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

A Review of Flip Flappers

I couldn't wait any longer! I have been urging to talk about this show so I will!!! Flip Flappers was my favorite show of the Fall 2016 season and for plenty of good reasons. This entire show is just a big slob of artistic genius! I'm not the biggest fan of magical girl shows buut this one has captivated my heart and was one of the biggest surprise of the year for me. I am GiraffePants and today I will be doing a review of Flip Flappers!

*NOTE* There will be spoilers

SYNOPSIS

Our story starts off with an average normal teenager by the name of Cocona. One day Cocona has a fateful encounter with an eccentric girl named Papika and asks her to join her and organization known as Flip Flip. Flip Flap is an organization focused on adventuring to the parallel world known as Pure Illusion and collect crystal fragments that will grant a wish if they're all collected. Cocona soon discover's that her childhood friend, Yayaka also seeks the fragments but for a rival organization bent on conquering the world. As Cocona and Papika collide with Yayaka, Cocona will learn more about Pure Illusion and the secret it holds.

STORY

This is a wonderful story about new and old friendships just with OP magical girls and a sick ass parallel world. Friendships are every important in this show, and the show chooses to focus on three relationships; The relationship between Cocona-Papika, Cocona-Yayaka, and (Major Spoiler) Soruto-Mimi. Each relationship goes on a set of twists and turns that challenge the relationship (This is prominent in the case of Cocona, Papika, and Yayaka). The show drives the fact that relationships are important for emotional support and overcoming challenges. For example, towards the end of the show, Cocona is forced to face her mother Mimi in her dark transformation but she can't do it alone! She needed the support and help from Papika in order to defeat Mimi and the best way for the pair to grow strong was by realizing how important their relationship with one another is. These relationships definitely have their downs but all the challenges the show's relationships go through are important to strengthening the bonds between characters. I absolutely love that this was the focus of the show! It adds a nice deep level for character development that pulls through nicely might I add. We see many characters go through stages of maturation and if there's something I love, it's development. 

Although, overall I enjoyed the story, I had trouble following what was going on in the beginning. This is the only negative I had with this show. In the beginning they throw the viewer into the world of pure illusion and developments happen quite fast in the first episode. Because of this, you can feel a bit confused after the first episode. Then in the third episode, Cocona and Papika are in a completely different situation than where we left off and it can come off as chaotic! The show does this because it wants the cover the concept that pure illusion is a world with differentiating environments and that the world itself doesn't follow the exact same rules as earth but when Cocona is suddenly the bad guy in a apocalyptic wasteland and we don't know why, it can make us tune out. It took me some time to process what was going on and understand the situation. That isn't the last time it does something like this so I can see where people may be turned off at some point. Besides that, this story was great all around and I enjoyed it immensely. 

CHARACTERS

As I've said, the focus of this show is on relationships and in order to illustrate that effectively, the characters have to be good and Flip Flappers does just that! The best characters of the show just happen to be Cocona, Papika, Yayaka, Soruto, and Mimi; The same set of characters whose relationships were focused on in the show. This isn't a coincidence. Each one of these characters shows a strong personality one way or another. Papika is care-free and generally happy while Cocona is cautious and shy. That isn't to say that this is how they are all the time; just like in real life people show a wide arrange of emotions aside from our most dominant common ones. For example, as the show progresses, Cocona learns to be more joyful as she continues to explore through Pure Illusion along with Papika. 

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the characters' design. The girls are very slender and nimble and have very large colorful eyes. Their designs are crafted to represent a sense of adventure, curiosity, and innocence. And then there's Cocona's and Papika's Flip Flap transformation! Oh My god, I can't begin to explain how much I love their magical girl design. Their clothes are tasteful; I think the revealing back design and lack of clothes covering their shoulders is awesome cause it makes them look fucking majestic! I especially love their legs; one being completely covered by a white stocking with a short boot and the other just being a long fading boot. Lastly, I love that their hair grows practically twice in size, and both the hair and eyes changes color! Take note magical girl shows cause this is good design!

