Below are the 11 most recent journal entries recorded in Basugasubakuhatsu Anime Blog's InsaneJournal:

Thursday, November 24th, 2022
8:44 pm	Yuru Camp: Girls in Tents Getting Cozy https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2022/11/24/yuru-camp-girls-in-tents-getting-cozy/ So after a very long hiatus from anime blogging, I’m back in it! I’m actually just testing my blog to see if it still works, as I just modified it to be self-hosted via my NAS and Cloudflare tunnels. I’ll stop talking about that stuff because this is my anime blog, not my tech blog. I started watching this Yuru Camp anime because it was the pandemic, and we needed something cozy to watch. I’ve never really gone camping before and the idea of it seems pretty rugged, but this show in particular makes it seem not so bad. The premise is that a high school girl named Nadeshiko moves to a new town, and one of the first things she does is goes camping. Because I guess the area has lots of campgrounds or something. She meets Rin, who saves her from certain death from exposure. Later she finds out that Rin goes to the same school as her. Nadeshiko eventually joins the small camping club at her school, which Rin is strangely not a member of, even though she’s probably the most hardcore high school camper there is. The rest of the show is a series of slice of life episodes where Nadeshiko tries to get Rin to officially join her crew, the girls go camping, and they generally have a great time. Nothing bad ever happens to the girls, unless you consider falling asleep in the van and missing some sightseeing a tragedy. Rin plays the part of the cool kid who is too cool to join the camping club, and likes to go solo. There’s the alcoholic teacher and the super rich girl, and the energetic girl with glasses. One funny thing that stood out to me about the show is that the girls all seem to have a really unhealthy obsession with camping. Like, obviously the show is about camping, but the girls seem to all have a very one track mind. If they’re not at school testing supplies for camping club, they are talking about camping or camping. I dunno if there’s like a term for “camping otaku” but these girls are it. They don’t seem to have any room in their lives for any other girl stuff like talking about boys (I think there were literally like 3 men in the whole series, mostly father/grandfathers) or other girl stuff (I’m not a girl so maybe girls actually only think about camping). There were also mini segments within the show explaining how to camp, like, “how to get twigs and pinecones to start a fire” type of stuff which I thought was interesting. The manga might be more of a handbook than the show, which is more about watching relaxing things happen. The show was a good distraction from bad things happening in the world, kinda like an anime version of Animal Crossing. I guess the only bad thing about it is that there’s really no conflict, aside from maybe a road being closed so Rin has to go a different way, and can’t go to a hot springs because it’s closed for the season. But this is an Iyashikei anyway so what do you expect? It looks like there’s another season on the way, so I’ll have to check it out when it airs. I’m also watching some other shows so maybe I’ll write up some reviews of them. If my blog works. (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 15th, 2012
5:52 pm	Winter 2012 Anime Season: Back in the Saddle!? https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/01/15/winter-2012-anime-season-back-in-the-saddle/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=1937 I’ve taken some time out of my busy Skyrim playing schedule to watch a bunch of the 2012 Winter anime. So far I’ve seen High School DxD, Moretsu Pirates, Nisemonogatari, Papa no blah blah blah Ikinasai, Recorder and Little Kid, Kill Me Baby and Amagami SS+. Oh, and the one about the round cat. The last anime I watched in its entirety was Madoka, which I thought was pretty good, despite the annoying finish. I’d like to watch more new anime, but I also don’t want to get suckered into watching bad shows. If anyone has suggestions on last season’s series that were good, lemme know. Here’s some random thoughts on this season’s anime thus far: High School DxD Did the censorship practices for anime change severely since the last time I watched? Back in my day we’d see steam/lens flares and we’d like it! While there is something to be said for holding things back, I think probably the only reason anyone is watching this show past episode 1 is the fanservice. I thought the animation was pretty low quality, but you can always compensate with nips. Moretsu Pirates Of all the shows I’ve watched thus far, Moretsu Pirates has some potential. I haven’t watched the second episode yet, but I have a feeling this could be interesting enough to keep my attention. The animation is solid and there’s a “cool meganekko” which can’t hurt. Also, hot pirate mom. Nisemonogatari I was really puzzled by this one. Then I realized it was a sequel to Bakemonogatari. I figured it started “in medias res” so it should be slightly confusing. I didn’t realize I was watching it “in medias in medias res.” INCEPTION. Just Do What Papa Says! At