Arum Journal

But with the misunderstanding stuff between Sano and Mizuki finally over and done with, we get to see them becoming closer than ever, but where does that leave poor Nakatsu who has a crush on the latter and is also best friends with the former? Nakatsu is having a hard time accepting that he likes Mizuki, but there’s a girl who’s interested in him and even confessed! Yet, Nakatsu is still distracted by his feelings for Mizuki. I get that Mizuki is still considered a boy in the perspective of everyone except for Sano and Dr. Umeda, but I want to say: Nakatsu, pride month ended yesterday!

For Mizuki, her relationship with Sano has gotten better, but she’s still down bad for him to the point that the sports reporter Kinuko Karashima seems to be intrigued by her. While Mizuki is still on her guard around her, it turns out that all of the Sano articles that Mizuki read while she was in America were written by her! While her passionate love for Sano might be challenged by her, she’s still not backing down from a fight.

There might be some foreshadowing regarding Mizuki joining karate given how Kujo thinks she has potential; remember that Episode 12 stated how he only smiles towards those he thinks have good potential at karate. I wonder how that’s going to play out given that Mizuki has to change into karate clothes and it can get a bit handsy…

Anyways, I’m convinced that someone in the production staff is a fan of The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity, because what do you mean Komari is voiced by Honoka Inoue? If you don’t know, Honoka Inoue is the voice actress of Kaoruko Waguri. This makes her the fourth voice actress to pop up in this anime; other Kaoru Hana VAs are Nakatsu (Shohei), Kayashima (Saku), and Mizuki (Subaru). So, when will Rintaro and Yorita’s VAs show up in this anime? In addition to Honoka Inoue, Kinuko is voiced by the one and only Nana Mizuki. Hana-Kimi staff sure is flexing their casting budget because you seriously got THE Nana Mizuki for this anime? Nana Mizuki voiced Seiko Ayase in Dandadan, Hinata Hyuga in Naruto and Anne Takamaki in Persona 5. I mean, given that there are other prolific voice actors and actresses in this anime, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still am.

Given the opening, I wonder if the second season will be focused on Nakatsu’s feelings towards Mizuki. I know that Nakatsu and Mizuki won’t end up together given how smitten she is towards Sano, but I do wish it has a good conclusion at the end. Other than that, I do wonder what sort of shenanigans Mizuki and the others will get themselves into now that it’s still around Autumn as the Cultural Festival ended. It’s also a two-episode premiere, so I’ll be back later to review Episode 2! Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

While I’m mostly rooting for Gero and Kinosaki to get together, I honestly don’t mind if Kimie becomes end game. I feel like, out of the marriage candidates, she has the highest chance due to being interested in Gero AND confessing to him; however, she’s just not ready to get hitched yet, which makes sense because they only met again as adults formally and she still has a lot to do like looking for her brother and finding herself. I feel like that’s most important before choosing to settle down. So, I like her answer! I also like Ushio, so she and Himekawa would be tied for second and then Shiori—I don’t dislike Shiori, but I just think that she’s a bit too young for Gero despite her being a great character. Also, the part where Tonako suggested to be a marriage candidate for Gero is not to be taken seriously; she doesn’t look like she was serious about it and only suggested it out of a whim. While she’s beautiful herself, there’s something ominous about her.

I think the best part about the search for marriage candidates is that their stories help inspire Gero to become more charming so that he can become worthy of them. I honestly like that. He’s not afraid to let women be an influence in his life. In a way, Gero is a male feminist. I think the part where he and Kinosaki help with love advice was honestly cute. It was nice seeing the ups and downs of romantic relationships from third parties. The fact that some of the people who sought them out are connected to one another was cute! I think the girl who was lamenting over her live-in partner not proposing to her and the guitarist are together. The Spanish cooking class teacher and her male student seeking out advice separately was cute! Though, I guess my only gripe is that the people who sought out for love advice are only in heterosexual relationships. It would’ve been nice to have some homosexual relationships in the fray.

I also like that the Dogo Animal Kingdom arc also helped Piichi create some friendships as he seemed like a guy with zero friends and only a girlfriend. Marin seemed happy that he found some friends. This indicates that Piichi will show up again in the future as an ally. I like how Gero sees Piichi on a high pedestal due to him having a girl AND a satisfying life altogether. He’s basically a complete version of Gero in a way.

