Just watch Fruits Basket | Anime Reviews

Fruits Basket: 25 Episodes

Fruits Basket Season 2: 25 Episodes

Fruits Basket: Final Season: 13

Duration: 23 min/ep

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Theme: Love Polygon

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Pilot Episode Thoughts

Fruits Basket. Hmm. Another slice of life, I'm heading toward loving these types of shows. It's hard for me to invest in animes with long plots nowadays, but this has 50 episodes, interestingly this has been on my watchlist for a while. It's also been a trend since a couple of years ago. 

The pilot is enough to be interested in the show, at first, you're trying to understand their world and basically, it's a slice of life, there's nothing much really to build around. You are just there for the characters and their experiences. 

The first few minutes showed us some mysterious elements, or beings. That scene reminds me a lot of an earlier favorite of mine, Clannad. They resemble some aspects. Well, this is just for a pilot episode, let's see what they have for us moving forward. 

Probably, the hook on this anime is the last scene and will probably revolve around that plot. Anyway..

I wish I could've lived my life without making wrong turns. But that's impossible. [...] We make mistakes. And little by little, one step at a time, we push forward. - Yuki Sohma

Full review

The quotes are on point, they don't feel forced. It calms and is funny and it's a slice of life. I enjoyed watching it but I'm expecting some extreme stuff to happen, then, apparently, It has become very dragging, I stretched this watch time from just 3 days to an ongoing one up until now. I finished the first season in about 10 days. Usually, these kinds of animes with 25 episodes take about 3 days max to finish for me.

But, once I accepted that there's no massive plot twist or super special stuff, I began enjoying it. I watched this without any expectations and, I started to love it. 

The show is about acceptance of who we are, including our past, and understanding it all. 

The mystery in this anime is subtle, you won't think about it until they brought it up again. You'll enjoy those mysteries without ruining the main theme of the anime, the slice of life. 

This anime is brilliant. A true masterpiece for all the slice of life. I just thought that this is just a simple and ordinary anime, a slice of life with a small hint of supernatural but, that's just the surface. The later episodes are amazing, it is well written. 

I was wrong. Watching the first 2 seasons felt like a drag. Apparently, everything is intentional. Those times you will spend knowing the characters will hit you real hard in the end. I forever believe that this anime invented character development. 

Everything leads up to the last season and everything makes sense, all those investment in the past 50 episodes are totally worth it and it paid off well. 

To truly love someone, is to always put their feelings before your own... no matter what. - Saki Hanajima

The Finale

The ending is about sending off. A perfect way to this massive surprise. Everything's warm, the best final episode that you could think of for a slice-of-life anime. It's bitter-sweet. 

We have encountered a masterpiece of an ending. I cried my eyes out towards the end. It's surprising, especially from my experience with the anime, this makes everything makes sense. It makes me really happy about the outcome. Would I recommend it? 10! 

It's not like I suddenly became stronger. [...] My body still trembles, but [...] what's important is the desire to improve, which stems from weakness. - Yuki

My takeaway

Tohru is a picture of grace. She's graceful in almost every way possible. No red flags, just innocence, and almost perfect. 

We want that. That's the goal. We often try to do more or try to do better, but sometimes we lack something, grace. She does not pick up friends, she tries to understand and be considerate. She cares about her friends and has strong family values. 

As human beings in this massively imperfect world. This is what we all need. A person who. at times, unable to understand but tries to. Being the "good" in every scenario and every way possible. A person with so much love to give, unselfish. What a lovely sight. 

It's not always easy to see the good in people. [...] But if you can somehow, find a way to believe, sometimes that's all it takes to help someone. - Kyoko Honda

Big question!

How can we be better people? A person who tries to understand despite everything. 

//FruitsBasket 

//sebajisoka

The 2022 Boston Celtics

It's been an amazing ride. At the start of the season, nobody would have thought that the Celtics will push the Warriors to a 6-game finals match-up. 

We started with an embarrassing 19-21 record, but then the energy has been shifted, and finished the season with 32-10 and the 2nd best record in the east. Beating the favorites in the playoffs and completing the East revenge tour:

KD, Kyrie, and the Brooklyn Nets. 

Giannis and The Milwaukee Bucks.

Butler and the Miami Heat.

