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33339 No. 33339 [Edit]
Let's post reviews of anime when we finish watching them!

It doesn't have to be from this season; any anime is fine!

I'll post the first review ITT
Expand all images
>> No. 33340 [Edit]
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33340
Just finished watching both seasons of Sangatsu no Lion. Here are my thoughts:

Exceptional in so many respects. Both from a technical point of view and in terms of artistic merit. The direction is excellent. The writing seems excellent (I plan to read the source material). Visually it is excellent and I applaud their frequent use of 'visual metaphors' in scenes. Visual direction is excellent. The studio is Shaft if you care. Characterization is extremely well done. The characters are rich and elaborate, as are their interactions. I liked character designs - especially the unique style of the faces. OST was good but not spectacular. Given the dialogue-heavy nature of the show though OST is relatively less important.

I cried a few times while watching this. Although I should mention that I cry easily and even enjoy it, and for many weeks this was my go-to anime when feeling more depressed than usual.

Drama is one of my favourite genres. Sangatsu no Lion excels in this context. The drama utilizes the rich cast of characters well. It is multidimensional in nature as opposed to a simple linear romance. There are many axes along which drama is developed, and it follows that there are many aspects through which you can engage with this anime emotionally. I personally found many characters relatable and this enhanced my experience. There's a high probability that you will as well and with this in mind I strongly recommend watching Sangatsu no Lion.

10/10 overall. Highly emotionally engaging and exceptional in many respects.

I found myself rewatching many scenes over and over.

I think I liked season 1 slightly more than season 2, overall. They're both great - I just found the plot in season 1 more personally engaging. I don't want to elaborate more because whichever plot one prefers between the seasons is highly subjective and any discussion of it will inevitably result in spoilers.

Also an afterthought about humour: the show has a lot of genuinely funny gags. I laughed out loud many times while watching. Comedic relief is used to effectively to create sort of an emotional rollercoaster. The flavour of humour itself is objectively kind of lame but personally I'm a sucker for silly puns and stuff like that. There is a lot of (social) situational humour as well, which I find enjoyable. I previously mentioned the use of visual metaphors - this is used for comedic effect as well.
>> No. 33341 [Edit]
That's kinda what I've been doing over at http://tohno-chan.com/an/res/2446.html
But whatever I guess.
>> No. 33344 [Edit]
>>33341
Beat me to it.
>> No. 33349 [Edit]
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33349
I watched Memories for the first time today. I'm on the younger side, so that explains why I haven't seen it already. I enjoyed each part as individual pieces, but I'm not sure how well they fit together as a whole. Stink Bomb and Cannon Fire are good as shorts. Quick, interesting, and just enough to satisfy without overstaying their welcome. Magnetic Rose would have benefited from being a full-length movie. Only Magnetic Rose really embodies the "Memories" theme, but if you reach I guess the other two could fit. As a whole, i'd say the shorts comment on different negative aspects of humans and society. It made me want to watch more old, lesser-known sci-fi anime like Roujin Z.

Magnetic Rose: The best of the three. It efficiently and smoothly develops the world and characters. The intro, build-up and climax were also well-paced for the time length. The visuals and integration of music was breathtaking. All three shorts do a great job of using music to add the story-telling, but Magnetic Rose does it with the most impact. I was a little annoyed by the "let's split up" trope, but within this context it's not too unbelievable. I appreciate its necessity and how it allows the story to go in two different directions, showing a lot more overall. The message was also well-conveyed. I would have liked to get more from Miguel's character.

Stink Bomb: People say this is the worst of the three, but i'd disagree. I enjoyed it more than cannon fire, but I wouldn't compare them in terms of "quality". Nothing makes sense, including the ending, but it's not supposed to. The short sets out to be humorous and say something about human stupidity, and it accomplishes those goals. I liked its high-production value and old-fashioned aesthetics. The music also stood out here in a good way.

Cannon Fire: At first, the visual style was jarring, but it's well-done and the animation was very smooth. They succeeded in making this style appealing in its own way. The short does a good job of criticizing soviet style conformity. The juxtaposition of how ugly real people are compared to people in propaganda posters was also impressive. I enjoyed this one the least, but that's only because of my personal preferences.

Post edited on 1st Sep 2019, 11:08am
>> No. 33350 [Edit]
>>33349
Magnetic Rose was good. The other two were garbage.
>> No. 33351 [Edit]
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33351
>>33350
Maybe they look that way compared to Magnetic Rose, but I think the other two are better than average. Animation, music, those are still high up there in both. Junk Boy is bad, for comparison.
>> No. 33365 [Edit]
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33365
I recently finished watching the ReLIFE anime. Here are my thoughts:

Bland art style and character designs. Animation is mediocre and often looks cheap and sloppy (and I did watch the BDs.). I did kind of like the super-saturated colour tones that are sometimes used, but besides that the anime is weak visually.
Unremarkable OST, however the rapid switching between tracks and/or silence is used well for dramatic effect. Overall, the production quality feels like a cheap disposable seasonal anime. Which is a shame because I think it deserved more. This anime would have benefited from a higher budget and/or better technical staff.

Quality of direction seems to vary a lot. Dramatic scenes are often handled poorly. Suspense is built up well but I feel like the climatic scenes are often 'fumbled' for lack of a better phrase. Comedic relief is sometimes used inappropriately. I'm already innoculated against this from watching lots of anime, but it can be pretty bad in this case. Overall, I'd say the direction is weak to mediocre at best. As someone who values direction more than visuals for this kind of genre, the weak direction is the most significant flaw of the anime in my view.

It's kind of cliche but I really liked the premise and thought it was promising (28 year old NEET relives high school - what's not to like?). Whether or not the premise was capitalized upon to its full potential is highly subjective. The plot ended up evolving differently from the way I expected it to, but I still liked it.

As you might expect, there's a lot of situational humour, which I'm fond of. Humour isn't a selling point here, but I did chuckle to myself a number of times while watching.

Decent script.

Good voice acting, especially the female cast. Kariu's VA in particular is absolutely terrific. I found myself rewinding many times just to hear her deliver some lines over and over again. I was extremely impressed by her talent.

MC is sort of unlikable, in my opinion.
Overall though, the cast is likable (ONOYA IS LITERALLY ME). Characters are well-developed. There was less focus on the MC than I initially expected, which was a pleasant surprise in my view. There are certainly some memorable characters. I miss them and want to go back. In particular, the female cast and the interactions between them were really enjoyable. Felt very real and human. The main female characters are the best in the entire series, in my opinion. The male cast was bland in comparison, despite receiving a similar amount of screentime.

Great writing. I get the impression that the source material is excellent and I hope to look into it sometime. Well-done character-driven drama is something I very much enjoy. Judging this anime before watching, I expected that it would basically be a large serving of hedonistic escapist fantasy. Again, I was pleasantly surprised in this respect, and this serves as a lesson to refrain from judging an anime before actually watching. Actually I would even say this anime is the opposite of escapism because one of the underlying themes is confronting real problems or personal shortcomings in your own life (trigger warning). Absolutely the writing is good, however I should clarify that I didn't find any of the themes explored to be all that engaging on a personal level. For this reason someone else might derive even more enjoyment from the series than I did.

Envy is a theme that comes up in the story and I applaud its use because it's such a common aspect of human nature. Jealousy permeates this disgusting world we live in, yet its representation in fiction is rarely commensurate. I think a lot of people can relate to this or at least would find it an engaging theme in fiction.

Very watchable. I watched the first 8 episodes within ~12 hours which for me is extremely unusual.

Many anime start out strong and then flop in the later episodes. ReLIFE was the opposite experience for me. It started out good, but it was only in the latter half of the anime that it really started to shine. This is mainly due to payoff from developing rich characters earlier in the series (take notes, anime writing staff). My progress through the later episodes was slowed because there were far more scenes that I needed to appreciate by watching over and over before continuing.

I'll try to comment on the romance component without spoiling anything. Despite the poor direction, especially in this regard, ReLIFE is still pretty romantic. It's not strictly a romance story, but there are certainly some romantic scenes and moments. ReLIFE owes its romantic merit entirely to the underlying writing. It is probably the best het-romance of 2016 (competition is not stiff). Please feel free to respond with alternatives for that title though.

This anime has appeal to a broader audience. Would be easily digested by casual anime fans. Despite its flaws I'd still recommend it. I think I'd actually recommend this to a woman due to how much the female perspective is explored during the romantic story arcs. Again, the female characters are such a strong aspect of this anime; I really can't overstate it.

I rate this anime 8/10 for great writing with great characters and a good script with good voice acting. I really wanted to rate this higher but I can't overlook the flaws in its execution. The show is like a poorly polished diamond; the beauty is there if you look closely.

Due to the series being continued in OVAs released 1.5 years later, and the peculiar obsession that imageboard users have with watching things the instant they air, I think that this show (or at least the OVAs) may have been overlooked by people. It also serves as a lesson for why you should wait for an entire series (including BDs and extras) to be released before watching. In my case, jumping right from the last episode to the OVAs (instead of waiting 2 years) provided a vastly superior viewing experience, especially with consideration to the plot of the show.

The OVAs feel very rushed to me and I would have much preferred a complete second season, or at least more than 4 OVA episodes. Production quality and direction of the OVAs was just as poor as the original tv anime. Truly a shame because the story is great.

Update since writing the above review draft while still watching the anime:
fucking hell this is really starting to tug at my heartstrings. The waterworks have started.
tl;dr: *sobbing mess* b-but m-muh direction and production quality

final update: okay I cried a lot but that doesn't invalidate my criticisms and my rating remains unchanged.

In retrospection, it might be better to approach this franchise via the literature. I'm getting the impression that the source material is vastly superior to the anime adaptation. Maybe someone can respond with their impressions of the manga. I jumped into this anime completely blind without doing any research; maybe that was a mistake.
>> No. 33369 [Edit]
>>33365
I think any adaptation should stand on its own two feet, so going in blind is always fine. From what I could find, this is the first show Tomochi Kosaka was the main director for.
>> No. 33372 [Edit]
Gakkou-Gurashi: If you have not previously watched this but are a fan of CGDCT/SoL, I would recommend trying two episodes with the caveat that this has Madoka-esque reveals in the first few episodes so you should avoid researching it too heavily to make it more interesting for yourself. That being said, the description on MAL doesn't give away too much anyway and the core aspect of the show isn't in the reveal itself but in the aftermath.

It's unfortunate discussion of this died down in http://tohno-chan.com/an/arch/res/23470.html because even beyond the reveals, there was a lot of detail and attention put into each episode, from the color patterns on Yuki vs others' outfits (they're inverted versions of each other), to the changing OPs, the subtle reflection of Megu-nee in the car window in the last episode, not to mention the well-chosen literary references.

For as much hype Madoka gets in the cute-girls do suffering genre, I didn't really find its story too compelling or relatable. Gakkou-gurashi on the other hand interweaves the usual slice of life pacing with its emotional moments which I feel helps build up the characters and brings them closer to the audience, allowing the audience to closer empathize with their situation. That said, there was still some places where this could have been improved, such as replacing the amount of time spent chasing the dog with something more substantive. I would have also liked better development of the friendships between the characters; while it was adequate enough and on par with your average SoL, I feel their unique situation provided many additional opportunities for this.

Character development is also limited to Yuki and Miki, but I don't really see this as too much of an issue though since I consider it a slice of life first and foremost, with the darker themes lingering in the background to provide context and plot. So while the anime might disappoint those who usually prefer more serious psychological anime, for those who primarily watch SoL and want something offering a tinge of sadness and moments for reflection, Gakkou-Gurashi fills that niche.
>> No. 33375 [Edit]
>>33372
I loved Gakkou-Gurashi when I first watched it. It was so atmospheric and that drew me into their situation. The use of weather, music(it has a great ost) and other little things to establish mood was great. I see it as a zombie show for people who don't like zombie shows. It places an equal amount of emphasis on "living", staying sane, enjoying yourself, making every day worthwhile, and surviving, which I personally haven't seen any other apocalyptic fiction do.
>Character development is also limited to Yuki and Miki, but I don't really see this as too much of an issue though since I consider it a slice of life first and foremost, with the darker themes lingering in the background to provide context and plot.
The managa develops each character as individuals more, but the anime places more emphasis on them as a group. I like the manga too, and it does feel more in-depth in a few ways, but it didn't have as much impact on me, maybe because I watched the anime first, or maybe because of the medium's limitations.
>> No. 33376 [Edit]
>>33372
>the changing OPs
I'm glad people appreciated that. I thought it was a great touch.
>> No. 33393 [Edit]
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33393
I reluctantly watched Kiznaiver. Here's my shitty stream-of-consciousness review:

Wow I really hate this art style
Wow I really hate this cinematography
Wow I really hate these character designs
This visual stuff is all subjective so I won't dwell on it much.

I almost didn't give this any chance at all because Trigger.

Forgive me for saying this but the pacing and exposition could best be surmised as 'zoomer-tier'. In all seriousness, I feel like this was made for someone about 14 years old.
Wow I hate this direction

Why am I still watching?
I like the premise and thinks it's promising.
Some of these characters seem interesting.

Let's see how it goes.

Yep, this literally feels like a Pixar movie.
Maybe the writing will have some artistic value...

None of these characters are particularly likable.
I'm finding it difficult to envisage a scenario where these characters are used to construct a compelling story. These characters have personalities that are unpleasantly exaggerated. They would be suitable for a comedy sketch, not a serious drama.

The animation itself is 'high quality' but I hate how these wacky jump cuts are constantly used. Like I feel dizzy just watching this. The animation itself is fluid but the cinematography ruins it, IMO.

I'm detecting a lot of ship-baiting. This is actually fine with me because I'm trash and can shamelessly enjoy shipping as cheap entertainment.

I'm liking Maki's backstory. Took them bloody long enough to get to this.
If they took Maki's backstory and turned it into a full cour anime with a quarter of the budget of this, it would be better and would have more artistic value.

It seems like people who watched this can be divided according to who did and did not like the forced shipping. My rebuttal to those who disliked it is "what else could have possibly been done with these shitty characters?" The anime is already bad regardless of whether shipping occurs or not. Removing the ships is like rearranging the cutlery on the fucking Titanic as it descends to the bottom of the ocean. If not ships, then what? What else is there with this awful cast? The problem is the characters themselves and shipping is just a band-aid on awful writing.

Everything about this anime is so ham-fisted. I'd liken it to building hobby models with mittens on.

This anime would benefit significantly from better foreshadowing.
Nico's voice actor is talented.

Watching this is reminding me of why I hate watching movies, generally speaking. They try to cram as much garbage as possible into a tiny period of time, all the while pacing it way too quickly and catering to people with an extremely short attention span. This is literally just a Pixar film masquerading as an anime.

A grown adult is not the target audience for this.
>but that's all ani-
No, there's a difference. This anime is designed specifically for a teenager's brain.

What a waste of a good premise.

The OST for this is supposed to be good but I'm not observing that. Maybe you could respond with your favourite tracks in the OST? The OP song is okay. Musically it is simple, but still it's pretty catchy.

The only decent attribute this anime has is the animation quality. Pretty much every single artistic choice possible was made poorly, in my opinion. Still, this might be one of the most well-animated works of 2016, I'll admit. The only competition I can think of is Sansha Sanyou. I'm probably overlooking something from that year though.

Overall 4/10. you_tried_sticker.png
There was serious potential here but so many poor choices were made along the way. But hey, despite all my complaints, I still didn't drop the damn thing. So take from that what you will. On the other hand, the only reason I'll be watching anything from Trigger from here onwards is out of morbid curiosity. In fact, Trigger should probably just upload all their work directly to Liveleak from now on.

A couple other things:
I want Chidori to sit on my face.
Nico is literally me.
>> No. 33394 [Edit]
 
>>33393
I really despised that series, for similar reasons as to what you said. I couldn't finish it myself.
If you really wanted to give something from Trigger a shot, I would recommend Gridman, which I almost avoided for similar reasons. I enjoyed the callbacks to the live-action series and it felt like they really understood the spirit of that work, which felt surprising after so many flops from them.
>> No. 33395 [Edit]
>>33393
I couldn't even finish that anime, I really enjoyed the aesthetics but that wasn't enough to make me sit through 12 episodes.
>> No. 33430 [Edit]
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33430
Carole and Tuesday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yObMUSTcaPc
Directed by Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy). Need I say more?
>> No. 33436 [Edit]
>>33430
I didn't watch this series because I was put off by the American indie pop music.
>> No. 33471 [Edit]
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33471
Malice Doll is a 2001 cgi ova series written and created by Chiaki J. Konaka, who also worked on Lain and Ghost Hound. This is an anime which I had almost no interest in and thought was going to be a difficult viewing experience. I hate cgi, and on top of that this is cgi from 2001. After powering through my initial disdain for the visuals, which are as expected, very primitive, and mostly made up of dark, muddy colors too, I was pleasantly surprised with everything else.

Malice Doll is an interesting little experiment which aimed to explore what being human means. That's nothing that hasn't been done before, but the angle which this show takes is almost never seen. Malice Doll questions whether being human is really better than being a machine, and from my point of view, it seems to lean more on the side of machines. It goes very far to show the ugliness of humanity.

Again, the visuals are lackluster, but I appreciate how cgi conveys the inhumanness of the characters. The screen was so dark sometimes that I could barely tell what was going on. There's a lot of sexual and gory imagery to enjoy and being in cgi didn't take much away from its impact. At certain points, behind the limitations of cgi, I felt similar directing to Lain's.

This is an ova series, so it doesn't have much time to develop the characters and get us invested in them. Considereing the animation medium, that's probably for the best. There's more that could have been done with the themes, but I bet since 2001 there's been anime where machines become human I just don't know about. The ending is almost identical to Lain's. I would recommend watching Malice Doll if you like obscure, old stuff with some substance.

Has anyone here watched this before?

Post edited on 21st Sep 2019, 7:12am
>> No. 33486 [Edit]
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33486
>>33471
So nobody here has seen Malice@Doll? Come on, guys. It's entertaining if nothing else and it's only three episodes, so you should give it a try.
https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=NYN0DFuybe8
https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=p_CuRIc_oL0
https://www.invidio.us/watch?v=EQzSNkCi7k8
>> No. 33487 [Edit]
>>33486
I haven't, but you got me interested in it. I'll watch it this week.
>> No. 33491 [Edit]
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33491
Machikado Mazoku- It's humorous and cute, the dialogue can be fast and overwhelming with the added text on screen and the background tones but while I found that I had to pause and go back a few times overall I found that to be endearing. Essentially the anime is an SOL with a plot which I quite liked, the plot is slow but works well for the SOL nature of the anime, the plot picks up substantially for the two last episodes and make me really look forward to what next season(if it gets a next season) will bring.

Also, the Subs are awful.
>> No. 33494 [Edit]
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33494
Princess Principal, completing the trifecta of Studio 3Hz original anime with Sora no Method and Flip Flappers. If there's one thing to learn about Studio 3Hz from these, it's that they love non-linear narratives and blurring genres. Especially accompanied by major plot twists 3 episodes from the end.

Whether any of that is put to good use though is another question entirely. In the case of Flip Flappers, the non-linear narrative worked very nicely and it's evident that Oshiyama went through a lot of effort to ensure a cohesive flow: each of the character's motives are understandable and the anime remains engaging throughout the various plot twists. Sora no Method is another story entirely, as I briefly wrote on the old review thread >>/an/33214

Then we come to Princess Principal: as with the others, regardless of the story quality the design and artwork are no doubt excellent, this time with a steampunk inspired decor. The first few episodes are reminiscent of archetypical spy films, which is perhaps where my initial gripes with the plot begin. I'm not a particular fan of the spy film genre because at its core spies are usually used as pawns in some political or military machination which to me doesn't serve for an emotional or engaging premise. Princess Principal does go to some attempts to subvert this by showing how the "principal team" grows closer over the series (culminating in the final episode) but nonetheless its Slice of Life aspects – where character dynamics, friendships, and genuine honesty – are fundamentally incompatible with its drama/action/spy ones – where duplicitious dealings are the norm.

For me the best episodes were the middle few which stuck closer to the slice of life core: rallying to rejuvenate a dilapidated laundry mill, Ange relating her past to the pickpocket, etc. These episodes not only provided needed characterization but were also where we saw the team just enjoying being together. But unfortunately the realities of their occupation make such amusement impossible, and the final arc that serves as the plot twist is where it's ability to engage me fell apart.

Spoilers follow:

The reveal of Ange/Charlotte's past makes for an interesting plot but is also where the anime veers sharply into the "political machinations" subgenre and the suspension of disbelief that cute anime girls are endowed with is shattered. On the one hand you have these spies that won't hesitate to kill off their classmate, but will disobey their boss to avoid killing their recent friend. And when Ange goes through heroic efforts in a last-ditch effort to get both her and the princess to safety, the princess irrationally decides that she'd rather go back into the shitshow, become queen herself, and presumably end the strife so they both can be together in the open. And after cleaning up the entire mess, they're back to square one: still disposable pawns of a regime engaged in a power struggle, somehow willing and eager to be a lackey when they could have just stayed on the plane and been out of there: in its attempt to blend slice of life with drama, characters' motives become less believable.
>> No. 33508 [Edit]
>>33494
Middle episodes were the most enjoyable, I agree. The ending could have been good too, but it was too rushed. They should have removed the one Asian girl from the story, she did nothing the entire show and they wasted an entire episode on a personal problem of hers; remove her and that episode and stretch the ending out to two parts and it could work.
>> No. 33509 [Edit]
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33509
>>33508
>They should have removed the one Asian girl from the story
Some of her lines and the lampooning of Japanese culture were pretty funny, e.g. dialogue of "can't you speak English" spoken entirely in Japanese.

There is a PriPri movie set to be released, so perhaps that will finish things off properly.
>> No. 33530 [Edit]
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33530
Roujin Z is a comedic project by Katsuhiro Otomo. It's about a robotic geriatrics-care bed that goes rouge because it has a military grade "sixth genetation computer" inside it. The entire thing is completely ridiculous and over the top, but it's a lot of fun. I really like how 90's anime characters seem to have such a good time. That specific type of warm, fuzzy stuff seems rarer now. The animation is a bit inconsistent, but gets the job done, and the music is interesting to say the least. The pro-elder theme was a bit confusing, but I can see how it would be feel-good.
>> No. 33531 [Edit]
>>33530
Thanks for reminding me I didn't watch this yet, I just did and it was quite good. It felt like a light-hearted Akira.
>> No. 33580 [Edit]
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33580
I watched Shuumatsu no Izetta. Here are my thoughts:

This has some really cute romantic shoujo-ai scenes.

Strong confident female lead, which I always like to see. Girls are so strong and powerful. Girls can do anything!

Lots of strong confident women kicking butt in this. Girls are amazing!

The female cast is super likable. Unfortunately there are a lot of dumb males in the cast as well that exist only to advance the plot.

"Expectations blown away. It horrifies me to think that I almost passed on this. Ordinarily I hesitate to watch Japanese bastardizations of European history. If you do watch this then obviously much suspension of disbelief is required. I mean, it's anime. Magic is involved in the story and it takes places in a pseudo-WW2 setting.

Way underrated and underappreciated."
^is what I wrote in my anime notes after watching the first 3 episodes. This anime had a very strong start.

Getting further into this anime I'm beginning to see what is probably its most significant flaw: the plot. Ultimately, the plot is kind of lame. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem, but the issue is how much screentime is used to advance the plot. The series is very plot-heavy. There are some terrific scenes lurking within, but the overall series is diluted by this lame plot which consists of dumb violent men fighting each other for power. So basically men ruin everything as usual, smh. In all seriousness, I found most of the fighting/conflict-heavy scenes boring to watch. The fight scenes soaked up a lot of valuable screentime.

Having said the above, foreshadowing is used effectively and all the developed storylines tie together well in the end. In this regard, the show isn't poorly directed. I still cried during the last two episodes when the story climaxed. The wrap-up of all the story arcs was pretty good, even if the journey there was a little messy.

This anime is an unusual juxtaposition of genres (military/historical and shoujo-ai), of which a lot of people will like one or the other but less commonly both. I reluctantly gave this a chance knowing only that it was a historical military anime, and I was subsequently pleasantly surprised by the cute yuri romance that evolved as the episodes progressed. However, I think a lot of people who watched this had the opposite reaction, and consequently the anime is rated poorly by many. I guess an appropriate metaphor would be that Shuumatsu no Izetta is like an exotic food with a unique taste that puts most people off. Is that a flaw in the food or in the person tasting it? Maybe the same could be said about my distaste for the plot-heavy nature of the anime.

An argument could also be made that the two genres balance each other well. The soft tone of the cute romance provides relief from the seriousness of the military conflict. I'm not sure I agree with this but maybe this is what the writers were thinking.

I think the series is weakest during times when it's focused on large-scale conflicts. During times of inaction, or small-scale conflict, there is much greater emphasis on the characters themselves. When the characters and their interactions are allowed the shine, the series is good. I wonder if the characters had been peasants instead of upper caste, would the series have been better due to a diminished scale of conflict?

Overall, I rate this anime 7/10.

I feel bad about rating this so low because there really were some terrific memorable scenes. Like I said though, it was too heavily diluted. Objectively speaking, I think that most people would really like some aspects of this anime and strongly dislike others. It is certainly not 'one size fits all', but maybe its uniqueness can be appreciated.


Additional Comments:
Good animation at times but the quality is inconsistent. Character animations like hair and body movement looked pretty good. At times the background landscapes looked nice too.

The OST is decent. It's high quality from a technical perspective and really suits the series thematically. The OP and ED songs are good. The voice acting is good.

Overall the production quality is good, but not spectacular. My number one criticism is that the action scenes were completely unremarkable in terms of audio-visual quality, and this made them more of a chore to watch.

I really liked the character designs, especially the female cast. Not only are the character designs great, but they also get lots of different lovely outfits and different pretty hairstyles too! Yay!
>> No. 33582 [Edit]
>>33580
Your description reminded me of Princess Principal which I jotted some thoughts a few posts above, and it's at the very least cross-linked as a strong suggestion on MAL.

>Overall, I rate this anime 7/10.
>I feel bad about rating this so low
Is 7/10 supposed to be a low score? Assuming we're not doing MAL style rating inflation (where for some reason the mean score always seems to a 7, and 9/10s are given out liberally), then for me a "meh" series usually gets a 5, maybe a 4 if I couldn't bother watching it completely.
>> No. 33583 [Edit]
>>33582
I read your PriPri review up until the spoilers. I'm waiting for the movie to be released before
watching the series. I'm looking forward to it and expect I'll enjoy it!

The numerical rating is highly subjective...
For me, anything below around 6/10 is where I start dropping things. My median rating for anime that I finish would be about 7/10. I drop a lot of things though.
>> No. 33584 [Edit]
>>33582
>rating so low
What I meant by that is this:
There are a lot of scenes in Shuumatsu no Izetta that are 9/10 anime material, they're just weighed down by the other more mediocre stuff.

numerical rankings are kind of silly I know
>> No. 33585 [Edit]
>>33580
The paragraphs from three to five sound like badly concealed propaganda, or some kind of teen-ironic statement.
>> No. 33586 [Edit]
>>33580
Just get a sex-change operation already, anon.
>> No. 33587 [Edit]
>>33585
>>33586
Yuri fandom is different from trannyism and all the stuff that comes with that!
>> No. 33665 [Edit]
File 157268592725.jpg - (425.52KB , 2996x2119 , 194328.jpg )
33665
I watched the Mahoutsukai Tai OVAs (The 6 episode series released in 1996, AKA "magic user's club"). Pros and cons (in my opinion) are listed below:

Pros:
>Some genuinely funny gags that were worth a laugh here and there.
>Cute characters and cute character designs.
>Surprisingly really well-animated. Seriously, the visuals for this were great and looked like a ton of effort went into them. I found myself frequently pausing to admire the art.
>Character personalities are simple but effective, particularly for humour.

Cons:
>Lame cliche plot.
>Too much time spent on 'wacky oh-so-funny' boring action scenes used to advance said cliche plot.
>Too much slapstick humour in general (I know, it's anime).

I probably won't be watching the TV anime version as apparently it is much worse than the OVAs.

Overall 7/10
Yes, I'd recommend these as a casual thing to watch. It's not like much commitment is needed (only 6 episodes).
>> No. 33682 [Edit]
>>33580
Truly embarrassed at seeing one of my favorite anime reviewed with such wording.
>> No. 33699 [Edit]
I finished Uchi no Musume.

The first episode was alright and it looked like it had potential but then it fell flat from there. It's kind of like SoL(well I guess it actually is SoL, it is severely lacking in any kind of plot) yet it lacks interesting characters, comedy or anything that makes an SoL good. It's not awful, I did manage to finish it after all, but nothing about it stands out and it's not memorable in anyway.

I'd give it a 6/10.
>> No. 33707 [Edit]
File 157394659326.gif - (1.70MB , 500x280 , tumblr_o3l2tfrVqx1qg78wpo1_500.gif )
33707
I watched the movie 'Glass no Hana to Kowasu Sekai'. Here are my thoughts:

Positive aspects:
>novel premise
>tons of cute outfits!!
>decent animation and cinematography
>nice backgrounds, pretty solid visually overall
>cute characters
>good audio production quality
>cute!!!!

Negative aspects:
>rushed and kind of incoherent plot
>bland characters (this is partially why I rarely watch anime movies, also this point can't really be avoided with such a short runtime)
>weak direction
>felt sort of 'unpolished' overall

Overall 6/10.
I still watched the whole thing and it was enjoyable. If you're the kind of person who values style over substance then I guess I'd recommend it.

also this was pretty lewd at times, should probably have an ecchi tag FYI

Apparently a lot of impressive people worked on this, but as usual Japs can't into project management.
>> No. 33718 [Edit]
File 157421700742.jpg - (699.32KB , 2560x1815 , kore-wa-zombie-desu-ka-5.jpg )
33718
I watched Kore wa Zombie desu ka? (both seasons + all OVAs)
Here are my thoughts:

This is just another junk food harem-comedy show that for some reason became popular among inexperienced anime viewers and was subsequently overrated.
Any attempt at plot always resulted in a convoluted mess. The show is strongest when it sticks to SOL and comedy scenes. The weakest episodes by far were those which were plot-focused. Poor direction might be the biggest flaw of this anime.

The show's best aspect is its supernatural flavour, I think. This is somewhat unique, and a lot of the skits and gags built around supernatural phenomena were funny and creative.

There is a strong otaku culture influence as well, which I found entertaining.

The character designs and animation seemed somewhat dated even for the production year. I'm not sure if this was an intentional artistic decision. This is not necessarily a bad thing but I thought it was noteworthy.

The music is okay; I liked all of the OP and ED songs.

There are moments where the show shines but they're outweighed by the mediocre remainder, unfortunately. I rate this anime 6/10 overall. It's watchable junk food, but junk food nonetheless.
>> No. 33719 [Edit]
File 157426892620.jpg - (101.72KB , 470x322 , Korean Zombie Desk Car.jpg )
33719
>>33718
It was kinda shit but the ED was so amazing;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47SquTj_nC4
>> No. 33721 [Edit]
File 157465576320.jpg - (124.26KB , 800x480 , otaku-christmas.jpg )
33721
I recently downloaded the latest One Punch Man OVA, but I haven't watched it yet because the sumo tournament was occupying most of my attention so I can only review the download so far. It was very swift and trouble free, A+ stuff for sure, I'll probably be back with a review of the media I got so easily in relatively short order now that Hakuho is done claiming his record setting 43th sumo crown.
>> No. 33722 [Edit]
File 157473238021.png - (64.01KB , 160x102 , anime guy saying good thumbnail.png )
33722
>>33721
Watching the latest One Punch Man OVA was every bit as enjoyable as downloading it, an excellent experience all around
>> No. 33723 [Edit]
>>33722
Thanks for reminding me, I liked it too.
>> No. 33725 [Edit]
Finished Bem(the new version, I've not seen the old one). Pretty average and the ending made no sense. Not much more to say.
>> No. 33743 [Edit]
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33743
Has anyone seen Brain Powerd? Some people think it's genius. It's kind of long though, so I'd like to know if you guys recommend it.
>> No. 33744 [Edit]
>>33743
I haven't seen Brain Powerd specifically, but I've seen other works by that director (Yoshiyuki Tomino) and I've heard that it's more enjoyable if you already like his works.
>> No. 33747 [Edit]
File 157555081679.jpg - (597.59KB , 1400x980 , Kobayashi-san_Chi_no_Maid_Dragon_full_2084917.jpg )
33747
Alright so I watched Memedragon (not including OVA). Here are my thoughts.

Solid production quality. Well-animated.
Funny sometimes.

Very 'gag-like' episode structure with rapid jumps from short scene to short scene. Not necessarily a bad thing but certainly more reminiscent of comedy than a typical SOL anime.

The way they jump from short scene to short scene is almost disorienting. Slow down please. Feels like the target audience has the attention span of a goldfish. Maybe some people like this but I don't really. I guess for packing in as many jokes as possible it works.

Cast is kind of unlikable but they do have good chemistry.

Most of the cast are one-note characters and the gags are often unfunny and repetitive.

Most of the supposedly sentimental/touching moments felt forced to me. You have to make me give a shit about the characters first before injecting an emotional scene and expecting me to engage with it. You can't just jump from short gag after short gag to sentimental moment about family or whatever. You have to build a foundation first and that just wasn't done in this anime.

My favourite aspect of the story was the relationship between Fafnir and Takiya. Which isn't saying much because they got very little screentime together.

This anime started out mediocre to me but as I progressed through the episodes my opinion of it declined. Each newly introduced character was worse than the last, and as time went on the gags became more repetitive.

I'm not knocking you if you liked it but I disliked both the direction and writing.

Overall 4/10.
>> No. 33755 [Edit]
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33755
Just finished Lord El Melloi II Case Files. It was alright, not much of a plot and too much self insert fan service type stuff but it was interesting and the characters were not awful, it's certainly not the worst Fate show I have seen.
>> No. 33756 [Edit]
>>33747
>The way they jump from short scene to short scene is almost disorienting. Slow down please
I don't remember Dragon Maid being that much different from other SoL shows. The only show I felt that was egregious in this regard was Hidamari Sketch, presumably on account of its SHAFTiness (also Teekyuu but since the rapid fire jokes are the whole point, I feel that doesn't count).
>> No. 33757 [Edit]
>>33756
> Hidamari Sketch, presumably on account of its SHAFTiness
I think yonkoma adaptions tend to be a bit jumpy, due to the nature of the source material. Not always, of course.
>> No. 33767 [Edit]
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33767
I watched Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari. My thoughts on it are written below.

I initially passed on this because of the totally unenticing premise, but eventually gave it a chance and was pleasantly surprised.

Confused by how little traction this got. Possible 'hidden gem'. Seems easily digestible and would appeal to normalfags I think. Suspect of being breeder propaganda from Abe-sama (/sarcasm).

Insanely cute scenes with some deeper emotional undertones about life and family.

Poco a cute! CUTE!

Male ~3/8 life crisis: the anime

Direction is inconsistent but ranges from mediocre to bad. Which is a damn shame. The entire series is sloppily executed in terms of direction. Direction is a deep flaw of this anime. With improved direction this anime would have been far better, I think.

Animation and overall production quality are mediocre. OST is unremarkable aside from the OP song.
Ultimately, it is a seemingly low-budget manga adaptation. The strength of this anime arises from the writing itself. The writing is great.

At times, this anime is very emotionally engaging. I started to cry during multiple episodes. The themes around family and such can be a real gut punch. They really got to me with those family childhood stills (motionless images). It feels like an emotional sucker punch when they show images of the MC's now-deceased parents in the ED. There are definitely some touching moments in this. This sentimentality is the best aspect of the show. I strongly recommend this anime if you have mental issues relating to family.

I felt very positive about the anime after watching the first 4 episodes, but during subsequent episodes a feeling of squandered potential crept in. Any anime watcher will know this common feeling.

There are some subtle 'touristy' plugs in the anime but they're not particularly intrusive and mesh with the plot fairly well. The story mainly takes place in Kagawa(Takamatsu city) which is known for a number of foods (ex. Udon) and various attractions. This might put some people off. On balance, I'd prefer that these touristy plugs not be included. Following this train of thought though, I strongly feel that this anime deserved a higher budget. I think more of the potential could have been captured with more skillful staff. That said, it appears to be a faithful adaptation. I plan to read the source material. In fact, the source material might be a better way to approach this. I'm unsure if the anime enhances the story much. Like I said, the strength of this work is mainly due to the writing itself.

Spent too much time on the dynamics of his job instead of exploring themes like childhood and family more. Introduced more characters than necessary for the story. This is a 12 episode anime and time is valuable. I suspect this might be an issue of being overly committed to creating a fidelitious adaptation of the manga, instead of more effectively catering the story to the single-cour anime medium. A lot of plotlines were introduced and then simply not even close to resolved. During the last couple episodes I was left with a feeling of there being a ton of 'loose ends' that were not tied up. This is a typical manga adaptation issue, unfortunately. When I say that the direction was flawed, this lack of focus is a major component of that.

Overall I rate this anime 7/10. I'd at least consider reading the manga first though if you're interested. If anyone's read it already I'd be very interested in hearing their opinion.

The anime is still good, don't get me wrong, but this had the potential (or should I say ingredients? lol) to be a 10/10 masterpiece. I don't say that lightly. Seriously squandered potential. I cannot shake this feeling of frustration that I feel over such an enormous waste of potential. I wouldn't even call this a manga adaptation - it's more like a manga advertisement.

Should you watch it? Yes, if the positive aspects I've outlined here are appealing to you. At the very least it is good drinking-and-crying material.

Addendum: after digging around a bit I've read that apparently there were major conflicts among the production staff. Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all. As usual, Japs cannot into project management. If anyone knows what happened with the production staff feud then I'd be interested to hear.
>> No. 33769 [Edit]
File 157681349585.jpg - (213.41KB , 1280x1818 , dp54333.jpg )
33769
I watched Sakamoto Desu ga. Here are my thoughts:

This is actually really funny. I consistently laughed out loud at every episode.
I'd describe the humour as kind of a combination of absurdist and situational. The gags themselves are really creative too, as opposed to the same recycled humour/jokes that we've seen countless times in anime.

Other characters play off of the main character (Sakamoto) well to create humour.

The jazz-like OST suits the series really well and enhances the humour.

The most common criticism of this anime is that it is repetitive. It's true that the humour tends to follow a similar theme (Sakamoto and his interactions with others), but I found that there was plenty of variety among the gags themselves to entertain me. A lot of the gags were completely unpredictable (often due to their absurdity). I'm laughing to myself as I write this just thinking about it. Much of my enjoyment came from wondering what ridiculous scenario would come next and how Sakamoto would react to it.

I rate this anime 8/10.
One of the funniest series I've watched in recent memory. I put on every episode with happy anticipation and I was never disappointed.
>> No. 33772 [Edit]
File 157689523272.png - (1.94MB , 1620x1577 , Himouto-Umaru-chan-anime.png )
33772
My impression of Himouto! Umaru-chan prior to watching it was that it was simply dumb and for some reason caused a lot of bitter among a lot of people. One day I put on the first episode out of impulse/curiosity. To my surprise, it was actually decent. I ended up watching both seasons and the OVAs.

Sibling relationships are a dominating theme. This is personally very depressing. Be warned. I had to stop watching sometimes because I'd start to think about my own family and would become very sad. This isn't a negative aspect of the anime, in fact it's a potent mechanism of emotional engagement. That said, one's reaction to the sibling relationship theme will be highly individual.

Another prevalent theme is the glorification of one's hobbies and leisure, which is obviously very relatable. Actually a lot of the themes explored in Umaru are relatable, I think. Various elements of Japanese culture are commonly included in the show, ranging from traditions to more otaku-ish stuff.

The series has broad appeal and is easily digestible. The quality is consistent. This would be good material for someone relatively new to the anime medium, I think.

Good direction. The show smoothly jumps from happy uplifting scenes, to light conflict, to comedy etc...
Episodes typically consist of scenes which are entertaining in isolation, but are woven together by a light episodic plot of some kind. Sweet moments are skillfully implemented within the light-hearted writing.
Very 'watchable' show overall.

The characters are simple but they do have good chemistry. There are funny scenes sometimes. The characters are cute and there are a lot of cute outfits!

In terms of likability, the cast is kind of a mixed bag. A lot could be said about this, but I'll summarize by saying that some aspects of the character personalities could be considered unlikable, and that one's own viewpoint on this will be highly individual. Regardless of the specifics though, I think the most common criticism of this anime is that character(s) are in some way unlikable or unethical. I'm sympathetic to this argument, but my own view is that it's just a fun light comedy SOL show and if you're sitting there doing a complex analysis of ethics then you are watching the wrong show for your mood. Go do a tiring day of work and come back, or put on a more intellectually demanding anime. Stop watching things that don't fit your mood. That said, I think the anime would be improved with better written characters, but I also think people are overreacting when they say that it's literally unwatchable because of the cast. This is yet another aspect of the show that will invoke a reaction that is strongly dependent on the viewer. Perhaps these highly variable audience reactions are why this anime stirred up so much bitter.

The animation and art style are unremarkable. The OST is unremarkable, though I liked the S1 ED song. Also, the S2 ED animation is CUTE CUTE CUTE!

A lot of SOL shows tend to fizzle out as they progress. For this reason I had guarded expectations of the second season of Umaru. Actually though, season 2 was pretty good.

I'd liken watching Umaru to eating plain potato chips. It's not complex or unique, but it's still consistently good and you can consume a lot in one sitting and not even realize it.

Overall rating: 7/10

Kirie is literally me.

FYI, I used the Nii-sama release for the season 2 BDs. The release was unpolished and filled with innaccurate and lazy translations. I definitely won't be using their subs willingly again.

-kind of spoiler below-
a lot of light-hearted episodic anime tend to be ruined when the author attempts to introduce some kind of plot. In this case during the second season I found that the theme of private lives/secrets among the characters was handled well. It didn't intrude too much on the episodic SOL, but still provided a compelling and relatable theme for the viewer while simultaneously adding a little more character development. It also provided some relief from the repetition of season 1. I think this is a good example of mild plot injection for an SOL series being handled well.
>> No. 33777 [Edit]
>>33772
I made it about 3 episodes into Umaru-chan before I gave up from wanting to punch that chibi form through the wall due to her whining and taking advantage of her brother. Perhaps it improves later on, focusing less on this chibi nonsense and instead on Umaru's friendships, but since SoL enjoyment is mainly dependent upon the ability to empathize with the character those three episodes squandered my motivation to watch much further.
>> No. 33778 [Edit]
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33778
>>33772
It's about an annoying, selfish bitch who's magically a beautiful, straight A student. We're supposed to not hate her. I'm never in the mood for that. There's plenty of sol and comedy anime without characters I want to curb stomp. I'm judging it compared to those, not seinen.

Post edited on 21st Dec 2019, 7:06pm
>> No. 33779 [Edit]
>>33777
Yeah, I couldn't watch it either.
>> No. 33780 [Edit]
>>33777
Same. I mainly hated that cunt for the way she treated her brother. The anime itself didn't sit well with me either as it tried to make being a lazy selfish manipulative leach seem fun and cool.
>> No. 33781 [Edit]
Finished Doctor Stone(well this season, they are making another one)

It's premise is quite interesting but the execution isn't, it feels lacking, like there is so much that they could have done but didn't. The technology they create doesn't really make much sense either, they tend to put all their energy into complex technologies while ignoring basic things like housing, armour and weaponry(they touch on weapons towards the end but it comes out of nowhere and appears more like a gimmick than anything else), There isn't much focus on the changes to a tribal society itself but more on creating a specific technology. There seems like their is much more that could have been done character and plot wise as well, they don't really have any interesting plot developments or backgrounds when they quite easily could have. There are people that have been living for thousands of years in this lonely world(which is dumb in itself, they should have developed past what they had) yet all they have to show for it is one village, they didn't spread into numerous peoples with opposing views and aims and characters and cultures at all, there aren't wild wolf skin wearing cultist bandits in the woods or anything like that. Also it can be quite cringey at times too.

Overall I would give it 6.5 out of 10.
>> No. 33783 [Edit]
>>33777
>>33778
>>33779
>>33780
All fair opinions. Like I said, it's in the eye of the beholder. The show definitely gets really polarized reactions.
>> No. 33785 [Edit]
>>33783
It'd be a better show if you removed nugget-Umaru and made the MC less generic and more someone who can play off of her eccentricities. Nugget-Umaru only serves to make her feel like a worthless brat and it's hard to feel any love in her relationship with her brother.
>> No. 33788 [Edit]
File 157714708832.png - (919.94KB , 1497x927 , Shakunetsu-no-Takkyuu-Musume-key.png )
33788
I watched Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume. Here are my thoughts:

Really fun series. Puts a smile on my face. I really enjoyed watching this.

Great direction, both on-court and off-court. The ping pong matches are engaging and fun to watch, and the off-court drama is well-executed. The great direction is a major positive in my view.

Decent soundtrack. Decent overall audio production.

Cute characters. Cute character interactions. Good chemistry among the cast.

Decent character development, particularly for a single-cour sports anime with a somewhat large cast.

Animation is unremarkable with occasional poor quality moments, but this is no big deal to me. CG is used briefly during some of the matches. Animation is not a strong point in this series. I'm indifferent to this but still it's worth mentioning, particularly for a sports-focused show.
The overall visual production quality for this anime is low. I don't value animation that much but the bland art style is a missed opportunity for sure.

I should mention that the climax of the series is around episodes 9 and 10. The last two episodes were still good but there were a few 'hooks' added to try to draw you into the manga. This is fairly typical of manga adaptations, for better or worse. I'll also point out that the team talks about wanting to go to the national competition multiple times, but they never actually go in the anime. This might bother you if you're a subhuman plotnigger. ahem. Anyway...

Overall I rate this anime 8/10. Really this is just an incredibly fun series and a joy to watch.

Great example of a low budget anime done well (especially impressive considering that it's a sports anime). Low production quality can't ruin a well-directed anime, but poor direction can cripple any show.

Great OP song! I found myself singing along every time it played.

Would recommend if you like CGDCT or sports anime, especially as a means of bridging the gap between the genres.
>> No. 33796 [Edit]
File 157721496748.jpg - (193.02KB , 1600x900 , angelegg.jpg )
33796
Angel's Egg is an experimental movie from the mid eighties about a girl who carries an egg around with her through a quiet, gloomy, apocalyptic world. There's very little dialogue and no clear conflict or progression.

The film is split into parts where you're trying to figure out what's going on, and parts where you're waiting for the scene to end. There's many long still-shots with silence or dramatic choir music in the background. I'd be lying if I said it doesn't get boring and I watched it in a single sitting.

It's not bad per se. The visuals and animation have a lot of style, the dramatic music does build mood, there's enough tidbits to piece together some theme, maybe. Could the budget and premise have been used on something more compelling though? Probably.

It's interesting and I think unique. I'd recommend it if you have the patience for it.
>> No. 33803 [Edit]
File 15773839932.png - (473.01KB , 600x842 , babc9673495b34b3a3aaf49151da7a71.png )
33803
I watched Koe no Katachi last night, and it was fine. Its biggest issue is that it's an adaption of a ~60 chapter manga, and as such, it cut quite a bit out. Kawai was presented in a much better light than in the manga (much to my chagrin), and Mashiba's presence was barely felt in the anime. There was also the missing subplot of Ishida et al. making a movie. Etc. Again, it's to be expected, but still it affected the experience for me.
My favorite parts of the movie are the soundtrack and voices. The latter, especially, made watching this adaption worth it. Nishimiya's attempts at speech are painful and cute.
And that's all I have to say since I have the composition skills of a dumb JC.
>> No. 33804 [Edit]
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33804
>>33803
I'd also like to add that even when 2D tries to be as awful as 3D, it's still the significantly better dimension.
>> No. 33805 [Edit]
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33805
>>33804
Are you reeeeaaaaaaly sure about that? I've seen some alright looking 3-d and some down-right repulsive 2-d before. Also, do you mean Japan's 2-d, or 2-d in general?
>> No. 33806 [Edit]
>>33805
>Are you reeeeaaaaaaly sure about that? I've seen some alright looking 3-d and some down-right repulsive 2-d before.
Admittedly, I'm never really sure of anything. My opinion is predicated upon my own experiences. I also consider Aku no Hana to be some sort of 2D-3D abomination. So I'm really, really not sure. Also, mind you, I'm talking about a mixture of 2D "personalities" and 2D appearances.

>Also, do you mean Japan's 2-d, or 2-d in general?
The former.
>> No. 33807 [Edit]
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33807
>>33806
>I'm talking about a mixture of 2D "personalities"
Here's the deal, the Aku no Hana manga, which the anime was an adaptation of, actually has a really nice art style. Look up some more panels. It actually looks really good(to me at least). However, assuming the anime faithfully adapts the manga, the personalities are the same. Idealized "2-d personalities" only exist in a subset of 2-d media. The type designed for escapsim and making the audience happy and all of that shit. The way your perceive personality is dependent on the visuals. Make a live action adaptation of an anime with the exact same diaologue word for word, and your perception of the characters would suddenly change. Abstraction, abstraction, abstraction, of reality.
>> No. 33808 [Edit]
File 157738917879.png - (1.41MB , 1012x1106 , example.png )
33808
>>33807
Gee, she's such a sexy lady now. I can kind of relate to her now.
>> No. 33809 [Edit]
>>33807
I've read Aku no Hana, and yes, I agree that the art is very nice. Which was why I and many others were vexed by the anime's visuals. And yes, if you change the appearance of something, your opinion of it will be altered too. As I said, for me, it's a mixture between personalities and looks. I'm a dumb man; maybe I'm missing your point.
>> No. 33810 [Edit]
I'd also like to take this chance for a double off-topic: I enjoyed the timeskip.
>> No. 33811 [Edit]
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33811
>>33809
In the tohno-chan thread for Aku no Hana's anime, a lot of people were complaining about real life/3-d intruding in their fiction. It's shitty people doing shitty things, so it's just like real life. They were seriously enraged. This perception is incorrect though because the source material was 2-d through and through, so the actual content of the story wasn't the problem. It's a 2-d drama.
http://tohno-chan.com/an/arch/res/14729.html#15064

Post edited on 26th Dec 2019, 2:16pm
>> No. 33812 [Edit]
>>33811
I guess pretty people get more leeway?
>> No. 33890 [Edit]
File 15782795615.jpg - (202.82KB , 800x538 , pure.jpg )
33890
Pure Mail is a 2001, 2 episode visual novel adaptation about the romance between two classmates who had rough childhoods and unwittingly became internet chat buddies despite never talking in real life. From the start of the story, the male lead has figured out who the other person is. This is the kind of premise that could only come from the late 90s-early 2000s romanticized era of the internet. It's very much a product of its time, but is enjoyable none the less. It's also a hentai. The main focus is on the story, but there's a couple sex scenes thrown in. The biggest issue with this is the lack of good streaming options. The upload I watched seemed okay and the quality was the best I could find, but the subtitles obviously fucked with the dialogue in one scene and adds unnecessary crudeness at times.

This is a drama. Familial trouble, most characters doing some shitty things, dramatic conversations and revelations, misunderstandings, what you would expect. It's executed pretty well though. The main character's morose, Shinji-like personality is mostly empathic and compelling enough. The dichotomy between the real him and his online persona is interesting. Seeing how characters kind of make up for each others traumas is also nice.

It's seriously rushed, and the attempt to cram a bit of everything from the source material is transparent. Nowhere is this more clear than the little sister sub-plot. As a consequence, some characters get introduced, but have next to no resolution. You can tell there's a lot more to them, but you're just taking a little peek. The heroine's friend seriously gets the short end of the stick, like REALLY bad.

Visually it looks very decent. Smooth animation, alright character design. It looks great for what it is. I liked the eerie flute music too.

Check this out if you're in the mood for a short, above-average novelty. Good luck finding a good way to watch it.

Post edited on 5th Jan 2020, 7:02pm
>> No. 33901 [Edit]
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33901
I watched Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge (all animated content). Here are my thoughts:

Great direction
Solid production quality
Decent soundtrack
Nice character designs
Genuinely funny - the humour is derived from character interaction which I like.

I generally don't seek out humour as a genre, and typically don't like shows where the focus is on humour. Humour works best as a side dish at most, usually. I made an exception for this show because I thought I might like the flavour of humour. I was right; it was pretty enjoyable and I laughed out loud plenty of times. The gags in this are implemented well with things like dramatic pauses, facial expressions, thought bubblish stuff for context, etc.

Fairly likable cast of characters. Using their various personalities, the entire cast is employed to create humorous situations.

