I could’ve made a flashier heading, but the alliteration got me.
If you haven’t picked up on it, I’m about to dive into AnimeLab. Thankfully the name gives away what the service is all about; It’s about anime. As for the lab, I guess it’s an experiment for them? Maybe they were hooked on one of the biggest tragedies in anime, which was Nina Tucker from Full Metal Alchemist.
But AnimeLab has ended up scratching the itch I’ve craved since Toonami. Do you remember Toonami? It was Cartoon Network’s late night segment which slowly introduced this small pacific nation I’m based on to MORE anime. That’s not to say anime didn’t exist; It was certainly starting to make headway commercially. But this late night section opened thine youthful eyes to a ‘broader’ experience.
Full Metal Alchemist.
Orphen.
Initial D.
Ghost In The Shell: Stand-Alone Complex.
Cowboy Bebop.
Gundam Wing.
Neon f*cking Genesis Evangelion.
And I’m sure the list goes on, but that’s all I remember for now. Could you imagine watching Neon Genesis in the springtime of youth at midnight? Transformative. But alas, while my admiration for the medium would ebb and flow, it feels like I’ve gotten back HARD into anime and manga. And a lot of this has been thanks to two things:
My Hero Academia and AnimeLab.
While the high seas are rife with pirates, I’m making like the…I’m guessing it would be the Navy? And subscribing to all the services to get my legal fill of an ever shifting market and the rules which change with it. So after becoming ever enamoured by My Hero Academia, I needed that simulcast fill which AnimeLab supplied! But then the season ended (yes, I know Season 5 is out now, this was Season 4) and I thought to myself, what should I do next; Demon Slayer. Probably the biggest shonen of 2020. But I needed more. I ended up jumping across to Netflix and consuming their Castlevania series, which linked me back to Haikyu!. If you don’t know what Haikyu! is, it’s a series about volleyball, but then cool anime sh*t happens. I ended up bingeing it, and it was ALL ON FROM THERE.
Swiftly returning to AnimeLab and adjusting my subscription from monthly to annual, because commitment, the platform made it easy for me to choose what to watch. And I thought I’d share with you what my current season is about, because really I just wanted to write about:
VIVY -Fluorite Eye’s Song-
This show is so powerful that after 6 episodes, it made me want to write about AnimeLab. An original story produced by WIT Studio, who may have had something to do with THAT anime, it tells the story of Diva; An A.I Idol in our sometime future. In her future, some stuff is about to go down, and she is tasked with stopping it before it happens. All happening in an ever-changing timeline because as A.I she is everlasting, it features a fantastic story, incredible music, and the action the studio have become well-known for. Relentless in delivery, and containing possibly the best use of an Anime OP EVER, I just…really want people to watch it.
Horimiya
I’ve put Horimiya in the list, because this is the binge series. 13 episodes in length, it tells the adorable story of Hori and Miyamura; Two very different students from the same school, who aren’t who they present themselves as. It’s just so feel good, that if you ever need a moment to feel “nice”, Hormiya should do that.
Super Cub
Following on with the theme of “nice”, I picked up Super Cub cause it just seemed cute. Following Koguma, it starts deliriously grim, until it slowly scoots into a comfort anime. We’re 4 episodes in, and it’s been a cute journey of growth and independence for our heroine, thanks to the name of the show!
Shadows House
I honestly have no f*cking idea what is going on, but the mystery of the show and how cute the main cast is keeps you going. Our heroine Emilico resides in the aforementioned spooky house, which is actually a giant-a$$ mansion, where her and other living dolls are tasked with cleaning it. This is due to the soot their masters emit, because their masters are shadows and we have no idea why. BECAUSE SHADOWS HOUSE.
And so many more choices.
From the anime adaptation of The World Ends With You, preparing us for the upcoming game, NEO The World Ends With You, through to the new season of Fruits Basket and My Hero Academia, there’s plenty to watch. Heck! I even want to add Combatants Will Be Dispatched and Full Dive: This Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even Sh*ttier than Real Life! to the mix! BUT I ALREADY HAVE SO MUCH TO WATCH. And I love it.
OH AND:
The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent
Another isekai anime, this subverts expectations as our heroine Sei isn’t the Saint mentioned! And now she’s stuck in a new world accepting she has a new life to live. Touching on how the lonely ‘salary man’ lifestyle drove her to abandon her life so easily, and the knowledge she brings from it into her new world, provides a fun way for audiences to live vicariously through Sei as she begins to “game” the system.
Okay now we’re done!
AnimeLab is available on all Smart platforms, and a Premium subscription will cost $7.95NZD a month, or the bang-for-your-buck $79.50 for a whole year! I currently watch it through my smart TV, mobile device, and sometimes on the web CAUSE I CAN. There’s also a free subscription service, but this limits you to subbed only (I know there’s people that favour dubbed), 480p video quality and no offline support! Yes! When I said mobile, I can TRULY go mobile!
If you’re after that anime fill, then I can’t help but suggest AnimeLab for this. All of this brought to you by the fact that I just want you to watch VIVY – Fluorite Eye’s Song-, but also because I love anime. Now let me get back to it. I think a new episode is now up.
