Category Archives: anime

Bara Bara Obari: Bang Brave Bang Bravern

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Bang Brave Bang Bravern is like an anime that has traveled through time to reach us in 2024, but it’s not clear whether it came from the past or the future.

The show’s creator, Obari Masami, is near-synonymous with mecha. He’s been involved since the 1980s with works like Dancouga and Gravion, he’s the reason the Brave Pose exists, and they even bring him in to animate giant robot parodies in other genres. So when he announced a new series in the form of Bravern, I wondered what form it would take, especially with him as director and mecha designer. 

The answer is: one filled with shocking twists that are as baffling as they are exciting. This is very much intentional, as the initial promo material and even most of the first episode has you believing that Bang Bravern is on the grittier side, with mecha as weapons of war. The first meeting between its central characters, Japanese soldier Ao Isami and American soldier Lewis Smith, seemingly portends a story about true camaraderie on the battlefield.

Then everything goes into Obari Overdrive. A shiny red robot shows up, literally shouting all his special attacks with a sincere level of camp. This namesake, Bravern, is a heroic sort who draws a lot from the Brave franchise, especially the bonding of kid and robot that is a hallmark of those anime. Only, Isami is a grown man instead of a wide-eyed grade schooler and reacts with a mix of awe and horror. The arrival of Bravern then kicks off a culture clash between the serious original setting and its brightly colored new reality that leaves everyone perplexed and hesitantly hopeful in the face of imminent doom.

During all this, we’re treated to the opening and then ending themes. The former is a blood-pumping super robot song that draws from the genre’s collective past, with shades of Godannar, Gaogaigar, Daiohja, and even Space Battleship Yamato. The latter features Isami and Smith in the rain, slowly undressing themselves as they sing dramatically like they’re starring in a musical. Together, these two songs encapsulate much of what Bravern is about.

And that’s only the first two episodes! 

At least one shocking revelation or pivotal moment hits every episode, in a manner reminiscent of both Gurren-Lagann and Samurai Flamenco. The stakes keep escalating in wonderfully outlandish ways so frequently that Brang Bravern feels like 52 episodes got condensed into 12. The result is a show that leaves little breathing room for major moments, but also appears to act as an acknowledgement that giant robot anime comes from a time when year-long shows were the norm—and that such an era has long since passed.

With its muscular and passionate men in a setting that’s normally about masculine bravado, Bang Bravern might give the impression that it’s queerbaiting. In reality, it’s not really a bait: The show is very gay. At the same time, it feels very different from a lot of other works in that territory. For one thing, the attractive guys are also surrounded by attractive girls and attractive mecha, making it a smorgasbord of hotness all around. And amidst all this cheesecake and beefcake, the story told by Bang Bravern cuts to the heart of living up to childhood ideals.

This isn’t really plot spoilers, but the final episode plays the opening but with added sound effects like explosions and clanking sounds. This is a reference to the fact that many giant robot anime of yesteryear would at some point change their openings to include similar SFX. I think that says a lot about the spirit of Bang Brave Bang Bravern.

Time Well Spent: “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End”

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Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a major hit, and deservedly so. In an age where fantasy anime and manga often lean heavily on gaming and RPG tropes to a fault, here instead is a much more conventional setting that also isn’t prone to the typical older swords-and-sorcery clichés. It’s a marriage of old and new while quietly forging a path all its own.

Unlike many titles in the genre, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End takes place after defeating the big threat to the world. Its heroine is the quiet elf mage Frieren, who helped vanquish the Demon King as a member of the party of heroes. Due to the nature of her species, Frieren is extremely long-lived: To many, their 15-year quest would be a milestone, but to her, it’s just a drop in the bucket. However, at the funeral of an old party member, the kindhearted (albeit somewhat vain) hero named Himmel, Frieren realizes just how life-changing that “brief excursion” really was. In response, she embarks on a new adventure that has her retracing the steps the Party of Heroes took, gaining a new appreciation for both the past and the present, and the people who walked into her life. 

Essentially, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is like an epilogue extended into an entire series of its own.