Both the writing and the execution of the show are well-done. Not at all surprised to see how universally well-received this show was. My rating: 8/10

I don't have any criticisms. It did what it said on the label. I have nothing else to say; maybe the listlessness of this review is a reflection of the contagious mood of the show.
>> No. 33918 [Edit]
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33918
Urahara. If you imagine a plane spanned by Flip Flappers, Madoka, and YuYuYu, then I like to imagine that Urahara might land somewhere near the center. It lacks both the deep character dynamics of Flip Flappers and the execution of Madoka (whose thematic content/plot I personally don't care much for yet whose visual impact is undeniable). And yet it's more memorable than YuYuYu since at the end of it all we are left with the impressional of a unique-world and memorable characters.

It follows the same theme of injecting some unorthodoxy into the traditional "magical girl" show, although by this point the "suffering girls" trope is nothing novel. This time we get cute girls (with absurdly bushy eyelids) battling a monster that's hard to even take seriously, scoopers (skoo-pahs!) with a side of mild musings on the nature of artistic expression and creativity. I do get what they were going for here, and the unstated meta-commentary the show leaves you with is neat. The artwork also has that indie feel, with a vivid pastel palette nicely complementing the sugary-sweet parts of the show.

Unfortunately while their concept is good, the implementation feels lacking. Especially closer the end where the 'twist" is revealed, the characters' behaviors become less relatable and the show devolves into stale tropes of quarreling and an anti-climactic climax where the power of friendship ultimately solves everything. In fact it reminded me very much of YuYuYu in how implausible and clichéd things turned out to be. I

So overall while it's not a breathtaking show by any means, it is nonetheless one of those rare "premium mediocre" anime, which is both simultaneously exceptionally average yet uniquely memorable (just as Sora no Method was). Perhaps the other saving grace is the OP/ED which is very catchy.

Post edited on 13th Jan 2020, 9:38pm
>> No. 33935 [Edit]
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33935
Dragon Half is a 90s fantasy, comedy anime which got cancelled after two episodes. Whether or not you'll enjoy it depends on your sense of humor. It's stupid, but in a way which I like. It's not really crass or anything. The animation and fight scenes are quite nicely done, though there is the obligatory, overt corner-cutting here and there which you can expect from this era. The show also often makes usage of the chibi style which i'm personally not a fan of, but this could have been much worse.

I think this show had a lot of potential. The setting is kind of interesting with it being typical medieval fantasy, except with radom bits of modern technology here and there. Some characters had room for development and you can see some outline of arcs they could have gone through. I'm interested in reading the manga. There's also a pc-98 game that looks fun. Give it a go if you like dumb humor and this sort of sexy/cute artstyle.

Post edited on 15th Jan 2020, 7:43pm
>> No. 33936 [Edit]
>>33935
>cancelled

Wasn't just the common-from-those-years OVA to sell the manga?
Also, the manga is a lot better, you should read it.
>> No. 33937 [Edit]
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33937
>>33936
They were planning to make 4 episodes, but only made 2 because interest wasn't high enough, according to the wikipedia page. The post-credits scene in episode 2 backs this up.
>> No. 33938 [Edit]
>>33937
I didn't know that, that's a shame.
Also the manga is really good but I forgot to say that while doing Dragon Half Ryusuke Mita style changed drastically into something really weird (to the point it seems a completely different author) and that can turn you off (I didn't like it but at least it was still fun). The OVA's just adapted the beginning so it's the old style.
>> No. 33939 [Edit]
>>33938
It looks mostly the same to me, just "sharper" later on.
>> No. 33940 [Edit]
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33940
Tenamonya Voyagers
I just finished it after having it sit on a disk for years
4 part OVA from 1999 abt 3 girls that try to return to earth after being stranded on a foreign planet with no money.The artstyle is amazing-it has its funny moments though.Not based on any manga it ended a little abruptly probablty due to lack of interest but still it became one of my all time favorites.

>>33935
just rewatched it a couple weeks ago
really funny and lighthearted show-highly recommended
>> No. 33943 [Edit]
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33943
Kirara is a 2000, 1 episode ova about a woman who dies on her wedding day, but gets to see her fiance once more, except as a ghost 8 years ago, as their relationship was just beginning to develop. Her interference could potentially screw everything up.

It's clumsy, confusing, aimless and has no real conclusion. You'd think at the end everything turns out okay and she moves on to the after-life or something, but that never happens. There actually is no clear ending. Everyone is aware of her and knows she's a ghost, but they all act strangely nonchalant about it. Nothing anybody does makes a whole lot of sense. There are a few touching moments here and there though. The premise has potential, but could have been executed way, way better.

Visually, it's surprisingly poor. It look like something that easily could have come out more than ten years before it did. The art style isn't that pleasant either. The animation itself could have been worse, but it's just okay. Watch this if you're a romance junkie I guess, or love old, shoddily executed stuff.
>> No. 33950 [Edit]
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33950
Evangelion

I'm probably going to cause some friction here but I didn't like it, the first 20 or so episodes were bland and a bit silly and then it just went stupider from there. I was disappointed by Rei and Asuka as well, they are often spoken of and referenced and people often raise them on some pedestal as if they are the archetype of blue haired and red haired characters(such as with the thread on Rifle is Beautiful) but I actually didn't think they were really even fit for those character types they were supposed to have inspired. Rei was just boring and Asuka was a generic immature brat or even a trollop(although in some ways she felt more like an immature western/3d brat than an anime one). There was a fair amount of forced drama in this that made little sense and was poorly executed and then the end was four episodes of garbage much of which was just repetitive notions on loneliness and feelings of worthlessness that even Naruto handled better.
>> No. 33951 [Edit]
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33951
>>33950
This argument gets poked fun at a lot, but I actually think you didn't understand what the show was trying to convey and what the writer's intent was. It's about pathetic, dysfunctional, traumatized people, mishandling their problems in the most destructive way possible, the end result of which may or may not have been actually beneficial, it's up to you.

People do stupid, seemingly inexplicable things, that make sense if you figure out what's going on in their head, but you can't do that unless you literally fuse minds, which isn't possible in real life yet.

Rei is tool for Genji, and isn't that interesting in isolation. Asuka's not what I would call generic. I didn't find her likable, but her obsessive need to be self-sufficient, her complete failure and the destruction of the last normal thing in her life, her childish crush on a grown man, was interesting to me. It's a show for sadists and depressed people.

Post edited on 20th Jan 2020, 5:49am
>> No. 33952 [Edit]
>>33951
>It's about pathetic, dysfunctional, traumatized people, mishandling their problems in the most destructive way possible, the end result of which may or may not have been actually beneficial, it's up to you.

That's just it, they aren't that traumatised, it's forced drama. The worst things to have happened to them is to have a parent die, big woop. It's all the more daft when they live in a post apocalyptic world, I'm quite sure there would be people in a world like that who have suffered far more than they. Shinji ends up living with a woman that cares for him and has freinds from school yet he still complains how he suffers and feels like he is worthless. Again, it's forced drama.

>Rei is tool for Genji, and isn't that interesting in isolation.

Potentially it could have been, if it was well executed but it was not.

>but her obsessive need to be self-sufficient

So she says but lives with others when she easily could choose not too. She could just ask for her own apartment and they woudl give her one. Hell, with the amount of money they spend on that project and the fact that she is one of few that can pilot an EVA they would give her a palace if she asked for one.

>her complete failure

Yet again, forced drama. People have failed at things far worse than she did.

>and the destruction of the last normal thing in her life, her childish crush on a grown man, was interesting to me.

I don;t really care for that kind of thing so it doesn't interest me. I would watch 3d drama if I did, which kind of sums up the series as a whole.
>> No. 33953 [Edit]
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33953
>>33952
>they aren't that traumatized, it's forced drama
I think you just don't like any drama. They don't have to have the worst things ever happen to them for them to be traumatized. Characters don't need to have been raped by five hundred people or have their extended family tortured and killed in front of them. Being abandoned by your father, or betrayed by your mother, or having a dead wife, are good enough reasons. The show wouldn't have been more interesting if it was about starving Africans or whatever. Characters don't need to accidentally set off twenty nuclear bombs to fail in a meaningful way story and character-wise.
>a woman that cares for him
She rotates between acting like a mother, a friend, a roommate, a coworker and a lover, with little rhyme or reason. She's not a well-adjusted adult herself and she's almost entirely oblivious to whatever shit Shinji is going through in his head.
>has friends from school
The school parts were forced in by executives. His school friends were meaningless and hollow relationships. They barely get any screen time for a reason. The human shaped angel was Shinji's first and only real friend.
>Potentially it could have been
How other characters thought about and treated Rei was compelling to me. The character herself wasn't, nor did she need to be.
>So she says but lives with others when she easily could choose not too.
You don't know that. Nerve is controlling and Genji has a convoluted rationale behind all of his decisions.
>it doesn't interest me
Doesn't mean it's bad. Anime doesn't have to be all super serious and gritty, but it doesn't all have to be moe either. Somebody can appreciate both.

Post edited on 20th Jan 2020, 6:38am
>> No. 33954 [Edit]
>>33953
>The school parts were forced in by executives
I don't think it was because I've never heard of this, but one of the things that impacted me the most about the series is how the city and the school emptied out as the series went on.
>> No. 33955 [Edit]
>>33952
>The worst things to have happened to them is to have a parent die, big woop.

Asuka literally found the corpse of her mother after she killed herself, mother who also tried to kill Asuka multiple times and talked to a doll like if it was her real daughter.
Yeah, who could get traumatized by that, right?
>> No. 33958 [Edit]
>>33953
I just don't like forced drama that is poorly executed, which is what this anime is full of. They don't need things like you say to have happened but Shinji could have been cast aside and treated poorly by everybody and that would then actually explain things, people get adopted and/or have awful relations with their father all the time.

No she doesn't, you just read to much into it.

They didn't treat her or think about her in any interesting way.

I do know that, in any world that had half a mite of sense that would happen. It actually would be in Genji's interest to do that,psychology plays an important part in synch rates, it would make sense to give the pilots the best space possible.

It's not super serious and gritty or moe, Naruto is more serious and gritty. It's just forced drama.

>>33955
And yet her behaviour is actually perfectly normal, She just wants attention like any 3d trollop in real life does.
>> No. 33959 [Edit]
>>33958
>forced drama
I haven't heard that phrase used straightforwardly in years. It's still as incomprehensible of a criticism as it used to be.
>> No. 33960 [Edit]
>>33959
Very well I shall explain it to you then. Many times in this anime a moment will occur when something that otherwise would have been treated in a fairly level headed and mundane way is blown completely out of proportion simply to create drama. Hence it isn't natural, it is forced. In many cases with a bit of competent writing it would be engineered in a manner that would organically create the drama they are aiming for but such an industry standard level of writing skill is something that eluded the creator in this case.
>> No. 33961 [Edit]
>>33958
Okay, so you can't relate to Shinji because his reasons for being depressed aren't close enough to whatever social rejection you've been through. Also, you don't like the "forced drama", whatever that means, that was "badly executed", whatever that means.
>you just read to much into it
Uuuuuuh, huuuuuuuuh. Maybe try reading into things more?
>> No. 33962 [Edit]
>>33961
>Uuuuuuh, huuuuuuuuh. Maybe try reading into things more?

One could say that about literally anything. Using Naruto again, you could use this to say that Naruto is a masterpiece and the most in depth analysis of the human condition that has ever been made and if you disagree well you just aren't reading enough into it.
>> No. 33963 [Edit]
>>33960
That doesn't really tell me anything. Why should heavy issues be treated as mundane things in a fantastical setting? Would it really be more entertaining to have emotionally level people efficiently do their work and never experience things they can't handle?
>> No. 33964 [Edit]
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33964
>>33962
Yep, there's no such thing as objectivity, everything is completely subjective now because post-modernism is king. If you can't see something, that doesn't mean it's not there. If you really think this is true
>No she doesn't, you just read to much into it.
you're just incapable of picking up on what the show is conveying. I feel bad for you, but I can't help you. You can't teach a Monkey english, it will always be gibberish to it no matter what. I wont say anything else on this.
>> No. 33965 [Edit]
>>33963
No, by your post it clearly doesn't tell you anything as it seems to have flown right over your head.

>>33964
Okay, well to each their own. Enjoy your pseudo-intellectual, 3d drama like anime I guess.
>> No. 33966 [Edit]
>>33965
Name a good anime drama.
>> No. 33968 [Edit]
I think there's reading too much into something, and then there's inventing and assigning meaning to things that simply aren't there, and yes this can be applied to anything.
It's not that characters have shallow personalities and lack any depth, it's a commentary on the lack of individuality in modern society. It's not that the art is ugly, it's a metaphor for how ugly the world is. It's not that the voice acting is bad, it's representing how awkward real conversations are. The writing isn't bad, it's non-traditional unorthodox thinking and experimental genius at work.
>> No. 33970 [Edit]
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33970
>>33968
In End of Evangelion, Misato kisses Shinji and implies she'll have sex with him after everything blows over. That doesn't come out of nowhere. The tv series makes it clear that their relationship isn't that clear. There's no role you can label her as except "woman who lives with Shinji". Some people are too autistic to pick up on even the exaggerated social cues anime characters display, so flirting and seduction goes over their head unless a character is literally taking off their clothes and yelling "fuck me".
>In the manga, when talking with Shinji at the train station after his first attempt to run away from NERV, Misato confesses to Shinji that she took him in not because she thought it was her duty to do so, but because she was lonely.
>Misato finds herself often acting as a mediator between Shinji and Asuka. There is also sexual tension between Shinji and Misato
>During her Instrumentality, she expresses regret that she was not able to "be a mother for Shinji" in the end.
I picked up on it, other people picked up on it, and nobody had to tell us. The wiki talks about it. If somebody has a developmental disorder which prevents them from seeing it, sorry, but they're wrong. If they can't even see this, then yeah, they probably wont enjoy the show.

Post edited on 21st Jan 2020, 2:47pm
>> No. 33971 [Edit]
>>33970
She acts like a woman living with an unrelated teen the whole time, there really isn't much change to it even in the movie, she basically just tries to manipulate a teen with sex, which is because she is a woman living with a teen. She never acts like a friend, co worker, lover or mother, she always acts like a woman living with an unrelated teen.

And even If you were to live with an older woman then you are living with an older woman, she doesn't have these set in stone roles you ascribed to her that would cause some kind of issues if borders in that role were crossed. She could have put on an apron in the first scene and made him scones and neatened up his collar as he left to school one day and then taken him to a love hotel the next and it wouldn't actually cause mental issues.
>> No. 33972 [Edit]
>>33971
>She acts like a woman living with an unrelated teen the whole time
>because she is a woman living with a teen
>it wouldn't actually cause mental issues
This makes perfect sense... If you're autistic. I'm not saying that to be insulting.
>> No. 33973 [Edit]
>>33972
Maybe it's you that is autistic, have you considered that? You do have a preference for placing things in categories with set borders and seem to awfully dislike the idea of anything going against that.
>> No. 33974 [Edit]
>>33973
I have a basic understanding of how relationships work, which most people agree with. There's no such thing as just "a woman who lives with an unrelated teen". No one thinks like that. Most people don't want to fuck their sister or actual parents, because to them they're not just "a person closely related to me". If they accidentally fuck their sister, it greatly upsets them.

If you're not sure if the woman you live with is your mother figure, or your friend, or your lover, and you're already an unstable teen with abandonment issues, it's not going to be pleasant. Okay? If understanding these things doesn't come naturally to you, try learning.

Post edited on 21st Jan 2020, 4:27pm
>> No. 33975 [Edit]
>>33974
>I have a basic understanding of how relationships work,

Yes, It really is just a basic understanding.

>If you're not sure if the woman you live with is your mother figure, or your friend, or your lover

Unless you are autistic you won't actually be thinking that about an older woman you live with.
>> No. 33976 [Edit]
>>33975
Why do you think Misato regretted not being "a mother" to Shinji? If your way of thinking was normal, why would she think that? What would that even mean? She was just "a woman", so what else would she have wanted? Why is having sex with your sex-siblings and step-children taboo? Why does confucianism and the bible go into such lengthy detail about relationship roles? Why did Freud think they were so important? Why does every psychologist talk about them so much?

Also, you still haven't named an anime drama you think is good.

Post edited on 21st Jan 2020, 5:16pm
>> No. 33977 [Edit]
>>33976
Because she is an older woman. Your autistic categorisation seems to cloud your perception of things. Relationships are not some set in stone thing. If you were to have three co-workers of the exact same position as you all of whom were adults but one was older, one was younger and one was your age then you would have a different relationship with them all based purely on age ignoring gender or friendship or closer bonds(you could actually be a lover of a co-worker or work with a sister or a parent and not have a mental break down because of it, relation ships are not these definite things).

>Why is having sex with your sex-siblings and step-children taboo?

Because they are related to you, step children are not and it's less of a taboo and that taboo is more to do with other factors. If the step child was an adult and the 'mother' divorced his father then it would no longer be taboo.


>Why does confucianism and the bible go into such lengthy detail about relationship roles?

Eastern ideas tend to actually bring the role of wife and sister together, imouto used to be the word for wife in Japanese. A wife is basically just a sister you sleep with, the relationship is very similar.

>Why did Freud think they were so important?

Funny that you bring him up when his views were based on the idea that sons all want to sleep with their mother and women all want to sleep with their father(because they want to have a penis).


>Also, you still have named an anime drama you think is good.

I'm not going to. But Naruto is better at it than EVA so maybe you should watch that.
>> No. 33978 [Edit]
>>33977
>Because she is an older woman.
So?
Why do you think you're in the minority opinion about Eva? Why do you think most people think it's good?
>I'm not going to.
Why not? If you think Eva is a bad drama, just tell me what you think is a good one.

Post edited on 21st Jan 2020, 5:28pm
>> No. 33979 [Edit]
>>33978
If you are older than somebody else you tend to take on different roles because of that, older bosses or team mates tend to act in fatherly manners, older women on the street will act like a mother.

>Why do you think you're in the minority opinion about Eva?
Who knows? I don't generally concern myself over that. I'm sure there are some anime that are rated highly that you don't like either. But what I will say just becuase something is like by the masses it does not make it good.

>Why do you think most people think it's good?

Well blasting pseudo-intellectual messages at you over and over again may appeal to the lowest common denominator, once something gets a reputation particularly a reputation like this it tends to gain momentum mas well. I also think the 3d drama elements would go into it's favour, it's something that people who don't necessary like anime that much may enjoy(hence why it's now on Netflix). It's funny when people say things like 'but I actually think you didn't understand what the show was trying to convey and what the writer's intent was' as if it was something that people generally struggle with when it's actually something so popular as this is. It's hardly some esoteric, deep and cryptic things only able to be understood by those with some kind of above average intellect or a deep knowledge of phycology.

Start of by watching Naruto.
>> No. 33980 [Edit]
>>33979
>older women on the street will act like a mother.
This has never happened to me. If said women was my senior at work, and I lived with her, and my mom was dead, and she acted like my mom, and I accepted her as such, and I also had serious daddy issues, and then she wanted to have sex with me, I wouldn't be too happy about it.
>He also shows an obvious fright toward Misato's perceived attraction to him.
>When Toji and Kensuke point out that Misato allows Shinji to see that side of her because she considers him family, their connection becomes even stronger.
>Misato, however, has difficulty in reaching out to Shinji in later episodes and Shinji is horrified when she offers her body to him, seeing her as a mother figure.
>As his "boss"/NERV Chief Tactical Officer, Misato can be quite intense, causing Shinji to not come home at night more than once
>Though Shinji denies it, he yearns for praise, and he eventually begins to pilot Unit-01 to gain the approval and praise of others, as well as the love of his father
Hmmmmmmmmmm, I wonder what Anno meant by this? What could it possibly mean? I must be reading too much into it.
>I'm sure there are some anime that are rated highly that you don't like either.
I don't like Kemono Friends, but I understand why other people like it. It's not a mystery to me.
>> No. 33981 [Edit]
>>33980
She doesn't act like his mum, she act like an older woman, in what way does she act like an actual mother would and not like any older woman living with a teenager would? As I said, it's natural that older people will adopt mother or father like behaviours but it does not mean they are literally acting like the persons mother or that the person thinks of them that way.

>Hmmmmmmmmmm, I wonder what Anno meant by this? What could it possibly mean? I must be reading too much into it.

You know he didn't actually write it right? And it also is quite likely that he is just milking attention for it by doing things like that.

>I don't like Kemono Friends, but I understand why other people like it. It's not a mystery to me.

That actually doesn't surprise me. But still, Kemono Friends is actually less popular than EVA.
>> No. 33982 [Edit]
>>33981
>does not mean they are literally acting like the persons mother
She firstly wanted to be like a mother to him, housed him, fed him, intervened when he argued with Asuka, she gets told about his school troubles. It's been directly said by other character that they are like family.
>oji and Kensuke point out that Misato allows Shinji to see that side of her because she considers him family
>since it is Parent Visitation Day, she visits the school
>Gendo starts to tell him that all those parental duties have been delegated to Misato
It's a close, familial like-bond, with a older woman. Age plays a part in how you would see a women who feeds and houses you. Shinji's actual mother has been dead for a long time and It's obvious how desperate Shinji is for these types of bonds. Him latching onto her and seeing her as mother makes sense. Him being horrified by her sexual offers makes perfect sense if he sees her as like a mother. There's nobody more like a mother to him than her and he wants someone like a mother.

Post edited on 21st Jan 2020, 9:09pm
>> No. 33983 [Edit]
>>33982
>housed him

So it's not possible to live with somebody who is not your mother?

>fed him

Ah huh. Maybe you should rewatch the anime. But regardless, people who are not mothers can feed people that are younger than them as well.

>intervened when he argued with Asuka

Again, nothing particularly abnormal here.

>she gets told about his school troubles

Nothing abnormal either.


All of these things are things that not even an older woman would do but basically anybody in general. You could easily write it as a boy his own age offering him a place to say, feeding him, intervening in arguments and listening to his troubles.


>It's been directly said by other character that they are like family.

maybe it's an autistic thing but you are taking that too literally.
>> No. 33984 [Edit]
Hate to interrupt but think you guys could take this to another thread? This one's for anime reviews after all.
>> No. 33985 [Edit]
>>33983
I'm not making another thread for the sake of this, I give up. This is also just a small part of the show. If accepting that Shinji somewhat saw Misato as a mother figure is too hard for you, it's obvious why you didn't like EVA. I wont shit the thread up any more.
From even more people.
>Mother Figure: An older woman, often one in a position of power or influence, who elicits the emotions usually reserved for a mother.
>Misato makes her first "motherly" actions in the relationship while still remaining curiously sexual. This is probably very confusing for the already overwhelmed Shinji
>her role as Major is directly contrasted with her other roles of Mother and Love Interest. The alienation in this episode and later episodes can be theorized as a result in this confusion of roles.
>Shinji no longer feels comfortable with his living conditions with Misato, and runs away
>Misato's "motherly" attitude is shown toward both Shinji and Asuka
>Shinji probably still sees Misato as a "mother figure" and obviously, he would react negatively to the imposition of sex
>Shinji realizes that, despite his fear, he finally has a real home, and a mother figure
>Misato herself has her own thoughts wondering if she's really fit to serve as Shinji's surrogate mother
>With Misato he sees her as a mother figure
>> No. 33986 [Edit]
>>33985
Okay, will likewise I won't bother pointing out the issues with words of other people you are using. I will just leave things as is.
>> No. 33987 [Edit]
Nobody is right.
Everyone is wrong.

Misato= ane
Ane romance= win
Therefore all other opinions are incorrect.
Shinji might be resistant to the idea but he's obviously wrong. Get in the big sis, Shinji.
>> No. 34000 [Edit]
File 157987191553.jpg - (877.76KB , 1920x1080 , [HorribleSubs] Honzuki no Gekokujou - 09 [1080p]_m.jpg )
34000
I finished Honzuki no Gekoujou, I liked it. It was like a girl who had never played a video game before decided to make an Iseakai.
>> No. 34002 [Edit]
File 157999498225.gif - (350.99KB , 500x374 , download.gif )
34002
Cat Soup is an experimental ova from 2001. I liked everything about it. Wonderfully bizare visuals, dynamic animation and great sound design come together to make great surrealist art. Cat Soup successfully captures an unsanitized feeling of childhood, including it's more morbid, cruel aspects, something it shares with the manga source material and the animated shorts. It's short, atmospheric and poignant. If that's what you're in the mood for, watch it. I don't know why it isn't way more popular.

Post edited on 25th Jan 2020, 3:30pm
>> No. 34006 [Edit]
File 158000030293.jpg - (179.45KB , 590x700 , __amami_haruka_minase_iori_and_takatsuki_yayoi_ido.jpg )
34006
Kuro no Sumika: Chronus is a 2014 ova, pilot thing which seems like it might potentially become a full series, but didn't. It's about a highschool guy who can see shinigami, who are attractive people wearing business suits in this. The art style is simplistic and not too appealing, but it looks okay in motion.

I didn't like the boring romance sub-plot and it, predictably, was used as the only source of conflict, to give the the main character something that puts him in conflict with the death spirits. After all this is established, it rapidly devolves into a shounen kind of thing with battles and light shows and speeches about fate and how it can't be changed, but actually it can. I didn't expect at lot and I was still disappointed.

Post edited on 25th Jan 2020, 4:59pm
>> No. 34009 [Edit]
>>34002
The manga is really interesting. It's like a nightmare diary.
>> No. 34011 [Edit]
File 15801667164.jpg - (186.97KB , 850x563 , __sammy_nagi_akiko_masaki_masakazu_chie_and_6_more.jpg )
34011
Eve no Jikan is a 2008 ova about a world where sentient androids exist, but can only be treated as emotionless servants, which some people disagree with. One such person runs a secret cafe where humans and robots must treat each other the same.

There's a couple of problems with the premise itself. It's impossible to accidentally create sentient robots with feelings. Nobody would expect you to treat such things as emotionless tools either. The method of distinguishing androids from humans can also be readily turned off by the androids. It's just a projection thing. Asimov's laws govern these android's behavior. Asimov's laws however were created to be absurd and dysfunctional. Treating them seriously in any context kind of misses their point. The setting is a bit underbaked and illogical in general.

Ignoring all that, the show is quite good. The character interaction is by far the strongest aspect. It kind of reminds of how Steins;Gate and Haurhi(except actually good) went about it. They constantly bounce off each other in a way that makes sense given their personalities. They also develop through these interactions, which is more than can be said of many other shows. It's compelling, funny, and heart warming.

This show is an emotional roller coaster and the pacing is well done. Nothing feels like it drags on or gets rushed too much. The ending however doesn't wrap everything up and I was left wanting much more.

Visually, it's impressive, especially for 2008. I haven't seen much better, more seamless usage of 3dcg. The animation is smooth and the directing has a punch to it which really helps the visual gags. The score is a bit repetitive, but sounds nice and gets used to good effect.

I'd recommend it if you like light sci-fi and very character-driven stories.

Post edited on 27th Jan 2020, 3:29pm
>> No. 34014 [Edit]
>>34011
Your problems are more or less addressed with additional content from the movie, I'd recommend checking it out if you haven't yet.
>> No. 34053 [Edit]
File 158133630148.jpg - (945.22KB , 1920x1080 , [HorribleSubs] Rifle is Beautiful - 07 [1080p]_mkv.jpg )
34053
Rifle is Beautiful

Overall it was good, I felt it was let down by the sport it was focused on though, it's really not an interesting sport to watch, if it had stayed more SoL like as it was early on it would have been better.
>> No. 34054 [Edit]
>>34006
I'm not sure why, but I have an immense desire to watch this. So thank you for the review!
>> No. 34055 [Edit]
File 158145365075.jpg - (58.00KB , 849x478 , candy-boy.jpg )
34055
Candy Boy. The title is of course as misleading as Yuri on Ice, though the sub-title "Nonchalant Talk of the Certain Twin Sisters in Daily Life" should help clear things up.

Yuri shows usually seem to span a spectrum from light Kirara-style yuritease to more serious dramas á la YagaKimi. I'd place Candy Boy much closer to the Kirara end of the spectrum; with the exception of one or two episodes, drama is essentially non-existent and the core of the series is simply following the daily activities of these sisters SoL-style. Character dynamics and VA'ing are excellent: the strength of the relationship between these sisters is evident, and as in Machikado Mazoku it's clear that they care for each other. Perhaps the only complaint might be that Sakuya as a gag-character feels unnecessary and out-of-place with the casual atmosphere the show tries to develop.

Given that each episode is only 10 minutes, it's certainly worth a watch (start at EX01 - Mirai Yohouzu which is the first in chronological order, and also the best animated).
>> No. 34056 [Edit]
File 158153470888.jpg - (523.83KB , 1777x999 , MV5BZTA4ZDQ5MGYtOGZlZC00NWFmLWE2OWMtNzRjYThiYWJiND.jpg )
34056
I watched the movie Da Yu Hai Tang, also known as Big Fish & Begonia. It is a chinese animated movie and I watched it with chinese audio. Here are my thoughts:

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THE CHINESE?
*ahem*
sorry, I had to get that out of my system.

Anyway, if I could describe this movie in one word it would be "strange." This movie is very strange. It involves a lot of supernatural and mythical themes. It makes me think of the absurd fables that are part of ancient mythologies, such as Greek or Indian mythology. This movie feels like a strange illogical fable straight out of some ancient mythological belief system. In fact, the movie apparently does draw on some themes from chinese mythology. It could be that my complete lack of knowledge in that area impeded my understanding of the story.

Visually, it looked pretty good. Animation quality was high. There were lots of strange creatures too which were entertaining to watch. This movie doesn't really look like anime both in terms of art style as well as the animated movement itself. The animation style feels more like western animation, despite its chinese origin. This felt like a demented Pixar film to me. It's worth noting that I am quite sick right now and I watched this with a fever which probably amplified the delirious feeling of the movie.

The story itself was quite incoherent and often rushed. Many things were unclear in terms of plot as well as character motivations. I spent most of the movie confused about what was happening. Both the writing and execution of the plot are the weakest aspects of this movie. The exposition during the first half of the movie was also quite rushed and left me confused before the plot even really kicked in. My confusion continued to compound as things progressed.

Audio in this was really good. Audio production quality was high. The soundtrack was very good. There were some really nice chinese vocals that played during the ending credits as well.

My overall rating: 6/10

I'm searching for a copy of the soundtrack and I'd be grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction. It's not on Nyaa.
>> No. 34062 [Edit]
File Big_Fish_&_Begonia_-_Movie_Soundtrack_Album_[M.torrent - (17.13KB , Big Fish & Begonia - Movie Soundtrack Album [M.torrent )

34062
>>34056
Here it is.
>> No. 34063 [Edit]
>>34062
Amazing! Thank you.

Do you have a source for the ending songs as well? I think they were released as separate albums.

Where did you find this torrent if you don't mind my asking?
>> No. 34064 [Edit]
>>34063
That one was from rutracker, found with torrents.io
I'll look for the other album later, can't find anything about it right now. If you know what it's called it shouldn't be too hard to find.
>> No. 34065 [Edit]
>>34064
I would wager it's on Baidu somewhere but I haven't figured out how to download via Baidu.

The song I'm most interested in is the 2nd ending song. It has the title 湫兮如风 and the artist is 徐佳莹 (https://www.xiami.com/artist/FtH750fa).
I've embedded a youtube vid of the song with this post.

Pardon me for being a choosy beggar, but the torrent you posted doesn't appear to have any seeders.

I've already ripped the entire OST off of youtube so this isn't a huge deal. Unfortunately the highest quality on youtube seems to be 125 kbps :/
I would prefer lossless, obviously.

I think I found it here as well, but the site is giving me trouble.
https://y.qq.com/portal/search.html#page=1&searchid=1&remoteplace=txt.yqq.top&t=song&w=湫兮如风

I need to do some more research into how to download music from the chinese internet sites. I always run into either software compatibility issues or being locked out because I'm not using a VPN.
>> No. 34066 [Edit]
>>34065
video embed isn't working for me for some reason:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uvF_MHZMck
>> No. 34070 [Edit]
>>34065
I didn't find anything. Maybe someone else could help.
Checked the torrent, there's plenty of seeders. Don't know why it's not working for you.
>> No. 34071 [Edit]
>>34070
thanks for your help anyway. The torrent issue might be due to a problem on my end of things.
>> No. 34074 [Edit]
>>34070
FYI the torrent is seeding for me now; you were right.
>> No. 34172 [Edit]
File 158316746032.jpg - (878.81KB , 1598x2297 , hidan_no_aria_199.jpg )
34172
I watched Hidan no Aria and its spinoff series Hidan no Aria AA. Thoughts on both series provided below.

Hidan no Aria:
I remember some of the action scenes were kind of cool. Art style was bland but the animation was okay. The OP and ED songs were both great.

Otherwise it was complete trash. I mean literally textbook garbage as far as the medium goes. All the things that people say they hate about anime? This series exemplifies most of them. It's an action harem series where the main character gets power ups by becoming sexually aroused. I can enjoy/tolerate a ton of otaku pandering, but this show was trash even by my very low standards. The plot was also completely ridiculous and involved one of the female characters being the descendant of Sherlock Holmes or something. The characters were 'elite' crime-fighting high school students (of course) with bulletproof school uniforms. I have nothing against ridiculous stories/premises either, don't get the wrong idea; this anime was just simply terrible.

Anyway, I somehow watched every episode. When I was finished I rated it 2/10.

It should be noted that I watched the original series sometime around 4 years ago, so it's possible that, unbeknownst to me, I'm forgetting important details or that my tastes have changed over time (this is why I write my thoughts down now). That said though, I distinctly remember this particular anime as being one of the most ridiculously bad shows I ever actually watched to completion.


Hidan no Aria AA:
This is basically a yuri spinoff with a girl replacing the self-insert male MC of the original series. I will watch pretty much anything with yuri in it and this is no exception. This spinoff is made by Doga Kobo instead of J.C. Staff who made the original series.

This spinoff is just as cheesy as the original, albeit in a more endearing way due to the all-female cast and softer tone. Again, the art style is bland but the animation is okay. I like both the OP and ED songs, although the actual OST is totally forgettable. Both this and the original series have a yandere character whose antics are kind of funny. There are plenty of cute girl-girl moments. This spinoff is cuter than the comparatively more ecchi original series.

Despite the negativity expressed thus far, this spinoff wasn't completely awful. The plot is totally (endearingly?) corny, and at least it is coherent and not rushed. The characters aren't great, but they're not unlikable either. Actually, I would say character interaction is a (relatively) strong aspect of this anime. The senpai-kouhai relations are super cute. Additionally, the yuri elements combined with the combat action theme is at least somewhat unique and at times enjoyable.

For me, the spinoff is within the threshold of 'so bad it's good' territory, whereas the original series is beyond any kind of redemption.

Actually, this spinoff is pretty funny as well. There are a lot of comedic scenes, mostly revolving around yuri fanservice.

I like Aria's hairstyle. Twintails are pretty! I liked Aria's personality a lot more in the spinoff too. Wow Aria is such a cool senpai!!

Rating for the spinoff Hidan no Aria AA: 5/10
It was adequate shut-my-brain-off-and-drool-at-the-screen material.
>> No. 34175 [Edit]
>>34172
>I mean literally textbook garbage as far as the medium goes. All the things that people say they hate about anime? This series exemplifies most of them.
It's based on a light novel. Has there ever been a good light novel? Has there ever been a good light novel
adpatation?
>> No. 34176 [Edit]
>>34175
>Has there ever been a good light novel?
There's been many.
>Has there ever been a good light novel adpatation?
On the other hand, there's been very few of those.
>> No. 34189 [Edit]
>>34172
AA was great when it wasn't doing some 'plot' stuff and just being fun.
Then again, that's how a lot of these things go.
It's not even that the plot is bad, it works fine in the manga, but it feels like the directors only put it in the anime because they had to from higher ups.
>> No. 34190 [Edit]
>>34189
The plot-heavy episodes were definitely the worst. As is often the case with anime, unfortunately.
>> No. 34191 [Edit]
File 158361724544.png - (0.99MB , 640x933 , Magic-Kyun-Renaissance.png )
34191
I watched Magic-Kyun! Renaissance. Here are my thoughts.

Positive aspects:
>setting and atmosphere
>art style
>decent character insert songs with enjoyable scenes to accompany them
>sometimes romantic

Negative aspects:
>mediocre direction
>bland and somewhat unlikable characters
>bland plot

There are aspects of this anime that I really liked and appreciated, but my average level of enjoyment over time was moderate at best. Overall rating: 6/10

More detailed thoughts are provided below.

I thought this was an all-male idol anime prior to watching (did zero research before watching - had modest expectations because I usually like boy idols). The main character is actually an awesome girl who is sort of a 'manager' for a group of male artists (i.e. it's a reverse harem show). I didn't realize she was a girl until I heard the voices because her character design relative to the male cast is so androgynous. It's good that there's a female manager though because boys are REALLY DUMB, especially when they don't have a confident talented girl to lead them.

I like most of the character designs. One petty complaint I have though is that the MC has this 'dopey' resting facial expression that makes her difficult to take seriously at times.

The setting is CUTE CUTE CUTE. Everything is super sparkly and amazing! The setting is like a girly fantasy world with lots of jewels and spirally staircases and stuff. A lot of detail went into it and it looked great. I definitely like the vibrant colour palette used in this anime.

If I was giving this series genre tags I would definitely classify this as shoujo. The tone of the series is quite girly, even moreso than the average boy idol anime. The MC is also very 'self-inserty', if that makes sense.

Okay animation quality.

I liked the music at first but unfortunately they play the exact same piano melody over and over again. There are character insert songs added into most episodes which are good and have pretty scenes to go with them. OP and ED songs are good too.

Mediocre direction. Moments that should be more emotional are underplayed, which is strange for a shoujo anime like this. Screentime also feels like it is often wasted on totally mundane and boring material. There were a lot of scenes revolving around preparing for the summer festival thing that felt like a drag to me.

Both the characters and plot are kind of bland and cliche.

There are romantic moments at times but it's difficult to get into due to the lackluster characterization. It's a cheap shallow kind of romance, like one would expect from a harem show. Most of the male cast is pretty cute, with some exceptions. Some of the male cast have kind of unlikable personalities as well (looking at you especially, MONET). That said, one aspect of the story is that the MC helps the boys with their flaws, so maybe it's unfair of me to fault the male cast for having personality issues.

The MC's jaw looks like she could literally crush boulders with it. Seriously I have no idea what they were thinking with her character design besides intentionally making her kind of homely so the intended audience can more easily self-insert. At least her hair is kind of pretty. She looks like an ogre got sent to a hair salon.

Despite all my criticisms of the anime, I think the overall franchise had promise and was underappreciated. The musical content is pretty good and the seiyuus even held a live concert, the previews of which look pretty good.

One final note: I'm searching for any music related to this franchise and I'd be grateful to anyone who could help me with that. I'm also searching for the full video release of the live concert. Lastly, I unfortunately have not seen the OVA because I could not find it anywhere.
>> No. 34200 [Edit]
>>34176
I doubt there has been many good light novels. The only ones on the top of my head that I can think of that are not fanfiction tier are Kino, All you Need Is Kill, Spice and Wolf, and maybe Overlord and Haruhi.
>> No. 34201 [Edit]
>>34200
By this post I can understand that you don't understand japanese.
>> No. 34214 [Edit]
File 158452861311.png - (1.78MB , 1920x1200 , 1920-711150.png )
34214
I watched Amaama to Inazuma. Here are my thoughts:

The anime is mainly focused on a single widowed father and his kindergartenish age daughter. Cooking is the primary focus of the show and the bulk of each episode revolves around cooking in some way. This cooking theme is a major component of the anime's appeal, at least from my point of view.

I don't like the daughter character's voice actor. She sounds like she has food in her mouth or something. Really unnatural-sounding voice acting in her case. Otherwise, the show's audio is completely unremarkable.

Don't really like the character designs, although they appear to be accurate depictions of the manga art. Animation quality is okay and the art style is bland.

Emotional aspects of the show feel forced and artificial. The characters are quite bland and lacking in personality. Spuriously sentimental moments are often forcefed to the viewer in a way that feels crude and unnatural.

The main characters are literally imbeciles. To the point that it's both unbelievable and infuriating. Actually, none of the characters are particularly likable.

I did appreciate that there was sometimes considerable detail shown in the cooking processes. At the same time though, the most detailed scenes were often the most frustrating because the incompetence of the characters was illuminated to an even greater degree. For example, there was one otherwise okay episode where the characters randomly are gifted fish which was freshly caught off a pier from a stranger on a hot day. The characters gut the fish and proceed to eat it as sashimi on impulse, and even feed some to the ~6 year old daughter character. No sanitation or deep freezing procedures are used to eliminate parasites, so it's fairly dangerous, particularly for a child. I used to eat freshly caught fish raw too IRL before I learned how stupid it was. Anyway, this is just one of many examples where my enjoyment is compromised by the idiotic behaviour of the characters. Generally speaking I'm quite permissive in this regard when it comes to anime, and I'm not the type to ever complain about 'realism', but still the constant incompetence of the characters was off-putting to me. It was well beyond the realm of endearing and deep into annoying territory.

Aside from the kind-of-unique premise, this anime does not bring a lot to the table. It doesn't take any risks, yet still it doesn't do anything particularly well. Nothing about it is particularly noteworthy. It's not terrible; I still watched the entire thing. It's just an unremarkable mediocre anime mainly focused on cooking. I like cooking, so from my subjective point of view it was still watchable. It was nothing more than something to fall asleep to at the end of the day.

Overall rating: 5/10

My initial impression was that this anime had some promise but it ended up just being totally mediocre. Disappointing.
>> No. 34307 [Edit]
File 158804613675.jpg - (0.96MB , 1800x2560 , 227.jpg )
34307
Nanabun no Nijuuni, also known as 22/7, is an anime to promote the virtual idol group of the same name.

The story is split up into two different things. One part of the story is the tale of modern day 22/7, along with their producers and a wall that prints out commands that are literally impossible to obey, and the other part of the story is the backstories of the characters.
The backstories of the characters themselves are hit or miss. Some are bad (the red haired one, whose episode was pretty bad overall, and manga girl who never got her story tied in with anything), some are pretty enjoyable to watch (Toda Jun, Akane's). I found it pretty obvious that the point of the stories was to make you feel for the characters themselves, since if you get emotionally connected to the group you're more likely to look up stuff about them, as was the case with me and Miu, the main character.
The main story is good for the first three episodes, with a focus on Miu trying to get used to being the center of the group and being an idol in general. Then, after that, the backstories start popping up and the main story basically takes a backseat for a really long time, up until episode 10 where 22/7 gets disbanded by the wall.
Did I mention the wall? It's a really dumb plot. I thought it was clever at first, since the wall never explicitly guaranteed the 'success' of 22/7, just that it would exist, and that it would be doing things on specific dates. The wall's orders are things that are going to happen, even if whoever reads it doesn't want it to, like said disbanding. But the problem with the wall is that it's never explained. It's never explored beyond the first episode. The fucking thing is just a Deus Ex Machina to keep the plot going. There's no explanation of what the wall is in episode 12 either, even after Miu breaks the (stone) wall open with a (luxury) chair, all we know is that the producers have apparently been stalking the group since they were kids, like fucking weirdos. Hell, the thing gives out another order even after they break it open and say they're not listening to its orders anymore.
It's sort of like they wrote the whole plot, but forgot to have anything to tie it all together with, so they just came up with Wallgod. The backstories, while nice, end up hurting the main plot since focus is usually torn near completely from it as the backstory is usually more interesting.
I'd have honestly been incredibly disappointed if I was actually expecting the wall to go anywhere, but I think I was just more happy that it wasn't Wizard of Oz bullshit.

The animation is great, but also frustrating. I always feel like there's a little more that could be done despite how well the animation is done usually, like maybe a few extra frames to carry the weight a little further with certain movements. A lot of people confused it for Kyoani though, so I guess that's a good sign for it.
There's also CGI animation in it. The most glaring of it is used for dancing scenes of the group, with some mixed in traditional. The dancing was fairly well done, and I believe they're doing it because of motion capture, so I don't have any real problems with it. Other CGI was done for budget cuts, with the typical sort of approach anime uses to this. Certain scenes used budget CGI in a fairly clever way by knocking it off to the sides where most people wouldn't have focused.
Probably the episode with the worst animation is red haired girl's. I think that one actually made me a little sick watching it, in spite of the fact it's supposed to be pleasing to look at since it's the swimsuit episode. A lot of things with the animation in it just didn't sit well with me.

I'm not the most musically inclined person, so I wouldn't really know how to rate the music. None of it sounded particularly off to me, but aside from the OP none of it stood out to me either. The ED changes every episode so maybe I just wasn't used to hearing the same songs, but if this is an anime about a musical idol group it's probably important to have at least one of those songs stand out to a viewer like me.

And then the voiceacting.
The voiceacting in this series is incredibly controversial among Japasnese audiences, something I earnestly didn't realize until I was done watching the series. I did see preliminary responses to the voice acting from watching the trailers on Nico Nico, but I didn't realize just how bad the reception was until today.
To put it short, the seiyuu for the characters in the show are the same line-up as the live idols. The thing about this is, these idols don't really have seiyuu experience. At all.
This hit really hard with the main character Miu. I didn't see much criticism of her voice acting in the English-sphere (I didn't see much of anything really), but in the Japanese sphere her voice was absolutely panned. Many people called her 下手 (heta), poorly skilled and 棒読み (bouyomi), monotone. It was apparently so bad to their ears that some people dropped the show entirely over it, or never picked it up. I even saw the aggregate reviews on Yahoo were 1 star, with pretty much every single negative review stating that the reason they hated the show was because of her voice. There' also a 2nd monotone character some mention but I'm not 100% sure who this is, maybe they mean Akane?

Which is odd, because I loved her voice. Miu's voice, character, and the animation of the series in general were the three reasons I liked the show enough to watch it all the way through. When I went to look up stuff about 22/7, it was primarily to look up stuff about Miu, and see more of her. Her character is probably the best done overall in the entire group, and I got really into her story at the start, and the only thing keeping me from completely laughing at the end was her resolve. It sounds like there's honest, genuine shyness in her voice which fits the character to a T in my opinion. I honestly think these reviews have completely overstated the 'badness' of it.

and don't say "can't understand good/bad voice acting if it's in a different language" i watched it with the fucking subs off

Overall, the best part of 22/7 were the characters themselves. There's nothing really complex about the plot other than how exactly it came to be as it is, which I'm scratching my head over because who could think that "random wallgod that we never explain" makes a good plot? The animation's only real problem is that it felt like there were problems with the budget in a lot of areas, as if things needed to be 'cut back' or else they'd run out of money. And the music didn't really stand out to me, although I didn't find it annoying either.

I don't really like number ratings so I'll just say that I'd recommend watching if you think the characters are cute and would like to see their backstories and interactions and that I'd not recommend it if you were thinking there was going to be something really clever happening with the wall plot.

I probably just wrote this whole thing because I didn't like Japs shittalking Miu. My opinion is practically polar opposite to theirs. Also 22/7 is supposed to be the fraction for Pi apparently, which I also didn't know until after I watched the show. Maybe I'll see some of the 計算中 episodes if I ever remember to do that, although that doesn't have anything to do with the anime and is more like an idol group "interview" show or something from what I can see. Sorry if anything I stated seems unclear, since I should've gone to sleep at least 2 hours ago.
>> No. 34332 [Edit]
File 158888742823.jpg - (918.48KB , 1500x2110 , Tsuzuki_Asato_full_105607.jpg )
34332
I watched Yami no Matsuei, also known as Descendants of Darkness. Here are my thoughts:

This anime is basically a homoerotic supernatural anime about investigators of paranormal phenomena. The show has an interesting premise and a unique atmosphere. The protagonists are 'anti-heroes', which fits the theme. There are certainly some erotic moments. The plot itself though is quite dark and morbid.

Late 90s character designs and art style really suit the homoerotic atmosphere well. Although the animation itself uses stills a lot, stylistically the anime looked good.

Soundtrack was suitable. There was a fair bit of classical music, with plenty of violin and organ. I liked the use of choral music in particular. It definitely fit the atmosphere of the anime. That said, OP and ED songs were dreadful.

I'm kind of at a loss for words for evaluating this anime. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't that great either and I'm having trouble explaining why. Aside from the novelty of a homosexual horror story, the anime is mediocre. Maybe there's a decent story in here, but if so it's obscured by poor direction. Although I haven't read it, I imagine the manga does a better job fleshing things out. The premise of the show had a lot of potential, but the execution was disappointing.

The protagonists investigate/fight various supernatural threats. This can be cool and creative, but sometimes it also felt formulaic. It had kind of a monster-of-the-week-ish feel to it, which is a format I simply don't enjoy that much. Maybe I am biased in that regard. Sometimes the plot and character-focused stories felt incoherent, likely as a result of manga material being omitted from the adaptation.

Despite my criticisms, at the very least the uniqueness of the anime deserves appreciation. The style and atmosphere of the show are its most appealing elements, in my opinion.

Overall rating: 6/10

>>34307
I've been planning to watch that.
>> No. 34334 [Edit]
File 158911408381.jpg - (1.82MB , 3000x4109 , Itai no wa Iya Nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Sh.jpg )
34334
I finished Itai no wa Iya Nano etc etc.

It starts of fairly well and there is a cute intimate dynamic between the protagonist and her friend but that kind of drops as more characters are introduced and become more involved. It's fun, the way she become over powered and the abilities she gets, this extends to her friends but not really as much as it should, the ending also is a bit disappointing, partly due to the aforementioned reason. It would have been nice if they played more of a role in the end than they did.
>> No. 34335 [Edit]
More of a complaint than a review, but why do I keep subjecting myself to Shinkai's works?
Tenki no Ko, it's trash. Might as well have watched some hollywood garbage.I'm upset.
Nice looking water is all I can say as with any other of his movies. Not even much greenery in this one.
>> No. 34336 [Edit]
Fragtime: Sorely disappointed by this since it turned out to be a clichéd mishmash of melodrama and yuri: one MC is the popular yet fake persona trope, while the other is the shy and friendless trope, and there's the usual misunderstandings and yelling following by the "cathartic" conclusion. For a frame of reference though I didn't think too highly of Yagakimi either (although it's yuri/romance was definitely more nuanced).

The studio behind this has also apparently went bankrupt (supposedly unrelated to the anime itself, but I imagine it wasn't a smashing success in jp either). There's lots of pantsu fanservice though if you like that, and the ED is quite good.

Post edited on 10th May 2020, 9:46pm
>> No. 34337 [Edit]
Spice and Wolf (season 1 at least, I can't stomach having to watch another season). I have no idea why people rate this so highly (maybe it's the Madoka effect?).

To start, the widespread notion that this has to do with "economics" in any form is completely misleading. Economics isn't touched upon even once other than the most basic, implicit facts that people only trade for objects of greater value (sure, there's a plot about debasing currency and general arbitrage, but the framing in the show is more akin to pump-and-dump schemes of cryptocurrency than any real economic treatment). Of course I wasn't expecting a detailed introduction to the intricacies of modern monetary theory from an anime, but Spice and Wolf is fundamentally *not* about economics in any form – whether micro or macro. Instead, it's about business – and that too, "business" in the shady car-salesman sense. Most of the actual "business" in the show is related to people trying to swindle/scam other people, and the MC either falling into these traps or scheming his own (or rather, Holo scheming for him).

Next you have the other thread of the show, which is Holo and her relation to the MC. This might be your cup of tea if you like kemonomimi and tsunderes. But otherwise as with any anime laden with explicit romance-subplots (which I've learned to steer clear of) there's the usual pointless yelling, this time dialed up to 11 due to the tsundere nature.

The setting is bland, albeit probably appropriate for the (medieval?) time period. The OP is relaxing (so much so that it would fit better in an iyashikei anime); the ED is hilariously engrish, although might become grating if listened to back-to-back.
>> No. 34338 [Edit]
File 158943790394.jpg - (1.05MB , 1920x1080 , 1415414778221.jpg )
34338
>>34337
I felt similar about the Spice & Wolf anime, never really saw what was so great about it, but some days ago I read a little of the manga and the light novel and it felt quite different in a good way, almost made me want to buy all the tomes and it's not a short series.
It's not like the adaptation wasn't faithful but maybe there was something about the translation, the bland digital colors and moments of low quality that made it worse than it should have been.

Just as a curiosity, I think the OP was a work of an amazing japanese rock-folk band called Zabadak, but they didn't use their best version;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT-B9X4xdww
>> No. 34339 [Edit]
>>34338
Thank you for the link to the self-cover of the OP.

