Welcome, all, again. Today’s discussion will focus upon The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent, a quiet isekai offering one of the least flamboyant–yet one of the most solidly constructed–storylines I’ve encountered in that genre. Oh, there’s magic a-plenty, but it usually tends to be rather well-controlled by some surprisingly responsible folks. Thus far this series has presented no preponderance of interfering gods or berserker heroes, no insanely overpowered demonic nemeses or world-ending cataclysm. No, we have seemingly sane, fairly rational people manipulating magic towards either personal or social ends. Wild magic has been alluded to, but viewers have seen only the barest glimpses of such. I chose the descriptor “quiet” above for good reason, but this show has nonetheless been very, very engaging! You the viewer ultimately decide what this show will provide you: blissful relaxation or thoughtful musings.

Our protagonist is Sei Takanashi, a modern Japanese office lady in her early 20s who, despite her young age, already seems weighed down by her work. Returning home late one night to her apartment, she steps into a magic circle that forms beneath her and is transported to the realm of Salutania. You know, a standard version of the usual isekai deal, but without Truck-kun’s participation. (I heard he was recovering from overwork. Go figure!). And just to keep the audience within the comfortably familiar, Salutania just happens to be pronouncedly European with certain medieval characteristics. It really kind of begs the question: “If Westerners stumble into an isekai situation, will they go somewhere reminiscent of the Orient?” Hmmm. We’ll ask Truck-kun when he’s feeling better. In fact, why don’t you ask him? I’ll just stand over here. . .

But despite my awkward attempts at humor, I’m not panning these aspects of the show. Quite the contrary! It’s this easy familiarity that allows our show to go sideways so quietly that you might not notice at first. You see, Salutania is seeking its newest Saint, a woman who can wield magic powerful enough to protect the peace of the kingdom. But two young women were summoned by the same spell–an occurrence hardly unknown in isekai as a genre, but definitely a first for Salutanians! The other girl, younger and more docile upon her arrival, is instantly snatched up by the country’s Crown Prince, who completely ignores Sei. He seems to figure–as rulers will–that if someone is going to be placed into a position of prominence, then it should be someone who might be easily controlled. And as the story progresses, we watch Prince Kyle’s micromanagement of his proclaimed Saint steadily grow, but what about Aira Misono herself? We know that she is Japanese and probably JK, and is apparently progressing well with her studies at the Royal Academy. But not until episode 7 do we learn just how traumatic this experience has been for Aira, who might not fully grasp the concept of being the Saint but is utterly terrified of not being her!

Sei, meanwhile, is genuinely hoping to avoid the title and the expectations that accompany it. Prince Kyle’s instant fascination with the younger girl allows Sei the freedom to explore the new culture into which she’s been drawn and then navigate her own path through it, although she is nonetheless accorded a certain deference. She is an honored guest of the kingdom and even granted quarters within the castle. Moreover, Sei sees being summoned as a chance to reinvent herself and pursue a more fulfilling life than she had in Japan. Her knowledge of herbs and medicinal plants lands her the offer of a position at The Medicinal Flora Research Institute, which she happily accepts. But once she learns to use basic magic, her powers manifest quickly and inspire whispers that the “true” Saint was passed over by an impatient and ambitious princeling–indeed, even the king seems to think this. Is it true, though?

This has proven to be a very intriguing show, not so much for artwork or voice acting but for the possibilities suggested by Sei’s adjustments to her new life. We see a modern, self-sufficient Japanese woman hurled into a chivalrous, feudal Western society and watch her try to navigate completely alien social norms and mores. Western viewers get a foreigner’s “through-frosted-glass” fantasized interpretation of our medieval European heritage; we, in turn, get to laugh when a woman from what in many ways remains a tradition-bound, blatantly discriminatory and sexist culture starts pontificating to her bewildered new acquaintances about how open and free modern Japanese society is (and it might seem so to young Japanese, but not to an old gaijin who’s passed through). But that very dichotomy demonstrates where this show shines brightest: in prompting the viewer to first examine his/her own beliefs and then challenge them. What comfort zone?

Welcome, all, again. Our last discussion concerned a dark plot by an abused healer to remake his world, so I thought a much lighter take on world conquest might cleanse the palate: World Conquest Zvezda Plot. True, I’m going back a few years for this one, but what harm since Zvezda ultimately proves to be led by an immortal, anyway? This is one of those rarest of beasts in the anime world, an original series that inspired its manga and light novel interpretations, not vice versa. Co-written by its director Tensai Okamura, the show follows a renewed push for world conquest by the secret society Zvezda after their seemingly random and at least partly ineffectual recruitment of runaway Asuta Jimon, afterwards code-named Dva. But can history really hinge upon the actions of an unknown, overlooked, and otherwise maligned underling? Well, yeah, it usually does.

