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Emerging from the well

Saturday, July 6, 2019 / No Comments
To one and all at Milkcananime,

From memory, the last time I posted here might be nearly 2 years ago, where season 2 of My Hero Academia was still airing, or has already finished its run. (I have to check that one later.) Much of life and personal reasons kept me from posting as much as I can, so I decided that a long break was in order. Again due to reasons, I wondered if I would ever post here again, but now here we are; yours truly has made a comeback, and hopefully for the longer term.

As with the timeframe, many things did happen while I was away. I will start with the franchise that grabbed my attention right after I was done watching My Hero Academia in the second half of 2017, and has held it to this day.

1. Touken Ranbu


Touken Ranbu's peak was during its debut year of 2015. Friends and the local anime community, almost everyone were talking about the characters, the local anime shops were swamped with its merchandise, discussion about the game were plentiful on social media. I never really caught onto the hype back then; it all started with its (region-blocked) game - made by Nitroplus, hosted by DMM. I managed to access the game, but the tutorial did not particularly interest me, so I dropped it.

Along the way I vowed to try get into the series again, maybe when it has gotten an anime. However it wasn't until late 2017 when Touken Ranbu has gotten 2 entire anime series that I started on its Katsugeki anime, recommended by a friend.



There were apparently concerns amongst the older fans that the Katsugeki anime does not have an appeal powerful enough to interest people with completely no knowledge of the franchise. Well, at least it was enough to interest me, to want to know more about the series and also the other characters that were not shown in Katsugeki. In comparison with the Hanamaru anime, only a few characters were selected to be part of the storyline in Katsugeki, while Hanamaru tries to account for everyone added into the game so far.


I have rambled this far, but what exactly is Touken Ranbu about, and why is it appealing?

(Slowly loading the official summary page) It all started as a game, so the players, taking on the role of a Saniwa (審神者-sage) are in charge of stopping evil forces from trying to change the course of history. A Saniwa has the ability to summon famous historical swords to life as Touken Danshi (刀剣男子 - swordsmen, or as the fandom calls them, sword boys), and the Touken Danshi's main purpose is to defeat these evil forces. Yes, it follows the same Tsukumogami concept as Kancolle and similar games, where spirits reside in inanimate objects and can be awakened by the player.

The appeal really depends on person, since it was able to draw in fans from different demographics and backgrounds. My circle of friends mostly stayed for the beautiful swordsmen, and I stayed for the sheer amount of colourful personalities I can come across!


The franchise is so well-established that I could go on about its anthologies, manga adaptations, live-action productions etc, but that will be for another time!

2. Bang Dream! Girls' Band Party


If anyone remembered me from my Love Live phase, sad news awaits: I have dropped SIF (School Idol Festival) completely and the only rhythm game I play now is no other than Bandori!

It has been more than a year since I started being active on the game, and although there were the same woes as not being able to get best girls' cards even after throwing my stargems for a 10scout several times, I feel that the good mostly outweighs the bad.

a) The illustrations! Just look at them. (Here are some of my favourites. Not that I'm biased or anything.)






b) At least to me, the gameplay is somewhat refreshing. This is a game where you can't only rely on the cards you've scouted. Area items that boosts the band power or certain attributes are also part of the game!



c) You can tap to see various character interactions!




I still play it almost daily save for the few breaks I take. It does get boring playing the same "meta" songs day in day out, but being somewhat of a high achiever I relish in getting scores or event points as high as possible in one song. It'll probably wear out one day, but today is not that day.





3. My trip to Japan

I finally managed to pay a visit to the land of anime! (Cliche, I know) Since I was travelling with my mom, I didn't manage to go to as many animanga-slash-game-related places as I would like, however I did have some memorable moments from the trip itself.




We were at Odaiba! It was the main setting for the original Digimon Adventures gang. I planned to head to a museum there without knowing I was heading for the Odaiba area. I got quite emotional and snapped quite a few pictures XD Even without it being a Digimon premise, I think it's a very beautiful place!


The museum in question.

I also managed to pay a visit to the Japanese National Museum, the main purpose of the trip down was to catch a glimpse of the sword Kikkou Sadamune, but the tour I attended about the National Treasures of Japan was also quite the enriching experience. Before the trip, I never knew sliding doors for houses have such beautiful art and that trained artists were commissioned to decorate them.


Kikkou Sadamune the sword:


Kikkou Sadamune the Touken Danshi:



4. Others

Truth be told, the past one or two years went quite slowly for me in terms of getting into more Animanga. After all, I was mostly content with focusing on the two or three things I was into. Now that I have a bit more time in my hands, I hope to explore more, or at the very least, catch up on the series I've paused on.

In any case, I'll probably be back to talk more about Touken Ranbu, or give random anime/manga reviews. Hope to see you all around!


- mayu
(formerly ritsu)

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Women in Anime: Bungou Stray Dogs

Tuesday, June 25, 2019 / No Comments
WARNING: ANIME AND MANGA SPOILERS AHEAD!

