Reviews - Animefangirl!

Tian Jiang Xian Shu Nan manga review (spoilers)

Tian Jiang Xian Shu Nan (天降贤淑男) is a manhua title I randomly picked up to read when I was looking for completed series to read. I haven’t read too many manhua (and TBH if it’s a Chinese comic then I would rather read a wuxia title) but it was complete and I was bored so I gave it a try. The title Tian Jiang Xian Shu Nan literally means “Goddess of Mercy” according to Google Translate. Yeah… that doesn’t help but thanks anyway.

Story: It’s the story of a love triangle between tomboy martial artist Su Jia Ao, her ultra-submissive fiance Ji Chun Qing and wild guy Xiao Yao Jing. You see, Su Jia Ao is from a tribe where women are expected to be rough and tough while the men passively obey. Having been brought up in the city, Su prefers macho bad boys like Xiao Yao Jing. And yet there’s something about that Ji Chun Qing…

…and that something is an almost-stalkerish level of persistence. Talk about Dogged Nice Guys. From start to finish it’s never clear what he sees in Su Jia Ao besides tradition demanding that he marry her, but that doesn’t stop him from hanging in there anyway. In the real world the police would have to get involved, but in Tian Jiang Xian Shu Nan it’s almost funny after a while.

This could have been a good, funny love triangle series. Could have been, and almost was. I read up to chapter 95 out of 129, skipped to 120 and read to the end. Even that required me to force myself at several points.

The problem? Su Jia Ao herself. A love triangle series only works as long as the feelings of the key players are clear to the audience but not clear to the persons concerned. There should be room for doubt if not wholesale denseness. If Girl likes Boy A but isn’t sure how he feels about her and Boy B likes her but isn’t sure how she feels, that can work. But when the feelings of all parties are clear and Girl likes A but keeps stringing B along and pulling him back whenever he tries to pull away… Su Jia Ao, die in a fire.

What happens is that Su has a huge and obvious crush on Xiao – and he likes her back – and she knows it – and they’ve even dated and almost kissed. But Ji Chun Qing and her family keep putting pressure on her. That’s hard for a teen to deal with, so I was sympathetic up to that point.

Then Su got the chance to break the engagement with Ji off cleanly, no hard feelings. But noooo, for the sake of her pride she decided to fight for Chun Qing’s hand. And she won. That means she likes him, right? Nnnnot quite. When Xiao’s parents arrange a fiancee for him, Su goes crazy and does everything in her power to interrupt that deal as well. Then right after that Chun Qing gets kidnapped. And of course she runs after him again. I’d had enough of her fickleness by then and skipped to the end to find out which guy she ends up with… But I won’t tell you to avoid spoilers.

The good thing about Tian Jiang Xian Shu Nan is that it’s short, colorful and action-packed with pretty nice character designs and a likeable cast. Yes, even Su when she’s not being a horrible two-timer. The bad side is how frustrating it is to see a main character cruelly toying with people’s emotions. She’s a prime dog in a manger – doesn’t want him, but doesn’t want to see him date someone else. What do you want? Luckily the situation doesn’t drag on too long before the series ends so it’s worth the read if you’re looking for something short, light and romantic – for a given definition of romantic.

Mammoth post about a ton of isekai manga

After watching In Another World with my Smartphone and Knight’s & Magic, I became interested in seeing just how trashy and generic isekai (protagonist thrown into another world) series could get. For the past couple of weeks I’ve been going around the various manga aggregator sites reading what seem to be the most popular ones. Only there are so many isekais and they’re all so similar that I’m having a hard time keeping track of them. This here post is to help me keep everything straight while making some brief comments on each one.

Dungeon Seeker – Main character Junpei is thrown into another world with his crush as well as some bullies. He soon finds himself trapped in a dungeon after being betrayed by the one he trusted most. After somehow avoiding a gory death at the hands of a skeleton, he instead eats the monster and acquires news skills! And so it happens that Junpei goes around defeating and devouring various enemies while living for the day he can get his revenge.

Dungeon Seeker is one of the earliest ones I read and it’s one that I enjoy more than most. The main reason is the lack of a sidekick. In 9 out of 10 isekai series, the hero quickly acquires sidekicks. Usually attractive females, competent but not too good so they don’t outshine him, and of course madly in love with the hero. This series don’t have any of that nonsense so I can focus solely on Junpei’s exploits without an adoring audience standing around explaining every little detail for me.

The drawback of Dungeon Seeker is how hard it tries to be dark and edgy. Someone has been reading too much Berserk. Junpei himself also tries to be cold and hard but is actually pretty weak and easily flustered. It’s a bit annoying sometimes. But each chapter is fast-moving and full of interesting occurrences and cliffhangers, so it’s a good read.

Rising of the Shield Hero – It’s about Iwatani Naofumi, a hero summoned to another world who becomes bitter and angry after being betrayed by someone he trusted. He gets better though, and he has to work with other heroes to defend the world against a series of monster attacks.

The manga art is very good. While Naofumi is strong, he’s far from invincible so this might attract the crowd that likes isekai but doesn’t like overpowered heroes. It also takes a while for other characters to warm up to him, so this isn’t one of those series where everyone worships the hero from day one.

That said, it’s not that interesting a series. Probably the biggest disappointment on the list since I’d heard too much about it. Exhibit A of “the hero gets an adoring harem of competent but not too competent sidekicks,” which is cute the first time you see it but gets old quickly.

Since Naofumi fights solely with a shield, I was expecting him to use it in all kinds of unconventional and inventive ways, but he really doesn’t do much but just kind of stand there. The author too has been reading too much Berserk and now has an evil shield that threatens to take Naofumi over. Yeah yeah, whatevs. Dropped after 30-something chapters because it’s not that interesting, though I did enjoy seeing him get revenge on his betrayers.

Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou – This one is about Hajime Nagumo, who is summoned to another world with his friends but is abandoned and betrayed by one of his companions (we don’t know which one), which leaves him injured and bitter. Eventually he picks up some good skills and an adoring but not-too-competent sidekick and makes his way out of the dungeon. And that’s as far as I read before I dropped it.

I’ve heard good things about the light novel and web novel versions, but the manga is rushed trash. It zooms from one event to another without making any sense and the art is terrible too. The action is so hard to follow that I have no idea how they defeated that dragon – or indeed any other enemy in the series. It’s possible that the upcoming anime will be better, but the manga didn’t compel me to watch it.

Kumo desu ga, nani ka? – I love this one. It’s about a nameless heroine who dies in the real world and gets reincarnated as… a spider?! Yup, a tiny little monster spider in another world. And when you’re a tiny spider, everything’s out to either squish or eat you. How will she ever survive?

The best isekai I’ve read so far, 90% because Kumoko is just sooooo cute! I never thought I’d find a monstrous spider cute, but Japan managed it somehow. The other reason I like it is because of the minimal human interaction present. It’s all monsters all the time, no harem nonsense or political intrigue.

Kumoko gets very strong very quickly, but the enemies are always one step ahead so there’s still plenty of tension. The best part was the fight against the angry monkeys, in which she almost died several times and the enemies just kept upping the ante. That was a good one. The only downside of this manga is… I’ve caught up to the latest chapter, so now I have to wait! Waaaaaahhh…

Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken – A 37-year old man is stabbed to death and reincarnated in another world as a lowly slime. And he may very well have stayed a lowly slime for life if he hadn’t befriended and absorbed the most powerful dragon on the continent. Now renamed Rimuru, he’s a force to contend with as he goes about creating the world he’s always dreamed of.

This would have been really interesting if Rimuru had stayed a slime/monster all the way through. Unfortunately he soon gets a human form and looks and acts like all the other isekai heroes before and after him. Boring. Instead of a single groupie, he has an entire nation full of them, so that’s new I guess. Otherwise there’s nothing interesting about this series.

Rimuru meets someone, adds them to his host of worshippers, meets someone else, adds them too, and on and on. Repetitive and unexciting. I thought at least the fighting would be exciting since he was a slime, but once he gains his human form he mostly fights like a human. Blah. Dropped after 30-something chapters.

Jaryuu Tensei – The main character is run over by a car and dies. Then he’s reincarnated as a powerful dragon. An allegedly evil one, which has adventurers clamoring to defeat him. Still he’s so mighty that he doesn’t need to worry about puny little humans… until he accidentally eats a magical item and gets reduced to a human being himself!

Same mistake as Slime Datta Ken. Jaryuu Tensei was funny and different when it was about an actual dragon, but once he takes on human form he becomes like everybody else. Quickly makes friends, picks up an adoring and powerful – but not too strong – elf slave and goes around righting wrongs and fighting evil. Very forgettable series, and it’s sad because it didn’t have to be that way. Mr. Author, next time you write a series about an evil dragon, please ensure that it is actually about a dragon, kthxbye.

Kenja no Mago – A normal guy from this world is reincarnated as a baby in another world. He grows up as Shin, a magical prodigy and the adopted grandson of the most powerful sage in the whole world. Eventually he goes off to magical high school just in time to foil a plot to destroy the country with a demon. Now it’s up to Shin and his band of high school buddies to save the world from the evil demon wizard Oliver Strom.

The one good thing about this manga is that it is very much not a harem. Shin falls in love with one girl quickly, she loves him back, everyone is fully supportive and they get engaged within a few chapters. Refreshing! Apart from that, Kenja no Mago is just like all the rest. Shin is so clever, and so inventive, and everyone thinks he’s so wonderful, even the king and the royal household and all the enemies. He makes an attempt to train the rest of his team but it’s obvious he’s miles ahead of them. There’s no real story besides defeating Oliver either so, meh.

Isekai Tensei Soudouki – Strictly speaking, this is not isekai. Rather a baby in another world, Balud Cornelius, is possessed by the souls of an ancient Japanese warlord and a perverted high school boy. This makes him a powerful fighter who knows a lot about business and making money. He quickly catches the eye – and ire – of the rich and powerful as he revolutionizes the world with inventions like gold-plating, water pumps and… hair conditioner? The sky’s the limit for this unlikely trio!

As with the other series, Balud quickly gathers a troupe of loving fangirls and fanboys. And as with the other series, the author sends him off to magical high school, which made me groan in despair. Not another one! But before too long he’s sent on a political mission to Not!Spain where the series finally picks up and gets somewhat interesting. At least I want to know how he beats the pirates.

The problem I have with this is that the warlord and high school characters might as well not exist. They hardly ever show up except as Deus Ex Machina, then they’re quickly banished to the void until they’re needed again 3 chapters later. This makes the whole premise pointless.

The author was clearly trying to avoid the generic “reincarnated in another world” trope, but he failed to follow through with the full potential and implications of a split-personality hero. In short, despite his backstory Balud is just like all the other isekai heroes. Isekai Tensei Soudouki is still interesting once it gets the political focus the other series don’t have, but apart from that it’s nothing special.

Mushoku Tensei – A jobless NEET is thrown out by his family and dies a pitiful death. After being reincarnated as a baby named Rudeus, he vows to work harder and treat others better. As he grows up, Rudeus becomes a tutor and picks up some fans, but then the whole country is split by an earth-shattering disaster…

This one was actually surprisingly heavy on the feels. Especially the feeling of anger I get whenever Rudy’s good-for-nothing lout of a father is involved. Apart from that I read it quickly and forgot about it because it’s very slow. It’s good for marathoning, but as a monthly series it lacks the impact to keep me reading. The characters aren’t memorable at all either, since as usual they exist mainly to lick the hero’s boots. I might read the whole thing in one go whenever it’s complete since I like Rudy’s try-hard attitude. Otherwise it’s dropped.

