Interviews With Monster Girls Review

I love it when I find a show that surprises me! It's like looking at you're bank account and seeing that you have more money than you originally thought! I definitely found a show like that in the winter season! I was a bit skeptical about Interviews With Monster Girls but it turned out to be one of my more favorite shows of the season! Let's take a look and see what makes this show better than people may think! Also if you want more stuff to see then check out my YouTube channel, GiraffePants Anime where I do reaction episode to anime series. I'm currently reacting to Berserk 2017 so if that interests you, then check it out!

*NO SPOILERS SO READ ON!*

SYNOPSIS

Tetsuo Takahashi is a biology teacher with a fascination for Demi people, half-human half-monster hybrids that have integrated into present society. His urge to study them (academically) is answered when all of the sudden, three demi students enroll into the school as well as a demi teacher! Takahashi quickly befriends the girls quickly and begins to study them hoping to learn more about demi life and how different (or similar) they are to humans.

STORY

As I said earlier, I was pleasantly surprised by this show. I came into this show worried because when you look at the title, you immediately start to think bad things. My first thoughts were, inappropriate harem, ecchi, and huge flop. Luckily, my thoughts were wrong! This show provides a nice story that really warmed my heart. I enjoyed the bond between teacher and student as it grew into an acceptable friendship. It's the characters that really make this show. I'll talk about them later so let's focus on other aspects. The pacing of the show could have been better. There were times where the story was moving slow and other times where it felt too fast. It really went back and forth around the spectrum. For example, there was one episode solely focused on Sakie, the demi teacher and we learned about the fact that she's monitored by a detective to make sure she doesn't use her succubus powers for evil. Although it was an insightful development into the life of Sakie, I felt it was unnecessary that the show take a whole episode to explain this point. I think that the show could have been more effective if they had shortened that side story and continued with the main plot. There were times that the show flowed nicely though. The arc focused on Yuki, the snow woman, was well done and was what really got me thinking, "Hey! This show could be good." That's what the show did best; these more sincere and more serious moments. This show likes to have these moments of conflict with the demi girls. As we all know, it's hard to find our place in society; now imagine trying to find our place as a demi human. We're going to run into some problems and that's just what happens. Our main characters face issues that only they can and it makes the show feel fresh and insightful. How do you go around while holding your head? How do you deal with heat as a vampire? How do you get around being a succubus? Interesting questions are answered and not only do our characters grow but so does Takahashi, the man studying them. I absolutely loved this side of the show; it was everything I could have hoped for and I was impressed.

There's also a nice touch of comedy in the show. Most of it isn't die hard laughing level of humor but it does make you chuckle or throw out a giggle so often. Some comedy includes the demi girls' mischievous acts or their (including the demi teacher) blunders due to the crush they all have with Takahashi. That's another thing that needs addressing. This crush that the demi girls have for Takahashi is surprisingly nice. I thought I'd hate it because I thought it would be weird (Teenagers shouldn't have a thing for their teacher after all) but the show managed to make it work. These feelings that the girls hold for their teacher is made up of one part romantic feelings and two parts admiration. This admiration comes out of a respect the girls have for Takahashi's character and the way he treats them. I'm much more okay with this kind of romance compared to if the girls just thought he was hot or something. It makes the romantic feelings feel more real and adorable. One last comment; I was ultimately not pleased with how the season ended. The pool episode was nice but it didn't give me the closure I was looking for. I can understand if people were to say that the second to last episode is more like the finale and the last episode is more like a bonus but it may throw you off if you're looking for a grand conclusion in the last episode.

CHARACTERS

Let me say...I fell in love with the main cast pretty fast. I immediately found them interesting and fun to watch. They're not crazy characters in the slightest but they do feel real and it never feels like their personalities are being forced. The personalities aren't complex but they aren't simple either. For example, Yuki goes through a great transformation in the show. She starts as a kind but rather quiet and reserved person but then we come to see that she has an interest in comedy and loves reading funny manga! Later in the show, Yuki begins to come out of her shell and begins to share among her friends and Sakie. By the end of the show, Yuki becomes quite a talkative person and cheerful while still holding the kind personality she had in the beginning. It was nice seeing growth in characters but even seeing the girls just having fun was great. The demi girls' chemistry is well done and the perceived bond between them is strong. These three demi girls become friends really fast you almost think they've been friends since birth! The point I'm trying to make is that the characters are great in many aspects and is probably the biggest strength of the show!

MUSIC

The music for this show was ok; nothing spectacular but not horrendous either. The opening song for this show is, "Original" by TrySail. The song is nice but far from memorable. The vocals were pretty good but the music felt lacking and a bit reminiscent of too many other openings. The ED is, "Fairy Tale" by Sangatsu no Phantasia. This song was much better than the OP but still lacking overall. It was good because it helped you cool down after the episode was relaxing to listen to but lacking because it too sounded like other EDs I've heard before. Pretty much the same could be said about the music within the show. Music is very simplified in this show and that's not necessarily a bad thing but it didn't help me personally. Ultimately, it's up to you whether music is an important part of the story telling process.

