Tag Archives: slice of life

video game reviews

Review of Sensei! I Like You So Much! – A Cozy Visual Novel

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I was sent a free copy of Sensei! I Like You So Much! to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinion. This will be my honest review.

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What is Sensei! I Like You So Much!?

Sensei! I Like You So Much! is a slice of life visual novel out now on Steam.

You have always enjoyed writing your fan fiction but never dared to share it with the world. This all changes when a chance encounter with a classmate gives you the push you need to start your writing career. Grow your following as you explore the world for your next story. What stories will your life inspire? Will you find the words that will move the world?

Gameplay

The game is split into a few different parts: customization , exploration, and writing.

Throughout the story, players will unlock new decorations for their room and character’s chibi. Decorations can also be bought with my money they earn from working. These decorations have no impact in the story, but it is a way for players to customize their experience.

The game gives players a finite amount of energy to spend on activities each day. The game does guide players through a few events for the progression of the story, but players can spend their days who they want. Events range from going to work, hanging out with friends, and even going to comicon. These events are slice of life stories that earn players money and materials for their stories.

At the end of the day, players will sit down and write their next fan fiction based on events from that day. Most of the story is prewritten, but players get to choose certain aspects of the story. The story is graded at the end, and the grade impacts the amount of followers gained each day.

Review

The game is still in early access, but it is in a good enough place where I can safely recommend it. Aside from a few translation issues, Sensei! I Like You So Much! is a cute story with fun characters that is worth reading at least once. It has decent pacing with wholesome quirky elements that make it the perfect cozy game for any occasion.

The art in this game is fantastic, especially if you enjoy cute and quirky anime. I was surprised by the amount of customization available. Players can outfit their characters, decorate their room, and even make their own room. The room customization is a lot of fun and I spent way too much time trying to find the right aesthetic that would be conductive to my writing, even though it had no tangible impact on the stories progression.

My favorite aspect of the game is the flavor. I enjoyed the struggle of training to come up with a good story, even though the story is already written, and the stress of planning out my day. Do I want to hang out with my friends or do I want go work to be able to afford that cute thing I want to hang on the wall? This was a constant struggle, but one I was more than happy to have.

Sensei! I Like You So Much! is the cute and cozy game everyone needs in their library. The idea is unique, the story is fun, and the art is fantastic. Check it out on Steam Early Access!

You can pick up Sensei! I Like You So Much! on Steam for $12.99.

gaming news

SPY×ANYA: Operation Memories announced for the Nintendo Switch

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I love the anime Spy x Family. I remember throwing it on randomly because I needed background noise, but I ended up binging it and loving every moment. If you haven’t seen it, you need to because it is one of the cutest things you’ll ever sit through. 

The government’s best spy is under assignment to pass as a family man. He needs to find a woman and daughter to help him pass as the perfect family, but what he finds is something much more meaningful. There is action, mayhem, and murder, but where the show truly shines is in the cute slice-of-life family moments that exist in between. I loved watching the characters slowly become a family, and the humorous dramatic irony of the situation makes this series such a delight to watch. Go watch it it on Hulu!

Well, the game, SPYxANYA: Operation Memories, was just announced, and it looks just as cute as the anime. You play as Anya on her mission to create meaningful memories with her family and friends. This is a slice-of-life adventure game where you can play mini-games, go on outings, and enjoy the world of Spy x Family more intimately. I enjoy slice-of-life for their change of pacing. I will need to see more before I add it to my cart, but for now, I am interested. The game comes out next year.

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Series Reviews

Blue Period: The stressful and inspiring anime about getting into art school

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I just watched Blue Period on Netflix and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It can be a bit pretensions and cheesy when it comes to its obsession with the artistic method, but the themes it deals with and the story it tells make up for it. If you enjoy slice-of-life anime and enjoy art even a little, this is a great series to get into.

