Tag: Buried Treasure

Pinkie and her Christmas Nakama: A Christmas Actvity With Anime Characters

Johoho Island Guests it is I, Santa Pink! I have come to bring some Joy to The World by taking on this amazing tag created by the wonderful Annie! She is the writer for Evening Tea Musings!.. I did not know there was Evening Tea.. but since there is Breakfast Tea I guess it makes sense!  In this tag we celebrate Christmas and it’s various activities with Anime Characters!  Now in the Netherlands we don’t have many Christmas traditions because we used to Celebrate Sinterklaas instead and just have the religious aspect.. but I’ve seen a lot of Christmas movies to give me some ideas!

Senpai, Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime, gave me the gift that is this tag so she and Annie can join me in these fictional Christmas celebrations.  Also note that I was actually supposed to have a post about Wild Wild West here, that now will show up somewhere in the final days of December. On Christmasday and on Boxing day I will not release any posts as we don’t box anything on boxing day..instead it is to celebrate christmas with the other part of the family we could not visit.  I assume most of us will celebrate christmas those days anyway so I felt I better save my blogs for later. That way we can all interact and have fun together again! Regardless this post snuck in because I thought it was super sweet! Thank you Senpai.. you gave me a great gift!  So how does the tag work? There are not really any rules except you list a Christmas Activity with an anime Character. So I will go in a sort of ..but not really Chronological order. As If telling a story!

Decorating the Tree with Monkey D Luffy

So in the Netherlands we have few Christmas Traditions.. but the Christmas Tree has been there for almost as long as I remember, lots of people did not do it when I was like 4 but by the time I was 7 every house had a Christmas Tree. While it is always lovely  to have the finished product there are some issues with decorating it. Reach… being on thing .. if you have a big tree you have to really work to get to those tough spots and more importantly untangling the lights of last year. Reeee that is so stressful! I just don’t have arms that are long enough so when I put it on the floor behind me as I go.. the stuff behind me tangles again!  Luffy is the perfect solution! He can easily untangle lights with his stretchy body, he can even decorate the  back of the tree properly and he can get to those hard to reach spots!  He is also a very Jolly and Merry guy who would bring some of that Christmas spirit in the house!

Carolling with the μ’s.

The second step in making a Christmas movie is showing how much I care about Christmas, or sometimes how I do not care about Christmas.. but that latter does not fit into this tag! So this movie shows how much I care about Christmas through me singing and dancing Japanese Idol style versions of classic Christmas Songs…and Snow Halation as well which is one of my favourite Idol songs ever! I do think that the μ’s make for good carollers though I might struggle with the Choreography! We do not have carollers here but from what I have seen in Christmas movies those are a bit stuff! They could really use the show element these girls would bring and I could live my dream to be an idol girl! Win for the people and a win for me!

Visiting a Mall Santa  with Team Rocket

The Krampus Pokémon

So… this is a bit of a sidestep.. .But in a good christmas movie there is always that person that is trying to ruin Christmas. Be it a Grinch or Krampus or whatever. Krampus actually appears in versions of our traditional Sinterklaas as well. Just in this case he is a super powerful Pokémon that Team Rocket actually releases to try and catch Pikachu!  However this monster is beyond their control and goes out to ruin Christmas!.. They don’t like that so in Panic they abduct Santa so Krampus can’t get to him and then they see the performance of the carolling people and think! Those girls  love Christmas. We should ask them for help… So Jessie dresses up as Santa Claus and James as a Female Elf Helper and they sit in a mall near us waiting for us to show and eventually we do! Now we need to save Christmas or they will keep Santa!

The hunt for gifts (+ Krampus)  with Spike

Ask a person what they want for their birthday and people , almost always, will answer! I don’t need anything! Just celebrate the day with, some flowers are fine! Stuff like that! With Christmas however people tend to be a lot more imaginative. “I saw this one particular set of bathing goods that would be lovely” , this one store has this amazing sterling silver charm on my bracelet that isn’t that expensive… I forgot what store it is though. It’s quite similar to Jingle All the Way, which is a much smarter movie then people give it credit for. It isn’t done very well..but that movie does really depict a real side of christmas. The thing people want is sold out, they forgot what it is called and what store it is in. I need a skilled hunter to help me track it down. It doesn’t hurt that he could track down Krampus as well!  Plus his Hair is Green and his little airship we can use to get around is Red.. so he also has the colour scheme down! As I haven’t seen the entire series yet and only missed bounties I would also like to give him a contract he can complete for once.. Even though I can’t pay a lot..it should at least feel nice to have somewhat of a success!

