STACK #132 Oct 2016

EXTRAS

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ANIME ROUND-UP

Must Watch

Slice of Life

One of my favourite styles of anime is the ‘slice of life’ genre, particularly when it gets crazy enough that the term ‘slice of life’ loses all meaning. Here are a couple of stand out titles which are nothing short of fantastic. Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is honestly one of the craziest series out there. While nichijou ( ) translates to ‘everyday’ there is nothing normal about this series which sees action movie stylings used to highlight the true value of one's favourite lunch box inclusion, while the school Principal wrestles a deer. An actual. Deer. K-On! isn’t quite as wacky as Nichijou , but those lovable members of Houkago Tea Time are pretty quirky in their own right and their on-screen, and on-stage, chemistry is undeniable. The animation (by Kyoto Animation, the same studio as Nichijou) and music in this series are an obvious standout but what really ties it all together is the relationship between the girls. Azumanga Daioh , another series filled with lovable weirdos, breaks the mould when it comes to onscreen antics with an injection of absurdity into what should be a rather straight laced scene. The characters themselves may all be oddballs, but the setting itself is a regular old Japanese school.

When Marnie Was There

A ny month with a Studio Ghibli release is a good month in my book and this month sees the release of the delightful When Marnie Was There on both DVD and beautiful Blu Ray. While it might lack in literal magic, this wonderfully earnest film tackles self-doubt and emotional healing head-on, carrying with it the weight of potentially being Ghibli’s final feature film. I’m not crying, I just have something in my eye... Hozuki, the namesake of the Hozuki’s Coolheadedness Series Collection , is more or less the 2IC to Enma, the lord of Hell. Considering his position as the anti-Saint Peter, Hozuki is not so much a vicious arch-demon, but more so a bureaucrat who is just trying to get his job done. Like any bureaucrat, he’s bound by systems and policies which hamper his ability to perform his duties, so why not just bend the rules? It is hell, after all. In a twist of the usually Freaky Friday scenario, The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat Series Collection tells the story of Koto and Tsukiko, both of whom track down a mysterious statue which is said to remove an individual’s undesirable personality trait. The only problem is that there seems to be an almost alchemical part to the story wherein the statue demands equivalent exchange. This series, Blast of Tempest Complete Collection , is almost impossible to describe purely because of how ambitious it is. Thematically Shakespearean elements are

Blast of Tempest Complete Collection

lifted and used in both period plot pieces and disembodied moments in time and space. As with Shakespeare, you can expect tragedy to envelop this story with characters who are well fleshed out as well as wonderful animation by BONES. In a complete change of pace, Haikyuu!! Part 2 hits the shelves and kicks off just after the fledgling team's first real practice game against Nekoma High School. Full of vim and vigour, the boys are ready to take on the world, or at least other high school kids in the inter- school tournament. This continues to be one of the best sports anime around! Collecting episodes 176-187, Fairy Tail

Collection 16 takes things to another level. Just when you thought that the Grand Magic Games couldn’t get any more epic, a threat of even greater concern faces the Fairy Tail guild. Keep your eyes

peeled for what just may be the most awesome 1 on 1 battle of the series thus far; Erza vs Kagure.

Nichijou - My Ordinary Life

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OCTOBER 2015

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