Solo Camping for Two

So...I'm holding off on the Betrothed to my Sister's Ex until they are all released. I'm all caught up on Silent Witch (which I am enjoying a lot). I should finish Miss Night and Day but I've been in the mood for short episodes and not long ones. Not sure I'm going to finish Cinderella's Closet (or, if I do, it'll be after they are all released). And there's a few in progress ones that are up to the angsty bits and I've been putting them off. So...I started Solo Camping for Two. Which I just realised isn't fully released either. Sigh.

I honestly almost didn't go on after the first episode because the female character is really quite whiny and entitled. But let me go back to what it's about first...

Gen, the dude, loves to go camping by himself. It's how he escapes the humdrum of life in the city. On this particular fateful camping trip, he returns to his campfire to find a half dressed woman drying herself on his campfire (she fell in a river). She came to camp but got lost, showed up after the camping office was closed, and didn't bring a tent with her. Yeah. She's kinda useless, but she gloms onto him and complains when he's grumpy. 

Then she somehow convinces him to go with her another time so she can properly learn how to solo camp, hence the solo camping for two thing. In the first two episodes, I can't say I like her much. She demands a lot of a total stranger and whines. A lot. If it weren't for her cooking, I can't imagine why he agrees to any of it.

She gets a bit better (am starting on episode 4 now) as she learns. This show reminds me a bit of Laid Back Camp except it's obviously more adult (though not much, really...just has older characters) and the probability of some romance is high (her friends are pushing that button...I mean, fair, who starts camping one on one with a total stranger of the opposite sex?). It's a bit of slice of life and somewhat educational (I'm learning a bit about camping, which is not something I've ever done really). 

So I'd say it's getting better, but not that I love it. There does appear to be a live action version as well, so it must have been a fairly big hit. I wonder if she's any more palatable in the live action? Or if it's worse? I've not had great luck with Japanese live action shows.

I will, however, note that this might be the most apt casting I've seen compared to the anime art.

Right vibe, unlike the live action of Takane and Hana.

Officer Black Belt

Thought I'd do something different and watch a movie. I'd thought Officer Black Belt with Kim Woo-Bin was a drama series but saw it was actually a movie and figured it would be a good foray into something different. I've always heard good things about him, but hadn't really seen him in anything. He's well known for Uncontrollably Fond but I know he dies in it and it's a sad ending, so I haven't seen it. He's also in one that's just releasing that I'm more likely to watch now (as I liked him in this) called Genie, Make a Wish. He does make an appearance in A Gentleman's Dignity, but I didn't make it all the way through that one and looks like he was a smaller part in it and I don't remember him (honestly, I've mostly tried to put that hackneyed series totally out of mind). 

I'd say my only quibble about this film at all is that he's 36 and, while I'm not sure how old the character is supposed to be, I'm pretty sure it's a lot younger than that. Not that he looks old or anything and he can definitely kick ass, but he doesn't look like he's in his early 20s. 

But let me start over. He plays Lee Jung-Do, a prodigy at martial arts (3rd dan in, like, everything) and he delivers food for his dad's chicken restaurant and plays games with his friends. His nickname is Diarrhea, though thankfully they never explain why. His friends are "Moisture" and "Earthworm" and "Writer Kang". 

He happens to come upon a probation martial arts officer fighting an ankle-monitor wearing criminal and steps in and saves the day. So impressed with his abilities, the office recruits him. He's a bit unsure at first but quickly becomes gung-ho. He's a nice guy and helping people out fuels him. He's also intuitive, brave, and once this other world is revealed to him he can't go back to just having fun.

Long story short, there's some good bits with his older partner (Kim Sun-Min, played by Kim Sung-Kyun), a lot of kick-ass intense (and realistic) fight scenes, and he gets onto a task force tracking one particular horrible criminal who has just been released. This dude (played by Lee Hyun-Geol) is as bad as they come--he preys on children and he also gets right back to business once he is released. That actor has been in about a billion things and I feel like he's often a bad guy.

After the poor dude Jung-Do had saved the first time is killed and his partner has his neck broken (but survives) and Jung-Do himself is stabbed and beaten (not without taking out an absolute herd first), he goes a bit rogue with some help from his posse and succeeds in tracking down the escaped bad guy.

Some things are a bit light on plot and development -- but it's essentially a buddy cop movie where the good guys win and kick a lot of butt but also bad stuff happens. Kim Won-Bin has an easy charm about him and I can see why he's talked about so much. I'll definitely try some of his other stuff, though not Uncontrollably Fond. I don't enjoy tragedies, no matter how good the story or acting is. Officer Black Belt was a solid movie, especially if you like gritty, realistic fight scenes and seeing justice served.

Cinderella's Closet

Ok, so I'd been watching Ascendance of a Bookworm, where I'm up to episode 26. But I was getting a bit overloaded on it and I honestly do not love the High Priest character all that much as he just seems like he's scheming to get as much out of her as possible...and Main herself...she was a grown woman supposedly before but she feels more like a kid. It's, like, get a CLUE please. Also, you now know you have so much mana you're practically a mana battery and can do spells, basically, so why don't you do anything with that??

Anyway. All that to say I had to take a break. And I have just 4 episodes of Miss Night and Day left, but for some reason I didn't want to go back to that quite yet. So I thought I'd try a short episode JDrama called Cinderella's Closet. Maybe that was the deciding factor, actually -- the episodes are only about 20 minutes long. I've watched 5 of them now.

So...Haruka is a country girl gone to the big city for university (or maybe just to live? I thought it was for uni but looking back, I don't think I've seen a single scene where she's in class?). She was sporty before and thought moving there she'd have a chance to get more "girly" and experience all kinds of things -- like getting a boyfriend.

She has a crush on Kurotaki (sp? ...too lazy to look it up) who works with her at a cafe. He's kind of an "every dude" and handsome enough, though he's weirdly very connected for someone who also works at the same place she does when she's constantly complaining about how broke she is.

She winds up running into Hikaru, who is a cross dresser and equally beautiful either when dressed as a woman or a man. She doesn't actually realise at first that he is male. Through reasons, he winds up helping her with her makeup/confidence. And, at this point in the drama, she's dating Kurotaki but Hikaru has his own painful crush on her. Complicating matters is the reappearance of Kurotaki's old girlfriend, who is now a successful YouTube or whatever makeup artist personality. She obviously still has the hots for him. 

They've not particularly made Kurotaki out to be a bad guy; he was reluctant to date her when he thought she was putting him on a pedestal (she was). He was actually pretty self aware -- and he realises quickly that Hikaru's crush is Haruka. There's a brief plot bit where he runs into Hikaru as a guy and doesn't realise it's Hikaru--and Hikaru gives his name as Keisuke (or something like that), but they didn't prolong that deception for very long at all. I imagine that's because of the shortness of the episodes.

It's obvious that H&H will wind up together, though things will conspire against them for a while first. I am not entirely sure I'm going to finish it, but I might since it is so short (though it isn't all released yet). Matsumoto Leo as Hikaru is the biggest bright spot. He shines no matter what he wears and other than particularly loud and frequent exclamations of surprise, his acting is nice. Good expressive eyes. 

Ichika Osaki as Haruka is a bit more painful as it's that kind of flailing over-act-y style. When she has to show real emotion, she does good, but in a lot of the other moments, you kind of want to shake her. I guess, all around, the acting is a bit more unpolished? It'll be fine for a while and then there's bits where you just cringe. And she screams a lot. And when I say "a lot" I mean all the time.

