Episode Reaction: Hitsugi no Chaika AVENGING BATTLE (棺姫のチャイカ) Episode 1 – Shocking Truth!

Note: This is a review of the first episode in the second season of the series Hitsugi no Chaika. If you are yet to see the first season or do not wish to be spoiled, please leave now.

It's time for our adorable little Chaika to return in the second season, AVENGING BATTLE. It's been a whole season since we last saw our heroes, but now they're back!

This episode fits us right back into the story again, with our heroes still journeying to collect the remains of the emperor. Chaika is fighting in a battle against one of the Eight Heroes who defeated the emperor, and she must defeat her in order to receive the next remain: the heart—but the woman gives Chaika a hard time as she is far more experienced fighting with magic and knows how to say spells quickly. Despite defeating Chaika, the woman is kind and keeps her promise of not killing her, even going so far as to invite all three of them into her home.

In the meantime, Vivi, as we saw in the season one finale, has turned into another Chaika. She is still mourning the loss of her lover, Gillette, but an appearance from Guy telling her she has a duty to fulfill as Chaika brings up some questions for her. Cut back to Chaika, the woman tells her she needs to learn how to say spells more efficiently, and even advises her to start focusing on defense instead of offense. The trio practice through the night, trying to improve Chaika's skills, but it seemingly fails.

The next day, the second fight between Chaika and the woman begins. However, things aren't going well as Chaika quickly gets overpowered again and it looks like the woman is about to shoot her. BOOM! Episode's over.

"Sorry, guys, gotta wait next week for episode two! ^__~"

—BONES xoxo

Yeah. Thanks guys. ¬_¬

So anyway, our lovable characters have returned! We have our adorable, awkward-speaking Chaika!

I have never seen grapes so purple/blue, I WANT.

Badass but kindhearted Toru!

Well . . . I guess he seems more "badass" than "kindhearted" here, but *shrugs* still applies.

And our badass sister with a brother complex!

Again, looks more like a "badass" than a person with a "brother complex," and again, still applies.

Bones is back with animating Chaika, and oh man has the animation improved so freaking much. You can tell the budget for this series has increased.

Three badasses in one gif image.

Music-wise, the opening and ending are good, but the former really pales in comparison to the latter. The opening just has far better animation and is just . . . badass.

To make something badass, slow mo' it!

All I can say is, I'm excited to see how this series wraps up. I'm a little concerned it's going to be only ten episodes long (two episodes shorter than first season), but I trust the writers will do a good job with the story, as this episode's pacing was very good, neither too fast nor too slow. And with that, take care, otakus!

My Fall 2014 Anime To-Watch List

CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW MANY TWO-COUR SHOWS THERE ARE THIS SEASON? I MEAN REALLY. I have over seven—SEVEN—shows this season I'm watching that are going to be more than twenty episodes. So how about we check out the new season's anime for fall 2014. Let's do this!

Black Butler: Book of Murder

Ah, Black Butler. Never can get enough of it. So apparently Book of Circus was actually really good, since it followed the manga(?) quite closely. Now this time we're getting an OVA for a different arc: the Phantomhive Manor Murder Case. I'm actually really looking forward to this, despite not being able to watch it because Funimation is yet to dub Book of Circus. *sigh*

Bonjour Koiaji Pâtisserie

Welp, I need my seasonal reverse-harem (yes, Free! ES counted as my "harem" for summer *cough, cough*), and this anime seems good as any. Although this seems like your typical reverse-harem, I will argue that it will be better than most, possibly even as good as the latest reverse-harem, Kamigami no Asobi, from the spring season. I'll have to say, Koiaji has a very, very impressive staff. The director directed Bakuman, the character designer did Uta-Pri, and the cast—oh, the cast—have simply marvelous résumés: you have all sorts of delectable choices, from Haikyuu! to Nagi no Asukara and even Terror in Resonance.

To my (pleasant) surprise, this is going to be 24 episodes. Twenty-four? That's unheard of from a reverse-harem! So yes. I am very much looking forward to my reverse-harem, as I've been feeling a little empty since Kamigami no Asobi, and especially from Free!.