Your attached image (along with the iyashikei-esque nature of the OP) makes me yearn for a more "relaxed" version of spice and wolf where the focus was more on the leisurely travel and enjoying the medieval ambiance. Of course this is probably incongruous with the realities of being a peddler, but the way some people discuss the manga makes me feel that perhaps the manga's pacing is indeed more aligned (or at least has some scenes aligned with) with this nature?

Or maybe the specific portions adapted in Season 1 didn't lend themselves well to an episodic format. I found an interesting long-form review [1] (in a place I wouldn't expect) that seems to share this opinion: out of the three main arcs in S1, the first and the last were relatively weak, and seem to set-up a "formulaic" nature. Quoting:

>It's another action-packed arc set against and economic backdrop… and that's the issue... this arc itself gives off the impression that Spice and Wolf is a good show, but it doesn't go far enough to deliver on the show's premise. Even worse, it makes it seem as though the show is going to follow a strictly formulaic structure for all of its story arcs. Between the first two arcs, it's not a bad gamble to guess that the show will follow the general format of "Some kind of money-making opportunity comes along, Lawrence gets involved in it, shady actors end up threatening Lawrence and Holo, Holo saves the day with her wolf form, rinse and repeat."


[1] https://www.mariowiki.com/The_%27Shroom:Issue_151/Critic_Corner
>> No. 34340 [Edit]
File 158957742919.jpg - (337.92KB , 1000x1400 , 98d32b35984e682ebbe48ea104cf2786.jpg )
34340
Key the Metal Idol is a 15 episode ova series that was released from 1994 to 1997. I haven't seen many shows that change in quality so much from the first episode to the last. The series began as an unusally cheap release and it shows in the first couple episodes with some truly egregious corner-cutting, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. Starting from episode 8, the animation really takes a leap forward. The show explores in a kind of roundabout way scientific and media exploitation, combining the two.

One of the most impressive things about Key is how completely impossible it was to predict. At pretty much every twist and turn, what I expected to happen didn't. The tone of the show is equally unpredictable. Judging by the first episode, I thought it'd be a light-hearted, goofy ride, but by the end it definitely was not. At first, everything also seemed to happen completely by coincidence. Important characters randomly meet each other in the street or through some other incredibly unlikely event. The show takes place in Tokyo, but you'd think it was a village by how often this happens at the start. I wont say you need to "turn your brain off" to enjoy the show, but if your brain is pedantic and can't enjoy things that don't make sense or are unrealistic, then yeah I guess you do.

The characters don't have all that much depth. This is very much a plot-driven show, but what is there works and gels together. The main, corporate type villain in particular was incredibly entertaining. There's more scenes where he's hysterical and doing something comically deranged than scenes where he's calm and collected. Later on, a dance choreographer character is introduced who's also psychotic, but in a different and even more entertaining way. He ended up being my favorite character and his voice actor definitely played a large role in that. The titular main character herself is incredibly passive for most of the show, but the show does not follow her perspective most of the time. This being an ova, there was plenty of nudity and violence which you wouldn't typically see.

The last two episodes are feature length. 14 is mostly exposition that explains everything that happened and why through a conversation and another character's monologue, but it wasn't too hard to get through because of the interesting scenes put throughout and the good visual style. The last gives a fairly well-done, albeit somewhat rushed, conclusion that was bittersweet and a tad opaque.

I would recommend Key the Metal Idol if you enjoy slightly messy, eccentric shows with a lot of entertainment value.
>> No. 34341 [Edit]
>>34340
I had this show in my backlog for years and even after reading your review I still don't know what to expect from it, maybe it's a 90's thing like Neo-Ranga that's hard to explain since it mixes too different tones and themes.
>> No. 34344 [Edit]
>>34341
It's not actually a show about Key being an idol and singing concerts like I thought it would be. It's more conspiracy mixed with sci-fi and fantasy. The only way to know for sure what's it's like is to watch it.
>> No. 34385 [Edit]
>>34340
Thanks for the review. I've been wanting to watch the show myself for a while as I really enjoyed its OP after stumbling upon it.
>> No. 34392 [Edit]
File 15910553595.jpg - (189.62KB , 1920x1080 , [HorribleSubs] Hatena Illusion - 02 [1080p]_mkv_sn.jpg )
34392
Thought I'd give Hatena Illusion, a shot because the idea of magicians sounded fun.
The way the first ep started I thought it was a dream sequence. It seemed just so absurd and cliche with the main character being a introduced as a roof top phantom thief in a silly looking costume, that it must have been a delusion or anime within an anime, but nah it was real, and so is magic in this series apparently. The cliche just piled up one after another as the first ep went on, but I gotta say while the material seemed like trash, it was well directed trash if nothing else. Might have been nice if the main girl wasn't a bipolar psychopath. She went from cute to cunt the moment she realized the main character (who she was child hood friends with) was a boy and not a girl. I only made it half way into ep2, where the quality started to drop. I dropped it soon after the girl broke into the main guy's room and fell on him in a comically lewd looking way and beat the shit out of him even though she was completely at fault.
>> No. 34393 [Edit]
Finished fushigi mahou fun fun pharmacy this morning, after a couple months. It's a nice anime with a bit different of a take on magical girls, where magic happens to be things in the world around people that can be interacted with rather than just casting a spell etc like most anime do it. The whole thing is episodic which isn't out of the ordinary, but a few were rather abstract leaving me wondering if the kids watching this would even get it. It had a strong atmosphere of childhood wonder and things like that. Potpouri was cute and made the show a joy to watch each week. Mostly took to watching it the morning on weekends which worked out pretty well.
>> No. 34398 [Edit]
>fell on him in a comically lewd looking way and beat the shit out of him even though she was completely at fault.
Every time. I guess most Japanese men are masochists.
>> No. 34399 [Edit]
File 159124147581.jpg - (158.74KB , 1024x819 , c13d12c5ade793283da2b45522355b74.jpg )
34399
>>34398
Maybe the idea is getting ignored is worse than lovingly assaulted.
>> No. 34400 [Edit]
>>34399
You ever seen a scene like that? For instance, Rei in Eva. It's usually an awkward experience. The punch is supposed to dispel the tension.
>> No. 34401 [Edit]
>>34398
I don't think it has much to do with Masochism. But it means that the girl will get exposed in a way that also has her defend her purity and is unintentional, so they can create fan service and have the girl stay pure.
>> No. 34402 [Edit]
File 159126520561.jpg - (249.93KB , 640x924 , Dream-Festival-R-Visual-001-20170715.jpg )
34402
I watched both seasons of Dream Festival. Here are my thoughts:

This is basically male Aikatsu.

Surprisingly good direction. Drama is handled well sometimes. At times there was definitely some 'forced drama' (forgive me for using this phrase), but it's a male idol show so I basically expected that. Forced drama and corniness comes with the territory (keep in mind the target audience demographic of this kind of show). I don't necessarily dislike forced drama but I will acknowledge it when I see it. In any case, the anime did a decent job of achieving the 'emotional rollercoaster' effect that I often enjoy in idol shows such as this.

Richer characterization than expected, especially with consideration for cast size. Most episodes had some element of character development within them, which is something I perceive as being a major strong point. The cast is fairly likable as well.

There was occasionally some shounen-ai subtext between characters, but it wasn't prominent. I would have expected more of that kind of thing from an anime like this actually. Not a negative or positive thing, just a neutral observation.

Idol songs themselves are good and the background OST is decent too. I notably enjoyed the voice acting of some of the characters (Yuuto and Chizuru).

Over-the-top tacky idol outfits, just like Aikatsu!

Warning: CG is used for the dance scenes.
The character designs are very simplistic, probably to make CG easier. Animation quality is serviceable at best. Art style is quite bland and lacking in detail. Visually, the production seems low budget.

Overall, this anime is surprisingly good for a low-budget low-viewership ONA associated with a video game.
My rating: 7/10

It did everything I'd expect from a male idol show and I felt satisfied with its performance. I wish there were more seasons. I would have rated this higher if the drama was executed a little better or if I liked the characters a little more; that's not to imply that the anime did poorly in either of those regards though.

I'm a huge sucker for idol shows that depict the more realistic/harder/behind-the-scenes aspects of working as an idol. This show does this fairly well, in addition to its other positive qualities. My expectations going into this were admittedly low, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. I really like idol anime though so I might be biased.

>>34337
I also really disliked the characters in Spice and Wolf.
>> No. 34403 [Edit]
>>34401
You can achieve that goal without having the guy be battered. At this point, I'm assuming it's an industry joke.
>> No. 34404 [Edit]
>>34401
A slap I could maybe understand, but the level of violence these women commit makes them seem anything but pure.
>> No. 34405 [Edit]
>>34403
That's kind of the joke in itself, yeah. You have the slap cliche there already, and then they take it to higher extremes for the physical comedy aspect.
>> No. 34406 [Edit]
>>34405
>then they take it to higher extremes for the physical comedy aspect.
I get that, but they haven't reached such an extreme to make me laugh. Guess it's cultural differences.
>> No. 34407 [Edit]
>>34403
>>34404
The more severe it is the more pure the woman as the more of an issue she will take with it.
>> No. 34408 [Edit]
File 159153941264.jpg - (320.54KB , 1500x1500 , koukaku-no-pandora-ghost-urn-460655_1.jpg )
34408
I watched Koukaku no Pandora, also known as Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn. Here are my thoughts:

The plot of this anime is borderline incoherent.

Poor animation quality with CG used in the action scenes. If I could describe the animation in one word it would be 'sloppy.' Much of it is out of proportion and off-model. In fact the entire production has a very low-budget feel to it. Maybe that is part of the charm though? Which leads me to my next point: this is a pretty fun show. It doesn't take itself seriously. It is completely ridiculous and self-aware of that fact, and as a result it is a pretty fun watch. It feels like some kind of yuri sci-fi fever dream.

Okay soundtrack. The music is unique but suitable for the show. Actually the audio production quality in this is okay overall (in stark contrast with the visuals). I liked the ED song and felt myself singing along to it. Voice acting had lots of variety among the cast with each character being very distinctive.

Very erotic at times. Without going into too much detail, I spent a lot of time rubbing my nipples thinking about hot digital cyborg intercourse with sensitive port connections and things like that.

Some neat sci-fi stuff in here. Most of it isn't explained well at all, but nevertheless it is very much a sci-fi series. The android main characters and their respective abilities were kind of neat. I liked the sci-fi elements in this, particularly with the cute silly spin on things.

Character interactions in this are really enjoyable. Nene and Clarion are great together. Takumi is also a funny character. Overall the cast is likable and cute.

In general the series feels very creative. This is not your modern design-by-boardroom commercial anime. It feels like artistic freedom was permitted liberally. Is it a masterpiece? No, but it is unique and creative, which is something that I value very much.

I really like the artistic vision and the spirit of this show. This anime is unique, fun, cute, and most importantly creative and authentic. However it is also somewhat poorly executed, mainly from a technical perspective.

My overall rating: 8/10
I really enjoyed watching this. Criminally underrated anime, in my opinion.

I didn't find out about this until after I finished watching the anime, but apparently the manga is written by the same person who created Ghost in the Shell.

I haven't been able to find the 'Pandoradio' specials anywhere, unfortunately.
>> No. 34409 [Edit]
File 159154069943.jpg - (28.24KB , 450x450 , Nina_child.jpg )
34409
Monster is 2004, mystery, thriller manga adaptation with 74 episodes. The basic question behind Monster is whether all lives are really equal, or if people are only equal in death. The main protagonist, Tenma, is a young, brilliant brain surgeon who operates on a boy at a great personal expense, but as result learns what's most important about being a doctor to him. Years later they meet again, but the boy has grow up to become a cold-blooded, criminal mastermind. He is not only a heinous person, he is almost not human. Most of the show is like a one-sided game of cat and mouse between the two.

The characters are a strong point of Monster. Each one is distinctive and some go through well-done arcs which are refreshingly nonlinear while still having an understandable progression and resolution. Tenma himself is a bit one-note with his perfect righteousness. As a fixed protagonist, he would get dull, but Monster regularly shifts perspective to other characters for entire arcs and the estranged sister of the boy serves as a deuteragonist. This aids in keeping things interesting and allows side-characters to be developed, which is beneficial even when they aren't the focus anymore.

Two unrelated characters will end up in a scene together and there will be all the more intrigue to it because we've seen things from both points of view and know where each character is coming from better than they do of each other. Monster is very much the type of show where the viewer knows more than individual characters. It is mostly a mystery for the characters, but there's a few twists that could catch less attentive watchers too. Lunge in particular was my favorite character. His mannerisms and quiet intensity are very entertaining and I wish Monster had more of him.

Each character goes through some kind of delima or has some kind of conflict which relates to the main themes and questions of the show. How much value does living have? How much value does one person have compared to another? How do you deal with your darker impulses? How do you make life enjoyable? What is left when a person is missing their emotions, memories relationships and name? The answers to these questions are suggested by the each character and a more positive outlook is encouraged of course, but they are largely up to the audience's interpretation, a preferable approach to theming for me.

The plot is also a strong point. The beginning has great momentum and things don't slow down until around the twenty episode mark. Around the fifty episode mark, things start to slow down again and feel a little meandering, but the pace picks up again and reaches a satisfying conclusion. A lot of people apparently have a problem with the ending and felt that all of the build-up doesn't pay off enough, but I think the way things end are as good as they could have been. The lack of dramatic closure is appropriate thematically and there isn't really any loose ends. The last episode works like an epilogue.

Monster could be summed up as a more mature Death Note. It explores who criminals actually are though. Why they would do what they do and how that could be interpreted. I would recommend Monster if you want to invest in a long, serious, relatively grounded narrative.

Post edited on 7th Jun 2020, 7:52am
>> No. 34411 [Edit]
>>34409
This is something I missed at the time and I don't know if I should get into it sooner or later or just forget about it. I think Urasawa is a great artist but also does extremely convoluted stories that make no sense and tend to suffer disappointing resolutions. See 20th Century Boys, acclaimed everywhere and entertaining to read but the whole thing seemed a mess to me and I don't think I could have dealt with it if I had to watch it in anime form.
Would you say Monster has good writing?
>> No. 34412 [Edit]
File 159182938264.jpg - (654.30KB , 1600x2332 , Time-Travel-Shoujo.jpg )
34412
I watched all 12 episodes of Time Travel Shoujo: Mari Waka to 8-nin no Kagakusha-tachi. Here are my thoughts:

I have very little to say about this anime. This is basically the Japanese equivalent of an educational TV show that a school teacher might throw on when they're feeling lazy or something. It literally aired on Saturday morning and is targeted to a child audience. I mainly just watched it while I was eating breakfast.

The educational focus of the show is on electricity and magnetism. There are various relevant experiments that get incorporated into the show, and there are also some short educational segments at the end of each episode. For me, the most amusing aspect of the anime was the incorporation of various western historical figures into the cast, like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison. The use of these characters in an anime was entertaining enough to keep me watching.

Otherwise though, the anime was pretty bad. I mean, it's literally a kid's show. The plot was groan-worthy. The characters were very simplistic. The art style and animation were unremarkable. It seems perfectly fine as a kids' "edutainment" show, but for me personally it was bad.

My rating: 4/10

Worth it though to see Benjamin Franklin as an anime character. Lol.
>> No. 34413 [Edit]
>>34412
One of my big issue with it was the flagrant disregard for potentially catastrophic causality issues. None of these characters gave a single fuck about screwing up the past.
>> No. 34415 [Edit]
>>34413
I wouldn't expect something like that from a kids' show. In any case, I typically don't care about realism in anime.
>> No. 34416 [Edit]
>>34412
>Benjamin Franklin
I hope they animated him with his French harem.
>> No. 34417 [Edit]
>>34416
They did make him seem kind of pervy, actually.
>> No. 34418 [Edit]
>>34413
>catastrophic causality issues. None of these characters gave a single fuck about screwing up the past.
It just creates a new multiverse – paradox averted.
>> No. 34419 [Edit]
>>34417
I almost want to watch this.
>> No. 34420 [Edit]
>>34419
Keep your expectations low, lol. Like I said, it isn't worthy of being anything more than literally breakfast television.
>> No. 34421 [Edit]
>>34412
I watched it during its airing. It's not even good as edutainment. There're better shows for that. I don't find it that boring though.
>> No. 34422 [Edit]
File 159199815246.png - (803.92KB , 1920x1200 , wp2029950.png )
34422
I watched Drifters (12-episode season + 3 OVAs). Here are my thoughts:

Going into this, I expected it would be a very action-packed fast-paced show, but actually it ended up being fairly dialogue-heavy interspersed with some action scenes. This isn't a bad thing in my view because I don't care about action all that much, but it is something to be aware of.

Animation quality is good and the art style is creative. The art style makes heavy use of bold lines, particularly in the character animations. It kind of reminds me of American comics/graphic novels. I'm not overly impressed by it or anything, but at the very least it is unique, and I think it suits the series well. The action scenes look pretty good, although stills are used somewhat frequently. Voice acting and audio production quality are decent as well. OST is okay and suits the gritty atmosphere of the show.

The anime is filled with fighting and killing but it still feels very goofy to me. The premise is kind of ridiculous, and on top of that there is a fair amount of comedic relief. It's difficult to take seriously but that also means it's easy to watch casually. A lot of the humour is unfunny. The historical jokes, as you might expect, are very predictable. Most of the characters feel like caricatures, but given how over-the-top the rest of the series is, maybe it would be silly of me to expect that the characters not be equally as exaggerated. In any case, I would have preferred that the anime have a more serious tone and less comedy. At its best, the show has an atmosphere that is dark and gritty, which can be very captivating. Unfortunately, my immersion is often broken by the things mentioned here. One exception to the ongoing intrusive and unfunny comedy was the gay aristocrat character. He was genuinely hilarious and I often found myself laughing out loud when he was on-screen. The comedy itself wasn't always bad, the bigger issue was the timing and the way it interrupted plot-critical dialogue and scenes.

Despite the inappropriate comedic relief, the actual story is fairly interesting and engaging. Unfortunately, there are countless loose ends in the plot by the time the anime ends, leaving the viewer with the impression that they just watched a really expensive manga advertisement. This show has major issues with plot execution, even though the underlying story is promising.

Way too many characters. This is a common manga adaptation problem. Although I haven't read it, I'd wager that the manga is better. A single cour is too short for a story this complex and a character cast this large. Two cours (at least) would be much more suitable.

Overall rating: 7/10
Despite my criticisms, it was still entertaining.

People who like 'manly' anime with lots of grit and violence might enjoy this. For full enjoyment though, I think it's necessary to read about the history behind each character so that one can understand the frequent historical references in the show.

Yoichi is sexy as hell.

Apparently a second season has been supposedly confirmed for nearly 4 years now. If that does come to fruition then some of my criticisms may not apply or might at least be attenuated. In any case, it feels to me like they tried to cram far too many story arcs and characters into the show.

Breaking news: local high-budget anime gets ruined by poor direction! Stop the presses.
>> No. 34423 [Edit]
>>34411
I thought the writing was good all around. The story was pretty straightforward actually without any major twists or anything too unexpected.
>> No. 34424 [Edit]
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34424
>>34422
They couldn't adapt more because Hirano is extremely slow and there's just no more to adapt, also it could take a decade to have enough to fill another 13 ep.
Hellsing had the same problem and they had to invent it all. At the end they properly adapted the manga in OVA format but I doubt Drifters could ever have the same treatment. At least we got the three OVA's.

If you liked Yoichi there's some great doujinshi out there.
>> No. 34425 [Edit]
>>34424
Adapting a manga as it's written seems like a bad idea, IMO.
>> No. 34426 [Edit]
File 159215452281.jpg - (302.04KB , 500x500 , 15807857_p0_master1200.jpg )
34426
Infinte Ryvius is a 1999, 26 episode anime. Ryvius is most briefly described as Japanese Lord of the Flies in space. Around 400 students survive an "accident" on the military training space ship they were attending and evacuate to a mysterious smaller ship with strange capabilities hidden within theirs called Ryvius. For various reasons though, they cannot be rescued and are forced to search through the solar system for an independent planet to take them in while fighting off government assaults and being totally unable to communicate with the outside. Although there are space battles and there is a mech, Ryvius is a psychological drama and focuses primarily on shifting character dynamics and conflicts. If that doesn't interest you, don't watch it.

The beginning of Ryvious is rocky. The ost contains some bad, weird hiphopish tracks which the first episode unfortunately opens on. The actions of some characters are also hard to understand at the start, but make more sense later. Some of the comic relief is also handled poorly to a bizarre degree. These issues mostly get ironed out though and the show really hits its stride after the first third or so. Art wise, Ryvius benefits from being made in the pre-tablet era. An anime with similar production values would look quite worse if it was made in the mid 2000s. Its serviceable and most of the character designs are also fine.

A strong point of Ryvius is how daily life on the ship is depicted and how it changes depending on whoever is in charge. How average people feel on the ship and why is quite fleshed out, especially in terms of work, food and living arrangements. As the series progresses, it gets increasingly grim. The battles become tougher, motivation decreases, a general sense of being trapped is present. Some of the stuff that happens and raw emotion shown are the kind of thing I'd expect more from a VN and reminded me of Swan Song. It's a sadist's treat. There is a happy ending though

The characters also impressed me to some degree. Although some resemble archetypes, they all have some kind of twist which relates to their own back story and what happens to them, none of the main characters are static and some side characters aren't either. The main character is strange in how consistently normal he is. He gets sad and angry and laughs and has issues like others, but he's the only one who doesn't lose it even a little. Other characters even point this out. He goes from being relatable, to unlikable to respectable in cycles. How others see him certainly changes.

I would recommend Ryvius if you like decent psychological drama and can tolerate or even enjoy some clumsiness.
>> No. 34427 [Edit]
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34427
Cossette no Shouzou is a 3 episode ova from 2004. It's about an art student who works at an antique shop. He starts seeing a girl inside of an old glass and falls in love with her. The main focus of Cossette is the visuals. There's a whole lot of bizarre, extremely over the top light shows. Collosal, sweeping vistas of stuff flying at the screen. They're not really comprehensible. They just kind of happen and take up time. It is impressive. It does look kind of cool, albeit dated because of some inclusion of cgi, but it doesn't leave much impact because it's not connected with anything to care about. I was disappointed Cossette wasn't way, way more down to earth. There are scenes where characters talk, but they're just sort of aimless. There's kind of a plot and it kind of progresses and it's kind of understandable. There's a bit of theming on the difference between loving a person for who they are as opposed to their beauty alone. There's a little bit of that in there I guess.

I'd recommend Cossette if you want to watch a lot of over the top, nonsensical visual sequences with a vague horror theme. Maybe if you really love the gothic lolita aesthetic?
>> No. 34429 [Edit]
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34429
Blue Gender is a 2000, 26 episode anime. It's about a guy who wakes up from a cryogenic sleep he was placed in, during relatively present day, to stop the development of a disease in his body until a cure is found. Instead he's woken up to an Earth infested by giant insect monsters where most people are dead, but there's some living in space who want to transport him up there as a "sample". Yes, the premise sounds like Starship Troopers, but the execution and plot are completely different. Blue Gender is also a mecha.

I liked the first half of Blue Gender. The reaction a person would have to waking up to that is handled well. I also liked the dichotomy between the mentality of a person from the 21st century with the mentality of people who grew up in militarist, apocalyptic circumstances. The main female lead in particular was appealing and the best part of Blue gender. It felt kind of organic and the adventure format was fun. This is the kind of anime where characters die really easily from all sorts of things, to the point where you get a little paranoid about going outside because you're reminded of how fragile people are.

After things cool down from the first part, the plot meanders and some character change occurs which I disliked. These character shifts didn't feel believable and took away some of the appeal characters had actually. After some political intrigue, there's more action and more political intrigue, and then after a second climax, Blue Gender rapidly crashes into a confusing, out of left-field and unsatisfying conclusion.

Despite having a hard sci-fi kind of aesthetic, Blue Gender has distractingly bad biology. A bit of obnoxious romantic drama throw in too. There's also a heavy-handed and nonsensical environmentalist message. The animation is nothing special and pretty bad in some places, but the soundtrack is quite good minus the op and ed.

I wouldn't recommend Blue Gender. If it was only made up of the first part and that worked as a complete story, I would, but what happens after isn't worth watching for the most part.

Post edited on 21st Jun 2020, 7:23am
>> No. 34430 [Edit]
File 15929148455.jpg - (1.33MB , 1809x2560 , Kotetsujo_no_Kabaneri-cover.jpg )
34430
I watched Koutetsujou no Kabaneri. Here are my thoughts:

Remember that movie Snakes on a Plane? Well this is basically Zombies on a Train - anime edition. Wow I'm so funny.

I didn't expect to like this anime but decided to give it a fair chance. Apparently it was fairly well received in Japan, not that that means much. Anyway, I found it entertaining enough to watch to completion.

This is kind of a guilty pleasure 'junk food' show from my perspective. Like a two-star Hollywood trash movie that you impulsively throw on and don't plan to take seriously. Although that kind of feeling is sort of intangible, I'll try to be more specific. This anime is a zombie show with a cliche cast and storyline, and is clearly meant to appeal to a broad audience. They even released a mobile game to go with it.

In addition to being a TV series, the content was recycled into a movie trilogy. Although I watched the Blu-ray release of the TV series (+the post-TV sequel movie "Unato Kessen"), it certainly had a cinematic feel to it and a fast pacing that I'd expect in a movie.

This anime has a rich steampunk theme/setting. The setting is a strong point for sure and was one of my favourite aspects of the show. I thought the 'railforts' were pretty cool. Furthermore, a steampunk setting combined with zombies is definitely a winning combination. It's difficult to screw something like that up, I think.

Decent soundtrack. Very polished, although I would have liked to have seen more variety.

Visual production quality is solid. There is a fair bit of visual detail overall. Fight choreography is at times complex which makes the action scenes more entertaining. Character animations in general are nice. Cinematography is decent as well. I typically don't value action all that much, but the action scenes in this often looked pretty good.

My one petty complaint about the visuals are the eyes. Characters' eyes frequently appear to be crudely 'pasted' onto their faces in a way that appears unnatural and sloppy. The eyes have a lot of detail, but when they're carelessly pasted onto a character's face, say during an action scene where the rest of the character animation is far less detailed, it appears unnatural. Even during ordinary scenes, the highly detailed irises clash with the pencil-sketch art style of the rest of the character's face.

Plot is fairly predictable and stereotypical. I'm not the kind of person who automatically considers a stereotypical plot to be bad, but that kind of thing is dependent on the viewer. Execution is always more important from my perspective.

Characters frequently act like idiots just for the purpose of creating drama, which is a sign of lazy/poor writing in my opinion.

Apparently this is commonly criticized as being an Attack on Titan rip-off. I actually have not seen AoT but in any case I think that, for any kind of media, that kind of criticism is childish and unmeritorious. However, I think the AoT talking point alludes to something more meaningful, which is the fact that the series isn't particularly creative. It's a zombie thriller show, albeit with some unique mechanics and a somewhat refreshing setting.

The main character has a really unlikable personality, in my opinion. I'm having trouble coming up with the exact words to describe him. He's geeky but in an insufferable kind of way. His self-righteousness is groan-inducing. In fact, pretty much the entire cast is unlikable. The only exception is the lead female character, Mumei. She was cool and sexy, and her athleticism allowed for some great action scenes. This series was at its best when she was on screen. Otherwise though, characters are arguably the weakest aspect of the show. Most of the characters are either unlikable or totally bland.

Both the story and characters make the show feel as though it is targeted towards a teenage audience. This is not an objectively bad thing but still noteworthy.

Overall rating: 5/10

Seriously, the characters in this were terrible. My apathy towards the cast just made the sappy drama all the more eye-roll inducing (and I say that as someone with a very high tolerance for sappy drama). The story was Hollywood-tier. What kept me watching was the unique setting and the above-average visuals. Plus the fact that I was able to carelessly watch episodes of it without feeling any pressure to savour or appreciate it in any way, which is what 'junk food' shows are good for. I also sensed some potential in the earlier episodes which ultimately did not pan out.
>> No. 34431 [Edit]
File 159292541725.jpg - (1.99MB , 5934x4087 , __mumei_and_yomogawa_ayame_koutetsujou_no_kabaneri.jpg )
34431
>>34430
The characters designs were supposed to look retro and I really like how it ended, it really feels like Macross (same character designer) with a touch of Leiji Matsumoto, it's not something you see this days too often. I think the whole idea of the anime was to make something that looked and felt classic but with really high production values and techniques from today, you can see it looks really impressive for a TV show.
Being critiziced as too similar to AoT it doesn't make sense since AoT it's basically changing zombies by giants, so not the most original thing. Kabaneri is really similar to a korean movie called Train to Bussan and I thought it was a rip-off until I checked and the anime was actually older than the movie.
I didn't dislike the characters and I liked how energic the MC was, but at least we can agree Mumei was delicious (pretty much everyone agreed on that).
>> No. 34432 [Edit]
>>34431
They both have "hybrid" protagonists and steam punk elements too.
>> No. 34433 [Edit]
>>34431
>but at least we can agree Mumei was delicious (pretty much everyone agreed on that).
I'd say all the girls were delicious, but some were more than others.
>> No. 34434 [Edit]
>>34431
Like I said, it's just my opinion. I don't want to diminish anyone else's enjoyment of something.

One thing I really liked about Mumei is how she actually kicked ass during all the fight scenes. Instead of being yet another useless female character (like Ayame).
>> No. 34435 [Edit]
>>34434
Yukina is another one that's competent.
>> No. 34436 [Edit]
>>34435
That's true too!
>> No. 34437 [Edit]
File 159309873523.png - (1.24MB , 1058x792 , Kohinata_Nanoka_full_637556_waifu2x_noise1_scale_x.png )
34437
Koi Kaze is a 13 episode, 2004 anime. It's a grounded and serious romance story between siblings. The majority of it is spent seeing how the relationship forms and the psychological processes behind it. While far from melodramatic, it does not gloss over the issues a incestuous relationship would face.

Koi Kaze relies a lot on inner monologue to effectively convey the characters' thoughts and feelings. This both makes them more sympathetic and relatable, and is compelling in itself. Aside from the protagonist and heroine, some other characters get a bit of depth and good moments, especially the protagonist's female coworker. Despite only being 13 episodes, far shorter than most romance anime, it doesn't feel rushed or artificial. You can plainly see why this romance would happen. Koi Kaze also doesn't shy away from the sexual aspects of romance either, which is also rare in romance anime.

The sound track is nice and the art style is pretty. The animation isn't stellar, but works well enough. The use of soft colors and blurred backgrounds compensates for it a bit and fits with the mood.

I'd recommend Koi Kaze if you're interested in a taboo, but sweet romance story that avoids the beating around the bush, glacial pace, and immaturity typical of shoujo.

Post edited on 25th Jun 2020, 8:29am
>> No. 34438 [Edit]
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34438
I watched the animated movie Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni, also known as In this Corner of the World. Here are my thoughts:

The story takes place in the 1940s of WW2-era Japan. It is mainly told through the eyes of civilians.

Even though it was released in 2016, the movie feels very old. Everything about it: the art style, the music, the voice acting, the story; they are all reminiscent of early anime productions from the late 20th century. I personally am not a huge fan of anime from this era (speaking VERY generally), so I might be unfairly biased towards this movie. Furthermore, I usually shy away from WW2-era fiction because of how I've seen it done ad nauseam in western media. So I might be biased in this respect as well, although the perspective of a Japanese citizen is relatively less common in western works.

Characterization is one weak aspect of this movie. Despite the 2-hour runtime, characters are not adequately fleshed out or even properly introduced at all. Random characters are just thrown into plot-relevant scenes as if the audience is expected to know who they are. This issue is exacerbated by the blob-like same-face character designs and dull earthy colour palette, which makes individual characters not particularly distinct from one another.

Although I didn't like the character designs, the background art is often quite nice. It has an organic look to it in that it often appears hand-drawn/painted. I frequently paused the movie to admire the landscape frames.

The main focus is on female characters and it felt as though gender roles were a consideration in the writing. The lives of Japanese women during this time period are explored in various ways. A lot of screentime is spent on the various domestic duties performed by women (mainly the MC). I enjoyed this aspect of the movie, but this enjoyment was derived from cultural interest rather than the usual mechanisms through which one appreciates fiction, like emotional engagement.

Good audio production quality. However, I did not like the voice acting. The characters mumble constantly and it is difficult to discern the words. Additionally, there is often very little emotion in the voices. Maybe this was a deliberate artistic choice but in any case I did not like it.

This movie has major direction problems. It tries to be sentimental and emotional but instead watching it feels like I took too much cough syrup. I often felt confused by what was happening, particularly during the first half of the movie. Basic plot components are never explicitly explained. It seems like the movie wants to be 'show don't tell' but it does this very poorly. Even before events take place, foreshadowing could have been handled better. Additionally, the characters' behaviour never seems to match the situation. The whole series feels absurdly tone-deaf; if this is an intentional artistic choice then it is a poor one.

Despite my distaste for the WW2 context, the movie does provide a rich view of the daily life of Japanese citizens during this time. From a sociological perspective it is interesting. The movie is clearly meant to be some sort of social commentary, and the characters and plot are just tools with which to accomplish this task. It does a good job of presenting a historical cultural snapshot, but perhaps at the cost of sacrificing any actual emotional engagement with the characters themselves. Throughout the movie I did not feel anything for the characters despite the tremendous hardship that inevitably comes with the Japanese WW2 setting. Emotionally, it felt like I was watching a documentary. Even though the subject matter is tragic, it was still viewed with detached emotionless intellectual interest.

In my judgement, the only reason to watch this movie is if you are interested in Japanese culture and history. I satisfy that criteria and for that reason I watched the entire thing.

Overall rating: 3/10
I am shocked by the praise that this movie has received.

For the record, nothing I've written here is intended to trivialize the events of WW2; I am simply stating my personal evaluation of a work of fiction.

Footnote: I watched the original length movie, not the extended version. Maybe the extended version would have been more coherent. Also, apparently there was a live-action adaptation (unseen by me) of this released a few years before the animated version.

>>34437
That has been in my backlog for a while. Hope to get around to watching it sometime.
>> No. 34439 [Edit]
>>34438
3/10 seems harsh given your description. I don't like numerical ratings because what they're based on isn't clear. Personal enjoyment, production values, some abstract relative quality? A "mathematical" formula for scoring would be contrived too. I don't think I ever finished an anime I really hated or would give a 3/10 for. Maybe it's because I only watch stuff I'm confident I'll be interested in.
>> No. 34440 [Edit]
>>34439
For me, it's basically just an intuitive measure of overall satisfaction or enjoyment.

For the past year I've been taking chances on things I wouldn't ordinarily seek out, so there have been a lot of pessimistic scores. If that movie were a TV show, I would have dropped it after a few episodes and never written anything about it.
>> No. 34441 [Edit]
>>34439
I feel like I should elaborate a little. In addition to the crippling direction problems, I felt very frustrated by the behaviour of the characters.

I literally would have been much better off just spending those two hours by watching an actual documentary about WW2 Japan civilian life.
>> No. 34443 [Edit]
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34443
Gallery Fake is a 2004, 37 episode anime about a suave, but shifty art dealer with a heart of gold getting into various exploits along with his cute assistant. It follows an episodic format with some continuity, but no actual overarching story. From the beginning of Gallery Fake to the end, nothing substantial changes.

The art style and animation is simple, standard and bland. Nothing about it stands out. The ost is fine, but repetitive to the point of being a bit obnoxious. There might have been one scene which gets its own track.

Some episodes are more grounded and realistic, while others are more adventure and action based. A few episodes veer off into completely ridiculous plots. There's magic and psychics in this show. Not as a regular part, but just casually in a few episodes and played completely straight. It's bizarre. Gallery Fake is neither grounded nor fantastical, it's different depending on the episode. There's also a whole lot of sappy little plot lines reminiscent of a soap opera.

I kind of don't like episodic anime anymore, especially longer ones. I was hoping the romance subplot would at least go somewhere, but it doesn't. It's hinted at, poked at, but it hardly progresses and has no conclusion, which I feel is juvenile. There's also a character introduced which you'd really, really expect to become a regular cast member, but never appears again. Gallery Fake is adapted from a manga which continued to run after the anime, so that may explain it. I tried looking for a scanlation to see if there's some kind of proper conclusion, but couldn't find one.

Gallery Fake is also somewhat educational about art. The subject matters are all based on things in real life and widely vary from different cultures and time periods. It could be considered a "cosmopolitan" anime.

I would recommend Gallery Fake if you're really interested in art or love the suave, highly competent, slightly unscrupulous character archetype.

Post edited on 2nd Jul 2020, 1:31pm
>> No. 34471 [Edit]
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34471
I watched the anime movie Doukyuusei. Here are my thoughts:

Doukyuusei is about a homosexual romance between two male characters.

I don't have much to say about this because it's just a short movie. The main concern I had going into this movie was that it was only ~1 hour long. Unfortunately, my concern was justified.

The romance feels forced, partially as a result of pacing problems, but even moreso due to a complete lack of foreshadowing. Also, I find it difficult to engage with a romance story that has so little character development. Probably one saving grace for the movie is that the source material is fairly short as well, so it's not like a much longer story was crudely crammed into a short adaptation, as is often the case with anime. The movie felt slightly rushed, but it could have been much worse in this regard, so maybe I shouldn't complain.

The plot is fairly stereotypical and touches on a lot of the usual themes of same-sex relationship stories. It felt kind of fanfic-tier at times. It was all pretty standard fare for this kind of story. Emotionally, I didn't really feel much while watching. A short runtime with simple characters and a stereotypical plot just can't engage me all that much, usually. This is one of the reasons why I tend to shy away from movies and prefer TV series.

It's nice to see a canonically gay male relationship in anime. Like, with actual kisses and frequent displays of affection, instead of the usual noncommittal subtext that's often implemented just to pander to a vocal minority in some franchise fanbase. The affectionate moments of the movie are pretty cute. Although they're simple, the two main characters do have decent chemistry when interacting with each other.

As the title of the movies implies, the setting is an all-boys high school. Although it was kind of hot in my imagination, in reality the setting doesn't add much to my enjoyment, and actually just contributes to the bland feeling of the movie.

Animation quality and cinematography are okay for a movie. Art style was kind of organic and watercolourish, but with a muted earthy colour palette; it wasn't anything special. Similarly, OST and voice acting were both unremarkable.

My overall rating: 5/10

It wasn't really unique in any way besides being an overtly homosexual anime. There are a lot of cute moments, but ultimately they feel kind of hollow because of the bland writing and underdeveloped characters.

I think this anime might have attracted a disproportionate number of people from outside the usual anime fanbase, and was subsequently overrated by people for whom the content of this movie would be more novel.
>> No. 34472 [Edit]
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34472
>>34471
I hate this anime because it makes it difficult for me to search for Elf's eroge, also titled "Doukyuusei". I never watched it but I resent it.
>> No. 34495 [Edit]
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34495
91 days is a 2016 mafia revenge story set during the prohibition era. It's about a guy getting revenge on the mafia family who killed his family by infiltrating them and orchestrating revenge stuff. Everything about 91 days is pretty ok. The characters are pretty okay. The plot and pacing is pretty ok. The production is pretty okay.

Some of the plans in 91 days are kind of ridiculous and have a million points of failure while still working out for the protagonist, which gets hard to swallow quickly.

The friendship that forms between the protagonist and one of the family members serves to convey the message that revenge is bad and not worth it and that kind of thing good enough. It's very standard in the killing people is bad department.

As a mafia story, i'm not sure how good it is. There's a lack of that nihilistic brutality in stuff like good fellas, for better or worse. I can't imagine any of the characters in that movie tolerating some of the stuff that happens here. Characters do die, but somehow it doesn't hit those same notes, which may be a good thing if you don't like that kind of stuff and prefer a portrayal of death that gives it more significance. As a revenge story, it's certainly no Monte Cristo, but it's not awful. I did binge watch it, so at least it didn't bore me.

I would recommend 91 days if you want a short, mid-light show which is for the most part grounded, plot-centric and conclusive.

Post edited on 2nd Aug 2020, 8:54pm
>> No. 34500 [Edit]
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34500
I watched Luck and Logic (partially) and its spinoff Hina Logi ~from Luck and Logic~. Both of these shows were made by Doga Kobo. Thoughts on both series are provided below.

Luck and Logic:
The female hero characters are somewhat likable and showed some potential for an interesting character-driven story. The main male character is a generic personality-less MC.

Nice transformation scenes.
Episodes are mainly monster-of-the-week conflicts which are boring as hell.

I dropped this after episode 6.

Some of the female hero characters seemed interesting but truly this show is trash with few redeeming qualities.


Hina Logi:
- Surprisingly enjoyable
- Likable and cute characters
- Nice mahou shoujo outfits
- CUTE!!!!!!

Mostly episodic in terms of plot. Fairly typical school SoL plots but with a mahou shoujo flavour. There was a healthy mix of comfy SoL, sweet moments, and some minor drama. There were some mild shoujo-ai vibes between the two lead characters, but it was only a subtle aspect of the show until THAT ONE SCENE (*squees internally*).

Decent voice acting and the OST was okay as well.

Hina Logi was overlooked by many due to it being a spinoff (in name at least) from the show Luck and Logic. Consequently, very few people watched it despite it being a decent CGDCT show. Furthermore, it is underrated as a result of a selection-bias effect whereby those who did watch the show were typically those who enjoyed the garbage original series. The two shows are completely different and the kind of person who would enjoy one is unlikely to enjoy the other. Anyway, my point is that Hina Logi is a show which is very much underappreciated by those who are fans of CGDCT anime.

Aside from some character cameos from the original series, this show is almost entirely independent from the Luck and Logic anime. It takes place in the same world, although the tone is completely different. The atmosphere in Hina Logi is very soft and playful with minimal conflict. The main girl characters are in training at an academy to be the same kinds of heroes that are depicted in the original series. You do not need to watch Luck and Logic to watch Hina Logi. The plot dependencies and crossovers are very insignificant between the series.

My rating for Hina Logi: 7/10

It's a good CGDCT show that barely anybody watched.


>>34495
I watched the first episode of this but dropped it because it seemed like a bad homage to American mafia movies. If I wanted to watch western media then I would watch western media. Not making an objective value judgement - those were just my personal feelings. I also tend not to like edgy plot-heavy shows with violence, so it didn't really appeal to me.
>> No. 34501 [Edit]
>>34500
>edgy plot-heavy shows with violence, so it didn't really appeal to me
I don't think I'd call edgy, it's a bit too grounded and there's not actually much power fantasy. Jojo is considerably more violent too if that means anything to you. You didn't miss out on much either way.
>> No. 34502 [Edit]
>>34501
yeah 'edgy' was probably a poor word to use. I didn't mean it in a pejorative way.
>> No. 34557 [Edit]
Yowamushi Pedal ~ sports anime but feels like a fighting anime where no one dies....

Are all sports anime like this?
>> No. 34560 [Edit]
>>34557
more or less yeah.
>> No. 34595 [Edit]
File 159923262688.png - (272.81KB , 687x333 , frog1.png )
34595
pic not related.
I recently finished Masamune-kun no Revenge. It started out very strong, and gets a little weaker around the late middle, but redeems itself by the end. Given what the show was building up to, I'm actually surprised that I liked the ending, but it is what it is, I suppose. It's certainly not a mind-blowing show, but it doesn't place emphasis on elements which I think in most other shows would be over-emphasised to the point of annoyance: for example, I was pleasantly surprised at how the main antagonist was portrayed, very understated I'd say compared to most shows, and that's honestly the main charm that places it just about above the average show, which is that it gets the balance just right, neither overstating or understating it's elements too much. I can't rate it too high since it was essentially just some quick fun, a simple 12-episode story that was finished in the space of an evening, but for what it is I'd recommend it - I guess I'd say 7/10 overall.
>> No. 34603 [Edit]
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34603
Jigoku Shoujo(Hell Girl) is a horror anime about a website that lets people send someone straight to hell if they visit it at midnight and feel genuine hatred for that person, but it comes at the cost of also being sent to hell after they die. This exchange is carried out by a supernatural girl with her assistants' help. I watched the first 3 seasons, each 26 episodes long, and skipped the fourth since I hear it's way worse and only 6 episodes without adding any kind of conclusion.

The basic formula of a Hell Girl episodes is that somebody has some kind of greivance or grudge, they get pushed over the edge, use the website, and meet hell girl who explains the rules. Eventually they pull the string on a doll they're given and the object of their revenge gets some surreal punishment and is then ferried to hell by hell girl. This formula gets varied sometimes with the order being changed, some parts being skipped, or multiple people using the site within the same episode. Each season also has some kind of narrative and a few reoccurring human characters. The narrative picks up in the second half of the season and dramatically concludes in the last two episodes. I'm explaining all this to emphasis how formulaic it is which makes little in Hell Girl suprising after the first season.

Character actions often make no sense what so ever. The motivations, logic, common sense or even emotions behind a lot of what they do is either absent or absurd. This is later used as a crutch to make things less predictable. Going to hell after dying doesn't deter almost any character either. In the first season, it kind of worked because the feeling of a urban myth was still there, so it kind of felt like you where watching a story passed from person to person on the internet or something. This feeling goes away though as hell girl because more concrete and commonly known within the setting. People who use the website and pull the string are permanently branded in an easily accessible place too, which is a massive weakness in the logic of the setting and the narratives. There's never any serious investigation done by authorities despite everything that's happened within three seasons and it makes no sense. The branding never plays an important role.

Hell Girl fails as horror, in fact it gives up on being horror and transforms into an absurdist comedy. The reoccurring supernatural characters are too humanized and the sense of atmosphere is too weak. Hell Girl focuses on gimmicks and ways of mixing things up over being eerie. The punishment sequences also become increasingly more comical, in a way that's obviously intentional. The rules of the website are applied inconsistently for writer convenience. Every season also has some episodes where other supernatural things are present and it's ridiculous and cheapens the setting.

Season 1 had the best narrative because enough time was spent on making the two characters endearing. It's also the only season with a few scenes that succeed at having an eerie atmosphere. The people being sent to hell were for the most part comically evil, which is at least enjoyable to watch. The second season has a weaker narrative and does a lot of harm to suspension of disbelief, but has its moments. The third season features an incredibly passive, boring protagonist. If her friend or somebody with an actual personality were the main character, the possession gimmick might have been interesting. If she had an investigative spirit or just did anything which felt significant like the first season's narrative protagonist, it would have been better and worked as a change of pace. This season also has most of the people being sent to hell not deserving it, which is both a cheap, ineffective way of changing things and heavy-handed method of expressing the themes already explored much better during season 1. Many of the people using the site are students within the same school as the protagonist, but this never has any consequences and weakens the urban legend, disconnected, mysterious events thing Hell Girl was created with in mind even more than season 2 did.

I would recommend Hell Girl season 1 if you're in the mood for a semi-episodic anime which tries its best to make humans look bad. I would recommend the subsequent seasons if you really love season 1 and want as much more as possible.

Post edited on 9th Sep 2020, 11:34am
>> No. 34604 [Edit]
>>34603
>Hell Girl fails as horror, in fact it gives up on being horror and transforms into an absurdist comedy.
I was going to start watching this as Fall nears, but now I'm hesitant.
>> No. 34605 [Edit]
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34605
>>34604
Higurashi is probably the only horror anime that really unnerved me, especially the first arc. That's probably because of its source material. I'm interested in the remake they're making, but while it looks "better" art-wise, who know if it'll capture the same feeling. I tried watching Another, but it somehow managed to miss all the right beats and timing to be scary, like the director didn't understand how to do it, so I dropped it. Haven't seen Shiki.
>> No. 34606 [Edit]
>>34605
That new higurashi adaptation looks so strange, like I can't tell if it really looks any better
>> No. 34607 [Edit]
>>34606
I'm excited for it myself. I love Akio Watanabe designs.
>> No. 34612 [Edit]
>>34607
He worked on key animation in at least one episode of the original adaptation. The original's off-model scenes and over-the-top facial expressions actually helped the mood. I hope they keep at least some of that. I'm worried it'll look too "clean".
>> No. 34622 [Edit]
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34622
Shigofumi is a 2008, 13 episode anime about a postal worker who delivers letters written by dead people in the after-life, the last sentiments they want to communicate to somebody alive. While it isn't horror, a few of the themes and stark, bright colors convey an unnerving, purgatory like atmosphere. When Shigofumi follows its premise, it's decently interesting, albeit sappy at times.

The first sign of something wrong is the inclusion of a comic-relief side-kick that accompanies the cold, indifferent postal girl. Other light-hearted characters are also introduced that interfere with the atmosphere present in the first few episodes. Shigofumi does have a narrative, it does take up most of its runtime, it is centered around the backstory of the postal girl and it also involves a high school. I don't get why this was done. I would have preferred if they played the premise straight, kept the whole thing episodic, and left the origins of the postal girl ambiguous. Maybe they couldn't think of enough story ideas that focus on the letters and who receives them. It was disappointing none the less.

The narrative itself is contrived, dull and unbelievable all at once. The reoccurring characters are boring too.

I would recommend Shigofumi if you're in the mood for a light show with a few interesting elements here and there.
>> No. 34623 [Edit]
>>34622
I barely remember anything about it, but that does sound about right. I do recall it had a lot of issues with it's inconsistent tone.
>> No. 34625 [Edit]
>>34605
im concerned with how hard they seem to be pushing the new adaptation, it makes me think that theyre afraid it wont do well. im also not a huge fan of the new character designs,they all seem too similar to me. however, that could just be a preference for the older designs, so i guess we'll wait and see
>> No. 34626 [Edit]
>>34625
>im concerned with how hard they seem to be pushing the new adaptation, it makes me think that theyre afraid it wont do well
That doesn't make any sense.
>> No. 34627 [Edit]
>>34626
I believe the anon is saying the publishers may think the remake wouldn't be financially successful by name recognition, word of mouth, and traditional advertising alone. That the publishers need to advertise it more aggressively in order to 'crank up the hype' less it flop.
From what I've seen, the ad campaign has been fairly average and word of mouth has been moderately above average at best due to the popularity of the franchise. I think the remake will do perfectly fine.
>> No. 34636 [Edit]
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34636
Shiki is a 2010, 22 episode horror anime. It also has two special episodes which fit chronologically within the original 22. Shiki is about a vampire plague in a rural, Japanese village. After a western style mansion is built near the village, an epidemic seems to start that kills young and old. Some people attacked by vampires turn into one after dying, while others just die. They die if exposed to sunlight and don't show vital signs like a pulse or body warmth. The catch is that vampires retain their humanity, memories and personality, but must drink human blood to survive.

Shiki fails as horror, to put it bluntly. A big part of this is that vampires are humanized quite a lot. Not just in an abstract, barely visible kind of way, but them acting casually and monologuing is extensively shown. This is done for thematic purposes, but shoots the horror side of things in the foot. The creepiness of mystery is removed and becoming a vampire stops looking bad enough to be scared of. Being attacked could also mean death, but the repetitiveness of vampire attacks also makes them less scary. Music cues and comic relief make it clear that Shiki gives up on being scary. Only the first few, slow episodes manage to be unnerving in that way, before we know what exactly is going on. Some of the gore later on did succeed in grossing me out, which deserves some points.

Shiki is mildly interesting from a philosophical perspective. The questions it raises are nothing new, but the way it asks them is at least entertaining. "Is it right to kill shiki" is a proxy for other quandaries like "is eating meat okay", "does living in a village suck", "is it okay to kill your fellow man to survive, or should you just kill yourself", and most importantly, "do humans = shit"? At only one point does a character suggest a way for shiki to survive without killing others or multiplying, and they get dismissed with a contrived comparison to humans eating meat. Ignoring the existence of vegetarians, if you were to be asked "would you kill and eat a cow that is clearly as smart as a human and could talk and read books and do calculus" and your answer would be "no", the philosophical premise kind of falls apart. I'm surprised that more of the vampires in shiki weren't suicidal or tried running away from the village.

The story itself is entertaining. The structure is a slow start, gradual build-up, big turn, and rapid, brutal rush to the conclusion. This is typical for a thriller, which shiki ends up being more so than horror. The characters are mostly two-dimensional and static, but I enjoyed some of them. It was refreshing to see an academic type of person as a horror protagonist rather than side-character. I also liked the little nods to Bram Stoker's Dracula. Shiki did succeed in making me feel bad for the monsters, but never to the point of making me feel the humans were doing the wrong thing. That being said, the ending is rushed. Two extra episodes added after the finale was already made can only do so much to alleviate that.

