Meta Team’s Top 3 Spring Anime

Time to say goodbye to Spring but with some much needed accolades!

Things are sure happening at Metanorn with the new season rolling in. However, Spring needs a proper send off and while we would be covering this on MetaVerse too, it’s better to get the entire team’s input rather than selected hosts. This is the first time we have done an internal poll for top 5 as well so enjoy the post and get to know directly from our genre experts of what made them happy and sad.

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Ah spring anime season, lots of amazing anime this time and a few shows that crashed and burned! I am glad to see some of these shows continue on through summer season. Well it’s time to do our end season top three! Enjoy the awesome list of anime.
//: nichijou I really enjoyed this series the most out of all the many spring shows! I think what I enjoy about this show would easily be all of the crazy over the top scenes they throw at us, I still love watching something simple happen and then BAM! Out of no where it gets so epic in a matter of minutes. And of course Hakase,Nano and Sakamoto! Always the highlight of most episodes.
//: ano.hana At first I wasn’t sure about this series, but after that first episode and Menma is revealed as a ghost following Jinta around I got addicted to that. It made me instantly remember Clannad and the whole Fuku arc, well only a tiny bit and yes using death does make things more dramatic than most shows. Of course this is not a original idea but still makes for a great series!
//: softenni Yes call me insane or dumb for actually enjoying a show where girls play tennis and often have perverted thoughts! Sure I do enjoy those moments but I laugh more at the random stuff that pops up and some strange parodies with Evangelion also make their way into a sports show! Why?! It’s just that awesome that’s why. Favorite girl would easily be Asuna! love her voice and fun personality, not to mention her mind wandering into perverted thoughts too ahahaha.
honorable.mentions:// gintama // ao.no.exorcist // tiger.and.bunny // [C]

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Lol no. It’s Winter, fools! I think everytime there is one of these posts, I have to make sure everyone knows what season it is here. Because here, it’s Winter! Or not even Winter? Close to Winter. Anyway, what matters is that it’s cold. But it’s okay! I bought a new scarf and it’s preeeetty warm. Wait, we were meant to be talking about anime? Uhhhhh, SPRING WAS A PRETTY COOL GUY.
//: ano.hana I think I was much sadder watching the actual series than I did watching the finale. Maybe because it was so sad the whole goddamn time I got used to the sad. All the characters where completely bearable (except for Yukiatsu being a cock all the time) and I didn’t really have any gripes with the show. That’s definitely a first. Somehow.
//: nichijou Haters gonna hate. Easily one of the funniest show I’ve ever seen, if not the funniest (I started re-watching Azumanga the other day, it was kinda painful…). Forget about the fact that I’m a massive KyoAni fanboy and listen to me, as a trusted person. Nichijou is good. End of story. Do yourself a favour and watch it.
//: kami.nomi.zo.shiru.sekai[2] Is Hanasaku Iroha good? Yup. Is Steins;Gate good? Uh-huh. Is TWGOK better? You know it. TWGOK has just been a better show for me to watch. Iroha is up and down, it has a lot of boring episodes. Same with Steins;Gate, it’s far too ‘edgy’ for me. TWGOK is just plain awesome.
honorable.mentions:// koe.de….oshi…LOL.NO // hanasaku.iroha // steins;gate

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I have to say, this spring season was pretty great! I did drop a couple, but I watched more and actually enjoyed more shows than I anticipated. I’m pretty damn picky too; so much so, in fact, that I’m quite surprised that I even watched enough to have a top three. Sweet.
//: ano.hana If you have read any of my posts on AnoHana, I’m sure you understand how much I adore this show. Not only does it have an amazing and truly interesting cast of characters, but it’s also beautifully put together what with the animation and the awesome seiyuus. All the characters are easy to relate to as well. This show has made me cry and laugh and feel so much EMOTION. I love it. I knew as soon as I saw the previews that I’d love it and I was right. Also, I love Menma.
//: steins;gate This show is SO INTENSE. I absolutely adore Okarin and his quirks. The rest of his curiously assembled lab members I adore as well (with the exception of a certain Moeka-san who I gladly curse to hell). The plot is DEFINITELY heating up and I’m super excited to see where it shall lead us. Also, as a science geek myself, the notion of time traveling is quite fascinating. This show is very much mentally engaging and just plain awesome. *thumbs up*.
//: hanasaku.iroha This show is just really sweet. Other than the art, this show didn’t particularly catch my eye at first, but it’s quickly proved to be a really fun story. Ohana, the protagonist, quickly grew on me because she’s NOT perfect and she knows it. It’s really fun to watch her grow and interact with the rest of the cast. Though I’m torn between Ko and Tohru for who she should end up with, I’m actually open to threesomes. xD Seriously though, I’m glad this show has 20+ episodes and I’m looking forward to how Ohana fares at the inn. Should be interesting.
honorable.mentions:// tiger.and.bunny // sekai-ichi.hatsukoi

