isekai...not being relevant
This happens all the time in the isekai genre and it bugs me too. It's obviously just so that they can slap the isekai tag on a series to try to get some segment of audience that seeks that out. A lot of isekai series are functionally indistinguishable from a fantasy series once you get past chapter 2.
Licia is just as cute as a button and was completely caught out by her maid in the midst of her celebrations. @rikka@ani.social
It's been a long time since I read this portion of the manga, but based on hazy memories, I think they motivated the reveal of the expecting wife a bit better than the manga did. I remember reading that portion and thinking that the deduction Ars comes to in that moment really came out of nowhere. Also, I don't remember exactly how they go about rescuing this guy's wife, but I am sure it involves more Pham cheat codes.
Congrats! I really like the icon/banner. I have banked a couple clips I have been meaning to post to the anime community. I can crosspost them for a while to try to help more people find the community. The other thing I would recommend is subscribing to the community from a couple of the larger instances so that it federates over (at least world).
I don't think any of us should be too surprised that this new girl, Jolenta, is the daughter of Nowak since he has previously talked about how much he loves his daughter. I know they hid his face during their discussion, but one of the key differences between anime and manga is the voice talent; and there is no mistaking his voice. Watching her put herself in mortal danger for even a morsel of information is pretty harrowing. I await the inevitable confrontation between Nowak and Jolenta when he is asked to torture her due to her heresy.
Seeing Jolenta's plight this episode made me want to write about some of the women of science I am aware of through my studies, work, or just came across randomly on wikipedia over the years. I tried to pick a handful that are probably lesser known (sorry Marie Curie). Unfortunately, it is impossible to know how much science of the past may have been done with significant contributions made by uncredited women. As you will see on this list, many of the early women scientists were actually placed in an assistant role to some other prominent male scientist.
This is the earliest female scientist that my brain could think of, dating back to the 4th century CE in Roman Egypt. The reason I have come across her name before is because she is a mathematician that contributed to the Ptolemaic model of the universe (extremely relevant to this show). Sadly, her life ended prematurely at the hands of an angry mob due to some politically motivated violence.
Keen-eyed followers of my posts for this show might recognize the surname Brahe as belonging to famous astronomer Tycho Brahe. I have written about him in previous discussion threads. Well, Sophia was the younger sister of Tycho and aided in his astronomical studies. Much like Rafal in the show, Tycho tried to prevent his sister from studying astronomy, instead training her in other disciplines like chemistry. So, she ended up teaching herself astronomy through studying the published literature of the time. Truly a story of dogged pursuit of knowledge driven by the insatiable curiosity of the human spirit. Very fitting for this show.
This woman was married to French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, but arguably is the reason that her husband's work was so impactful. In the late 18th century, the field of chemistry was a bit adrift. It had largely sprung out of the practices of alchemy and was often rooted in philosophical principles as much as anything else. The Lavoisiers were some of the most influential researchers of the time to help chemistry transition to a quantitative field of study. Marie-Anne served multiple roles in the work. She translated much of the existing literature into French to aid her husband to understand it, helping him to design the experiments and apparatus. Then, when documenting results, in addition to detailed note-taking, she used her artistic training to very precisely document equipment and procedures through drawings in a way that helped other researchers replicate and improve their work.
This is a scientist that probably nobody reading this has ever heard of before since her contributions were in the very obscure field of surface science. I just happen to have done some professional work in this area and have used modern versions of the equipment that she invented way back in the late 19th century. She is an example of another completely self-taught scientist. In her case, she was stuck at home, taking care of domestic tasks and her parents. Her brother was studying physics at the time and would share his textbooks and other published literature with her.
While doing dishes, Agnes became fascinated with soap bubbles/films and it drove her to devise ways of measuring their properties. The result of which saw her come up with an experimental technique of measuring the surface tension of a liquid-air interface. She would continue on in her scientific career describing numerous surface phenomena. The instrument she devised would later be improved by an American chemist named Irving Langmuir, who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to surface science. Notably, Pockels was still living when Irving won the award which, can be argued, should have probably been shared between the two of them.
This mathematician is probably one of the most influential figures in physics that people outside the field don't know about. Working in the early 20th century, she was the daughter of another mathematician and ended up becoming a professor at the University of Göttingen. Noether's theorem which has been so incredibly influential is kind of hard to describe in a way that is easy to understand. In short, when you are mathematically describing a physical system, any symmetry in the equations corresponds to a conserved quantity in the physical system. Using this theorem lets you show things like the conservation of energy or momentum. You might just have to trust me (or do your best to make sense of that wiki page), but her work has proven to be phenomenally powerful.
