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Double Points Anime Week 10: Poco’s Udon World (8/3-8/9)

There’s a specific type of anime out there that, for some reason, I absolutely can’t get enough of. Basically, they all go something like this: An adult man is making his way through life, doing his best, and all of a sudden there is some kind of change. And as a result of this change, the man suddenly finds himself with a child in his life that he takes some sort of responsibility in looking after. Or maybe he already has the kid, and the change just causes him to start putting in a lot more time into looking after the kid. Either way, the man has a lot of learning to do when it comes to taking care of the child, and thus begins a cute, sweet, slice-of-life story.

This the exact formula that shows like Barakamon, Usagi Drop, and Sweetness & Lightning all follow, and Poco’s Udon World is no different. So if you like any of those anime I’m sure you’ll enjoy this just as much.

After the death of his father, 30 year old Souta Tawara takes time out from his busy life as a web designer in Tokyo to visit his hometown in the countryside, where he grew up. More specifically, we goes to his father’s closed down Udon restaurant. Upon entering, Souta finds a young child asleep inside an iron pot - shoeless, hungry and covered in dirt. He goes to take the lost child to the police, but on his way there he discovers that the young one is actually a shape-shifting tanuki child!

Poco’s Udon World is one of those anime which are perfect to watch after a long and stressful day. It’s fun, heartwarming and very easy to watch. It doesn’t have much of a deep story, but each episode feels very cosy and just makes you happy. The happy moments leave you with a warm feeling, and the sad moments have just the right amount of emotion to tug on your heart strings without leaving you a wreck. Unless, of course, you’re like me and any amount of sadness has you in tears clutching onto the nearest teddy.

The anime is largely set in the countryside, which automatically gives it a special place in my heart as someone who grew up in a very small village in the middle of nowhere. And the depiction of the countryside in this show is really accurate and kind of gives me feelings of nostalgia honestly. The setting has so much life and atmosphere which could have easily been left out, but really adds to the feel of the show.

Also I’m completely obsessed with the opening song, so there’s that.

Poco’s Udon World is so full of joy and cuteness it’s hard not to fall for its charm. Even if you don’t normally go for this kinda show, give it a try anyway! I mean, how can you not love that face?

Poco’s Udon World’s 12 episodes are worth a double eight points this week, and can be found here.

-The Deity of Anime

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Double Points Anime Week 7: Doukyuusei (7/13-7/19)

Honestly I’m a little pressed for time this week so this may be shorter than my previous posts, but that in no way reflects my opinion of the movie. I love Doukyuusei and I wish I had the time to write about it in more depth.

Also, right off the bat, I want to just state that this movie is gay. Like, it’s super gay. Incredibly gay. If you aren’t a fan of cute gay boys being gay, you might want to give this one a pass (unless you want them sweet double points, of course).

Rihito Sajou and Hikaru Kusakabe are in the same class in school. Sajou is an honour student with excellent grades and Kusakabe plays guitar in a band. The class is practising for the upcoming chorus festival, and Kusakabe offers to help the struggling Sajou prepare. And from there... a cute and pure love story blossoms.

One of the things I love most about Doukyuusei is that Sajou and Kusakabe’s relationship is portrayed so realistically. It shows all of their fights and little spats and doesn’t pretend love is perfect, while making it very clear that despite this they both truly and very much like each other. Their interactions are also absolutely adorable, so there’s that.

The story is honestly pretty simple, it’s just a sweet love story between a couple of cute boys, and not much more. But it’s not trying to be anything more. It’s not overly complicated or deep, but it flows very smoothly and naturally and it feels complete.

Doukyuusei is wonderful and light and easy to watch. It doesn’t leave you feeling waves of emotion and it doesn’t touch on any serious topics, but it delivers an endearing story between two lovable classmates.

And there we have it! Cute gays being gay! What more could you even want, to be honest?

Doukyuusei is only an hour long and is worth a double 2 points this week! It can be found here.

-The Deity of Anime

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Double Points Anime Week 4: Wandering Son (6/22-6/28)

It’s pretty rare that transgenderism and gender dysphoria are portrayed as a main theme in media, and it’s even rarer for it to be done well. Too often these themes only show up in political works, and even when a piece of media does have transgender characters they are generally either tokens or are there purely for comic relief or as some form of spectacle. This, thankfully, is not the case with Wandering Son. This anime manages to avoid most, if not all, of the problems which so commonly plague media of its nature, and what it offers instead is a simple story which handles its themes seriously and understands that people are complex and not one-sided.

