February 16, 2024 • 11 mins
Kicking off the new year, Photaru, your trusted host of "On Cloud Anime," brings you an engaging roundup of all the anime he explored this January. He'll share his personal reviews, surprising discoveries, and perhaps a few disappointments from his January watchlist. Whether you're looking for something new to watch or just want to hear Photaru's unique take on recent releases and classic rewatches, this episode is your perfect anime companion for January and beyond!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
INTRO
(00:27):
Hello everyone, I'm your host Photaru and on today's episode of On Cloud Anime, I will
be talking about a select few animes that I watched in the month of January.
And the first anime I'm going to talk about is the anime Frieren.
Now a long time ago I actually decided to make a Frieren video but I actually scrapped it
because I was making the claim that it was the best anime of the entire fall season and
(00:49):
I actually wanted to get a better grasp of what the anime was about before making such
a bold claim.
The thing is with Frieren is that I do still see it as one of the better animes that came
out last year.
I had been first introduced to Frieren during the summer when people kept on recommending
the manga to me and I had decided to give it a chance to see whether or not this was
something that I would actually be into and it definitely hooked me in with the first
(01:12):
couple of chapters.
A lot of people say that the first chapter made them cry a lot.
Personally I was not one of those people but I could definitely understand why.
After reading the first couple of chapters I waited for the anime to come out and I think
that was a pretty good decision because if you looked at any clips involving Frieren
you would notice that the animation looks very beautiful.
(01:33):
And the reason for this is that it's made by Studio Madhouse, the same company that
animated One Punch Man.
And believe it or not this is not going to be the last time I talk about One Punch Man.
So even though Frieren's animation is top tier, it's not the best part of the show.
One thing I like better about this show are the character dynamics because every conversation
that these characters have just flows so naturally.
(01:55):
Anime has this problem where guys will act weird in front of girls and it could lead
to some very uncomfortable scenes.
Now sure, Frieren has one or two comments about boots but it's not like anything creepy.
There's also like no unwanted thirst.
But by far the best thing about this show are the plot devices used to deepen each character.
This is like one of the animes where every time I see a flashback I'm not annoyed at
(02:19):
the fact which is very impressive since a lot of popular animes like to put in flashbacks
and instead it messes with the pacing where for Frieren the flashbacks actually play
in its favor.
You see, in the first episode we don't really get to know how the party was when Frieren
was traveling with them before the Demon King.
But these flashbacks help provide extra context to who they were and how they decide to raise
(02:40):
the kids that Frieren is now working with in her party.
Leading to building a deeper connection since Frieren knows the mentors that these kids
grew up with and in return helps Frieren with her goal of understanding why humans
act the way they do.
So much to the point that Frieren is the new anime that is number one on my anime list
and it's been there for a decent amount of time but it's probably gonna get overthrown
(03:01):
eventually.
I think that can really go to show how well that these characters really touch your heart
in Frieren.
Another thing I want to discuss are the openings and ending.
And can I just say that Yotsubi is yet to miss on an anime opening and I really appreciate
the effort that Yotsubi goes through when they make an opening cause they actually end
up reading the mangas and then making the song based off of that and that takes effort
(03:24):
for everyone in the band to read a manga and then make a song after it.
And for anyone that tries to say that this opening doesn't match the vibe of the show,
if you look at the lyrics then you would be quickly disproven.
The second opening is still taking some time to grow on me but I definitely like it a lot
more than the first time I listened to it.
But that doesn't matter because the ending song for Frieren is the best one in my opinion.
(03:47):
I love Millen's voice and what she did for this ending, it feels so amazing.
I know that this song may not be for everyone but the vibes just hit with me.
But if you need a break from the craziness that was the Shibuya Arcade Jujutsu Kaisen,
then Frieren is definitely your anime.
With amazing character dynamics and tons of meaningful moments, I can see why Frieren
was such a heavy recommendation for me even before the anime came out.
(04:11):
The next anime I will be talking about is the Apothecary Diaries which is an anime that
came out in fall as well.
