Meaning Behing Jigoku Shoujo Anime

This anime holds special significance to me. A lot of people misunderstand what it is about, including even those who made 3rd and 4th season. Many call it a horror. I made a review about it a while back but felt there is more to be said about it.

While some scenes are indeed cruel and gruesome, this anime is not about scaring people. It's about providing victims of abuse, bulling and other kinds of wrongdoing with relief and justice.

We all (at least most of us) would like to live in a helpful and supportive environment that cares and nurtures us. Something close to what Gochiusa or Bofuri depicts. 

However not everyone is lucky enough to be surrounded by such a nice people. Sometimes cruel and malicious people enter your life and stay there to keep causing you pain misery and suffering. No matter what you do, they do not stop. Sometimes it's the very knowledge that it hurts you, motivates them to continue. No matter how much you protest or cry, they keep causing you harm. 

Sometimes you or someone else can stop them, but other times they are too powerful or have too much control over your life to allow you to simply get rid of them. Back then I was in such hopeless powerless situation. There was nothing I could do to end the suffering they caused me.

I personally had to deal with a number of people just like that. There were certain cruel classmates in Russia, who thought that beating me and throwing away my belongings into rubbish bin was fun. Then they were my stupid parents who though that their crazy principles and rules are more important than my wellbeing and insisted on forcing them on me no matter how much I protested and cried. A true testament to "inhumanity of human nature", to quote Diablo II.

I did try to talk to my parents, but they mocked my complaints instead of doing something. I tried to complain to teachers about bullies, but they did nothing.

Sure, not all people are like those above. Some are nice and helpful. Some can even be friends. There were certain periods in my life when I was surrounded only by friendly people, and these were happy times when I could forget about past troubles.

However, one cruel monster often enough to eclipse 100 good guys. The amount of pain they caused leaves psychological scars that occasionally come back to haunt you in your nightmares.

Back then I could surely wish that I could just contact Jigoku Tsushin and get Enma Ai to solve my problems. Watching Jigoku Shoujo now let me feel glad that at least on-screen victims eventually got their relief and justice. That was the help I did not have, I had to constantly wake up back to the same old nightmare, my evil parents decided to plunge me into.

Nowadays I often blame bad things in my life on my parents. I somehow feel they are creeping somewhere around me discreetly to poison my life as much as their diminishing ability still allows them. However it could be some other malicious actors, who act against me in secret. 

I am far too familiar with spiteful and malicious side of human nature and can easily suspect that such people are behind the hard times we are currently experiencing. Everything around us is a sick joke by these bastards. These bastards are too evil to be defeated by 'no kill policy' Batman or other superhero. They way they will break out and cause more harm. Only one way trip to hell for them will save us from misery and suffering they are spreading around.

One of the rules of Enma Ai's contract is that a person who made a pact will go to hell after their death. For most of the victims that is still a relief as their abusers make their lives worse than hell and getting out if this hell even briefly is still a relief. Many of the victims, whom Enma Ai helped, especially in the first season, saw her as a savior. 

I can fully understand that sentiment. I can also understand a desire for revenge, people who caused me harm, deserve to suffer in return. 

First season is the best in that. It takes on the matters with utmost seriousness. First it shows just how bad humans can be and makes sure very person Enma Ai sends to hell certainly deserves it. Then it executes justice in a somber and dignified manner.

Perhaps there are people out there that blame themselves instead of perpetrators like Shinji Ikari from Eva. There are also people who like to do victim blaming either out of favor or bribe from the abusers.

I am not one of them. I blame those who caused me suffering and want to see them suffer in retaliation for pain they have caused me. When it comes to depicting this psychology, there are surprisingly little anime out there. Other than Jigoku Shoujo there is also Elfen Lied and that is all.

I do hope that Enma Ai will eventually send everyone who ever caused me pain to hell. This is the kind of happy end that will make me happy. 

Hamidashi Creative Review

Overall Rating 5.7 out of 10 - Random Filler Anime

I recommend watching it instead of other fillers

More like Hamidashi - Lack of Creativity

This is an anime that has nothing in particular going for it but at the same time nothing in particular going against it either. It is just 12 mostly unconnected to each other short episodes with half of the screen time are taken by an outro. Even then scriptwriters struggle to fill the remainder of 4 minutes long episode with dialogue. I presume most of "creativity" went into girl's design and most creative time into drawing their very detailed eyes.