Stress Crying with Usagi

Well I have most of the gifts now, but that one gift was out of stock but would come in tomorrow, and for that other gift I have to remind myself to get some batteries, but I can best do that on my way to the house where I will eat Christmas Dinner because otherwise I am sure to forget. I still have to do groceries for dinner and remind myself to call my family, send out the last batch of Christmas cards, I still have to go shop for a new Christmas outfit and then there is Krampus who now took my most cherished guest for Christmas ….Waaaaaa that is a lot of stress!  For those who believe Andy Williams song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” It kinda is, but if you wholeheartedly believe this to be true you have never hosted anything. Christmas is one of the most Stressful times of the year. There is so much to do! Crying helps vent that stress a lot.. but I don’t stress cry that easily. I do cry easily but I need a stronger push! So Usagi ..who cries REALLY easy, might just be the incentive I need! When I see someone else crying of stress I feel like.. “okay I am not the weakest anymore now I can cry to” There have been few christmases where I did not at least stress cry a bit though! (Since I lived on my own at least)

Defeating Krampus with Maple

After the mental breakdown in the Christmas movie it is always time for the turn around we find our Christmas spirit back! When me and Usagi have cried ourselves dry Spike will point out that there is a weird star in the sky somewhere west from here.. it is really bright but it should not be there! It also looks to be a bit low in the sky!  We travel to the star and discover it is actually Angel Form Maple from Bofuri flying on her Turtle because she is looking for Santa ..  A few shepherds and their flock of sheep is running in terror as they see an Angel fly  on a Kaiju turtle as we arrive. Christmas needs some angels as well. Spike tells her where Santa is and how we can get him back and Maple sends Syrup on our way and the fight is fair. Usagi transforms, Spike shoots and I distract Krampus with Christmas songs that he hates! He evolves into something bigger and then Maple oneshots it! But Krampus can only be finished by someone who truely loves christmas..so now I have to sing the most sincere Christmas song ever. Of course that would have to be O Holy Night since we have an angel there.. and I did the whole analogy thing with three people traveling from the east to visit a super powerful child and all.. so yeah!  But it has to be sincere. I might have to sing R2-D2 we wish you a Merry Christmas instead. Pick whatever you want to hear and imagine that! (For those who don’t know the R2-D2 song) This is the first song Bon Jovi ever recorded! Check the YouTube link on my blog to listen to it’s greatness!

Drinking mulled wine and Eggnog with Aqua

Suddenly we realise it is already Christmas Eve… Imagine that.. whole story of the last bit. In the Netherlands we traditionally would go to Church, until I lost my faith when a priest refused to have my uncle in church because he was gay..and seeing a few movies that made me doubt this was it. Regardless at the end of the service people would meet outside and drink some Mulled wine together. After Krampus is defeated and we rescued my party guests who would probably both be quite shocked and unsure if they can attend the next day..due to being kidnapped by a demon.. i’d probably curse and use “the lord’s”  name in vain.  I worked so hard and now it is all ruined still! God dammit I hate Christmas..you see a lot of christmas movies have this second setback where all hope seems lost.  Then God would appear..well not “the god” just “A God” Aqua would show up and tell me.. you look like you could use a drink! I would nod and she would say! So could I !  Let’s have some christmas drinks! Sad and hurt my guests, I would agree! And I would enjoy the wine and try bourbon and rum filled egg nog as I go deep into christmas eve with Aqua. 

Seeing Three Ghosts with Fuyumi Yanagi, Nanana Ryuugajou and Meiko Honma

I would not stay sober that night and in a drunken Delerium suddenly Yanagi from Blood Lad would appear before me saying “I am the ghost of Christmas Past I will show you a vision”  she would show me a vision of back when I watched Blood Lad for the first time.. the christmas of that year.  Mom and dad had just separated and me and mom had one of the warmest Christmasses together, my sister was forced to stay at her girlfriend’s place. Mom had a Turkish boyfriend, but she came home because she did not want me to be alone for Christmas.. We had an amazing Christmas together. The vision would end and I wondered why Usagi and Spike let me get this drunk.

