Real Neat Blog Award – Untold Questions

Guess what? What!

Someone thinks you’re ‘real neat’ enough to get an award. Do they think I’m hip and happening and far out and outta sight, too?

Or maybe they just think you’re ‘neat’ as in ‘tidy’? I will also accept that.

But seriously you were nominated for another award ‘The Real Neat Blog Award’ (again)! Somehow I feel like that should read the ‘Real NEET Blog Award’ seems more appropriate all things considered.

I don’t know what that means. Quiet, normie!

Anyway… The Spooky Red Head nominated you! Truly the spookiest of redheads! Thanks for the nomination!

You know the drill, rules plz. Right, 1. Display The Award Logo, 2. Thank The Blogger Who Nominated You, 3. Answer The Questions Of The One Who Nominated You, 4. Nomination 5-10 Bloggers, 5. Ask Them 7 Questions.

Thems the rules! “Thems?”

Shut up, let’s just get to the questions…

1. Do you have a favourite Care Bear?

That’s like asking if I favourite child! No, I have no children and I have no care bears that I care for, NEXT QUESTION!

2. What about a favourite My Little Pony?

Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated here? No I’ve never masturbated to MLP hentai, no matter how much you torture me I’ll never admit to it in a court of law! But seriously, no, I do not partake of the “pony”.

3. Who’s your favourite sailor scout?

Whichever one was gay with the other one, the one where in the English dub they made them sister’s because… “we shan’t dare have something as debauched as same sex relations on this cartoon!” Yeah but I never watched much Sailor Moon either! Talk about the trifecta of animated shows I’ve never watched! 

4. What genre of music do you like?

I like all genres, except country. Literally, just a look at my iTunes playlist it’s 8000+ tracks of the most random musical choices. But if I had to pick one genre it would be ~alternative~

5. Do you have a favourite animal?

Do monster girls count? Because I’m partial to a snake girl, bird girl, horse girl and spider girl from Monster Musume… if not and you mean actual boring ass non-anime animal, then I dunno, a flamingo I guess…

6. Favourite subject in school?

English, because I got to be a smart ass. And Japanese because I am become weeb.

7. What’s your favourite Disney movie?

What makes you think this ‘Frozen Heart’ of mine likes Disney movies? Just ‘Let it Go’ already… ‘For The First Time In Forever’ I don’t have an answer, okay?

And that’s all the questions now? Yup.

So now you have to nominate 5-10 bloggers! So I heard… right so I nominate:

@negativeprimes (Curiously Dead Cat)

@wdbox (YahariBento)

@jiraiyan (Otaku Orbit)

@keikosanimeblog (Keiko’s Anime Blog)

@magicconan14 (Animanga Spellbook)

To those nominated just know there’s no obligation to make a post, I know things are busy for everyone, just take it in your stride. And to those I’ve neglected to nominate, SORRY! It’s hard to keep track!

And now you have to come up with 7 questions to ask them, no pressure to be interesting and funny FYI… FFFFFFFFFFFUUUU…

Questions? Right, so the questions are:

1. If you had a BILLION money (currency of your choosing), how much of it would you spend on anime/manga?
2. What’s your favourite Pokemon!?
3. Do you play video games? If so what’s your favourite? (Or one of your favourites)
4. If you could go back and time and tell your child self one thing, what would it be?
5. How much money would it take for you to walk around the streets of your country’s biggest city holding a dakimakura (body pillow) of your favourite anime character?
6. What do you like to put on your ice cream?
7. What’s the meaning of your life? #toodeepforme

And that’s it is it? I think so! Man these award blogs are too much fun! At this point I think I’ve nominated nearly every one of my followers so from here out expect some repetition in who I nominate! Time to sleep now!

Goodnight. ‘Night.

Tokyo Ghoul – 20 Question Anime Review

 What’s the show? Tokyo Ghoul (2014).

And what’s it about? I’ve got to be honest with you, this is the 4^th time I’ve tried to write this review, because every time I’m writing it and it gets to this question I’m stumped. Not because it’s a complex or convoluted or confusing show, it’s because I just plain don’t remember. Like sure I remember, characters and the setting and I know I enjoyed it a lot while I watched it, but wow is this show forgettable.

Well that’s… something. Did you consider maybe watching it again as a refresher? Or even just reading a plot synopsis online? I did! I mean the latter, I only watched it a year and a half ago, I don’t need to rewatch it so soon. But even reading individual episode synopsis’ I was like, “oh that happened did it?” and “did I maybe watch a different show?”