ANIMATION

Here's another area where a have a bit of concern. Now don't get me wrong; I think the animation is good, but that's as far as I'd go. I wouldn't say it's great, just good. Again, nothing bad with that but I feel like A-1 Pictures (The guys in charge of this) could have done better. If you've read my review for WWW.Working (If no go read it) then you know that my feelings for A-1 Pictures are complicated. I Like A-1 Pictures but their animation quality has been flip flopping like crazy since 2016. There are definitely moments where the animation shines and has more detail than usual but for the most part, the animation and art style is very simple. Now I don't think it hurts the show but I know we all have preferences so I put this up here. A positive about the animation is that it mixes well with the comedic cues. The comedy is heightened thanks to the help of the animation. Expression changes are hilarious this show. Someone will be eating a cookie and all of sudden the cookie cracks (the cookie didn't deserve that) and a devilish smiles appears on their face! To wrap up what I've said; the animation could have been better but I don't hate it.

FINAL VERDICT

Technical Score: 7.4 out of 10
Interviews with Monster Girls has a lot to offer someone watching. It has a great story that hits a lot of ideas and lessons with a finesse you don't see a lot and well-built characters that keep us entertained. This story never feels rushed beside the fact the pacing is an issue as well as the ending (hoping for a second season). Both music and animation are sub-par but never hurts the story this show wants to tell. If you're more interested in story than fabulous display then I would recommend you check this show out if you haven't already.

Personal Score: 7.7 out of 10
As you already know, I was pleasantly surprised by this show. I think it's nice finding gems like these; It might be lacking in some aspects but it makes up for it with its story and characters. This is a show I can look at in the future and say, "Man...THANK GOD that was good otherwise it would've been a waste of my life!" Please check this show out if you haven't seen it, I am sure (not really) that you'll enjoy watching these cute demi girls have a lovely adventure along with their lovable science teacher!

Top 10 Orange Haired Anime Girls

I'm back guys with another Top Ten post. Orange is a rare but enjoyable hair color that we don't see often in anime but when we do, it does not disappoint. Today I want to give you all my top 10 favorite orange haired cuties! If you guys like this post then consider following the blog or check out my YouTube channel, GiraffePants Anime! Let's get started then!

10. Marika Tachibana

Starting off this countdown is Marika Tachibana from the popular romcom, Nisekoi. Marika is very much the kind of girl who cares for impressions. She loves being fashionable and keeping up the image that she's 'princess' like but that's not why I love her. No, I love her for who she really is! She's actually a country hick who's embarrassed by her accent. She's actually very nice even is she hides it with her prideful nature and up front personality. The fact that she tries to be perfect even though she isn't is pretty relatable. You can more or less understand what she's feeling because many times, we're like that too. She had a layer of depth that isn't hard to understand so you grow to like her. She also happens to be a frail girl; not able to do much physically (and for some reason that makes my heart squeeze) but does her best to keep up with everyone which is admirable in a way. She is I guess, a secret sweetheart and that's enough to get her at the #10 spot.

09. Rin Hoshizora

At #9 in the countdown is Rin Hoshizora from Love Live! Rin makes it onto the list for being quite the enthusiastic ball of energy. You know how there are people that are very energetic but not annoying; yeah, that's Rin right there. Rin has a wonderful atmosphere about her and you can't help but smile when you see her. She keeps a positive mentality and works hard so in a way she's like Honoka but better (did I piss anyone off because that was my intention). She's also a bit of a tomboy and I love tomboys! Tomboys make the world go round! Add that with fact that she's also a bit of a neko girl and hot diggity do we have a contender! I love it when she does her little cat face; It's so fucking cute sometimes I melt! Sure, she may not be the most shapely girl but that doesn't matter when you have a lovely personality. Rin hits up the list at #9 for that exact reason and deserves it too!

08. Erina Nakiri

Next on the list is Erina Nakiri  from Shokgeki no Soma! Ah Erina, she isn't everybody's favorite girl from the show but she still is a great girl. I know that it is debatable whether her hair actually qualifies as orange but for the sake of keeping the peace, I consider it in the orange family. Erina makes it on the list mainly for 3 reasons! The most shallow of these reasons is because well... she's freaking hot (but isn't every anime girl hot)! Despite only being like 16, she has a body that could be termed 'daaaaaaaamn!' The second reason is (like most girls from this show) she can cook! She happens to be the best cook at the academy so yeah, getting to eat her food must be a major plus!!! I still don't know why I like girls who can cook (it must be a primal thing). Lastly, the third reason why I like her so much is that she's a tsundere that I like. I'm not the biggest fan of tsunderes but she's an exception for sure. For these simple reasons, Erina land at #8.

