Summer Viewing: Last Weekend's Sports Anime

I might need to change my approach to these Summer Viewing posts. I'm only following three anime with any level of consistency:

Kuroko's Basketball 3 (Saturday)
Baby Steps 2 (Sunday)
Daiya no Ace 2 (Monday)

By the time Friday comes around, the excitement from those three shows has worn off. I need a refresher on each episode. And I can't switch my posting day, because I already have my column at Beneath the Tangles every Monday.

I could try catching up on Ore Monogatari or watch Free! Eternal Summer. But the first airs mid-week, an inconvenient time to watch anything I want to think about. And the second is a chore. I hope to approach it with a more open mind this time, so I can complain less and appreciate more. But that takes brainwork, and my brain is busy.

For now, I'll just sort through my screenshots and try to remember what I was so excited about this past weekend...

There will be spoilers. Consider yourself warned.

Kuroko's Basketball 3

At the end of ep 19 (59), Murasakibara said there was no way Seirin could win. I disagreed with him, of course. Sure, Kuroko was benched. But I still believe in him, Kagami, and the rest of the team. Now, in episode 20, Kuroko ends up back on the court.

Meanwhile, the supposed Kuroko 2.0 (Mayuzumi?) loses his affectiveness and is downgraded to just another body on the court. Akashi still manages to use him, but at this point, it's extremely obvious that Akashi views him as a mere tool.

Baby Steps 2

I have no screenshots from this one. I really, really like this show, but the visuals don't impress me. Still, even without screenshots' aid, I remember that Ei-chan played extremely well against his opponent. It's fun to watch him improve. He's methodical to a point that's unusual for a sports anime protagonist; usually guys like him are secondary characters, or at least share the spotlight with a more exuberant main character.

Daiya no Ace 2 (Ace of the Diamond)

Team Seido prevailed. Sawamura contributed. But best of all? The Coach showed his strength, and the guy who plans to replace him is getting nervous. If Coach leads this team to the championships and decides not to leave them at season's end, the replacement might not happen. A lot of people, both fictional and non-fictional, are hoping for that. The wannabe replacement, who's criticized Coach's team-oriented approach to high school baseball, begins to understand why we're still so loyal.

--

This post is a little later than I prefer, but oh well. I was enjoying my time with my family. In less than twelve hours, the next Kurobas will be up! I probably won't get a chance to watch it until tomorrow night, at the earliest. I have a full day planned. Summer vacation isn't as relaxing as it was in high school, so I can't watch much more anime than I do during the school year. I do, however, plan to follow another show when the summer season starts: Working!!! (that is, season three of Working!!). I can't wait. There weren't any fun comedies of my type this season, and I feel a bit deprived.

Summer Viewing: Kuroko vs. Akashi

When anime first absorbed my attention, I started to neglect reading. I see why. Balancing multiple hobbies is like balancing multiple classes. When you throw family and work into the mix (two elements I did not have to balance during the school year), it's even more difficult. The past week slipped by before I realized it... and no, I haven't watched the next episode of Free! Eternal Summer yet. Though my attitude has improved a bit, and I'm sheepish about my disdain. I promise to be nicer whenever I get around to watching it.

So what did I watch in the past week? Kuroko's Basketball 3, Baby Steps 2, and—because of all the fanart on Tumblr—the first episode of K (aka K Project).

I was several episodes behind on Kuroko's Basketball, so I caught up this past weekend. As much as I love this show, I often forget how excited it makes me. When I finally do a mini marathon to catch up, there's a lot of squealing and giggling involved. This time, I was inspired enough to take notes, so I'll focus on Kuroko's Basketball this week. There are spoilers, so consider yourself warned.

After Kuroko finishes telling the team about his experience playing under Akashi
at Teiko Middle School, they are eager to help him defeat his old captain (ep 16).

Episode 16 (66): Akashi speaks about the Generation of Miracles' drive to compete and rise to victory. He says this is why they all went to different high schools: "Someone must come out ahead, to prove that we're driven to eliminate all others. Not by reason, but by instinct."

In Akashi's twisted view, people are defined by power. It's only natural for the powerful to fight for the top position, crushing and ruling over the competition. He does not consider innate human dignity. Instead, he tends to his own dignity, basing it on athletic prowess and charisma (aka alpha dragon aura). And he expects other members of the Generation of Miracles to act similarly: fight ruthlessly, even against former friends, until someone comes to the top.

Also, in this episode, we found out why Kuroko always wears those wristbands. I can't remember his friend's name, so I won't go into it right now.

Episode 17 (67): This episode begins with Hyuuga cutting Riko's hair in his dad's barbershop. This whole scene makes me really, really happy—until the end. He comes really close to asking her out... and then she sneezes. Poor Hyuuga.

Anyway, the game against Rakuzan (Akashi's team) starts in this episode. I wrote down Akashi and Kuroko's brief conversation before the game.

"I am absolute. And Rakuzan always wins. Our basketball is absolute," says Akashi. Then he tells Kuroko, "Show me your basketball."

Kuroko responds, "No. I won't be showing you my basketball. It's our basketball."

Wow. First of all, Akashi's god complex is showing again. Sure, he trusts in his team. But he implies that their basketball is only "absolute" because he is absolute. Kuroko makes no such claims. He values, respects, and trusts his teammates. He knows their strengths and weaknesses, but he does not measure their worth by them. He lets neither glory not competition cloud his relationship with them. He doesn't put himself above any of them, even those who stay on the bench. When he says "it's our basketball," he means it it ways Akashi can't understand yet.

