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  • Surviving life in the Game of Thrones universe without a dragon, title, exchangeable faces, connections in high places or a shitload of gold must be hard AF! One minute you’re strolling down the streets of Kings Landing eating a slice of pigeon pie, and the next thing you know, a random dragon is flying over the town, turning everyone into asun. 

    From complicated Targaryen names to church explosions, here are some of the stressful things background characters in the Game of Thrones universe can relate to: 

    Dragons stepping on you and your family members like cockroaches 

    Shoutout to Princess Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys, for that badass moment at Aegon II’s coronation in the ninth episode of House of the Dragon. But, hold up: did anyone else see the way her dragon was trampling on everyone and flinging citizens with its tail unprovoked? 

    These people were living their best poverty-stricken lives in Flea Bottom before they were forced to watch that dramatic coronation, and now they’re dead. Westerosi life no balance at all. 

    Cum falling from the sky

    Before becoming a serial rapist and king, Aegon II, in episode six of House of the Dragon, showed us one of his hobbies — jerking off while standing on one of the windows of the Red Keep. Eww. That’s how someone will be working to earn their daily 2k, and bam, now you have Aegon II’s cum on your wig. What a life? 

    Weddings that end with murder and tears

    From Rob Stark, Talisa and their unborn child murder at the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones to Ser Leanor’s side piece at his engagement party with Princess Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon, Westerosi royal weddings never end well. Imagine going for a wedding just to end up brutally killed or traumatised over a beef that doesn’t even involve you. The people of Westeros must dread getting wedding invitations at this point. 

    Getting the suya treatment from Targaryen dragons 

    Remember when Daenerys Stormborn got on her dragon and burnt thousands of Kings Landing citizens because she was angry?

    Even though she had cause to be angry as Cersei had killed her dragon and beheaded her best friend, she could’ve quickly flown to the Red Keep and roasted Cersei instead of involving everyone else in her Iron Throne wahala. 

    Trying to remember Targaryen names

    George R.R. Martin is a brilliant writer, but why does he use the same names over and over again for his Targaryen characters? Is it Aegon or is it Aemond or Daemon? How many Aegons are there? I can’t keep up. The poor people of Westeros must’ve been going through it, trying not to mix these names up. That’s how mandem will end up beheaded because they can’t tell the difference between Princess Rhaenys and Princess Rhaenyra. 

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    Looking at ugly ass wigs 

    I’ve complained about the wigs they give the black characters on House of the Dragon. Must be tough living in a city where no one knows how to install a proper Peruvian lace frontal. 

    Dying in wildfire bomb blasts 

    I was gagged when Cersei blew up the Great Sept of Baelor in the sixth season of Game of Thrones. This woman and her Rihanna “Take a Bow” wig blew up the Westerosi Vatican like it was nothing.

    Even though I still miss my fave opportunist, Margaery Tyrell, so many random civilians were killed in that bomb blast. And all for what? Because they threw shit in her face. It’s not that deep, sis. 

    Going to war because of someone else’s beef 

    Please, why am I fighting your soldiers if I don’t have beef with you? These Game of Thrones background characters will be on their own, and the next thing, some lord will ask them to march to battle because they’re his bannermen. What type of unnecessary pressure is this? 

    Dealing with shitty leaders

    If you think Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan and Obasanjo were shitty leaders, then what would the people of Westeros say after surviving the Mad King, Joffrey and Cersei? It’s giving Abacha vibes over and over again. 

    Dying at any bloody time 

    If there’s one major takeaway from all of this, it’s that you can die at any bloody time as a civilian in Westeros, and no one will give a rat’s bumbum about it. Honestly, it sounds a lot like another country I know, but let me log off here. 

    ALSO READ: The Most Annoying Characters on “House of the Dragon”, Ranked

  • I love how anime watchers are a mix of different and exciting people these days.

    There are the ones who never let us forget that they watched older shows like Sailor Moon, Dragonball, and Yu-Gi-Oh. The newbies probably started with Tokyo Ghoul, Dororo, Demon Slayer or Fire Force. 

