(no title)

Super Cub Ep 4

May 6th, 2021

So I only have one word to say before we begin: Spoilers! Spoilers for this week and possibly the three weeks worth of episodes before that. Now to move on.

Summer begins in the world of Super Cub, as both Koguma and Reiko finish their “Final Exam For Math II”. Koguma recalls Reiko having big plans for the summer while she, herself, looks at something big – a summer job, presented by a Teacher, ‘the one who gave her the basket for the front of her Cub. ‘To be a document courier between two schools, morning and evening, for two thousand yen a trip (excluding expenses). Considering it costs five hundred yen to fill the ‘Cub with petrol, it might be okay, depending on how far the trip is. She talks it over with Reiko, who notices that Koguma bought a bento box for a change, rather than having home-cooked rice with a microwave curry sauce on top of it. It looks a lot more elaborate. ‘Even has real meat in it. So she takes the job, but under the condition that she wears her gym uniform rather than her school uniform, in case she ends up too exposed to the elements.
She then tells Reiko the news, that she will be starting tomorrow. Reiko says she will be riding too, “Somewhere near, but also far away”, before riding off. Koguma then notices that she has ridden the ‘Cub for over a hundred kilometres and goes to Shiro for an oil change.

While at Shiro’s, she receives advice on when the change the oil again and suggests that she learns to do it herself in time. We get an advertisement for the Honda Ultra G1 4Cycle Engine Oil – the best kind according to them. The oil change was five hundred yen.
Afterwards, Koguma goes to Komeri to buy some equipment. Including a pair of white work boots and a wristwatch. She then goes home and gets some sleep at five past eight in the evening. That morning, she gets up at six thirty-seven. Gathers everything up and leaves. It is July eighth, the first day on the job. She receives the package. ‘Important papers to be delivered to another school. Her time limit is kept simple – be back sometime before noon. And to get their documents as well to bring back.
So she goes on the journey, and finally gets to Kofu City, and then Kofu Daiichi Prefectural High School, where she delivers the papers to a teacher in the Faculty Room. The teacher checks them, and we are given a small glimpse into this high school before the checking finishes. Koguma is then offered Tea but insists that she needs to head back. In most stories, Koguma would ride off without the papers to return and then get fired. But here, the teacher runs out to give her the new documents to be with her. They both apologise to each other for this. Koguma then gets back in time and is told that she will be making two trips from then on – – but to go home for today. I also noticed from that morning that the calendar is for 2020 without actually giving the year. We then get a small montage of Koguma making the same trip every weekday, excluding the bank holiday. Meaning, by July twenty-seventh, she has made over Fifty thousand yen, the equivalent of five hundred US Dollars. However, the trips racked up over five hundred kilometres, meaning she needs another oil change. Back to Shiro’s she goes. Shiro informs her that her driving is too gentle – causing a build-up in the tank. She then rides to the Koba high school in the rain, where the teacher is shocked to see her ‘drenched. After looking at the papers, the teacher informs Koguma that there are no documents to take to the other school and relax until the rain lets up. Koguma then receives that cup of Tea she turned down on the first day and sips it. While doing so, she finds out that the teacher does the Literature Club.

Soon the rain ends, and Koguma travels to “Up Garage”, where she buys some Ladies Rain-wear. However, at nearly six thousand yen, she is reluctant to buy it. But does it anyway, as it’s the best thing to do. The rain then starts to pour as she makes the delivery to the Koba High School again and discovers that it was money well spent. Proving the Norwegian Proverb correct (There is no bad weather. Only ‘bad’ clothes). When she gets home, she finds out that the Cub has now done over a thousand kilometres and decides that this is the time to get some Honda Ultra G1 4Cycle Engine Oil to try out. However, she isn’t strong enough to open the tank with her arms and has to be a little more pragmatic (pushing it with her foot) – She gets it open and changes the oil. The episode ends with Koguma doing her last day on the job. She then gets a phone call from Reiko to meet up. Koguma arrives outside a log house – Reiko’s home.

My experience with this anime remains a surreal one. It is possibly among the most realistic shows I have seen. ‘Especially when it comes to a person’s growth within a new and resourceful hobby, such as the ability to ride a motorcycle of some kind. It also breaks a lot of rules that usually create a more popular anime. It relishes in the mundane. The quiet. The peaceful. The slow. I could expect more of Murphy’s Law to apply to this – but perhaps the message sent is “be fearless, and don’t assume a whole lot of expectations too soon”. Koguma’s body language remains that of the quiet and shy girl who is growing up. But when we see how much the baby steps she takes from episode one to episode four have added up, we can be proud of her if she was our kid. Anyway, in the next episode, we will see how Reiko spent her summer. So see you next week for that one.
Joran The Princess Of Snow And Blood Ep 5

May 4th, 2021

This review will contain many spoilers of both previous episodes and the episode in focus. ‘Just letting you know ahead of time.

So we begin with Sawa lying down. Her eyes closed. As a man’s voice says, “Death is just an endless sleep, eh?” two gravediggers proceed to dig a hole as Asahi watches on with her umbrella up.
We then get a flashback. A scene that happened just after the end of the previous episode faded to black. Sawa’s brother, who she thought was dead, is now telling her to go. She tries to bring him out of the collapsing building. Telling him, “I don’t want to be alone again!” To which her brother comforts her by saying it is far from the truth. She has someone – – Before pushing her away and having a pile of debris falling on him. ‘Killing him on impact. We get the all-so-common moment where somebody screams, “Nooo…!”. Before we cut to Hanakaze and Kuzuhara standing outside the burning building, which is giving off a heavy magenta aura. Hanakaze expects the worse, while Kuzuhara doubts this. To which Sawa walks out, carrying Asahi like a mother with a tired toddler. ‘Relieving what remained of Nue – and fulfilling Sawa’s goal of revenge. Which then brings up the question: Where does she go from here?

We then cut to Hanakaze talking with a man who comes across as her editor. Because after seeing her work as both a Lady Of The Night and an Umbrella-Crossbow welding fighter of anti-government forces, we tend to forget that she is also a Novelist working on her next book. After the editor reveals that he most definitely has a thing for her, she expresses some disgust before going to the washroom. We then find out that her ‘editor’ is her ghostwriter. ‘If you liked the idea of her as an author, this might come as a disappointment.

