My Anime Crossed-off List for 2020: A New Format

Another year, another anime crossed-off post, amirite? This year my list comes a bit early because gotta strike the iron while it still hot, man. After almost three years, I knew it can be tiring if I keep using the same format over and over again. Hence, this post is born. Today I'm going to talk about a couple of anime I had watch this year while abandoning the last year format. Sorry, I couldn't make it an even "ten" (unforeseeable technical problems). But, don't worry... Despite this post being a simplified version, it that doesn't mean that we can't still have some fun... ~

So, are you guys ready? Here we go!

1.) Konosuba (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo) S01-02

KonoSuba 
Picture courtesy of Google

To me, watching an anime is like waiting for a passing season. Sometimes it comes a bit early, other times I don't even notice. This year, it comes in the mid of July 2020. After being kinda of out of the loop for the most of early 2020, I finally decides to give My Animelist a little boost. And like it reads my mind, Youtube recommendation shoot this baby straight up. I watch a couple of clips on Konosuba, decided that I like what I see, and found it available on Netflix for two full season. Anyway, long story short, I watch this anime (the OP and ED song included), so here's my 2 cents on it.

Pros:

• Nice drawing
• Interesting premise (boy dies and wake up in a game where he can level up as an adventurer)
• Gender equality
• Good OP and ED songs

Cons:

• Tons of fan-service for male fans (sidekick with big tiddies everywhere)
• Annoying sidekicks (I'm looking at you, Aqua)
• Scattered story line (I don't quite get it even after 7 episodes in)
• Ecchi male protagonist (not really my cup of tea)
• Unclear mission by the male protagonist (at least to me)

So that's a few list to keep this post going. Personally, Konosuba is not really that bad, but it wasn't great either. Too many fan service (which reminds me of Blood Lad a little) and lacks of growth experienced by the main protagonist (Kazuma Sato). I mean, I get it that it was supposed to built his character or something, but you don't easily lose what you just got just because a couple of annoying side characters (Aqua, Megumin, Darkness, or all of them). I mean Kazuma, you're the leader of the flock, right? So, keep them bitches in line... Sheesh.

There wasn't an anime such as Konosuba that makes me mad and wanted to rip my hair off. Like, really. Every new episode I was hoping for a change, not much - just enough so Kazuma doesn't have to suffer anymore. But looks like I'm on a ride for an endless failure loops created by these useless side characters. Seriously, so much potential getting squandered by tiddies and lame ecchi jokes that doesn't fly with me. But, luckily I like Kazuma Sato. He may be a pervert, but his attitude towards his sidekicks are noteworthy to talk home about. 

So, my final verdict with Konosuba is 6.8/10. Don't ask me why. I just told you all about it.

2.) Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? S01-02

Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
Picture courtesy of Google

Okey, second anime on my list now... Next we have 'Is it Wrong to...... bla bla bla....Dungeon!". I'm too tired to write it, but you got my point ;)  I found it among other anime list on Netflix. Seriously, *Neffy is killing it with their anime recommendation these days. Unlike Konosuba that have pretty good (despite pervy) male protoganist Kazuma, Dungeon have a tamed protaganist by the name of Bell Cranel (ak. a Little Rookie). Not to shit on this guy too much, but his bland personality probably made seaweed soup taste like a goddamn caviar (er, say whut now?). Lol. Anyway, Bell here is accompanied by his Goddesses, Hestia and together they live in a rundown old church all by themselves. Well, I'm not gonna give you too many details, but basically the episodes are filled with a lot of adventure and Bell making friends and acquiring new members to join his (Hestia) Familia. So, what so great about this anime anyway? Let's take a look down the list shall we?