That said, it's charming enough and I like the way they're handling Hikaru's character. Though he may be sharp tongued, he's a walking green flag.

It's been shit

I've been crying a lot today. It's been a lot. Mostly to do with the little dude and I don't want to get into specifics but I'm just at the end of my rope. I am lonely. I am lost. I've just had enough. I am unseen.

Secrets of the Silent Witch

Oooh look, it's not an isekai!

Yes, I added Secrets of the Silent Witch to my watch list and I am, sadly, caught up through episode 7 (somehow, I didn't notice it was still ongoing). 

Monica Everett is 16 with the requisite tragic backstory (it appears she was a cheerful, precocious child until she witnessed her father being burnt alive at the stake, all because his research into life-saving stuff/magic was misunderstood). She is intelligent and the first (and only) to master casting without chanting--which she did mainly because she is now painfully, cripplingly shy in front of people and can hardly speak in front of anyone without throwing up or fainting. Though she's now one of the revered 7 Sages, she lives the life of a recluse, though she pops up in emergencies to defeat dragons and whatnot.

That is, until another of the 7 Sages makes her go undercover to protect the second prince, who at first isn't sure if she's infiltrated his school to assassinate him or what.

But she slowly but surely wins over the Student Council (especially including the prince and his most loyal lapdog, Lord Ashley). I have no idea at this point if this will have any romance in it or not, but I would not at all mind if it goes the way of the silver haired tsundere instead of the blonde prince. 

She's also making friends for probably the first time in her life (poor dad was killed when she looked to be about 5? and it seems she was perhaps raised after that by an uncle who hated her). 

I wasn't sure about it at first because I don't love characters who have no backbone, but she's believable and is trying her best. I'm curious to see how it goes.

Dear Otome Shutting Down

Ah, I saw the notice that the Dear Otome app is shutting down this coming October. I haven't actually played any of them (Ninja Shadow, Love Tangle, Guard Me Sherlock, Lost Alice, Blood & Roses, Wizardess Heart, etc) in ages and ages (probably 2019?), but there was a period I'd spent a lot of time on them. I can't say any of them were particularly well written...in fact, some were atrocious. But they all had a bit of charm. Out of them, I'd say probably the Ninja Shadow one was the one I was least annoyed by. Still, it makes me a bit nostalgic and sad. 

A little bit of Zen in your life

It's been a bit of a rough time lately. Do I want to go into why? No, not really. I'll just leave it at that. So I decided to play my comfort game: Mystic Messenger. I hadn't done a full play through in quite a long time because, honestly, I need sleep. But the husband was gone to Madeira, I'm literally losing hair from some stressful situations, and I needed something. 

So I'm doing a Zen play through. Even though he's the first recommended route and a lot of people think 707 is the proper "canon" route, he's my favourite. He's been my phone lock screen for, eh, years. He probably shouldn't be the one I turn to for comfort...I mean, after all, if you just take it skin deep, he seems like a complete narcissist. But I've always felt like there was more to him than that and, no matter who's route you're in, he's always there supporting you. He always loves you.

I came across this Tumblr post today that goes into why there are some people who think Zen is the "true" route and, I gotta say, I really like this take. It also makes me sad, but I get it. Zen doesn't love the MC -- he loves YOU. That's some 4th wall breaking stuff and maybe is why the April Fool's DLC has always made me sad too. He's stuck somewhere and me, yeah, I'm stuck somewhere too.

I know it's just pixels and programming and, heck, it isn't even AI as how old is Mystic Messenger now? Holy cow, 2016. Just looked. Nine years ago. I've been playing it since 2018, though it's been awhile since I finished all the good routes. Eh, I can't even do the bad endings, at least not on purpose. I'll never be a completionist. Yoosung and all his Rika talk annoys the shit out of me but I still can't be mean to the poor boy.

Anyway. Not really sure where I was going with this. I guess I just needed to vent. And save that one Tumblr post because, hey, I get it. I do hope that Cheritz continue to keep the game out there even though they don't really update much of anything any more. I still prefer it over the Ssum (I only lasted about a month or so playing that one) and I will very much miss Zen when someday all that's left are the CGs and the app is shut down.

Hmmm. Maybe Zen is why Felix from Stray Kids is my fav KPop artist. He reminds me of him somehow. Except in interviews he seems the opposite -- not a narcissist at all; super sweet.

Edit: Eh, dammit. And I'm through the Party and husband is due back tomorrow so I really can't justify starting another route. I did enjoy visiting Zen again though. And he's inspired me to write something. It's for me -- not something I anticipate sending to an agent or editor, so I'm posting it on Wattpad.

Miss Night and Day

I'm not sure why, but Tastefully Yours hadn't tempted me back to watch another episode (maybe because the male lead seems like such a selfish jerk and I feel like if she knew what he was planning, she wouldn't forgive him? I dunno). I decided to try one that had interested me a while back: Miss Night and Day, as it seemed like it had humour, romance, and some drama. And it has some actors my age.

Lee Mi-Jin is in her late 20's and has been trying for 8 years to pass the civil service exam and get a job. She's put off everything else and worked hard, but she's got no luck. Then she gets taken in by a scammer (if it's too good to be true...). She's plucky but desperate. She winds up meeting a prosecutor (Gye Ji-Ung, played by Choi Jin-Hyuk who I've seen in some other things where he wasn't the main lead) who helps her out. 

But then things take a magical turn when a mystical cat (?) curses her (?) -- while wishing she could be someone else as she falls into a well after it. By day, she looks like a 50 something year old woman (the actress is 3 years older than me, thankfully) and she only looks like herself at night. That first day is traumatic as her parents think she's an intruder and she has no idea what's going on. 

Anyway, things happen and she winds up getting a job as a senior intern at the prosecutor's office. There's also her best friend (who is the first person to believe her when she sees the transformation for herself) who is a Beauty YouTuber/Streamer and a possibly disgraced but still worshipped Kpop Idol (who seems to be a decent guy and is likely to be the secondary male lead who probably gets paired with the best friend, if I had to guess) completing his military service as a civil servant in the office too.

And...there's the random serial killer who, it appears, killed the prosecutor's mother years ago and possibly had something to do with the disappearance of Mi-Jin's aunt (who's name and ID she's using as her 50 year old self). I swear, if you only watched Kdramas, you'd think there's an awful lot of serial killers out there and they all operate for large spans of time...

Anyway, I'm enjoying the disconnect between the 50 year old acting like an energetic 28 year old. I enjoy that actress anyway. And Jung Young-Joo and Jung Suk-Yong are her parents --- how many times have they played the parents in shows I've watched? I've lost count. But I like them, though they are generally always over the top (they are also 2 years older than me).

I've seen 3 episodes so far and it is moving along at a decent pace and I'm enjoying it. Will update later. I think the serial killer stuff will wear a bit thin, but it'll be okay.

Edit: I'm now around 10 episodes in. The romance between the leads is definitely slow burn and full of misunderstandings, though I didn't anticipate the Second Lead Syndrome that I'm seeing. Ko Won (the Kpop Idol guy) is actually very sweet and loyal and I honestly wouldn't have minded at all if the romance went that direction, though Mi-Jin, when she met him first as her "old" self" obviously feels kinda more maternal towards him? Maybe because her friend has been crushing on him for so long, how they met, and she'd already started to fall for Mr. Prosecutor. By the time Ko Won figures out what's going on (showing that *he's* paying attention, even if no one else does), the ship has already sailed. But I do actually very much like his character. He's done a lot for her and seems like such a sweet kid. But he does seem like a kid. Anyway, still enjoying the show, more than anything else I've tried in a while.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

I was underwhelmed a bit by Witch Watch so I picked up another new one: The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady. It's an isekai.