Meanwhile, Sawa and Kuzuhara are on board a cable car. Kuzuhara starts to speaking poetically and metaphorically to her. Saying Tokugawa is pleased that Janome is gone. However, it has attracted some attention, with Makoto leaving out clues/bait for them. ‘them’ being the anti-Tokugawa resistance groups. Sawa’s newest assignment is to reclaim the weapons Makoto has laid out. But by this stage, she doesn’t care anymore. Because now she has a reason to live: Asahi. Who, too, comes to terms with being alive after what happened. Kuzuhara tries to keep Sawa from leaving in a fatherly fashion by saying she can use Nue for survival. ‘Before she gets off the car to head home. After the car leaves, she stops for a moment. ‘Asking Nana the Albino Crow why it chose her. We then cut to Hanakaze looking at a piece of paper, asking why it had to be her. ‘While her ghostwriter is running around outside like a maniac with joy. And to him, perhaps his joy is justified. Hanakaze is pregnant. We then see Makoto in great pain, trying to play the Bandoneon in what looks like a hospital bed. Her right arm is injured (despite looking cut off in the last episode). ‘Bringing up the question of whether she planted the guns for the resistance in the first place.

Back at the Mountain View Used Bookshop, Asahi is waiting for Sawa to come home when she witnesses a young girl falling over then being lovingly cared for by her mother. ‘Bringing up a bad memory of her physically abusive life before Sawa rescued her. Asahi then notices white feathers falling, then Nana appearing, and lastly, Sawa, who isn’t too talkative upon her arrival. So, Asahi makes up some dinner, which is an improvement on what she made in episode one. However, Sawa isn’t eating. The reason for this is simple: Asahi doesn’t know that Sawa met her brother for the first time in years, only for him to die shortly afterwards. It has left Sawa very cold. They then talk about the subject of pain: How are your wounds, Asahi? It’s okay. I’m used to ‘pain, says Asahi. There’s ‘not a pain in this world, says Sawa, you can truly get used ‘to. To which Asahi starts to cry and hugs Sawa. Sawa, for a brief moment, snaps out of her apathetic glance to show sadness. Before entering her stoic stance again, ‘to talk about her kind and thoughtful older brother, who is now gone. Her revenge is over. We can assume that ‘life’ can begin again. But Sawa then points out a good spot for Asahi to kill her. We then get a rather humourous moment where Asahi says, “Eat, then. Eat your poisoned food!” to which Sawa agrees to eat, then says, “You lied to me”. To which Asahi agrees, “Sure. But I can poison you anytime I want. Until then, eat!” So that’s what they do.

We then cut to the Hospital where Makoto is staying. We see that in a doctor’s case, there are three doses of Janome’s artificial enhancement. We find out that the Doctor is part of the resistance, and it is clear that Makoto’s reasons for helping them have an air of morality. I will also be switching my pronouns again, as Makoto is either Transgender or a man with Gynecomastia. It hasn’t set in concrete, so back to calling Makoto ‘Him’ again, as it’s too early to know if He is She or They. Anyway, we mentioned morals – the resistance consists of hard-working Japanese people who had their land given to foreigners and their liberty robbed. We then see that Makoto possibly fancies Sawa, and his face lights up when the Doctor tells him that the book shop is open and unchanged. He is given medication before leaving and informed that too much leads to hallucinations and even heart failure. We’ll remember this for future reference.

Waiting in the car for private transport to get him out of the country to fix his hand – – the chauffeur represents the resistance at this moment. When Makoto chooses not to give the blue gems that Janome created, the chauffeur draws a pistol. So far, we don’t know who shot first.
Hanakaze then sneaks into Sawa’s home while she’s in bed. She drags her out for a job. ‘Which is to take out the rebels who got ahold of Makoto’s well-placed weapons. ‘A fight ensues, with Hanakaze doing nearly all of the fighting, while Sawa is experiencing PTSD after witnessing the death of her brother. ‘However, after Hanakaze manages to fall quite deliberately on her stomach, Sawa kills the last rebel.
After this victory, they chat a bit on a rooftop nearby. Hanakaze tells Sawa that she tried to kill the baby without looking for a clinic. She also says that she is leaving Nue, much like Makoto. And new members will come to work with Sawa. She’s going to live her own life, she says. Before leaving Sawa on the roof with the crossbow umbrella as the sun rises. Hanakaze then meets the ghostwriter, leaving us with them running away – – or so we think.
Sawa sees a small crowd gathered around a house that was on fire. As it turns out, a murder-suicide may have taken place. Despite the bodies covered up – Sawa sees a tuft of blonde hair peeking out of the sheet. She goes home, where she questions whether she will ever really get out of Nue. Asahi then presents her with the poison that Makoto gave her. Sawa takes it and then collapses. ‘Filling Asahi with regret for her decision, with the hope that Sawa is, perhaps, reborn.

This – – has gotten pretty crazy, to say the very least. Can you imagine if this show ended on this episode? You know – a cliffhanger where Makoto, Hanakaze and Sawa all die, and that’s it? At this point, I’m having difficulty caring about these characters. It may be the riskiest episode, but it is also one fell flat and lost the gamble. I’m even beginning to wonder if I want to know who Joran The Princess Of Snow And Blood is (Probably the woman in the nip in episode one who took the Tokyo Roster, but who knows). I would say this is worse than the last episode, and unless they can pick it up next time, my comments may not be as praiseful.
Super Cub Ep 3

April 29th, 2021

Alright, you know the drill – There will be spoilers to this episode and possibly some episodes that came before it. Let’s go.

So this week’s episode is called “Things Received”. We begin with Koguma leaving to go to school, with the ‘Cub now being an intricate part of her life. It’s only been a few days, but she is adjusting gradually from nothingness to a new view of the world. Reiko still doesn’t greet folk in the morning, and maybe we will find out later why she does this. Until then, we get the opening credits.

So, Koguma gets seventy-eight per cent in a Maths Test (Which would be average), and while she looks over at Reiko, we see she got ninety-six per cent. We can already tell from episode two – this is a very bright girl. Despite the lack of communication in the morning, it’s clear that Reiko still wants to hang out at lunchtime. Not only does she get good grades, but she also has big dreams – especially as a ‘Cub owner. She wants to tour the country – to see the Suzuka Eight Hours. ‘Which is on schedule to return this July as of writing this due to Covid cancelling it last year. ‘And was won 27 times out of 42 by Honda, the makers of the ‘Cub. Then she is interrupted by the fact that Koguma was eating her Chicken Curry Bento cold before continuing her chat. They then get to talking about Luggage boxes, which causes Reiko to make a phone call.

