| ANIME MOVIE - A Whisker Away |

SYNOPSIS: The story about how Muge was able to get closer to her crush by transforming into a cat.

GENRE: Drama, Romance, Fantasy

RATING: 6/10

"The feelings of others are a mystery to us. You shouldn't assume you have someone figured out."

The story was okay, but something about it felt unoriginal. I can't pinpoint what it reminds me of, but the feelings it gave me felt familiar. I enjoyed the first half of the film. The feeling of having a hard time living your life when terrible things happen a lot was relatable. The decision to become a cat, which is free from troubles, is something probably most of us want. Running away from your problems is easier. However, the latter half made me angry. The way the story came together felt like random scenes were just put up together, and the motivations of the characters, mainly Muge's, was terrible. There was also a lack of backstories to solidify the situation and actions of the characters. The ending felt like they just decided to finish the story in the happiest way possible without thinking about how sudden it looked. 

In terms of art and music, it was okay. The characters looked normal. The main thing going for them was the sceneries. If you came here because of the cats, only Taro was likable. All others felt creepy to me, especially the merchant and Kinako.

In terms of characters, only Yori stood out. She was such a beautiful person, and I hated how she was treated. Hinode was okay, but his decisions weren't consistent, and his development wasn't outstanding. I hated Muge's motivation in life. She was too focused on Hinode to think about others and the consequences of her actions. She didn't stop to think about how others would feel about what she was doing. I got devastated about her situation, and I understand what she feels, but she didn't deal with it properly. Also, many of her actions were creepy, cringe-y, and stalker-ish. She had acknowledge her issues in the end, but everything there felt like they happened too fast.

The relationship between the lead characters felt like they were forced together. This was sad for me because I liked them in the beginning. They had potential. It would've been better to me if we saw their relationship gradually develop, or if it was just implied that their relationship would develop. Also, we should've gotten more backstories as to why Muge was in love with Hinode in the first place. We just saw her being clingy to him immediately, which made things more cringe-y. For me, there's a fine line between having someone as your motivation in life and being obsessed with them, and sadly, I feel that Muge fell into the latter.

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SPOILERY THOUGHTS AND REACTIONS

CHARACTER AND RELATIONSHIP THOUGHTS:

• I hated that Muge's motivation for her actions is that she just wants to be with Hinode. I understand how Hinode became her sole focus because he came to her at the time when she hated the world the most and made her see something good about it again. However, it felt like she became obsessed with him. He didn't even return her feelings in the beginning and didn't try to befriend her, but she kept bugging him. She seemed quite deluded about their relationship. It made me angry that she made decisions based on her desire to be with Hinode, and didn't even care how it would affect the other people in her life. She wanted to be a cat to be with Hinode, and then she changed her mind and wanted to be a human just to be with Hinode again. Does nothing else matter to her? She just didn't deal with her emotions properly and used Hinode as an escape. It was a step towards healing when she decided to communicate with her parents after the whole ordeal with the cat merchant, and she acknowledge that she had no one to blame, but herself. Still, her earlier actions made me angry.
• I think that Muge was stupid for still being in love with Hinode after he humiliated her in public, told her he hated her, and hurt her. I sympathize with Yori's pain. She gave Muge proper advice, yet Muge wouldn't listen. I mean, we do stupid things for love, and Hinode treated her cat form lovingly, but it doesn't seem like Hinode is worth all that trouble.
• I don't know why Hinode appreciated Muge more when he found out that she was Taro. Wasn't that disturbing at all to him? That she was able to invade his private space without him knowing? That she knew his innermost thoughts because she was spying on him? Weirdly, his thought went to the idea that she was always there to support him.
• I don't think it was Hinode's responsibility to save Muge. It just reinforced her thinking that she needed Hinode to be happy. I dislike how they got together. It seemed like they got together because of Muge's cat form (which is disturbing, to be honest), and Hinode suddenly changed his mind about how he felt about Muge. Also, I think that they were too young to be in that intense level relationship.
• Kinako's motivation was so wholesome, and I love it. She changed into a human for Kaoru, but when she saw Kaoru suffer when she was missing, she decided to go back to her cat form. We can see how opposite her personality is from Muge. Her actions weren't selfish. She just wanted Kaoru to be happy.
• Yori is the best person in this movie, hands-down. She just wanted Muge to be happy. She stayed with Muge through the hard times, and I'm devastated about how she was treated. Muge never even considered how Yori would feel if she was gone, and she wasn't even touched that Yori was searching for her. She just noticed that Hinode did, and just focused on that.  
• Hinode's sister seemed like such a bum. I was actually glad that the guy she liked is engaged.

