My initial plan was to catch up on My Hero Academia as soon as I was done with work. Unfortunately, a billion shows came out today, and as always, I’m going to prioritize the new over the old. Plus, it’s not like Deku and his buddies are going anywhere. As a shounen, that story is gonna get milked for all its worth. Anyways, without further ado, let’s talk about Hatena Illusion first…
I have been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok, and flat out deceived! Kana is initially so excited to reunite with her childhood friend. Oh good, I thought. I’m finally going to get a romcom where there isn’t some sort of manufactured conflict between the canon couple. But as soon as he arrives, the obvious truth comes out: Makoto is a boy. He knows he’s a boy. The butler knows he’s a boy. The lewd maid knows he’s a boy. Kana’s dad knows he’s a boy. The only person who doesn’t know he’s a boy is… Kana. And just like that, all those childhood memories mean nothing. Our heroine wants him out, out, out, and she begins to throw a tantrum for the rest of the episode. Her father should step in and put a rest to this, right? Nah, he just yeets himself out of the story. What about Kana’s mom? She yeeted herself long before Makoto ever arrived. I just dunno why Kana is so clueless. Sure, he looked a bit girly here, but how do you spend that much time with someone and not know them at all?
From then on, the show becomes your by-the-numbers anime romcom. For instance, Makoto accidentally breaks something, so he now has to serve as a butler to help pay it off. Yawn. We also get a scene where he accidentally walks in on a naked Kana, so she beats him up with her magical scarf. That’s right, it’s magical. That’s the one gimmick I hadn’t mentioned. Our hero is here to become a magician. He’s supposed to study under Kana’s father, but like I said… he just floated up into the air and went poof like Poochy the Dog. Anyways, with their relations at an all time low, the story decides that it’s a perfect time to let us view a flashback scene where young Makoto had valiantly protected Kana from a mean, ol’ dog. The only problem is that this exact incident had been referenced earlier in the episode, so it makes me feel like the author can’t come up with any other fond childhood memory. Let’s just keep double-dipping into this one over and over!
The episode ends with Kana and her sister Yumeni discovering that Makoto’s magic wand — his literal magic wand, you pervs — smells like their mom. Wow, that almost sounds dirty out of context. But nevermind that. For some unexplained reason (we’ll find out later), Kana is determined to steal it back. As a result, she magically transforms into Hatena the thief. Apparently, her mother was (and still is?) a thief herself. A thief with a heart of gold too, I imagine. Some people might wonder why the girls’ mother is missing. Or why Kana thinks it’s so important to steal Makoto’s wand. But the only thing I really want to know is why she’s such a manhater. Who hurt you, girl? Tell us! Jokes aside, the episode ends there, and I’m firmly on the fence as to whether or not I’ll continue “entertaining” myself with this romcom. It just feels like it’s going through the motions.
Alright, here’s the rest of the anime that I barely watched…
Housekishou Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei
Do you want human interest stories that are slightly heavy-handed in its delivery? And has Houseki no Kuni left you wanting for more delicious gemstone facts? Then boy, have I got a show for you. In all honesty, Housekishou Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei isn’t bad. It just isn’t terribly exciting either. If first episodes are meant to draw people in, then I must confess that I’m not exactly hooked. I’m not repelled either for what it’s worth. I’m just perfectly inert. There’s also the fact that episodic anime can’t do a deep dive on weighty topics. We can’t really say a few sentences about justice and pat ourselves on the back. But what else can an episodic anime do? We’ve only got twenty-ish minutes. For someone like me, a show like Housekishou Richard-shi no Nazo Kantei just leaves me wanting. From a storytelling standpoint, yeah, we need to move on. From a philosophical standpoint, I’m like itching to jump in the ring. But let’s follow the anime’s cue and move on…
The story begins when Seigi rescues Richard (his full name is a mouthful) from a bunch of drunk assholes. The latter introduces himself as a jeweler, which just happens to be exactly what our hero is looking for. Gosh, it must be fate. Anyways, his grandmother had a ring in her possession that she had pick-pocketed from another woman. Shortly after she pilfered it, she found out that the other woman had tried to commit suicide. She blamed herself, and as a result, she lived with guilt for the rest of her life. Seigi thinks that if he can return the ring to its rightful owner, then he can at least alleviate some of his grandmother’s guilt. Some way, somehow, Richard helps Seigi locate the other woman from so long ago.
