Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun (Seasons 1 & 2)

How can something be so beautiful and so sad at the same time?

These two series follow on from each other fairly well, and even the episode number (in the anime, not as listed) follows on in ascending order. It's as though the series was supposed to be one long one, but they decided to put it in two halves (I have not read up on this, nor know the actual reason behind this decision).

Shino.

The story follows Shino, an apparent pre-pubescent boy, and his childhood friends, Sousuke and Hamaji. They were orphaned due to a terrible incident in their village five years prior, and stuck together as family, the only survivors. With strange ties to the church, a lack of memories of the past and demonic powers, this story covers it all. Some things are not even revealed until the very end, so it has plenty of questions to keep you watching.

Hamaji.

I found it really intriguing, there are hints to keep you guessing but it is also pleasant to watch by just going with the flow and not thinking too much. I would also call this a casual anime, you get obsessed with watching it, but you don't feel the need to watch every episode in succession (it came out a year or two ago, so I watched it when I had the time, instead of making time for it).

Sousuke fighting himself/ other half.

If you liked Spirited Away, Fruits Basket, or any other anime with spirits, demons and all things legendary, then check this out. You won't regret it, that is my personal guarantee.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

Trinity Seven

Probably the worst anime I watched this season, not for the storyline, but purely for the ending. Like, I just went to check on extra episodes and remembered that it is finished. I only watched the last episode a couple of hours ago. It needs and better ending, I feel like there are too many questions left. Like, [SPOILER] was that really his cousin or is she made up and his memories manipulated? Either way, it wasn't explained properly, maybe it was the subs, but it was probably the story.

"Everyday is a normal day in the small town where Kasuga Arata lives; however, everything changed on the day of the Black Sun, and following it, a magician appears before him. The Black Sun caused the Breakdown Phenomenon which destroyed the town where he lives. Because of this, his normal life was artificially reconstructed by a Grimoire that his childhood friend had left. Just what is the purpose of the magician coming to the town? What will he do with the Grimoire's keepsake?" (animeultima.tv)

Everything was coincidental, as expected, and Arata is the typical pervy schoolboy. Suddenly he gets landed in a school of female mages and his life changes forever. Not only is he clueless about his new life, but he is also extremely powerful.

Don't get me wrong, the series was great, panty shots actually fit the story and I liked it. But the ending ruined it. Go check it out and see how much you like it.

Unconditional love,

Cazzie x

Grisaia no Kajitsu (Fruit of Grisaia)

NO, THIS CAN'T BE OVER!!!!

This is a series that I loved so much this season, and I am truly sad to see it go. Apparently there is a second season, so I will be eagerly awaiting this. It was a Visual Novel first, so I need to read that now, and if anyone knows where I can find it, please let me know.

"Mihama Academy—on the surface, a closed learning environment established to nurture students who find themselves at odds with the world around them; in actuality, an orchard-cum-prison built to preserve fruit that has fallen too far from its tree. Whatever the circumstances behind its establishment, Mihama Academy is at present home to five female students, all with their own reasons for "enrollment." For better or worse, each girl has established a routine obliging of her current situation; life moves at an idle, yet accommodating pace within the walls of Mihama. Yet with the arrival of the institute's first male student, the nearly preposterously opaque Kazami Yuuji, the students at Mihama begin to fall out of step with their predetermined rhythms. Will Yuuji prove to be the element the girls around him needed to take hold of their lives once more, or will the weight of their pasts prove too steep a wall to overcome? And in the first place, just who is Kazami Yuuji? While the true nature of the "job" he is wont to alight to at the most haphazard of moments remains shrouded in secrecy, one thing is for certain—his encroachment upon the quiet orchard known as Mihama Academy will prove itself momentous in one way or another. And of course, one cannot discount the possibility that perhaps Yuuji himself carries the weightiest past of any of the students..." (From animeultima.tv)

Even after watching this, I am not too sure of what is was truly about, but it was entertaining. I love how less than halfway through the series, we begin to find out why the girls are at this school, or in better words, what is wrong with their past. The last 'story' is the longest, spanning 3 or 4 episodes but it is very in depth and quite emotional. It's not a  mystery that you can simply predict, but little hints here and there are provided (not enough to piece anything together) but the full story is explained. Yuuji's story is interwoven and explained piece by piece throughout the series. 

The title is subtle yet truthful to the series, where the girls have fallen too far from the tree in which they were grown, they are not doing or being what is expected of them. 

I really do recommend this series, if you do not watch anything else from this season, this is the one. I don't want to spoil any of the series, so I shall stop here.

Unconditional love,

Cazzie x 

Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji (Wolf Girl and Black Prince)

I haven't posted over Christmas as I went to see family for the week, which means I caught up on my anime today and I am writing the posts now (they will be uploaded over a couple of days).

Firstly, this is the most beautiful ending to a series I have seen in a while, no loose ends, no real questions (that bothered me) and it all wrapped itself up nicely. Being a comedy and reading the synopsis before starting the series, I was skeptical.

"The story centers around Erika Shinohara, a vain 16-year-old girl who tells her friends about her romantic exploits, but she actually has no boyfriend. She claims that a handsome boy in a candid photo is her boyfriend, but it turns out that boy is a schoolmate named Kyouya Sata. She has no choice but to make him her fake boyfriend. Unfortunately, Sata may look like a sweet person, but he is actually an ultra-black-hearted sadist. Sata takes advantage of Erika's weakness and treats her like his dog." (From animeultima.tv)

It reminded me of the film Easy A with Emma Stone, except Erica wanted everyone to know about her fake boyfriend. She is really relatable, in some aspects, but is a typical girl. She wants to impress some new friends, and her lie just gets bigger and bigger, but I found that even though she is the main character, the story actually focuses more on Sata. He is the heartthrob of the school, and every girl wants him, but he is not interested in anyone. 

If you want to watch a light hearted comedy, with plenty of character development, this is for you. Also watch if you like Baka no Test, shame there's no cross-dressing though.

Happy Watching.

Unconditional love,

Cazzie

Introducing: Project Happy UK

As a follow up from my previous post, I want to share with you the first video we produced as part of Project Happy.

We currently have a blog set up, with tips on getting through uni, and dealing with stress, among many future topics we will cover in relation to mental wellbeing. You can find it at www.projecthappyuk.wordpress.com  where Sarah and Katharine post weekly on Sundays. (I used real names for once).
We also have a twitter and instagram set up, both with the usernames @projecthappyuk.
Please follow and support us, if you have any suggestions, we will be sure to look into them and see what we can do. You can email us at: projecthappyuk@gmail.com

Thank you as always.
Unconditional love,
Cazzie x

Retrospect

A year ago today was the most stressful and happiest day of my life. It was the day I honestly contemplated suicide because of the situation in university halls. I couldn't take it anymore.

It was also the day the people in the office finally let me move out. The tension literally lifted from my shoulders and it was the best feeling in the world.

Now, I'm working on Project Happy with some friends, to bring a bit of that happiness that I felt, to the lives of others, if only momentarily.

A lot can happen in a year, and without the help and support from my friends and family, who knows what my life would be like right now, if it even exists. So I want to say a massive thank you to these people in particular, and send a message to you all. If someone is feeling down, do what you can to help them, you don't know if the situation is minor or major, and you really can make a difference. So please, spread the love.

Unconditional love,
Cazzie x