SCENES THOUGHTS:

• I don't understand how Muge could agree to deal with the cat merchant. The merchant cat was hella suspicious. She should've known that nothing comes without a price. 
• It felt stupid to me that Muge never even thought that Hinode was sweet to her was because she was a cat? It seemed like humanity and being a cat is the same to her.
• Why the hell does Muge have a family picture of Hinode?
• It was crazy how high Muge jumped when she overheard their classmates. I guess the cat instincts were kicking in, but she was insane.
• I loved the part where Muge hangout with Hinode after she defended him. It was the only time we got to see them together bond normally even if it was weird that Muge was shouting about his potatoes. 
• It's heartbreaking that at such a young age, Hinode's family was depending on him to support them just because he was the boy. He was even afraid to tell them about his desire for pottery because of that expectation. It's more heartbreaking that this happens in real life.
• I liked the content of the letter. It had beautiful lines, and if it wasn't for the situation it was delivered, I think it would have cheered Hinode up.
• I hated the scene where the bullies read Muge's love letter out loud. I didn't know what their point was in doing that? They were such assholes I wish I could kick their ass.
• The scene where Hinode got mad at Muge and told her that he hated her, broke my heart. I cried for Muge's pain. Still, she was quite pushy, though. 
• My heart broke for Muge when we saw, how when she was young, other children ostracized her for being abandoned by her mother. I don't know why there are such horrible human beings in the world who would do that. Bullying someone is wrong in itself, but bullying someone who already has a hard time? What's the point? I love that Muge threw her shoes at them. They deserved it. Though, I was really annoyed that they had the nerve to get mad at her after all the hurtful things they said. 
• It's adorable that Muge didn't want Yori to stay with her because she didn't want Yori to be bullied too. Why couldn't she have stayed that way? Why wasn't Yori enough? I'm happy that Yori chased Muge when they were young and never let go. Their friendship is so adorable back then. 
• It was cute that Yori didn't want to heart about Hinode's positive feelings for Muge when she found out the truth. She wanted Muge to be the one to hear it first.
• I wanted a scene where we get to see how Muge's father and Kaoru got together. It might've help see why Muge was so antagonistic towards her, even though I didn't see anything bad with Kaoru. I saw her try to work things out, so I feel that the situation is unfair to her.
• I cheered so hard for Kaoru after she slapped Muge's mother. She said bad things about Kaoru and Muge's father when she abandoned Muge. We should've seen the reason why she abandoned Muge in the first to solidify their story more and to understand why Muge should give her a second chance. In my opinion, she didn't deserve Muge. I'm torn between wanting them to make peace and Muge telling her to stay away. Maybe we didn't know the story about why she left because it may turn us against her?
• It feels weird to me that smelling like the sun is a compliment here. The thing that comes to mind when something smells like the sun is that they stink because they've been staying outside too long.
• I love the humans turned into a cat squad. They helped Muge escape the cat merchant because they thought that she was too young to make that kind of decision. They didn't want her to make the same mistakes that they did. It was interesting to see their inner thoughts about why they became a cat. 
• It was funny when they attacked the cat merchant and kept him away.
• It was cute that Hinode used the Hinode Sunrise attack on Muge in the end.
• It's cute that it was implied that there would be something between Muge's friend and Hinode's friend.
• CREEPY & KIND OF DISTURBING:
• Hinode inspected Muge's injury as a cat (from her fall), and she looked happy getting touched between her legs. It was creepy.
• Muge wanted to record Hinode's voice so that she can listen to it before she sleeps.
• I found the animation where Muge told Hinode of his feelings while she was in cat form disturbing because we know that Hinode was holding Taro, but we see Muge. She was too close to him without him knowing. I get that it was to visualize that it was Muge saying that, but it felt like an invasion of privacy.
• Kinako's actions as Muge. Her lines were quite creepy, and that's a lot since the normal Muge was also creepy.