    The elitist

    If you hate that you like anime sometimes, it’s probably because you met some of these people. They believe in gatekeeping anime and are always ready to mock newbies. They’ve seen every anime ever made, and no matter how great your favourite anime is, it’s immediately mid to them. Why? Because they said so. Lord help you if you mistakenly tell them that you watch English-dubbed anime. They think they have the best taste and every conversation you have with them ends in an argument. 

    RELATED: Why Watching Anime With Nigerians Is Always Hilarious

    The newbie

    They’re so innocent, always asking for recommendations and watching everything. They don’t argue because they haven’t seen enough shows. These ones still get shocked when they stay awake till six in the morning watching anime. 

    The indie watcher 

    The indie watchers think they’re better than everyone else because they don’t watch mainstream anime. They kind of are, to be honest. If they recommend an anime, chances are, it’ll be very artsy but good. 

    They become a little overbearing when you tell them you’ve seen an anime they’ve watched. The next thing it’s, “It wasn’t even that good”, “ I sha watched it first” or “I don’t even like it like that”, because God forbid you have good taste. 

    The casual fan 

    These people pride themselves as the most unproblematic types of fans, and they are. The causal fans have seen every popular anime, a bunch of indie anime, and at least one old anime like Sailor Moon just because. They don’t care about the subbed or dubbed discourse. Wetin concern them? They’re big fans, but their whole personalities don’t revolve around anime. They think anime fandoms are a little problematic, so they’re always observing from a distance, and I don’t even blame them. 

    The cosplayer

    Not only do they love certaincharacters, they also want to live them out physically. They spend so much time detailing their outfits and rewatching the shows they like to master the mannerisms of the characters they want to cosplay. They’re almost as wholesome as the newbies, and it’s nice seeing them be so enthusiastic about what they love — when they’re not over-sexualising a character’s outfit.

    Picture credit: Eko anime fest.

    RELATED: Anime Cosplays Even Broke Bitches Can Try

    The serial monogamist

    If you’ve never met one of these people, you don’t know what God has done for you. They are almost as annoying as the elitists because how have you only seen one anime and somehow think it’s the best? I’m talking to you Naruto lovers, and it’s always them. They know everything imaginable about the one show they like, and that’s about it. They’re only fun to be around if you enjoy their favourite show.

    The former fan 

    We get it, you’re older, and suddenly, anime is childish to you. Peak cinema, to them, is every bad series about someone breaking out of prison or some weird obscure psychological thriller. For people who claim to hate anime a lot, their entire personality is the fact that they “Hate anime” and think that “Anime is for losers”.

    These kinds of bad vibes make people miserable; just saying.

    The Seiyuu nitpickers 

    These types of fans make you feel like you’re a terrible person. What do you mean  you can tell that the same person voiced Dabi from My Hero Academia and Zenitsu from Demon Slayer? They even have a favourite voice actor and know every character voiced by that person. Watching anime with them can be annoying; you’ll hear complaints that the voice acting doesn’t fit the character. Okay boss, go and do it and let me hear word. 

    The Manga readers 

    These people usually mind their business and read their manga whenever a new chapter drops. You barely hear from them until they watch the anime of whatever manga they’ wee reading, and then it’ll bes everybody’s problem. They’ll complain about how one thing is missing from the source manga, spoil characters’ deaths for non-readers and boast about how the fights were better in the manga. Every small conversation ends with them saying, “Just read the manga.” Okay na, I don’t want to read. Come and beat me. 

    The Activists

    Say all you want about them; they are my favourite types of anime fans. They are criticising problematic aspects of anime culture, like the fetishisation of women in anime with ginormous boobs, the lack of strong female leads in anime, how Attack on Titan is every imperialist dream, etc. They’re by far my favourite types of fans because it’s about time people called out all these things. 

    RELATED: Everything That Happens When You Watch Anime Illegally

  • I saw this tweet a few days ago:

    And it had me thinking, what if the Jujutsu Kaisen was set in Nigeria instead of Tokyo, Japan? The characters already go through enough as it is. Imagine adding being Nigerian to their problems? 

     Jujutsu Kaisen follows the life of Yuji Itadori as he joins a secret organisation of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful Curse named Ryomen Sukuna, whom Yuji’s body currently hosts. 

    I re-imagined what Jujutsu Kaisen would be like if it were set in Nigeria.

