Kyousougiga

Kyosougiga started out as a 30-minute ONA, followed by five shorts and finally a 10-episode TV show. They’re pretty different takes on the same story, so I've broken up the review in parts.

Kyosougiga (2011): A schoolgirl with a transparent hammer goes on a wild, fast paced chase around a colorful city. FLCL vibes. Didn't understand a single word of what was said, but that didn't dampen my fun.

Kyosougiga (2012): We’ve still got some fast-paced rumbles, but they're interspersed by quieter episodes focused on telling the characters’ stories. A lot more emotional beats. Feels like the kagepro anime, somehow? I was also able to understand a lot more this time, which was nice. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Kyosougiga (2013): At last, the final version. A lot more exposition and character development, added to the longer runtime, gives it a very different feel from the movie and the shorts, though it's closer to the latter. It's a very bright, colorful and creative show, and the story, now finally told in full, is very sweet. I had a smile on my face through most of it, it's such a fun watch! I miss it already…

Kaiba

Kaiba is a very unique show, both in story and visuals. The animation is an absolute delight to watch, with movements and character designs reminiscent of old western cartoons. It all feels very nostalgic.

The story is set in a world filled with odd technology and space travel, where memories can be stored into chips and exchanged from one body to another. Rich people enjoy immortality, while poor people resort to selling their entire bodies to make ends meet.

The first half is very episodic, following the protagonist as he travels through different planets in an attempt to recover his memories, with an overarching plot unfolding in the second half. The show is often odd, sometimes funny, and made me cry more than once. The way things wrapped up felt a bit rushed, but that doesn't take away from the story as a whole.

The soundtrack is very beautiful, with one of the most wonderful openings I have ever seen—it's like floating…

There’s something very dreamlike, almost transcendental to Kaiba—like a childhood memory of a show that couldn’t possibly exist. But it does, and what a joy it is to watch.

Sk8 The Infinity

I was in the mood for some sports anime since it’s been a while, and this seemed like a good choice to binge in an afternoon. I was under the impression that it was a much older show(I was probably mixing it up with SKET dance?), but it’s from 2021, and the OVA released just earlier this year, which is probably why I saw an uptick of people posting about it…but I digress. As I was saying, it's pretty cute! The story is pretty formulaic, but the dynamic of the two main characters was really sweet. Visuals wise, it’s a very bright and colorful show, and the competitions were super fun to watch, even if sometimes they went so over-the-top as to be funny. I don’t think doing most of that stuff on a skateboard is possible, but what do I know…;p

Anyhow, seeing Reki and Langa have so much fun reminded me of when I got a skateboard back in middle school. It took me a while to find it under a pile of junk in the garage, but wouldn’t you know, I can still ride it just fine. I was going to say this show was fine, if nothing life-changing, but I guess it did change my life, even if just that little bit.

Kamisama Hajimemashita

Between her father gambling all the family's savings and running away, and being evicted from her house, 17-year-old Nanami is down on her luck. After helping out a mysterious man at the park, she gets sent to an old, run-down temple, where a belligerent fox guy informs her she's the temple's new goddess! I've been in a shoujo kick lately, and Kamisama Hajimemashita was love at first…okay, I've known about this series’ existence since forever, so maybe second sight—

The main cast is really charming. Nanami is a great protagonist, and Tomoe is just so cute! Kurama was very funny, when he was on screen I felt like I was watching Saiki K.(...but just who is it that he reminds me of?) Mizuki is not a bad character but I feel kind of whatever about him ┐⁠(⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣⁠)⁠┌

The ayakashi and deities had some really fun designs. I loved the Swamp Princess's big eyes…

The soundtrack had a very nostalgic feeling to it. There was nothing too impressive about the opening and ending sequences, but something about them just felt so pleasant to watch and listen to. I really liked it.

And as for the romance…ah, the romance…! Let me be dramatic for a second. I loved Nanami and Tomoe’s dynamic, they're so cute together! The emphasis given on touch and lack thereof while their relationship developed made my heart skip a beat. That ending had me melting away…ok, I'm back to normal now. Let's see how things go in season two!