Various things which I really expected to happen before the end just didn't for seemingly no reason. Maybe that was intentional to convey a greater sense of brutality or something, but it's also unsatisfying. This also made me wonder why certain characters were included at all since they pretty much just waste screen time without ever doing anything of note. There are a lot of characters. Worst of all, a particular character doesn't die for contrived reasons, and this makes the entire show feel kind of pointless. Maybe this was done for thematic purposes, or maybe it's because of her popularity.

The production values are decent. There's really nice animation here and there and the music is repetitive, but works well enough. The first op is catchy too. The character designs on the other hand are quite jarring. Some of them are super pointy chined and have crazy hair, while others are realistic to point of ugliness. They feel incongruous with each other. More subtle character designs would have also helped on the horror side of things.

I'd recommend Shiki if you're looking for an entertaining, mildly unsettling watch for October or just the fun of it. It's not scary though, so don't expect that.
>> No. 34654 [Edit]
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34654
I watched Little Busters (including Refrain, EX/Ecstasy, and the OVA). Here are my thoughts:

Similarly to other Key adaptations, genuinely emotional moments are dispersed within, but you need to be willing to overlook some drawbacks. There are some great impactful scenes but you need to be patient. Like other Key adaptations, the writing/direction/script feels ham-fisted. Underneath this though there are elements with appreciable artistic merit.

I'm actually quite forgiving of VN adaptations because I understand that by their very nature there are limitations on direction quality. My view is that VN adaptations need to be 'watched differently' compared to ordinary anime. The nonlinear and discontinuous nature of the source material must be taken into consideration. Even with this in mind, the direction ranges from poor to okay. Direction is probably this anime's most significant flaw. Sometimes it feels like it 'fumbles the ball' during crucial emotional scenes.

Little Busters seems to lack the rich atmosphere that was so noteworthy in past Key works like Kanon and Air. Although it does have a similar melancholy undertone and a pervasive supernatural theme.

The cast is large but it's handled well; pretty much every character is likable and given a chance to shine. The female cast in particular has some really memorable characters who are very likable and full of personality; some of them felt like real people to me.

There are plenty of comfy SOL scenes/episodes. Healthy mix of drama and comfy SOL. There are some funny scenes but be prepared for some oh-so-hilarious Japanese slapstick humour, particularly in the earlier episodes. Foreshadowing is sometimes implemented well, and sometimes it is used ineffectively or insufficiently. As you might expect, the series becomes more drama-heavy in the later episodes.

The OST is, on average, maybe not quite as amazing as more well-known Key adaptations like Clannad. Nevertheless, it is still great and there are some excellent songs in the catalog if you dig through it. As expected, there are some absolutely breathtaking piano tracks. The OST is still far better than your average anime and is still a major source of enjoyment, don't get me wrong. I found myself rewinding scenes just to hear the music again. I've set aside a choice selection of songs from all the musical content which I'm certain I'll be listening to for many years to come. Also, I liked the voice acting for the entire main cast.

I think the greater length of this adaptation is capitalized upon effectively. A more elaborate story is woven and a larger cast of characters is constructed, as compared to shorter Key adaptations. I think this is an advantage of Little Busters compared to a shorter adaptation, like Air for example. The greater length also ensures that story arcs are neatly tied up, not rushed or incomplete. Not once during the total 48 episodes did I ever feel like the series was a drag or a chore to watch. I always looked forward to watching the next episode. As time went on, I felt myself become more attached to the characters. Once the cast is fleshed out, the show can be a pretty good 'friend group simulator' at times. I should mention that friendship is a fairly significant theme in Little Busters. The stories are (relatively) more platonic compared to other Key works. I'm not the type of person to ever feel loneliness, but there were moments when this anime invoked whispers of that kind of feeling within me. Being with all the Little Busters characters made me feel like I was in my early teenage years again, or something like that.

I often find that a male lead character in anime can be unlikable or bland at best. Key adaptations are unfortunately no exception to this, but Little Busters is unique in this respect. I found Riki to be a really endearing and likable character. He's so cute too! He had by far the most screentime of any character but I never tired of his presence.

Visually, the anime has a bland art style and colour palette, and the animation is unremarkable. Although I did notice an increase in animation quality for the sequels relative to the first season (this is probably a testament to the success of the original series). More detail was added to facial expressions, which was a major plus in my mind. Even though the same bland art style is used, the sequels have better cinematography, and lighting is used more effectively and in greater detail.

Overall I rate Little Busters 9/10.
I liked it a lot and it made me feel a lot of things. It's not perfect but it still has tons of charm. Maybe a different studio could have done a better job. Despite my (perhaps harsh) criticisms, I did cry during the last episode of Refrain. I think that Little Busters will have a place in my heart for a long time to come. Every time I relisten to the OST I start to feel emotional.


Little Busters is a really good 'depression anime,' in my opinion. If you're feeling sad then the melancholic supernatural atmosphere is really complementary. I think this is true for most Key adaptations.

Would I recommend Little Busters? Not broadly. There are aspects of it that I can see a different viewer disliking. Most of the usual issues with Key adaptations apply here. Although I haven't read it, I suspect that the visual novel might be a better (or at least more authentic) way to approach this.

I did not enjoy Refrain as much as the original series overall. Refrain excluded a lot of the best characters, and I did not like the plot as much, although it did build on the plot of the original series and resolved some unanswered questions. The last few episodes were excellent but the journey there was somewhat rocky.

-sort of maybe spoilers below-

There is a romance arc involving Riki and another character that doesn't begin until the latter half of the entire story. Up until this point I had shipped Riki with this character, and them coming together felt natural in theory. The actual romance arc itself though seemed unnatural and forced from my point of view. It was poorly executed and disappointing. Definitely a lot of potential was wasted because this could have been a potent mechanism of emotional engagement. It felt cathartic for me to see them finally realize their affection for each other, but what followed was so poorly directed I almost wish it hadn't happened at all.

Speaking of character relations, I thought the relationship between Riki and Kyouske was a really promising aspect of the story and I wish it was explored more thoroughly. I would have liked to have seen more character development for Kyouske overall, actually. He was used as a plot device moreso than any other character, so maybe this justifies his lack of development. For better or worse, the male characters overall in Little Busters are relatively undeveloped. Given the importance of the male cast to the plot itself, I think I would have found the show more emotionally engaging if they were more richly characterized.

I'll also make some comments that are specific to the EX/Ecstasy episodes:
- These were included as specials with the Refrain release, so they're not essential to the core plot of the show. They include VN routes involving some less-important characters.
- These specials are somewhat less serious and more fanservice-heavy than the TV anime, so the viewer should set their expectations accordingly.
- Romance is a more significant aspect of these specials relative to the TV anime. There are some decent romance scenes.
- I'm very grateful that the Ecstasy routes came with even more musical content, the quality of which is on par with all the other music put out by the franchise. There are some excellent songs in the catalog.
- I liked the voice acting for the newly introduced characters.
- Overall, I did not like these specials as much as the TV anime. There was a little too much pandering for my taste, and I didn't like the stories quite as much. I still enjoyed watching them, but I don't think they have quite the same artistic value as the TV anime.
- I rate these EX/Ecstasy specials 8/10.


A couple other important things:
- god I want Kurugaya to spank my bum and scold me
- Mio is literally me


Note: at the time of writing this I have not yet seen the Kud Wafter movie.
>> No. 34663 [Edit]
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34663
I decided to watch School Days, the 2007, 12 episode, infamous "romance" anime with soikoylogical elements. School Days is about a boring, unremarkable guy who inexplicably finds himself in the middle of a love triangle that grows into a love hexagon, but just can't choose a girl and so vacillates, acting based only on his selfish desires and fickle "kindness". Sounds familiar? School Days is best seen as a satire of the harem genre.

I don't know whether I couldn't understand the characters at first, or they were so deficient I didn't want to put myself in their mindset. Pretty much none of the characters do the things that you would want the characters to do. Basic tenants like "you should be in a relationship with someone who you actually enjoy being around and want to do things with for its own sake rather than to play the dating game" and "break up with somebody properly rather than cheating on them and stringing them along" are completely ignored. Makoto Mcnormalguy especially was absolutely bizarre. He was seemingly incapable of explaining himself and whenever asked to just stutters and fumbles through a few meaningless words until the other person leaves him alone. The only way his actions make sense are if he's actually being puppeteered by somebody into making awful decisions. School Days is like a high budget walkthrough of the vn it's based on.

Katsura Main LoveInterest goes from being reluctant and almost breaking off her relationship with Makoto immediately after it starts, to obsessively devoted to him and willing to forgive any past betrayal. Makoto on the other hand goes from being pushy and waiting hours at a train station for her, to completely indifferent. Why? I don't know. Maybe people are like this in real life or something. Katsura's character is kind of a lampooning of the oh so shy, timid, reserved archetype, which along with harem is another things I dislike. The show might have been trying to convey that being such a person, someone's who's so much of a doormat and totally incapable of standing up for herself even a tiny bit, is actually a bad thing. People like that are bound to get taken advantage of, which is exactly what happens.

Friend guy is interesting in that he actually does something instead of just serving as comic relief who sits on the sidelines, acts goofy and passively accepts that his buddy who's just as boring as himself gets ton of attention for seemingly no reason. He actually acts out based on his own emotions. After that though he disappears until after the last episode's credits for seemingly no reason. Setsuna, the diet-kuundere, while also unlikable, stands out as the only character with enough of a spine to directly confront somebody else. Every time a character directly says something which the other person may not like, they were forced to by Setsuna. Her motivations, means of going about things and own inexplicable stupidity, keep her from being a shining beacon. If she was actually decent, she wouldn't even associate with any of the other characters.

Maybe Schooldays is actually social commentary on how being indirect all the time and being dishonest to avoid hurting people's feelings because they're supposedly too sensitive, is actually self-serving and harmful to the people involved. Too much aversion to direct confrontation is a poisonous state of mind. In that case, School Days would be like a psa on the importance of being direct and honest.

After episode 6, I got over the inital hurdle of accepting the characters for what they are and enjoyed how things got progressively more pear-shaped. Episodes 10-12 are a rollercoaster and make that slow climb up worth it in entertainment value. While I enjoyed it, I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, because the girl who stabs Makoto to death isn't the one who I wanted to do it. The one who I wanted to kill him stays completely enamored with him until the very end, which was disappointing. I revealed that plot point right now because basically everybody knows about it already and knowing about it in advance actually made the show more enjoyable for me. The biggest question is why does anybody like Makoto? Why on earth do people not see him for what he is and hate him for it? Only one character realizes that he's actually a really bad "catch". If that's the point, School Days did a great job of poking fun at harem.

The animation was mediocre, but not distractingly so. In the last two episodes it greatly improves, especially during the stabbing scene. The music was alright and the scarier tracks are decently done. The op was pretty catchy and my favorite part of every episode. I actually wish it was longer. Just watching it out of context, you would think School Days is about friends having fun, or yuuri and blue angels. There was no yuuri and there was no blue angels.

I would recommend School Days if want to watch awful people do awful things to each other and then all become miserable as a result, or you just want to see a harem protagonist get stabbed to death.

Post edited on 26th Sep 2020, 8:12am
>> No. 34664 [Edit]
>>34663
In a lot of ways, I felt school days was a very ugly but accurate representation of real world "romance" in the packaging of what is typically idealized and unrealistic romance. In those stories, people are generally kind and caring, romance is sweet, and relationships are formed out of love and compassion. In reality however, people lie, use, and manipulate each other for their selfish animalistic desires and have little care if they ruin a life or two along the way. I often hear stories about friend/family of friends that make Makoto seem fairly average. One friend has an std ridden brother who has impregnated dozens of women, each time these women naively think that by having this persons child they can somehow get him to stay with her. Just last week someone I've known for years who is being kept apart from his girlfriend due to covid, told me his girlfriend gave him an NTR green light and that he was considering taking her up on the offer. Loneliness leads people to being easily manipulated and taken advantage of, the fear of being alone again can make them endure horrible horrible treatment from people that obviously don't love them or care about them at all. I knew a girl who was in a relationship with a guy that was very obviously gay, but even has he had her go at him with a strap on, she didn't want to see it and stuck it out until he dumped her. Don't even get me started on how many women I've talked to that have been raped at some point in their life. This is why I for one will die a wizard, not because I can't play the game but because I don't want to. Humans are horrible disgusting filthy animals, and school days makes a lot more sense if you stop looking at them like 2D anime characters, and more like 3DPD masquerading as 2D. Frankly I hated the school days because of how much it reminded me of the real world, which is something I try to get away from when watching anime.
>> No. 34665 [Edit]
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34665
>>34664
I see your point and I predicted that somebody was going to say something like this. School Days is different though in that Makoto gets his comeuppance and the whole thing does seem to be communicating a lesson. If you view School Days as only a mirror of real life, yeah there's no point in watching it. If you see it as a parody, I think there's some enjoyment to be had. I don't like romance anime and I hate the harem genre, so it had some value to me. I never attempted dating and am fortunate enough not to know anybody that messed up in my tiny circle, so it's really easy for me to disconnect it from all that.

I don't see anime as an escape from reality so much as reality with an attractive paint job and actual meaning added to it. The paint can be layed on heavier or thinner, but what's underneath is the same. What School Days has to say about Japanese society is also part of why I got some enjoyment out of it in the end.
>> No. 34673 [Edit]
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34673
I watched Amanchu (both seasons and the OVA). Here are my thoughts:

For those unaware, this anime's source manga has the same mangaka as the more well-known Aria series.

The anime is (superficially) focused on diving but I feel that the activity is just a suitable allegory for the true character-driven story. Superficially it's a SoL show, but it is steeped heavily in romance. I was not expecting yuri romance going into this but I welcome it with open arms.

Romantic. So romantic. The two main characters have great chemistry. Romance is probably the strongest aspect of this anime. There are so many elegantly crafted romantic scenes.

Very nice character designs, especially the faces. I like the school outfits - they're unique (although apparently an homage to Aria?). Actually all of the outfits in the series are really cute.

Good character animation sometimes. Not consistent but it is good when it counts like during close-up scenes. Some episodes are more sloppy than others in this regard. The cinematography during some scenes can be quite nice.

Nice setting. Nice atmosphere. Very relaxing. Soft and sweet. I can practically smell the salty ocean air as I watch this anime. Setting and atmosphere are definitely strong aspects of this show. Very immersive. The setting is the classic coastal Japan that you've probably seen before, but nevertheless it is executed very well.

The OST is decent, depending on your tastes. It mainly consists of acoustic string instruments. It fits the setting well. All the OP and ED songs are good too. Generally speaking, I liked the voice acting of the two main characters, although sometimes Hikari has some mildly annoying quirks. The script can be surprisingly thoughtful sometimes, particularly during more-emotional scenes.

The two redhead sibling characters are kind of weak and drag down a lot of scenes they're in. They are somewhat unlikable and often used for unfunny humour. I found myself dreading their appearance on screen. These two characters are probably the most significant flaw of the anime. That said, they don't really soak up that much screentime, so this is a fairly minor criticism. Generally speaking, Amanchu is at its best when it is focused exclusively on the two main characters.

Overall the romantic aspects of the anime are terrific but strictly as a SoL it is comparatively weaker (although still good in this respect too). The diving scenes are pretty nice, as are the various activities around town, but many scenes are steeped in some kind of underlying character-related drama, so it often doesn't really function as a typical comfy SoL. This is more than fine with me and I really enjoyed the anime, but it's important for the viewer to set their expectations accordingly.

One 'complaint' I have about the anime is that it introduced a few new characters during the latter half of season 2. These characters seemed really promising to me and it was somewhat disappointing that there wasn't enough time to give them more attention. This is a perennial issue with manga adaptations though. Things are rarely tied up neatly - Amanchu is no exception to this. The introduction of these promising new characters late in season 2 impeded the feeling of finality I might have felt at the end of the anime. On the other hand, this has also amplified my desire to read the manga. This kind of thing comes with the manga-adaptation territory. It would be more of an issue for an anime that is more plot-heavy than Amanchu. It's also worth noting that the ending of season 1 was handled really well and left me feeling very satisfied.

My overall rating: 8/10
Some of the best girl-girl romance I've seen in a while, and it's wrapped up in a nice soft and relaxing atmosphere. Very pleasant.

This show seems to be underappreciated/underviewed by fans of shoujo ai. If you like yuri romance then I strongly recommend watching this. On the other hand, someone who doesn't enjoy yuri romance would probably find this anime slightly boring, which might explain the show's lukewarm reception.

I should mention that, at the time of writing this, I have not yet seen or read Aria. I expect that I'd enjoy it though.

I haven't been able to find the specials for this anywhere so unfortunately I have not seen them yet.

>>34663
I finally downloaded this literally yesterday out of morbid curiosity. What a strange coincidence to see it posted here today.

>>34664
I have similar feelings...
>> No. 34675 [Edit]
>This show seems to be underappreciated/underviewed by fans of shoujo ai. If you like yuri romance then I strongly recommend watching this.

Because there was a controversy about one of the members of this romance being a shota instead of a girl amongst yuri fans.
>> No. 34676 [Edit]
>>34675
yeah I'm realizing this now, unfortunately. I had no idea this was such a controversy. Silly dramas like this are one of the many reasons why I don't watch anime as it airs anymore.

Supposedly the anime really played up the shoujo ai aspects, whereas there is more hetero content in the manga. I was unaware of this and now I'm getting a lot of backlash from other yuri fans lol. I'm reading through various archives from when the show aired and it's just endless arguments about this.
>> No. 34677 [Edit]
>>34676
To add to this, I try to avoid taking in any information about an anime before watching, so i don't become biased or tainted by some external info. I want the experience to be as pure as possible. I don't read any other reviews until I'm done writing down my own thoughts.
>> No. 34678 [Edit]
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34678
>>34673
>I haven't been able to find the specials for this anywhere so unfortunately I have not seen them yet.
They're out there, included among the extras in some of the untranslated BD rip torrents.
I only watched the first few. They're mainly just sparsely animated presentations about sea creatures and didn't really capture my interest.
One of the forum posts on the MAL page supposedly links to subbed versions of the episodes, but I can't vouch for them as I haven't tried them myself.

There's also a neat Amanchu!/Aria crossover series that I rarely see mentioned. It's called the みらくるあどばんすプロジェクト (Miracle Advance Project) and consists of a story told over four manga chapters (for which I have found no scans) and its four-episode drama CD adaptation. Episodes 1 and 3 were bundled with special editions of volumes 12 and 13 respectively of the Amanchu! manga, while 2 and 4 were bundled with BD volumes 1 and 3 respectively of Amanchu! Advance. It's worth listening to if you know Japanese and enjoyed both anime adaptations.
>> No. 34679 [Edit]
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>>34678
Thanks for the tips. I did download those drama CDs! I think I will start watching Aria. It will probably be a slow burn for me, but I guess the timing would be good for the upcoming(?) movie.

Having read today more and more about the infamous hetero direction that the Amanchu manga takes, I'm feeling less optimistic about reading it.
>> No. 34680 [Edit]
>>34676
>it's just endless arguments about this.
And it's great.
>> No. 34681 [Edit]
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34681
>>34675
>> No. 34690 [Edit]
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34690
I watched Kuma Miko (including the OVAs). Here are my thoughts:

The anime takes place in a nice rural-Japan setting, which is complemented by the pleasant organic-looking background art when outdoors. Character designs are unremarkable, however the character animation is sometimes better than I'd expect from this kind of show.

Unlike so many other comedy-heavy SoL shows, this show is actually funny. I laughed out loud during pretty much every episode. There are comedic spins on traditional Japanese culture and folklore, plus a lot of lolruraljapan humour. I often dislike comedy-heavy anime but I really enjoyed this one. The humour is way better than the typical slapstick garbage that you might begrudgingly expect. A common theme in the writing is the clash between modern life and traditional Japan. In terms of plot, the show is mostly episodic.

Okay OST which uses traditional Japanese instruments. Suits the mood and themes of the anime, and sometimes enhances the humour. I liked the voice acting for the main character (Machi) and the bear (Natsu). The script also is sometimes thoughtful and is skillfully used to deliver humour.

My overall rating: 7/10
This is a genuinely funny and creative show that is surprisingly underrated. I'm glad I gave it a chance. It has lots of personality and consistently made me laugh.

As you might have heard already, this show caused some bitter with a lot of people. There are two reasons for this, the first of which is that the humour is sometimes politically incorrect and perhaps in bad taste. The main female character is also commonly treated poorly just for the sake of some skit; it's always done in a lighthearted joking way, but I can see why some people wouldn't like this kind of comedy. The second reason for common bitter is the ending of the anime, which a lot of people disliked. There is some truth to this - the last two episodes were probably the weakest of the entire series, in my opinion. That doesn't invalidate my enjoyment of all the other episodes though. Supposedly the anime ending wasn't faithful to the manga, and there was a public feud between the mangaka and anime staff. I don't really know the specifics of the controversy so I'm not going to comment on it. Personally, these things didn't significantly compromise my enjoyment of the anime, but these discussion points are so common that I felt obligated to mention them. It seems like a lot of people complained about how Machi's character arc was handled at the end of the anime. As you can tell from what I've already written, I wasn't watching this anime for the story, so my enjoyment was fairly insensitive to the way that the characters' arcs were concluded. In theory I'm sympathetic to people being upset about an unfaithful adaptation, but since I haven't read this manga it had no effect on my viewing experience. That said, someone interested in this is probably better off reading the manga due to the alleged unfaithfulness of the anime adaptation.
>> No. 34691 [Edit]
>>34690
> There is some truth to this - the last two episodes were probably the weakest of the entire series, in my opinion.
The ending itself might have been fine as an objective sequence of events, but the framing of the ending left a bad taste where it feels like Machi, traumatized by fear, abandons her dreams of going to the city. All it would take is a different framing of "Machi's clearly not ready yet, but she'll keep trying harder" or something along those lines and it would have been fine.

The anime also felt oddly like a commercial at times with the number of brand-name references. Yoshio was also a weak character; even though the show tried to portray him as the absent-minded/scatterbrained type, he comes across more as as an insensitive twat whom you want to punch.
>> No. 34739 [Edit]
>>34691
>All it would take is a different framing of "Machi's clearly not ready yet, but she'll keep trying harder" or something along those lines and it would have been fine.
An alternative I might have liked to see is accepting city life isn't for her, not out of fear but out of a realization that she's happier back home with her friends and family.
>> No. 34758 [Edit]
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34758
I watched the anime movie Koe no Katachi, also known as A Silent Voice or The Shape of Voice. Here are my thoughts:

This is a ~2 hour movie made by Kyoto Animation. My understanding is that it is known for being drama-heavy and emotionally impactful.

The first ~30 minutes were pretty strong. This timespan was well-directed, and the story showed promise. I felt empathy for the characters during this 'grade school arc'. It's common knowledge that the male lead is the bully character and the female lead is the deaf character who is bullied. I'm telling you this for context - I'll talk more about characters further below.

When I do watch movies, I usually prefer longer runtimes. In the case of Koe no Katachi, I'm happy to say that the pacing overall seemed fine. However, one of my major complaints about this movie's direction is that it doesn't handle emotional climaxes well. Hugely important events happen abruptly and without a commensurate level of emotion or seriousness (LOL tone-deaf).

Visually, the animation is quite fluid, as expected. Art style is fairly unremarkable though. Character designs are basically typical KyoAni, but of course with high-quality character animation. I actually think that the unremarkable art style is a smart decision because too much visual flair could distract from the emotional experience. As for the OST, I wasn't consciously aware of it for most of the movie, so I guess it wasn't that intrusive. I recall there being a lot of piano. The soft piano during some scenes did enhance some emotional moments. Voice acting (insert cruel joke here) was unimpressive, and I didn't really like the male MC's voice work. He has this one-note faint soft way of speaking that I grew tired of hearing (very minor complaint).

By far my biggest issue with Koe no Katachi is with the story and writing itself. The lead female character has inadequate development. This is despite all her screentime and her crucial importance in the story. I wish there wasn't so much focus on the feelings of the male MC (at the expense of everyone else, especially the female lead). The movie is utterly dominated by the thoughts, feelings, and development of the male lead. To the point where the female lead is literally just a prop for the presumed viewer's messiah-complex fantasy. It turns out that the character who I empathized with during those first solid 30 minutes is actually nothing more than a prop for what I found to be shockingly one-sided storytelling. At least a typical LN shameless self-indulgent fantasy story doesn't pretend to be anything more sophisticated than what it is. I see the story of Koe no Katachi as being equally crude. Drama doesn't work well when you only focus on the feelings of a single character.

I also didn't like the ending much at all. Particularly among the supporting cast, a lot of the characters' actions didn't make sense. The female lead basically doesn't have a character arc, so there was nothing to conclude there. Of course the ending revolves around the male MC, but it's unclear how any of his own personal issues have actually been resolved. The entire ending felt nonsensical to me.

My overall rating: 4/10
It has some emotional moments but to me it ultimately feels like a good premise was crudely squandered.

-maybe spoiler below-
During the beginning of this movie, it felt like there were some good ingredients for a decent drama story. Eventually though, a somewhat typical romance arc develops. This should have been foreshadowed more. I kind of expected it eventually just because this is a blockbuster anime movie with a teenage fanbase, but it was introduced very abruptly. It could have been executed much better. I would have welcomed the romance if it was built up slowly, but in this case I barely felt any tension before the reveal. This also relates back to the weak characterization for the lead female character. The helpless disabled girl with zero characterization. Pretty much the only time the movie ever focuses on her feelings is when she expresses her romantic affection for the male MC. How virtuous. It's never even explained why she becomes attracted to the MC, she just conveniently is, because she's just an object inside of a universe that revolves exclusively around the male MC.

Other minor comments:
This is a matter of personal taste, but I never ever want to hear anglosphere music in anime - ESPECIALLY classic rock. The movie added a song from The Who, a song I have a vast catalog of bad memories to associate with. Don't ever pull that kind of nonsense again, KyoAni. Thankfully this was only done at the start of the movie, so my viewing experience wasn't disrupted too much.
>> No. 34763 [Edit]
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34763
I saw Wolf Children. This is a bit spoilery as a heads up.
The first chapter(?) that shows how the parents met, seemed a tad rushed and while overall sweet I'd say a little clunky. From how it was presented, It seemed like a case of love at first sight with very little getting to know each other before going all in. I guess the dad just had that animal magnetism? And as I'm sure others have probably pointed out, not only did it seem weird how the mother didn't react at all to seeing her boyfriend turn into a wolf in front of her, but as a viewer it was uncomfortable and disturbing to see them fuck for the first time while he was in furry mode. I can only assume she was a furfag but that detail wasn't explored much. Speaking of unexplored stuff, it's hard not to notice how many unresolved plot lines the movie has for something that's two hours long. I guess it's just a Japanese story telling thing, but as someone who watches a lot of western movies too it can be pretty weird. In western movies 101 everything happens for a reason, and they have a rule of threes where you have 1 introduction, 2 reminder, 3 payoff. In Wolf Children you have characters that get brought into the story, have an issue or potential subplot, then they never get brought up again. For example, they meet an actual wolf that the mother tries asking for advice as if she expects it to talk to her, we're given a snippet of it's story, and while leaving the son comments on how sad the wolf seemed. A few scenes later the son goes to visit the wolf again while showing it his wolf form. A little latter we learn the son isn't going to school anymore and is leaving on his own to visit his "sensei". The mother assumes it's the old man that helped them out before. For the viewer it's natural to assume he's going to see the wolf, but the wolf is never seen or mentioned again in the movie and instead he's visiting a fox who's apparently the master of the local mountain. The old man also disappears from the movie after playing a significant roll, but he did what he needed to, he has an ark of sorts, so I'm not too bothered with him vanishing from the movie. In that vain, it felt so weird that they dedicated so much screen time to the daughter forming a relationship with the douchbag transfer student and to an extent his parental issues, but then never gave that a conclusion. The daughter reveals her biggest secret to the boy and bam her story is over with just an epilogue suggesting she went back to the city for school, the end. I guess it's up to the viewer to just assume that relationship didn't work out. Overall it was a pretty well done movie that almost made me feel what humans call "emotion" at times, it was nice seeing these kids grow up before your eyes with all the ups and downs that come with it, it does deserve the praise I've seen it get so often, though it's not without it's flaws.
>> No. 34765 [Edit]
>>34758
It's been a while, but the manga is certainly (and unsurprisingly) better. Further, the romantic tones are amplified in the movie, and since this movie is about redemption, it makes sense that the male lead receives a lot more focus than the deaf girl.
>> No. 34766 [Edit]
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>>34765
I certainly believe that the manga is better. I realize that the main focus is supposed to be the male character, but the way that the deaf girl is used in the story felt unbelievably dehumanizing to me.
>> No. 34767 [Edit]
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34767
Some rambling thoughts on Release the Spyce (hereby abbreviated RTS), which for some reason fell through the cracks of my usual seasonal watchings.

In many ways I'd consider this as a dual to Princess Principal (>>33494). Whereas PriPri more earnestly focused on the spy aspects, Release the Spyce is at its core closer to cgdct/SoL with the spy-girl aspects serving to set the ambiance. That can go either way depending on your affinity to either genre: if you're interested primarily in action or earnest spy fiction, then RTS may leave you disappointed with its overuse of deus-ex-machina spy gear and a more caricatured protagonist/antagonist dichotomy. Consider, for instance that PriPri puts a lot of detail – almost excruciatingly so – into developing the setting of the underlying political machinations, whereas in RTS you just have the protagonist group Tsukikage fighting the stereotypical "take over the {city|country|world}" ne'er-do-well group Mōryō.

In return for this however, you you get the tighter-knit character friendships and group bonds that you'd usually find in a cgdct/SoL genre (think Kirara-esque – there's the expected yuri tease as well). If you enjoyed the middle-few episodes of Princess Principal (the laundry mill arc, etc. as I mentioned in the review of that series), then it might be worth giving this a watch, especially if you're fond of this cute girls doing X genre for values of X in {spying, combat, justice}. With the exception of the last few episodes (which I'll gripe about later) there's much of the same team dynamic. Enough attention is also given to characterization such that the viewer is compelled to care about the characters and so that tender moments are indeed emotionally moving instead of falling flat. As was unfortunately the case with Yūki Yūna – whose creator was one of collaborators on this anime – and Madoka, portraying "suffering" is meaningless if you don't have a reason to care about the characters, but RTS does a great job of establishing this character connection thanks to its SoL core.

It does seem like the character designs for this were phoned in though, since they're a spitting image of the cast of Yuru-Yuri (the other collaborator is in fact the Yuru-yuri mangaka). That's not necessarily a bad thing, since I personally didn't take to Yuru Yuri (it's not very "yuru" when the main character gets excluded as a stale, repeating gag), so I'm glad to see the designs put to better use here. The fight scenes (what spy work would be complete without them?) are decent both animation & choreography-wise. The accompanying background music was the real star of those though, standing out in its freshness (I can't recall very many instances of repetition), orchestration with the ongoing action, and general ambiance fit.

That being said, there is one major gripe I have about the show, and that is its "plot-twist." And at 3 episodes from the end, it's among the latest plot-twist I've seen, although the viewer is foreshadowed (read: warned outright) of it from the very first episode.

SPOILERS FOLLOW, for both PriPri and RTS

My framing of RTS as the dual of PriPri extends to the way it uses the last three episodes to subvert expectations. In PriPri you had the Ange/Charlotte plot that appears seemingly out of nowhere and usurps the viewer's previous conception of the show. RTS, on the other hand, doesn't have as drastic a change of plot content but does similarly surprise the viewer with the identity reveal of the traitor. This reveal worked exceedingly well in stirring emotions: The potency of the gut punch that is the betrayal plus subsequent deaths stems from the emotional attachment you had previously formed with that character (given that there was an entire episodes devoted to her backstory), and the rest of the surviving cast whom you feel sorry for.

I will absolutely not fault the anime for succeeding in its goal, but I personally felt that episode quite enraging in the way it completely shatters and rewrites what had up till that point been a stellar, enjoyable show. But I suppose my low tolerance for this stuff is why I don't watch much psychological horror or similar (even though supposedly well-hyped media like DDLC or Madoka failed to make any impact on me, presumably because I did not form any emotional bond with the presented characters).

The final episode does try to make amends, but that's where fans of psychological horror might also object. There's supposedly a maxim in media where it's shoddy writing to first kill off a character – allowing the audience to take-in its emotional impact – and then later follow up with a reveal that it was all a fake-out – not only canceling that prior emotional impact but also cheapening the value of anything done in the future. Unfortunately RTS does just this, both in the reveal that the traitor was in fact a triple-agent, and in revealing that supposed-deaths of the cast members were a cover-up. While it leads to a happy ending, by that point you have whiplash with the turn of events and in the severance/re-attachment of the viewer's emotional bonds with the characters, the strength of those ties is ultimately weakened.

Outside the main cast, there's also the subplot with Theresia which suffers from the same violation of this maxim, and the final resolution of her arc feels like it should have had more time devoted to it (props for successfully subverting expectations though, since the audience is fruitlessly left holding their breath waiting for her to jump in and save the protagonist's group in a dire situation). Perhaps all that whiplash can be forgiven by the final tender Yuki/Momo scene though. Would not have expected less from Yuki, lying to the very in order to foster Momo's independence.

So overall, while my preference for a less rollercoaster-y show is clear, I feel it was nonetheless something that was still worth watching

Finally, it’s good to know that crime syndicates – much like big enterprises – write their business logic in C# (and with pretty idiomatic linq usage!).
>> No. 34770 [Edit]
>>34767
>RTS does just this, both in the reveal that the traitor was in fact a triple-agent, and in revealing that supposed-deaths of the cast members were a cover-up
Interest lost.

Post edited on 4th Oct 2020, 3:37pm
>> No. 34773 [Edit]
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34773
Red Garden is a 2006, 22 episode anime about four girls who are resurrected and then must occasionally kill men in business suits who act like rabid dogs and have glowing eyes in the middle of night. Also it takes place in a sanitized version of New York where everybody acts Japanese. The few accurate Americanisms here and there are interesting.

Action isn't the main focus of Red Garden. The fight scenes are pretty mediocre actually. The girls don't get any kind of powers, except later on they can jump really high, and the guys they fight aren't much stronger than average men. Instead, they just beat them death with sticks and baseball bats, which is brutal in a kind of refreshing way.

What Red Garden is really about is the budding relationship that forms between the four girls, who never interacted much with each other before dying despite going to the same school because their personalities are so unalike. The conflicts they have with each other and the people in their past life is quite interesting and well handled. Eventually, it does feel like some of the conflicts they have with their other friends are repetitive and petty, especially with Rachel, who I think got a bit too much screen time.

For the first half of the series, the why and how of their current situation is kept vague, which I preferred. The actual "plot" is nonsensical and boring, so it was annoying when it started taking center stage. The plot makes so little sense it feels like it was improvised after the series already began because they needed something to fill the time. The saving grace of it was a character voiced by the same VA that did Dio, who was at least a little entertaining towards the end when he started going crazy, and a bizarre Gainax-like ending with cool visuals. A couple parts of Red Garden reminded me of Gainax.

The art and character design are jarring in just how mediocre they are. The characters have big noses and lips, which was hard to get used to. This wasn't as noticeable on characters who didn't wear lipstick. Red Garden definitely suffers from early 2000s, tablet syndrome seen often in anime with lower budgets. The last two episodes at least look kind of nice. Also, there's singing. Characters will occasionally start singing something like a melancholy lullaby, but the VAs aren't that good at singing. The child characters are voiced by actual children, and it's just awful. I'm glad that doesn't happen more often.

I would recommend Red Garden if you want to want some decent character interaction set in a novel enviroment and can tolerate a lot of nonsense and subpar art.

Post edited on 4th Oct 2020, 10:44am
>> No. 34774 [Edit]
>>34770
You might want to spoiler that quote, just in case someone here is still planning to watch it.
>> No. 34847 [Edit]
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34847
Higurashi 2006
Nii~pah
When the studio decides to animated *ALL* the paths of a horror story in a rural setting.
>> No. 34857 [Edit]
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34857
Madoka Magica is Urobuchi's 12 episode, 2011, magical girl subversion anime thing. Also, a sequel movie was released in 2013(after two previous recap movies). It's about magical girls suffering a a whole bunch. Before this, I never watched a Magical Girl anime before, so I couldn't fully appreciate whatever subversive elements were in it, but I did notice the lack of team work and meaninglessness of the initially presented good vs evil dynamic.

While watching Madoka Magica, I felt that it was incredibly rushed. I thought they couldn't tell the story properly and needed twice as many episodes. Very little time is spent getting the viewer initially invested in the characters through casual interaction. Bad things also happen almost immediately, so the only reaction it got out of me was "oh. okay. whatever". I kept waiting for when Madoka would become a magical girl because it felt like that was taking forever. This only made sense later on. Many decisions made sense later on. In retrospect, Madoka Magica achieved its goal remarkably efficiently. It stuck the landing, but the spot it landed is far away from what I could easily consider a "good story". I don't know whether it was worth it. If Madoka used the same setting, characters and tone, but had a more conventual story, it might have been more enjoyable than what they did do.

Madoka Magica's characters are pretty flat. Madoka herself is like a non-character who's only there as an audience surrogate, to represent some idea, and act as a plot device when she's needed at the very end. It's also hard for me to understand why the sociopathic, food chain girl had such a large change of heart. I can guess at the reasons for that, but it happened so fast that it's not emotionally convincing. Homura does a really shitty job of controlling events despite having her special knowledge. After learning about her back story, her previous actions made no sense. It seemed like she didn't try to do what she wanted to do, which makes no sense. It only makes sense if the plot wasn't pre-planned, or the plan changed in the middle of production.

The large-scale, philosophical aspects of Madoka Magica are goofy, to put it as succinctly as possible. Very goofy. The entropy explanation was especially funny. Madoka Magica as a whole feels like a 90's throwback with its sci-fi/fantasy literature like focus on the "human condition" and the universe, massive scale endings and moe on top. I think anime has become slightly more down to earth since then. Saya no Uta uses sciencecy elements to create a sense of dread better than Madoka Magica. Saya no Uta is better overall. This might be due to the inherent limitations that come with being about Magical Girls. Being a parody or subversion of something might also not have been worth it if it meant forcing in incongruous elements like souls, magic, light body horror and entropy.

Calling Madoka Magica nihilistic rings a little hallow because humans are significant within the setting and the emotions of pubescent girls are apparently the greatest source of energy in the universe, so much so that they have the power to rewrite the laws of nature. The wishing rules are vague and allow even a normal magical girl candidate to wish for insanely overpowered things. The sense of helplessness needed for a piece fiction to feel "nihilistic" is missing in Madoka Magica, especially because of the ending.

Madoka Magica has excellent production values. The ost is great, the directing is captivating, the scenography is interesting, I liked the surreal, stop-motion bits mixed with 2D animation. I wasn't a fan of the art style used for the characters. I don't really like the wide-face look, but that's not a big deal. The heavy use of glass and transparency was fresh, and probably has a symbolic meaning about communication or whatever. If you're somebody who loves attractive animation for its own sake, I would recommend Madoka Magica for that alone, especially the sequel movie.

The third movie's plot is dumb and confusing. Watching it is also not necessary to get a complete story. The series had a conclusive, understandable ending, unlike certain other anime with a movie attached to it. If Madoka Magica was trying to be nihilistic, it betrays itself twice, once at the end of the series, twice at the end of the movie. The second time was even worse because it didn't even seem special after what already happened. It made me wonder why nothing of that scale ever happened before. There was plenty of time. The movie's ending wasn't Urobuchi's idea, so he can't be blamed for that. It left a sour taste in my mouth, but I would still suggest watching it after the series for the spectacle because it really is that impressive.

I would recommend Madoka Magica if you want to watch something very visually impressive and can tolerate or enjoy "not normal" stories. Or if you want to put a check mark next to the list of anime everybody knows about.
>> No. 34860 [Edit]
>>34857
Madoka – much like Haruhi – seems like a show that receives exponentially more acclaim than appears to be warranted. Perhaps it's due to nostalgia?

> The series had a conclusive, understandable ending, unlike certain other anime with a movie attached to it.
While there's been much digital ink shed over this, I'd take the position that it's the _anime_ had a discordant ending and it's the movie that rectifies this. As a character Homura seems to be a case study of "batshit insane yandere," where she blinds herself with her devotion to Madoka. And each failure only narrows this tunnel-vision, which is why it's amusing to see that some people view Homura as a role-model for "fighting in what you believe in," when the whole point of her character seems to be that what she's "fighting" for isn't born out of some ideal for justice but just out of misguided selfishness. Under this light, does the anime ending – where Madoka goes off to become a magic sky god and Homura just accepting being separated from her only goal – really make sense?
>> No. 34861 [Edit]
>>34860
Haruhi for better or worse changed the face of the industry, it had an all star cast, and it didn't hurt that it came out at a time when anime was just starting to get big around the world. I agree the hype might have been a 'tad' over blown however. In a way, maybe one could say the anime itself was a meme? The creators certainly seemed to love trolling fans. First with the random ep order, then with the endless 8. I didn't understand it myself but got on board because at the time thought "if everyone likes it this much, it must be good". Looking back at it, it really does make one wonder why it was so popular when at it's core it's just a bitch treating her friends like garbage but getting her ass kissed by everyone because she's essentially holding the planet at gunpoint. It's like that ep of the twilight zone where the town lives in constant fear of a kid who sends people he doesn't like to "the corn field" and can do worse just by thinking it. With that said, Haruhi could almost be made into a psychological horror story if you spin it the right way.

Madoka meanwhile has plenty of people who hate it, even back when it aired (such as myself), but we're admittedly in the vast minority. I've debated about it enough for one life time however so that's all I'll say on that.
>> No. 34862 [Edit]
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>>34861
>meme
>trolling
What does that even mean? In any case, the order it aired in originally is the real order. It not matching the chronological order of events isn't that unusual, particularly when the flow of time is a relevant point in the story. It just means you could watch it in chronological order if you so preferred. Regarding her character, certainly she is a selfish brat and placating her is important, but it's not like she's evil. Her antics are ultimately fun for her friends.
>> No. 34863 [Edit]
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34863
>>34860
>As a character Homura seems to be a case study of "batshit insane yandere,"
I didn't see that until watching the movie. To me, it seemed like they decided to change her into that in the movie. I did think it was weird that she seemed most motivated by Madoka, but I chalked it up to Madoka being nice and technically being the main character(the one we followed most of the time). Your interpretation makes some sense if you see Homura as the real main character, which I didn't. Her arc or whatever being fuffilled didn't matter to me because to me she seemed like a device to move the plot. Even if her goal wasn't really selfless and she also didn't respect Madoka's wishes, I'd just see it as tough luck for her. Mami didn't get what she wanted either. I saw the actual main character as Kyubey, like Ryuk. The same as us, Kyubey is an everpresent, seemingly passive, impartial observer using the girls for its own purposes.

>>34861
>Madoka meanwhile has plenty of people who hate it, even back when it aired (such as myself)
I can understand hating the people who say it's the best thing ever or that it saved anime or whatever, but I don't get why'd you hate the anime itself. It's unique, which makes it memorable. It's kind of fun. The presentation is really nice. Great soundtrack. A few interesting ideas. The girls are cute. It's pretty alright.
>Haruhi could almost be made into a psychological horror story if you spin it the right way
>>33057
I thought the same thing.

>>34862
>the order it aired in originally is the real order
The story I read was that the producers literally shuffled the order around. There was nothing intentional about it when they made the episodes in the first place.
>the flow of time is a relevant point in the story
Really? If it was, I don't think it was blatant enough. Baccano! did the out of order thing properly.
>Her antics are ultimately fun for her friends
They do it because it's their job. Nagato didn't like it. As far I remember, Kyon was the only one also selfish enough to think it was fun.

Post edited on 10th Oct 2020, 4:56pm
>> No. 34865 [Edit]
>>34862
>What does that even mean?
I mean "meme" in it's per-bastardized form. Like a fad, people doing or partaking in something because it's popular. The ending theme was a clear example of that, but what I mean is maybe liking the anime was in itself a "meme" for a lot of people? That a lot of people who got on the hype train didn't exactly like the anime or think it was good, they just wanted to fit in and join the fun. As for trolling, well maybe their intent wasn't specifically to fuck with viewers, but animating and airing the same episode eight times in row while wasting a good chunk of the long awaited squeal... I'm not sure what else to call it. A publicity stunt at best, a dick move at worst?

>you could watch it in chronological order if you so preferred.
This was how I watched it on my second viewing a few years back, and it's how a friend new to the series recently decided to go about it.
I wasn't nearly as impressed with it my second time, but I tossed that up to it not being new to me. The person I mentioned meanwhile went from mildly amusing, to disinterred, to seemingly annoyed at the anime by the end. To my surprise they flat out hated ep00 because the stuff leading up to it was that hard to watch from what I gathered. ep00 (the home made movie) was what I showed to a coworker who had some interest in anime, and in his words "What the hell is this, this is fucking awesome!". This was around the time it had first aired. I think the order they went with made things a tad more interesting, it came across as a unique form of story telling that made it a little harder to figure out what was going on and where it was going. Like figuring out a scrambled puzzle, instead of one with steps given to you to follow.
>> No. 34867 [Edit]
>>34865
>I think the order they went with made things a tad more interesting
I've come up with an even beter episode order.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part One
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Two
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Three
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Four
Mystérique Sign
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Five
The Day of Sagittarius
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Six

Then watch movie and skip everything else. That's the best way to get everything of value from the anime without the boring stuff.
>> No. 34872 [Edit]
>>34865
>animating and airing the same episode eight times in row
A thought occurred to me. blu-ray volumes tend to have 2-3 ep each, so doesn't this mean they had had a couple volumes released which were all nothing but the same episode? I would be curious to know how well those sold.
>> No. 34873 [Edit]
>>34872
Well, the BDs are only split by season, although I don't know about the contemporary DVDs.
>> No. 34951 [Edit]
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34951
I watched both seasons of Bubuki Buranki. Here are my thoughts:

My expectations going into this were rock bottom but surprisingly I enjoyed watching it. For those who don't know, this is a mecha-themed action show that is animated entirely in CG. I watched the Blu-rays, which might've been a bit more polished than what was presented to a seasonal viewer.

The plot is kind of a mess and it was sometimes confusing. There were some pacing issues; seemingly trivial things got more screentime than plot-critical events. There were also some questionable decisions, like introducing a bunch of new characters in a short period of time during the latter half of season one. That was probably especially bothersome for those watching the anime as it aired, as opposed to watching both seasons continuously. Another noteworthy thing is that the conflicts/fights rarely have any consequences for the party who loses, which kind of removes any feeling of suspense. The story is somewhat ridiculous at times, and I did not take it seriously. However, the show is sometimes fun to watch and the episodes usually passed quickly. Basically, "just shut your brain off, bro." Admittedly, a lot of loose ends in the plot get tied up during season two. Even beyond the overarching plot, there are a lot of character arcs that the show is constantly juggling. It gets messy at times, especially considering that most episodes spend a significant amount of time on action scenes as well.

The characters were okay, although a few were bland or annoying (looking at you, Kogane). There was adequate character development for the four main supporting characters, but a glaring lack of development for the bland MC. For context, the four supporting characters form the limbs of a mech and the MC is the torso ('heart'). I liked a lot of the antagonist/villain characters actually. There was tons of variety among the antagonist characters and a lot of them were entertaining when on screen. Unfortunately, this is in stark contrast to the zero-personality MC. Overall though, I liked the variety of personalities that were featured in this anime.

Voice acting was decent and there was a lot of variety among the cast. There were a handful of characters (mainly antagonists) who had notably unique voice work. The OST was okay and I liked the OP and ED songs. Felt myself singing along to the first OP. One stand-out aspect was the great sound effects (mainly related to mech function and movement).

Action scenes were pretty fun to watch. Both the human-on-human conflict and the mech fights. I think my favourite aspect of the series was the action scenes. They felt fresh and creative, and the CG allowed a lot of things I wouldn't expect from conventional anime. In addition to motion, the action scenes were very colourful. Aside from the mechs themselves, there were neat weapons and equipment.

Unfortunately, CG is a double-edged sword in that it really inhibits characters' facial expressions, which impairs dialogue-heavy scenes and dramatic moments. One thought I had was that the lack of facial expressions could be compensated for with more-emotional voice acting, but this wasn't discernably employed, in fact many characters are kind of deadpan. It would be interesting though if the use of CG in anime influenced decision making related to voice acting.

This anime has an experimental feel to it. It is surprisingly creative, especially for an action-focused mech show. It is unique from a technical perspective, as well as in terms of the characters and story. With better writing and direction, it could have been a great show. Even so, I don't regret watching it.

Overall rating: 6/10
It was flawed but it had a lot of fun moments and was easy to watch.

For those who like action and mecha shows, you might consider sampling this anime. It has problems but it also has some redeeming qualities. It seems underappreciated.
>> No. 34973 [Edit]
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Flip Flappers is a 13 episode, 2016 adventure, magical girl anime. It's about two girls who have to go to a magical land called pure illusion and collect magic rocks or something. One of them is normal and the other is hyperactive and feral. They can also transform into magical forms somehow and they get some kind of power from it for some reason.

If I haven't made it clear yet, the plot of Flip Flappers is confusing, not because it's so complicated, but because many things happen for seemingly no reason. Some plot lines start and are dropped with no explanation or further development. Flip Flappers tries being different in various superficial ways while still ending up cliche and predictable. It's not the typical magical girl show, yes, but besides that, as a story, it was formulaic, especially towards the end. Nothing ever happens that surprised me and that was a bit disappointing. It's like the opposite problem of Madoka Magica. Flip Flappers also suffers from expositionitis, a condition where a story over relies on flashbacks and exposition dumps to create emotional investment in characters and explain things rather than gradually revealing info and using character interaction to teach the audience.

The characters were pretty static and boring. Cocona didn't have a personality. There was something in there about her being indecisive and dragged along by everybody around her, which is supposed to have been resolved, but this isn't shown in a convincing, meaningful way. One flaw also does not a personality make. Papika was more entertaining, but only had enough depth to be a side character. Yayaka might have made a better protagonist and I enjoyed the scenes with her perspective more. Dr.Salt, the Gendo guy, also disappointed me. He wasn't Gendo enough, he didn't get nearly enough screen time or fleshing out, and his relationship with Cocona is never explored despite their implied connection for whatever reason.

The magical girl, power of friendship thing was contrived and dumb. I didn't buy the friendship between Cocona and Papika. Very little time is spent on establishing the relationship and seeing a gradual change in their interactions. The proper legwork felt missing. I didn't see why they would like each other or how they complement one another either. What sort of chemistry or commonality is there? This is mainly Cocona's fault. One character having a personality and the other not having one is not a real dynamic.

Flip Flappers might be an example of how thirteen episodes is insufficient to tell a really good story. Stuff like the first episode's post credit scene and how what was there is never brought up again make me suspect the writers may have wanted to do more, but cut and changed things to squeeze something coherent into their limited time. I liked the presentation. Good animation and nice music, especially the ed.

I would recommend Flip Flappers if you what to watch something light, not completely cookie cutter, and aren't in the mood for following a complicated plot.

Post edited on 21st Oct 2020, 10:05am
>> No. 34975 [Edit]
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>>34973
Conversely, I absolutely adore Flip Flappers and consider it to be perhaps the most stunning and jam-packed visual work I've watched. Many of your points are indeed valid, but I think FliFla is one of those works that's greater than the sum of its parts. Yes, the plot line is at its core a standard bildungsroman, but that story is immersed in overarching themes of psychology: themes of sexuality (read: yuri), maternal influence, and the mind's role in perception. You're absoutely right in that these threads are scattered about as an amorphous blob and not necessarily presented to the viewer as a cohesive whole. But I think that's why I love it – unlike Madoka or other ambitious anime, it _doesn't_ blugeon the viewer with themes (because quite frankly, properly presenting philosophy is something that's better done via a textbook than an anime). Instead, FliFla delivers an LSD-laced yuri adventure that you can sit back and feast your eyes on, with any thematic content found lurking in its shadows waiting to be peeled should you so choose.

Or in other words, it's one of the few shows I've watched that I can sit back and think upon a few months later, and discover new things. Things such as the episode titles all having to do with signal processing (maybe it's the EE in me speaking, but abstractly representing the mind as a "signal" is a beautiful metaphor that fits elegantly with the idea of amorphous as refactoring perception, briging the gap between unconscious & conscious the same way signals can be transformed), or the fact that the notion of "duality" isn't just seen in the Mimi split but also very visually in the colors of their dresses. Of course, one could claim that it's mere high-school level sophistry to load a bunch of symbols and make claims of substance, but at the very least it's mind-boggling the sheer amount of detail that was put into the show. Which is why it seems ironic that you mention it "lack[ing] a complicated plot," when the common critique about FliFla is that its plot is unfollowable.