Yamaguchi is a rough character who is good at school but feels unfulfilled by his lack of ambitions. He discovers his love for art almost by accident when he is made to join the art club. For the first time in his life, he feels the threads of ambition forming within him. He sets his eyes on one of the hardest art programs in Japan and puts all his time and efforts toward making it happen. But the path to art school won’t be easy. Yamaguchi has never taken art seriously and must learn the skills many have taken years to perfect in a shorter amount of time. Will Yamaguchi’s hard work and passion be enough to get him into art school?

Blue Period is a stressful anime that will often deal with themes of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Consider how big of a trigger these themes are for you before watching this anime. Blue Period handles these themes respectfully and successfully captures the mounting stress of trying to get into a very competitive field. By the end of the series, I felt relief that the whole process was over, even though I wasn’t the one taking the test or trying to get into art school. This is a clear testament to how good the storytelling is. 

Watching the physical, mental, and emotional toll the process is on the characters makes this anime hard to watch at times. The close the characters get to the exam, the darker the anime gets. This anime can be draining, but it is also inspiring to watch Yamaguchi grow through the process.

What I love most about this anime is that Yamaguchi isn’t a genius at the start of the anime. He has to learn skills that people either have naturally or have had years to learn. He will fail at times, but always learns and grows from these failures. Despite how tough he may seem about everything else, he has low self-esteem in his art. Most of the tension that exists in this series is from Yamaguchi’s apprehension. Is he really good enough for art school when there are so many talented people? What makes him more qualified than any of the other applicants? Watching Yamaguchi live with this anxiety and depression is hard, but it makes his growth inspiring to watch. 

If you are looking for new anime to watch, Blue Period is a solid one to get into. The story is cool, the characters are memorable, and it makes getting into art school seem exciting. It is a little too stressful to watch if you are just trying to relax on your day off, but the journey is worth it. Go check out this short series on Netflix.

There is English dubbing available, but I could only find the Japanese trailer. The English dub is solid.

Movie Reviews, movies

Movie Review: Belle (2022)

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There have been a few attempts at adapting the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast for a modern audience. While most fall into obscurity, I believe that Belle is a solid attempt. Belle is the anime version that tells the story in a Ready Player One-like future. In this version, there is a game everyone plays that allows you to log into a virtual world. Suzu is a grieving teen who has lost her mother and is floating through life, trying to find her place in it. She plays the game and becomes the worldwide pop sensation Belle. The rest of the movie is a retelling of Beauty in the beast in a virtual world.

As far as remakes go, this is a sold one. It is far better than the monstrosity that was Beastly, and I even dare say it is better than Disney’s own live-action. The art is pretty, although some of the animation is awkward, and the voice acting is amazing. I did watch it in the original Japanese with subtitles, but there is an English dubbing available if you don’t want to read. I can’t speak on how good the voice acting is for the dubbed version. 

Belle is a movie that focuses more on being a slice-of-life anime. Instead of focussing on the bizarre and magical, a lot of the focus falls on the mundane and serene. Scenes will let you admire the scenery surrounding the sleepy town in japan rather than magical transformations. As a result, you get a lot of scenes that pan over rivers or skylines while Suzu deals with the newfound pressures of being popular. There is a lot of beautiful art in this movie that should not be slept on. 

This is not your typical action-packed anime. While there is fighting and action, the story focuses more on dealing with grief, loss, and abuse. 

The story handles each topic appropriately while telling a decent story. What I liked the most about this version is how active Suzu is in the narrative. Most of the time, this story paints Belle as the smart woman who must save the beast because she has no other option. She is sold or trapped into a situation where she learns sympathy out of necessity. In Belle, Suzu chooses to log into the game as a way to escape and likes being someone different. It helps her cope with a lot of her pent-up feelings. She doesn’t have to help the beast but chooses to on her own. Although Suzu’s motivations for helping the beast are unclear, she drives her own narrative. I love Suzu as a protagonist, and while some of this story is cheesy, it never got unbearable. 

I liked this movie, but I love a slice-of-life anime. If you like this art style and genre, this is a solid pick. Otherwise, this movie might be a bit too slow and uneventful. 

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