Anime Hajime Impressions: Corpse Party - Blood Covered (Countdown to Halloween Part 5 of 5)

The Setup

Happy Halloween everyone.

Corpse Party – Tortured Souls is a series I have seen multiple times. I even reviewed the four episode OVA during 2018’s Pre-Blog Month (March 2018). For the longest time, something kept drawing me back to this story. Each time I made a return, I always came away with three opinions:

1. It was violent.

2. It was gory.

3. It sucked.

I do not like Corpse Party – Tortured Souls. It is a pitiful attempt at horror that tries to replace scares with blood. More than that, it was an unfortunate waste of an interesting premise, solid animation, and a talented voice cast. Having now done my official review of the series, I doubt I will ever find the urge to go back to the anime ever again.

Be that as it may, and perhaps against my better judgment, I’m still not quite ready to give up on Corpse Party yet. Deep down, part of me wants to believe there is a reason behind this franchise’s cult status beyond its sheer brutality. Nevertheless, I can’t find what I am looking for in the anime adaptation. I must look elsewhere.

Anime Hajime Review: High Score Girl

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for High Score Girl. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

It’s the 90s, and a new wave of video games are spreading across Japan’s arcades, candy stores, and shopping malls. Better graphics, tighter mechanics, and a growing pool of worthy challengers, it’s more than enough to get the competitive blood pumping. One such gamer who has been bitten by the bug is Haruo Yaguchi (voiced by Kohei Amasaki).

In his local territory, Haruo has earned a reputation as a top player. However, there is always someone stronger.

One day, Haruo is soundly crushed at his game of choice. Shockingly, his opponent is none other than his classmate Akira Oono (voiced by Sayumi Suzushiro).

As the quiet daughter of a wealthy family, Akira has the exact opposite look of the stereotypical gamer. But, don’t let that fool you. Not only can Akira play with the best, she can beat them as well.

In an instant, Haruo found a rival in Akira. After some time, though, Haruo begins to realize he may have actually found someone a lot more special.

Anime Hajime Review: How Not to Summon a Demon Lord

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for How Not to Summon a Demon Lord. Reader discretion is advised.**

Series Synopsis

Cross Reverie is one of the most popular MMORPGs on the market today. Amongst its many pre-programmed challenges and bosses, one player has risen to become a true demon lord.

Takuma Sakamoto, a.k.a., Diablo (voiced by Masaaki Mizunaka), is a shut-in loner who has mastered this particular game. Preferring solitude, he sometimes wonders if staying in this virtual world wouldn’t be a bad idea.

As they say, though: Be careful what you wish for.

Without warning the veteran gamer is summoned to a mysterious land that oddly resembles Cross Reverie. The confused man has also taken on the appearance of his avatar Diablo and has retained all his frightening powers.

Yet if that wasn’t strange enough, Diablo sees that he is surrounded by two beautiful girls — the elf Shera L. Greenwood and the pantherian Rem Galleu (voiced by Yu Serizawa and Azumi Waki).

Anime Ichiban: Top Ten Yamishibai Stories (Countdown to Halloween 4 of 5)

Introduction

What is Yamishibai?

Yamishibai is a horror anime that began airing back in 2013. Each story (episode) is based on Japanese folklore and urban legends. At five minutes a pop, these tales tell of frightening phenomenon caused by ghosts, monsters, and other, often evil, supernatural entities.

Along with horror, Yamishibai has a distinct visual style. This series’ art takes inspiration from the kamishibai method of storytelling, which uses still images to tell a narrative. As a result, Yamishibai’s animation is usually very jagged and limited.

I won’t lie: Much of this franchise is meh. On top of that, there have been some real stinkers.

HOWEVER, Yamishibai survives because every now and then, it hits the bullseye.

The problem is — as of the posting of this list — there are six seasons, a.k.a., 78 stories under the Yamishibai banner. In total, that’s over SIX HOURS of content. Who even has the time? Evidently, I do, and I’m here to make your next Halloween horror-viewing a bit more efficient.

These are the Top Ten Yamishibai Stories.

Anime Hajime Review: Happy Sugar Life

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Happy Sugar Life. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

In her life, Sato Matsuzaka (voiced by Kana Hanazawa) had no concept of love. In fact, emotions, in general, were alien to her. As far as she was concerned, the world was lifeless and void of meaning. That all changed when she met her one and only.