But yeah, the ending of the episode indicates that Teruaki is on the move. If you didn’t know, Teruaki is the adult version of the little boy that was with Akari and Gero during the flashback where the siblings went to see the Human Zoo. I thought he was their little brother at first, but given the context of the premise, he’s not a sibling, but a cousin. Given how Akari was warning about him being on the move, he does seem to be dangerous; heck, the fact that he was locked in a cage and was submerged in a vat of poisonous bugs indicates how much of a potential threat he is—no ordinary man would do that. He’s voiced by Yuto Uemura, who voiced Hotaru Yuyami in Kinokoinu, Phil in Moonrise, and Hiro in Darling in the Franxx. I honestly think this is a good casting primarily because this anime mostly casts voice actors who aren’t too popular but still has a good repertoire.

Overall, this was a fun anime! It’s a lot more entertaining than I expected it to be. The premise is zany, but I do like that it showcases that even stories that revolve around adults can be fun; it also shows that adults can go through growth. The battles are fun, even if they do get a little ridiculous at times. The animation quality never staggered. I like a lot of characters as they’re super unique; I just hope Naruko shows up again in Season 2 as he’s my favorite. It’s a solid 8/10 anime and I can’t wait for Season 2! I think I’m going to miss the opening song the most. While Marriagetoxin itself isn’t my top anime of the season, the opening is. Let me know your thoughts on the anime and the finale!

The final battle between Minato and the evil spirit is what I would expect from this story. While Minato is the one who saved the town, he also has to get a lot of help from those around him like Harima and the gods who show up. It’s not bad as it showcases how loved he is by those around him. I was surprised that Tenko showed up to help out given the animosity she and Yamagami have. My only big issue is that those exorcists didn’t get stricter punishment, but that’s just me not liking them.

Other than that, it was nice seeing all the characters showing up to showcase that the story is ending. All of the prominent human characters showed up at the festival and all of the prominent gods showed up at the Kusunoki house. I also like that time has passed and Minato has essentially lived in the house for a year now. I’m glad that the deity inside that sphere Minato rescued has finally hatched to form an adorable flying squirrel. I wonder what sort of god it was, but now it’s Yamagami’s minion.

Overall, this was a nice, relaxing show. If you like slice-of-life stories, this one would be up in your alley, especially if you like Natsume’s Book of Friends; I guess you can say that this is a more relaxed version of Natsume in a way. The voice cast is good and the music is also pretty decent. The animation quality is also good in the sense that I’ve never seen anything that looks out of place throughout the 12 episodes. I also just learned that the novels are available in English, so I might buy it to see where the story goes afterwards. Let me know your thoughts on the anime as a whole!

Anyways, there seems to be a festival called the Hojo Festival that is held every three years and it’s to celebrate Yamagami and such. However, despite everyone being excited, evil spirits are lurking about and much larger and stronger than before. Minato has to work together with Harima and his subordinates in order to stop the conflict. I like that they’re bringing back a lot of the human characters like Harima’s sisters and cousins, Ichijo, and even Katsuragi’s father. You know the conflict is serious when Yamagami and the minions are slowly vanishing due to the lack of prayers. The miasma is also causing the animals to migrate towards Minato’s house; honestly, that part reminds me a lot of Noah’s ark but instead of a boat, he got a house.

However, I do wish that Minato used his wind powers. All that training with Susano’o feels like it was pointless. I do give him the benefit of the doubt in that he was panicking and fretting over the conflict. He isn’t someone who thinks of a solution right away, after all. However, that part of his personality is a flaw that comes with risks like Yamagami supposedly sacrificing himself to save him—we all know he’s going to reappear in the last episode; I’m not falling for it.

Anyways, I do hope those two exorcists get their comeuppance because they’ve been really annoying. I do wonder how the conflict is going to end and what sort of spirit is causing the rampage. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Anyways, the highlight of the episode is definitely Susano’o’s introduction. He’s Amaterasu’s younger brother and a battle-hungry, hot-blooded man. He’s accompanied by Yamata-no-Orochi. His presence mostly exists to help train Minato with his wind powers. Minato is the first person to ever get powers from Fuujin, hence why Susano’o wanted to “fight” him. He seems like a nice guy, but a little hot-blooded. He doesn’t like being called old, however.

