Catch Me... If You Can

Happy Lunar New Year to anyone who celebrates it.

Jotting down some thoughts on this season's anime series since I didn't do a preview for this season.

Champignon no Majo: Western fairy-tale-esque fantasy about a poison witch called the Champignon Witch who cannot touch anyone and is feared by just about everyone in town. She tells herself that she's content and happy with what she's got, though it's not hard to tell that she yearns for human companionship. The set-up reminds me a bit of Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid. This one turns out to be a pleasant surprise. There is an ongoing main plot that wasn't revealed till episode 3. The reveal regarding the identity of the narrator is quite neat.

Eris no Seihai: Court intrigue and conspiracies with many moving pieces and characters. The visual is decent if unexceptional, but the story more than makes up for it. Episode 1 serves as a prologue, and the main plot begins in episode 2. The pacing of this series feels a bit off to me, as if there were scenes being skipped. I'm guessing it has to do with the way the novel series was written. (Note: I haven't read the novels.) The main plot is very intriguing so far.

Fate strange/Fake: Another Fate spin-off, this time written by Narita Ryogo (Baccano!, Durarara!!). The writing is about what I would expect from Narita Ryogo. The visual looks great; the multiple delays probably helped. The anime delivers what it promises and nothing more. I find this one playing it a little too safe, but maybe that's just me -- or I've gotten jaded where Type-Moon franchises were concerned.

Isekai no Sata wa Shachiku Shidai: BL isekai about a workaholic salaryman being transported to another world when he tried to save a high school girl -- and he's not the one the summoning party wanted. The visual is average at best, but the romance plot is quite good if predictable. This one scratches the BL itch for me.

Oshi no Ko Season 3: If you've watched the first two seasons, you already know what to expect here. Great OP sequence.

Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu.: Death game from Studio Deen, with a dream-like aesthetic, a slow, measured pacing closer to a psychological horror, and minimalistic background music. The result is quite haunting. This one is directed by Ueno Sota, who also directed 2024's Gimai Seikatsu, which I really liked. This is the most interesting series I've watched so far this season. Blood and gore is replaced with foam instead, but the body horror is very much there. The first episode in particular is very tough to watch if you go into this one blind like I did. I couldn't quite decide whether the main character is being genuine, manipulative, or both.

(Side note: I've read two infinite flow/death game cnovels lately. The cultural difference between one written by a Chinese author and one written by a Japanese author is quite interesting. Cnovels tend to be more positive in their outlook, while J-novels have a tendency to be quite despairing and pessimistic regarding humanity in general.)

Ikoku Nikki: Drama from studio Shuka, about a fifteen-year-old girl who'd lost her parents being taken in by her novelist aunt, who prefers to be alone and doesn't like dealing with people. This one isn't a tearjerker; it's closer to slice-of-life as the two main characters try to adjust and adapt to their new lives together. I haven't really formed an opinion on whether I like this one or not. Most of the time I'm left feeling as though I'm looking at these characters through a veil.

Haven't caught up with Sousou no Frieren season 2 yet.

Manga and anime news.

Yuki Kaori's Earl Cain is getting a new sequel. I wasn't expecting that. Then again, I didn't expect Angel Sanctuary to get a sequel either...

In other news, Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight is getting a new anime at Kinema Citrus. No idea what format it will take.

Tachibana Oreko's Taisho era romance Hotaru no Yomeiri is getting a TV anime adaptation in October. Uchiyama Kouki and Ishikawa Yui voiced the main characters in the voice comic. Hopefully they'll be back for the TV anime.

Agi Tadashi and Okimoto Shuu's long-running wine manga Kami no Shizuku is getting a TV anime in 2026 (trailer). The manga itself was adapted twice into live action drama. Kamenashi Kazuya, who played the main character Kanzaki Shizuku in the first live action drama, will be back to voice the same character in the TV anime.

It's the last day of the year 2025. The most memorable thing for me was probably falling down the danmei novel rabbit hole, and I've been staying there ever since. Haven't watched much anime or movies this year -- I'd spent most of my time reading instead. Haven't written any stories either -- I'm moulding and refining them inside my head instead.

Anyway, happy new year's eve. See you in the new year!

Here's a masterlist of the danmei novel reviews I had posted on here so far. Some of the reviews are more like random thoughts off the top of my head; some are more in-depth. The linked posts below might contain unmarked spoilers. The tag I use for danmei novel posts on my DW blog is this: osmanthus wine: danmei. It makes sense in context...

( Danmei Novel Reviews Masterlist. )

Been reading Ji Mo Yao's (即墨遥) quick transmigration/world hopping danmei novels. The main character is equipped with a system and must complete missions in sub-worlds for points/credits, either by romancing the main character, playing the villain, or playing matchmaker for that sub-world's main couple. Every one of the sub-world scenarios are angst central that ends badly for just about everyone; many of them are essentially crematorium stories. Lots of suffering, non-con, character death, etc. The player can only leave the sub-worlds through dying, which definitely adds to the angst. The novels do have a happy ending in the main world though.

As promised to myself, here are more danmei novel reviews—and I got carried away.

"Going off script is a way of life—unless you are an actor acting in a film."

Chi Hai Yun (池海筠) is a relatively new author I'd come across earlier this September. Currently they have three finished books and one ongoing novel. Unusual for a danmei novel author, their first two books are anthology, though all the stories within the two anthologies share the same universe. One common thread that runs across Chi Hai Yun's entire body of works thus far is the Space-Time Administration, which governs countless micro-worlds to ensure that the main character in each world follows the script written by the world's consciousness. But of course, things don't always go according to plan.

