Pocky Eating Otakus

A group of obsessed fanatics come together to give their opinions on different anime.

[animepockywatch]

You’re Lie in April was recommended to me by a close friend of mine the other day. Scrolling through my video streaming sites, I have come across this anime several times and never really gave it a second thought. Honestly, there are only a handful of ‘slice of life’ anime that I was really into…this anime has become part of that small number.

Kosei grew up playing the piano and is devastated after his mother passes away. He quits playing the piano even though he has won competitions and was locally famous for his talent. Fate brought him to a violinist, Kaori. Kaori is a free spirited and very lively girl who, I feel, will bring life back into Kosei’s piano playing and also bring color back into his lack luster world.

The thing that sets this anime apart from the normal ‘slice of life’ shows would have to be the beautiful music. This is the type of anime that would compel people to want to get into playing instruments and also grab the attention of people that already do. The harmony and flow of the anime is paired with the gorgeousness of how it was drawn. It felt like the whole production was carefully articulated and not one petal or eyelash was lack luster. The cherry blossom trees, the way the characters' eyes sparkled, the hands on the keys or strings….left me speechless. I will be watching this anime further to see how the relationships grow, how bad the hearts break, and what really is the lie. Thanks for reading and always stay kawaii!

[animepockywatch]

I have to admit…I haven’t watched Dragon Ball in a very long time (since 2010 to be exact). I am pretty ashamed to say that… seeing that I am a huge otaku, but I made a promise to myself to jump back on the band wagon…and let’s just say I have some serious catching up to do.

Goku and Vegeta cross paths with the God of Destruction, Beerus and his right hand man, Whis who from Beerus’ vision Goku is a formidable opponent. Out of curiosity Beerus fights Goku and realizes he is nowhere near being a challenge. Beerus helps Goku and Vegeta become Super Saiyin Blue..the god form of all the saiyin power-ups!

From tournaments to saving the future this is by far the BEST Dragon Ball series I have seen. Every episode has left me on the edge of my seat and biting my nails. It was nice to see future Trunks (my favorite character) being as powerful as his father Vegeta…I’m not going to get into spoilers here..but it is a battle worth watching!

If you are a Dragon Ball fan and haven’t yet watched this series then man oh man you are missing out! Not only will you be seeing your favorite characters in action, you’ll fall in love with new characters that pop up throughout the episodes. A must see, action packed, and adrenalin pumping show!

[animepockywatch]

Haikyuu!!

Throughout my school years I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing volleyball. I never really knew the workings of the sport and how each player works. I was just a teenage girl that wanted to hit the ball over the net. I know I’ve been watching a lot of sport related anime (Free, Yuri on Ice, etc.), but this anime has the one sport I can actually get into and play. Let’s just say better understanding might get me back into playing it in real life.

Haikyuu!! is different from the other sport anime I’ve watched, because it shows really diverse characters learning to get along with one another. Enemies slowly becoming allies and each character putting their petty insecurities, bravado, and envy aside to work towards a common goal...winning. 

Hinata (which reminds me a lot of Naruto) has this child like passion for volleyball and wants his dreams to come true. Unfortunately, he has to be on the same team as the “King”, Kageyama....his rival from his first official volleyball tournament. But, when these two men work together...I swear magic happens. The school’s volleyball team has the reputation of being “flightless ravens” because they were a weak team and didn’t win much in the past. Later on in the anime everyone’s proven wrong and they see the team take flight...especially Hinata. Hinata...when he jumps, he jumps high...it almost looks like he’s soaring.

All the characters in this anime have their own seperate fun personality, put them all together and seeing them work on the court...I just sit there slack jawed. I’m thoroughly enjoying this one and am already halfway through the first season. Thanks for reading and happy watching!

[animepockywatch]

Bungou Stray Dogs

Nakajima was kicked out of an orphanage and left to fight to live, homeless and starving. The orphanage didn’t tell him that he had the ability to turn into a tiger which was the cause of his exile, telling him that he was worthless and that no one cared for him. In a last ditch effort he saved a man from drowning in the efforts to rob him. Dazai, the drowning man, was actually trying to commit suicide. The antics afterwards has led Nakajima to become part of a secret agency filled with people with supernatural abilities. The armed detective agency does jobs that the government, police force, and etc. can’t touch.