Later, Reiko has Koguma go to Super Ono with her – revealing how fast Reiko can walk. While there, Koguma is encouraged to buy some food packets and to put them in a paper bag. They then go to what I assume is a family-owned shop, where they are shown a scooter ready to be scrapped. Reiko has Koguma take the luggage box from it, and then Koguma gives the owner the food packets from the shop as a thank you. When they get back to the school and fit the luggage box, a teacher approaches Koguma to give her a basket to put in the front of the ‘Cub (Which he had on his ‘Cub at one time). Which completely upgrades it since that morning. The power of receiving. ‘Leading to Reiko giving a slightly philosophical message.
“Parts come and go, see? Whenever you need something, if you call out to the universe, those parts have a way of swooping in somewhere. Although most of the time, it happens after you’ve given up and you’ve already spent money on them.”
While riding home, it occurs to Koguma that the next upgrade will be a windshield of some kind. Whether on the ‘Cub or the helmet. During lunch, she tries on Reiko’s helmet, and after discussing the windshields, they go to Goggles (the copyright-free sister of Google). After only seeing zeroes attached to many helmets, Koguma sees a man wearing industrial googles (See what they did there?). So she goes to the Hardware Store and gets them for about eleven hundred Yen (rather than about twenty to fifty thousand). What follows is Koguma with a giant grin as she speeds down the road at forty kilometres an hour. Things are working out. That night she dreams of riding her ‘Cub on an empty road through fields of sunflowers before waking up.

That morning, we get a breakthrough – after several days of Koguma saying good morning and ignored, Reiko finally realises, “Oh, it was her all this time”, and so they start talking about helmets. A breakthrough in the morning. Upon leaving school, another thing happens – Reiko giving Koguma her mobile phone number. Koguma then acknowledges that they might not be able to call each other friends (at least for now), but they are fellow cub riders, and this – – this might be deeper than just being friends.

Super Cub continues to be a quiet and subtle affair. We see a bit of Reiko’s blue-sky thinking and Koguma finding ways to make ‘Cub journeys more comfortable. We see progress and growth, especially in Koguma, who took small steps towards a better life than what she had. We also, obviously, see a realistic depiction of how some friendships form. In this case, over a common interest. ‘Even though both girls have very different backgrounds and personalities. Anyway, I will continue to see where this goes. See you next week.
Joran The Princess Of Snow And Blood Ep 4

April 27th, 2021

This review will contain spoilers – so if you haven’t watched this episode and the previous three, you have been warned.

So we begin where we left off with the end of the last episode. Asahi is kid-napped by Janome (who was in disguise), and Makoto is on Janome’s side. Sawa finds Asahi’s shoe, which holds, presumably, a ransom note, while Hanakaze does a little obscure lollygagging.

Janome is puzzled as to why Sawa wants to save Asahi, as members of Nue are not known for this kind of empathy. The ‘kind that rescues enemies and submits to other enemies for their sake. Janome then suggests that this makes them both similar and then brings up how Kuzuhara might snooker that with his desire to make Sawa into a cold-blooded killer to achieve her goal of revenge.

Kuzuhara and Sawa then confront each other, where Kuzuhara brings her up to speed – that Makoto was the one who gave up her hideout and the one who murdered the Cleaner in the graveyard. Kuzuhara then clarifies that he wouldn’t let Sawa go after Janome and Makoto alone while also presenting her with the dilemma. That her quest for revenge and her desire to save Asahi are, in fact, two different roads. She needs to choose. And if she chooses Asahi, Kuzuhara would pick to end her right there and then. They end up with a realistic charge, where Kuzuhara wins but breaks his word by only stunning her. Before letting her know that if she can’t beat him there and then, how was she going to deal with a hostage situation? While driving off with her unconscious in the backseat – Kuzuhara’s car gets ambushed by Makoto, who captures Sawa before telling Kuzuhara to plan the rest of his life carefully as She and Sawa go to “The Heretic”.

We get a flashback of Sawa’s life as a young girl with her brother Takeru. ‘Planting seeds to be eaten by crows. Her brother tells her about the Crows and how they are friends. Reminding me of a video I saw once about their loyalty and intelligence. ‘Turns out Crows can pay humans back in different ways. We then get a big spotlight on Sawa waking up and greeted by her albino Crow. She calls the Crow “Nana” – whether the bird is called “Seven” or “South Africa” is, perhaps, up for debate. She’s in Janome’s lair. He plays the organ, and more lights come on. ‘Revealing that Asahi is wrapped up by what look like the giant Pythons in the show’s opening.

In a rather unusual case: Sawa complies with Janome and Makoto. Who strap her to a chair with a birdcage (For Nana) and extracts her blue blood. Why such as set-up is there… ‘We might never know. Janome then shows that he worships Sawa’s Clan and has Takeru on display like a Catholic Crucifix. Then we see that the Python’s are full of blue blood, Makoto decides to kill them, seems to lose an arm, breaks Sawa and Nana’s ‘chains’, admits to wanting freedom, Janome consumes the blue blood, transforms – – ‘Dear goodness, what on earth is going on? Makoto sends a signal, which Kuzuhara and Hanakaze are looking for in a castle. Janome now looks like a Snake Man from He-Man and says the formula is how he wanted it to be. Sawa transforms into the ‘Sorceress of Castle Grayskull’ again – I’m amazed that I can make two He-Man references in this show at this point. They fight.

Here we find out a few things: We get the cliche of the villain telling the hero “We are very alike”, we see Makoto causing an explosion and then escaping like Batman, and of course…it looks like Sawa’s brother is alive. Then we get a hint of the show’s opening by seeing Sawa slice a giant snake in half and then – – killing Janome. Leading to a new haiku:

“Upon fulfilment of a long-held dream. What fills the mind? Is this moment ‘truly all there is?” Something I think we can all relate ‘to.

So with Sawa having defeated Janome, this story could end right here, as she meets with her brother. However…’ this is ‘no Disney movie. As her brother reveals to her, “As long as one of us lives, this vengeance won’t end.” She wants to die with her brother. But clearly, Asahi will be keeping her around for another day.

