The Summer of Love IV with Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card

The Summer of Love IV continues! We have reached the final piece of media! The final chapter in this long journey of a girl and her magical cards. It’s been a ride full of ups and downs, but will this last entry be able to bring the show across the finish line? Or will it be the opposite? The truth is, as always, a bit of both. So after the cut let’s finally take a dive into the last entry of Cardcaptor Sakura: the second film: The Sealed Card!

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The Summer of Love IV with Cardcaptor Sakura Episodes 56-70: Sakura and her Number One Person

The Summer of Love IV continues! The series is finished! After 70 episodes we have come to the grand conclusion. Does it hold up? Does the ending of the series successfully pull CCS to the finish line? Or has it collapsed under its own weight? Well after the cut let’s take a dive into the final batch of episodes and find out!

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The Summer of Love IV with Cardcaptor Sakura: Episodes 47-55: Sakura and the Sakura Cards!

The Summer of Love IV continues! We have watched the first anime film and now it is time to return to the main series! With the Clow cards captured and Sakura now their new master, what is left to discuss? Are the peaceful days going to continue, or are there more problems ahead of us? Well after the cut let’s take a dive into the next batch of episodes and find out!

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Fruits Basket 2nd Season: Second Cour: Step Forward, Step Backward

I’ll be honest here guys. My thoughts on the second cour of Fruits Basket is pretty much the exact same as the first. Everything I said in that last post hasn’t changed, like at all. So instead of just repeating myself, I highly suggest you check out what I said there, because it really does crystallize how I feel about the series right now.

That being said, there are some things I do wanna talk about, so after the image I’ll toss up my thoughts in point form. Please enjoy.

Fruits Basket Season 2 second cour visual : anime
Good and Bad, like everything in life.

 

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Fruits Basket 2nd Season: First Cour: Torn in Two

I have never been overtly critical in my shallow dives. While I will always call it like I see it with the shows I watch, I have always avoided being overly critical. I do think being critical is important, but too often it can overwhelm a series. Nitpicking plot points, reaching out on strange concepts, it is something I have no interest in. Shallow Dives will be critical of anime when it has to be, like in the cases of Mirai Nikki or Rascal does not Dream of a Dreaming Girl, but I won’t go out and dump on a series for reasons that it doesn’t deserve, like with Sword Art Online.

I say all this, because the series we are discussing today has challenged that mindset in some regards, a true balancing act. After cut let’s talk about the first half of the second season of Fruits Basket.

Fruits Basket Season 2 announces release date and reveals key ...
Divided Sadness

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On my Radar for Spring 2020: With Deepest Respect to No Game No Life

Winter 2020 has been a very meh affair. While it has been good for me to watch some shows that have been on the list, that won’t be the case with Spring 2020. The season is looking to be absolutely stacked (though a little less with ReZero being delayed), with so many series getting their second seasons. Expect this list to change, but let’s not waste anytime, join me after the cut as I tell you whats on my radar for Spring 2020!

Image result for anime spring picture
Cherry Blossoms in a Pandemic

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Fruits Basket 2019 Second Cour: Expectation Adjustment

I’ve always believed it is good to always keep your expectations fluid, and be ready to adjust them when something ends up being different. I was almost about to drop Kaguya Sama: Love is War, but when I decided to re-adjust my expectations of the show, I did a complete 180 degree shift on it. Now it’s my front runner for anime of the year.

Now some time later, I find myself in the exact same situation with another anime. I came in with a set of expectations and after re-adjusting them, I’ve found a new love for the show that, at first, I didn’t have. After the cut let’s take a dive into the second half of the 2019 remake of Fruits Basket.

Fruits Basket (2019)
As good as it gets.

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Best and Worst of Anime 2019: At the Half

The Summer season of anime is just about to get started which means we’ve now reached the halfway point for Anime 2019. So far the year has been a bit more subdued than the banner year that was 2018, but there have still been some hits. Join me after the cut as I give you my preliminary bests and worsts of everything anime has offered this year. This list is absolutely subject to change as we still got two seasons left to go!

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Rem loves my opinions.

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Quick Thoughts on: Fruits Basket 2019 First Cour, Cliffnotes Version: Setting up the Sadness Table

I had a whole fucking FULL post ready to be published, then it randomly got deleted. I fucking HATE it when this happens. But I can’t be bothered to re-write the whole damn thing again, so you’re getting the cliff-notes version. Gah that pisses me off, anyway here are my thoughts on the first cour of Fruits Basket 2019.

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Fruits Basket: Sisterhood

  • I can see why people love this show. Twelve episodes in, and I am already fully committed to watching this until the end. It’s an exceptionally well done piece of anime so far.
  • Tohru is a good character, but feels a little basic and hollow right now. Is that the point? I know the broad strokes of the plot, but I am hoping we get a bit more meat to her character in the next cour.
  • Kyo and Yuki feel like almost stereotypical shoujo character, but since this is considered a landmark title, I suppose that’s the point?
  • The first cour feels very much like set up, establishing the core characters, their personality traits and place in the Zodiac chain/Soma hierarchy.  Again this is going to be a 60+ episode series, so we can forgive that for now.
  • Tohru’s friends are the best, with Hana walking away with series MVP so far.
  • Hatori is my favorite Soma, giving us a great little peak into that Fruits Basket angst the series is known for.
  • Akito, the series villain show up in the twelfth episode and does a remarkable job showing us the danger and fear that the other Soma’s have towards the family head. I had chills just watching it.
  • Shigure’s hinting at darker motives for having Tohru stick around the household is also a great sense of foreshadowing.
  • The comedy so far has been really well done, Hana again is a great fucking character. I’ll buy any statue that make of her in that cute black dress and hat, just GIVE IT TO ME.
  • So far, the series has not gone full “Sadness: The Anime,” yet, but I know it’s coming and I am READY for it. Bring it on.