Natsume's Book of Friends

                 

Natsume's Book of Friends or Natsume Yuujinchou has aired six seasons and a movie, with season seven on the way. This is a special anime for me because it has such an immense calming effect that you can't help but smile and de-stress as you watch. I watch an episode of Natsume Yuujinchou exclusively on days that I need a pick-me-up and I refuse to watch the last episode of season six till there are more, because I won't be able to handle not having more to look forward to. It's not just me, Natsume Yuujinchou has a massive fan following due to its chill vibe and peaceful motif. This is a must watch for those of you who have a lot going on and want a few minutes of real peace in a day. Just shut off your phone and watch a single episode, I guarantee you tranquility (otherwise you're just not human). 

The story is that of a boy called Natsume (duh), who unlike most humans could see ghosts and spirits since he was a child. He also lost his parents at a young age and understandably had it really rough moving from one home to another and never finding any real friends. Thankfully Natsume finally gets taken in by an understanding and loving couple, and gets a stable school life with friends who find his behavior strange at first but eventually begin to understand him. The story really picks up when he inherits his grandmother's 'book of friends' which has entrapped the names and powers of several spirits and can be used to control them. Instead of looking for more power, the mild mannered Natsume decides to return each spirit's freedom to them and in the process meets Nyanko sensei, a cute cat like creature who can turn into a powerful dragon at will. Nyanko has never met anyone like Natsume and decides to help him and keep him out of danger as his 'pet cat'. Natsume who wants no trouble out of life is constantly pulled into various extraordinary situations and eventually learns how to rely on others to get through them. The rest of the story is an astonishingly good blend of making us see the world through his eyes and how others perceive him. In no time you'll find yourself invested in finding out what happens next. 

While Natsume Yuujinchou has the makings of a show that is full of exciting battles and riveting plot twists, it just isn't that. There are several powerful beings and potential mayhem causing plot points but the anime refuses to indulge in much action or trepidation that will harm its chill vibe. While I don't see this is a fault, turn away if you want to see any of these things or if you're looking for a fast paced show. 
                                                

My personal ratings are:

Story: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
Dialogue: 3/5 
Music: 4/5

Overall Recommendation: One of Nyanko Sensei's Jelly Sweets 

Unfortunately options to watch Natsume's Book of Friends are limited in India. You'll have to find a streaming service online, but if you like what you see try to support the creators by buying the manga as well: https://www.amazon.in/Natsumes-Book-Friends-Vol-1/dp/1421532433/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=natsume&qid=1596127228&sr=8-2 

Your Name

          Your name or 'Kimi No Na Wa' is an iconic anime movie. Not only is it the world's highest grossing anime film with box office earnings just under 358 million dollars (hot damn!), but also has won more awards than I can list here. Why is it so good you ask? Well for starters it's because the creator of Your Name, Makoto Shinkai, is an artistic and creative genius. The visuals and animation style are in a league of their own. In fact every image is so vibrant that you'll be watching with a guaranteed glimmer in your eyes and you might even shed a tear just because of its beauty. Strange thing is, if you ask me to categorize this movie in just one genre, I simply can't. Your Name has everything in it, it's the very definition of a multi-layered plot. But more than that, this one movie encapsulates everything good about anime as a medium, not because of what qualities it has, but because of how it makes you feel.

I don't want to give away much here, but I'll describe he basics of its story. We follow the lives of Taki and Mitsuha who are starkly different people. Mitsuha lives in a rural town and wants nothing but to get out of there and live a fast paced city life. Inversely, Taki lives in Tokyo and is a student struggling to find a corporate job while working part time as a waiter. They one day realize that they're connected somehow and switch bodies from time to time, just for a short period. The story continues to explore the reason for this phenomenon and how the two begin to understand each other, without really meeting. Now I know you'll think this is a sappy and overdone body switching plot, but trust me this doesn't even scratch the surface, there's so much more to it that I can't talk about without spoilers. I'll say it again, the story is genius and unexpected, just go watch it (all hail Makoto-san). Now the cherry on the top here is an absolutely amazing soundtrack done by a band called The Radwimps. They even redid all their songs in English to go with the English dub of the movie which is just some sheer dedication. I genuinely listen to at least one long from this soundtrack everyday. 