World domination sounds more like punishment than reward, but don’t say that around Kate Hoshimiya (aka Lady Venera), the pint-sized leader of Zvezda. She’s absolutely convinced that she’s up to the task, and is intent upon dragging her loyal band of followers down that rabbit hole with her. At least, she normally is. But when we and Asuta meet her, she seems to be having a crisis of faith, running away from home on her pink, training-wheels-still-attached bicycle. Asuta has just become a runaway himself after a fight with his father, but is moved to pity by Kate’s obvious youth and vulnerability. So she quickly swindles him out of his only food and proceeds to berate, insult, and even physically attack him, all of which he tolerates (with varying degrees of restraint) in an effort to protect her from harm as Tokyo abruptly shuts down for curfew under imposed martial law. And although Asuta is unable to take Kate’s talk of secret societies and world conquest seriously, he is quickly confronted with the military’s genuine interest in either capturing or eradicating her. Given that his day can’t possibly get any weirder, the world’s least-convincing and least-convinced new Zvezda recruit places himself directly between little Kate and a tank. Fate chokes; history stutter-steps; gods and demons howl in laughter. And Kate is back on track!

But on track for what, exactly? Notwithstanding the military’s glaring animosity, just how much of a threat can one little girl be? And against whom? Well, let’s address that by clearing some stuff up: Kate isn’t an isolated actor; Kate isn’t always little; Kate is, however, adorable and very thoroughly adored. Asuta discovers that Zvezda does indeed exist, with both a worldwide membership and a lengthy historical pedigree (only later will he learn the terrifying fact that Zvezda has only ever had one leader, and that she still rules). After they overwhelm and escape the tank unit, Kate begins introducing Asuta to other members of the Zvezda HQ staff. He has already encountered several of them as they were looking for the runaway Kate, but now comes under the full focus of their scrutiny–particularly that of Itsuka Shikabane (aka Lady Plamya), who often acts like Kate’s aggressively overprotective older sister. Plamya tends to take point and be the first into actual combat, skillfully wielding a katana. Her father, an ex-gangster named Goro who fights for Zvezda as General Pepel, prefers using explosives and firearms; Goro’s protege Yasu (aka Odin), who followed him to Zvezda, is a bumbling incompetent of a fighter but a fiendish smoker. He often purloins then mishandles the technological inventions of the brilliant Professor Um, a scantily clad young lady actually named Natasha or Natalia, depending upon who’s addressing her. And generally wearing no clothing at all is Roboko, a sleekly curvaceous robot girl who loves her daily soap opera[s] and is powered by raw udo.

This ragtag group faces off against both the government and another secret society called White Light, which is dedicated to maintaining order and neutralizing Zvezda. White Light has its own personnel problems, however, particularly the conscientiousness and moral compass of White Robin, who is actually Asuta’s classmate Renge. Naturally kind-hearted, Renge is dedicated to the cause but questions her organization’s extremism in dogma and tactics, which tendency sees her repeatedly marginalized during operations. And her fall clears a path for the promotion of her merciless colleague, White Egret. As White Light and government forces cooperate to hammer Zvezda, Kate will need all her skill and cunning as her supporters fall one by one. Most of all, she will finally need real commitment from the one member of her staff who still hasn’t drunk the Kool-Aid, Asuta. Can he somehow save Kate, his friends, or even himself? And will the light of Zvezda finally shine throughout this world? This show is well worth revisiting (on Crunchyroll, for instance), so have another look!

Welcome, all, again. 2020 was a rough year the world over, and almost everyone I know is feeling lingering effects in some way. I myself lost relatives, coworkers, and colleagues to COVID-19, and have watched my profession be demonized. Frankly, I’d love a do-over. And that’s the premise of Redo of Healer: a youth who has suffered horribly gets the opportunity to rewind time and try to make his life better–or at least different. And, boy, does he ever have reason to do so! Keyaru is a young man from a small village who is chosen by fate to become a Hero; he is an especially powerful healer. The trouble with healing is that it is not actually a martial skill. So if an armed party need a healer, they’ll likely procure one, however eager or reluctant that healer might be to join them. Either pay him or enslave him, but bring him along! And sadly, the underlying logic of this strategy is evidenced throughout human history–transcending boundaries of culture and time–with such frequency that it immediately lends a desperate realism to this dark fantasy.

As already noted, Keyaru is especially strong in his craft of healing, and is even able to restore lost limbs. But he also seems to be an empath, someone who can feel the pain of others and often mitigate it by sharing it–that is to say, relieve the victim by absorbing and assuming some of the pain himself. That’s great for the patient, but pretty awful for Keyaru! In fact, he hates it. So much so that he’s resolved to escape his situation. Again. Because none of his previous escapes lasted. But as a member of the Heroes Party facing the Demon Lord, Keyaru sets himself up for the ultimate escape–let the Demon Lord wipe out the other heroes, then attack and defeat the Demon Lord one-on-one. And how you ask could a mere healer ever pull off such a brazen attack? Well, it turns out that since he was being forced to heal against his will, our boy Keyaru was doing something else besides–not only was he absorbing his patients’ pain; he was also absorbing their knowledge and skills, duplicating them within himself. Keyaru the healer is now also a master swordsman, alchemist, and more. Such as angry. Definitely angry.