I’ve noticed that although there is a lot of talk about suicide and homelessness, which is depressing, the comic humor of this anime lightens that load quite a bit. I was impressed as I watched the supernatural abilities of each character and how action packed each and every episode was. I mean, the first episode, seeing Nakajima turn into a tiger (unable to control his powers) rampaging a warehouse was enthralling. Dazai also stated that each person with supernatural abilities has something wrong with them inside....I’m thinking their broken emotionally, but it could mean a lot of things...hmmm...

I took a leap of faith with this anime and I wasn’t let down. Bombs, a tiger, hostages, secret missions...it’s got quite a James Bond feel to it. If you like R.O.D. then you should give this a try. Happy watching!

[animepockywatch]

Yuri!!! on Ice

Wow, wow, wow! Just no words can express how I feel about this anime. I have been a big fan of Free!! (the swimming competition anime by the same creators) so I had to watch this one. My friend, who is also an otaku, was reacting to videos of this anime...it caught my attention in a big way.

Capturing ice skating and putting it into anime form is the most beautiful artwork and seemed to be difficult to pull off....but it’s well worth it!! The romance, the struggle, the powerful dances...it moved me. I cried, laughed, fangirled, and sat with my mouth a-jar the whole time. 

Yuri, a 23 year old boy, was doing horrible in the skating competitions and decided to go home to figure out if ice skating is what he should continue to do. After copying a skating star, Victor’s, skating routine and somehow was video taped and posted on social media..it became viral. Victor found out and decided to become his coach so he can make it big as an ice skater. Watching Yuri’s transformation in just five episodes, was breath taking to me. I saw myself in Yuri...it motivated me. I cheered for him in all competitions so far and will be cheering for him in more episodes (yes, I will be watching the entirety of this anime). 

This is not a yaoi anime, but best believe it came close several times. Both Victor and Yuri almost kissed several times and nosebleeds were eminent. If you are a fan of Free!! then this anime is for you! I can’t express enough how many thumbs up I can give this anime. Please watch!! <3

[animepockywatch]

Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace

Kobayashi wakes up in his classroom with a weapon in his hand and his teacher dead in front of him. Obviously he was framed for murder and his passion to prove his innocence makes him find what makes him feel more alive....detective work. He proves himself to the genius private detective Akechi and becomes his assistant. What seems like just solving homicide cases becomes more personal for Akechi.

Akechi made a friend when he was young with a boy named Namikoshi. They were tired of being the victims of domestic violence and school bullying. Both figured out a computer system that somehow kills their enemies by letting the general public kill them...I’m not quite sure about the details on that, but it keeps them anonymous and somehow through social media, blogs, and what not their enemies seem to just get murdered...and none’s the wiser. Akechi resolves that the computer system/program that they’ve created works way too well and in the end the creator will be killed as well. So their friendship breaks and Namikoshi “kills” himself...we find out he didn’t and he’s behind all the murders thus far. 

I’m not going to spoil the grand finale, but I’ll tell you one thing. Gruesome, grand, and somewhat odd murders with a huge plot twist makes a great anime. The plot itself is in depth and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately, there’s only 11 episodes, but each one is full of excitement. I hope you get the time to watch this because it’s a hidden gem. Thanks for following and enjoy watching! 

[animepockywatch]

Noragami Aragoto

I have to say, I picked at random with this anime. I literally scrolled through so many anime before crossing the path of Noragami. I was very pleased with the results and maybe I need to close my eyes and throw a dart at a list of anime more often.

Yato, a small time god, is down on his luck with the dream of becoming a big and powerful god..he doesn’t even have a shrine for himself. Working to help humans for 5 yen a job sounds pretty desperate until he comes across Iki Hiyori. Hiyori, a normal high school girl, saves his life and forever altering hers. Now, she can see spirits and supernatural phenomena which cause a lot of problems for her and Yato. Very often Hiyori falls asleep and can become present as a spirit seperate from her human body..complete with a cat tail. It’s unclear in the first episode, but I think that Yato and Hiyori will work together to fulfill Yato’s dream whilst defeating foes that stand in their way.

There are many other characters that have not shown up that I know are going to be big impacts within the anime, which makes me curious to watch more. If you have any anime that you are curious about and would like me to review...please message me or follow me on my Facebook group page with the same title as this Tumblr page. Thanks again for viewing and happy watching~!