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Spring was jampacked with shows. At first glance, I wasn’t too excited about maybe 90% of them, but by season’s end I finished/kept up with 9 shows, which is a record for me in the past 2 years. While I’m a little nervous about how Ao no Exorcist will go in its second season, I’m excited to see Steins;Gate and Hanasaku Iroha develop more.
//: ano.hana The show has the ability to produce tears from many fans and not be afraid to express that publicly, and we have to applaud A-1 on such excellent animation and being able to make the character’s emotions impact us, the viewer. You can never go wrong when you have a great ensemble as Ano Hana had. I’ll remember the Super Peace Busters for a long time.
//: steins;gate Slow;pacing is usually frowned;upon in anime, but I felt Steins;Gate handled the early episodes fairly;well with a lot of intrigue, and now we’re getting into payoff;mode as things are getting intense and chilling. Mamoru;Miyano is making Okarin one of his most memorable;roles ever, and the character just keeps getting;better. It’s use of Dr;Pepper is Jrow;approved!
//: [C] A roller-coaster ride of an anime that had cool action and a plot that you might as well go, “I think that’s what they are trying to achieve here.” The series maybe could’ve done things better, but I feel the show went thru it in a rhythm that was enjoyable. Financial District became an interesting world, fight scenes were cool and the whole [C] financial situation in the last couple episodes was exhilarating. The soundtrack is great, as well.
honorable.mentions:// kami.nomi.zo.shiru.sekai[2]// hanasaku.iroha // MORE.infoShow ▼

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Well, this Spring season hasn’t been all that great for me because I’ve been really busy with real life things that I haven’t been able to enjoy anime as much. I’ve stepped away from watching dramatic slice of life animes like Ano Hana and decided to stick with a few action and comedy reliefs. Hopefully for this summer, I’ll be able to catch up on what I’ve missed this season xD.
//: tiger.and.bunny T&B is just one of those amusing, unique and awesome type animes for me that I’ve enjoyed very much. Stand out plot, story board and unique characters – this show has kept me entertained. The whole concept of having a town of super heroes fight and compete against evil villains that randomly arise is just awesome! As well, knowing there’s a big main plot behind all the random events that happen is all well. The relationship between Tiger and Bunny is just amusing.
//: nichijou This show is like my comedy relief from stress. I’ve mainly been watching it after a hard day of work or stressful day of class. The epic extreme Yuuko scenes are just awesome and never tiring. While some things are a bit miss for me, there’s a good amount of hits too. My favorite character in this would be a tie between Yuuko and Mio. Yuuko because I can relate to her laziness and unwillingness to study and Mio because I like her hidden yaoi love.
//: yondemasu.yo.azazel-san Well, if Nichijou was a relief from stress, Azazel-san is like the next level of when I’m just in the dumps. This anime is hands down so funny no matter what. Yes, there’s some immature and adult content jokes looming around but hey, it’s all good and funny for me. Akutabe is evil but cool, he’s my hero and favorite for the spring anime season.
honorable.mentions:// sekai-ichi.hatsukoi

