Thoughts on Darwin's Game

Spoilers ahead!

I accidentally got sucked into this one when I saw my brother watching it and then joined him. This is a new show that just came out this year, I usually don't watch shows that are still airing because I don't like waiting a week between episodes, but since I started this one I felt obligate to finish (and the premise is intriguing so I did actually want to know what happened!). There's this guy named Sudou Kaname that downloads an app called Darwin's Game (duh). He thinks it's a normal game, but it's a game where when you fight your life is on the line. Each player gets a special ability called a Sigil that helps them fight their battles. It's kind of your typical shounen where it's just a normal guy but somehow he's really strong and really cunning and manages to outsmart the best players, et cetera, et cetera. That doesn't necessarily bother me, but things just kind of felt too easy if that makes sense. The characters are okay, I don't hate them or anything but I'm not especially attached to any of them. There is a bit of a harem going on, it's more subtle than some other shows I've seen but it's there. What really bothers me though is that there are a couple characters that are infatuated with him very shortly after meeting him which is uncomfortable. So would I watch the second season? Maybe. I'm not opposed to it, but I don't find myself being excited for it either. Though I am curious with the bigger story about the game itself and why it started, so we'll see.

Thoughts on Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun)

I enjoyed this one a lot. This is actually my second time watching this, the last time was a few years ago maybe? It's a romantic comedy, but I would say it's definitely more on the comedy side with hints of romance. Sakura Chiyo has a crush on a guy who happens to be a manga-ka for a romance manga. When she confesses to him, he misunderstands and thinks she's a fan of his manga and recruits her to help out as an assistant (since she is in the art club). Hilarity ensues as we meet more of the characters and they get into different situations while doing research for the manga and other day-to-day stuff. I really do like all the characters, they're all so funny in their own way. Definitely would recommend this one! Hopefully there's a next season, but I'm probably going to read the manga now.

Thoughts on Death Parade

Another "review" on another anime. Premise seemed interesting--pairs of people die and go to a bar where an bartender/arbiter and his assistant makes them play a game so he can judge whether they get reincarnated or go to the void. The arbiter isn't a human but his assistant is, so it brings up some questions about ethics and existence which kind of gets addressed in the overarching plot. Each episode will usually show a pair of people being judged, with a mystery-like element where you try to figure out the characters' lives as you watch them play the game. There's more to it, but I think that covers the gist of what the series is about. I wouldn't recommend this for younger or squeamish audiences, as there are some violent scenes/situations (though I think the first episode depicted the most violence, so if you are okay with that one it's not as bad for the rest). The characters are likable, there isn't a ton of character development for most of them but they feel quite fleshed out in their design. Sometimes shows try to make all the characters look distinct (which is important for the most part), but it's done in a somewhat outrageous way that doesn't feel cohesive... I'm not sure how else to explain it. However, the character design here seems thoughtful and considered--except the human assistant's outfit, which had her midriff showing. It just didn't feel aligned with her personality, and was kind of fan service-y (but that was the only part of the show that felt like it could be fan service, which is still impressive in my book). Overall I enjoyed it, I would watch the next season if they ever make one. It's not based off of a manga or light novel so the ending was able to have some closure, though there's only so much you can do in 12 episodes. I will say that the intro song ("Flyers" by BRADIO) was catchy, I voluntarily watched the opening for every episode so I could listen to it.

Uhh not sure how to end this, that's all I have to say.

Edit (3/24/2020): added image

Thoughts on Haruchika

Minor spoilers ahead!

Just watched all 12 episodes today, I wanted to watch something light-hearted so I picked this. It's listed as mystery/slice-of-life/music which is basically a few of my favorite genres mashed together so I thought why not? It's about two childhood friends that are part of the brass music club that try and recruit more members and solve mysteries that pop up along the way. I would say mysteries make up the largest component of the show, followed by some slice-of-life and music moments. I would have liked the music to be a larger part of the show, since I like classical music, but it felt like you could switch out the brass music club to something else and it wouldn't be too different. As I watched the show, it kept reminding me of Hyouka with the school setting and solving mysteries. Although originally I thought the series would be more light-hearted, there were some deeper issues that were touched on such as suicide, loss of a loved one, and struggling with disabilities--but I'm not sure how realistic the depictions are as it kind of feels like everyone gets over their problems quite easily. There's a love triangle that I thought was progressive at first, but it made me feel a little uncomfortable that two minors have a crush on their adult teacher (though I get that this can happen innocently). It just didn't feel crucial to the plot of the story, though it drives some of the comedic bits in the show. The characters are quite likeable, though most of them don't really have fleshed out personalities besides one or two main traits. The ending felt a bit rushed and didn't feel like there was proper closure. I know this is based off of a light novel series, so I'm not sure if this was released before or after the series finished or not (actually I'm not even sure if the series is still ongoing). Overall, I think I enjoyed watching it, but I don't think it was amazing either.

Anyway, those are my thoughts about the show that I wanted to jot down quickly so they may not be organized well.

Edit (3/24/2020): added image

6 months ago...

 I. sunlight

 II. piano innards

 III. ivy

 IV. Manhattan bridge

V. my sister

Cloyster

I went to sleep.

I was bold, I spoke my mind.

I woke up.

I was shy again.

A Wild Sheep Chase

"I'm no expert on Farah Fawcett's nose," I said, taking a sip of wine. Then I forgot what I was about to say.

     - Haruki Murakami, A Wild Sheep Chase