The difference between this and Frieren is that I don't think that a lot of people are
talking about Apothecary Diaries.
Although the people that I have heard that did watch it seemed to really enjoy it.
So I just want to give it a little bit more time before I decide to watch this show.
And then time went on and as fall was approaching its end, it had completely slipped my mind
(04:35):
that I was supposed to watch this show.
That was until I heard the opening.
And I'ma let you in on something.
This opening goes hard.
After this show had given me the reminder to watch it, I finally decided to binge it
and the first thing that interested me was the setting that this whole story takes place.
Which in this anime's case is Imperial China and I really haven't heard of an anime taking
(04:57):
place during this time so immediately I was interested.
The most fascinating thing about this show is the talk of poisons and medicines and how
the knowledge of both these things are used to solve other people's problems.
And what really makes these fascinating is the fact that all these things that the main
character says about poisons and medicines are true to some extent.
Now obviously you're not going to become a doctor but it's interesting to learn things
(05:20):
such as how apothecaries use to test things on themselves just to see the effect.
And when the Apothecary Diaries isn't teaching you a medical lesson that you're most likely
going to forget in 5 minutes, it usually turns into a slice of life.
Which I really enjoy because of the main character Malmal.
At first she may come off as calm and collected but you can easily tell that she's a gremlin
(05:40):
at heart whenever you mention poison or booze.
And she's not someone who's willing to put up with your shit.
Another thing about a lot of female characters is that they fall into the trap of needing
a love interest to be interesting.
In this case Malmal does have potential for a love interest in the story but it doesn't
diminish her character in any way shape or form.
It may be hard to believe since she was kidnapped in the first episode but she's very capable
(06:04):
on her own.
I also wanted to say that the fashion in this time period is very eye catching to me.
It's kind of sad to know that this anime went under so many people's radars because it's
such a good show.
The Apothecary Diaries is going to be a 24 episode anime meaning that you'll have plenty
of time to catch up and you don't have to worry about spoilers since the show is not
that popular.
(06:25):
But it's also not exactly surprising since Frieren and Jujutsu Kaisen were airing at
the same time as this.
The closest comparison I can give for the Apothecary Diaries is imagine Phoenix Wright
during the investigation scenes where you're looking around for pieces of evidence on what
may have happened in a certain situation.
Malmal gives her two cents by spreading her knowledge on medicine or poisons and then
(06:47):
the problem is solved.
If you're even somewhat interested in the show I would say watch the first episode because
I think that it gives you a decent feel for what the show is going to be like.
And considering we're only halfway through the season if you catch up and you're a medical
student maybe you'll be able to fact check whether or not the facts of medicine are still
accurate.
The last anime I want to talk about is Mashle.
(07:07):
Not that long ago I made a video where I talked about anime in 2023 and some animes that I
mentioned were Apothecary Diaries, Frieren and Mashle.
I had specifically chosen to not speak about Frieren or Apothecary Diaries because I wanted
to speak about them in this video.
The only thing I could say about Mashle was that it looked kinda cool.
Because out of all the anime that I'm talking about today I had the least amount of knowledge
(07:29):
of Mashle prior to watching it.
And to be entirely honest with you Mashle was also the anime that I was the most worried
about because the main reason I didn't watch the first season was because I thought that
the concept was way too similar to One Punch Man and I didn't like One Punch Man at all.
I've also heard mixed opinions when it comes to whether or not people think the show is
funny but then after the second opening decided to blow up everywhere I decided that it was
(07:52):
finally time for me to just give it a shot.
And I was pleasantly surprised.
I actually had a better time watching this than I did One Punch Man.
Is that an unpopular opinion?
Definitely.
And maybe for some people they'll be drawn away from Mashle because it doesn't feel the
most original.
I think that the first half of season 1 when it comes to Mashle is kind of just alright
(08:13):
but it really picks up towards the later part of the season.
The world of Mashle is basically just Harry Potter.
Listen, I don't know too much about Harry Potter but touching an inanimate object and
then it assigning you a house based on your personality but this was clearly a parody
so I'm just gonna let it slide.