You see, Keyaru doesn’t just want to escape–he wants revenge. Because it turns out that being the weakest member in a group of otherwise supercharged, hyper-agressive alpha warriors makes you the beta by default. And while all that “You don’t mess with your White Mage!” stuff is cute, it really only applies if there aren’t warriors around to beat him into submission. Keyaru is habitually degraded and denigrated by members of his own party, who use him as whipping boy, servant, and field mattress, repeatedly beating and raping him as the mood strikes them. All of which begins shortly after his arrival at the royal capital, when Keyaru miraculously restores the missing arm of the kingdom’s greatest swordsman, only to experience the full brunt of her pain. Disillusioned and terrified, he tries to renounce his appointment as the Hero of Recovery. And when flattery and cajoling can’t bring him around, he is drugged, imprisoned, and tortured. Keyaru survives all this the first time and prepares for it when he goes back four years into his past to when he was first recruited from his village by Princess Flare. He knows that he will still need to endure at least part of this agony before his plan for revenge can be acted upon, so he uses this second round of abuse to stoke the fires of his hatred even higher. And once Keyaru begins acting out his revenge, he is savage! In fact, his episode 2 rape of one of his primary tormentors is a demonstration of pure, malevolent sadism.

Redo of Healer is a writhing mass of ugliness, beautifully drawn and animated. But it’s also something that I think we need: an honest examination of the savagery of vengeance in much the same way that Goblin Slayer offered an honest interpretation of the brutality of combat. We’ve been through a lot IRL over the past year or so, making this show about revenge very timely, indeed. Who amongst us doesn’t feel hurt and disillusioned right now? A good revenge fantasy is rather cathartic in its own baleful sort of way, allowing us some emotional release. It just feels good watching evil folks get their comeuppance, and even better when those same folks were masquerading as the good guys. Yeah, Keyaru has stepped onto a slippery slope, and each act of vengeance sends him plummeting down even faster. But that’s okay. He paid in advance, so this ride is his!

Welcome, all, again–and happy holidays(!), of whatever flavor you prefer. This time around, we’ll be looking at I’m Standing on a Million Lives, a show that has me puzzled but nonetheless entertained. Simply put, this is a show that should be about gaming but isn’t, although it seems to offer all the right tropes. You have ordinary middle school students surreptitiously recruited into a questing party who gain and lose points in a fantasy-style world of magic and swordplay, but they haven’t been given a full explanation of the rules binding them or the paradigms bounding that world. And these details are of extreme importance, given that these kids can allegedly die for real by dying under certain circumstances while in character. Yes, in character. In keeping with the gaming theme, they spin a wheel to determine their individual roles in the party, with the opportunity to spin again and change roles as they level up. Assuming that they level up. Assuming that they don’t crater and lose points. (Remember that I said the rules hadn’t been fully explained?) Right.

Yuusuke Yotsuya is just a regular guy trying to not hate school too terribly much. He’s something of a loner and–like so many kids his age–filled with that peculiarly gloomy adolescent angst that comes from a self-indulgent ignorance of just how demanding and indifferent the real world will eventually prove. So he should have known immediately that things were about to get messed up when not just one but two pretty girls started giving him the eye out of nowhere. In nature, when a social creature leaves the company of its own kind to pursue a different sort of creature, its motives are generally predatory. Unfortunately for our guy Yotsuya, he apparently wasn’t paying attention during that particular biology lesson. Oh, he realizes that something’s wrong and that the natural order is being blatantly violated, but he’s just not smart enough to run away. Too bad for him. Because these huntresses have very specific designs on Yotsuya, and he’s in for a world of suffering.

Budding model Shindou and cute, quiet Hakozaki have been stalking Yotsuya like a pair of hungry mountain lions after a small child lost in the woods. And once they spring their ambush, catching him alone, he is sucked into the very trap they themselves inhabit–a fantasy world in which they are required to complete quests. There are rules, of course, explained incompletely by an incomplete humanoid being who acts as “Game Master.” They are a party and are judged as a party. As visitors to this new world, they are called “heroes” and are resurrected when killed–should the environment allow. But if all party members die at the same time, they die for real–no resurrection, no return to our world, nothing. Dead as dead. And as terrifying as that sounds, what’s even more terrifying is that many more rules seem to exist; they just don’t get explained until violated. Rules such as losing points for injuring other humans, despite the combat-prone fantasy setting, or finding out that you can only wield implements associated with your assigned character role. For example, a farmer cannot pick up a fallen warrior’s sword–and, yep, the agressive Yotsuya spins “farmer.” Hakozaki, perpetually ill in our world, remains emotionally delicate in her warrior character and shuns combat, while athletic Shindou finds herself physically weakened as a low-rank wizard. Not the best arrangement for success–and then Yuka Tokitate arrives to crash their party with her doom and gloom. And let’s not overlook the revelation that their progressive success as a party only sets them up to ultimately fight a supremely powerful monster in our world, with untold lives at stake.