The original manga is currently serialized in the magazine Weekly Shounen Sunday. This ostensibly places it in the same demographic as works like Detective Conan and Inuyasha, but it also doesn’t carry the same essence as your average shounen or their typical power fantasies. Sure, Frieren can be seen kicking ass and schooling the ignorant, but what makes her an incredible heroine is not the ability to sling deadly magic or her many years of honing magic. Rather, it’s the way Frieren has very different priorities when it comes to magic. 

Her real motivation is collecting fake grimoires and spells of all kinds—especially ones that are often considered mundane or even useless by others. Frieren is like a master chef from the world’s most highly rated restaurant whose eyes light up every time she gets to try the latest fast food gimmick item or cheap street stall. To her, the beauty of magic is most deeply reflected in the small and humble spells, and Frieren’s experience makes her marvel at both the familiar and the unfamiliar. There’s only one very specific exception, and it’s where Frieren is most able to show her true power in combat.

I relate to Frieren and her ideals a lot. In the pursuit of my hobbies and interests, I try to view them through a lens of discovery where silly little things are valuable in their own right.

Frieren has neither rose-tinted nostalgia for the past, nor a conviction that the forward march of progress is inevitable. Some things used to be better, some were worse, and contemporary cultures are a product of centuries of change and development but also the fading of memories. Even magic is affected by cycles and trends, which is something Frieren tries to convey to her student, Fern, and also anyone willing to listen.

The combination of the epilogue-like nature of the series, its heroine’s personality, and her tendency to take a very long view on things makes Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End feel more like equal parts fantasy adventure and travelog in the vein of Kino’s Journey. Episodes can take place over the course of a day or even six months, and travel companions will sometimes literally mature. The series also often flashes back to moments with Frieren’s original party to provide context or an interesting parallel to her current journey. And much like Kino, when things go down and action is necessary, characters don’t disappoint. 

While Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is not entirely devoid of console and PC RPG tropes (the hero and demon lord archetypes are chief among them), I want to reiterate just how much the series is not an isekai, a reincarnation story, or based heavily in the aesthetic trappings of RPGs where badassery is the main appeal. Sure, it can scratch a similar itch because Frieren is often secretly the strongest person in the room, but the series doesn’t rely on those tropes as lazy shorthand in lieu of actually being accessible. 

In other words, this is potentially a perfect gateway anime that also holds up for longtime fans of anime and manga. With Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, you have a reminder that sometimes a work is popular not because it appeals to some lowest common denominator, but because it’s just solid storytelling with compelling characters, an interesting world, and a narrative that encourages thoughtfulness. It’s definitely going on my list of all-time greats, with Frieren herself being one of the best to ever do it. 

And by “do it,” I mean appreciate life and all its wrinkles.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights March 2024

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Not a particularly momentous month for Kio Shimoku tweets, but still a decent variety.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1763087352812220736

Spotted Flower Chapter 45 is out in the physical edition of Rakuen (digital is end of March). Kio also shows off all the issues of Rakuen he’s collected.

Kio retweeted a previous tweet of his showing an old model kit of the L-Gaim MK-II that he tried to rework and improve. It’s not quite to his liking yet.

Joking that his heart is always in the Joker Star Cluster, the setting of The Five Star Stories.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1763586855147282936

Kio drew a short comic about building a model kit for the Ba Ga Hari BS Cobra from The Five Star Stories.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1765009599491670211

The adult video version of Kio’s 18+ doujinshi was on sale (ended 3/11). The tweet includes one old drawing, and I believe one that’s entirely new (on the right).

Kio reacts to the death of Toriyama Akira. “Ever since I discovered Dr. Slump in my boyhood days, I was happy to have the art of Toriyama Akira with me through life. May your soul find happiness.”

Kio finally finished reading through the 7th The Five Star Stories Designs book. He especially likes the character 剣聖ヴェイデリ・コーダンテ (Sword Saint Veidery Codante? I can’t find an official English spelling).

Responding to the death of Tarako, the voice of the main character of Chibi Maruko-chan (also the second voice of Monokuma in Danganronpa). “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on…”

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1767071898159153233

Kio tries out a Five Star Stories Shindanmaker, and the site decides that he would be part of the Magic Kingdom Buchtgma, his Motorhead would be Batsch the Black Knight, and he would be compatible with the Fatima Harper.

