Internet novelist. A writer posing as a reviewer. Owner of the Arum Journal blog. That Daily Tales fact person on Twitter. Content writer for Abyssal Chronicles. I mainly talk about anime, games, manga and books.
I'm an Internet novelist and a writer that likes to pose as a reviewer. I own a blog called Arum Journal on Wordpress. I mainly write about anime, games, manga and books. I'll post my stuff from my blog on here if you don't like Wordpress.
I work as a content writer for @abyssalchronicles since 2017 and I am a part of Bulbagarden since July 2023.
If you were on Tales Twitter or something, I'm the person who writes the Daily Tales Reminder of the Day stuff. The posts are on IG and my blog as well. I’ll do my best to post them on here too!
I am writing an original story, Lavender Eyes, on reading sites.
If you like my reviews, I hope you check out my original works!
Lavender Eyes:
Webnovel
Tapas
Wattpad
Royal Road
My other original story Boundaries is available for purchase as an e-book on the listed online stores for $2.99 under the pen name Arum Lee:
Marriagetoxin Episode 10 Review - A Surprise Guest Drops By
The episode mostly focuses on Gero fighting for his life while Piichi and Kinosaki are just chilling while riding a rhino. I honestly love the difference in tones here. Now with Ushio being a surprise reveal, I wonder how things are going to change for the fight and possibly between the dynamic between him and Kimie going forth.
Kimie honestly gets more likable each episode. While she isn’t great at fighting and keeps getting kidnapped, she dos her best to get herself out of her predicaments without needing a man to save her. I like that she’s the first person to get Gero to eat someone else’s cooking and she’s surprisingly a good cook as she was taught by her long-lost brother. It also turns out that she really was the pink-haired girl from that one flashback in Episode 7. Because of this, she dedicated herself to becoming Gero’s fan for life. However, she knew that he wasn’t in the best state at the time, but she’s still head over heels for him when he has mellowed as an adult, showing that her love isn’t so shallow. There are instances where fans abandon their favorite idols when they’re not what they appear to be; such is not the case for Kimie who loves any type of Gero. While hamsters aren’t the best suited for combat, Kimie is more specialized in reconnaissance-type abilities like scouting and such. She’s able to communicate with rats as well and can project her voice onto them like a speaker. I found that cool. I honestly can’t wait to see a possible jailbreak.
Ushio being a surprise hire was honestly a shock for me, but there were hints that she’d make more appearances in the opening as she appeared several times in it. Bless Kinosaki for hiring the extra help! She was a dangerous foe in the first arc, but seeing her as an ally makes her feel very powerful. I honestly like that she can combine her attacks with Gero’s to create combination moves like poison mist. I think this is the first time Gero has done a feat with another master. I also like that Ushio has a cute side to her as she’s not used to getting praised, which causes her ears to turn red. I feel like she could also be a potential marriage candidate.
To be honest, my expectations for Dogo has dropped as he just feels like a cartoony villain. Maybe his true motivations will be revealed, but he’s just an asshole for the sake of being one. Also, after this episode, there might be people who theorize that Dogo might be related to Kimie, but they’re not; her brother’s voice actor is different as he’s voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto who voiced Himmel in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Nikaido in Captivated By You, and Bakugo in My Hero Academia. I knew it was him the moment he laughed.
Anyways, if Kimie’s brother has a prevalent voice actor, I’m guessing that means he’s going to be important later on. Regardless, this episode has been going fast, but not as fast as it was last week. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 10 Review - A Battle Worth An Arm And Leg
This episode is mostly fighting against Tenaga and Ashinaga. I’m honestly impressed with the animation since it’s much better than the daemon battle from earlier episodes. I think it’s because the setting for this fight is wider, so there is more room and freedom for the characters to move around and for the animators to do their magic.
I like that all the humans contribute in some way. Yuru and Dera aren’t protecting the old lady; she’s a part of the fight too, even if she doesn’t contribute much action-wise. She does give out who she’s working for, though: Asuma Kagemori. Ha, I knew he was suspicious! She also gave away Yuru’s true identity as Left and Right’s real master as a way to distract them from Dera. Also, the old lady doesn’t have an actual name; she’s voiced by Kimiko Saito who voiced Ryme in Pokemon Horizons and the Madam in The Apothecary Diaries.
