Anime Review: Buddy Daddies

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Good morning, my friends! Today, I have a wonderful anime to share with you: Buddy Daddies! I’ve been putting off watching it for no real reason, but now that I’ve seen it, I’d like to provide my thoughts on it.

As with all of my reviews, I have a personal scoring system for each series or film I review (it has been recently updated):

  • Plot / Story. Out of 10 points.  Describes how well-thought out the plot was, and how the story arcs build into the series as a whole.
  • CD (short for Character Development).  Out of 10.  Rates how well the characters and their relationships with each other build over the course of the season / movie.
  • Art / Acting / Music.  Out of 10.  Based around the flourish of the art style(s) and acting; character design, clothing, environment, and how well-placed little details (easter eggs or Chekhov’s Gun moments, or acting details like choking voices during crying scenes) are done.  It also includes musical direction in media where BGM or insert songs have an effect on the flow and atmosphere of scenes.
  • Rewatch Value: Out of 10.  This is my opinion on how often I would watch it given a clear schedule, or in some cases, how many times I recommend rewatching to catch all of the small details.  It is also affected by how much of an impact it leaves (A Silent Voice, for instance, leaves a heavy impact for me, but I wouldn’t watch it for a while afterward because it’s a little depressing for me).
  • Overall Rating: Out of 10.  This is my final opinion of the show as a whole, and is based on all of the above elements, as well as any other feelings I need to mention going into or coming out of a watch session.

At the end of the scoring, I will give an X/50 score with a letter grade from F, D, C, B, A, or S (S being a perfect 50).

Synopsis: Rei and Kazuki are hired killers that work in the underbelly of Japan.  When one of their jobs gets interrupted by a small child looking for her father, Kazuki decides to take her in until they’re able to return her to her parents, but they soon discover that taking care of a child along with their regular work is not as easy as they thought.

From here on out, there will be spoilers.

Continue reading →

Update Diary: Hell/Dolls (11/20/2024)

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Hello, everyone!

I decided that my first progress post should be dedicated to a project that’s been about 8 years in the making: Hell/Dolls.  This story is one I’ve held close to my chest, in part because I made the characters and world during high school, and I’ve been able to repolish the plot enough to build a coherent story.

Current Chapter: 7 (plus a prelude)

Pages: 80

Total Word Count: 37,185

In all honesty, the title should probably be reworked, but I’m both stubborn and lazy – too much to change it until the first story is done.

Here is a basic synopsis of the story:

Hell/Dolls takes place in the world of Kiria, a magic land ravaged by malevolent creatures called Baael.  In this story, Vincent Laverse is a former insurgent from a corrupt (and fake) military, and struggles to find a place of his own.  He learns of a missive that allows him to lead a group looking to protect the citizens of a city-state, and gains knowledge and skills alongside his new team.

I’ve been working on this particular iteration of the story for just under a year, though much of what is covered in this story is prequel to the original material I had created back in high school.  It is coming together slowly, but I think with the newly-designed parts and the corrections from my original ideas, this story is coming out just as I want it to.  I tend to listen to it as a Read-Aloud to catch grammatical mistakes that Word misses (yes, I know there are programs and apps out there to do this, but I still prefer Word).

A few more points I want to address, partly because this is my first big post in a looong time, and partly because I feel so passionate about this project.

First: Why is it called “Hell/Dolls”?  And why the slash?

The name Hell/Dolls actually came from a point late in the story, where a character calls his creations based off of the antagonistic creatures “The Hell Dolls” (the creatures in question are Baael; magic and ethereal beings that cause destruction).  This early in the story, however, the name is just a placeholder until that scene comes up… which probably won’t be for a while.  Regarding the slash between the two words, anyone who’s read my blog knows I love anime and manga; one common way of separating words in titles is a slash (another is an x).  In short, these naming points are just because it felt cool when I was younger, and I still really like the name.

Second: Are the chapters going to be available like Touhou, or is it going to be released all at once?