Harima also appears in the episode earlier to warn Minato about the fake exorcists and the increase in evil spirits. I do wonder if Susano’o had heard about it, hence why he showed up. Regardless, it does make me wonder if Harima is going to request Minato to help out later on… It’s cute how he brought gifts from his sisters and cousins to Minato. They’re all sweets. I also feel a bit bad that the gods like to tease him whenever he comes over, but he does his best to persevere.

Susano’o is voiced by Kisho Taniyama, who voiced Wirbel in Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, and Himuro in Kuroko’s Basketball. I honestly could recognize his voice due to the gruffness that sounds like his voice when he sings. Yamata-no-Orochi is voiced by Takehito Koyasu who is basically a known name amongst anime fans. If you don’t know his roles, some of them include Adam from SK8 and Himejima from Hana-Kimi.

Honestly, I do hope those two exorcists get their comeuppance for tearing off the talismans and sort of contributing to the constant increase in evil spirits. They’re becoming annoying. Let me know your thoughts on this episode! 

But yeah, it was nice to see Minato making effort to get Yamagami’s spirits up by taking him out all day. On top of that, nothing bad happened to Minato! No abandoned realm dragging, odd god shenanigans and such! It’s really nice just to see Minato and Yamagami chilling out the whole day. Their trip to the publishers was cute! It was nice seeing the positive effects Yamagami has on others, whether it be encouraging magazine writers or growing back to his normal size due to an old lady’s prayers at his shrine. It just hones him how important Yamagami is as a deity of the town.

It was also nice to see that Minato isn’t the only person who can see spirits as there are a few others. The diner he was in was filled with people who could see gods and yokai. It would’ve been nice if Minato had befriended some of them instead of observing. His only other human friend is Harima and he can’t see spirits. It would’ve been nice to have Minato befriend someone who’s like him.

Anyways, the highlight of the episode was definitely seeing Ansho and his lackey Enno getting played with by the minions after breaking into Minato’s house. Like how Yamagami made scary illusions when Ichijo tried to disrupt the peace, the minions  played tricks on them by making each door they enter the same corridor until they muddle illusion world by breaking it and scaring them off. While I do feel like the minions should’ve been harsher, they’re still young, so they’re not as cruel as Yamagami.

Enno is voiced by Junji Tachibana who voiced mostly minor characters various anime. Towada, the journalist from the publisher, is voiced by Yu Miyazaki who voiced Itsuomi from A Sign of Affection. The president of Musashi Publishing is voiced by Koji Okino who voiced Real Steel in My Hero Academia. I think the name in the credits that stands out the most is Sayuri Hara as the restaurant waitress. She voiced Rinwell in Tales of Arise, who is one of my favorite characters in the Tales franchise.

The ending gives off an ominous feeling. An abandoned god’s realm only means bad things. Will it be talked about in the next episode? I just hope the fake exorcists won’t try to wreak havoc if they try to go inside… Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Regardless, it’s nice to see that the garden renovation has brought in a few more guests like the school of koi fish and Ouryu’s dragon friend who’s a bit too generous with his gifts. By the way, the story about the koi fish ascending a waterfall to become a dragon… I wonder if that’s the basis for Magikarp’s evolution to Gyarados? If so, I honestly like that—I like it when I can connect a reference from another piece of media. I do wonder what Ouryu’s friend’s name is because his voice actor isn’t credited—it’s probably somebody doing double roles but is mostly credited for their main role.

Anyways, a few new characters are introduced. First, we have Tenko, the fox goddess from the neighboring mountain, albeit a small one. She’s full of mischief as she wanted to greet Minato by forcibly dragging him to her domain before being intercepted by Yamagami. Then, she usurps Tsumugi’s body and fights Yamagami in said form and wins. Honestly, these two fight like they’ve been divorced for 20 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a thing in the past. Then there’s Anjo and his lackey who are fake exorcists who scam people by selling fake talismans to the elderly. They’re total scumbags. Anyways, it does seem like Harima’s gang are keeping an eye on them since they’re on their turf. The way Anjo picked up the wooden amulet that Minato gave to the squirrel that was later dropped does not seem good; then again, the gods that protect the house are probably gonna troll them like how Yamagami scared off Ichijo.