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Autumn is done with and now we enter the pain that is win- Oh wait, wrong hemisphere… So spring ends with a bang and a giggle. This season has been about laughs for me, which is fairly spring appropriate, and full with budding romances! And while Nichijou continues on through it’s second half, we take this time to look back on what’s ended. Looking at you, AnoHana.
//: ano.hana I’m always up for a baww’fest slice of life. It’s such a curious anime, attempting to represent emotions and feelings I’ve never experienced, I love the ideas. And despite not really understanding the feelings, the characters are lovely beings that you feel for (Anaru becoming a personal favourite).
//: nichijou Funniest show since Azumanga Daioh. I usually don’t put comedies in my top anything but Nichijou is just filled with gold. Winning first prize for best set up to a joke, best opening for an anime and best running joke (Yuuko’s refusal to study) in my books. Where I was expecting another moe-uguu fanservice 4 panel based thing, Nichijou offers mostly deadpan faced jokes with a serving of what the f-!
//: tiger.and.bunny I wasn’t sure about T&B at first, but the idea of the commercial heros was interesting enough to stick through until it got good. I like the subplot of ‘what is a hero?’ running through each episode and I adore the super classy styling. Old school art style with a new school revampt? Yes please!
honorable.mentions:// hanasaku.iroha // kami.nomi.zo.shiru.sekai[2] // MORE.infoShow ▼

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Spring was such a refreshing season after the disaster than was winter. What a nightmare. I’m enjoying quite a bountiful crop of spring shows this time around. A lot of the shows in my top 3 actually took me by surprise. Who would’ve thought gelatinous bananas would steal my heart so easily?
//: tiger.and.bunny This is hands down my favourite show of the season. It started off as an unassuming blend of comedy with a bit of action thrown in and has since then grown into a much more complex machine with a grand, overarching plot. This show has everything I could want and more. Also, homolust.
//: steins;gate After a period of bitterness started to brew in my heart for the slow pacing, I almost stopped enjoying Steins;Gate. With the recent “HOLY CRAP” episodes, the balance has been restored. Leave it to S;G to get your gears turning, and I love anime that make you really think. Also, CHRRISSSTINNAAAA.
//: ao.no.exorcist There’s nothing really ground-breaking about ANE, except that it’s a really great shounen with a lot of action and lovable characters. It takes the typical and spins it around to make something interesting and compelling. Also, dem fangs.
honorable.mentions:// [C] // hanasaku.iroha // fireball.charming

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Spring is officially over for me, both in anime-wise and season-wise, but of course, there are some things I won’t forget. Like that gorgeous, cool weather with pretty blue skies ramblerambleramble…Oh wait, we’re talking about anime…right, I knew that~
//: sekai-ichi.hatsukoi All crazy fangirling-ness aside, I really enjoyed all the couple stories in this series, even if they were annoyingly jumbled and the ukes were so damn clueless I wanted to head smash into my keyboard MULTIPLE TIMES while watching an episode. Plus, being a manga fanatic, I loved the sometimes-serious-sometimes-hilarious look into the manga business. Overall, I had the most fun with this series out of all the other spring shows.
//: tiger.and.bunny Pretty cliche and a bit predictable, but it does have pizazz along with interesting characters. I loved how they took that superhero idea and changed it into making them a bit like celebrities working in entertainment with the point count, the sponsors, the tv station dedicated to the heroes, and such. That’s what I found pretty interesting, along with the different cast of characters who all have their own unique look and qualities. I don’t think I’ve been so intrigued by a show from the first episode before~.
//: ao.no.exorcist Whaaa-? All the way down here?! Yes, despite my absolute love for this series as a whole, the anime has only been decent for me. Not the best, but it definitely has its moments. They have dragged on a lot of the chapters, probably to make use of their 24 episodes slot, which leaves me watching those episodes with a sad sigh until some badass episode with the badass twins comes out.
honorable.mentions:// [C] // a.channelShow ▼