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SUMMARY OF EVENTS

1. Muge felt that the world wasn't so terrible after meeting Hinode. She wanted to be him, and she tried interacting with him at school. 
2. She met a cat merchant who sold her a cat mask that allows her to transform into a cat. Using this form, she decided to get closer to Hinode. She was successful, and he loved her as a cat.
3. The cat merchant tried to persuade her into giving up her human mask so that she can be a cat forever. She can stay together with Hinode in that form.
4. She doesn't like her situation at home, and she can't tell Hinode the truth.
5. Muge overheard their classmates talking badly about Hinode, and she defended him. Hinode took her to the nurse's office and gave her some of his lunch. 
6. Muge found out that Hinode's family wants to close their pottery shop. He was devastated. To cheer him up, she decided to confess through a love letter.
7. She gave the letter to Hinode, but a bully snatched the letter. He then proceeded to read it out loud. It embarrassed Hinode, and he told Muge that he hates her.
8. Her stepmother confronted her about her sneaking out. She was angry at them because she thinks that they don't care how she feels about their situation. She ran away. 
9. She transformed into a cat and stayed with Hinode. She decided to give up her human-mask so that she can stay with Hinode.
10. Muge's parents decided to ask her friends about where she is. They don't know. Yoriko, Hinode, and Masamichi searched for her. Yoriko warned Hinode not to give Muge hope if there is none.
11. Muge came back home. However, it wasn't really her. Kinako, her stepmother's cat, took her human mask, and her life. Her friends noticed that she was acting strangely. 
12. Kinako took her place so that she can make Kaoru happy.
13. Muge went to the Island of Cats to take her human mask back. 
14. Kaoru was devastated when Kinako disappeared. Kinako changed her mind and wanted to return to her cat form. 
15. She went to Hinode and told her the truth. She took her with him to the Island of the Cats so that they can convince Muge to return back to her human form before it's too late. She gave Hinode a cat-mask to make him see the island.
16. Kinako gave Muge her mask back, but it wouldn't stick because she didn't really want to go back. The cat merchant stole it to stop her from becoming a human again. With the help of the other humans who were transformed into a cat, Muge and Hinode became humans again. 
17. They escaped and confessed their feelings to each other.
18. Hinode managed to tell her mother that he wants to do pottery, and Hinode did Muge's signature attack Hinode sunrise.

| ANIME - Hyouka |

SYNOPSIS: Houtarou, a guy who wants to live a life not exerting much effort, gets entangled with a girl who gets curious about the small mysteries in life.

GENRE: Mystery, Slice of Life
NUMBER OF EPISODES: 22

RATING: 7/10

"If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, make it quick." 

(Houtarou Oreki)

I usually enjoy a slice-of-life anime, yet this one had such a slow-pace. I didn't hate it, but honestly, nothing happened at all. Most of the episodes after the first major mystery felt like fillers. Twenty-two episodes were too much. The story was okay, but most of the mysteries they encountered felt anti-climatic. They were mostly mundane things, but I guess the point is the rush of solving them. 

In terms of art and sounds, I enjoyed the visuals. KyoAni's animation is always stunning, and Hyouka was no exception. I love that the simple scenes were brought to life by the art style. The visualizations of the character's inner-thinking and the brightness in the eyes of the characters when they have intense feelings were some examples. The sound effects brought to life the narration, especially on the mysteries. I also liked the minor details that were added, like Houtarou's bedhead and Satoshi's drool. The only issue that I had was the lack of originality in some of the character's design. Many of them reminded me of characters from Beyond the Boundary or some other KyoAni creation.

In terms of characters, I feel conflicted about them. There were some aspects that I liked about them. Their issues and doubts on how to live their life was relatable. Houtarou was such a mood. However, most of the time, they seemed bland and unenticing. All four of them felt they were just there. Just stagnant in their current state. The lack of significant character development pissed me off. I guess that's because of the short timeline and setting, though. Still, I wanted them to have made at least some minor firm decisions in life.

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SPOILERY THOUGHTS AND REACTIONS

CHARACTER THOUGHTS

• In the beginning, Houtarou had promise. It felt like he's was going to undergo some change in his lifestyle or get a more firm resolve in his motto, yet as time passed, he seemed to go in a state of indecision. He can't seem to decide whether he wants a gray or rose-colored life. After solving the mystery of Hyouka, we got to see him think about what to do, yet he never got to a conclusion. I get that he is still young, and this is a slice-of-life anime, but damn man, get your act together.
• In the beginning, Chitanda was adorable. Her curiosity was intriguing, but as time passed, she got slightly annoying. She had nothing to her character except being the person who says that she's curious. Also, she was supposed to be the top student in their area, yet she seemed like an airhead.
• Satoshi was funny, and we got to see a deeper look in his personality and actions, yet we didn't delve deeper. It was just some bits and pieces of his whole character, so it felt kinda weird. 
• I got annoyed at Mayaka a lot. We didn't get to see her history with Houtarou, but I hate every time she attacks him. Sucks that she was bullied in her other club, though. Still, I loved her during the cooking competition part.