So, hang in there Jolenta and you might get your brilliance recognized. Just don't let your dad know. @rikka@ani.social
This was a bit of a weird episode. There was almost no interaction between our main couple because Honjoji is just shutting down. Instead, the bulk of the episode focused on a coworker and his divorce. I get why a show that is about an impending (fake, but maybe not fake) wedding would bring up divorce. However, the way it was handled this episode didn't really work for me.
The show couldn't seem to make up its mind about whether to treat this with humor or with seriousness, and it kind of ended up not succeeding with either tone. The whole acting like a gorilla thing was just bizarre. Meanwhile, we see glimpses of Honjoji's memories of being a child to divorced parents. I feel like it is a missed opportunity to spend less time chasing a grown man-ape around and more time on either her or the child. I just didn't think that chasing this guy around Scooby Doo style really served any purpose other than an attempt at humor that didn't really land for me.
In any case, George was a nice discovery this episode. He is that one person in any workplace that has been around forever and no problem ever phases them. They've seen it all before and are the person that you turn to when you need to rely on that experience.
I am hoping that we get more of the main pair next episode. I mean, at least talk to each other.
Personally, I think Kyomoto is a couple things at the same time. She is a fellow artist that inspires a mangaka to do better and at the same time is a stand-in for the fans that provide the satisfaction that all that work that went into the art/story was worth it. I know some artists irl that are really good, but they are always comparing themselves to other's art and think that they could do better.
I haven't watched I Want to Eat Your Pancreas either, so I can't directly compare the two. I think Look Back was touching for sure, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it reached the top tier of emotional anime movies for me. I ended up not needing my box of tissues for example.
By comparison, when I want to watch something like Tale of the Princess Kaguya, I prepare a fresh box of tissues and go ahead and clear my schedule for the whole weekend. That movie destroys me when I watch it.
Confession time. Despite being a moderator for the !manga@ani.social community, I had never read this oneshot before. So, I was going in about as blind as I could have been. I knew from the way people talked about it to have a box of tissues on hand and that it was about manga, but that was about it.
There were so many great moments that were in here. First, I liked One Piece on the cover of Shonen Weekly Jump when they were looking up the results of the manga contest. @rikka@ani.social
Their partnership really seemed to work well. It was tough to see it come undone when Kyomoto wanted to go to art school. You can really feel how hurt Fujino felt in that moment as she was trying to exploit Kyomoto's insecurities to keep her from leaving. The visual framing of this sequence was brilliant as well. They had consistently been showing Fujino leading Kyomoto around by the hand, dragging her out of her shell. Then, when this conversation happens, they aren't joined together anymore and a tree is shown literally dividing the frame right between them. Driving the proverbial wedge into their relationship as Fujino is trying to shove Kyomoto back into her shell to keep from losing her.
The part that really started to get to me was when Fujino picked up the old 4-koma that she drew that had lured Kyomoto out of her room back when they first met. It was tragic to see her blame herself and her art for the death of Kyomoto. As we transitioned out of that, I had no idea where the story was going to go next. I was not expecting the supernatural turn that came next at all. I must admit that I was confused for a little bit about what was going on.
The alternate history timeline was interesting. We see Kyomoto at art school, doing her thing and somehow scraping by with some degree of independence just like she had wanted. One thing I liked about this alternate timeline was Fujino's dynamic entry and rescue. It looked like it was straight out of a manga panel. The irony of this timeline is that if Fujino had not lured Kyomoto out of her room, Kyomoto would not have died at art school. Sidenote: this sequence of events has to be inspired by the KyoAni arson attack, right? It is too similar for it not to be the case.
The titular 4-koma that Kyomoto drew, depicting a humorous take on the attack and rescue was actually hilarious. I absolutely loved the joke in the final panel. As somebody that has read tons of 4-koma over the years, that is a top tier reveal.
The shelves of Kyomoto's room being full of Fujino's work was incredibly cute. It was very touching and did a great job of showing how Kyomoto never stopped being Fujino's biggest fan, ever since elementary school. I loved how this scene culminated in Fujino literally looking back to see the coat that she autographed all those years ago hung up prominently on the door.
Overall, this was a great watch. The way in which these two managed to inspire one another to greater heights across time and space was very touching. Really enjoyed this.