Tensei Shichatta yo. Iya, gomen – A self-loathing high school boy with an unhappy family life is accidentally killed by “god” and reincarnated as Will, a ridiculously cute baby with all of the high schooler’s memories. By a lucky chance, all magic in that world is powered by kanji – and Will knows all of them already. Blessed prodigious magical talent, a supportive family and a loving group of buddies, Will is living the dream. Now if only those pesky assassins would stop attacking…

Not much has happened in the 17 chapters I’ve read. It’s a very feel-good manga with very cute characters and art. Despite his immense powers, Will is actually a very sweet and kind little boy. His small size also keeps him free from any harem shenanigans. I hope they keep him small forever.

Kuro no Souzou Shoukanshi – Tenseisha no Hangyaku – High school boy Tsuguna is accidentally killed by a “god” and reincarnated in another world. On the plus side he can summon otherworldly helpers through a special book. On the minus side, he’s born with black hair and black eyes, a curse and a calamity in that world. After years of ill-treatment, Tsuguna escapes from his family and takes on the challenges of the new world. But of course someone as special as him could never hope for an ordinary life.

I’d even forgotten that I read this one. Of course he’s taken in by sexy elves who are madly in love with him. Of course he quickly finds his not-too-competent but cute sidekick. Of course everyone who is anyone in the world is intrigued by this amazing black-haired boy. And there’s stuff about an evil church full of mysterious bad guys. Unremarkable, unmemorable stuff.

Manuke na FPS Player ga Isekai e Ochita Baai – An online FPS player nicknamed Schwarz Powder falls off the edge of the game-world and lands in another world. He can’t log out or go back, but for some reason he can still make in-game purchases. In-game purchases that include guns and advanced armor in a medieval world. Some guys have all the luck.

I’d heard this was terrible, but it’s not that bad. Certainly not compared some of the other dreck I’ve been trying. The gun thing is different. I don’t know enough about guns to rage over his gun choices like other fans do, which is a plus. And while Schwarz has an least one admirer, she hasn’t joined his harem full-time yet. I prefer solo players for these isekai series. Schwarz’s character design is a bit goofy but I like the world and I like the gun combat. I’ve only read 11 chapters but I like it so far.

Gunota ga Mahou Sekai ni Tensei Shitara – Not even going to bother with a proper description. A gun otaku revives in another world and forms a harem of gun-fighters. Because he was such a good metal-worker in the past that he can even create machine guns in another world. Dumb-looking art and a fanservice-heavy focus. I finished one chapter and that was enough.

Tenseisha wa Cheat o Nozomanai – Protagonist Mira is a normal 6-year old in a fantasy world. Until she hits her head one day and recovers memories from her past life in our world. She doesn’t remember everything, but she does remember enough to know that isekai protagonists always end up in a world of trouble. That’s the last thing Mira wants. “Please let me be normal, please let me be normal,” is her plea. Unfortunately fate has other plans.

Very cute manga, seems like the kind of shoujo that would run in Ribon. Female isekai heroines are rare enough, much less ones as small and cute as Mira. But of course she’s still overpowered with a moderately competent sidekick. When the scanlations left off, Mira was on her way to a magical academy (of course) where she is sure to catch the eyes of the whole world (of course) but she hasn’t gotten there as of chapter 6. When I get the time I’m going to hunt down the raws and find out what happens to cute little Mira… or that’s what I thought I’d do, but it turns out the manga is on hiatus. Noooo!

That’s all the isekai manga I can remember right now. Any future comments on these series will be on an individual basis and most likely not until I’ve completed them. There are a still a few popular series I haven’t tried yet, but I’ll remedy that in a couple of days and maybe do another post on that. I also watched one or two anime series in the past month so I’ll write about those some other time. ではまた。

Knights of Sidonia quick anime and manga review

Still easing myself back into watching and blogging about anime regularly. Gundam 00 really did a number on me. From now on I will know better than to marathon a drama-heavy show, and if the fandom says to stay away from a movie I will consider their responses more carefully. Today, let’s talk about Knights of Sidonia. I watched both seasons of the anime and finished up by reading the manga, which was only 78 chapters long and thus a quick affair. The ending was… umm… Well, we’ll talk about that in a bit. First the summary:

Knights of Sidonia (シドニアの騎士) is a mecha manga series by Tsutomu Nihei. After destroying Earth many years ago, the alien race Gauna has been pursuing the remnants of humanity—which, having narrowly escaped, fled across the galaxy in a number of giant seed ships. In the year 3394, Nagate Tanikaze surfaces from his lifelong seclusion deep beneath the seed ship Sidonia in search of food on the upper levels, only to find himself dragged into events unfolding without his knowledge.
When the Gauna begin their assault on Sidonia, it’s up to Tanikaze to defend humanity’s last hope for survival, and defeat their alien foes.

What I liked about Knights of Sidonia

It’s short. You can marathon both seasons of the anime.
The enemies are truly threatening. Although Tanikaze starts out overpowered, he can’t keep up with the Gauna’s speed of adaptation so he’s almost always in danger. This isn’t one of those “Boring Invincible Hero” shows.
That said, Tanikaze is a pretty boring typical shonen hero who tries to save everyone all the time. But he’s a nice, earnest guy and easy to root for, which is more than I can say for many protagonists.
There’s plenty of action in every episode. Sometimes it gets a bit much.
The ending is happier than I would have expected, given the overwhelming odds they face.
It seems to be a love-hate kind of thing, but I rather like the CG art style. It’s different from the other stuff I’ve been watching.
She takes some getting used to, but Tsumugi-chan is kind of cute. Best girl ftw!

