Skip and Loafer

Ah, little dude and I have found another shared one that we really like that we'll have to start collecting the manga for. Not that we need to add any more series...ah, well. 

So, Skip and Loafer is another sort of slice of life one and I suppose you can call it a romance anime, but there's actually been very, very little of that really in the first season. There are hints, but it's more about the friendships and the whole circle is fairly well developed. 

Mitsumi moves to Tokyo for high school. She's from Ishikawa (which I found really interesting because I follow VisitIshikawa on Instagram and it's on my list of places to go) from a very small seaside town. She's very rural and inexperienced, but she's book smart and has big plans -- she wants to become a politician and go to a big uni in Tokyo and work on the depopulation problem that is all too evident in many areas of rural Japan. So, big dreams. 

But she's pretty unprepared for big city life, even though she's so confident. She gets lost on her first day of school and runs into Sōsuke Shima who is a lot more chill and directionless (though there are reasons for that). Bemused, he helps her and sort of immediately adopts her under his wing, even though he's that super popular, every girl fawns over him, every boy wants to be him kind of guy. 

He has some dark secrets though -- he was a child actor and even once involved (with a model friend) in a sort of scandal (though you get the sense it wasn't really his fault) and his family has definite issues. I don't think they ever go out and say it, but it seems like his parents got divorced and his mom has a new toddler with her new husband. He obviously feels distant from them (and his brother). 

It's actually really lovely the way all the characters interact together, including the girl friends that Mitsumi makes. As I mentioned before, there's essentially no progress on an actual romantic relationship between the two main leads, but the ground work is there. What it does, it does well, though it's not (again, I feel like I've been saying this a lot lately) groundbreaking or particularly innovative. The animation/style is also just "okay" -- Shima-kun looks like literally every other blonde handsome boy in about 30 other animes/manga. Mitsumi has more character and is definitely showing her rural roots. 

The humour level is good and it's those little moments that elevate. One of my favourite came towards the end:

During the school festival, Shima's model "friend" that blames him for a previous scandal when they were young (they were caught at a party where there was drinking, though it doesn't seem like they were; they were just there) that dried up her work for awhile, has come to rain on his parade. Mitsumi senses it and goes into this weird protective stance to distract her, telling her to make sure to hurry to find a seat. It's comic because Shima had just read a book to his little half-brother about anteaters and what they do when threatened, and here's Mitsumi doing exactly that pose. And he sees it and recognises it and has this little moment of joy. 

So, anyway, we're going to start collecting the books on this one and we're waiting for Season 2. Definitely glad we watched it and looking forward to discover the books as you get the feeling that there must be more there. There was a lot of secondary character development even so, but somehow you feel there's even more in the books. And these are all definitely characters you want to cheer on.

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten

I had downloaded this one to watch on our flight over to Cyprus, not expecting too much. The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten is a very sweet, slice of life type romance anime.

Amane (the boy) lives on his own, having moved away from his hometown to go to a different high school after having some bad sort-of bullying experiences. Next door to him, also living alone, is Mahiru, who is the most popular girl at school. Or, at least, that's the face she shows there -- she's smart and beautiful but she does tend to keep people at arm's length, not trusting them. 

She's living on her own (though you only discover this later) because her parents are, well, absolutely awful and never wanted a kid. A housekeeper had brought her up and taught her how to cook, etc. When she realises that Amane doesn't treat her like a princess and that he's sort of barely surviving living on his own (his place is a pigsty and he eats packet food), they start up a friendship of sorts. 

She helps him with cooking and cleaning (and teaches him some basic life skills). He gives her honest friendship. He also thinks there is no way that a girl like her would ever go for him. At school, they don't really even talk. 

So, of course, they slowly develop feelings for each other, but it's Mahiru who has to convince him that he's good enough (harking back to the bullying from before). He actually does clean up really well -- once, when they are out and he's actually brushed his hair and is wearing something other than a shapeless hoody, other girls do notice...which Mahiru takes immediate notice of. By the end, she forces the issue by basically outing her feelings in front of the whole school and he pledges to be braver and to improve himself so that he doesn't feel like he is so far below her level.