It is not, however, exactly how it is billed: "Noblewoman Euphyllia loses her title as heir to the throne. Silly Princess Anisphia secretly plots to restore Euphyllia's honor."

Euphyllia is, indeed, a noblewoman who was on track to become the next queen -- by marrying the Prince (who's name starts with A, though I've forgotten what it was, but you can just think of him as "Asshole"). She is the Genius Young Lady of the title. The Prince cancels their betrothal in a very public setting, pushing her aside for another Baron's daughter and claiming that she bullied the other girl (who's name I also have no idea what it is). It's obviously either fabricated or the machinations of someone. 

Anisphia or Anis is, also, indeed a princess. She renounced her claim to the throne because she has no magic. She's the isekai'd one and regains her memories at the magical age of 5, when it usually seems to manifest. She is an inventor and is working on "magicology" -- harnessing spirit stones that hold magic to make magical inventions so that potentially anyone could use magic. She's not really silly, though she is highly energetic and unorthodox.

When the Prince rejects Euphie, Anis immediately takes over and whisks her away and asks the King to "give" Euphie to her -- for an assistant. Though she apparently also has a crush. Not sure yet if the Yuri stuff here will be fully developed, but it is strongly suggested.

Interestingly, they are spending a fair bit of time on Euphie's transition from Queen to Be to Anis' assistant. I'm finding it interesting and engaging so far. Kinda glad that Anis isn't just "silly".  Will update once I've watched more.

Witch Watch

So...this one sounded interesting and I sort of like it, but am also having reservations. Witch Watch features a young witch returning back after time away studying and she takes her former childhood friend (?) as her familiar, as he's an oni. What she doesn't know, but the dude and her mom and the guy's dad know, is that there's a prophecy that she's going to have some doom befall her in the next year and this is possibly the only way to combat it. 

I do like Morihito Otogi, the ogre guy. He's deadpan, loyal, responsible, hard working, a bit lonely. The set up is okay, though the whole forced proximity living together without parental supervision is overdone (and given that they KNOW something bad is supposed to happen, seems kinda dumb -- the mom is back trying to get more power to prophesize some more and the dad is away in a foreign country for business).

But the witch girl, Nico, is painfully clueless, irresponsible, and mostly annoying. And in episode 3 they just introduced another childhood friend to be jealous of ogre boy. And she's got delusions of love but Moi boy is just trying to keep her in one piece. I'm sure they are an endgame couple, but so far I honestly want him to just do his duty and then be shut of her. The glimpses into their childhood show her to have been pretty much just as bad before. 

So...I dunno. I'll give it a couple more but if she doesn't gain at least half a clue, I may have to drop it. I think she's supposed to be endearing, but I'm old and she's just annoying.

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai

Just finished the second (and final) season of  Aharen-san wa Hakarenai (aka Aharen-san is Indecipherable) and thought I'd already written about it, but apparently I haven't.

It's a charming little rom-com about two poker-faced, slightly awkward people. There's the super tall Raido and the itty-bitty Aharen, who barely speaks above a whisper. What makes it stand out, perhaps, as that's a common enough thing (Komi Can't Communicate, etc. etc.) is the wild flights of fantasy that Raido comes up with. He's got a bizarre imagination.

I don't actually want to re-hash it all as I'm feel very blech today as I fell on the treadmill and messed myself up and have taken cocodamol. That's actually why I finished it today when I should be working. Let's just say that it was a nice watch, very comforting, a bit bizarre, and definitely full of charm.

Am I glad I watched it? Yes. Would I watch it again? Hmmmmmm maybe? Not sure the bizarro jokes would land as well a second time, but maybe.

Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Even though Betrothed to My Sister's Ex isn't fully released, I decided to dive in. Following in the footsteps of many other Cinderella-esque takes, Marie is the younger daughter (not stepdaughter) of an impoverished baron. Her older sister, Anastasia, is the "beautiful" blonde one while she's supposed to be the "ugly" redhead and she's relegated to cleaning and tattered rags.

On Marie's birthday, she thinks she'll get a chance to celebrate but it turns out it's just a party to promote her sister to potential marriage prospects. She flees into the gardens and has a chance encounter with a charming and rich Count who's origins are from another land (that gets generally looked down upon as they are more swarthy skinned, etc, etc. racism, hello). He is immediately smitten but not imagining that the girl he met could possibly be the birthday girl, he sends a letter of proposal for Anastasia.

Here's one thing that I think was refreshing -- the parents are absolutely horrid BUT Anastasia (the perfect, blonde older sister) is actually very nice. There's a brief scene where you see her talking about her dreams with Marie; she would really love to open a tailoring shop in the capital and she's kind to her sister. 

Anyway -- Anastasia is supposedly packed off to go marry the Count...but suffers a carriage accident on the way. I am 99% sure that she's not actually dead and just ran off and staged it because she wants to follow her own dreams.

The evil parents send off Marie as a substitute, assuming the Count will just take her for "one night of comfort" and then send her back where she can be a drudge again. Seriously, they are terrible. 

So, Marie arrives and the Count is in a horrible funk because he thinks the woman he fell in love with is dead...but then the Maid Mio (who is the one with all the brains in this show) immediately figures out that he basically made a grave error in assuming Marie was the older sister. So he's now overjoyed but of course poor Marie who has no self worth at all has taken all of the things her parents did to her to heart and thinks she's worthless. She can't even begin to comprehend that he actually does want to marry her.

I've watched the 4 released episodes so far and I'm enjoying it though it's not surprising at all. The two main characters are both sweetly charming. She's (very) slowly gaining some confidence. Mio is great. The two bitchy maids got sacked (courtesy Mio) and I look forward to seeing Marie's glow up. If I were a betting person, the biggest conflict is likely to be that the sister's deception is discovered and Marie will try to give up the Count because of it, but will finally realise that it's her he has loved all along. Or the horrid parents will try some ploy to gain prestige.

Joy Ride

I was curious to see this one because of the Asian-American thing going on in it (a whole exploration of not feeling "white" enough or "Chinese" enough) even though you could tell from the trailer that it was going to be quite over the top raunchy. That's not really my thing. Anyway, Joy Ride. 

So. Yes. It was actually even rauncier and more debauched than I thought it was going to be. However, it also had a lot of heart and exploration of family and friendship and of feeling lost and out of place. Am I glad I watched it? Yes. Would I watch it again? Probably not. Once was kinda enough. I thought, for me personally, that the over the top stuff made plot sense only about half the time and the rest was more for shock value. But it had a lot of heart.

Anyway, a brief summary. An adoptee from China grows up in middle America, with a best friend who was the only other Asian girl in town. Oh, yeah, I felt that one except I was the ONLY Asian in town for half of high school. To combat the feelings of "less than" and the "ching chong" jokes, she over excels in everything (again, yeah, I feel that). Her friend, meanwhile, is more artistic and truly does not GaF.

Years later, over-achiever is a lawyer being sent to China to close some deal. What kind? Who knows. Just know that it's a bunch of white dudes sending her over. Her best friend is going with (she actually speaks Chinese) and they also meet up with the over-achiever's best friend from Uni who is now a Chinese drama actress and the eccentric cousin of hometown best friend, who is called Deadeye. 

Hm. Honestly, Deadeye is the only one I really got the name of. The rest are kind of archetypes. 