Bookstore in the Electric Town, The

Okay, I'm kind of a bit late with this. In fact, I'm cheating since the first episode has already aired and I've seen it (see: blog post here), but I'll pretend like I haven't and just give you my expectations. Bookstore takes place in present-day Japan in the bustling otaku city of Akihabara. Here, a group of friends work in a manga store. Being listed under a slice of life and comedy, I'm not really expecting all that much from it. But if it ends up being an entertaining watch, than that's all I could ever ask for.

Circumstances in My Home's Bathtub, The

I really have no freaking clue why I plan on watching this show; but if the voice actor of Haru is in it, well, I gotta check it out. It also just screams "Haru": mermaids, bathtubs, black-haired dude as the main character. All that Haru-stuff. I guess another reason why I'm watching this is because there's no label for "yaoi," so that's another thing I'm looking forward to. It's pretty interesting that it's 13 episodes that are only five minutes long each, but I think that's fitting in this case for this anime. Looking forward to it, so don't disappoint, mermaid anime.

Donten ni Warau

So what if I'm watching this because there's dragons in it? I'M WATCHING IT FOR THE DRAGONS, DAMMIT. YOU CAN'T STOP ME! To be honest, when I first saw this, my first thought was just, Eh . . . interesting . . . I guess . . .? and that's about it. However, I soon saw another image of the show—of a dragon—and instantly I was on board. What's the story? Hell if I know. All I need to know is that there's dragons: DRAGONS, DRAGONS, DRAGONS!!!

Okay, okay. So maybe that's not the only reason why I'm interested in this show (it really is, though), but I thought I was somewhat lacking in the supernatural category lately, my last supernatural anime probably being Noragami from the winter season. So, in short, dragons are awesome. And because this show is going to have dragons, it's worth watching.

Gugure! Kokkuri-san

Just so you know, I lurve me some ayakashi (damn you Voltage for your awesome ayakashi otome game ;__;), so when I saw this show, I thought, Romance with ayakashi?! But . . . from reading the summary, I can tell it's most likely not going to go down that route. Although I think it's a cute concept, I'm not entirely sure if I'm in the right mindset for a show like this in the fall. I don't know, but I'm willing to give this show a chance.

I don't know exactly why, but I'm feeling really picky this season, so if this show doesn't please me, I will not be continuing it. For it to work, it'll have to give me a few hearty laughs using the comedy of Barakamon rather than Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. If not, consider this a drop.

Haikyuu!! Jump Festa 2014 Special

How can anyone not like Haikyuu!!? It's like one of the most entertaining sports anime series I've ever seen, that solely focused on sports. I've seen Kuroko's Basketball (actually, I've placed it on-hold), and that show doesn't even hold a candle to this one. No, instead of random power-ups, the characters actually work hard and practice just to get better at the sport they love: volleyball. I very much enjoyed the series and am hoping for a season two. With that being said, this special is something I'm very much looking forward to.

Hitsugi no Chaika AVENGING BATTLE

I was pleasantly pleased from spring season's Hitsugi no Chaika, and the ending certainly left a way to end a show, so I will be continuing onward to Hitsugi no Chaika AVENGING BATTLE. While I thought the previous season was good, there was some mediocre things about it, like the subpar animation and some B.S. moments (that I will not bring up here, due to spoilers).

However, I am looking forward to a follow-up show this season, seeing as there's quite a lack of them at the moment. All I can hope is that the story ends with a nice little bow on top.

I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying

Like The Bookstore in the Electric Town, I've already seen the first episode of this anime (see: here), but I did write my expectations of it prior to watching it, so here ya go: The title of this anime is more than reason enough to watch it. The very idea that one of our kind—meaning a fellow nerd—has gotten a girl is just mind-boggling and amazing. Congrats, dude! Okay, so all joking aside, I remember hearing about the manga getting an anime adaption, but I wasn't prepared for it to come out this fall! Like, Japan, please the calm the hell down: I already have enough anime on my plate to deal with.

But, regardless of the amount of anime I'm watching this season, I will be watching this oh-so-very-intriguing anime and will be hoping for cute and funny moments from this show.