Eastern Conference Champion and first NBA Finals appearance since 2010 with the big 3 of Pierce, KG, and Allen. 

There are lots of moving pieces since the elimination from the last year's playoffs. 

President of Basketball operation Danny Ainge (Trader Danny) retired. 

Brad Stevens, the Celtics coach has been promoted and taking the open spot for the President of the Basketball operation

Hired the former assistant coach of  Spurs, 76ers, and Nets Ime Udoka 

Traded Kemba Walker to OKC Thunder for Al Horford - a huge piece in this Celtics Playoff run.

Traded Josh Richardson and a first-round pick to San Antonio for Derrick White.

Sent G Romeo Langford to San Antonio.

Acquired Daniel Theis from Houston through Dennis Schroder

All of these are important pieces for this incredible run. 

The future is still bright. We have a young core of 

Jayson Tatum: 24 years old

Jaylen Brown: 25 years old

Marcus Smart: 28 years old

Robert Willaims III: 24 years old

This team will definitely improve. I bet free agents will definitely consider the Celtics this offseason. I want to see Bradley Beal play with the Jays without giving up too much. 

I'm sad and disappointed that we did not win the championship this year but I'm still hopeful for the future.

This playoff run has been emotional for me for many reasons. Aside from the stats I've listed above, I'm invested in this team. I'm faithful and loyal during those crunches, I became a fan a decade ago and they are the team that I'm rooting for. 

I still remember how sad I am that the Celtics traded Pierce and KG away. I love those 2 players and I enjoyed watching them even playing for other teams, but my heart, for some reason is still on the Celtics. They were rebuilding, it was fun and exciting, we have several players. 

I can still remember when we drafted Smart and hired Stevens as the coach. It went uphill since then, we had Gerald Wallace, Jeff Green, Jonas Jerebko, Brandon Bass, and a bunch of random players on the roster. 

Then, we had Isaiah Thomas, we had Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and we had Kemba Walker. From those teams to this team, we have come a long way. 

This team has reached the East Conference Finals 4 times in 6 years. Lost several times due to some injuries. Those were heartbreaking. Every loss is heartbreaking. 

I've rooted for this team for a long time and watched almost all the games of the season. That's why I took offense when some bandwagon started talking against this team. Well, it's hard to root for a losing team and it's way easier to root for the winning team, right? 

I took pride in this loyalty and apparently, this is not the same for everyone. Especially if you're a Lakers fan rooting for who's winning right now, or someone who rooted for a different team and suddenly became a warriors fan since 2015.

I'm sorry but this is a complete joke to me. I admire Steph Curry, he's that good and fun to watch, It's always hard to root against him, to be honest, but it is what it is. They are the champ and we will carry on this burden until the next playoffs, hoping to be better and a champ.

//Celtics

//sebajisoka

Rust-Eater Bisco is about political awareness | Anime Reviews

Rust-Eater Bisco: 12 Episodes

Duration: 23 min/ep

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Theme: Post Apocalyptic

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Pilot Episode Thoughts

The show is set in a post-apocalyptic Japan. Where people are sick due to rust and the cause? Mushrooms. It's crazy, it's unconventional but it's interesting. The show is promising and I hope that they will feed my hope until the end. 

I don't have much to say for the pilot, I believe that they will reveal more and more information as we dig deep in the next episodes. 

Well, I apparently enjoy post-apocalyptic anime. 

Full review

We follow the story of a Mushroom Keeper and a Doctor, this may seem like a slice of life but I bet you not. It's massively different from that, we journey with our heroes as they find a cure for the rusting. 

But what I like the most about this concept in the fight against, basically, fake news. The government tagged the Mushroom keepers as the ones responsible for the spread of the rust. Apparently, not. They are just being labeled as it is so that the government takes hold of their positions and controls a mass. 

Interesting. 

The fight scene is blunt, it should have a better sequence. It does not have enough winning moments, I mean, you know the twists in Naruto? When he appears to be losing but then the twist will be revealed and the music comes in. I don't exactly know the term for it. But yeah, it lacks that.

I guess, they just focused on how the government controls things, even in the medical aspect. It's more like AOT at some point. 

I find the plot lack build-up for the characters. I mean, the plot is great and nice, there are lots of unexpected turns and you understand the feeling that they want the viewers to feel but the problem is one thing, the feeling is just not there. 