So while it would belabor the point to respond to each of your critiques with my own (obviously biased) perspective, I do think that your characterization sells the anime a bit short in dissuading the viewer from watching it.

Post edited on 21st Oct 2020, 9:52pm
>> No. 34977 [Edit]
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>>34975
Ehh, I don't really see it. I didn't hate it. It just wasn't that enjoyable to me.
>the most stunning and jam-packed visual work I've watched
I would place Tatami Galaxy or something Satoshi Kon worked on(probably Paprika) in that role for myself. Above FliFla is also Eva in how "stunning" it was to me. The visual motifs, directing and some specific scenes in Eva will stick to me as long as I live. If I just compare the base invasion scene in both I know which one left a bigger impression on me. I don't know or really care about the minute details or symbolism. My eyes have just liked things a lot more than they liked FliFla.
>yuri
I'm not a fan of yuri. FliFla also only had yuri undertones. It might actually have been a lot more interesting if it had full on, hardcore yuri. That could have forced the writers to consider the character relationships more carefully. I could detect the psychological and sexual and parental issue themes, and I could tell that it was probably referencing a bunch of things i'm not familiar with, but I don't really care about or value that sort of thing for its own sake. I noticed the color swapping and what it might be impying. If the actual characters I'm watching aren't compelling, it doesn't do anything for me.
>one could claim that it's mere high-school level sophistry to load a bunch of symbols and make claims of substance
I would make that claim. If a story wants to have themes, I think it should go at it from a teaching angle, demonstrating them through the story rather than only self-indulging in references.
>it seems ironic that you mention it "lack[ing] a complicated plot," when the common critique about FliFla is that its plot is unfollowable
I don't know why that would be the case. I correctly predicted most of the major plot points well before they happened.
>I do think that your characterization sells the anime a bit short
A prospective viewer can read our posts and decide which person their tastes are probably closer to. I don't give numerical ratings because I think different anime will appeal to different people for different reasons and that the point of watching is getting enjoyment out of it.

Post edited on 21st Oct 2020, 10:41pm
>> No. 34994 [Edit]
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This is going to be a moreso-than-usual bloggish and self-indulgent post, so apologies in advance.

I tried watching New Game and Stella no Mahou. Here are my unrefined thoughts:

Full disclosure: I really can't stand 'game-making' as a premise. I'm not into video games and I did programming for work for a number of years, which has the effect of ruining my immersion and/or reminding me of the workplace. I know other people love the game-making premise, but it doesn't appeal to me at all. Also every person I've ever encountered in the workplace who had a 'gamedev' background was particularly insufferable in some way, and unfortunately this taints my view of things as well. I'm not judging anyone else for liking the game-making premise, I just really don't like it. I'll probably drop both of these anime due to this, but I'm at least sampling them.

Stella no Mahou:
Somewhat ironically, the production quality is doujin-anime level (read: bad). It's a SoL so this is no big deal, but should be mentioned here regardless.

Really ugly character designs (my opinion, sorry!).
Feels like a formulaic SoL (not necessarily a bad thing).

Finished the first episode and I can tell I simply won't enjoy this much. There's really nothing of note here beyond the premise itself. I'm dropping it with no hard feelings. If you enjoyed it, great, but I know I won't enjoy it enough to justify the time spent. Now I am going to give New Game a chance.


New Game:
I have a weird interest in Japanese workplace culture, so I will likely watch more of this than I would of another equivalent-enjoyment anime. Also, I see these characters plastered all over the internet so at least this will allow me to develop some emotional association with them, for better or worse.

Wow this is really similar to a real-life workplace. This is just reminding me of work. I don't know how anyone with an office job IRL would find leisurely watching this enjoyable. With episode titles such as "Salary is Just a Loophole in the Law to Lower Wages", how could I not feel relaxed while watching!
Oh Christ they're going out to lunch together on her first day and stuff like that. Wow this really is anxiety-attack material.
Speaking more broadly, this show incorporates the more unpalatable aspects of Japanese work culture. Foremost, incompetent project management and the long work hours. Framed another way, despite the show's typical SoL saccharine atmosphere, it does seem to present a somewhat authentic simulation of Japanese white-collar work, and that could be viewed as a desirable feature. Like a lot of things discussed here, it really does depend on the viewer's expectations and preferences.

Most of the cast ranges from bland to unlikable. Nene is annoying as hell. Hifumi is my favourite character, but the cast as a whole feels shallow and underdeveloped. That said, the content of the show hardly requires well-developed characters. I will also concede that the supporting cast got a bit more character development during season 2.

OST and voice acting are unremarkable, although the ambient sound of the office setting is done well. The OST did frequently use '8-bit'-sounding music, like one would associate with retro video games, which did suit the theme of the show. I don't like the 8-bit music style at all (in any context), and due to this bias I felt apathetic about its use; someone else might find it charming though.

Animation quality is okay. Sometimes the character animations are fairly detailed, moreso than I'd expect from the average SoL series. The character designs are typical Doga Kobo SoL characters - some are pretty cute. Cute outfits too, sometimes. Visually, I like the colour palette. It is filled with bright pastel colours, even moreso than the average Doga Kobo series. Indoor settings like the office or characters' bedrooms look nice with this bright colour palette. Visuals are probably the strongest aspect of this anime, at least from my perspective.

The plot consists mainly of your typical lighthearted episodic SoL stories, but usually with an office work-related spin or context to them. I know I'm bemoaning this point, but the stories are kind of triggering instead of relaxing because they just remind me of past workplace events. Especially when there's a 'light' conflict in the anime, it gets amplified in my mind because I'll randomly just recall a bad somewhat-related event from like literally years ago. Even outside the workplace, for example, there's a scene where the MC has to go get her blood drawn by an inexperienced nurse. WHY ON EARTH WOULD I WANT TO WATCH THAT? STOP REMINDING ME OF SHITTY REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES.

If I could sum up New Game in one word it would be 'mediocre.' This series doesn't really excel at anything in particular, aside from some visual aspects. Watching New Game felt like I went to a rundown diner and ordered a cheap burger and it arrived cold and soggy, but I still ate it. At the end of the day, I got what I expected. New Game is a typical bread-and-butter SoL show that isn't particularly remarkable aside from the unique premise. Even so, despite the unique premise, New Game felt shallow and formulaic to me. My lack of affection for the cast is also probably a major reason for my lack of enthusiasm for the show.

As you can probably tell already, I am not an impartial judge of this anime, so the reader should pair my opinion with some skepticism. However, I did complete both seasons of New Game (and the OVA), and more generally I am an eager consumer of SoL anime.

My personal rating for New Game: 4/10

I mainly just watched it during meals or immediately before falling asleep.

One outlier was the OVA, which I found fairly comfy. The characters go on a ski trip together. I found it more enjoyable to watch than the office environment, which is probably an indication of my own biases.

Hifumi is literally me.

I'm fully self-aware of how crappy this post is. I just wanted to write my feelings down.


>>34973
>>34975
>>34977
I friggin LOVED Flip Flappers but I'll admit that the last few episodes were rushed. It's still an amazingly creative anime though.
>> No. 34997 [Edit]
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Gunslinger Girl is a 2003, 13 episode, special-ops anime. It's about an Italian government agency which gives little girls who would otherwise die a new lease on life by making them cyborgs, although they have a greatly reduced life spam. However, they also brainwash the girls and use them as weapons against terrorists in "brother sister" teams of a girl and her handler.

While Gunslinger Girl does contain action scenes with little girls firing automatic rifles, the most interesting aspect of it is the relationship between the girls and their handler. There is no standard way for the handlers to train and treat their cyborg. While the girls are brainwashed to lose their past memories, know hand to hand combat, protect and obey their handler, and not be afraid of violence, they retain their personality, awareness of the abnormality of their situation, and some of their autonomy. How the brainwashing works and what exactly it changes about the girls is left ambiguous. To what extent their handler treats them lovingly or like a tool affects the girls.

This idea is played with in all sorts of interesting ways. A lot of time is also spent on showing the girls relaxing in their dorms, talking and having fun together, and generally acting cute. During all this though there's a constant feeling of uneasiness. These girls have killed people in cold blood, some of which probably didn't deserve it. They know it and you know it. Gunslinger Girls does moe mixed with dark elements in a more thoughtful way than anything I've seen before. Madoka Magica doesn't even compare in that department. Gunslinger Girl is down to earth and doesn't rely on entirely fantastical story elements or abstract concepts which let the audience distance themselves.

Italy has a lot of terrorists in Gunslinger Girl. What they want and why is never explained, which I liked. Leaving it ambiguous removes any potential justification or otherwise for them being killed. Making the terrorists sympathetic or villainous would have cheapened the other aspects of the story. The actions scenes usually show the girls acting kind of like berserkers going in and killing everybody there, which was a little hard to believe. Using their arm to block headshots happened a few too many times. They're short and look nice though.

I didn't watch season two since the studio is different and the visuals suffer a large downgrade. More attention is payed to the terrorists and there's a lot of flashbacks apparently. None of that seems appealing or interesting to me within the context of what I already watched. The conclusion to season 1 was dramatic in a way I liked and felt conclusive. Here's a hint, look back at my first paragraph.

I would recommend Gunslinger Girl if you want to watch something that's thought provoking and melancholy while also being cute. Or you're a lolicon like me.

>>34994
Your post was good.
>> No. 34998 [Edit]
>>34994
People like it because of the designs. The brown girl and hifumi are 10/10s.
>> No. 34999 [Edit]
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>>34994
>Stella no Mahou
Yeah I felt it wasn't something necessarily too noteworthy in the cgdct/SoL genre, but I guess there was at least an attempt to portray the character's friendships which – mediocre as it turned out to be – is already solidly above the sea of other shows that don't even manage to do that. The pacing also gets ruined later on as they try to shoehorn some sort of rivalry with Minaha. I think Fujikawa is cute though. (This show is also infamous for having perhaps the worst official subs in the recent decade. Never did I think I would see the phrase "real mccoy" used.)
>> No. 35001 [Edit]
>>34998
I'm one of the five people on earth who liked Yun.
>> No. 35005 [Edit]
>>35001
The kansai dialect is cute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IB6k9MY17w
>> No. 35053 [Edit]
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I watched Harukanaru Toki no Naka de. Specifically, the Hachiyou Shou series, associated OVAs and specials (including prequels and sequels), and the Maihitoyo movie. These various anime are related to otome visual novels which have the same title. These media may also be known by the titles Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time, or In a Distant Time. Here are my thoughts on the anime content:

Harukanaru is a reverse harem but don't judge it based solely on this fact. It is a reverse harem but without cheap trashy fanservice. It actually has lots of nice romantic scenes. The show has artistic merit.

Large cast, most of whom are well developed and decently characterized. Unlike so many others, this anime takes advantage of its length by developing its characters. Character development augments romance so well, so in this case it is of particular importance. Similarly, despite the large cast, within the harem there is a diverse variety of personalities; each character is distinctly unique from the others. Takamichi, Yasuaki, and Eisen are my favourite characters. The female MC is a comparatively bland character relative to the male cast, which is regrettable but not surprising since this is a reverse harem series.

Romance, lust, love, envy, teamwork, prejudice, duty and various other themes are explored in an emotionally engaging manner.

Really nice soundtrack which uses traditional Japanese instruments extensively. Although the number of songs in the OST is relatively low, especially when the length of the anime (26 episodes) is taken into account. Consequently, some tracks are repeated quite frequently. The quality of the music is high but I simply wish they produced more of it. Regardless, the OST was enjoyable enough to be placed on my portable music device. The voice acting is decent as well.

Nice traditional japanese outfits. Character designs in general are attractive despite the production year. The animation is serviceable. The character animations are generally crude but they did an okay job at animating facial expressions, which to me is far more important than any action scene (Note: this aired around early 2000s).

The historical setting felt genuine and immersive. After the credits they even have these cute short "guide to traditional japan" segments. Sometimes there are old Japanese poems displayed at the end of episodes as well. Supposedly the story takes place in and around the coetaneous capital city during the Heian period of Japanese history (and the sequels take place progressively further in time).

The pacing is slow but I was fine with it because it allowed for richer characters and setting. That said, much of the actual plot I found kind of dull. Specifically, the demons-versus-guardians plot device felt repetitive and boring after a while. This is my most significant issue with the anime. The show was at its best when it focused on character development and character interaction, instead of the boring unengaging plot.

In terms of direction, again this was most flawed in regard to the plot. Specifically, I was sometimes confused by what was happening and why the characters were doing what they were doing.

My overall rating: 7/10

I think it's worth mentioning that I was forced to suffer the indignity of streaming this because the one torrent I managed to download only had french subs (unbeknownst to me beforehand). Anyway, my point is that this anime has a high probability of being lost in the sands of time (pun intended - see anime title harhar), and for this reason you might want to watch it soon if it sounds appealing.

I'd also like to make some comments that are specific to the 2006 "Maihitoyo" movie:
- the tone/atmosphere was notably darker than the original TV series.
- comparatively better animation, unsurprisingly. Furthermore, a lot more care was put into lighting, cinematography, and artistic detail. Overall visuals were definitely much stronger than the TV show.
- entirely fresh soundtrack which was just as great as the original TV series.
- I liked the demon love interest more in this than in the TV series.
- the focus was mainly on the female MC and her character arc during this movie. However, this comes at the cost of not using the usual male characters for anything more than trivial plot advancement. Which is unfortunate because this series is good at using the males for character-driven story arcs. That said, I actually thought the movie's story was excellent, even though the usual male characters of the TV series weren't used in any meaningful way. In fact I might even rewatch this movie because of how much I liked the story (or perhaps read the VN it's based upon if I can find it).

The sequel OVAs are all kind of bad and my enjoyment of them was at best lukewarm (although the music is quite good). These OVAs were probably meant to be paired with the visual novels, as opposed to the TV anime and Maihitoyo movie, both of which can be enjoyed by a viewer otherwise unacquainted with the franchise. I dropped the second of the animated sequels (Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3), mainly because all of the characters and backstory had presumably been explained in other franchise media, making the viewing experience incomprehensible from my anime-only perspective.

Finally, here's a list of the animated franchise content with my corresponding numerical ratings.
Ajisai Yumegatari: 5/10
Hachiyou Shou: 7/10
Maihitoyo: 7/10
Shiroki Ryuu no Miko: 5/10
Kurenai no Tsuki: dropped ~30 minutes in.
>> No. 35124 [Edit]
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I watched both seasons of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (henceforth referred to as simply Rakugo). Here are my thoughts:

As someone who likes any kind of theater as well as traditional Japanese culture, and often enjoys josei works, I expected that I would enjoy Rakugo.

The show takes place during a transformative time (mid-20th century) in the history of Japanese media. Older, more-traditional forms of entertainment have been overtaken by television and radio. For those who don't know, rakugo is basically a style of traditional Japanese stage performance which involves verbal storytelling. The main focus of the anime is the practice of rakugo, hence the title. Somebody with greater knowledge of rakugo might appreciate the nuances of the show more than I did.

The story of the anime is complex and intelligent. There are many well-developed characters, each of whom has their own motivations and feelings. The dynamics of these characters are woven together to create a rich character-driven story. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately, the writing suffers from a serious flaw, in my opinion. Although the characters are complex, they are still boring and very often unlikable. I didn't empathize with any of the characters, nor did I enjoy any of their personalities. In fact I detested some of the most important characters. This is an admittedly subjective but nevertheless serious problem for a highly character-focused show such as this. My distaste for the cast seriously impaired my enjoyment of this anime. There is a buffet of hateable characters in this show to pick from. There were multiple characters for whom I came to loathe their appearance on-screen. This is true for both seasons of the anime. Another thing worth mentioning is that a lot of the plot mechanisms through which drama is derived are cheesy soap-opera material. This isn't an objectively bad thing (I'm fine with cheesy drama), but it does clash starkly with the show's sophisticated reputation.

Much like the practice of rakugo itself, the delivery of a story is as important as its content. At its core, this show has an okay story (regardless of the character issues). However, I think it could have been executed much better. I am fine with slow pacing in anime, as long as the screentime is used in some way that delivers value to the viewer. For example, if I really like a cast of characters then I'm completely fine with the show having zero plot. In fact I usually prefer slow pacing and little plot because it means that the screentime is used for something that I appreciate more. In this anime the pacing is slow, but there's little corresponding upside to this. The show is often very dull and boring. The screentime isn't used effectively. Episodes are often completely mundane but without any of the usual positive characteristics of, for example, a typical SoL show. There is no humour, very little romance, generally unremarkable visuals, etcetera; there's often just nothing of entertainment value. This anime sometimes feels like watching paint dry.

Visually, the show is kind of dull. It's not poorly animated, but it is fairly 'no frills' and doesn't have much discernable artistic flavour. Sometimes there are some nice backgrounds, but these frames are infrequent. To put it another way, the show is visually adequate but certainly there is room for improvement. Occasionally the cinematography is nice, but again this is not the norm. I think there was a general trend of the outdoor scenes appearing higher effort and visually richer, as compared to the duller indoor scenes where most of the show takes place. Also, I didn't like the character designs at first but eventually they grew on me. Another subtle aspect here was character animation. During more-emotive scenes the character animation can be very smooth and detailed (for example, facial expressions during rakugo performances).

Given the importance of oration in the show, I'm thankful that the voice acting is pretty great. In fact, the voice acting was a significant source of enjoyment for me. Most of the main characters have very distinctive and refined voices that match both the time period as well as their own style of stage performance. The script is also sometimes quite thoughtful, as one might expect from a rakugo-focused show. As for the OST, it is nice overall, and the frequent sound of traditional Japanese instruments suits the theme of the anime. There is also a lot of 50s-ish-era music, which frankly I'm not a fan of but it is appropriate for the time period.

The actual rakugo scenes themselves are kind of boring to watch. They are often long and without any accompanying visual flair at all. Watching a character recite a simple short story (that you've often already heard!) for many minutes is not particularly exciting. I'm usually quite patient with this sort of thing. I think more could have been done to make the rakugo scenes entertaining. For contrast, take for example the shogi scenes in Sangatsu no Lion. I quite enjoyed these scenes because I could strongly feel the emotions of the characters, in addition to the creative visuals provided by Shaft. Rakugo could learn some lessons from these shogi scenes. Of course on the other hand, having absolutely no visuals at all is a more authentic depiction of rakugo. I suppose how one feels about the rakugo scenes will depend on how they prefer to balance cultural authenticity and entertainment value.

Is Rakugo a complex and intelligent show? Yes.
Did I enjoy watching it?
Only somewhat.

My overall rating: 5/10
There are elements of the show worth appreciating, but this doesn't fully compensate for all its other negative attributes.

Lastly, and I only bring this up because I know that some readers will have this on their minds, I'm completely indifferent to the paternity controversy. It did not change my view of the anime and I think that a lot of people overreacted to that aspect of the story. As far as criticisms of the writing go, there is plenty of fruit that hangs lower. I would even say that the paternity subplot was kind of clever, although its execution in the anime was poor. In any case, I wish people would stop obsessing over this and instead discuss the rest of the anime's substance. There is plenty of fertile discussion material.
>> No. 35131 [Edit]
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I watched both Barakamon and Handa-kun(partially). Although it aired ~2 years afterwards, Handa-kun is the prequel to Barakamon. My thoughts on both anime are provided below, beginning with Barakamon.

Barakamon:
The comedy is both unfunny and frequent - the worst possible combination. There is a lot of comedy in this anime and my distaste for its flavour is probably a significant reason for my lack of enthusiasm for the show.

Fairly generic SoL characters. Character interaction, particularly for the MC with the rest of the cast, is one thing that the anime does an okay job of. Additionally, the antics of the kids in the show are kind of cute I guess. My favourite characters are Tamako, Miwa, and Naru. Otherwise, the rest of the cast is totally forgettable.

In terms of direction, the tone of the show is all over the place. I feel like I get whiplash sometimes by the way the mood of the show jumps around. Additionally, as I already said, the comedy is excessive and interferes with a lot of potentially emotional or sentimental moments.

Bland art style and unremarkable animation. The OST is similarly unremarkable although the OP and ED songs are okay.

The VA for the young girl character (Naru) does a good job, aside from this the voice acting is unremarkable. Actually, the MC has a deep and sexy voice but that's probably irrelevant to the anime's artistic value. I find the MC in this strangely attractive.

This anime doesn't really excel at anything and is basically just another mediocre comedy-heavy SoL show. It's watchable but I'm mystified by the praise it so commonly receives.

My overall rating for Barakamon: 5/10
For me, this was basically just a 'filler' show to scratch the SoL itch. I think I would have liked it more if it had less comedy and better characters.

I asked other people what they liked about this anime, and the most common aspects were the characters, the atmosphere, and the personal development of the MC as well as his interaction with the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, none of these things really ever clicked with me. I would say that the thing this anime does best is character interaction, but even in this regard it is still mediocre. If the manga provides richer characterization then I'd imagine it's better than the anime.

Tamako is literally me.


Handa-kun:
Whether or not I enjoy this will likely depend entirely on how I feel about the flavour of comedy, given that this is a comedy-heavy series (even moreso than Barakamon).

I thought that I might like the comedy in this because it sounded like it involved a lot of situational humour. In reality though it is unfunny and not entertaining, based on the few episodes I watched.

I dropped Handa-kun after completing 2 episodes.
>> No. 35144 [Edit]
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I watched Sakamichi no Apollon, also known as Kids on the Slope. Here are my thoughts:

A music-themed josei drama is right up my alley, so I expected that I would enjoy this. Unfortunately, despite my optimism, I was disappointed by this anime.

The anime has pretty good direction. It feels movie-like, both in terms of direction and production quality. Very polished.

Decent character designs for the male characters (can't say the same for the women). Although the art style is bland, the animation is fluid and looks nice. The colour palette is quite dull and muted, but admittedly it does suit the retro-Japan time period.

I really like YUKI's vocals, so it's not surprising that I enjoyed the OP song. The ED song grew on me over time as well. The OST itself was unremarkable from my perspective, but jazz fans may feel differently. Voice acting was alright; I thought the VAs for Sentarou and Yurika did a good job.

The characters each have unique personalities but one thing they all have in common is how immature they behave. This immaturity is frustrating, not endearing. Particularly so, given that this is a serious drama show. The main character is about as likable as Holden Caulfield (read: insufferable). In fact, I did not empathize with any of the characters in any way, despite the drama-heavy nature of the story.

Although the story takes place in the 1960s, this has fairly little relevance to the content of the show itself, aside from the prominence of jazz as a popular music genre. Give everyone a cell phone and it would easily pass as a high-school anime set in the modern day. It all felt very generic, regardless of the high production value. Basically just a jazz spin on a typical high-school drama anime. This generic feeling is compounded by the stereotypical mechanisms through which drama is created in the story.

I really dislike 'love at first sight' in fiction. It feels so shallow, forced and lazy on the writer's part. "These two characters just saw each other and never even spoke and now they're arbitrarily in 'love' with one another" ugh. This anime is guilty of doing this multiple times. Groan. Generally speaking, I also dislike love triangles (or n-dimensional polygons, in this case). That kind of writing was stale literally four centuries ago, and it certainly isn't creative now. The love 'geometry' in this anime feels like lazy, uncreative, and eyeroll-inducing writing. If romance is going to be the central focus of a story, then it needs to be implemented better than the fictional equivalent of playing dollhouse and randomly pressing your dollies' heads together and yelling "now kiss!". This kind of thing can be very frustrating to watch. Similarly, the way that characters react when this so-called 'love' is not reciprocated is equally groan-worthy and feels like a chore to watch. Simply put, the characters (specifically, their behaviour and interaction) are written terribly. For this reason, the high production value of the show is just lipstick on a pig, unfortunately.

One thing I will praise is the absence of humour in this anime. I can imagine a different version of this show where unfunny comic relief is laid on heavily. Thankfully this was not the case and the anime kept a consistently serious tone. This is in contrast to, say for example, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, which I recall having dreadfully inappropriate comic relief.

My overall rating: 3/10
Although it is skillfully produced, this anime fundamentally has a very poor story. I often felt frustrated while watching due to the bad writing. Very disappointing. I am quite surprised by how praised this show is. It felt like an anime adaptation of a really bad soap opera.

Although I am capable of enjoying many different kinds of music, I unfortunately have never been able to get into jazz, despite multiple attempts to do so. Someone who likes jazz might enjoy this anime more than I did. In any case though, music is not an important aspect of the show. The majority of the episodes are crammed full of awful fanfic-tier teenage drama which overwhelms any potential for a significant focus on music. Lastly, just for clarification, I have no problem with drama in anime at all, in fact it is one of my favourite genres. Like I've already said, the fundamental problem is the writing, not simply the drama-heavy nature of the show.
>> No. 35173 [Edit]
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35173
I watched Norn9: Norn+Nonet, which is an anime adaptation of an otome game. Here are my thoughts:

Cheap animation. Visually, the anime appears low budget and sloppy. Sometimes the background setting looks good, but the character animations themselves are consistently poor. Art style and colour palette are also fairly bland. Character designs are okay. There are occasionally some scenes where the visuals are nice, but the anime is very inconsistent, and on average weak, in this regard.

Fantastic soundtrack. Truly exceptional. I actually started listening to the OST long before I watched the anime itself. I even put it on my portable music device. It has some amazing tracks. The OST is by Kevin Penkin, who more recently made the wonderful Made in Abyss soundtrack. Voice acting is okay - the three lead female characters all do a good job.

Interesting sort-of-steampunk sci-fi setting with sky ships and things of that nature. Very little is explained but it's still lightyears better than your typical school environment.

The main character, for lack of a better phrase, is a complete autist. She is very awkward, shy, naive, and has zero social skills. Some people might find this tiresome but I thought it was kind of endearing. I'm so used to seeing males as the socially unskilled character that it's refreshing to have a female lead character fill that role. Actually there was a general trend within the entire cast of the female characters being introverted or strange in some way, whereas the male characters were comparatively more normal. Otome media typically focus on one main female character, but in Norn9 there were multiple female characters each of whom had their own character arc; I quite liked this aspect of the show, although I think a longer runtime was needed to comfortably accommodate each character arc.

Both the plot as a whole and the scene-by-scene drama felt ham-fisted to me. This is a common quality among VN adaptations. It's not necessarily a bad thing; it can be enjoyable as long as you expect it. That said, from early in the series it felt like a ton of plot strings and individual character arcs were introduced at once, and this made the viewing experience somewhat perplexing, particularly during the earlier episodes. Similarly, although character development is implemented frequently, it's not enough to compensate for such a large cast of characters, most of whom were introduced early in the series. However, character development among the core main characters was handled alright.

Romance is a strong aspect of the show, despite it sometimes being as ham-fisted as everything else. Most episodes have at least one decent romantic scene. There are also multiple romantic pairings that are developed, which is something I enjoy in romance-focused series. The use of multiple different couples among a unique set of characters creates variety in terms of character interaction and the chemistry of the romance itself. This anime really delivered on the romance front, in my opinion. It frequently made me feel warm fuzzies within myself while viewing.

My overall rating: 7/10
I enjoyed watching it, but it would have been much better if it wasn't so unpolished. It was good, however there was still a lot of unrealized potential. Norn9 does romance really well, has an amazing soundtrack and a unique setting. However, it also has serious direction problems.

I really want to rate this higher but I can't ignore the fact that I spent a considerable amount of the viewing time feeling confused about what was happening. I'm not sure if the intended audience for the anime was someone already acquainted with the VN. Apparently the VN is way longer and more elaborate than the content of this adaptation. I have not read the VN and my critique does not apply to the VN. I would like to read it though, and then rewatch this anime with a better understanding of the story. I wish the anime itself was much longer because there is clearly so much more to the story than was included in this single cour. In fact, trying to adapt the VN into a mere 12 episodes is probably a major cause of this anime's problems. Someone truly interested in this franchise is probably better off reading the VN before watching the anime.

I would only recommend watching this to someone who enjoys shoujo-ish romance, or to someone interested in seeing an otome story implemented in a sci-fi setting. However, even if this anime doesn't appeal to you, the soundtrack itself is worth a listen. Kevin Penkin is very talented.

I'd also really like to read the manga associated with this and I'd appreciate it if anyone knows where I could find the raws.

My favourite character was Nanami.
>> No. 35186 [Edit]
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35186
I watched Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online. Just to clarify, this is the single-cour anime which aired during Spring 2018. Here are my thoughts:

This is just a short review strictly addressing the SAO Alternative: GGO anime. Nothing I've written here is targeted towards the rest of the SAO franchise. For the record, I have seen (a few years ago) the second season of SAO where the GGO setting is featured. Again, I'm not going to discuss SAO as a whole, just the SAO Alternative: GGO anime. Some people have really strong opinions about SAO and I'm not looking to start arguments.

SAO Alternative: GGO is unique from the rest of the SAO anime in that it is made by Studio 3Hz, instead of the usual A-1 Pictures. The visuals of this anime could be better, but they weren't bad either. I expected a slightly higher level of visual production quality from an anime bearing the SAO brand. However, there were a lot of action scenes to animate so I can't blame the studio if the budget was a little stretched. Still, I think that improving the animation quality would have enhanced the show considerably, particularly during the battle scenes. Art style was fairly generic.

In case you couldn't tell from the all-pink gun-carrying girl with a bunny-ear hat in the promo art, this anime is fairly silly. It is not something you should take seriously. This goes without saying, but don't expect realism from this anime (this sentence is directed at all the armchair Navy SEALs out there on the internet). That said, it is a pretty fun show to watch. The battle scenes are fun and entertaining. Although often silly, there is a fair amount of suspense during the battle scenes. I found them engaging.

The main character LLENN is likable and cute. All of her facial expressions, particularly during the battle scenes, enhanced my enjoyment of the show. In fact, her reactions to things in general were enjoyable. I liked her as a main character. However, I didn't like anyone else in the cast. Thankfully LLENN is almost constantly on-screen.

The writing is really bad. Don't expect a good story from this because you won't get it. All I will say is that the writing is ridiculous but in a bad way. If this anime didn't have a firearm-combat theme then it could probably pass as a kids' show (perhaps this is an intentional artistic decision). The story feels like a 14-year-old wrote it (maybe not surprising considering the SAO audience demographics). Fortunately, the story is not very intrusive and can be fairly easily ignored by the viewer. Although the exception to that is the last ~2 episodes, which are very plot-centric because this is when the story climaxes - unsurprisingly these are also probably the worst episodes in the entire anime, in my opinion. Also, the ending of the story is very underwhelming - don't get your hopes up for any kind of satisfying conclusion. I should mention that the writer for the source material (a light novel) of this anime is different than the writer of the original SAO series. Interestingly, the author for SAO Alternative: GGO is the same person who wrote Kino no Tabi.

The sound effects are alright, could have been better. From what I could hear between sounds of gunfire and explosions, the OST was decent. However, they kept plugging this singer into the story under a fictional name, and apparently this singer made her IRL debut using her real name shortly after the anime aired. It seemed like some kind of promotional deal but I don't know the specifics. I'm fine with promoting vocalists in anime since music is a major source of my enjoyment of the medium, but I wish that the promotional arrangements were less transparent than they seemed here. I don't know the full story but it simply irked me a little. As for voice acting, LLENN's VA actually did a great job, but nobody else impressed me.

My overall rating: 7/10
This anime is very easy to watch - I completed the entire thing within three days of watching the first episode. It was really fun (particularly the battle scenes), although the writing is quite bad. In terms of characters, LLENN pretty much carried the entire show.

The simple fact is that watching a girl dressed in all pink run around and shoot opponents with her P90 submachine gun ("P-chan"), all the while making cute facial expressions and reactions, is entertaining as hell. I would definitely watch a second season, even if the writing were just as awful.

My advice to someone planning to watch this: set your expectations based on the positive and negative attributes identified here. Don't take this anime seriously. Fun things are fun.

Lastly, this anime can be enjoyed by people who haven't seen any other SAO show. However, there are some infrequent references to the second season of SAO, so the optimal time to view this is after watching season two of the original series. It's no big deal either way though.
>> No. 35188 [Edit]
>>34860
>it's amusing to see that some people view Homura as a role-model for "fighting in what you believe in," when the whole point of her character seems to be that what she's "fighting" for isn't born out of some ideal for justice but just out of misguided selfishness.
Is it true that Homura-fans are under the erroneous impression that Homura fights for Justice?

Homura herself in the movie openly acknowledges her own selfishness. Considering this then, if I saw a Homura-fan admire Homura for "fighting for what she believes in" then I would assume that what they respect is not because they mistakenly perceive her to be a virtuous fighter for justice but rather, her outright, shameless selfishness.
While I've never actually read Nietzsche and I most certainly haven't read any of the Greek philosophers Nietzsche was directly addressing in his works, I think we've all been exposed to Nietzsche's idea of the will or, at the very least, Aleister Crowley's "Do what thou wilt" and so, and I say this especially with regards to myself and my own notions of the messages of Nietzsche, I think there is amongst some people a romanticization of what you consider to be misguided selfishness. I think there is this notion that one should "manifest their will" and basically just do as they please. To set up radical goals and pursue them to the fullest, to "build your cities on the slopes of Vesuvius!" as Nietzsche puts it because that's how one should live. Homura exemplifies this by doing what should be impossible and possessing Madoka, despite the fact that Madoka has become a God. This fight against the impossible, against reality, against nature, and emerging victorious is why I think those Homura-fans, if you were to inspect them more closely, probably don't see Homura as fighting for Justice to begin with and embrace her anyway.
I think the only thing that makes Homura a character that one can publicly support then is the fact that she fights for love which in our current milieu is respectable. I'm quite certain this wouldn't be the case if this dedication of hers was towards something like money or if her feelings towards Madoka had a sexual element to its ultimate expression.
>> No. 35189 [Edit]
>>35188
>Is it true that Homura-fans are under the erroneous impression
>Romanticization of what you consider to be misguided selfishness... Homura exemplifies this by doing what should be impossible
Beautifully worded, and yes in retrospect I believe you are right. It does seem that what draws people to Homura is that ubermensch-esque pursual of goals.

That said, I still assert that the "love" Homura fights for is misguided – what she loves isn't Madoka herself but the _idea_ of Madoka that she's built up for herself over time. And since this "love" is the only aspect that gives her life meaning, this effectively means that the larger-than-life mirage/idealization she has constructed for herself has blinded her from reality. So if you were to view this from the perspective of a person fighting for what they love, one is forced to accept that the arc of Homura is not a respectable one, but instead a cautious tale of losing yourself to your romanticizations.
>> No. 35190 [Edit]
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35190
>>35189
>a cautious tale of losing yourself to your romanticizations
It doesn't seem that cautionary. She gets what she wants and faces no punishment. I could see that if there was another movie where she gets brutally killed off and Madoka's status quo is returned. Homura's single-minded obsession with Madoka makes her a less interesting character in my opinion. In the show, she was kind of mysterious, which was cool enough, but now we know she just has one goal for some non-specific reason and little of her own personality. Before she was a shy, wallflower and now she's super hard and she has a hard on for Madoka, but that's pretty much it. I don't get being a fan of such a simple character.

We don't even know what exactly Homura sees in Madoka and Madoka herself isn't interesting enough for us to guess. Madoka is just nice and at the very end decides to be self-sacrificial partially because of her lack of self-worth.

Post edited on 30th Nov 2020, 4:11pm
>> No. 35239 [Edit]
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35239
I watched Long Riders. Here are my thoughts:

Overall low-budget visuals. Which is kind of a shame because this is the kind of show that would benefit tremendously from high visual production value. Crude CGI is frequently used during the biking scenes, and in general there are many 'quality' moments. For the record, I watched the Blurays.

I was happy to see that a decent amount of attention was paid to technical aspects of biking. It did feel like the creators actually did cycling as a hobby. That kind of authenticity is a major plus in my mind. Serious performance cycling has always seemed like an interesting hobby to me, so naturally I was interested in watching this anime. I was glad that it took the hobby seriously and made it a significant focus of the show, instead of just using it as a superficial excuse for another cookie-cutter CGDCT anime.

The characters were very bland, but it's a non-dramatic sports show so I didn't expect otherwise.

This anime pretty much did what I expected. It's basically a biking-with-friends simulator. It was fairly comfy. Aside from the biking theme, which I did enjoy, it felt like a generic anime with no other noteworthy qualities.

OST and voice acting were unremarkable. I liked the OP song though. The various subtle sounds of cycling were handled alright as well.

Road cycling in real life terrifies me for safety reasons even though I enjoy biking in general. It was nice to live vicariously through this anime, even though it was kind of mediocre.


My personal overall rating: 6/10
It was adequate. From an artistic perspective this anime is bad, but it does a good job of exploring the cycling theme in an authentic way. My enjoyment was mostly derived from using this anime as an activity simulator.

If you're looking for an anime that genuinely focuses on the activity that it's supposed to be about, then Long Riders might be worth your time. However, if you're looking for memorable characters, or a good story, or nice audiovisual production, then you're better off looking elsewhere.

I ship Ami and Aoi together. The naive girl and the mature girl together is an appealing character dynamic.

I liked this anime more than its motorized counterpart, Bakuon. Long Riders was comfier whereas Bakuon was filled with unfunny comedy and didn't focus on actual (motor)cycling enough.
>> No. 35268 [Edit]
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35268
I watched the first season (24 full-length episodes) of Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan. Here are my thoughts:

This is a comedy show, the main shtick of which is that the main character has psychic powers. Sometimes the humour is unique and creative. Mindreading and psychic powers are used to put a unique and entertaining spin on absurdist and situational humour. The show consists of
short (~5 min.) skits. These skits are hit and miss in terms of my enjoyment of the comedy. I watched the ~25-minute episodes which consist of 5 skits. Longer stories are presented as multiple sequential skits; the longer stories never exceed the length of a single episode.

Decent voice acting that enhances the humour — especially Nendou, whose voice is hilarious. Everyone in the show speaks very quickly. I'm not sure if they literally sped up the voices post-recording, but in any case it made the show more digestible. The fast dialogue combined with short skits makes it easy to burn through episodes. In terms of music, some of the OP and ED songs are pretty good. However, the OST has a seemingly small number of tracks, given the length of the season. Some tracks are repeated very frequently. Sometimes the music does enhance the humour. In fact the familiarity of songs that are played exclusively during humorous moments can help increase my anticipation of a punch line, or something of that nature. For example, the unforgettable "Judgement Knights of Thunder" song which plays when the chuuni character is doing chuuni things. I'm even chuckling to myself now thinking about that song because it was always used during comedic scenes. It's like a Pavlovian effect.

Although not a huge issue for me, the visuals in this are poor. The art style is very lackluster and the animation appears low budget. Furthermore, there are barely any lighting effects at all. The character designs are also very simplistic. All this said, exceptional visuals would probably just be a distraction from the show's true appeal, which is its comedy. My most significant critique in this regard is that I would have liked to have seen more detail in facial expressions.

The show is shounen target demographic, which was cause for my apprehension going in. The show is okay, but a lot of the humour does revolve around typical high-school anime scenarios. Many of the jokes are the same tired school-setting comedic scenarios that are recycled but with a psychic spin, instead of something truly unique. The writing is clearly targeted towards a young teenage male audience. I think I would have enjoyed the anime more if it were not in a typical school setting. It felt like the creativity was nerfed somewhat by the need to appeal (and be relatable) to the teenage audience. Additionally, a lot of the humour revolves around parody of typical shounen tropes, which is funny the first dozen times but eventually becomes tiresome. Despite my criticisms here, the psychic powers schtick is often applied in refreshing and creative ways that I have never seen before in comedy media. However, I don't think the true strength of this humour mechanism was ever fully realized, mainly due to the limitations associated with the target audience. Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan doesn't feel like an authentic expression of someone's artistic vision; it feels like it was shrewdly engineered to sell manga to teenage boys. Maybe it's silly of me to want more than this from a shounen anime.

Seinen anime are hit and miss with me, but I think the premise of this anime would be great for seinen. The psychic mechanism would be a terrific way of exploring more mature themes and complex characters, while still generating creative humour. Instead, we are subjected to the artistically bankrupt high-school setting, and its accompanying tired schoolyard humour, likely because the author is looking to maximize sales.

The entire cast consists of very simplistic characters, but this is kind of a necessity for the style of humour and length of the skits, so I'm just stating this as a neutral observation. It would be unfair of me to expect otherwise. However, I don't particularly like the personality of the main character. His internal dialogue is used to narrate the show, but it means he's simply apathetic to everything. I get why the writer would want a blank template to work with in this regard, but it would have been nice to see him exhibit some more emotion occasionally. He's also condescending and frequently treats all the other characters poorly, which becomes very tiresome after a while. I'd like to see a spinoff show with an entirely new main psychic character (and a different setting).

After watching the first half of season 1, my enjoyment of this anime began to significantly decline. In addition to the aspects outlined above that I disliked, the show became somewhat repetitive. This is partly due to the simplistic characters and high-school setting, but probably also due to every joke involving psychic powers in similar ways. Although I enjoyed the beginning of season 1, I'm no longer enjoying this anime enough to justify watching another 24-episode season. Particularly because the next season involves the exact same characters in the exact same setting. I would be far more interested in watching another season if an entirely new cast of characters were used.

My personal rating for season 1 of Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan: 5/10

A young teenager would probably enjoy this show more than I did. I think that for a comedy fan, this show is worth sampling, but be warned that it is somewhat repetitive. During the first quarter of this season, the show was a solid 7/10 for me and I was enjoying it. Unfortunately, that initial enjoyment was diluted by the many other episodes. Maybe I will give the next season a try in a few years when my recollection of the past comedic material has faded.

Nendou and Kaidou are the funniest characters (although equally as simplistic and repetitive as everyone else). The rest of the cast is comparatively less funny, in my opinion.
>> No. 35290 [Edit]
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35290
I watched the anime movie Hotaru no Haka, also known as Grave of the Fireflies. It was made by Studio Ghibli in 1988. Here are my thoughts:

Going into this, I actually hadn't been spoiled or anything like that, so I had no preconceived notions besides it being a serious WW2-themed movie that is probably sad.

The visuals are nice overall. I'm not particularly fond of art styles from this era, so I'm a little biased in this regard. All the motion is fairly fluid. Lighting is used effectively (insert pun here). There is a lot of visual detail, particularly for objects and backgrounds (I often paused to admire the scenery). However, the blob-like same-face heads of the characters somewhat inhibits the use of facial expressions for nonverbal communication and expressing emotion. It is often the case that the characters' faces are the least detailed features of a given frame. It's possible though that I've been desensitized by the highly expressive faces of modern anime art styles.

The voice acting among the main cast is kind of flat and unemotive (this could be an intentional artistic decision or maybe just a cultural thing). However, dialogue is somewhat infrequent in this movie, so voice acting is of lesser importance. Of course it then follows that the OST is a more significant component. The OST is alright; it's fairly standard orchestral movie music. Actually, the sound effects in the movie are pretty good — ranging from subtle things, like the sound of running water, to much grander things like bombings. I should mention that I watched the Bluray version, which I'm guessing had remastered audio.

I have difficulty getting emotionally invested in movies. The runtime limitations make it hard for me to care about the characters. This is a major reason for why I tend to enjoy movie dramas less than other people. Hotaru no Haka was no exception to this in that, despite the seriousness of the story, I didn't feel much for the characters. The only character I empathized with was the younger child main character, mainly due to her helplessness and misfortune.

My biggest issue with the story is that the actions of the main male character often don't make sense. This compounds the issue of my lack of empathy for his character. It's difficult to care about a character who behaves seemingly nonsensically. Perhaps the underlying motivations for his actions should have been fleshed out more explicitly — I'd imagine the source material does a better job of this. Plenty of elaborate analyses of the main male character's actions have been written, but in brief unspoiled terms his actions ranged from confusing and frustrating to outright morally reprehensible, depending on the viewer's interpretation. In any case, this aspect of the story is consistently a major weak point. Apparently the source material is supposed to be semi-autobiographical, but knowing that now doesn't change my viewing experience.

In terms of historical value, the movie is an okay snapshot of Japanese civilian life during WW2. Nothing exceptional though, just standard fare for this kind of genre. The story focuses on the struggles of the main characters; very little attention is paid to large-scale events (not saying there's anything wrong with this).

My personal overall rating: 4/10
The thing I enjoyed most was admiring the scenery. Aside from this, not much else impressed me. The way the actions of the main male character were written and/or portrayed was a persistent issue.
>> No. 35291 [Edit]
>>35290
The kid is a selfish asshole, and the point was to illustrate why you shouldn't be like him. Kids are supposed do as they're told and people need to work with their communities, especially in hard times. This unfortunately gets lost in translation when shown to different cultures with different values. To the East it's a lesson to be learned, to the west it's a cruel tragedy.
>> No. 35294 [Edit]
>>35291
What I've heard about the source material indicates a similar thing, that it's supposed to be a cautionary tale. The thing about the movie is that it feels like it tries to portray the male kid in a sympathetic light, which really clashes with his actions.
>> No. 35306 [Edit]
>The thing about the movie is that it feels like it tries to portray the male kid in a sympathetic light
Only when viewed from a western perspective.
>> No. 35352 [Edit]
>>35290
>>35291
>>35294
>>35306
Interesting, I never knew it was actually meant to be a cautionary tale though that's all I ever got from the movie. It felt like it tried to be a post war tragedy where you're supposed to feel sympathetic towards the characters and that seeing it as a cautionary tale was my skewed perspective.

It certainly failed to evoke any sympathy in me as it was the and and the grasshopper all over again and boy I never felt bad for the ant. You reap what you sow. The kid was a top percentage retard, and he was not at an age where it felt justifiable. I only ever felt bad for his sister; she was too young to take responsibility for her actions or to understand the consequences of those. He got his just desserts.

Funny how the message ended up getting across, but I assumed it was a case of complete miscommunication of author's intent and what I actually understood. In the end it actually was the ant and the grasshopper all along. One of my favorite picture books as a kid had a bunch of Aesop's tales and it managed to instill some of those values so deeply in me I managed to make the correct association when watching Hotaru no Haka but again, I always assumed that's just my misinterpretation.
>> No. 35363 [Edit]
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35363
I watched Initial D first and second stage, both of which aired in the late 90s. There's a high school guy. He's bizarrely good at driving. He doesn't initially want to race cars, but get into it as the series progresses. I myself am not a car person, like at all, but I still found some enjoyment in Initial D.

The biggest initial hurdle to initial d is that it's about car races. The problem being that car races are pretty much entirely meaningless and inconsequential. They're not even doing it for money. When somebody loses, they don't die or get sent to the shadow realm. Instead, the feeling of significance comes entirely from the characters caring.

This is done pretty effectively. The spectating characters, kind of comical seriousness of everybody, and coolness of the actual race worked well enough to keep me entertained, somebody who otherwise couldn't care less about cars or racing.

The characters themselves are just okay. None of Kasumi's(the mc's) friends stand out in a positive way, but the other side characters are a little fun. Stage one was more compelling than two story-wise because watching somebody go from not caring about racing to becoming invested in it is more interesting than watching somebody who cares about racing trying to maintain their status as the best downhill guy in his little pond. Itsuki is less annoying in stage 2, but who cares? Kasumi has a kind of an op mc vibe, but not too much and his clearly disadvantaged car keeps the tension from going out the window. In second stage, his car gets upgraded towards the end which ruins the "he wins despite driving crap" gimmick.

The romance subplots were boring and annoying. I actually thought about skipping their scenes. It's odd how much focus is placed on romance when literally none of the relationships work out in the end. From what I've read on the wiki, some of Kasumi's friends, who had romantic subplots, end up being alone and or pathetic in the manga which takes place after a time skip also made by Shuichi Shigeno, which is really unusual and kind of a middle finger to anybody who might have liked those characters.

The art's bad, even for the 90's supposedly lower standards. The art style for the characters is just ugly. In the manga, the cars are apparently really well-drawn, but in the anime they get the infamous 90s cgi treatment. For technical reasons this was more practical and I got used to it, so it's not a big deal. Some of the eurobeat is catchy.

I decided not to watch anymore past second stage because I can't see where things could possibly go that would interest me and according to reviews both the races and story get worse after the stage three movie. I would recommend Initial D first stage if you love cars or want a low-stakes battle anime.

Post edited on 22nd Jan 2021, 9:53am
>> No. 35367 [Edit]
>>35363
I wonder how popular initial d would be if it weren't for the eurobeat. It seems like popularizing that has been its main legacy.
>> No. 35368 [Edit]
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35368
>>35363
>The problem being that car races are pretty much entirely meaningless and inconsequential.
I think the same could be said about almost all sports anime. Yeah there's little more than pride on the line for the races, but it 'is' pretty dangerous and can get a person killed. They might not be racing for money but it's worth pointing out that a mistake can mean thousands of dollars in damage. Money (like police) is something that doesn't really seem to come up in the series much but it's something that should. To buy, upgrade, and maintain these cars takes a lot of money, and for most kids their age that's not easy to get, so you'd need to have some serious passion to stay involved. I think they should have tried to accentuate that a bit more, to better empathize the dedication and passion these racers have.
Also, I'm not sure if I'd say the car is 'crap' persay. The real car is pretty well balanced out of gate, but in the case of this series it's very strongly implied the car is tuned to perfection by the mc's father. Yeah you can say it's mostly down hill after stage one, but one of my favorite moments in the series comes a bit later in when the mc gets his ass handed to him by a car that pulls off the gutter trick, the guy wasn't even really trying to race, he just passes up the 86 like you would with an old lady hogging the road. Then the mc returns home to find the car in his driveway, and learns his dad bought a new car.


>>35367
I recently introduced someone to it who also isn't into cars, but they didn't want to watch the series so we went with the movies which remake/recap the original story. Those don't have euro beat but instead very generic rock. The euro beat is what makes it, it carry a certain energy with it that helps make things feel more fun and exciting. Luckily we found those movies have fan edits which add in eurobeat. They were poorly done, an in the case of the third movie(maybe second?), the entire audio track of the whole film was off by more than a minute (Took a lot of adjustment to fix that.). It's worth it though because it's not the same without it. I wouldn't say that's the only thing the series has going for it though. The car is iconic to say the least, the plot and especially the romance sub plot as the other anon mentioned might be dull, but it's still 'the' racing manga/anime which introduced a generation to cars and the idea of drifting. The nearest thing to it I can think of is wangan midnight and that doesn't come close in terms of legacy. Where Initial D focused on drifting and cornering, Wangan was focused on straightaways and top speeds. It didn't have eurobeat so races had a more serious tone to them. Doing that works okay, but it's not anywhere near as memorable as a result.
Eurobeat on it's own is just okay I think, but it combines fantastically with racing. Both sides elevate each other. They take eachother higher, lift them higher, you need that speed, you need that fire.
>> No. 35370 [Edit]
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35370
>>35368
>I think the same could be said about almost all sports anime.
True, but more could have been done. I haven't seen much of any sports anime, but I can say that Ping Pong the Animation creates tension way better despite "objectively" having lower stakes. The Chinese guy's plight to go home. The squinty eyed guys inferiority complex and lack of natural talent. Peco's transformation. Glasses' alienation. In way less time, PPTA got me way more invested through the strength of the characters. If somebody did die in Initial D while racing, that alone would prop it up for me, but the realistic dangers aren't enough to create tension.

>it's something that should
Should, but didn't. Two of his rivals are rich and the others don't ever mention money. The mc also gets his amazingly super good new engine from pretty much thin air. The only guy who does talk about money is the other ae86 driver the mc races at the end of stage two, which was a high note for me.