Magic Kaito 1412

This is probably my most hyped series for this season. As a fan of Detective Conan (though I'm very, very far behind right now), I rather enjoyed the character Kaito Kid, the "phantom thief," from the series. Although there are a few things about him that slightly irritate me, I am very excited for this upcoming spin-off series of a show I like. Magic Kaito 1412 will be following the aforementioned Kaito Kid, a thief who's looking for Pandora, a gem that is believed to grant immortality, and possibly the adventures of him trying to get it before a mysterious organization responsible for his father's death find it first.

I'm really glad Magic Kaito has an episode limit (24 episodes), because that should mean they're wrapping up his story in this series. As I stated in my Detective Conan review, I believed the show could be simplified to maybe fifty episodes, or possibly even a hundred, without all that unnecessary filler. I don't like an unnecessary amount of episodes. I firmly believe they shouldn't milk a cow to death by having hundreds upon hundreds of episodes of filler and only touching upon an important fact every now and then. But I'm also worried if 24 episodes will be enough to create a complete, good story.

By the way, for those of you who haven't seen the Magic Kaito specials, you may not realize it, but the 1412 in the title actually spells KID. Don't believe me? Well, here ya go:

Ronja the Robber's Daughter

I'm honestly trying my best to keep an open mind. I'd like to think that maybe one day CGI anime will look . . . normal to me, but in its current state CGI anime is just so awkwardly hilarious and bad that I can't ever take it seriously. Maybe the problem isn't the animation itself, but instead the story. Maybe the horribly written story prevents me from really getting into an anime. But being done by Studio Ghibli, I have really high hopes this will be good.

I mean, this is their forte: fantasy and adventure. Ghibli's always been wondrous at combining both elements perfectly fine, so I don't see how they cannot do so in this case. So again, my mind will be kept wide open to what may hopefully be a fun adventure. I'll just say ahead of time if I can't find myself getting into it, don't expect me to watch 26 episodes of it.

Shirobako

Where is the official visual? :c

P.A. Works, I swear to God you better not mess this up like you did with Glasslip. P.A. Works is a studio that makes sure its anime are beautiful and filled with detail. While Glasslip had these things, it had a godawful "plot" and "characters." Its previous work, on the other hand, Nagi no Asukara, had both amazing animation, well-written plot, and developed characters (and you all know how much I worship that show as one of my all-time favorites).

So will Shirobako be able to join that list of favorites? Or at the very least, be a good show? Being about the workings of the anime industry—scriptwriting, animating, voice acting, etc.—I have really high hopes for it. Not just because I'm curious about how people produce anime, but because it's P.A. Works and when they succeed they go far and beyond. Let's just hope Shirobako is more like Nagi-Asu than another Glasslip, because nobody wants a Glasslip that is this time 20+ episodes long.

Wolf Girl & Black Prince

Why do I like sadistic love interests? In real life, I'd be pissed if some guy acted that way to me. But only in anime do I fangirl and squeal when a supposed "princely" character is actually a sadist. I don't know. I'm like a weird weeaboo or something. Anywho, Wolf Girl & Black Prince will be my shoujo of fall 2014, and boy am I excited!

Not because I am a sucker for shoujo romcoms (actually, I am), but I really like the premise of this show. Yeah, I'm interested in how a vain, braggy girl deals with a pretend boyfriend whom she thought was a prince but is really a sadist. With twelve episodes, I really hope this anime will at the very least provide solid entertainment and wrap up the romance.

World Trigger

ANOTHER SHOW I HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT BUT WILL WATCH ANYWAY! So I hear this anime, World Trigger, was once a manga from the '90s or something, so people are really hyped about it getting an adaption. I have honestly never heard of World Trigger until it was put up on AniChart. Even after reading the synopsis I have no idea what it's going to be about, but hey—I need to watch a bit more sci-fi.

Yona of the Dawn

You may not know this, but I love, love, love, love, love anime set in historical time periods. Mix in some romance and I'm sold. One of my personal favorite anime—as well as being one of the first few anime I began watching a few years back—is Fushigi Yuugi, a historical romance anime from the '90s. Just seeing the cover for this, I was instantly reminded of the good memories I got from watching Fushigi Yuugi. I know that a lot of the manga readers really enjoyed it and were looking forward to the adaption. They commented that the main heroine was a bit bratty at first, but she soon turns into a badass character, which I am very much looking forward to.