Hmm, okay. So with the assistance of Wikipedia and to the best of your recollection what is the show about? It’s about an alternate universe where creatures called ‘Ghouls’ exist alongside normal human beings, they look and sound just like us except that they survive on the flesh of humans and possess superhuman abilities like strength, speed and regeneration.

Interesting! How could you forget about a show like that and yet you know to the excruciating detail all about K-On which you watched at roughly the same time about a year and a half ago? Cute girls?

Yeah, yeah… you and your cute girls… I can’t help it… something happened a year and a half ago and I haven’t been the same ever since.

Right. So who are the characters in this show? Hmm? Oh, the protagonist is university student Ken Kaneki, who is about to be killed by his crush Rize who is actually a Ghoul, until she is crushed by a falling beam on a construction site. He’s left in a critical condition but is saved after some of Rize’s organs are transplanted into him, which makes him half human-half ghoul! It’s honestly an extremely strong first episode, and easily the most memorable thing about the first season, well except for…

For what? That opening theme song! Oh my god, it’s like an auditory orgasm!

The theme song? Way to have your priorities in order! Bite thy tongue heathen! The anime theme song is a hallowed institution for otakus such as I.

Yeah? Then why don’t you talk about them in reviews more often? Well it’s not exactly the easiest thing to bring up when talking about a show in a restrictive format such as this, hmm, maybe I’ll do a new blog series about anime theme songs!

Focus, focus! Oh right, where were we?

Literally the first episode. Who are the other characters? What’s the central conflict? Details, details! Yes, um, so there’s a small café that’s secretly run by ‘good Ghouls’ i.e. the one’s that don’t go out eating humans indiscriminately. The stoic and dependable Yoshimura runs the café, and there’s also a waitress called Tora, who has her own tragic backstory and it’s all very rich and dramatic and interesting.

Stop being so flippant! People are probably getting angry about how you’re acting! It’s the Internet, I could literally post a picture of me petting a cat and people would send death threats.

Eh, fair point… Besides, it’s not all my fault; it’s just so hard to get over what happened to me a year and a half ago…

Either tell me or get on with it! So, the Ghouls of the city are relentlessly hunted by the CCG (Commission of Counter Ghoul) and specifically two agents of brutal efficiency, Kureo and Kotaro who go to extreme lengths to rid the streets of ghouls, regardless of whether they eat humans or not.

So it’s kind of like the story sides with the monsters and not ‘justice’? It’s not so black and white as that, there’s good and bad people on both sides, everybody has their own personal agenda and their own stake in the game, it makes for a very dynamic and thought provoking show.

Though not ‘thought provoking’ enough to stay in your memory, huh? Listen, if I tell you what happened to me a year and a half ago, will you promise to lay off me a little?

I guess so. Fine, so a year and a half ago, round about the time I was watching Tokyo Ghoul I was beset upon by a ravenous gang of cute girls, they tore me limb from limb but I survived, but only because one of the cute girls sustained fatal injuries in the attack, her organs were transplanted into me and ever since that day, I have an insatiable appetite… FOR CUTE GIRLS!

Fuck off. And besides, that doesn’t make any sense, why would having the organs of cute girls make you obsessed with cute girls, wouldn’t that just make you half a cute girl (if we’re entertaining this absurd logic)? Because in my heart I am a cute girl and so every time I look in the mirror and see my bearded male face staring back I have no recourse but to devour every cute girl anime I can ‘til I can forget about who I really am! I’m, I’m… a monster!

I’m so sorry if you read this expecting a sensible Tokyo Ghoul review, you see what kind of shit I have to deal with? *sigh* Final score? It’s a violent, gory and disturbing show at times, but it’s got pathos and humanity and tension! It’s also, unfortunately (at least for me) exceedingly forgettable, all jokes aside I couldn’t even remember half the things that happened in this series without reading through a recap and even then it was like a half remembered dream. Absolutely I recommend this show, but only based off the fact that I remembered liking it a lot when I first watched it. Prime meat: 87 out of 100.

Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary Volume 1 – 20 Question Manga Review

What is this? It’s like an anime except it’s not moving? It’s called a manga; it’s the book version a lot of anime’s are based off!