I have no criticism for Your Name. I think it has everything a great anime needs and anyone who finds faults here is just reaching for something that isn't there. I actually think I just wrote this post as an excuse to re watch the movie despite having seen it eleven times before. Just go watch it, bring your non anime watching friends along and you might convert them too (I've used Your name to convert many a person into anime lovers).
        My personal ratings are:

Story: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Dialogue: 4/5
Music: 5/5 

Overall Recommendation: One Casual Introduction 

You can rent or buy your name on Amazon or Google Playstore for under five dollars. If you need to stream it illegally then at least try and buy its DVD in the future when you have the money.    
      

Assassination Classroom

                    

Most people will look at this anime and go, "ew I don't want to watch two seasons of what seems to be the story of a smiley emoji with tentacles!". To be honest that's what put me off from watching this for a long time as well, but man was I mistaken. Assassination Classroom is like a Picasso painting: it seems odd at first glance and actually most definitely is. But as you keep looking, it turns into something beautiful and you find yourself unable to turn the other way. Once you get past and accept the existence of a yellow octopus like creature, you are guaranteed to enjoy every second of this mindless comedy and will somehow get attached to its characters despite the far fetched ideas being thrown at you.

The story, though ridiculous, is very straightforward. Koro-Sensei is a super being that can travel at the speed of mach 20 and has many superhuman powers making him virtually indestructible. He has decided to become the homeroom teacher for class E at a prestigious school which is full of social outcasts and delinquents. The government discloses just to class E students that he was artificially created and was responsible for the destruction of 70% of the moon (casual flex right?). If not assassinated, Koro-sensei will destroy Earth by next March. Seemingly out of hubris, he agrees to train this class into assassins with the aim of eliminating him but is overconfident that he can't be killed by any human. The government agrees to this opportunity and will give the students a bounty of 10 billion yen if they actually kill him. Wait you know what, none if this is actually straightforward...this anime is complicated as hell! I won't get into the intricate details of this premise, they explain everything well in the show. There's also focus on the student-teacher relationship between 25 students in class E and their new strange teacher who's actually pretty amazing and manages to understand them better that any other teacher they've had. On top of all this, the comic way in which the students balance their killing intent and their regular school lives is what really makes this anime stand out. 

Assassination Classroom does have its faults. The show can get too unrealistic even by its own standards and too often switches between intense comedy to heartfelt emotion without good transition. That being said, I do believe the good outweighs the bad and they've done a great job developing the complicated character that is Koro-sensei.  

My personal ratings are:

Story: 3/5
Character Development: 4/5 
Dialogue: 3/5 
Music: 2/5

Overall Recommendation: 10 Koro-Sensei Tentacles 

Assassination Classroom has be found on Netflix India and Crunchyroll. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

                       

Imagine an anime full of drama, energy and hair-raising action. Now imagine this anime on steroids and that's probably what JoJo's Bizarre adventure is. JoJo has an army of avid and to be honest, scary followers almost like it's a cult, and once you dive in you'll see why. The show stands out as one of its kind with no close peers in the way it's animated or even the unique take it adopts on story progression. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has soap opera levels of drama and a sense of style that I can only describe as pizzaz or jazz hands. It has riveting story progression and gets you so involved in the characters that you'll want to learn all their family histories. 

Now I have to be careful here so that I don't give away any spoilers. You will be following the story of a character nicknamed JoJo who is someone that just emanates with indestructible energy and righteousness. He happens to attract others to follow him with his charisma (and pizzaz) as he always gets wrapped up in one bizarre predicament after the next. These problems include apocalyptic vampires, murderous Egyptians, Italian gangsters and powered up high school kids among others (only JoJo fans will know how clever I just was in explaining this). Now astonishingly you're not really going to care much about the story. JoJo is all about its execution and style over anything else, much like watching a fancy Broadway musical. You'll find yourself doing weird things like yelling at your screen, repeating JoJo catchphrases in your own mind, trying out JoJo poses and then bam... you're suddenly a JoJo cultist. In all honesty, props to this anime for what its pulled off. Every character is complex and multi dimensional including the villains. In fact Dio, who is introduced early in the show, is one of the best anime villains created till date. Additional credit for setting the anime in many different locations and not just Japan and also for stellar use of music, it's small things like this that gives JoJo extra traction. 

Now please don't start pelting at me JoJo cultists, but let's be real, JoJo is deeply flawed in many aspects despite how great it is. Although that's part of its charm, all forms of common sense and realism go right out the window as the story progresses. In fact, just start believing that anything goes because the show will literally make up anything to tie up loose ends and maintain a facade of sense. That's it though, have mercy JoJo fans! Also please watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in the right order to enjoy it and that's (in season names): Phantom Blood, Stardust Crusaders, Battle in Egypt, Diamond is Unbreakable and then Golden Wind with more coming soon. 

