...And I found out why adults enjoy little kids anime

As the combination of both work and school starts to eat into whatever free time I had left, it became harder and harder to squeeze in time for anime. It seems like a common problem among the older anime folk; the older you get, the more you get swarmed with the hustle and bustle of real life, and time-consuming hobbies like anime become difficult. Admittedly, it wasn't really about the time; it was the stress and fatigue that makes it hard to get excited about something, even the most hyped title.

I've bitten off more than I can chew this season, trying to catch Arcana Fagmilia, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Kokoro Connect, Moyashimon, Muv-Luv, Natsuyuki Rendezvous, Rinne no Lagrange, Sword Art Online, Tari Tari, Yuru Yuri, Binbougamiga! and Joshiraku at the same time. That's more than I've ever attempted in one season, but mostly because the season's so good. It didn't go well...

Aside from Binbougami which totally sucked, Natsuyuki Rendevous became the first title I had to let go, followed by Kokoro Connect. Both were really good, and I really enjoyed it... well... actually, not really. I began to realize that story-intensive stuff like these were difficult to follow. Not only it's difficult to grasp the plot when I'm trying to grasp twelve at a time, it's also difficult to work a tired mind to comprehend a "deep" or complex storyline.

On the other hand, I began to look forward to stuff like Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Arcana Fagmilia and Joshiraku. Stuff like these either doesn't have a story, doesn't have one that matters or at least are non-continuous for each episode. It's really easy to digest such stuff, and I probably enjoyed them more than I would normally do, much like last season's Upotte!!

Which reminds me of two things. First, a concept which was taught to me by Jerry Verschoor, a western animation industry insider, of how people prefer genres that compensate things missing in their lives (like how action movies are all rage now, while romance titles are favorites in the 1940s). Second, an article of how an unexpectedly huge amount of people my age enjoys My Little Pony (I can't remember where, probably Cracked.com or something). Laura Carstensen also revealed at TED on how people in their 20s are statistically the most stressed, and most miserable bunch.

Well I don't need My Little Pony, because I have stuff like Joshiraku and Upotte!! to de-stress my life. Now I know why the moéblob slice-of-life got so popular with the general otaku crowd. Ignoring the people who seeks 2D waifus, it's really about the stress. It's all for the relaxed, mind-blanking and stress-less moment each episode can give.

So from now on, I'll be leaving stuff like Natsuyuki Rendevous on the marathon queue, and only catch the ponies as they air. Thank Haruhi, Madoka and the anime gods for Hidamari Sketch next season. And that tank anime, whatever it's called. It sounds just about stupid and mind-numbing enough for me to enjoy it.

Series Review: Upotte! (6/10)

Instant Summary: Guns are girls.

I need to give Upotte a bit more credit than it probably deserves. Upotte is one of those titles that appears to be silly to get into; after all, this is a classic example of Japan making anthropomorphic versions (moe-versions) of everything you can ever think of; from noodles to cockroaches. This time it's guns, and they're taking it a lot more literally then usual. Their bodies are pretty much still hardware; a broken part would induce stomachache or nausea for the character, spoiled food can cause weapon malfunction, and even choice of underwear is related to the weapon they represent. If you think it's silly, I agree with you. For most part.

Even if not for the concept itself, there's still plenty of reasons to hate this anime; for one, the animation is really bad, and it goes right down into horrible towards the end. The stills are pretty to look at, especially the incredibly cute Funko, but they used a lot of stills; so much that it's depressing to imagine how much budget they're desperately trying to save. The voice work is shoddy too. As an ex-military man, I have more reasons to complain about; the girls are handling weapon way too big for them to use; despite being "professionals", they can't shoot for shit; their posture and firing technique are all wrong; their strategies and combat techniques are below elementary. It should be pretty interesting if you know nothing about guns, but prepare for cringe-worthy moments if you know your rifles.

So, what are the positive aspects of Upotte? Well, for an anime industry that is saturated with generic anime girls that's been recycled for decades, Upotte lets me catch a refreshing breather. And that I gotta owe it to the concept of the shows itself; they writer tries so hard to incorporate the traits of the weapon into the girls that it generated original characters with unique personalities... to a good extent. The near perfect Sig. The arrogant and popular M16. The clumsy and dysfunctional L85A1. Split personality Steyr Aug. Etc etc. They didn't all have very consistent or complete personalities, but it certainly makes them special. That is why I enjoyed Upotte.

That, and because Funko's the cutest character in the whole darn season.

Plot/Concept: Good
Story Style: Mediocre
Audio/Visual: Mediocre
Value: 6