Dera definitely has some military training because he carries an arsenal of weapons and is also proficient with a rifle. No ordinary man would have those sniping skills and a camouflage blanket—he knows his stuff. Yuru has high battle intelligence, so he knows how to distract his enemies and even scared them off by bluffing his Seal powers. Seriously, I like that everyone contributes.
Tenaga and Ashinaga were animated superbly. I may find them creepy, but the fight between them and Left & Right is just too good. I like that Left, who specializes in kicks, is handling Tenaga and Right, who specializes in punches, is the one handling Ashinaga. It’s basically a battle of their greatest strengths in a way. I do like how the two stack on top of each other once Dera snipes Ashinaga’s eyes and Tenaga’s legs. It shows that all daemons work well together.
Other than that, I do wonder what Asuma’s deal is. Why is he after Seal? Is it really to take control of Break and Seal, or is there something more? Also, just who is Tenaga and Ashinaga’s master? Let me know your thoughts on this episode!
Go For It, Nakamura! Episode 12 Review - The Pains Of A Crush
Isn’t this anime supposed to be a light-hearted BL romcom? Why did the penultimate episode just sucker punched me in the jaw? And there is only one episode left. Well, if you read the manga, you should know how the stuff with Hana plays out, BUT it doesn’t make it any less depressing for our boy Nakamura here.
The first half of the episode revolves around Valentine’s Day, which is anime original content. After seeing his sister working hard to make handmade chocolates for her friends and possible crush, this gets Nakamura inspired to buy friend chocolate for Hirose, but he’s too shy to give it to him. Hirose does seem as if he wanted to get something from Nakamura, but whether that’s true or not is up to interpretation. I did like the silly hijinks that’s typical of this anime like Takeuchi never getting love from Yuka. I also think it’s sweet how Kawamura made cookies for her friends and they gave her store-bought chocolate in return. These girls are such good friends.
This episode marks the last of the manga characters to show up: Hana Sakamoto. She was in the opening, but I did wonder how long it would take for her to show up and it seems that she’s the final “conflict” of the story. She’s Hirose’s girlfriend and they only dated for a week. She’s cute and sweet; however, the fact that she’s the one who asked him out does indicate that she’s a lot more assertive than she looks. Hana is voiced by Yukari Anzai who voiced Azami in Daemons of the Shadow Realm and Ajisai in Watanare.
However, the realization that Hirose is dating a girl does send Nakamura into a depressive meltdown. This is the most upset he has been. Honestly, it’s understandable. Whether you’re queer or not, the pains of unrequited love is excruciating. I remembered when I learned that my crush of five years had a girlfriend, I was a bit in a depressive state for a few days; I didn’t cry, but I felt so listless. This is all part of growing up, though. Not all crushes are reciprocated. I do want to praise Chiaki Kobayashi on how he was doing the sobbing noises. He sounded as if he was crying because he went through his own heartbreak or something—man was sobbing like rent was due.
I just hope no one hates on either Hirose or Hana for this. Just because Nakamura has a crush on Hirose and it’s been the entire plot of the story, it doesn’t mean that Hirose is obligated to reciprocate. I just worry about the hate Hana will get from the first-time viewers because girls in BL stories do tend to get their fair share of ire. Hana did nothing wrong. She had a crush, went for it, and succeeded. There’s no harm or shame in doing so!
Though, I do think that Nakamura’s sister Kana was rather annoying in this episode. I get that she was trying to make chocolate for her friends, but she didn’t need to overreact when Okuto ate one of the chocolates. The fact that she thinks her brother has been loud for the past few days without knowing the reason why was rather harsh. I get that Japanese people have a culture where they are very independent from upbringing, but the fact that no one asked what’s wrong is concerning. However, I don’t think it’s completely right to rule out Nakamura’s family as neglectful or uncaring because, at the end of the day, it’s a cultural difference. His mom does show some concern as she wanted to go find her son when the dad comes back home.