It’s true – this show could end here with some tweaking. But there are too many loose ends. Will Asahi become strong enough to kill Sawa? Would Sawa become the last of her clan? Will her brother be alive in the next episode? What of the Blue-Blooded woman in the ‘nip who acquired the Tokyo Roster for Janome in Episode One? What about Kuzuhara and whether he is the final boss? What about Makoto and whether she is the final boss? What about Hanakaze and whether she is the final boss? Will Yoshinobu Tokugawa be overthrown, and is he the final boss? There are questions-a-plenty. I will say that this is probably the weakest episode of the show so far if I’m honest. It may close a chapter and then lead to the next stage. But I found myself having face and heel turns shoved down my throat like too much dry pasta. ‘Looking forward to episode five – Not for any other reason other than how ‘game of thrones’ Nue has become in terms of everybody’s standing with each other. For now, nobody is truly safe. See you later.
Super Cub Ep 2

April 22nd, 2021

Last week we started a new series with episode one, which focuses on one girl out of a trio (Koguma) as she buys herself a Honda Super Cub as a way to open up the world to her. If you haven’t seen last week’s episode, and then this one, I would recommend viewing them because this Review likes to have spoilers. Let us begin.

We start with Koguma arriving at school on the Super Cub she bought in Episode One. This time we don’t get any Debussy in the opening, but an original piano piece that still suits the show well. For about thirty seconds, she learns how to put her helmet on the helmet holder before fixing her fringe and rushing to class. She sits down. Giving us a hint of deja vu, as the girl in the beige jumper sits comfortably near her, and a small pick-up van goes past the school on the main road. Koguma then decides to yell out, “I rode my motorbike to school today”. My western mindset would predict the classmates having one of two reactions: Laughter or so much indifference that the news would be a pause in their conversations. The silence, after her announcement, was genuinely suspenseful. ‘Pleasantly, their reaction was one of “No way! That’s awesome!” Before it is revealed to us that this was just Koguma pondering whether to tell them. She doesn’t, which makes me retract my statement that she is more quiet than shy. She is a shy one. After this, we get the show’s opening, which wasn’t present in episode one – but appears to set the tone for the rest of the show.

So we get a glimpse into some of the show’s school life, as Koguma eats lunch alone (and their classrooms have microwaves. Something I can’t say about my own school experience). Then she learns how to make a drawstring bag in what looks like a domestic science class… ‘I think. While picking out the fabric for the bag, a classmate asks Koguma what she is using it for since money must be tight. Another girl comments on if she plans to run away. To which Koguma says she has plans to put her helmet and gloves in it. She gets a more toned-down version of what she pictured in her head, which then gets even more toned-down when she reveals that it is a Cub – which causes one of the boys to say it’s more of a scooter than a motorcycle. More specifically, the kind used to make deliveries. The information then gets overheard by the girl in the beige jumper, who asks Koguma if she can see it. After class, Koguma decides not to approach the girl and leaves quietly. She realises that she forgot the drawstring bag – embarrassed, she has to go back for it. Looking to return, she notices the girl at the top of the stairs, holding the bag, knowing she forgot to bring it.

We then get the extent of this girl’s love for Motorbikes. She points out the make of Koguma’s Cub (and how rare it is), the parts, the materials, the accessories, her ‘love for Cubs in general, and what she, herself, likes to use (and rides to and from school in). Overwhelmed by what is happening, Koguma struggles to interact. The girl then tries to keep Koguma from running away by bringing her bike around to show her. ‘Rather than her to it. The Cub is a Honda MD90 Postal Cub – once used by Post Offices before regulations had them retired in favour of newer, cleaner models, which, more or less, have no ‘horses’ in them. She then gets ready to go home on it but comments that she is glad to meet another Cub rider. Koguma goes home after this, where she contemplates whether she will talk to her again in school tomorrow. She then recalls – the girl’s name is Reiko.

That morning, we see other aspects of Koguma’s routine, including a wash, followed by breakfast at seven twenty-five. However, Koguma realises that she nearly out of seasoning to put on her rice for lunch and will need to buy more. On her way to school, she experiences her first traffic jam and is still getting used to cars overtaking her. When she arrives, she sees Reiko’s Cub and places hers beside it to make quiet comparisons before going in. Entering the classroom, she musters up the courage to say good morning to Reiko, but Reiko’s reaction is low key compared to how she was yesterday. ‘Presumably engrossed in her book. They both sit down to read before class starts. At lunchtime, Reiko is asked by other girls if she wants to eat with them. She responds, “‘Sorry, I was planning to have my lunch today with a friend”. Koguma assumes she probably means someone else or is shy about the idea of it being her. But then Reiko approaches her desk and says, “All right, let’s go.” before confidently grabbing her arm to go to the bikes. It gives Koguma a surprised but joyful grin while Reiko grins with her. They proceed to eat their lunch together, while Reiko gives Koguma her outlook on life as a Cub rider – to sit on something that can take her anywhere she wants. Even far away. But Koguma says she hasn’t gone far on it – to which Reiko decides to encourage her. “you can go anywhere you want to. I mean, you’ve got a Cub!” However, when school ends this time, Reiko’s already up and gone without so much as a see-you-later. ‘Allowing Koguma to have the usual, quiet trip home. However, when Koguma comes up to the traffic lights, she ponders what Reiko said about going anywhere on the Cub. So with this – she goes right instead of going straight on at the crossroads. ‘Going past the gas station and Baer Mari that were in Episode One before going to the Mukawa Supermarket, ‘to restock on the Bento rice topping that was running low at home. I then realised my mistake from Episode One: She didn’t shop for groceries after school after all. But she soon realised that she had been down this way before to buy the bike lock. She then comments that she looks forward to more uncharted journeys tomorrow after school.

I’m not going to lie: I felt like I was watching a different show in this episode. Episode One was so quiet and unassuming in comparison to here. ‘Which tells me something significant about this show. What Koguma feels and experiences, we too feel and experience. In episode one, we can feel her quietness. ‘Her boring, dull and unassuming existence. ‘Living day to day without impacting anybody or anything, including herself. But here we see how much her world is opening up through both her Cub and her meeting with Reiko, as Reiko is someone a lot of us wish we had when we, ourselves, were in high school. Someone who pushes us out of our comfort zones but also didn’t give up on us. In general, this is turning into something I’m happy to go along with, and I’ll see you later talk about the next episode, “Things Received”.
Joran The Princess Of Snow And Blood Ep 3

April 20th, 2021

Welcome to episode three! If you haven’t watched the previous two episodes and this one, I would recommend that you do, because ahead will be spoilers. Let us begin.

We start with Hanakaze getting ready for her night job (so to speak) – while Kuzuhara tells Sawa that she is correct – he did order the execution of the treasurer, who remembered everything in Episode two. Which, as you know, would probably end the story rather quickly, as Sawa was going to find out everything about herself through the said treasurer. Or specifically, Yoshinobu Tokugawa, the guy on top, made the call. It then brings out the inner conflict of Sawa, as Kuzuhara’s training was to rid her of her humanity. But to kill the treasurer’s son, as well… ‘that’s too much, even for this monster in training. We then get a glimpse into the one-sided romance that is Hanakaze and Kuzuhara, with Hanakaze being interested and Kuzuhara not having any of it. Perhaps he knows her well enough to see it as a terrible idea. ‘Perhaps he knows that to fall for her would ruin the very thing keeping him stoic…or maybe he isn’t interested in women. I’m sure we’ll find out later. But until then, we get the opening credits again.