Another component of Mashle is the humor.
Humor in anime is very subjective.
(08:35):
Maybe you'll find the jokes in the show to not be funny at all or maybe you'll find them
to be hilarious.
For me it was kind of in the middle.
I think the jokes that normally land for me are when Mashle does something really dumb
with a really straight face.
Now the entire reason I started Mashle was because of season 2 currently airing and I
want to talk about it a bit and I just want to say that so far season 2 of Mashle has
(08:57):
me way more invested than the entirety of season 1.
I think the fact that there's more of an internal struggle within this school makes the story
more interesting since there was nothing really going on for a majority of the first season.
The biggest thing I hope for is that since the story is developing more I hope that the
characters go through more development as well because I think that if they stay the
(09:18):
exact same that they were before then that would be kind of annoying.
And I want to talk about the opening of Mashle again because yes I understand that the second
opening is really good and I can understand the hype behind it but all I'm saying is
that the ending song for season 2 is so underrated I think I actually prefer this over the opening
and I added it to my playlist almost immediately.
(09:41):
I don't know if this is recency bias but out of all the openings and endings I've talked
about today this one is probably my favorite one.
But that's all I'm going to talk about today.
If there's any animes that you want me to watch let me know because none of them are
exactly set in stone so I'm open to suggestion.
And with that I'm your host Photaru seeing you later.
(10:25):
Thank you for tuning in to this episode proudly presented by the APNM Group, a subsidiary
of Alja Productions LLC.
We strive to produce content that informs, entertains and adds value to your day.
We value your input and would be delighted to hear your thoughts in the comments about
this episode.
If you have questions, comments or suggestions please engage with us in the comment section
(10:49):
or via our social media platforms.
Your feedback helps us shape our content and uncover new topics that matter to our listeners.
If this episode resonated with you we kindly ask that you rate and review this show on
your preferred podcast platform.
Sharing this podcast with friends and family helps us reach more listeners and continue
(11:09):
delivering content you enjoy.
For more information about the podcast, the host or our parent company please visit the
link in this episode's description.
Also visit us on YouTube and Rumble to see and hear every content produced by Alja Productions.
Thank you once again for your time and support.
Until next time, stay tuned and stay inspired.
INTRO
(00:27):
Hello everyone, I'm your host Photaru and on today's episode of On Cloud Anime, I will
be talking about a select few animes that I watched in the month of January.
And the first anime I'm going to talk about is the anime Frieren.
Now a long time ago I actually decided to make a Frieren video but I actually scrapped it
because I was making the claim that it was the best anime of the entire fall season and
(00:49):
I actually wanted to get a better grasp of what the anime was about before making such
a bold claim.
The thing is with Frieren is that I do still see it as one of the better animes that came
out last year.
I had been first introduced to Frieren during the summer when people kept on recommending
the manga to me and I had decided to give it a chance to see whether or not this was
something that I would actually be into and it definitely hooked me in with the first
(01:12):
couple of chapters.
A lot of people say that the first chapter made them cry a lot.
Personally I was not one of those people but I could definitely understand why.
After reading the first couple of chapters I waited for the anime to come out and I think
that was a pretty good decision because if you looked at any clips involving Frieren
you would notice that the animation looks very beautiful.
(01:33):
And the reason for this is that it's made by Studio Madhouse, the same company that
animated One Punch Man.
And believe it or not this is not going to be the last time I talk about One Punch Man.
So even though Frieren's animation is top tier, it's not the best part of the show.
One thing I like better about this show are the character dynamics because every conversation
that these characters have just flows so naturally.
(01:55):
Anime has this problem where guys will act weird in front of girls and it could lead
to some very uncomfortable scenes.
Now sure, Frieren has one or two comments about boots but it's not like anything creepy.
There's also like no unwanted thirst.
But by far the best thing about this show are the plot devices used to deepen each character.
This is like one of the animes where every time I see a flashback I'm not annoyed at
(02:19):
the fact which is very impressive since a lot of popular animes like to put in flashbacks
and instead it messes with the pacing where for Frieren the flashbacks actually play
in its favor.