Tenko is voiced by Wakana Yamazaki who voiced Ran Mouri in Case Closed (Detective Conan) and Nojiko in One Piece. Yamazaki has passed away on April 18, 2026, so I think Tenko was her last role before passing. It’s unfortunate since she was very talented. I personally enjoyed her role as Arukenimon from Digimon Adventure 02. Anjo is voiced by Nobuaki Kanemitsu who voiced Takato’s father in Digimon Tamers and Taurus Fire in Megaman Starforce.

I honestly hope the story doesn’t end on a sad note because I like the slice of life aspect! It’s a heartwarming, relaxing story. There’s already some scary stuff with the evil spirits and stuff; I feel like adding in a bittersweet ending will only ruin it tone-wise. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

The first situation she gets herself into is finding a place to stay during the summer as the dorms have to be renovated. After some offers, she decides to stay at a summer resort where she’ll work for Io Nanba, Hokuto and Rio’s sister and Nanba’s mom. The family reveal is pretty crazy. Rio is an aunt and her nephew is older than her. I wonder how old Io had her son and how much of an age difference she and Rio have.

Anyways, this arc covers episodes 7-9 and it’s mostly a miscommunication arc where Mizuki and Sano get into an argument due to Makita, one of the older employees, trying to flirt with her but she doesn’t seem to be aware of it. This arc also culminates Sano’s growing affection for Mizuki in that he’s been compared to a mother cat by their school friends. But yeah, both sides go through a jealousy arc as well as Sano is jealous of Makita, but understandably so while Mizuki is jealous of Tamami, Kagurazaka’s younger sister, who is a fan of Izumi.

But yeah, aside from the creep Makita, the characters in this arc are pretty fun. Tamami was mostly used as an obstacle, but she’s not hate-able. I like her energy. Io is a cool big sister character who figures out Mizuki’s secret. The best character in this arc, aside from Io, was obviously Kyomi, Kagurazaka’s youngest sister who doesn’t talk much but is crazy talented—look at the sandcastle she made! The only gripe about the summer vacation arc is that Makita didn’t get enough punishment. Have Sano throw him off a cliff.

The last three episodes focus on the Cultural Festival, which works differently than the usual ones as it’s a competition between the dorms at Osaka High. There are three dorms and they’re full of unique characters. Dorm 1 is mostly the jocks where it’s led by karate club president Megumi Tennoji. Dorm 3 is more of the artsy types as its leader is Oscar M. Himejima (actually just Masao) who is a theater kid. In addition to the activities, there is also a mystery that revolves around Mizuki as someone is targeting her and it’s someone from Dorm 1. At first, the suspicions were all on Kujo due to his stoic behavior and often grins at Mizuki, but it’s not.

Anyways, the highlight of the Cultural Festival arc was definitely seeing some of the characters crossdress. Sorry Mizuki and Nakao, but Sano definitely looked the best with his Yang Guofei cosplay—he looked like he could fit into The Apothecary Diaries. They all looked cute, though! It was interesting to see the activities for the Cultural Festival since the usual storylines just has one class doing something and then they walk around. I feel like this is the most active Cultural Festival by far.

Though, this arc also sheds some characterization into Nanba who once dated his older tutor but now is heartbroken. Throughout the season, it did seem as if Nanba was going to fall for Mizuki, but it’s not the case as he does seem like he’s only interested in older women and he doesn’t know Mizuki is a girl.

However, if there is something I have noticed in both the Summer Vacation and Cultural Festival arcs is that there seems to be a constant pattern of miscommunication and jealousy sprinkled out. It’s either Sano or Mizuki who get jealous and then their communication skills drop down to the negatives. You might think it could be a introvert and extrovert thing, but they’re actually good at communicating with others—they’re just bad at it with each other. I just hope this won’t be a constant thing throughout Season 2 or it’ll be a chore to watch.

I also noticed that the animation quality dwindled as the second half progressed. A lot of the characters don’t move around when they’re supposed to. Some notable examples are in Episode 8 where the characters go to the beach and Episode 10 where Himejima first appears. Other than that, it’s fine for what it is. I just hope Season 2 doesn’t drop in quality.