    Panda would have been a dog or a giant mosquito 

    I mean, if they are picking the animal based on an animal that best represents the country Jujutsu Kaisen is set in, and this being Nigeria, it’s only fitting that either an ekuke named “Bingo” or a mosquito would be our choice. So what if Google says it’s an Eagle? As a Nigerian, you will see more bingos and mosquitoes before ever spotting an Eagle. 

    RELATED: 7 Animals You Shouldn’t Turn Into in Nigeria

    The places with the most cursed energy would be government offices and bus stops

    In Jujutsu Kaisen, curses mostly lurk around secondary schools and hospitals, but if Jujutsu Kaisen was set in Nigeria? Every single government office would be full of curses because everyone curses them at least twice daily. As for bus stops, have you seen how people push each other, fight, and try to kill each other to enter danfos? God abeg. 

    It even already looks cursed. 

    Nobara’s weapon would have been a pestle

    Don’t ask me why but it’s just fitting. That babe has the anger of 20 Nigerian mothers, and you’re telling me a hammer would do the job for her? Have you seen a Nigerian woman handle a pestle before? One hit and the stupid curse would start to think about its life. 

    Nanami would have been a banker by day while selling ties on Instagram by night

    Outside writers, Nigerian bankers are the only other people who look like they hate their jobs. But not so much for Nanami. He needs the money so he can buy nice suits. He’d probably also own a tie shop that no one actually patronises, but that won’t matter to him because my man is too busy using them to fight people anyway. 

    Every time Gojo jumps, they’d try to catch him and deliver him

    Gojo would try to defy physics, as usual, flying without needing to leap off buildings and sooner or later, he would get caught. Next thing you know, they’d be shoving buckets of anointing oil down his throat as per evil spirit. 

    Large dimension fight inside traffic

    Usually, when they want to fight demons or curses, they’d go to a large space and open a dimension so people don’t get injured in the real world due to casualties. Where would we find space in this country? Take Lagos, for example. They’d have to  fight in traffic last last. That’s not even something new sha. 

    Legwork in dashiki in the end scene

    Everyone loves the Jujutsu Kaisen lost in paradise end theme, but if this anime was set in Nigeria? Legwork straight and football jersey tops or dashiki. Asake would also somehow sing the theme song. 

    Their school uniform would be khaki, and check

    One super cool thing about Jujutsu Kaisen is the school uniform. Every student has a unique way they wear theirs but individualism in a Nigerian school? Come off it, please. All of them, from Gojo to Itadori, would wear different colours of check shirts and brown Khaki pants made from the weakest material known to man. 

    The school probably wouldn’t even exist because where’s the profit on top people that want to kill you for helping them?

    Jujutsu sorcerers are a part of a secret organisation, so they don’t get paid. Unfortunately, that won’t work in Nigeria because how would they risk their lives to save people while still needing to be protected from the people they went to save? Hell, the Lagos government would make them pay flying tax and exorcism tax until they closed the school last last.

    READ ALSO: QUIZ: Only Real Jujutsu Kaisen Fans Can Score 5/10 on This Quiz

  • One of the best romantic anime filmmakers, Makoto Shinkai, creator of Your Name, is releasing a new romantic anime called Suzume: Locking up the Doors. It already looks like it’ll break my heart into a million pieces, as usual. But who said romance meant “they both end up together”? 

    None of the romantic anime in this list has the perfect male lead, or perfect stories romance usually sells. Hell, there’s also no fan service. And that’s what makes them better than the rest. So, If anime’s usual gra-gra is not for you, you’ll enjoy these. 

    Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai

    I will never understand why this anime is titled this way, but it is perfect. The anime follows the life of Sakuta Azusagawa, a high school student drawn to girls suffering from a condition called “Adolescence Syndrome”. An illness that manifests based on their insecurities. While it focuses on him helping these girls, the highlight is the first story with Mai, an actress who people suddenly couldn’t see. Sakuta and Mai’s relationship has a slow but satisfying buildup. As annoying as Sakuta can be, sometimes you’d find yourself rooting for them.  