       

My personal Ratings are:

Story: 3/5
Character Development: 5/5
Dialogue: 4/5 
Music: 5/5 

Overall Recommendation: Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!

In India catch different seasons of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on Netflix and Crunchyroll (watch for free here with ads).  

Psycho-Pass

                     

An absolute stellar recommendation to clear away lock-down fever, Psycho-Pass is hands down the best thriller and futuristic detective series I've ever seen. It might be the only one I've seen, but that does not take away from how good this anime really is! It demonstrates a refreshing and unique story that unlike most anime has no source material like a manga or a light novel. The rare gem that is Psycho-Pass is purely an anime original series with a big budget for animation and a surprisingly good English dub (for you anime beginners). The anime introduces thought provoking concepts about the future of society and the criminal justice system, this coupled with its well crafted dialogues and expertly made fighting scenes will keep you hooked for all three seasons (arguably three point five seasons). 

The plot is beautifully intricate but not in an overwhelming manner. Psycho-Pass is set in the future where AI makes most economic and social decisions for the Japanese government. They have cracked technology that allows people to be scanned for ability to commit crimes in the future, giving the police jurisdiction to enforce people even before the crime takes place. The members of a special police task force see the seedy underbelly of this 'Utopian' society through the course of their work and we follow their new inspector Akane Tsunemori who was supposed to be an ideal citizen but surprises even AI in how she begins to perceive their society. It gets more interesting when the anime describes how police personnel are at risk of becoming criminals themselves due to their prolonged exposure to violent crime. This exciting commentary on mental health, society and criminal thinking will leave you craving for more. 

I have to look for drawbacks in this show to find them. But a biggie is that Psycho-Pass can get a little too fast paced and leave a lot of important aspects to contextual understanding. I've found myself having to rewind quite a few scenes to fully grasp everything they just threw at me.       

                   

My personal ratings are:

Story: 5/5
Character development: 4/5
Dialogue: 4/5
Music: 4/5

Overall Recommendation: Dominator Enforcement Required

Both English and Japanese dubs of Psycho-Pass are available in India on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Outside India, Amazon and Crunchy roll should also have it.  

We're Back!

             

I've decided to restart this anime blog with the same goal as before- helping you find new and interesting anime to watch next. If like most of the world's population, you are a new visitor, please go ahead and peruse the posts you see put up after this one, I'm sure something will catch your eye (commenting and sharing with others would be much appreciated). If you are a rare breed of returning readers of Anime AIB, welcome back and I'm sorry this took so long! I realize that young me wasn't the best writer but I do promise to be better and improve the blog's quality. To start off with, I'll be making some changes to almost every aspect of this page, most notably I won't be giving each anime a single overall rating like I did before. I think each anime has its own relative redeeming features and a single rating can't do justice to the work put in by its creators. Instead I will break down ratings by four categories- story, character development, dialogue and music.

I hope this blog helps you find amazing new shows to watch. Stick with me and we can explore the magic of anime together (the seedy bits too, shhh). Also please remember to try supporting your favorite shows by watching them on legal platforms, buying manga or buying official merchandise.   

Naruto

One of the most famous anime to ever be aired. Even people who don't usually watch anime have heard of Naruto from somewhere or the other. But I can say without any hesitation that Naruto has earned the popularity with its amazing plot which is full of deep mystery, heart gripping action, unexpected twists and not to mention the comic factor that forces you to roll over in a fit of laughter.

I doubt there is anybody who needs to know the basic story line, but I'll still go over it briefly. Naruto is a boy ninja from a village called the Hidden Leaf Village which is full of both commoners who live peaceful lives and other Ninja who protect the village. A strong spiritual beast called the nine tails fox was sealed inside him when he was just a baby causing him to have a sad and mostly lonely childhood. He dreams of someday becoming the greatest Ninja and to be Hokage (village head). In the series you see him grow up (if you were an early watcher you also grew up with him) and actually begin to understand him. His undieing will and resolution to protect those close to him as he grows older causes him to grow stronger and stronger and face even more enemies. Sasuke and Sakura are his best friends who have major roles in the plot, especially Sasuke who has a shady past. This unique setup has much to offer to all its viewers, with a lot of secrets and mind blowing events that you can only know about if you watch the series.

The drawbacks are excessive childish jokes and useless fillers along with over stretching of unimportant events that can be irritating.

I give Naruto a 9 1/2. You would be missing out on something great if you don't watch this.
- I would recommend 'www.narutospot.net' to watch the series.