Category: Reviews

Anime with kimono eye-candy, take 3

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Now that I’m home in California and all settled in, I thought it might be nice to get back into the swing of things with a fun addition to my series featuring kimono-heavy anime. As usual, whenever possible there will be links to streaming services like Crunchyroll or Netflix where you can watch these!

Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon/My Happy Marriage (わたしの幸せな結婚)

My Happy Marriage starts out feeling like Cinderella (in kimono), morphs into Beauty & The Beast (in kimono), and ends up being a fantastic and unique series that just happens to include terrible step-relatives and a husband with an angry façade but a heart of gold. And there’s still lots and lots of kimono.

The story is about Saimori Miyo, a shy and quiet young woman whose father remarries an absolute harridan with a shrill, spoiled daughter. They treat her like garbage due to her lack of magical ability, and end up marrying her off to Kudo Kiyoka, a military man with a history of driving away potential brides.

Of course, everyone’s perception of the two of them is entirely off-base and they slowly learn about each other and fall in love, strengthening both their bond and Miyo’s magical abilities as the series progresses. He also takes her kimono shopping early on in the series and I dare any kimono aficionado to not fall for him right then and there. We’ve all had that dream!

Through Kiyoka’s love and encouragement, Miyo’s abilities bloom along with her determination and resolve. She remains her quiet self, but in a strong and self-assured way, no longer the doormat she once was. In turn, Kiyoka learns to open up and allow others to help him.

I also really appreciate that while yes, there are some awkward moments and misunderstandings, they are generally both open with each other about their thoughts and feelings, with the bulk of the conflict coming from outside instead of the typical petty nonsense some romance stories put their protagonists through.

The kimono in My Happy Marriage are so gorgeous, and such an integral feature of the show, that I nearly did a review of the show by itself. One illustrator, Halka, was responsible for all the designs to ensure they were accurate and cohesive. You can see her process and designs over on X but I’ve selected a few of my particular favourites here. She also did the beautiful title screen and eye-catch art designs.

So far there are two complete seasons of My Happy Marriage and it appears that a movie is in the works! There is also a live-action adaptation but I haven’t had the opportunity to watch it yet.

My Happy Marriage on IMdb
My Happy Marriage on Netflix
My Happy Marriage on Wikipedia

Taisho Otome Fairy Tale/Taisho Otome Otogibanashi (大正処女御伽話)

 Taisho Otome Otogibanashi (大正処女御伽話, Taisho Otome Fairy Tale) is a twelve-episode anime that was released in the autumn of 2021 and I’ve been meaning to write about ever since. If you’re a regular reader of my blog you likely know that the Taisho era is probably my favourite era for kimono style. This anime doesn’t disappoint, as nearly every character wears kimono the entire time, and we get to see a variety of Taisho-Roman influenced styles as well as more traditional styles.

The story starts out with an admittedly awkward-sounding premise; Shima Tamahiko is a seventeen year-old boy who has been disowned by his rich father after being in an accident that leaves his right hand paralysed and leaves him “useless.” After he falls into despair, his father sends the bubbly and optimistic fourteen year old Tachibana Yuzuki to live with him, after purchasing her from her impoverished family.

The idea of a rich father essentially buying a child bride/maidservant for his cranky teenage son could have been incredibly uncomfortable and inappropriate, but they handled it very deftly (if somewhat unrealistically). There’s no creepy or ecchi content, the romance is very slow, awkward, and feels genuine to teenagers forced to grow up early for varying reasons and then falling in love with each other.

There’s a cast of female characters, all in various absolutely lovely kimono, that might lead you to worry that this is a harem-style anime, but aside from a bit of playful subversion with one character there’s no evidence of that anywhere. Once these two realise their feelings, they are utterly devoted to each other. There is one big obstacle in the way of their relationship but it’s a historically valid and heart-wrenching one (that link is a spoiler, so don’t click if you don’t want to know), not some silly forced love triangle, which was incredibly refreshing.

The series ends on a very happy and optimistic note without being overly bogged down or trying to rush things. I really appreciated that. There’s currently no plan for any more seasons of the anime, but there is a manga by the same creator that takes place in the Showa era, and I still hold out hope that it will be adapted one day!