What I didn’t like about Knights of Sidonia

Some of the gauna are kind of gross.
Some of the scenes are kind of gross, like the living catheter (ick) and the romantic piss-drinking (double ick).
A little too much time is wasted on romantic hijinks halfway through the show/manga. It brings everything to a screeching halt to have girls fighting over the hero when the world is collapsing around them.
I don’t approve of certain relationships in the ending (to explain would be to spoil, but it is an abomination).
Some of the characters look a little too similar, which makes it hard to tell people apart at first.
Certain characters get away with murder, literally, and are quickly and easily forgiven. Like it’s not even an issue.

To watch or not to watch?

It’s probably faster to read the Knights of Sidonia manga, since it’s only 78 chapters. But the anime isn’t bad at all, plenty of action and tense moments and the body count of a small civil war. There are many unanswered questions at the end concerning the origins and intentions of the gauna and the history of the world, so this probably isn’t for anyone who likes complete closure. For anybody else, y

Alderamin on the Sky quick anime review

It took some time for me to get back into anime-watching after the disaster that was the Gundam 00 movie, but I made it back somehow. I’ve watched some other series before Alderamin on the Sky (Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin), but this is the most recent one I tried so I thought I’d dash off a few notes before I got too lazy. You have to ease yourself back into blogging with baby steps.

Blurb: The world is thrown into chaos when the Katjvarna empire takes arms against the Republic of Kioka. Our hero, Ikta, detests war but ultimately has no choice but to become a High Grade Military Officer to defend his land. No one could have ever imagined that this lazy womanizer would eventually become the hero everyone needed (from MAL).

What I liked about Alderamin on the Sky

The sprites were cute.
Unlike many anime about wars or invasions, named characters do die – and frequently too. Even though some of them were obviously created just so the show could kill them off to make us sad.
The show does a good job of showing the brutality and unfairness of war and the negative consequences of bad leadership.
Ikta comes up with some interesting strategies, 90% of which work because the opposing side is filled with dum-dums.
At the same time he’s not perfect. He can’t and doesn’t save everyone, and he doesn’t necessarily try when the cost would outweigh the benefit. He’s not the typical shounen hero, that’s for sure.
Ikta has the brains, but the other characters get plenty of moments to shine. Most of them can outfight him in a heartbeat, especially the main girl Yatorishino.
The show has a lot of bright and vivid colors so it’s fun to watch.
It’s only 13 episodes long and wraps up the arc it’s dealing with fairly well. Good for a Sunday afternoon marathon.

What I didn’t like about Alderamin on the Sky

The “hero” is a lazy, complaining womanizer. He hits on everything in a skirt and it’s neither cute nor funny.
The hero and his army are forgiven for all kinds of crimes mostly because he just happened to be childhood pals with the leader of the other side. And she of course is madly in love with him so genocide is totally forgivable when you’re in love.
His counterpart on the other side who was supposed to be the smartest strategist on the opposite side turned out to be a disappointment.
The setting shows some promise but the world, religion and culture of the countries are not explored in depth at all. An antagonistic country just shows up 10 episodes in when we had no idea that they even existed before.
The ending is pretty much “Please read the light novel to find out what happens next, okay?”

Summary

Alderamin on the Sky is a quick watch and a fairly good show that should please lovers of action anime and romance shows alike. The lack of a conclusive ending and the unpleasantness of the main character are the show’s main drawbacks. I still think it’s worth a watch. I enjoyed it for what it was worth and would probably watch a second season if they made one. But at the same time I’m not interested enough to follow up with the light novel so… yeah. That’s it for me.

60th Kohaku Utagassen rundown (2009 edition)

Welcome to my rundown of the 60th edition of Kohaku Utagassen (第60回NHK紅白歌合戦), which took place on December 31, 2009. That’s 8 years ago, which means I have 8 more episodes to watch to catch up with the latest one. Will it ever happen? Your guess is as good as mine. But if I do two editions a year that should help cut down the backlog.

Let’s try to keep it snappy this time. As usual the number in brackets represents the number of times the artiste/band had appeared on Kohaku.

Introduction

Those kids are cute. Katou Seishirou looks really nervous. Everyone walks down the stairs real carefully. You wouldn’t want to fall down here. Nakai’s combover is pretty skillful… Nothing wrong with going bald, man.

1. Ayumi Hamasaki (11) 浜崎あゆみ Rule

“Rule” sounds like “rurrr.” Apart from that I’ve got nothing to say about this performance. I like her hair and her outfit, actually. Synchronized dancing when singing about not following rules seems a bit contradictory, non? Energetic performance.

2. EXILE (5) Someday

I don’t know any of the members except the one with the sunglasses, and even he I don’t know his name. Oh, I know the guy with the ponytail. And the pretty face. Oh well, time to space out through another Exile performance. Wait, no, gotta keep an open mind. They’re energetic too. The song is nothing special, but it’s fun to watch them jump around the stage like that. My waist hurts just thinking about it. Haha, they look winded. Ganbatte ne, ojisantachi.

3. AKB48 (2) RIVER River Surprise Kōhaku Remix サプライズ!紅白Remix

This is one of the earliest AKB48 batches so I recognize a few faces, if not the names. They really do have terrible choreography. Just jumping around and waiving their hands. Is it supposed to be cute? Oh well. There are so many of them I don’t know where to focus.

