The Scoreboard: The Twelve Kingdoms

As everybody else on this planet, I have an opinion. As many people do too, I like to write about it. Share it generously. And I am excellent at keeping score (mentally), so I will try tallying up my fondness of things according to balance.

The Twelve Kingdoms

As much as I like epic stories, I tend to not always have the patience for them. I prefer to know there’s an end, that I’m not left wanting more when I don’t know it’s available or going to come at all. This is why I tend not to watch longer anime series. However, I may make an exception if they’re already finished and highly rated.

Additionally, a period of sickness may allow me to breeze through the episodes as the binge watching that I generally abhor. But I must confess after finishing The Twelve Kingdoms that I do think parts of it are best consumed at once.

Stories about normal, possibly unhappy, people getting transported to a fantasy world where they have to grapple with new purpose and responsibilities have become really popular in anime over the past 15 years. Called isekai in Japanese, literally meaning different world, it’s a genre that I’m slightly hesitant about. Of course, nothing is more attractive than a premise that any of us may one day be swept away and turn out to be destined for something bigger than we could have ever imagined, but I can tend to struggle with these stories if I cannot sufficiently sympathize with the main character on its new journey.

And I did have some trepidation after the first few episodes if Nakajima Youko would be bearable as a heroine. She’s a serious, smart but also very obedient high school student who is suddenly attacked and then transported to another world with Twelve Kingdoms, based on ancient China. She accidentally involves two classmates as well in her adventure, one who’s always had a dream she would be a ‘chosen one’ and another who’d much rather return to his comfortable life alone. Youko meanwhile learns to stand up for herself, face fears and difficult choices, and quickly enough becomes a heroine you can actually root for.

The series seems to have adapted most of the main storylines contained in the original light novels. This means there’s basically 4 different parts with partly overlapping characters, but mainly independent storylines. The parts about Youko take up the bulk of the series. The beginning which shows all of her trials and the revelation that she’s a queen of one of the kingdoms, and a middle section which shows her quelling an uprising shortly after ascending the throne. The other parts are much shorter and deal with other rulers.

The world of The Twelve Kingdoms is rich and dense. It’s clearly based on ancient Chinese civilization, although the writing is not all existing Chinese characters, with a highly stratified hierarchy and a Heaven that decides it all. Rulers of the kingdoms are chosen by auspicious, mythical creatures called kirin. If a ruler starts to enact policies that are not beneficial to its kingdom, the kirin will get sick and eventually die, leading to the death of the ruler as well. Then a new kirin will be born who will choose a new ruler.

It’s a bit of a pity that the kirin look more like a dog-unicorn hybrid than the legendary hooved chimerical creature it actually is with a dragon’s head. But the show has a nice, albeit dated, look to it and clearly depicts the different kingdoms. Instead of being all about grandiose battles and adventures, the series is mostly interested in political scheming and human interactions. This sets it apart from many other entries in the genre and makes for an interesting perspective on the world, although it does move at an uneven pace sometimes.

It also feels like the story could have benefitted from some more room to breathe, especially the two shorter parts of which one just ends without any resolution. It seems that the continuation of that story happened long after the series was finished and the cop-out was unintended, but it’s still quite frustrating.

All the same, The Twelve Kingdoms sweeps you off of your feet to a different world and time, offering a rich and immersive experience. I rate it, not as deadly as becoming a courtesane to the royal court and much more enjoyable to watch.

The Scoreboard: Hyouka

Hyouka

As a woman in her thirties, middle school feels very far away. It’s like a mystical time when life was easy and problems small. This is something the main character of Hyouka, Houtarou Oreki certainly strives for. Do the least possible, don’t get involved, don’t exert yourself. This plan is thwarted when he’s forced by his (mostly) absent sister to register for the Classics Club where he mentions his polar opposite, classmate Chitanda Eru who has an innate curiosity towards many things.

Houtarou is only an average student, but his mind is nimble and connects dots that are invisible to others. Chitanda on the other hand is a top student, booksmart and curious but finds it difficult to think outside the box. This duo is expanded by two of Hourtarou’s other friends Satoshi Fukube and Mayaka Ibara who have their own quirks and personalities.

The character writing is very strong for Hyouka. Although they adhere to certain archetypes, the unbothered boy who doesn’t want to put effort into anything, the smart and pretty girl who needs help figuring out something, the reliable friend who is always cheering on others, another childhood friend with a crush and a headstrong personality to push others around a bit, they contain multitudes.