I think you're somebody who likes cars and may be able to appreciate details I can't, but the reality of street racing does nothing for the anime. Everybody made a big deal about how much his car is less powerful, especially in stage 2, so that's the impression that stuck. I don't know enough about cars to go "well aktuaaallly his car isn't so much worse" and shouldn't have to. I didn't need to know anything about ping pong to really get a lot out of PPTA.
>> No. 35372 [Edit]
>>35370
>and shouldn't have to.
You're right. There's more to a car's performance than just power. I'd say measuring a car in horse power is like measuring a camera in mega pixels, or a computer in gigs of ram. It's a slightly over simplified means of measurement for people who might not understand the everything else involved.
Within the context of these types of races, handling seems far more important, but that didn't translate well. The ae86 is well suited to that style of racing. It gets used in real world drifting a lot because of this, not just because of the manga. That's what I meant by it being well balanced.
Stuff like, for example, the 86 being lighter than the other cars helping it's acceleration in spite of having 'less power', or the physics behind keeping your car's momentum around a turn, don't really get talked much about in the anime. Stuff like that might bog the series down a bit though and make it boring for the more casual viewer who isn't much into cars. The ones who already know this stuff might also find it boring to be thought this they already know. But you've gotta have some details, or everything just seems like magic (of course, car guys would say the ae86 performs like magic in the anime anyway).
>> No. 35374 [Edit]
>>35372
Have you read Over REV?
>> No. 35377 [Edit]
>>35363
It does go downhill pretty fast after first and second stage. Third stage might be worth watching as it raps up some of the character arc of takumi. Everything beyond that is just boring professional racing. First stage is something special on it's own, the way it captures that sunset-of-highschool feeling and mixing it in with driving.
>> No. 35381 [Edit]
>>35374
Can't say that I have, how is it?
>> No. 35383 [Edit]
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35383
>>35381
I haven't either, but I've heard it has a better story and is more realistic in some ways too. Seems like something that would find more popularity now than when it was released.
>> No. 35436 [Edit]
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35436
Black Lagoon is an action manga that was adapted into two 12 episode seasons and a 5 episode ova. The two seasons might as well be one since they both aired in 2006 and even have the same op and ed. The ova aired in 2010. It's about a Japanese salary man who is kidnapped by and then joins a group of pirates operating in south east asia after being left for dead by his company superiors. Despite now being a pirate, he retains the appearance and morality of a normal salary man.

The first problem I had was that nothing the characters do feels important. They do stuff for money and that's basically their entire motivation. This would be fine if character interaction and development took center stage, but it kind of doesn't either. Most of the run time is taken up by action scenes or discussing gang politics. Here's another thing, Rock, the mc, doesn't fight. It's kind of a problem when your main character can't engage with what takes up most of the run time.

As the series progresses, less time is spent on random jobs Black Lagoon takes on, and more on longer, complicated plots that involve the various syndicates in the crime ridden city setting. This both leaves less time for the main characters to interact and is hard to care about because everyone and every group is made up of awful people with meaningless, petty goals. There also isn't any "filler" between arcs, episodes where the characters can interact in more casual, mundane situations.

Revvy serves as the main source of fan service and might as well be the actual main character since we constantly see her going around killing people. If you watched nothing but the op, any person would guess that she's the main character. Rock, Benny(the computer guy) and even Dutch(the ship captain) take a back-seat to her and even seem to diminish in importance as the series progresses. A few times during the series, Benny calls Rock a friend, and I thought that was pretty unearned considering how little we've seen them doing stuff together and talking. I'm not sure whether the source material or anime is at fault.

When I first started watching the series, I thought Rock's salary man skills would somehow end up being extremely useful, like in an isekai, and he would eventually confront his old bosses and get revenge on them. Neither of these two things happen. It's hard to say what exactly Rock's role is in Black Lagoon(the company). I also thought he'd have sex with Revvy at some point since everything else is so vulgar, but that actually didn't happen to my surprise and slight disappointment. To the series' credit, the second half of season 2 gives Rock more to do and more casual scenes of him and Revvy. Whenever it did have characters interact like that, it did it well. There and in the OVA, Rock starts to develop and take a more active role, but that's a little too little too late.

The action itself is well done. It looks good, it's dynamic, it's got acrobatics and it's fun. It does get repetitive though. Enemies have conveniently bad aim and I'm convinced Revvy has clairvoyance or super-human hearing. I hoped that Roberata, the super-human maid, would be the most ridiculous thing in Black Lagoon, which unfortunately is not the case as the beginning of season 2 showed. Taking everything that happens in Black Lagoon seriously would have you believe commie guerillas were super-humans and better trained than professional soldiers. It's beyond goofy, but you're not supposed to take it seriously. Black Lagoon is basically violence porn and I don't know if it has any point beyond that.

Black Lagoon is also interesting as an "international" type of anime. Seeing the outside world filtered through a Japanese perspective is always amusing. So is the copious engrish in season 2.

From the beginning of the series to the end, nothing really changes(except two of the characters to a minute degree), with fits with the nihilistic themes of the story, but is disappointing none the less. The manga started in 2002 and is still ongoing, which I have a problem with as somebody who believes stories should have a beginning, middle and end. The only fitting conclusion I can think of is having every major character drown in a pool of blood. Except Revvy because she's hot minus the tattoos. That or destroying the city it mostly takes place in.

I would recommend Black Lagoon if you want violence porn or an anime about (very loosely)realistic, modern pirates and gangs.

Post edited on 6th Feb 2021, 4:10pm
>> No. 35441 [Edit]
>>35436
Black Lagoon is a nihilistic approach to life where change only happen when you force it usually with big guns. Contains Hollywood-movie physics.
>> No. 35451 [Edit]
>>35441
Significant change for better or worse usually only does come from extreme circumstances.
>> No. 35531 [Edit]
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35531
Full Metal Alchemist 2003 is a 51 episode partial adaptation, partial original story based on the manga of the same name. I picked this one to watch instead of Brotherhood because it's older and I heard it's darker in tone and better paced, which fits with my taste.

The characters are okay, better in the beginning, worse later on. Alphonse doesn't do all that much and Winry is present in the story, but given even less to do. Edward's role in the military is sidelined and doesn't get nearly enough attention. He's more like an associate of the military, which is odd. I liked the setting a lot, early 20th century fantasy isn't something I've seen before(steampunk shit doesn't count).

The plot is... weird. It does feel like somebody wrote half of a story, and then someone else wrote a fan-fiction to complete it. Thematically, what they do makes sense, but both halves feel incongruous with each other, and there's a strange sense of anti-climax during the finale. It's possible this perception was effected by me reading the wiki to see what the original does while I was watching it, but even then some of the choices are utterly bizarre and break suspension of disbelief, like Tucker's later role in the story.

Around the 30 episode in particular, when the brother's teacher is introduced, I started constantly shaking my head and feeling like something was wrong and didn't make sense or belong in the story. Wrath's character in particular seriously annoyed me. I did eventually accept the direction the story went it and enjoyed it in a half-ironic kind of way.

Speaking of things that make no sense, alchemy doesn't. Alchemy is introduced as being "scientific", but is never explained what so ever. Writers like to differentiate between soft and hard magic systems, less explained to more explained. The harder a magic system, the more "acceptable" it is to solve problems with magic. Alchemy is treated by the characters and setting as hard magic, but we never learn what its limitations are on a smaller scale then "you can almost never do any human transmutation for unspecified reasons". There is the concept of "equivalent exchange", but the way value is determined is also never explored. Who the hell knows what the deal with automail is. I don't know if this is a 2003 specific issue or not.

The Conqueror of Shamballa is the lesser known sequel movie to the 2003 anime which concludes its story. The animation quality itself is impressive, but most of the fight scenes are confusing and choreographed strangely badly. There is so much plot armor with stuff like falling down large distances. The story is directionless, meandering, feels kind of pointless, lop-sided and also very strange in a way that isn't fun. Alchemy makes even less sense in this movie. The writers on this and the original part of the tv series clearly didn't care about maintaining internal logic. Also, Winry gets absolutely, brutally shafted at the end, though the story barely acknowledges it, which left a sour taste in my mouth.

I don't know if I want to watch Brotherhood too. Supposedly it's worse in some aspects to the 2003 series and the final boss, from what I know, seems generic and like something from Naruto, with over the top, rule breaking powers(if you set up rules in your story, no characters should ever completely break them in my opinion). The story probably feels more natural as a whole, but is possibly less compelling thematically.

I don't know if I'd recommend this or not. Instead, this time I'll ask, should I watch Brotherhood?
>> No. 35535 [Edit]
>>35531
>It does feel like somebody wrote half of a story, and then someone else wrote a fan-fiction to complete
I mean, that is pretty much exactly what happened. I suggest reading the manga, personally. I don't care for either adaptation very much. Brotherhood speedruns through the parts 2003 adapted and opens with an anime-original episode which is very odd.
>> No. 35536 [Edit]
>>35535
By that I meant they could have come up with something a lot better and more natural than what they did. I'm watching Brotherhood now and I have some problems with it too. I kind of wish the 2003 anime wasn't made at all and they just waited until the manga was finished to make a 100 episode adaptation which does the whole story justice.
>> No. 35554 [Edit]
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Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is the 2009, 64 episode, direct adaptation of the manga of same name. After giving both a watch, I would call Brotherhood the better(more enjoyable) show overall, but it does do a few things worse than the 2003 anime, which I will point out with no regard for closeness to the source material.

Things Brotherhood does worse: The parts both adapt are far better in the 2003 version(for the most part). Brotherhood rushes through them and inserts far too many comedic moments for my taste, to the point where it feels like self-parody. Some of my favorite scenes in the 2003 version were butchered either by the script or directorial decisions like an over reliance of dramatic music and their placement in scenes which I'd prefer to be somber and contemplative. Over-reliance on loud music and under-utilization of silence is actually a problem present throughout the entirety of Brotherhood. 2003 had a different director and it's extremely apparent early on. Even the use of color is arguably worse. I did get used to the more simplistically shaded art style, but it was jarring at first.

The brotherly relationship between Edward and Al is given more focus in 2003 and Ishibal as an actual place and culture is more interesting too, while it's pretty much just a plot device in Brotherhood. 2003 is more focused in a way, which allows it to dive a bit deeper in certain areas. Is this a worth while trade off for enjoyableness? In my opinion, no.

Things Brotherhood does better: Pretty much everything else. As soon as the break off point in plot overlap, around episode 13 of Brotherhood and 30 of 2003, Brotherhood's plot makes far more sense. There wasn't any feeling of incongruity and there was thankfully no dumb, reverse-isekai shit. Brotherhood properly introduces characters like King Bradley(unlike in 2003) and has a far better sense of adventure and conspiratorial atmosphere in the military. The fight scenes(of which there are many) are also miles ahead of 2003's, especially when Bradley is involved.

Character development is a mixed bag in Brotherhood. Some like Winry, Mustang, Bradley, Envy, Greed and so on are given more than in 2003, while others like Lust and perhaps even Edward and Alphonse are diminished in fleshing out and development. Some characters which only exist in 2003 are replaced by less developed counterparts like Sloth. This doesn't bother me because I didn't really like those characters to begin with. They weren't THAT complex either. Watching Pride on the screen was far more enjoyable than watching 2003's Wrath, so it's a worthwhile trade-off.

Neither Dante nor Father are good villains. People say Dante was more interesting because her motivations weren't the same trite "become the most super strong being" thing seen in a million other things. That doesn't cut it for me. Neither Dante nor Father are given enough screen time to have an interesting personality. Father's backstory is interesting, but backstory is not a replacement for personality, even if a "clever" reason is given for a character being boring like their "sins" supposedly being removed from them. Even Father's fight scene was boring, disjointed and kind of lame, just like the character, and Brotherhood was otherwise good at fight scenes if nothing else.

Alchemy still doesn't make any sense. There's some extra explanation about tectonic plates powering western alchemy and the earth's chi or something powering eastern alchemy. It's dumb and you shouldn't think too hard about it. A lot of people say 2003 is "more dark". I disagree with this completely considering how Brotherhood has a lot more disturbing material, body-horror and gratuitous violence.

Thematically, people say 2003 is more deep, but this sells Brotherhood a bit short. Brotherhood's main theme revolves around the value of human life. Whether it can be measured, if it's okay to use people's lives for some purpose, etc. Brotherhood does an okay job at exploring these themes. Nothing too "deep" though. 2003's best thematic accomplishment was questioning the concept of equivalent exchange, and how it's kind of bs. Brotherhood touches on this during a conversation with Kimblee and at the very end, of course leaning in a more positive direction. Brotherhood has a bit too much childish idealism to it for my taste. Things are a bit too black and white and there's even less moral ambiguity than in 2003's plot. Ultimately, it's a friendship power show.

The ending is better in Brotherhood than the pointless garbage they pulled in the 2005 movie. It actually would have been better to kill off both of the brothers than what they did in that thing. I would recommend watching the 2003 anime and then watching Brotherhood if you have the time for it and want a long, action adventure type thing with a fun, but pretty simple plot and vaguely compelling themes.
>> No. 35562 [Edit]
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My thoughts on the Berserk adaptations are provided below.

Aside from reading a small amount of the manga a very long time ago, my first encounter with Berserk was via the Ougon Jidai-hen movies sometime around 6 years ago. My memory of the movies is fading, which is what triggered my watching the original 1997 TV adaptation. I enjoyed the movies and rated them 7/10. I liked the story above all else.

Anyway, I watched the 1997 TV adaptation of Berserk much more recently, and here's what I have to say about that:

The original adaptation is better in terms of visuals and overall production quality, especially with consideration to production year. I much prefer the art style of the original adaptation. It also has a longer total runtime which is used effectively for greater character development and more plot detail. I would say it is better directed as well.

The story itself is very good, and the adaptation is well executed and well directed. Berserk's strongest characteristic is the writing, but in one respect it is also its greatest flaw from my perspective. My biggest issue with Berserk is the main character — Guts. He is poorly characterized and simply boring as a main character. The series would be much better if Griffith were the main character and Guts were a side character. Griffith is a far more compelling and interesting character than Guts. The same could even be said for Casca, albeit to a lesser degree. Although the 1997 adaptation does a much better job of exploring Casca's character arc than the movies. In any case, I wish that Guts hadn't soaked up so much screentime.

The setting is classic dark medieval fantasy. It is fairly immersive. It is complemented by the high level of visual detail, most notably in landscape frames and backgrounds.

The OST is suitable and pretty good overall (aside from the grating OP and ED songs). However, it would have been nice if there was more variety in the OST, considering the length of this series. Some songs, although they are good, are repeated quite frequently. Voice acting is good as well; the VAs are quite well matched for their character roles, and there's a wide range of voices among the cast.

My overall rating for the 1997 TV adaptation: 8/10


This is more of a personal problem rather than an artistic criticism, but I find Berserk to be overly grotesque and gruesome at times. It becomes uncomfortable to watch at certain points. I don't derive entertainment from shock value. The show is extremely dark and I needed to be in a dark mood to even find it palatable during some story arcs. Maybe this stirring of emotion within me, no matter how unpleasant, is an indication of artistic worth? In any case it didn't affect the appraisal of the anime I've written above, but still I thought it important to address this. Berserk isn't really the kind of anime I'd gravitate to naturally, but I felt compelled to watch it because of its cultural significance.

As for the more recent adaptation that began in 2016, I decided not to watch it because the consensus is that it's an abomination and I do not want to get spoiled on that part of the story via an inferior adaptation.

Lastly, in case this isn't obvious from what I've already written, I think that a newcomer to the Berserk franchise should initially watch the 1997 TV adaptation instead of the more-recent movies.
>> No. 35563 [Edit]
Gekidol was an interesting (in the negative sense) show.

It seems like they tried to copy the "plot-twist-reveal" trick but forgot to actually make the two halfs of the show connect to each other in any meaningful sense. Up until about 8 episodes in, it's actually not terribly bad of a show, and substituting the usual idol tropes with some acting made it a bit more palatable. Of course it's still quite cookie-cutter with the usual "realize your dream" trope – and the character chemistry isn't quite good enough to where you can just watch it as a SoL – but if they had just scoped the anime on the "theatrical hijinks of Alice In," it might have been something at least mildly good; outside of Hinako Note which doesn't really focus on theater anyway, I don't recall too many fully-fledges shows focusing on "cute girls doing acting".

Yet for some reason they decided to shoehorn a multi-timeline time-travel plot in the last three episodes. And the payoff isn't satisfying since this plot doesn't have much to do with the members of Alice In that the viewer had (sort of) gotten to know over the course of the season.
>> No. 35678 [Edit]
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https://myanimelist.net/anime/31559/Prince_of_Stride__Alternative

I watched Prince of Stride: Alternative, which is an otome-game adaptation by Madhouse. Here are my thoughts:

For context, this show revolves around an imaginary sport that is kind of like a relay-race version of parkour but with a leader who coordinates everyone. It is very entertaining to watch, actually.

The animation quality is good, but much more importantly the visual direction is absolutely terrific. I really like the way colour and brightness effects are used in this. It's difficult to explain but this anime was so bright during some scenes I felt like I needed to wear sunglasses just watching it. It was sort of like they played with the exposure settings on a camera or something like that. It looked great. Art style too I really liked. I liked the character designs. The visuals for this anime are a major strong point. I enjoyed them enormously. Especially for a sports anime, having awesome visuals like this really was a pleasure. Cinematography was also well done and made the sporty scenes enjoyable to watch. There are also lots of really cool sound effects that enhance the running scenes a lot. The running scenes look, feel, and sound AWESOME. Overall the production quality is excellent. The OST is good as well and enhances the mood of a variety of scenes.

In terms of characters, there is a self-inserty team-leader girl character and there are her male team members. You might anticipate that this would result in a typical reverse-harem situation, but actually shounen-ai between male team members is the only romantic subtext, and even that is mild. Apparently in the VN there is a lot more hetero romance involving the MC. The male characters are fairly likable, and each have unique personalities which mesh together for some good chemistry within the team. Takeru was my favourite character. Beyond the characters themselves, the drama is handled fairly well, which leads me to my next point.

This anime has great direction. They had to introduce an entirely new sport and do some world building, but I never felt like I was being forcefed information. Exposition was handled well. There's also a good balance between sporty scenes and slower, more dialogue-heavy scenes. There is some comedy, but it's sprinkled lightly and not used inappropriately. The anime actually has a consistently serious tone (and feels that way to the viewer). Maybe that was an artistic risk because someone might find the sport they're doing to be absurd, and it might be easier to just load up the comedy. I'm glad they didn't take that approach. The series feels competitive, dramatic and exciting. You could really feel the emotional highs and lows. I felt excited every time I queued up an episode to watch.

If I had to identify a weak point in Prince of Stride, I would say it's the plot. Although well executed, the story at its core is kind of mediocre. Sometimes it can be kind of 'melodramatic' as well, however this is hardly surprising for an otome-game adaptation.

Overall rating: 9/10
Shockingly underrated anime. Really well directed and exceptionally entertaining. I will definitely be rewatching this.


I really hope that someone makes a high-quality Blu-ray rip of this (I couldn't find one). It seems like this franchise got disproportionately less recognition in the West relative to its popularity in Japan. There is little evidence of any kind of western fanbase. I think the combination of sports and the otome aspect is a major reason for the anime's lukewarm reception. The average person watching it for the sport appeal was likely put off by the otome elements, and conversely the otome audience often didn't enjoy the sports focus. I think that the anime as a whole appealed to very few people — most people were probably only drawn in by specific aspects of the show, not the sum of its parts. This might explain the mixed feelings that so many people seem to have. I'm probably unusual in that I found most dimensions of the anime appealing. Hopefully the rumours about a second season are true.

UP UP SPEED UP
>> No. 35682 [Edit]
im really enjoying all you guys' reviews :)
keep it up!!!
>> No. 35696 [Edit]
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35696
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34494

I watched Sakura Quest. Here are my thoughts:

Sakura Quest is a 25-episode show that is mainly focused on the efforts of various civic employees working to promote commerce in a small rural-Japan town and restore its tourism industry. The show is fairly self-aware and is clearly meant to be a social commentary in some ways. Although it is genre tagged as a slice of life, it usually felt more like a drama to me, albeit a slow-paced and not overly emotional one.

I liked the main female characters in this. They were all relatable in various ways and felt like real human beings. Much of my enjoyment of this anime was derived from my appreciation of the characters. I empathized with multiple characters in various ways. The young-adult career search is a frequent theme in the show, which I'm sure many people will find relatable. This anime does a good job of depicting authentic female friendship, carefully built up through personal connections, instead of just superficial character interaction. If you're looking for an anime with female characters that feel like real human beings instead of tropey moeblobs, then Sakura Quest might be worth a try.

I have mixed feelings about the writing; although sometimes crude, in some ways it was one of the things I enjoyed most about this anime. There were aspects that I liked and disliked about the writing. Sometimes there are 'coincidences' in the story that are a little too convenient. These sorts of 'plot conveniences' are a symptom of lazy and poorly planned writing, in my opinion. The story demands a fair bit of suspension of disbelief. At times it felt like the plot was a little bit 'forced' and unnatural. These are subtle criticisms, the importance of which will likely vary significantly among different viewers.

I really liked the overall themes that were used in the writing, but the plot mechanics through which they were implemented were often very crude. In other words, from a very broad perspective I liked the writing, but the detailed specifics often seemed amateurish and careless. The author had good broad-view ideas, but they were poorly executed. I'm still able to appreciate the writing in some ways, but that requires that I look past the crude details. Providing examples would require spoilers, but I think someone watching the anime will understand my point here. The social and economic issues of rural Japan, and the ways those issues affect individual characters, are core themes in the writing.

I liked the writing themes, I liked the individual characters and their respective arcs, but the actual episode-by-episode plot was often boring and almost always crudely executed. Keep in mind that this is a 25-episode anime with minimal 'filler' content. Meaning, no fight scenes, singing scenes, slice-of-life silliness or unrelated comedy skits; the show is nearly always advancing some kind of plot (albeit, a usually mundane one). As a result, when the plot starts to drag it really craters the entire show. I wish that this anime focused more on the character arcs of the cast instead of the seemingly neverending sequence of mundane inconsequential events that took up most of the screentime.

In terms of direction, the show has an amateurish feel in this regard as well. Speaking as a very patient viewer, even for me the pacing was slow at times. As I've said in the past, I'm fine with slow pacing as long as screentime is being used effectively. The problem with Sakura Quest is that there is not much else of entertainment value. The viewer is forced to sit through the slow march of the mediocre plot without any other noteworthy potential sources of enjoyment.

There are some funny moments. At times, the humour is fairly intelligent as well. It got some chuckles out of me, but it's usually not really a laugh-out-loud kind of humour. Much of the humour is derived from the social commentary aspects of the show, so from a comedic perspective it feels more like watching an amusing parody.

Visually, this show is not particularly well animated, but a lot of attention and care is paid to body language and facial expressions. I appreciated this a lot. To me, this is far more important than highly fluid animation. However, unfortunately the art style is quite bland. The character designs are also fairly simplistic.

The voice acting is average overall. However, I liked the voice acting for the MC (Koharu); the VA fit her role well and was unique in subtle ways. The OST is unremarkable, although I liked the first ED song.

Overall rating: 6/10
This anime is amateurish but also charming in some ways. There are some good characters. The writing exhibits many good ideas, but they are poorly executed.

Ririko is literally me.
>> No. 35698 [Edit]
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35698
Assassination Classroom is a two season anime that aired from 2015 to 2016 and is about 40 episodes all together. This is something I heard about much earlier, but put off because to me it gave off generic, action-shonen vibes. After watching it, I can say that while there is some of that in here, it was an unfair assessment.

The premise is that a class of middle school students are tasked with killing an extremely powerful monster, who also happens to be their highly effective, affectionate, supportive teacher. They have to do this by a certain date or the Earth will be destroyed. This class of middle school students also happens to the worst in their school and are treated as pariahs. It's a novel, but familiar concept and it's played pretty straight.

Assassination Classroom is broken up into segments focused on schooling and segments focused on the assassination and the students growing physically. Despite the shows best efforts, these two parts don't gel completely. Whenever one is brought into the focal point, the other fades into the background. This could be considered a lack of focus, but it didn't bother me too much. There was plenty done to connect the two together thematically, so it could have been worse.

Assassination Classroom also gets lost in the woods sometimes, seemingly just to take up time. Some episodes felt completely superfluous. There's value in showing characters interact in a more casual way to develop their relationships, but if it feels like a waste of time, that's a problem.

The weakest point of Assassination Classroom has to be Koro Sensei's backstory. It felt like an unnecessary cop out, reduced the sense of urgency, and made the moral quandary of the show too convenient. Apart from that, it's just dumb. I'm lumping the reoccurring villains together with his backstory since they're related. These villains are only there for plot convenience and to make a final, big battle happen. They felt out of place and like I said earlier, had a "generic action-shonen vibe". I understand what they wanted to do with them thematically, but I would have preferred if Koro sensei was just an alien who unwittingly came to Earth a la Saya no Uta. The premise could have been played even more straight, but that may have gotten in the way of the ending.

There was a lot of characters. Too many to give every one substantial development. Some where focused on more earlier in the story, but get side-lined later on. Bitch Sensei and Ritsu didn't have a whole lot to do for example. This could have been far worse though, so credit where credit is due. Lovre's resurrection among other things also made it seem like the plot was being made up on the go. Koro Sensei himself was a likable and entertaining character, but kind of a confused one. He too fades out of view in season 2, but maybe that could be justified thematically as the students growing past him or something.

Assassination Classroom did accomplish having a sad ending, and that sadness felt earned and not cheap, unlike Clannad. Parts of the anime did border on overly sappy, but not too much. Maybe it hit too close to home since so much of Assassination Classroom focused on things I personally didn't have growing up. The commentary on education was also thoughtful.

The animation, direction and art style were all pleasing. The sound track also stood out in a positive way. I think I like Lerche. They also made Gakkou Gurashi, which is a favorite of mine. Very good feel for atmosphere.

I'd recommend Assassination Classroom if you're in the mood for an above-average coming of age story with an unconventional premise, action elements, minimum focus on romance, and steady sense of progression.

Post edited on 16th May 2021, 11:21am
>> No. 35700 [Edit]
>>35698
I prefer tropey moeblobs.
>> No. 35705 [Edit]
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35705
Angel Beats is a 13 episode, 2010 anime about highschoolers in the after life fighting against a mysterious force trying to make them live normal school lives. Except not really. Fair warning, there's going to be lots of spoilers in this review. If you don't care, I'll save you some trouble and tell you it's actually a "deceased people with unfinished business finding peace" story. That doesn't become apparent until later though and it's kind of concealed for most of the run time.

Angel Beats doesn't so much as have a story as it does small events strung together. Every episode or two, the direction changes, so it's impossible to get a handle on what the story is "really about" until the ending. There was hints of it near the start, but other things worked like red herrings. It's okay to switch gears this many times if it's a 70 episode epic, but it's not. Apparently, the number of planned episodes was cut in half, so if they didn't completely change the story in response, that would explain this a bit.

Angel Beats seems to have an identity crisis with all its disjointed, clashing components. The Guild, which we see in episode 2, is the first big example of this. Some of the humans in the afterlife slave away underground, making the weapons used by other characters in "the battlefront", out of dirt somehow(don't ask), in this super high-tech factory they managed to make. They also have extremely dangerous traps along the way to defend against Tenshi, the battlefront's main opposition. Tenshi is a white haired, female student with special powers. This episode has the most grotesque violence by far, but being episode 2, I expected more that sort of thing(which there wasn't).

Them bothering to go this far makes the battlefront's goal and opposition seem very serious. If you haven't seen Angel Beats, you may be asking what the battle front's goal is; what do they want to accomplish? That's a very good question. I don't know myself. The best I've got is that they want to seize control of the afterlife school from Tenshi, because reasons. They do this by throwing light rock concerts and using a fan to blow away all the other student's lunch tickets. They need guns to stop Tenshi from interfering. What this plan actually accomplishes and why they bother to go so far for it is a total mystery.

This type of petty "disruption" doesn't explain why a bunch of guys are willing to slave away underground for nonsense plans that don't accomplish anything. Two episode later, the main characters play baseball against Tenshi. We don't see guild members after this much at all, so I can assume they spend all their time in their underground fortress. It's not really addressed ever.

Tenshi is probably the biggest problem with Angel Beats. Episode 2 makes her look like a terminator, but we see she's not actually that tyrannical. Later on we're supposed to sympathize with her and she even becomes friends with other characters. If somebody was permanently trapped after they blow up the guild in episode 2, which could have happened, that would kind of throw a wrench into that. The way they oust her from power also doesn't involve any weapons, they just fake her tests so she wont be student council president anymore, afterwards she stops bothering them. Tenshi is also later "revealed" to not be an "angel" or any special being. She's a human exactly like the other characters, and had no special authority.

This begs the question of why nobody else can or does use her powers(which she programs herself in a computer). It also calls into question any of the information she previously gives about the world since she shouldn't have any special knowledge about its nature. Also, there's a last second romance between her and the main character. Yes, really. Previously, he showed inexplicable concern for her right from the start, but no strong indication of romantic feelings until five minutes before the end. Can't have the main character not be in a romance though.

So, the school. Some unspecified number of students are the deceased souls of young people, we barely see them. The other students and teachers are "npcs". Supposedly soulless automatons that act the part of students. When the main character enters this world, this is explained to him by the battle front's leader, Yuripee. He doesn't believe her and walks around looking for an adult to ask questions. For some reason, he can't find anybody, not even npcs. There just are none. Later there's plenty. Why he can't find any at this point is never addressed, but after that he goes along with whatever Yuripee says. We don't know if there's anything, or even a whole world beyond the school, because nobody ever checks and it's never addressed. There's no looping terrain or unpassable barrier like this type of setting usually has.

If I was in that situation, I would question Yuripee's and my sanity before going along with anything she had to say. Seeing the main character test for himself if the npcs were souless, talking to them, following them around, and confirming for himself something is horribly wrong, would be more entertaining and create a nice, disturbing atmosphere. Considering how time is spent later on(a baseball game), a bit more investment into world building and showing instead of telling would have been nice.

This IS a comedy though. There isn't jokes here or there, it's one of the main focuses. I forgot to check the genres, but it was still disappointing since the premise suggested a surreal, thrillerish experience. Some of the jokes land, but others don't and are really repetitive. Also, it's a drama. Angel Beats was made by Key. Judging from the Clannad anime and this, I might just not be a fan of their work. While Angel Beats doesn't even compare to After Story, the champion of self-masturbatory, manufactured sadness, they do pull the same sick little girl dying while it's snowing trick. At least it's real in this one and not in a hypothetical daydream.

I didn't grow to care about the characters. I didn't find them interesting or particularly likable, though the main character has nice backstory. There's was too many, and even the ones with more screen time still felt flat. The others existed to tell the exact same joke over and over. The story lacking focus is also likely a culprit for this. So the sad scenes and ending were tedious to me. The final conflict only served to shepherd all of the humans past the after life(into reincarnation), because now they need to "move on" and fast, so we can have that clean, sappy kind of ending. I also felt a strong Haruhi influence. Yuripee is reminiscent of Haruhi, though fortunately far less obnoxious. The group dynamic also felt similar. Haruhi though, in her favor, didn't have much of a concrete goal, whereas Yuripee is initially presented as so without a lot of follow-through.

The presentation is nice. The ost is alright and the op is very pretty. The art style didn't impress me as much and some characters looked too similar to each other(the two blue hair guys). It was nice, but lacked style. Shigofumi, at points, had more of an after-life feel than Angel Beats just by making the lighting more exposed.

Do I recommend Angel Beats? This turned out really long, but I don't think it's that bad. It's not that good either. Coming into it, I expected either total bleakness, like in Texhnolyze, or a wild, high-octane ride where they actually confront god or something. I didn't get either. There wasn't much impact or excitement. If you're not looking for that though, and you like Key, or want a fairly light, Haruhi-esque anime with an unusual premise, I guess I would recommend Angel Beats.
>> No. 35723 [Edit]
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35723
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31500/High_School_Fleet

I watched High School Fleet, also known as Haifuri. I watched the TV anime, OVAs, and the movie. Here are my thoughts:

This is basically the maritime clone of Girls und Panzer, which I didn't enjoy enough to watch more than the first season of. It's been years since then, but I think one of the main reasons I dropped GuP was because of the crappy characters. I remember also thinking that the battles were very drawn-out and often boring. Anyway, enough about GuP — I only bring it up because the comparison is so common.

High School Fleet involves battleships which are operated by crews of cute girls. This is a winning combination, in my view. Watching the girls working together in their various naval roles is entertaining. The girls are enrolled in a naval academy for training to join a military organization called the Blue Mermaids (Blue-Mers LOL). It's unreasonable of me to expect this, but it would have been nice if a bit more attention was given to the technical aspects of the battleships. Although, anime is probably the wrong medium for that. Regardless, if you like military stuff then there's an okay amount of that here. Admittedly, I'm kind of a military dork so I'm probably a little biased in this regard. The ships featured in the anime resemble WW2-era battleships.

In terms of animation, CGI is frequently used to animate the battleships. The CGI can sometimes appear crude, even by anime CGI standards. However, the character animation is often surprisingly good (although inconsistent). I'm fine with this resource allocation as the high-quality character animation does enhance the cuteness appeal of the show. Both the art style and character designs are fairly generic. Although I will say that a disproportionate degree of attention is paid to the characters' hair, both in terms of design and animation. I enjoyed this subtle aspect of the show since I just really like hair (OMG I'm such a weirdo) and think it's an important feature. There are lots of cute hairstyles among the cast! Anyway, it's not really the character designs themselves that evoke the feeling of moe within me, it's the 'gap moe' of the girls operating warships that really amplifies the cuteness.

The cast is very tropey, unsurprisingly. Some of the characters are pretty funny though. I don't have any significant complaints about the cast; this isn't the kind of show that requires character development. The cast is enormous, making it difficult to implement individual character arcs anyway. None of the characters are annoying, thankfully.

In terms of voice acting, there's a fair bit of variety. Some of the VAs do an exceptional job (ex. Rin), although they are diluted by the enormous size of the cast. As for music, I liked the OP song (the vocals are pretty good). The OST was nothing special. I would have liked to have seen a more military-like soundtrack for this. Could you imagine a well-produced military-inspired OST with lots of brass instruments used in a show like this? That would be awesome. There was a mild military theme to the music, but I would have preferred it be stronger (I realize this is kind of a silly complaint). Regardless, a more creative and talented OST composer could benefit this anime a lot, especially considering that there are plenty of moments without any dialogue. However, I will say that the sound effects during battle scenes were pretty nice.

There was a healthy mix of plot and lighthearted silly scenes. It was sometimes a fun show to watch. However, one of my biggest issues with this anime was the plot itself. The battle scenes were usually fun and entertaining, but many other plot-related scenes were tiresome. Without giving too much away, the story involves a dumb mystery. A lot of screentime gets wasted on eyeroll-inducing scenes related to this mystery phenomenon. Just know that it was really dumb, and not in an enjoyable way — I sometimes felt like I was watching a one-star horror movie. Even beyond the mystery, the writing in general is just poor. The plot doesn't completely dominate the show, so I don't want to overstate its impact on my viewing experience. Still, it was pretty bad and I would have preferred a completely different story or, better yet, no plot at all. Seriously, I even would have preferred that everyone just sat around painting their nails and drinking milkshakes, while occasionally firing some torpedoes and 400mm cannons. In any case, for maximum enjoyment of this anime, I think the best thing to do is shut your brain off.

Overall rating for the TV anime: 6/10
I pretty much got what I expected. It was fun and cute, but there was room for improvement. It felt like this anime 'played it safe' in a lot of respects. Aside from the naval setting and the sometimes-strange plot, it was a fairly stereotypical moe show. I actually would have liked to have seen the maritime theme embraced more than it was. Meaning, a greater emphasis on naval operations, naval warfare, and general seamanship (I realize this is an unrealistic expectation for anime). As opposed to tropey character interactions that we've already seen play out in countless other settings. Due to its setting, High School Fleet had a chance to be truly unique. This chance was somewhat squandered. I also think that this show would have really benefited from a higher animation budget. There was tons of opportunity here for gorgeous visuals that would have enhanced the viewing experience, but this wasn't fully capitalized upon.

I'm not sure if it had any effect on this anime production, but apparently the studio went bankrupt not long after it aired (the movie was made by a different studio). Maybe there's a story behind that.

I'll also include my opinion of the two OVA episodes: they were bad. The plot was bad and they didn't even take place on the ships, which removed a significant driver of my enjoyment of the show. The OVAs were considerably worse than the TV anime, in my opinion (OVA rating: 4/10). I wouldn't recommend watching them unless you adored the TV anime.

As for the 2020 movie, here are my comments on it:
- the same crude jarring CGI is used to animate the ships, unfortunately. In fact, the visuals in general are barely a step above the TV anime, which is disappointing. As I already said, this anime could benefit a lot from better visuals.
- again, not enough focus on the maritime theme of the show. Not nearly enough cool battleship content. To my stark disappointment, the first ~50 (FIFTY) minutes of the movie did not have a single battleship scene (so, basically half the runtime). High School Fleet continues to squander its potential by not focusing on the things that make it unique and entertaining. It still continues to be "Generic School Anime but Sometimes On a Boat This Time" (which unfortunately isn't unexpected).
- again, another ridiculously bad plot that feels like it came out of a grade-school creative writing class. Literally the kind of thing I'd expect in a one-star movie. Not that I care that much about the plot anyway. Please just show me some cool battleship stuff and accompanying gap moe; at this point I don't even care what storyline you need to justify it.
- when the battle scenes did finally arrive, they were pretty underwhelming, particularly for a movie. Sound effects were alright but could have been better. I was also disappointed by the lack of any ship-vs-ship skirmishes.
- the sense of novelty that kept me interested in the TV anime has since worn out. I've already seen 14 episodes of this anime, and the movie isn't really bringing anything new to the table.
- the characters are still just as cute as they were during the TV series. This is one thing that High School Fleet consistently does an okay job of.
- overall I simply didn't enjoy the movie as much as the TV series. Spending ~half the screentime onshore was a major reason for this. It's called High School FLEET, okay?! FLEET. As in, on ships at sea in the flipping water! That's all I'm asking for!

My overall rating for the 2020 movie: 4/10

Rin and Tama are the cutest!!


There's another thing I want to say about modern anime more generally, even though this review might not be the best place for it, and I'm probably stating the obvious anyway. A lot of modern 'moe' CGDCT shows will add a theme to their story or change the setting or do something to try to distinguish themselves from all the other similar shows. So many of these anime will, in concept, have a totally unique and interesting theme that could make for a memorable show. Upon implementation though, the show will squander this unique potential by deferring to the same tired formulaic CGDCT material — the same tired character interactions, the same stale comedy, the same character types and tropes. High School Fleet is yet another example of this (and hardly the most egregious). It doesn't fully commit to the elements that make it unique, and instead plays it safe, so what you end up with is Generic School Anime (sometimes on a boat this time!). Admittedly, High School Fleet has a unique plot (and unfortunately it's quite bad), so it's not even an ideal example of this phenomenon.

>>35705
It's been a very long time since I watched it, but I remember Angel Beats being kind of a rushed mess. I distinctly recall a feeling of wasted potential. I'd like to try reading the related literature again because the story did have promise.
The OST was really great in any case.
>> No. 35724 [Edit]
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35724
>>35723
>I realize this is an unrealistic expectation for anime
It's kind of a bummer.
>So many of these anime will, in concept, have a totally unique and interesting theme that could make for a memorable show. Upon implementation though, the show will squander this unique potential by deferring to the same tired formulaic CGDCT material
I think this is a problem with the entire slice of life genre and maybe even a problem with school settings. To put it as cynically as possible, they infect cool premises and make them more boring.
>>33040
>If it's supposed to clearly be a show about mostly mundane things, why have the extraordinary premise? It just feels like a gimmick. Hey, there's lot of cute girls, but wait, one girl is god, so it's different.

Post edited on 24th May 2021, 10:20am
>> No. 35727 [Edit]
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35727
>>35723
>>35723
While I similarly found that GuP wasn't my cup of tea, I absolutely loved Haifuri (well the tv anime at least; the ova & movie were a bit less fulfilling). Whereas GuP leaned more towards the military/strategic side, I tend to prefer slice of life and shows which depict character bonds which was a bit lacking in GuP. In fact, Haifuri felt a lot to me like Gakkou Gurashi in that it depicts deep friendships being forced in dire situations – and where isolation deepens their bonds as they're forced to rely on each other. In this case, the "unit" of friendship being considered is that of the ship's crew, and there's plenty of interplay between the captain, first officer, and other crew members. What was interesting to me is that they actually _didn't_ focus on the friendship with Moeka too much, which I think was a good choice.

>but it would have been nice if a bit more attention was given to the technical aspects of the battleships
I disagree, doing so would have shifted the genre away from SoL-ish and shifted the focus away from the characters to the ships (I was already getting bored of the "tank fanservice" in GuP).

>Without giving too much away, the story involves a dumb mystery. A lot of screentime gets wasted on eyeroll-inducing scenes related to this mystery phenomenon
I see this complaint a lot, and I don't understand it. Yes there's some mystery about what's going on, but the focus is more on their experiences that result. You could make the same complaint about Gakkou Gurashi. Particularly,
>preferred that everyone just sat around painting their nails and drinking milkshakes
would have completely changed the nature of their situation.

>I'll also include my opinion of the two OVA episodes: they were bad.
Yeah I agree on these two. Taking away the setting removes all the appeal of it. And the movie spent too much time focusing on some random okinawan girl instead of the main cast.

>So many of these anime will, in concept, have a totally unique and interesting theme that could make for a memorable show
Strongly disagree – the strength of CGDCT is in character interactions, not setting/theme. Some shows do this better than others (Kirara usually does a great job at depicting natural friendships), but the setting is almost always just a backdrop over which the characters' interactions play out. CGDCT is only formulaic when these interactions come off as unnatural or insincere, and I don't believe that applies to Haifuri. (I'd personally cite Yuru Yuri, Ochikobore, or Kiniro Mosaic as shows whose interactions felt lacking; but I know others will strongly disagree, which speaks to how subjective this can be.)

That is to say, just as you don't watch Koisuru Asteroid with the expectation that you're going to learn about astronomy or New Game with the expectation that you'll learn about game development, one shouldn't be watching CGDCT for the setting/plot per se.
>> No. 35728 [Edit]
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35728
>>35727
>You could make the same complaint about Gakkou Gurashi
I did not watch Haifuri, but the premise doesn't lead me to believe a mystery is necessary.Zombies are integral to Gakkou Gurashi and were played straight. I don't think GG's plot had any unnecessary fat.
>the strength of CGDCT is in character interactions, not setting/theme
Those premises/settings don't have to be attached to typical CGDCT, sincere or not. It's kind of a waste of an interesting premise if it's limited in such a way. I'm saying this as somebody who enjoys heavy stories.

Post edited on 24th May 2021, 11:14pm
>> No. 35729 [Edit]
>>35728
>but the premise doesn't lead me to believe a mystery is necessary
Fair enough, but you at least need something to produce the situation of total isolation. The scenario they came up with is a bit contrived and isn't itself integral to the events, but if you were to remove it then you've got to add in something else. (By the way, you might want to spoiler the gakkou gurashi part in case anyone hasn't watched it yet).

> It's kind of a waste of an interesting premise if it's limited in such a way
You can't fault a show for delivering what it says on the tin though. If someone else wanted to make a heavier/serious-toned/historically-accurate show about naval girls then they're free to do so (I think strike witches is the closest thing?)

Post edited on 24th May 2021, 11:09pm
>> No. 35734 [Edit]
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35734
Lol, of all the reviews I've posted here I'm surprised that my long-ass tldr-tier High School Fleet review is getting replies.

>>35724
>It's kind of a bummer.
yep.

>>35727
SoL is easily one of my favourite genres, so I sympathize with much of what you've said. However, there are some aspects of High School Fleet that work against it being a good character-driven SoL. First of all, the size of the cast is very large, making rich character development difficult to implement. Second, much of the screentime is sucked up by plot-related events, almost by necessity of the show's premise. Third, it's a single-cour show, so it doesn't really have the screentime needed for deep character dynamics. Having said all that, I would absolutely love a character-driven story that takes place on an ocean ship, don't get me wrong.

I think that High School Fleet should have either leaned harder into its military action elements OR leaned harder into the SoL elements of the show. I would have enjoyed it taking either path. Instead, it does a mediocre job at both those things.

>>35728
>>35729
Creating isolation (+/- conflict) in the story is fine. The issue is the plot mechanics that were used were immersion-breakingly absurd. Even worse, the 'mystery' sucked up a lot of screentime that could have been used for something better (more SoL or more military stuff, take your pick).

>You can't fault a show for delivering what it says on the tin though.
Just for the record, I never said that High School Fleet (the TV anime) defied my expectations. In fact, I specifically said that I pretty much got what I expected from the TV anime. I was just lamenting the wasted potential by speculating about what could have been. For me, a 6/10 rating isn't even bad (you can go through this thread and see the other reviews I've posted). The TV anime was still entertaining and I don't regret watching it. I'm not the kind of person who rates stuff poorly because it's missing something I wanted; I just take the content for what it is and evaluate my enjoyment of it. I guess what I mean is, wasted potential isn't something that affects my rating, but it is still worth writing about. However, if I'm thinking about wasted potential while watching something then it is probably lacking in some way. Ordinarily, I try not to focus too much on wasted potential when I write reviews, but High School Fleet is just a really severe case of it.
>> No. 35737 [Edit]
I too found High School Fleet really disappointing. Great start full of suspense and mystery. The perfect set up for a very intense survival story, with some political thriller elements to it. They sure ruined that opportunity.
>> No. 35750 [Edit]
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35750
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32995

I watched Yuri on Ice ("Yuri!!! on Ice"). Here are my thoughts:

Visually, the anime is good overall. There are lots of really nice character designs. The cinematography is pretty good, especially during the skating scenes. The character animation is fluid, although sometimes inconsistent. Some episodes were better than others in terms of animation quality. The most jarring visual imperfections were the frequent off-model frames during the skating scenes. This might have been exacerbated by my tendency to repeatedly pause and rewind these parts, but I doubt I'm the only one who noticed this. I'm not a stickler for animation quality, but there was room for refinement here. In any case, at least they didn't use CGI for the skating. For the record, I watched the Blu-rays; I've heard anecdotally that the TV broadcast had some animation sloppiness.

Sound effects are nicely done. Like in the ice arenas for example, it sounds exactly as it would in real life. I could feel the cold rink-arena air as I watched this anime. The OST is decent, although I wish there were more musical variety, particularly during the skating scenes. Both the OP and ED songs are great. Voice acting is alright; Victor has a nice voice.

Although not bad, the writing of Yuri on Ice is not one of its stronger attributes. The story is simply okay, and it serves its purpose. Anyone watching this anime should set their expectations low in this regard. Personally, I didn't particularly empathize with any of the characters.
Sometimes character development seemed abrupt and unexpected, without adequate foreshadowing. This might partially be a consequence of the show's pacing, which is arguably kinda quick.

Strictly in terms of being a sports anime, Yuri on Ice is decent in this regard too. The skating scenes are captivating. Watching this anime made me want to go play some kind of sport. Although it did not feel as intensely competitive as other sports shows I have seen, there is a lot of emphasis on the mental state and psyche of the figure skaters, moreso than I'd expect in an ordinary sports show. The strong emphasis on the psychological dimension of sport performance is a somewhat-unique trait of this show. I suppose the solitary nature of figure-skating performance is ideal for this. Personally, I think it would have been nice to see more attention paid to the technical aspects of figure skating, although I suspect few other people share that opinion.

I think that Yuri on Ice sought to strike a balance between on-ice scenes and off-ice scenes. In terms of total runtime, the anime has tons of scenes on ice — even more than I expected. The on-ice scenes are very entertaining and are when the show is at its best, in my opinion. I really did enjoy the skating scenes. However, this came at the cost of having less time for off-ice content, and consequently, less time for character development and related storytelling. The prioritization of on-ice scenes may be one factor which resulted in my lack of empathy and emotional connection with the characters. Now, I'm not saying there is anything objectively wrong with this. Yuri on Ice delivered more skating content than I expected, and I'm thankful for it. However, I think that the consequences of this screentime allocation should be acknowledged. This effect is also compounded by the size of the cast; the large number of characters diluted the attention paid to individual character arcs. I think one mistake this anime made was trying to implement character arcs for too many side characters; it would have been better to exclusively focus on the main characters, particularly due to the scarcity of off-ice screentime. On the other hand, more character arcs create more potential ways that a viewer might connect with the anime, which in theory might broaden its appeal. Perhaps this was a decision made with the intent to make Yuri on Ice more of a 'crowd pleaser' show (a common strategy for the directorial decisions, it seems to me).

Now of course for the answer to the question some of you are wondering — how gay was it? Well, it was pretty gay. In fact it was even gayer than I expected. There was a lot of very strongly implied subtext, both in words and actions. However, a lot of it struck me as pandering fanservice. Sometimes it was almost exaggerated to the point where it broke my immersion. It was not an elegant kind of romance; it was more like forcefed fanservice. I didn't dislike the flavour, but it could have been implemented more gracefully. The crudely implemented homosexual overtones did not match the elegance of the figure skating. This flaw is also representative of a broader issue that I have with this anime — I wish it took itself more seriously. Yuri on Ice feels like it was created to please its audience (and sell) instead of satisfy an artistic vision. It is difficult to become emotionally engaged when there is a constant barrage of various forms of practically fourth-wall-breaking fanservice. Similarly, potentially great scenes are sometimes dragged down by the use of comedy. Yuri on Ice could have been a very emotional show if it told its story with confidence and seriousness, instead of (perhaps cynically) pandering to the audience. I wonder if things would have turned out differently if this was a manga adaptation.


My overall rating: 7/10
It was a consistently entertaining anime. The figure-skating scenes were both captivating and plentiful. It was easy to watch, however it never really engaged me on an emotional level. Don't go into this anime expecting a compelling story or rich characters — you won't get either of those things. Fortunately, there are plenty of other sources of enjoyment. Even though there is an overarching story, you could show a random episode to someone unacquainted with the series and they would probably still be entertained. It is a surprisingly easily digestible show, in stark contrast to my wrongful prior assumptions about it being more suited for a niche audience. As for the homosexual romance element, if you go into this expecting anything deeper than shameless pandering fanservice then you will be disappointed. For maximum enjoyment, Yuri on Ice should be approached with a casual lighthearted attitude. Also, due to how much skating content there is, I'd advise against 'binge watching' this anime. It will feel repetitive if you watch it too frequently. I watched ~2 episodes a week and this felt optimal to me. Yuri on Ice is an enjoyable anime if you set your expectations correctly.

I also want to say, despite this anime's reputation, it is a decent sports show. Before viewing, I expected that the skating aspect would be secondary to the core story. This is not the case. Skating is the central theme in this anime and I'm grateful for it. I would sincerely recommend this anime to people who enjoy sports shows, regardless of the sexual overtones.

I'm not sure what the situation is with the rumoured sequel movie. I had been delaying watching this anime because of the supposedly upcoming movie, but unfortunately it still hasn't come to fruition.
>> No. 35751 [Edit]
>>35750
Whose idea was it to call a pseudo-yaoi show "yuri on ice"
>> No. 35752 [Edit]
File
Removed
>>35751
Two main characters are named Yuri. It's both a Russian and Japanese name...
The title confused a lot of people
>> No. 35759 [Edit]
File 162367061588.jpg - (478.93KB , 1513x2078 , 2SNRWPG.jpg )
35759
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35241

I watched Konohana Kitan. Here are my thoughts:

The characters are kind of bland but there is good chemistry among the cast. Some of the character designs are cute, and there are some nice kimono outfits. The show has a fairly rich traditional-Japan theme, and primarily takes place at a large rustic ryokan. Most of the characters are so-called "fox girls" who are ryokan employees. The fox girl thing is mildly cute but it's not a major reason for my watching the show, although I'd imagine there is a passionate audience out there for this kind of thing. There are some mild supernatural themes that creep into the show at times as well. This anime often feels like it has a surreal dream-like atmosphere.

Art style during some scenes is nice. Colour is used well. The background in some frames can be quite detailed and colourful. Visuals are one of the show's stronger attributes. The animation itself isn't particularly fluid, and there are a lot of stills, but I often found myself pausing to admire frames.

The OST is okay and the voice acting is mostly unremarkable. I would have preferred a different seiyuu for the main character; her voice was kind of annoying to me. I liked the voice acting for Ren (the pink-haired girl).

This anime definitely has direction issues. Although I haven't read the manga, I get the impression that it might be a better way to approach this if you care about the story. This anime feels very disjointed. It feels like random scenes from the manga were just haphazardly slapped together with zero care for the broader narrative. Episodes have inconsistent mood, and transitions between scenes are not handled well. Furthermore, I often felt like I was missing background information during any remotely plot-related scene. Sometimes it almost felt like I was watching a promotional video for the real content, instead of an actual stand-alone anime.

There is a lot of yuri pandering. However, I never felt any sense of deeper meaningful romance. It always felt kinda cheap and shallow. 'Pandering' really is the right word to use here. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, but you should know not to expect anything deeper in this regard. Even beyond the romance element, the whole show just feels like fluff. There's little cohesion from scene to scene, nevermind between episodes. For me, this anime was just something to shut my brain off to and watch some cute stuff with nice visuals. If you expect anything more than this then you will likely be disappointed.