On the other hand, there is nothing in this show that annoys me. That is an achievement in itself as world is full of woke agenda shows that are hellbent to deny man his rightful entertainment. I can recommend it just for that reason if you have nothing else to watch or simple need a show to watch in breaks to something heavy like Kaiji, Akagi or Umineko. Despite its lack of creativity, this show has a purpose. 

Kimi wa Meido-sama Review

Overall Rating: 6.2 out of 10 - Relatively OK show.

I can recommend watching.

Komi-san, now in maid flavor

Problem with popular tropes is that they often attract creators who would rather make a different show. However, either producers or editors insist that they go for proven receipts or they themselves opt to do it, craving fame and publicity.

Maids are one such trope. Feminist "liberation of women" left men unable to find women who cleans, cooks and serves man. Entertainment industry figured out how to fill the void with maid cafes and shows about maids. Thus, anime about maids near guaranteed to sell.

Creators of Kimi wa Meido-sama seems thought that women who simply cooks and cleans would be too boring, so they decided to spice it up with assassin backstory, "challenge of being normal" and a few more twists. Some of it good, some not so much. All of it however takes the show too far from its core purpose. It's clear that creators want to make this show into a sober narrative about one's approach to live. While I can understand what they trying to say, it hardly makes the show more enjoyable to watch, it adds some sympathy towards Yuki but that is about it. Neither does it covers the existentialist questions sufficiently enough. It's just too far to be next Umineko, Byousoku 5cm, SEL, Utena, Kaiji, Akagi or any other decent attempt at literary fiction.

Maid in question, Yuki, is likable enough and that should be a good enough reason to watch this show. Due to trends in anime industry, even half decent shows are hard to find. Pink haired girl, that appears in second half of the show is also likable. The same cannot be said about male protagonist's sister and nurse that later became PE teacher.

Still show somewhat recovers closer to the second half. More than half of the scenes are enjoyable to watch. Not a stellar endorsement, but so many other shows are horrible in almost every scene. 

Overall, it's OK and can be enjoyed during periods of few good shows.

On Representation of Siberia in Europa Universalis Games

Europa Universalis is one of my favorite games of all times. It has a very realistic depiction of history. However not all areas are equally well represented in games. One example of problematic area is Siberia.

Siberia is divided into many large low development provinces of roughly equal sizes. The whole area is never-ending field of these provinces. It makes playing there boring and repetitive.

Actual Siberia has several major rivers that serves as pathways for its exploration. Russian explorers travelled these rivers in every direction and claimed the whole area for Russia. Nowadays areas around rivers are much better develop that everything else in Siberia. In fact, areas far from rivers are likely unexplored even today, much less back then.

Because of that Siberia should be represented similar to how Nile and Egypt are represented in game. Areas around major rives and contact points between them should be colonizable tiles and areas far from rivers should be wasteland. That way there will be direction in colonization effort and limit to this never-ending space. That would be both much more realistic and much more interesting from gameplay perspective. 

It will also reduce overall value of Siberia as despite owning that much land in theory, Russia utilized but a fraction of it. Game should represent this reality like it does in Australia and in the Americas. Nevada desert is much more habitable than half of Siberia, yet in game Siberia is colonizable and all of Nevada is wasteland.

Hopefully Paradox will find this post and implement my ideas in their new Europa Universalis V.

Touhai Densetsu Akagi: Yami ni Maiorita Tensai Review

Overall Rating 8.7 out of 10 - Deep and Profound Psychological Anime about Gambling

I recommend watching.

This is the original show from creator of Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji. Similarities between shows are many, including art style and even looks of the main character. They are also similar in their use of metaphors to describe different game situations and actions of key players. Finally, they are similar in their psychological and philosophical aspects as well. More on that later.

When it comes to differences then Kaiji is more diverse and flashier than Akagi. Games there are different from each other and cast is more diverse as well. There are more show elements and everything is flashier. 

In contrast Akagi is always about Mahjong. There is often rather somber, even dry mood. Sometimes it gets repetitive. However, at the same time it allows this show to maintain its unique grounded focus.