Kio has apparently been shadowbanned on Twitter for the past year. When someone replies that he should consider bluesky, he’s hesitant because of how long it took him to get on Twitter.  

In response to the latest chapter of the mecha manga Kayuuma, Kio calls it “awful” but in a complimentary way.

https://twitter.com/inugami_ryou/status/1768951742170087903

The actual members of How Do You Like Wednesday? actually appeared in the anime Snack Basue. 

Kio comments that between Snack Basue, Frieren, and Delicious in Dungeon, is personally loving the heck out of all this food-centric anime.

Kio reacts to the death of Inomata Mutsumi, character designer on the Tales RPG series. “Inomata Mutsumu-sensei…I feel so sad…May your soul find peace in the afterlife.”

Exhausted from backing up an old hard drive.

Kio is going to take time poring over the illustrations book he got from the Nagano Mamoru exhibit.

Reacting to the manga artist Kusada drawing the Jamru-Fin from Gundam ZZ, Kio joins in on talking about how awesome the design is. Kio remembers seeing it in a plastic modeling magazine back then.

Kio is surprised to discover there are Gundam model kits that are Real Grade Ver.2. He remembers having trouble with the fine details of the Version 1 Real Grades due to his aging eyes, but now he has Hazuki Loupe magnifying glasses, so it should be okay

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1773178086017626143.

The guy is having fun in Miquella’s Haligtree in Elden Ring, even though it’s so difficult (I think).

Dare to Defy the Past: Soaring Sky! Precure

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20 years of Precure is an astounding milestone, so it‘s only appropriate for this magical girl franchise to celebrate hard. To wit, we’ve seen a sequel where characters are all grown up, gallery exhibitions, a concert, and of course, the latest main entry: Soaring Sky! Precure.

Known in Japan as Hirogaru Sky! Precure—hirogaru meaning “expand or spread,” and also being a pun on “hero girl”—the series stars Sora Harewataru, an aspiring hero and a resident of a magical world called Skyland. When the king and queen’s baby, Ellee, is kidnapped by an agent of the Undergu Empire, Sora uses her superhuman athleticism to chase down the culprit, but a mishap causes them to all end up in the human world. Sora needs the power to protect Ellee, and she soon discovers it: Ellee has the latent ability to help create fighting magical girls called Precure.

In many ways, this isn’t unusual for Precure, but there is one immediate difference that is crucial: Sora Harewataru is blue.

To those unfamiliar with Precure as a whole, that might not seem like a big deal. However, throughout its long history, pink has been the dominant motif of all but one protagonist: the original from 2004, Cure Black, and even she has pink highlights. Chalk it up to marketing or heteronormativity or whatever, but that’s the standard Sora Harewataru, aka Cure Sky, defies just through character color alone. 

Along with her athletic tomboy personality and her desire to become a hero who fights to protect others, Sora feels like both a return to the roots of Precure but also a pivot into uncharted territory. Her presence is a signal that Soaring Sky! breaks all the rules of what Precure is supposed to be like, and as more Precures join the team, other “expected standards” start to fall like dominos. Why does the pink-haired girl have to be the lead? Why can’t a boy become a Precure? Why can’t an adult? This habit of asking itself and the audience “Why?” becomes a central thread of the series.

Soaring Sky! is conceptually one of the strongest series in the franchise, and it largely succeeds in its execution. The characters all feel very distinct and memorable, and not just because they depart from established norms. Whether it’s the gorgeous and personality-filled transformation sequences or the interactions, they feel realized as unique individuals. One of my favorite early moments comes from when Sora is attending school in Japan for the first time and shouts with gusto, “YES! I AM VERY SHY!” despite being a very straightforward person who also happened to break every school athletic record (and can shatter boulders with her fists untransformed).

The villains also end up having a lot more depth to them than many past entries, with some of the most interesting arcs for them across Precure. Even the final boss is given more development than usual. And one of the potential biggest drawbacks, the constant presence of a baby, turns out to be one of the show’s strengths.