Episode 18 (68): Kuroko's gained too many new skills. When he couldn't do anything but pass, it was easy for him to slip under the radar and use his Misdirection. But now, people know and love him. They recognizes his impressive shooting and dribbling skills, etc.

Akashi scolds him: "By learning how to shine half-heartedly, you can no longer become the shadow." Ouch. After a bit, Riko has to pull him off the court.

Meanwhile, Akashi has another trick up his sleeve: Mayuzumi, aka Kuroko 2.0.

When Akashi started at Rakuzan, Mayuzumi wasn't even close to being a starter. In fact, he was in the equivalent of JV (junior varsity). And he was relatively content there. Akashi noticed his lack of presence, similar to Kuroko's. So he approached him, hoping to recruit him as a passing specialist. At first, Mayuzumi refused, saying, "I love myself. It would be boring to become a player specializing in passing the ball. I don't want to play in a game that badly. If I don't feel good, there's no meaning to playing basketball."

Akashi liked that answer. Why? Probably because it's the opposite of what Kuroko would say. Unlike Kuroko, Mayuzumi wouldn't have any pesky concerns about his teammates. Plus, Mayuzumi has skills Kuroko didn't when Akashi recruited him: he can even shoot like a normal player.

Izuiki (Serin's "Eagle Eye") versus Akashi (and his "Emperor Eye") in ep 19. Akashi
is actually shorter than him, but he's pretty scary.

Episode 19 (69): You can find much of my response to this episode in my post on Beneath the Tangles, "Annalyn's Corner: Chihuahuas Fighting a Lion."

I'm excited for tomorrow's (today's) new episode! I expect Seirin will starting turning the game around. I firmly believe they will win, even thought they're 25 points behind. It's only halfway through the game, after all.

Ramblings about Manga, Magical Love, and Crazy Akashi

Wow. It's Friday night again already? I know I don't have time for Rewind posts anymore, but I'm just not ready to let go. So I won't. Instead, let's talk... manga.

I don't read manga very often, because it's not easy to get ahold of freely and legally. But Crunchyroll recently made their manga collection accessible to all premium members, including us just-anime members. Previously, most of the manga was only available for the all-access folk. So I downloaded the app on my phone and browsed the inventory.

I'm now on the 15th chapter of Kiss Him, Not Me. I probably should be embarrassed admitting that, but it makes me laugh... a lot. At first, half the reason I laughed was its cheesier elements. I mean, it's a reverse harem manga, and that genre is hit-and-miss, but often miss. Plus, the main character, Serinuma, lost a lot of weight within a week while she mourned the death of her favorite anime character. There was never a chance I'd take this seriously... which is partly why I'm reading it.

The heroine is a fujoshi who has four guys (and, it appears, one girl?!) fall in love with her. She fantasizes a lot about BL, something I usually avoid, but oh well. I identify with the rest of her otaku habits to at least some extent. And some of the guys are really cool. They don't just tolerate her otakudom—they start to learn more about the anime and manga she likes. One of them has been particularly great in recent chapters, borrowing manga after manga. Dream guy, right there. He's won me over. I still wouldn't call this an amazing manga, but I don't think I'll drop it anytime soon.

Eventually, I'd like to read Attack on Titan and Space Brothers, as well as some of the other serious and decent-looking manga available on Crunchyroll. But for now, I need humor. I have a lot on my plate, so I favor lighthearted anime and manga.

Speaking of lighthearted, cheesy anime... I decided to keep watching Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!. It's still fun. Some of its elements imply inappropriate humor, though. Like a lot of magical characters, the Defense Club boys use English words to describe their magical deeds. I'm 99.99% sure that the resulting puns are intentional and understood by most Japanese fans. For example, when the boys transform into their magical selves, Yumoto yells "Love Making!" —meaning, of course, that they're made into Magical Boys who defeat evil with the power of Love. Perfectly innocent love. Yeah. And I'm pretty sure that when the innocent, childish Yumoto cuddles Wombat (the alien who gave them their powers), it's supposed to look a bit like molestation—especially in episode 6. That, I'm not okay with. But obviously I'm not bothered enough to quit watching.

What else is going on in my anime world... Last Saturday, when I deluded myself into believing I didn't need to do homework, I watched several shows, both anime and not. Kuroko's Basketball continues to enthrall me. I know the new episode comes out in less than twelve hours, but let's return to episode 6 for a minute to talk about Akashi.

Dude, you are not God. You're rich and talented, and you're doing a fine job of subjugating some of the greatest young basketball players in Japan, but you are not absolute. And I think Kuroko and Kagami will prove it to you. Somehow. Within the next 16 episodes, anime logic will humble you... I hope.

Also, you should never promise to gouge your eyeballs out if you lose. What if something unexpected happened, like half your teammates twisted their ankles and had to be taken out? Or all of your opponents got into The Zone? Besides, that's just a nasty image. So chill, your majesty. You can inspire your subjects without getting gory.

I like to imagine meeting Akashi in real life. He'd be a short sixteen-year-old... though he might just appear short compared to his teammates, it which he could be my height (about average for a woman). He has muscles, but he's still not a grown man. He'd look rather ridiculous in his pink hair, trying to bend me and my friends to his will. I might offer him a cookie, and if he stuck around, my big-sister-urges might eventually take over, and I'd start to meddle about how he treats Midorima and the rest.

---

Aaaannnd I rambled too long. I should have stopped after talking manga. I'd best scramble to do something responsible before bed.

Anyway, do you read manga on Crunchyroll? Are there any titles on there you recommend?