There are plot points that I understand that we should be angry, sad, or feel empty but lack connection with the viewers, probably if they show us more of the bond, I'll feel those intentions. 

The anime is good but I don't really recommend it to anyone, I'm not high on this. It took me few days just to finish this anime, it's dragging at times and it feels like you have to finish it for the sake of finishing it. And I don't like that feeling. Maybe this is not for me. Most of the people that watched this is quite happy overall. So, may it be just me. 

The Finale

Nice ending, callbacks are on point. It's warm, like most of the anime's ending. Everything from the first episode leads up to this point and it's nice and cool. I don't hate it. They have presented a problem and the show delivered. At some point, this show really reminds me of Attack on Titan and Naruto, apparently. Hahaha! There are just some scenes that you can really distinguish the inspiration. 

My takeaway

We tend to believe what was first presented to us and it's hard to believe otherwise once we are already invested in what we were told at first. Remember those medical misconceptions that we hold on to because we were told that by the elders? Remember the "My whole life is a lie" meme?

This is dangerous if we think about it, it can mess with our future and mess with our friends. This show magnifies the power of manipulating, on a larger scale. I love how they particularly use the government power in leading the nation into false belief, tagging people who know the truth as the enemy of the state?

This could happen in real life. Just be aware. 

Big question!

What does it take for us to move? To go against what's in front of us and just stand on what we truly believe in? 

//sebajisoka

Mob Psycho 100 is indeed.. Psycho. | Anime Reviews

Mob Psycho 100: 12 Episodes

Mob Psycho 100 II: 13 Episodes

Duration: 24 min/ep

Genre: Action, Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Theme: Super Power, Psychological

Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Pilot episode thoughts

This show reminds me a lot of One Punch Man due to power level and Jujutsu Kaisen for the villain concept. This hilarious. Apparently, they have the same creator. Nice.

We found our protagonist Mob, who is working for his boss in a psychic business. And yet,  Arataka Reigen is a master con artist, scamming our boy with hundreds and lying about his skills. 

The animation is nice and I really like the art style. I'm not yet invested in this one but I will truly wait for that specific episode that will make the turnaround. 

“I don’t want to see anyone else hurting people, or anyone else getting hurt.” – Shigeo Kageyama

Full review

This is actually funny. This is somehow really fun to watch. We got a simple guy who does not want to use his special powers and just humbly doing day-to-day life and the typical that middle schoolers wish, is to be accepted and to be popular.

Apparently, the world is crazy and we have these gangs and scammers all over us. Our protagonist unleashed this unknown power maximizing it to 100 percent, thus, the title. 

I love the outline, the show is easy to follow, with smooth world-building, and has fun characters. It's easy to get hooked on the show. The animation is unexpectedly massive. The fight scenes are top-notched, they combine different art styles for our pleasure. It's really good! 

The climax of the first season definitely has some influence on One Punch Man.

Season 2 starts really nice, heartbreaking, and then, heartwarming. Unlike the first season, this 2nd installment appears to be focusing on the slice-of-life part, which is really nice. We got full action in the first season, we deserve this second one!

The anime showcases being different, being bullied, and being weak. We encountered triggers to one's change of perspective and way of life. 

I like how they tell a story revolving about being dependent and independent. I really like the touch of it. 

The character development for the side characters is crisp, this is not something that I expected. I generally thought that this is just an overpowered protagonist going through life in comedy, but nahh. This is actually good writing, how? They show different kinds of emotions as they develop the story. I become invested in no time. It's heartwarming. A pretty hard hit, it's beautiful. 

“You cannot solve all problems with your kindness. Sometimes, you need to be strict to others.” – Keiji Mogami

The Finale

This is a mess, everything in sight. All mess, but the unleashing of powers on both ends is massive and beautifully created. Literal flashing colors all around, a wonderful sight of a deeper meaning. 

I did not expect anything for the finale, but the ending is wholesomely nice. I love it. 

The biggest distinguishing feature of humans is how rich and varied their emotions are. These emotions are the reason they thrive and also the reason they fight. - Mogami Keiji

My takeaway

This show highlights different situations a typical student will encounter. What I like about this is, how the protagonist views the world around him. He's innocent and does not really go with the usual reaction. He has massive powers but does not use them as an advantage when certain situations arise.