That said, it can sometimes feel like certain characters just aren’t getting enough attention. The way the show portrays the aforementioned adult-age Precure, Cure Butterfly, often comes across like the creators weren’t entirely sure how they wanted to convey her relative maturity to a young audience. In her better moments, she’s shown providing a perspective her younger teammates lack, but she often seems kind of distant. Compared to The Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom, Butterfly ends up feeling a little flat, though I wonder if that’s the difference between trying to write sa mature character for children vs. writing one for adults.

The highs of Soarin’ Sky Precure are (appropriately) very high, but the show can get a little overly meandering, and it doesn’t live up to its potential in every instance. However, the show is trying to do a lot, and it still works by refusing to confine the possibilities of what Precure can be. As the series moves from start to finish, the series asks why “the way things are” can’t change for the better, and why can’t we be the ones to accept the possibility of a brighter future.

I Found Out FUWAMOCO’s Favorite Genshiken Character

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When the Virtual Youtuber group “hololive English Advent” debuted last summer, something in particular caught my eye: The twin demon guard dogs known as FUWAMOCO listed Genshiken as one of their favorite anime. As a fan of the series (in case you haven’t noticed), it was exciting to know there were a couple of VTubers with a fondness for Genshiken. But it left me wondering, who is their favorite character?

Last month, Fuwawa and Mococo did one of their popular karaoke streams—one that later turned out to be a special stream to announce their move to Japan. As if to call back to some possible younger days as otaku,, lot of the song selections were from the 2000s, including “Soul Taker” and “DANZEN! Futari wa Pretty Cure.” Then, they said the magic words: “Kujibiki Unbalance.” 

While regular readers of Ogiue Maniax probably already know this, Kujibiki Unbalance is the name of the fictional series-within-a-series in Genshiken, as well as the title of its opening by Under17. As FUWAMOCO began to sing the theme song, I sent a superchat asking about their favorite character, knowing there was always a possibility that they wouldn’t notice. To my pleasant surprise, they responded.


The answer: Madarame. As arguably the most iconic character of Genshiken, he deserves it.

The only caveat is that only Mococo answered, so I don’t know if it’s Madarame for both of them or just her. If I ever get the full answer, I’ll be sure to make an update.

A Bird Among Dragons: Remembering Toriyama Akira

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On a recent trip to Japan, I walked past a shrine. Next to that shrine were statues of Dragon Quest monsters. Seeing them reminded me of the sheer impact of those games and the artist whose memorable designs helped to entrench the series in Japan’s popular imagination.

We now live in an age where Toriyama Akira is no longer with us. As the creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump, as well as the iconic artist of Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, his influence is nigh-unmatched. There are maybe two or three other series that are as pivotal to shounen manga as Dragon Ball, and Toriyama even casts an enormous shadow on the isekai and fantasy genres: The Dragon Quest series is what established the “Hero” (Yuusha),  the “Demon Lord” (Maou), and the “weak Slime” as archetypes in Japan’s popular imagination, and it’s Toriyama’s designs that inform the aesthetic of all successors.

In light of Toriyama’s tragic death at only 68 years old, I’d like to just talk about how my life has been touched by his work. My story is nothing special compared to the millions of voices mourning Toriyama, but I wanted to at least personally add to the well wishes pouring out.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball Z was the very first anime that I knew to be “anime.” While I had loved things like Voltron, they were still just “cartoons” to me. But when a relative started bringing home tapes of DBZ, it was a sight unlike any other. I remember just being amazed at the rapidfire punches, the zooming around, the ki blasts—I’d never realized animation could be this way! I cheered for Piccolo, watched characters (gasp) die, saw Son Goku turn Super Saiyan, and witnessed his son step up and defeat Cell. I wondered if anything could ever top this story. I wanted to be Gohan.

It was also a time when I got to play the first two fighting games for the Super Famicom, and when I’d re-read over and over a small guide to the first game that showcased all the playable characters. “What does Jinzoningen (“Android”) mean?” I recall wondering.