Also, if you watch Kurobas, do you have any thoughts now that we've finally watched Akashi play a game?

Swamped: Changes, Magical Boys, Kuroko, and Other Thoughts

The Change is here! Last Monday, I started my weekly column at Beneath the Tangles. I can't balance both that and my Rewind posts. In fact, I won't even call these other posts "Swamped" anymore. I might still write the occasional Rewind post, and I have one series I might adapt from an essay, which might work better here than at BtT. But none of that is happening this week.

Instead, a few quick responses to the anime I've been watching lately...

Hakone Yumoto attacks the chikuwabu monster with a loving kick,
soon to be followed by love-powered magic. (ep 1)

I just watched the first episode of Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! (aka Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!), because I wanted to laugh. I went to the right anime. It's a parody of magical girl anime, and wow... those magical boys are downright ridiculous. I'm not sure if I'll watch more, but I had fun with the first episode. Their serious discussion about oden reminded me of food discussions in Lucky Star. And the chikuwabu (an oden ingredient) that came to life reminded me a little of the vegetables in Dai Mahou Touge.

It occurs to me that I've watched more magical girl parodies than magical girl anime that take themselves seriously.

Kuroko's Basketball continues to excite me. Also, I am still convinced that Akashi is secretly an alpha dragon. Or a vampire. He has hypnotic cat eyes. That's not natural! Anyway, this dude is scary. I kind of expected him to be a decent fellow, despite the scissors incident in the second season. Kuroko followed him for a long time, after all. But now...

Akashi orders his opponent to lower his head. Look at that shadowed
face and those feline eyes... (ep 5)

Akashi, kiddo, you need an attitude adjustment. For your own good, I hope Kuroko and Kagami manage to defeat you. This whole "emperor" act won't fly in the workplace. Just saying.

I'm trudging through Log Horizon 2. I'm six episodes behind, and it'll be a while before I catch up. I really like the world building and the scenarios. I like learning more about the characters' RL pasts, too. But something about it just doesn't excite me. It's probably the pacing. I mean, one secondary character spent an entire episode reflecting on his past and then giving a speech about it—a long, stereotypical, rally-the-troops and reflect-on-our-friendship speech.

I'm caught up on Daiya no Ace again. My favorite thing about this show is the team and the way they rally together. Not much more for me to say on that front right now.

I just watched the first four episodes of Death Parade so that I could read Japesland's post about it at Beneath the Tangles. So far, I'm not a huge fan. But I'm intrigued by the way they portray human nature. Every episode, people are put into extreme circumstances, and their true nature comes out. The fear, deceit, suspicions, and warped self-images come to the forefront, and it can paint a disgusting picture (the husband in the first episode had a few particularly unflattering close-ups, involving sweat, tears, and saliva, I believe). As I watched, I thought, "Yep. This is what sin looks like."

I finally finished Zankyou no Terror (Terror in Resonance). I went a couple months between the tenth and eleventh episodes. It's a serious, rather dark anime, and I wanted a break from such things. But I still like it. The story and characters are intriguing, and my mind actively works to pull the puzzle pieces together. And the animation is great. If you watch the edges of the screen, you'll realize that "camera" is unsteady... in fact, it seems to be resonating with something, like the air after an explosion.

I'm also watching Shirobako and Durarara x2, but I've written enough for today. What's your favorite anime this season?

Post at Beneath the Tangles: Aiming for the Championships

I've begun my column at Beneath the Tangles! We're calling it "Annalyn's Corner." Yeah, I know—the name choice isn't a stellar example of creativity. But I like corners, both real and metaphorical. They're comfortable and make great thinking spots. And sometimes people join me in my corners, and that's nice, too.

My first post is called "Aiming for the Championships." I want to aim high in many things, especially how I approach my faith. I'm inspired by sports anime characters, but there's one problem: I don't have their kind of focus. As I wrote this post, I asked, “How the blazes am I supposed to be a faithful, disciplined anything when the only thing I manage to do consistently is be late?”

Between sports anime and the Bible, I think I found the beginning of an answer. At the very least, I've felt a bit encouraged.

Update and Rambling

On Friday, at the end of my Rewind post, I mentioned that I was writing a post for Beneath the Tangles. It went up yesterday. I just realized that I've linked to it on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr... but not here. So, allow me to remedy that:

Kuroko's Basketball and Imitating Christ

I still haven't begun my column, but that, too, will come earlier than I originally planned. 

I have a lot of ideas rolling around my head and journal relating Kurobas and to sports anime in general. I'll try to break from that theme before long. I want BtT readers to know I do have a more well-rounded taste in anime... it's just that my time is limited, and I'm excited about Kuroko's Basketball right now. If I think about something long enough, either I bring it into the depths of my mind and heart, to mingle with faith and studies, or I grow bored and abandon it. Obviously, Kurobas fits into the first class. 

But, for now, I must force my brain away from aniblogging and focus on studying. I have a lot of reading to catch up on, among other things. I've already spent some time today reading Jane Eyre, and I can hear Bronte's style echo in my mind. Her affect on my word choice may wear off soon, but I suspect it will affect the mood of my fictional writing for the duration of the semester, at the very least—and probably longer.

Kuroko's Basketball S3 Ep. 1: My Anticipation Bubbles

Sometimes, I let the fangirl in me run loose in a blog post. This is one of those times.

In case you weren't aware, I'm a big fan of Kuroko's Basketball (Kuroko no Basket). I talk about it so much, I've quit using its full name, and I mostly stick to Kurobas. When I heard that the next season of Kurobas would come out this winter, I was super excited. I tried not to let my hopes get too high, though, just in case Crunchyroll didn't get the right to stream the newest season.