4. flumpool (debut) Hoshi ni Negai o 星に願いを

I feel like I’ve heard the name flumpool before but I don’t know anything about them. Practiced lines, very good, everyone saying what they were told to say. How’s the music? Nothing special. The only thing that comes to mind is that the lead singer looks like a girl. Who’s the guitarist giving orders to?

Ah, time for the usual introduction of the judges. Wasn’t Abe Hiroshi involved in a scandal recently? Who’s the one guy at the end? There’s always one random guy at the end. Whoa! Whenever SMAP shows up in this programs they look so young I don’t know what to say.

5. NYC boys (debut) 60th Kōhaku Memorial NYC Special紅白60回記念NYCスペシャル

A defunct boys’ group formed for no reason and disbanded for no reason. I don’t know any of them, but they’re going to sing old Kohaku songs. Hmm, interesting songs, but I would rather have watched the original performances. Wait, they only sang 2 old songs and then that’s the end of it? If I had a son this age, I would tell him to go to school and learn hard instead of wasting his life on this kind of boy band.

6. Ikimono-gakari (2) いきものがかり YELL

The song was used for the National Middle School Choral contest or something. The guys behind the lead singer look sleepy. Ah, the song makes you sleepy. Naruhodo. The two white things on the front of the singer’s dress look like tentacles. I can’t stop staring. At least it’s keeping me awake. I feel sorry for the students who had to practice this song for their choral contest. In our time we had fun songs like Lift Every Voice and Sing— Oooh! I spotted a staff member! They’re doing a better job of hiding them this year but I got one at last!

企画「こども紅白歌合戦」、審査員：両津勘吉（香取慎吾）Time for the kids’ corner where all the kids perform something each. SMAP guy is the special judge.

1：Kato Seishirou “Katsuobushi dayo Jinsei wa” 加藤清史郎「かつおぶしだよ人生は」 – Looking at his Wiki profile, it looks like he largely dropped off the map after 2016? Apart from one or two variety show appearances. That’s showbiz, kid. Too bad, his song was really cute. Very cute.

2：Sakura Maya “Taigyou Matsuri” さくらまや「大漁まつり」. Powerful voice, cute dress. Currently studying law in university. Showbiz is hard, man. Who is this Sakana-kun? Wasn’t he the guy pimping the sushi last year?

3：Snow Prince Gasshoudan “Snow Prince” スノープリンス合唱団「スノープリンス」 – Very young group under Johnny’s, just more fodder for the pedophiles. Only formed to promote the “Snow Prince” movie so I dunno where they are now. Forgettable song too.

4：Oohashi Nozomi “Nonchan Kumo ni noru” “Gake no Ue no Ponyo” 大橋のぞみ「ノンちゃん雲に乗る」「崖の上のポニョ」- Poor girl was nervous presenting. Making her “graduate” from showbiz was the right decision. Now she’s free to do whatever she wants.

Policeman guy is annoying… Both teams both won. That sucks. Even the kids are struggling to clap. Ah, I see, this is the role that made Japanese fans start calling him “Hogei!” Yeah, whatevers. That’s it for the kids for today. They have to go to bed now, national law.

7. Natsuko Godai (16) 伍代夏子 Shinobu Ame 忍ぶ雨

Hahaha, Ayanokouji is funny. Isn’t this that Saotome guy that shows up every year? I love Godai’s kimono. Lovely. The song is the usual enka song. If you take the lyrics away and play just the instrumentals they all sound the same. Love her hair too.

8. Takeshi Kitayama (5) 北山たけしTsurugi San 剣山

He got married that year! Whoa! What a… manly stage… What are they wearing? And more important, what are they not wearing? (o__o) … I can’t tell whether it’s better that they turned around or not. I like the song okay, but I can’t focus with those… guys in the back.

Hey, Nakai and Nakama changed their clothes. I know this Takeda from somewhere. Eh…. Live video from Nagasaki. Fukuhara’s nose is looking less pinched than normal. This must have been before his most recent nose job. A room where Sakamoto Ryoma stayed with a katana mark from back then. That’s cool.

9. GIRL NEXT DOOR (2) Infinity

Oh, Takeda is an interesting presenter. Vocalist has a lovely smile as ever and I like her dress, makeup and hair. Where’s the keyboardist that looks like Ekin Cheng? No close up for Mr. I’m Too Cool? Oh, there he is. Real quick. Doesn’t look too Ekin-like today. Very meh song. Now I remember why I gradually stopped watching these Kohaku programs.

10. Jero (2) ジェロ Umiyuki 海雪

What’s the point of this forced marriage of hip-hop and enka? I’m all for livening up the staleness of enka, but this is just silly. Especially when you have such a good song. Well, whatevs. Spaced out a little there, but I enjoyed the song.

11. Nana Mizuki (debut) 水樹奈々 Shin’ai 深愛

Sekine Mari and Ito Terry come to cheer her on. Bringing up her dead dad for more tears or something? Haaai. I don’t know any of Nana Mizuki’s songs… Actually I don’t know the woman herself. BRB quick Wiki. Okay, she’s Hinata in Naruto. The only thing I can remember her saying is “N-Naruto-kun,” but it still counts. And the song? Her voice is shrill in a way that reminds me of Ayumi Hamasaki. And she’s supposedly a trained singer? Well at least, this means she’s probably not lip-synching. Hai, tsugi.

12. FUNKY MONKEY BABYS (debut) Hero ヒーロー

I seem to remember liking this song, but… what’s the point of pulling an NHK announcer out to cheer them on? Just because he’s slightly good-looking. Yeah, I like this song well enough and the artistes seem to be enjoying themselves. I’m always happy when I find a song I like in these shows. The pics of regular dads doing regular jobs is oddly touching. Apparently Funk Monkey Babys broke up in 2013. Oh well.