He's not an idiot either (scoring in the top of the class, though she always scores first) -- and the two boys who manage to befriend him can see that he's a decent guy too. I thought their different "tragic backstories" were handled fairly well and the characters were well-rounded enough. It's not a groundbreaking anime by any measure, but it is a very pleasant one and a nice feel-good watch. Amane is a little frustrating because, by about half way through, Mahiru is sending some pretty clear signals that he has to work to ignore. But, they are both very lovely characters. 

The animation was slightly dodgy; it's reasonably well done, but there are perspective issues where often the heads are drawn too large or the angle of arms is awkward. It's not enough to make you not want to watch, but it is noticeable. Besides that, it's a bit...bland in style? Not sure how the manga is though, so maybe it's better. The still shot above looks very well drawn, but the animation isn't nearly so clean. And they spend probably 50% of the show sitting on a couch next to each other.

Am I glad I watched it? Yeah, I enjoyed it. I don't know that it would be a re-watch kind of one, but there was reasonable closure by the end and the overall story is good and the characters are definitely the kind you root for.

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

So, I had sort of been resisting this one for a while. I'd seen some clips of it and they looked decent, but I'd also seen some commentary that made me think meh. Like, it sounded like one of the cheesy web novels with really, really bad plotting and no characterisation and too much fan service. But, I'm glad I finally tried Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion. 

It started, apparently, as a South Koren web novel by Milcha. Then it was serialised on Kakao, then a webtoon adaptation illustrated by Whale (?). And now it has become an anime produced in Japan. This may be why the heroine's name seems to change -- in some things it says Eunha Park...though, properly, that'd be Park Eunha, which would be Korean...and in others she's referred to as Rinko Hanasaki (which sounds Japanese to me). Though, in the anime, I honestly don't know that they use her "original" name because, like so many anime these days, this is also an isekai. 

In this one, a girl is mysteriously pushed off a building right after finding out she finally got accepted to university. She can't recall why or who or what the conversation just preceding the event was. But, she wakes up in a novel that she had read as a sort of "inciting event" side character called Raeliana McMillan. She knows she's destined to die at the hands of her skeevy fiance, which then drives the rest of the romance novel -- a friend, Beatrice, returns to investigate and falls in love with the Duke. 

So she starts off by trying to get out of the engagement, but nothing she says or does work. In a last ditch Hail Mary, she's at a ball and she approaches the "cold, calculating Duke" with the unlikely name Noah Volstaire Wynknight (actually, all the names are equally unlikely, to be fair). She wants to make a deal with him because she knows political secrets from her reading of the novel that she thinks she can bargain with. He takes the bait (it's hard to say why; it might just be that he was intrigued) and they enter into a fake engagement so she can call off hers. 

So. Okay. There are easily some comparisons to be made here with Bakarina (i.e. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom) which is arguably one of my favs in recent years. Same foreknowledge of events but where Bakarina is really quite clueless and simply survives because she's so lovable that EVERYONE in the WORLD probably would be in her harem if they could, Raeliana is more proactive, practical, and sometimes ruthless. That said, there's still some humour in this one, but it's definitely nowhere near as goofy as Bakarina. 

So, of course, there are hijinks and the two (the Duke and Raeliana) grow closer, though the Duke's right hand guard also definitely feels very protective of her and even an ancient priest (who starts off in the body of a child, weirdly, because reasons) invites her to call him grandpa because he wants her to be his disciple when he figures out how clever she is (she also came into the world understanding every language, written and spoken). And I get the feeling there will be more. 

It's easy to see that the Duke has duly moved from being intrigued and annoyed to fascinated and, by the end of the season one, pretty much enthralled, though he's also trying not to admit it. With the fiance finally gone and no real reason to continue the fake engagement, he's holding onto it awfully tight. There were also hints that Beatrice (the blonde) is more than likely behind all of the current plots to kill her off and, who knows, maybe was the original shove off the building. 

While there's a lot that's predictable about this one and there's certainly nothing groundbreaking, it's enjoyable. I like it. I quite like, in particular, that she's very spunky and feisty and she isn't at all stupid. I mean, I love Bakarina. But she is NOT the sharpest tool in the shed. Heck, she's barely in the shed. 

So, I hope there is a season two. There are books out now too, which I might order, though I think only 4 volumes are in English right now (Yen Press, who generally do a good job and produce a nice product). The whole thing is on Tappytoon translated, but I'm not really a fan or reading online so...eh, we'll see. To unlock the whole thing would be maybe $50 and I'd kinda rather have the physical books, even though it'll mean waiting (a lot) longer as they just started publishing them in English in 2022 (in comparison, the original Korean novel came out in 2016). 