Crunchyroll slowly unveiled their streaming list for this season, and Kurobas didn't show up. I grew worried. I gave up. I double-checked the release date—some sites said the season wouldn't air until March, so maybe I just had the air date wrong. Then I found out that the first episode was online. I hurried to Crunchyroll... no new Kurobas. My stomach dropped. My fears came true. If Crunchyroll didn't have the new season, then who would? Not Hulu, I was sure... though I checked just in case.

Then, I remembered the list of legal streaming sites Justin put together at Organization ASG back in July. Maybe, just maybe, one of the less popular sites would actually turn up something good... and yes, yes one did! Daisuki.net, we have just met, but I sincerely love you.

More than half of the episode was used to recap the last season. I didn't mind this at all—partially because I understand that it's been a year since season 2 aired... and partially because I love almost every minute of this series anyway, no matter how many times I've seen it.

Fangirling aside, there are two players I'd like to highlight in this post. One of them, I hate. The other, I fear. Both add to my already-bubbling anticipation.

First, meet the new enemy, Haizaki Shougo. Not opponent—enemy. I'm normally slow to judge characters, but this guy earned my hatred in less than a second. And yes, I use the word "hatred" very carefully. I've met plenty of athletic characters with bad attitudes, but I usually have to see them hurt my friends on the court before I add them to my "Hated Characters" list on Anime-Planet. Even then, I'm pretty forgiving toward the juvenilles.

Haizaki, however... ugh. I think this screenshot says it all:

Haizaki holds Alex by her neck after punching Himura (bottom left).
Kagami (right) has just caught up to them.

Himura Tatsuya, Kagami's childhood friend and rival, stood up for Alex when Haizaki hit on her. (Seriously, dude? Seriously? How disrespectful can you get? Not only is this sexual harrassment—she's an older woman! You disrespect women, you disrespect your elders, you disrespect humanity, you disrespect basketball... UGH.) I have a feeling Himura would do the same for any woman, but Alex is his and Kagami's mentor. This is personal. And if it's personal for these dear characters, then it's personal for me.

Remember, Haizaki behaves like this in uniform, right before his next game. If the authorities caught him, he'd probably be kicked out of the tournament. He doesn't care. He even states that he doesn't really like basketball. But he used to be on the same middle school team as the Generation of Miracles, and he'd like to take down at least one of his old teammates.

No one likes him. Aomine, Kuroko, and Kise all speak from experience when they say he is bad news. To make it worse, Kise's knee is apparently acting up. I have a sinking feeling that Haizaki is the type to take advantage of that.

Kise and Haisaki have a history. I completely agree with the sentiment
Kise expresses here, but I decided to censor the crudeness, since I'd
rather not worry about my readers' reactions.

Oh yeah, and Kuroko's old captain, the scary Akashi? He kicked Haisaki off the team back in middle school. That's a pretty significant testament to this guy's disposition.

Speaking of Akashi... I only caught brief glimpse of him in this episode. All he did was walk with his teammates, but that's enough to excite me. Over the past 50 episodes, I have learned to fear this small, pink-haired athlete. He's only had one significant scene, but his reputation precedes him. The entire Generation of Miracles clearly respects him. He has never lost a game—in one episode, someone said that winning is as natural to him as breathing. He doesn't slack of in practice, even though he's miles above most of his peers. And he became captain of his team even as a first-year. I have anticipated seeing him play for about 50 episodes, and I think I'll finally see him in action this season. Excuse me while I go squeal in excitement...

Akashi Seijuuro rises in the background of the ED sequence. Look
at those cat-like eyes... he scares me far more than Haisaki, and
in a very different way.

I really need to find a friend to watch this with. I love cheering, squealing, and jumping up and down on my own, but the real sports fans look like that have fun when they have friends to cheer with. Then again, I might not be quite as expressive if I had an audience. Maybe it's better this way.

My cheeks hurt from smiling. Goodness, I can be quite the fangirl at times. Time to calm down and go to sleep.

Lessons from those Pushover Anime Characters

I'm categorizing this as a Swamped post. I probably have time to do a normal Rewind, but, as I sat in chapel today yesterday, I realized that this needed to be written instead.

Sometimes, anime girls are pushovers, or at least "unrealistically" selfless. I see characters like Moriyama Shiemi from Blue Exorcist, Ema from Brothers Conflict, or Honda Tohru from Fruits Basket, and I can't help but sigh. Seriously? I say, Why do they let their so-called-friends treat them like that? or Are they really going to continue pining for that jerk and making him lunch? or Girl, it's okay to think about yourself and ask for help every now and then! You don't always need to worry that you're inconveniencing someone!

Tohru is her usual thoughtful self in episode 4 of Fruits Basket. In
this scene, she gives onigiri to an obnoxious girl who, in pursuing
Kyo, wrecked the house.

In some cases, like Ema's, the character is in an abusive situation (even if the anime doesn't recognize it as abusive), and my annoyance is warranted. Letting your stepbrothers harass you is not kindness, and it's certainly not how you show any type of love. But, in many cases, I shouldn't be rolling my eyes. Instead, I should look at these characters as role models--flawed, naive role models, but admirable nonetheless. They, unlike me, habitually put others first, even when it gets in the way of their own health and goals.