Over the course of the series, the Classics Club has different mysteries to ponder, from a family matter to a movie script, from personal spats and insecurities to historical research. Im the stories, different classmates are introduced that also have distinct personalities, making the school and town feel alive.

Although it can be a bit irritating that only Houtarou is able to figure out all the mysteries, the other characters don’t just serve to show his ingenuity. They add their own perspectives and help Houtarou out in multiple ways. Although it seems Chitanda sometimes pokes her nose too much in other people’s businesses, it doesn’t cause active harm and seems to stem more from the fact that she was raised in a very restricted, elitary environment, which makes her very curious about the outside world.

All in all, Hyouka offers good writing, inttriguing mysteries and above all good character writing. I rate it no mystery that’s good and a mystery that there’s not more.

The Scoreboard: Tsurune

Tsurune

Archery is something that is one hundred percent something I’d much rather watch than do. The whole precision and patience that is seemingly needed to do well in the sport doesn’t suit me at all. But watching cute boys doing all of that, suits me just fine.

Tsurune is a 2-season series about the Kazemai archery club, which has 5 male members, 3 female members and 2 coaches. The story follows familiar beats, but covers them in new ways.

Protagonist Minato Narumiya is feeling down ever since his target panic caused his former middle school archery team to lose a pivotal competition. His best friend Seiya Takehaya tries to get him back into archery again, following him to Kazemai instead of prestigious Kirisaki High School that’s well-known for its archery club.

A chance encounter with an extraordinary archer leads him back to the range and the Kazemai club is completed by Ryouhei Yamanouchi, another childhood friend of Minato and Seiya, and the duo Kaito Onogi and Nanao Kisaragi.

The boys have a nice dynamic going on, that builds off of archetypes but builds the boys into full characters of their own. Minato learns to reign in his earnestness and harness its power, Seiya learns to become more of his own person and not just a chaperone, Ryouhei gains more confidence in the power of hard work, Nanao learns that he can work hard for some things and Kaito learns to let his caring side shine behind his intimidating attitude.

Besides our underdogs, there’s also the team of favorites at Kirisaki, and a third team of misfits from Tsujimine appears in the second season. The interactions between all these boys are often subtle and indirect, but it generally doesn’t frustrate since you get a look inside their heads as well. Moreover, the chemistry between different members, rivals and antagonists generally works very well, although it can veer into the too dramatic from time to time.

The series also looks gorgeous. Tsurune refers to the sound of an arrow leaving the bow, heading towards the target. It’s clear the soundscape got a lot of love and research, with different ‘tsurune’ for each character. Although archery is a relatively static sport, seemingly equal parts ceremony and action, the series succeeds in making it interesting and gripping. By visualizing team dynamics during the competition, and focusing on details while shooting, you get a sense of importance about the whole thing.

Thus, if you like cute boys being serious about sports, this is a series to watch. I rate it would only watch, never do, but still very enjoyable.

The Scoreboard: Sasaki and Miyano

Sasaki and Miyano

High school, first love and boys. Boys that fall in love and to fall in love with. This is one of the sweetest boy’s love series I have watched in a while. It is filled with angst (a right amount!), pining and lots of blushing.

The titular characters both go to the same high school. Sasaki is a tall, delinquent-looking, orange-dyed guy who breaks up a fight that Miyano, a short, wide-eyed, tousled-hair boy saw and wanted to interfere in. For Sasaki it is basically love at first sight, Miyano is too flustered by the heroicism that Sasaki displays to feel nothing but awe for him.

Over the course of the series we meet friends on both sides, always refreshing to see main characters interact with others besides their love interest, and follow both of them developing feelings for each other, admitting and accepting them.

This love story serves as kind of a parallel to Miyano’s interest in boy’s love manga. This is the first connection Sasaki makes with him and it is an important one since they immediately share some common ground and then develop a solid friendship on top of that. The genre also plays a role in Miyano’s own development, influencing his perception of masculinity and love. The designs of both guys reinforce this as well, with Sasaki being the traditional gorgeous guy, and Miyano having big sparkly eyes and softer features. Sometimes it seems a bit too extreme, but generally it serves the purpose well.