Makoto and Sawa are now on shaky ground. The killing of the treasurer has created an extra rift. However, we know why it happened… ‘it is to keep the peace. Yes, the Yoshinobu grasp is in place – but on the surface, all looks peaceful because of this assassination. Sawa acknowledges that they will probably never know the truth. But Makoto adds a layer to himself by saying, “I don’t think the truth is as important as our perspective”. And to trust what we can see. It puts Sawa’s focus back on her goal – to kill Janome, who would have used the treasurer to start a war. Makoto then suggests cutting out Asahi to focus on the mission. Sawa refuses – continuing her inner battle, while Makoto keeps suggesting that the things that make us human make their job harder. Makoto then suggests handing Asahi over to some Monks as a sanctuary for her. ‘Knowing that Janome would use her to get to Sawa. And while Sawa says she doesn’t care if Asahi dies – Makoto lets her know – his humanity causes problems for him on the job too. He then quotes from The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare. A reference to “playing your role”.

Afterwards, we get some of Sawa’s backstory – more specifically, Kuzuhara’s training sessions. Here we are given more development on Janome. So we find out that he is a scientist with crazy eyes who once served Yoshinobu. We then find out that he has done a few terrible things. ‘He is like one of the scientists involved in Unit Seven Thirty-One (Peace be upon the victims and their families) – while also like Seth Brundle from The Fly. ‘Guinea pigging himself in a cellular genetic modification experiment to try and give himself eternal life. He found a lead to obtaining this “immortality” through Sawa’s Clan. However, when they didn’t want to cooperate – he had them all killed and retrieved their blood. Kuzuhara then continues the theme of forgetting about emotion (calling it a weakness) to accomplish revenge.

The albino crow then sits on Sawa’s shoulder. She asks why she saved Asahi at all. Arriving back at the bookshop, she puts Asahi to bed before finding her writing exercises… ‘and ripping them up. That morning, Asahi finds the scraps in the bin but has breakfast with Sawa anyway. ‘Leading to Sawa breaking off their connection by telling her to leave. She makes it clear that they are enemies and know nothing about each other. And that if Asahi is going to kill Sawa, she needs to make it count. There will be no second chances if she fails. She then gives Asahi the letter, boat ticket, map, and money to get to the Monk’s monastery. She then forbids Asahi from killing her before she finishes her mission. So ends, at least for now, I’d say, the meetings of Sawa and Asahi.

After Asahi leaves – Sawa, Makoto, and Hanakaze arrive at a graveyard to confront the Cleaner. The Cleaner, who disposed of the treasurers’ remains and gave Hanakaze the bad intel in Episode One, was paid for by Janome. He is then threatened with Kuzuhara’s torture methods if he doesn’t take them to him and offered a painless death if he complies… ‘leading to the Cleaner stamping on his hat. ‘Causing an explosion.

Meanwhile, Asahi plays with a dog, and an Old Woman (Yamazaki-San) gives her a Daikon from her garden. What significance this has remains to be seen at this point.

We then find out that the Cleaner wasn’t a suicide bomber, but the explosion was a good distraction, as one of the gravestones is also the entrance to a tunnel. Sawa goes into the tunnel, Hanakaze goes to a potential tunnel exit, and Makoto shows that the Cleaner was hiding in the coffin all along. He kills the Cleaner, then passes it off as a suicide to Kuzuhara in his report. Sawa and Hanakaze bury the Cleaner and have a conversation about morality. After this, we get a bit of a surprise. Knowing that Makoto has been lying, Kuzuhara brings out a small blade and proceeds to slice Makoto’s shirt and waistcoat. ‘Revealing that Makoto, whose name means truth and sincerity, is a woman passing herself off as male.

We then get to a flashback, where Makoto (dressed as a faded-green Carmen Sandiego, heels included) had acquired the treasurer’s book of secrets, which could lead to the war that Janome wanted. Upon returning home, Sawa finds that Asahi had jigsawed her writing exercise back together to reveal the word written was Yuki (‘Snow’, the name she knows Sawa by), and that she didn’t take any supplies…which now have some blood on them. Sawa’s home has become a crime scene. Meanwhile, we get our answer about Asahi being with the Old Woman. The Old Woman, Yamazaki-San, had kidnapped her. Sawa then goes to Yamazaki’s home to find one of Asahi’s shoes. Then see Hanakaze making comments about hating kids… ‘making us wonder if she played a part in the blood in Sawa’s shop. Lastly, we get the truth. Yamazaki is, in fact, Janome in disguise… ‘and Makoto is working for him. ‘They plan to unite the ‘sisters’…and yes, Janome is a creepy bastard. And Makoto has become a complicated villain.

‘This is interesting. Very interesting. I’m engaged in this story, and even though the cards seem laid out at this point, I feel the desire to see if it becomes predictable or even more unpredictable. We may not have had a battle scene where Sawa brings out the beast in this episode, followed by a haiku to accompany it. But we need these slower, intimate, dramatic exposition episodes to make us care. ‘Like the promos before a fight or wrestling match.
Denis Pauna (YouTube)

April 17th, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/c/DenisPauna/videos

There is a reality that doesn’t always get addressed, but here goes: Without covers, we can have no new and original music material (at least in my opinion). Why? Because we don’t learn how to play the stuff we want to hear if we don’t practice what has been done before. We also don’t keep what we love alive (and well) if we don’t share them with others through our own means.

Some of our favourite musicians have their own versions of famous songs. Sometimes attempting to replicate them with their own twist while also making the songs their own. Others can give us a glimpse into the “what if…?” As you can see, this is how most of these videos begin. This is the youtube channel of multi-instrumentalist Denis Pauna.

I will talk about my younger days a little bit here. I was very into Heavy Metal and Grunge for years – and even though other music styles and more modern bands were in full swing among my peers, I kept a number of my musical tastes rooted in a past that I was too young to remember. Something I’m sure a lot of classical musicians can relate to. Anyway…Alice In Chains, Type O Negative, Metallica, Pantera… ‘These were among those bands, and only two of them are still going, with one of them missing their most famous lead singer. I consider that I will never hear Peter Steele, Layne Staley, Lemmy, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul sing or play again, with new songs and new live shows. Denis Pauna, however, has managed to create, easily, the best preview of what it would be like if these bands made some new covers.