I’m Standing on a Million Lives is an engaging story in which your standard fantasy characters are given an isekai interpretation and each saddled with what handicaps him or her most. Thus it is of great interest watching how these characters overcome the challenges of their increasingly difficult quests and furthermore how those experiences shape their understanding of both the worlds which they inhabit. Still, the series has thus far gathered only four “players,” although episode 12 introduces at least one more character chosen to join their ranks–he just doesn’t know it yet. And even more will follow. Episode 12 also answers the question of whether or not the Game Master can directly influence our world. Indeed, episodes 11 and 12 recast the entire tone of the show. But don’t let that little caveat cause you to worry about the storyline’s cohesion and continuity; episode 12 concludes with the announcement of a July 2021 release of a second season. And Yotsuya? Well, he might wind up having to share the harem, but playa’s always gonna have his own hoe!

Welcome, all, again. This last was a slow viewing season for me, with my favorite genre (slice-of-life) severely underrepresented. Only three new shows managed to catch my interest, and one of those was quickly jettisoned. So today we’ll look at Monster Girl Doctor, an homage to the throwback idea that anime exists solely for awkwardly needy, nerdy otaku who spend all day fantasizing about girls–that mysterious other half of humanity with whom they shall never interact. Wow, Moonhawk, isn’t that kinda harsh? Yes. Yes, it is, but with good reason. You see–and as the title indicates–this show caters to those souls (presumably) so lost in their mothers’ basements that they’ve completely given up on even fantasizing about normal, everyday girls, instead moving on to the imagined embrace of some inhuman lover. . .yes, this show is directed at that kid you knew in junior high who drew a face onto one of his stained pillows and named it Yyygrudll, his “goblin bride.” That kid who went home one weekend like everybody else but never came back–whom all the teachers pretended had never existed, let alone attended their classes–whom you finally passed one rainy day years later digging up earthworms in the park and eating them, both he and they still slathered in mud. Yep, this show was written with his school-age, still-living-indoors self as the target audience. Yet it can double as a fun guilty pleasure for the rest of us, too!

Some shows have engaging, intriguing plots. Some have rich, rewarding character exploration and development. Still others rely upon multi-layered humor or even their lush artwork or music. And some few rarities combine all these aspects. This show has bosom. Centaur bosom; harpy bosom; giantess bosom. . .you get the idea. Our protagonist is the young human doctor Glenn Litbeit who, along with his childhood friend and fellow doctor Saphentite “Sapphee” Neikes, operates a medical clinic in the city of Lindworm. Now, Lindworm is a rather unique city, with humans and monsters living alongside each other and interacting freely–just the environment that this city was established to nurture after the close of the long war between the two groups. Glenn and Sapphee’s collaboration exemplifies Lindworm’s inclusiveness: while Glenn is human, Sapphee is a lamia (a woman with a serpentine lower half). Both the Litbeit and Neikes families own large trading companies, and as the war wound down young Sapphee was sent to the Litbeit household as a political hostage while the families entered into a business arrangement. She also carried sinister instructions from her family should negotiations fail. But the negotiations succeeded, and Sapphee was returned to her family despite having become close with the Litbeit children (and smitten with Glenn). Years later, she and Glenn reunited at medical school and have been basically inseparable since–a fact which she stresses quite strongly to their female patients.

And she probably needs to do so. You see, while he attempts to hide it from individual patients by calling it part of their examination, viewers will quickly surmise that Dr. Glenn has a clear and persistent fetish: breasts. Specifically, he likes to cup and massage them, often rather aggressively. Most patients quickly see the lie of this portion of the examination, leading many of these groped girls to [mis]interpret his fetish as him having a more serious personal interest in them as possible mates. Glenn, however, pretty much tries to cop a feel whenever he notices cleavage nearby while Sapphee’s not. Meanwhile, quite aware of this wayward tendency in her intended spouse, Sapphee tries to limit Glenn’s time alone with his female patients. What’s a horndog–I mean, a dedicated medical professional–to do under such adverse working conditions? Distract his colleague by having her mix the medicines, of course! Still, I believe in Sapphee. She’s sharp enough that sooner or later she’ll cut to the root of her problem by insisting on conducting the girls’ physical examinations herself–maybe even doing so topless if she really wants to yank Glenn’s chain!

I could try to dress this show up as a study of friendly rivalry, tolerance triumphing over bigotry, etc., but I’d only be putting lipstick on a pig. (Hey, I do like bacon!) What we actually have here is a nostalgic fluff piece that hearkens back to when anime was considered the provenance of lonely, socially awkward, sex-deprived loser nerds–and that being so, some gratuitous lewdness was required (after all, even Dragon Ball had Bulma to tease and titillate its audience). This show was created for every 12-year-old boy who’s still too self-conscious or too intimidated to pull up internet porn. And that’s OK. The real world reeks of political correctness, so why not enjoy this as the harmless fantasy it purports to be?