    RELATED: Here Are 7 Overused Anime Cliches Fans Secretly Love

    Sing “Yesterday” For Me

    I watched Sing Yesterday for Me for the director, Yoshiyuki Fujiwara, who directed Attack on Titan. I knew to expect great storytelling, and it delivered. This anime rewrote what a classic love triangle could look like if each character had a bit more depth. It was highly realistic in its approach to love and friendships. There’s no way to explain this without spoiling it, but you won’t regret watching this anime. 

    Yuri on Ice 

    Yuri on Ice is a story of how someone’s love and belief in you can encourage you to be the best version of yourself, even if that is a pork cutlet bowl. 

    They never actually kiss or date, but you can’t see Yuri and Victor interact and think it is friendship, please. From the opening theme to every other song in the OST, just be prepared to have your heart in your mouth. This series is romance at its finest, and maybe one day, we’ll get a second season. 

    Your Name 

    You can’t talk about romantic anime without mentioning Your Name. The anime follows Mitsuha and Taki, stuck in a freaky Friday situation where they swap bodies. Mitsuha is a girl from the countryside, while Taki is a city boy living in Tokyo. Their love story should have been doomed from the start because even the forces pulling them together were tearing them apart. This anime is beautifully made with an OST that will be stuck in your head for days. 

    Nana

    Nana is one of those anime films you need to see at least once in your life. Admittedly, while watching it, I might start to feel like something that “Should have been a movie”, but that’s just because it is slow-paced. Nana Komatsu moved to be with her boyfriend in Tokyo and met Nana Osaki, a punk rock queen musician pursuing her dream. They soon become very close. Living in the same house with chemistry that the sharpest knife can’t cut and multiple kisses type of close. But more than that, Nana is full of realistic characters, spectacular events and good music. times. Sometimes you’ll feel like you want to deck all the characters, but it’s still worth watching. 

    I Want To Eat Your Pancreas

    I’ve realised that the weirder the title of a romantic anime, the more tears you will shed. I Want To Eat Your Pancreas will break your heart, and you will still say thank you. It’s a story about a girl named Sakura who has a terminal pancreatic illness and makes a list of things she wants to do before she dies. Naturally, an amebo boy named Haruki finds out about her secret list and makes it his mission to help her. As these things usually happen, they fall in love, but she’s running out of time. 

    Komi Can’t Communicate

    This anime is about a girl called Komi who everyone worships, except she doesn’t talk. That’s until she meets Tadano, the only person to figure out she had trouble talking to people. Tadano makes it his mission to help her make 100 friends; if that is not love, I don’t know what love is. Every one of Komi’s little wins and cute interaction with Tadano and the friends they make along the way makes this anime so great. Enjoy!

    READ ALSO: Everything That Happens When You Watch Anime Illegally

  • Korean writers are very popular for their romantic movies, but their horror dramas are so criminally underrated — and to be honest, I get why. The writers wrap them up like nice, funny, bright films And until you find yourself paralysed on your seat, your brain won’t register that you’ve been watching horror. Watch all seven of these at your own risk oh. 

    All of Us Are Dead (2022) 

    All of Us Are Dead is not a conventional zombie movie. It is unusually bright for a show with that many gory scenes and multiple jumpscares. It follows a group of secondary school students stuck in school which becomes ground zero for a violent  zombie apocalypse.  

    Every time these kids fight for their lives against the super strong and constantly mutating zombies, your heart will be stuck in your mouth. But that’s what you like, right? Enjoy. 

    RELATED: These 7 Characters Deserved Better in All of Us Are Dead

    The Cursed (2020) 

    The Cursed revolves around a successful IT company called Forest. Usually, rich companies like these in K-drama just means someone is killing all the owners’ enemies like ants. But the chairman of Forest, Jin Jong-Hyun decided to take it up a notch by using diabolical means. Since it’s one day for the thief and another for the owner, naturally, Forest gets involved in a huge case and a reporter,  Im Jin-Hee risks her life to unravel the mystery behind the case. 

    Goedam (2020) 

    Goedam is a Netflix horror anthology series comprising a collection of short dramas, with eight episodes in total.

    Each episode follows a new plot with different characters, and they’ll all make you do the sign the cross if you watch them late at night. Careful though, episodes one, two and six may give you heart attacks. 

