Best Anime in 2016

Happy new years guys! It's finally that time of the year!.
And it's time to look back at things that happened in 2016, and honestly, mostly sucks...
Tragedy happens, A lot of famous celebrity passed away (David Bowie, George Michael, Prince, Mohammad Ali, Alan Rickman, and recently, Carrie Fisher). May their soul rest in peace. Ars longa vita brevis

Anyway, we're here talking about anime, and here are my personal favorite picks on Anime that released on 2016! But first I must state some ground rules first for this list:

1) I have to watched the anime series until the end and it has to be finished airing before 2016 ends. I really want to include the currently airing, Sangatsu no Lion by studio SHAFT, but it's still airing, so I can't put it here in the list. Let's save it for 2017! haha
2) I want to include movie anime too this year, But keep in mind that not all of them are released in my local theater, so sadly I didn't have the chance to watch them all including Koe no Katachi.
3) Speaking of "didn't have the chance to watch them all", yes, that includes series as well. And I'm quite picky when it comes to anime series lately. I haven't finished watching 91 Days, and I'm planning to watch Drifters since it's made by the same person who made Hellsing.
4) This list is not a ranking, I enjoyed all of them. So you can see this list as the anime that you should probably check it out.

So are we clear on this? Good! I think it's time we blow this thing, Get everybody and the stuff together, Ok! 3, 2, 1! Let's jam!

1) Girls und Panzer Der Film

Girls und Panzer Der Film is a continuation from Girls und Panzer series. You know what to expect from a movie anime like this, just another episode of anime but with movie budget! The animation in this movie is just really awesome and beautiful. The tank fights are much more smoother compared to the series. And they really deliver the intensity of the tank fights even better than the series. If you love GuP, you must watch this movie!

2) Kono Subarashii sekai ni shkufuku wo

I honestly kinda skeptical about any anime based on Light Novel and it's all about "isekai" genre. But this anime caught me surprised (I already reviewed this anime here in this blog). It has a good world building, genuinely funny scenes. If you are a fan of Isekai genre, you should watch this!

3) Love Live Sunshine!!

Love Live Sunshine, is the continuation of Love Live! well kind of, It has different characters from the first Love Live. The story is not about µ’s. This time we're looking at Aquors. They are group of girls who aspired to be Idol group just like µ’s. Animation wise it's much better looking than the first Love Live. And character wise, they are all loveable compared to µ’s. (because µ’s has Nico, who is pretty much obnoxious in my opinion, sorry Nico fans ^_^;). I have a lot of things to say about this anime, but that is another post for another day. But overall, I love Aquors! You Watanabe is best girl! XD

4) Mob Psycho

Mob Psycho 100 is done by studio Bones. This is based on manga by ONE, the one who made One Punch Man. And honestly this anime has great characters in it. And also have some really great and rather unique "Sakuga" animation. I know humor is quite subjective, but the humor in this anime didn't really hit me. *since I prefer absurd humor*, But overall, it's a good show and has some interesting character and story in it.

5) Flying Witch

I'm always a fan of "Iyashikei" (healing) anime just like Non Non Biyori, Azumanga Daioh. And I also enjoyed reading Yotsuba&!(manga). And this year we have Flying Witch that is done by JC Staff. Their animation is really awesome and relaxing to be looked at. If you are looking for something relaxing to be watched after you are done with your activities, I highly recommend this anime for you! XD 

6) Joker Game

Joker Game is a series about Japanese spies back in WW II. This anime is done by Production I.G who was responsible for great titles such as Ghost in the Shell and Psycho Pass (and also absurd comedy like Cromartie High School). If you are looking for an intense and thrilling spy action, go watch this anime! 

7) Boku no Hero Academia (Season 1)

This anime also caught me surprised. Honestly speaking, It's been awhile that I watch a shounen anime. And this anime have interesting fights and setting in it. I've already reviewed this anime in this blog here. If you want to have some good and refreshing shounen anime, this one is worth checking out!

8) Sakamoto desu ga?

I've read the manga long ago before this anime is announced. So I was pretty hyped on this anime! And my god, they did it! It's done by Studio DEEN, If you love absurd comedy, you'll love this! 

9) Saiki Kusuo Psi-nan

I honestly didn't know anything about this series, but my friend posted a screenshot of this anime, and that made me laughed out loud. This anime is about Saiki Kusuo who has psychic powers and he tries to live his life as a normal person. It's genuinely funny and entertaining. If you love Kamiya Hiroshi doing monologue just like Bakemonogatari, you'll love this anime. And if you love comedy in general, this anime is for you! 