As an American woman, I struggle with this kind of selflessness. Our culture tells me to worship my own health and pleasure. For example: I'm an introvert, so I'm entitled to my alone time, even when a friend needs to talk, or a coworker needs a sub. After my mental and physical health, my grades take priority, even if I feel the Spirit nudging me to watch all the dishes in the sink, and not just mine.

But I know better. Jesus set a radical example of selfless love (much more radical than waking up early to pack an extra bento box). And I've often wrestled with Paul's words on the topic, written to the Philippian church:

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,[a]6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,[b] being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippans 2:3-8, ESV, emphasis mine)

My culture tells me that I'm the most significant person in my life. Biblically, I know that's a lie. Jesus is the most significant person in anyone's life, including his own--yet even he set aside the perks of Godhood and became one of us, complete with dirt, pain sensory, and taxes. He served us, sinners, in both life and death--and a very painful death at that. If you've seen third episode of Akame ga Kill, you might remember that crucifixion was briefly mentioned/shown as an example of the Empire's cruelty and perversion. It's one of the worst ways to die. And that is the kind of selflessness God calls me to imitate.

On a more lighthearted, but still convicting level, anime characters show me how to live out this selfless love in everyday life. Here are a few examples (and I'm expanding to male characters as well):

Kaori in One Week Friends spends hours in the kitchen, at the cost of her sleep, in order to find the perfect sweetness for Hase-kun's eggs. She measures the sugar down to the last gram--if that's not actively looking out for someone else's interests, I don't know what is.

Kuroko seeks no glory for himself in Kuroko's Basketball. In fact, he describes himself as the shadow to Kagami's light. He gets more attention as his high school career continues, but it's still all about the team. Wow. I should think about how I can incorporate this attitude into my schoolwork (I don't play sports), especially group presentations. Even my participation in class discussion could stand to be more about the class and what we're discussing and less about my interpretation of the text.

Honda Tohru in Fruits Basket is homeless, although her relatives think she's living with friends. She doesn't want to inconvenience anyone, especially since she knows they have their own problems (like an already-crowded house). So she lives in a tent at the beginning of the show, while everyone thinks she's in a proper home. Granted, this is an extreme example. But it's easy for me to think I have a right to get attention when I'm in an unideal situation. I let people know if I'm really hungry and forgot to bring a snack to school--even if I don't accept food for them, I want pity, or at least attention. And to what end? To make them feel bad? That's wrong. The world does not revolve around me. Sometimes, we should accept help--Tohru needs to learn that. But often, we need to shut up and care about someone else's problems, even their little problems--I need to learn that.

To reference another basketball anime: Aikawa from Dear Boys (aka Hoop Days) was captain of an his old high school basketball team before he transferred to Mizuho. He gives up leadership of a winning team of his own accord, and, as a result, saves the Mizuho basketball team in more ways than one. He cares about his new teammates both on and off the court, singlehandedly securing the anime's place in my memory (and I really do mean singlehandedly--this ain't KuroBas).

That's all I have for now, although I should revisit this topic in the future. Even if I don't blog about it again, I guarantee it will pop up in my devotions and journalling (although not as often as it should). Selflessness doesn't come as easily to me as it does to several of these characters... probably because I'm a real human being, fighting non-fictional sin. But I do have one thing that none of these characters have: a relationship with Jesus. Any improvements in my attitude are thanks to him, who can transform my heart, and not just my motions. I'm too naturally selfish to make much progress on my own.

Sports Anime: The Favorites, the Blahs, and What Defines Them

Time for a master post about my favorite anime genre! I already wrote about how sports anime first earned my favor, so I won't repeat myself. You can check out old posts on the topic if you want. This post will deal with current favorites, as well as those that are, well, blah, and how I tend to judge them. If you haven't tried any good sports anime, I hope you'll check out a few of the titles I mention in this post.

New Prince of Tennis fits under blah, but boy, it was good to see
Echizen and the rest again. And he looks good in more modern
visuals (from ep. 1).

Obviously, not all sports anime are created equal. After watching about 15 of them (including currently airing titles), I know what I look for in sports anime. Some, like Kuroko's Basketball, win my favor through decent character development, great suspense, and smooth animation. Others, like Area no Kishi, fall flat. Still, I've become just enough of a fan girl to welcome all new sports anime into my watching list, with only a few qualifications:

1. It must not be ecchi or otherwise distractingly offensive. Thus, Wanna be the Strongest in the World never made it near my watching list. I'm pretty sure the creators of that show were more concerned with anatomy than pro wrestling, anyway.

2. If it's a sequel series, and the earlier seasons aren't legally available online, I probably won't watch it. Sorry, Haijime no Ippo Rising.

3. It must be available on one of my preferred viewing sites. My entertainment budget is small: Crunchyroll subscription + the occasional book/movie/etc. And anime isn't the only thing on my birthday list.

4. If sports only take a small role in the anime, it must win my attention through other avenues. Suzuka, for example, got my attention a few years ago because of the track element, but lost my attention after a few episodes. I can't remember much about it, except that it was only available dubbed on Hulu.

5. I trust my fellow Anime-Planet users. If they only give an anime 1-2 stars on average, I probably won't try it--even if it's a sports anime.

Once a sports anime gets on my watching list, it won't easily get kicked off. For example, Area no Kishi, or Knight in the Area, continues to sit on the list, over two years after it started airing. I still have four more episodes to go. At an average rate of one episode a month, I should be done by the end of summer. The only character I care for at all in the show is the main one, Kakeru. It's not his fault that I've lost interest in his story or that some of his friends annoy me. Unfortunately, my affection for Kakeru comes mostly from my sense of duty.