But yeah, the second half’s voice cast is also as superb with the new characters introduced as it is a mix of veterans and rising stars. I think the name that stands out of the characters introduced in the second half is definitely Takehito Koyasu as Himejima. Why’s that? It’s because Koyasu actually reprised his role from the drama CD, making him the only one so far. This intrigues me because it does give possible opportunities for the drama CD voice actors to return in the anime, whether they be minor roles or as the characters’ parents like how some remakes tend to do so these days. The drama CD cast did have a lot of notable names like Houko Kuwashima and Showtaro Morikubo to name a few. Given that this anime has a huge cast, I wouldn’t be surprised if the anime decided to go that route…

Yes, I will be reviewing Season 2 episodically. It comes out July 1st, meaning that’s next week. It’s kind of crazy how we’re already halfway done with 2026… Let me know your thoughts on Hana-Kimi as a whole!

Yuru and Asa mostly take a backseat in this episode, but they still have some screen time like Yuru learning about his mother’s last name and that he could have grandparents in Okinawa. Fortunately, that is answered with Asa having a phone call from her grandmother, but it does make me wonder if the grandmother is actually theirs or if she’s just a controlled human being. I wonder who is controlling her—does this mean there’s a potential fourth faction at that?

Other than that, the episode is mostly building up towards the new arc with Jin and Makoto trying to investigate the west gate as the latter did mention she did enter the manor through it, even though a door doesn’t exist. However, there is one major clue that was left behind—there’s a thin line on the wall that is way too precise, almost like if a sharp object cut through it. Lo and behold, it’s answered in the same episode as it’s due to Ivan Yosano, the man who did show up briefly in Episode 6 during the Kagemori manor ambush. It turns out that he’s working for Asuma’s uncle Hayato Shingo, which does make sense given that all three Kagemori brothers have different mothers. The interactions between uncle and nephew does make me wonder if Asuma is only a red herring as he doesn’t seem to be too keen on Shingo’s suggestions like making Hikaru disappear or having Asuma try and seduce Asa. The fact that he doesn’t want to harm his own brother or make moves on a minor does make me wonder if Asuma is only working with the maternal side of his family to get rid of them or something.

On Yuru’s end, Dera mostly gets the spotlight towards the second half of the episode in that he goes to a shaman named Yama to find some intel on the missing parents. Yama is a familiar face in the Higashi Village as the children are excited to see him and Azami, the girl who saw her mother beheaded, has to get her vaccinations. I feel bad for Yama because he has to be the ‘victim’ of Ivan’s daemons’ crazy ability in that he can be transported to the location of whatever the swords touch. Since the shaman had eluded to encountering a ‘night prowling pervert’, it all makes sense. Still, it’s kind of crazy to know that a portion of your body is missing and a man can come out of it yet you’re not bleeding or dying out. I would be weirded out and panicking if I was in that situation.

Shingo is voiced by Setsuji Sato who voiced Zakkuri in You and Idol Precure and is also the Japanese voice actor of Alastor in Hazbin Hotel. Yama is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi who had been in FMA Brotherhood as young King Bradley; his other roles include Ryohei Sasagawa from Reborn, Shisui Uchiha from Naruto and Mikhail from Free. His daemons Lady and Gentleman are voiced by Ayumu Murase. The twins’ grandmother is voiced by Masako Isobe who voiced Naki Kito from Dandadan.

Anyways, before I end this review, can I talk about Midori? That tanuki is definitely the scariest daemon. Imagine getting caught by an animal’s genitalia…that would be stuff of nightmares for anyone. However, the tanuki having a large…scrotum is a symbol of wealth and good fortune…maybe to them because it certainly won’t get a human rich and happy… It does make me wonder if the anime will have the balls to show it off…did the manga ever show it? Let me know your thoughts on this episode.

Basically, Hikaru has been training his whole life to be able to master a secret Poison Clan technique that can allow him to poison anything he touches from his blood, but it has to take years for him to perfect. Gero’s master said that it would take him 20 years to master, but, given that Hikaru is estimated to be around his early to mid twenties, it seems that he was able to master it in less than the estimated timeframe. It is a crazy ability, though. It looked as if he was going to do a bloody Kamehameha.

