#ask poland

[polandspringz]

I noticed you reblogging a lot of tragic P5R art. You doing okay there, bud?

Yeah no big deal I'm just finally working on beating Royal

[ask-fem-poland]

I am bored, ask me anything!

[polandspringz]

Just wanted to drop here and say that I finished Lovely Complex and I am not saying it’s the superior og romcom anime but it is and i have never met a dumber couple and both of them are so dumb but I would die for them and in this essay I will-

GAHAHAH You had me scared for a minute because I read the "I am not saying-" and was like how but then I finished reading and YES IT IS!!!!

I first watched Lovely Complex back in 5th grade/2011ish, and it sounds corny but I actually remember the exact moment I saw it. My sister had an episode playing on her laptop while she straightened my hair the night before school, and I had watched anime before that, like Kimi Ni Todoke, Toradora, Kaichou wa Maid-sama, etc. but Lovely Complex was just different. It's actually the only anime I can say I've rewatched fully, at least five times. I know the entire soundtrack, I can mimic what the characters are about to do before they say/do it in an episode. I haven't done a full rewatch in a few years, but when I started to this month, I found that I still knew everything, and that's how deeply this series has been stuck in my brain, haha. (I forever think of the phrase "Bear Curry" and cry).

The anime covers so much per episode but yet somehow feels paced really well. Sure it moves fast, but the jokes are just as quick so it doesn't feel out of place. The way Koizumi and Otani's romance develops is done so well, I just love every story beat. The school festival, when she visits him while he's sick and the accidental kiss, her making him the snack for the basketball game and then falling asleep on his shoulder, THE FIREWORKS SCENE, the rush to the college exam, EVERYTHING. The only time I think the show dips is in the second cour when we have the love triangle going on with Koizumi's coworker because of a misunderstanding, but even in that drama I think some funny jokes come out of it (even if Otani is obviously hurt when he asks if she just goes after short guys).

It just makes me happy to see other people watch it is because the show is good. The biggest hurdles people have with getting into it I think is the comedy and the art style. The show is obviously very "loud" and although the jokes I feel are universal(?) I think it does have a very Japanese perspective on comedy, more slapstick- hell the whole show is built on the All Hanshin Kyoujin joke- which doesn't translate easily to beginners to anime. Also the art, although I love it, based on what my friends who failed to get into the show said, I think the reaction faces takes them too far out of the "pretty shoujo style" they like in romance anime. Which is part of why I really try to say that "I'll never drop/avoid a show because of the art style". I don't think its fair to discredit a great story just because you have stylistic preferences. Lovely Complex definitely leans more into the comedy than romance, which is why its art reflects that. The fashion in the show is also very Japanese 2000s, which I don't think a lot of people like either. Although for me, Risa deciding to become a stylist somewhat influenced me deciding to do fashion design at a young age.

I know for most people, their big three in early 2000s romance anime would probably be Kimi ni Todoke, Toradora, and then maybe Kamisama or Maid-sama as the third. However, I've always done my list with Lovely Complex in first place. It's somehow become very underrated in the present day anime community, and while it's definitely not a starter show (I have a whole separate essay just about how newcomers to anime from Tiktok are disliking shows because they're jumping into the new popular ones without being properly warmed up to them through older ones), it is one that I think everyone, especially if they like romance anime, should watch.

[polandspringz]

Have you checked out Ultraman as well? Or just Rider and Sentai?

I have checked out Ultraman! At least the 2019 animated version on Netflix, Primal had me watch that too- I just haven't watched season 2 yet.

[polandspringz]

I received a request for this fandom meme in the replies by @canterpolr​, so I’ll be answering these questions for The Vampire Dies in No Time & Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun!

-Blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): Ronaldo, it’s a shame that almost ALL the fics are Draluc angst because I want RONALDO angst; as for M!IK, who else is Blorbo in this case except for Iruma

-Scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): JOHN; Ronove Romiere, he’s not like any of the definitions except that I feel that he fits the sound of the word SCRUNKLY the most when I think of him, and maybe he fits the SO SHAPED part

-Scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Satetsu; Shax Lied (no one in this series is underrated I just like Shax)

-Glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week):

I don’t even know their name or if they ARE named, but this hunter with blue hair showed in some scenes I think about all the time

As for M!IK, probably Robin (I am attached to green color coded characters AND archers so Robin like checks all the boxes)

-Poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Draus; Asmodeus Alice

-Horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Draluc; Kalego Sensei (he doesn’t deserve it but I would do it)

-Eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Y-dan Ojisan; Kirio (his accent haunts my brain even NOW, but I DO like him as a character)

[polandspringz]

YO 12. animeys that should get more attention? (this may or may be not me also asking for recs lol)

THANK YOU FOR AN ASK! Alright I love that I'm already blanking on this when I spent 99% of my time yelling at my friends to watch things, lol. I'll do my best to give out good recommendations though!

