I Think I Have Too Much Going On

 It's become clear to me that I just can't seem to write reviews. I remember why I stopped running an anime review site all those years ago. I simply didn't enjoy writing the reviews. I'm trying to think of what I can do, and this is what I've come up with.

I will write reviews (brief) on MyAnimeList. As I watch an episode, I'll enter my thoughts about each episode, and once done, I'll write fairly brief reviews.

On this blog, I want to focus on the music of anime. Why? Because I can't really review the openings and endings on MyAnimeList. I'd like to create full lists of the songs for all series I watch, including those listed by anime title, artist, and year. For the year, I want to include a rating out of 5, so I can compile lists of my favourite songs of each year. Why? Just because I like rankings.

Let's see what I can do. I'll just watch anime when I want without worrying about having to write reviews. I think that's better. I found that I was delaying watching because I wasn't in the mood to write a review. Now, I'll just watch as much as I want without worrying about the reviews. I'll get more done, I think.

Let's Get to Work! New Reviews, New Pages

 I just had a very busy two weeks and managed to watch only two episodes of anime. I'm behind on Ao no Hako and Ranma 1/2, but I plan to work on getting caught up over the rest of the month. But there are some other things I have in mind going forward.

I've mentioned this before, but episode by episode reviews will only happen with current series and select series that are within a couple years old (and possibly some very select older series). I do have two new series I plan on starting in January while they're airing.

Second, I'm going to be adding pages for music sorted in a few different ways: year, series, and artist. I will also be adding ratings to them so that in the year listing, I can sort them by rating. I will go back to the openings and endings I have already reviewed and add ratings to the posts.

Next, I really need to get the reviews of completed series up. In the progress page, you'll see what I've finished and what's coming up. I will be finishing another two series very shortly (Tenchi Muyou Ryo-ohki 1 and Planetes). 

So, I'm going to be busy for the next while getting everything up to speed here. Expect a new background for the blog, too. Something simple.

"Asu e no Brilliant Road" - Uchuu no Stellvia Opening Theme

 The opening theme of Uchuu no Stellvia (Stellvia of the Universe) is one of my favourites. "Asu e no Brilliant Road (Brilliant Road to Tomorrow)" by angela has one of those epic feelings. Angela, which is a band featuring Atsuko and Katsu, has performed a number of anime theme songs.

The song itself features Atsuko's very distinct voice and singing style. When you hear her, you know it's her. I find this song to be very enjoyable to listen to, and I've been listening to it for the last 20 years. This is from a time when anime theme songs had a lot of character, and this one does.

The animation during the opening features the main characters in various scenes from the first episode. There is also CGI animation of the Stellvia and the ships that they fly. It's colourful, clear, and looks good. But since they use a lot of animation from the episode, that may be a cost cutting measure. However, it does look nice.

Overall, I really like this opening, and I could listen to it over and over. I'm only on episode 5, so I'll be hearing it a lot. And you can watch it, too! Check out the video on YouTube. King Record doesn't allow embedding of videos, unfortunately.

How do you like this theme song? Let me know!

A Change in How I Do Episode Reviews

 I'm currently watching 12 series, and it takes a lot of time to write episode reviews. For now, I'm only going to write episode reviews for series starting at episode 1. There are a lot of series I have been watching a while now, and it doesn't make sense to write episode reviews part way through a series. So, for now, I'll only be doing reviews for Ao no Hako and Ranma 1/2 (2024). There are a couple series I'm finishing right away, but I will only do episode reviews for relatively new series (that is within the last 2 years). As for the completed series, I need to write the full reviews. In addition, I will continue to do music reviews for openings and endings, and embed the videos on the blog for those. I think this will help me get caught up, as I actually haven't watched anything in a couple weeks. I've been busy. I'm thinking of doing the next Ranma 1/2 episode tonight!

All the Forgotten Anime

 Long ago, in what feels like another galaxy far, far away, I ran an anime review website that I discontinued because I moved to Japan and couldn't keep up with anime on TV. I didn't have my collection, either. That website doesn't exist anymore, but I found it on the Wayback Machine!