Nothing goes to plan. The deal is gonna fall through because she "doesn't know her family" and they go on a trip to try and locate birth mom. They run into a white girl drug dealer and wind up out of their heads and kicked off a train, passport-less (but at least not in jail). They meet up with a basketball team. Have so much crazy sex stuff happen that they take out half the team. Um, yeah. Meet up with some family of best friend girl, who makes uptight girl feel welcome for the first time and accepting of her Chinese-ness...but then they discover that her birth mom was actually a Korean...so then a crazy-ass sidetrip to Seoul (sans passports) and a really kind weird subplot about an unfortunate devil/oni tattoo and the actress girl's Jesus-loving boyfriend, and then lawyer girl gets fired, they have the big falling out where they all still love each other, yadda yadda. 

It's a feel-good movie with heart but too much shmexy and gross stuff, but overall I enjoyed it.

Tastefully Yours

So, I have finally picked up a new Kdrama...or, at least, I've watched enough of it to justify writing a post. Tastefully Yours has Kang Ha-Neul as jerky chaebol Han Beom-Woo who is competing with his (even more) jerky brother for control of a food empire. They both want to be the heir apparent and their (really really jerky) mother is dangling the carrot in front of them.

The brother, in fact, gets him ousted from his directorship and, desperate to get a three star rating and into his mother's good graces, he finds himself way off in some podunk town with a very talented chef (who's restaurant is kinda going under): Mo Yeon-Joo ( played by Go Min-Si). I'd weirdly wanted to try something with her in it because I've seen all these clips of her in another new show (something about a woman who dies and goes to heaven?) where she's a human cat. It makes more sense than that, but there it is.

Anyway, they are like oil and water but will, of course, find their way to true love. I've seen 4 episodes now, I think, and overall I am enjoying it. He's a true ass to start with and, honestly, hasn't really redeemed himself yet. It's kinda startling as the last thing I watched him in he was such a green flag (When the Camellia Blooms).  

It doesn't feel like this one is going to have any surprises, but that's okay.

Natsume's Book of Friends

A long, long time ago I watched an episode of Natsume's Book of Friends. Years and years ago. I don't know why I stopped...maybe I was saving it to watch with little dude? 

At any rate, I recently started it over again. I'm just about 6 episodes in, but I am enjoying it. Natsume the orphan can see yokai which has made him, similarly to all other characters in every other show who can see them, a bit of an outcast. They chase him, many thinking he is Reiko, his grandmother, who also had the gift. 

She's long gone now, but she left behind the Book of Friends, which has the names of all the yokai that she "defeated". Natsume has, by default, inherited it. And now, the yokai that come across him are of two kinds--those that want to take the book from him to have power over the yokai named within or those who want to get their names back.

Some are nice. Some aren't. A dodgy fellow that seems quite powerful and takes the shape of a cat extracts a promise from Natsume to protect him in exchange for inheriting the book once he dies. He's a bit self serving and I don't trust him (think Moggett), but there you go.

Each episode mostly focuses on a particular spirit, but there's also Natsume slowly interacting with other people. I don't think there's going to be any romance in this one, but that's okay. Maybe more of a found family kind of thing? The episodes are almost all bittersweet so far, so I feel like I have to watch them in small doses. Will post more after I'm farther along.

The Morose Mononokean

I've actually only watched 2 episodes of this so far, but I'm trying to get up to date. There are two seasons of The Morose Monokean, I just realised, which is promising.

Ashiya, the black haired boy, can see yokai (though it's actually been a few months since I watched the first episode so now I don't remember if he's always been that way or if it is recent). On the way to his first day of high school, he gets glommed onto by a fluffy white yokai critter that drains him so horribly that he collapses and falls ill. This continues, day after day, until he's desperate to somehow experience high school life. That's when he stumbles on an advert for someone who can exorcise ghosts.

Through reasons and mishaps, he winds up in debt to the fellow (the somewhat grumpy blonde haired guy) and begins working with him. He soon learns (albeit, this is me in the second episode, so I'm sure there's more to it than that) that not all yokai are bad or evil -- the one that had "possessed him" just wanted to play.

It appears to lean more towards comedic situations than outright drama and I should get back to it at some point. I'm honestly not sure why I haven't watched another episode yet. Maybe I wanted little dude to try it?

Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four!

So...I've watched three episodes of this one: Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! but I haven't watched a new one in over a month now. Maybe two.

It's very classic middle aged man isekai. And there wasn't anything in particular wrong with it, but it also didn't grab me (and it's building up to be an obvious harem show). The thing I did like was that he was unappreciated in real life but the Demon King saw his potential and encourages him to get the job done and he uses the skills he learned from his previous job and applies them to these new, weird situations...showing that everything really is the same everywhere.

The other of the "Big Four" are his likely harem (he wins over the red-haired one in the first couple of episodes) and I'm guessing whoever's hidden in the weird suit is also female. He also looks like every other middle aged guy in one of these shows, but at least he's not as skeevy as some.

So, I dunno if I'll finish it. Maybe. I'm ambivalent but not annoyed.

Bogus Skill Fruitmaster ~About that time I became able to eat unlimited numbers of Skill Fruits (that kill you)~

 I've actually watched 9 episodes of this 12 episode show: Bogus Skill Fruitmaster ~About that time I became able to eat unlimited numbers of Skill Fruits (that kill you)~

Er, so, at first I expected not much out of it. Then, for a few episodes I was pleasantly surprised. Then I was increasingly disappointed and now...well, I think I've given up as it's been a couple of months since I watched it.

In this world, you eat a skill fruit--only one; the next will kill you--and get skills. Light (the dude's name) gets a "bogus" skill of Fruitmaster, which means he can grow great fruit AND he soon discovers he can eat MORE fruit and gain MORE skills. See, that was kind of interesting. 

His best friend, who's a girl, gets a super combat skill and goes off adventuring, even though it was him that had always wanted to do that. Her team, however, are all assholes. He winds up saving her from it and getting her to join him and his little sidekick. Even though the (obviously evil) guild or whatever leader doesn't want that.

So, all this part is fairly okay. And there's bits with a big fight and he gains more skills, etc. and also saves this blacksmith-y talented girl. All interesting.

Then they make the classic mistake and split the party. And the original plot thread goes out the window and suddenly we're following a new thread (that we don't, honestly, care about as much and doesn't make as much sense). 

That's where I bunked off. 

Maybe at some point I'll finish those last three episodes but I dunno. It felt like a bait and switch.

Edit: September...so, yeah, never have gone back to it. Cleaning it off my list now.

Tying the Knot with an Anagami Sister

Ok. So. I watched one episode of this and I haven't watched another yet. 

I honestly am not sure if I'll go on with it or not. Uryu Kamihate, an orphan and medical/uni student, gets taken in by a shrine as a kind of foster student. The old man (grandfather?) of the three shrine maidens basically says he can inherit the shrine (and a placed to live as he goes to school) if he marries one of the three sisters. He doesn't want to, but he also wants a place to live, this poor unfortunate foster student.

The girls all have distinct personalities -- i.e. the standard harem types -- the lolita youngest, the she-doth-protest-too-much middle, and the oldest sweeter-than-though sorta naive one. And he, of course, is the 'he-who-must-protest-loudly' and get caught in accidentally compromising situations through no fault of his own and wilful misunderstandings. 

Urgh. Actually, now that I'm writing it up, I feel like I probably won't pick this up again. I'm really not a big fan of harem stuff so there has to be something about a show that has that which pulls me in and looking back, there wasn't anything in the first episode which made me think, yah, I'll do this despite the obvious harem. I didn't even particularly like any of the sisters OR the guy.