(This is in no particular order)

1. The Duke of Death and His Black Maid

THIS SHOW. Okay so this is an anime that is airing this season (Summer 2021) that I didn't expect to like. It has a lot of what people consider "fanservice" but after reading most of the manga and seeing how the anime handles it, I don't really consider it to be "for the fans"? The plot is that the firstborn son of this rich family in a Victorian-like era has been cursed by a witch since he was a young boy that any organism he touches, even through fabric like gloves or clothes, will die. Because of this, he has been sentenced to living alone at a separate estate with only two servants, an old man who has been serving the family for generations, and the boy's childhood friend who is now his maid. It's a romantic comedy with a good focus on the actual mystery of it's story, trying to find the witch who cursed the boy nearly a decade later and get her/or find a way to undo it. The reason I brought up the fanservice issue before is that the story starts off with the Duke and his maid, Alice, already in a relationship, or having confessed their feelings, and since Alice knows she cannot touch the Duke, she likes to "tease" him from afar. Despite normally disliking shows where characters "flash" themselves, in this case I find that it is done with a purpose in this series as it helps shape the Duke and Alice's relationship. Don't get me wrong, sometimes there are scenes where I'm like "really? Did we need this?" but that's rare. The anime is CGI which is another reason I think people are staying away from it, but believe me, do not let the CGI discourage you. It does have some animation issues with its background characters, but the CG for the main characters combined with the backgrounds that look like they were storybook pages painted on a canvas make for a very enchanting world. The story of the Duke and Alice continues to surprise me and melt my heart and if you go and read through the manga since the anime likely won't adapt all of it, you are in for one very good, well thought out mystery involving witches and magic.

2. Servamp

This is sadly going to be another series where I'll say "go read the manga if you want more!" because it was a 12 episode adaption a few years ago so there is a SLIM chance of there being a season 2, but I don't think it's out of the question. (The anime aired in 2016 and the author went on hiatus in 2017 and it's a monthly series so releases are slow- I could see them doing another season when the manga finishes MAYBE???) Anyway- Servamp is a vampire manga published in a Shoujo magazine, however, despite the how it may look at first glance, I don't think anyone should be lumping this show into some title like "Tumblr Fangirl Fujoishi Bait" (I'm using this term because I'm mad that an anituber I like used it when talking about another vampire anime, Vanitas no Carte). Servamp DOES have an almost all male cast (the almost because the female characters don't appear until later or are side characters in the manga), but I truly feel like you could read this series and be able to enjoy it from a non-romantic relationship perspective, or at least a relationship without labels and just people who trust one another deeply.

Guess I should summarize now: This is a very trope heavy story in certain ways. Mahiru is a high schooler who just likes things "simple" and will repeat this theme throughout the story, but of course his simple life gets thrown out the window when he adopts a stray cat and names it, unaware that he has picked up a vampire, a SPECIAL type of vampire. Servamps are seven vampires all based off the seven deadly sins, and are essentially the "top" vampires or the origins of all other vampires (lesser ones are their subclasses), and are actually humanoid and only turn into their animal forms when in sunlight. Servamp stands for "Servant + Vampire", and this is because once they form a contract with a human, their "eve", they can drink their blood but have to obey their orders. In the story, this translates to Kuro, the Servamp of Sloth, being forced to help Mahiru with situations he would rather not deal with, such as a war between vampires when a mysterious 8th Servamp, Tsubaki, appears and starts causing chaos.

I may sound sarcastic, but I genuinely really like this series, so I feel like I can joke about it. What I've realized while re-reading the manga is that while the anime does rush through the plot (trying to cover as many things from each volume as it can) it seems like the anime chose to focus on the relationship between Kuro & Mahiru more than the mystery and fight with Tsubaki (which they knew in 12 episodes they couldn't cover/complete anyway since it was just starting). Kuro is the eldest Servamp and as you watch you learn he has the most sins on his shoulders, and his attitude of "it's too much of a pain" to get out of explaining anything to Mahiru or warning him about what he knows helps the story of course in that everything is a new surprise (like that there are people who can use magic in the world too, or that there is a neutral organization that has always existed between vampires and humans), but it also helps to build his character, acting as a wall he puts up to not face his past. And when I said this series is trope heavy, again do not take that as a negative. I always LOVE when I read a series and think "wow, this is such a common thing. I swear I've seen this EXACT story done before" but then realize I CANNOT think of what it may be copying, because the story I just read did everything perfectly/outdid any comparison. I don't know if it's in the anime or not, but Misono, the Eve of Lust, and his full character arc was perhaps my FAVORITE thing in the entire series.