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Omg, I am actually missing a lot of shows that have ended already, like [C] and God Only Knows 2. THERE’S A VOID! THERE’S NEVER A VOID. *cries* Deadman is about to finish, too. Though, maybe that’s a good thing…Anyway, Spring is usually my favorite season and it definitely held up very well this time around.
//: ao.no.exorcist While no show has really stood out to me during spring as being great, Exorcist has definitely taken the torch for the one I look forward to most. Aside from it being pretty much my only dose of Jun this season (sob), it’s humour and action have been steady and entertaining. The art style, music and characters really grew on me, to the point where I just love all and everything that Exorcist has to offer. It caters to all of my most obscure fetishes and I just love it for that.
//: deadman.wonderland Deadman started out strong before it lost itself in it’s own insanity, but remembering back to those insanely awesome first few episodes I think it deserves a place in my top 3. Even if it can be slipshod, the satisfaction of seeing one of my favorite mangas get animated is great and when they want to do the Branch of Sin right, damn, they do it so right! Not to mention it has one of the most BADASS opening themes ever.
//: [C] It might be my nostalgia for Gankutsuou talking, but I love the world they’ve created here with C. The photoshop-like textures in the Financial District really make this show stand out in terms of style. And while it definitely has it’s flaws with it’s bad pace and random tangents, at it’s core C really is a simple story about the miss-use of power, and it’s that simplicity that I think drives it’s intrigue and gets people excited.
honorable.mentions:// tiger.and.bunny // kami.nomi.zo.shiru.sekai[2] // sekai-ichi.hatsukoi // ano.hana // MORE.infoShow ▼

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Ah spring is finally done. The sun is getting hotter than usual. Ugh. There are couples of let-down anime in this season, but that won’t stop me for loving some of the spring season anime <3
//: steins;gate I, being a science geek (surprise surprise), can’t help but get excited every time Okarin discovers new theories about the time machine. Every week I will actually wait for Steins;Gate to fill my scientific needs. The “mad” scientist was able to entertain me, even when I have to see the horrible Kurisu’s face. The beginning of this show is slow, but I think the pace of this series is well done. And seeing how Steins;Gate is going right now, it’s so worth it. And Mayuri aka. HanaKawa NNNGGGGHHH
//: sekai-ichi.hatsukoi It’s yaoi. That’s the number one reason, obviously. What is life without yaoi? SIH was able to make go all “SQUEEE” and “KYAAA” for straight twelve episodes. Although the story is very cliché and dramatic, I enjoyed the entertainment every single episode it gives me. The ukes are all stupid. The semes have real communication problem. WHO CARES!? I had fun seeing pretty boys making out. And Ritsu and Takano’s story is actually pretty sweet. I want a high school sweetheart like that too.
//: hanasaku.iroha So, I keep tweeting that Ohana is a retard. I keep getting frustrated at how cliche this anime is getting to. Dissapointed is all I can say every time the characters (especially Ohana and Kou) do the most retarded things at the wrong times. So why is it in my number three? Well, because it’s dramatic! Yup, Hanasaku Iroha is so dramatic to the point where I like it. And Tohru is a hottie too <3
honorable.mentions:// gintama // MORE.infoShow ▼

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The spring shows were pretty decent this year! Though the quality of a few shows that I was looking forward to kind of died midway through, overall I’d say that it was a good season. I didn’t manage to follow that many shows this year (yeah, I’ll be watching a bunch that I missed over the summer) but the majority of what I did follow were totally worth it.
//: steins;gate Yeah, I absolutely adore this show despite that constant cliff hangers. (Damn cliff hangers.) The beginning was confusing and slooooow but ever since plot kicked in, this show has been intense. I usually find anime about time travel boring, but this isn’t your typical time travel anime and seeing the characters slowly figure things out has been absolutely fascinating. Okarin has to be my favourite protagonist of the season due to his personality and er, unique names for things. S;G has been a hell of a ride and a good balance between comedy and drama so far, and I only hope it gets more epic from here.
//: ao.no.exorcist I watch anime either for the plot or the characters and this is excellent in both respects. There isn’t a single character from Ao that I don’t like and it’s impossible for me to dislike one for long (…yeah, even Izumo). Yes, the plot is pretty much like every other shounen anime out there but the action here is pretty well thought out and I simply love some of the interactions between the characters.
//: deadman.wonderland So why is this in my top 3 despite the last couple episodes being (to put it nicely) not as good as the first ones? It’s because I’m extremely biased and I automatically love any show with tons of blood in it. No, I don’t care how bad a reason that is. Do you see any other spring shows about a sadistic prison/amusement park out there? That’s what I thought, now leave me alone xD.
honorable.mentions:// maria.holic.alive, kami.nomi.zo.shiru.sekai[2]

