Anime Eiga Review: Kimi no Na wa

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Kimi no Na wa. Reader discretion is advised.***

Film Synopsis

Imagine if one day you find yourself in a place you don’t recognize. Adding to that, imagine you’re not even in your own body. No one would blame for freaking out. Yet unbeknownst to you, this is just fate working in mysterious ways.

Such is the case for two teenagers.

Taki Tachibana (voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a big city boy from Tokyo. Mitsuha Miyamizu (voiced by Mone Kamishiraishi) is a small town girl from the Japanese countryside. One day, for no discernable reason, they begin waking up in each other’s bodies.

Thrown into worlds they're unfamiliar with, Taki and Mitsuha make the most of their situation. Frustrating as it may be. Yet in their attempts to not screw over the other’s life, they began to understand one another. With each switch, the two become closer and closer.

Too bad, as is the nature of fate, it’s never that simple. Whatever the reason may have been, Taki and Mitsuha were brought together. Discovering what that reason is may be the most important thing either will ever do.

Under these unimaginable circumstances, how far would you go to be with the person most special to you?

Anime Hajime Review: Gakkou Gurashi

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Gakkou Gurashi. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Yuki Takeya (voiced by Inori Minase) loves her school. She loves her classes. She loves her classmates. She loves her teachers. Yet the thing she loves the most is her friends in the School Living Club.

Together with Kurumi Ebisuzawa (voiced by Ari Ozawa), Yuri Wakasa (voiced by Mao Ichimichi), and Miki Naoki (voiced by Rie Takahashi) they do as the club implies. They live at their school. In fact, as per club activities, members aren’t allowed to leave the premises. This doesn’t bother Yuki in the slightest. With her club mates and teacher, Megumi Sakura (voiced by Ai Kayano), at her side, there's never a sad moment.

And Yuki’s friends will do what's necessary to keep it that way. Even if it means playing along with Yuki's delusions.

For you see, Yuki’s perfect school life exists only in her mind. The truth is too much for her psyche to handle. Her ideal world died the moment the outbreak started. In seconds, Yuki and her friends became the school’s sole survivors of the zombie apocalypse.

Anime Hajime Review: Pupipo

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Pupipo. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Wakaba Himeji (voiced by Shiho Sasaki) is an outcast at her school. Her classmates claim misfortune is guaranteed in her presence. They say she is a witch who will curse them into oblivion.

While this bullying is cruel and uncalled for, the reality is, unfortunately, not that far off.

Wakaba isn’t a witch. She doesn't possess even an ounce of magic. She can, however, see ghosts. And they are the ones fueling the rumor mill.

With little she can do about it, Wakaba tries living with her ability. It’s made things difficult, but she’s grown accustomed to it. For her, being alone is normal. That all changes though.

One day, Wakaba finds a strange, fluffy pink creature (voiced by Chisato Mori). They two form an instant bond and Wakaba names her new friend Po. What’s even more amazing, Po's presence is enough to keep ghosts away from Wakaba.

For the first time, Wakaba has a chance to live a normal life. Yet she can’t help shake the feeling she knows Po from somewhere.

Anime Hajime Review: No.6

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for No.6. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Following a devastating war, most of the Earth has become a wasteland. The remnants of humanity live in the few remaining habitual zones. One of these is the super city known as No.6.

A perfect utopia, No.6 strives to preserve and cultivate the best of civilization. Here, no one knows hunger. No one knows fear. No one is ever unhappy. Everything is as it should be. Those who think otherwise don’t stay around long.

Shion (voiced by Yuki Kaji) is a resident of No.6. What he knows of the world exists only within the walls of the city. Perhaps a little antsy, Shion’s life would otherwise be uneventful. This changes the day he meets Nezumi (voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya).

For the first time, Shion begins to suspect something isn't right about No.6. Just thinking that, though, is enough to destroy everything. The authorities pursue Shion and plan to take him away. With Nezumi’s help, he manages to escape over the walls.

Shocked to see the disparity within the real world, Shion decides he must learn the truth. He hopes doing so will save everyone from the clutches of No.6. However, Shion fails to understand how dark the truth may turn out to be.

Anime Hajime Review: Mahoromatic – Automatic Maiden

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Mahoromatic – Automatic Maiden. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

The Earth is fighting a secret war against alien invaders. Despite the odds, humanity has managed to turn the tables and are winning the fight. This is all thanks to their ultimate weapon, Android V1046-R Mahoro (voiced by Ayako Kawasumi).

After years of constant combat, Mahoro’s life energy is almost depleted. As thanks for her indispensable work, Mahoro is given the chance to live her final days as a normal human. Though knowing nothing but battle, she does hold one dream dear to her heart.