The other characters are also fleshed out quite well, especially blond-haired and slightly hypocritical but caring Hirano. Kusekawa, Miyano’s friend is slightly too obsessed with his girlfriend but in a seemingly healthy enough way. Ogesawara has some prejudices and difficult temperament but means well and just seems taken aback by his girlfriend’s interest in boy’s love.

The series fleshes out both Sasaki and Miyano’s perspectives but it moves at a slow pace. This is a romance slowly unfolding, carefully and taking its time to build up to the final moment. And it was great, making me rub my feet together as I saw it.

If you like your romances slow-burning, with plenty of sugar and hot guys, then this is a high recommendation. I rate it ideal for beginning and more mature fujoshi and fudanshi who want their romance without any coercion.

The Scoreboard: Wotakoi

Wotakoi

Fandom, an attitude that the Japanese perfected in the otaku, a probably too obsessed fan of manga and/or anime as well as any related media and materials. I have only ever described myself as a very mild otaku but I can relate very well to the premise of the main character’s insistence of trying to hide her obsession for her co-workers to fit in better.

I also appreciate the series for letting the cat out of the bag rather quickly and going beyond its initial premise. Her co-worker is an old school friend from her otaku days, and her senior female colleague and his manager date, with her being a well-known cross-dresser. The main quartet makes for a fun mix, eventually throwing a younger brother with an extremely shy gamer girl into the mix.

The main issue preventing this series from ever turning into love from like, was its lack of chemistry between the main characters. Narumi and Hirotaka work well as friends and even their prsgmatic start to their relationship is believable. However, the time spent afterwards is mainly on antics and not on further building out its romance. In that respect, the other couples both fare better, although Hanako and Kabakura could have used a bit more sweetness to balance all of the (joke) fighting. Naoya’s romance doesn’t getfully fleshed out either, so though it has potential it does not show it fully during the series.

The humor is fun and the pace breezy, but it did not become full-out laughter at any moment for me. I had some good chuckles, but it hinges a bit too much on the characters being quite one-note.

All in all, it was still a petfectly fine watch if you are looking for something easy-going that does not make you think too much. I rate it a watch with your otaku friend to gush about your own experiences while watching.

The Scoreboard: My New Boss is Goofy

My New Boss is Goofy

The workplace, this seemingly mythical location as a child and a place of great pain and dread for many adults. The premise of this series is probably not uncommon in Japan, an abusive boss with unreasonable demands that the main character escapes out of absolute necessity. Fate directs Momose to another agency that made an absolutely awe-inspiring advertisement where he meets his new manager Shirosaki. Trying to hide his insecurities, physical discomfort and plain fear, Momose assumes the worst but is immediately endeared and reassured when his new boss turns out to be absent-minded, clumsy but most of all caring and capable.

The work relationship quickly morphs into a friendship, and the department head Aoyama and new colleague Kinjo are quickly added to the crew. Although the latter two serve more as comedic characters, the four together have great chemistry and balance. Ultimately, the show focuses on Momose’s journey to getting back his trust, confidence and believing in himself. Although Shirosaki’s absent-mindedness seems almost at odds with his competence at work, this contrast works great to emphasize why his behavior as a manager is almost entirely devoid of any of the toxicity and power play Momose’s previous boss treated him to.

Most of the episode’s are one-offs, although there are a few longer storylines weaved throughout the series. We learn a bit more about Momose and especially Shirosaki’s background, who has an equally handsome and absent-minded brother. Basically all of the characters are male, with Shirosaki’s granny influencer and some female co-workers who think up romantic storylines between Shirosaki and Momose being the only exceptions, and girlfriends are eerily absent for all four men.

There are many puns and cute visual gags, for example the fact that Shirosaki rarely shows emotion and communicates his feelings through little drawings. But Aoyama’s neediness is on the verge of nagging and wear a bit thin after the first few times. I also cannot help but imagine that I would go crazy if I lived together with someone, worked with them and then hung out as well during the weekend. Even though it is good to see four male adults having friends and communicating directly, the absence of any disagreements or disputes is incredulous at certain points.

Although the show can veer a bit too much on its ‘healing’ content, a few longer overarching storylines could have provided more insight into the characters and fleshed out Aoyama and Kinjo a bit more, it does what it sets out to do very well. If you had a long day and want some relaxation, a few laughs and imagine four handsome guys hanging out together on a daily basis, this is a great show. I rate it a great workplace to be and also look at.