At the current time, I am still debating releasing the chapters for free, though I would like to at least release the first few to get readers engaged with the story.  Ideally, I want to release this story as a real novel when it’s completed, but I realize that a no-name artist popping up from the middle of the arctic desert probably won’t get much traction.  For now, I would like to release the first two chapters (including the prelude) for free when I feel comfortable with where they are.  More than likely, I’ll either drop them on FictionPress or another site… but again, I’m undecided for now.

Third: How long will it take to complete the current “book”?

Because I don’t have a set schedule for writing (I’m currently doing it in my free time, between work, joy-giving experiences, and family), there is no set period for when the book, or even the current chapter, will be done.  As of this moment, each chapter is running about 13 pages, and I usually do about half a page per session (sometimes up to 3 pages, sometimes as little as a single line).  This is not my ideal, and is probably not sustainable, but it is how I tend to work on bigger projects.  With the given pace I’ve been working at, including reviewing and extended breaks, I think I may be done with the first book’s main draft by this time next year – but don’t hold me to that.

Fourth: Will you be updating the progress like this every week / month / year?

I will probably focus on a monthly or half-month check-in on the progress, depending on how much I get done.  The updates probably won’t be as detailed or long-winded as this one, but I will do my best to keep to a schedule.  I would actually like to do an update every month on the 15th, but as I said earlier, my schedule for writing is sporadic at current.

If people start commenting on the blog with questions about the story, I may start doing an *actual* Q&A in these posts.  Until then, please expect regular updates on my progress.

That’s all for now,

Marcosias A. Isif

Returning Once More

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Holy moly, it’s been a while.

I think the last time I updated this thing was (checks watch) 2017!  Wow, seven years really flies by when you’re having fun.

So, to be brief, I’d like to tell you what’s been going on (bear with me, there’s quite a bit):

For starters, I’ve got a full-time job that I love.  Working with both my coworkers and vendors is an enjoyable experience, and the work itself is something that my unfocused brain can easily grasp, organize, and process.  I’ve even written some documents outlining my job’s ins and outs for the company’s position (not officially, but my superiors are actually sharing it around to help new people).

I’ve also been writing A LOT.  In addition to my To Aru universe fanfiction and that old Albel Academy story (both of which I haven’t updated recently), I have a Touhou universe fanfiction that is up to seven chapters, as well as two original stories that I have been excitedly working on for the past year.  The main one I’ve been focused on is at seven chapters as well, though I plan to release the chapters over a few weeks once it’s done.

In addition to writing stories, I have been thoroughly revamping some of my tabletop games; two in particular I have grown quite attached to, in part because they are somewhat related to the stories.  I’ve gotten most of the mechanics figured out, but there’s still a lot of work to do before they are playable in any capacity.  With how much I’ve been working on these, I’m a little surprised I haven’t burned out yet (knock on wood).

Other than those endeavors, I’ve been slowly catching up on my backlog of anime and manga, though my game backlog is still pretty much untouched.  I was finally able to play Payday 2 with a friend, though, so I see that as a major plus!

I still plan on posting reviews here – both the quick season posts and the in-depth reviews, especially the Kizumonogatari one I promised all of those years ago.  By the way, can you believe we’ve gotten Off Season and Monster Season in anime format?!

To summarize my intentions going forward, I think I’d like to start updating this blog again at a gentle pace, maybe like two to four posts a month.  Now that I have a pretty set schedule for my work, friends, family, and hobbies, I think I can be more consistent in updating this.  I’m probably going to do a review post (probably on Kaiju No 8 or Kizu) and a progress post on the favorite story I’m working on, where I’ll follow in the footsteps of the brilliant writer L.G. Estrella and give you more detailed info on it, such as word count, chapters, and maybe even sneak peeks.

Because I now pay for all of my streaming services, I will be getting most of my anime review material from Crunchyroll or HiDive releases, but there is always a new series dropping on other services, so I’ll try to stay diligent.  I’m also watching series on a regular basis again, so I may be able to give more variety than just SoL and Yuri.