Welcome, all, again. Since last my last column appeared here, Corona-chan swung by briefly (I tested negative, thanks!); my profession has been even further vilified; and Memphis regressed from Phase 2 back to Phase 1, devastating the local economy. All of which segues nicely into a discussion of The Misfit of Demon King Academy, a show in which the Demon King of Tyranny is reincarnated after an absence of 2,000 years, only to be tested and vilified by his descendants who have themselves regressed in their understanding of their lineage and powers. These modern demons don’t even know their forebear’s true name, thus inspiring their once-and-future king to vacillate between annoyance and curiosity: How dare they forget?! versus How could they forget? This is not the return that Anos Voldigord planned!

Two thousand years ago, the world changed. Demon King and human hero Kanon (together with the Great Spirit, Reno, and the Creation God, Militia) worked a spell that recast their reality, ending the long war between their peoples by magically separating them–a solution proposed by the Demon King himself. This was no doubt envisioned as a time during which each people could focus upon healing the scars of the past war and building upon their native talents without foreign intrusion. It would offer a chance for those peoples to discover what they might be capable of achieving when left to their own devices and without their efforts being shackled to the needs of war. Seven episodes into the anime, we viewers really don’t have a clue about how human society has progressed during this peace, but the demons have forged a rigid societal hierarchy that has weakened their cohesiveness as a people, even while their collective magic has slowly been losing potency. Upon his return, Anos finds a weak and divided people who are basically awaiting a messiah to return them to greatness. And who also seem to be steeped in a false history.

As a sign of just how far the demons have fallen from their previous power and glory, consider that they have established a school specifically to identify and train the very messiah figure whom they await. Indeed, they’ve become so weak as to think they will need to train their returning King of Tyranny in how to fulfill his role. Wow. Pretty cheeky, right? Because let me tell you (and we’re back to IRL, here), when Napoleon escaped his exile on Elba and returned to France, nobody had to remind him how to “be Napoleon.” No, he just showed up and was immediately thronged by his faithful, who thereafter followed him through a whirlwind three months straight into the Hell of Waterloo. True, ten months is a shorter absence than two millennia, but neither Napoleon nor his followers exactly pooped magic, either. My point is, you don’t sit around all hyped up for your leader’s return with the intention of training him/her to be your leader–at that point, s/he already is or isn’t. Period. So, what’s really going on, here? My own guess–and, as usual, I am completely unfamiliar with any source material and relying solely upon deductive reasoning–is that the Hero took advantage of the Demon King’s sacrifice and manipulated the demons’ race memory in order to weaken them. Think about it: the Demon King’s offer came as a surprise, so the two didn’t take time to discuss minute details. No, Anos simply allowed Kanon to kill him and used the power released to cast the massive spell that restructured their world. But Kanon’s will also influenced the spell, and why wouldn’t he sow discord and confusion amongst his enemies in order to give humanity an advantage if war was reignited at the spell’s end? Wouldn’t you?

So it sounds like Anos will have a tough row to hoe in establishing himself and his legitimacy as new demonic overlord. But that’s where the humor really kicks in! You see, despite the trite and familiar elements of its storyline, this show is both fun and funny! Anos so thoroughly overmatches any challenger–whatever their pedigree–that he should be instantly recognizable as the reincarnated Demon King. . .but that entrenched caste system just won’t allow the possibility! Anos is the mixed-blood child of a demon father, Gusta, and a human mother, Izabella, both of whom he loves very much. But that mixed blood makes him a mongrel within demon society, lowest of any demon, and he is marked as such by his uniform when he enters the academy. And his first and closest friend there, Misha Necron, shares this mark. (Still, I’m thinking they might share more: maybe a past; definitely a future.) There’s a lot to explore here, and this show does so by combining vicious humor with a feel-good vibe. I love it!

Welcome, all, again. Today let’s talk about Princess Connect! Re: Dive, a show that can be kind of hard to pin down: it’s comedy; it’s adventure; it’s bodaciously harem! Well, bodaciously bodacious, anyway. Just to clue you in (as if I weren’t the very last person to figure this out!), this series is yet another anime tie-in to an existing game, brought to us by the masters of the form, video game development studio Cygames. Other current or recent Cygames crossmedia project titles include: Granblue Fantasy; Shadowverse; and Seton Academy: Join the Pack!, to name only a very few. Apparently not satisfied to collaborate with productions based upon their games, Cygames in 2016 founded the anime studio CygamesPictures, and also branched out into music, manga, and artist management. After all, why merely monopolize the market when you can BE the market? (I was going to crack a Yakuza joke here, but a couple of well-dressed, severe-looking gentlemen showed up advising strongly against it. Yeah, I think they might have been lawyers–super scary!) Point is, this anime shouldn’t invite complaints that it differs too widely from the game for fans to enjoy; after all, it’s the selfsame company making both. The limited scope of an anime production simply focuses the show upon a certain storyline that emphasizes specific characters, as opposed to the broader sweep of the game.