Despite my criticisms, it was still usually a pleasant and relaxing show to watch. The more I tried to actually use my brain while watching it, the less I enjoyed it. The show is fine though as just some cute fluff to wind down with at the end of the day. This anime is best watched immediately before bedtime.

My overall rating: 6/10
>> No. 35760 [Edit]
>>35759
The only thing I remember about that anime is how forgettable it was.
>> No. 35761 [Edit]
>>35760
I wouldn't call it forgettable, but like >>35759 I also thought the pacing was a bit disjointed. In fact, I dropped and picked up this show three times because the first half of the series that focused on the rhombus's life at Konohanatei was kind of boring. It's only the latter half which I vividly remember as having memorable scenes – The episode with the three mini-arcs of people's lifes that are linked across time with their experiences at Konohanatei was spectactular, as was the seasonal finale. Once the show hit its stride in the second half of the series, its iyashikei elements are well-developed and each episode brings something delightful – its a shame that the first half is kind of a "slog" though.

By the way if you liked the fantasy/spirit-esque setting of Konohana Kitan I'd strongly recommend Urara Meirochou. It's topologically close in that it's also a CGDCT SoL dealing with god/spirit elements, and of course being a kirara adaptation it nails friendships – moreso than konohana which leaned more heavily to the iyashikei aspects rather than fleshing out character dynamics.

Post edited on 14th Jun 2021, 3:13pm
>> No. 35763 [Edit]
File 16237666428.png - (3.46MB , 1920x1350 , 887177.png )
35763
>>35761
I'm actually watching Urara Meirochou right now! It is excellent. I'm close to finishing it and will post my review of it here when done.
>> No. 35764 [Edit]
File 162378757682.jpg - (118.11KB , 850x652 , 1552369660753.jpg )
35764
>>35763
Looking forward to it! Urara is among my favorite shows (then again, almost all kiraras are memorable and special in their own right so it's hard to break a tie between them). The combination of usual cgdct dynamics with the additional escapist element of spirits/deities made this a really relaxing show (to me at least – I hate the stochastic uncertainty of life and so I suppose the whole concept of Uraras is a hedge against that).

While I'll leave the detailed review to you, if I had to point out one flaw it was in the series finale where they got trapped in that underground maze and chiya helps them escape by discovering that she's the daughter of a spirit god or something like that (Kurou) and invokes his power. This feels like a crucial plot point that explains a lot of the weird things about Chiya's life, and yet it just feels too rushed to shove it in near the end. Maybe if there had been a season 2 it would have been alright, but as it is the anime didn't feel "self-contained" with the introduction of that plot point and I needed to read the summary of the manga chapters to understand what was going on there (Someone had posted bullet point notes on /a/ if you search the archives a bit)..
>> No. 35765 [Edit]
File 16238164335.jpg - (736.55KB , 2646x2993 , e2396fba7d0b810b666f5b34316f886f6dd3f95e.jpg )
35765
>>35764
>Someone had posted bullet point notes on /a/ if you search the archives a bit
Found it. Note that it has some misspellings. Major spoilers, obviously: https://pastebin.com/raw/BSXCiWGN
I do think the manga is worth actually reading, though. Or at least the stuff that wasn't adapted (chapter 24 and onward). Omi is cute. And I found the ending bittersweet but satisfying enough.
>> No. 35766 [Edit]
File 162381885084.jpg - (165.16KB , 1280x720 , skimpy.jpg )
35766
>>35765
Thank you for sharing, I apologize that I didn't link it in my post.

I guess one interesting thing I just realized about the ending in terms of the yuri angle is that Chiya/Kon are basically de facto married by virtue of the fact that they're technically brides of the gods and so have no "competition," and their both being rank 1 urara means they're spending the rest of their life together. Probably one of the most interesting ways I've seen to deal with concluding a yuri arc implicitly and one nicely fitted to kirara-esque shows that usually blur the line between strong platonic friendship and light not-too-serious romance (sometimes called "yuritease"?) In fact I don't recall very many instances of non-joking yuri implications in Urara (besides Chiya being quite touchy) but then again the wonderful ED is called "go to romance" whose lyrics clearly hint at something

>If all these twists and bends match up
>Will I find my way to my dream?
>As I wander and wander round and round
>Perhaps a miracle will bring me to you
>
>Some days don't go my way, from one all the way to ten
>Say which way will I find my happy ending?
>From right to left, from like to love
>Oh no! Panicking, consumed by love
>I can't escape from this longing

>I'm searching far and wide, searching far and wide for you
>Enchanted by a fantasy I've never met
>Imagining you kissing me
>Meeting you, colliding with you suddenly
>We're all tangled up, but it must be fate
>Would you perhaps, by chance be as lost as I am?

>I'm trapped in this labyrinth by a romance with no end in sight


>> No. 35776 [Edit]
File 162429583542.jpg - (446.49KB , 1056x1500 , Urara_Meirochou-cover.jpg )
35776
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32924

I watched Urara Meirochou. Here are my thoughts:

This show focuses on novice users of divine powers and their journey to improve those skills. I like divine themes in any kind of story, so I'm probably a little biased in the degree to which I liked this anime. In fact, I wish the show focused even more on the actual divine powers and supernatural themes. In terms of screentime, this anime has a lot of typical slice-of-life scenes. However, there are sprinklings of broader plot that are strategically added. When they do occur, the divination scenes are quite nice.

The main characters in the show are all likable and have good chemistry in their interactions. However, this anime has too much comedy, in my opinion. Both in terms of the way it interrupts enjoyable moments and in the way that so much overall screentime is sucked up by mediocre comedy. The timing of the comedy was poor too. It often broke the tone of a scene in a disruptive way, and in general was too frequent for my taste. I sometimes felt like I was getting emotional whiplash by the way the mood constantly jumped around. It felt like the show was trying to cater to someone with an extremely low attention span. There were many moments where I was soaking in the mood of a scene, only for it to be disrupted by some unfunny tone-breaking comedy. This is the show's greatest flaw from my perspective. However, in fairness, the latter half of the series is comparatively less comedy-heavy.

The art style is unique, creative, and in general quite nice. The style of the background setting, like the town's houses, is unique. The soft pastel colour palette is nice. Stylized frames with artistic patterns and the like (think Hidamari Sketch) are effectively used during dialogue scenes. The pervasive use of soft curvy haphazard linework contributes to the show's playful fantasy-like atmosphere; it sort of reminds me of childrens' storybooks. Some of the character designs are fairly cute, with cute outfits too. The animation quality in this is fairly average, but there is a lot of visual detail. You can tell that a lot of attention was paid to minor details, moreso than I'd expect from this kind of anime. I found myself pausing frequently just to admire random objects or features in the frame. Cinematography is used effectively and creatively as well. Each scene usually has lots of variety in terms of 'camera' angles, framing, distortion, etc. A lot of care and creativity was put into this anime's visuals, even though it doesn't have 'butter-smooth' animation. I really enjoyed the visual aspects of this show.

The main characters have incredibly cute voice work, which is great because the show is dialogue-heavy. It seemed like a fair bit of attention is paid to sound effects, like during divination scenes for example. Even mundane things, like the sound of movement on tatami mats, are handled in detail and with care. The OST seemed good, although it is usually overshadowed by dialogue and sound effects.


My overall rating: 8/10
Despite my distaste for the comedy and the way it was implemented, this show is exceptional in many other ways, and I very much enjoyed watching it. The atmosphere, setting and themes are rich and unique. The art style is creative and unique. All of the main characters are likable. The divine powers theme in the story is interesting and refreshing. However, if they got rid of the comedy and focused even more on the divine elements in the writing, I imagine that I would rate this anime even higher. In fact this anime had all the ingredients to be a 10/10 for me personally, and that potential could have been realized if things were executed differently. Regardless of my lamenting some squandered potential, I enjoyed this anime quite a lot.

I want to read the manga because the writing seems like it has lots of promise.

Lastly, to anyone who enjoys the SoL genre, absolutely I would recommend this anime. It is creative, comfy, cute, playful, relaxing, and unique. I enjoyed every single episode and always looked forward to watching it. It really was exceptional.

>>35764
>spoiler text
Although I very much wish for a second season, I think that aspect of Chiya was foreshadowed starting from the early episodes onwards. I was expecting some kind of development like that, so it didn't seem unusual at all to me. Like I said though, I wish that the anime focused even more on its divine elements in general.
>> No. 35778 [Edit]
File 162480196298.jpg - (678.82KB , 1479x2094 , 156fac0f8519fa3e8922e02f32293913.jpg )
35778
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32086

I watched the Blame! movie, released in 2017. Here are my thoughts:

For the record, I have never seen the older (2003) OVAs nor have I ever read the manga. I knew nothing about the franchise before watching this movie. Obviously this review will not address the faithfulness of this adaptation to the manga; I am only evaluating the movie as a standalone product.

Basically, Blame takes place in a sci-fi post-apocalyptic setting because machines took over and blah blah blah reasons. The premise and setting kind of reminded me of the live-action Matrix trilogy.

This movie is animated in CGI (well, at least the characters and machines are). There were moments where the character animation seemed unnatural, but overall the characters looked okay to me. By CGI standards, it looked good. Facial expressions were done surprisingly well, which is unusual for CGI animation. Beyond the characters, the background setting looked terrific. There is tons of detail in the background landscapes, which really complements the post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting. There are lots of screencap-worthy frames in this movie. The muted, mostly grayscale, colour palette is suitable as well.

The audio production quality is excellent. Lots of different sound effects really enhanced my immersion. Regardless of the CGI visuals, this movie sounded very realistic to me. Blame's setting is one that can really be enhanced by sound effects, so it's great that this was capitalized upon. The OST is great too, and really well produced. The voice acting is adequate; I liked Cibo's voice.

The plot was pretty generic post-apocalyptic sci-fi material, and fairly predictable. In some ways it felt like a generic Hollywood blockbuster film plot. Although at times I felt like I was missing background information, it was overall coherent and competently executed. The plot was also fairly self-contained, meaning that there were no significant loose strings at the end (a common manga-adaptation issue). There was minimal character development, but the characters served their purposes, and none of them were annoying or unpleasant. Some of the character dynamics were a little corny at times, but these instances were short-lived. In terms of sci-fi stuff, there is a decent helping of cool technology in here, although nothing particularly unique.


My overall rating: 7/10
I found this movie immersive and consistently entertaining. It sounded great and looked good. It was competently directed and didn't have any major flaws. It was a good cinematic experience. Manga readers probably feel differently, but I think this movie did a good job of depicting a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting.

If you have a surround-sound setup then I'd recommend using it if you decide to watch this (or at least a decent pair of headphones).
>> No. 35783 [Edit]
File 162549673183.jpg - (1.40MB , 2086x2914 , bungosdgal.jpg )
35783
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31478

I watched Bungou Stray Dogs (all 3 seasons + the movie, the OVA, and some of the Wan shorts). Here are my thoughts:

I generally speaking don't like action anime. I also dislike superpowers as a plot device. I prefer comedy served as a side dish; too much comedy will put me off depending on how palatable I find its flavour. For these reasons I expected that I would not enjoy Bungou Stray Dogs and in fact almost passed on it entirely. Just to be sure though, I pessimistically watched the first episode just in case.

I felt hooked at episode 3 and knew I'd be watching the entire thing. The first few episodes were strong. There were interesting characters with tons of promise.

Season 1 has a good balance between comedy and serious scenes. Don't be fooled by the comedy of season 1 though. Like many other anime, they lure you in with a lighthearted beginning to introduce characters and setting, and then the more emotionally tumultuous journey begins. Season 1 spends most of its time fleshing out characters and setting. There is a major shift in tone from season 1 to season 2. There is very little comedy in season 2 and the tone is far darker. The difference was so stark that I double-checked to see if they changed staff. Actually, in general this anime is all over the map in terms of tone. These transitions are usually handled well though, which I think is a sign of good direction.


Here's a summary of my pros and cons.

Positive aspects of the anime:
- Interesting and sometimes well-developed cast of characters.
- Many of the characters are both likable and memorable.
- Complex (yet coherent) and interesting plot that interweaves numerous characters with different motivations, ideologies, backstories, etc.
- Good voice acting.
- Complementary OST with variety.
- Some of the supernatural abilities are kind of cool or at the very least unique.
- Attractive male characters and yaoi ships.
- Funny comedy sometimes (mainly season 1)

Weak aspects of the anime:
- Large cast without adequate development of many characters.
- Arguably poor direction at times. For example: rushed story arcs, inappropriate comedic relief, boring fight scenes, etc.
- Asspull conflict resolution and all the usual issues with super powers ("muh power is arbitrarily better than yours, and then everyone died, the end.").
- Unshakeable feeling of protagonist plot armour, even from early in the series.
- Using the absolutely insufferable 'rich American' character trope for an important character.

I don't particularly like super powers or enjoy fight scenes. Thankfully the fight scenes in this are dialogue-heavy and/or resolved quickly. Someone who naturally gravitates towards the genres of this anime would probably enjoy it more than me.


My overall ratings:
Seasons 1, 2 and 3: 7/10
Dead Apple movie: 5/10
Wan! shorts: dropped after 4 episodes

I actually would recommend the TV anime to a casual viewer because it's a very easily digestible series. Also a pretty solid 'page turner' — I usually watched multiple episodes in one sitting. I'm not surprised to see how commonly well received this anime was. There is pretty much something for everyone in this show; I mean that in the sense that there are many aspects of it that can potentially appeal to people.


Assorted miscellaneous comments:

Okay animation, not great (not an issue for me). Could be considered a negative if you want to see well-animated exciting action scenes. Overall the visuals of this anime are mostly unremarkable. Probably the only noteworthy things are the character designs, which are pretty nice. There are also nice city landscape frames that appear sometimes.

Good OST. Lots of variety yet it still always complements the scene well. The music definitely enhances this anime. Good voice acting too.

The atmosphere in general is rich. It's difficult to describe but the show has a very 'punkish' lawless feeling.

Direction quality varies a lot. On average it's good, but it varies a lot from episode to episode. Sometimes the show is suspenseful, other times it can be somewhat boring or melodramatic.

All three seasons started strong but I found the last few climactic episodes of each to be somewhat underwhelming. This might be due to my distaste for long drawn-out fight scenes. I also never felt like the stakes were particularly high in pretty much all the conflicts, despite the often epic scale of the events taking place. Unfortunately, from early in the series I learned to expect asspull conflict resolution, or at least resolutions without major consequences to the protagonists. The use of super powers in any story permits bad writing in this respect. I will say though that I liked the frequent theme of redemption/atonement in the writing.

Good characters. This is probably the best aspect of this anime. There are many characters in the cast who are unique and interesting, as well as memorable and likable. I think that the characters really carry this show as a whole, and are a major reason for the success of the franchise. I should mention that the characters are (loosely?) based off of various famous authors, so someone who's familiar with Japanese literature might derive more enjoyment from this series. For example, one of the main characters (Osamu Dazai) is based on the author of the well-known novel "No Longer Human."

There are a lot of attractive male characters in this and a ton of potential for yaoi ships and the like. I'll spare the average reader from my elaborating on this point. There are some romantic pairings within the context of the story. It doesn't surprise me that this franchise is popular among Japanese women.


I'll also include my comments specific to the Dead Apple movie:
- the plot and the resulting drama felt artificial and forced.
- plot was confusing and messy.
- the characterization/behaviour for some cast members seemed inconsistent with the other anime content.
- any humour felt like audience pandering instead of anything organic (ex. lazily recycling jokes from previous content).
- overall was simply worse than the TV series, both from an artistic and entertainment perspective.
- for anyone wondering, you don't need to watch this movie to understand the story of season 3.


Here are my comments pertaining to the "Bungou Stray Dogs Wan!" 2021 chibi-style shorts (based on the few episodes I watched):
- these are just lighthearted comedy skits.
- the skits are unfunny and boring.
- much of the comedy relies on the character dynamics already established in the prior TV seasons.
- the one nice thing about these shorts is that they do a decent job of showcasing the voice acting of the cast, which as I've said is pretty good.
- I'm not sure what the point of making these was, besides having a poorly veiled advertisement to broadcast on TV to remind people that the franchise exists.
- I dropped these shorts after 4 episodes. I'm not sitting through 12 ~12-minute episodes of unfunny chibi "comedy."
>> No. 35818 [Edit]
File 162617270756.jpg - (217.87KB , 1059x1059 , Demi-chan wa Kataritai.jpg )
35818
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33988

I watched Demi-chan wa Kataritai (not including the ONA), also known as Interviews with Monsters Girls. Here are my thoughts:

This is literally just a typical school SoL show but with a (mostly inconsequential) monstergirl gimmick. That's it. The show doesn't excel at much, and it's not particularly unique or creative. It is watchable though, marginally.

Aside from the novelty of "demi-humans," the characters are pretty bland as a whole. Although, the vampire girl is a good character; she has a playful personality. I enjoyed her presence in the show. However, the rest of the cast is fairly bland. I would say that characterization is one of the weaker aspects of this show, particularly because it is a dialogue-heavy SoL that features interviews of the main characters.

This anime has a significant 'romance' component, moreso than I expected prior to watching. It's a shallow kind of romance though. Truthfully, the show probably deserves a harem genre tag. I guess this isn't surprising considering it's a SoL with a male main character and nearly all-female supporting cast. Most of the story revolves around the main teacher character helping the demi-humans with their personal problems, and in the process learning about their biological characteristics. This story sounds interesting in concept, but in reality the final product is boring and surprisingly generic.

The animation quality is mediocre but sometimes the cinematography is noteworthy. During some moments (not consistently) the character animation is above average. The image frame moves along with actual character movement, which can enhance the sparse moments of fluid animation. A decent job is done for facial expressions as well. The art style of the anime is quite generic and lacking in visual detail. The character designs are similarly generic.

The voice acting is unremarkable, aside from the vampire girl who does a great job. The OST is also unremarkable.


My overall rating: 4/10
This is just a typical highschool SoL show, but with a demi-human 'schtick' added. As a whole, it feels surprisingly uncreative for the premise. It is mostly boring and generic, and it doesn't excel at anything in particular. It was just barely entertaining enough for me to watch to completion.

I wouldn't recommend this anime to anybody.
>> No. 35819 [Edit]
>>35818
>harem
But wasn't he only being set up with one girl, the gym teacher?
>> No. 35820 [Edit]
File 162626126488.png - (1.22MB , 1191x1684 , -x13jvd.png )
35820
>>35819
At least two of the main student female characters have an overt romantic interest in the MC. You're right though about the succubus teacher being into him as well.

None of the romantic pairings ever really develop at all, and the succubus character is mostly just used for comedy...
>> No. 35821 [Edit]
File 162679130835.jpg - (1.64MB , 1999x3000 , zxt5efnidw140kubh3kghw8jwon-138.jpg )
35821
https://myanimelist.net/anime/7785

I watched Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei (including the specials), also known as The Tatami Galaxy. Here are my thoughts:

Once I realized that the MC was a self-pitying young man who was envious of his peers and pining for romantic affection, I knew I was going to have a bad time. Seriously, I can't stand this kind of character. If you find this garbage relatable then you need to take a serious look at what kind of person you are.

The two central characters (MC and Ozu) are pieces of shit, and the story consists of them acting like pieces of shit but with some time-loop stuff thrown in. I pretty much hated everything about the writing in this anime. My enjoyment was significantly impeded by this. Most of the story revolves around the MC being the pathetic worm that he is and treating everyone around him terribly, all the while pining for romantic affection. In addition to this unpleasantly relentless theme, the plot itself often feels repetitive due to the frequent time rewinds. This is because the same events and scenarios are repeated frequently, often with little variation both in terms of the facts of the story as well as the style in which it is told.

Visually, the show is pretty creative. The art style in the backgrounds is unique and stylistic, as well as highly detailed despite the constant scene changes. In general, I enjoyed looking at these creative visuals — they captivated me enough to continue watching the anime despite my grievances.

The style of direction and storytelling is interesting. The first-person narration by the MC is unique, particularly in anime. I think this style of storytelling is more common in American movies. Perhaps this is because it is relatively less common for anime to have conventional novels as source material. My main complaint about this storytelling style is that the narration is almost relentless during each episode. What I mean by that is, there is a near-constant info dump to pay attention to, while also trying to appreciate everything that is happening on-screen. I felt like my attention was often split between the visuals taking place and the narrative audio.

On the subject of audio, the voice acting is not bad. It's difficult for me to gauge the OST because of the literally constant fast-paced narrative dialogue which prevents me from hearing the music clearly. I recall there being some not-bad piano music. OP and ED songs are okay.


My personal overall rating: 4/10
As I already said, I seriously loathed both the characters and the writing in this. Furthermore, although unique, I didn't particularly like the style of storytelling. Additionally, this anime became repetitive very quickly and often felt like a chore to watch. The creative visuals are pretty much the only reason I watched this to completion.

To be fair, I am probably the wrong audience for this anime. This kind of story doesn't click with me at all. Furthermore, the focus is entirely on the MC, who is nearly always on-screen. So, in my case, hating the MC's guts is a major issue.

My intuition might be wrong about this, but I suspect that a lot of the people celebrating this anime must find it relatable in some way. At least the college setting is probably relatable for much of this anime's audience.

I will concede that the 'love doll' story arc was pretty funny. It got some laughs out of me.
>> No. 35822 [Edit]
File 162679602850.jpg - (104.01KB , 960x960 , deb636392d352aff3b639d8fbea0bbaa.jpg )
35822
>>35821
This is actually one of my favorite anime. I watched it before I even entered highschool, so I wouldn't say it's because I found it that relatable. The mc and Ozu came across to me as just average guys who aren't very popular. Nobody particularly loathsome. I'm not sure why you would hate them. Maybe I'd see it differently if I watched now though.

Pretty much every bad thing the mc does is punished in some way. His incessant chasing of popularity and belonging never brings him actual happiness. Everything he tries backfiring in some comical way is where most of the entertainment comes from. It's a sadistic kind of enjoyment. In the end, he gives up on even being a student, until he realizes that his buddies, even Ozu who he demonized, are what actually made that life enjoyable.

I really enjoyed how episodic it was and didn't find it repetitive. I saw it as learning new bits of information every episode like a drip feed. Each one had enough variation to keep me interested. You may not have noticed this, but the movies they made in the first episode are all kind of summaries of the other episodes.

And of course, the visual style and general presentation left a massive impression on me. Your main problem seems to be a dislike for the "realism" that's in it.
>> No. 35823 [Edit]
>>35822
And frankly, it annoys me that you made a moral appeal here. I've never said, "if you relate to this dog shit at all, you're either a bad person or sick in the head and you need to change", about any anime.
>> No. 35824 [Edit]
File 162683062428.jpg - (437.16KB , 1050x1500 , 118025.jpg )
35824
>>35822
I've seen a lot of people praising the ending but I found it underwhelming personally. It was too little too late for me.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with liking the anime, I was just writing sincerely about my own personal viewing experience.

>>35823
My choice of words was probably poor. I was just trying to express my disgust for the MC. That said, the MC clearly behaves in immoral ways, which is why I find it alarming that people say he is relatable. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with enjoying the anime.

I knew I would piss a couple people off with this review but these are my honest feelings about the anime.
>> No. 35825 [Edit]
>>35824
It is disingenuous to write
>If you find this garbage relatable then you need to take a serious look at what kind of person you are.
and then try to pass it off as
>just writing sincerely about my own personal viewing experience.

As for relating to an immoral protagonist in general (not tied to this particular show), well I have a dark confession to make: even I am not always a perfect person of unimpeachable moral standing. It is possible to---no, easier to---relate to a character with whom you share flaws, even while acknowledging that these are flaws. When the relevant piece of fiction is well-written, this can lead to productive introspection as you see the consequences of those flaws play out in the given fictional world.
>> No. 35826 [Edit]
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35826
>>35825
>It is disingenuous to write
perhaps, but I am being truly honest that the MC has character traits that repulse me. He lies, cheats, steals, sabotages others, etc...
I can't empathize with this behaviour and struggle to understand why others would.
>> No. 35827 [Edit]
>>35825
This. Somebody who only really enjoys cgdct would expectedly have a hard time understanding this.
>> No. 35828 [Edit]
>>35826
Talk about anime all you want. Leave the viewers out of it.
>> No. 35829 [Edit]
File 162690440718.jpg - (1.20MB , 1500x1500 , drawn by hiko (lg612).jpg )
35829
>>35821
>>35826
I related to how the protagonist had lofty ideals that he couldn't attain in reality and how he felt isolated or alienated with no place to belong despite having people around him who cared about him. A character doesn't need to be morally upstanding overall to be likeable, and a viewer doesn't need to have behaved in the ways you condemn the protagonist for to have found him relatable.

>>35822
It was actually in the second episode, and I didn't notice it the first time through. Pretty neat, thanks for pointing it out.
Have you also seen Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome? I assume you have, but in case you haven't yet, it was created by a lot of the same lead staff who worked on this series and consequently has much of the same lively visual style and flair. It's an adaptation of another novel by the same author (the novel that cameos in episode 8 at about the 4-minute mark) and features Higuchi, Hanuki, and Rihaku (the bedridden man in the second special but originally from this other novel).

The posts in this thread spurred me to rewatch the series, by the way. I enjoyed it, so thanks for posting.
As another aside, I'm quite fond of the logo design, with how the stylized 四 in 四畳半 is self-referentially composed of 4.5 tatami mats.
>> No. 35830 [Edit]
>>35829
>Have you also seen Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome?
No. Thanks for the suggestion.
>> No. 35831 [Edit]
>>35829
>lofty ideals
I shouldn't have phrased it this way. What I meant was unattainably high standards, not necessarily ideals that are lofty in the sense that they are noble, virtuous, or admirable.
Sorry for my clumsy word choice.

>>35830
Feel free to post what you thought of it if you get around to watching it.
>> No. 35832 [Edit]
File 162697521151.jpg - (2.55MB , 1440x2560 , 68764.jpg )
35832
>>35829
Actually, wanting to watch Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome is the reason I finally decided to watch Tatami Galaxy in the first place. I plan to watch the movie sometime this year, although I'm doubtful I'll enjoy it now due to my distaste for Tatami Galaxy.
>> No. 35833 [Edit]
>>35821
>If you find this garbage relatable then you need to take a serious look at what kind of person you are.
I'm a perfectly fine kind of person, so fuck off.
>> No. 35839 [Edit]
File 16274314904.jpg - (226.88KB , 1280x1024 , Joshiraku_full_12007762.jpg )
35839
https://myanimelist.net/anime/12679

I watched Joshiraku (including the OVA). Here are my thoughts:

Having somewhat recently completed Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, I thought it would be interesting to watch Joshiraku with the memory of it fresh in my mind. However, I quickly realized that the two shows are completely different. Joshiraku is a comedy and consists of short skits. The main characters are rakugo performers, although rakugo itself is not a major aspect of the anime. The rakugo theater (usually backstage) is only a setting for the various comedic skits (which are usually unrelated to rakugo). So, don't be like me and expect this to be a rakugo-themed show.

This anime is clever and amusing, but not really laugh-out-loud funny. There is a lot of clever wordplay. It often breaks the 4th wall; it is a very 'self-aware' show. Occasionally it felt boring; some skits can feel a little drawn out, and the pacing of the skits is slightly sluggish at times.

I could tell that some of the jokes were too Japanese even for my weeb ass. There were seemingly obscure references to Japanese culture, history, politics, geography, etc...

In terms of audiovisuals, this anime is unremarkable at best. The visuals are adequate, and provide demonstrations of the jokes when necessary. The voice acting is similarly adequate. The OST is unremarkable and fairly inconsequential due to the dialogue-heavy nature of the show.


My personal overall rating: 6/10
Most episodes got some chuckles out of me, but it was never gut-bustingly hilarious or anything like that — just moderately amusing. I enjoyed how clever a lot of the jokes were.

If you like puns, clever wordplay and Japanese cultural references, then this is the comedy anime for you. It is a very Japanese show in that there are frequent references to Japanese culture in some form — anything from politicians to pop culture to kanji readings to traditional folklore. The cultural references have a lot of breadth. Receptiveness to this will likely vary a lot among viewers. A casual anime viewer probably won't be amused by puns about train station names (or something equally culturally esoteric), but a smaller subset of dedicated japanophiles would probably eat this stuff up.
>> No. 35840 [Edit]
File 162746224979.jpg - (1.50MB , 3200x1440 , 1401050354572.jpg )
35840
>>35839
Joshiraku was great, though you need to be into Kumeta and his kind of humor. I would say it could be the best adaptation of his work, Katteni Kaizo was short and uncomplete, SZS could feel too experimental and dark and Kakushigoto was really nice but the comedy could fall flat. Joshiraku had the strongest comedy and direction. Character design was better than if Kumeta would have done it himself, he's not that good at that and consciously falls into same-face syndrome too often, girls are really cute.
I disagree it was visually unremarkable, just the enormous effort put into the great variety of the girls clothing or the details in the background isn't something you can see in other anime. Also it's amazingly colorful without being epilepsia inducing.
Watching Joshiraku was the first and only time having a knowledge of japanese politics and east asia geopolitics was of any use for me, so I can appreciate that too.
I gave it an 8/10.
>> No. 35843 [Edit]
>>35840
Come to think of it, there were actually a ton of different outfits.

Just to clarify, I don't consider plain visuals to be a bad thing in a comedy show, so my comment about it being unremarkable was just a neutral observation. Flashy visuals can distract from the comedy itself.
>> No. 35844 [Edit]
>>35839
>If you like puns, clever wordplay and Japanese cultural references, then this is the comedy anime for you
I see this about Joshiraku a lot, and while there are a lot of culture-specific things, you don't _have_ to be overly familiar with them in order to get the jokes. Now granted I watched the gg subs (which for some reason gained notariety) so I can't exactly comment on the "authentic experience" [1], but even though more than 50% of the jokes probably weren't able to be translated (those puns or culture references), it was easy enough to pick up the missing pieces from context. And to me the charm of the show isn't necessarily in particular puns or jokes, but just the organic humor that results from the characters interactions – and it delivered that in spades, so you can still laugh and smile even if one or two things don't make sense. That is, even though it was probably never meant to be an SoL show it actually does a pretty decent job at it, and you get a great sense of each character's personality; they don't merely feel like joke delivery mechanisms but as fleshed out characters in their own right.

>>35840
I've commented this before, but I was very disappointed by SZS after Joshiraku; SZS felt too forced and haphazard in its comedic attempts, and I blame Shaft for their notorious powerpoint-esque animation style (which I also feel ruined hidamari sketch).

>>35843
>Flashy visuals can distract from the comedy itself
Wholeheartedly agree, and I again point to Shaft as the antithesis of subtle. I don't want to see pictures of a random bald guy [2] when watching my shows

[1] There are very thorough TL notes in https://notredrevie.ws/2012/07/09/joshiraku-01-notes-and-the-like/ though. More like a TL book.

[2] https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%89%8D%E7%94%B0%E5%90%9B

P.S. there's also Joshiraku audio dramas, see /mp3/
>> No. 35846 [Edit]
>>35844
The release I watched used gg subs as well, so we're in the same boat. In some cases my understanding of spoken japanese was okay enough to fill in the gaps. Probably the hardest jokes for me to understand were the politician-related stuff, since I don't know much about japanese politicians.

>but just the organic humor that results from the characters interactions
yeah, I agree with this. The diverse variety of personalities in the cast were used to enhance the humour as well.

>P.S. there's also Joshiraku audio dramas, see /mp3/
Thanks, although I suspect they will be challenging dramas to decipher haha

>>35840
By the way, I might've said this before but I'm kind of a stick in the mud when it comes to comedy in general, so anything I say about comedy shows should be taken with a grain of salt. For me personally, 6/10 is a pretty good rating for such a comedy-focused show.
>> No. 35849 [Edit]
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35849
>>35846
Ironically for the amount of flak that the gg subs got, the "official" english subs that they released a few years back were much worse. I think I posted a comparison somewhere on another thread, but gg actually did a pretty decent job and for the real pedants they also released that lengthy TL notes.

>>35846
>for such a comedy-focused show.
Well comedy is subjective anyhow. Interestingly some people in the west like to say that Japanese don't have irony or that they don't have a sense of humor, but to me it's "Western comedy" that's over-the-top and unfunny – I can't remember a single time I've ever laughed at a western show (granted I don't watch many in the first place), whereas things like that Joshiraku audio drama had me smiling ear to ear.
>> No. 35850 [Edit]
>>35849
>or that they don't have a sense of humor
I can't imagine anyone saying that in all seriousness.
>> No. 35851 [Edit]
>>35849
> the "official" english subs that they released a few years back were much worse
many such cases lol

>I can't remember a single time I've ever laughed at a western show
Likewise. Although at this point I am so checked out of western entertainment that that doesn't mean much. Literally the only thing that comes to mind are some humourous episodes of Star Trek.
>> No. 35852 [Edit]
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35852
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34561/Re_Creators

I watched Re:Creators. Here are my thoughts:

The premise of this 22-episode anime is quite cool and exceptionally unique. Superficially, Re:Creators is a so-called 'reverse-isekai' show, but in reality it is much more than this. All I can say without going into spoilers is that characters from a diverse variety of fantasy/sci-fi stories appear in real-life Japan, where they interact with one another and meet the creators of their respective stories (side note: I think this would be a great premise for a comedy anime too).

This is a very dialogue-heavy show. There are few actual action scenes, which is more than fine with me but did (pleasantly) defy my initial expectations. If you go into this anime wanting action scenes, you will be disappointed. This anime is far more a fantasy drama than it is an action show.

Sometimes this anime can be very exposition-heavy. In particular, the early episodes of both cours contain heavy exposition dumps. Very little effort is made to make these exposition dumps more palatable for the viewer. As I recall, there are multiple >10-minute exposition speeches that take place in a dull conference room with zero visual flair or anything to add entertainment value. My geeky sperg self was completely fine with this (and I was extremely interested in this anime's writing), but a different viewer might find it hard to swallow. The exposition is fascinating (in my view) and all necessary for the later story developments to make sense, but the delivery could have been handled better. Despite this, the conversational nature of this show is a major strong point, in my opinion. The dialogue is often very thoughtful and contains many memorable lines. During some scenes the script is absolutely phenomenal. I really do mean that; at its best, this anime contains some of the finest scriptwriting I have ever witnessed.

All of the fantasy characters in this ooze personality, and their interaction both among themselves and with their creators is one of the best features of this anime. However, the MC is kind of bland and lacking personality, aside from being your typical useless cowardly teenage-male anime protagonist. Thankfully the cast is quite large and he doesn't speak that often. In fact, even referring to him as the MC is exaggerating the significance of his character (arguably the real MC is Meteora). Even so, he was definitely a weak aspect of this anime. I would even say he is the weakest link in the show; in general, this anime is at its worst when the focus is on the MC. However, his presence is necessary for the plot to work, so perhaps I shouldn't be so harsh. Also, although this is fairly minor, I found the involvement of the government-official woman to be annoying. The involvement of the military/government in general made it feel like a generic anime action show, and sucked away screentime from the show's true strengths. I get that it was necessary to include the government to have the plot make sense, but I found their on-screen presence to be excessive.

Overall the plot is great, and often creative and inventive, although some of the details can be a little wonky or confusing. Re:Creators is very ambitious in what it seeks to accomplish with its story, so I'm willing to be lenient about some hand waviness. If you put every little plot mechanic under a microscope, you'll definitely find things to nitpick. From a broad view it's excellent though, and I was always interested in the story and eager to see what would happen next. In fact, I burned through episodes of this anime and struggled to turn it off, and couldn't stop thinking about it. Literally, this anime kept me awake at night staring at the ceiling. I was totally hooked, which surely is evidence of a great story. On the surface, the plot resembles a typical 'battle royale' story in some ways, but there is deeper meaning lurking beneath this.

Beyond the mundane plot details, Re:Creators explores unique thought-provoking themes in creative ways. The writing incorporates themes such as the relationships between a story and both its creator and its reader, comparisons between fictional worlds and real life, the emotions of a fiction creator and the creative process, the experiences and feelings of a self-aware fictional character, and the nature of how a character develops within a story. These writing themes connected with me on a deep personal level and touched me emotionally. I felt very strong emotions while watching this anime.

It was so enjoyable to watch all these characters from different fictional worlds interact with their creators and one another. There are elements in the writing and script that are clearly meant to appeal to storywriters and other content creators. In some ways, Re:Creators feels like a celebration of fiction itself.

In terms of visuals, this show is nothing special. The character designs are good, and there are some occasional nice moments during action scenes. Otherwise, the animation quality is adequate at best, and there are tons of sloppy frames. Conversely, audio is a stronger component of the show. The sound effects are quite well done; even mundane stuff like the sound of background noise in rooms is implemented with detail and care. The soundtrack is good, and both the OP songs are absolutely terrific (I replayed the OP sequence at least 100 times, not exaggerating). The voice acting is alright; nobody's voicework really stood out to me besides Meteora and Magane (she has great facial expressions too). Meteora provides a lot of the exposition, so it's good that her voice is nice.


My overall rating: 9/10
Re:Creators has a fantastic premise that is executed well, albeit with some minor plot wonkiness. The story is exceptionally creative and engaging, while also exploring fascinating abstract themes about fiction itself. It truly is a unique artistic creation. The fantasy characters and their interactions are very enjoyable, and the dialogue is often thoughtful and memorable. This anime is exceptional in many ways. I eagerly burned through the episodes like they were popcorn; seriously, this is the most binge-watch-inducing show I've seen in years. For me, Re:Creators was such a joyful thrill. During its best episodes this anime is mind blowing.

The emotional side of me wants so badly to rate this 10/10, but I can't ignore the fact that there are some weaker episodes and that the show does objectively have some minor flaws. Regardless, I really do believe that Re:Creators is a very special one-of-a-kind work of art that deserves far more appreciation.

The premise of this show is potent imagination fuel. Can you imagine meeting the characters from your favourite stories IRL? We can only dream. If fiction is something that's personally important to you, then you should watch this anime.
>> No. 35881 [Edit]
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35881
Hajime no Ippo is a 75 episode boxing anime that aired from 2000 to 2002. I enjoyed it overall, but it's probably the anime that took the longest time for me to finish ever.

The story starts with Ippo, the titular main character, being a bullied high school student. He's saved by a boxer one day and decides to pursue being one himself. This takes about 12 episodes. He starts training, gets good at it, and even wins matches. His bullies stop picking on him and even come to admire him. Shortly after, he graduates high school and works as a full-time, professional boxer.

For most of the anime, Ippo is not bullied, and he's not a high school student. Why does he box? Partly because he wants to be "strong", but mostly because he enjoys it. So how is the rest of the air time filled? Some training, and lots of long boxing matches.

My point with all this is, Ippo's character quickly becomes static and uninteresting. He does become more confident than he was at the beginning, but he's still not particularly assertive. His life doesn't really change much at all. Personal conflict definitely takes a back seat. This is a sports anime though, so I guess that can be excused. The other characters, while also static, are likable enough and entertaining.

Ippo does physically progress and learns a new move here and there. Every opponent also has some kind of unique attribute(some are a lot more interesting than others), so the way he trains for each match is different, but every fight(except one) follows pretty much the same formula: Ippo starts out kind of strong, gets pummeled to hell and back, then makes a comeback and knocks-out his opponent.

After 50 episodes of this, it gets really old. That's why it took months for me to get through the last 20 or so episodes. There's also a lame, childish romance that goes nowhere, which is typical for this time period. Hajime no Ippo was made during the tail end of the cell animation era, which suits its 80s art style well. The music is pretty good too.

I'd recommend Hajime no Ippo if you want a sports anime that's mostly about its sport, or if you like seeing sweaty guys punching each other. I don't plan on watching the sequels. They don't use cell animation and by now I'm well-past tired of the formula.
>> No. 35883 [Edit]
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35883
Vineland Saga is a rare 24 episode anime that aired in 2019. It's about the war between Denmark and England, a time were most Danes were pagans. The story follows a boy who's father was killed by a pirate. He now follows this pirate and takes orders from him in the hopes of being rewarded with a duel and chance to honorably take revenge.

The historical fiction premise is refreshingly different, especially since it's focused on Europe. There's plenty of Western shows with a similar concept, but in anime form it's a lot more digestible and visually appealing.

The main character is okay, but actually one of the weakest since he has such a one-track mind. He doesn't get to develop a whole lot, but his relationship with the prince later on does bring out more of his personality. The others are quite interesting. The world building is also nicely done.

Vineland Saga has a lot of action. Some of it is pretty ridiculous, which is kind of jarring since it's otherwise fairly realistic. I got used to this, but can see how it might be off-putting.

I'd recommend Vineland Saga if you're in the mood for something unconventional with a strong narrative, and have enough suspension of disbelief to tolerate one guy defeating 30 with swords, barehanded.
>> No. 35884 [Edit]
>>35883
>one guy defeating 30 with swords, barehanded.
Sounds GAR as fuck.
>> No. 35891 [Edit]
File 163026820553.jpg - (390.62KB , 1600x1200 , 81ls9XOEizL__RI_.jpg )
35891
https://myanimelist.net/anime/477

I watched Aria the Animation, also known as season 1 of the Aria anime series. Here are my thoughts:

I like how sci-fi elements were mixed into a comfy SoL show, although this aspect could have been made more prominent. I think I would have found a stronger sci-fi theme more interesting than the generic SoL episodic plots I've seen many iterations of before.

A lot of the characters have catchphrases that don't take long to become annoying, and result in a lot of seemingly repetitive dialogue. The script in general is mediocre and, although there are occasional sentimental moments, it's nothing beyond what I'd expect from a typical SoL show.

If nothing else, this anime is fairly relaxing. The setting is unique, and the atmosphere is relaxing and otherworldly in some ways.

I don't value visuals too much, but there is room for improvement in this regard. The lack of visual detail is truly a missed opportunity. I would have been fine with just a powerpoint presentation if there were more care put into the backgrounds and visual environment.

Aside from its unique setting and atmosphere, this is a mediocre SoL show. The characters are completely forgettable, the writing is not particularly creative, the visuals are poor, the OST is nothing special; there's just not a lot here to appreciate. On one hand, this anime is relaxing. However, framed another way, it is fairly dull, even by my SoL-loving standards. I pretty much had to watch it before bedtime because it would inevitably lull me to sleep — this could be a desirable feature, depending on the viewer's expectations.

This anime started airing before SoL really took off as a genre, so it may have received more praise at its time of origination than a theoretical contemporary equivalent might have. This anime is not exceptional by contemporary standards of the genre, aside from its setting.


My overall rating for Aria the Animation (first season): 5/10
It was an adequate show to lull me to sleep at the end of the day, but nothing about it particularly impressed me.

It's unlikely that I'll be watching the sequels any time in the near future. Maybe I'll revisit it in a few years to see if my viewpoint changes.
>> No. 35892 [Edit]
>>35891
>It was an adequate show to lull me to sleep at the end of the day
Yeah that's how I felt about it. It seemed very serene and tranquil, but I personally did not find it interesting beyond that. Although I know YKK & Aria have a lot of popular fans (even inspiring a textboard) so I guess this is just one of those things that differ wildly (sort of how a lot of people seem to enjoy relaxing watching bob ross paint stuff, but to me it's just kind of boring).

>>35891
> I would have been fine with just a powerpoint presentation if there were more care put into the backgrounds and visual environment
Maybe give Shaft a call.
>> No. 35893 [Edit]
File 163027888529.jpg - (640.61KB , 1920x1200 , aria-anime-3hvw.jpg )
35893
>>35891
Edit:
Just for some context, going into Aria I expected I would enjoy it a lot. It seemed like a show well suited to my tastes. I enjoyed Amanchu immensely, and watching it was the trigger that finally got me to try out Aria. In theory Aria seems like it would be a great anime, but its execution is lacking. I wanted to like it.

Also regarding the OST, I am a little negatively biased because I tend not to enjoy guitar-like instruments as much as the average person.

Aria seems like it doesn't explore its setting enough to fully realize its potential. The lack of detail in the visuals is also a significant aspect of its wasted potential.

>>35892
Yeah I know Aria has a lot of dedicated fans. I thought I'd become one of them.
They've probably mentally assigned me a "shit taste" label, if they haven't done so already lol.
>> No. 35894 [Edit]
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35894
>>35893
I don't know if it could be useful for you, but Aria didn't start to grow in me until 2nd season, first season also gave me a general "meh" feeling. That doesn't mean 2nd season is substantially better or different, but it's how it happened, it takes time.
>> No. 35895 [Edit]
>>35892
> Although I know YKK & Aria have a lot of popular fans (even inspiring a textboard)
Sounds interesting, which textboard?
>>35894
I once read that the first season is an introduction to the cast, while the second season is an introduction to the world it takes places. The third season is about the development of the cast.
Personally I agree with this, I loved season 1 but it is surely the weakest of the 3.
>> No. 35896 [Edit]
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35896
>>35894
>>35895
A lot of people have echoed this sentiment to me, about the later seasons being better. A higher budget could certainly go a long way.

I will probably give them a try in a few years. I'd rather let the memories I have of season 1 fade a little so that the content will be more novel to me. I'm more likely to enjoy it that way.

It is a historically significant SoL classic, so I feel obligated to watch it in any case.
>> No. 35906 [Edit]
File 163382024185.jpg - (273.12KB , 1610x2015 , wqsE9sD.jpg )
35906
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33263

I watched Kubikiri Cycle: Aoiro Savant to Zaregototsukai. Also known as The Beheading Cycle. Here are my thoughts:

This is an OVA by Shaft, and it certainly feels that way. The visuals are signature Shaft and resemble past works by the studio. I did not particularly like the character designs or art style, personally. I also wish there were more visual detail in general. However, the visuals were still mildly interesting due to the way Shaft uses cinematography.

The OST is by Yuki Kajiura. It is decent but it felt like not a whole lot of artistic risk was taken. It uses the same kinds of instruments and sounds you've likely heard in her other past OSTs. It was not particularly innovative. (Having said that, I suspect I'll be more impressed with it once I sit down with the OST alone and carefully explore every song in the catalog, since it is Yuki Kajiura after all.)

This is the case in general with Kubikiri Cycle. Although it has a lot of artistic flavour, it doesn't stray beyond the artistic boundaries already explored by Shaft in the past. The cinematography, music and art style are all similar to past works put out by the studio.

I did not like or appreciate any of the characters. The male MC in particular was annoying and unlikable. Also, despite involving a murder mystery, I was never interested in the story at all. However, sometimes the script itself was intriguing and had some memorable lines. The scriptwriting was clearly done with a lot of care. Although I didn't care about the story, the dialogue itself held my attention. In terms of voice acting, the cast was skilled but nobody struck me as exceptional.


My overall rating: 5/10
As a whole, it was only marginally entertaining enough for me to watch to completion. The visuals were mildly interesting but hardly spectacular. The music was decent. The script was well written. No other characteristics of this anime provided me any enjoyment.

I used the Yuki subs and they kinda sucked. Especially for a show like this with lots of complex dialogue. A lot of excessive and unnecessary liberties were taken with translations. The subs often did not accurately reflect the true meaning of the words being spoken.

For the record, at the time of writing this, I still have not seen the Monogatari series. I mention that because it is often compared to this anime.
>> No. 35918 [Edit]
I just finished the 4 part OVA Teito Monogatari (帝都物語), produced by MadHouse in the early 90s. You may find it under the name "Doomed Megalopolis" on YouTube and elsewhere.
I watched it mainly because right before that I watched the 80s live-action film and was intrigued, but didn't understand everything.

The book it is based on is basically a fictionalized account of the the history of Tokyo in the 20th century, wrapped up in a story steeped in sino-Japanese occultism; onmyoudou, feng shui and all the rest of it.
The book was extremely influential when it came out, and you can probably thank it for many of the references to shikigami and other elements of Japanese occultism you see in later works, such as Shin Megami Tensei, Tokyo Ravens and CLAMP's X and Tokyo Babylon.

It portrays many historical events and people such as the great earthquake of 1923, the implementation of western-style capitalism in Japan and the creation of Gakutensoku, the first Japanese robot. It seems the more you know about Japanese history, the more you get out of it.

The main antagonist is Kato Yasunori, an evil and seemingly immortal master of the forces of Yin and Yang who seeks to destroy Tokyo. The earthquake was his doing, and his dream is to awaken the evil spirit of Masakado, the Samurai who died in the 10th century after rebelling against the Emperor and whose severed head is supposedly still buried in Tokyo today, at his shrine right next to the ministry of finance.

Kato is what makes the whole story fun to watch. What kind of plans he comes up with due to his single-minded obsession with the destruction of Tokyo is truly something to behold. He's kind of like Godzilla, a sort of personified natural disaster that you can't kill and only barely defend against.

The music consists mainly of cheap 90s synthesizer with not many memorable compositions, and was kind of disappointing. This even more so after listening to the nice orchestral soundtrack of the live-action movie.

The voice acting on the other hand was very good. It also includes my favorite male voice actor, Kaneto Shiozawa (who also voiced Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid, Dusanyu in Crest of the Stars, and seemingly at least one character in every PC-Engine CD game ever).

The visuals look fine, they help create the typical feel of "serious" 90s anime shows that I love. All the magic/demonic elements certainly look much better than the shitty 80s special effects in the live-action movie.
>> No. 35927 [Edit]
File 163588442598.gif - (932.12KB , 400x297 , megapolis.gif )
35927
>>35918
after a week has gone past, I have to say that this story has made more of an impression on me than any other anime or manga in the last 5 years. I definitely recommend giving it a go, just be prepared to do some extracurricular reading on Japanese history.
>> No. 35933 [Edit]
File 163621611880.jpg - (405.87KB , 1443x2048 , No-Game-No-Life-Zero.jpg )
35933
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33674

I watched No Game No Life: Zero. This is the movie sequel to the TV series No Game No Life (henceforth NGNL). Here are my thoughts:

This review will specifically discuss the NGNL: Zero movie, not the franchise as a whole.

First of all, it's been years since I saw the TV anime. I liked it a lot though and rated it 9/10. I really really liked the art style and colour palette, and overall found it a very fun and entertaining show. Much of this review will focus on how the movie compares to the TV series, since that is the benchmark of my expectations.

Although it still looks good, I prefer the colour palette of the TV series. I miss those bright pastel colours; this movie has a comparatively duller colour palette. It still has a lot of visual detail though and is fairly captivating. The visuals are still good, don't get me wrong. In particular, the setting and background frames of this movie look interesting and detailed.

The audio production quality is decent, but I did not like the OST as much as the TV series (Konomi Suzuki sounds amazing in the ED song though as usual). The movie has more of a classical music style; I prefer the electronic OST of the TV anime – it felt much more unique, creative, immersive, and suitable for the anime. Also, for whatever reason I did not like the voice acting of the male MC of this movie.

As is often the case with movies, I find it difficult to feel emotionally invested when I've only known the characters for a few minutes. This movie is yet another example of this – it jumps into strongly dramatic content early in the runtime, and I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by it. I never felt any emotion whatsoever towards the characters and their story. I don't think this is just me being a stick in the mud either – I think a lot of people would agree the storyline of this movie is weak and unengaging. Overall I would say the story is very mediocre, not to mention barely coherent and poorly directed. The pacing was also too quick for my tastes.

There was a stark lack of world building and exposition. I was often confused by the plot. Random plot-critical facts were often introduced out of nowhere. Barely anything is adequately explained and the story basically just feels like "humans fight in apocalyptic setting because reasons."

Similarly to the TV anime, there is a fair bit of sexualization in this. And it is equally as shameless. If shameless fanservice is something that bothers you (or you can't at least ignore it), then NGNL is not for you. It is a fairly sexualized show, even by anime standards. Personally, I don't really care, but I feel like this is a point worth mentioning. In my opinion, the sexual elements fit in with the overall atmosphere and escapist theme of the show. To me, the sexualization is just one element of NGNL's unique personality. Others will find it off-putting though, so I definitely want to address this point. Also, the fanservice fits more naturally into the playful atmosphere of the TV series, whereas it is somewhat out of place when it interrupts the more-serious moments of the movie. However, I also recall the TV series having an erotic tone more frequently, so there is a tradeoff in that respect as well. Like I said, this isn't a big deal to me either way but I know a lot of readers care about this kind of thing (either positively or negatively) so I thought I should address it, especially for a series like NGNL.

The TV series had a more-lighthearted mood overall, and was way more fun to watch. Overall I found the TV series far more enjoyable, both in terms of story and atmosphere, as well as audiovisuals. Also, unlike the TV series, this movie has little actual game-focused content. I thought maybe this movie would explore the lore of the TV series a little, but it didn't even do that significantly.