The Scoreboard: Look Back

Look Back

I’ve always admired a passion that people can have in certain activities. Generally, I’m quite cerebreal when moving through life and it is an amazing feat to me when someone seems to be able to lose themselves in the moment and think singlemindedly about one thing. Such a passion and drive are at the heart of this films.

This is a surprisingly short film, but it packs quite the punch. Starting from a compelling premise, Fujino is being praised for rather mediocre art until Kyomoto’s more impressive creations come along which bruises her ego and almost wants to make her give up. It is only after accidentally being saddled with the task of bringing Kyomoto her diploma that she realizes how much work goes into her craft. And also how much of a need to draw Kyomoto has. Of course it also helps that Kyomoto confesses to be her biggest fan after daring to come out.

This transition from indignation to cynicism, being flattered and then driven to improve is portrayed very compellingly. We see Fujino and Kyomoto hunched over a lot, but the process somehow still feels dynamic. We see them working and growing together, and then separating again by choosing different paths and then one getting cut off.

The ending makes the whole film even more bittersweet, showing an alternative storyline, but with the same need for both of them to create and draw. It is a testament to the innateness of certain things. Regardless of circumstances, there are things that will always matter to you and thus always be done, albeit in a different matter.

And although that may almost seem slightly fatalistic, it also provides some comfort. That you can trust on your needs and have faith in your ways to get them realized. It is a way of celebrating the joy you can have when allowing yourself to be in the moment of satisfaction. Even if it is something that you can only see in hindsight, that does not diminish its value.

I rate it a highly emotional movie that will leave you raring to create something as soon as you finished it.

Asia is a country after all

Two questions popped up when I read about budget cuts for universities and how Leiden University is planning to cut costs: How is it possible to even consider merging all these specialized language studies in bigger regional programs? Would they even consider this for any STEM programs? But first, some context about my experience studying Chinastudies in Leiden.

Although I get asked from time to time if I am a student, that time is long gone. And looking at the recent developments and policy proposals in the education sector, I am happy to be done (for now). At the same time, it is a pretty wild idea that there seem to be people working to not improve our education system. Why is that?

Being adopted and going to China at quite a young age, I already knew for a while before going to university that I wanted to study Chinese. Starting in the year after China hosted the Olympic Games, Chinastudies offered a new window onto China and many others on the region as well. Coming from a small city in Limburg, it was the start of seeing more people like me and getting talked to in English. It was the start of uncovering a history, culture and language that felt foreign but eventually became familiar. It was the start of imagining a life beyond the Netherlands and actually blending into a different environment.

During my studies, I would often get the question of what work I wanted to do afterwards. The suggestions mostly were translator or teacher. I understand that there are some studies which train you for a specific job, but the beauty of humanities is that it offers skills that can be useful in a wide range of job fields and positions. That does not mean I did not struggle with finding work, or that I think this aspect could be better incorporated in the curriculum, but it seems these are not the more practical matters that universities want to focus on.

Recently, I listened to a podcast that described Just-In-Time production, which in modern marketing terms would be called ‘lean’. It basically means that factories only produce as much as they need and keep inventory as low as possible. This means the entire output is customer- or demand-driven, which seems to be a system that Leiden University wants to follow as well. Why offer academic programs that nobody wants to study? Why not shrink the number of staff to just the bare minimum? Why focus on the quality of a program instead of the money it generates?

The ignorance that Leiden University’s management shows by even considering to merge so many different humanities programs, is outright insulting. It is a clear case of undervaluing the worth that academic language and culture programs provide and purely looking at cost-effectiveness. Why try to pretend otherwise?

When I was living in China, or travelling in the country nowadays, I realized many Chinese do not know the Netherlands exist. Admittedly, it does not help that the Chinese name for the Netherlands sounds a lot like a province (Helan vs Henan) and I do not like Dutch either. But adding Europe would often elicit some nodding and affirmative noises. “Ah I see, it is in Europe”, was the general feeling I got. “Ah I see, it is in Asia”, is the general feeling I now get from Leiden University’s management.

The Scoreboard: A Sign of Affection

A Sign of Affection

Love is one of the most universal topics and I am a sucker for a sweet romance. This anime has heaps of sugar, many pastel-colored backgrounds, twinkling eyes, but it somehow manages to not go totally overboard with its elements.

The main character is Yuki, a sweet, timid deaf girl who’s just entered college. By the way, I am also a sucker for college romance. My very first anime series and one of my all time favorites is Honey and Clover, set in an art college. This college is more nondescript, but it is always nice to have more mature characters at the heart of a story.