I think the saddest part is that Nakamura doesn’t really have anyone to open up to for his problems. None of his friends are gay. He isn’t as close to Kawamura to have a heart-to-heart with her. His family are just people living their lives. It makes sense why Nakamura is socially awkward, timid and clams up a lot—he doesn’t really have anyone to talk to nor to confide other than Icchan. Honestly, for a BL story, there aren’t that many gay people here.
Will the finale be happy? Since I know how the chapter revolving around Hana ends up, I could see a happy ending, but given the amount of changes the anime did regarding the manga chapters does make me wonder how happy it will be. Will it be the happy that’s open-ended or will it really be the happiest ending ever? Let me know your thoughts on this episode and what you think the ending will be like!
Daemons of the Shadow Realm Episode 9 Review - Let's Learn About The World
Why do these episodes go by so fast? One moment, Yuru is exploring a city and then the Kagemoris get screen time and then a fight is about to start and that’s where it all ends. It’s surprising because these episodes move rather slowly yet they end so quick.
Honestly, the part where Dera teaches Yuru about the world is adorable as heck. It’s so cute seeing him, Left and Right be so fascinated with the modern world. The way they all react differently is cute too! Yuru is just gaping his mouth everywhere; Left is bug-eyed; Right is just excited. It really shows off their personalities! I do like that Dera shows him the good and the bad stuff like him wasting money on horse racing and also showing off a department store.
Other than that, the Yuru-Dera portion of the story ends with a buildup towards another fight between daemons. I have to say, Tenaga and Ashinaga are the creepiest looking daemons by far. Yeesh, I got grossed out when I saw them on-screen. Props to Arakawa for knowing how to make really gross looking daemons. I just hope I don’t see them in my dreams any time soon…
For Asa and the Kagemori side, they’re mostly interrogating two of the assassins, Makoto Tachikawa and Keiichi Hamura. They make an interesting remark in that they came into the Kagemori manor through the west gate’s door; the thing is that the manor doesn’t have a door in the west gate. So this means that there’s definitely someone in the manor who is a traitor. While my usual suspicions point towards Asuma, I just can’t help but think that Akio might be a bit suspicious given what one of my commenters said about him and the fact that he killed Akishima, the bearded guy in camo. Given Akio’s usually expressionless face, he could’ve done that on purpose and is lying that he did it on accident. But Akio was with Haruo and the others at the parking lot when those assassins infiltrated… I guess that means Asuma is still the prime suspect as we don’t know what his daemons do…heck, we don’t even know what Akio’s daemons do…
Two new characters are introduced. Natsuki and Fuyuki Kuroya are seemingly related to Haruo and Akio but they don’t look related—though, Natsuki and Fuyuki do; or it could just be a case where they all coincidentally share a last name. Anyways, these two are Gonzo’s bodyguards. I think that Fuyuki’s daemons Blacklist, consisting of Whisper and Embrace, are probably the most terrifying daemons ability-wise. They have the ability to know a daemon user’s entire history just from analyzing their daemons. The way he doxxed Makoto was honestly scary. It’s definitely a reason why one should not mess with the Kagemoris.
Anyways, it’s nice that both Makoto and Keiichi are now working for the Kagemoris despite their actions from before. While it may seem as if Gonzo is benevolent, he’s terrifying but kind. He gives them a second chance but passes it off as working them as horses. Also, it’s good to have them around just in case they need more clues about the mastermind.
Keiichi is voiced by Hayata Okawa who voiced several characters in Eiyuden Chronicle like Fugue, Crash, Fai and Riyu. Makoto is voiced by Reina Kondo who voiced Kono in Horimiya and Payo in Edens Zero. Fuyuki is voiced by Hayato Fujii who mostly voiced minor characters in various anime. Natsuki is voiced by Yu Shimamura who voiced Kanon in Digimon Beatbreak, Zelda in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and Cure Flora in Go! Princess Precure.
For the daemons, I did mention that Ayumu Murase voiced Aka and Midori, the fox and tanuki pair; he also voiced Whisper. While he may voice a lot of the daemons in this anime, he didn’t voice Tenaga and Ashinaga. Tenaga is voiced by Ako Mayama who voiced Cologne in Ranma 1/2 reboot and Elizabeth in The Way of the Househusband. Ashinaga is voiced by Shigeru Chiba who voiced Buggy the Clown in One Piece and Jigoro in Demon Slayer.