While Kimie has been more plot device for the arc, she still gets good characterization in that she was able to rally up the other Beast Clan prisoners and have them break free from confinement for the sake of their animal partners. The fight was definitely very silly when grown adults were able to subdue Dogo just by making animal noises to call out the spirits of their partners that dwell within Dogo’s chimera form.

The reason for Dogo’s actions was because he got offended that his animal partner was a bat. He was mostly told that he was fit to be a leader by those around him, but that all changed when he got the bat and then everyone started scorning him. This caused Dogo to go mad as early as the age of 13. I get that it might not be the animal of choice for someone, but bats have their uses like disease transmission and such. I feel like Dogo got too upset for the possible unlucky hand in life. It’s not unlucky if he learns how to make use of the bat’s skills. What I believed the leader wanted was for him to be able to succeed as the head even with an ‘unfair’ advantage, but Dogo didn’t take that and just cursed the clan for it. I guess there is still some good within Dogo if Byakko was willing to carry him bridal style while being naked herself. She’s absolutely loyal. However, his efforts are in vain when it’s revealed that his sister Tonako has been appointed as the head instead of him. I’m sure there are reasons why Dogo got appointed a bat, but too bad they’ll only be speculations.

Speaking of Tonako, she’s voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa, who voiced Reina Sakuya in Digimon Beatbreak, Mitsumi in Skip and Loafer and Naomi Orthmann in Metallic Rouge. I don’t think I ever heard her voice such a sultry adult woman before. It’s definitely not her usual roles, that’s for sure. The Jackal master, the guy in the cell next to Kimie’s is voiced by Takanori Hoshino who voiced Jack Atlas in Yugioh 5Ds and Koichi Kago in Medalist. Dogo’s bat is voiced by Takaaki Torashima who voiced Ist in Isekai Office Worker.

I do wonder if Tonako will be a marriage candidate because it does feel as if she just came out of left field. Also, it would be rather cruel to have her be a potential candidate when all the attention is supposed to go to Kimie. Regardless, Tonako is a baddie and if she’s not an official marriage candidate, then maybe she can be mine (I’m a woman). Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Still, I can’t help but to praise the animation for this episode. The way the apprentices were running around and how the camera was also following them around as they got on the sled was so good. The movement in general was quite good, so at least it helped prevent me from going extremely critical towards this episode. I quite liked how Richeh’s expression changed as Sasaran was boasting.

Other than that, the contents of the episode follows chapters 22 and 23; it’s mostly the same with some expanded parts. I do like that the anime does accentuate how much of a threat Sasaran is and makes him a lot more intimidating, especially how he was subduing Agott and almost drew a spell on her. However, the highlight is definitely Richeh. While I am biased, I do like that her refusal to learn more spells has come to bite her in the ass. Despite this, Euini was kind enough to lend her his notebook and she accepted, knowing her philosophy of not wanting to use other people’s spells. Poor Euini, though. They made the transformation sequence a lot scarier than in the manga. Poor kid looks like he’s in pain.

Regardless, all three of the apprentices did contribute in some way like Agott making the trail of ice and pushing the sled that Richeh made and Euini making the ground explode so that Sasaran would let go of Agott. I do like that no one is a burden or a nuisance in this story. They all contribute to something. I think that Agott correctly deducing that the Brimmed Caps are after Coco and telling Sasaran lies about her is very smart of her, despite Sasaran not being fooled by her.

Regarding the scenes with Coco, Qifrey and Tetia, I told you that that legends will always be true if someone were to talk about it. But damn, they made the Romonon statues a lot more creepier in the anime, probably because they are in motion and have audibly creepier voices. Yeesh, it was so scary. I also like that Coco’s drawings of the Slyph shoe glyphs are actually much better than the ones witches normally use. Agott goes super fast, which Euini even comments on. It shows that the smallest of changes can be a big help. Still, I can’t believe the anime ended on making Qifrey aura farm and then the ending sequence plays. The story starts with Qifrey aura farming and it ends on him doing the same.

