Dear Boys - Why I'm not a Fan

Just a quick post, somewhat review style, looking at the anime Dear Boys.
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Well, I finally finished watching all 26 episodes of Dear Boys. I think I started it back in the summer. Clearly, it wasn't my favorite anime. I seriously considered dropping it several times, too.

I love sports anime (despite not caring much for sports in real life). So when I first noticed Dear Boys, a series about a basketball team, I thought I'd go for it. Looking back, it probably wasn't worth my time.

The animation did its job - and that's it. It was nothing special to look at. Not even close. And there were two characters that looked very much alike - something that bothered me whenever they both appeared in the same episode.

The sound did its job, too. I like the voice actor they picked for the key character, Aikawa. He made Aikawa sound young, optimistic, and unique from his teammates.

The plot was pretty good, I suppose. But the presentation bored me. There were some episodes where I imagined explosions to make it more exciting - or to kill all the characters and end the anime so I could get on with my life.

The characters were okay. Development was attempted. But, like the plot, they failed to move me. The main character, Aikawa, stood out as the only one whose story I really cared about.

Sure, there were a couple of episodes that I liked, or even enjoyed to an extent, especially near the end. And I liked how the series ended. It was different. Of course, the presentation fell short, but at least the general story ending was good.

Would I recommend Dear Boys? Not really. Fans of Slam Dunk may enjoy it, though I've only watched four episodes of that one myself, so I can't be sure.

Natsume Yuujinchou - A Surprising New Favorite

I'm an excitement lover. I enjoy anime with plots that stretch for episodes, and even seasons, on end. I enjoy characters than make me laugh and suspense that has me on the edge of my seat. I enjoy fast paced anime that draws me in and keeps me there.

So when I first learned about the anime Natsume Yuujinchou, I disregarded it. Can you blame me? Sure, the synopses I read on Anime-Planet and Crunchyroll roused a little interest. But only a little. Everything else I saw suggested I shouldn't bother.

The Anime-Planet profile for Natsume Yuujinchou had the show tagged as "slow-paced" and "episodic" - two terms I've never associated with my favorite anime. The tags "drama, Shinto, and supernatural" didn't stand out to me, either. And the top recommendation for users who enjoyed Natsume? Mushishi. I haven't watched the Mushishi anime yet, but I did read two volumes of the manga. It wasn't bad, but I found it less than thrilling. After all, Mushishi is also slow-paced and episodic.

And if these weren't enough to push me away from Natsume Yuujinchou, the screenshots were. The art screamed tame. Sure, there were pictures of yokai (monsters/spirits/hard to explain in a parenthetical phrase) with designs strange and interesting to my Western eye. However, the colors were soft. The lines were soft. Nearly everything was soft!

I naturally came to the conclusion that Natsume Yuujinchou would bore me and was not worth my time.

Yet I continued noticing it pop up while I hung out on Crunchroll. And when the winter season began approaching, promising a new season of Natsume for its fans, the anime showed up in the earliest season previews.

Finally, a couple weeks ago, I clicked on the first episode of Natsume Yuujinchou. I almost quit after that first episode. But, if my two and a half years of anime watching have taught me anything, it's to watch at least two, preferably three or four episodes before giving up (unless it's offensive, of course). So I watched the second episode. And the third. Before I knew it, I'd finished the first season and started on the second.

I caught up on the old seasons of Natsume Yuujinchou just in time to follow the new season. And I love it.

Despite being episodic, Natsume Yuujinchou retains a pleasant continuity. As the anime stretches on, I see Natsume become more comfortable with his guardians, the Fujiwaras. I smile as he builds the first lasting friendships of his formerly lonely life. And I press my lips together when an unfriendly exorcist seems to suspect Natsume's secret.

I needn't have feared that this anime would bore me. In fact, every episode pulls me right on in. There are scenes that I wouldn't quite call "action" or "battles," but still constitute a type of violent conflict. Natsume Yuujinchou is peaceful, beautiful, and still entertaining. The things that repelled me - the tranquil art style and colors, the "slowpace" - are now part of what I love about the show.

I could go on, but I won't. If you come away with anything from this post, I hope it's this: don't disregard Natsume Yuujinchou until you've tried at least two episodes. It has provided me with a delightful change of pace from my usual anime, and I'd hate for anyone to miss out because of the same hesitancies I once harbored.

*Pictures are screenshots from Natsume Yuujinchou 

Winter Season, End of Naruto Fillers, Super Excited!