When I don't care much about the characters in a sports anime, we have a serious problem. Even one very good character can save a show from hitting the bottom of my list. Dear Boys, for example, has Aikawa. For those of you who don't know, Aikawa is a little like Kuroko in size and personality, but with more presence on the court (and much less presence in my heart). Aikawa makes me smile as I remember his show, which otherwise bored me.

So, what makes a sports anime good? I've started a list of traits shared by anime I enjoy.

1. As already mentioned, good character development is vital. Usually, as in The Prince of Tennis and Kuroko's Basketball, many of the main character's teammates and opponents are as fully developed as he is. In fact, I almost know more about some of Kuroko's friends than I do about him. But, sometimes, as in Initial D, one character is enough to gain my love.

2. Similarly, the characters must play off each other well. Imagine Ace of the Diamond (Daiya no Ace) without the catchers, Miyuki and Kris, prodding the pitchers into shape. It wouldn't be nearly the show we've come to love.

3. Animation is key. Yes, I realize this applies to any animated production. But the way basketball players move in Kuroko's Basketball enchants me. I love watching how Kagami and the rest handle the ball with flowing agility and elegance. Same goes for the newer anime, Haikyuu!!, which comes from the same studio. Even if I didn't care about the characters, I'd enjoy watching them play.

As a side note, I've enjoyed Ping Pong: The Animation this season, even though it's rather ugly at first glance. The animation is very different than anything else I'm watching... but I like some of the angles and action sequences anyway.

4. I enjoy good pacing and edge-of-my-seat suspense. When shows get this part right, I'm worked up like a football fan during Superbowl. When shows get it wrong, I imagine it's like when your favorite football team is have a really lackluster, bad game. For example, New Prince of Tennis tried to capitalize on the character development from the first 170 or so episodes. But this new, 13 episode series fell completely flat in the pacing and suspense department. An important match was squished into a single episode. If I didn't already love the characters, I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed it at all.

These anime got it right:

From Kuroko's Basketball 2, episode 21. Kuroko continues to
prove that you shouldn't underestimate the scrawny kids, and
Production I.G. reminds me why it's the only studio on my A-P
<3 far.="" list="" so="" td="">

Kuroko's Basketball
- My Superbowl analogy applies five times over with this one. See my February post about it for an example. I can't wait for another season to air. I think we'll finally get to see Kuroko's old captain in action. He kinda scares me, more than a dude with pink hair should.

Ace of the Diamond
- Eijun, an earnest young pitcher, has contagious passion, and he's fun to watch with the pitchers. But I also like the honor paid to his sempai, both by him and by the creators. The upperclassmen on the team have admirable solidarity, and I'm glad we get to see that.

Giant Killing
- This one is about adults, and they definitely won't let the young'uns from other anime beat them with their passion... okay, yeah, it's time for me to re-watch this. It's been a very long time since I saw it. Looks like I haven't used this for a Rewind post yet, so I'll harvest screenshots when I start this up again.

Big Windup
- This one isn't fresh in my memory, but I'm still confident recommending it, and I wish the second season was online. Maybe I'll give in and buy it.

Prince of Tennis
- This introduced me to sports anime. It might be over-the-top for some people, but the characters and matches really are fun... and, again, it introduced me to the genre, which puts it just barely below Naruto in sentimental value.

Currently airing jewels (these haven't aired a full season yet, so are counted separately):

The volleyball captain informs Hinata and Kageyama that
they can't participate in the club until the can act like
teammates (ep. 2).

Haikyuu!!
- From Production I.G., the same studio that brought us Kuroko's Basketball, we have an anime about... volleyball. Hey, that's something different. And very fun. The animation is as wonderful to watch as that in KuroBas. The characters delight me, especially Hinata Shouyou. He's cute. He could compete with my dog for cuteness, and since I'm very biased toward my pup, that's saying something. But he's also an interesting young player -- singleminded, trusting, and usually confident, although his nerves can get in the way. I like his dynamics with Kageyama.

Baby Steps
- Not as lovely to look at as Haikyuu!!, but it's the first good tennis anime to cross my radar since The Prince of Tennis. The main character, Eijun, has an analytical approach to tennis, a lot like Inui from PoT. But, unlike Inui, Eijun is a newbie at the beginning of the show. Also, his eyes got all sparkly in episode 7, and Inui was never innocent enough for the sparkly-eye thing.

Tsukimoto's friend, "Peco," playing in the first ep. I don't like
him, but his character fits well with the anime's style and themes.

Ping Pong: The Animation
- This is the oddball on my watching list. It's different in almost every way, starting with the visual style. Then there's the sport... who'd have thought you could make an interesting anime about
ping pong? The characters are different, too. Tsukimoto (aka Smile), never smiles. He lacks aspiration, even though he's an amazing ping pong player. The supporting cast is a bit off-klter, too. This anime will never be my favorite, but I enjoy its uniqueness. 

I enjoyed these, but they're not high on my recommendation list:
Cross Game
- I don't remember this one well enough to recommend it too highly, but it was very good. I enjoyed it even before I made a habit of watching tear-jerkers. Guess that means I'd like it even more now.

Eyeshield 21
- Very fun, but too over the top to recommend to anyone who doesn't already love Prince of Tennis or other school sports anime.

Initial D
- Okay, so I loved this, although I still haven't seen Fifth Stage (come on, Crunchyroll! Funimation! Somebody, please make this available!) But the animation isn't exactly pretty, and I guess it's not super fresh in my memory.