13. Mitsuko Nakamura (14) 中村美律子 Kawachi Otoko Bushi 河内おとこ節

Staff member spot! Two of them! Tokio dragged out to support Mitsuko Nakamura again. Whatever for? Let my farming idols perform! Smiled at the fan reaching out to touch her sleeve. It would be tempting to touch your favorite star, wouldn’t it? Tokio have an attitude like “This is so stupid but a job is a job.” They’re not even matching the rhythm. Tuned out and started checking my phone. Haaai.

14. Porno Graffitti (8) ポルノグラフィティ Anima Rossa アニマロッサ

Za Travellers? I know some of those…. in fact, almost all of those owarai combis. They didn’t have enough time to introduce all of them. Too bad. They had to cut Porno Graffiti’s introduction too. I like this song. This is one of their better ones. I remember it very clearly too, so I must have heard it elsewhere. He made the heel of his shoe 60mm to support Kohaku’s 60th birthday. “Nobody cares, though.” Lol. Chuuru, chuchuchuruu~

15. Yoshimi Tendō (14) 天童よしみ花筏 -Hanaikada-

A song for her mother. Hanaikada is a raft of flowers on the surface of a river. Whoa, that judge looks just like her mother. I always think that’s cute. This song doesn’t sound just like the usual enka songs, so I like it automatically. It’s actually not that special or memorable.

16. Kenichi Mikawa (26) 美川憲一 Sasoriza no Onna 2009 さそり座の女 2009

Yet another performance of Sasoriza no Onna. The first time I liked it, now it’s just old. They cut out The Travellers for this? This time with an Indian spin on it. Whatevs. Time to check my smartphone again, maybe the bar has gone from 25% to 23%, exciting stuff.

“Who invited these guys to Kohaku?” – Nakai, I completely agree.

17. Fuyumi Sakamoto (21) 坂本冬美 Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru また君に恋してる

I know the original song (by Billy Ban Ban) and like it a little better, but I’ve gotta hand it to Fuyumi Sakamoto, she really made this song her own. IIRC she performed it again the following year. I like her furry dress too, very…. furry. It’s a different feel from the usual Sakamoto, which is nice too.

18. Takashi Hosokawa (33) 細川たかし Bōkyō jon kara 望郷じょんから

Love this song. Love this performance too. I usually rewind it and watch it a few times. Unfortunately this was the last time Takashi Hosokawa performed on Kohaku before getting caught chilling with yakuza. Chilling with yakuza in Japan = no probs. Getting caught = no no. Hmm, but according to my research that controversy happened in 2007. Whatever, let’s forget about that and enjoy the beautiful song and powerful performance and powerful black dye in his hair. Love the shamisen interlude… I’m gonna have to rewatch this. Powerful ending… One more time! No, two more times!

19. Ai Otsuka (6) 大塚愛 Is

Staff spots in the lobby don’t count. I don’t care about Arashi, get them off my screen. Oh, Sabu-chan! Sabu-chan can stay. This was Arashi’s first time showing up on Kohaku. Whatevs. Last year it was Grandma’s rugs, this year, Ai is wearing Grandma’s curtains. And she wrote the song herself, clever girl. Too bad I had forgotten it by the time the performance ended.

20. Remioromen (debut) レミオロメン Konayuki 粉雪

Konaaaaaayukiii. Remioromen have been friends since elementary school. That’s nice. Staff member telling them to drag things out and buy time. That’s too obvious. And they bought time successfully. Lip synch? It sounds too similar to the record… wait, that part was a little different. The Konayuki is more “screamy” and nasal too. Well I don’t mind either way, I love this song too.

21. Miyuki Kawanaka (22) 川中美幸 Futari Zake ふたり酒

Time for the mid-period voting. Nakai changed out of that awful blue suit. That’s good. I like the ordinary couple pics in the back. In fact I think I like seeing ordinary people at shows like this. I like Futarizake too. Songs about happy married life are so rare, it’s always about “I like this pretty girl or I like this fine boy or such and such broke my heart,” you know? Really sweet pics.

22. Shinichi Mori (42) 森進一 Hana to Chō 花と蝶

He has performed 42 years in a row at Kohaku. Wow. And now he’s not singing Ofukuro-san. So happy. I already like it, lol. Footage of his first performance. He looks almost exactly the same. And his hair is still black… ahahahaha. His nose is a bit different, I think?

So far the white team is leading. Yeah, that sounds about right. Hosokawa Takeshi alone should win the whole thing.

60th Kohaku Theme Song “Uta no Chikara” (The Power of Music) 第60回紅白テーマソング「歌の力」合唱 – Everyone singing the theme song of the program. Hmm, hmm. Well, let’s hear it. Joe Hisaishi composed the theme and people in Japan sent their thoughts about “the power of music” to be used for the lyrics. Music is certainly powerful, I can’t deny that. How about this song? It’s a good song actually but would be better if one person or a unified choir sang it.

Special performance: Susan Boyle, “I Dreamed a Dream. “特別出演：スーザン・ボイル、唄：「夢やぶれて」- The year of Susan Boyle’s big break… Hey, Nakama and Nakai changed clothes again. I just noticed. I too was impressed by Susan’s viral performance on Britain’s Got Talent. And I like this song too. Let’s enjoy this. Oh come on Susan, Kimutaku’s English was perfectly clear. Okay, enough talking. Very nice performance, thought nothing can top the passion and shock factor of her debut.

23. Yusuke (debut) 遊助 Himawari ひまわり

Singing with 3000 sunflowers… Waste of sunflowers. Whatever makes you happy. The song is so-so.