    Sweet Home (2020) 

    Sweet Home is a sublime balance of horror and thriller. It’s also one of the most popular Korean horror dramas on Netflix. The main character Cha Hyun-soo is a secondary school student who becomes an orphan overnight after his family dies in a car accident. Naturally, he wants to commit suicide and moves to an odd building where he can do that undisturbed, but then strange things start happening among the residents. He somehow finds himself fighting for his life amongst other residents battling humans who have been turned into monsters. It’s survival of the fittest in these streets and a gripping take on the monster genre. 

    Strangers From Hell (2019) 

    The moment a TV series starts in a cheap-ass residential area, you know to expect the worst. 

    Desperate for a job, Yoon Jong-woo moves to Seoul from the comfort of his home in the countryside. He soon realises that he can’t afford to live in Seoul, so he moves to Goshiwon. The amenities and living conditions of the building he chooses are horrible, but he tries to endure till he gets a job.  

    Even worse than the building are his neighbours, each with their own secrets and eccentric behaviours. Across the 10 episodes, we learn exactly what those secrets are. Strangers From Hell isn’t scary, but the psychological thriller will leave you on the edge of your seat. Stay alert while watching this; nothing will prepare you for the end. 

    Kingdom (2019) 

    For fans of dramas set in the Joseon era, you’d be amused to see how Kingdom weaves historical drama elements with a zombie apocalypse.

    This drama follows Lee Chang, the crown prince, who discovers the outbreak of a mysterious disease. He goes on a mission to find the royal physician who might know something about the outbreak. But instead, he finds someone who worked alongside the royal physician. 

    The tension in this drama comes from watching people fight for their lives in an era with medieval weaponry. 

    Nightmare High (2016) 

    Set in a private high school in Korea, Nightmare High revolves around several unexplained incidents that occur after Han Bong-goo, the new homeroom teacher, shows up.

    Usually, a teacher is a nightmare because they’re giving too many assignments, but this man chooses a different way to terrorise his students, bringing all their nightmares to life, and kids begin to go missing. But no one notices until the class president points it out. The most unsettling experience for me was seeing a group of high school students obediently listen to a teacher. In what world is it possible to have such control over teenagers? 

    READ ALSO: Wholesome K-Dramas You Should Watch With Your Parents

  • Can your popularity level be compared to that of Ronaldo, or does no one know who you are?

    Take this quiz to find out.

  • Lee Min Ho is a world-famous A-list Korean actor who rose to stardom for his role as Gu Jun Pyo in Boys over Flowers. He’s also incredibly handsome, funny and down-to-earth (based on his interviews). But here’s the thing. He’s not a great actor. He actually kind of sucks. There, I said it.

    Everyone and their mums had a crush on Lee Min Ho that year. You know, when Boys over Flowers was the most incredible love story and The Heirs was like a richer sequel? When the side swoop of his hair in City Hunter acted more than him the entire show? Yeah, that year, because we watched them all at once, even though these series had been out years before, but welcome to pre-Netflix Nigeria. 

    Lee Min Ho is a pretty big deal In the Nigerian K-drama scene. It’s impossible not to know this man even if you live under a rock. And now, you’re wondering, so what’s the problem? Why shouldn’t I be watching him, then?

    Here’s the thing. To be an actor, you need to be able to ACT. Lee Min Ho is not very famous for his acting. Over half of the awards he’s received throughout his career are popularity or fan-voted awards, not acting awards. 

    For as long as I’ve watched K-dramas, this man has played the rich, stylish and charming boy perfectly, and before you say, “But what about Gangnam Blues? He was poor there,” I’m sorry, he looked like he was just cosplaying poverty. It’s like Patience Ozokwor playing a nice person in a movie. It’s suspicious. 

    This man looked like he hadn’t eaten in years , but I could still see the “rich” in his eyes. Sometimes, when you’re big, you’re big, and there’s nothing you can do about that. 

    Unfortunately for him, you can’t have range as an actor when you constantly look like you’re playing the same role. If I take a screenshot of every drama he’s been in side by side, he has only three expressions: 

    Too rich for peasants

    More handsomely annoyed than humanly possible

    In love but the “hard guy” version

    Funny enough, all these things you think I’m complaining about are precisely why I love him. Do you know how powerful you have to be for people not to know what you look like yet still know your name? Lord knows how many relationships he’s scattered just because one babe posted him more than her man. 