Taisho Otome Fairy Tale on IMdb
Taisho Otome Fairy Tale on Crunchyroll
Taisho Otome Fairy Tale on Wikipedia

 

Prima Doll (プリマドール)

Prima Doll asks the bold question “what if adorable singing cafe employees were also former military automata with post-traumatic stress disorders?”, and somehow manages to mostly answer it in twelve tight little episodes. It starts out as an adorable little slice-of-life/”cute girls doing cute things” show and morphs into an action-packed, emotional gut punch, so don’t be fooled by the initial tone. The show does deal with PTSD and briefly hints at suicidal ideation despite the cuteness so please do keep that in mind if it may be triggering to you.

Prima Doll is actually a couple of years old and I stumbled across it while looking up recipes, since Haizakura (the main character) shares a name with a brand of soy sauce… but of course, upon seeing them I immediately fell in love with the outfits. Nearly all the automata wear outfits in some form of wa-lolita, steampunk, or otherwise kimono-influenced outfit. Sure, they’re far from traditional, but the show isn’t exactly steeped in realism and I desperately want to cosplay Karasuba at some point in my life. We even both have a bum knee!

Despite my warnings above, the show is generally heartwarming and adorable, even if it does deal with some very intense subject matter. I would not necessarily recommend it for “comfort” watching, but it does end on a mostly optimistic note and is definitely charming enough to make it a net positive in the emotions department.

Unfortunately, this is no longer streaming on any big North American sites so it may be harder to find but if you are able to come across it, it’s worth a watch 🙂

Prima Doll on IMdb
Prima Doll on Wikipedia

I’d also like to give an honourable mention to Sono wa Bisque Doll/My Dress-Up Darling. It’s about Marin, a modern, gyaru cosplayer and Gojo, the shy, awkward, very traditional boy who learns to sew her costumes for her. He grows up making hina dolls at his family shop and wears samue pretty exclusively in his spare time, so there’s a bunch of lovely shots of those. Marin wears kimono or yukata a couple of times for her cosplays (and of course the requisite romantic/slice-of-life matsuri staple episode). It’s not a full review though, since a) there’s not a ton of kimono content and b) it’s not explicit but there’s definitely some mature/ecchi content that’s not appropriate for anyone under 16. If you’re okay with that and want a charming, slow-burn, silly teenagers confused about their feelings anime with lots of cosplay content, it’s definitely worth checking out!

My Dress-Up Darling on IMdb
My Dress-Up Darling on Crunchyroll
My Dress-Up Darling on Wikipedia

As always, thank you for reading and sticking around! And if you have any suggestions for anime or media that heavily feature kimono that you want me to check out, let me know in the comments!

Japanese-themed game reviews, just in time for Steam summer sale!

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I had initially planned to do separate entries about these games sometime in the near future, but since the Steam summer sale is live now I figured it would be best to share them with you all while you can snatch them up at big discounts! These games all feature Japanese (or Japanese-inspired) visuals and culture in one way or another so if you’re looking to inject a bit of wa into your gaming, keep reading!

(Fun note, these are also all on sale on the Nintendo Switch store so if that’s your platform you can totally snag these games on sale too.)

Mineko’s Night Market

Mineko's Night Market

I started playing Mineko’s  Night Market the day it was released a few years back. I was so excited by the adorable, almost picture-book graphics and the heavy emphasis on traditional Japanese art and craft. You play as Mineko, a young girl who moves to a rural town with her father. The main focus is learning about Nikko, the mysterious giant maneki-neko who is the mythical protector of the area. You end up helping him escape a shady government agency while things like ikebana, origami, and cooking delicious ramen to help the villagers. Once a week there is a night market where you can purchase rare items and products and participate in challenges to earn trophies and prizes.

At release, the game was very buggy and while it’s been vastly improved there are still issues so do keep that in mind. However, my main beef with this game is that parts of it are incredibly grindy. I know in this sort of game that’s the main challenge, but for example if you don’t collect enough flowers in one specific part you end up having to go through all the seasons again before you can progress in the story. So my biggest piece of advice would be to collect everything you possibly can. Even if you think you don’t need a particular resource any more, hoard it anyway. Learn from my mistake.

If you’re looking for a cozy, relaxing collection/resource grind kind of game with a charming storyline that feels like a love letter to Japanese tradition, you should definitely check out Mineko’s Night Market. If only one of her clothing choices was a proper kimono!