HYOUKA'S BACKGROUND

• It's heartbreaking to find out the mystery behind Hyouka. It's unfair what happened to Sekitani Jun. He wasn't even able to voice out his inner feelings and fight for his right. 'I scream' is such a satisfying answer to the mystery.
• Thinking about being alive, but being dead inside, is a horrible feeling. I get why Chitanda cried when she was young.
• I wanted to find out what happened to Chitanda's uncle. Is he still alive, or did he really commit suicide because of how much he didn't deal with the issues from his past?
•  I like that this is the part that Hyoutarou first thought of how he was living his life. His dilemma on what to feel was relatable.

MOVIE MURDER

• We didn't get to find out why Irisu was talking to Houtarou's sister when she was planning to do something about the film. How did they know each other? The conversation that they had felt really confusing and felt like an attack on Houtarou. 
• I felt bad for Houtarou after Irisu used his ending. Everyone told him that it's not what the original scriptwriter wanted, and he felt used by Irisu. 
• I didn't honestly care about this arc. I didn't feel enticed by the film that the students created. It felt weak and unoriginal. 
• The ending that the original scriptwriter wasn't good to me, although I did like the reasoning behind why she wanted that ending.
• Irisu reminded me of Izumi from Beyond the Boundary.

KANYA FESTIVAL

• I love that we get to see their school festival. I love it up until the point of the cooking contest. Afterward, I got bored. There was too much going on in finding out about Juumonji, and honestly, I lost interest. Tanabe went through such lengths to communicate with the student council president, yet we didn't see what happened in that aspect. I understand his anger at the president for wasting his talent. 
• Koreyuki Tani was such a useless side character. I don't get why he antagonized Satoshi so much. I wish he was never introduced because he was annoying.
• I never noticed that Tanabe was voiced by Jun Fukuyama! He was so unrememberable to me that I kept confusing his character's role with the Student Council President. 
• Shouko, the head of the manga club, reminded me of Ayane from Beyond the Boundary.
• It was so cute to see Chitanda get distracted by the activities that the other clubs were offering. She kept getting dragged off and distracted on her task to sell the Hyouka Anthology. Her photoshoot session reminded me of the one in Beyond the Boundary. 
• It was adorable to see Chitanda try Irisu's way of making someone do something. She was too pure for it.
• It's funny that Chitanda enjoyed cooking too much that she didn't notice that she used all of the ingredients. It was a good thing that Houtarou was able to trade that flour.
• The look on Chitanda's eyes when Houtarou told her that he wanted to discuss an adult topic with Satoshi was hilarious. She looked so dead inside. Just emphasizes the fact that she was a pure character.
• I wanted Houtarou to go the backstage pass for the Fashion Club. It seemed like such a waste. He only traded the pin. I wanted to see him get a makeover even if he doesn't really care for it.

VALENTINE'S DAY

• I'm angry at Satoshi for breaking the chocolate that Mayaka prepared. I understand Satoshi's fear of his feelings for her, and he shouldn't be afraid if he isn't ready, but he should've told her properly how he felt. Being indirect would just hurt her more than knowing the truth. Still, I'm guessing that Mayaka isn't the type of person who would accept that easily.
• I'm proud of Houtarou for deciding that he would have punched Satoshi if he broke Mayaka's chocolate just for fun. He got mad at him for Chitanda and Mayaka's sake.
• I felt heartbroken for Chitanda when she thought that she lost Mayaka's chocolate. I'm glad that Mayaka informed her of the truth before they went home.    

NEW YEAR'S AND DOLL FESTIVAL

• Houtarou's reaction to Chitanda showing off her kimono was adorable. It was one of the rare times that he reacted to Chitanda like that.
• I'm proud of Satoshi for understanding Houtarou's call for help because they watch the same show.
• The setting of the parade was beautiful. However, the actual parade made me feel dizzy. The art was too overwhelming, and there was too much shaking.
• The ending was such a letdown. I was honestly proud of Houtarou for telling Chitanda that he would help her with her business, but it was just an imagination! That's an evil scene. He can't even decide if he truly feels something for Chitanda. It was maddening.