07. Chiho Sasaki

At #7 on the list is Chiho Sasaki from The Devil's a Part Timer. Chiho is and adorable ball of laughter. She is definitely one of the more funny girls on this list. She can be very eccentric and is quick to jump to conclusions! It is hilarious to see her act without thinking and she made the show really great! She makes the greatest facial features and says the craziest things sometimes, I can't stop laughing because of her (which is a good thing)! The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach (but that doesn't apply here at all) so the next best thing is through laughter! A girl that can make me laugh gets waifu points all the time! It doesn't hurt that she's also very well curved (cue the pervy monkey face). I mean, they're ridiculously huge aren't they? Anyway, Chiho makes the list for being so darn funny and I love her.

06. Nico Niiyama

At #6 in the countdown is a newer girl in the industry, Nico Niiyama from Kiznaiver. It hurts my heart that her name is Nico (cause I absolutely hate Nico from Love Live!) but that didn't stop me from putting her on the list! I love Nico mainly because she is just so damn weird and I fucking love weirdos (in anime, not in real life). Nico rocks that good kinda weird that we all love. She has crazy highlights, has different high knee socks, does weird things, talks about shit that doesn't exist; everything she does is just super adorable. She's just a great character in general really; she makes me cry, laugh, smile, cry more (I cry a lot for her) and she's so tiny I just want to pick her up and put her on my shelf. I actually don't have a shelf but if I did, I would put her there. The point is, I LOVE Nico with a passion Which gets her to #6 on this list (If I love her that much imagine the next 5). 

05. Kotoura

At #5 on the list is Kotoura from Koutora-San. Kotoura makes it at #5 because just as with Nico...I fucking lover her!!! Where do I even begin! I love her personality; she's very distant at first but immediately turns into a caring girl who wishes for life to get better. She can be pretty shy (which is adorable by the way) and her small stature is to die for (this small thing is gonna continue just so you know). She can be funny sometimes and I love how she can get so easily embarrassed. It makes me want to buy a plush or something (but I can't or my parents would disown me and I need somewhere to sleep). Most importantly, It touches my heart how much she's suffered. Poor thing has been through too much and I just want to hug her and heal her and be there for her!!! She's like a wounded puppy and then you take care of it but then you get too attached so you just decide to keep it! I kinda went off topic but the point is, I NEED TO HUG HER! These are all the reasons why Kotoura makes it on this list.

04. Papika

At #4 in the countdown is another new girl, Papika from Flip Flappers. Papika is on this list because she is a pretty rad character. She's energetic, optimistic, an airhead, and very loyal. There are plenty of girls in anime that sport these characteristics but Papika does it with this feel of genuineness. That's the best way I can explain it anyway. Even when things look bleak, Papika can still find a silver lining in the situation. She's also happens to be one of the few magical girls I like. I'm not a huge fan of the genre but Papika and the rest from this show are definitely an exception! She flies on a surfboard thing and shoots crazy energy blasts (none of that love attack bullshit). It looks like some Dragon Ball Z level shit which makes her pretty awesome! Plus Look at that crazy mess of a jungle she has going on her head. She looks like a feral child, but in a good way (If there's a good way). These reasons get Papika at #4 on the list.

03. Shizuku Mizutani

The next beautiful girl on the list is Shizuku Mizutani from My Little Monster. Mizutani makes it on the list for being a secretly cute character. When I was first watching the show, I didn't know what to expect from Shizuku but she turned out to be a great character. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with her. I think what first grabbed me was the fact that she was socially inept! I myself  am socially awkward so seeing her act weird around people got me laughing. Then I saw her trying to interact with people and become more social and I couldn't help but smile! As I kept watching, I started to see cute things that she would do like jump to conclusions or make complicated thoughts and I found it all to be cute. She just came out as a real surprise because I really like her character a lot and her voice is so cute too! It's not that girly or super high pitched (I mean really. What's the deal with Japanese women having incredibly high vocal chords) but it's still cute. There are plenty of things that I like about Shizuku but these are some of those reasons.

02. Aoi Miyamori

The runner up on this list goes to Aoi Miyamori from Shirobako. Aoi makes this list for being another well done character. She's possibly my favorite character of the show and for good reason too (I mean look at that gif, HEART SQEEZE)! Aoi is a production assistant at an animation company and works very hard all the time. I mean if you've ever seen the show you know she works hard. She also drives like crazy and puts everybody's life on the line just for a parking spot (It's like watching Tokyo Drift). She's real hood!!! Jokes aside, Aoi cares a lot for the company that she works for and for her friends as well. She faces a lot of problems while working but always seems to find a way to solve the issue and make everyone happy. She's also very cute (like I have to even say though). God I love her hair! It's so fucking hot (I don't know why, I just like short hair). Her personality is very charming. Again, Positive, energetic, nice are all words that you can use to describe Aoi but I've said that too many times on this post. Anyway, Aoi is a great character and gets high on my list but who's number one! 