Mineko’s Night Market on Steam
Mineko’s Night Market on Nintendo Switch

Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya

Tohou Mystia's Izakaya

When I think of the Tohou Project, I generally think of overwhelming bullet-hell shooter games that are absolutely not up my alley; definitely not cozy resource management games. Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya, like a lot of other Tohou games, is a fan-made creation that turns the series on its head. You play as Mystia Lorelei, a nigh sparrow youkai, who is fulfilling her dream of turning a small food stand into a series of fully-fledged izakaya. The game is split into the daytime, where you collect resources and increase your bonds with the other youkai, and the nighttime, where you cook and serve customers to keep everyone as happy as possible. The artwork is charming retro-style pixel art and the gameplay is straightforward and simple, but the night/day mechanic keeps it from getting too repetitive.

This was on my wishlist for ages and I finally bit the bullet (ha, appropriate for a spinoff of a bullet-hell series) when the sale went live, which was actually the impetus for this post. I’m very glad I did, as it’s a great relaxing game and a little break from my currently bonkers work life.

Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya on Steam
Tohou Mystia’s Izakaya on Nintendo Switch

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon

GetsuFumaDen: Undying MoonOne of these things is very much not like the others. While the first two games I’ve featured are adorable, resource-management and life-sim type games, GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is a hack ‘n slash roguelike and not my typical sort of game at all. Frankly, I suck at it. But it’s so absolutely visually stunning that I keep playing, and had to include it in this list. The art style is lifted straight out of traditional woodblock prints. I especially love the home base and Shrine Maiden designs, because of course I do, but a lot of the enemies (the first boss especially) give off very strong Kuniyoshi’s Sōma no furu-dairi vibes. The gameplay is straightforward and not overly complicated, but the roguelike element is particularly frustrating to me. If you’re like me and prefer comfy, cozy, casual games then this might not be on your to-play list, but if you love traditional Japanese woodblock prints and enjoy a challenging but ultimately rewarding game, I definitely recommend giving it a try! I haven’t given up and will keep trying to play for a while now, but I suspect in the end I will just watch Keith play it so I can ogle the gorgeous visuals without losing my mind.

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon on Steam
GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon on Nintendo Switch

Happy Gaming!

Kiyoko Beauty – Shop Feature and Product Reviews

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A while back, I came across Kiyoko Beauty, a Canadian company dedicated to making Japanese and Korean beauty more accessible here in North America (they ship to the US as well!). I gave them a budget and asked for product suggestions to feature, and they were kind enough to work with me to basically double what I was able to get for my budget. It was enormously appreciated, and allowed me to bring a wider range of products to you all.

Before anything else, I would like to thank the staff for being so patient with me. This review has been a very long time in coming, but I’ve been travelling a lot, having some issues with a sick lizard, and wanted to make sure I gave all the products a good long test to make sure my reviews were as thorough as possible.

However, this timing benefits you as my readers, because they’re currently having a huge Black Friday sale, which is on until November 30th. If you’re looking to try any traditional or modern Japanese (or Korean, but I focus on the Japanese here) beauty products, or looking to get some holiday shopping done, this is a fantastic opportunity for you.

I tried a variety of hair and skin care products, and thoroughly enjoyed every single one. I can recommend all of these, with a few case-specific (sensitive skin, colour-treated hair) caveats mentioned in each section.

Oshima Tsubaki Pure Camellia Oil

Tsubaki (camellia) oil has been used in Japan as a miracle multi-use beauty product for centuries. This is pure camellia oil with no additives and it has been so versatile. I've used it on my hair, my nails and cuticles, and my dry legs. It would be great for face too, for someone with drier skin than myself. If you only consider one product from this post, this is the one to go for.
Amino Mason Sakura Limited Edition Hair Kit (Smooth)

I have been on the hunt for a true sakura fragrance and had high hopes for this line. It smells absolutely amazing, but it's almost got more of a fruity and sweet scent than I was looking for. That said, it's a fantastic line, I used up all three of these products (shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask) while I was in California and they made my hair look and feel great and didn't strip my hair colour more than any other shampoo I've used. These may have not hit my "sakura" button but I'm definitely debating buying more!
Moist, Diane Bonheur Orange Flower Shampoo & Treatment