OTHER THINGS

• It's funny that Houtarou thought that Chitanda was his soulmate because she said that she didn't get angry about things because it was too tiring. 
• I love it when everyone overacts when Houtarou does something out of his energy-saving norm. I wonder why they don't overreact when he puts effort into helping Chitanda. Did they get used to it? I still don't know why he helps her. Was it because he was forced? Was it because there was finally someone to drag him away from his energy-saving life? We didn't get to find out. Their relationship was a bit weird and complicated.
• I don't know why Houtarou's sister was always not fully shown. She seems mysterious, and she keeps popping at random places when the last you know of her is that she's in another part of the world. I don't understand her role in everything that's been happening, except that she's the one who told Houtarou to join the Classics Club. Was there something more to it? Is she trying to push her brother into trying new things? 
• It feels weird to connect this anime to Sherlock and other famous mystery novels. I didn't feel their connection, except for the fact that Houtarou is observant about the different situations that he is in. I saw something about Houtarou's relationship with his sister being how Mycroft is to Sherlock, and I didn't feel that. I felt annoyed every time she was in some mystery aspect of Houtarou's life. In this aspect, it seemed like the anime was trying too hard to be something more than what it is. 

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SUMMARY OF EVENTS

1. Oreki was living a 'conserving energy' type of life until his sister told him to join the Classics Club. She wanted him to join because it was about to be terminated. 
2. He meets Chitanda inside the clubroom. She wanted to join the club because of personal reasons. She is quite curious about mysteries.
3. She wanted him to solve how she was locked inside the clubroom. She was locked-in by the janitor. Oreki, Satoshi, and Chitanda became the members of the club.
4. Oreki created a mystery about a secret club called, Silk Spider Society, to distract Chitanda. He doesn't want to go to the Piano Club to check out another mystery because it was too far.
5. Oreki and Chitanda planned to create an anthology for the cultural festival. They went to the library to find past anthologies. 
6. While waiting for the librarian, they solved a mystery about a book that's been borrowed every Friday for a short amount of time. The students borrowed it for their art class. There weren't any past anthologies in the library. 
7. Chitanda asked Oreki to help her remember something her uncle told her when she was young, which made her cry. She wanted to remember before he becomes officially dead. He's been missing for seven years.
8. Oreki's sister told them where to find the old anthologies. They blackmailed the member of the Wall Newspaper Club to give them the anthologies. The guy smokes in the clubroom.
9. The old anthologies are connected to Chitanda's uncle. She remembered that she asked him what it was when she was young. Something happened to his uncle 45 years ago.
10. The Classics Club looked for information as to what happened to Chitanda's uncle 45 years ago. Oreki concludes that Chitanda's uncle became a sacrifice for the student protest during that era. Chitanda wondered if that was the case, why did she cry when she was young?
11. Oreki's sister asked him if the Kanya Festival term was still banned in the Classics Club, which made him wonder if his conclusion was right. They found out from an old member of the club, their current librarian, that Chitanda's uncle was forced to take the blame for the student protest. They had to punish someone after the Martial Arts Center burned down. Even though Chitanda's uncle wasn't the leader, he was the one who took the blame. The students just watched him get expelled. 
12. The Kanya Festival term was made in honor of Sekitani Jun. The title of the anthology, Hyouka, was a pun for what he truly felt. Chitanda remembered that she asked her uncle what Hyouka meant when she was young. They decided to use that story for the anthology. 
13. Chitanda's Math teacher lectured them for not knowing what he was discussing. He skipped a chapter in the textbook, and so Chitanda asked Oreki why the teacher made that mistake. He mixed up the sections because he used lowercase letters for A and D.
14. They took a trip to a hot spring owned by Ibara's relatives. Oreki collapsed in the bath. There is a rumor that one of the rooms in the hot spring was haunted. Chitanda and Ibara saw something swaying in the room during the night. Turns out, it was just a kimono drying. 
15. The Classics Club went to a movie showing of Class 2-F. They wanted to hear the opinion of others regarding their movie. Irisu wanted Oreki to think about how the movie would end. The scriptwriter got sick before she could finish it, so the class doesn't know what to do about the ending.
16. Irisu tricked Oreki into helping them by saying that he's special. Oreki's conclusion is that the cameraman is the one who killed the person in the movie. Satoshi, Ibara, and Chitandu thought it wasn't the ending that the scriptwriter wanted. She wanted a happy ending, which the class didn't. 
17. The cultural festival started. They had to sell 200 copies of the anthology because Ibara ordered the wrong amount. Chitanda, Satoshi, and Ibara joined a cooking contest.
18. A thief started taking different items from the clubs. Everyone got busy trying to find the thief. They made Oreki take the case by using it as a way to promote their anthology. Oreki figured out that Tanabe was behind it. He wanted to send a message to the Student Council President about the manga that he never made. Oreki managed to sell the anthologies by blackmailing Tanabe. They also agreed to make the Classics Club the final target of the thief.
19. Oreki became curious as to why he remembers one of his teachers being happy upon seeing a helicopter. They found out that it was because the helicopter was part of a rescue team of stranded hikers. However, they were too late.
20. Oreki and Chitanda tried to reach a wild conclusion as to why a student would be called into the staff room. Oreki said something about the student paying with fake money, and it turns out that they were right. 
21. Chitanda invited Oreki to a New Year's Festival to show off her kimono. They got stuck inside the shrine warehouse. Oreki sent Satoshi a message to help them, and Satoshi rescued them.
22. Ibara tried making the best homemade chocolate ever for Satoshi on Valentine's Day. She left it inside the clubroom, and it went missing. Chitanda was angry at herself for leaving it alone. Oreki told her to leave it to him and go home. He figured out that Satoshi took the chocolate, but didn't want them to know that he did. He didn't want to accept the chocolate because he doesn't want to change his way of life by accepting Ibara's feelings. He didn't want to become obsessed with her.
23. Chitanda asked Oreki to become the umbrella carrier for the Live Doll Festival. They had to change their route because road construction started earlier than they expected. They figured out that it was because the alternate route had beautiful scenery. 
24. During the walk home, Oreki almost offered to take care of the business side of Chitanda's family business.

