The Scoreboard: Wotakoi

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.

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: 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.

The Scoreboard: Cherry Magic!

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!

When I started watching this one, I simply wanted a nice, sweet and short series to bingewatch. Lately, I have been getting back into watching anime again. But it feels like I need to watch a show with adult characters as the main focus, to not get too swept up in some of the immaturity that younger characters display.

Although the heyday of my ‘rotten girl’ period has passed, I do love me some boys love content. I do not know exactly which scratch it itches, but somehow an unfolding romance between two male characters has something special. I think because it is more unexpected for the characters, and that is a fun element to play with.

Another fun element that this anime plays with, is the idea that you get a magic power if you are 30 and still a virgin. You will be able to read the thoughts of anybody touching you. Our main character, Kiyoshi Adachi is of course quite taken aback by this. The anime delves right into his first moments with his new power, how it makes some things more difficult or unpleasant for him, but most importantly it quickly gets to the gist of things: he finds out his colleague Yuichi Kurosawa secretly likes him. And that is a big deal, because this guy is the star of the office. He is perfect in all regards, smart and beautiful, the one everybody wants to be with.

I really liked the pace of this series. It quickly provides exposition for the main characters and the situation they find themselves in. And also afterwards it continues in this breezy manner. We see Adachi grappling with the disconnect between Kurosawa’s behavior and his inner thoughts he can grasp. Even with this much inner dialogue being revealed, reactions remain believable and the matureness of characters in this dramatic setup is refreshing.

The B plot, though entertaining, does not hit as hard. It feels like the premise between the two characters is not as sweet, and both behave a bit more like the standard anime archetypes: mature shy guy and a tsundere in this case. At the same time, the plot does tie in nicely with the main one while adding some valuable context and depth.

I also enjoyed the side characters, especially the other ‘rotten girl’ colleague. I am a bit sad that the misunderstanding was not revealed, Adachi assuming she liked him whereas instead she likes imagining him together with Kurosawa, but it is a fun addition. The other colleague almost verges on the border of being annoying, but him bringing out Kurosawa’s pettiness when vying for Adachi’s attention is fun to watch.

All in all, this is a fun little series to watch in a weekend. It has a nice pace, a clear story to tell, and characters who know what they want fairly quickly. It looks decent, although characters do seem a bit off most of the time and animation can look a bit stilted. It is a shame since some key moments are animated very beautifully, which highlights the difference with its usual look. I also had to get used a bit to the style in the beginning, it seemed like the characters were perpetually tired with the lines under their eyes. Something not unimaginable from salarymen in their early thirties.

I rate it a very good time if you like romance, especially if you are already or on the path to become a rotten girl.

When do you like to do your reading?

Recently, I started to read the Dune books after I watched the second film and found myself sort of falling in love with reading again. This feeling that you do not want to put a book down and cannot wait to read what is going to happen next. As it happened, this renewed reading streak happened right at the start of my holiday, which made any transit or waiting time a bit easier.

It started at the airport, where much waiting was happening. There is no better way to train your concentration then trying to read while there are tons of families keeping their kids happy, airport staff zooming in between with carts and coffee, anouncements on which flights are delayed and all types of chatter about the flight destination and the supposed weather there.

Then, taking a budget flight there was no in-flight entertainment, I read on with my forehead comfortable against the seat in front of me. It even makes you forget the whole agony about placing you arm somewhere if you have the middle seat. It also makes you less susceptible to noticing the flight attendants walking by with all their wares to sell, which is especially necessary when it is edible stuff they have.

Arriving at the destination I was lucky enough to take the train and could read to my heart’s content. Afterwards, there would be more car rides with limited reading time since I get carsick quite easily and we would be in the mountains as well. Also, the space in the train was quite cramped so it mostly, but not entirely prevented my limbs from flailing around too much.

The rest of the time, any waiting time was gladly filled with reading a few pages to the next chapter. After the holiday, I read on the train and also before sleeping, trying to make it part of my more common routine. Sometimes, I feel drained reading so much news or information at work, and delving into a book can really uplift, even if you basically do the same thing. Bonus point, if you do it on your phone, you can also feel slightly better about the reason being glued to your device.