Anime~
Last Saturday I went to an anime/game industry networking party~ I went with the main goal of getting to know some more non-Japanese people in the industry, because most of my non-Japanese friends left the country during the pandemic, and when my company was recruiting new international staff, I became painfully aware that I didn't have any connections that I could rely on to find new applicants D= The people I do still know here already have established careers at other companies and aren't planning to change jobs, so if possible I want to get to know some more people who are new to Japan and are just staring their careers, or maybe students interested in working with games after they graduate... I'm not sure how successful I was, since most people there were more involved with the creation side of things (illustrators, animators, etc) rather than localization, but I did get some business cards and exchanged social accounts, so who knows something might come out of it...
One thing that did come out of it was that I met Ito Eiji, the voice actor of Shigeru in Natsume Yuujinchou! =O I knew he went to these events occasionally, just like Horie Kazuma who I met a couple of years ago, but I'd never ended up going on the same day as him so I hadn't run into him yet. I'd seen his name on the participant list, so I knew to look out for him this time (in a non creepy way of course) xD There were a lot of of people there (about 100) so we only got to exchange brief introductions, but he was really nice! He always posts about Natsume Yuujinchou whenever any news comes out, so it's obvious how much he loves the series - apparently he was at the Kanagawa shows of the Gekiban Concert as well >w< He also said he'd love to do something like the Sound Theater again (I'd love that, too!) I didn't ask him any specifics about about season 7 (That would probably be overbearing, and I'm not even sure how much Shigeru appears in it) but I told him I'm looking forward to it. ^o^
Anyway, some other stuff I've been watching...
-Odd Taxi
This was recommended to me by a friend because it's so quirky and different. All the characters are animals, but the society they live in is very much a mirror of Japanese society (specifically Tokyo). So I figured from the beginning that the driver must have some kind of mental condition that causes him to see humans as animals, kinda like the guy in Kusuriya no Hitorigoto who could only see human faces as shogi pieces. So I'm not sure why people were so surprised by the ending, but the story to get there was super interesting, so I marathoned it in just a few sessions.
- Touken Ranbu Kai
I'm pleasantly surprised how many characters appear in this! I thought it would just be a straight adaptation of the stage play it's based on, focusing only on the characters who appeared in it originally, but all the other characters are also getting plenty of screen time, even if it's just in the background in the daily life scenes. Three episodes in, the story seems to be moving a lot more slowly than I expected (I figured they'd jump straight into the mission?) but I don't mind it at all - just spending time at the honmaru with everyone is fun, and I'm sure it'll make the mission even more exciting and impactful once we've gotten to know these versions of the characters even better first.
- Yuru Camp 3
Apparently the third season is being produced by a different studio from the first two seasons and the movie...? And it really shows. I don't strongly feel like it's gotten any better or worse though, it's just... different. The style seems more similar to Yama no Susume now though, for some reason. Maybe it's because the characters look more like moeblobs than before? I liked how even though the two anime had similar themes, they were clearly very different series in style and vibes, but somehow they now seem as if they could be taking place in the same universe? I'd love to see a crossover movie or ova though, so I don't mind it. >w< I'm kinda interested in visiting the area with all the suspension bridges in Shizuoka now, it seems like a fun day trip or weekend trip... But apparently the train line to get there is down after a typhoon (which one? The one from 2019 still?? Edit: 2021, apparently...) so I think I'll have to save it for whenever it reopens 'cause I don't have a motorbike like Rin-chan, haha.
- Spice and Wolf
It's honestly been so long since I watched the original anime that I wouldn't be able to tell you how this one differs from it, as it seems to be retelling the same story so far? The art style is probably updated a bit, but other than that I'm not sure... I did really enjoy the previous anime though (I had plans to cosplay the blonde shepherd girl at one point, but sadly that never materialized) so I don't mind at all getting to "rewatch" it in another form!
- Hibike Euphonium 3
I"m so out of the loop with this, I didn't realize Kumiko was club president now? Maybe I missed some movies or whatever that moved the story along, or maybe it's just been too long. Anyway, it's nice to be back!
One thing that did come out of it was that I met Ito Eiji, the voice actor of Shigeru in Natsume Yuujinchou! =O I knew he went to these events occasionally, just like Horie Kazuma who I met a couple of years ago, but I'd never ended up going on the same day as him so I hadn't run into him yet. I'd seen his name on the participant list, so I knew to look out for him this time (in a non creepy way of course) xD There were a lot of of people there (about 100) so we only got to exchange brief introductions, but he was really nice! He always posts about Natsume Yuujinchou whenever any news comes out, so it's obvious how much he loves the series - apparently he was at the Kanagawa shows of the Gekiban Concert as well >w< He also said he'd love to do something like the Sound Theater again (I'd love that, too!) I didn't ask him any specifics about about season 7 (That would probably be overbearing, and I'm not even sure how much Shigeru appears in it) but I told him I'm looking forward to it. ^o^
Anyway, some other stuff I've been watching...
-Odd Taxi
This was recommended to me by a friend because it's so quirky and different. All the characters are animals, but the society they live in is very much a mirror of Japanese society (specifically Tokyo). So I figured from the beginning that the driver must have some kind of mental condition that causes him to see humans as animals, kinda like the guy in Kusuriya no Hitorigoto who could only see human faces as shogi pieces. So I'm not sure why people were so surprised by the ending, but the story to get there was super interesting, so I marathoned it in just a few sessions.
- Touken Ranbu Kai
I'm pleasantly surprised how many characters appear in this! I thought it would just be a straight adaptation of the stage play it's based on, focusing only on the characters who appeared in it originally, but all the other characters are also getting plenty of screen time, even if it's just in the background in the daily life scenes. Three episodes in, the story seems to be moving a lot more slowly than I expected (I figured they'd jump straight into the mission?) but I don't mind it at all - just spending time at the honmaru with everyone is fun, and I'm sure it'll make the mission even more exciting and impactful once we've gotten to know these versions of the characters even better first.
- Yuru Camp 3
Apparently the third season is being produced by a different studio from the first two seasons and the movie...? And it really shows. I don't strongly feel like it's gotten any better or worse though, it's just... different. The style seems more similar to Yama no Susume now though, for some reason. Maybe it's because the characters look more like moeblobs than before? I liked how even though the two anime had similar themes, they were clearly very different series in style and vibes, but somehow they now seem as if they could be taking place in the same universe? I'd love to see a crossover movie or ova though, so I don't mind it. >w< I'm kinda interested in visiting the area with all the suspension bridges in Shizuoka now, it seems like a fun day trip or weekend trip... But apparently the train line to get there is down after a typhoon (which one? The one from 2019 still?? Edit: 2021, apparently...) so I think I'll have to save it for whenever it reopens 'cause I don't have a motorbike like Rin-chan, haha.
- Spice and Wolf
It's honestly been so long since I watched the original anime that I wouldn't be able to tell you how this one differs from it, as it seems to be retelling the same story so far? The art style is probably updated a bit, but other than that I'm not sure... I did really enjoy the previous anime though (I had plans to cosplay the blonde shepherd girl at one point, but sadly that never materialized) so I don't mind at all getting to "rewatch" it in another form!
- Hibike Euphonium 3
I"m so out of the loop with this, I didn't realize Kumiko was club president now? Maybe I missed some movies or whatever that moved the story along, or maybe it's just been too long. Anyway, it's nice to be back!