You see, in the first episode we don't really get to know how the party was when Frieren
was traveling with them before the Demon King.
But these flashbacks help provide extra context to who they were and how they decide to raise
(02:40):
the kids that Frieren is now working with in her party.
Leading to building a deeper connection since Frieren knows the mentors that these kids
grew up with and in return helps Frieren with her goal of understanding why humans
act the way they do.
So much to the point that Frieren is the new anime that is number one on my anime list
and it's been there for a decent amount of time but it's probably gonna get overthrown
(03:01):
eventually.
I think that can really go to show how well that these characters really touch your heart
in Frieren.
Another thing I want to discuss are the openings and ending.
And can I just say that Yotsubi is yet to miss on an anime opening and I really appreciate
the effort that Yotsubi goes through when they make an opening cause they actually end
up reading the mangas and then making the song based off of that and that takes effort
(03:24):
for everyone in the band to read a manga and then make a song after it.
And for anyone that tries to say that this opening doesn't match the vibe of the show,
if you look at the lyrics then you would be quickly disproven.
The second opening is still taking some time to grow on me but I definitely like it a lot
more than the first time I listened to it.
But that doesn't matter because the ending song for Frieren is the best one in my opinion.
(03:47):
I love Millen's voice and what she did for this ending, it feels so amazing.
I know that this song may not be for everyone but the vibes just hit with me.
But if you need a break from the craziness that was the Shibuya Arcade Jujutsu Kaisen,
then Frieren is definitely your anime.
With amazing character dynamics and tons of meaningful moments, I can see why Frieren
was such a heavy recommendation for me even before the anime came out.
(04:11):
The next anime I will be talking about is the Apothecary Diaries which is an anime that
came out in fall as well.
The difference between this and Frieren is that I don't think that a lot of people are
talking about Apothecary Diaries.
Although the people that I have heard that did watch it seemed to really enjoy it.
So I just want to give it a little bit more time before I decide to watch this show.
And then time went on and as fall was approaching its end, it had completely slipped my mind
(04:35):
that I was supposed to watch this show.
That was until I heard the opening.
And I'ma let you in on something.
This opening goes hard.
After this show had given me the reminder to watch it, I finally decided to binge it
and the first thing that interested me was the setting that this whole story takes place.
Which in this anime's case is Imperial China and I really haven't heard of an anime taking
(04:57):
place during this time so immediately I was interested.
The most fascinating thing about this show is the talk of poisons and medicines and how
the knowledge of both these things are used to solve other people's problems.
And what really makes these fascinating is the fact that all these things that the main
character says about poisons and medicines are true to some extent.
Now obviously you're not going to become a doctor but it's interesting to learn things
(05:20):
such as how apothecaries use to test things on themselves just to see the effect.
And when the Apothecary Diaries isn't teaching you a medical lesson that you're most likely
going to forget in 5 minutes, it usually turns into a slice of life.
Which I really enjoy because of the main character Malmal.
At first she may come off as calm and collected but you can easily tell that she's a gremlin
(05:40):
at heart whenever you mention poison or booze.
And she's not someone who's willing to put up with your shit.
Another thing about a lot of female characters is that they fall into the trap of needing
a love interest to be interesting.
In this case Malmal does have potential for a love interest in the story but it doesn't
diminish her character in any way shape or form.
It may be hard to believe since she was kidnapped in the first episode but she's very capable
(06:04):
on her own.
I also wanted to say that the fashion in this time period is very eye catching to me.
It's kind of sad to know that this anime went under so many people's radars because it's
such a good show.
The Apothecary Diaries is going to be a 24 episode anime meaning that you'll have plenty
of time to catch up and you don't have to worry about spoilers since the show is not
that popular.
(06:25):
But it's also not exactly surprising since Frieren and Jujutsu Kaisen were airing at
the same time as this.
The closest comparison I can give for the Apothecary Diaries is imagine Phoenix Wright
during the investigation scenes where you're looking around for pieces of evidence on what
may have happened in a certain situation.
