You may have noticed a red panda gracing social media lately, sometimes with her generic, cute smile, and frequently mimicking a death metal scream. Retsuko is the latest Sanrio mascot who rose to popularity thanks to two animated series and her intense relatability among adult viewers. It wasn’t until I saw several fans on Twitter singing Aggretsuko praises that I went to see what the hype was all about, and trust me, this a show you need to watch.
I haven’t talked about it much on Anime B&B, but I’ve recently become a fan of Boruto: Next Generations despite never having watched or read Naruto. By the time I began watching anime in college, the original series already seemed too far along to try and follow. I also had the misconception of inferiority of any long-running shonen series like Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach. It’s been a long time since then, and my tastes and views have widened considerably. Now I’m fully invested in Boruto’s story, and constantly wondering about events that occurred during Naruto’s school days and whether or not the Hidden Leaf of today is truly a more prosperous place than the Hidden Leaf of yesterday.
If you follow me on Twitter, then you’ll know from last weekend and the year prior about my love for Babymetal, a Japanese group joining heavy metal with pop idol music. Babymetal began their 2018 World Tour at the start of this month, beginning in the U.S. and moving onward to Europe. My husband and I opted to attend the Austin concert on May 10th, their second stop on the tour. We had seen them perform the previous year as a participant in Pain in the Grass and as an opener for Korn. This was our chance to finally see them as the headliner amid a crowd of fans just like us. I had always wanted to visit Austin, which would also be my first trip to the state of Texas. The combination of Babymetal, and the city’s amazing music scene, food, and culture made this one of the most enjoyable and relaxing vacations we’ve taken.
Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple is a side story film to a television series of the same name with two seasons under its belt. Characters and events over the course of both series are drawn upon heavily for the movie, which takes place in a re-imagined Yokohama where a small percentage of the population wields supernatural powers. A more unique aspect of the world is the literary spin on its cast, all of whom share names with literary figures from writers to poets. While some of their gifts draw inspiration from their character roles as authors, detectives, and the like, others seem to enjoy no connection. Whether or not you are familiar with the character models of these names, the story and style of BSD encourages you to partake in their adventures of crime and mystery.
With all of Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 now available on both Crunchyroll and Funimation, Draggle and I decided to record a special, 40-minute episode with guest Vucub of anime blog The Untold Story of Altair & Vega. Please join us in our discussion about this fantastic space opera!
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Music Credits:
Alluring, intoxicating, hypnotic, and quite possibly fatal, Fujiko Mine is a woman who defies definition and explanation. This makes it doubly important to experience her “story” outside of the constraints of the main Lupin series, where her place and purpose are determined by those around her rather than by any tale of her own. The masterful storytelling is propped up by a precise, yet rough, art style, as well as by the jazz music that pulses through your veins from start to finish. Everything about The Woman Called Fujiko Mine exudes a cool style that perfectly presents us its namesake.
“Take a look around, and you’ll spot a bunch of autumn wonders!” -Pikari, “The Story of Autumn and a Tender Happiness”
Mangaka Kozue Amano has this wonderful ability to capture the concentrated essence of each season in her works. We see this in works like Aria, and in the currently airing Amanchu! Advance. In episode four of Advance, “The Story of Autumn and a Tender Happiness,” we step away from the usual group dynamic and follow Futaba “Teko” Ooki and Hikari “Pikari” Kohinata separately on a cool autumn day. They show us their different approaches to appreciating the fall season, as well as pull us into their dreams—Teko with a lucid dream and Pikari in her consistently upward view.
It’s all about the shows with both style and substance this week, including Megalo Box, Steins;Gate 0, and Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan. Their unique art styles caught my attention at the beginning, then their settings and stories guaranteed my affections for the rest of the spring season. What are your thoughts on these anime?
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The Spring 2018 season is here with a smash, thanks to a slew of heavy hitters straight from the first week. Some of them are new and exciting in their craft, while others are reliable continuations. I’ve organized my watch list by priority, but you can use the below alphabetical list to skip to the shows that interest you the most. I will of course appreciate it if you take the time to check out everything on my set menu this season.
Ready? Start!
Several years ago when my dream shifted from teaching others how to write to creating something of my own to share, writing about anime started as a way for me to keep my chops sharp. No writing session was without music—I needed it to focus and get into my flow of thought. Much of the music I listened to back then remains with me to this day, though I have added to the playlist over the years. If you have the time, I encourage you to listen to the works I link in this post.