Pros:

• Mildly tamed male protagonist (Bell Cranel)
• Tiddies are there (of course), but not to make up the whole story (think it as a cameo kind of thing)
• Not entirely hopeless side characters (I love Hestia, she's the best!)
• Contained story line (every episodes serves a purpose to lift up our young Argonaut, Bell)
•  A lot cameo by other Olympian God and Goddesses (i.e: Apollo, Loki, Hermes)

Cons:

• Weak male protagonist (Bell Cranel)
• Too little spotlight between Bell and his Goddesses, Hestia (all the screen time goes to him fighting monsters or saving other people with his new comrades)
• Slow burn love between Bell and Ais Wallenstein (his love interest)
• Love triangle are not fully developed yet (at least in the anime adaptation)

You know what they say.... All is fair in love and war. But, for somewhat reason - there wasn't enough time for Bell and Hestia to really explore their feelings or whatever the animator tries to insinuate (it looks more like one-sided love on Hestia side, but I could be wrong). Anyways, despite of the slow-burn feel this anime seems to provide, that doesn't make it a bad anime. In fact, I kinda look forward and feel giddy on my toes for the next episode. It's quite rare for me to feel that way when I'm watching anime (I'm not an easy person to be pleased because I'm jaded) these days, so great job Dungeon! 

So, my final verdict with this anime is 8.0/10. That high, huh? Only because it have everything I wanted and what its lacking is not too obvious and probably can be improved. 

note: * Neffy: my nickname for Netflix.

3.) Plunderer

Plunderer
Image courtesy of Google

Third anime now. This one is called 'Plunderer'. It's released on June 2020 and boy, I wasn't expecting it to be 24 episodes! (that's rare, even by 2020 standard as anime that I watch normally span around 13 episode or less). So, what so good about Plunderer that I can tell you? Plenty. But first, let me tell you how did I found this anime in the first place. One word, baby: Youtube. Saw some snippets from this anime in there and just like that - I'm sold. This anime actually falls under ecchi genre (like the theme of today's post), but the allocated time for it makes me applauded the creator of this series so much (I'm looking at you, Highschool DxD). 

Anyways, Plunderer basically tells a story about a girl named Hina who are in search for the Red Baron (Licht Bach; the guy on the top). In the world where they lives in, a (counting) system had been put into place. Anyone who have a higher count than others are free to order anyone with a lower count. It certainly a flawed system, but their world is built around that and things had stayed peaceful for the last 300 years because of it. Enter Licht Bach, a town loser who didn't look like much at first, but later turns out hold a very important role in this new world arrangement. Anyway, I'm not going to tell you everything there's to know about this anime, but here's my 2 cent about it:

Pros:

• Great storyline (makes you wanna know more and more) and phantomable plot twist
• Great drawing and art style (at least in the Manga)
• Multi-dimensional main character (Licht Bach)

Cons:

• Uneven quality level for anime adaptation
• Forward (shameless) female protagonist (Hina)
• Too many layer of plot twist can make audience feels like they being duped into waiting something more (endless of plot twist and plenty of reveal throughout the end of each episode)

Honestly, I really like Plunderer. It has been a long time since an anime makes me feel excited to watch the next episode. Even Dungeon (above) doesn't exactly makes me feel this way. Because it's so addictive, I have to control myself to only 5 episodes per day. So far there's only 24 episodes from this show till date so I been keeping up with the manga as I am dying to know what's going to happen next in the series. Seriously, despite of what others might say and the rating it received at MAL (My Animelist), I think this anime is one of the best show I had seen in a while and for that I'm giving it 8/10 rating. It's an honest rating from the bottom of my heart, so don't judge me for that. 

4.) Beastar (18)

Beastars
Image credit from Google

I guess one of the most unexpected find this year would have to be this anime: 'Beastars'. It was released back on December last year (2019) and I seen it hanging around my Netflix recommendation for some time now, but never care enough to go ahead and watch it. I just finished 'Plunderer' and was looking for new anime to watch and suddenly - this come up. So, I decided to watch it and here's my verdict.

Beastars is not an anime that I typically favors. Sure, I seen those Disney cartoon, Zootopia not so long ago and Robin Hood when I was little, but that's as far as my interest in anthropomorphic animals goes. Then, I proceed to watch Beastars and my opinion about it would never be the same again. To be honest, I don't hate this anime in particular, but there's several oddities that I would like to point out just because....