Shuichi Nitori is a young girl just starting middle school and everyone thinks she is cute, however much to her dismay she was born in a biologically male body, and only her closest friends know of her desire to be female. The rest of her class, teachers and family see her as an adorable, kinda-feminine boy. Shuichi’s close friend Yoshino has similar issues with gender, being born in a biologically female body but expressing wants to be a boy. These two friends share a similar secret and are able to find comfort and solace in each other, but things all start changing as they try to get used to a new school, new peers, and the ever-looming threat of growing up and their bodies beginning to change, all while trying to come to terms with exactly who they are.

Wandering Son tackles complex issues and it tackles them incredibly well for what it is. It doesn’t sugar-coat or romanticise the transgender experience, and it gets into the real nitty-gritty of transphobia and people’s opinions on things they see as different or strange. It can be honestly heartbreaking at times, but even among the people who won’t accept Shuichi as a girl not one of them is an entirely bad person, they each have different sides to their personality and their own reasons for thinking and acting the way they do. The show also doesn’t put the entirety of the attention towards Shuichi being transgender, each and every one of the characters has their own problems and stuff they need to figure out, and the story is largely about how these unique and imperfect characters interact and try to make their way through life. The final thing I would like to talk about here is the art style. The show’s art is very reminiscent of watercolour paintings and everything is very pastel and soft, I think it is so beautiful and it perfectly fits the simple and sweet nature of the story.

Wandering son is deep, heartwarming, and unafraid to tackle some difficult topics. Whether you are struggling with gender identity, have struggled with it in the past, or have never had to struggle with it, this show is absolutely worth watching and I believe everyone should be able to appreciate and gain from it.

Wandering Son is worth a double 8 points this week and can be found here.

-The Deity of Anime

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Double Points Anime Week 6: KonoSuba (7/5-7/12)

KonoSuba was one of my pleasant surprises of 2017. I had not seen the first season nor did I know anything about the show. As the Winter 2017 anime season started I noticed there was a lot of hype over the second season. It was always at the top of the “Most Popular” list on Crunchyroll. I figured I should check it out. And I’m very glad I did.

After dying a laughable and pathetic death on his way back from buying a game, high school student and recluse Kazuma Satou finds himself sitting before a beautiful but obnoxious goddess named Aqua. She provides the NEET with two options: continue on to heaven or reincarnate in every gamer's dream—a real fantasy world! Choosing to start a new life, Kazuma is quickly tasked with defeating a Demon King who is terrorizing villages. But before he goes, he can choose one item of any kind to aid him in his quest, and the future hero selects Aqua. But Kazuma has made a grave mistake—Aqua is completely useless!

Now, the thing about KonoSuba, is that it’s theme is mediocrity. All of the characters are mediocre or just plain awful. Even the animation is sloppy. The secret to KonoSuba is though...that’s what makes it so genius. The thing that isn’t mediocre? The humor. The humor is amazing. It is a goofball of a show that is over the top, but manages to execute its quirkiness in a way that's super hilarious.

The four main characters are all bad and shitty. But that’s what makes them good and enjoyable to watch. The show also constantly reminds you that they are most likely just going to stay shitty. It almost reminded me of Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where the humor comes out of the fact that the protagonists are just the worst humans.

Despite all of that, you do end up caring about them. And I will say that the the end themes to both seasons are exceptionally and surprisingly lovely. They depict an almost normal village life, completely at odds with the actual tone of the show. And it is wonderful.

This week both seasons of KonoSuba are worth a combined 16 points and can be found here.

- The Arbiter

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Double Points Anime Week 1: Princess Jellyfish (6/1-6/7)

Here we are again, with year four of Summer of Anime already upon us (can you believe it starts tomorrow?). Only this time I’m not competing, and instead am here to bring you the first double points anime of the year! A very important task if I do say so myself. I present you with Princess Jellyfish, an anime I first watched during year one of Summer of Anime, which quickly nestled its way into my heart and became one of my all-time favourite shows. It’s unique, charming, oodles of fun, and has a main character which, the first time I watched it, almost felt like the embodiment of myself in an anime. And while I am not quite as similar to the main character as I was three years ago, I still enjoy the show just as much as I did then.

Tsukimi Kurashita has had a fascination with jellyfish ever since her mother took her to the aquarium when she was a child, likening them to beautiful princess dresses. Now in her late teens, Tsukimi is still obsessed with jellyfish and is probably one of the most shy, nerdy girls you could meet, spending large portions of her free time drawing pictures of jellyfish. Not only that, but she is living in Tokyo in an apartment with five other reclusive women who are somehow even more nerdy than she is, with just as intense and obscure obsessions. Little did they know their life would be completely flipped around when Tsukimi has a chance meeting with one of the most beautiful, stylish women she has ever seen, who takes an interest in our main character and her otaku roommates. She is generous, good-willed, perhaps a little spoiled, and will introduce these women to an entirely new world outside of their protective little bubble. But what would happen if it turned out that this stylish woman was not a “woman” at all, but an androgynous boy with a passion for crossdressing?