Another birthday post to celebrate our birthday !anime@ani.social!
Did you believe me yesterday when I said that was the final birthday post? Well, it wouldn't have been a surprise otherwise.
I know you might be disappointed that this cake got ruined. However, don't worry, Nano actually has a backup cake for us to celebrate with (direct link if the embed below doesn't work).
Oh...
Premieres January 2025. The new PV is here. Check out the ANN article for additional information. Synopsis for the first Aquarion series from AniList:
When the Shadow Angels invade after 12,000 years of slumber, humanity is held captive by fear and sheer alien dominance. Eleven years after the Great Catastrophe decimated the world, most of those left alive are scavengers, dirty and starving in the streets. There is hope, however: Mechanical Angel Aquarion!
Powered by three souls intertwined, a rare breed of pilot takes the controls. Known as Elements, one among them must rise if mankind is to survive. Prophecy is being fulfilled as the end of the world approaches... Through a swirling cloud of love, betrayal, loss and destiny, the last hope for the new century arrives and takes flight!
Premieres January 2025. The new PV is here. Check out the ANN article for additional information. Synopsis from AniList:
Mona is the cutest girl in school, and she knows it. In fact, she's worked hard to make her high school debut successful. But no matter what she does, she can't seem to catch the eye of stone-cold stoic Medaka Kuroiwa—but she's not about to give up that easy. Medaka, on the other hand, has been raised at a temple and was told to never become close to women. Who will win in this heated battle of wills?
Premieres January 2025. Check out the ANN article for additional information. Synopsis from AniList:
I, Teruaki Nakamura, transferred to a school in Okinawa and developed a crush on a girl named Kiyan-san, but I don't understand her dialect. Higa-san is always helping me by translating the dialect. A slightly different cultural love starts on the southern island.
No date or PV announced yet. Check out the ANN article for additional information. This adapts a mystery game. Synopsis of the game from the article:
The game's story centers on the unlikely tandem of vampire detective Arne Neuntöte and Lynn Reinweiss, the daughter of a noble family who loves vampires. Together, they solve bloodly murder cases.
Premieres January 2025. Check out the ANN article for additional information. Synopsis from AniList:
In order to protect an ordinary businessman, Tsukasa Atsumi, from demons, a genius kunoichi, Shizuri Ideura, signs a master-servant contract with him on the condition that she stays with him. Despite her cool appearance of defeating demons, Shizuri is an otaku NEET who spends all her time playing video games. While Shizuri is spoiled by Tsukasa and leads a lazy cohabitation life, the quirky Kunoichi gather together... A romantic comedy about living together with a genius Kunoichi who is an otaku and a NEET!
Premieres April 2025. The new PV is here. Check out the ANN article for additional information. Synopsis from AniList:
Ririsa Suzunomiya, who is forced to live a cramped life at a girl's school where genuine ladies gather, is drawn to the sounds coming from the old school building...? The gorgeous and ladylike girls shout with beautiful sparks!
Premieres January 2025. Check out the Crunchyroll article for additional information. Synopsis from AniList:
Yui Mitsuya and Masugu Tateishi aren't just any coworkers-they totally have the hots for each other. His helpful yet humble attitude makes her giddy, and her cuteness leaves him grinning like a fool. Problem is, they're trying to keep their new relationship under wraps to avoid making things awkward at work. But seeing how they can't keep their hands off each other, they run the risk of spilling their little secret with each passing day at the office.
Something people are missing just based on the headline is that this is a "suspended sentence." So, there is a period of three years where, as long as she doesn't commit any similar offenses, she will have been considered as having served her time without actually going to prison.
These are homophones in Japanese. Same thing as words like their/there/they're or seas/sees/seize, etc. Words that sound the same but are written differently. The Japanese language has tons of them. Often, the ambiguity around homophones is used as a source of humor, causing misunderstandings between characters in anime/manga or puns that add a layer of humor to an otherwise normal thing to say.
You've got some good suggestions already. Here are a couple that I think are good for somebody that is fairly new to the deep rabbit hole of anime tropes/conventions:
Weekly ranking roundup:
Credit to /u/Abysswatcherbel for making the chart for reddit karma and /u/Nooble5 for the Anime Trending chart.
Lots of karma drops on the reddit chart this past week. I am glad to see Orb still gaining karma. Hopefully that is a sign that more people are picking up the series and catching up. It also doesn't surprise me that Villainess in History gained karma this past week as the episode was a lot between the antics of the heroine and the prince.