I realized that the power that we want may highlight the deepest desire of our life.

If we want to read minds, it's a hint that we care too much about what other people think about us.

If we want to time travel, it's a hint that we want to change something in the past.

If we want to fly, it's a hint that we want to fly. 🤣

I made the decision to consider my feelings more. And you need to pick up things you feel are important. - Shigeo Kageyama

Big question!

If you found out that you have a supernatural skill or power, what will it be and how would you use it? 

//MobPsycho100

//sebajisoka

Death Parade will change your view about life and death | Anime Reviews

Death Parade: 12 Episodes

Duration: 23 min/ep

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Supernatural, Thriller, Suspense

Theme: Adult Cast, High Stakes Game, Psychological

Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

“Everyone lives with the sins they’ve committed.” – Chiyuki

Pilot episode thoughts

I expect this to be something dark with a little touch of comedy. Apparently, not. Death Parade offers a fresh concept about what happens after death. It reveals emotions and spits out honesty, well this is in just the first episode. 

The anime is set in a casino slash bar where guests are already dead. People here are those who died at the same time. They will play in a casino, betting with their own life, risking it with the ones they are with. 

This is promising and really compelling. I have really high hopes for the next episodes. Let's see what they have. 

“People aren’t as complex as you think they are. They’re simple, and they get sad or angry over simple things. That’s how they are. They’re quickly affected by the littlest things, and live without knowing where they’re going to fall down. That’s who people are!” – Chiyuki

Full review

It's insane, it's dark, it's unsettling. We talk about untouched human behavior, the darkest of our souls, and the insanity that we have within. 

The 2nd episode is basically the 1st episode, this time, from a different perspective which is a really nice touch on how the story will bloom. They expose the unbalance between good, bad, and unpleasantly bad. It uncovers the truth behind another truth. 

Surprisingly, it has a heartwarming part. The mystery of death and the lives that they lived. A part where they can look back and base their judgment on that. 

However, despite different games each episode, the stories may feel repetitive, just different stories but you know, same outcome. I'm not sure if there's a build up into something, hopefully. 

Well, I lied. I was writing this in real-time, that I'm watching the episodes and just polishing it in the end. 

This whole build up is insane, it's no repetitive, you have to feel each emotions at the level of their sins, I love how they intensely visualize darkness of the soul. It's psychotic but it may happen in real life. Watching few episodes towards the end gave me goosebumps, not because of the action-packed scenes but the triggers and the level of insanity of what's happening while everything while watching it with massive detail and at a really slow pace. Everything appears to be falling apart, messing with our minds, with our sanity.

The pacing is great. You'll finish the anime in no time, they have amazing characters even with short screentime. 

“Do you know what the most primitive emotion people have is? It’s fear.” – Nona

The Finale

This is mental awareness. Suicide awareness. This ending is quite surprising and an emotional one. I never thought that they will go this way base on the dark theme. 

Shemss!

Apparently, it all comes down to the ultimate test. Really nice touch for the ending. The build up is worth it. The show is big on understanding each other. A heartwarming ending to a brutal essence that we face in life. Hard truths and inevitable dilemmas. 

“Life really is a mysterious thing. Each and every life spins its own, totally separate tale. Yet they become intricately entwined in each other. And no one knows how they will end up.” – Decim

My takeaway

You'll get used to it soon.

Crazy words, it may change someone's life. For the better, or worse. Our minds can easily be manipulated by repeated actions or words, we should always be aware of where we put our attention into. 

Death is a one way ticket. Once you're there it's impossible to come back. It's a permanent thing, a final destination, it is inevitable for all of us. 

It has this glommy visuals that can be interpreted as life can just end in a snap. You might not get the chance to say goodbye, to say sorry and to say i love you. Life might end in an instant, without warning, just falling into the void. 

We'll never know.

“It’s not just grief. There are as many emotions as there are people. The fragility of someone who lets their anger get the best of them… The strength to overcome fear because of love… You can’t comprehend anything about them.” – Chiyuki

Big question!

If you're given a chance to live again, in expense of other's person's life. Would you take it?