01. Inami Mahiru

Yes, at #1 on my list and my favorite orange haired cutie in anime is Inami Mahiru from Working! Where shall I begin; Inami has a lot of good qualities about her. She is always thinking about others and makes sure to handle issues with the utmost care. She's very sweet (even if her actions don't reflect it) and she's always trying to improve. The even bigger reason why I love her so much is because she makes me laugh like crazy! She is a very funny character; she has this weird quirk where she hits men...constantly. She has androphobia (fear of men) so whenever she sees a man she winds up her fist and sends them straight to the moon (even if that wasn't her intention). Honestly, I die from her constantly knocking out guys out of nowhere and it never gets old! Add the fact that she is sensitive about her small breasts (plank status) and we have a definite winner. Like I said, No better way to a man's heart than through laughter. Inami's charm and quirkiness get the #1 spot in my list and If anyone has a differing opinion...fight me (actually don't, I have no experience whatsoever in combat, besides SSB). 

I hope you guys enjoyed the post! If you did, consider following the blog or checking out my YouTube Channel, it helps me out a lot. I'm currently doing react series for Berserk 2017 and Sword Oratoria so if that interests you at all please check it out. I'll have more posts up as soon as possible so stay tuned and until next time, I'll see you guys later. 

The Great Anime Debate: Is CG any Good for Anime?

Well, you knew I would eventually create this post. Which anime blog wouldn't have a post about CG and its impact in anime. Anybody who knows anything about anime knows that there is an everlasting debate whether CG in anime is any good. If you live under a rock and don't know what CG is (in that case I wonder why you clicked on this post) then simply...it's 3-d animation like Toy Story or any other Pixar movie in fact. I thought it was only right to do my part and add my own post on the subject. This is a great time to write this post because Berserk 2017 is only weeks away and I have things to say! So without any further interruptions, let's begin.

Why Even With CG!?

Before I give you my stance and you either start a flame war or praise me (hoping for praise), let's see why anime even uses CG to begin with. If you don't really care about this part you can scroll down and just see my opinion but if for whatever reason you hunger for knowledge and shit then let me explain the most general reasons why anime, which is 2-D would ever use CG.

Reason #1: Artistic Vision

CG has the ability to be really great and has in fact changed the animation industry for the better. That can be said especially for the west. We here in the USA have animation giants Pixar and Dreamworks who have filled our childhoods with pure happiness and there are plenty more companies that have been quickly rising including Blue Sky, Warner Animation Group, Illumination, and Sony Pictures Animation. Of course all these companies make movies, not series which require 3 to 5 times the content. When you only need to fill out 90 minutes compared to several hours, you have more time to polish your work. I'm getting off track; the point I'm trying to make is that CG can be very beautiful and that could very well be the reason why Japanese animation companies choose to put CG in their anime. They want to create that same beauty that has taken over the 21st century by storm and want to contribute to the still rather new animation medium.

Reason #2: Bitches Got To Save Money

Time for the more pessimistic view of CG in anime. Saving money is always on companies minds when making a product. If you can find a way to save money while more or less keeping the same quality then why wouldn't you use it. CG saves money for traditional animation companies in the long run because the cost of making 2-D animation is high! If you want more detail, I suggest you go to the internet for more in-depth explanation. Some people have this weird belief that CG is more expensive because it's the newer art-form and looks more advanced but compared to 2-D animation, it is a lot cheaper. Entire shows can be made on a small budget thanks to CG (*coughs* Berserk & Ajin) but the idea of CG series is still not all that welcomed yet. Anyway... I can go on about the financial implications of CG animation but this isn't an Economics class so we'll move on.

Reason #3: CG Saves Time!

CG has the great ability to save time because of how reusable it is. Unlike in traditional animation where you have to redraw a lot of things over like character movement, expression and what not; in CG you just have to make the model once and then you can use that same model throughout the show. There isn't any need for redrawing. It's all ready thanks to the advancements of technology. CG is especially useful when you have to animate tons of people and don't feel like drawing them all. We've seen these kinds of things; CG cars or robotic looking civilians walking through a city. We can tell when CG is used to save time and to be honest...those usually don't look all that great. There are examples of good CG to save time. Drifters for example did that at the very beginning of the show with the scene about all the soldiers heading to fight. That looked pretty good but that's just one example and I can't really think of another one right now. Artistic vision, saving money, and saving time are general (don't get on my ass about other reasons; I know there are other reasons) reasons why we have CG in our anime and now the question comes. Is CG any good for anime?

Do I Hate CG?

Now listen everyone...I DO NOT hate CG itself. I think when CG is executed properly, it can be the most beautiful art medium ever but It just doesn't work for anime. It is very hard for animation companies to make CG look good because they have many restraints that prevent them from polishing it. I understand why sometimes, they're forced to use CG for the sake of making the deadline or complexity but CG can really break our immersion of a show.

Let's use a simple example. I'm pretty sure we all know The Amazing World of Gumball. I can safely say that most people think this show is cool because it mixes different art mediums and integrates them all into one show. That may be cool, but it totally destroys the possible immersion for the show. The Amazing World of Gumball will not immerse you into the world because the animation is too much to take in. You as the viewer can easily differentiate the changes in animation; this leads to you getting subconsciously distracted and not immersing yourself into the world of the show! If CG is noticeably bad or distinguishable in any way, it is possible for your immersion to be shattered.