I’m excited to come back here, so hopefully you’ll be happy to join me on this restarted journey!

Tadaima,

Marcosias A. Isif

Quick First Look: Fall Season 2017

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Ah, autumn.  The leaves turn that orangish-brown, and fall off of the trees.  The crisp air flowing out of your lungs touches the cold air, appearing as a small cloud.

…And the fucking snow.

Gotta love Alaska.

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Stolen from Pinterest

Anyways, we’ve got a good crop of anime right at the start of the season, so let’s see who the candidates are!

Gintama: Another one?

Black Clover: From the creators of Naruto and something else is this show about becoming a wizard or something.  Looks kinda cool.

Infini-T Force: Imagine if Gatchaman, Casshern, Hurricane Polymer, and Tekkaman all came into a single anime series that would run for a whole season OH WAIT.  (Honestly, I only know about Gatchaman and Casshern).  It’s for Tatsunoko Productions’ 55th anniversary, so congrats.

Juuni Taisen: Imagine if there was a magical battle that was fought by people representing the Chinese Zodiac.  Now imagine that to win, you need to collect a bunch of poisonous jewels from each of the other contestants’ stomachs while simultaneously protecting your own stomach.  Oh, and there’s guns and swords and shit.  If you just said “What?”, you had my exact reaction to the first episode.

Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte Kara: Something something something drunk girls.  I wasn’t going to watch it originally, but there’s a qT that I want to see.

Shokugeki no Soma 3: As a rule, I don’t watch cooking shows, because they make me hungry for food I can’t afford.  Just watching anime is kinda breaking that rule; if I also watched this show on top of that, I would be dead from starvation during the first season.  Also, there was something about tentacle rape in the very first episode.  So yeah.

Konohana Kitan: Cute fox girls doing Hanasaku Iroha things.  And I loved HanaIro.  Let’s see if the furry in me does as well.

URAHARA: So, I thought I watched the first episode of this.  But when I started the second episode, I was so confused, I just turned off my computer and went to sleep.  I’ll try again later.

Ousama Game: If you like shows that incorporate the use of common Japanese games you may love this one.  Especially of you like supernatural, psychological horror.  Blondie got what he got.

Dießirae / Dies irae: Something to do with Nazis and magic.

Kino’s Journey~ The Beautiful World: Already rating this show 10/10.  While the second episode was just a retelling of two 2003 episodes, hopefully it will follow the path of the first episode, and give us new tales about Kino and Hermes.  If you can’t tell, I love Kino’s Journey.

Girl’s Last Tour: A strangely haunting and interesting anime about two girls in a post-apocalypse.  In two episodes, we’ve learned more about the world surrounding them than the actual characters – which may or may not be a good thing, depending on your view.

Blend S: It’s like if Working! crossed paths with a personality maid cafe.  Actually, it’s exactly that, with a creepy fetish-hungry manager.

Land of the Lustrous: To really enjoy this show, you’ll have to get past the main art style: complete 3D animation with Anime-style graphics.  It’s cool, but painful.

Mahou-Tsukai no Yome (TV): I really enjoyed the OVA’s.  Well, OVA; I never saw 2 or 3.  But the first episode for the series was great.  Highly recommend both the OVAs and the TV series.

Two Car: I actually don’t know anything about this show.  It looks like Boobs then Animation by Silver Link featuring KyoAni.

Stupid Fucking Little Sister Bitch Season 2: Also known as Himouto! Umaru-chan R.  If the title didn’t tell you my feelings for this show, then nothing will.  Ebina best girl.

Sho-Bitch: No, this isn’t an insult to this show – it’s called My Girlfriend is a Faithful Virgin Bitch.  It’s a funny show, but I wouldn’t call her a bitch, just socially awkward and sexually frustrated.

3Gatsu S2: I REALLY NEED TO FINISH SEASON 1.

…and of course My Hero Academia S3.  But you probably know how I feel about that.