//DeathParade

//sebajisoka

Horimiya is refreshingly nice | Anime Reviews

Horimiya: 13 Episodes

Duration: 23 min/ep

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Shounen, Slice of Life

Theme: School

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

“You can have the bad days so you can love the good days even more.” – Miyamura Izumi

Pilot episode thoughts

The initial episode is nice, the animation is crisp for a romance anime. It's lovely, the characters are easy-to-relate to. It's funny, it's interesting so far. I don't know the goal of this anime but so far, I enjoyed it. The 23-minute episode passed in an instant. I never get bored throughout. 

“Everyone starts from zero. If you mess up, just try it. Figure out why, and try again.” – Miyamura Izumi

Full review

I like the animation especially when they need to emphasize a specific feeling. they're changing the background into this oblivious plane that highlights the specific emotion in the scene. The effect and the music behind really impact the exact emotions that they want you to feel.

It tackles loneliness in a school setting, this kinda happens in almost all school-setting anime. It speaks the emotion, it hits hard if you encountered and experienced such a thing. You feel the agony and the loneliness, even the feeling when getting out of the specific situation.

A specific aspect of the show is how they focused on a specific person's emotion despite what's happening outside. For example, while all the people around are laughing, someone is really sad inside. It's about conveying one feeling towards another. 

Well, we really don't know what's happening inside someone's mind. We can't really tell what they are feeling. 

Aside from loneliness, the anime speaks of love, school, rivalry, bullying, and reconciliation. I enjoyed the anime, it's not that distinct from other anime of the same theme but you'll enjoy every moment of it, including the laughter and sadness. You'll definitely feel empty and the ending will leave you hanging for sure while asking for more. 

“Everyone has a side of themselves that they don’t want other people to see.” – Kyouko Hori

My takeaway

I've watched several animes since the pandemic, what I liked about them is how they discuss topics that actually happen in the real world. They do not need to make it well-produced or unique, they just need to address it, this is even in the simplest form. 

Just like in hiding your true self, sometimes it may be hard to show the real you for fear of judgment. We pretend to be someone else, we pretend to like things that are not usually us. We hang out with people that we think are cool and stay away from the weird ones. 

But sometimes, we do not belong to the right group. There will be circles that where we truly belong, the right set of friends and right set of interests. Somewhere, you can truly say that you belong. That you can be your true self. 

Are you in the right circle? 

// Horimiya

//sebajisoka

ID: INVADED is a really good detective-themed anime with a twist | ANIME REVIEWS

ID:INVADED: 13 Episodes

Duration: 24 min/ep

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Theme: Detective, Psychological

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Is it ridiculous to think that I’ve been given a role to play in this world? - Akihito Narihisago

ID: Invaded is a sci-fi mystery anime from 2019 to 2020 where we follow the journey of an investigation of a murder in a simulation setting. 

Pilot episode thoughts

We are introduced to the main protagonist, a detective, in a mysterious world of puzzles from the get-go. Just like any other animes, everything seems confusing but they did a great job in slowly revealing key aspects of the story to allow us to be fully immersed in the narrative.

Full review

We follow a story of an investigator that curiously cracks the case of a murder victim in a very unusual and futuristic sense. Nothing makes sense at first but, a few episodes in, you'll get to understand the concept of the show. 

We are introduced to id and drive to kill to detect and locate the killer, it's mostly mind-games, to be honest. They used this interesting technology that has the ability to invade someone's unconscious mind. They just need to collect particles the person left behind. 

Watching the show is like building a puzzle, as the show goes, you also want to somehow discover what's on the criminal's mind based on what they're showing in the show. 

What's really good in the concept is the part where each mind that they invaded has its own set backdrop, own set of the world which is enticing to the viewers as the heroes crack the case. 

I get so interested few episodes in which I witnessed some interesting twists and turns. I enjoyed the part where they just give away the plot twist that happened in the end, it will feel like we already knew this all along. But, you'd really love how they handle the ending. 

My takeaway

The show explores the mind. How many aspect outsides affects one's thoughts and encourage some actions. My takeaway is, as humans, we are introduced to tons of data, we are imported information after information. 

I'm wondering how it will affect us in a long run? What abilities or characteristics have been developed towards this journey. It may be a trauma, an experience, or even a simple quote. How does our world change? Does it change in an instant? Or does it develop over time? 

It makes you really think. What do other people consume that makes them different from us?

//IdInvaded

//sebajisoka