Then suddenly Nanana from Nanana’s buried treasure appears before me.  “I am the ghost of Christmas Present” she would say! I would take a bottle of Sake , probably empty and tell her she is not even a real ghost!  She would shrug and show me a vision of me staying in bed all day, my one guest would just read a book in her room by herself while she just been through a bad experience and my other guest would feel very unfulfilled. Nanana would say they need me and I would say they chose not come and it made me sad! They are always welcome but if they don’t want to come I won’t force them. Nanana would fade away as quickly as her show ended and Meiko from Anohana would appear. As the ghost of the future she would show me countless empty December 25ths..  Nothing bad happens.. but I would just sit at home doing what I always do..except no one is online because everyone celebrates. I would be shocked! I hate the idea of having an empty life and not being part of memories! I would tell her why is she here I have not even seen Anohana yet.. and she claims that is the exact reason why she is the ghost of the Future. I wondered when I would see it.

Cooking Christmas Dinner with Megumi

The next morning I would wake up in my own bed, hangover free, with a not from Aqua saying she purified me or something and that I should have a great Christmas.. awww perhaps she isn’t a useless goddess over all.  Though I can not help but wonder if the purifying was kinda lewd! I’d call up my two traumatised guests and in a joyful tone ask them to come. I promise them it will be great and without much convincing I succeed! People can be weird around these days and kind of shut you out but all they want to know is that you really love them! I  haven’t finished the entire Food Wars series yet, I am stranded at the part where they cook on trains!  So the Megumi that is coming to cook with me is earlier seasons Tadokoro-Chan.

She’d be my guest for Christmas but like I said in my New Years posts last year, rather than giving each other flowers and chocolates or a bottle of wine that gets added to the collection, we just help each other out! She loves cooking and I do too! So it would be super fun to cook christmas dinner together. I really adore her personality and while I would not serve a fish only Christmas menu, I think together we can still make something great!

Exchanging Gifts with Sayaka Saeki

Of course I would not leave my Waifu out of Christmas! I needed Spike to track down the perfect gift for her. I kind of like giving gifts more than I like receiving them, but I am fairly poor so it is a lot rarer as well.  For this little Christmas fantasy however I had a neat little cash influx that allows me to afford all these Shenanigans. I would give Sayaka a first print of her favourite book, or like a first edition of the first book I ever saw her reading. Something like that. I like giving things that show you know a person and while maybe not very valuable or rare or useful it shows thought!

Those are my favourite kind of gifts. If I gift you a hairbrush you want.. I am kind of saying “I agree your hair could look better”  but if I gift you an item that suits you without it being functional, I show… I like you.. I like this aspect of you and I accept you for who you are and I think Christmas is the perfect time to give such gifts.. I might be just gifting a keychain (and this year nothing  caused stores to close and I waited with gift shopping as one of my giftees wants something perishable) but it is not just a keychain! It is love as well. Obviously my Waifu would get a lot of love…the non physical kind, the physical kind seems kinda gross after having a rich christmas meal.

Believing In Santa with Yuki Takeya

The story would end with my little band of Carollers performing Snow Halation one last time! We do that inside because my house would be too small for so many girls to dance and sing!  As we look up in the sky me and the neighbour girl both at the same time point and what looks to be a sled flying in the sky! No one else seems to notice it! The girl straightens her black cat eared had and smiles and says “I saw him” , I would nod and smile “I saw him too, twice actually but last time he was kidnapped, I wonder how he escaped team Rocket”. 