10) Garo : Divine Flame 

Garo Divine Flame is a movie anime which is a continuation of Garo Honoo no Kokuin. Just like I said before, it's just like another episode of anime but with movie budget! And my god, in my opinion they have the best fight scenes in 2016. "Sakuga"-fest movie. Beautifully rendered 3DCG compared to the series. And just genuinely entertaining fight scenes. If you have watched the anime series, I highly recommend you watch this movie! It's awesome!  

11) ReLife

This year we have a lot of great drama anime. This time we're talking about ReLife. It's about a 27 year old NEET who is looking for a job but suddenly a person from ReLife lab offers him a job to experience his current life as a high school. This anime is really interesting, it has great characters, great setting, and more importantly, a great story that can be related by both mature and teenager audiences. I highly recommend you to watch this anime! I've already write the review of this anime in here if you want to know my thoughts about it XD

12) Mobile Suit Gundam : Iron-Blooded Orphans (season 1)

I really wanted to put this anime last year, but since the first season didn't finish at 2015, so here we are! I'm a big fan of Gundam series, and this Gundam series is really awesome! It's all about some group of orphans who works for PMC (Private Military Company). We never saw Gundam with this setting before, usually we saw both of strong political views, but this time, we saw it from a PMC which usually goes like "You pay me, I'll protect you". So money is the strong driving force in that kind of company. And this time. they are hired by Mars Politician. It has some great animation, great themes, interesting characters, awesome soundtrack and also great fight scenes! The second season is currently airing. I haven't watched it yet because I want to marathon it when it finished airing. 

13) Kimi no Nawa

Kimi no Nawa is another Makoto Shinkai movie, if you know anything about anime community, you probably have heard about this anime. And it's a mega-hit in Japan! And finally I have the chance of watching it in my local theater. And my god, I can see why this movie anime is booming. I've already review this anime here in this blog. If you have the chance to watch this anime, just watch it! 

14) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure : Part 4 - Diamond is Unbreakable

What a beautiful, DUWANG! It's the best part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, guys! Part 4 : Diamond is Unbreakable! It's done by David Production, and I'm really happy how faithful they are when they are adapting the manga (even though some scenes are not included in the anime). But overall, I'm really satisfied with this anime! This anime sets on 1999 in a town called Duwang Morioh. And there's a serial killer who lives in that town. and it's up to Josuke Higashikata and his friends to uncover the identity of the serial killer. What? A group of teenagers who have supernatural powers that comes from within themselves and hunting down a serial killer? It sounds familiar doesn't it? Yes, Persona 4 has the same setting with Part 4. But since Part 4 was made first (1992-1995). So, there you go! Part 4 has some great characters, great Stand, amazing soundtrack, great setting, great story, and also they have the best villain ever, Kira Yoshikage! Someday I will review this anime, but I have to review Part 3: Stardust Crusaders first XP.  I highly recommend you watch this anime if you are JoJo fan! The last thing that I can say that this anime is GREAT! 

15) Shouwa Genraku Rakugo Shinjuu

And finally, One of the best anime that come out at 2016, Shouwa Genraku Rakugo shinjuu! It's a great historical drama that touches upon the Japanese traditional verbal entertainment called Rakugo. It's a slow burner, but you will enjoy this anime! I highly recommend this anime. if you want to hear my complete thoughts about it, you can read it here!

You might be asking, "where's  Re: Zero?", If you read my after thoughts, you know I won't put it here because honestly didn't really enjoy that anime. Boku dake ga inai machi was supposedly to be in this list, but unfortunately the manga is 200% times better and A-1 didn't really make a good job on hiding the identity of the killer by making some unnecessary foreshadowing which pretty much uncovers the true identity of the killer. While the manga didn't do that. SO! If you want a better experience on Boku dake ga inai machi, go read the manga! I highly recommend that! ^_^

Some honorable mentions (since I haven't watched it yet, but a lot of my friends recommended it) are Amaama to Inazuma (another slice of life anime), Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari, Drifters, Fune wo Amu, and also 91 Days!

So those are the anime of 2016 that is worth checking out, in my opinion. I hope that you will find this list to be useful! And here's a hope for a better year in 2017!

This is Reikichi! Signing out! XD

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - Anime Review

People are always hungry for entertainment, that's why I want to entertain as many people as I can!