For some time now, Sato has been living with her beloved Shio Kobe (voiced by Misaki Kuno). The two support each other greatly and cannot imagine a life apart. Since Shio is so young, Sato must be the one to provide for the two of them. When she goes out, Sato asks Shio to do only one thing:

Never leave their apartment.

How Shio came to live with Sato isn’t entirely clear. The two are neither family nor old acquaintances, and Sato is acutely aware that people are looking for Shio. However, Sato will not allow anyone to destroy her first and only source of happiness.

By any means possible, Sato will eliminate every obstacle that tries to stand in her way.

Anime Hajime Review: Holmes of Kyoto

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Holmes of Kyoto. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Aoi Mashiro (voiced by Miyu Tomita) has recently moved to Kyoto, but her time in her new city hasn’t been a happy one. Hurtful memories of her old life continue to linger in her heart. She feels there is no one she can rely on. That sentiment changes the day Aoi wanders into a quaint little antique shop.

Standing behind the counter is a handsome young man named Kiyotaka Yagashira (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa). Like magic, Kiyotaka instantly recognizes that Aoi is not doing well, and the two form a bond. To help, Kiyotaka offers Aoi a job at his store; a proposition Aoi gladly accepts.

After a few weeks, Aoi learns of Kiyotaka’s reputation as a highly skilled appraiser. In this line of work, an antique seller’s reputation can be ruined by fake items. However, no counterfeit can fool Kiyotaka’s trained eyes. In fact, Kiyotaka’s observational and deduction skills even rival a certain world-famous nineteenth-century British detective.

The similarities are so profound, Kiyotaka has gained the title as the Holmes of Kyoto.

Anime Hajime Review: Yamishibai Season 6 (Countdown to Halloween Part 3 of 5)

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Yamishibai 6. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

It’s time to begin our sixth journey into the dark and the macabre; the strange and the creepy. Listen to the stories of the things that go bump in the night.

It’s once again time for Yamishibai.

The Stories

Thunderous Visitor – A man who hates thunder remembers his mother.

Tomonashi Cave – Four “friends” ignore a Do-Not-Enter sign and venture into a dark cave.

The Wind’s Warning – A lonely salaryman comes home, and it appears the wind is trying to tell him something.

Swamp Offering – A newlywed woman moves to the countryside and joins an ancient ritual.

The Dripping – A man gets stuck in a rainstorm on his way home and chooses to take someone else’s umbrella.

Sakura – After a car accident, a man recovers in a hospital and befriends some of his fellow patients.

Anime Hajime Review: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (400th Review Special)

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

When you realize you are just one person out of billions, you have two options.

One: You can accept your situation.

Two: You do everything you can to stand out.

For Haruhi Suzumiya (voiced by Aya Hirano), she chose the latter in a big way.

Haruhi finds normal humans boring. If someone isn’t either an alien, a time traveler, or an esper, then she has no interest in them. The sole exception to this is Haruhi’s completely average classmate Kyon (voiced by Tomokazu Sugita).

One day during a simple conversation, Kyon inadvertently gives Haruhi the idea to form a special club. Dubbing it the Spreading Excitement All Over the World with Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade (the SOS Brigade), Haruhi plans to make the entire world a far more exciting place.

If things weren’t strange enough, they’re about to be. Haruhi manages to gain several members, along with Kyon, to join her Brigade. Little does she know her new subordinates may actually be the result of her own inner desires. After all, Haruhi believing she is at the absolute center of the universe, might not be far from the truth.

Anime Hajime Review: Jashin-chan Dropkick

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Jashin-chan Dropkick. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Which is more terrifying: A demon from the depths of Hell, or a human powerful enough to summon and control one through fear of pain?

The serpent demon Jashin (voiced by Aina Suzuki) is trapped in the human world until her summoner, Yurine Hanazono (voiced by Nichika Omori), dies. To make that day come sooner, Jashin gleefully tries to put an end to her master’s life. Too bad for her, Yurine is far smarter and far crueler than anything Hell can devise.

Essentially trapped, Jashin tries to adjust to her new life, but the nature of a demon isn’t something that just goes away. At every chance she sees, Jashin takes the opportunity to cause mischief and suffering. Every time she does this, though, Jashin happens to forget that Yurine’s wrath is always right behind her.

Nevertheless, Jashin and Yurine go about their days with an ever-growing group of friends from both Hell and Heaven. It seems the daily routines of humans, demons, and angels are not all that different on Earth.