I won't lie, the name of this brand may have been my primary motivator to select these. They were literally calling my name! This line feels luxurious and elevated, from the packaging to the subtle orange bossom fragrance. The products were great, but they definitely did something funky with my hair colour - it's gone from its usual teal to a very natural-looking brown! It's not terrible but I wouldn't really recommend this particular line for colour-treated hair. It's not marketed that way though, so I knew it was a possibility.
Kikumasamune Rice Made+ Cleansing Oil Kikumasamune Japanese Sake Face Cream

I wanted to try some skincare as well and the folks at Kiyoko suggested Kikumasamune. I grabbed a face cream and a cleanser. The oil cleanser is absolutely amazing. It's got a delicious but subtle orange fragrance to it, removes makeup like a dream, and leaves my face feeling soft and smooth. The moisturiser contains sake lees and probiotics, and worked fantastically for me for quite a while, until my dermatitis started acting up (for unrelated reasons). I've had to go back to more specialised products but I'm looking forward to being able to finish it off when my skin settles back down though! However, it absolutely smells like sake so that is something to consider.
Ishizawa Keana Pore Tightening Sheet Masks

These sheet masks are fantastic. I have no idea how they manage to both clear up breakouts and dry oily skin while hydrating the face so well! They have a faint scent of both cucumber and pineapple, which is very invigorating and refreshing, so they're a great pick-me-up to wear while getting ready for a big evening. One thing to note, these masks are not individually packed. The bag has a press-and-seal strip so they do stay moist for a long time, and I appreciate the lack of disposable waste, but I like to toss a sheet mask or two in my carryon bag when I'm spending a whole day travelling and that's not possible with these.
BCL Vecua Honey Sakura hand cream

This is it! This is the sakura scent I've been on the hunt for! It's light, floral, a little herbaceous, and a little powdery. It's also incredibly moisturising and didn't irritate my eczema or dermatitis. If I could buy industrial barrels of this cream, I absolutely would. I cannot say enough good things about it!

Again, I want to give a huge thank you to the team at Kiyoko Beauty. On top of the great products and affordable prices, the service I received was so incredibly helpful and thorough. They helped me work within my budget, and gave me some fantastic suggestions that took my concerns and interests into account. So if you’re looking for some cult favourite products from Japan, I highly suggest you check out Kiyoko Beauty.

 I purchased this item at a discounted price for honest review purposes.This post contains affiliate link(s). If you choose to purchase, I receive a small rebate or commission which goes to the continued maintenance of this site. 

Review – Zen Garden by Island Falls Home

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Have you ever wanted to bring a little bit of Zen mindfulness into your home? Maybe as a way to focus on yourself for a few minutes during a long work day or to decompress after a marathon session of cleaning? Island Falls Home has got you covered.

As some of you already know, I live with anxiety and OCD, and I have a strong suspicion I’m also dealing with ADHD. Anything that helps me calm down and focus is a welcome addition to my life. I have a little bowl of fidget toys on my desk but I wanted something that took a bit more effort, and felt a little more mature. I’d been looking into small desktop-style zen gardens for a while but frankly all the ones I saw felt cheap or tacky. I’ve found ones with sand that was far too large, ones that included ridiculous little tchotchkes like garden gnomes, ones that were all plastic and flimsy-looking, and ones that had absolutely no sense of scale (giant maneki nekos next to a torii gate the size of your thumb…)

But then I found Island Falls Home. They are a small family-owned business based in the UK, and all they do is sand gardens. This sort of focus allows them to source quality pieces and stay on theme with their products, and that attention to detail really shows. They currently offer two zen gardens (the Traditional kit, which I have here, and the Oasis of Calm which is beautiful and looks like a rippling pond) and one sand planetarium.

I knew when I found their products that I wanted to share them with you all, so I reached out to the owners. James was lovely and through our interactions it was clear that he has a true passion for traditional Japanese arts and culture, and you can tell these kits are a labour of love. He was incredibly generous and offered to send me one to check out at my leisure. To save on overhead I arranged to have it sent here to California, and I’ve been testing it out for almost two weeks now, and love it.

The attention to detail is obvious from the moment you receive the kits. The packaging feels elegant and sturdy, and everything is carefully and lovingly organised and protected. From the tissue wrapping to the bow on the tool box to the well-designed insert, no detail has been overlooked here. The presentation would also make these a fantastic gift.