I found out something. I watched far more anime than I can even remember. There are titles that I don't remember, and others that I knew I wanted to see, but I didn't actually remember having seen any of them. What's wrong with my memory? Well, it's been around 20+ years since I've seen them all.

I checked out the list of DVDs I had, too. I had a lot more than I can remember, and I hadn't even watched them all. But you know what? I still have them. They're in a box somewhere under the stairs of the house I'm living in, as they were packed away when I moved to Japan. If I can get to them, I may actually be able to watch them on my PC's blu-ray drive. This is intriguing. However, most of them are incomplete series. I also have a lot of fansubs from back when that was a thing that was done on VHS. Yes, I have all 200 episodes of Sailor Moon on VHS.

I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to look for them. I need to do some major work in my office/studio to create some space for them, as well as the many books I have. This may take a while. But, even though they are physical digital media, I can still watch most them on streaming services. Also, we're able to watch them as they are released on TV in Japan, as many are streaming in North America, too. It's incredible how things have changed in the last couple decades.

More reviews are coming soon! I need to catch up on Ao no Hako and Ranma 1/2 first, then I'll get back to work on the series I'm working my way through.

Blue Box (Ao no Hako) Episode 3 - Things are getting very interesting!

 I am loving this show! Episode 3 of Ao no Hako has a lot of suspense (for Taiki), but it's such a ridiculously wholesome series. There are spoilers in this review.

Taiki and Hina saw Chinatsu with Haryu in the previous episode, thinking they're a couple. Throughout this episode, there are hints about a relationship, or at least what Taiki thinks is evidence, but there's little solid evidence. Haryu calls her Chii, which is a rather familiar sounding way of calling her. Now Haryu is Taiki's rival. Haryu has been undefeated in his matches against others, as has Taiki. But Taiki's been playing against other first year students. And then it happened, a match between Taiki and Haryu. Haryu won, but Taiki made it difficult in the second half. Later on, it turns out Taiki is paired with Haryu for pairs. Taiki talks with Kyou and let's it slip that he likes Chinatsu. Kyou already knows this, but Haryu overhears it. He makes a remark to him about it, so now he knows. But Haryu really works Taiki hard over the next week. Chinatsu asks Taiki to come with her, and takes him to a park. She borrowed some badminton rackets and a shuttle, and wanted to play with Taiki, as he had asked her one time. He helps her with her serve, while she says that he actually outplayed Haryu in the second half of the match. He's doing well. This scene just made me smile a lot, as she really does support Taiki. He noticed on her bag a keychain that says "Chii" on it. She says that in her class, everyone calls her Chii. It was a misunderstanding on Taiki's part. The next day, after practice, Taiki and Kyou are leaving and run into the second years, including Haryu and Chinatsu. They're all chatting about Taiki, apparently. Haryu playfully insults Taiki's ability to play badminton, but believes he will be good. Chinatsu mouths to Taiki that he's doing well. However, here's where things get interesting. Haryu received a text from who? His girlfriend. She's in show business. Which means that he's not pursuing Chinatsu! 

So, this is going to be very interesting. What's going to happen? Will Haryu help Taiki with Chinatsu? Is Taiki going to be accepted in Haryu and Chinatsu's group? I can't wait to see what happens. I am really enjoying this. I should also mention that the animation in this episode, especially with the badminton matches, has been top notch. It looks so good!

What did you think of this episode?

"Antanante." - Ranma 1/2 (2024) Ending Theme

 An ending theme that doesn't sound like a Ranma 1/2 ending them? Yes, but it's good.

The song, "Antanante." (meaning "You." in Japanese), is a slower sounding song than the opening theme, but is a fairly calming one. The singer, Riria, has done a small number of songs for anime. She has a really good voice. This song gives me a good feeling, but it doesn't sound like the typical Ranma 1/2 ending theme that we got with the original series. But that's not a bad thing. One thing I noticed about halfway through is an instrument that may be traditional Chinese. It's a string instrument, but I have no idea what it is. I know little about music, I just know what I like. And I like this.

The animation is fairly simple, showing Akane and Ranma in manga form, though animated, having one of their usual altercations. It's simple, but effective. But I'll let you take a look at it here:

What do you think of "Antanante."?