That said, let’s get back to our show! Our hero Yuuki is something of an Everyman, assuming that most guys are fantasy-loving gaming addicts crashing hard from a bad acid trip. And crashing is the right word, as he falls right out of the sky into the land of Astraea, conveniently landing in the protective and possessive care of a little Elven hottie named Kokkoro. You know the type: sharp spear but sharper ears; short dress; absolute devotion. What a fantasy! Too bad our boy Yuuki is too muddled in the head to really sort things through. Or to fight off the wild dogs that keep trying to snack on him. No, all the heavy lifting falls to Kokkoro: fighting off hungry critters; pitching camp; pitching quietly awkward woo. But whatever his damage, Yuuki doesn’t seem to mind being fawned over, and Kokkoro’s the girl for the job! (Heck, I’d take a wild spill and a bit of mild brain damage to get the Kokkoro treatment. . .) Anyway, to borrow a line from Steve Miller, they’re “two young lovers with nothin’ better to do.”

And they stay that way until they happen upon a boisterous and busty ditz named Pecorine, who inadvertently upends everything. Pecorine really isn’t very bright, but there’s also really no reason to think that she’s ever needed to be. She’s got charm, positive attitude, and a sunny disposition; nor does it hurt her socially that she’s got more bounce than a rubber ball and more curves than an alphabet comprised entirely of S‘s. And she’s strong, too, a fierce warrior princess whose one real physical weakness is her high metabolism–that’s right, Pecorine’s always hungry and constantly eating. (But don’t worry: it all goes straight to her ____s!) And while she does require her own special sort of care, Pecorine lends strength to the little party. Not to mention, she’s the main draw for another recruit, Karyl, a magical neko-girl who seems to be stalking Pecorine. True to her cat nature, Karyl tends to be standoffish and ostentatiously independent; also like any other cat, she’s quick to accept favors so long as you remember that she’s graciously allowing you to treat her. An assassin, she finds her easy inclusion into Yuuki’s group a bit unsettling, and her uneasiness only grows when she realizes that her loyalties are becoming divided. Somebody’s not gonna like that, and Karyl knows it.

But now that our twosome has grown to a foursome, new needs arise. Things like food, shelter, and some source of income for procuring them. Of course, had everyone been paying a little more attention, they might have noticed that Kokkoro had for some time already been trying to form them into an official guild. Because with guild designation, they have special access to housing and–even more importantly–can take quests in pursuit of payment. Being a peaceful lot (an amnestic warrior; his devoted, spear-wielding companion/bodyguard; a sword-swinging princess; and a feline femme fatale assassin), they naturally opt to form the Gourmet Guild, dedicated to gathering and eating tasty things. (Weirdly, that’s exactly what I would have done with such a gorgeous harem! Good going, Yuuki!) All that in place, our unlikely gourmands launch themselves out into the world to see what it has to offer, all the while making new friends but also attracting the attention of established enemies. Hungry for adventure? For eye candy? Just hungry? Let’s go!

Welcome, all, again. We are transitioning from a particularly bountiful viewing season, and one of my favorites was yet another anime about anime, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Here we witness passion and drive yoked to the creative spirit, simultaneously explored in a variety of ways–including the resounding slap of Machiavellian diplomacy and manipulation. Our three protagonists–Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki–are determined to make anime, and don’t mind dirtying their hands or stepping on a few toes towards that end. Mind you, chief amongst the toes getting stepped on are those of the Anime Club (more devoted to watching and discussing anime than to actually making it) and the Student Council.

Shibahama High School freshman Midori Asakusa is a talented artist who has loved anime since childhood, but considers herself too self-conscious and antisocial to join the school’s Anime Club. She instead shares her ideas and dreams with her best friend Sayaka Kanamori, who has little enough interest in anime but doesn’t mind listening to her friend prattle on. (Somebody’s got to, right?) At Asakusa’s urging, the two attend an on-campus anime screening, during which they are approached by a fellow freshman being pursued by two adult males. Recognizing classmate Tsubame Mizusaki, Asakusa and Kanamori help her escape her pursuers, only to learn that–despite her already having a burgeoning career as an actress and model–Mizusaki’s true wish is to create anime (although her parents object). This revelation leads Mizusaki and Asakusa to study each other’s artwork; Kanamori, sensing opportunity, suggests that they form their own film club in order to [surreptitiously] produce anime. And with this decided, the girls plunge into the development of an anime short with which to win recognition and funding for their Eizouken Club. Along the way, they acquire a studio space (an abandoned storage shed), an advisor (at least on paper), and equipment left behind from a more production-focused past incarnation of the Anime Club. Just about everything they need to run out of excuses for not making anime!