I'm not saying CG will always break immersion. CG can be just as good at creating immersion as traditional animation. If you have ever seen Ghost in the Shell Innocence, there's a beautiful parade scene that mixes both 2-D and CG animation. We can tell there's CG but it is WAY better than most CG in anime. The two mediums mix really well together and make it a super cool scene. I'll leave that scene down below or leave a link to the video if the video is not playing here on Blogger. (The linked version looks better)

Ghost in the Shell Innocence Parade Scene

This is what the anime industry should strive for. There's beginning to be a norm where we expect CG to bad, average at best but we as viewers should help animation companies understand that we won 't tolerate bad CG. Hopefully, the increase in technology and fast growth of the animation industry will make it easier to bring high quality CG in animated works. There are shows out there now that are trying to turn CG into a more accepted medium; more of a norm so to speak. Let's talk about those and see whether they're helping the CG movement.

Berserk (2016)

Now, I'm not gonna talk about whether the show was any good or anything like that. I'm merely gonna talk about the CG. Berserk attempted to continue its series in a completely different art medium and man...that was not a good decision. There were times that the CG looked acceptable but there were just as many times where it didn't look too great. Characters in the air were there for a frame longer than they should of, face movement seemed mechanical and movement wasn't much better at times. A lot of times, my immersion of the show was broken (we're talking about A LOT of times) and it was hard to concentrate on the show. It didn't make it better that there were 2-D scenes that looked freaking gorgeous followed by the CG. I'd end up saying "Baby come back!" and hoping for another couple of seconds where the show would switch to 2-D again. I ended up enjoying the show though because even though the CG sucked balls, the story made up for it. I'm hoping they polish off the CG with Berserk 2017 in the spring. Overall, the CG in Berserk left me unsatisfied as a viewer and slightly ruined a show I loved (cue in sad violin).

Ajin

Here's another dominantly CG show I recently saw last year. I was hesitant to watch the show because I feared for the CG but the story of Ajin was well done so I stuck with it. Compared to Berserk, Ajin was a lot more fluid. The movements seemed more natural and faces were much more complex. What Ajin lacks that Berserk did a better job was in the detail department. Ajin was a lot less detailed; faces lacked depth and distinguish-ability and backgrounds were much simpler. I liked the show but I can't stop but feel it could have been better in 2-D. It's strange that this phenomenon exists where we see something from Pixar or Dreamworks and we aren't turned off by it but the minute CG is in our anime, we get critical. That may be a bad example since both are quite different. A better example is Jimmy Neutron. That show was full CG but I don't hear anybody complaining about it! That was a show that faces a similar environment like anime but for whatever reason we're more critical about anime than we are western television. 

If you guys are to learn anything from what I've written, it's that CG still has a way to go to be implemented and accepted by the masses. Just like in any form of media, there a good and bad side. I think it would be best if we support companies that try to integrate CG into mainstream animation and not forget the positives of CG. Right now, CG might not look great in or anime but with time, I'm sure it will develop into the kind of quality we expect from CG animation giants Pixar or Blue Sky.  We need this crappy CG in our anime so we can get better CG in the future. So my answer to the question of this post is Yes, CG is good for anime.

I hope you all enjoyed this post. Please feel free to comment down below about whatever you want and follow the blog if you like what I do. Also, it would be awesome if you could check out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime, for more great content. I'll have a new post up ASAP so stay informed and until next time, later!

Top 10 Green Haired Anime Girls

This has been the hardest list that I've come up with so far and that's not because I couldn't decide on who to put on the list. It's because I hardly had any green-haired beauties to choose from. I was really struggling to find some ladies but after some tough digging I've done it. I would love to present to you all my top 10 green haired girls. Let's see if your favorite makes the list!

*NOTE* SPOILER FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......maybe.

10.CC

To start of this countdown I have CC from the ever well known Code Geass. I know some of you are angry already... "HOW THE HELL IS CC NUMBER TEN!" Nobody freak out but I haven't seen Code Geass yet! Yes, start throwing the comments; I haven't seen the show yet but I do plan on watching it sometime this year. So why is CC even on this list. You know how you browse on the internet and find an anime girl and you're like "She's cute" and then you find out that there are a lot of pictures of her so you know she must be from something but you don't care. You just wanna keep looking at her and how cute she is eating pizza. Yeah.... that's basically what happened. I found CC before I found Code Geass. So in reality I just like her cause I find her cute but on another note, I think her love for pizza is absolutely wonderful. I fucking love pizza so I know we could be lovers in some weird dimension where 2-d and 3-d exist on the same plane; You know what? I'm gonna stop talking so I don't sound like a pathetic idiot. Moving on.