| UPDATE - Shows I'm Currently Watching |

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

• EPISODES WATCHED: 8
• I love the fairytale theme of this KDrama. The cinematography and art are beautiful. The background music and songs are so appropriate to the scenes that even though I don't usually notice that aspect, I did in this.
• I still don't know where the plot is going, but it is interesting to see different kinds of people with different reasons not to be okay. We get to see them be accepted and rejected by other people, and how that affects them. 
• Moon-Young is such a complicated character because you can't predict what she will do next. Sometimes her actions are disturbing, but I feel that her motives are good because she just wants others to show that they are not okay. 
• I love the effects of Moon-Young and Kang-Tae's interactions with each other. Their banters are sometimes funny, and sometimes heartbreaking. It's a wild ride to watch them together.
• I still don't like Joo-ri. I can feel that underneath all that kindness that she is showing, there's something she's suppressing. I want to know her backstory with Moon-Young.
• Soon-Duk is honestly the best person. Kim Mi-Kyung is always amazing in her roles, and I love seeing her here.

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Flower of Evil

• EPISODES WATCHED: 2
• I honestly just watched this to see Lee Joon-Gi, but the story feels very intriguing. Two episodes in, I'm hooked. The situation gives me the same feeling as Bad Guys (KDrama). I didn't feel like the episodes lasted an hour. The pacing is good.
• I don't care much for the crime investigation aspect. The people in the police station are kind of annoying. It feels like a generic crime show. Still, I find the crimes interesting, and the reasons why those crimes were committed.
• It's very interesting to see the relationship between Hee-Sung and Ji-Won. We get to see how Hee-Sung's mind works, so you won't know how much of it is real. Also, something about Ji-Won feels off. 
• The two episodes will leave you hanging for answers, so you will probably imagine/think about how things would play out. 
• I suggest to not watch while it is still ongoing, the torture of waiting every week is pure agony. 

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Mawaru Penguindrum

• EPISODES WATCHED: 5
• I love the penguins in this. They are idiots, but they are adorable as fuck. I actually started this anime just to see the penguins, and they did not disappoint.
• I love the family dynamic in this. The three siblings are adorable. Shoma and Kanba's motivation is so wholesome, even if their actions aren't.
• There are many weird and cringe-y aspects of this anime, mainly Ringo and the hat. It's kind of disturbing, that's why I stopped. I still plan on continuing it, but I'm not in the mood yet.

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My Next Life as a Villainess

• EPISODES WATCHED: 2
• I'm really liking this type of Isekai. It's interesting to see the action of the main character after they've realized what kind of world they are. It's hella entertaining.
• I've read the chapters of the manga (for the episodes I've watched), and I like how accurate they are. The only thing I wanted that wasn't in the anime is Catarina's inner thoughts.
• Catarina's actions are sometimes dumb, but you can't help but love her. She's very wholesome. Her motivations are for survival, but I love her interactions with the other characters. They keep getting attached to her, and it's hilarious.