Yuki takes the train one day and is asked something out of the blue by an enthusiastic stranger. She signs that she cannot hear, but he does not seem to notice. Before things get too awkward though, a young man gently intervenes and helps the stranger out.

It is a typical meet cute, heroine gets rescued by her hero. And for a series so romance-focused, things happen surprisingly drama-free. For the main romance, that is a good thing since it shows Yuki building trust with Itsuomi, him being fortright about putting effort into learning sign language for her sake, and both clearing up misunderstandings swiftly and enjoying to spend time together.

There is a bit more drama involved with the secondary characters, especially Yuki’s overbearing and overprotective childhood friend Oushi and Itsuomi’s high school friends/love triangle Shin and Emma. Although this provides some meat to the plot, and in Oushi’s case some actual growth, Shin and Emma’s case ties up a bit too quickly for all the setup that was done.

The other romance between Yuki’s friend Rin and Itsuomi’s cousin Kyoya also does not really get enough time to fully flesh out the development from friendship to romance. Both are nice characters, feeling are involved, but there is no episode reserved for their plotline.it honestly feels like a missed opportunity because Rin as a popular girl and Kyoya as a weary date-avoidant guy seem to have some interesting backstories.

Although I really enjoyed the series as is, I do think it would have benefitted from some extra episodes. Not only because the main couple is hella cute and it would surely be enjoyable to spend more time with them, possibly allowing for Yuki to be less tense with Itsuomi as well (yes I love me some smut), not only to flesh out the secondary characters more, but to also highlight Yuki’s experience as a deaf person in Japanese society more. We do not see her taking any classes, she does not reminisce a lot about the past, we do not know a lot about her fanily or why they did not learn sign language and although she gets a part-time job, we never see how it goes for her. These would all have been very relevant topics that could also naturally develop the bond between Yuki and Itsuomi.

Although it may seem the series came up short, I would say that is only the case since it was so enjoyable. I wanted to explore, learn and see more. Alas, maybe I will pick up the manga or a second season could be made.

I rate it very sweet and nice, good to watch if you want to reminisce about your first, current or future lover.

The Scoreboard: Suzume

Suzume no Tojimari

There are not a lot of directors that I have seen all works from. Obviously, this is a bit easier the shorter the list gets, and Makoto Shinkai is one that does not constantly churn out new films. Still, I have not seen all of his films but definitely the majority of it. And like most other people, I was really touched by Your Name. But I also remember really liking 5 Centimeters per Second and Voices from a Distant Star.

His stories often focus on couples, in the prime of their teenage years, juggling change and difficult decisions. His visuals also have a very particular, crisp and bright look about them. They have the digital enhancement and cleanliness to them, without losing character.

For the most part, Suzume looks gorgeous as well. The landscapes are vibrant and dynamic, and places recognizable, especially as she moves throughout the country. However, I tend to not really like too much spunk in my heroines, and especially at the beginning Suzume exhibits quite a bit of it. It is a bit at odd as well with her stoicness and distant friendliness to her aunt. Also, although the boy is gorgeous, the love story feels a bit shoehorned in. It is the traditional love at first sight from her end, and even though they end up travelling together and getting to know each other quite a bit, it feels weird when a college student seems to get a crush on a high school girl.

Another thing this film suffers from, is the density of its lore. The world is fleshed out quite quickly, there are doors to other dimensions that need to be closed in order to let the worms under Japan not consume the country, but not much is told otherwise. Not about the family line of Souta that has closed doors since ancient times. Not about the escape and wish of the cat who served as the keystone to keep the door closed. Not really about Suzume’s family history beyond her mother tragically dying during an earthquake and her aunt not getting through to her. Not about the magic that turns Souta into a chair and almost prevents him from returning back to his human self. There is so much more to explore which could have helped take the story to another level.

As it stands, there is still a lot to enjoy but I felt myself wanting more when watching it. Because the premise is so intriguing and the basic worldbuilding done quite well, I wanted to delve more into the characters, their motivations and backgrounds. Also, the gimmick of seeing Suzume walk around with a broken chair is quite funny, but gets a bit stale by the end. And Souta is very handsome of course, so I would not have minded seeing more of his face as well.

I rate it nice and heartfelt, lacking a bit to give it that extra punch.