Team Rocket wakes up in their own house and finds a big christmas present under their tree. There is a note from Santa “ I got out ..as there is work to be done , I will not leave without a gift though”  Team Rocket opens their gift and  they find a large tub of Coal. James sighs when he suddenly sees something move in the tub of coals, as he digs it out he discovers a Voltorb. He gulps as he knows what is happening.  We cut back to me and Yuki waving at Santa and the others thinking we are crazy.. then a bang can be heard in the distance, three shapes shoot up past santa. “Three Rocket is Blasting off Again…..Meeeeowwwth”….me and Yuki hear Santa laugh “Hohoho!” Merry Christmas”

With just one day for Christmas I am not sure if I can still tag anybody! So I will open up this thing for everyone who wants to still give it a try! My Christmas gift to you guys! Just be sure to tag Annie in your post so she can read them all! You know a lot better if you have the time available than me so I think this is pretty fair! You ALL are nominated by simply reading this! Hohoho! I at least gave some gifts this year it seems!

Pinkie Watches a Random Anime 2: Nanana’s Buried Treasure

As you may know I have a love for everything that is random! Once a month I use a website that gives you a random list of anime. I then roll a random number and flip to said item on that list. If I am not totally off-put by the title or the sheer episode number (which it usually tells you)  I try to find if it streams somewhere.  If it does I watch the first five episodes of it without reading the synopsis! Last month I failed.. I watched The Reflection.. a Stan Lee anime.. but I had nothing to say about it.. this month I got Nanana’s Buried treasure and here I am writing a blog! So guess I have more to tell about this one. 

<Disclaimer>
This Review is mostly spoiler free, characters will be discussed and several settings and situations will be mentioned, however I will not discuss specifics or loyalties etc. The synopsis of this show will be mentioned so if you call that a spoiler you want to avoid… you are kinda a weirdo for clicking on this review in the first place
<End of Disclaimer>

Technical Treasures

So let’s talk about the technical/paperwork stuff first. This anime is a one season anime which aired in spring 2014. It is produced by A1 studios and aired on Fuji Tv. I watched it on Crunchyroll and I actually managed to watch all of it before I wrote this blog! It has 11 episodes and leaves the story rather unfinished and finding the light novel to finish the story can actually be quite a hassle. So straight up, if you can not stand open ended.. uhm… endings…(great writing Pinkie), then this show is not going to be for you. It very much feels like a promotional anime. “That’s how far our story goes, now go and buy the manga or light novel” which will put a lot of viewers off. For those who stick around though the show can offer you a few fun adventures with a passable ending.  There is a conclusion even if nothing is resolved. Depending on how you look at it.  The show targets a shonen demographic..which most likely is less equipped with the ability to deal with open endings. It feels a bit like Lupin meets Indiana Jones, meets Mission Impossible, meets detective Conan, with a fair bit of fanservice mixed in between. It blends traditional anime with a lot of that cgi quasi 3d animation and a colour and style that reminded me bit of Persona. 

The show like said earlier has 11 episodes which feeling wise takes us about one third through midway in the total story of the series. I’d call it an adventure comedy with some slice of life elements. We deal with a main character struggling to deal with rent.. and visiting an onsen.. and what girl to date but we also see him scale buildings and collapsing floors to find treasures. There even are a few actual anime fights. It’s a little bit of everything. It scores as 7.1 on MAL which I think is a surprisingly accurate grade  and nearly identical to I would give it on a scale of one to ten. The main character Yama Juugo is voiced by Yuki Ono, whom I know as Isami Aldini from Food Wars and Moral from Hamatora. He also played Seaman A in Hunter X Hunter (the 2011 version)  and Fish Dinosaur in Muromi San.  Deuteragonist Nanana is voiced by Rui Tanabe.. whom I have never heard in anything before and whom I can’t tell if she had any important roles! I like the voice though but you can tell she falls a bit flat when having to work a bit with her voice (As in when she has to make it quiver or shout) The series is directed by Kanta Kamei for those people that find such things important.

Tomb Raider the Anime

The anime opens up with Nanana and some female friends exploring an ancient ruin. We get some heavy Indiana Jones vibes as we see poison darts flying around, crashing ceilings flash floods and more. Nanana is smiling widely from happiness while doing this while her friends have mixed reactions.  Eventually we see them enter an antechamber and everyone catches their breath before we cut to the opening credits. Which brings me to my biggest problem with this anime… this show isn’t about that! I would have LOVED the show to be about that! Indiana Jones with anime girls! Sign me up! Yet instead we discover Nanana is not even the main character.