Not only this anime is about a bunch of animals acting like human - they have a physical body like a human too! I know Disney kinda did that with Zootopia, but that one was tamed and I actually quite enjoy the storyline. This one however... left with with a bunch of mixed feelings. I always considered bunny is the cutest animal ever, but not after watching this anime. The mangaka kinda diminished that for me a bit (by putting a fake b00bies on bunny, like seriously gurl - not cool). And not only that... they always showcases... s*x amongst animals that made me feel so uncomfortable while I was watching it. I guess this is why bestiality was never on the table for me. I stick to soft regular p0rn and vanilla stuff, thank you very much.

So, what so good or bad about this anime anyway? Well, I tell you;

Pros:

• Good storyline (a cultural divide between herbivore and carnivore - yeah, I kinda dig that)
• Great anime, average manga (as far as the drawing goes)
• Written by a woman mangaka (I'm not so much of a feminist, but this is rare even to see thesedays)
• Interesting and memorable characters: Legosi - fox, Haru - bunny, Louis - red deer that are different from what we expected of them. Example for that would be;

1.  Legosi, a fox is timid and non-confrontational. This usually not the case with foxes. It's in their nature to always be aggressive and strong.
2. Haru, the bunny seems cute and innocent at first, but she is actually hypersexual. Well, I guess we know now where they got the expression;' like two rabbits in heat' comes from.
3. Louis, the red deer is essentially a prey. However, he's strong and confident character that most people vouches him to be the next 'Beastar' (a rank given only to an animal who have a great talent, service and notoriety) despite of what he is. His reputation made every animal rooting for him that even Legosi respected him.

Cons:

• Animal s*x makes me feel SUPER uncomfortable
• The stakes gets higher and higher which eventually made me feel uneasy.

To be honest, it's not like I hate Beastar. It's just that some of its adult scene makes me feel... weird.  Still, I manage to finished the 12 episodes in just a day so that should show you that this show doesn't suck too much. So, with that being said, I'm also giving this anime a 7.8/10 rating.

5.) Mob Psycho 100 (S01)

Mob Psycho 100
Image credit from Google

Sadly, something come up in 2020 that doesn't allow me to finish a lot of anime I had set-out to watch (nah, Corona got nothing to do with it). Right after I finished watching Mob Psycho 100 is actually the time when I started doing my home improvement projects, so there goes my plan down the drain. However, I will still talk about the last anime I had watch this year which is this anime right here. Well, to be frank - from the surface it doesn't look like much. With an background character-looking protagonist named Shigeo Kagayama ak.a 'Mob' and his average-looking friends and family; I'm not even sure if I'm going to continue watching this series. But, then after 3 episodes - it finally hits me... If I just forget about the average-looking characters for a bit, this series is actually pretty awesome!

So, let me start by telling you what 'Mob Psycho 100' is all about. We got Mob, a middle-school boy who is a powerful esper with immense psychic power. Just like Queen Elsa from Frozen, Mob here is constantly fighting with himself especially when it comes to ways to suppress his power. After earning himself a mentor (the guy one the left picture), Mob thinks that he now can learn on how to control it, but little did he knows that his 'mentor' ak.a Reigen Arataka is not really an esper, but rather a con-man pretending to be a self-proclaimed psychic. Mob already troubled personal life is about to turn more chaotic, as his power continues to grow and he have to fight with an organized espers by the name of 'Claw' to protect those who are dear to him. More good information about this anime down below;

Pros:

• A Heroes Journey. Mob growing pains can be likened to Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, and Boku Hero Academia.
• A well-rounded male protoganist (Mob)
• Great storyline and character development.
• Family values and friendships are main core in this anime.

Cons:

• Unappealing character (at first), but you soon realize that the story toppled that in the second.
• Bad news for anime watcher who like to 'judge the book by its cover'. They might miss out on this gem.