There’s a lot of interesting shows this season – most I’ll probably watch, but there are some on the Shana Project page that I didn’t even list.  This season looks really good, so here’s hoping for the best, and for no flops.

Those I didn’t comment on:

UQ Holder; Cinderella Girls Gekijou; Sengoku Night Blood; Tsukipro the Animation; Love Kome S2; Just Because!; Yuuki Yuuna Washio Sumi Arc; Classicaloid 2; Code:Realize; Love Live Sunshine 2; Kekkai Sensen & Beyond; Idolm@ster Side M; Anime-Gataris; and so many more that I didn’t list.

Good luck, Fall 2017 season.  We’ll see how you fared in November… and then again in January.

 

Good night everyone.

~Mister M. Ark. Isif

Quick Reviews: Summer 2017 Late Review

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To be honest, this season didn’t really stand out to me. At first, there were a few shows I was excited for, but then I came to find out that most of them were half-length episodes (or shorter).

My bane for anime. A show that can’t waste more of my life than the average.

But in regards to that, there ended up being some shows that I picked up near the season’s end, that I honestly didn’t think I would like, but ended up liking, or even loving.

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Shamelessly stolen from a Google Image Search.

As always, the following half-assed reviews are my personal opinion. Whether you agree or not, it’s what I thought when watching the show(s). Get over it, you’re reading these reviews on a blog, not ANN.

Summer Season 2017 Quick Reviews:

Kakegurui: 7/10 Because I was watching it through Hiryuu, the releases weren’t exactly on-time-weekly; I have a few more episodes to watch, but it’s definitely one of my favorites from this season.

Aho Girl: 7/10 One of very few half-length shows that I would recommend. It’s just the right amount of comedy length to show how stupid people can get for bananas. Probably will go back and finish it… eventually. Also, Dubious Boobius.

Tsurezure Children: 5/10 I did like this show at the start of the season. But I couldn’t handle watching two half-length shows, when one was enough to drive me mad. It still seemed cool.

NTR – Netsuzou TRap: 5/10 Same problem with Tsurezure; I didn’t even finish the first episode… much like I couldn’t finish the first two chapters.

Made In Abyss: 10/10 One of few shows that made me actually cry. Great show about exploring deep holes. One of three or four I picked up after the fact.

A Centaur’s Life: 8.5/10 Surprisingly interesting, mainly for the lesbians. Come for the lesbians, stay for the… lesbians. Also an interesting world, with half an episode about their version of WW2.

Princess Principal: 9/10 Really want a second season; whether or not it will happen depends on the reception of the consumers, though. Also has a game coming out, so that’s pretty cool.

Tenshi no 3P: 3/10 Usually, I can’t go wrong with cute. But this show seemed to be cute for the sake of being cute. While that’s not always a problem, this show focused too much on fanservice in it’s first three episodes, which will turn off most people quickly, I think.

Isekai Smartphone: 8/10 I only saw the first episode, but it was a great episode. Top-notch comedy. The Wikipedia summary was hilariously on-the-nose about it. It’s great.

New Game!! (S2): 6.5/10 I really like lesbians, but this show caught up to the manga really fast… so much so that I lost my place. Either way, it’s basically the same as last season, with some new characters, and a couple new events. Definitely an acquired taste,

Classroom of the Elite: 9/10 A twist I should’ve saw coming from a mile away. That’s what this show was. It also sets up nicely for a continuation.

Gamers!: 7/10 I’m going to watch more, I promise. This show’s just a little difficult to watch. Also, I needed to rewatch Made in Abyss a couple thousand times.

Out of this list, there were a couple that I meant to watch, but didn’t (Hell Girl, Hajimete no Gal, Clione no Akari, and Fate/Apocrypha) as well as some that were really popular this season, that I just wasn’t interested in (Knights and Magic, Konbini Kareshi, Welcome to the Ballroom, and Teekyuu season FUCKING 9?!). In any case, this season seems to be just as interesting as the one I just covered. Prepare yourself for the next review, coming soon!