But what really matters is the garden itself, right? Thankfully that attention to detail is continued throughout.

The kit comes with a wide variety of accessories. There are two sakura trees with bark bases to help them stand up properly, a cute little bridge, a torii gate, a lovely little pagoda, and a selection of stones and moss for a touch of nature. My only (very minor) issue is that the pagoda is ceramic and feels very high quality but the bridge and torii are plastic. They’re still very well-made and nicely detailed, but I’d love to see all these pieces in ceramic to add to the luxe feeling of the kit.

There’s also a fantastic assortment of handcrafted bamboo rakes and tools, which allow you to meditatively create infinite designs in the sand. The sand itself is incredibly fine and smooth and clean, and clearly high quality. This is a place where a lot of kits cheap out, and it’s obvious Island Falls Home did not. It’s sourced from a company in Ontario, which as a Canadian is a nice little bonus. I do wish the kit had some sort of storage container for the sand if it needs to be put away for storage, travel, or moving, but a quart-sized food storage bag would work for the time being.

I could take hundreds of photos of the permutations I’ve created with this kit, but I’d rather be a bit concise and focus on this set up I did trying to feature as many items as I could. The end result is cohesive and uncluttered, and allows for a lot of meditative motions. I also don’t want to influence anyone who buys these kits, I’d rather you let your own moods and emotions guide you.

Overall, if you’ve been looking for a desk zen garden, or even if you hadn’t considered one before but now see the appeal, I highly recommend these! You can grab the Traditional Zen Garden kit on Amazon here, or the Oasis of Calm kit here. Prime day is coming up soon, which could be a great time to take advantage of free shipping if you’re considering one of these.

 I received this item from the retailer or manufacturer for honest review purposes.If you have a topically appropriate craft, product, or service you would like me to review, please contact me.This post contains affiliate link(s). If you choose to purchase, I receive a small rebate or commission which goes to the continued maintenance of this site. 

Review – Ritual of Sakura duty free kit

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Sakura season may be ephemeral, but I’ve always wished I could enjoy the scent year-round. And so begins my quest for a line of gentle, authentic, lightly sakura-scented bath and body products that are relatively easy to obtain.

Rituals is a line of home and personal-care products inspired by scents and, well, rituals of self-care from around the world. I’d been wanting to try their Ritual of Sakura for a while but never got around to it. Until I passed through the duty-free shop in Denver on the way to California last time, and I knew it was fate. They had this lovely little kit that was a duty-free exclusive and I took it as a sign that I had to snag it.

I managed to hold on to it until we got to Las Vegas, where I could take advantage of the huge glass shower and giant two-person bathtub. It made the experience all the more special.

The products included in this travel-focused kit are a shampoo, rice scrub, foaming shower gel, and a body cream. They all include rice milk and cherry blossom. The products are all lovely to use – rich and creamy and not drying. The shower gel also makes an incredible shave gel and I’m always a fan of double-duty products, especially for travel. The rice scrub is very gentle, which my sensitive and eczema-prone skin greatly appreciated. The whole kit comes in an elegant little travel bag that’s white faux-leather on the outside with a soft pink lining that suits the sakura theme perfectly. There is branding on it, but it’s a very discreet embossed logo and I would not feel self-conscious carrying other products at all in this. The whole package and experience felt suitably luxurious for a Vegas getaway with a fancy bathtub.

Unfortunately, for me personally, the scent on these missed the mark. It’s definitely got notes of sakura but it reminds me more of that iconic “doll” scent from the early 80s (I know, I’m likely dating myself here). It’s a combination of bright florals and a powdery, comforting scent, all undertoned with a very faint whiff of plastic. It was definitely less fresh and herbaceous than a true single-note sakura fragrance should be, which is what I am still on the prowl for.

However, none of of this is to say that it’s an unpleasant scent! Not by any means! It’s familiar, but elevated, and unique enough to make it stand out in a line of overly florid and saccharine “cherry blossom” scents on the western market. All it means is that my hunt for a true, easily attainable sakura body care line continues. If you like the idea of a softer cherry blossom scent with a more western scent profile in mind, then I highly suggest checking this line out. But if you’re like me and you’re on the lookout for a pure sakura experience, maybe give Rituals of Sakura a pass.

 I purchased this item myself and chose to review it.