One of the things that immediately stands out to me in this show are the character designs, especially those of Tsukimi’s roommates. They are each so unique and different, and they somehow match their personalities pretty much perfectly. But it’s not only their designs, the characters themselves are extremely varied and quite frankly hilarious, and it’s a pleasure to watch them interact with each other on screen. Their quirks and individual charms always leave me smiling and I always find myself rooting for them whenever they try to do something outside of their safe little comfort zones. And one of the most interesting and lovable characters is Kuranosuke, their ultra-fashionable crossdressing neighbour. He is a complete contrast to the rest of the main cast and it’s largely because of him that any change starts to happen within them at all.

Unlike other slice-of-life anime I’ve seen, Princess Jellyfish doesn’t fall into the trap of focusing so much on the romance that it leaves other elements of the story underdeveloped. While there is romance it isn’t the main aspect of the show, which really allows the other areas to shine. This is one of those shows which honestly gets me bent over with laughter, but the comedy never feels forced or unnatural. Its more serious themes of parental loss, social anxieties, and not-so perfect family relationships are handled well without taking away from the lighthearted feel of the show. Each episode is a joy to watch and there is never a dull moment; the series is so full of energy and charm it’s honestly hard to stop myself watching the whole thing in one sitting.

I honestly don’t know what else I can say about it, there is so much to this series that I just can’t express with words (though that might say more about me than it does the show). I urge you to watch it, it’s an absolute gem of an anime and is certainly worth your time.

Princess Jellyfish is worth a double 8 points this week and can be found here. You better be fast, though, because if you don’t finish it by the week’s end you’ll lose your chance to get any points for it at all!

-The Deity of Anime

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Double Points FINAL ANIME: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Until 9/16)

I’ve always tried to end the Summer of Anime with double points that have really resonated with me in some way. Our first Summer of Anime saw me pick BECK: Mongolia Chop Squad, my favorite anime and one that reminds me so much of my own youth. We followed this with AnoHana, a sad story that so encapsulates summer and last year we ended with Wings of Honnemaise, a wonderful movie I adore with its own glaring flaws to wrestle with. But this year, I get to wrap things up with what I’m sure most anime fans will know as an instant classic: Puella Magic Madoka Magica. I actually came to hear of Madoka from a friend of mine while both of us were going through rough patches in our lives and our bond deepened as I watched the series and became more enamored with its artful style and intelligently told story of love, loss, grief, hope and all the prism of emotions in between. Its a series that means a lot to me because it crystallizes a part of my life when I was experiencing so much of the things I saw on screen, trying to find out which direction my life would finally drift down. Thankfully my life is a lot better now, but I can’t help but be wistful for it now.

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki are two rather typical middle schoolk girls who come into contact with a mysterious being known as Kyubei, Kyubei offers them an amazing chance: to have one wish granted and become magical girls who fight witches. Though both hesitate, they are soon taken under the wing of experienced magical girl Mami, and scorned by the mysterious Homura Akemi for their desire to play along with Kyubei. All seems to lead to the roads of magic, but tragedy brings the larger world they have stepped into to the forefront.

I do not know what mad world we live in that has allowed anime to become so freaking gorgeous in the last decade but I am all for it. I don’t even have a really good frame of reference for describing Madoka visually, kind of like its a mix of Gankutsuo and the works of Kyoto Anime, this surreal dream world of shifting patterns and cartoonish designs mixed with moe tomfoolery. Whatever you want to describe it as, it is an absolute treat to look at. I always gravitate towards the scene where SPOILER ALERT Sayaka first becomes a magical girl and abttles her first witch for its brilliant use of shadow and light but there are so many more, with seemingly hand cut puppet images flashing about and bright contrasting colors flashing about. And somehow this all manages to tie together with a rather complex story thats rich with emotion, making it all the more powerful as you see it unfold. This is a series with a lot of heart and creative depth and I love it.

Beyond the spoiler alert above I don’t really have any desire to talk about the story of Madoka because of how important it is to see from a fresh perspective. Characters aren’t who we think they are and who we sympathize with and how changes throughout the series. Needles to say it brought me very close to tears by the end and how much you put into it can be doubled back when watched. Till the end of Summer of Anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica is worth a double eight points and can be found here.

- The Curator

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Double Points Anime Week 13: The Case of Hana & Alice (8/24-8/30)

This is it, my last double points pick for the year. Which is kind of sad, but also kind of happy because I love this movie and am pretty excited to talk about it! (Also, I’m starting Uni very soon so I probably wouldn’t have the time to make a post over the next couple weeks anyway).