Finally main characters maybe look alike, but they have very different personalities. Kaiji is greedy and wants to get rich quick. That is what drives him to play all these games. Kaiji is both emotional but also charismatic, these qualities sometimes lead to mistakes, but they also sometimes allow him to pull together and get people on his side.

In contrast Akagi is very sober and dry. His biggest strength is in ability to face risk and death completely calm. Akagi is attracted to risk and thrill of putting one's life on the line, he deliberately seeks such situations. Personality wise Hyoudou is closets to Akagi character from Kaiji anime. Hyoudou's age fits too as Akagi is set in mid 20th century and Kaiji in modern times.

Now for the core value of this show. While it is about gambling it is not there to advertise gambling to its viewers. Instead, it uses gambling to showcase psychology and inner workings of its characters. Unlike Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji, that covered broad existentialist topics through events of the show, Touhai Densetsu Akagi is more grounded. It focused on gambling techniques and psychologies of players and what drives them to play or not play.

There are all sorts of people gamble in this show, from simpletons like Osamu to extremely skilled like Urabe and Washizu. They and others each have their own mindset and way to play the game. Some rely on tricks, others on calculated probability, some on downright cheating and others on ability to read the opponents. Akagi's own style is based on manipulating his opponents psychologically. There are also people who normally do not play themselves but instead look for talents and arrange games for them to a share of winnings. Some are smart enough to understand they are not that good themselves but capable of recognizing ability when they see one.

Show covers variety of techniques and tricks that players may attempt to use in Mahjong. How not to deal in opponents' hand, swapping tyles while distracting opponents, signaling between players and generally play collaboratively against the opponent. 

Mahjong is played by four players, but the show often depicts it as duel between Akagi and one key opponents. Other two players are present but seen more as fillers. Only occasionally side players get any attention.

Overall, it is a very good and insightful show. It is only somewhat weaker and drier than Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji, but what it lacks in flashiness and existentialist philosophy it compensates in in depth psychology. I can certainly recommend watching. 

Why Heroes of Might and Magic Series Died Out

 

Recently I played Heroes of Might and Magic IV and completed both expansion campaigns, defeated Hexis and took Channon with Spazz Maticus. Overall, it was a fun experience.

Most fans of HoMM series however prefer its 3rd part and tend to avoid pretty much every other installment of the series. That is why HoMM III keeps getting remasters and unofficial fan expansions, while official fully 3D sequels often go unnoticed by public. 

In my personal opinion 4th part actually improves gameplay over its predecessor. It kept a lot of good from the previous series and added many more new stuffs. It was a move in the right direction. 

However, there was one mistake that developers made with the 4th part that made fans hate it. That same mistake was later carried on to its other sequels. This mistake is a reason why 3rd part endures forever more and all its sequels languish in obscurity.

The mistake is aesthetics and overall feel of each fraction. HoMM III got fractions and creatures uniquely right. All subsequent sequels deviated from that formula and ended up either hated or ignored by fans. I wonder how many brainstorming sessions developers held in an attempt to arrive at this simple truth, however as of now it remains undiscovered.

However, why developers fail to understand this simple truth?

The reason is likely in the fact that HoMM III was somewhat of an outlier when it comes to fraction and creature design. When it comes to design only all other games have more in common with each other than with the 3rd part.

For example, centaur creature is a range unit of a Barbarian fraction in 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th game of the series. Only in 3rd game it was instead a melee fighter in a Rampart fraction. Similarly, dwarf was in a Tower fraction in all, but 3rd game of the series. 

Yes, exact number, names and creature composition of each fraction does vary from game to game. For example, Inferno and Necropolis were merged in 4th game but went back being separate fractions in 5th. All that maybe true but this fact simply obscures the most important truth that it was 3rd game that got fractions uniquely right. Major changes such as fraction merger obscure minor changes that are actual reasons for the failure.

Above mentioned Necropolis fraction was one of the key reasons for failure of HoMM IV. It is easy to simply explain it that players did not like the merger, but there was more to it than just that. Necropolis from HoMM III had a vastly different vibe from its HoMM IV iteration. 