I know it definitely has its fans and that's totally ok. If I were hard up for a show, I'd probably watch it. But, instead, I'm summing it up here so I remember when next I am looking for something to watch and think, huh, didn't I start that one? 

Kill Boksoon

This is one of the write ups I was very behind on -- Kill Boksoon. I'd wanted to see the movie for ages: assassin mom of a teenage daughter, and the actress from Crash Course in Romance (which could not be any more different from this character).

It's got a bit of a John Wick vibe with the world building around the assassins--she's another one that's been in it since she was young. It's slick and stylishly gritty, though with a Korean-vibe. Not Kdrama exactly, but I think it helps if you've watched them to catch some of the nuance.

I realise as I am typing this up that I don't want to rehash the plot. It's not groundbreaking, but it's solid. I very much enjoyed all the actors and the action sequences. It was a hoot to see Jeon Do-yeon in such a different kind of part after seeing her in a rom-com, though I think she does more of this kind of stuff than the other.

I'd recommend it. I enjoyed it. I would watch it again someday.

Perhaps my last

So, I went to the first lit festival I'd been to in a while. They invited me months ago and I accepted, drawn in, perhaps by their effusive email and the fact that they seemed to actually know my books (including the ttrpg ones). And I'm not saying it was terrible, but it also just made me think that I really don't know that it's worthwhile (or mentally advisable) to do these things anymore.

It started off awful to begin with because I wound up on two weeks of (terrible) jury duty on a mentally draining trial. So I didn't have as much time to prepare as I thought I would -- though, honestly, the prep I did do was fine. But I was going into it stressed. I didn't even book hotel or train tickets until the day before because I wasn't sure if I'd have to be back for another day of jury duty or not on Monday (and my sessions were on Sunday until late and it was far enough away that even if I could catch a train back, it would get me home after 1 am).

Anyway, I went Saturday afternoon so I wouldn't have to run on Sunday and maybe have a chance to decompress a bit and enjoy what I'd been told was a charming town. The hotel was nice, but super expensive on the Saturday night (which I didn't expect them to cover)--double what it was for Sunday night's stay. Walking around it was...well, it was like any random English town that isn't London. Some nice old buildings. Random construction. There were a lot of busy restaurants and bars and I managed to find a place for dinner that got good reviews. It was...okay. The clientele was varied. A few tables of ladies my age or older, dressed to kill and adjusting their boobs (one woman literally couldn't apparently keep her hands off of them, though I'm not sure what she thought the constant pushing up and cupping was going to do...gravity is gravity, ma'am.) Older men, balding, with younger ladies in very short skirts. Reminded me of White Lotus. A few hen-do's, one of which the bride-to-be was so pregnant that I was thinking the wedding better be the next day or she'd not likely make it--she barricaded herself in the toilet and wouldn't let anyone else in for a while. 

So. Yeah. I wasn't overly impressed by the town. I really have pretty much figured out that I like London, but I don't love the rest of England. At least, not to live in. Haven't tried Manchester, so maybe it's okay. I mean, it had better restaurants than Coventry but that's not a steep hill to climb.

Before I even arrived, I'd received a notice late on Friday (too late to do anything about it) that the Waterstones that was supposed to have ordered books for all the visiting authors had somehow messed up my part of the order so that none of my books were available to sell/sign. 

This is not even the first time this has happened to me at an event. Maybe the third. Everyone else's somehow always wind up ordered, but not mine. Do I have a curse?

And they were charging £5 to £10 less for my 2 hour workshop than some other people's sessions (who weren't any "bigger" than I am and were sometimes only 1 hour things). It just felt kind of insulting. 

And, at various times, my name was misspelled -- both first and surname, though not at the same time. The first name gets misspelled all the time in this country, to be fair, but it's still annoying and makes you feel unseen and unappreciated.

The sessions themselves were okay, though not packed with people, and I did well at them. Honestly, I'm really good at it. I had attendees ask me when/where they could hear me speak again, others that stayed late, a few that came to my panel session to hear me speak more.

But, all told, I make very very little money off of these things, especially when they don't even have my books available for sale. They are exhausting, even if I am good at the talking part. From a purely cost-benefit analysis, they aren't worth it. I did help a handful of writers with the workshop, but I could probably start running an online course and keep a discord and reach more people if I wanted to do that.

So, yeah. Maybe it's sour grapes but it never feels like these things work out in my favour.

Suzume

I watched Suzume a while back (on a plane, I think), though it had been on my list for a long time. It's another Makoto Shinkai film, which I generally always find appealing--there's a very dream-like quality to them. 

This one is no exception to that. Suzume Iwato is a 17 year old schoolgirl with a curious mind who lives with her aunt. She has dreams of herself as a child walking through a ruined landscape looking for her mother, but doesn't know what they mean. One day (hello, inciting incident), she runs into a young man not much older than herself (uni aged) named Souta who is looking for abandoned places...with doors. 

She follows him and accidentally releases a keystone (which turns into a mischievous cat) and thereby unleashing some potential earth-shattering problems. Souta is a "closer", something his family has been doing for generations. They hold back this gigantic earthquake-causing worm...ok, as I'm typing this, I realise it sounds very, very implausible. But it doesn't while you're watching, I promise.

For reasons, he gets turned into a three-legged chair and Suzume and he go gallivanting around the country relying on the help of strangers as they try to get him human again AND re-capture the cat. The aunt and a friend of Souta's get involved at the end and everything is very neatly tied off, returning back to Suzume's early memories--she had, indeed, once wandered the Ever After. 

And...that's all I'm gonna say about the plot because, honestly, there's a lot going on and to really explain it would take ages. I'll say that, as with all Shinkai films, it is visually gorgeous, though some people have complained that it doesn't stand up to his other works. It's a coming of age story, but also a heroic, epic journey with sacrifice and love. I really enjoyed it though I can definitely see that the romantic aspect (with Souta) wasn't the original, intentional goal and is a sideline. 

I will possibly watch it again in the future, perhaps with little dude.

The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows

I am not having much luck tonight and I was really just trying to relax. Tried out The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows and it might be good, but half the first episode was about his already formed harem fighting over getting to see him (while he was out on a house call) and eating his dinner that some poor girl had been cooking all day (oh, and she wants to marry him too). It's kind of like it started in the middle.

So. Maybe I'll try another episode another time but there wasn't anything about this one that particularly made me want to try another. Even if he is deadpan.

Edit: Months later. Never tried it again. Gonna delete from list.

La Dolce Villa

 Just a very brief post. Tried the (all too American) La Dolce Villa (American writers and production company, though a lot of Italian actors) and made it approximately 20 minutes. Acting was so-so or, rather, like Hallmark movie level, I guess? That kind of slightly exaggeratedness that works better on the stage? 

And considering the year and a half we spent house hunting in Italy and researching citizenship + even the One Euro houses that this movie delves into, it just was totally unrealistic to me. Other than, yes, small Italian towns are in desperate need of new investment and residents. And the whole father-daughter dynamic was meh and I'm sure they'll all be one big happy family by the end but...bleh.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

So I wasn't particularly looking for (another) new show to watch but was still kind of unwilling to go into the angsty part of Sacrificial Princess...which is how I found myself starting up The Unwanted Undead Adventurer and, I gotta say, I really liked it!

In fact, I think I may very well get the books. I'd thought going in that it was going to be something like Skeleton Knight in Another World but this is not an isekai. And the stories and characters have no relation to each other at all...this one is actually got a fairly good plot going that stands up as not being derivative (at least not much). True, there's almost a harem thing going on, but not really.