A pleasant surprise I learned a few days ago was that this was going to be 20+ episodes long. Wha—what? A shoujo that is more than twelve episodes long? That's basically unheard of! It's very rare—okay, correction: not common—that a shoujo gets 20+ episodes; a lot of the time, they get just 12 episodes and that's it. Not that I'm complaining, though; on the contrary, I am even more hyped to watch this series. After all, what's better when an anime combines all your favorite genres: romance, drama, adventure, action, historical?

Your Lie in April

When I first saw the PV for this a while back, I was very amazed by the beauty of the artwork, but not really invested in the art style itself. I mean, yeah, it was pretty and all, but it's not my taste. Despite that, however, I will be watching Your Lie in April. After all, we all need a little music in our lives. As a person who is a lover of any sort of instrument—as well as a piano player like our main protagonist—I like shows that focus on musical instruments, though for whatever reason I don't really watch all that many. But might as well begin a trend with this!

Your Lie in April is set to be 22 episodes long, and I'm expecting it to be a long, drama-filled, musical journey—and I can't wait to see that. Also, look at the image up there. Just beautiful.

Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero

Moe. Ugh. Why do I do this to myself? I like keeping an open mind for everything, regardless if it's moe, yaoi and yuri, or whatever. So I'll hide my dislike for moe and try watching this show with an open mind. The only real reason I'm interested in this show is, in its description, it mentions the year 300, the year of the gods? What? Um . . . so is this the future? The past? An alternate world? I guess my questions won't be answered until I watch the show. My only wish for it is that it's not "a cute show about cute girls doing cute things."

And that's all for now! Let's hope this season of anime will be as much fun as summer was. If you didn't see my last post, I mentioned I will be doing an episode reaction for all anime on my to-watch list—but only of episode one and any other episodes that I absolutely must state my opinion on. And with that, take care, otakus!

My Spring 2014 Final Impressions

Notice: This post was previously published on July 1. However, due to my stupidity, it got deleted. But thankfully, I found a cached copy of it and managed to re-publish it. I hope this clears up any confusion you may have had. Now enjoy my post!

With spring 2014 drawing to a close, and the summer season right around the corner, it's time I do an impressions post. Yes, of all the shows I have watched for this season (not including the ones I've dropped and/or put on-hold [I may or may not talk about them in a future post]). I'll be quickly discussing the show for a little bit, and I may perhaps write a more in-depth review for it sometime in the future. Now, let's begin!

Captain Earth

Although only halfway completed, Captain Earth has proven to us how beautiful BONES can animate its shows and enchanting space can be. Sure this show can be really slow at times, but I like its slow pace because I believe it's introducing everything and most of the characters for its first half before focusing more on the story and action in the second half. After all, it's going to be 25 episodes long, so it's only natural it's a little slow in the beginning. It just shows that the creators are taking their time setting everything up before going full-blown in the second half.

However, if the show is like this for the rest of the series, then I'll have to say I'm disappointed. But for now, I'm fine with the slow pace, as the writers are developing the main characters and introducing side characters (mainly villains). And I have a feeling that some of the "villains" will soon be on our heroes' side. For now, I can only wait and hope that this show will become what I think it can.

Rating: 3.5/5 or 7/10

Chaika – The Coffin Princess

Compared to the other shows I have watched/am watching this season, Chaika is one of two shows that is set in a fantasy setting (the other being The World is Still Beautiful). And as such, world-building is essential for its overall score. Chaika, while it's world-building isn't as well-done as Still Beautiful, has a great cast of characters and entertaining action. As it's rated R, Chaika has blood and gore, and it'll come as a big surprise for the unsuspecting viewer (example: me). For instance, in the very first episode you see a unicorn (not the beautiful kind you're used to, folks) get killed by the two leads. And yes, there was a lot of blood involved, which absolutely caught me off-guard.

If this series was to have only one season, then I'd say Chaika was disappointing. However, since season two is coming in the fall and with the way the show ended, then I recommend Chaika for its engaging story and characters, along with its animation, which is, while simple, effective.

Rating: 4/5 or 7/10

Haikyuu!!