HoMM III Necropolis was solemn and proud fraction. It had overall gothic aesthetics of different shades of black and while. It had calmness and eeriness of a cemetery as well as certain sense respect for dead. Great fallen warriors of the past were now undead soldiers of a Necromancer's army. Even humble upgraded skeleton wore black Greek style muscled armor and Ancient Greek statues adorned the building where you recruited them. Other creatures were also equally pompous and wore elaborated armor and ornaments. The whole fraction gives a feel and vibe of a relentless and unstoppable grim reaper whose eventual triumph is as inevitable as biological death is.

All that was gone from Death (Necropolis) of the HoMM IV. In the sequel developers made death look more decayed, rotten, shocking and disgusting even. HoMM IV skeleton was a sickly warrior with enemy arrows sticking out of his armor. Wraith who looked like death incarnate was replaced with Ghost who holds its severed head in his hand. Power Lich, that reeked with unlimited power, was replaced by some ugly giant poisonous slug. All black aesthetics made way for some dark, red, green and brown.

Sure, dead people rot but that was not why people who played Necropolis played them. People who prefer Necropolis are Goth and Emo in real life. They wear only black cloth and will stop wearing black only when they will invent darker color. If you think they will appreciate if you liven up their image with some color, then you are mistaken. They are darker than dark and want to bring death to the people of the world. Despite that neon green is constant feature of Necropolis town since 5th part even as people jokingly compare it with Monster Energy Drink.

Other towns are equally on the mark in the HoMM III and greater or lesser miss in other games of the series.

Just like Necropolis, that became home of goth and nihilists, they all have one particular type of player they fit like a glow.

For example, basic Castle is home for a chivalrous and self-righteous hero who sees himself as a hero who slays evil. The same type that plays Paladin in WoW. They like to kill but they do not want to be seen and murderers but rather saviors who only kill those who are evil and save innocents, kind of like superheroes in comic books. This type fantasies about going on crusade or something this pretentious. They probably own a gun in hope to use it against a home invader and play vigilante in real life. They likely also own a dog. Here they instead want to plat knight errand from Arthurian legend.

Castle town is just what such a player needs. Its pseudo medieval but colorfully decorated like for a festival to celebrate the hero. There are no peasants or feudal pyramid, only brothers in arms in fight against evil and wicked. Crusader is that baseline knight in shining armor who bravely charges forward with sword in his hand. A more senior comrade does the same on horseback. Less brave comrades help him out with bows or halberds. Wise monks in robes help out with spells. Angels, direct emissaries from god, watch over these god worshipping heroes to make sure they will not come to harm with their resurrection spell. Finally, a loyal like a labrador beast, gryphon, who looks like half lion half bald eagle acts as "men's best friend", because simply put labrador dog into a game is too plain.

Later iteration of Castle fraction does take away from this fantasy in favor of a more realistic medieval feel. However, that realism gets in the way of roleplaying as knight errant in shining armor. Peasant has no place in a fantasy tale, it's about heroes. Because of that later iterations of the game are not as popular as original one.

For something opposite of Castle is Dungeon. Dungeon is home for a selfish player who give in to his passions, selfishness and greed and now craves more and more money and power. They do not care if they are good or bad, all they care is to wield unlimited power. They likely go Sith Lord in KotoR and play as villains in other games if there is an option. They want to play something overpowered to have advantage over their opponents. Often, they also want to crush their opponents and laugh at their defeat and weakness.

Dungeon fraction has full of borderline cheating things such players like. Playing it feels like cheating, a portal for an extra creature in town. A Black Market to buy artifacts one wants. Mana vortex to double all spell points. Creatures are all with some cheats, from simple Troglodytes immune to blindness because they have no eyes to an ultimate cheater: immune to all magic Black Dragon. There are also medusas who turn enemy creatures to stone, harpies that attack and return back to safety and Scorpicores with their paralyzing poison. Every scary monster at the service of an evil obsessed with power Warlock or Lord.

HoMM IV actually replicated feel of the Dungeon reasonably well with its Chaos fraction. Different monsters but a lot of the same feel. Alas in HoMM V Dungeon became a femdom den instead and lost all of its original appeal.

Rampart is JRRTolkien's fraction of HoMM III. Tolkien fans and other traditional high fantasy fans play this fraction. They are what you would expect of a hardcore fantasy fan and want a fraction that represents best things from their favorite books.