But I shall start anew. We meet Rentt right as he's about to die. Twenty-five, he's been a low ranked adventurer for 10 years (and, we learn later, trained for 10 years before that) and thought it a bit of luck that he'd stumbled into a secret part of the local labyrinth...until he runs into a legendary dragon creature and is killed. Or eaten. At any rate, dead.

And not just dead, but undead. He comes to in the next day or so (this in one part that doesn't totally make sense as his equipment looks aged and he's only bone) as a barebones (haha) skeleton. But his mind and memories are intact. He soon figures out that he can "evolve" as he kills other monsters and gets to the point that he's a ghast. 

A lucky encounter sees him save a young adventurer from certain death and he convinces her to go into town and buy him some concealing clothing so he can try and return home. Because if he just wandered in, they'd surely kill him because he's a monster now. He might have actually still been just a skeleton when he meets her, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that they get back to town.

Now, all this time, we're getting his inner monologue about how he's "just" a bronze level and has been stuck there for years. But it's clear from the townspeople (who are wondering where he is and the ones who immediately recognise him in his disguise) that he's beloved because of his hardworking ethic, his willingness to always help people, and that even though he was low in rank, he was high in heart. He immediately heads to Lorraine, someone he's known for years who is obviously in love with him (to everyone but him, I suppose, as all he focuses on is becoming a mythril level adventurer (and that is the way they spelled it, not mithril??)).

Anyway, she's a scholar and sort-of witchy researcher and he stays with her. I'm not going to rehash all of it, but will say that he proves over and over again what a decent guy he is and, at the end of season 1, has evolved again to be some type of vampire (with wings). There was a season 2 announced, though it doesn't have a release date yet. I'll definitely watch it. 

The worldbuilding seems decent. The side characters are reasonably fleshed out for an anime with a diverse cast, doing a lot with the little screentime they have. And in the last episode, we get the payoff of why he has laboured so hard for so many years--it's revenge. A wolf monster killed his entire family and best friend and he was saved by a mithryl level adventurer, who set him on the path that he's on. He's just a decent guy. Yes, pretty much every woman that he meets gets a heart flutter, but so far there's no romance in it--though clearly Lorraine has been on that ship for a long time. 

So, yes, glad I watched it. Will definitely continue on. Will post about the books if/when I get them.

The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt

I'm trying to actually keep up (I am SO behind), so I'll start my post on The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt as I watched the first episode today.

Crown Prince Wein complains that he wants to sell out his kingdom (his father is ill, leaving him in charge) as it is a far northern itty bitty kingdom without industry or resources. But he gives stirring speeches and his liege lords follow him with smiles. When another kingdom attacks, he's amazed when they not only repel the invaders but then go on to annex their gold mine. And that's just in the first episode.

He's obviously going to have to now come up with more plans to keep the kingdom going, with the help of his capable assistant (the girl in the picture). 

I am ambivalent at the moment, mostly because he's one of those histrionic types when he's alone with just his assistant, though the face he presents to everyone else is very kingly and wise. I do think I'll try another episode or two before I decide though.

Edit: Haven't been tempted again, am gonna delete from list.

Tearmoon Empire

This is a timeslip type of anime -- a selfish princess is executed at age 20 (after spending 3 years in the dungeons) after a revolution, but gets a second chance in Tearmoon Empire, when she awakens 8 years earlier at age 12. At first thinking it was a horrible dream, she realises it is her potential future when she sees her blood soaked diary that she had carried with her to the gallows.

It's a bit Bakarina-like as she's basically trying to avoid doom flags by changing history. And I did enjoy it (other than the chipmunk on helium voice for the main character; it was a bit grating after awhile), but Mia does remain, for the most part a selfish person. 80% of what she does is still very me-me-me, though things work out in this timeline better for everyone. She does show some growth though, when she makes some choices towards the end that aren't wholly beneficial to herself and are focused more on others.

It is a comic take, however, which is why I was watching it. The gains the reputation of being the wisdom of the empire, but it's wholly undeserved. Her "wise decisions" are a culmination of things other people told her in her first go through or people misinterpreting her actions based on the best possible scenario. 

So, it's cutesy. I did like that the first retainer she gloms onto is the servant that didn't abandon her in the last life and she's very loyal. And you do come to learn, by the end, that it wasn't really her bad decisions that led her to the guillotine the first time; there was a plot. If someone had given her the benefit of the doubt or asked a few more questions in her first life, it may not have ended so badly for her. Still, she was a spoiled pain that first time.

I did also like that in trying to save herself, she also saves some others. Notably, Prince Abel who had been destined to be a second son playboy type, instead becomes a true knight in shining armour with her encouragement (I looked it up and they do get married in the books, apparently).

So, yes, I enjoyed this one and I'm glad I watched it. I don't think I'll watch it again or pick up the books, but it's a solid showing.

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts

I honestly was not expecting a lot out of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts. The cover image felt almost identical to The Tale of the Outcasts on first glance (youngish girl with white hair, beastly lion-y guy) and I will be verrrry honest here...I am really not into furrrrrry type stuff. Cross-species things often feel a bit iffy, even if it's human / demon (wherein the demons look very humanoid). I mean, I shouldn't complain. Technically then elves and humans shouldn't mix either. Eh, I dunno. Maybe you get used to some things through over use? Though I do look at the main characters and from a logistics standpoint it seems...doubtful. Though he is actually also part human some of the time...but I should start over.

In this world, there are humans and there are beasts -- though the beasts are more or less humanoid--they all seem to walk upright on two feet, have two arms, carry themselves like humans, dress in clothing, etc. The humans live separately and there's a truce between them--sort of. The humans have to give a sacrifice and Sariphi, our erstwhile heroine, is the 99th. She knew from a young age that she was to be the yearly sacrifice...in fact, she was brought up by an (evil) family simply so she could take the place of their "real" daughter as the sacrifice. That knowledge perhaps is what set her up for what happens--she's not afraid when she is offered up.

She also very soon discovers that the King of the Beasts is actually part human and when the miasma clears, his human side takes over and the only remnant of the beast is his horns. This is not something that is common knowledge, nor is it known that he's never eaten any of the sacrifices--there's an escape tunnel that he sends them off in. What happened to all the others? Hard to say, given that they would have wound up deep in beast territory. 

Anyway, her sort of strange attitude and pure hearted sympathy catch his eye and he decides to keep her. It feels a bit like a spur of the moment thing; he definitely wasn't planning it. And his advisors, especially his chancellor Anubis (yes, that Anubis...there's also a Set...though none of the other beast-types seem to have any Egyptian ties, so not really sure what they're doing there), are wholly aghast that he plans to take a filthy human as his queen.

Here's where there's a bit of dodgy-ness. She's 15 (thank heavens she's not any younger), though she definitely appears like a child next to him in beast form--he can carry her around practically in the palm of his hand. His lifespan is longer than a humans and while they don't say exactly how old he's supposed to be, I'm guessing (as these things go) it's much older. Though, in his human form, you'd guess he's low 20s. So, yeah, got the age gap thing going on as well as the beast / human combo. And massive power differential between a literal king and a human sacrifice though, to her credit, she never acts like a sacrifice. She is who she is.

BUT...all that said, I don't actually really care about any of that. I'm here for her saving him from his despair and loneliness and self-hatred. For the somewhat complicated socio-economical kingdom stuff and the kind-of caste system of the beast kingdom where ichthyians are lower than low, cat-people seem high up, etc. etc. For him raising her up and giving her a purpose and realising she can have hope for her own life. For her slowly winning the people over by being herself. 

