Fall 2016 Season Wrap

Let us all breathe a sigh of relief that I have finally finished the fall anime! Thanks to my three-week honeymoon and a terrible throat infection/fever, I had a lot of catching up to do after returning home. There were a ton of wonderful shows this past fall that I was almost sorry to complete. 2016 as a whole was actually a great year for anime, and the fall season capped it beautifully. I hope you enjoyed the season and year as much as I did, and that you’ll share with me your thoughts and personal favorites!

• Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season
• Days (TV)
• Fune wo Amu
• Gi(a)rlish Number
• Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou
• Hibike! Euphonium 2
• Keijo!!!!!!!!
• Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
• Natsume Yuujinchou Go
• Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
• Shuumatsu no Izetta
• Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
• ViVid Strike!
• Watashi ga Motete Dousunda
• WWW.Working!!
• YURI!!! on ICE

12 Days of Anime – #5 Hibike! Euphonium Season 2

Perceptive Kumiko is back with the rest of the Kitauji High School Concert Band for this second season, bringing with her more drama, more heart throb-worthy close-ups, and more musical performances! The sequel starts off exactly where the previous ended with the band having succeeded at regionals and now preparing for the national stage. Note: This 12 Days entry is part review and part promotion of one of my favorite series of the year.

Fall 2016 Set Menu

Here comes my favorite season, with its cooler weather perfect for cozy hats, mittens, and scarves and its turning colors of purple, red, and yellow. This season is also when I start craving soups and stews, and my hot beverage intake skyrockets. We also have our fair share of rainy weekends leading up to the winter months, so that hopefully means plenty of time for anime and gaming.

Right now, KWoo and I are working our way through the final portions of the PS3 version of Tales of Graces F. I had played it several years ago, but never finished it. He’s liking it much more than Tales of Symphonia, which we completed earlier this year. I actually found a rough draft for my initial review of Graces F, so I’m hoping that I’ll have the time this second play through to actually write about it.

But back to this season’s choices in anime. As usual, this “set menu” is subject to change as the weeks progress. For now, this is what I have chosen:

• 3-gatsu no Lion
• All Out!!
• Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season
• ClassicaLoid
• Gi(a)rlish Number
• Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou
• Hibike! Euphonium 2
• Keijo!!!!!!!!
• Long Riders!
• Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans 2nd Season
• Natsume Yuujinchou Go
• Occultic;Nine
• Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
• Shuumatsu no Izetta
• Stella no Mahou
• Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
• Watashi ga Motete Dousunda
• WWW.Working!!
• Yuri!! on Ice

12 Days of Anime – [2] Hibike! Euphonium

The audition: terrifying, exhilarating, and honest. You face the judges, but most of all, you face yourself–your progress and shortcomings. Most musicians undergo countless number of auditions. I auditioned in high school, several times in college, and in competition. In Hibike! Euphonium, Reina and Kaori must audition for the solo part for their band’s competition performance. The first trial is closed, with student and instructor alone behind the door. With the rumors that crop up after Reina’s win, a second trial is then held on stage before the entire group.

Spring Season 2015 Wrap

This roller coaster of a spring season has finally drawn to an end, with a few stragglers an episode or a few behind. Quite a few turned into gems that’ll remain favorites for a long time, while others barely clung to my weekly interests. I was sad to say farewell to a couple, notably Hibike! Euphonium, Sidonia, and KinMosa, but the seasons refuse to stay longer than necessary, and I can only hope we’ll see them again soon.

*Please note that there will be obvious spoilers in my final thoughts. The series are discussed as they were finished, and in no order of preference.

• Owari no Seraph
• Hello! Kiniro Mosaic
• Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku
• Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken 2 Sure-me
• Hibike! Euphonium
• Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka
• Nisekoi:
• Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid
• Plastic Memories
• Houkago no Pleaides (TV)
• Etotama
• Sidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki
• Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV) 2nd Season
• Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season

Tubacabra and Playing in Ensemble

“I’ve never liked playing tuba alone. It’s just one boring phrase after another. But when you play in an ensemble and hear all the other parts, it becomes music. It becomes harmony. You can really tell you’re carrying the piece. I’ve liked tuba ever since.” -Gotou Takuya

I’ve mentioned quite a few times in previous posts that I grew up playing the piano, having started at a very young age, but I don’t know if I ever mentioned that I also picked up percussion at the wise age of ten. The choice was a simple one: I took one look at the mallet instruments–glockenspiel, xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, chimes–and saw my piano keyboard. And when I joined the concert band, it was easy to shift into the role of mallet player since all the boys wanted to smack the drums and auxiliary percussion. It wasn’t too long before I realized that to continue on would require I learn the other percussion instruments, as boring as they seemed.

Spring 2015 Set Menu

We’re into the third and fourth weeks of the spring season, and I’ve finally decided upon my line-up. They’re not in any real order, other than viewing order, and span a variety of genres. Many of them are sequels, the majority of which retain a very similar feel to their prequels. I’m also noticing more and more CG these days, sometimes tastefully inserted during actions scenes where characters are smaller and less unnatural-looking, and at other times overwhelming (see my dropped list). Anyways, have a look-see and let me know what you think and what shows you’re watching that I’ve skipped this time around!

• Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works (TV) 2nd Season
• Shokugeki no Souma
• Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken S2
• Hibike! Euphonium
• Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid
• Daiya no Ace 2
• Baby Steps 2nd Season
• Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka
• Hello! Kin-iro Mosaic
• Owari no Seraph
• Arslan Senki
• Kyoukai no Rinne
• Ore Monogatari!!
• Gunslinger Stratos
• Kekkai Sensen
• Koukaku Kidoutai: Arise – Alternative Architecture
• Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu
• Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku
• Plastic Memories
• Houkago no Pleiades
• Sidonia no Kishi: Dai-kyuu Wakusei Sen’eki