    You too, look at the material. How do you compete with this?

    Back then, if your babe only watched K-dramas he starred in, sorry to inform you, but you were in that relationship alone. 

    Now it’s 2022, and there’s no reason anyone should watch K-dramas because of this man. Don’t get me wrong, he has his moments; in a drama with 20 episodes, there’s always that one episode he gives his all. But he’s like if RMD doesn’t physically age and has no acting skill. He’s so much older now and deserves more mature roles.

    I’m not saying he doesn’t have good older works. He starred in some of my favourite comfort dramas: City Hunter, which also solidified Park Min Young’s role as the romance drama IT girl for me; Mackerel Run, which is old but pure high school drama gold; The Heirs because, come on, he acted for his last 2k with that series; and The Legend of the Blue Sea because a funny, stupid, rich Lee Min Ho character? Inject it.

    All I’m saying is when you leave grapes for a while, you get fantastic wine. Just look at what he did with Pachinko after taking a break from acting for a while. It might not be the best 2022 drama, but it was something. Something different. 

    Now, I’m not the type to take away your drug of choice without offering sustainable solutions, so here are five actors you can replace him with until his next great drama.

    QUIZ: Can You Unscramble These Anime Titles in 1 Minute?

    Son Suk Ku

    This man has the whole “sad, rich boy that melts your heart” look going for him. He recently had his first lead role as an alcoholic who falls in love with a woman and tries to change in My Liberation Notes. You don’t want to be late to his stan train, so take my word on this. 

     Nam Joo Hyuk

    If you saw Twenty Five, Twenty One, do I even need to defend this? All that crying, longing and that smile, and you’re still not sold? Something about the way he delivers his lines makes you wonder if he knows he’s supposed to be acting. That’s a little too real for me, and now, I have to plan our wedding.

    Kim Young Dae

    It’s one thing to be funny and another to look good while being funny. Kim Young Dae has mastered both. Especially in his role as a hotshot actor in Shooting. There aren’t that many movies in which he wasn’t playing himself or a guest actor, but after this role, the only way is up, please.  

    QUIZ: Can You Match the Light Stick to the K-Pop Group?

    Rowoon

    Before we talk about how his suit was a paid actor in the fantasy series “Tomorrow,” seeing him try to save people others thought were irredeemable was emotional, and no one else could’ve done it. Why? Because I said so. Plus, the man can sing. It doesn’t get more charming than this.  

    Lee Jong Suk

    If you’ve watched K-dramas long enough, you should know him from Romance Is a Bonus Book, While You Were Sleeping, I Hear Your Voice and Pinocchio. All he does is pick good roles and execute them flawlessly, so if you like your actors a little old but still young, watch Big Mouth to see why he made the list. 

    I picked these five because they each have qualities I like in Lee Min Ho, on and off screen. They’re charming but not rude, look good in a suit, and have range, unlike Lee Min Ho.

    At this point, he’s a K-drama deity who’s done a great job of pushing the K-drama agenda. What’s a popular K-drama list without at least two of his movies? His audience is growing and changing, and so many younger and stronger actors are coming up every day. I’d hate to see him left behind. 

    I want to see him be a bad guy, the type who makes you want to drag your hair out. I want to see him play a dad too. I’m not even asking for too much. I just want to be able to have arguments other than “All he plays is a rich boy”. What do you think? 

    In the end, this is a twisted love letter to an actor who’ll forever be one of my favourites and the dramas that made me fall in love with K-dramas.

    QUIZ: Only K-Pop Fans Know Who Sang These Iconic Lyrics

    READ ALSO: The 7 K-drama Shows That Should Be on Your Watchlist This September

  • Disclaimer: We do not support piracy

    As an anime fan, people will never truly understand the pains and struggles you face to find the perfect place to watch anime. But I get it. 

    Here’s everything that happens when you watch anime illegally.

    When it’s English-dubbed, even though it’s labelled “English-subbed”

    You don’t know heartbreak until this nonsense happens to you. You’ll finally find the anime you’ve been looking for, it’s clear and you’ve passed through all the pop-up ads. Only for the theme song to finish playing, and the most Asian-looking face starts speaking the worst American accent. It’s to go and sleep. One day for the thief, innit?