Malmal gives her two cents by spreading her knowledge on medicine or poisons and then
(06:47):
the problem is solved.
If you're even somewhat interested in the show I would say watch the first episode because
I think that it gives you a decent feel for what the show is going to be like.
And considering we're only halfway through the season if you catch up and you're a medical
student maybe you'll be able to fact check whether or not the facts of medicine are still
accurate.
The last anime I want to talk about is Mashle.
(07:07):
Not that long ago I made a video where I talked about anime in 2023 and some animes that I
mentioned were Apothecary Diaries, Frieren and Mashle.
I had specifically chosen to not speak about Frieren or Apothecary Diaries because I wanted
to speak about them in this video.
The only thing I could say about Mashle was that it looked kinda cool.
Because out of all the anime that I'm talking about today I had the least amount of knowledge
(07:29):
of Mashle prior to watching it.
And to be entirely honest with you Mashle was also the anime that I was the most worried
about because the main reason I didn't watch the first season was because I thought that
the concept was way too similar to One Punch Man and I didn't like One Punch Man at all.
I've also heard mixed opinions when it comes to whether or not people think the show is
funny but then after the second opening decided to blow up everywhere I decided that it was
(07:52):
finally time for me to just give it a shot.
And I was pleasantly surprised.
I actually had a better time watching this than I did One Punch Man.
Is that an unpopular opinion?
Definitely.
And maybe for some people they'll be drawn away from Mashle because it doesn't feel the
most original.
I think that the first half of season 1 when it comes to Mashle is kind of just alright
(08:13):
but it really picks up towards the later part of the season.
The world of Mashle is basically just Harry Potter.
Listen, I don't know too much about Harry Potter but touching an inanimate object and
then it assigning you a house based on your personality but this was clearly a parody
so I'm just gonna let it slide.
Another component of Mashle is the humor.
Humor in anime is very subjective.
(08:35):
Maybe you'll find the jokes in the show to not be funny at all or maybe you'll find them
to be hilarious.
For me it was kind of in the middle.
I think the jokes that normally land for me are when Mashle does something really dumb
with a really straight face.
Now the entire reason I started Mashle was because of season 2 currently airing and I
want to talk about it a bit and I just want to say that so far season 2 of Mashle has
(08:57):
me way more invested than the entirety of season 1.
I think the fact that there's more of an internal struggle within this school makes the story
more interesting since there was nothing really going on for a majority of the first season.
The biggest thing I hope for is that since the story is developing more I hope that the
characters go through more development as well because I think that if they stay the
(09:18):
exact same that they were before then that would be kind of annoying.
And I want to talk about the opening of Mashle again because yes I understand that the second
opening is really good and I can understand the hype behind it but all I'm saying is
that the ending song for season 2 is so underrated I think I actually prefer this over the opening
and I added it to my playlist almost immediately.
(09:41):
I don't know if this is recency bias but out of all the openings and endings I've talked
about today this one is probably my favorite one.
But that's all I'm going to talk about today.
If there's any animes that you want me to watch let me know because none of them are
exactly set in stone so I'm open to suggestion.
And with that I'm your host Photaru seeing you later.
(10:25):
Thank you for tuning in to this episode proudly presented by the APNM Group, a subsidiary
of Alja Productions LLC.
We strive to produce content that informs, entertains and adds value to your day.
We value your input and would be delighted to hear your thoughts in the comments about
this episode.
If you have questions, comments or suggestions please engage with us in the comment section
(10:49):
or via our social media platforms.
Your feedback helps us shape our content and uncover new topics that matter to our listeners.
If this episode resonated with you we kindly ask that you rate and review this show on
your preferred podcast platform.
Sharing this podcast with friends and family helps us reach more listeners and continue
(11:09):
delivering content you enjoy.
For more information about the podcast, the host or our parent company please visit the
link in this episode's description.
Also visit us on YouTube and Rumble to see and hear every content produced by Alja Productions.
Thank you once again for your time and support.
Until next time, stay tuned and stay inspired.
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