So when I first found out that DBZ was coming to US airwaves (for real, and not just finding a random channel that sometimes had Korean episodes of the original Dragon Ball), I was elated at the prospect of Dragon Ball Z getting big. Imagine: more American DBZ fans! While the English adaptations have had their differences with the original (as well as the non-English dub I first watched), Goku ultimately succeeded in reaching into the hearts of countless viewers. (I still wish those early US viewers got the chance to hear “Chala Head Chala,” though.)

Ironically, I was one of those people who’d go on to poo-poo the Dragon Ball franchise. As I got more into anime and manga, I viewed the series as a thing you’re into when you’re just a “beginner,” or obsessed with just macho violence and watching muscle-bound dudes power up endlessly, and I felt good that I knew there was more out there. It took a number of years to get through that embarrassing phase, but I’d eventually come back around to appreciate Dragon Ball for its outsize influence on culture, as well as for just being a work of art in itself. More recently, it’s been great seeing Dragon Ball Super be a thing, and for Toriyama to have worked to bring back the essence of Goku—as well as the balance of action and humor that Dragon Ball and Toriyama himself had been known for.

Dragon Quest

Dragon Ball Z was actually not my first encounter with Toriyama, and not even the first anime from Toriyama that I had seen. I was one of the kids who watched Dragon Warrior (aka the English dub of the anime Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel) as it aired. I remember having to wake up very early—around 5:30 or 6am on weekends. I don’t think about it very often, but in hindsight, the show was likely very formative for me, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Daisy (the girl in blue armor) ended up influencing my taste in characters.

My family also subscribed to Nintendo Power, and we received a free copy of Dragon Warrior (aka the first Dragon Quest) as a result. Today, RPGs are a popular and beloved genre of video game, but back then, they were entirely new territory to most kids, and pretty unapproachable. However, the same relative who brought home DBZ tapes had decided that they were going to beat Dragon Warrior, and spent hours getting through the game as a young me would watch along. In the final battle, the evil Dragonlord reveals his true form as a giant bipedal dragon, and I remember just being in awe.

This was at a time when the Super NES had already come out, and I thought the Dragonlord looked almost on par with the graphics I saw there. The fact that his foot covered part of the dialogue box, and the way the screen froze instead of shaking every time he landed a blow made it feel like this was the ultimate adversary. It wasn’t until at least a decade later that I got to see Toriyama’s drawing of the Dragonlord that I realized just how closely the sprite graphic matched his original art, and I appreciated that memory all the more.

If Dragon Warrior was the game that pushed the boundaries of what an NES game could look like, then Chrono Trigger was a revelation. The 16-bit graphics and the greater color palette of the Super NES really brought Toriyama’s designs to life, and the game conveyed an intensity to RPG battles unlike any I’d seen up to that point. The only thing they paled in comparison to was Toriyama’s actual drawings of Chrono, Frog, Magus, and the others. While Chrono very obviously looked like a redheaded Goku, he was still unbelievably cool. And just as the Dragonlord was a mindblowing antagonist, so too was Lavos. The eeriness of music and visuals in the climactic confrontation with him is hard to match even to this day. 

Years down the line, Dragon Warrior finally became known as Dragon Quest just like in Japan, and I was one of the folks who bought Dragon Quest VIII. It wound up being one of my favorite RPGs ever. In addition to its classic feel  (Dragon Quest is famous for not trying to reinvent the wheel), the game really felt like stepping into the world of Toriyama’s art. It was a triumph of the PlayStation 2, but also a treat for those who always wanted to see an interactive environment that embodied his imagination and aesthetic.

A Farewell

Toriyama Akira’s life was a spark that inspired creators to bring their ideas to life, bridged culture gaps through the sheer power of his work, and even pushed people to exercise and train so that they could be like Goku. His name is synonymous with anime, manga, video games, and even indirectly light novels. And while I can’t call myself the most diehard Toriyama fan, he clearly took my life on a course that would embrace the wonders of Japanese popular culture—a path I still pursue to this day. Rest well, King. To say you deserve all your praise and accolades is the understatement of a lifetime.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights February 2024

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​​Spotted Flower voice comic! Genshiken LINE stickers released! And more from February!