So, with that being said and done - I guess that's it guys for my anime crossed-off list for 2020. It's already July 2020, so might do my next anime cross-list in 2021. As always, please look forward to it. Thank you for reading this entry and see you next time. Jya-nee.

Yours Truly,

Mimi Said

What's the Deal with Rick & Morty?

I think it's kinda odd for me to be talking about cartoon on this blog...

Nah... Just kidding! It's not really that odd. In fact, it's kinda expected at this point considering this is where I go everytime I want to rant my heart out on anime and manga. So why can't I post about cartoon as well? Doesn't make any sense to me so here goes.

So, to begin with today post - let me start by making a confession... I haven't been watching a lot of cartoon for a long, long time. The last one I remember was over a decade ago (was it 'Kim Possible?', not really sure). So, when brother mine decides to watch this new cartoon available on Netflix called 'Rick & Morty' - I wasn't exactly impressed. It looks too crude and sci-ency for my taste so I think of giving it a pass.

If you're curious, this is what Rick and Morty looks like. Rick is the old granpa, Morty is the young boy.
Picture sourced from Google.com

However, because I was curious - I decide to give this series a go. When it comes to watching a tv-show - there's no right or wrong, too old or too young, not even a bad or good tv show. If I like it, I'll say like it! And this show makes me wanna scream at the top of lungs just so I could encourage a lot more people to watch it because I fucking lovess it!

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a high IQ to watch Rick & Morty. It wasn't created to make you feel stupid or left out. That's not how I feel when I am watching this show, anyways. But you do need a lot of knowledge on pop culture to understand most of the joke. And please be quick because every jokes are layered or interlocked with one another. Also, you need to beware because this is one of the most addictive show you ever gonna watch in your life! I been binge watching it for the past month or two and I haven't grown tired of it (yet). There's something about this show that is too smart, too funny, and too heartfelt (can't believe I'm using this word to describe this show, but whateves - I'm still owning up to it) about the whole premise that makes it so irresistible.

So, for those who are still clueless on what am I talking about, here's a little backstory. Rick & Morty is a story about two space and galaxy adventurers called Rick (the granpa) and Morty (his grandson). They may be related by blood, but don't let this fool you. Grandpa Rick or 'Rick' (as referred by his own grandson), isn't your typical sit-at-home grandpa. He's a drunkard scientist, loves making sensible gadgets and lives with his daughter family, Beth Smith (nee Sanchez). He have a granddaughter (Summer Smith) and insufferable son-in-law (Jerry Smith).

A typical morning in a Smith family
From left: Morty, Summer, Jerry, Rick and Beth.
Picture sourced from Google.com

Rick loves taking his grandson in most of his adventures and together, the two of them travels across the space and galaxy in pursuit of knowledge, adventure and fun (for the most part). However, not all of Smith family are totally on board with this (cue Jerry Smith), but that doesn't stop Rick from taking Morty on the journey, quest, exploration... and what have you. Their adventure are sometimes joined by Summer, Beth and surprise, surprise... Jerry. Rick and Morty had been going on since 2013, and so far there's only been 4 seasons (10 episodes per season). I know, 7 years and only 4 seasons? What kind of kid show is this? Except, Rick & Morty wasn't a kid show, guys...

It's a show catered for the ADULTS.

Yep, you heard me... Adults. 

It's no surprise since you can find this show at its original home; Adult Swim (now also available on Netflix). Little did I know, walking into my brother room while he's watching this gem happened to be one of the best thing I seen this year (after Covid-19 bumming me and everyone out). I watch a couple snippets here and there, notice a few jokes that tickles my heart, and decides to watch it full-on. I'm not gonna go down in detail about which episodes that I watch now, but believe me when I say - it's like a sun comes up. Life suddenly feels good again.

It's a sure plus thing that Rick & Morty is an adult show made in USA (the land of the free) because there hardly any limitations on what kind of stories it can and will serve to the audience. But because everything goes, doesn't mean it wasn't without a fault as well. Now, I'm not gonna tell you which one that rubs me the wrong way, but I understand why it's there. It serves a purpose on the story and for that - I'm willing to give it a pass. There's also a couple of skippable episodes (the one that doesn't struck accord with me) and a lot more that you need to watch more than a dozen times (because it's that good). In a way, I think it's part of its charms.