Bamboo Blade
- I don't remember this one very well. But I liked it, and it's about girls. No other sports anime on my list can make that second claim, although I recall girls playing a fairly large role (without being exploited for ridiculous fan service) in Cross Game.

This one is gaining more favor:
Yowapeda
- I'm not a hug fan of Yowapeda (Yowamushi Pedal), but it's gaining on me. You'd think that I'd like it better, since it's a racing anime, and I loved Initial D. But it just hasn't clicked with me the same way. Still, it's earned its way out of the last list.

Meh and Blah:

Dear Boys 

- A bit boring, but decent. I enjoyed some of the episodes, especially near the end. But I felt that the negatives outweighed the positives, as I explained when I first finished it.

Area no Kishi
- Too much drama, too much annoying "comedy," and too much of that opening theme music stuck in my head. On the positive side, interesting moves and game play occasionally appear between beach episodes (I'm exaggerating, of course -- the majority of episodes aren't on the beach. They must make room for festival and hot springs episodes... okay, still a slight exaggeration). Yes, I plan to finish this. I'm too stubborn for my own good.

Conclusion

There are still some great sports anime I'd like to see, including the long-running baseball anime Major. Fifteen shows (and several hundred episodes) don't make me a genre expert... they just make me a bit of a fan.

Stay tuned for more in-depth posts about sports anime. I have a couple ideas that may appear throughout coming weeks. And comment if I didn't mention one of your favorite sports anime - especially if it's available somewhere like Crunchyroll or Hulu, so I can watch it. If it's not, maybe you can make a good enough case to move a DVD set to the top of my birthday list. Maybe.

Kuroko's Basketball 2: "I Believe"

I doubt that people will get more excited about the Super Bowl today than I got about Kuroko's Basketball last night. The title of the episode, "I Believe," turned out to be fitting as I struggled to believe my favorite basketball team would win. 

Most of the time, Twitter is sufficient for my reactions to singe episodes of anime. Last night, after I watched Kuroko's Basketball, Twitter wasn't enough for me. I had too much to say. I thought about posting my thoughts here, but chose Tumblr instead, since I thought an episodic post would be out of sync with recent posts. 

But since when am I worried about continuity in writing style? I've posted rambles, Naruto Shippuden fangirling, reviews, poems, and deeper editorials, all on this same blog. I like the mix, and I shouldn't restrain myself now.

So here. Here's what I wrote on Tumblr last night. I think it's proof of how good Kuroko's Basketball is. It's amazing - a basketball game can get me more worked up than a life-and-death battle.

Spoiler Warning for Kuroko's Basketball 2, episode 17.

I admit it: I lost hope during the second half of this week's Kuroko's Basketball. Aomine entered the Zone, and as much as I wanted to believe in Seirin, my heart was already dropping.

I tucked my knees up against my chest and wrapped my arms around them. Maybe by hanging onto my knees, I was telling the Seirin team to hang on, too. Maybe the suspense was simply making me tense. Maybe I was comforting myself in advance, preparing for the loss I didn't want to believe would come.

This is the kind of tension I had when Naruto fought Pain two years ago, or when a certain character's life hung by a thread in Clannad After Story.

It's just a game, though, isn't it? I mean, yeah, if Kuroko and the gang lose, they'll be disappointed, but they'll be okay, right?

But it's not just a game. It's Kiyoshi's last chance to play in a high school tournament. It's the first time Aomine has been truly challenged in... forever, probably. And I get the sense that if they can't beat Aomine and his team now, then maybe they never will. My heart is tangled with this game. I know their hearts are in it even more.

So I didn't want to give up.

When Kagami asked to go one-on-one with Aomine, I began to have a spark of hope. Maybe Kagami can break a wall within him in these last few minutes. Maybe.

I hugged my knees and watched.

Stop thinking so much! I thought. Just play. Just get into the game!

Could he do it?

Maybe he wasn't ready after all.

Then, something snapped into place. It wasn't an audible snap, but it was there. Kagami's thoughts accumulated, not to a distracting mess, but to a point of action that broke beyond the thoughts.

I felt it. Then he moved.

The lightning flashed in his eyes.

My breath caught. I didn't breath normally for at least a full minute, I'm sure. I let go of my knees, then hugged them close again.

He's joined Aomine in the Zone.

They might actually have a chance in these last few minutes.

They might.

The episode ended like that. Of course it did. The person in charge of episode pacing just cut it off there, leaving us hanging. I can imagine them as a dark figure laughing manically in some dimly lit studio.

Rewind: Kuroko's Basketball

After a week of drowning in homework, I've finally emerged to breathe. As I look around Crunchyroll and Twitter, I realize something that I should already know: Kuroko's Basketball is back! I can't wait to start watching it again.

In honor of of the new season, this week's Rewind post goes back to the beginning of Spring 2012. I still lived at my aunt's house, and I was taking the year off of school, so I had plenty of time to follow the latest anime. I started seven new ones, and listed my first impressions. Only two of the initial seven kept my attention the entire season: Space Brothers and, of course, Kuroko's Basketball.

I admit, Kuroko's Basketball had an unfair advantage. It's a sports anime, and I rarely drop sports anime. But my love for the genre is not blind. If the anime is mediocre, like Area no Kishi or Dear Boys, I'll putter through an episode or two at a time over a period of months or years. If it's good, I'll eagerly watch each episode as soon as possible.

I didn't list Kuroko as the "most exciting" new anime on my list, but by the end of the second episode, I knew that the main character was cool, that the show was better than Dear Boys, and that I would love it. I was right on all three counts.