Anime Hajime Impressions: Junji Ito Collection - Tomie (Countdown to Halloween Part 2 of 5)

The Setup

2018’s Junji Ito Collection (JIC) was garbage. I can never get back the time I spent watching it, and I highly encourage you to not waste yours.

But before I go any further, I want to reiterate something I said in my review of Junji Ito Collection.

I did not care for the anime adaptation of Mr. Junji Ito’s works. I have nothing against the man himself. I am interested in checking out Mr. Ito’s stories since the artwork and visuals for Junji Ito Collection were easily the best aspects of that series. In fact, that is part of the reason why I am doing this Impression post at all.

For those who don’t know, Junji Ito is a manga artist who specializes in horror. From what I saw in Junji Ito Collection – and I am assuming a show that used his name also used his style – Mr. Ito’s art is downright terrifying.

In his long career, Mr. Ito has penned many stories. Two that have grabbed my attention are Uzumaki and Gyo. Among his best-known work, though, is the tale of Tomie.

From what I know of the story, the titular Tomie is a beautiful woman who men desire; often to violent ends. I can’t say much more than that.

Anime Hajime Review: Asobi Asobase

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

Series Synopsis

What does it mean to pass the time?

Are there rules? Do you need equipment? Can you be alone, or should you have a few friends at the ready? Does whatever you end up doing even have to make sense?

All those questions are hard to answer, and perhaps, none of them can be. Nevertheless, it is the job of the Pastimers Club to figure that stuff out. Or at least, that is what the members say to keep control of their favorite meet up spot.

Three friends, Hanako Honda, Olivia, and Kasumi Nomura (voiced by Hina Kino, Rika Nagae, and Konomi Kohara) often find themselves in tricky situations they are the cause of. Apparently, there is a lot of thought and preparation that must go into doing nothing. Failure to do so may throw someone into the hospital.

Regardless, at the end of the day, this trio will make sure that doing nothing will never turn boring.

Anime Hajime Review: Cells at Work

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Cells at Work. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Inside every one of us, there are trillions of cells working around the clock to keep our bodies running smoothly. To maintain such an important — not to mention, massive — operation, there need to be cells that can deliver energy to the system and cells that can defend it from harmful invaders.

Taking care of the former are hardworking Red Blood Cells like AE3803 (voiced by Hana Kanazawa) who run around nonstop with packages of oxygen and other vital nutrients.

Ensuring the latter gets done are vigilant White Blood Cells such as U-1146 (voiced by Tomoaki Maeno) that dutifully hunt down bacteria and viruses with a vengeance.

Every cell must come together as one unimaginably large unit to ensure we have the chance to live our lives as happy and healthy as possible.

Anime Eiga Review: Perfect Blue (Countdown to Halloween Part 1 of 5)

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

Film Synopsis

Mima Kirigoe (voiced by Junko Iwao) is a popular pop idol. Although not a runaway success, plenty of people look forward to whenever Mima releases a new single. Despite enjoying her time on stage, Mima believes her music career has gone as far as it will go.

To expand her horizons, Mima decides to give up the idol life and make her debut as an actress. Mima put a lot of thought into this choice and knows the move will disappoint many of her fans. However, she failed to realize how poorly some of her more devoted followers would take the news.

Almost immediately, strange and dangerous encounters start occurring around Mima.

There are threatening letters, ominous faxes, and a disturbingly accurate website written by another Mima. Except, this second Mima is still the beloved idol star Mima, and the first Mima is just some unknown actress. But this Mima is earning recognition. Yet, Mima never left the spotlight. Or was there ever a spotlight? Isn’t this Mima the real Mima? Is the other Mima, the true Mima? Is this Mima, in fact, the imposter?

Was there ever a Mima Kirigoe to begin with?

Anime Hajime Review: Free - Dive to the Future

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Free – Dive to the Future. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

Haruka Nanase (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki), the prodigy swimmer, has graduated from Iwatobi High and his beloved Iwatobi Swim Club. Although his high school career is over, his professional one has just begun. Haruka now has his sights set on the international stage.

During his time with the Iwatobi Swim Club, Haruka had to face many challenges, and rediscover why he loves the water so much. However, it turns out he still has much to learn.

The competitors Haruka faces are the very best of the best. Everyone has put in the time. Everyone has faced their own struggles. Everyone is gunning for the top. To slow down here would mean undoing years of growth.

That is a prospect Haruka cannot accept.

If being the greatest were easy, then everyone would do it. Therefore, Haruka is determined to prove to the world he has what it takes.