impulses because she's a cat!). The story featuring Rei is also much more interesting as we get to see into Rei's persona rather than just featuring her feeling bad about herself. Her pride gets in the way of her love life, and it's nice to get in her head for once. The Rei in this manga is much different than the Rei I come to know from the anime growing up, and I prefer this character who is independent and a little bit heartbroken from a difficult childhood. It was finally a backstory that I was looking for, rather than dealing with the same fare I already knew about her. The last chapter is called "Parallel Sailor Moon" and takes a jump into the future where all the inner senshi's children become Sailor Scouts. Honestly, it's really dumb, and their children all have curvy bodies despite being 9 at the oldest (their bodies rival their parents' in terms of physical development so I really didn't understand this choice at all). It doesn't actually provide a look ahead, as all the inner senshi are exactly the same save for the fact that they talk about their "hubbies" briefly. I really just didn't understand the purpose of this chapter at all. What about Chibi-Usa's troupe of senshi that were suggested to exist in the past volumes? Apparently they're never brought up again after that. The chapter doesn't ruin the book, but it definitely ends the series on a bad note, which really wasn't necessary.

Overall the second volume was a much better read than the first, making it a 7.0 out of 10 for me. If you're not sure which volume to pick up first then perhaps you should skip out on the first volume entirely. I wasn't quick to buy the second volume because of the poor quality of the first short story volume, and thankfully I was pleasantly surprised with the change in tone for this one. Luna's story as well as Rei's are both worth reading so I suggest picking this volume up if you want more Sailor Moon goodness!

TL;DR, My Consensus

And that's the review. It's unfortunate that only half of this series was worth it, but I guess if you total it out of chapters, only two out of ten are worthwhile reads. Maybe three if I include the final chapter in the first book which was more entertaining than the other chapters in that volume. So if you're collecting the manga then the books are nice to own, with nice cover art, but if you're looking for a good read skip to the second volume.

What are your guys' thoughts? Am I being unfair to this short story series, or do you agree with me? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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

Shoujo Titles that Josei Fans Can Enjoy

I thought I’d do this list because the josei genre is so small but there are titles under shoujo that I think older women can still enjoy and relate to. You might disagree with some titles on this list, but perhaps keep your mind open to some alternate titles that you might not have considered. So on with the list!

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun/My Little Monster

This anime/manga has a lot of endearing qualities that make it enjoyable for both young and older women. Off beat characters, a complicated relationship, and character development as they mature and learn from one another. It’s about Shizuku’s and Haru’s complicated relationship that struggles as Shizuku is focused on her grades and self-betterment whereas Haru has violent tendencies but a straightforward honest personality. Both characters attempt to break down their walls by learning from each other, neither is perfect but they’re better off together than separated. They have friends and family for support who also help them to mature and understand their feelings for their relationships as well as for their own self improvement. It’s a story of development with love mixed in, and an enjoyable watch or read.

Skip Beat!

This anime/manga has a lot of shoujo aspects about it (note over the top looks and open shirt above) but if you look beyond the flash there is substance to the story. It’s about Kyoko Mogami who travels to Tokyo to live with her childhood friend Sho and live the dream of being with an idol. Too bad for her Sho is prepared to drop her almost immediately as dead weight, and rather than feel sorry for herself Kyoko vows revenge. There’s love and all that fluff that comes with it, but there’s also the story of a girl who wants to make something of herself and doesn’t need a man to do that for her. Her diligence is admirable, and the story is as much about her development as it is about her love life. It’s a light comedy which helps make it fun to watch and read.

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

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

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.

Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-bu Episode 5 Highlights & Thoughts

I was excited to see this episode because the more I watch this show the more I like it. As Yura’s character gains confidence (and loses hair) she becomes more interesting. It’s nice to see that she has potential and is finally living up to it. It’s clear in this episode, and we know that as time goes along, she’s going to become more of a force to reckon with in time. Warning! There’s episode 5 spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t caught up do so now, or check this post out if you missed out.

The girls have changed scenery again, this time they’ve traveled to a small (presumably) uninhabited island where they play against the Seto group. The reason for this? Just for fun I guess! These girls are fun rivals with tricky tactics, they could definitely give the Stella girls a run for their money. But this time around Yura isn’t afraid to get in the fray, so the girls are shaping to be more of a team with Yura, rather than having her as the shy puppy dog follow them around.

Yura has to own up to the pressure she feels as being a member of the team, she’s still insecure about her abilities but this time around she’s calling the shots. Is that the Yura we know? Not really, it seems like she’s changed a lot and is prepared to make orders to her teammates. It’s a bit out of character for her and we can see that Sonora is a bit hesitant towards this newly discovered Yura as well. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who feels that this is a sudden change, the show is self aware! It makes for an interesting dynamic, we don’t know Sonora’s subtext here so we’re left with wanting a bit more, so that’s why I’m excitedly waiting for episode 6.

This episode is a little heavy on the fanservice with the girls playing in bikinis. I can overlook it, but it’s a kind of unnecessary and annoys me. Just my little gripe! All in all, I’m excited to see what’s up Sonora’s sleeve (do you think she’s threatened by Yura?). Who knows! Just another lighthearted fun episode with just enough to get you wanting more!
Christina

Kodansha's Sailor Moon Manga Re-Release

If you’re the around josei age like myself (young 20’s) then you’ll probably remember growing up watching Sailor Moon. I remember fondly being completely obsessed with this show (arguably I still am). So when to my delight I got to my local bookstore to see Sailor Moon Volume 1 sitting on the shelf for sale I snagged it so quickly I left a trail of moon dust in my wake. That was over a year ago, and all volumes have been released. For those who haven’t watched Sailor Moon, or for Sailor Moon fans this is a must pick up, and any shoujo fan as well.


This manga is being released right in time for the re-release of the Sailor Moon anime which is getting totally redone for this summer anime season (It’s been re-scheduled to 2014, I have shed many tears over this). This time around the anime is supposed to follow the manga more closely, and if you are anything like myself, growing up you did not know how different the manga truly is when compared to the anime (especially the North American dub). The manga has a more serious tone, and even alludes to sex and the like. I would really recommend this manga to young adults over children. That’s what made the anime so different in contrast to the manga I’ve been reading. They’re two different experiences entirely (and the manga is far more enjoyable in comparison). The anime also stretched a 12 volume series into 200 episodes along with 3 movies, making it a huge franchise. The anime had a lot of formulaic episodes whereas the manga gets to the point; there isn’t that repetitious plot of Monster appears-oh no!-transform-destroy monster-repeat. The main villains are defeated within at least a volume and a half, with the end of each volume ending of a cliffhanger. Intermixed is the main story about the Moon Princess, the clash of future and past, and ultimately the survival of the Sailor Guardians and the Moon Kingdom. Even if you feel like you know the anime well the manga offers something fresh and more appropriate for those who grew up watching the show. There is a boxset of 1-6 already, so save yourself some money and pick it that up, as well as the 7-12 boxset scheduled for October of this year. Or if you’re like myself and can’t wait, all the manga is out and purchasable at Chapters or Amazon.