If you picked your basketball team from a lineup, Kuroko would be your last choice. In fact, you might not even notice him. He's small, and his fitness appears, at best, average for a fifteen year old boy. He makes a point not to draw attention to himself, and his shooting ability isn't much better than mine. But he loves the game, and, more importantly, he can pass.

"He can pass?" you say. "Big whoop. I've been throwing balls back and forth since I was three."

Kuroko, midgame in episode 10.

No, you see, Kuroko can pass. He identifies where he needs to be and where the ball needs to be, and he gets it done before the opposing team even remembers he's on the court. Many games have been won thanks to his refined skill and lack of presence. All the glory goes to his teammates, the ones who make the shots. He's just the "phantom" player, the little guy on the team, and he likes it that way.

Clearly, Kuroko has a unique approach to basketball. He builds up his team, presents himself as a "shadow" to their "light," as he said to his teammate Kagami.

He's not all that's good about this anime. Suspense is built in the competition, both in individual games and in longterm rivalry. And it's just plain fun. I smiled, chuckled, and laughed many times throughout the twenty five episodes. I look forward to watching Kuroko and his team as they continue to grow this season.

I'll leave you with that. I want to watch Kuroko's Basketball before people come home and interrupt me.

Spring 2012: First Impressions and Rambles

So far this season, I've started seven new anime: Kids on the Slope, Accel World, Rock Lee and His Ninja Pals, Kuroko's Basketball, Zetman, Space Brothers, and Tsuritama. Some of them look better than others.

Least exciting new anime on my watching list:


I'm watching the Naruto spin-off, listed on Crunchryoll as Rock Lee and His Ninja Pals, because of some sort of twisted obligation I feel. The same twisted obligation that keeps me watching Naruto Shippuden even when the fillers and flashbacks seem endless.

In truth, Rock Lee is one of my least favorite good guy characters in Naruto. He's annoying. Worse, he's apprentice to the Master of Obnoxious, Guy-sensei.

When I first saw the chibi-style show dedicated to Rock Lee, I thought it would be a bunch of five minute shorts. Nope. These are full episodes.

Yeah, I might drop that one, no matter how much I like Naruto.

Most exciting new anime on my watching list:

Putting the above anime aside, this season does hold promise. Kids on the Slope, aka Sakamichi no Apollon, looks pretty good. I love Kawabuchi Sentarou. He's strong, has a taste for music, beats up bullies, looks out for the main character, just rescued a damsel in distress... *enter Annalyn's distant starry eyes here*

Sentarou, Ritsuko, and Kaoru (Kids on the Slope)

What? No, of course he's not my new 2D crush! He's younger than me! Besides, it's completely insensible to have a crush on an anime character. Not as insensible to have a crush on a real life actor, of course, but still.

Okay, focusing back in...

Anway, Kids on the Slope is about a high school student who just transferred for the umpteenth time: Nishimi Kaoru. He plays piano, makes friends with jazz drummer/delinquent Kawabuchi Sentarou, develops a crush on Kawabuchi's cute childhood friend, etc.

Basically, I like piano, and Nishimi plays piano. I like strong and loyal characters, and Kawabuchi is strong and loyal. I like a good plot, and Kids on the Slope looks like it may have a good plot. So I'm looking forward to this anime.

Five other Spring anime on my watching list:

Kuroko's Basketball:
(1) It's a sports anime.
(2) The main character, Kuroko, seems really cool.
(3) As of the second episode, it's way better than Dear Boys, despite some similar themes.
(4) I'm going to love this one.

Accel World:
(1) First impression: reminds me of World God Only Knows. A main character obsessed with games. Cool. I like shows about otaku.
(2) Oh dear. An overprotective childhood friend. Kill me now.
(3) A "perfect" female student council president taking interest in the deadbeat main character. Wow. That's new. Not.
(4) Eh, this looks enjoyable anyway. Sign me up for the season!

Zetman:
(1) Seems dark and action filled.
(2) Uh oh. Please don't let there be too much drama between childhood friends.
(3) Cool action. I really like the main character. The lady who too him in, too.
(4) Um... a lot of this conflict looks familiar. I've seen it in plenty of vigilante/action/etc. shows and movies.
(5) It's completely unrealistic for him to turn into that. This is supposed to be sci-fi, not fantasy.
(6) Eh, this could be good anyway. I'll watch and hope there is more fighting, less drama.

Space Brothers:
(1) Hey, this is pretty good...
(2) Go, big brother, go! As an older sibling myself, I identify with the main character wanting to stay ahead of his brother.
(3) It's not too late to follow your dreams. I believe in you, Mutta!
(4) Eh, predictable romance. Oh well. Hope it won't take away from achieve-dreams-in-space and brother angles.
(5) I'm really, really going to like this one.

Tsuritama:
(1) The colors... O.o
(2) Oh no. The poor main character, Sanada Yuki. Sympathetic viewer syndrome activating! Must detach myself before I feel too much of his embarrassment!
(3) Wow, Sanada. That nervous face is grotesque. Um... okay, I'll deal with it.
(4) Um... an alien with a magic squirt gun? Okaaaay....
(5) Is that an Indian prince with a duck? Um... alright.
(6) I like the serious guy with the glasses - the "Fishing Prince." He's cool.
(7) This should be entertaining. Strange, but entertaining. Sign me up for the season!

I also tried Medaka Box, but there was a very annoying amount of fanservice in it. I dropped it after the first episode.

So, those are the initial seven Spring 2012 anime on my watching list. I'll likely add more. What about you? Do you have any first impressions or rambling about this season's anime?