MUSIC

The music for Flip Flappers is definitely enjoyable. I like both the OP and ED; Actually I love the OP and ED! The OP titled "Serendipity" by ZAQ is great to listen to. While listening, it pumps me up for the episode I'm about to see (Which is good since that is the OP's job). The ED "FLIP FLAP FLIP FLAP" by TO-MAS feat.Chima is also great. It's a very quiet song, with a simple rhythm and  some fantastic singing. That song gives me a great feeling; It's kinda like a satisfying feel you get after seeing a great movie. It also feels very "Alice in wonderland-ish." The music within the show is pretty damn good. There's a wide range of genres the show uses to portray whatever feel they're trying to go for. When things are intense or action packed, they'll use Electronic music that's very fast paced and complex or when there's a need for a sense of wonder, the show will use orchestra music or other more traditional music that's more moderately paced. That's just a small taste of the music Flip Flappers that you can expect.

ANIMATION

OH! OH! Where the hell do I even begin here! Flip Flappers has the best animation out of all the shows that aired in 2016! They definitely deserve it for the masterpiece they've given us. First thing! the design of Flip Flappers is amazing! The regular world is full of beautiful European architecture and Patchy green lands. Then there's the world of Pure Illusion. Pure illusion uses many environments that range from snowy wonderlands to Tron like metropolises! It's practically orgasmic to witness just how much thought they put into the world alone.

Another great thing about this show is the color. Color plays a huge role in the animation and storytelling of Flip Flappers. Whether you're in the outside world or in Pure Illusion, the show is always colorful (except for that scary school episode). The world they go into in the second episode is especially good and my favorite! Colors are very bright and sometimes play an important role in showing character feelings. In the second episode you can see that Cocona's and Papika's Hair and eyes change color according to how they feel. Don't believe me, check that episode again and you'll see it.

The world and color of Flip Flappers is great but the movement of the animation itself is what drives this show in. The fluidity of scenes and the unorthodox angles for those scenes makes a hard impact on the viewer's eyes and delivers unique story telling you wish you could get everyday. From epic fight scenes to more subtle moments, Flip Flappers is carefully calculated and animated to give you a work of art that can only be described as "Breathtaking."

FINAL VERDICT

Tchnical Score- 9 out of 10 (A)

If you can't tell, I think that Flip Flappers is beautifully constructed and the thought that went into this work has payed off well. Jaw dropping visuals and a fantasy story that explores relationships and the obstacles that come with relationships is what really makes this show great. Combine that with a fantastic cast of characters and well-composed music and you have one of the best shows of the year!

Personal Score- 8.6 out of 10 (B)

The reason why my personal score is lower is because I did have that initial confusion at the beginning. I wasn't able to process what was going on for a bit but If I watched this again I believe that this score wold be higher. In the end, I highly Recommend that people watch this show because it is a true piece of art that will astound your eyes and heart.

As always, I hope you guys enjoyed this post! I did my best to explain things out and show why I love Flip Flappers so much. If there's anything you guys want to comment, then feel free to write down below! If you like what I do, then consider checking out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime for more content and I'll hopefully see you all for another post! PEACE!!!

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Top 10 Blonde/Yellow Haired Anime Girls

Blondes...the hair color of beauty over here in the western hemisphere. It's not the most creative hair color in anime but it's still just as beautiful! Yellow and blonde tend to represent confidence, happiness, naivete, and stubbornness. My list of cute blondes may not reflect that but I do love them all. Here are my top 10 blonde ladies of the anime world.

NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS

10. VORONA

To start off this list, at number 10 is Varona from Durarara. I couldn't make this list without adding this feisty Russian to the lineup. Now, I didn't put her here just because she's Russian; there are many other aspects to like about. I like women that can kick my ass and Vorona can definitely kick my ass! Her combat skills are pretty top notch; they have to be since she's an assassin otherwise that would be embarrassing! I think the biggest reason I like her is her character design. Her slender build, eyes, outfit, and hair design are awesome. I don't like the hair over the eye look in real life but in anime, that's some good stuff (That's why I like Rem from ReZero so much). The last reason (most useless reason) why I like her so much is because she rides a motorcycle! I like girls that can ride motorcycles and look good doing it!

9. IRINA JELAVIC

At number 9 on the list is...wait...oh my god, another Russian!!! You should know at this point I like Russians. Yes, at number 9 is Irina Jelavic aka Bitch-Sensei from Assassination Classroom. Other than being Russian, I'm going to continue with the sexy assassin angle I did with Vorona. If you can be beautiful and deadly with a gun, that's a plus in my book. She's more of the classic assassin; infiltrating and fooling men to their own graves. SO HOT. She's also...um...very well endowed and what can I say, I'm only human. But besides those superficial reasons, I also like that Irina has another side to her that makes you love her. Irina can be clumsy and childish due to her disconnection from regular society. She even has insecurities like everyone else which I like. I like someone I can relate to somewhat which puts her above Vorona. 

8. CHITOGE KIRISAKI

Next on the list is Chitoge Kirisaki from Nisekoi. I love all the girls from Nisekoi but Chitoge is pretty cool (she's still number 2 on the show though). I like Chitoge because she's a person I would actually be romantically interested in. Irina and Vorona are cool and everything but I'm not gonna meet someone like them in real life. Chitoge is a person you could meet in real life cause she has normal great qualities. She is intelligent given by the fact the she speaks two languages fluently and has valedictorian level grades. She is athletic and very talkative (unlike my antisocial ass). She cares abot people she associates with and goes the extra mile for them if need be. On top of that, she has a nice figure and awesome hair (The pink ombre at the end is amazing). I tend to not like tsnderes but she's on my list of Tsunderes I actually like (along with Taiga Aisaka and others).

7. MIO KUSAKAI

Next girl up on the list is Mio Kusakai from Keijo. I've put Mio on this list for a couple reasons. One, which is the obvious reason; she is smokin! Now that I think of it, she reminds me (design wise) of Rias Gremory with yellow hair and a swimsuit. Besides her gifted proportions, she is quite the fighter. She's considered to be a keijo prodigy and she definitely shows that. I don't think she even gets hurt during the entire show! She's fast, agile, and has some real power tucked into her.........weapons. Her ability to hypnotize competitors with her breasts is something to behold but in all honesty, she doesn't have to do anything to hypnotize me! Sorry, that was demeaning. Personality wise, I like how forward she is. Anime characters don't tend to be forward people but Mio doesn't give no shits! She hits on girls out the wazoo! I think she just does that for fun but none the less, I like people who aren't afraid to say things that could be seen as questionable.

6. LUCY HEARTFILIA

Number six on my top 10 list is Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail. Lucy is a celestial mage working for the Fairy Tail guild. Her celestial spirit magic is pretty cool and unique. I had never seen magic like that before I watched the series so seeing her do that was pretty awesome to witness. She's also pretty funny; she often plays the role of comic relief but I do laugh whenever she has something to say, so that's alright with me. Her design is so good! The show's always changing her hair style and wardrobe and she always looks good. I don't like it when characters have like 2 outfits because it just seems lazy to me but Lucy always has something new going on. Lastly, I respect her love for her friends. If you've watched Fairy Tail, you know Lucy gets emotional and at times makes big sacrifices for her comrades and I respect that. As a famous person once said, "Put some respek on it!"