I've been always a sucker for any anime that touches the cultural aspect of Japan. From yokai, Japanese folklore, their history especially in Sengoku era, and many more! We have a lot of anime with that touches upon that themes like Gegege no Kitaro on yokai, Sengoku Basara on Sengoku war (well, it's fun and epic), Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin and any other anime like that. You got the point.

And today, I'm going to talk about Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. This anime is all about Rakugo. And honestly, I never heard of Rakugo before watching this anime series. "What is Rakugo?" you asked? To put it simply, it's a form of verbal entertainment in Japan where there's one person sitting on a stage who tells a long and complicated comical story and the Rakugoka (the person who tells Rakugo) plays a lot of role and you can easily distinguish it because they have a different pitch and tone for every role that the Rakugoka plays. It's almost similar with Stand up comedy, kind of.  But it's different on the way how it's delivered. They don't use the rule-of-third just like the regular stand up comedy punch line (as far as I know, because I learned how to be a stand up comedian once, but it was hard so I stopped doing so haha). 

Rakugo usually takes it sweet time for the punchline. But when it hit, it hit so hard! And sometimes it's not about the comedy, but sometimes it's all about the moral story. And the other main differences between Stand up comedy and Rakugo is Stand up comedy brought their own story and materials, while Rakugo's story is already existed and the entertainment comes from how it was told and delivered by the performer. 

So, enough talking about Rakugo, how was the anime? Let's just dive into the review shall we?

Story

The story starts off with Yotarou, a former yakuza who just get out from jail. After released from the jail, he went to the Rakugoka that he admires, Yakumo, and asked Kikuhiko to make him his apprentice. Yakumo is a highly talented Rakugoka and never had an apprentice before. After convincing Yakumo, finally he became the apprentice. And this makes the whole person who knows Yakumo feels odd about him taking on an apprentice. In the first episode which is a 50 minutes long episode, we will understand the what actually a Rakugo is. In this first episode, we will have the main conflict which spans throughout the series, which is the clashing ideals between the old and new generation. The old generation wanted to keep Rakugo as it is, a sacred traditional entertainment. While the new encourages Rakugo to be updated time to time so it catches on with today's generation. After the prologue, we jump back in time to see the Rakugo from Yakumo's era back then when Yakumo learned how to be a Rakugoka with his best friend, Sukeroku since they are children. 

My thoughts in the series

1. This anime is beautifully directed. From start to finish, the animation quality is really good, and I cannot believe it myself that this anime is done by Studio DEEN, and I think this is their finest work in anime. 
2. This anime series is all about Rakugo, and they show us literally the full Rakugo story in almost every episode. When I say, "beautifully directed" I mean, the animation when the rakugouka tells the story, it's really engaging to see. We don't see only one angle of a person who is sitting on the stage in front of us viewers. But we will see various angles, emphasized expression, sometimes Rakugoka sweat drop, audiences' reaction to the Rakugoka performance and so on! The direction makes a whole length Rakugo story seems engaging and interesting and makes me as a person who was oblivious about rakugo before feel entertained! We will see a lot of Rakugoka do their Rakugo from the apprentice until the master of Rakugoka and we will be able to see "the differences" of how polished they are when performing their Rakugo which is heavily emphasized on the first double length episode.
3. This anime really tells us that "Rakugo is not popular form of entertainment in this modern days". And the anime gave us how entertaining and fun a Rakugo can be. It feels like that the anime is telling us "This is how we appreciate our culture, and we want you, dear audiences, to appreciate it as well". 
4. Let's talk about the BGM, the music in this anime consists of two things, the first one is traditional shamisen that is usually used for "entry" song of the Rakugoka. And the second one is Jazz, which is really fitting the mood and theme. And the opening is really good too.
5. At the end of the first double length episode, the show tells us how the story will end in Yakumo's flashback since the series is mainly talking about Yakumo's past. Personally, I really enjoyed watching Yakumo grew from a helpless little boy to someone who is earned the title of Rakugoka master. It's not about the destination, but it's all about the journey how he get there to the end.

Personally, I don't have any problem with this anime, And it definitely needs season 2, and this January 2017, the second season starts! But I see people might not be interested in this anime and didn't find the comedy in this anime to be funny because of culture differences. Since they have a very different comedic timing if it's compared to the western comedy. But if you are like me, you'll enjoy this series like I do!

