Chillin' in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army

So, Chillin' in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King's Army was surprisingly decent. I mean, you can tell basically what it's about from the title. But it has a few nice things that set it apart.

I don't want to rehash the whole thing (it's pretty standard), but I'll go over the good (and the bad):

• In this world, "demons" are basically the same as humans except they have magic. However, humans have something that's very like magic, but based on one of four attributes (basically shielding, sword skill, a ranged skill and I forget what the other one is)
• The main protagonist, Dariel, was a human (though they didn't realise this and somehow just though he was a demon without magic) who was adopted by one of the four demon generals and raised as his son
• He's not a teenager!
• When the "real" son of the demon general takes over, he fires Dariel because he's obviously jealous of him. Dariel had been the assistant to the 4 generals and, honestly, was apparently how the whole Demon King's Army was running smoothly, as things start to fall apart as soon as he's sacked
• He soon discovers that he's really human when he winds up in a human village and not long after that, figures out he's a master of all 4 attributes -- so he goes from being the "outcast demon with no magic" to "OP human"
• There are too many boobs. The boobs are too big. They are, in fact, so big that they have little shiny highlights on them that are supposed to make them look rounder, I suppose...but actually just make them instead look like they all have weird whitehead zits that need to be popped. It's kinda gross.
• Dariel is, of course, the son of the former Hero with a capital H who went kinda berserk after he though his wife and son were killed. On the plus side for the demon general that took him in, he had no idea that Dariel was the hero's son OR that he was human
• The main villain is the "brother" who is a grade A ass the entire time and there's a small redemption arc for him at the end and...eh, I mostly just wanted to kill him. I mean, how genocidal do you have to be before people don't forgive you anymore??
• By the end, things are looking up between the demons and humans in part because of Dariel's son (there's a time skip that doesn't totally make sense story-wise, but I guess they needed the kid around) and two doting grandpas that used to be mortal enemies
• It's not really a harem. Not exactly. He marries this one totally OP girl (who's extreme strength is never explained) and while there's two female demon generals, one of which didn't want him fired in the beginning (but really never shows up in the show again), and the other who does run into him again and sometimes flirts with him, it seems like harmless flirtation rather than an actual harem situation. While the new hero female gets a little blush-y around him, they don't make much of it and he's very, very obviously married
• Possibly the best thing are the little Knockers, i.e. mine workers who look like little Jawas and are super loyal to Dariel

Anyway, it's a decent show. Honestly, if they reduced the boobage by half, it'd be really good. Hell, even reduced by half the boobs would still be too big. But am I glad I watched it? Yeah. I don't think I'd ever watch it again, but if a second season came out I would probably watch it.

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

Hm, so I've actually given up on this one: Sugar Apple Fairy Tale. There are elements about it that I like a lot, but...

I made it through 8 episodes of 24. The world building is decent (horrible slavery and treatment of fairies, but there's some structure to the world) and the art is really lovely. But the 15 year old heroine (who we're supposed to ship with the 100+ year old warrior fairy that she bought as a slave...yes, even though she didn't want to) is one of those altruistic idiots who's supposed to change the world by being pure of heart. 

He calls her an idiot often and it's generally well deserved. Why, yes, crazy Duke, even though you've threatened to keep me prisoner or beat me, I said I'd make you a sugar sculpture of your dead fairy wife that you want to bring back from the dead so by jiminy, I'll do it even though an army is surrounding your castle and is probably about to bust in and kill us all. She's supposed to be as saccharine sweet as the sugar she sculpts but...maybe I'm old, but she just seems wilfully stupid. 

And while I like Challe (the warrior fairy)...actually, maybe that's part of it. He's more interesting than she is, but it's more her story. 

And the villains--of which there are many--actually...nearly everyone she meets, including the 'childhood friend' who first follows her to say he wants to marry her and then steals from her, tries to kill her, lies about her to everyone, threatens her, etc. etc. and...nothing happens to him. The last episode I watched didn't have him (Jonas) in it and I felt palpable relief he wasn't there...but I knew he was going to turn up again like a bad penny.

I was feeling a lot of things about the episodes so I looked up some summaries of how things wind up and, meh, I decided to just give up. I'm not going to go into more than that. 

The voice acting is good. The art is good. I think it had potential but it was making me more annoyed than anything else. So am I glad I watched it? No, though I'm not mad either. There were a few nice moments and, like I said, the design and art is good. But, no, not going to finish it or watch any bits again. I'll just make up a story in my head for Challe. Maybe he just needs to be isekai'd somewhere decent.