But as always, there’s a twist. As it turns out, his grandmother’s crime actually set off a chain of events that prevented the other woman from being forced into an arranged marriage. The other woman did commit suicide, but it was unrelated to the loss of the ring itself. Eventually, she met the love of her life while recuperating in the hospital. On their way home, Richard adds that although Seigi’s grandmother had done something wrong, she did so in order to protect her daughter (Seigi’s mother), and isn’t that justice in it’s own right? Well… we’d be here all day if we tried to discuss morals and ethics. But if I can briefly say anything on the matter, I would ask people to imagine a scenario in which the other woman had tried to commit suicide because she loved the ring that was stolen from her. How would you feel about the story then? In the end, it isn’t the other woman’s fault that Seigi’s grandmother was a poor, single mother who had to fend for herself in a chauvinistic world. I don’t disagree that protecting one’s own child is a virtue, but how should we balance the scales of justice? Do we do it by randomly robbing random people who just happen to have more than we do? Or do we take the more difficult path and try to correct the very system that have placed us in bondage? But this is all talk, and talk is easy. So let’s just go back to our silly anime…
By the way, for an episode that focused heavily on Seigi’s first encounter with Richard and how their friendship began, I found it very odd that there’s a brief scene where he bumps into Shoko, a woman he finds very attractive. It’s just a scene that doesn’t lead anywhere nor connect to anything thereafter. I mean, if she isn’t meant to play a larger role until later episodes, then why not wait to introduce her? It’s a minor nitpick, but I just found it funny… The scene almost felt like a non-sequitur.
Jibaku Shounen Hanako-ku
Despite being listed third in this post, this was the seventh show that I forced myself to watch today. In other words, my mind was running on empty at this point. I don’t have too much to say about Hanako-kun. The premise is about a girl and her ghostly friend. The show has quite a visual direction (compared to your average anime), so if I have to say anything nice, I have to admit that it isn’t that bad to look at. Storytelling-wise, the anime will rely heavily on Hanako’s mischievousness and Nene’s naivete to drive much of its comedy and banter. But who knows, maybe there’s a serious story arc down the line. There just aren’t any hints of it in the first episode. Every so often, Hanako will turn up the shota charm and tease the audience with the idea that perhaps there is something cooking between him and his human partner. Maybe just maybe… Personally, that’s not enough to keep my interest, but it wasn’t the worst thing I watched today.
Nekopara
No, I don’t!
Oshi ga Budoukan Ittekuretara Shinu
…not another show about idols.
Welp.
Oh look, the idol is waving at you. Do you:
A) Wave back
B) Have a complete overreaction to a simple greeting
The answer is…
…it’s B. Show’s over, folks. The answer is fucking B.
Welp again.
Show By Rock!! Mashumaires!!
Even though our heroine told us that this was just an ordinary story, I didn’t call it quits on her show just yet. Even though she started singing about daikons, I tried to stick around. But at some point, my mind wandered and before I knew it, I had stopped paying attention to the show. But to be fair, I’d argue that it’s really difficult to focus on a show when it hits a lull in the storytelling, because the internet is now at our fingertips. With a simple click of a mouse, I can better entertain myself by just doing anything else. By the time I tabbed back to the window, there were these three weirdos in front of me. Welp, I’m out.
Uchi Tama – Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka
Oh, this looks cute. I still wouldn’t watch it, but–…
GODDAMMIT QUIT ANTHPOMORPHIZING CUTE ANIMALS INTO UGLY ASS HUMANS
The extra weird thing is that the animals are animals around their human owners. Then they turn into these hybrids when the humans are out of the picture. So if I leave the room, my cat Nabi will turn into a catgirl like some weird, fucked up Toy Story?
Moe Sucks 