Lastly, while Servamp doesn't stand out with it's paneling, as in its no CSM or WHA or HnK in making full use of it's panels to elevate its story into a higher art or something, the series does take advantage of its manga medium well. (I know this post is about anime but let me have this). And I think this is only something you will notice if you (obviously) read it and really are into it. The anime does a good job though adapting the unique art style of Strike Tanaka though, and I still love the ending theme and how all the Eves and Servamps dance, even if the animation isn't like Kekkai Sensen's ending, it's still charming and I go back and watch it to this day. Again, this is a vampire manga, but even though half the time there is one dude biting the other dude, it's not a focus of the series with close ups on characters like "reacting" to the bites or anything, so I think that's why the relationship with Kuro and Mahiru doesn't feel like it's being baited or anything. More often than not Kuro DOESN'T want to drink blood because it means he has to fight, which makes it a much easier read/watch than if you decided to put on something like Diabolik Lovers.

3. Barakamon

This is an anime that is SUPER close to my heart. I think the manga keeps going but this is a single cour anime that you can just consume and move on from, the story is wrapped up really nicely by the ending. I like to group this series into the category of “refreshing” or “healing” anime, and it’s definitely something to watch during the summer to get you into that mood of longing to live or move to an island (or just the Japanese countryside).

Barakamon is about a young calligrapher, Handa Seishu, who gets pissed about what the judge at the calligraphy competition said about his work and punched the guy. Due to the incident, his father forced Handa to move to a small village on a remote island in Japan so he could “cool his head”. While Handa is intent to do just that and focus on working on his next big calligraphy piece, he unfortunately has to deal with everyone on the island bothering him, on behalf of the fact that it is rare they get a “city boy” and also that all the children just find Handa the “cool adult” who is fun to tease. The series is mainly focused on Handa and his friendship with a child named Naru, who always is breaking into his house and then making him follow after her. Despite his initial annoyance, Handa ends up finding the inspiration he needs through his time on the island and the experiences he shares with all these characters.

This is a very relaxing series with comedic moments, but it is truly heartwarming and the music is AMAZING. The opening is still one of my top of all time, it actually helped me discover one of my favorite Japanese bands, and the ending is done in a beautiful watercolor animation style that compliments the emotion of the song so well. As a bonus, the children are voiced by actual children! (At least Naru is, I recall).

4. Natsume Yuujinchou/Natsume’s Book of Friends

Okay. So if you follow me you have seen me post about this anime. If Barakamon was an example of the “refreshing/healing” genre of anime then Natsume Yuujinchou is one of the poster children for it. If you like stories about yokai and Japanese folklore, this show has it. If you like stories where a kid has the ability to see said yokai/spirits and is orphaned and thus misunderstood and passed around through households and implied to have been abused/neglected until he finally ends up at the one place he can call home and must begin the slow healing process to learn to trust and let people help and care for him, then THIS IS THE SERIES FOR YOU.

I first heard about this series when it’s 6th season was airing. I believe I saw it listed in Anichart but because I hadn’t watched the other seasons yet, I ignored it. Then in school, a girl who found out I liked anime mentioned the title to me, but I didn’t recognize it. THEN, I watched the OVAs for The Ancient Magus Bride and saw the premiere of that anime in theaters, and sought out shows with a similar premise (character can see spirits and is orphaned, etc.) and saw Natsume Yuujinchou appear in the recommendations.

And now it is one of my favorite series of all time.

I basically summarized it before, lol. This is a very episodic “monster of the week” series following a high school boy, Natsume Takashi, who can see yokai and has lived his whole life tormented by them. He didn’t understand why until one day he discovers a notebook left behind by his grandmother, Natsume Reiko, which is full of names of yokai. Thus, Natsume discovers through the help of a lucky cat yokai, whose true form is a very powerful spirit, nicknamed Nyanko-Sensei, that Reiko took the names of all the yokai she beat and wrote them down, which would have given her power over all of them. Because she died without returning their names, all the yokai have been coming after Natsume mistaking HIM for his grandmother. The story focuses on each episode a new yokai comes to Natsume asking for their name back, or they enlist him in helping them on some task, like finding another spirit who they were separated from, or delivering a message to a human they loved. This is a series that I swear by as one that will “almost make you cry every episode, but never go far enough”. But that could have just been me- it certainly does feel less of a monster of the week anime when every episode you manage to connect with each new spirit to the point that you feel their sadness and anguish. This pain is doubled on episodes focused soley on Natsume’s past or how his foster parents, the Fujiwaras, came to learn about him, or how his friends managed to help him open up.