24. aiko (8) あの子の夢 Ano Ko no Yume

People who performed in a drama she sang the song for. “Welkame.” I’ve given up on liking aiko’s music so I’ll just play a little Granblue through this one. It’s almost Strike Time. Her dress is cute though. Hai, arigatou gozaimashita.

25. Hideaki Tokunaga (4) 徳永英明 Kowarekake no Radio 壊れかけのRadio

Ah, the radio-live corner for those who can’t watch it live… Aaaah, I see the satff member holding up the cue card. Tee hee hee. This is the song that turned me into a Tokunaga fan. Ah! The camera wobbled. How dare you! Lovely. Nakai always makes sure to say extra nice things to Tokunaga because apparently Tokunaga gets really nervous at Kohaku.

26. Ayaka Hirahara (6) 平原綾香 Mio Amore ミオ・アモーレ

Something about the song that Arakawa Shizukawa won the gold medal to. Ah, this classic tune. And the guitarist Rolly is supposed to be famous? Ehhh. Shiranai.

27. TOKIO (16) Taiyō to Sabaku no Bara 太陽と砂漠のバラ

Yay! The usual photo makes its usual appearance. It’s just not Kohaku without it. Now for this song… It’s aight. I like Tokio so I give them a few extra marks every time but it’s nothing special really. I’ll have forgotten it by tomorrow ^^; Actually it’s not that bad. Happy New Year!

28. Junko Akimoto (2) 秋元順子 Ai no Mama De… 愛のままで…

Terry Ito is showing up for the 3rd time today. Why, did he do something special that year? Ooh, I like her dress. And of course I like the song, but I said so last year so no need to repeat. The chandelier background goes well with the song. Miyamoto Emiri is the violinist, from the drama Tenchijin. Well done, ladies.

29. Perfume (2) One Room Disco ワンルーム・ディスコ

They’re really determined to promote this Ryomaden taiga drama, aren’t they? Open your mouth properly when you talk, Fukuhara. Song is eh, dance is eh. I only like Polyrhythm from them.

30. Tohoshinki (2) 東方神起 Stand by U

Uwah. The crowd is really excited by this one. Wow. I don’t know much about TXBQ or whatever these guys are called. Standard boy band song. Because of recent events (suicide) in the KPop world, looking at them just makes me worried. As long as they’re happy, eh?

31. Kaori Mizumori (7) 水森かおり Aki no Miyajima 安芸の宮島

I already know the secret behind your dress, Karoi-chan. The acrobatic performances in the background should have been given their own scene because they don’t seem to have anything to do with her so….. oh, I see. They’re pretending to be a Torii like in her song. Ah so.

32. Hiroshi Itsuki (39) 五木ひろし Itezuru 凍て鶴

He’s in this 40th year of showbiz. Sugoi. I like Itezuru so it’s fun to hear it again.

Michael Jackson Tribute Stage, performed by SMAP 追悼企画「マイケル・ジャクソンスペシャルステージ」、演出:SMAP

Brief mentions for Imagawano Kyousuke – RC Succession’s lead singer. I really miss him. – Katou Kazuhiko – Ano Subarashii Ai wo Mou Ichido… And Michaeeeeel! ;___; has it really been that long? Seeing Kimutaku trying to dance like Michael just makes me see how talented the real thing was. This is just sad… :-< Waaaah…. Not sure that was their intention, though. I’m baaad! I’m baaaad! I should stop watching this and go watch Michael Jackson videos on YouTube. Though again I’m sure that wasn’t their intention.

33. Kaela Kimura (debut) 木村カエラ Butterfly

A song she wrote as a surprise for a friend who got married on Valentine’s Day. That’s nice. The song is… nothing remarkable.

34. Alice (3) アリス Champion チャンピオン

Yay! Alice! Can’t believe they’re wasting so much time on this long intro from Arashi. Gimme the good stuff. I learned this song from Ippo, but I became a fan of Alice itself when I saw them on Kohaku. It’s nice to have them back. Lai la lai la lai la lai la lai! Everyone seems to be having fun. I really enjoyed that one.

35. Mika Nakashima (8) 中島美嘉 Nagareboshi 流れ星

Not Oodori again. They’re not funny. Another change of clothes for the Nakai team. Tendo Yoshimi always seems to be up for a laugh. I like that about her.

Mika Nakashima. She always looks a little out of it, but that’s just Mika-style I guess. Hmm. Nothing memorable about this song. I haven’t found many new songs to like in this Kohaku, mainly old favorites. That’s okay I suppose.

36. Yuzu (3) ゆず Aitai 逢いたい

Song written for the singer’s father who passed away. You’re trying to make him cry, aren’t you? Camera zooming in on his face to catch even the faintest glimpse of a tear if they can. Zurui. This sounds like something Nakajima Miyuki would sing to good effect. Not a bad song. The tears are just not coming, eh? Don’t force it. I’m sure you told your daddy everything you wanted to while he was alive.

37. Angela Aki (4) アンジェラ・アキ Tegami (Haikei Jūgo no Kimi e)手紙〜拝啓十五の君へ〜

Repeat from last year. I didn’t have much to say about it last year, and still don’t this year. I see some choir members still filing in, but no staff members. They’re really hiding them well this year.

38. Akira Fuse (25) 布施明 My Way マイ・ウェイ

Sakai Masaaki and Mori Mitsuko hosted the show many years ago. I’m not that familar with My Way in English, much less in Japanese. But Fuse Akira’s voice sounds rather faint to me. Okay, now he’s belting it out. I’ll go on Youtube and see Frankie himself perform it.

39. Sachiko Kobayashi (31) 小林幸子 Manyō Koiuta Aa, Kimi Matsu to 万葉恋歌あぁ、君待つと

Last boss! Let’s see what she has for us this year! Aha, staff member at last. I was getting lonely. These guys are just buying time, like the sub-boss before the real one shows up. Let’s see. Even the choral music is like…. AAAAAAHH, Last Boss’s transformation! Scary!!! It looks like every swipe would take 9999 HP off your life. I wish I could have seen that in real life. I like the song a lot too.