Taisho Otome Fairy Tale

This is one of the more realistic anime that I have seen in a while. Set in the Taishō era, it's a slice of life romance with both an uplifting story and some dark themes -- and even features one of the most devastating earthquakes in Japanese history. Welcome to Taisho Otome Fairy Tale!

And...um...since I've finished the whole thing, I just looked up a summary of the manga and, man, they changed quite a few things! Some of it are changes for pacing (the singer being introduced later), but the anime apparently leaves off the entire last arc. I'll talk about that at the end though.

Let's start with the anime. Shima Tamahiko's right arm was crippled in the car accident that also took the life of his mother. His incredibly cruel father (seriously, he's the WORST father) sends him off to Chiba to live in an isolated house and declares him "dead". The one good thing he does, though honestly he's so awful that there must have been some rigid societal expectations for this to happen, is to buy a girl to act as Tamahiko's servant until she's old enough to marry him. She's 14 when she arrives and marrying age is apparently 15. Tamahiko, I think, is 17 at the start of the story. 

That girl is Yuzuki or Yuzu and she is a spring storm of positivity, loyalty, and just a general ray of sunshine. She breaks through Tamahiko's brittle and depressed exterior and brings love to his life. I don't actually want to go into a play-by-play of this 12 episode anime, but I'll just say the development of their relationship is really lovely. Tamahiko is also a nice guy and she sees his earnestness and awkwardness for what it is. 

She's also able to break through the hostile armour of his younger sister Tamako when she visits, turning the siblings into actual siblings instead of warring chess pieces. 

There are some other important characters -- Ryo, an older girl who initially tries to take advantage of Tamahiko and cause trouble for him, but slowly changes her ways. I can't say I loved her, though I get why she did what she did...though she really doesn't apologise for it until the very end. I wonder if that's a change from the manga too? And there's Kotori (a famous singer) and her twin brother Harkaru, who also become friends. 

There's a great Uncle figure who throws a lifeline to both Tamahiko and his sister Tamako (taking her in when she decides she wants to be a doctor). From the summary I read, there's actually a lot more to his story and position in the family than what you see in the anime. 

The pivotal event in the anime is the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, which Yuzu is caught up in, as she had gone to Tokyo to visit her pregnant friend Midori. This is the point where Tamahiko really steps up -- he (and Ryo, worried about her brother) walks to Tokyo (about 50 km/31 miles) and actually manages to find her. This is where it drives home to him how much he loves and needs her because he can't imagine a life without her in it.

The story essentially ends there in the anime--they're not married yet, but they have properly declared their feelings, and there's a sense of the changes in the characters, who have all grown stronger (other than the dad and oldest sister, who are both just freaking evil). 

The manga, apparently, has a whole other thing and I kind of wish they'd done two seasons of the show because it would've been satisfying. Apparently, the oldest brother (the heir) dies as a result of complications from being caught in the earthquake. There's a hint of this in the anime, as the dad only shows up to try and demand Dr. Uncle go treat him. After the oldest brother dies, he turns to Tamahiko again BUT it sounds like he kidnaps Yuzu, intending to instead make her marry another younger brother, while Tamahiko would have to marry someone else. Tamahiko says NOPE, rescues Yuzu, disowns his family, and when they do marry, he takes her last name. I gather that the younger sister Tamako and the younger brother Tamao (?, who we never really see in the anime) are on his side. Tamako winds up marrying Hikaru after some time. Tamahiko has a few kids with Yuzu and becomes a teacher. Evil older sister has some kind of bizarre subplot with a bunch of other characters, one of which turns her into the police? Though I guess she becomes her father's hair (no one else left who claims him), she dies of TB while awaiting trial? 

Anyway, can't really comment on all of that as I've just only read the summary, but what sweet justice for Tamahiko to refuse his father's name. I really did enjoy this one, though it would have been nice to see them married. I wonder if they didn't wrap it up that way because they were debating a second season? They left it open enough that they could have. I hadn't heard of it before, so maybe they were hoping it would be bigger than it was? I dunno. It's really lovely, so it totally deserves more viewers/readers. 

So, yes, I'm glad I watched it. Would I watch it again? Hmmm, maybe some day. It's very sweet. If they did do a second season, I would definitely watch it. Yuzu is a ray of sunshine.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (2 Seasons)

I have to say that I both really liked and was annoyed by this one: The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent. 

