It's time for another Anime Roundup! (Warning: mild spoilers)
Mob Psycho 100
Not sure why, but I avoided this one for the longest time until Netflix told me that it was "leaving soon." So I figured, eh, why not, I need a new anime to watch, I'll check it out, and if I don't like it, then it can leave Netflix quietly and I won't have to feel guilty about having an incomplete show in my queue (yes, I know you can manually remove them, but that feels like cheating). ANYWAY, I started on it, and after I got used to the art style, lo and behold - I loved it! From the creator of One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100 is about a middle school boy (nicknamed "Mob") who has incredibly strong psychic powers but doesn't like to use them, preferring instead to just lead a simple life (and maybe get a date with the girl he has a crush on). Of course, you can guess how that all works out. Great story, great characters, some cool twists, and lots of overpowered action, which I always love. My only quibble is that Netflix only had the first and second seasons - admittedly, the second season ended pretty perfectly, but I've heard there is a third season that is also excellent. I guess I'll just have to sign up for more streaming services (sigh).
Dr. Stone
Not sure why, but I avoided this one for the longest time until I finished watching
Mob Psycho and figured, hey, since I ended up loving something I had avoided, maybe the same thing will happen here? And sure enough, it did! The show starts with an interesting premise: 3700 years after a mysterious green light turns every human (and some birds) into stone, a genius high school scientist is revived and embarks on a quest to cure the rest of humanity via the power of science. The story has excellent pacing, not taking things too slow or too fast, and its depictions and explanations of scientific phenomena are apparently pretty accurate (there were many occasions when I said out loud to my TV, "is that really true?") Also, I loved all the catch phrases (especially Ryusui's "ha-HA!"). My only quibble is that Netflix only had up through the third season (as we approached the end of it, I said out loud to my TV, "there is no way this is going to wrap up any time soon"). The fourth and final season came out in January 2025 and is scheduled to finish in April, so maybe Netflix will get it later? Please? Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to sign up for more streaming services (sigh).
Love Through a Prism
I did not avoid this one; as soon as I saw that it was a rom-com/dram involving artists, I was in. It's also a period piece, taking place in early 1900s London, where a young woman from Japan enrolls in a prestigious art school. Great story, great characters, and while it starts off kind of light and fluffy, it eventually takes a somewhat dark turn (spoiler: think about what happened in the world in the early 1900s) before time-jumping its way to a satisfying conclusion. My only quibble is that I wished there was a version where the characters were speaking the languages they were supposed to be speaking, like alternating between Japanese and English (I watched it in Japanese with English subtitles, and there were literally parts where someone would say something in Japanese and someone else would respond with the equivalent of "hey, your English is getting better").
Cosmic Princess Kaguya!
This is a feature-length film (and when they say "feature-length," they really mean it - it's a Marvel-sized two hours and twenty-two minutes long) about Iroha, a teenage girl with life-balance issues, and Kaguya, who starts out as a baby found by Iroha in a utility pole but quickly grows into a teenager herself and is actually a princess from the Moon (hence, "Cosmic Princess"). At first, Iroha is mostly annoyed by Kaguya, but she eventually warms up to her as they team up to compete in various virtual reality competitions. The story, based on an old Japanese folktale (which also features a "Princess Kaguya" and is meta-referenced in this film), includes themes of family and friendship, sci-fi elements like VR and time travel, and lots of music. And colors. And a fun little third act break. Good times!
My Oni Girl
This is a feature-length film (at a more reasonable one hour and forty-four minutes) about Hiiragi, a young teen boy with people-pleasing issues, and Tsumugi, an
oni ("demon") girl who doesn't care what others think. Together they go on a quest to find Tsumugi's mother, who disappeared when Tsumugi was little. It's obviously Ghibli-inspired, and despite the logline calling it "bittersweet," it's (spoiler alert) mostly just sweet. Bonus: watching it actually gave me some ideas for
Joel Suzuki, Volume Eight.
Coming up in the next Roundup (probably): Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table, Magia Record, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, Kamisama Kiss, and There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover, Unless... (yes, that is the actual title).
Until then, mata ne!
