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I got sick in June and watched a lot of anime. Here is the full rundown of everything I watched in the last 6 months: https://blog.not-outdated.com/entries/animeroundup1.html

#gundamgquuuuuux #KowloonGenericRomance #lazarus #TheApothecaryDiaries #yatagarasu #Moribito #SerialExperimentsLain

Anime round-up #1

Thoughts and opinions on the anime I watched in the first half of 2025, including: Gundam GQuuuuuuX, Lazarus, Kowloon: Generic Romance, Akudama Drive, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Yatagarasu: The Raven does not choose its Master, Serial Experiments Lain, Hell's Paradise, The Apothecary Diaries, Train to the End of the World & a couple more I did not finish.

One of my favorite aspects of #Moribito is the whole concept of the emperor's purity. Because the emperor is quite literally supposed to be the 'soul' of the nation, he's not allowed to look at 'impure' things like blood, death, etc. to avoid being 'contaminated', yet Chagum ends up seeing all sorts of scary stuff. And the narrative clearly implies that no, you can't actually be a decent ruler if you keep shielding yourself from reality.
The fourth book in the #Moribito series is particularly amazing because it's focused on Chagum and his personal and spiritual development.  Like I've said, I adore the whole main cast, but Chagum is just special to me.
Sorry for gushing about #Moribito again, but man, I really like Uehashi's personal brand of mysticism. Like, sure, I've seen weirder stuff in adult-oriented magical realism (and nothing can top The Course of the Heart by M. John Harrison), but Uehashi is pretty damn awesome and unique by kidlit standards.
I'm super excited about the third #Moribito book because Chagum appears in it again! 💞  Can't wait to see his further development. And there's a beautiful chapter about Torogai's past, too. I'm so glad that she's not JUST a mentor character who only exists in order to guide the protagonists and help them with their troubles. She's her own person with her own story.
It's seriously neat how #Moribito is marketed as children's fiction, yet the protagonist, Balsa, is an adult woman in her early thirties.
Reading the second #Moribito novel. 💗 It's an excellent story, of course; in a way, I think it's even better than the first part (which #SeireiNoMoribito, the #anime, is based on). More... detailed, perhaps? It takes place in Kanbal, Balsa's homeland, and deals primarily with local politics, but there's some fun supernatural stuff, too. I do miss Chagum though. 💦
So, here are my thoughts on the first #Moribito novel by Uehashi Nahoko! It's somewhat more laconic than the #anime because the #anime expands the story by adding some extra subplots in the middle section; however, the central themes and the main cast's personalities are basically the same. It's also clearly aimed at children, so Uehashi's prose is fairly simple (for the record, I read it in English), though absolutely not in a bad way.
I'm really enjoying the Moribito live action series streaming free on Freevee. Medieval fantasy Japan with stunning scenery. Balsa, a woman bodyguard witnesses an assassination attempt on the prince. Soon they're on the run, she his only protection, but did I mention he's possessed by a water demon? #freevee #moribito