In anime (mainly shonen and seinen), it is not uncommon for female characters to solely exist to further the character development for “more important” male main characters, as well as to serve as love interests for the main characters. These female characters also usually have bodies that are way too developed for their age, but somehow still manage to sound like 6-year olds. Bungou Stray Dogs does a fantastic job at avoiding these tropes, by giving their female characters depth and rich backstories that make them unique individuals with their own set of struggles. They also have more natural-sounding voices and are barely ever sexualised (their sexiness comes from within).


Yosano Akiko 



Yosano is an extremely capable doctor who has seen her fair share of battles. She worked under Mori Ougai’s supervision as a clinical assistant from the young age of 11, attending to injured soldiers at war. Yosano is usually calm and composed, carrying herself with grace and dignity, but as soon as she is belittled in any way, she has no qualms about starting a fight and standing up for herself. There was a scene in the anime where she accidentally knocks into a man, causing him to fall. Being a considerate and well-mannered member of society, Yosano apologises and asks if he is okay. Instead of accepting her apology like a real man, he degrades her by implying that she should apologise to him through sexual favours. Yosano’s reaction is priceless, and she defends herself in the best way possible.





Ozaki Kouyou 


Kouyou is cynical – she believes that people who belong in the darkness cannot escape from it, and are doomed to live in it forever. In her youth, she attempted to escape from the Port Mafia, hoping to live a more meaningful and honest life with her lover, but failed, which resulted in her hatred for the “light”, as it provided her false hope that she had a second chance at life outside of the vicious cycle of suffering within the Port Mafia. Because of this, she is extremely protective of Kyouka, perhaps because she sees a previous, more innocent and hopeful version of herself in her, and is afraid that Kyouka will be easily tempted by the “light”, only to be hurt and jaded just like Kouyou herself. Kouyou truly loves and cares for Kyouka – she took it upon herself to take Kyouka under her wing, playing an important, parental role in the child’s life. Her obsessive need to protect Kyouka from the world outside the Port Mafia, while well-intended, is unhealthy and detrimental to her upbringing. 


Nevertheless, while we see Kouyou’s faults, her actions are fairly justified considering her brutal history with the Port Mafia, making her an interesting character worthy of redemption.


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Izumi Kyouka 



Kyouka is only 14 years old, yet she is one of the main characters in the anime, and for good reason. When she was just a child (she still is), her parents were murdered right in front of her eyes, by her own ability, Demon Snow. This, along with other lies that the Port Mafia fed to her, led Kyouka to believe that she was a murderer undeserving of love, hope, and even life. Kyouka was emotionally manipulated into working for the mafia, and her ability was heavily exploited, turning her a killing machine void of emotion. Within 6 months of being in the Port Mafia, she had killed 35 people. 


By age 14, she is desensitised to death and struggles to empathise with her victims – she merely sees her assassinations as tasks that she is obliged to fulfil for the Port Mafia. However, her life changes when she meets Atsushi and the rest of the Armed Detective Agency. They made her realise that there is still hope for her to change her ways and turn to the light. Unlike the Port Mafia, the ADA treats and respects her as a human being rather than a powerful weapon of destruction. We see her grow and learn to love again in the agency, living the life that she truly deserves, and it is very emotionally gratifying to witness as an audience.





Akutagawa Gin 


Nobody even knew Gin was a girl from the start. She was known to be a skilled assassin and her peers in the Port Mafia always thought she was a man. Her work outfit doesn’t give anything away, a mask covering half of her face. However, she does look like she could kill with a single swift flick of her knife. It was only after Dazai exposed the truth that Gin timidly blushes in protest, revealing her voice to be sweet and gentle. 


In an episode where she is spotted in civilian clothing on the streets of Yokohama, she looked so demure and dainty that she made Katai fall in love with her. Even after Higuchi knew about Gin’s real gender, it never once crossed her mind that this beautiful young lady was Gin, because of how differently she acts in the Port Mafia. Gin fully embraces her femininity while maintaining her reputation as a revered assassin – what a strong, competent woman.


There are other female characters in the anime who are also brave, loyal and intelligent, such as Higuchi Ichiyo, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott, which makes Bungou Stray Dogs a great anime to watch because it pays a lot of attention to character development, not only to the main characters, but to supporting ones as well. If you haven’t gotten to it, I highly recommend this anime as it explores rather important themes such as redemption and recovery, and most of the characters are morally grey, struggling to find their place in life. It’s a little depressing, but watching the characters grow throughout the anime is very emotionally rewarding.


Written by yin
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Female Anime Hairstyles: The Weird, and the Favourites

Sunday, June 23, 2019 / No Comments
As an avid BanG Dream! player, I often keep up with their comic strips that they release occasionally on their official Twitter platform. There was a recent comic strip however (comic strip 92), that really brought my attention to the topic on how unique some girls' hairstyles are in anime. Before I begin, I would just like to plug in the comic strip, with courtesy of Max who shared it with me. 