09. TATSUMAKI

Next on the list is Tatsumaki from One Punch Man. Tatsumaki makes onto the list just because she's pretty cool. Her character design Is pretty simple but I think the simplicity is what makes her stand out. Just a long form fitting black gown with slits (by the way, slits are hot!) and curly emerald hair make her look like a girl who don't gives no shits! Her power is sick too. Since the beginning of time, telekinesis has been people's favorite power (You have Star Wars to thank for that) and Tatsumaki demonstrates just why we love it so much. Moving shit with minimal effort and floating in the air like a god damn genie are all plenty of reasons to feel like the coolest person in the world! God! Now I want Telekinetic powers! Tatsumaki would be higher on this list if she had more screen time. We see her for like a total of five minutes (I don't even think I'm joking) and that will never be enough to land you at the top spot. Whenever a second season comes around and she makes a grand appearance, I'll put her higher but for now, #9 it is.

08. AKENO SHIRANUI

The next lovely girl on the Top 10 is Akeno Shiranui from My Bride is a Mermaid. If you guys remember this show you know how funny it is but also how crap the animation was. Anyway, Akeno came onto the show towards the later half and she wasn't funny herself but the situations she put herself in were funny. Akeno is pretty cool because *Spoiler Alert* She's a freaking mermaid! I mean who wouldn't want to be friends with a mermaid! Ever since The Little Mermaid everyone thinks mermaids are hot and I am one such man! It's also cool that she's also has that loyal knight kind of personality and carries some weapon with her. I forgot if it was like a kendo stick or a katana but she's a force to be reckon with. She doesn't get that much further down the list because well, there's not much else I can say about her. Side characters don't get enough time man.

07. TSUBOMI KIDO

On #7 in the list is Tsubomi Kido from Mekakucity Actors. I don't remember if this show was popular but I certainly liked it. Tsubomi is a pretty rad character and you can tell just by looking at her. She has a pretty sick character design. She's rocking the gangster look with the rolled up pant leg and minty converse! She just screams cool; so cool in fact that she wears two sweaters to keep herself warm (cue in chuckle)......I'm not very funny. I actually do like her two sweaters; the inner one covers half of her face so she looks like a modern ninja and then her outer sweater makes her look like an assassin! Overall she's just a mysterious looking character and not gonna lie....that's kinda attractive. She's a very attractive woman; actually she's pretty in an androgynous way because you can't really tell if she's a boy or girl. I like her personality too because for the most part she's calm and collected and she's a bit of a tomboy. If you've read my other top 10 female blogs then you know I love the calm and collected girls! Sadly, Tsubomi doesn't reach higher than #7 just because I don't remember the show that well so I can't completely recall her character. Now I'm thinking about watching that again.

06. BISCA CONNELL

At #6 in the countdown is Bisca Connell from Fairy Tail. We don't get enough cowgirls in anime, I mean there are some and Bisca is one of them. Bisca is pretty cool cause she's a combination of magic and gun slinging. There's not much to her personality since she's a side character but there is a lot to say about her power. Bisca has a whole arrange of magic guns from snipers to bazookas and dual wielders. Each one is able to deal some major damage and she can change gun to gun with ease with her requip ability. A woman who can stay deadly and beautiful get a plus in my book. During the first season of Fairy Tail, I didn't really like her design but the redesign she got for the second season of Fairy Tail is definitely better and makes her way hotter! Bisca can't be any higher then #6 because just like many of the girls you see on this list, she's a side character and doesn't get a lot of time on the screen. What a damn shame!

05. PONZU

The next girl on the list is Ponzu from Hunter X Hunter. Ponzu wasn't on the show that long but when I saw her, I knew that I liked her! I find her to be a cool character overall; I think the biggest factor to why she makes the list is because of her ability. I mean she's wearing a beehive on her head! That's fucking cool! I hate bees so the fact the she ain't afraid of no bees and has actually tamed them to do her bidding is pretty badass! She also knows how to fight with chemicals. She can create some cool traps and she even made like a lethal sleeping gas so not only is she a bee tamer but she probably has a degree in chemistry.Lastly, I like Ponzu because she's short. I actually don't know if she is short but because she wears cute baggy pants and a giant hat that's a beehive, she looks pretty short. If she was a more recurring character, she would definitely be waifu material but She's not so she only comes up to #5. 

04. AIKO KUDO

Continuing with the list is Aiko Kudo from Baka to Test at #4. There's not a whole lot I can say about Aiko due to the fact that she's a side character in the show. We don't get to see her a lot but the times we do see here are great! She is such a funny character; I love the gags she pulls with Kouta and his camera! I think what I love most about her is what a tease she is; she'll tug at your heart strings a bit and... I don't know I just like that forwardness about her. I'm also a huge fan of short hair so her spiky minty hair is pleasant to look at. Props for her being a bit more of a tan girl. You can't really tell when she's next to other characters but she's a slight more tan and westerners like me dig the tan! I wish she was in the show more that way I'd have more things to say but sadly side character's don't have much story to them. 

