The title of the story says it all. Isekai stories have long focused on power fantasies, of one-upping everyone who had ever slighted you. The story encourages catharsis and vicariousness with a hero who is a “nice guy”. Despite his niceness, he’s a geek, fat, ugly, or otherwise socially inept, especially with women. Of course,…
Category: Anime Reviews
Tomo-chan is a Girl! Offers Interesting Relationship Dynamics
Tomo-chan is a Girl! offers interesting character dynamics and avoids many of the pitfalls of using the “dense” character tropes. In this story, the characters’ inability to see the feelings of the other is intentional on the part of the characters, coming from their own awareness of their conflicting feelings. Tomo is a tomboy with…
Oshi no Ko: The Masterful First Episode
This article will spoil the first episode of Oshi no Ko. At first glance, Oshi no Ko appears to be another Japanese pop idol anime, but the story quickly bursts that assumption. Ai is a 16-year-old idol who was scouted by a tiny talent agency. So far, so normal. She’s pretty with a unique eye…
More Than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers
More Than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers begins with a reality-TV premise. Shiori, Jiro, and Akari’s high school has implemented a couples-training practicum, which aims to have students develop their social skills by simulating heterosexual marriage. While on the surface this appears to be the usual manga-anime contrivance, as population levels decline, something similar…
Do It Yourself!
Do It Yourself! is another cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime. In this one, the girls join a Do It Yourself Club. The main character, Serufu Yua is a complete klutz and gets hurt just walking across the street. But her heart and willingness to try and improve no- matter-how-many-bandages-she-earns inspires the other girls. The other members of the…
Bocchi the Rock!
Bocchi the Rock! teems with experimental animation that captures the social anxiety and catastrophizing the anime’s namesake character experiences. It’s a fun ride. Bocchi the Rock! follows the members of Kessoku Band: Hitari Goto (better known by her nickname Bocchi), Nijika Ijichi, Ryo Yamada, and Ikuyo Kita. Each of the girls fall into different psychological…