Anyways, I apologize for getting this review out so late. Hopefully, Episode 10 review should be out tomorrow. Also, I have an important question: which one is Joe and which one is Kirk? Let me know your thoughts on the episode!
Witch Hat Atelier Episode 11 Review - Staying As She Is
I forgot to mention this last week, but Episode 10 marks the end of Volume 3 content and now we’re in Volume 4! The Second Exam arc is honestly a personal favorite of mine and I hope the anime-only viewers will get to see Richeh’s growth in this arc. This arc solidified her as my favorite character in this story, after all.
As you can tell, this arc will focus a lot on Richeh and there are some details about her that’s spotlighted. Richeh is a bit of a brat and selfish as she hates being told what to do and wants to stay as she is. She doesn’t read magic books as she doesn’t want to be contaminated. She only cares about making her own spells because she values her individualism above all else. Her lashing out at Qifrey might make her look bad, but it’s definitely a case of a parent signing up their child for an activity they didn’t want to participate in and without their knowledge. It’s an opportunity for Richeh to grow because he and Olruggio know that she won’t get anywhere if she still stays where she is.
Her love for her individualism does cement from her affection towards her brother Riliphin who admires that she can make her own spells as it makes Richeh who she is. However, as Qifrey mentioned, something bad happened with her previous teacher which is why she became the way she is—only caring about herself and not growing. It also makes sense why she’d have a disdain for adults.
I do like how the other characters have different outlooks on magic and isn’t easily influenced by Richeh’s demands or try to cater towards her. Qifrey and Olruggio want to see her grow and know she’ll stagnate if she keeps up her mindset. Coco thinks it’s great that she can make her own spells like the crystal ribbons and the hyperdimension cauldron, but she still thinks there’s value to learning from books and other people’s glyphs. Agott is someone who wants to grow up fast which is why she’s the most determined to take the test while Richeh isn’t. The way these characters are so unique makes me happy.
Another new character is introduced. I’m glad that people are adoring Euini. I certainly do, but I was worried that people might hate on him for being so timid, when his self-depreciation is all due to his scum of a teacher Kukrow. I can’t believe Kukrow is allowed to have students at all. Someone either needs to punch him or fire him from ever getting apprentices. I absolutely loathe him. He’s an example of a teacher who is terrible at his job, but is still able to work.
Riliphin is voiced by Mariya Ise who voiced characters like Killua from Hunter x Hunter, Serie from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Iwashimizu from Akane-banashi. Because this is a flashback, I do wonder if Riliphin will still be voiced by Ise when he appears in the present-day, which will be a lot later. In English, he’s voiced by Ciaran Strange who voiced characters like Pairin in The Apothecary Diaries, Griege in Fairy Tail and Jiro and Kotetsu in Daemons of the Shadow Realm. Euini is voiced by Hiiro Ishibashi, who voiced Yorita in The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity and Yanga in Pokemon Horizons. In English, he’s voiced by Justin Briner who’s most known for being the English VA of Deku from My Hero Academia. Kukrow is voiced by Hiroshi Yanaka who voiced Luomen in The Apothecary Diaries and Shinichi Saimori in My Happy Marriage. In English, he’s voiced by Barry Yandell who voiced Henry Henderson in Spy x Family.
There are rumors about this anime getting a second season or a second cour, so I can’t wait until it’s officially announced. All I can say is that this arc is going to crush people. Also, myrphons are adorable as heck. I didn’t expect the tips of their ears to be blue, but it does make sense. However, scalewolves being periwinkle wasn’t what I expected—I was thinking they were blue. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!
Digimon Beatbreak Episode 34 Review - Stay Away From Them; Get A Job
Someone should file a restraining order on Miharu. She’s being way too touchy towards Tomoro and Asuka. Girl, stay away from them; get a job. Anyways, I get that some people might be mad that the episode wasn’t focused on Reina like what the preview might have teased, but I feel like it’s better to focus more on Miharu and the reveal that she’s the leader of GIFT.