[animepockywatch]

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls

Seeing that Halloween is just around the corner, I wanted to watch something on the frightening side. After searching all over the web, I was directed to Corpse Party. Little did I know how frightening this anime was. I have to caution everyone reading this that this anime is not for the faint of heart!

I’m a person that is easily scared, but this was by far the most gory and scary anime I’ve ever watched. Several times I had to look the other way while bodies were mutilated and dismembered. The plot of Corpse party was really the only thing keeping me from not backing out. A group of school kids used a charm the wrong way and end up in another dimension where numerous kids are put through torture and stomach churning death, some also turned on each other. All this was created by a ghost and numerous other ghosts that were in desperate need to see the light. Nine of the students in this story and only two came out...so make sure you don’t get emotionally attached.This series is four episodes at thirty minutes per episode, so it’s really fast paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat and glued to the television screen. I’m kind of glad that there was only four episodes seeing that it was really emotionally traumatizing and made my stomach churn from scene upon scene of graphic, bloody, and unforgiving moments..

I could of done without the guts and gore, but knowing that there are numerous Halloween movies that match...I would say this is the perfect Halloween anime to watch. I haven’t watched the other Corpse Party series and I’m not sure if I’m going to, but if you are stronger than I am, watch all of them! Happy Halloween everybody!

[animepockywatch]

Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto

The image above speaks for itself as to why I watched this anime. But, it wasn’t all about the eye candy that peaked my interest. Reading the summary before watching, it stated that no matter what happens to Sakamoto he is always...ALWAYS calm, cool, and sexy. I had to see this for myself, nobody can be their best at all times.

Sakamoto is a high school student with good looks, intelligence, and is athletically inclined...pretty much the whole package. Normally, when you’re all that and a bag of chips you will have jealous enemies, but that doesn’t faze Sakamoto. It was hilariously like Wile-E-Coyote and the Roadrunner in this anime. Sakamoto always one step ahead of the pranks that the school bullies had for him.  It was almost too easy for him, which made me wonder what his back story is. The anime gives you no clue as to how he became the Sakamoto that we all know and love. How did he become so cool? Is he a secret agent? A robot? The world may never know.

From going one on one with a bee in a needle to needle sword fight to being swept up in a storm wind to save a helpless bird to being locked in a storage room with a trio of bullies and a fire that needs containing....As you can see the situations are outrageous and somewhat outlandish which makes you want more. Sakamoto handles ALL things thrown his way with such meticulous skill. I’m guessing in future episodes he will not only be handling bullies, but also all kinds of crazy fan girls that are after his heart, tyrannical teachers, and maybe we’ll see more of him outside of the classroom. I will be coming back for seconds, maybe thirds, of this eye candy anime...hopefully nose bleed moments will also be included in the near future...no shame in this otaku game.  Thanks for following and keep on the lookout for future reviews. I will be adventurously going where no fan-girl has gone before!

[animepockywatch]

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans

Let me give you a glance into my family history with the whole Gundam genre. My family fell in love with Gundam when Gundam Wing was first aired on Toonami. My brother then became addicted and started watching all the Gundam series from the very starting anime to the very end. He’s also an artist and can draw mobile suits all the way down to the nuts and bolts. But, I was the one that decided that we should both watch Iron-Blooded Orphans together. Seeing that I’m not really into Gundam as much as my brother, I wanted his personal and professional-otaku opinions.

The anime starts by telling us that Mars is now a planet where people live and the people that inhabit Mars want to be independent from the rules and regulations of Earth. There’s about to be an all out war between the two which brings in the Martian princess. The princess needs to be protected as she makes her way to discuss the matter with the political figures of Earth. A civilian security organization that has the two orphans, which includes Mika (the main character), has taken on the protection of the princess. The leader of the organization decides to rebel and leave all the orphans under attack which brings Mika to use Barbatos, the gundam that was being repaired underground.

I want to start off by saying, it’s hard for me to follow the political progress in anime. I’m more into the all out battles between gundam and characters. My brother had to lay it all out for me and I had to read into the anime on several pages to get familiar with what was going on. While watching Iron-Blooded Orphans all I could think about was...there’s a bad ass gundam underground, when are they going to use it. There was a pretty cool paint ball practice battle between mobile suits in the beginning which was awesome to think about. Paint ball with big giant robots, what’s not to like!? But in the last five minutes of the first episode...seeing Barbados bust out of the ground like that...it was epic! 