first I thought this was a heartwarming anime about a college student finding his true self, and a couple trying to find family with their mixed parent kids. Then the college student got babysitting duties for his unrelated nieces who want to bone him. Wah wah. While I like some characters (the big boobed senpai who seems to be some kind of performance artist), most of them are pretty messed up. This show could be interesting to watch for its awkwardness, but part of me really doesn’t want this thing on my hard drive at all. Kill Me Baby Aside from having the worst OP in the history of OPs, Kill Me Baby is actually pretty good. I lol’ed at the part where dumb girl eats the crepe instead of distracting the bear with it. Also, the Engrish “Kirru me, bebe” is pretty hilarious. I think this show could get old fast, given the low number of characters, but whatever. Maybe I’ll watch it until it bores me. Amagami SS Plus Amagami was a rare anime that I actually finished watching, so it totally makes sense for me to watch this followup. I was hoping they’d do something crazy like have Junichi (is that his name?) date ALL of the girls at once and come up with the compromise that they all need him, and he needs all of them. Instead they’re just starting where they left off in each girl’s arc. So far I watched the first two episodes. It’s nice to see the characters in a somewhat stable relationship instead of fumbling around and having misunderstandings all the time. There isn’t much tension to provide though, since we already know they live happily ever after. Hopefully this means they will just load up on Morishima fanservice. Round Cat is Round A drunken office lady finds a round cat. That’s about it. It’s only 3 minutes, so why not watch? Recorder and Lando Calrissian This show is only 3 minutes long as well. But it’s also stupid as hell and I’m not going to watch it. So that’s it for my current season views. If you have any suggestions, please hit me up in the comments! (Comment on this)
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
3:30 am	Ano Natsu De Matteru: 01-04 https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/02/02/ano-natsu-de-matteru-01-04/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=1953 One show I missed during my short season preview was Ano Natsu De Matteru. Apparently this show shares the writer of Onegai Sensei and Onegai Twins. The connection between the shows is instantly recognizable since Ano Natsu shares pretty much the same trope characters of childhood friends, wise-beyond-their-years manipulatie senpai (who do the “fu fu fu” laugh), super hot wingmen and alien meganekko main love interests. In a way, Ano Natsu De Matteru is a throwback to a time when anime plots were simpler. The cast represents a precisely honed set of love triangles and leaves things to sort themselves out. While it’s extremely predictable (and I’m guessing that if there hasn’t been a Madoka-style twist by now, there won’t be one), it’s also super enjoyable. This is like the comfort food of anime for me. If I’m right, and this anime doesn’t take any detours (though I think it would be pretty brave and awesome if it did), I’m guessing that the main dude and alien will have a series of misunderstandings, childhood friend might gain some traction but then lose out, alien girl will arbitrarily be taken away from main dude for an episode or two, and when they’re reunited, they will end up together. All the while, “fu fu fu” senpai will manipulate the rest of the cast for maximum enjoyment. Childhood friend will either hook up with blue haired dude, or maybe even with the third wheel girl (the one with brown hair that’s kind of useless) to spice things up. This anime isn’t rocket science, and that’s kind of good. For now I will enjoy the production values and nostalgic feelings that I get from watching this. (Comment on this)
4:30 am	Amagami SS Plus  04 https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/02/03/amagami-ss-plus-04/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=1962 I just finished Rihoko’s arc in Amagami SS Plus and I’m pretty happy with the results. Junichi (Juiichi?) finally manned the fuck up and told Rihoko how he felt (though it was after he overheard her confession, so I guess that kind of nullifies any manliness). My main issue with the way he did it (and my main gripe about the series in general) is that he told her that he’s always loved her, and just realized it now. And he’s gonna be with her forever, blah blah blah. Assuming the alternate universes in this world do not diverge too much, then Junichi is simultaneously in love with Rihoko and other girls! Of course, that’s possible but it kind of ruins the romance if you think about it too hard. Junichi should just make less blanket statements and be a little more realistic. He is a manwhore, after all. Oh, and the next arc is the swimmer girl, Ai. I can’t even remember what happened in her original arc. Some kind of little brother issue? Or a dog issue? Beats me. This one will probably be boring as heck. (Comment on this)
Sunday, February 12th, 2012