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Tanaka-Kun is Always Listless

• EPISODES WATCHED: 2
• This is such an adorable anime. Tanaka's methods to stay listless are entertaining. I have only watched two episodes at the moment, but I'm already in love. 
• The animation is simple but very beautiful. I love how the characters look. 
• Ohta is the most precious character I have seen. His interactions with Tanaka is very lovely. I'd give anything to have someone like him in my life. 

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Fruits Basket Season 02

• EPISODES WATCHED: 17
• I love the new adaptation of Fruits Basket. The animation is wonderful. You'll fall in love with most of the characters. 
• At the moment, the second season feels more like a calm before the storm thing. Most of the episodes are focused on developing the characters and their relationship with others. If you want fast-paced anime, this is not for you. I'm not saying that the pacing is bad, but if you came here to know more about the zodiac issue, then don't expect much. We're here for the relationships and character developments.
• I've read the manga, and seeing it in anime format is much more heartbreaking. Some scenes are arranged differently, which gives it a heavier impact. 
• At this point, I still want to hurt Akito. I've seen scenes from the episodes I haven't watched yet, and I already feel that it will break me.
• I really love seeing Yuki's character development. He's finding his own way of life and becoming more independent. He's finding other people in his life that aren't part of the Soma family and not Tohru. I also love that his bond with Ayame is deepening.

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Shokugeki no Soma Season 05

• EPISODES WATCHED: 5
• I like the contest this season. It’s different, and the level of difficulty is higher. We get to see new enemies and new themes for the cooking competition. They are weird but entertaining. 
• I think it’s better not to know anything about the BLUE arc before watching this. I know what happens, and I’m kind of just watching it for the contest now. 
• Something bugs me about Erina’s hairstyle. It looks so weird. 
• I dislike the aspect that Asahi’s desire is to marry Erina. I get that Erina’s god tongue is important in their culinary world, but I hate that they had to put the marriage subplot. Also, Asahi’s creepy. All of the noir members are.
• It's cute that were are getting to see more of Soma's mother.
• I'm so proud of Megumi for getting the first place in the BLUE preliminaries.

| ANIME MOVIE - I Want To Eat Your Pancreas |

SYNOPSIS: The story about how Haruki met and befriended Sakura, and how it changed his life.

GENRE: Drama

RATING: 7.5/10

Nothing new with the story, but it was okay. I enjoyed watching the bond between the main characters develop. It was beautiful to see the friendship between someone who was the opposite of each other. I don't know if I wanted them together or I just enjoyed their bond, but the important thing is that they were able to make each other happy. For me, that was enough. 

Since you know what would happen from the start, it just gave a bittersweet feeling. I still don't know what to feel about how the whole thing played out, but I didn't hate it.  

There are two things I learned/felt from the movie: 

• Don't just imagine scenarios in your head. Try to see how they would play out in real life first. Make an effort to at least try. 

• Nothing is sure in life. Value each day and do your best. Make each day enjoyable. 

In terms of art, it was simple yet beautiful. The characters looked alright, but nothing stellar. I got slightly dizzy at the end part where Sakura was narrating her diary, but I liked that it followed the aesthetic of the Little Prince. I'm not sure about that, but that's what it felt to me.

In terms of the characters, they were okay.  I liked Sakura. She was fun and cheerful. However, underneath all that, you can feel that she's just hiding her worries. She didn't want to worry about her future, but it was still nagging behind her mind. However, there were times when she was annoying and didn't respect boundaries. Haruki was adorable, but there were times when he was dull. There was nothing wrong with how he was living his life, but you can feel that he was just afraid to try something new. I'm glad that we got to see him try new things and enjoy them. 

Overall, the movie was simple, but it was meaningful. 