5. TSUGUMI KOTOBUKI

At number 5 on the list is Tsugumi Kotobuki (Mugi) from K-On. Ah, the K-On girls are definitely a group to be adored and it wouldn't be the same without Mugi. Besides being super moe, I love the fact that Mugi is just so darn nice. I like girls (and people in general) that are nice. She's a gentle spirit who does her best to be considerate. I hate girls who attract drama cause I ain't about that life; nice girls who everybody likes are way better. I also like how sometimes she's not in tune with common sense. I find her quirkiness to be adorable and it makes me want to hug her!!! Lastly, I love that fact that she loves food! I am a man who loves food and I like girls that aren't afraid to eat a big old slab of ribs drenched in sauce and the only way you could ever eat it is like a wild animal. Mugi loves to eat cake and snacks and I love her for it. Also cute eyebrows...

4. CHARLOTTE DUNOIS

Next on the list is Charlotte Dunois from Infinite Stratos. I tend not to choose too many girls from harems because they tend to be one dimensional but I really like Charlotte. I enjoy her mature personality; Everyone else on the show is somewhat tsundere but Charlotte is very kind and polite (Kind I say, not a coincidence the farther we go down this list the nicer these girls get). Although she is mature, she does have impulses of childishness which I love cause I'm a big kid inside. When I saw her in her one-piece cat pajamas, I thought to myself "She's the one!" Cuteness overload over here! Also, she's just straight out cute! Her long hair, purple eyes, angelic smile; she just makes my heart flutter! Move out Miss Universe 2017 (who happens to be french),  Charlotte beats you by a mile! 

3. MITO IKUMI

Number three on my list is Mito Ikmi from Shokugeki no Soma. Women who can cook are pretty awesome. I can't cook for shit so when I see someone make a fantastic dish with ease, you know I'm gonna respect that! Not only that, she got the looks to go with those skills. She has a much more western body; more curvy, darker skin, more endowed. That appeals to me being an American and I especially like the fact the she has darker skin. There aren't enough dark skin girls in anime so seeing her is awesome! I enjoy her fiery personality and confidence in her skills. She isn't afraid to get into a cooking brawl and show what she can do with thick meat (that sounded sexual)! Women with confidence and passion in their eyes always seem cool to me!

2. KAORI MIYAZANO

At number two on this list is Kaori Miyazano from Your Lie in April. Where do I even begin. One thing I love about Kaori is her ability with the violin. I've never said this to anyone but... I think women who can play violin are hoooooot! I love the sound of violins so seeing a women who can rock it gets mad thumbs ups from me! I also love the way Kaori lives life. Always trying her best to live in the moment and giving it all she's got to leave an impact on people. We could all learn from that kind of living and for that Kaori gets all the way up here in the 2nd spot. Kaori is super cute and I love her big innocent looking eyes. Her overall design is lovely which is a plus and her long Rapunzel like hair is captivating. Lastly, If you've finished this show and know what happens, you can't help but fall in love with Kaori and her efforts to live life. Her desire to live a life she could be proud of is heart warming and makes her a pretty cool lady!

1. SABER

We've finally come to the number one blonde (in my opinion) on the list and it's none other than Saber from Fate. If there ever was a blonde that was the embodiment of awesome it would be the king of England herself. She wields her holy phantasm, Excalibur, which cuts wind and armor with ease. That might be the greatest sword in anime so major props for her on that. Her fighting skills are just as impressive being a master swordsman and winning the holy grail twice (I think). That screams epic to me! Aside from her combat skills, she is a loyal knight all the way through. She's a woman who fights for her ideals and what she believes in; a symbol of justice for everyone to admire in awe. Let's not forget that saber is a very beautiful woman. Everything about her is lovely from her emerald green eyes, pale skin, and lovely blonde hair tied with a ribbon. Whether she's wearing armor or a dress, this girl always looks top class! These reasons make Saber the best blonde lady in anime!!!

I hope you guys all enjoyed this post! Leave comments down below about what you thought about my list. Is there another girl who should have been on this list? Make your argument not that I care! If you like what I do, follow the blog or check out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime, for more great content! That's all for now, hope you guys had fun reading and I'll see you for the next post.