The fraction has plenty of staples from Lord of the Rings and other classic fantasy books, most importantly Elves and Dwarfs. However, there are also kind walking trees, like the treebeard who helped Merry and Pipin in LotR, unicorns, pegassi, centaurs and even kind and wise Golden Dragon who lives in high caves and does not sleep on stolen gold like his selfish and evil Dungeon cousin. Everything is either green and brown or white and gold so symbolize either nature or mythical purity and rarity. Also, architecture has certain Japanese feel to it because some fantasy fans like fancy things such as anime and Japan.

In later iterations Nature fraction became less of a fantasy and more of a feral nature with wild wolfs and such. It lost its unique magical high fantasy charm.

For a slightly different fantasy fan, who is more into Harry Potter and magic there is Tower fraction. Tower has mages that fight with magic as well as various creatures either animated or created with magic. Ever wondered how that stone gargoyle or a statue would act if it was alive. Wonder no more as we have there in this fraction. Humble gremlins assist mages like elf Dory from HP. Genies can cast spells themselves; Nagas are mysterious magical creatures and a giant statue of a Roman general that throws thunderbolts like Zeus or Jupiter tops the selection. Buildings of this fraction are no less mysterious than creatures, magical libraries hold extra spells for its heroes, castle has literal high towers like a 19th century imitation castle, and they even have magical mines around their walls to defend against intruders. Their grail structure looks like a flying ship with a propeller.

While HoMM IV Order fraction retained some of the aspects of the Tower, HoMM V completely revamped it into an eastern aesthetics. Why would a HP fan play as a dude with a turban on an elephant? I have nothing against turbans or elephants, but they should have been a different fraction.

Finally, there is Stronghold that favored by people who like Conan the Barbarian and watch American Wrestling, boxing or body building. Some might go to gym. The kind of people who love and value strength and biceps size above all else. They think that tricks or magic are beneath them and always attack without thinking.

Stronghold just what such people like. Everything made of stone because softer materials are for weak people. All creatures are good at attacking and bad at defending because defense is for cowards, strong and brave always attack. They even have an ogre mage creature that can only cast one spell that makes attacks stronger, so you get the idea. They throw axes and giant rocks instead of shooting arrows or magic, ride wolves, hit people with sticks and so on. Even their ultimate creature, behemoth, lacks flying, teleporting or shooting ability, it just fights one on one. All the aesthetics and vibe also revolve around toughness and strength, even traditions and rituals this fraction practice. Story covers that in great detail. 

Once again that diminished in HoMM IV and evolve into something else in HoMM V.

I will not cover Inferno, Fortress or Conflux as they are not as popular as other fractions. 

Overall, it's pretty clear that it is not the 2D art but rather concept and aesthetics of each fraction that got people to love them. People would like to see them replicated in 3D, but it has to be these fractions and not some other fractions that look and feel nothing like these. A new HoMM game that will come back to this most love concept is bound to be a success. 

Hanaukyou Maid-tai: La Verite

Overall Rating 6.8 out of 10 - Full time remaster of the original Hanaukyou Maid-tai

I recommend watching.

Original  Hanaukyou Maid-tai did so well to cater for male sexual needs that it got a full-length episode remaster within just two years of release. This was a good opportunity to improve on the original, but it was somewhat missed. La Verite has the same good and bad aspects as the original, just in slightly better quality.

Longer episodes provided enough opportunities to expand on the story and add more content, but that too was not made much use of. Mariel's story was expanded but it did not add much in a way of key appeal of the show. Some new characters were added, but they are not crucial either. 

Half of the episodes are once again completely standalone, but second this time there is an overreaching story that connects most of the show together. Once again it does not particularly make it better.

What did get better is quality of art, its much cleaner than the original. By 2025 it does not look too impressive but for 2004 when it was released it looks good.

Despite all that criticism, I guess I should give them credit for not ruining the show, like so many other sequels do. It is not worse than the original in almost any way. 

Overall, it is improvement over the original, but I can still recommend watching them both. Shows like these are watched for the pleasure of being surrounded by loyal maids who are willing to do anything to please you. You want to indulge in it for as long as you can. There are also enough story changes to justify watching both.

You can write a lot about bad shows, detailing ad infinite all the errors and issues they made and how they should have done it instead. 

As for good show, you just sit and enjoy it in peace and contentment. It all good and right, no need to do anything. Happiness. Your time will be well spent enjoying this little bit of happiness.