As more or less a one-man band, Denis’s drive towards making as authentically accurate a sound as possible is one of the most admirable aspects of his channel. I especially love his Type O Negative style covers, as he manages to achieve a pretty spot-on Peter Steele impression, along with the Doom Metal sound they did best. I also love his excellent interpretations of Layne Staley’s vocals and Jerry Cantrell’s guitar playing. He also goes all out in other ways. When doing “What if Rammstein wrote____” he will attempt to sing lyrics in German (whether they’re correct or what Google Translate suggest, they still sound great to someone who doesn’t know the language…I’m talking about myself here). You’ll also find some of his original music under the name Planleft – which deserves a good listen as well.

Anyway, I’ll simply say, “Check it out!” if you love Metal, I don’t believe you’ll regret it.
Super Cub Ep 1

April 15th, 2021

Due to experiencing what could be known as YCW (Yuru Camp Withdrawal), I decided to look for another anime of the (possible) Iyashikei genre variety and lowe and behold, ‘I may have found it on Funimation. Rather than a show about Camping, which includes at least one character using a small motorbike, here we have a show that is all about the small motorbike. ‘This is Super Cub.

Set in the modern day but has a timeless quality to the visuals. Episode One focuses on one girl who appears as part of a trio in the show’s promotional material. Koguma is quiet and experiences intense isolation. She lives alone in an apartment that is a bike ride away from her school. She has no family, no friends, no hobbies and interests and no goals. Every weekday she goes to school and then goes home without talking to anybody. Occasionally, she shops for groceries. ‘To say the least, this girl’s practically a ghost. One day she sees another student riding a scooter. Curious, she decides to go to Shino’s, a Motorcycle shop in the opposite direction. She notices that the price tags were a little out of her budget (each costing between one hundred and two hundred thousand yen), the elderly Mechanic (Who we assume is Shino) says, “perhaps a used one will do”, and he comes out of the garage with a Honda Super Cub. “It’s ten thousand yen,” he says (‘Roughly one hundred US Dollars). She doesn’t buy it right away – but she does sit on it. Something happens: a note on a piano plays, and all of a sudden, the colours in the anime went from a bit faded to a more vibrant saturation. Something about this bike clicks with her. ‘And curious as to why this bike is only ten thousand yen, she hears that it was part of an accident that killed three people. In my mind, it sounds likes the practice of selling haunted houses at a cheap rate. But this information doesn’t put her off wanting it. All that holds her back now is not having a license. So she receives a Q and A manual, gets told that the questions don’t change, and then gets her License. Afterwards, she gets a promotional helmet and gloves with the purchase while Shino puts something into the trunk. However, she has to take the time to know how to start the bike (something the test doesn’t reveal, as it was a theory test and not a practical one).

Her first ride home ends up eventful when a lorry very closely and quickly overtakes her, which takes both us and her by surprise. When she gets home, she takes the time to admire her new bike. ‘Then, knowing it could become stolen, ‘goes to a hardware store to get a wheel lock before having her bath then her bedtime. However, this doesn’t last long, as she decides that she needs to improve quickly – and goes for a ride, even though it is after midnight. ‘Stopping off at Baer Mari (which is another non-copyright-infringing shop to stand in for Seven-Eleven, along with Laid Back Camp’s Eight-Twelve) to have a small break before riding home again. ‘Leading to the show’s first crisis.

Koguma can’t get her scooter started, and a Lorry Driver tells her to get home before it’s too late. Upon seeing the Driver looking around his Lorry, she remembers Shino putting something in the Bike trunk. Inside is the bike’s instruction manual. After some measures are ‘taken, ‘getting it started and filling up with some new gasoline, she finally gets home. And so after this, the morning begins, and the credits roll, as Koguma starts her first day of school riding a Super Cub.

Along with a handful of original music, we are treated to both Arabesque No. 1 and Claire De Lune by Claude Debussy. Hearing his music… ‘I woke up this morning with it playing in my head while looking outside and drinking coffee – – something the show inadvertently provided, and for me to be thankful. ‘I don’t remember the last time I have watched an opening episode of an anime that is this – – quiet. Quiet and unassuming. Laid Back Camp’s first episode was calm and peaceful, but not ‘quiet. It is surreal. And in a world where the first episode is to have a bang while providing the status quo. We are treated to, quite literally, a lonely young girl’s life for twenty-four hours (although I think we fast forward a week or two from when she got the Q and A book to when she got the License. It felt like it all happened in the same day). We sense her glee with the wind in her face. ‘Her lack of connection in the classroom and her lack of attempts to change too much in one go. Then we witness how the Super Cub has created a door for her to enter the world through. It’s all beautiful, and I want to see where it goes. The next episode will be about Reiko, who I think is the confident-looking one in the promotional material. ‘This should be interesting.
Joran The Princess Of Snow And Blood Ep 2

April 13th, 2021

Now onto episode two of Joran after being left on a cliffhanger. I.e. your sister trying to stab you while you sleep. Exciting stuff. Anyway, onto the rule of these episodic reviews. If you haven’t watched episodes one and two, please do. Because dishing out uncalled-for spoilers like aggressively opened bags of cola bottles will be my crime if I don’t warn you now. ‘Let’s get started.

So as it turns out, our outro in episode one is our intro from here on, and it bleeds, and it dashes, and it dismembers beautifully. ‘Preparing us for some over the top and dark visuals later down the line. Our episode then begins with the body of a man lying face down in the river (As men do because deceased women float face up). The man is the fifth victim in a string of murders. A higher-up, whose name is in the Tokyo Roster. A book, stolen by the Blue-blooded beast woman in the previous episode. Each victim, bribed by the government (Just like Nue). ‘Having parts to play in the shaping of Japan’s future (Or specifically, the future of the Tokugawa Regime). ‘And only Nue Agents would have known about the roster. Creating suspicion within the ranks – considering Sawa is from that blue-blood cloth. The assassination plot that Hanakaze found was a diversion.
Meanwhile, Sawa’s sister Asahi manages to cut up daikon without slicing her finger. Sawa appears to have healed from her injuries sustained in last weeks battle (four days ago to her), and we hear Makoto Tsukishiro and Jin Kuzuhara discussing how much of a threat Sawa is to Nue. Makoto, being the charming but cold son of a gun he is, suggests they end her. Kuzuhara, however, clearly has a history with Sawa.