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1752718198527681003

Spotted Flower has a voiced manga version now! …Unfortunately, I can’t seem to register for the site no matter how many times I try. If anyone has better luck, let me know!

The cast:

Husband: Hama Kento

Wife: Suegara Rie

Wife’s Friend: Takatsu Haruna

His eromanga is at a stage where the sexy scenes are more of a proper manuscript, while the rest of the book is still in roughs.

Kio submitted the Genshiken LINE stickers for approval.

This isn’t really a Kio post, but Kio retweeted Aoki Ume talking about her illustration for hololive EN member Mococo Abyssgard’s birthday merch.

He had trouble getting approval from the rights holder for his LINE stickers, but he IS the rights holder…


Kio decided to try drawing with a physical pencil again, but it’s a lot more difficult than he remembers. He feels like he’s gotten too used to drawing digitally.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1756606991647268928

Kio went to the Winter 2024 Wonder Festival!

Last month, Kio drew art for the belly band of the manga Oshibana! Now that title’s author, Shima Tokio, drew art of Not-Kohsaka from Spotted Flower.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1759131163678199899

The Genshiken LINE stickers are officially out! And it’s even available outside Japan!

Kio hasn’t beaten Elden Ring yet, but he still wants to play the new paid DLC.

That DLC was announced while Kio was just wandering through Crumbling Farum Azura.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1761028395717333499

Some of the LINE stickers show facial expressions that weren’t visible in the actual manga.

Kio defeated Maliketh in Elden Ring and is about 83% through the story.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1761683500988825954
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1761755910723273001

He went to a Nagano Mamoru exhibition and enjoyed it. In the end, though, his favorite design is the L-Gaim Mk-II.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1762859019612586145

Kio left a comment on the A-Koe page for the Spotted Flower voice comic, talking about how shocked he was to hear the spicy lines he wrote being brought to life. He wonders how powerful it’d be if it were ever animated.

He clarifies that the Spotted Flower voice comic has a cinematic element to it using the original art.

BaeDay 2024: The Unceasing Force of Hakos Baelz

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February 29 is the birthday of Hakos Baelz, the red-headed rat Virtual Youtuber. Because it falls on a leap year, 2024 is technically her first “official” birthday, and so Bae has turned this past month into an all-out celebration dubbed “Febaerary.” In the spirit of the occasion, I’ve decided to wax poetic about why she’s one of my favorite VTubers and just great in general.

Who is Hakos Baelz?

Hakos Baelz is an English VTuber who debuted in 2021 with the largest VTuber agency, hololive. According to her official backstory, she is the literal embodiment of primordial chaos in the form of a rat girl. On stream, among the things she’s known for are her Australian accent, her outstanding dancing ability, and her strong foreign language skills. Currently, she is a member of the English generation “hololive Promise,” along with four other VTubers.

The Talent of Hard Work

I think the best way to start talking about what makes Bae special is to describe a recent event in her life: She is the first member of hololive English to move to Japan after joining the company. While there are other members who live or have lived in Japan, they were there prior to starting in hololive. But Bae actually made the decision to move away from her caring family and venture out on her own after establishing herself. It’s a hell of a thing for anyone to do, and one that speaks to how serious she is about her VTuber career.

Bae has a ridiculously strong work ethic (to a somewhat concerning degree), and the sheer number of things she can do well often leaves me in awe. She’s an amazing dancer, easily top 3 or higher in all of hololive, with a level of dynamic, yet subtle body control that is literally the best in the company. When I watch her perform, it’s like she moves muscles most others don’t even know exist. 

In response to the prospect of Bae joining Hoshimatic Project—a hololive feature that follows a number of talents as they train for some big group routines—its founder (Hoshimachi Suisei) teased that Bae is “too good” and might be overqualified. Given that a few of the members who participated in Hoshimatic Project are generally considered some of hololive’s strongest dancers, this is high praise.