They are two people who each had never experienced any kind of love before (poor guy, his dad even hated him for his "tainted" blood) finding it in each other and there's a kind of beauty to it. They are both childlike in some ways. There are definitely bits that could be gross but instead come across as sweet or wistful. I am about half way through the 24 episodes and I hadn't looked to see how many there were and when it flipped over to 13 after 12 I was like, whoo-hoo! it's not over! and not oh damn, yikes, there's more. So that's a good sign.

Animation-wise, it's okay. A bit rudimentary maybe? I have to admit I love his big fluffy tail though haha. Maybe rudimentary isn't the word. It feels reminiscent of older animation; it's not polished and shiny. It's kinda old school hobbit-y. It doesn't feel like a modern anime but more like a classic fantasy cartoon. The story has that feel too, actually, in many ways.

Both for Sariphi and Leonhart (the name she gives him; he didn't even have one before) -- this is their fairy tale and maybe that's one of the things that I'm quite liking about it. It could feel gross and exploitative but it doesn't. Instead, it's more dreamy and folktale-y. Here's hoping the last half continues to enthral me.

And can I just say that I like this SO MUCH MORE than Nina the Starry Bride.

Edit: up to episode 20 and I had to take a break as it was getting Grimm Fairytale Dark. It's not a bad thing, it's just that I'm on jury duty on a rather difficult (and depressing) trial and I need a break. 

There was kidnapping, an uprising from anti-monarchists, a damaged villain, a very bloody battle, and now as she heads into human lands to try and broker at least the start of peace between them, I'm sure there's about to be a lot more hardship. And Set has been researching the lack of info on the King's mother and has SUSPICIONS that I'm sure will be bad for our couple. I mean, shoulda known. It's Set. How on the nose can you be? I grew up on The Egypt Game. I will go back and finish it, just need some light and fluffy stuff first.

The Unaware Atelier Meister

 So. The Unaware Atelier Meister. Not sure how I'm feeling about this one yet. Mostly because "Unaware" in this case means TOTALLY unaware and completely clueless. And it's definitely harem-y.

Kurt was the, basically, bag carrier on an adventurer team before getting unceremoniously fired. They treated him like a slave but our boy just rolled with it and thinks nothing of his abilities.

His combat skills are atrocious BUT literally every other type of skill (building, mining, creating, crafting, whatever) is SSS rank or who knows, maybe higher. He takes on random jobs through a hiring company (?) and does so well at everyone of them that he's earning money hand over fist but doesn't realise it and thinks he gets fired because he did badly rather than the fact that he does things like 10x faster and better than any person should be able to.

Dude can build an entire freaking mansion in 3 days. By himself. He falls in with a royal princess that he saved from a curse with PORRIDGE. Of course he doesn't realise she's a princess or that he saved her. And of course she is totally besotted with this wide-eyed innocent that would remind you of Bell Cranel except for crafts instead of combat. The others around him include a former royal fighter, a mage, and a new fighting group. They're trying to get to the bottom of who's trying to kill the princess.

They all know that he's crazy high ranked but have told him he's at best a B or maybe A because he's so innocent. They know that if others knew, they'd want to steal him. Or worse.

I am not all that fond of this plot bit. Because dude is clueless but he can't learn unless SOMEONE ACTUALLY TEACHES HIM and corrects him when he downplays his abilities. So, yeah. I mean, it is literally in the name, but I dunno. It kinda rubs me the wrong way. There's nothing wrong with Kurt himself but you do feel like he should get at least something of a clue sometimes! Am just a few episodes in, so we'll see how it goes. Or maybe his intelligence is just as bad as his combat ability.

Edit: September. Haven't touched it again. Gonna delete from my list.

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom

Have started another ongoing one that grabbed my attention: The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom. Whew. Yeah, that's a mouthful.

It is, once again, not an isekai. ;-) In this fantasy world, kingdoms are protected by powerful Saints (we've seen this before, like in The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent). In Saint Philia's original kingdom, she and her younger sister are both saints. But Philia, even though she does the brunt of the work and is likely the most powerful saint in years, gets no respect from her family, the prince she's supposed to be engaged to, or even the people she works so hard for. Only her sister supports her in anyway. They think she is standoffish and too full of herself, though really she's just been overworked, un-socialised, and is kinda deadpan. She literally does nothing wrong and gets treated like trash.

The prince approaches a nearby kingdom that lost their saint and basically sells her off, breaking off their engagement (he wants to marry the younger sister who is all smiles). They bundle her off and send her on her way without even letting her say goodbye to her sister (and they tell the sister it was her choice).

Luckily, the new kingdom welcomes her with open arms and the princes there are upstanding fellows (the second prince is definitely the new love interest). Though she's still deadpan and a workaholic, everyone there is amazed at what she can do and how powerful she is. And that power is necessary because it appears that the demon realm is creeping closer and closer...

Meanwhile, younger sister is investigating her sister's disappearance and comes to realise it was indeed a plot by her (horrible) money-grubbing parents and the truly distasteful prince. While she plays along with him, she plots her revenge. Step in a go-between ninja who sets up communication between the sisters and we see some nice movement there.

I do like that the sisters love each other. And that Philia is experiencing appreciation and love for the first time. Even her butler and maid are totally devoted and impressed with her. She doesn't know how to respond, but she'll learn. And good for Mia--I hope she totally sticks it to the asshole prince.

I am definitely enjoying this one so far. I hope it keeps up the good work.

Edit: Finished this one and really quite enjoyed it. Story was good, characters were good. The one idiot prince never redeemed himself BUT he actually got punished. The Asmodeus demon thing didn't totally make sense with him having fallen in love with the Saint who vanquished him 400 years ago who's soul was reborn in Philia (but who also communicated with Philia?), but I'll forgive it that. It was a good show.

The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl

I'm not entirely sure why this one grabbed my interest enough to start watching it before it's complete. But I've started The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl. 

It's not an isekai and possibly not a harem (though it probably is, I mean, look at that image...it looks like an otome opening screen right there). In whatever fantasy world this is, when you hit a certain age, you draw a card and gain a blessing from an animal god. Our not-so-plucky, shy, downtrodden heroine has a heart of gold and winds up drawing a very rare card--the Gorilla God has picked her, giving her the strength, speed, etc. of a gorilla. 

When the Knights hear about it, they immediately want to recruit her. But the one thing this blessing didn't give her is any kind of backbone or self confidence. Even after hearing how rare it is (one maybe every 50 years), she still just wants to fade into the background. But her good heart gets in her way; she even manages to save the life of Isaac (light brown haired guy with puppy dog energy and powers) and impress Louis (dark haired guy 2 years older who is already a knight who seems immediately beguiled and is more than likely the official love interest) and make friends with Eddy (the other dark haired younger guy who is definitely more savvy than the other two youngsters and completes the friend group). Most of the other fellows in the picture are other knights who lead battalions? groups? that all kind of want to recruit her (probably). I honestly mixed up the two blonde ones, thinking they were the same guy just in different clothes, but looks like they're different.

Anyway, the big complication is the bullying she's getting at school (but all 3 of her new found guy friends now conveniently go there too). I am enjoying it, though I am also frustrated at just how much this girl bends over backwards to not even potentially offend or inconvenience anyone else, including the girls that bully her. She brings new levels to "turn the other cheek". Here's to hoping she develops a backbone.