Anyways, if you’re wondering why I’m constantly anxious about Witch Hat Atelier’s second season is because of both Bug Films’ track record and that the anime itself isn’t actually all that popular in Japan. It has a niche fanbase stemmed from long-time fans of the manga and anime only viewers who like it, but it’s not a blockbuster hit like it is in the west. Some of the anime from this season that are very popular in Japan are Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Nippon Sangoku, Ramparts of Ice, and Agents of the Four Seasons, seeing how characters from those shows rank in monthly magazine surveys. I mostly see WHA being talked about outside of Japan, but it’s not really talked about domestically. This could be a factor to a prolonged second season… Also, I know that if I fret about something, the results will come out good in the end, which is why I am anxious. 

Overall, I still think this was the best anime for this season in terms of animation, voice acting and overall quality. This was my most anticipated anime and I really did like how it turned out. All the feelings I have for this anime cannot be expressed with words…and to this day, I don’t know if I still have proper words to describe this amazing journey from April 6th to June 22nd. I will pray for a second season as much as I can. Let me know your thoughts on this episode and the season as a whole!

The Shiguma scenes are really nice! Despite being an accomplished rakugoka, he’s still a friendly old man. I like that he’s friends with everyone in the nearby neighborhood and they like him too! It showcases that even if Shiguma is a famous performer, he’s still very humble. I think it’s cute that he has a sweet tooth and likes gelato. There’s also the scene where he goes to a place that I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s where people associated with rakugo go as he has to give Akane a stage name. This honestly made me realize something important: all of Shiguma’s apprentices’ names are stage names—those aren’t their actual names! I always thought how unique their names were so it didn’t occur to me that they’re all stage names—though, Kyoji is the most ‘normal’ name of the four. I wonder if we’ll ever learn their actual names in the story since Akane is the only one of the five using her actual name as her stage name. Wait, does that mean Shiguma is also a stage name?

The school scenes are mostly expanded as the scenes were brief in the two manga chapters this part took place in. I do like it, however. It gives Akane’s victory more impact in a way. Her pursuit of rakugo inspires her friends to pursue what they want in life with Lisa, the blonde girl, wanting to be a stylist and Yuka, the black haired girl, wanting to be an illustrator. It’s nice that the girls are going to pursue stuff related to the arts when it’s ‘safer’ to study a convenient major and get a regular job. Jumbo is also inspired by Akane’s victory as he does seem to want to pursue judo and take it more seriously. The graduation scene was also an added anime-original scene which is nice because it might be the last time we see Akane, her friends, and even Iwa-sensei.

The reveal of the Rakugo Federation does make it seem like there will be a continuation, which has been announced. I just hope they’re not as stubborn as Issho. Also, their voice actors are some of the biggest names in the industry, so it’s basically a group of all-stars for the all-star rakugokas. 

Ryu’un Kenputei, the first one introduced, is voiced by Shinichiro Miki who voiced characters like Roy Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Ivan Yosano in Daemons of the Shadow Realm and James in the Pokemon anime. Shomei Tsubakiya, the one with the glasses, is voiced by Ryotaro Okiayu, who voiced Miyuki Hebinuma in Kowloon Generic Romance, Kokushibo in Demon Slayer and Byakuya Kuchiki in Bleach. Chocho Konjakutei, the one with orange hair and sharp teeth, is voiced by Tomokazu Seki, who some might recognize as Yotaro from Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu; some of his other roles include Sanemi Shinazugawa in Demon Slayer and Kanji Tatsumi in Persona 4. Urara Ransaika, the only lady of the group, is voiced by Mutsumi Tamura, who is mostly known for voicing young boys like Hiro Amanokawa in Digimon Ghost Game, Tartah in Witch Hat Atelier and young Kakashi in Naruto, but she has been branching out to voice female characters lately like Mio Kagawa from A Star Brighter Than The Sun and the Pristimon line in Digimon Beatbreak. Enso Sanmeitei might be name you might recognize as he was mentioned in the previous episode from Shohei when Karashi asked him who one of the rakugo bigwigs are aside from an Arakawa. He’s known for voicing a lot of old man characters like Monkey D. Garp in One Piece; he also voiced Gamabunta in Naruto. Lastly, Miroku Kashiwaya is voiced by Hochu Otsuka who voiced characters like Urokodaki in Demon Slayer and Jiraiya in Naruto. 