Bae’s singing, while not the very best in hololive, is still magnetic, and one of her original songs, “Psycho” is among my favorites. And when she brings song and dance together on stage, Bae is just captivating. Her 3D debut onstage at hololive 4th fes was a turning point for her popularity and visibility, as everyone (myself included) got to see her conquer the stage, and things have only increasingly looked up since. Between Bae’s 3D Showcase and numerous other virtual performances, she’s always one of the top highlights of hololive’s concerts.

Bae is also multilingual, being remarkably fluent in Japanese (she’s JLPT N1 and able to converse and banter with Japanese talents), good at Korean through study, and conversational in Cantonese thanks to her family’s background. If that’s not enough, she can even play guitar—and all this at a relatively young age! Multi-talented doesn’t adequately describe Hakos Baelz, and that’s partly because many of those “talents” are clearly born from hard work. 

While Bae doesn’t know any martial arts, I can’t help but think about the actual original meaning of kung fu, which is basically “continuous and sustained effort.” It fits her well.

Developing Her Approach

When it comes to finding the right on-screen persona, it can often take time for a VTuber to figure out what works best for them. In the case of Bae, she started off trying to lean into her lore as the embodiment of chaos by acting as frenetic as possible, but eventually mellowed out into a different and more sustainable approach. The early “character” has receded, and the result is a kind of subdued chaos with peaks and valleys. You never know when her relaxed Aussie accent will transition into a tense ramble or a thrilled squeal, and it makes those moments of excitement that much more special. She also used to hide her Cantonese background, but has more recently been more open about it, and that’s something I appreciate.

Bae is at her most dazzling performing in concerts, but she shines almost as brightly when collaborating with others. This is especially the case when it comes to her fellow Promise members, and doubly so with IRyS, with whom she jokingly goes through a constant cycle of marriage and divorce—a symbol of their close friendship and competitive rivalry. I once described their interactions as combining coffee and soda together, not only because those are Bae and IRyS’s favorite beverages respectively, but because watching and listening to them is akin to just piling on caffeine highs and crashes. 

This is why adding Calliope Mori to the mix to tone them down works so well for their three-person streams, the CHaDcast. Beyond those two, Bae’s banter with Kureiji Ollie (her “mom” due to their similar appearances), Yukoku Roberu (of holostars), and Miori Celesta (her non-hololive VTuber friend) are also memorable and hilarious.

For all her efforts to increase the spotlight on herself, she’ll put in just as much effort to draw attention to her fellow hololive members. After winning 1 million yen through a special hololive raffle, she put all that money towards commissioning the very first all–hololive EN cover song; that includes not only the music itself but also the accompanying artwork. 

Being a Fan

When I watch Bae, I feel a funny combination of admiration, envy, and desire to support. Her accomplishments and her goals make me want to better myself and also see what heights she will reach next. Bae makes her supporters feel like we’re all on a major voyage with her, and as she plants her roots in Japan, I hope we can see her grow and find happiness in her journey. 

Happy “thirteenth” birthday. Looking forward to your 3D Live.

Shinkalion and Japan’s Railway Museum

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On my winter 2023 trip to Japan, I happened to do a good deal involving trains and train accessories. This is Part 1 of my experience, focused on the Railway Museum in Omiya, Saitama.

The Railway Museum

Owned and operated by Japan Railway, the museum features exhibits about the country’s trains, as well as actual decommissioned train cars. Getting to see and even sometimes walk through trains from throughout the history of Japanese rail is a blast that scratches two itches: a fondness for exploring cultural development and a love for large machines. Whether it was going inside the very first bullet train, seeing a train meant exclusively for the emperor, or learning about manually powered carts that utilized laid tracks, I got a lot out of simply being there. 

There was also a restaurant that served authentic train cafeteria foods from the olden days, but unfortunately, I already had lunch plans that prevented me from eating there. I did snag some microwaveable train curry to try at a later date, though (more on that in the future).

One highlight was seeing the kids who loved being there. Whereas some museums typically have adults dragging bored children there, this was not the case at all. These young train fans were captivated by everything they saw, and some even dressed up as conductors. It made me realize that the train otaku of Japan start young—a recurring theme that I saw throughout my trip.