So yeah... The reason why I decide to write this post is to encourage a lot of you who still haven't watch Rick and Morty to go ahead and watch it. If you still feeling hesitation, than be sure to watch the snippets on Youtube regarding this show. I'm sure you won't regret it and perhaps find a new show to binge watch later.

Anyway, I guess that's it guys for today's post. Thank you for reading this entry. I guess I see you soon on my next one. Bye bye now!

Yours truly,

Mimi Said

Jun-July 2020: The Year Where I Got A Lot of New Gadgets

So, I been thinking about nice topic to talk about on my next post and this is the best I can come up with. Today, I'm gonna talk about: Gadgets! It funny that I used not to care about it that much. Now, it almost I can't live without it. 

To start with today post, I let you in for some backstory. I had a list. Not a lot, but basically my wishlist on what I'm planning to buy this year. I know I need a new laptop (I been using my current one for the past 9 years) but there's also an extra money. So, what did I do then? Save it? Nope. Invest it? Nope. I decide to pick a tablet instead.

Buying a tablet was not on my list, but since I been using for the past a month or more - I glad that I got it. For small amount of money, it proves to be a wise purchase as I can do a lot of things on it. Example for that would be watching Netflix, Youtube, VPN, writing, reading manga, e-books, music and others. I know it's basically the same as having a smartphone, but there something about watching my s*it in a screen larger than 6 inches that send satisfaction down my spine. It's unexpected and definitely unplanned, but I'm glad that I brought it nevertheless.

As for my laptop, it's kinda been a long time coming. I have this one tiny policy 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' and because my laptop rarely acts up (there some battery drainage and issue with keyboard pad, for sure), I been using it for the last 9 years. I called it 'my baby' and I think it had been with me through tons of crazy shit together. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with it (yet) and I really love my old laptop, but even I know that one of these days - something gotta give.

So, to prevent an unexpected misfortune, I finally decide to look around for the latest brand laptop (not budget coz your girl have some need as well), and finally settles with a same brand laptop. The difference is that this one is fast charging (took less than two hours), have long battery life (up to 11 hours with minimal usage), have fingerprint recognization (so no one can steal or gain access to it) and most importantly; affordable. I know you must be wondering what kind of laptop that could accomplish all of this, but that's a secret that I rather keep to myself. It's enough for you to know that I have this kind of laptop now and am grateful for it.

Aside from buying a tablet and new laptop, I also got myself another wireless headphones. I have brought a wireless earphones earlier this year, but I don't think it completely agrees with me. I had used wireless headphone before, but the bass wasn't too strong or anything remarkable. So, back to the online store I go and I finally found this cute cat ear wireless headphone (not the Ariana Grande endorsement), and decided I should wing it. It's a 50-50 chance for sure, but once that headphone arrives, I thank all my lucky stars because just like my new laptop - I know that I had again hit a jackpot! 

My new wireless cat headphone proves to have a stronger bass, lights up (on its ear) like a Fourth of July, great microphone, and get this - have a long freaking battery usage. That two for two, man! Because of the price, I seriously don't hope for much, but this headphone is something else. Definitely worth buying! Again, I'm not going to reveal what kind of brand it is (I sure judgement will fall once I tell you what it is), so I'm going to leave that to your own imagination. 

Anyway, so that's a little tidbits I have for you on this July 2020 post. I'm currently enjoying my new gadgets and discovering my love for games and tv-series. I also pick up a few new manhwa's, manga, and anime because now I have a lot more gadgets to view it from. My old laptop had now become my second media server (after miBox) and I'm glad to still able to see it working, alongside my new baby. 

So, I guess that's it guys. Thank you for reading this entry and see you soon on my next post. Jya- nee!

Yours truly,

Mimi Said