03. SUU

Next on the list is my #3 spot, Suu from Monster Musume. Now... I have no idea whether Suu actually counts because she is a girl but she's also a slime monster so that's weird. I decided she counts but if you want to fight me on that you can down below in the comments section. Anyway... Suu makes it on the list for having a great design! I love her big eyes, they almost looks soulless cause they lack pupils but I actually like eyes like that. I also LOVE her slime hair! I don't really know why I love her hair so much but just the fact that it's slime hair is pretty awesome and it looks amazing. I also like it when she's wearing her rain coat and boots because there a little big for her and makes her look cute as hell!!! The fact that she doesn't really talk is a plus! Nothing better than a woman who's pretty and doesn't talk! HAHA!. I immediately apologize for the joke, don't kill me......please...please.

02. KAYANO KAEDE

At # 2 on this list is Kayano Kaede from Assassination Classroom. I love Kayano because she's an interesting character. For a huge majority of the show, she was just kinda like a side character but then towards the second part pf the show, she becomes more of a major player. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say anymore but I love how she becomes an important character with backstory and purpose in the show. Assassination Classroom lacked character backstory and I think that's because there are just so many characters so seeing Kayano being one of the few characters with a story makes her that much better. She's also pretty comedic. I enjoy her inferiority complex; I feel like that trope is a little played out but she makes it work. Even funnier is her love for pudding. She just loves pudding so damn much and I love it. First it makes me laugh and then it makes me go "Awwwwwww" because it's so adorable. I can get behind a pudding loving cutie!

01. MIRA YURIZAKI

Yes my friends, at #1 I have someone few may know about; mostly because she's only been around for a year but she is my favorite green haired lady. At #1 is Mira Yurizaki from Dimension W. I love Mira for many reasons. First and foremost, Mira is just so darn cute! Her character design is my favorite part; from her cute short dress, to her pistachio voluminous hair, to the robotic tail and ears, She screams adorable! Second, I love her voice. I think the voice Mira was given was just perfect for her. It was nice and sweet but not too much that she sounded like some idiot loli or anything! This one is kinds weird because she's voiced by Reina Ueda and I don't necessarily love any of her other roles. I know some of the characters that she's played but for the most part, I don't know much about Ueda so I was kinda shocked since the voice wasn't someone I knew well. Last reason, She's straight out cool! I mean I would love for Mira to be real. She's a cute girl who's also a super fighting robot! Plus, she's also like a neko girl with her ears and tail; so Cute + Neko + Robot = Waifu 4 Laifu!!!

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this post. If you got something to say, add, or complain about feel free to comment down below! If yo like what I do then follow and check out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime for more great content which I'll leave a link down below for. More posts will come soon so sit tight and I'll see you all next time!

GiraffePants Anime

A Review of WWW.Working!!

Back in my early days of watching anime, I ran across the original Working! (AKA Wagaria!) and fell in love with it for its quirky cast of characters and interesting twist to running gag comedy. That was like 4 years ago! Then back in the summer I received news that Working!! was coming back as a Spinoff series and I rolled in my bed out of joy and started giggling like a 12 year-old girl. But now that I have seen this show, what are my thoughts on it? Everybody, I am your host, GiraffePants, and this is a review of WWW.Working!!

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS (This time I'm sure of it)

SYNOPSIS

Our story starts off with a serious high school student named Daisuke who lives a rather mundane existence but one day his father's company goes bankrupt. The bankruptcy forces Daisuke to go get a job so he can pay for his expenses. Daisuke decides to work at nearby family restaurant hoping to keep living his normal existence. What Daisuke doesn't know is that his workplace and coworkers are anything but normal.

STORY

The story for WWW.Working has the same structure as the original Working. The story is made up of the interactions among the quirky cast on a day to day basis. Nothing drastic occurs; instead, a lot of little developments occur which move us along. This show isn't focused so much on the story as it the characters. Working wants to maximize each character's quirk to it's fullest potential and make you laugh cause in the end, this show's all about comedy. The comedy is the biggest component of the show. It's what makes you want to continue watching and if that comedy factor wasn't there, well then we'd be left with nothing! But what makes the comedy good. The biggest reason for the comedy factor is the characters' quirky personalities. Each member of the family restaurant has some kind of quirk that makes them weird. These weird quirks are what set up jokes, punchlines, and pretty much everything else! The comedy itself is very interesting. I find the comedy to be really funny because jokes always have a twist to them. This show tends to use long running gags but each time it introduces that gag again, the show gives it a little twist to make it feel new and refreshing. A nice example is whenever Daisuke eats one of his coworker's chocolates, he goes into a coma-like state and is visited by St. Valentine. From there St. Valentine and Daisuke provide the comedy. Then the show later twists this gag by having other members of the restaurant visit St. Valentine and having Valentine get more and more frustrated every time they come into his realm. The comedy is pretty dry so if you're fans of deadpan humor, then you'll enjoy this show immensely.