If you are a big Gundam fan...you are not going to be able to resist Iron-Blooded Orphans! I give this one two giant robot thumbs up!

[animepockywatch]

DRAMAtical Murder

Okay, I admit it...I was looking for yaoi, but came across this lovely anime instead. Before this, there was the video game that was definitely a yaoi, but for some reason there’s no yaoi in the anime. Kind of disappointing, but in the anime’s defense it is a really good anime and the characters are original, funny, and pieces of eye candy.

Aoba was just an average man that worked in a thrift shop and owned a cyber dog with high intelligence...oh did I mention this takes place in the far future?Aoba has amnesia which are probably causing the weird headaches that he gets through out the day. The city that he lives in has gangs that play this online computer game that they submerse themselves in, Aoba used to play them and was damn good at it. One day while delivering a package he falls into a trap and gets dumped into the game, he eventually clicks into his old self and kicks butt, but when he wakes up in the real world he doesn’t remember a lot of what happened. In the many episodes he interacts with multiple gang leaders and a strange guy in a gas mask calling him master.

Apparently, he is supposed to have romantic interactions with most if not all the gang leaders (according to the video game). I decided to go on into the second and third episode of the anime just to make sure they didn’t cut yaoi out of the equation completely. There is a kiss between Aoba and one of them so they didn’t write it off entirely (thank goodness). My opinions is if it was a yaoi in some form or other then all other versions should support that (for the sake of the fans).  All in all the action packed series of events that happen in the battles along with the large range of dynamic characters keeps me coming back for more....or maybe I have a soft spot for eye candy...the world may never know. Happy watching everybody!

[animepockywatch]

Black Jack and Young Black Jack

I wanted to pay homage to the “Father of Manga”, Osamu Tezuka who has created some of the first manga such as ‘Kimba the White Lion’, ‘Astro Boy’, and the manga that I’m reviewing the anime for now, ‘Black Jack’. I’ve written an essay back in High School about this wonderful man and if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have the anime we know and love now.

When I saw the new anime ‘Young Black Jack’ on my anime watching website, I had to watch that one first. I feel it’s like watching a movie first before reading the book, it doesn’t make you point out all the flaws of the movie. I thought that the main character ‘Black Jack’ would be another person all together, but it’s actually an adaptation of the old ‘Black Jack’ anime. It shows ‘Black Jack’ as a medical student in the 1960′s and let’s just say...he’s handsome...not that the old Black Jack wasn’t handsome...,but seeing him more drawn out and at a younger age...he’s a drool worthy guy. Girls, believe me on this one.

I began to watch ‘Black Jack’ and noticed that the medical parts of this anime compared to the medical parts in ‘Young Jack Black’ are different, but had the same way of describing what’s going on with the patient. I kind of figured that seeing that these two anime are in two separate generations. The medical field has evolved and has become more advanced. One more thing I noticed, it was like watching the same anime in two different drawing styles..so you can bounce back and forth and enjoy both.

I highly advice that these two anime are the ones you binge watch with your eyes taped open...it’s addicting. Happy watching!

[animepockywatch]

Princess Jellyfish

I’m so glad that my friend recommended this anime! I’m a big softy for a romantic comedy, but this one is different. I’m an otaku with social awkwardness and I can relate so much to this anime. I’m not pretty, skinny, fashion forward, and I don’t have the greatest self esteem..and that’s alright. There is a big place in my heart for this anime.

Tsukimi loves jellyfish because of a memory she has of her deceased mother where they talked about how beautiful all the jellyfish are. She told her mother one day she will become a princess fitting enough to where a jellyfish inspired dress...well that didn’t work out. She lives in a apartment complex with a group of equally awkward otaku women. The apartment complex has a strict rule of having no men living there which is broken on the first episode by Tsukimi bringing in the very stylish Kuranosuke, a man that cross dresses as a hobby and also does so to avoid the politics and pressures of his family. Kuranosuke is referred to as a “Stylish”, which the tenants have no idea on how to approach said “Stylish” people, but that doesn’t stop him from socializing and befriending all of them.

If you like “Wallflower” or “Boys Over Flowers” you will love this anime. I’ve connected to this anime on so many levels and I hope you do too. I will continue to watch this anime to the last episode. Thanks for reading and happy watching!