3:07 am	Ano Natsu de Matteru  05 https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/02/11/ano-natsu-de-matteru-05/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=1966 So of course the all knowing Remon-senpai knows exactly how to manipulate all of the characters for maximum enjoyment on the set of the movie. She puts Ichika in the role of crash-landed alien who needs a place to stay… Meanwhile, the love polygon is in full swing as Tetsuro encourages Kanna to go for Kaito while he simultaneously wishes he was with her. And the useless girl (Mio) is still sort of just useless for the most part. All in all, an enjoyable episode. One thing I’ve been wondering is what time period this anime is set in. I sort of assumed it was some time in the 70s or 80s since Kaito’s camera seems very old school. In this episode, Ichika mentioned that the camera seemed old and Kaito explained that it was his grandfather’s. So I think this pushes the timeframe forward a bit. I saw a cd player in one scene, so maybe they’re in the mid 90’s. None of the characters seem to have a cell phone, and there’s rampant landline usage, so I’m guessing 90’s is a good call. Given the natsukashii nature of the series, I think it’s cool that it’s not set in the current time period. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
2:59 pm	Sakamichi no Apollon Eps 1-2 https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/04/24/sakamichi-no-apollon-eps-1-2/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=1976 I heard this anime was about jazz, so I couldn’t really pass it up. As a music (and especially jazz) nerd, I was very interested in seeing what this show is about. Turns out it’s a period piece (probably late 50s, early 60s?). This makes sense, as most kids in Japan today are probably not going to be into jazz. The story follows a high school kid (Nishimi) who migrates from school to school and never really develops any lasting friendships. He develops a crush on the class president (Ritsuko) and finds a friend in the class trouble-maker (Sentarou). There’s a weird love triangle going on since the two aforementioned characters are childhood friends. Anyway, the plot is really about how Nishimi learns to make friends through music. He’s classically trained as a pianist, but this doesn’t fly with Sentarou, who has a jazz-only rule. Nishimi manages to play the opening line to Moanin’ (the Art Blakey one, not the Mingus version) super square, thus eradicating his jazz cred. Nishimi then buys the record and plays along (which is what any self respecting jazz learner would do). Eventually he catches his break and gets invited to a jam session where he does a (probably too) good job of sitting in, having probably never heard Bag’s Groove before (though it does just follow a simple blues form anyway). You don’t really go from super square to comping like that in a day. Though he actually did a pretty bad job of comping when he threw up embellishments all over Jun-bro’s trumpet solo. Know your place, dude! But I digress… Later on, they go to a beach and Ritsuko wears a one piece bathing suit. But who cares! Let’s hear some jazz! Oh, and Nishimi judges both of his friends for being Christians (though from the sound of it they seem to be part of a cult or something). Also, Sentarou falls in love with some broad, so maybe the love triangle will be broken soon. So far the selection of music has been good. Hopefully they continue to have music segments so I can try and show off by naming songs. Okay! I think I’ve found my anime for this season! Also, random thought: Why are the OP and ED not jazz? I can understand the desire to sell singles, but still, come on, the show is about jazz! Music picker, you had one job! (Also, if anyone wants to start an anime/jazz fan jam band, I’m up for it if you need a trumpeter) (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
1:54 pm	Sakamichi no Apollon  3: Someday My Prince Will Come https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/05/01/sakamichi-no-apollon-3-someday-my-prince-will-come/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=1988 Sakamichi no Apollon continues with a double date featuring new hotness Yurika. Unfortunately, the couples do not match up neatly, and we are faced with a love square. Ritsuko likes Sentarou, but Sentarou likes Yurika, and Kaoru likes Ritsuko. It’s not clear if Yurika likes anyone at this point. The boys get in an argument because Sentarou is hurting Ritsuko by being flirty with the new girl. This sorta backfires on Kaoru since Ritsuko thinks he’s jealous. But in a surprising move, Kaoru confesses his like for Ritsuko, so it’s up to her to accept or reject him. In other news, the two dudes have a jam session on “But Not For Me,” which is quite appropriate for their current situation. Kaoru confesses to Ritsuko with “Someday My Prince Will Come,” but apparently didn’t do a good enough job (next time, seal the deal with “My Funny Valentine“)! I’m digging the quick plot progression of this series so far. Hopefully they will keep the jazz flowing and the drama going. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