This movie honestly took me completely by surprise. I had pretty much zero expectations going in, and I was still surprised. And once I got used to the slightly odd animation style, I was absolutely in love.

It’s... kind of hard to say exactly what the Case of Hana & Alice is about. Basically, Tetsuko Arisugawa, or “Alice”, has just moved house with her Mother and is transferring to a new school. At this new school she hears a rumour of a murder which took place one year earlier, in her classroom. The rumour says that “Judas was murdered by four other Judas,” and it’s looking like the only person who might have more insight into what happened is Hana, the strange girl who lives opposite Alice in what is known as the “Flower House”, which everyone seems to be afraid of.

Alice sneaks into the Flower House to meet Hana and hopefully ask her about the murder, and the two of them end up on an adventure to find out the truth behind the Judas case.

The things is, when you read a description of it, it makes it sound like it’s possibly quite dark. But that isn’t the case at all. It almost feels more like a slice-of-life or a comedy than a murder mystery movie, and the story is really simple and sweet and very enjoyable to watch. But the best thing about the movie isn’t the story, it’s the characters. Each character feels so real, the way they walk and talk and act just makes them feel so alive. They almost don’t seem like characters at all, but like actual teenagers.

One thing I will say about it, the animation style takes a little while to get used to. It’s very different from the typical anime style, and the characters are drawn very flat and basic compared to the detailed and beautiful backgrounds. But once you’ve had a few minutes to get used to it it’s actually really charming. I believe they used some rotoscoping in the movie which usually I don’t like, but it seems to work in this case because the characters feel so alive. It would almost seem weird for them to move like flat anime characters normally do.

If the animation style is putting you off watching this movie, please push through it for just a few minutes!! It’s so worth it, the movie is so good and it gives me all kinds of happy feelings.

This week, the Case of Hana & Alice is worth a double 2 points and can be found here!

-The Deity of Anime

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Double Points Anime Week 12: Future Diary (8/17-8/23)

I’m sure we can all call quite a few anime tropes to our heads. You know, the endemic stuff that seems to crop up in so many works and even permeates out a bit into larger popular culture. Whather its the weird obsession with panties or power levels or tsunderes, or what have you, we run across these sorts of things all the time. But Future Diary is its own font of anime tropes, most notably one that seems to find its root or at least its popularity within its text: the yandere. The yandere is similar to the tsundere, loving the main character but instead of passing this off as disdain, instead is a violent, psychotic mess who will do anything to protect their love. I remember this cropping up in Higurashi at times and perhaps even School Days but Future DIary’s Yuno has become such a shining example of the trope that I marvel at the fascination it has wrought. What is it about someone who is willing to literally love someone to death that has drawn so much interest and seen itself become a stronger trope as time went along? Aside from Future Diary being very very good, I don’t have a strong answer but Yuno’s legacy lives on.

High school student Yuki Amano is a boy with his head in the clouds, spending all his time writing things on his cell phone and talking with his imaginary friend Deus, the God of Time and Space. But Deus, to Yuki’s chagrin, is quite real and bored of his existence as a God has chosen to host a special game, pitting twelve people against one another with only their cell phones’ particular prophetic powers to guide them into killing the other players. However, another player, Yuno Gasai has a deeply vested interest in Yuki and begins to stalk him as the game explosively erupts around them. Yuki’s diary of future events is his only lead out as danger closes in around him.

I’ve also been surprised how prevalent survival games have become in anime, with seemingly dozens cropping up all around the same time. But Future Diary remains far and away my favorite, having the right combination of dire psychological horror and odd whimsy to it. While the stakes are always raised so high for the characters, the ease at which the events unfold leads to a lot of comedy, unintentional and otherwise, making it feel more natural that someone as hapless as Yuki could continue on. While I discussed Yuno above, she is a big reason why the anime is so memorable, both pulling Yuki along and finding a humanizing element to make the decisions made in it make more sense. Right around the time this contest started for the first time, I saw Future Diary and was so enamored with it because it feels like the most perfect sense of tension, rising and falling, characters weaving in and out, life and death on the line and the game so clear and yet so unpredictable. We may be biased to think a protagonist will win by dint of them being our viewpoint, but so many of the twists and turns were more than I expected.

My absolute favorite contestant though is the Twelfth who I found so amusing as a weird, superhero like character who is clearly insane but not really wrong in thinking about having a moral high ground, as none of the characters are really in the right. That’s the hallmark of a good series I think, making us think more deeply about whether someone really is as good as they say and the shades of gray run deep in Future Diary. This week, Future Diary and its two seasons are worth a double sixteen points and can be found here.