Sawa reflects on the night that changed everything. Her one ‘really’ bad day. The one that separates her from the world (I’ve been reading the Batman story ‘The Killing Joke’ again). As it turns out, the book she was reading in episode one is a diary. More specifically, an empty Diary, stained with blue blood. It was her mothers. She bought it to document her days. She never used it, and with that, Sawa has few to no memories of her previous life. Just a night of death, as her village died too. When Kuzuhara offers a young Sawa a chance at revenge, she not only gets the sparkle back in her eyes, but her goal is made clear. She will be Meiji Era Lady Snowblood Batwoman. Or something like that. After her training, she joined Nue and got started by butchering some bandits trying to rob travelling merchants.

After this, the young boy who Sawa bought ‘Fight Against Fate’ from – returns with another book to pawn. Let’s see if this becomes a running gag. Afterwards, Sawa and Hanakase go to a restaurant to be served by a waitress who remembers everything. They believe she is the next target – as this woman also happens to be a Nue treasurer. Upon leaving the restaurant, they become ambushed by anti-Tokugawa terrorists. Sawa slices them down like butter. They split up, with Sawa taking the Treasurer into an underground tunnel while Hanakaze brings out her umbrella crossbow. It is in this tunnel that the Treasurer lays out the horror of this anime’s world. The Prisons are so full that new inmates receive execution. And massacres are passed off as part of the pandemic while they crackdown on English-funded insurgents. The rulers are a government who pretend there is no opposition. As it turns out, the Treasurer possibly knows more about Sawa than she knows herself. Details on documents and registers destroyed to cover tracks are locked in her memory. ‘Making her a valuable piece in Janome the Smuggler’s plan to take down Tokugawa.

Meanwhile, Makoto visits Morning Dew Used Books to give Asahi a bottle of poison. Why? Because Sawa murdered Asahi’s parents! (Dun dun duuuuuuuun!). Okay, there’s more to this than meets the eye. Asahi was about to be married off to a creepy older guy, and her parents were in Janome’s pockets, which makes them guilty by association. So Sawa murders them. But she does it with the assumption that they were childless. And now here it is. ‘Placing a child in the same position that she was in on that fateful night. ‘Making Sawa the Kuzuhara in Asahi’s story. However, as the second half of episode one’s ending reveals – Sawa can only die in a specific way. Her genes make her too Tough for a mere kitchen knife. Makoto then provides his take on Sawa. He says he loves her. But his love is the thrill and lust for a beautiful but dangerous woman who lives out a lie in two worlds, rather than somebody to share his life.

While holding a blade to her throat, we also get more info on Sawa through her dialogue with the Treasurer. Her real surname, Karasumori, is named after a small village in the northern prefecture of Aomori. Her childhood home. The place where she lost everything. ‘No records of the massacre exist. ‘Making Sawa the only witness. It was to keep the Karasumori Clan’s blue blood a secret. Janome stole their powers to create artificially. To create the Changelings – who are like Sawa, but not naturally. Sawa wants the Treasurer to help her – however, the Treasurer says no because her son would die if she does. Sawa offers to protect them both and betray Nue. The Treasurer accepts, as long as they get her son back. Then Sawa will be treated to the whole story. However –

Janome’s goons (and a Changeling) catch up to them after they exit the tunnel. Hanakaze arrives, which leads to a nice little fight scene. Followed by another Haiku after Sawa beats the Changeling: “Birds live to fly. In pursuit of flight, they harm others and are hurt themselves. But once they are in the air, there is no light”.

All seems well after this. However, this is where it gets sinister. ‘After telling Hanakaze their plan, she kills the Treasurer then informs her that her son is already dead. Making Nue several steps ahead in covering their tracks, and Sawa at a crossroad with her association with the group, and no steps forward to finding out the truth. We then get a new outro theme song while the credits roll.

It’s clear that episode one established the status quo, but here the mess really hits the fan, and I can only expect it to get more crazy. Will Sawa turn on Nue completely? Or simply everybody but Kuzuhara? Either way, it seems like everybody wants her dead, and the story has begun. ‘Looking forward to where this rabbit hole continues.
Laid Back Camp S2 E13 (End)

April 8th, 2021

Spoilers, spoilers, and spoilers, oh my! What many things I will say. However, by the end of this review, I’ll be giving my star rating and comparing it to Season One.

So here we are. The end of the road, at least for now. It is the last day of the Izu Camping Trip, and it is time for everybody to go home. However, there are still geo-spots to see, people to say thank you to, and zoo animals bathing in hot springs, as indicated in the previous episode. Let’s get started.

So the girls have just come down from Mount Drauma and let us know what they plan to do next. One. Go to Mount Omuro. Two. Go to Ilda-San’s Sake Shop to give their thanks for saving them at Lake Yamanaka. Three. Head to the Cactus Park. And of course, Four. What we have all been waiting for: Seeing Capybaras bathing in a hot spring. Rin thanks the other girls for inviting her on the trip, to which they say, “What brought this on? ‘C’mon, there’s a whole day of stuff to do first!”

I’m also saddened to say that this will be the last time we see this Season’s opening (outside of reruns). You might notice that Rin’s phone has highlights of the previous episode in each one, so we have reason to watch each opening when we start the show.

So Rin has a different experience in this episode as well – by leaving her Moped at the camp while they all pile into Toba-Sensei’s minivan. By sitting in the middle, Rin realises how cramped the journey would have become had she not taken the Moped (despite being four feet three inches tall). ‘Causing her introverted nature to flair up a tad bit.

They arrive at the Sake-Shop, where Chiaki, Aoi, Ena and Toba-Sensei thank the family for looking after them (with embarrassment on their part). Rin, Nadeshiko and Akari are introduced, to which the father comments on how he used to travel with his friends when he was younger. Toba-Sensei leaves her thank-you-gift to them: A bottle of wine and – – Raisin sandwiches?… It sounds weird. I’m assuming they are more like raisin cakes than sun-dried grapes in white bread. UPDATE: Okay, they’re more like Biscuit Sandwiches, like Custard Creams, Oreos and Jammie Dodgers, only there are raisins in them… They’re probably quite good. While chatting, Rin and Nadeshiko get introduced to Choko-chan, the family’s Corgi. Who runs past them and straight to Chiaki, Aoi and Ena. At this moment, Ena shows that she is missing her little doggie by calling Choko-chan Chikuwa. After this, the gang mention their plans, and the daughter of the Sake Shop Owner decided it would be a good idea to walk the dog and goes with them.