Shinkalion Shorts

Speaking of kids stuff, I was delighted to find out that the Railway Museum has showings of two shorts from Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: The Animation, the mecha anime about transforming bullet trains. Specifically, they’re Shinkalion: The Animation—360° The Movie and Shinkalion: The Animation—360° The Movie: The New Driver. Both cost a little extra—around 700 yen each—with each around five to eight minutes. The seating capacity was quite small (around 20 seats), but I did see some kids and parents watching as well. They also had showings throughout the day, so anyone curious could dip in at their own convenience.

Both shorts take place in the world of the anime, with the second taking place later in the story than the other and including the audience as the titular “new driver.” The main gimmick for these shorts is they’re shot in 3D and (as implied) in 360 degrees. When laser beams go flying, you can look over your shoulders to see it disappear in the distance. They’re fun little things that I’m glad to have experienced.

Coincidentally, the makers of the series actually announced a new anime on Christmas called Shinkalion: Change the World. The characters look a bit more mature than in previous series, and I wonder if they’re aiming for a slightly older audience.

That’s all for now. Look forward to Part 2!

Ganbalance de Desk Job: “Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom”

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With only a few exceptions, Precure has always been resistant to portraying its heroines when they’re older. If they’re middle schoolers, that’s all you’ll ever see them as; if they’re high schoolers, same deal. That’s why one of the 20th anniversary projects, which portrays some of them as adults, came as such a surprise. 

Power of Hope: Precure Full Bloom is a series that brings back the cast of 2007’s Yes! Pretty Cure 5 and 2006’s Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star in their 20s, clearly aimed at the original audience of young girls who have themselves grown up. Known as Kibou no Chikara: Adult Precure ’23 in Japan, the story centers on the eight former Precures as working adults. When mysterious shadow monsters start appearing all across town, they discover that they can age backwards to their old middle school selves and transform once again into combat-ready magical girls.

Thematically, one of the biggest things about Power of Hope is the way it portrays a messier and more complicated world than the actual main series of the franchise. In contrast to the generally rose-colored optimism of their youth, the girls are all running into challenges that can’t be solved by sunny dispositions alone. Even those who have basically achieved their childhood dreams see that joy crashing into reality. What’s worse, they are well aware of how little other adults care about their fellow human beings. Rather than concerning itself with girls who are trying to find themselves and what they want to do in life, the anime is more about confronting the cynicism of the “real world,” both locally in Japanese society and on a global scale. Among the topics brought up are overly conservative and sexist workplace bosses, climate change, fear that you peaked too early and that your life is all downhill now, unethical mining in Africa, rampant capitalism, and so on. 

It’s funny to me that this series would come out in the same season as Bullbuster, an anime also about working adults connected to a domain usually seen as kiddy (magical girls, mecha). Like Bullbuster, Power of Hope refuses to say that things will work out in the end—it just hopes we can reach that better outcome. 

The creators of the show clearly put a lot of thought and effort into aging up the girls. Where many series might just make them taller, change their hair a bit, and call it a day, Power of Hope really gives each of them a mature quality that is uniquely their own. In fact, I consider these adult designs to be some of the best I’ve ever seen. The only shame is that they decided not to give them grown-up versions of their magical girl forms. I suspect it was as much a time saver as anything else—it allows the anime to reuse stock footage from the original series they came from. Splash Star kind of gets shafted here just because it’s a digital-paint anime from before the transition to HD broadcasts in Japan, so it really shows its age. 

A number of characters make cameo appearances, and fans of those earliest Precure series are likely to get a kick out of their presence. Of particular interest are the hosts of the online video channel “Dark Night Light,” in which two familiar voices make for surprisingly hilarious comedians. My only real gripe about the guest characters is the fact that Masuko Mika—the old intrepid school journalist—is nowhere to be found.

While the mainline Precure titles touch on some serious topics, they also are not in the business of crushing children’s aspirations. The presence of adversity usually carries a message to not give up because things will look brighter on the other side. But now that those same kids are older, it wants to speak to them as adults. In Power of Hope, it’s more like “some people just suck, but you still gotta work for a better future for yourself and the world.”