8:15 pm	Ano Natsu De Matteru  12 https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/05/08/ano-natsu-de-matteru-12/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=1996 That Author guy pointed out that I didn’t blog the end of this series. I guess I am getting really bad at that. I did, however, manage to watch the whole thing, along with Amagami SS++. Ano Natsu was interesting in that it felt like an anime that should’ve (and had) been made years ago. It’s basically a re-make of Onegai Sensei, with the same character types (but different characters). The thing that made Ano Natsu enjoyable was that it was executed damn near perfectly. The pacing, animation, humor, etc were all great. I think the one thing it lacked was a bit of originality. I guess you can’t have your nostalgia cake and eat it, too, though. While the show became a bit self-referential (at least to its genre and history), that was more of a fan service than innovation. I’m talking about how they went all out with the alien chase at the end, and made the “fufufu” sensei into an actual MIB agent. It reminds me of how Arrested Development went insane at the end, since they were ending the series anyhow. Another thing they did well was the ending. Up until the last moment, you don’t know whether the two main characters stayed together or not. I was kind of guessing they’d pull a Gainax ending (a la Mahoromatic), but they played it safe, just as you’d expect. All in all, Ano Natsu De Matteru was a nice trip down nostalgia lane. 2000s anime doesn’t get much better than this! (Comment on this)
Sunday, May 27th, 2012
1:49 am	Sakamichi No Apollon  7  My Bromance https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/05/26/sakamichi-no-apollon-7-my-bromance/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=2001 So when we last left the jazz kids, things were in turmoil. Kaoru was super pissed at Sentaro for agreeing to join a crappy Beatles cover band. Also, Jun-bro was nowhere to be found. Luckily, things resolved themselves pretty perfectly this episode. First, Ritsuko starts treating Kaoru super nice after his temper tantrum. It’s probably because the other girls thought they were dating. After hearing that this was not the case, all the other girls were brought into Kaoru’s yard (possibly drawn in by his milkshake?). Ritsuko probably needed this for social proof that Kaoru wasn’t just some random thug. Then the two of them were put onto the school festival committee, which is pretty much a wedding sentence in anime. Later on, we find out that Jun-bro is emulating his hero a bit too closely, strung out in the basement of Ritsuko’s dad. This is majorly awkward since Yurika and Sentarou were about to make out, even though Yurika seemed more into Jun-bro. Finally, when the day of the festival comes, the Beatles cover band is sabotaged by some upperclassmen, so Sentarou and Kaoru go unplugged and wow the crowd with a medley of jazz standards. Triumphant, and to sound applause, the two bros run off into the sunset to make jazz together forever, starting with My Bromance. So… I’m not sure what’s left for this series. I guess they can play more jazz, hook up with bitches (“I played that bitch some jazz; Bitches love jazz”), and get Jun-bro into rehab. After that there’s not much more, right? Unless it’s revealed that Yurika is really an alien and they need to save her from the Men in Black or something… (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 15th, 2012
5:20 pm	Sakamichi no Apollon  Final Thoughts https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2012/07/15/sakamichi-no-apollon-final-thoughts/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=2010 So I watched the final episode of Sakamichi no Apollon a while ago but forgot to follow up with a series review. The series seems to me like one that is stuck in slice of life mode when it wishes it wasn’t. What I mean by that is there isn’t really anywhere interesting for the show to go once the characters have gone through their angst and realizations and stuff. Sentarou sort of overreacts to his stepdad coming back, so he runs away forever. Kaoru also runs away from the small town and Ritsuko to become a doctor (default Asian occupation). Ritsuko cuts her hair. Those are all pretty much the most extreme things they can do because they don’t have superpowers or mecha (aside from the power of Jazz, but we all know that disco is coming). I thought the series was done well, with sort of a rushed ending and epilogue. I wonder what the takeaway from the whole thing is, though. Is it that it doesn’t really matter who your friends are in high school, because you won’t see them again for 8 years after you run away? Or is it that friendships do matter and after 8 years you can get into a really awesome three way? I guess that interpretation is left to the viewer. I did like the jazz parts of the show the most, and if there wasn’t that hook I may have not continued watching it to the end. Overall, it was a fairly average teen high school love triangle romance that was improved to a B+ for having some sick jazz in it. (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 19th, 2013
3:11 pm	Kill la Kill https://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/2013/09/19/kill-la-kill/ http://www.basugasubakuhatsu.com/blog/?p=2018 1. WTF 2. I’m going to start watching anime again. (Comment on this)