So here comes the final verdict. Should you watch Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu? Yes! I highly recommend this anime! It's a moving story from zero to hero. From no one to someone respectful. And it's really entertaining to see and learn about Japanese culture through anime. It's only 12 episode long, and the first one is a double length episode. It's the diamond in the rough in 2016's anime and personally I consider this as the anime of the year!

So that's it from me guys, I hope that you will find this review useful. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to everybody who celebrates! 

This is Reikichi, Signing out! XD

Rogue One - A Star Wars Story - Movie Review

I'm a big Star Wars fan since I was a little. Eps IV was amazing, and I still held up to this day that Eps V is the best Star Wars among them all. I personally loved Star Wars Eps VII. (Which I already write the review of it last year in here). So here we are, another year, another Star Wars movie! And this time is a spin off movie. It takes place between Eps III and Eps IV. Or should I call it, it's Star Wars Eps 3.8 Final Chapter Prologue (HD ver)? (I'm sorry, Kingdom Hearts fans, I can't help it. The similarities are uncanny XP)
So jokes aside, This movie is directed by Gareth Edwards, the one who is responsible for Godzilla (2014) which honestly let me dissapointed. When I watch this movie, I was kinda worried about that. But my god, I was wrong. So how was the movie? Let's just jump into the review, shall we?

Story
In Eps IV, there's Death Star, the weapon of mass destruction that could destroy a planet in one shot! And in this movie, it's the story about how that Death Star's plan got stolen. You know. that title crawl at the beginning of Eps IV.

I just have to put it here, to make sure that we are in the same page. 

 My thoughts on the movie

1. First of all, this movie is a breath of fresh air for me. It feels like "different" Star Wars movie that I'm already familiar with. In this movie, it feels like that we see a "different" side of War on that galaxy far far away. The wars seems more realistic and gritty this time. Of all times, we see that the Rebellion is the good guy and the Empire is the bad one. And Rebellion seems "clean". But it's different in this movie. We will see a morally ambiguous moments from the Rebellion side which make them have to "dirty" their hands because they have to make the call for it. 
2. I must say, this movie is the PREQUEL that we deserve and we need! It added a new layer to the plot. And that layer added a new perspective on how we see this universe in a whole. And it answers the BIG question if you watched Eps IV. 
3. Just like any other Star Wars movies (prequels are not included). This movie has some witty and quirky dialogue. And every humor in this movie doesn't feel forced at all. *pun intended
4. In my opinion, the main characters in this movie are very likeable. They have their own role in this movie, and they serve a purpose until the end of movie. They are there for a reason. K-2SO is the best character! Somehow I feel that he is Sheldon (from The Big Bang Theory) in Star Wars Universe! 
5. For those who expect to see a lot of Darth Vader in this movie, well, He's not in this movie that much. But when he do, OH MY GOD! I feel like that Darth Vader finally redeemed his image from the Prequel Trilogy. From a whiny teenager who used "I don't like sand. It's coarse, rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere." as a pick up line to the most badass and menacing villain in the movie ever!
6. This movie has the most intense battle of all Star Wars battle ever! The stakes are high! And also there are some brilliant moments in the battle. It was really engaging, fun, and intense!
7. The soundtrack is done by Michael Giacchino, and maybe it's just me, the soundtrack doesn't really stood out to me. But it's still atmospheric and suits the tone of the movie.

One of the problem with this movie is just I wish we got more a background story on the main characters. Like Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus. They seem that they have been friends for a very long time. But we don't get a glimpse of their past in this movie unfortunately. The other problem in this movie is the pacing on the first act. It was really fast and it goes all over the place to introduce the characters and so on. But that doesn't take my overall enjoyment to this movie

So here comes the final verdict. Should you watch Rogue One : A Star Wars Story? If you are a long time Star Wars fan, You SHOULD watch this movie! For a new comer, this is not the best way to start your Star Wars experience. My recommendation to the new comer is at least you have to watch Eps IV first before you watch this movie. That'd make you have a better understanding of the overall movie! XD. Rogue one is an awesome movie, It is very entertaining. It feels like a "different" Star Wars movie, but it's still a Star Wars movie. And this is the prequel that we deserve! As a long time Star Wars fan, I'm satisfied with this movie!

So that's it from me guys, I hope that you will find this review useful. This is Reikichi, signing out!

Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name) - Movie Anime Review

First of all, I apologize that I didn't post any review last week because finally I got to play Pokemon Moon. And it's really, really, really a great game! It's been awhile I'm this hooked with pokemon games. So, please understand.  ^_^;

Finally, I've got the chance to watch this movie screening. Thank god, our local theater finally managed to get this "phenomenal" movie so early instead of, I dunno, SHIN GODZILLA *cough*. sorry.