We meet a boy named Juugo who get exiled by his father and forced to live in the cheapest room he could find. An alcoholic female landlord makes some advances on him but then shows him to his room. To his surprise it is not empty. A girl is there eating pudding and playing video games every hour of every day . When he informs the landlord she tells him.. it’s not a girl.. that’s a ghost. Nanana got murdered 10 years ago and now is trapped here. She is a legendary treasure hunter and through those treasures she once found and had this island built they might find her killer so she can kill him. Since Yuugo starts feeling some affection for the poor girl he decides to help her and join up with a treasure hunting club. The anime is about the adventures of that club and Yuugo’s personal quests. Trough the many factions within this world.

When Nanana died her treasures had been spread all over the island hidden in so called “ruins” which are basically just puzzle rooms that each hold a magic item. Of course everyone Yuugo meets has their own agenda. Like the president of the Treasure hunting club, the all perceiving great detective Tensai and her male androgynous crossdressing assistant Daruku.  Which in series is given a nasty name for that particular type of character.. which is another strike against the series.. but it is actually a very enjoyable character. He is adorable and comfortable with being a male, he just really wants to be a maid as well. Then there is the mysterious thieving organisation Matsuri ..which has deep connections with the very Treasure club and then there is some evil bloke!  And a criminal gang and the little writer girl who is kinda into Yuugo. There honestly is a lot happening in this show and it’s surprising how much they are all fleshed out over the course of only 11 episodes. Of course there is still more to tell but by the end I had a pretty good idea of who everyone was and why they did the thing they did ! The show makes that very clear.. which means that despite it not telling the whole tale.. all pieces are pretty much on the table. Good thing! 

To help Nanana discover who killed her, Juugo explores these ruins all while manoeuvring across all the treacherous elements. These artefacts can possibly hold great powers . Some are rather harmless, yet others could in the wrong hands be used to rul the world. So Yuugo can not just ask for Nanana’s sake! These ruins are life or death situations that each time are very different but usually contain some very Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones like challenges.  Filled with trials of agility, wits and of course strength. These ruins are often riddled with traps or hidden mechanics keeping each episode fun and varied. The way the Treasure club moves through these can be reminiscent of Mission impossible .. with each team member fulfilling a certain roll and allocated to a certain strength. While the weight usually lies with Juugo and Tensai (the detective girl)  others get involved as well   which results in a fairly competent series with lots of plot twists and fairly fleshed out characters!  More good things. The fact that people risk their lives for a CHANCE to get what they want and they might end up with a dud makes it feel more alive and makes you feel there is a world, behind just this group as well.

Oh Valley of Plenty, Oh Valley of Plenty!

Since this is a bit of a mystery story I am not going to explain everything that happens here, it’s all about how these relationships work but overall the stuff that happens and how it happens offers a plenty entertaining show. The way it is presented though rubs me a bit in the wrong way. We get some harem tones with the main character having obviously a connection to Nanana, but also to detective Tensai.. then there is a writer girl whom he has chemistry with and a flame from his past. Four girls.. in an 11 episode anime?! That’s a bit much for me personally.  Add to this that there is a lot of fan-service comedy, like him wrestling with a girl and him allowing his arm to be dislocated just so he can cup a feel and  there are a few scenes I am not particularly interested in. Oh right the drunk landlady also solicates for some action at times so I guess it’s five girls. It just feels unneeded for me.. then again I am not a young boy and people do like that stuff so happy for them it’s there. For me it’s plentiful enough that I can get a bit annoyed at it. I must commend them though .. I could see him ending up with all four of these girls, non of these romance options feels disingenuous. All ships have a charm to them. If I had been a manga would have tracked the series down to find out how this ended. 

Then there is the cross-dressing maid… who looks like a girl sounds like a girl.. but is actually a guy. He gets upset when people mistake him for being  a girl but he acts very girly. This show names him as “trap” which I find quite nasty and does bump this show down a peg or two. They mention it a few times.. and the worst one if when Yuugo calls him a trap claiming this person has an Excalibur just like his own” The wordt Trap can easily be harmful to trans-people so it should not be just a joke. Luckily they do portray him well! He identifies as male and can get kinda upset if people call him a girl. He is a man that just happens to look like a girl and likes woman’s clothing. He just wants to be himself and is sad if people do not see the real him. Nice  However they also give him this quirk that wants to taste Tensai’s saliva but feeding her with his chopsticks and then licking them.