They arrive at Mount Omoro, where we receive a small montage of things that happen. Including the consumption of ice cream and the use of the Ski Lift. To the shock of Rin and Nadeshiko, the ski lift has a feature similar to Splash Mountain in Walt Disney World – by taking your photograph, which you can buy and keep. Neither girl saw it coming. But saw the amusement of it. So they each get a copy. The rest of the girls decide to run to the top of the mountain. Toba-Sensei and the Daughter of the Sake Shop walk casually to match the dog’s speed. At the top, everybody gets a great view of the land. ‘Perhaps two towns rather than one. Chiaki, once again, proves how unfit she is when compared to the rest and then had a good laugh when the girls imitate a triangulation point they found on the ground for reference of measurement. Afterwards, a group photo commences, to the delight of Nadeshiko, who gets Mount Fuji into the picture. She then receives a Shinto legend from the sake-shop daughter, which plays into her gullibility and leads to amusement.

The Cactus Park ends up looking as cheesy as you might expect. It’s like something straight out of middle America or Las Vegas. While entering, they see Peacocks, Pelicans and Monkeys just roaming around the area (something I’ve experienced at the Zoo and Butterfly Park before. Though with no monkeys), which all seems normal until the receptionist at the ticket office tells another worker that animals had escaped. While inside, we get a small zoo experience. Aoi feeds a Llama, Rin looks at a Shoebill Stork, and both Nadeshiko and Chiaki stand inside a Cactus House, which is probably too warm, considering how steamed up Chiaki’s glasses are.

Now for the main event – Capybaras in the hot spring. We get a hint of Deja Vu here as Chiaki and Akari do a silly run towards the sight while Nadeshiko trips and falls in another moe moment that’s the same as before. They get to the Capybaras. It was worth it – – so soothing and relaxing. Which then gets even better when they find out you can pet the Capybaras. ‘Making Chiaki concerned with Akari’s decision-making, as capybaras seem to be the right thing to say to get her to go anywhere. She pets the Capyharas, then gets thrown into a sea of temptation at the gift store with Capybara plush toys, hoodies and, of course, dumplings! Akari brings us back to an early episode in this Season – – Chiaki still hasn’t given Akari her New Years Allowance yet. Afterwards, they all go back to the Sake Shop to say goodbye for now. Toba-Sensei makes it clear – the Iidas have a customer in her from here on.

On the way back to camp, the gang decide to stop at a roadside station and evaluate their trip. ‘Commenting that they should come back and do all of the geo-spots. To provide context, the girls saw twelves geo-spots out of well over a hundred.

Reality hits Nadeshiko that the trip is almost over. But as far as she is concerned, the trip will only be over when everybody gets home. Rin gets her Moped back and then travels for a little bit before taking a left while Toba-Sensei goes straight on and drops each girl home. Nadeshiko takes a photo of Rin before she leaves. ‘Seems like the nice thing to do…or one that suggests uncertainty. In the car, everybody but Toba (obviously) and Nadeshiko are sleeping. ‘Bringing a full-circle quality to the trip, as now Nadeshiko is the one awake and possibly experiencing what she missed when she napped in the car on the way to Izu. They see the Izu peninsula, along with the sunset. We then see Nadeshiko get dropped off, as it is clear that everybody has arrived home – – everybody but Rin, who is stuck in rush hour traffic while it is already dark. She remarks that she has already ridden four hundred kilometres (two hundred and forty miles) and has another fifty kilometres (thirty miles) before she is finally home. Making us realise that she probably would have snapped if she took the ride in Toba’s minivan the whole way there and back.

While riding, Rin reflects upon the last three days. Giving us a small montage with one of the Season One musical scores playing in the background to sink that remanence into us. Rin then self-reflects:
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m driving alone or if the night scenery is making me feel this way. But I’m a bit lonely. Still, the healthy exhaustion and the relief of being homeward bound. I love this feeling.” In this sentence, go back to what she said while Nadeshiko visited Ayanko Toki and her Granny in episode three. ‘About her appreciation of loneliness. ‘That she got the best of both worlds with this trip. By camping in a group and travelling alone. She then pauses in front of Mount Fuji. Giving us a cinematography shot that brought us back to the first episode of Season one: In Season One Episode One, Rin is going right on her bicycle and looking at Mount Fuji on her left in the day time. Here, she is going left on her Moped and looking at Mount Fuji on her right at night time. Our Shima Shima Shima Rin has grown up.

While Nadeshiko’s family stare at all of the Wonderful Food she brought back from Izu, Nadeshiko herself becomes concerned for Rin, who isn’t answering her texts. The others have gotten home and are showing their happiness. ‘Meaning the Izu Camp Trip isn’t over yet. Not until Rin gets home. While on the outskirts of Minobu, Rin and Nadeshiko (with the help of Sakura) meet up to make sure everything is okay. It causes Rin to reflect when Nadeshiko didn’t update her online status while doing her solo camp, which worried Rin in episode eight. The concern for friends goes both ways.
We then get a bit of dialogue between Rin and Nadeshiko, as Nadeshiko says she wants to do another solo camp, while Rin reflects on the first episode of this Season: her first camping trip. As the credits roll, we see Rin finally arrive home, her grandfather received a gift from her, and then the whole gang meet up the following morning. Ready for the next day of school (Which I believe is them entering a new school year. Since new grades begin in Spring in Japan. Correct me if I’m wrong).

‘Now for me to reflect on the Season as a whole. To connect and compare it with Season one. I will be honest. Season Two of Laid Back Camp takes everything that made Season One great and happily expanded upon it. The animation team have gotten comfortable with what they are doing and even tried some new things that weren’t as present in Season One, such as the wind among flowers. We also saw the characters a little more animated in short bursts, and they (along with their families) are developed further, with their friendship being more enriched with what has happened here. However, Season Two needs Season One for the best experience. Together they are like one big Season in itself, with Room Camp being extra. The themes of friendship, taking risks, and blasting through real problems are littered throughout the program (because what is a story where everything goes perfectly?)

Anyway, I look forward to Season Three. ‘As well as the movie that is to be out in 2022. I might even try and find the live-action version of the show before then.

My guess for next Season (or the movie) is that we will eventually get a Summer Camping Trip, which will include Nadeshiko’s childhood friend Ayano Toki (Who may ride her Moped along with Rin on the journey). It feels set up to happen. Anyway, here are my ratings:

Art Style: *****

Animation: ****1/2

Voice Acting: ****

Characters: ****

Story: ****1/4

Music: *****

Themes: ****1/2

Overall: ****1/2