I do gather from posts that she does wind up with the Duke, though I honestly wouldn't mind at all if it were the bodyguard. He barely speaks, but he's sweet and, even though he's very deadly, you want to protect him. The Duke is more formidable, but it will be interesting if/when it gets to the point where he melts. He's a bit in the "he doth protest too much" stage though there are definite cracks in the facade. 

So, yes, glad I watched it. I'll even likely watch it again (how many times have I seen Bakarina now? Little dude and I both love her). And, if they do another season, I'll definitely watch it.

Edit: I've bought the first two books now, which are in a slightly different style than the anime. Looking forward to seeing if there are any other differences too.

My Clueless First Friend

I was feeling the mood swings from menopause today so I took a mental health break. I mean, I did do SOME work, but I also watched an adorable little anime called My Clueless First Friend. 

The characters are in 5th grade, so are somewhere around 10-11 in age. Akane Nishimura has been bullied and called the Shinigami for years and has resigned herself to being alone (yes, yes, I know, it's a similar storyline to LOADS of other anime and there's nothing particular groundbreaking here, BUT this particular one is CHARMING). A new transfer student comes in -- Taiyō Takada and instead of being repelled, he is absolutely FASCINATED and wants nothing more than to be friends with someone so powerful as a Grim Reaper who can curse people. 

He's played as a bit clueless but sometimes you feel it has to be a put on to some extent because, from then on, whenever someone bullies her, he finds some way to twist what they've said into a compliment. He's, honestly, too pure for this world and possibly the Best Boy ever. 

They are, as Takada reminds people when they tease him about "going on dates," just kids. But it's the beginning of what one hopes will either be a forever love story or a beautiful friendship. Though there's definitely some doki-doki towards the ending as they are both struggling with starting to feel grown up feelings. 

There's some great character development in so many areas. Akane slowly comes out of her shell and starts to reach out and stand up for herself. A former bully slowly amends her ways, even though she's jealous of Akane because she'd like Takada's attention. Takada himself, though he's always over the top, also proves himself so very thoughtful in so many ways. The other two best friends in the group and especially Takada's big sister, are all excellent wingmen. And Akane's dad is also Best Dad. It's got some subtle humour (and some "hit you over the head jokes") and is, really, just a joy to watch if you're feeling down, all the bullying notwithstanding. Akane, honestly, is so resigned to it that you know it's been going on for a long, long time.

So, yes, I'm totally glad I watched it. I really hope there's another season, otherwise I'll have to see if I can find the manga. It's not, by any means, a heart-pounding anime but it is SO charming and it hits you right in the feels in so many moments, both large and small. I totally teared up with Akane texted her dad to show him that her friends were eating the extra marinated eggs he'd packed in her school lunch for the first time. I know, that sounds simple and small, but it was really sweet and just excellently handled from a storytelling approach. After Takada comes into her life, he doesn't just change her dreary existence, but he also changes the world for people around her.

It was also refreshing in that they are definitely KIDS and there wasn't anything even remotely suggested that was skeevy in any way. They were believable as kids and behaved like their age.

Tomo-chan is a Girl!

Little dude and I watched another light anime called Tomo-chan is a Girl and we both enjoyed it. 

Two childhood friends run into weirdness when puberty and feelings hit. Tomo is a tomboy and, indeed, her best friend didn't even realise she was a girl for a long time when they were young. It's cute, low angst, and the side characters are generally funny. 

It's not a deep show by any means and there are others that probably do this particular bit better, but we definitely enjoyed it. I don't think it would be a re-watch candidate (which I am also realising because, as I type this up, I don't particularly feel like re-hashing any of it and I also can't think of any particular stand out bits -- except maybe for the weird deadpan blonde girl who I originally thought I would hate but actually loved because she's just. so. darn. weird.). 

It has all the standard bits -- a visit to the beach with bikinis, misplaced jealousy, misunderstandings, etc. 

Am I glad I watched it? Yes, we had fun watching it together. And, hey, that's enough.

Edit: Interesting aside, little dude wanted to start collecting this one in manga form, which I was surprised at. So he has the first volume now (it's a 4 panel). I liked it, though I didn't personally like it enough to grab the books too, so the fact that he did I find very interesting. Glad he liked it! It really is charming and silly.