Disclaimer: this was written in a fit of fangirl excitement, rather late at night, and it shows. 

I'm so stinkin' excited right now! I mean, I literally cannot contain my excitement! Like, I just did a happy dance, I'm smiling like crazy, and I had to restart last week's episode of Naruto Shippuden because I couldn't concentrate on it.

Okay. Slow down, Annalyn. What kind of post would this be if you just rambled on? Deep breaths... that's good... *ten minutes later* ... There we go. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Until recently, I avoided watching anime that weren't finished. I did not like the idea of having to wait a week between episodes of my favorite shows. Of course, once I caught up with Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, I had no choice. But, other than that, I didn't watch any current anime.

That changed with this past season, Fall 2011. Between Shippuden, the new Hunter x Hunter, Chihayafuru, and Working'!!, I found myself dutifully watching four new episodes every week. I didn't plan to; it just happened. I usually had to wait a week after the initial airing (there was no way I was paying for premium membership on Crunchyroll - I like my money where it is, thank you very much). Someone kindly gave me a few guest passes, so I was able to watch some episodes right away, but not usually.

Now, the fall season is over, and the winter season has begun (or at least, it's begun for many of you. I'm waiting not-so-patiently). This time, I'm actually planning to watch some of this season's anime, and I've been pretty excited about it for a while.

First of all, Hunter x Hunter and Chihayafuru are continuing. I enjoyed the original Hunter x Hunter, and I'm enjoying this round of it, too. And I've loved Chihayafuru.

Secondly, The New Prince of Tennis is coming out! The Prince of Tennis is what introduced me to sports anime, which is now one of my favorite genres. So I was super happy to hear about the new season. Of course, it would be nice if Hulu or Crunchyroll would put up the entire first series so I could re-watch it, but I can't have everything. At least Hulu has the first fifty episodes.

There were other series that caught my eye, but I forget what they are... like I said, I haven't started watching this season yet.

But none of the above things are why I'm so excited right now. You see, as I started to watch last week's episode of Naruto Shippuden, a crazy thought occurred to me. It was a day dream, one that had me grinning, even though I wasn't sure. What if episode 242 was the last filler? What if the story line returned this week? It was a crazy idea, but I had to check. I clicked on episode 243, even though I couldn't watch it yet, skimmed the description, scrolled down to read the comments, and... jumped for joy. The fillers are over, people! After many months of agonizing wait, testing the patience of Naruto fans everywhere, the fillers are finally over! *Cue happy dance*

So that, my readers, is why I'm so excited for this season. Sure, Naruto isn't the most sophisticated show out there. But it's what introduced me to anime. It's had my attention for the past two and a half years. I love the characters, the fights (Pain arc, anyone?), the humor... I've even begun to think I might qualify as a Narutard.

What about you? Are you excited for this season of anime? Have you already started some promising new shows? (Does asking questions at the end of your post mean you'll get comments?)

Blue Exorcist - My thoughts upon finishing it

I just finished watching Blue Exorcist. It was an interesting anime. I came away with a few thoughts, from a religious point of view, from a critical point of view, and about things I liked. It's about time for another anime post, so here we go.

Blue Exorcist in a nutshell:
This anime is about a teen, Okumura Rin, and his twin, Yukio. They're the sons of Satan and a young human woman. At the beginning, Rin has no clue about his heritage - they were raised by Fujimoto Shiro, a kind priest and exorcist. Then a few unfortunate things happen, Rin's demon powers are revealed, and he finds out the truth. Suddenly, he has a new goal in life: to become a great exorcist and take down Satan. He makes friends, learns more about his power, and fights demons.

Basically, it's a classic shounen anime that follows a route similar to other popular shounen anime. It's just about demons and exorcists, rather than martial artists or soul reapers.

From a religious point of view...
*Please note that, unless otherwise specified, the demons I compare Blue Exorcist demons to are those found in the Bible, not the ones found in other religions or legends. Also note that I take the Bible as truth, so I won't bother with hesitant phrases such as "I believe..." or "in my faith..."

I first noticed Blue Exorcist around Crunchyroll and Hulu when it came out back in the spring. It looked somewhat interesting. However, I had definite reservations about it. I'm a Christian. To me, Satan and his fellow demons aren't just interesting creatures to write stories about, nor are they to be taken lightly. They're fallen, evil angels who defied God. I'm not paranoid about them - God is ultimately in control, and has the power to overcome and prevent anything demons may try. There's a reason Satan doesn't have free reign on earth. Still, he is real, and the idea of defeating him without God is ludicrous to me. It might make for an interesting storyline, but it's still ludicrous.