It's an isekai, though it has a few differences from my recent crop:

• No harem (yay!) though the MC is totally surrounded by exceptionally attractive people to the point that even your average soldier would be a lead love interest in another show
• Female MC who is both overpowered and NOT at the same time--her healing/magic/mana is ridiculously strong, but she can't fight worth a damn and would be toast without a platoon
• Technically TWO isekai'd people (but only the one is the focus)
• The MC is an "older" lady (20s) rather than a teen girl (come to think of it, there's a fair few older male MCs in isekais but I can only think of teen female ones off the top of my head...hmmmm)
• No 'normal' fan service -- there's kinda josei-ish fan service of another kind though -- like, the love interest properly courts her

So, in this one, Sei Takanshi (our MC) and Aira Misono (a teen girl) are summoned from our world (possibly because they lived in the same apartment building, but it's never addressed in the show). The prince of the kingdom immediately gloms onto Aira and declares her to be "The Saint" who they were trying to summon and is incredibly rude to Sei. Turns out he's an idiot (this goes over the whole first season) because, though Aira is magically talented, it's Sei who's obviously the "Saint" as soon as she starts learning how to make potions and cast magic.

However, it was a little lucky for her as she was able to start her new life with a bit more freedom -- she goes to work at the The Medicinal Flora Research Institute and is enjoying her new life. She was a nameless, faceless, exhausted salarywoman before coming home every day to an empty house. She soon starts saving people left and right, impressing Johan (the director) and capturing the heart of one of the men she saves from certain death, Commander Albert Hawke (the love interest). There's also the Grand Magus that performed the spell that pulled her in and the next in command of the Magic Academy, who also happens to be Albert's older brother (and is voiced by Yuuichirou Umehara, so you know I love him automatically). They are all ridiculously pretty, which Sei can't help but notice, though it's Al that really fascinates her.

Anyway, they were called to the world because of a spreading miasma and dangerous creatures that the Saint can counteract. There hadn't been one in years. Sei is able to purify the areas, with the help of Commander Hawke and his soldiers. She also makes a good friend of Liz, the betrothed of the stupid prince.

The first season is mostly dealing with the political fallout of the prince insulting her and acting like an idiot over Aira and Sei learning how to use her powers and Al doing his damn level best to court her. By the end, she seems to have realised that her powers come from love AND that thinking of Al leads to her special 'conjury' and you end it thinking, ah, yes, progress in this lovely, sweet romance! 

But, no. The second season seems to reset her back to ZERO understanding and denial. Meanwhile, as the Saint's work is coming to a close as they have been clearing the miasma swamps, the nobles are starting to jockey for position for one of their sons to marry her. Al is one of the candidates, but he is a gentleman to a default and is trying really hard not to push Sei, who acts like a blushing idiot around him, and is clearly uncomfortable with any thoughts of...anything beyond work.

Literally the teenage Liz is offering this older woman advice all the time, warning her that the storm is coming and she'd better figure out what she wants (when it is so very clearly Al) or wind up married off because of political reasons to someone she doesn't want to be married to.

Anyway, I'm not gonna too much more into it, but it was really annoying how she was like an ostrich hiding her head. While the final ending scene when Al proposes to her was beautifully animated and executed, the show literally ends with them HUGGING. They don't even kiss. She never even tells him she loves him in words. I mean, it's kinda obvious as the very air explodes in sparkles that the entire town sees when he proposes, but still. FFS use your words, woman. 

There were some nice moments in that second season--don't get me wrong. Johan being the best wingman (though he also sort of seriously proposes to her) to his best friend Al. The older Hawke brother thoroughly supporting his brother, though he'd probably be a good fit for Sei too. The Grand Magus was more the comedic wild card, but I enjoyed him.

A few annoyances -- once the idiot prince gets sort of caught out, he's house arrested by his dad and then...you never, ever hear anything about him again. You'd think with Liz around, you'd at least get some kind of status update. And though Aira finds a life, she kind of mostly drops out of sight too. 

Anyway, overall I enjoyed this one. The romance was literally the SLOWEST of SLOW BURNS, but it was sweet. I am glad I watched it, though I also probably would not re-watch it as you are left feeling a bit disappointed in exactly how SLOW it goes and you literally don't even get a kiss from them when Al has been in love since the beginning. Heck, she mostly had too, though she was ridiculously dense about it. I mean, I get that she's supposed to be inexperienced but there's inexperienced and then there's just stupid. She came from the modern world after all.