Inu x Boku SS - Review

A teenage girl struggling with her interpersonal skills; a loyal man struggling with his intrapersonal skills. Inu x Boku SS tells of the tale involving these two troubled persons. Over time, it is inevitable that one will change depending on his/her surroundings. The influences that come from peers and others are undoubtedly strong. To be able to thrive in such environments, one must be able to filter these influences and only be changed by those which they feel will benefit them. In the end, it is always others that do the shaping; one cannot merely wish to be transformed and have it happen. Whether these changes are good or bad is a whole different story.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 12

\(^o^)/

After the events of the last episode, the one question that's guaranteed to be on the minds of those who haven't read the manga yet is: "What is the current state of the Sōshi x Ririchiyo relationship?" But before that is answered, the first half of the episode focused on the events of Chapter 9 of the manga - the time capsule event. While the happenings that occurred weren't really of significance (other than Renshō noting that Ririchiyo's personality had changed; to put it simply, character development), the suggestion to bury a time capsule with letters for the reincarnations of each other (they're youkai) helped to set the stage for Chapter 10, and the finale of the series.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 11

Adorable, as always.

Things are now starting to get interesting. When one first sees Sōshi, it's almost be impossible to guess just how dark his past was. That calm and reassuring smile, along with his polite and devoted personality, may make him seem like the kindest person in the world. But under all that lay deception and ulterior motives. However, it's hard to blame Sōshi for his actions. Having been neglected because of his powers, it just goes to show how important parental guidance is, especially for a growing child. Because they were not there to nurture and teach him, Sōshi ended up living an unfortunate, and arguably disgusting, childhood full of lies and loneliness.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 10

Surprised?

Seeing as how slow the past few episodes were, I was starting to get fed up with the lack of plot development in Inu x Boku SS. Sure, the prospect of Kagerō returning gives me hope that the episode will be funny at the least, but I doubt that's what many people, including myself, are expecting from this series. So when Kagerō was giving his big S&M rant, dragging Ririchiyo along in the process, I had mixed feelings about the scene. On one hand, I truly got a good laugh out of how Kagerō attempts to classify everything as either a sadist or a masochist. However, I also realized that dragging Ririchiyo along while he does this means she won't be able to make it to her "coffee date" with Sōshi, which had already been postponed once before.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 9

WataKaru <3

Looks like it'll be at least another episode of waiting before the "coffee date". While this episode wasn't as bland as the previous one, I'm still quite concerned about the pacing of the story and how it is probably causing many viewers to drop the show. Nonetheless, knowing that the good parts of the story have yet to come, I wait patiently. As long as there are decent amounts of Ririchiyo-sama and Karuta-chan being moe, I'll be more or less content.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 8

How could you say "No" to that face?

As much as I like Inu x Boku SS, I have to admit that the lack of plot advancement is starting to bother me. The reason for Ririchiyo's inability to express her thoughts towards Sōshi is valid, but I think it has been shown too often as of late. The only plot-important events that happened in this episode and the last were Ririchiyo finally being able to thank Sōshi and inviting him for coffee. Those two events totalled for approximately five minutes out of the 40-something that two episodes take.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 7

First Ririchiyo, then Karuta, and now Chino~

"あ...ありがとう"
Those words from Ririchiyo were essentially the highlight of this filler episode. It's sad how the show is starting to go slightly downhill, seeing as it started out nicely. The first four episodes followed the first four chapters almost identically. However, Episode 5 did not follow Chapter 5, but instead was taken from Chapter 7. The next episode, Episode 6, was based off of Chapter 5. But this episode was the first original (well, I've only read up to Chapter 12 but the time frame of this episode seems to be before that) and I found it to be far less appealing than the previous ones. The title of the next episode matches Chapter 6, so the earliest that Sōshi's past will be revealed is in Episode 9. But for now, I'll put aside these anime-manga comparisons and focus a bit on the episode itself.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 6

Karuta-chan <3

With this episode, the Karuta fanbase has most definitely skyrocketed. Riding the wave of Hanazawa Kana popularity, Karuta has been compared to characters like Tachibana Kanade and Gokō Ruri in terms of voice. The soft, yet moe, voice of these characters has already won over the hearts of countless viewers, and that number is continually increasing. I have to admit that I'm part of this group of fans and really enjoyed this Karuta-filled episode. Surprisingly, there was actually character development; I thought it'd just be an episode focused solely on showing how moe Karuta is.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 5

Now with even more loli!

As Kagerō would put it, this show is such an S! Sometimes, it makes me laugh until it hurts, while at others, the levels of moe makes my heart stop. On a more serious note, the infamous Kagerō makes his appearance this episode with a bang. To be honest, his voice threw me a off a bit; I didn't it expect it to be that deep. A voice with pitch that's a bit lower than Zange's was what I thought of, prior to hearing him talk.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 4

*nosebleed*

A flurry of new characters were introduced this episode. It followed Chapter 4 of the manga almost exactly so now I'm quite certain that the anime will end at Chapter 12. The new characters are colorful like always, some of them to the point where they're creepy (yes, I'm specifically referring to the two male maids). Although the events in this episode were mostly used for comedy, there was some development in terms of character relationships.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 3

\(♥ o ♥)/

As you may have already noticed, I've only been using screenshots of Ririchiyo for the past three episodes. I'm not going to bore you by rambling on about how moe she is; just watch this episode and see for yourself. This episode was also really heartwarming and a pleasure to watch. The closing of the distance between Ririchiyo and Sōshi is happening slowly but surely. It may seem too slow for some, but I think it's better this way since rushing this type of thing is never good.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 2

More Ririchiyo-sama~

I have now realized how hard it is to write reviews on the episodes of an anime which I have already read the manga of. There weren't any surprises that hit me during this episode of Inu x Boku SS as the adaption seems to be very faithful. I am anticipating the later episodes since the manga gets even better after a while. Right now, I'll continue watching in anticipation of more Ririchiyo-sama.

Inu x Boku SS - Episode 1

Ririchiyo-sama~

Having read some of the manga before watching this, I can't say I was surprised by the story in any way. But if I were to review the story based on my first experiences with it from the manga, I would say that the premise is interesting enough for me to continue with the series. Aside from the introduction of the plot, I really liked how the animation brought the characters to life and how it gave off those nostalgic shōjo vibes. The chibi versions of the characters added a nice touch of comedy to this series, wrapping up the solid animation quality of this episode.

Inu x Boku SS - Preview

Originally, I wasn't planning on watching Inu x Boku SS (shortened to IxB), but after an unexpected turn of events, I decided to change my mind. Just recently, I have read the first 10 chapters of the manga and I have to say that I'm quite interested in seeing its anime adaption. Even though there were some typical shōjo moments, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. This is also going to be the first anime in which I have read the manga prior to watching it, so it'll be a new experience for me. I hope the adaption will be able to follow the manga well, and that the all-star seiyū cast will be able to bring the characters to life.

Winter 2012

A new year means lots of changes and that is exactly what I have planned for my blog this year. Gone are the days of one-paragraph reviews followed by a wall-of-text summary; they are replaced by short paragraphs of pure reviewing and thoughts. I think this will enable me to pick up more shows and make it easier and more interesting for people to read. I'd like to thank everyone for supporting my blog by just reading it (the increase in pageviews recently has been encouraging) and I hope that this year will be a great one.

I've decided to blog about several shows this season. I may add or remove some depending on my schedule and preferences. For now, the list of shows I plan to watch for the Winter 2012 season are below.