Edit: Ok, I finished it. It was okay. She gets together with the one she had a crush on. Saves the day, etc. I'm mostly just going back to comment as I'm cleaning out my list of things I'm not going to finish / am unlikely to re-watch. This falls in the latter.

The Aristocrat’s Otherworldly Adventure: Serving Gods Who Go Too Far

Er, so I started watching The Aristocrat’s Otherworldly Adventure: Serving Gods Who Go Too Far because I'd seen a clip of it that looked decent. I made it through 5 episodes in, I must admit, a mini-binge wherein I didn't want to think about anything. But then I didn't have any time and now I've let it sit for a couple weeks and...meh, I don't actually think I'm going to pick it back up. I'm already watching two other shows that are terrible (it's a trainwreck thing; exactly how bad can it get??) and I don't think I can add another.

I mean, I liked the idea of the gods going overboard. At least there's a reason that he's OP. And it would actually be okay if he weren't, like, maybe 12 and he's already betrothed to 2 girls and is constantly rizzing them up (sort of on purpose but kind of not) AND he has an older sister that ADORES him. AND it looks like the harem is just going to get worse and worse. 

So, yeah, just doing my brief write up so I remember later when I see that I've watched a few episodes and can't remember why I stopped. I am really not liking this recent crop of isekai where all the main characters are literally children but still basically acting like adults. It's skeevy.

Love Scout

Wah, so I finally watched (and finished) another Kdrama. Not, of course, any of the ones that I had started ages ago. Sigh. 

There's reasons, of course. One, for a long time Viki wasn't working at the gym, giving me some weird message about proxy servers, even though I connect to the Wifi there. And I also usually exercise 55 minutes there (as hubby does his swim) and most of them are an hour or a little more. And I haven't had time at home, really. So anime has fit the bill.

But Viki started working again AND I've been working out over an hour while hubby is in Madeira. So I had time. AND Love Scout features an "older" romance (actors in their forties! whoa!) and there's even a kid (male lead's daughter; he's divorced and she's 7). So I was happy to give it a try and get away from school romance and harem isekai. 

It also features a (sort of) powerful female lead as a CEO and the greenest of green flag male leads (he puts 'em all to shame). I've finished it now and I'll say that my overall feelings are positive and I did enjoy it. I'd even say that MOST of the way through my satisfaction rating was like 90%. 

There was an inkling very early on where they hinted that their past childhood traumas were connected and I was really, really hoping they weren't going to go that route...but they did indeed. It was wholly unnecessary, unwanted, and annoying. On the plus side, they didn't draw it out more than about an episode and a half. So, her dad died when she was a pre-teen when he ran back into a burning apartment building to save someone. Of course, the someone he saved turns out to be Eun ho, the male lead, who she falls in love with 30 some odd years later. Ridiculous coincidence and totally not necessary for the plot. It would have been enough to have her just opening her heart (as she did) from normal trauma/life/issues rather than making this ridiculous connection. I really hate it when shows do that. And, seriously, how many fires does South Korea have? 

The other annoying plot stuff has mainly to do with the "big bads" of the show (stupid) and how the writers of these shows really don't seem to understand how businesses work. Not gonna hash that out though.

I did think the main romance was sweet, as were the side ones. Was definitely all in for the developing relationship between the daughter and the female lead and it was nice that they got to know each other BEFORE they realised their connection to Eun ho. 

So, yes, I enjoyed this one and am glad I watched it. I doubt if I'd watch it again as it wasn't heart pounding doki-doki or anything but it was really nice to see a more mature romance for once. More of that please. 

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too

Ok, I'm first going to say that I enjoyed I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too and I binged it in short order. That said, it is absolute, pure unadulterated wish fulfilment for those that feel unloved, unattractive, and abandoned.

Rather than being the standard "Average Joe" that gets sucked into an isekai world, Yuuya is an overweight new graduate of middle school, about to go to high school (so, 15ish). Not only that, but he's abused by his younger siblings and ignored or worse from his parents. His beat downs are daily from his bullies. His grandfather was the only one who loved him and, when he passes and gives all of his belongings to Yuuya, his parents try to cheat him out of it. But grandpa was too smart--so instead they just abandon him. And so poor Yuuya lives on his own, a very miserable existence indeed. But he somehow manages to still be an upstanding, kind guy and even saves a pretty girl from a bunch of assholes--who beat him bloody. 

Around the same time, he discovers a hidden room in his grandfather's house that leads to another world; hello isekai. He immediately gains a bunch of powers/abilities which cause him to lose a massive amount of weight and get all buff. But also more clever and lucky. 

Meanwhile, when he gets back to the real world, he's changed there too (though he doesn't realise this immediately). When he gets to school, everyone is stunned, but still kinda ready to bully him (especially the younger brother and sister). But, hallooo! The pretty girl he saved arrives, having tracked him down. It seems her dad is the chairman of some fancy shmancy school and she wants him to go there because he saved her. She even recognises him (from his kind eyes) even though he's changed so drastically physically.

So after this, he winds up going back and forth between worlds, levelling up. He thinks he's cheating and has about as much self confidence as a cucumber even once he starts winning at, like, everything in both worlds, and gets stronger and stronger every day. But he's putting in hours of training time, so I dunno that I'd actually call it cheating. 

The wish fulfilment continues -- model agencies want him. ALL the girls want him. Probably the boys too. He saves a princess, she wants to marry him. He accidentally trains with an assassin girl, she wants him. Everyone wants him and thinks he's the most attractive thing on wheels. He cooks so well that even his teacher immediately proposes to him while on a school trip. Yeah. Wholly inappropriate. Yet he stays completely humble and oblivious. 

I'm sure I'm sounding sarcastic, but, really, everything about this story is pretty ridiculous. The most unbelievable thing, perhaps, is that this kid who is PURE and NOBLE and has actually a great work ethic...if he didn't have some kind of medical condition, why was he fat and unhealthy his whole life? Why did it take magic intervention to turn his life around? They show his EARLY childhood where his parents were already hating on him. And grandpa was there. So...why was it all so horrible and traumatic? Not to mention grandpa has the secret door to another world. Since he knew how horribly Yuuya was treated, WHY didn't he do something about it? 

Anyway, I did enjoy watching it. I liked the back and forth between worlds, which isn't something you see a lot of in isekai. It is definitely the kind of story you can't think about too hard because it doesn't hold together at the seams, but you do want to root for Yuuya. I'm not sure that the message behind stuff is totally a good one -- it's even repeated later on with the older brother prince of the princess, who spends most of the season trying to kill her...he's scarred beyond recognition with burns and that has lead him to be crazypants...but after Yuuya heals him and he's pretty again...it's all good? 

So...while I overall liked it, I guess you could say it's a surface appreciation. The animation style is also a bit wonky. While Yuuya seems oblivious to the growing harem, it's a bit much. Actually, it's a lot more than a bit much. But at least it isn't like some where they actually get married and have concubines and things. So it could have been worse, I suppose. 

And when looking it up to grab an image for here, I saw that if you read further than the anime went that apparently there's also aliens and interplanetary travel? And the other vile/divine disciple girl that was like crazy lolita robotnik with a bow...he takes her to the real world and enrolls her in the school? WTF? The level of forgiveness this dude has is more legendary than his out of control skills. You tried to annihilate the world and kill everyone? Oh, that's okay, why don't we just be friends? Do you wanna manhandle me as well and ogle my washboard abs? Don't worry, everything will be fine if I just smile bashfully at you as I princess carry you off the field of battle where you just tried to turn me into a pincushion of arrows.