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And it felt like the months passed in a breeze. Now it’s all a swirl of smoke screen on which a gentle upwind has placed a single sakura petal as decoration for the moments gone by… Oh hello, I was just trying to channel the writer inside me. Spring is all about enjoying the moment as it is and there were definitely some gems that shone brighter than the others.
//: ano.hana I had good expectations from this but never knew that it would be such a rollercoaster ride. When was the last time an anime made you cry? It’s nothing to be proud of but AnoHana definitely touches your heartstrings quite deeply. Having a circle of friends and seeing them drift apart is something everyone can relate to and there are at least one, two close friends you always wish you had kept contact with but didn’t. This is that and much more. The living and breathing characters force you to relate to every event that happens with the right dash of laughter, tears and feelings. You’d be one mean bastard if you didn’t shed a tear after the last episode.
//: steins;gate Time travel otaku, right here people. Things have definitely paced up in the recent episodes and this is how I like it rather than the slow beginning pace. I love Okarin in general and his laughter in particular and I always get a kick out of predicting the time travel consequences and theories to explain away WTF happened. There’s no one in the entire supporting cast, who I hate… Shining Finger maybe but everyone has a strait to like and I can’t wait for the next episode for the next theory and predictions to ensue.
//: tiger.and.bunny This was a surprise of my list because from initial impression, I wasn’t even going to follow this. CG design, in-your-face-adverts, oldschool designs (to an extent) and the general superhero genre was enough to make me blanch but then Taiga & Buns happened. I mean, who can say no to this bromance, huh? (I’ve been a fan of House of Five Leaves, Hakuouki and Star Driver for the same reason). Of course, plot and crazy characters have to be there to keep me engaged and I was more than overwhelmed to get all that. Btw, don’t be scared, there’s no BL/yaoi in this one. xD
honorable.mentions:// ao.no.exorcist // [C] // yondemasu.yo.azazel-san // fireball.charming // MORE.info Show ▼

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Spring was rather good this year, even in case of numbers compared to last year’s good shows (Angel beats!, Working!!, Arakawa Under the bridge, House of Five leaves, Giant Killing, Hakuouki, etc.); though, like any season some series were better than the others. At Metanorn, we took an internal team poll for top most promising Spring shows of 2011 and here are the results:

So, what did you think of Spring and which were your top 5 shows? Team is quite keen to know. Ja ne~

About

We are the deadly team of Metanorn. When together, we usually come up with long, informative reviews and commentary. After all, we take fangirling seriously!
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91 Responses to “Meta Team’s Top 3 Spring Anime”

  1. Bass says:

    Great list guys, and amazing graphics too. Awesome way to close of a good season 😀

    As for my own personal list, it’s probably in this order:

    1 – Steins;Gate
    2 – Ano Hana
    3 – Tiger and Bunny
    4 – Hana Iro
    5 – Ao no Exorcist

    I was extremely disappointed by Deadman, since it just tanked after the first two episodes (incidentally where I dropped it from my blogging schedule). I wanted more to properly justify the awesome manga, but sadly now all everyone will think of when I mention the DW manga is its crap adaptation. Bummer.

    Still, it’s been a great season, a lot of shows that I really enjoy with most of them continuing into the summer season (which kills my bandwidth, but saves me from the mediocre crop of the current season).

    Hopefully summer eventually proves me wrong and shows me a few gems, but it’s a tough ask to follow in spring’s footsteps.

    • Bass says:

      Oh snap, I forgot C!

      Hmm…I think it would probably be a tie along with HanaIro at 4th….

    • Foshizzel says:

      Nice I see a common theme with people Steins;gate as number one! Good I am addicted to that now glad to see them step away from D mail. Sure that was fun and all but time to move on to something else! I was glad they did LOL I was starting to get annoyed.