Something else I love is the relationship pairs the show makes. Early in the show you see these comedy pairs form and whenever there is significant development, it involves both members. Kinda like mini arcs that all take place at once. Daisuke & Hana are one such example. Most of the screen time they get are together and any developments include their relationship. Rarely are they away from each other and that goes for the other pairs in the show. Not only are they comedic pairs but romantic ones as well. I generally liked the romance in the show and in the entire series in general because it isn't obvious. It's not like when the show starts one character is like "Oh I already love you" and the other agrees; It's more complex than that. Characters truly have to explore each other in order to understand one another and develop their relationship! This ain't no harem BS; it's legitimate relationship building with some nice comedy thrown in.

CHARACTERS

You already know that I love these characters for their quirks! What kind of quirks are we talking about. Well you have Sayuri who can see ghosts but doesn't know she can see ghosts, Hana who may well be the most densest girl to have ever existed, Yuuta who is the son of a chronic gambler and now has to pay off his father's debt from a large corporation, Shiho who is the daughter of that large corporation and loves to torment Yuuta both out of love and hate. There are plenty others but I don't want to make a list here and I think you get the idea. The original Working had this exact formula and it ended up working for the series. That show had characters with completely different quirks that all made them somewhat socially inept and it made me love them all for it. I myself am pretty socially awkward so seeing characters with what I have but taken to the extreme really helps me relate with the cast and is hilarious! Character development is a bit stagnant. The relationship that character pairs have change as the show progress but the characters themselves don't change much. That's not a bad thing though because really, this show doesn't need character development. It's just a show to make us laugh and have a good time. There is no need for deep storytelling; the quirks are funny so why wouldn't you keep running with the quirks, right? There are definitely some characters that don't get a lot of screen time. The manager, Kisaki, and Takuya don't get much of the silver screen to themselves and seem to be in the show just so there's some people around. Like having a bunch of useless NPCs around. Overall though I enjoy this cast of zany characters and they truly make the show what it is.

MUSIC

The music for this show is interesting to talk about. Let's start with the OP. The opening song is "Eyecatch! Too Much!" by Haruka Tomatsu, Yoko Hikasa, and Sora Amamiya; the voice actors for Hana, Sayuri and Shiho respectively. I thought this song was nice and bubbly, much like the old series but it wasn't a smash hit. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I could say the same for the ED, "Muchuuryoku Fever" which is also performed by the cast. They're nice songs but don't really make much of an impact. Overall they did nothing fantastically with the music and sound. In the show, whatever music is played tends to land on the side of bouncy and kinda silly but there isn't that much music within the show to begin with. Many times the show purposefully leaves music out for the sake of comedy. When a punchline is to be performed or when things have to be a bit awkward, there won't be any music which I thought was great but that does add to the lack of great music. I don't know if this was creative choice or budget constraints but I can say that the show did an OK job. I don't think the music for the show was bad; it was nice but in the end it was nothing all that special.

ANIMATION

The overall animation quality of WWW.Working is OK. It isn't impactful or even memorable in the least but it isn't shit so that's good. For the past year I've been at odds with A-1 Pictures, the studio making this show. I generally love them because If anything, they do good animation work but the last year has been a roller coaster for me. Back in winter 2016, they made Erased and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash which were both very good shows. The stories for those shows were good and the animation was some of the best for the year. Then they completely fell flat during the Spring and Summer season. The shows they were working on were just bad and the animation differed from decent to bad. Back to this show; the animation is OK but the story is great so after 2 seasons of disappointment, I'm finally pleased with their work. Of course, A-1 Pictures is capable of better animation but WWW.Working doesn't need "A+" quality animation. The animation is good for a show like WWW.Working that isn't serious. There is no fluidity to the animation or a lot of detail in the scenes but the animation does execute comedy scenes well so I'll forgive you A-1 Pictures. 

FINAL VERDICT

Technical Score- 7.3 out of 10 (C)

The story for WWW.Working is good. It's what you expect from a slice of life comedy. I enjoyed the sprinkle of romance thrown in and the relationship building between pairs. The biggest positive about this show is the fun cast of quirky characters who make the show what it is! Music and animation are OK but definitely weren't top quality but they don't make the show any worse so that is good. The show could have been improved in the technical aspect but it's a good show how it is.

Personal Score- 7.8 out of 10 (C+)

The show may not have been the best executed show but I did enjoy it. It filled a little hole in my heart I've been trying to fill ever since I finished the original Working. This show made me laugh with it's cold comedy which you don't see so much and the show really captured the heart of the original! It's is a spin-off that's actually good! So if you enjoy weird characters and dry comedy than this is the show for you! Any Working!! fans out there who haven't checked out this show for whatever reasons, get on it cause you'll be pleased how similar this show is to the original.

I hope you guys enjoyed the post! I do my best to bring as much content as I can to you. If you guys enjoyed it, leave a comment down below about some recent shows you guys would like to see a review about or what you liked about this show. If you like what I do, check out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime, for more content and I'll see you all for the next post.

My Channel: GiraffePants Anime