Thus, I planned to avoid Blue Exorcist and enjoy anime that wouldn't bother my serious, conservative side. However, someone on Wattpad recommended that I try it out, so I did. I decided that I wouldn't get offended. I'm used to anime borrowing from customs, theology, and text associated with Christianity. Worst case scenario, I'd decide Blue Exorcist delved too deeply into things I hold as serious, and I'd have to drop the show partway through.

I didn't drop the show. However, I did raise my eyebrows at several things, and I wouldn't recommend Blue Exorcist  to any Christian who is easily offended. I'm not condemning this anime... but the religious aspects did hinder my enjoyment.

Okamura Rin in 2nd ep, displaying his powers

To begin with, the creators (or more specifically, Katou Kazue, who came up with the original story and manga), misrepresented what demons are. I think Katou crossed Biblical facts about demons with Japanese culture and myths, along with her imagination. Depending on the presentation, I don't usually care about this. For some reason, I did this time. Demons were portrayed as their own type of creature. Most of them were bad, but some of them were good and sided with the exorcists as "familiars." Satan, who was still portrayed as evil, even fell in love with a human.

Katou took the parts from Christianity that were found useful to her story and ignored the rest. She took Satan and demons, but ignored the good angels, not to mention God. She took the priests and Bible excerpts, but ignored the One who inspired the Bible and Whom the priests serve. Then she borrowed a few things from Buddhism and Shintoism. These, along with her imagination, all contributed to the exorcists and demons in the original manga, and then the show.

I don't blame Katou for incorporating parts of the Christian religion and beliefs into Blue Exorcist. They spurred her imagination and turned out quite the fantastical story and characters. Yet my mind was on guard as I watched the anime, always identifying references to Christianity, as well as fictional takes on demons.

From a just plain critical point of view...
Between watching anime, blogging about it, and writing a few reviews, I've naturally developed a more critical eye. So there were a few things about Blue Exorcist that bugged me.

If you've watched much anime, especially in the shoujo and shounen veins, the following scene should sound familiar:

"We're your friends. We're all in this together. So we're going to stick with you until the end."
Hero(ine): overly touched, humbled, completely shocked at friends' declaration, likely speechless. May say "Thanks, everyone!"

Sound familiar? Guess what? Blue Exorcist has a couple of scenes like that. Of course, at least one of the same super loyal friends had been predictably suspicious of the main character only an episode before, but let's not dwell on that, shall we?

Okay. Moving on... I'm a sucker for good family relationships, especially between siblings. So I appreciated Rin and his twin, Yukio's, support for each other. Yet there were times when their support went from sweet and cool to watch to mushy and over done, like the friend scene above.

Overall, the characters weren't much. Sure, Okumura Rin was pretty cool. And some of the other characters put up enjoyable shows. I particularly liked Rin's adoptive father, Fujimoto Shirou. But, for the most part, the characters and their stories were neither original nor deep (though deepness was attempted). There was the sweet, shy, beautiful girl, Moriyama Shiemi. She had her uses, but she was mostly just sweet and shy. And by sweet, I mean sweet and selfless in the way only fictional characters can be. The kind who happily lets her "friends" take advantage of her. Ugh. Then came the tough guy, the hopeless wimp, the tsundere (correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Kamiki Izumo qualifies as tsundere), the scantily-clad warrior, and so on.

The Okumura twins.

The things I liked...
There had to be some reason I watched the entire series, right? I mean, I did enjoy it most of the time.

The first thing Blue Exorcist had going for it was the relationship between the twin brothers. Like I said, I'm a sucker for things like that. I also loved their adoptive father and the monastery they grew up in. Okumura Rin was a fun character to watch nearly 100% of the time, even if he was pretty predictable and threw me no curveballs.

What else? There was action, which I always love. The animation was smooth, and the character designs generally pleasant to look at.

Basically, Blue Exorcist kept me interested by pure entertainment value.

In Sum:
Despite my misgivings, I ended up enjoying Blue Exorcist. Sure, the religious aspects sometimes rubbed me the wrong way, and there were a couple cheesy, overused moments. I wouldn't recommend it to any Christian who is easily offended. Still, I think most fans of shounen anime would like Blue Exorcist. 


*All pictures are from the anime Blue Exorcist and, obviously, do not belong to me.