Character-wise, the gong (top) is usually the main perspective character, and occasionally the POV would switch to the shou (bottom) and the supporting characters. Chi Hai Yun is fond of a particular type of main couple dynamic: a teasing older gong (sometimes by a few years, sometimes by several thousand years) who takes the shou under his wing; and a shou who is cold towards everyone else but agreeable and endearing towards the man he loves. They are rebels with a cause, and they can come off as ruthless and manipulative when it serves them. They are shades of grey, some of them a darker shade than the others.

Chi Hai Yun's stories are plot-driven with a healthy balance of romance. I'd say it's roughly 50-50. One particular theme that is prevalent in Chi Hai Yun's stories is the notion that you decide your own fate. A special mention goes to the writing itself. It's descriptive and atmospheric with a focus on the five senses. The result can be quite cinematic at times. It's the kind of writing style I love.

The reviews below contain very mild, non-specific, unmarked spoilers. Most of the details below can be gleaned from the synopsis and/or the first few chapters of each book.

( The Re-employment of Villain-Turned-Scum Gong (反派渣攻再就业): Enemies-to-lovers anthology. )

( Black Moonlight's Rule of Roleplaying (黑月光攻扮演法则): Black moonlight anthology. )

( The Award-Winning Actor Doesn't Want a Love Polygon (影帝他不想修罗场): Showbiz and get back together story with a dose of psychological horror. )

It's pumpkin season again; I got a reminder when I was grocery shopping the other day. Gotten through a hurdle that's been bothering me since last year, and I'm feeling more like my old self again.

About time to make a new post for the 2026 HP Fest Masterlists on potterfests. Will do that when the 2025 maserlist on LJ has reached the character limit -- or maybe I'll do that in October.

Speaking of which, there's been some talk in the HP fandom regarding the use of AI in fest submissions, including but not limited to fic creation, art creation, and fic beta-ing/editing. See HP Hedonism Fest (and about Grammerly) and Padfoot Fest regarding the mods' stance, i.e., banning any use of AI altogether. I wonder how the fest mods caught them in the first place. Maybe there's a program for it?

I don't get why someone would use AI for a fest piece. I was under the impression that if someone decides to participate in a fest in the first place, it's because they wholeheartedly wanted to create a piece of fanwork for the thing they love and are willing to put in the time and effort for it? The use of AI for editing and beta-ing is a bit more prickly. It's hard to tell whether the beta you find online is doing the beta-ing manually or using something like Grammerly to do it for them. One can only hope that they adhere to the honour system.

Anyway, my to-be-written danmei novel reviews are really stacking up. I'll write a couple shorter ones before the month ends. Haven't got started on the fall anime preview yet. At the moment, there are three to four series I'm interested in. We'll see how things go.

Still throwing around ideas for an original story. Currently building the main characters' profile in my head. (Maybe I'll try that thing that Zhichu talked about in her author's note.)

Danmei novel post.

Finished Lu Ye Qian He (绿野千鹤)'s Temporary Bodyguard (临时保镖), the story of a part-time bodyguard and the young CEO who hires him. I wasn't expecting it to be a suspense story. It's quite well written, and all the loose ends are tied up by the end. It also has that Lu Ye Qian He quirk to it that made me laugh. Atmosphere wise, it's a lot more grounded than some of Lu Ye Qian He's other novels, and the cases revolve around social issues that are unique to Mainland China.

Also finished Zhichu's (稚楚) Fanservice Paradox (营业悖论), a showbiz story about a struggling male idol group accidentally getting a lot of attention when a fan uploaded a video of two of the group members having a vaguely suggestive moment at the airport (it's actually one member bullying the other). The group's agency decided to ride the wave and run with it to get the boys the media exposure they badly needed -- and it worked. Ultimately, it's their excellent live performance, talent and work ethics that push them to the top.

It strikes a good balance between the showbiz plot and the romance plot. The novel itself centers on two main themes: work towards your dream even if you might fail in the end, and be yourself instead of what society and other people tell you how you ought to act.

Challenge 2: Tunnel of love.

The sudden realisation that I have encountered something special, predestined or by chance. My heart skipped a beat, and I held my breath, unable to look away. At first it was just a spark, but soon it grew into a flare. With happiness came a jolt of anxiety. I wanted to capture this moment and the feelings it stirred up in me. Ever so carefully I placed the flame inside a locked box in my mind as if locking away something precious. I wanted to keep it alive for as long as possible, knowing that this moment would not last. See? It had already faded into a distant memory of amber and sepia, a midsummer daydream with a bittersweet aftertaste. Still, I couldn't help but smile, for somehow we ran into each other in this vast expanse of space and time.

Note: I wrote this after reading the first arc of Zhichu's (稚楚) BE Crazy Demon Survival System (BE狂魔求生系统). "BE" stands for bad endings. The novel is about a danmei novelist known for writing depressing endings for his main couples. After his death, he must enter the world of his own novels, take on the role of the main character, and rewrite the ending into a happy one where the main couple gets together in the end. And in the process, he falls in love.

The writing is evocative and movie-like, at times lyrical. There is a sense of rhythm to the pacing. The way the author depicted emotions feels delicate and real, and some of the similes the author used are quite brilliant. You can easily picture the scene in your head.

I must say—I feel like I'm falling in love.