Oh? So I imagine just as with book to movie adaptations there’s a lot of people saying “oh but the manga was better than the anime”? Haha, probably, but that’s not really what we’re here to discuss. Mostly I’ll be featuring manga that hasn’t yet gotten an anime adaptation, I figured that’s more fun anyway…

Yeah I guess so. So what’s the manga (heh that’s so weird to say!) It’s Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary Volume 1.

So big! Her eye, I mean…

Nurse? Monster? Is this perhaps about monster girls? Maaaaybeee…

You really have a thing for monster girls don’t you? I have my reasons!

Sure sure, let’s not go down that dark avenue and instead focus on the matter at hand, what’s it about? Nurse Hitomi is busty one eyed school nurse, who with the aid of her spriggan assistant helps the monster students of her high school deal with the various issues that come about from their burgeoning “monster” traits, which like puberty seem to be manifesting in their mid teenage years.

Probably good advice, even if it’s strangely put.

So it’s a slice of life manga? I guess so! The closest thing I can compare it to is ‘Interviews With Monster Girls’ a fantastic anime that I’ve yet to review on the site, but it’s a show that’s less about situation as it is more about character and relationships, while still ostensibly being a ‘slice of life’. Except, unlike ‘Interviews With Monster Girls’ in Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary there’s a clear divide between the faculty life and the student life, in some ways its more mature in that respect because there’s whole chapters that are set away from the school and are focused on her social and romantic life.

But? Well it might be all about the adult teachers but it is very immature and inappropriate at times.

Oh boy…

Sounds right up your alley! Quiet you.

So what do you mean exactly by ‘immature?’ I mean some of Nurse Hitomi’s advice to her students is the kind of thing you’d see in an issue of Penthouse magazine. It’s half genuinely sincere and half sitcom shenanigans.

Is that a detriment to the series? Not yet, I imagine it’s going to get more serious as it goes along, the adult characters all have various flaws which make them a lot more interesting than expected, and that’s in addition to the various monster traits.

*insert Wookie noise*

So who are the other characters? Well of the faculty there’s Moji, who’s basically Chewbacca except he speaks perfect English (Japanese?). Then there’s Tatara who is four-armed cigarette smoking “cool” dude, who Hitomi has had a crush on since they were kids but it’s unreturned because he’s into loli.

And he’s a teacher?! Yeah but I don’t think the book’s going to go there, I think it’s just used as an excuse to have the ‘will they/won’t they’ dynamic between him and Hitomi.

He’s a bit of a douche to be honest but I’m sure they’ll work to soften his character in future volumes.

Fair enough, I guess… So how’s an average issue go? Well I’ve read 2 volumes so far and have bought the 7 that are currently available, so I can confirm that each book after the first volume see’s Nurse Hitomi and her assistant see three different monster students, help them through their various monster related hang-ups and interspersed with some chapters about her social life.

The first book is different then? Well she see’s 5 different monster students in volume one, they are kind of like self contained stories, and depending on the student they can varying tones which makes for a very entertaining read. The first volume sees Hitomi dealing with a girl with a 300cm long tongue, a zombie girl who’s prone to misplacing body parts, a very tall girl, a very small girl and an invisible girl. The story with the invisible girl is particularly touching.

The five monster students featured in volume one.

Interesting, so it’s got some depth to it too. I did already say that, it’s almost like you don’t believe me.

Well when it comes to monster girls it’s hard to know if there’s not bias in your review. Of course there’s bias! I mean it’s not like this manga is a must read for everyone but if you’re into this kind of thing, well… you’re probably already reading it.

She’s fine, really. It happens all the time!

So your recommendation is for people who’ve probably already read it… great first manga review! This is sure to catch on! Shut up, I’m still working out all the kinks.

Oh I know all too well about your “kinks”. Hey! Leave the witty wordplay to me!

Right. So what’s the final verdict on Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary Volume 1? It’s cute, it’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s charming, it’s got an art-style I adore and if you’re a fan of monster girl related manga and haven’t already checked it out then your missing a quality read. For everyone else, you might enjoy the messages about body positivity and equality that come with Nurse Hitomi’s advice to her monster students but honestly the book knows its niche and plays to it well. Take my temperature Hitomi-chan, I’m running a fever! 90 out of 100.

 

***This is my first 20 Question Manga Review! I hoped you enjoyed it, it was a lot more work than the anime reviews (though it’s certainly quicker to read a single manga than watch a whole season of an anime!) If you have any feedback or suggestions let me know and whether your interested this to continue!***