I’m reminded of Shirobako, which I love and have re-watched several times. And with each new episode of Eizouken!, I just can’t help recalling how the 5 protagonists of Shirobako started out in their high school anime club and planned to make an anime together. That show was an exploration of how anime is made professionally, showing the division of labor both within the production studio itself and amongst the various entities to which parts of the production are farmed out. But the more I learned about anime production by watching Shirobako, the more I questioned the plausibility of just 5 people actually making a viewable anime of any length. It just didn’t seem possible. So to trim that number down to 3 high school students really set my mind reeling. But then (in one of those twists of fate seen often enough in anime), screenings of the film Ride Your Wave featured a post-credits interview with producer Eunyoung Choi, during which she discussed the founding and development of Science Saru, the production studio for both that movie and Eizouken!. (Wow, do I ever miss watching anime in theaters!) And during her interview, Choi talked about how work on their movie Lu Over the Wall began with about 4-5 people sitting around a kitchen table in a rented apartment. That’s right, “4-5 people.” And that in a professional–albeit fledgling–studio working on a feature film! Suddenly, a 3-member production team didn’t seem all that unbelievable. Intimidating, yeah, but not necessarily unbelievable. And true to IRL, as the projects get bigger, our girls begin farming stuff out. Only Kanamori retains complete control of her specializations: negotiations and finances.

I really like this show! It’s both inventive and inspirational, with phenomenal characterization (through both exposition and development) and an earnest dedication to its own artistic vision. Truly, it looks like nothing else out there right now–but neither did Usagi Drop when it came out. Both have an emphatically unfinished look to their artwork, and probably for the same reason: to express the importance of process in relation to product. In Usagi Drop, Daikichi and Rin are building their own little family from scratch, initially without any outside help, and the dynamic is subsequently fluid. They are living each moment in situ. Likewise, manifesting an artistic vision demands a willingness to explore and push boundaries, to constantly reinvent oneself and reinterpret one’s ideations. In such a sense, life and art mirror each other, with change bubbling just beneath their surfaces. And Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! bubbles like a boiling pot! I just can’t praise this show enough, what with its raucous fun, engaging characters, and expansive love of craft (even producers get a nod through Kanamori). A new season’s starting, but don’t let yourself miss this series!

Welcome, all, again. I recently raided my backlog of series-to-be-watched and pulled out 2011’s Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl–literally pulled it out of my DVD collection, where it’s lingered for who knows how long, now? It was time. After all, I’ve for years watched snippets of its footage on AMVs, stared raptly at random images of Erio and Meme. Heck, at some point I apparently even bought the series! Might as well watch it, right?

The show’s plot seems deceptively simple at first glance: due to family circumstances, a second-year high school student moves in with his aunt (his father’s sister) and transfers into the local high school. New home, new neighborhood, new school. Seems reasonable to expect him to make new friends, at that. Before moving, Makoto Niwa was given to understand that his aunt is single and has a job, so he arrives at her house anticipating having a lot of free time and being left largely to his own devices. As it happens, however, his aunt dotes upon him. And while she is single, she also happens to be a single parent, a complete revelation to Makoto! Meme has a daughter Erio who is Makoto’s age, but who seems to have been kept secret from a large part of the family due to the fact that Meme never married Erio’s father, who later left. And if the stigma of her illegitimacy wasn’t enough of a burden, Erio has taken to wrapping herself in a futon after being traumatized the previous year and losing part of her memory. Seems that she went missing for six months and was eventually found in November along a stretch of beach near her hometown. Although she appeared physically unharmed when found, Erio has no recollection of her time missing. Her response is to blame alien abduction, perhaps not surprising given that her hometown is in an area well-known for UFO sightings. She even convinces herself that her true identity is that of an alien sent to observe human behavior, all from the protective fabric embrace of a futon. (Which kinda makes you wonder how she might have fit in with the group over in Kill la Kill. . .)

What does all this mean for Makoto? Pretty much whatever he chooses to let it mean. Because while Makoto knew nothing about the existence of his cousin, his new town has had months of strange, futon-wrapped behavior to fuel gossip and sway opinion. In short, Makoto walks into an environment in which he might become instantly stigmatized due to his family’s reputation, and that kind of social pressure can be pretty hard on an adolescent (indeed, Makoto keeps score of his everyday life by tallying “adolescent points”). New acquaintances tend to progress through a series of questions with him: Where do you live? With whom? Then you actually live with Towa Erio? What do you think of her? By this point, some folks are already giving up on Makoto and un-acquainting themselves from him. Their loss, as Makoto proves himself to be a stalwart defender of his family, if not their lifestyle choices. [He tolerates his aunt’s seductive teasing but speaks well of her to others; he never indicates resentment of his parents’ move overseas, despite the inconveniences it causes him; he sets out to help his cousin reclaim her very human identity with no expectation of gratitude.] Makoto might sometimes be painfully blunt and give his own idealism too much credit and credence, but he’s still a stand-up guy.