I've read a lot of article about this movie. It's number 1 "top selling movie anime" for more than 9 weeks straight, Even "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki has been dethroned from "the most successful movie anime" by this movie. When I was reading that article I was like. "whoa, this movie sells more than my all time favorite childhood movie, it must be something, right?". 

Makoto Shinkai's name as a anime director is always been on my radar. Just like Mamoru Hosoda, Gen Urobuchi, Mamoru Oshii, and of course the legend, Hayao Miyazaki. They usually deliver in their movie. Makoto Shinkai's work is a piece of art, and deliver "realism" to his anime. And he also great at toying your emotions with the medium. Yes, I know, if you are a fan of his movies, at the end of the movie, it always left you hanging with 

The first Makoto Shinkai's movie that I watched was Byousoku 5 cm/s. It was a painful yet enjoyable experience. And then I watched all of his past works like "Hoshi no Koe/Voice of the Distant Star", "Kono Kanojo to kanojo no neko/She and her cat",  and also his latest work before this movie, "Kotonoha no Niwa/Garden of Words". Personally, I enjoyed all of his movies, with all of "dem feels" ending. I think it's safe to say if you are "I'm a man, and I don't shed tears on anything at all. Feelings are only for p*ssies!" kind of person. Welp, his movies are not for you. We have to realize that not every genre is for everyone. hahahaha

Anyway, how was the movie? Is it that good? So let's just jump into the review shall we? XD

Story

This movie starts up with our main character, Mitsuha who lives in a village, waking up from her sleep, touching herself, (how to write this without sounding so inappropriate) and she realizes that "Oh my god, I have female parts!?". Meanwhile in Tokyo, there's Taki who wakes up, and touching himself and he was like "Oh my god, I have male parts?!". 

Yes, Taki and Mitsuha swapped bodies. 

This movie is about both of the characters randomly wakes up as each other. And both of them have to figure out how they will live their other side's body during that day, why this is happened to them, and they eventually began to appreciate one and another while learning about each other's life in a very unique manner. 

My thoughts on the movie

1. Makoto Shinkai delivers! Story wise is not really a new thing actually, Swapping bodies is not a new concept (Silver Chariot Requiem, anyone? XD). But the way how everything is directed, the stunningly beautiful visuals, great animations, and also "camera work" makes this movie very enjoyable and entertaining to watch. Seeing this movie in the theater was totally worth it! I got chills so many times when watching this movies because the background are so beautiful! That is to be expected from Makoto Shinkai's movie! XD
2. The soundtrack fits in so much with the movie! The songs are delivered by Radwimps from the opening, ending, and also insert song. Since 5 cm/s, with "One More Time, One More Chance" and Kotonoha no Niwa "Rain", I can really say that Makoto Shinkai really knows how to pick a good soundtrack for his movies. 
3. Every character in this anime feels so human and real. I really like how both of the main characters learn about each other's life by actual being THAT person for a day. So they can know more about that person even better. Which is a really interesting way to tell a romance story. 
4. This is the most lighthearted Makoto Shinkai movie ever made. Usually the tone of his movie is rather gloomy, depressing, and serious. But this movie is different from his previous works. It's colorful, more fun, hilarious, and emotionally powerful! And the transition from comedy slice of life to a more serious tone doesn't feel forced at all. It flows naturally. 
5. This movie is quite fast paced. If you are familiar to his works, I think you are already used to his pacing. This movie have only 107 minutes to tell the whole story. A lot of things suddenly happened. They've been swapping bodies for weeks. But for us viewers it could be 10 mins. Yeah, it's that fast.

As for the problems, I don't really have one actually. The ending caught me off guard. But overall, I'm really satisfied with Kimi no Na Wa! Probably my all time favorite Makoto Shinkai's movie right now! And I'm excited to watch his next movie! 

So, should you watch Kimi no Na Wa? Yes! Moreover if you are a fan of Makoto Shinkai's work, you'll be pleased! and PSA, go watch it on the theater! 

I can understand why this movie was hyped by a lot of person. But personally, I think both of Spirited Away and Kimi no Na Wa are great animated movie. We can't just compare Hayao Miyazaki with Makoto Shinkai because both of them are great on their own! ^_^

So that's it from me. I hope that you will find this review useful. This is Reikichi, signing out! XD