Like I said, as of right now, there are SIX seasons of this show. There are two movies, but only one is available to be found translated I think (thanks to wonderful people in this fandom). I’m certain with it’s popularity in Japan, and since the second film came out this year, it will probably get a seventh season or SOMETHING. Also, like Barakamon, this is a series that is known for it’s ending themes being animated in watercolor. Likewise, the music in this series is fantastic, but again, the main draw to me is the story of Natsume and just seeing him over the course of the show gain friends, learn to trust, and learn to not fear being sent away again or neglected anymore now that he lives with people who love him.

5. Mairimashita! Iruma-kun!/Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun!

Okay, this! So this is an anime with two seasons right now, and if it gets a third and fourth it will beat My Hero Academia’s Festival arc is all I will say about the manga. This is a show that at first glance you might have seen people say “oh it’s got Blue Deku”, but please believe me. Iruma is not just a copy of Deku from BNHA. He is a very well written character with his own struggles that are completely different from Deku.

This show is kind of an isekai? Only in technicality. The story follows Suzuki Iruma, Age 14 (fans of the series will realize I sound like I have the opening narration memorized from that). His entire life he was used by his parents to earn money, forced to do every odd job imaginable and barely in school or barely able to enjoy life. Despite this, he is a cheery, optimistic human who of course, is unable to say no. I say human because Iruma’s parents finally decide to just sell him to make money, and end up selling him to a demon, who instead of eating him or his soul, asks to adopt Iruma as his grandson so he can brag to his other older friends about him. Iruma accepts to escape the life and death situation and ends up enrolled in Babyls, the school that his grandfather is the chairman of. This series follows Iruma as he makes friends at school, learns how to just be a kid and that it’s okay to live and do what he wants (similar to Natsume but with a much more cheery filter over it, hiding the sad moments so your unsuspecting), and also the mystery about what happened to previous Demon King who went missing one day, and who is qualified to fill the throne (and isn’t there a mysterious legend about the next demon king coming from another world and making allies of everyone...?)

I joke about it being an isekai but it’s not really. It just is when you think about it, it falls into that category since Iruma does get “spirited away” in a sense. The real fun of this series is that no one can know Iruma is a human or they will eat him, and so he constantly must hide that, and as the series goes on we delve into more serious aspects of what being a human in the netherworld means, such as what the actually consequences would be if he was found out and returned to his world, and ideas that demons can be the most human, but sometimes humans can be the most evil or demon-like people of all. This is a series that is still relatively underground outside of Japan since it has not had an official English release yet and gets overshadowed heavily by BNHA, but DO NOT SLEEP ON IT. It is starting to rise quickly with season 2 finishing up it’s airing soon, and once it blows up I guarantee it will blow up.

Thank you for the ask! You can probably notice a trend across all my recommendations and see the type of stories I go for but I tried to recommend series that all have a different tone despite similarities, so I hope if you do check any of them out you find one you enjoy!

[polandspringz]

obey me

-blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): Mammon

-scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Barbatos

-scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Luke, if he's got a prominent role in an event I'm like WOOO LETS GO LITTLE ANGEL

-glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): Solomon, I've been infected with appreciation for him

-poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Belphegor, he's also blorbo and scrimblo bimblo BUT I go through a crisis DAILY feeling guilty for liking Belphie so he fits better here

-horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Beelzebub, he's not a favorite of mine and he's buff enough to withstand the plinko, so I think this is a win

-eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Diavolo, I'm so sorry Dia fans, I am incapable of loving him

[polandspringz]

The locked tomb

You are forcing me to try and remember everyone in Gideon the Ninth when it was one of the first books I read it forever so my reading comprehension was TERRIBLE. I will do my best-

-blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): Magnus

-scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Harrow

-scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Isaac or Jeannemary

-glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): Palamedes

-poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Gideon

-horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Palamedes

-eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Cytherea

(I know I still need to read the other books but I gotta reread Gideon the Ninth first so I can ACTUALLY REMEMBER things this time)