And Makoto’s good tendencies get noticed. Certainly I don’t consider this show legitimately harem, but two female schoolmates end up very impressed with Makoto’s underlying good nature and dogged determination to protect his family. One such is Ryuko, a cute, energetic girl who plays basketball and early-on develops a strong crush on Makoto, but has great difficulty accepting his relationship with Erio. In fact, Ryuko tells Makoto quite pointedly that while she can’t be on Erio’s side in her struggles, she could be on his. But Ryuko’s got some solid competition in Maekawa, a long-legged classical beauty with a tendency towards physical delicacy. (And you’d best believe that Maekawa’s father almost instantly notices his daughter noticing Makoto!) A third girl named Yashiro Hoshimiya takes something of an interest in Makoto, but she seems more determined to prove the validity of her claim to be both an alien and an esper than to pursue any romance. (Receiving less screen time than the other girls, Yashiro is the only character who might actually have the powers she claims. . .)

Why did I wait so long to watch this show? It turned out to be great fun! Erio might have ditched the futon sooner than I expected, but the story only got richer. Me, too, for having watched.

Welcome, all, again. A new viewing season is upon us, with generous offerings in a number of genres. Today’s topic, Ascendance of a Bookworm, is an isekai story focusing much more strongly than usual upon the protagonist’s adjustments to the mundane elements of her new existence (although her sudden youth probably precludes any more assertive role). What we get is a wonderful slice-of-life in which Urano, a modern Japanese young lady, dies in an earthquake and assumes a new life in an alternate world very closely similar to medieval Europe (albeit with amenities from what we would recognize as several distinct time periods and social statuses). One immediate difference between this show and other recent isekai series is that Urano takes over a life already several years in existence–contrast this to Saga of Tanya the Evil, in which a modern salaryman is reborn as an infant girl, or In Another World with My Smartphone, in which teenager Touya is transplanted virtually unchanged (from before his moment of death) into a new world. No, Urano takes over a life already established, and this fact changes the way in which this particular story must be told.

Urano’s new existence is as a young, frail girl named Main (or Myne), who was apparently often ill. That situation offers two intriguing possibilities, either that Myne passed on just as Urano needed a body, or that Myne was subsumed into Urano’s stronger personality. The second seems more likely to me, in that Myne’s memories and knowledge of her world remain after Urano’s arrival. Of course, Urano’s memories and knowledge are likewise present–and dominant–so that she must constantly choose to be Myne. It’s certainly an interesting interplay between Urano’s personality and Myne’s vestiges of self, and might likely have provided an intriguing element of conflict had Myne perhaps been older and stronger, with her own more pronounced and developed personality. Even so, Urano/Myne’s adjustment struggle is not solely internalized, in that she must interact with Myne’s family and community. And these folks are noticing some rather startling changes: Myne’s new emotional distance; her sudden interest in personal hygiene; and her unprecedented obsession with reading, writing, and books. Something is definitely amiss!

Meanwhile, Myne (for that is how her world sees her) is just bursting with ideas to improve her situation. Homemade shampoo is among the first of these ideas to see fruition, much to the wonder of her mother and older sister Turi, who both nonetheless quickly seize upon it. But, driven by Urano’s insatiable love of literature, Myne knows that her own true happiness must be won through mastering use of the local written language–she’s going to have to learn to read and write all over again! It’s a far-sighted ambition, designed to ultimately create a path for her to access the rare and extremely expensive books there. After all, such rarity of books–of reading material in general–makes literacy impractical to the commoner. And so literate and even semi-literate individuals have the responsibility and privilege of creating, using, and maintaining books and other written records. Such people are tapped for clerical or court positions and even join religious orders. Learning–particularly literacy–becomes a ticket out of poverty, which is why its dissemination is often so jealously guarded. Myne already has Urano’s knowledge, but remains illiterate and thus removed from the opportunities to access books (not that her young age helps her case any!). Ah, but once she masters the written word, she stands to become her world’s da Vinci or Shakespeare, perhaps both.

As things stand, Myne faces three primary obstacles to scaling such an intellectual peak: her young age; her frail health; and her family’s poverty/low social status. She is absolutely powerless to change the first of these, so she should probably address the latter two. I am, as usual, unfamiliar with the source material for this story (a light novel series by Miya Kazuki), but Myne’s access to Urano’s modern knowledge should allow her to formulate some sort of plan to strengthen her health. Minor exercise routines, slight preferences in diet, that sort of thing. As for escaping her family’s poverty, she has already begun her fight by befriending her father’s subordinate, Otto, and having him teach her to write. Urano no doubt remembers the powerful allure exerted by cute, wide-eyed innocence upon otherwise sensible adults (let’s call it the Loli factor), and I cannot imagine that she would fail to employ such stratagem now, trapped as she is within its most exquisite paragon of a vehicle. She just need be very careful; in a world wherein knowledge becomes social mobility, bet that some have trod that same path previously and will seek to bar the road of their own ascendance to others. Good luck, Myne!