Basically, Kasumi's hair is styled like that of cat ears, and asides from that, they even hold up well after a rain, which defies all kinds of physics. In another case, in episode 21 of the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party PICO short, Yukina, a cat-lover mistakes the silhouette of Kasumi's hair to be that of an actual cat, and is highly mesmerised by it. 



She surely has a unique and rather eye-catching hairstyle huh... 

This brings me to my next point: other weird hairstyles that I have seen on female anime characters from anime series that I have watched. 

I shall start it off first on the mild side of the weird hairstyles with Momo Yaoyorozu from Boku no Hero Academia



Okay, so, I know, it's not that weird... But when I first saw her on BNHA, I was momentarily stunned by her hairstyle. I was wildly intrigued by the spikiness of the hair, as well as the way it could hold up so much volume. It reminded me of a cross between the back of a rooster and a peacock. However, it was very easy to get through the way her hair was styled and overtime I actually began to appreciate how unique her hair was. 


Next, I have Celestia Ludenburg from Danganronpa.


Yes, our favourite hair drills... The first encounter I had with this type of hairstyle was when I watched Danganronpa. All I could think of was, "how is she able to stand tall without slouching with the weight on both sides of her?" Oh, and I also couldn't help but think of curly fries from Macdonalds…

Moving on, there's Ragyo Kiryuin from Kill la Kill. 



First off, what is that deliciously colourful and gravity-defying hair that manages to glow? Somehow, despite it's oddness, she still looks really badass, and it doesn't take away any of the power that she clearly possesses. Still, does her hair remind you of a certain detergent brand? (*cough*, Tide Pods *cough*) Either that, or those galaxy-designed bowling balls.

Finally, I have decided to end my personal 'weird' hairstyle list with Ritsuko Kunihiro from Shiki. 




It's not as bombastic as Ragyo's hair, neither does it look too heavy and voluminous like Celestia's hair drills, but something about Ritsuko's hair is simply unfathomable. It's a hairstyle that seems to belong to this anime character only, because I have never seen anything like this on any other characters before. Just like my puzzlement, her hair seems to be trapped in an impossible maze. How does it grow? How does she brush it out? Where will her hair stop at if she actually manages to brush and straighten then out? It remains a mystery, and as such, remains at the top of my 'weird' female hairstyle list. 

Some honorable mentions: 


Akari's (Yuru Yuri) detachable hair buns that caught me off guard once she removed those tiny buns off her head to attack an UFO.




Mahiru's (Revue Starlight) 'helicopter antenna'. 




Sena (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukanai) and Rin's (Yuru Camp) over-the-top bun hairstyles styled by their friends. They were only temporary. 

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And now, I shall talk about some of my personal favourite hairstyles on female characters in anime. 

The Hime-Cut 

 Rinko Shirokane from BanG Dream!

Harumi Taniguchi from Citrus 

Jabami Yumeko from Kakegurui 

Ara ara, ohohohoho~ If it ain't the ojou-sama with the hime-cut. In this case however, my favourite characters with the hime-cut are far from the typical ojou-sama. In fact, there's an interesting mix. Rinko is a shy and introverted girl who is honestly such a precious cinnamon roll. Then there's Harumin, the cheery and optimistic self-proclaimed gyaru who is honestly the best gal pal/wingwoman anyone could ever have in an anime. And finally, we have the explosive gambler Yumeko, who terrorises anyone she faces, all with her wits and horrifying sweet laughter. Please, don't ever attempt to cheat in a gambling match with her. To conclude, hime-cuts on various characters provide a varying mix of personalities, and that's why they are one of my favourite hairstyles. 


The Ponytail 

Hitagi Senjougahara from the Monogatari series

Kyoko Shirayuki from Keijo!!!!!!!!

Kanan Matsuura from Love Live! Sunshine 

There's nothing more powerful than a female character with a high ponytail. It automatically exuberates so much confidence, and makes me feel like I want to depend on them. Or in Senjougahara's case, I wouldn't really want to offend her because she can probably be capable of ending my entire life with just her sharp-tongued nature.

The Loose Braids 

Botan Kumegawa from Anne Happy

Kaoruko Moeta from Comic Girls

The loose braids are often an alternate hairstyle, more so than a main hairstyle-at least from anime that I have watched so far. Hence, Botan and Kaoruko are probably the only girls I can think of, and it's no coincidence that the both of them are my favourite characters from the respective animes! There's just something about these characters that makes you want to protect them because they are just too wholesome, a little silly, but also probably the most lovable characters you could associate with. 


The 'Forehead'

 Nana Osaki from Nana

Haru Okumura from Persona 5 

Ah, we are all familiar with the term 'forehead' whenever it comes to female anime characters who do not have bangs, considering that bangs are sort of the norm for girls in anime, as well as in Japan. Nevertheless, that's what makes this hairstyle special and I look forward to seeing more of such in future.

Honourable mention:

Carole's (Carole and Tuesday) short afro ponytail.

Any other weird hairstyles you might have seen in anime you watch? What are some of your favourite female anime hairstyles? Or even for the males? Do discuss if you'd like. Cheers~



Written by kimizomi