40. Masaharu Fukuyama (2) 福山雅治 Hatsukoi はつ恋

Hmm, he’s going to sing too, is he? And the actress played his mother in Ryomaden. “Even if this love hurts you, I want you anyway.” Riiight. Actually I like the song but I don’t like the lyrics and the sentiments expressed so that’s it. I get the feeling those funky psychedelic lights are there to hide a background they don’t want us to see.

41. Kumi Koda (5) 倖田來未（×misono）2009 Kōhaku Koda Special 2009紅白KODA SPECIAL

Performing with her younger sister misono. I like Koda’s hair. And dress. I can’t see misono’s face clearly. Okay, nothing special. Voice, nothing special too. Welp. And the song is just so much noise and yelling. Next please. I looked up misono and it looks like if her latest CD doesn’t sell 10,000 copies her record company will cut her loose. misono fans (if you exist) work hard!

42. 嵐 Arashi (debut) 嵐×紅白スペシャルメドレー Arashi x Kōhaku Special Medley

I don’t know any of their songs so uh. Yeah. Ganbatte ne, ojisantachi. Oh wait, I know that first A-RA-SHI song. This will probably be like SMAP where I hate on them while they’re active but then when they break up I’m like aww, I want them back. Unfortunately I only know Ohno and Ninomiya by face. Which one is Piss Jun? I’ve heard… things. They got quite a bit of time to perform. Johnny’s doled out the paychecks thick and fat that year. Oya, they changed their clothes at some point.

Buying more time for the special guest to show up and for Arashi fans to get their fill. They’re surprisingly not out of breath for people who have been “singing” and dancing so hard. That’s the power of being 9 years younger than now. Even I could sing and dance back then. Honest!

Surprise performance: Yazawa Eikichi “Jikan yo tomare” “Cobalt no Sora” サプライズ出演：矢沢永吉、唄：「時間よ止まれ」「コバルトの空」Yazawa Eikichi is the special artiste coming to perform. He really has a star aura about him, doesn’t he? He should consider becoming a pro wrestler. And it’s interesting to see the walk all the way to the stage. That’s cool.

Aha, I remember really liking the Cobalt no Sora song. And I like Jikan yo Tomare, which I also learned about from this Kohaku performance. So I did get something nice from this episode. Oya oya, what happened to the subtitles? Not that I need them, but I can imagine a lot of scrambling going on in the back.

43. Kobukuro (5) コブクロ STAY

As with aiko, Kobukuro is an act I keep listening to, waiting for the day I finally find a song I like from them. The lack of a proper intro for this song tells me they’re running behind schedule again. It happens.

44. Akiko Wada (33) 和田アキ子 Mōichido Futari de Uta Itai もう一度ふたりで歌いたい

The whole program is now running ahead so now they’re wasting time. Well done. Aku Yuu really was a master lyricist. I wouldn’t listen to this song separately but I’m enjoying this performance.

45. Kiyoshi Hikawa (10) 氷川きよし Tokimeki no Rumba ときめきのルンバ

Shiny shiny shiny. Nothing particularly special about this song. Though it’s clever the way they turned “aishiterunda” (I love you) into “aishiterumba.”

Another (!) dress change for Nakama Yukie. And another rushed intro. Cameraman spot!

46. Sayuri Ishikawa (32) 石川さゆり Tsugaru Kaikyō Fuyu Geshiki 津軽海峡・冬景色

I like Ishikawa Sayuri, I like this song, love the kimono. I’ve heard it a couple times too often though, so I’d like it if she performed something else next year. Really nice kimono. I like the hair decs too, though the hair looks pulled back a little tight.

47. Ayaka (4) 絢香 Minna Sora no Shita みんな空の下

This was her final release before she took a break from music, I believe? That’s what Nakama Yukie is saying. Boring song with the usual “Do your best” lyrics. They could have picked a better performer for the last but one performer at Kohaku. Was Ayaka really that popular? I keep waiting for the song to end and she keeps singing.

48. SMAP (17) Soto Kyutto ~ Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana そっときゅっと〜世界に一つだけの花

SMAP-kun-tachi. Their current song of that year and then the usual Sekai ni Hitotsu. For me, doing a medley of the song you’re currently promoting with one of your past hits seems like an admission of failure. Like your song didn’t make it on its own so you have to package it with something better. Sotto Kyutto isn’t too bad, in a typical boy band ballad song. Oh I see, Toshiyuki the special judge wrote and composed Sekai ni Hitotsu. That’s nice. The idea behind the song is nice, so I understand why it became such a hit. Why is misono distracting Last Boss in the middle of a performance?

49. DREAMS COME TRUE (featuring Fuzzy Control) (13) Sono Saki e ~Kōhaku Special Version~ その先へ〜紅白スペシャルバージョン〜

You know, I never see Dreams Come True mixing in with the crowd or doing those little skits and plays. They must have it written into their contracts somewhere. A different song from them, “Middle of Nowhere.” And now “Sono Saki e.” Neither one is really rocking me so I’m playing Granblue Poker. I’m almost out of chips. I’m not winning at all… I can’t even get up to 8000 chips. This sucks.

50. Saburō Kitajima (46) 北島三郎 Matsuri まつり

Sabu-chan! I gave my thoughts about this two years ago, was it? Has everybody got a fan? No, go get some more. Etc, etc.

Results: The White team won yet again. I think the Reds finally got a pity win the following year, but this 60th edition is the last one I remember watching with rapt attention.