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SPOILERY THOUGHTS AND REACTIONS

• I felt sad that Sakura never told Kyoko the truth about her disease. It was admirable that Kyoko lets her do what she wants and tried to protect her from getting hurt. Still, why didn't she push enough to find out why Sakura did that? It was unfair that Haruki is the one she gets angry at.
• I agree with Sakura's reason for living. We need to interact with others to live life to the fullest, but still, you should be able to enjoy being by yourself from time to time. Haruki's lifestyle is okay too. I didn't get mad at her for dragging him away from that, because I felt that Haruki just wanted someone to open his world to the possibilities. He wasn't the person who strongly just doesn't like interacting with others. He just hasn't tried before. If he was, I think he wouldn't have agreed to Sakura's whims.
• I hate Takahiro. He was such an asshole. He was so jealous when he wasn't even the boyfriend. He thinks that he's better than Haruki, which he is not.  I don't know how Haruki sees his actions as actions of someone who cares about Sakura. I was happy that Sakura didn't want to do anything with him.
• I hated the scene where Kyoko got mad at Haruki, and his book fell and got wet because of the rain. The poor book!!!
• It annoyed me that everyone in their class was so judgemental. Haruki didn't do anything, yet they treated him wrongly just because he doesn't act the way they expect him to. 
• It annoyed me that just because Sakura was hanging out with the opposite sex, they automatically assume that they were dating. Why couldn't they be just friends? But I guess this is a high school setting. It could probably be the norm.
• I honestly didn't see the twist coming. It made me pissed. Why was there a guy randomly stabbing people?
• It was heartbreaking that it took Haruki ten days before he could accept what happened, and he finally broke down after reading Sakura's diary.

• PARTS I LOVED:
• Sakura kicked a guy for harassing an old lady.
• Haruki's mother teased him if he had a girlfriend. It was adorable that she was happy that her son found someone to spend time with.
• The hint that Kyoko is dating the Miyata, the gum dude. 
• Haruki interacted with Miyata and asking him for gum. I love it because it was the first time Haruki interacted with anyone on his own.
• Haruki thought that the Truth or Dare was a game created by Satan.
• It's cute that Haruki tried to befriend Kyoko because he knew that it was what Sakura wanted. Their relationship was adorable, even if they argue a lot. I'm glad that they didn't start a romantic relationship. It remained pure and dedicated to Kyoko.


• HARUKI AND SAKURA MOMENTS:
• Haruki thought that Sakura was trying to make him fat because she kept taking him to food establishments.
• Haruki kept asking wholesome questions about Sakura throughout the Truth or Dare game. 
• Haruki admitted that he had fun on the trip. The look on Sakura's face was hilarious.
• Haruki admitted that he was waiting for Sakura to contact him during the summer vacation.
• It was heartbreaking when Sakura was hospitalized. It was great that Haruki visited her. The best moment was when he caught her dancing in the hospital room. The embarrassment on Sakura's face was adorable.
• I never noticed that they never used each other's names. I love that their names go hand in hand with each other.
• It was adorable that both of them remembered the line I Want To Eat Your Pancreas and used them for what they felt for each other. I loved that. It was beautiful, even if the line was sort-of creepy.
• I like that Haruki kept accompanying Sakura. I think he was scared of her situation, but he was able to continue acting naturally because that's what Sakura wants. He's the best person for her to be around.
• I hate the part where Sakura teased Haruki by making a move on him. It's not okay to do that to somebody. Haruki's response was also not good. 

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SUMMARY OF EVENTS

1. Sakura befriended a reluctant Haruki. She informed him of her terminal pancreatic illness. They started hanging out - restaurants, the beach.
2. Sakura's school friends became curious as to why she was friends with Haruki. They didn't like him because of his anti-social personality. They think that he's weird.
3. Sakura didn't want to tell her best friend about her disease. She only told Haruki because she knew that he wouldn't treat her differently.
4. Sakura and Haruki went on a trip.
5. Kyoko confronted Haruki about his intentions with Sakura.
6. Haruki went to Sakura's home, and she teased him. He almost went too far in response.
7. Sakura's ex-boyfriend, Takahiro, confronted Haruki and punched him. He thought that he was better than him. Sakura told him never to show his face again.
8. They continued hanging out together and finished half of her dying list.
9. Sakura was suddenly admitted to the hospital. Haruki visited her every day.
10. They went to a fireworks festival. Haruki told her that he wants her to live.
11. Haruki interacted with another person. He realized that he had changed.
12. On the day of her discharge, they planned to meet. Haruki waited for her, but she never came. Later that night, he found out that she was stabbed and died.
13. It took her ten days before he accepted what happened. He went to Sakura's house to ask for the diary that he knew she was keeping. He cried after reading her words. She thanked him for making her feel that she was needed. She was glad that they met.
14. Haruki met with Kyoko and told her that Sakura was sick. He asked if they could be friends.
15. One year later, Haruki and Kyoko went to Sakura's tomb. They were friends. Haruki started opening more to others.