    RELATED: QUIZ: Plan the Perfect Weekend and We’ll Suggest the Best Anime for You

    It somehow always chooses the worst scenes to hang

    We don’t talk enough about how anime disgraces us. If I had a dollar for every time I had to explain to someone that nothing weird was happening in whatever anime I was watching, it just stalled at an odd-looking scene, I would have enough to pay to watch anime legally. I need a support group, please. I’m sick of defending myself.

    The fake invites from milfs to “come over”

    Sometimes, I wonder if people actually click those links. Like, ma’am, I’m a focused person, please. I came here to watch animated characters shout out their attacks so their opponents can win easily. I’m not here to find love. 

    Only finding the chibi version of the anime 

    One day, this will be my 13th reason. I can’t count how many chibi versions of anime I saw when I first started watching anime. I have nothing against chibi anime oh, just give me the one I asked for first, and then, maybe I’ll come back for this version when I’m bored. I can never unsee the chibi version of Dazia from Bungo Stray Dogs trying to commit Suicide. 

    When you can’t find the anime is on the site because they didn’t use the English title

    Sometimes, I wonder if this anime obsession is worth all the suffering I go through to watch something that’ll probably break my heart. Who randomly knows how to spell Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! in a hurry? If you do, this is not a safe space for you, please. 

    The “You can’t last 10 seconds in this game”

    Okay, but did I come to your site to play one yeye game? I came to watch anime, so why are you asking me to put my card details? Also, why do they think we won’t last? Do they know our capabilities? How do you come to that conclusion on a site where people watch hundreds of episodes of a show at a go? Mtceww, unserious people.

    When you finally find the anime, and there’s no subtitle

    It’s shit like this that makes most anime fans learn Japanese. If this hasn’t happened to you at least twice, how does it feel to be God’s favourite? This is the final boss and where I usually give up because anime will not kill me for my mother, abeg. Nonsense and rubbish. 

    Let me just come and be going

    READ ALSO: I Observed an Anime Group Chat for Two Days. Here’s How It Went

  • When you grow up without siblings, the television becomes your constant companion. If you had parents who spoiled you more than the average person, it meant no restriction on tv. I grew up watching Big Brother, Sex and the City, Jerry Springer and many others. 

    Movies with cheesy, predictable plots and over-dramatised action raised me. They helped me develop unrealistic expectations of love, romance and sex. It took growing up to realise not everything they say in movies is real, but that didn’t stop me from watching. They became my escape from reality and fulfilled my intense need for fairytales. 

    My movie taste is simple. I like romantic comedies with happy endings, dramas with a sprinkle of humour and movies about young adults figuring out their way in life. I barely watch animation that isn’t targeted at age zero to five. 

    During the lockdown of 2020, while the whole world and my grandma baked banana bread at home, I decided I wanted to leave my movie comfort zone. I was chronically online, and many people I followed kept talking about how they spent most of their days binging anime. Amine watchers felt like a community of people, and if there was anything I needed in 2020, it was community. 

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    When I asked for recommendations, and I specified they had to be short — romantic comedies didn’t take me up to three hours to finish, and they’d built a precedent for how I consumed movies — Seven Deadly Sins was what almost everyone threw at me, so I decided to give it a try. One season later, the comments Meliodas made to Elizabeth made me too uncomfortable, and the fight scenes made me more anxious than I cared to admit. I wanted to give up on anime as a whole, but I felt I could muster the courage to try another one. 

    A couple of weeks later, I tried Kakegurui, and after having an anxiety attack in episode 4, I hung my anime cap. It was okay that this wasn’t something I could get into. I could find my community elsewhere. 

    My friends tried to help me find something I could enjoy, but either the themes were too sad or the episodes too many. There was nothing I considered perfect for me, so they stopped trying. When anyone asked me if I watched anime, I’d shake my head and tell them it triggered my anxiety. It got them to leave me alone and made it seem less like a “me” problem and more of a mental health problem. 

    That was how it was for the next two years of my life. I didn’t understand the “big three” discourse, or how Goku is strong enough to fight God, and I didn’t care. Then in July 2022, I fell in love with an otaku. 