As a whole, this anime was quite fun! It does have its issues here and there, but I mostly enjoyed learning about the origins of rakugo and how there are many styles and stories. I also really like listening to the voice actors perform as their character does. It gives off clarity that these people are very experienced. Anna Nagase basically solidified herself as a young talent to watch out for after her superb performance of both Jugemus. I honestly can’t wait to hear more of her in the second season. Overall, this was a solid 7.5/10 anime—I would’ve given it an  8 if the Hikaru-focused episode was better paced. Let me know your thoughts on this episode!

The story is Taichi Sagawa, a broke and hot-headed college student who is trying to find jobs to earn money. One day, he accidentally fell over a fence and stumbled across fellow college classmate Kouhei Sugihara who gives him his lunchbox but is mostly antisocial. This is when Tachi learns that Kouhei is hard of hearing and sees how people treat him, which causes a budding friendship and romance to bloom between the two.

I’m not someone who has a disability, so I can’t relate, but I can sympathize. I do feel like people do treat others differently if they’re inherently ‘different’, which can cause negative repercussions. For Kouhei, he’s not completely deaf, but he is hard of hearing, so it gets him pitied by those around him. The treatment he gets from both genders is actually interesting to look at as girls see him either as a handsome guy they want to get along with or someone to romanticize, while guys see him as a depressed freak vying to get attention. Fortunately, Taichi isn’t one of those male jerks as he never once treats Kouhei differently and even tells him it’s not his fault for being unable to hear.

Still, I feel like being in each other’s presence helps the other grow. Taichi learns to calm down a bit and be more aware of his surroundings due to Kouhei while Kouhei learns to be more confident thanks to Taichi. I also think Taichi’s presence is very important to Kouhei as it’s in the title. I Hear The Sunspot is equivalent of Kouhei being able to hear Taichi well despite his hearing problems (the Tai part of his name means sun).

The first volume mostly revolves around the stigma Kouhei faced and still faces in his life as it hasn’t been too long since his diagnosis and he could see how much the world around him changed in a short period of time and not the issues deaf people face in general, which I believe will be a topic in later volumes in a way, from what I remember?

I think the best part about the episode is that the rules of Unite Battles are all explained at the beginning and that’s it. No one explains the other rules in the middle and it’s mostly the characters showing off how they work without info dumping interruptions. I’m honestly impressed because anime has a tendency to do that. Because this isn’t a traditional Pokemon battle episode, the animation quality does feel like it is better than before, but it still has some cases of slideshow montage, which can’t be helped due to the run time.

And because Unite battles aren’t traditional Pokemon battles, the kids and Friede are basically doing whatever they want in the battle. However, the major difference between them and Shining Oceans is that the Rising Volt Tacklers aren’t as united in teamwork as they are; it’s definitely a major difference. Regardless, the RVTs still have good teamwork without anyone being a nuisance, but it was mostly shown towards the end.

I think the coolest part was that the Pokemon used by RVTs and Shining Oceans are all part of the Unite roster with Toxtricity being added as soon as the episode ended. In a way, it does feel as if they were actually playing the game in a way. Regarding Shining Oceans, I do like that the Pokemon choices weren’t strictly based on gender as the orange-haired guy was the one who used Clefable and the girl with the buns is the Zoroark trainer.

The leader of Shining Oceans, the Sirfetched trainer is voiced by Toshiya Miyata who is an idol from the group Kis-My-Ft2. He has been doing a lot of voice acting in addition to his idol activities, so this is a bit of a celebrity casting in a way. Some of his roles include Akina Myodo in Cardight Vanguard Divinez and the Kasai twins in Delicious Party Precure. Not only that, Miyata is also an author as he is the creator of the story Melody of the Boundary which will be receiving an anime adaptation with its released date yet to be announced. He’s a multitalented person. The other members of the group are voiced by people who have voiced characters in the anime.

I guess my only gripe for the episode is that Professor Phorus doesn’t play much of a part despite showing up in the opening. Her voice actress isn’t even credited! It’s a shame because she has such an interesting design; I don’t think her assistant Erbie spoke at all. The only other Unite character who showed up in the episode is Zirco who appeared in a bonus segment. Other than that, it was an engaging episode from start to end. Let me know your thoughts on the episode!