In the civilian world, Suguru Misato (voiced by Fujiko Takimoto) lost his parent at a young age. Since then he has only known loneliness. Too bad that doesn't keep the house clean. So he decides to hire a live-in maid. Suguru is beside himself when the applicant turns out to be the beautiful Mahoro. 

Though their meeting would appear random, Mahoro chose to be at Suguru’s side. Her time may be short, but she plans to give every second she has left to Suguru. All the while fearing a past that is sure to be coming back to haunt her.

Anime Hajime Review: FLCL

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for FLCL. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Naota Nandaba (voiced Jun Mizuki) is quite cynical for someone as young as him. He lives in a mundane town in a mundane world where nothing special ever happens. He’s surrounded by immature adults, frustrating expectations, and general boredom. It would take one hell of a force to chance the monotony.

And wouldn’t you know it? Such a force comes riding in on a yellow Vespa scooter.

Haruko Haruhara (voiced by Mayumi Shintani) is everything Naota’s life is not. Loud, violent, and unpredictable. Her origins are mysterious, to say the least. Her goals even more so.

With Haruko’s arrival, normal becomes a thing of the past. On a good day, Naota must deal with intergalactic organizations, space pirates, and giant robots emerging from his head. Weather Haruko is a help, a hindrance, or the cause is anyone’s guess.

Yet amongst all the randomness, one thing remains constant. Haruko is unlike anyone, or possibly anything out there.

Anime Hajime Review: Ro-Kyu-Bu

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Ro-Kyu-Bu. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Subaru Hasegawa (voiced by Yuki Kaji) is a basketball ace. Due to circumstances though, he is unable to play the sport he loves dear. The fallout of which has left him lost and passionless.

To help him out of his slump, Subaru’s aunt, Mihoshi Takamura (voiced by Shizuka Ito), makes him an offer. He only needs to coach the Keishin Academy’s Girls’ Basketball team for three days. Hesitant, Subaru agrees, assuming nothing would come out of it.

On his fist day, he meets an earnest, but otherwise rusty group of players. Of the five members, four need a ton of work. These are Maho Misawa (voiced by Yuka Iguchi), Saki Nagatsuka (voiced by Yoko Hikasa), Airi Kashii (voiced by Rina Hidaka), and Hinata Hakamada (voiced by Yui Ogura). They lack the practice, but none of them lack the drive.

The fifth girl, however, catches Subaru’s eye. Tomoka Minato (voiced by Kana Hanazawa) is a prodigy and has a deep-rooted love affection for the sport. In many ways, she is how Subaru once was.

The original deal may have been three days, but the girls grow on Subaru. He sees greatness within them. With a little effort, this team could be a force to be reckoned with.

Anime Hajime Review: Yumekui Merry

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Yumekui Merry. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Yumeji Fujiwara (voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto) has a unique ability. He’s able to predict, with decent accuracy, what kind of dream a person will have any given night. Yet there’s one outcome he’s never failed to misinterpret. If a night would bring a nightmare.

Unbeknownst to Yumeji, the dream world is more connected to reality than one might think. And out of what seemed to be pure chance, he learned how deep that connection goes.

One day, Yumeji meets a strange girl named Merry Nightmare (voiced by Ayane Sakura). She claims to have come from the dream world and is searching for a way back. In fact, inhabitants of the dream world are all over the place. Known as dream demons, they attach themselves to a human vessel. Merry is unusual since she can exist in reality without a vessel.

With their unique set of skills, Yumeji and Merry form a powerful duo. As they look for a way to get Merry home, they run across a sinister development. For you see, there are some dream demons who wish to make the dream world and reality one in the same.

Anime Hajime Review: Attack on Titan Season Two

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Attack on Titan Season Two. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

The struggle for humanity’s survival continues. As does the story of the three friends fighting to eliminate all Titans.

The brilliant strategist, Armin Arlert (voiced by Marina Inoue). The prodigy soldier Mikasa Ackerman (voiced by Yui Ishikawa). And the human who can turn into a Titan, Erin Yeager (voiced by Yuki Kaji)

Following Erin’s battle within Wall Shina, a horrifying discovery is made. The walls that have protected humanity from the Titans encase the very creatures. The military tries to make sense of this revelation. While at the same time, they try to discover if there are others like Erin hiding in their ranks.

Then the worst possible news arrives. Titans have been spotted within Wall Rose. A breach in the Wall would seal humanity’s demise. Thus, it is up to the Erin, Mikasa, Armin, and the rest of the elite Survey Corps to continue the fight.

However, it is never that simple. When one question is answered, more come to take its place. The mystery behind the Titans and Erin’s powers run deep. Many will die searching for the truth.

A truth that may reveal a dark past.