This is a returning gag and actually quite a good example how the humor in this show is taken. Everyone acts so awkward about their feelings here.  Then there is a character whose name I honestly have forgotten as his character trait is to be Juugo, but a bit stealthier and just missing out on being on par with him. .. He keeps telling the girlish guy everything he does is so erotic and how he could initiate him. Why is everyone so horny when their lives are in danger or heck when there is food. As longs as you might die.. or can score some food there is no reason to feel the tinglies just above your legs! At least nog as much as these guys do! I don’t get it and feel this disconnect to that kind of joke. There are also a lot of boob jokes if that is your thing.. they aren’t even cringingly bad.. I just feel nothing for them. 

The show also has a lot of jokes that actually did make me chuckle. Like the club president’s assistant constantly trying to let her beloved help her as well as Yuugo helps his girl to no avail or even the silly Nanana pudding humor. Nanana the ghost can only eat pudding.. and for the rest she just plays video games as she is bound to the room she died in.  This means those puddings are what little she can experience of the world outside.. and she prefers puddings made at locations.. like the special pudding from the mall or from the town that made the onsen. It is cute. It might seem shallow first and it can feel kinda gimmicky but there is something humble enough about it. Like when Juugo asks her about a hint on one of the ruins..she tells him she has one condition.. as he says “yes of course I will get you pudding from said location ” she thinks and says “I have two conditions” showing she forgot about that but now can not let it go.  Nanana has three things in her afterlife.. pudding, games and her rules and that’s so little she can’t give any up.. so I liked those kinds of jokes.

GIga Pudding

In the end this show is much like a pudding. It’s sweet, easily digestible and something you watch after coming out of a very serious series or after watching something long.  It’s a bit of a palette cleanser.  Unfortunately for Nanana this isn’t one of those custom made puddings she made.. this is a bit of a store brand ones.. she still loves them just they do not make her list of favourites. The vanilla flavour is fine and the treasure hunting is like that chocolate/cherry sauce that shift it towards a more unique experience. Tet if we look a bit better at the composition we can see it is made  out of some lower grade materials. Which are fine.. but also not that special. It’s a tasty mix of all elements being good enough but there is also not that much to make it stand out.

The way all these puddings are structured does leave you wanting for more though. After I finished each episode , I wanted to watch the next due to a cliffhanger .. that almost always got resolved off screen weirdly enough, to find out what actually happened I had to watch through almost nearly an entire other episode for it being mentioned. Which is a great way to make you hooked on a show that otherwise might not be strong enough! So it is at least clever!  I wanted to watch 5 episodes for this review and see if I wanted to continue it..but  episode 5,6 and 7 ended on a cliffhanger and then i was like.. I only need 4 more episodes and before I knew it I was out of pudding! I consumed it almost all as one as a sort of Giga Pudding. …I think I heard a song about it once… it was really long. I liked this anime it was a nice way to spend three hours or so. However I am pretty sure it will not take that long for this anime to be buried deep within my mind!

I really wish this concept would have been used for a slightly better show, it’s not that this show is bad.. I just think the concept is amazing but the show never aimed for that standard. Instead of ending up with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow we end up with a pudding cup at one of the shelves in your fridge..it will still make you happy for a little while but that happiness will not linger. Hmmm now I feel like getting a pineapple pudding! Why Pineapple?!
Because this anime is

Now that is done it’s time for me to go on a treasure hunt myself! By that I mean raid my fridge for some lunch, have you seen this anime?! Do you know of any more Indiana Jones like, treasure hunting anime? I don’t mean One Piece.. I mean .. traps, puzzles and stuff!
Let me know and have a nice weekend! All the love! Stay Happy!

XO

Pinkie

P.S. I remember that song now!

If you want to make the song stop but are powerless to click away I suggest you get redirected by supporting my Kofi! Now this is the best Kofi add I ever did!