[animepockywatch]

One Punch Man

Surprisingly, my brother was the one that recommended this show. I was skeptical because...well look at the main character! He’s a bald, goofy guy with a super hero costume on. My brother never recommends an anime unless it’s Gundam related so it caught my attention.

Saitama is a very powerful man that decided he was bored with life and wanted to become a superhero. He takes out his enemies with one punch and not even fully into the episode he becomes bored with taken them down. The last couple of minutes of the episode he starts his new adventure on the hunt for bigger, more powerful villains.

One Punch Man is a highly funny, highly fast paced anime. Some bad guys are there for the humor, like a crab man with tighty wightys on, some are there for the development of the show and Saitama’s development as well. The battles are mainly bloody and very well drawn...the fight scenes take me back to the Dragon Ball Z days...ahhhh..memories. 

If you like anime such as Bleach, Naruto, and of course Dragon Ball Z, then you will absolutely love One Punch Man. Happy Watching!

[animepockywatch]

Dance With Devils

Every now and again I indulge in a genre of anime that is harem, but geared towards the ladies. I have watched certain anime such as Diabolik Lovers, Kamigami Sobi, and Uta No Prince Sama where a girl is pined after by a group of handsome men...I love trying to figure out which one she would choose.

This select anime caught me off guard, to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, the plot and the characters are very interesting. The point is, I can’t stand musical numbers throughout a show, movie, etc.....unless it’s a Disney movie. The songs were good, but you’re not prepared for them seeing that it’s an anime...? I don’t know if you’ve watched other anime that have musical numbers throughout (unless it’s Uta No Prince Sama or a music related anime), but this confused me and intrigued me at the same time.

Ritsuka comes across the Student Council, a group of handsome men...and they are demons. These demons are having conflicts with a group of vampires and Ritsuka seems to be caught in the middle. Luckily, she has her mother’s pendant which wards off demons and who knows what else. But, come to think of it, the pendant might be protecting the “grimoire” that the vampires talked about. What is Ritsuka’s involvement with everything and why is she so important personally to all of this? I’ll say it, “I’m in it for the ‘plot’.” ...maybe to squeel over some gorgeously drawn men. Excuse me while I fangirl. 

If you like vampires, demons, and all things supernatural and a taste of eye candy..this one’s for you, but if you’re not big on musicals like I am...Diabolik Lovers is just as good without the jazz hands and musical numbers. Happy watching!

[animepockywatch]

Beautiful Bones

I’m an avid watcher of the hit television series ‘Bones’ and have been fascinated with the show’s involvement with solving murders with the study of bones. I never thought there would be an anime series that is along those lines. I was immediately interested.

We follow Sakurako, the lover of all things death and bones, who is within a wealthy family. She is joined by a high school student, Shotaro, who has somehow tagged along with her antics of collecting bones. What’s interesting is that they seem to come across human bones/bodies. Within the first episode they are pulled into a criminal investigation to where the police think it was a double suicide, but she promptly points them in the right direction of homicide...using her expertise in the field of death and human anatomy.

While she was examining the two bodies of the supposed double suicide, there was a fury of colorful computer animation of animal skeletal structures walking past her. It was very beautiful, but was short as her conclusion was short lived. Hopefully, we see more of this stunning art work throughout the show. I also hope that the action mounts as the series goes along, I’m pretty sure it will.

‘Beautiful Bones’ has this beautifully morbid vibe and will haunt you within the first minutes of watching. I highly recommend this if you are into mystery, murder, and the dark. Thanks for reading and happy watching! 

[animepockywatch]

Another

With Halloween fast approaching I had to do a little research on some creepy anime. I had to choose one and with anime such as Shiki and Occult Academy which are ‘don’t watch at night’ anime, I had to choose something on the lighter side so I wouldn’t have to sleep with the lights on.

Another was a promising ghost anime with underlining secrets that the class was not giving up...but will soon enough. Usually all anime first start out with introductions of characters so the first episode of this anime was more on the yawn side, but your spider senses start to tingle on the solving mystery front.

You want to know what exactly happened to the class, to Misaki (the ghost girl), and why she is presenting herself to Koichi (the new boy that just transferred to the school, and how bad did the students in Koichi’s class mess up. With my curiosity peeked I googled pictures from this anime and let’s just say it was a blood bath....now I really want to continue with this show and I think it would be a great addition to your Horror ‘anime’ night. Don’t get too spooked.