More about Miharu is revealed in this episode. It does seem as if her main motive for being the leader of GIFT and trying to liberate Digimon is due to wanting to bring back her older sister’s smile. Yes, it’s revealed that Miharu “had” an older sister. No, stop saying it’s Rose! It’s not! Their last names, age gap and height gap are too inconsistent for Rose to be Miharu’s sister. It’s unknown what happened to her sister, but it does put her in a somewhat sympathetic light and makes her situation a bit similar to Tomoro who fights to restore Asuka who has been Cold Hearted.
I do like that GIFT has been tracked down really quickly and the reveal of Miharu being the leader is already known and not dragged out for too long. In a way, this arc has shifted towards a villain group, antagonist group and the protagonist group clashing. The villain group is obviously GIFT. The antagonist group is Rose and Brilliant Thorns. The protagonist group is Glowing Dawn. Tomoro choosing to “side” with Miharu may be seen as dumb, but I think it’s in-character for Tomoro who doesn’t want to make assumptions and judgement just because of what someone told him. Besides, while Miharu may have orchestrated all these crazy acts of terrorism, I feel like Tomoro wants to see for himself on how terrifying she can be before deciding to oppose her. Besides, it’s not like Rose and Brilliant Thorns are trustworthy either. It’s a “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” sort of thing.
I know for a fact that the Hitomi glazers who theorized she’d get a sun-themed Digimon to parallel Tomoro’s moon theme are malding right about now. Since Asuka was the one who got compared to the sun, I do wonder if he’s the one who’ll get a sun-themed Digimon. Honestly, it does make sense as one way to write Asuka’s name does require the kanji ‘bright’ (明) which fits sunlight. Speaking of Asuka, yesterday (6/6) was his birthday!
There’s also a side plot with Reina getting injured and getting into a depressive slump because of it. She does seem aware that she’s the only one in the group who’s partner hasn’t reached Ultimate and it does seem to be concerning for her. Rose even called her a weed who can’t take Ultimate form. It’s harsh, but it’s something Reina needs right now. I do wonder what’s causing her to not be able to form a deeper bond with Pristimon to the point that she can achieve the next level. It does seem that something is blocking her path. I do like that Reina protects women a lot; she is for the girls.
Kishiwada having a water portal does raise some questions that will probably be answered in due time. I wonder what sort of water-themed Digimon he has for him to be able to create a portal like that. Anyways, let me know your thoughts on the episode!
It’s like all the gripes I had with the previous episode got washed away after I watched this episode. It’s just so good. If you weren’t keen on Anna Nagase as a voice actress before, I hope she’ll be on your radar now because she’s certainly on mine after this. I can’t stop thinking about this episode…
Why is it so good? Well, it showcases how Akane overcomes the issue of having to go after two great performances, but still blew everyone away without the need to be overshadowed. People were underestimating her since she’s some no name high schooler and she just blew everyone away. Akane learned that enunciation isn’t the key to Jugemu, but telling the story of a parent’s love for their child. This was why she had asked Masaki why she was named Akane; she learned that Toru was the one who named her as he thought about the vermillion sunset he saw when he first held her in his arms. It helped her learn that all parents give some thoughts to naming their child, which is how she was able to channel that same love into her performance.
Also, the reason why Shiguma wanted her to do Jugemu twice to win the competition is so that she’d have an understanding of character perspective. He definitely knows her well to know that she’s just try to charge straight in if he had given her direction. Because he gave her no direction after telling her to do Jugemu, this was why Akane had to do things she normally didn’t like asking the older apprentices for help and asking her teacher for book recommendations about the Edo period; she’s not much of a reader. Her performance is basically a culmination of everything she has learned up until now as well as her own talents for being able to pull it off. I did like that instead of going for the tragic ending that the original story had, she went with her own twist in that Jugemu managed to save himself from drowning because they were taking too long. It shows that she didn’t have to completely take in Koguma’s advice, but still took it and did her own twist on it.
The highlight was definitely listening to Anna Nagase, Akane’s voice actress, perform. She had to voice all the characters in the story from Jugemu to his parents to the monk and even the old lady. She does a great job making every one of them sound distinct. On top of that, she says Jugemu’s name at various speeds depending on where the story was. She said it slowly when the mother was playing with her infant son and then fast when Jugemu’s friend shows up and even faster when the father is worried about his son’s fate. I think my favorite part of the performance was learning about each part of Jugemu’s name and what they meant.