    There’s this thing about love that makes you want to share parts of yourself with the people you care about. So we sat down and watched one of my favourite movies, Legally Blonde. I watched her face every time she laughed, smiled, got excited, or scrunched it up in disgust at a character’s actions. It gave me a new reason to love her, and now, she’s one of the many reasons why I love Legally Blonde.

    l wanted her to have something like that with me. I wanted to share the excitement with her and have her associate an anime that means so much to her with me, just like I did with her. So when I saw her favourite anime had come to Netflix, I made up my mind to give it a try. 

    I was anxious and scared because if I ended up not liking it, it was like I’d have one thing less to talk to her about, but wanting me was enough to prove she had great taste. I was prepared for all the worst possible scenarios, like hating her favourite characters or episode and even having an anxiety attack. What I didn’t anticipate was watching 40 episodes in about a week. 

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    A part of me wants to believe even though I started watching it because of her, I enjoy it enough to continue. I text her whenever I’m watching a scene I don’t understand, and I make jokes about the characters. I feel alive in a way I can’t explain. Hearing the excitement in her voice, with every episode I explain, and how she has to force herself not to give me spoilers? It’s love. 

    On a Sunday in September, I was sad, and she suggested we watch it together. Every time I screamed, shouted and paused to take a deep breath, she’d laugh like it was the funniest thing she’d ever witnessed. I felt connected to her in a way I didn’t think was possible, and now, I’m reading HisokaxMachi fanfiction. 

    Two years ago, I never would’ve considered this a part of my life, talk less of a part I openly talk about. I ordered a Gon and Killua hoodie because those are my children, and I asked her to make me a list of all her favourite animes, so I can watch each one. 

    Love makes you do stupid things, but it also allows you give certain things a chance. Maybe in a couple of months, I’d be joining people to shout that Naruto is overrated, but who knows? 

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  • For my people that love good boy love content, if you’ve been in need of recommendations. Sit tight because these six dramas will change your life and have you screaming, God, when! 

    KinnPorsche (Thai)

    If you still haven’t seen KinnPorsche by now, what do you have against enjoyment? How much more convincing do you need? It’s a story about  Kinn, a guy from a mafia family, who meets Porsche, a bartender, while fleeing for his life. Kinn asks Porsche to help him. Porsche being a smart guy decides to help him but for a price and I stan. This drama is packed with suspense, romance and a bit of violence, so viewers’ discretion, please. Also, maybe don’t watch this one with your parents, e get why. 

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    Cutie Pie (Thai)

    Cutie Pie is a twelve-episode short rom-com that follows the life of Kuea Keerati, a university student engaged to Lian Kilen Wang, a CEO. Someone say God when, please. Kuea loves Lian but trusts a rich man like Lian to prioritise his work over his relationship. As someone who is very anti-love, this made me feel very mushy, just so you know what to expect. 

    Semantic Error (Korean) 

    Who doesn’t love a perfect love story between the shy, quiet nerd and the outgoing, overly friendly himbo? Chu Sang Woo is a talented computer science student. He managed to keep to himself until he got put in a group project with Jang Hae Young.  This drama made me want to scream because why were they so cute?

    Oh! Boarding House (Korean)

    If you’re single and you watch this drama, just prepare to be jealous. Seol Won’s mother runs a low-cost boarding house. Since he’s out of work and she needs to go to her hometown, she entrusts the boarding house to Seol Won, which is how he meets Kim Cheol Soo, a teacher and his love interest. You know it’s a good drama when they find love in unconventional places.

    Love Class (Korean)

    Love Class is a sweet drama about finding love and community. Cha Ji Woo is a university student in love with a classmate Bae Yu Na. Unfortunately, she doesn’t feel the same way. One day a course demands that people pair up as  “couples” to complete a project about love and Ji Woo finds himself paired with Lee Ro Ah, a guy. Like every good project partners to romantic partner trope, this will leave you feeling good for a long time. 

    First Love, Again (Korean)

    First Love, Again is the type of boy love drama you’d watch when you’re in a drama slump. It has just six episodes, and unlike the rest of them on this list, it’s a fantasy drama. This drama follows the life of Yeon Seok, who was in love with Jeong Ha in his past life, except in this life, she reincarnated as a man. 

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