I was joking about how I'd love to watch an anime that's not set in Victorian England (I saw like four in a row! ^^;), so I decided to take up on my friend’s recommendation and hop on Vanitas no Carte some four years after the fact (by the way, it's the second anime set in 19th-century France I've seen this month —)

Initially, I was surprised by how “SHAFT” the direction felt, and it all made sense when I saw the director was Tomoyuki Itamura (who directed Monogatari from Nise up to Owari). At some points it's a dead tell, but most of the time the series has its own visual identity, so it doesn't end up feeling like a second Monogatari or anything.

At first I kept watching less because I was enjoying it and more because I was curious about that hook at the end of the first episode, but the story really delivers! I'm glad I kept going.

The worldbuilding is amazing, what with the formulas and crystals and malnomens and the alt-history stuff—Paris without an Eiffel tower is such a strange thing to think about…

The character designs are stunning, and the blood sucking scenes are really hot, which is probably the most important thing in a series about vampires. The fights are also pretty cool I guess.

My favorite character was Noé, I want to pinch his cheeks…! Anyways, I guess I gotta hop on the manga now…

Watched Given. I thought it was 12 episodes long, but it’s only 11. I was surprised at how fast it went by…

My main criticism of the manga was that the story wasn’t given enough room to breathe (even if that gave it a certain unique intensity). This (as I expected) isn’t the case in the anime. It’s a very different experience from reading the manga. Days repeat, scenarios are panned over, guitar riffs play in the background—it lingers, and lingers often. It gets to the point where it feels like its own, separate thing rather than an adaptation. It’s also closer—or rather, exactly aligned with my expectations of what Given would be like before I got into it. I wonder if it’s because most people got to know it from the anime? Which is to say: I feel like I finally know the “Given” I always saw people posting about.

Commenting on the music would require way more technical knowledge than what I have (which is zero), so I’ll just try to put down my general impressions. It sounds different from what I expected. The instruments feel like they’re demanding your attention, somehow? In the opening, the drums, the bass, the guitar all sound so cool (I’d even say refreshing). It is a story about music,after all. I was very curious about what “A Winter’s Song” sounded like (especially because when I was reading that part in the manga I put Asian Kung Fu Generation’s “Solanin” in the background and had the best experience of my life). The song isn’t bad, but I can’t say I like it. Despite that, the moment when Mafuyu just yells out took my breath away. There’s that intensity from the manga, achieved in a completely different way. It’s overwhelming. Only after that initial shock faded and I caught my breath was I able to cry. And that’s also how it was for Mafuyu, wasn’t it?

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. A magical mirror city born from a monk's drawings, a girl from an alternate dimension, a rabbit turned into a woman, a mismatched broken family trying to piece themselves together again...at this point, it was shaping up to be a pretty sweet story. 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. There's quite a bit of overlap, but not enough that I'd say to forego the shorts and just watch the show—all three are valuable experiences in their own right. It's so bright, colorful and creative, it feels like you could just walk inside the screen and get lost in that world. The story (of a family's separation and subsequent reunion or whatever it was that the narrator said), now finally told in full, is indeed very sweet. I had a smile on my face through most of it, it's such a fun watch! I miss it already…

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.

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.

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!