      Deadman arg could have been so much better! They needed more episodes and better story T___T And not a suck character like Ganta ah well reading the manga! <3

  2. Mad Chemist says:

    This sure was an interesting season. Some of the shows I thought would be great ended up somewhat disappointing, some shows completely off of my list turned out to be great, and in the end I was pretty satisfied. As for my list, I’d say my favorite shows of the season were Kaiji Season 2, Tiger & Bunny, Steins;Gate and Ano Hana, in about that order. I still need to finish Fireball Charming as well, but I can see it fitting snugly in my list when I do, I like its brand of comedy.

    • Ness says:

      Yay for Tiger and Bunny.

      I totally forgot about Kaiji S2, need to catch up on that and maybe check out the live action. It was slightly interesting but seeing the main char so depressed and cheated was annoying.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Very interesting season! Spring usually offers some of the best anime huh? Yep there are always the amazing shows with a new season and of course the suck series.

      Yep I need to finish fireball and see what all the fun was about.

  3. Toori-chan says:

    Good choice people. I’m pretty much an all-rounder (Ero and Yaoi is not in my range). I watch almost everything I find nice. But I can somehow make out my top 5.

    1. Ano Hana-Gives my life some drama
    2. Steins; Gate-One of the best sci-fi I ever watched
    3. Hanasaku Iroha-Been watching (even the PVs) and will continue
    4. Nichijou-I need randomness in my life
    5. Deadman Wonderland-Action, Blood and Gore balances all

    Summer’s gonna be a long list for me. I have like about 10+ series on my list. It’s gonna be a long Summer. I wonder if I’ll do fine in my studies.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Woooot nice list Anohana! So sad and depressing but still a fun anime <3

      Oh yes! Nichijou! YAY! I agree with you we all need some randomness in our lives xD

      Summer is looking great so far! My favorite would easily be Sacred Seven.

  4. Masu says:

    no hidan no aria? who are you people?

  5. ichigopockysticks says:

    I wasn’t really sure what to post this on but,

    Wow Metanorn has gotten so much bigger I feel really bad about being absent for so long. I ended up getting really sick back in January and pretty much everything but school and hospital visits were a part of my life. But im slightly better now and schools out so I am hoping to become a massive lurker and catch up on all the anime I have missed this up till now.

    Kyokai,
    What you have done here is amazing and thanks so much a lot of my anime fandom came from here way back when I first started lurking when you were on your own. Thanks for everything.

    Also Ano Hana was the best this spring and I am really hoping they do and amazing job with Ao no Exorcist.

    • Kyokai says:

      Aww, Kat, good to see you back! <333

      Hope you doing well and can catch up on some more animu awesomeness soon! I remember most of my old readers who supported me when I was ronery in updating Metanorn but I've definitely developed an amazing team, who are helping me in making it even better with amazing content.

      We covered a lot of stuff while you were gone, from our own dating sim game to a podcast and comic. Take your time in catching up and rest assured for the right views on what shows to watch and what to drop. xD

  6. Dan-go says:

    Nichijou features alot, cant argue with that. I debate the point of TWGOK being up there…i watch it. and enjoy it. but it’s hardly quality anime :/, probs Nichijou, Ano hana, and ao no exorcist for me (yeah i’m mainstream)

    • Kyokai says:

      Season one was better than season two but you have to agree that Keima is a total win! I forgot to mention this on my honour list. Oh well. Being mainstream is all good though too. :3

  7. Namika says:

    TT^TT I feel so left out right now. Will have to do a lot of caching up later this summer.

    • Kyokai says:

      DAWWW~ <333

      It's alright Namika-chan~ You can catch up with time till then, we'll keep you updated. xD

      • Namika says:

        TT^TT it’s still frustrating – being kind of left out ><"""
        I swear, when I fix this computer, I am going to marathon for 24 hours straight *~*

  8. jGLZa says:

    So apparently I should look into this AnoHana show… not going to have much time though with all of this Summer awesome-ness around.

  9. […] We are very TRAPOLICIOUS. Nyaa~ Enjoy the Summers with us but don't forget Spring! […]

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