A show that has the energy of Kuroko's Basketball and the fun of Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, Haikyuu!! provides solid entertainment and amazing characters. I'm amazed at how Haikyuu!! can make its characters, both main and supporting, so three-dimensional and realistic, yet at the same time move the plot forward at a pace not too slow nor too fast. I'll tell you now, it takes real talent to be able to do both things at the same time. Not only that, but Haikyuu!! has very solid animation: it's very smooth and crisp throughout, and I haven't noticed any scenes where the animation isn't up to par. As such, if Haikyuu!!'s second half is just as good as its first, I'll be one very pleased fan.

Rating: 4/5 or 8/10

Kamigami no Asobi

A reverse-harem with gods? Sign me up! Kamigami has a unique concept: a normal high school girl is transported to an alternate world where she has to teach Greek, Japanese, and Norse gods about humans or else she won't be able to "graduate" and return to her own world. Although different from the norm, many people expected Kamigami to be like Diabolik Lovers and Amnesia (shows renowned for having awful characters and crappy stories). The first episode seemed like a joke to most people, what with the magical boy transformation at the beginning and flowers blooming every time a guy was introduced.

However, the show was quick to prove viewers wrong with its surprisingly complex characters and interesting storylines. And gradually, the plot began to shift toward darker territory, with having a more grim atmosphere and serious moments. What I like and appreciate about Kamigami is that the guys' lives don't revolve around the heroine and that they actually have quirks and personalities, similar to Uta-Pri. So I ask you, like Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, to not judge this show based on its first episode and continue watching, because it gets better—trust me.

Rating: 4/5 or 7/10

One Week Friends.

Hm . . . A romance show about a girl's memories of the past week be gone on every Monday? Prepare for the feeeeels, people! Okay, okay, just kidding everyone. While many claim One Week Friends. will make you feel them "feels," it often seems like it's trying too hard to make the viewer feel all teary-eyed and emotional, when really it isn't necessary. I do feel the weight of the memory loss thing, but you don't need to shove it down my throat, all right? Regardless, what I really admire and adore about this show is its art style: it's simple, it's cute, and perfect for this kind of show.

The characters are also very well-done. The two main characters are very likable (the main girl being innocent and adorable, and the boy being quirky and cute), and the rest of the cast are just as likable, maybe even more so. What I love about this show is the relations between characters. All of the characters connect to each other in some way, and that's what makes them all the more three-dimensional.

However, there is one more negative to this show. Another thing that bothers me about One Week Friends. was its ending, which was pretty . . . "meh." I mean, maybe it's just right for some people, but for people like me I think it could've been better and more satisfying. For one, the romance isn't really satisfying. Without spoiling too much, it feels like we go back to square one again. The characters deal with the events that occurred throughout the show as if it never happened, which feels like a punch to the gut. If you want a show that has heart-warming moments, One Week Friends. is for you. However, be aware that it might leave you unsatisfied in the end.

Rating: 3.5/5 or 6/10

The World is Still Beautiful

A show that came as a surprise to me, The World is Still Beautiful is a wonderful addition to the shoujo genre. Set in an alternate fantasy world, Still Beautiful has politics, romance, comedy, and a taste of action. Alongside it is fluid animation and a wonderful opening and ending song. Still Beautiful is unique, not because of the height difference between the main male and female character, but due to its charming atmosphere. There's something about this show that feels so charming it draws you in, and you find that half an hour goes by in a flash. Maybe it's because of its likable cast of characters, good pacing, or unique setting, but Still Beautiful has something that most shoujo anime don't: balance.

It knows when to show a romantic moment between the two leads, crank open the drama, have a comedic moment, or bring out the action while bringing along the story and developing the characters. There's a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy in this show, and I'm pretty certain it won't leave you disappointed.

Yet, despite its positives, Still Beautiful leaves a lot to be desired. I feel that, if the show was longer, the writers could've gone deeper and darker, flesh out the characters more, pace the romance better, and expand the world. But for what you get, Still Beautiful is truly a beautiful show that's very much worth your time.

Rating: 3.5/5 or 7/10

And now, I bid you all farewell for the moment. I hope you all enjoyed reading this post and that it caused you to rethink about the shows from this season. But most of all, I hope it makes you look forward to the summer season more than ever before. And with that, take care, otakus!