The fact that Ikken and Issho seemed to have figured out that she’s training under Shiguma really does hone in on her talents. Ikken, in particular, figured out who she learned rakugo from because of her vocal habits. It shows that he has a very keen eye. Issho seemed to have figured it out too, but I don’t think he knows she’s Shinta’s daughter.
Anyways, it was nice seeing Karashi getting absolutely humiliated by Akane after he underestimated her too much. I hope that this means he’s going to start taking rakugo seriously going forth. I do wonder if Hikaru is also going to keep on pursuing rakugo after this. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!
Pokemon Horizons Episode 139 Review - Can We Keep This Pink Blob? Pretty Please?
Hands down, this is the best episode of Wonder Voyage so far and possibly a top 10 episode of Horizons in general. For an anime that revolves around Pokemon, rarely do we get episodes that focus on the creatures themselves. This might be a hot take but I feel like the Pokemon in Horizons have much more personality than those in the Ash anime.
The fact that these Pokemon don’t talk human language, yet express themselves as if they can is honestly the biggest charm. I like the idea of the dialogue implications more than giving them actual dialogue. Body language does speak a lot louder than actual words, so props to the anime staff for this. The story for this episode is that the Pokemon in the Brave Olivine discover the stowaway Ditto and become so attached to it; however, overhearing the humans squabble about airship space caused them to assume that Ditto would be the same, so they try their best to protect their new friend. It’s basically an episode of kids who found a stray pet and try to hide it from their parents in a way.
I do like that while everyone develops an attachment towards Ditto, Meowscarada is the only one not keen on the idea as she’s a bit wary. Fortunately, the second half of the episode is mostly Meowscarada slowly warming up to Ditto as it helps her resolve the conflict of her accidentally throwing away the wooden Squawkabilly statue that Liko got as a gift from Diana. After she recovered the item from Alolan Muk, she and Ditto become best friends to the point that she steals him from Sableye every night so they can cuddle. That’s how you know they’re best friends.
I love that each of the Pokemon have such distinct personalities. Skeledirge and Lycanroc are gluttons, but they’re also very chill. However, Lycanroc does have a dislike for Tamato Berries that Murdock keeps trying to feed it because he’s gotten chonky—Murdock, you don’t understand the power chonky Lycanroc has over the masses. I wonder if Lycanroc’s dislike for the spicy berry a nod to how dogs can’t handle spice at all. Quaquaval also joins in the shenanigans as the voice of reason in a way where he’s mostly the one trying to keep the Ditto in check. The way he stuffed Ditto into Skeledirge’s mouth and then ran off carrying the 720 pound crocodile is just pure comedy.
The humans have their fair share of comedic moments such as Ult trying to bring in a stone twice his height onto the airship with Roy telling him to take it back where he got it from. There’s also Liko freaking out when Meowscarada was stretching her tail that was Ditto taking form of it and also her trying to stop her cat from trying to go inside Alolan Muk. I feel like I’d react the same way as Liko if I was in her position.
Anyways, a fun little trivia about the spotlighted Ditto. It’s voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi who voiced Katy in Horizons. In the Ash anime, she voiced Domino and several characters of the day like Callista in AG. However, there is one role that is of note: Duplica’s Ditto. Mitsuishi even points out in her Twitter account that it’s been around 30 years since she last voiced a Ditto in the anime, so she’s exciting to be voicing one again. I wonder if the casting was done on purpose. Speaking of which, it’s been exactly one year since Katy showed up in Horizons, and now she’s part of the crew as a Ditto. The animation staff feel as if they don’t want to let go of her just yet. I mean, if Sailor Moon was voicing a Ditto, I’d want to watch it too! Also, did you notice that Lucius was narrating the episode? It’s been a while since he narrated; the way he did it seem as if he was narrating a documentary or something. Though, Lucius’s voice actor Daisuke Namikawa is still active in Horizons as he voices Quaquaval.
I honestly can’t wait to see what more shenanigans Ditto will bring to the show now that it’s a permanent member of the airship. It does make me wonder how long it’ll take until Ditto meets its awaited trainer Navy. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!