My overall rating: 4/10
This movie lacks nearly all the features that made me enjoy the NGNL TV series so much. The main reason I liked the TV series was because of its unique artistic flavour, as well as its creative setting and storyline. And also the simple fact that it was incredibly fun to watch. The movie does not do any of these things nearly as well as the TV series, and so my viewing experience was quite disappointing. The only redeeming features of this movie are the visuals, which are good overall.

I would not recommend this movie to anyone (unless literally the only thing you care about is visuals). It's hard to believe it was made by the same people who created the TV anime.
>> No. 35934 [Edit]
File 163622416377.png - (2.14MB , 1920x1080 , [NoSubNoLife] No Game No Life Zero (BD 1920x1080 x.png )
35934
>>35933
>As is often the case with movies, I find it difficult to feel emotionally invested when I've only known the characters for a few minutes
The film really strongly implies that this was the past life of Sora, Shiro and Stephanie.
I think maybe you should have rewatched the TV anime before jumping into this because it assumes you have some familiarity with what's going on already and doesn't re-explain things much outside of the bookended scenes of the present. It's a look at what the world was before Tet made it about games.
>> No. 35935 [Edit]
File 163623732857.jpg - (776.80KB , 2048x1444 , w.jpg )
35935
>>35934
>I think maybe you should have rewatched the TV anime
I really don't think it would have made much of a difference. The movie didn't really contain much concrete lore or anything (I wish it did). I would even say that someone who hasn't seen the TV series could watch the movie unencumbered.

I realize I've been on a bit of a negative streak lately. I was hoping NGNL would break that trend.

There are some shows I'm enjoying right now, so there should be some enthusiastic reviews in the pipeline.
>> No. 35936 [Edit]
>>35935
I really don't think concrete lore would do much for it. You get what you need for the story to work, plus it's a legend that Tet is telling that may not be entirely truthful anyway.
>> No. 35940 [Edit]
File 163683181430.jpg - (864.76KB , 1920x1200 , just-because-izumi-eita-natsume-mio-souma-youto-ko.jpg )
35940
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35639

I watched Just Because. Here are my thoughts:

Overall this anime has an unmistakably amateurish and low-budget feel to it. Despite its flaws though, this story plucks at my heartstrings. In a lot of ways, Just Because is a fairly standard-fare highschool romance story. However, I found that the character dynamics and interactions feel very real. The story genuinely feels like something that could happen in real life. The writing is very down to earth and involves ordinary people and ordinary events. It feels very organic and wholesome. The story in this feels like soil between my fingers – it is so authentic, lifelike and down to earth. I found Just Because very immersive because it felt like a genuine depiction of real life. This is not something that can be said for most anime, romance in particular.

I had this show on my mind a lot. Long after each episode ended it would still be creeping into my mind. Despite it being a slow-paced show with mundane events, I finished it in under 5 days (very rare for me, particularly for a 'low-intensity' anime like this). I always eagerly looked forward to watching the next episode and did not want to watch anything else until I had completed this anime; I was quite captivated by it.

This anime has a unique atmosphere to it. It is consistently very calm and soothing – almost hypnotic. Despite there being interpersonal conflict, nobody ever really yells or fights, or even interrupts. Most characters' emotions are conveyed gracefully. The dialogue is nearly always slow and calm. This might sound like a trivial observation, but these qualities are relatively rare for anime. It's also worth noting there is basically zero comedic relief in this, which in ~90% of cases is a good thing for anime, in my opinion.

Although I've praised aspects of the writing above, one of my main criticisms of this show is that the characters are fairly bland, especially the MC(Izumi). Pretty much the entire cast is bland and underdeveloped, with the possible exception of Komiya. I'm not sure this could have been avoided given the size of the cast and the 12-episode runtime, but it is a weak aspect in any case. Of all the characters, I empathized with Komiya by far the most. Another criticism I have is that the plot does seem to rely excessively on coincidences to make things work. Maybe that is an intentional artistic decision though (recall the title of this show).

I don't particularly like the character designs. A lot of characters have these overly blocky square faces; feels like this is a romance in Legoland. In general the visuals are lackluster and unpolished. I found the character animation very lacking overall as well – even with the simplistic character designs it still often looks sloppy. Very often. In fact the character animation is often embarrassingly poor. However, sometimes the urban landscape does look nice (so many trains, yay!). As a whole, this anime looks very low budget and sloppy. The character animation in particular is often dreadful; I am usually quite forgiving about this kind of thing but it was bad enough to break my immersion sometimes.

I didn't like the voice acting for the male MC; it was very dull and unemotive. On the other hand, Komiya's VA does a good job. The OST seemed alright, although admittedly I didn't pay much attention to it; this is a pretty dialogue-heavy show. I do recall there being some okay piano songs. Also, the music consistently fits the calm soothing atmosphere I mentioned earlier; I recall there being few (if any) uptempo tracks.

I should probably mention this: despite having a significant romance component, this show has zero sexualized fanservice. Although I typically don't really care either way, I know that some people might find that a desirable feature. This is one of the many ways this is a wholesome show. Despite involving romance there is pretty much zero sexualization, which I think is noteworthy.

Between the two main male characters, I found the romance arcs involving Izumi more engaging than those of Souma. This is because the female partners for Izumi were more-interesting better-developed characters, and also because their romantic chemistry was much better. I found Izumi's romance arcs much more emotionally engaging – they have a lot of truly precious moments that made this anime a worthwhile experience.


My personal overall rating: 7/10
I have really mixed feelings about this anime. As I've said, it is quite amateurish and low budget. The character animation is sometimes awful. The characters themselves are bland and underdeveloped. However, despite these flaws I still found it a very captivating show and couldn't turn it off. The character interactions felt so real to me and the writing is very down to earth and lifelike. There are some really touching moments in this anime; it invoked emotion in me. I liked the consistently smooth graceful calm atmosphere as well.

There is also the simple fact that this show avoids two very common pitfalls of romance anime: unfunny poorly timed comedy and intrusive tone-breaking sexualization; simply not making these common unforced errors is praiseworthy.

If you like highschool romance then Just Because is worth a try. This anime made me feel strong emotions. I literally sobbed during the last episode; there was one scene in particular that was a gutpunch tearjerker.

SPOILER-ISH COMMENT BELOW:
I think that Natsume's emotions in general were not demonstrated to the viewer as clearly as they should have been, given the importance of her character. I think I would have empathized with her more if the show did a better job of depicting her feelings.

Just for the record, I shipped Komiya x Izumi really hard in this, in case you hadn't guessed already.
>> No. 35941 [Edit]
>>35940
No fanservice makes me sad, but nonetheless, it was a good anime, and one that I looked forward to in that season. Best part was the guy who had to get a job after school realizing that he'd still be able to enjoy things like baseball in the "real world." Camera-chan losing hurt my soul, but it was expected.
>> No. 35942 [Edit]
File 16368509965.jpg - (2.54MB , 6401x4085 , Just_Because!_full_2208568.jpg )
35942
>>35941
Those scenes of Haruto playing baseball with his new coworkers were great. Very lifelike, and an interesting contrast with the university stuff.
>> No. 35949 [Edit]
File 163933098882.jpg - (666.86KB , 1564x1228 , Kujira-no-Kora-wa-Sajou-ni-Utau.jpg )
35949
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34712

I watched Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau, also known as Children of the Whales. Here are my thoughts:

I'll begin with discussing visuals, as this is one of the show's best features. This anime consistently looks excellent. Nearly every single frame is screencap-worthy. The art style is unique and has an organic look to it that is quite immersive. There is a lot of variety among the character designs, and most of them look good. The MC is adorable, both in design and personality. Facial expressions are well illustrated and the character animation is consistently good. The creative art style and high visual production quality really enhance the fantastical setting of this show as well.

The setting is another very remarkable aspect of this anime. It is quite unique and otherworldly. It was a major component of my enjoyment. More and more information about the world is gradually revealed throughout the show; it is pretty intriguing and the show does a decent job at worldbuilding for a 12-episode runtime. What I can reveal to you without spoilers is that the show takes place in the middle of a 'sand ocean' aboard some sort of magical ship composed of earthy materials. It is quite cool and fantastical, and the nice visuals really complement it.

Even beyond the world building, there are a lot of mystery elements in the show and hints dropped about things not yet revealed. However, as you might cynically expect from a 12-episode manga adaptation, many of the mysteries alluded to the viewer are never explained. Regardless of some of my questions not being answered, I still often felt a sense of intrigue while watching. The writer clearly had some fascinating ideas. Also worth mentioning is that the ending is not particularly satisfying and leaves a ton of loose plot strings. The last episode indicates an upcoming sequel (and I did watch the Blurays), but at the time of writing this (December 2021) I'm not aware of any sequels.

One of this show's most significant issues is the size of its cast. The enormous cast with this limited runtime is not a good combination, especially in an already plot-heavy show with a lot of exposition. This anime tries to balance way too many character arcs, and none of them are done particularly well as a result. Compounding this issue further is the fact that it's difficult to feel emotions for characters who are not given adequate development, or barely any screentime at all for that matter. A common criticism that I've heard from others about this show is that it is too "melodramatic." I would argue that this feeling of so-called melodrama described by others is the result of phenomena I've just outlined: emotionally impactful events happening to inadequately developed characters. In any case it is true that the show is dramatic. Most episodes involve somebody crying at some point. If frequent tears is something that puts you off then you likely won't enjoy this anime. It definitely lays on the drama heavy (that's certainly not an issue for me personally). Apparently the source material is shoujo demographic, although it felt much more cosmopolitan than that to me. One subtle but praiseworthy aspect of this anime is that it maintains a fairly consistent emotional tone. I was grateful for the absence of comedic relief and minimal 'emotional whiplash' effects.

Beyond the characters, the show tries to tackle a bewildering amount of story arcs, in addition to the already elaborate worldbuilding. Simply put, the show tries to pack way too much story into its runtime, and as a result none of the story arcs are executed particularly well. The divided attention of the viewer and lack of sufficient screentime meant that any resulting emotional payoff from a given story arc was significantly impeded. To me, this is a core reason for this anime's squandered potential. I think you won't be surprised to read that I found the show's overall pacing way too quick, particularly during the later episodes.

Although they weren't present in every episode, I found the fight scenes to be a weak point of this anime. They were fairly lackluster and, even worse, drawn out and soaked up a lot of precious screentime. I'm really not sure why so much screentime was allocated to these fight scenes. Regardless of the execution, it was disappointing to see such a unique creative show devolve into mundane violent conflict. I realize that the kinetic conflict was a mechanism to explore the themes of the writing, but I wish it was approached a different way. However, my opinion on this is definitely biased due to my general distaste for fight scenes. It's possible I'm overstating their significance.

The OST seemed decent but I'll need to listen to it in isolation to evaluate it with greater confidence. I know there were some good tracks, but it was mostly overshadowed by dialogue and sound effects (like sandstorm background noise), at least from my perspective. In terms of voice acting, nobody in this large cast impressed me or stood out (besides Ouni's sexy deep voice).


My overall rating: 7/10
This anime has a truly unique setting along with some intriguing worldbuilding, and it's all presented with a wonderful organic-looking art style. It consistently looks fantastic. Unfortunately, it suffers from unfocused storytelling and poor screentime budgeting. It tries to present far too much story content for its runtime, and sadly as a result none of the story arcs realize their impressive potential.

A lot of this anime's issues could have been diminished if it were two cours instead of a mere 12 episodes. Most of its flaws are common manga adaptation problems.

Despite my criticisms, I think that a lot of people could enjoy this anime. There are a lot of aspects here worth appreciating. I'm surprised it isn't more popular.
>> No. 35950 [Edit]
>>35949
>I'm surprised it isn't more popular.
Because it isn't good outside of the setting and visuals. The only reason I remember this anime is because of the immense disappointment I felt.
>> No. 35956 [Edit]
File 164012825887.jpg - (670.24KB , 1410x2000 , shokoku_no_altair_998244.jpg )
35956
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34547

I watched Shoukoku no Altair, also known as Altair: A Record of Battles. Here are my thoughts:

This is a historical show set in a vaguely medieval time period. Magic does not play a significant role in the show (if at all – I don't recall any magic but I hesitate to promise its total absence), and overall it is pretty realistic. The MC (Altair) does have protagonist plot armour in some situations, but as a whole I found the story fairly believable.

The setting consists of a variety of nations that resemble those of the historical-Mediterranean perimeter. The MC is a high-ranking member of a pseudo-Ottoman nation's government. The MC travels around throughout the show and different nations are featured along the way. Various ideologies of both nations and individuals are explored throughout the story. It is pretty interesting. The show accomplishes an impressive amount of elaborate worldbuilding during its 24-episode runtime. All the different nations depicted in the show were also potent imagination fertilizer.

Overall the story of Shoukoku no Altair is exceptionally well written and clever. The storyline is very intricate and unique. It is complex yet coherent and intriguing. I found the story very interesting and enjoyable. The writing (including worldbuilding and abstract themes) of this anime is its best feature. Most of the plot is related to political and military conflict between (and within) nations.

Beyond the plot, the writing explores themes relating, or at least tangential, to international relations and geopolitics. Themes such as military grand strategy, relations between a nation's culture and its foreign policy, and a wide variety of political themes in general. These themes made the show very interesting. There are often parallels that could be drawn between the story and real-world history.

In addition to being excellently written, the story is well executed. Despite the complexity of the story I never had any difficulty understanding what was happening. Furthermore, the pacing felt perfectly calibrated to me. It is a well-directed show.

One caveat I should mention is that, as you might expect of a manga adaptation, the ending of this anime does not have any finality. Although it does end at a major turning point in the plot, most of the conflicts that the plot is centered around remain unresolved. Personally I don't mind this (and it does signal that the adaptation is faithful) but I know it will bother others. I am very tempted to read the source material to find out how the story continues.

Despite the mature themes explored in the writing, the show does sometimes have a juvenile shounen-ish feeling. It's a very mixed bag though and varies from episode to episode. Generally speaking, I found the earlier episodes felt juvenile more frequently. As the show progresses, the strategy elements start to dominate more and more, and the scale of conflict increases. It takes time for the worldbuilding to develop to a point where the exploration of some political themes is even possible. My numerical rating for this anime increased as I progressed through the episodes.

It's also worth noting that this is not a particularly character-driven show. It is very much plot-driven rather than character-driven. It seemed to me that little attention was paid to depicting the emotions and feelings of the MC and other characters, particularly during the later episodes. This isn't a criticism, just an observation. In a different show this might be an issue, but for a strategy-focused show like this that explores abstract political themes it really isn't. Although there certainly are emotional episodes, some episodes are so devoid of emotion it almost felt like watching a history documentary. Again, particularly during the latter half of the show when the grand-strategy elements really reach their climax. Despite the show's length, there's also not a whole lot of character development, however there is a diverse variety of personalities in the cast, and perhaps more importantly, different sociopolitical attitudes. The show certainly has ideological diversity within its cast.

In a lot of ways the MC does feel like a generic anime protagonist. Although his lack of character development really isn't an issue, perhaps more effort should have been made to depict his ideological attitudes and their development throughout the show. On balance, I have a neutral feeling towards the MC, but I can understand the perspective of people who disliked him. I would agree that this is one element of the anime where there was room for improvement.

In my opinion, the OST is good. Nice OP and ED songs too. The voice acting is adequate but nobody really stood out to me. I thought the voice work for the MC was a little weak.

As for visuals, some of the character designs are nice. Due to the size of the cast and its cultural diversity, a wide variety of outfits are featured in the show. Unfortunately, the character animation is frequently crude and lacking detail. However, the background setting usually looks great (I took lots of screencaps); every episode has at least a few nice detailed landscape frames to admire. During indoor scenes a lot of the pseudo-Arabic architecture and interior decor is neat as well. The visuals are inconsistent overall, but there are certainly moments where things look awesome.


My overall rating: 8/10
This anime is exceptionally well written. The story is interesting and clever, the themes explored are thought provoking, and it contains some of the most elaborate worldbuilding I've seen in a while. It is rare to see anime handle a topic like political strategy so competently. Furthermore, the anime is well executed and doesn't have any major direction issues. Visually, the setting looks good but the character animation is often sloppy.

This is an underappreciated show that would appeal to a lot of people, including those who aren't typically anime fans. I would definitely recommend Shoukoku no Altair to people who like political/military strategy stories. However, I should warn you that I found the first couple episodes comparatively weaker to the rest of the anime. The show feels a little juvenile at the beginning, but it eventually develops an elaborate world with a rich complex story. Don't judge it prematurely based on the first few episodes.

Also, the manga might be a better way to approach this franchise. I haven't read it, but the fact that the anime's best quality is its writing does suggest that literature is the optimal consumption medium.

I liked this way more than Arslan Senki (a similar anime in concept).

>I will never command a unit of attack-falcon-equipped soldiers in a medieval war between civilizations on the Eastern Mediterranean perimeter
JDIMSA
>> No. 35964 [Edit]
File 164166720290.jpg - (495.17KB , 1063x1500 , Boku-wa-Tomodachi-ga-Sukunai.jpg )
35964
https://myanimelist.net/anime/10719

I watched both seasons (including OVAs) of Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, also known as Haganai or I Don't Have Many Friends. Here are my thoughts:

I tend not to like harem shows such as this with a male protagonist and a lot of (typically unfunny) comedy. Nevertheless, I decided to give this anime a chance. The title is certainly enticing and relatable.

I really liked the voice acting for Sena, Yozora, and Kobato; everyone else is unremarkable. The OST is bad, in my opinion.

The humour is sometimes funny. The comedic theme of social ineptitude is a winner. There is also a lot of 'otaku humour' which can be funny as well. Character interactions are sometimes enjoyable. The various activities of the club and the resulting antics of the characters can be fairly amusing. Humour and character interactions are really this mediocre anime's only redeeming qualities. Probably the thing I enjoyed most about the anime was the chemistry (or lack thereof, haha) between Sena and Yozora. The way they play off each other is amusing. Sena yelling "YOZORA AHO" and then running out of the club room will never not be funny. Conversely, I found the other characters (i.e. not Yozora or Sena) to be unfunny. This anime is at its best when it focuses on Sena and Yozora. In fact these two characters are the only reason I kept watching. Seriously, I did not like anyone else in the cast besides maybe Kobato because her chuuni moments were funny. Despite the 25-episode length of this anime, the entire cast has shallow characterization and is often one-note in their behaviour, which can result in the gags and character interaction feeling repetitive.

The writing of this anime feels amateurish and crude. The show has an overarching story that mainly involves Yozora and the main character. The story is quite dumb and I didn't like it (the story-focused episodes are the worst in the series). Thankfully it does not suck up that much screentime. This anime is mostly episodic. I did enjoy how both Sena and Yozora have uniquely flawed personalities in their own ways, which is sort of refreshing compared to the usual idealistic love interests you encounter in typical romance/harem shows.

I don't mean this in an overly critical way, but this show is juvenile even by anime standards, both in terms of the writing and humour. This isn't an objectively bad thing; I can imagine that a teenage boy would enjoy this anime a lot more than I did. It's not that I can't enjoy childish anime, it's just that a lot of the content of this one fell flat for me, and a pervasive underlying reason for this seems to be the juvenile nature of the show. This is coming from someone who generally enjoys the SoL genre. It's difficult for me to articulate this point because it's hard to concisely express why this schoolyard comedy is more juvenile than other schoolyard comedies.

In terms of visuals, the art style in this did not age well. I did not like the character designs (although purple eyes do look great on Yozora — wish that were a more common design choice). The colour palette is also very dull. Animation quality was acceptable — there were 'quality' moments but at least the facial expressions were adequately animated. There's a ton of fanservice as well, which isn't surprising since this is a harem anime.


My overall rating: 4/10
It was pretty bad but amusing enough to keep me watching. This anime did have funny moments, but my average level of enjoyment while watching was fairly low. There were plenty of unfunny skits that diluted the parts that I did enjoy. Yozora and Sena basically carried the entire show — I would have dropped this on episode 1 were it not for those two characters. Also, as I said, the voice acting for some characters (Sena & Yozora) is an outstanding aspect of this anime.

A teenage boy would likely enjoy this anime more than I did.

Compared to season 1, season 2 has notably better animation quality, cinematography and lighting effects. Otherwise, the content is pretty much the same. By the way, the prequel OVA is complete garbage; don't waste your time watching it like I did. Conversely, the season 1 OVA (AKA episode 13) is one of the relatively better episodes.

Somebody should make a compilation of all the times Sena yells "BAKA YOZORA" or "YOZORA AHO". It could be really funny.
>> No. 35965 [Edit]
>>35964
I remember giving this show a shot because I absolutely loved ImoSae by the same author. I ended up disappointed and dropped it after 3 or so episodes, and all I remember of it was there being a lot of yelling and nothing of substance going on below the crude comedy.

I don't know how accurate my assessment was, but reading your review I guess I wasn't far off. That is to say, ImoSae was only superficially a lewd comedy show and its core was a multilayered exploration of the human condition told through the lens of a novelist. I would have hoped Haganai would have had similar such undercurrents.
>> No. 35967 [Edit]
File 164170182883.jpg - (1.09MB , 1682x1200 , Boku_wa_Tomodachi_ga_Sukunai_full_489206.jpg )
35967
>>35965
Coincidentally, I am scheduled to start watching Imouto sae Ireba ii soon. I only just learned today that the author of the source material is the same. You can expect to see a review on it within the next few months.

And yeah the writing for Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai was complete garbage. Calling it fanfic-tier would be generous.
>> No. 35977 [Edit]
File 164281900467.jpg - (667.27KB , 2000x3000 , gyakusatsu-kikan_2774.jpg )
35977
https://myanimelist.net/anime/23279/

I watched Gyakusatsu Kikan, also known as Genocidal Organ. Here are my thoughts:

I feel like military-themed sci-fi media such as this is one of the rare things that Western entertainment does better than the Japanese (or at least used to).

This movie does an okay job of creating suspense. The pacing is fine and it is competently directed.

There were relatively few action scenes. I was expecting this to be a lowbrow sci-fi action movie, but it was slightly more complex than expected. However, you should be warned that there is a female love-interest character in this. Thankfully she does not suck up much screentime, although her presence is influential.

As far as the story goes, it was fairly generic near-future sci-fi. However, I will say that the involvement of linguistics was creative, or at least somewhat unique. Genocide is a significant theme in the story, as you might expect from the title. The movie is pretty morose, and you should expect people dying and a lot of bad things happening. When it does occur, the violence is pretty graphic.

The characters as a whole are pretty generic, and not much character development takes place during the movie. I would have liked to have witnessed more interactions between the soldier characters. The focus on special forces soldiers did appeal to me, and I wish this aspect was examined even more in the movie. This is definitely a reflection of my own biases though (I have been interested in the psyche of SF soldiers for a very long time, and have listened to at least hundreds of their interviews over the years).

In terms of sci-fi elements, there's some cool technology but nothing I hadn't seen before. Some of the futuristic combat technology was sorta neat I guess.

Audiovisuals were adequate. The soundtrack was adequate but unremarkable. Voice acting was at best adequate, although there weren't many opportunities for a VA to showcase their talent anyway. Animation quality was fine, although hardly high-budget blockbuster anime material. Some of the European cities featured in the movie looked okay; otherwise, the visuals were fairly lackluster. Facial expressions were decently animated at least. Also, although infrequent, the action scenes did sound and look decent – not spectacular, but decent. I usually enjoyed them. They are shortlived though, so don't let that be your motivation to watch this.


My overall rating: 5/10
It was adequately entertaining and I never considered turning it off. However, there was nothing exceptional about this movie, aside from perhaps the use of linguistics in the story. There was some neat technology, but nothing much beyond your typical 'future soldier' stuff. As a whole, it felt like a pretty generic sci-fi military-themed movie.

I wouldn't recommend watching this unless you are obsessed with sci-fi or have some strange fixation on genocide. If you are seriously interested in this work, you should probably just read the source material. If you just feel like watching some futuristic combat, scan through the movie and watch the action scenes I guess.
>> No. 35979 [Edit]
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35979
Legendary Gambler Tetsuya(2000,Toei) is an anime about gambling.
Shortly after WW2, in Japan daily life is at bottom level and MC, who is known as Bouya Tetsuya, strives to earn money by the hazardous game Mahjong. He keeps winning money until he meets Boushuu, a middle-aged man(with atrocious lips) who wins against MC by luck, so it seems until after the game, MC realizes Boushuu has silently discarded the tile MC waited for out of the game. From then onwards, MC wants Boushuu to teach him methods of winning, he learns he doesn't have to fear losing money nor getting beaten for the lack of money in a lost game, he also learns tricks to get the right hands so he stops losing games because of bad chances in a fair play. Tetsuya becomes a great gambler who always wins and consequently also wins in parties when teaming up with Boushuu against other professional gamblers. At one occasion Boushuu fails to throw the dice correctly as he always did before, Tetsuya could win the game but Boushuu gives up on playing Mahjong, claiming he lost the sufficient skill of luck to play the game.

The following arcs deal with MC playing against an amphetamine addict claiming to remember the backwards side of every tile; a semi-romantic arc where MC teams up with a skillful mute girl and then leaves her because of her failed, emotional play; a friendship arc where a boastful guy out of nowhere tries to become the gambling partner of the already infamous MC, his highest goal is to defeat the professional gambling pair who gambled away his family's possessions; a final arc where MC meets Boshuu again, plays against him and then plays against the professional gambler whom Boshuu was indebted to.

The anime requires both familiarity in Mahjong and no total aversion against gambling. There aren't many cordial moments throughout twenty episodes; necessarily there isn't much portrayal of scenes outside of gambling parlors. The soundtrack is good, fitting, tense(even better than Akagi's). It was disappointing that I expected Boshuu to become the key figure like a Faustian devil so it was different from my expectations, even more so because of the stupid haircut both characters share, MC isn't tragic, MC can live on his own greatly as seen throughout the middle of the show. Because of the opening I expected more romantic scenes which I was averted to but the show thankfully refrained from getting touchy emotional; the viewer only sees the winners and a player can't win a game with his mind being filled with thoughts of a negative past or the axiety of an imminent loss. MC's boastful partner is obnoxious at first but then harmonizes well with MC, though the most important relationship is between MC and Boushuu.

A show where the viewer gets the overall impression he expects(though it always stays unpredictable) with only a few emotional remarks on the side. And it feels very light, when other shows made me tired at the fifth episode, this show moved on quickly which is possibly a great quality to a sports(gaming) show. If I had nothing better to do, I would rewatch this show in a distant time.
>> No. 35981 [Edit]
File 164356771242.png - (1.62MB , 2560x1600 , 776139.png )
35981
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32949

I watched Kuzu no Honkai, also known as Scum's Wish. Here are my thoughts:

Basically this is a romance anime, but with multiple romantic pairings and more focus on sexual intimacy than usual – in some ways this show is more 'mature' than your typical romance anime, especially one with a highschool setting.

When I read the synopsis for this anime I immediately felt that I probably wouldn't enjoy it. This is because I usually dislike love triangles (or n-dimensional polygons, in this case) in fiction. Add to that a bland school setting, and I was feeling fairly pessimistic. However, my intuition was wrong. Although I was correct in that the writing of Kuzu no Honkai is literally fanfiction-tier (and that's being generous), it is an exceptionally well-directed show. The poor writing is more than salvaged by the excellent execution. I found the style of storytelling immersive and captivating; they did a good job of depicting the emotions of the characters. The inner feelings of the characters were richly developed and depicted in a deep thorough way, despite the crudeness of the story.

I still did not like the love triangle aspect of this anime (again, this is a writing flaw). However, there were other redeeming qualities that made my viewing experience worthwhile. And although I criticize the love triangle element, I also found that the diverse mix of relationships that are developed in the show created a lot of variety in terms of the chemistry of the romance, which in turn kept the show consistently entertaining. I think a major reason I enjoyed this anime is because it usually explores the perspectives of both parties in the relationships featured in the show; this is often the case for me with romance shows – I usually feel more immersed and emotionally engaged when the feelings of both people in the relationship are demonstrated, instead of just totally one-sided romance (which a ton of anime are guilty of). This anime usually explores the feelings of both romantic partners, and in doing so really enhances its emotional immersion as a whole.

Kuzu no Honkai actually deals with sex in a somewhat mature manner instead of glossing over it as if it isn't a significant component of a romantic relationship (like most other anime). I found this very refreshing. This show does a great job of depicting sexual intimacy (especially by anime standards). Sometimes it's a little cheesy and over the top (expect a lot of exaggerated saliva-heavy makeout sessions), but honestly it fits the atmosphere of the show. Although the sexual scenes can be borderline comical at times, that corniness is nothing compared to the story itself. You really need to be in the right mood for this anime and let yourself be immersed in the atmosphere — an atmosphere which typically swings abruptly between soap opera and raunchy sexuality. If you're not willing to let yourself be shamelessly enveloped by this atmosphere then you won't enjoy this anime to its fullest potential. State of mind is hugely important for appreciating this show, in my opinion.

In some ways, the romance in this seemed like how real-life relationships actually work. Meaning, people settling for someone who doesn't reach their own true desires, often due to loneliness and low self-esteem (remaining in a relationship out of convenience or due to lack of superior options, instead of sincere mutual attraction, might be a theme that some viewers find relatable). The way that some characters use physical intimacy with others purely for their own validation is another example. This kind of realism is something you rarely encounter in anime romance. Furthermore, this anime depicts intimacy in a realistic manner (i.e. with actual sexual intercourse and all the related psychological phenomena such as insecurity and performance anxiety), as opposed to the reluctant hand-holding (etc.) that the audience has learned to expect from this medium. In fact the sexual elements of this are often depicted quite graphically and in far more explicit detail than I'd usually expect from anime.

I say this often but it's especially true for this anime: you need to be in the right mood to enjoy this to its fullest potential. Every episode is raunchy sexualized romance with a soap-opera-tier storyline. Don't watch it unless you're in the mood and prepared to enjoy this kind of thing. If you have the right state of mind, this anime is fantastic. The attitude of the viewer is hugely important for this show. I watched it slowly because I wanted to make sure I was always in the right mood to enjoy it.

I should also mention that there is minimal comedic relief in this, thankfully. The show nearly always maintains a serious dramatic tone, which is something I very much appreciated, even if I was laughing internally at the fanfiction-tier storyline.

Visuals are overall another strong aspect of Kuzu no Honkai. The character designs are terrific – the detailed hair and eyes looked great. Detailed facial expressions are used effectively during the frequent close-up face shots. The cinematography of the show is excellent and enhanced my enjoyment a lot. It's difficult to put into words, but cinematography is employed in sophisticated and creative ways to really elevate each scene, and the screenplay style of the show feels unique. However, arguably the animation quality itself is mediocre. The animation is kinda 'powerpoint-ish' (or, in more-optimistic terms, 'manga-like'), in the sense that stills and minimal in-frame animation are employed. Personally I was fine with this, but others may dislike it. In my opinion, the visuals for this anime are great.

The audio of the show is also solid. The voice acting is good and enhanced many scenes (Hanabi in particular does a fantastic job). Music is skillfully implemented; it is turned off and on at appropriate times, and climaxes in the music coincide well with a scene's emotion. The soundtrack is decent and suited the mood of the show. The audio production quality in general is good; the voices sound like they were recorded on really high-quality microphones.

The incestuous romance in this is somewhat unique in that it is told from the (imouto) female perspective. Furthermore, the otouto is the nonreciprocal party of the romantic duo. I found this element of the story interesting because it's not something I recall seeing before. For anime, any kind of incestuous romance is usually narrated from the perspective of the male, often along with crude wish-fulfillment character dynamics. Kuzu no Honkai is unique in this regard; I enjoyed seeing this unique style of romance explored from a female perspective.

I found the romantic pairings involving Hanabi far more engaging than those she was uninvolved in. For me, this show was most engaging when it focused on Hanabi and her romantic escapades. It was still an entertaining show when she wasn't on screen though – don't get me wrong.


My overall rating: 8/10
I was pleasantly surprised by the way this anime defied my expectations. In multiple respects, the show does have artistic merit. It impressed me in many ways. Going into this, I expected it to be a generic highschool romance; but after watching, I have to say that I see Kuzu no Honkai as a very unique show. The nature of the romance is unique. The cinematography is unique. Its maturity (in some ways) and the way it parses sexual issues is unique. Visually, the show is skillfully crafted. Overall it is quite well directed and a demonstrative example of how bad writing can be salvaged by good execution.

If you're a fan of romance anime you should try sampling this. Don't think about the crude writing too much, just take it scene-by-scene and bask in the emotion.

Lastly, I'm going to say it one more time: you need to be in the right mood to enjoy this anime. The tone and themes of each episode are fairly consistent. Don't rush watching this. Watch an episode when you're in the optimal mood to enjoy it; don't binge watch it. State of mind is really important for savouring this show. I watched an episode every week or so, and when I did I was constantly rewinding and dissecting each scene and savouring every moment. It would take me at least an hour to finish an episode because of this.
>> No. 35982 [Edit]
I finally started being able to watch anime again so here's a quick review of some titles (some old, some new) that I never got a chance to finish until now. I apologize for the lack of eloquence in wording compared to the other reviews here since my brain has been a bit fried lately. Will be breaking it up into a few posts to avoid a large wall of text.

* Hinako Note: I don't know why this anime seems to get shit on for its fanservice, when the level of lewdness isn't all that different from what you'd get in a Kirara (in fact I thought Ochikobre Fruit tart had much more overt fanservice) – perhaps they never bothered watching past the first episode, which did have a few too many reptitive cowtit jokes. That aside, overall it's a nice and heartwarming show that felt sort of like Slow Start, in that it features a character attmepting to overcome her shyness surrounded by the warmth of friends. Chiaki also had a very calm and soothing voice that was a pleasure to listen to.

* Azur Lane Bisoku Zenshin: I had never watched the azur lane anime, so I was watching this purely as a fluffy cute girl show, and the short length helped me transition back into being able to watch shows again. As a CGDCT it was quite decent, and at times felt as relaxing as the Senko-san anime. I think it was well-worth the watch given the short length but high value I derived.
>> No. 35983 [Edit]
* Yuru Yuri S3: I had never finished S1 or S2 of this because each of my previous attempts was met with stale, overused jokes (there's only so many times to you can throw a nosebleed gag before it becomes predictable enought to set a metronome to it). And the entire "let's shit on Akari" plots never seemed very "yuru" to me. But S3 is quite different, and earns its place as a great CGDCT title (especially the "Piece of a smile everyone shares" episode which really stood out).

The repetitive humor of S1/S2 is replaced with "organic" feeling gags and Boke/Tsukkomi type comedy that's rooted in their friendship. My only qualm is that because of the rather large character cast for a SoL, some characters were developed more than others. Toshino Kyouko, Yui, Himawari, and Sakurako seemed like they most care put into characterization, whereas the others seemed less developed by comparison (I assume this was intentional for Akari though).

The Kyouko/Yui dynamic closely matched the Yui/Yuzuko dynamic from Yuyushiki (same voice actor on Yui too, if I recall) and were always great to watch – Himawari/Sakurako too (both Himawari and Yui have that gentle caring yet tsukkomi nature that I adore). I would not mind if there was a spin-off more tightly scoped to just these characters.
>> No. 35984 [Edit]
* Yaku nara Mug Cup..: I'll give props for a new addition to the "cute girls do x" where this time x is pottery. While it wasn't the most captivating or heartwarming show, I think the sheer novelty offset it enough to make it time that wasn't necessarily wasted. But other than that novelty factor, it's the usual cast you'd expect, and the character interactions also aren't anything to sing praises about. I did learn a bit about pottery though.

* Urasekai Picnic: This show started off pretty strong with its mystery/horror intrigue, but soon every episode turned into the same plot: "go to the otherside, encounter a monster, Sorawo looks at it with her eye to see the 'true nature', they shoot at it, they return back and say 'man that was scary, let's totally never do that again.'" Maybe I'm not the right audience here though because the show supposedly references urban legends/creepypastas that JP netizens/otaku might find more intriguing. There's also a bit of yuri subtext, but it is indeed only a hint and never materializes into anything so is immaterial in that aspect. The general plot is something that still has a lot of potential though, if only it ended up with better execution; oh well, at least ED was nice.
>> No. 35985 [Edit]
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35985
>>35982
>Hinako Note
I tried watching this recently. I only made it halfway through. I wanted to like it but the characters were so bland. The comedy was unfunny and the script in general just so dull. I liked the premise too. Oh well (sorry for the negativity).

For the record I LOVED Slow Start.
>> No. 35986 [Edit]
* Super Cub: I wonder how much money exchanged hands for what's effectively a 1-cour advertisement! That aside, I think this is a show that many here might relate to because at its core it's about a singular non-human connection that ends up giving some semblance of meaning to Koguma's life – that is, in the absence of any sort of friends or family she ends up forming a bond with her motorcycle, which later on allows her to befriend Reiko and Shii through that shared experience of being motorbike riders. I certainly felt some sort of parallel in how my only form of interaction with others is via image/textboards, and accordingly I tend to treat my device that mediates that (and which I consider almost a gateway to the 2D world) as a companion at times.

>>35985
Fair point, and yeah I agree Slow Start had much more charm I consider myself quite picky when it comes to SoL/CGDCT and didn't find Hinako Note unbearable – so I guess we're prboably valuing different things here.

>>35984
I just found out Mug Cup has a second season. Quite surprising considering I never got the impression it was all that popular.
>> No. 35989 [Edit]
File 164417416488.jpg - (145.17KB , 1036x1464 , qsyzuagim4x11.jpg )
35989
https://myanimelist.net/anime/36220

I watched Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta, also known as "Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart." Here are my thoughts:

This is just a 6-episode anime, so I'll try to be brief. Although you can watch this show on its own with ease, it is sort of a sequel. There is a sorta-prequel movie with the same cast, but the MCs from this anime are minor supporting characters instead (and vice versa for this anime – the movie MCs are supporting characters). The sorta-prequel movie I'm referring to is Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita; I didn't particularly like it (for pretty much the same reasons as this anime) and rated it 4/10 when I watched it 2 years ago. Anyway, moving along from this preamble...

As you might guess, this is a typical highschool romance show. I found it quite mediocre. There are a few decent scenes, but it doesn't compensate for all the other lackluster content. My average level of enjoyment while watching was low. There were flickers of emotionally engaging romance (ex. the fireworks scene), but they were infrequent.

The story in general is weak, and the second half of the series is filled with forced drama. Sometimes the actions of the characters don't make any sense.

The characters are, at best, generic. In fact they are borderline unlikable, particularly the male MC. The supporting cast is totally generic and might as well be cardboard-cutout props.

The visuals are adequate but unremarkable, as is the audio in general (both music and voice acting). The character designs are totally generic, although Miou's brown hair/eyes do look nice. I will say that sometimes the facial expressions are well done, but these moments are infrequent.


My overall rating: 4/10
This is a totally generic mediocre highschool romance show with no particularly noteworthy qualities. There were a few decent scenes, but they were not nearly plentiful enough to satisfy me. There is a lot of forced drama, and the characters range from generic (at best) to unlikable.

There is a music group by the name of Honeyworks that has been strongly associated with this franchise. I attentively listened to a bunch of their albums (about 75 songs) and found ~10 songs I liked enough to set aside for future listening. So, although there was stuff I kinda liked, the signal-to-noise ratio was high.

There isn't much of value in this franchise. I recommend avoiding it entirely unless you are obsessed with highschool romance. I tried to like this franchise and gave it many chances, but every single thing I tried was mediocre at best. Your time is better spent elsewhere.
>> No. 35996 [Edit]
File 16454000474.jpg - (2.28MB , 1701x2300 , Hanasaku Iroha.jpg )
35996
https://myanimelist.net/anime/9289

I watched Hanasaku Iroha. Here are my thoughts:

I really wanted to like this anime; at first glance, it seemed like something I would really enjoy. Unfortunately however, my viewing experience was mixed at best and certainly didn't meet my optimistic expectations.

During approximately the first third of the show, my optimism persisted but began to wane, and in retrospect the earlier episodes were the best part of the series. As the story and characters continued to develop, my opinion of it soured, and by the time I was halfway through the TV series I knew I was watching something mediocre.

At its core, Hanasaku Iroha is a character-driven drama much moreso than a typical slice-of-life show. Generally speaking, I like character-driven dramas. Unfortunately, this one has a very weak set of characters as well as quite generic and cliche writing. All the conflicts were things I've seen before in fiction. All the characters were tropes I'd seen before. All the character arcs were, at best, tropey and cliche. The writing felt like a generic character-driven drama that happened to be set in a ryokan. The mediocrity of the writing is a major flaw, especially considering this is a 26-episode(+movie) character-driven drama. The writing of the latter half of the show in particular was very weak and had plenty of forced artificial-feeling drama. The movie-making arc, for example, was absolutely dreadful.

I really want to emphasize my lack of enthusiasm for the characters themselves. Literally the entire core cast is unlikable and/or annoying. It's actually impressive that they managed to create such a consistently off-putting set of characters. By the time I completed this show, I can confidently say that I disliked every single significant character (and there are a lot of them). It really is astonishing how such a character-driven show has such a lackluster cast of characters. Despite it being a drama, I never connected emotionally with any of the characters. Some of the most important cast members felt like exaggerated caricatures – particularly the older characters; the younger staff felt more realistic, although still irritating in their own unique special ways. I think maybe I would have empathized more with the characters if they actually evolved as people and overcame their problems/flaws, but there is barely any character evolution during the 26-episode runtime! Saying that there are character arcs in this show is a misnomer – nobody overcomes anything, nobody achieves any goal, and certainly nobody improves their personality or grows as a person.

The comedy was also consistently unfunny. The consultant woman character was annoying as hell; she was clearly supposed to be used primarily for comedic relief, but she was incredibly annoying and groan-inducing. I dreaded her appearing on-screen.

Alright, up until here I know I have been ripping into this show, but I do want to give credit where credit is due: the ryokan setting of this anime feels very authentic and I appreciated that a lot. In fact I specifically sought out this anime because it was about ryokan employees. The ryokan feels very real and there is lots of attention to detail paid to the setting. This is further enhanced by the surprisingly great production quality. For a 26-episode SoL-ish TV anime in a real-world setting, without any action or anything to justify a large visual budget, that aired in 2011, the visuals of Hanasaku Iroha are rock solid and very well done. Although there isn't much artistic flair, there is not a single blemish to be found. It easily could have passed as a modestly budgeted movie. The setting often looks quite nice; lots of detail is used in backgrounds and the like.
The visual style was simplistic but natural and organic-looking and felt remarkably similar to a live-action show. Despite the mundane events of the anime, the character animation is well done. The attention to detail and high production value really enhanced the ryokan setting and made it immersive. I appreciated this aspect of the show.

As for audio, I must say that the voice acting has a ton of variety and nearly every core character has unique distinctive voice work. I liked the voice work for Minko and Nako. Ohana does some good work during some of the more-dramatic scenes. The OST is okay, although a little more variety would have been nice for such a long runtime. The OP/ED songs are good, in my opinion (to those of you wondering: yes, I do like nano.RIPE's vocals but I can understand the perspective of those who don't).


My overall rating: 5/10
I wanted a ryokan-employee simulator and I got a ryokan-employee simulator. However, it unfortunately came with some undesirable features. Although the ryokan setting is very authentic and immersive, and executed with flawless visual production quality, its inhabitants are annoying and unlikable. Furthermore, the writing is as cliche and lackluster as the characters themselves.

Sakura Quest had its flaws too but I enjoyed it more than this; it certainly had way better characters. I haven't seen Shirobako yet but hope to watch it soon.

Here are my comments on the Home Sweet Home movie:
- I should mention that I watched this immediately after finishing the TV anime, and was already feeling pretty burnt out on the series after 26 episodes. It's possible I might have enjoyed it more if I let the TV anime digest in me for longer, although honestly I doubt it.
- Visually, the show was the same but with slightly better production quality. The TV anime already had solid visuals, so there wasn't much room for improvement here anyway.
- I liked the focus on teenage Satsuki. I actually think they did a good job depicting her and her youthful struggles, especially with the limited runtime. I think I would have much preferred her as the MC in the TV series.
- There was not much of an overarching plot and the movie basically just consists of an assortment of mostly SoL-style scenes. I was fine with this; it would have been a mistake to try to cram a serious plot into this short runtime.
- Aside from the scenes that depicted teenage Satsuki, this movie felt just like another TV episode (including the usual flaws).
- My rating for the movie: 5/10


Hanasaku Iroha has kind of a 'live action' feel to it, in the sense that I could easily imagine it being played out with real-life actors. People who typically prefer live-action TV dramas might like this anime.
>> No. 35997 [Edit]
>>35996
I think I tried to watch this a few years back but dropped it because the grandma (or whoever the ryokan owner was, I don't remember if she was related to the MC) was a fucking dick, bordering on emotional abuse. The exact opposite of what I want to be reminded of when watching SoL.

Edit: I'm aware that this was probably done for the clichéd "don't judge a book by its cover" trope, but this isn't the type of thing I really care for.

Post edited on 20th Feb 2022, 8:49pm
>> No. 35999 [Edit]
File 164543189684.jpg - (1.45MB , 1685x2244 , Matsumae_Ohana_full_717295.jpg )
35999
>>35997
The grandmother was an insufferable abusive bitch throughout the entire show. This was one of the many things that made it unpleasant to watch.

What's worse is that they try to portray her as wise, when in reality she was just as much of a psycho volatile bitch as Minko.
>> No. 36000 [Edit]
>>35999
Glad to see at least one other person thought so too. I feel like I'm being gaslit by all the glowing positive reviews this show has.
>> No. 36001 [Edit]
>>35996
>>35997
I didn't care for this show either (although I never felt gaslit for other people liking something I don't). But why are you guys calling it a slice of life? It's fairly obviously a drama. It sounds like your experiences was negatively soured in part due to mistaken expectations. Which may be fair going into the first episode, since e.g. Wikipedia has slice of life as a descriptor, but should be adjusted by at least a few episodes in.
>> No. 36002 [Edit]
File 164546040188.jpg - (4.51MB , 4089x6013 , Hanasaku_Iroha_full_471746.jpg )
36002
>>36001
Did you not read what I wrote? I was very clear that I saw it as a drama.

>>36000
I feel like it was more unique back in 2011 when it aired. I doubt it would receive as warm of a reception if it aired this year.
>> No. 36003 [Edit]
>>36001
Drama and SoL are not necessarily orthogonal. In fact I personally don't consider SoL to be a definitive genre tag unto itself but more of a "genre modifier" that tells you the medium by which the story will unfold. The common traits I'd associate with an SoL are a commonplace setting (i.e. exact opposite of isekai), where the thrust of the story is built gradually from character-character interactions instead of some grand narrative, where the source of conflict (if any) is similarly human-centered in nature, and where there is a clear attempt to showcase the emotional bonds between the characters (and extend this bond to between the viewer and the characters as well).

Unfortunately I've never been able to think of a good definition that would pin down what exactly SoL means, because for every definition I can think of there are numerous shows that escape that mould, so the above set of broadly shared traits is what I've settled on. (The first trait is kind of iffy though since there are still many shows set in a fantasy or supernatural realm that I'd consider to be SoL).

It doesn't help that SoL is a necessary condition for having a CGDCT-type show (which I characterize as going further by minimizing all elements of drama altogether – there might be some superficial conflicts but these never detract from every episode being essentially a spotlight for the character's friendships), so the two have become invariably linked.
>> No. 36004 [Edit]
File 164549170395.jpg - (4.53MB , 2437x2212 , 0034321c43a1a9dce7f9337b95a0d38c.jpg )
36004
>>36003
>I personally don't consider SoL to be a definitive genre tag unto itself but more of a "genre modifier" that tells you the medium by which the story will unfold.
I'd have to disagree. A while ago, I wrote this >>33037

While drama and SoL may not be orthogonal, I'd say SoL diminishes the effectiveness of drama among other genres. So, if SoL is a "genre modifier", it modifies most of them in a negative way(to me at least). Comedy is different.

Hyoukou's genres are listed on MAL as "Mystery, Slice of Life". As a mystery story, I can assure you, it utterly fails. Haruhi is also listed as a mystery, and I'd say the same for it.

Post edited on 21st Feb 2022, 5:03pm
>> No. 36005 [Edit]
>>36004
That is a fair point, and I too think slice of life isn't the best way to go about doing a drama. That said, the pairing does exist even though more often than not the attempt falls flat in executio (I'd love to point to an example of drama + SoL done right, but I generally don't watch drama in the first place so maybe someone else can chime in).

That being said I'm not sure how your post on Haruhi relates here? I'd categorize Haruhi as SoL + sci-fi, with any mystery aspect more "meta" in nature.
>> No. 36006 [Edit]
>>36005
>I'd love to point to an example of drama + SoL done right, but I generally don't watch drama in the first place so maybe someone else can chime in
Would >>33340 qualify according to >>36003's definition? It has character development and multiple story arcs revolving around various characters, but it didn't feel like it has a grand narrative or overarching plot.
>> No. 36007 [Edit]
File 164551697558.jpg - (3.24MB , 4251x3220 , Hanasaku_Iroha_full_959785.jpg )
36007
'Slice of life' means different things to different people. I have found that defining the term is a recurring issue when attempting to discuss anime with others.

>>36006
I'm the one who wrote that (admittedly low-effort) Sangatsu no Lion review and personally I see SoL and drama as somewhat mutually exclusive genre classifications. I would only classify Sangatsu no Lion as both because over its long runtime there are some SoL-heavy episodes. It's still primarily a drama by a wide margin though in my eyes.

I've often seen people invoke the SoL term when what they really mean is lifelike drama, from my perspective.

I am very drunk; sorry for grammar errors.
>> No. 36012 [Edit]
File 164590917128.jpg - (470.84KB , 1128x1505 , Net-juu no Susume.jpg )
36012
https://myanimelist.net/anime/36038

I watched Net-juu no Susume, also known as Recovery of an MMO Junkie or Recommendation of the Wonderful Virtual Life. Here are my thoughts:

In terms of the writing, the characters are a strong point – they are likable and often relatable, particularly the MC (Moriko). However, the plot is cliche and predictable. I don't want to be too harsh on the plot though because it set up a ton of situational comedy and was a fertile source of humour in general. Regardless of the story, the script itself is overall well done; I thought they totally nailed it during some scenes, and it was further enhanced by the voice acting. The dialogue was often funny too. I enjoyed the humour in this a lot, and the script and its delivery was a major component of that. I laughed out loud at every episode.

The voice acting in this is surprisingly good, especially for the female MC. Her voice work definitely enhanced the humour for me in many instances, and she also handled emotional moments well. In fact all the lead characters do a good job. Lily's in-game voicework is great, as is Lilac's. Hayashi does a good job too. The voice acting in this was a significant contributor to my enjoyment. Conversely, the OST seemed like it lacked variety (even for the short runtime) and felt low budget and unremarkable. There is one nice piano melody that is used frequently though.

As for the romance aspect, there are certainly some cute moments but I wouldn't say it's the main appeal of the show. This is more of a romcom (which I know is an off-putting term for many people, myself included). It doesn't play it straight and serious like a typical romance; comedic relief is frequent, including during romance-heavy scenes. Ordinarily I would take issue with this, but I really enjoyed the comedy of this anime and thought it was skillfully implemented. The mixture of sweet and funny feelings made for a really enjoyable viewing experience. It's very rare for me to feel this way about comedic relief, which I think is a testament to how well it's executed in this instance. Overall this is a surprisingly well-directed show.

The visuals are pretty basic and lackluster. Although I will give credit to the fact that the character animation is consistently on-model, which is not something I take for granted (especially with the presumably low budget of this anime). Even so, the visuals are adequate at best and there is definitely room for improvement in this dimension.


My overall rating: 8/10
I was either smiling or laughing while watching this. This show is funny and relatable. The MC is quite likable. The script is usually well written and delivered surprisingly well by the VAs. Although the plot is cliche and predictable, it created a lot of hilarious situational humour. Regardless of its lackluster production quality, this is a surprisingly well-directed show; I was consistently engaged by it and always looked forward to the next episode. This is a really fun anime and I'm glad I watched it.

I would definitely recommend this to people who spend a lot of time in internet communities, or have a significant component of their social life online.

This anime is 10 episodes plus one full-length special sequel episode. Just warning you, that 11th episode is one of the weaker ones IMO, so don't get your hopes up too much. You should treat the 10th episode as the finale.
>> No. 36013 [Edit]
>>36012
The author behind this manga had to give up on continuing the series due to some undisclosed illness. She still posts illustrations sometimes on twitter.

Post edited on 26th Feb 2022, 1:24pm
>> No. 36014 [Edit]
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36014
>>36013
It struck me as a little odd that an anime got funded when the source material has been on hiatus since 2015.

Apparently there was some controversy with the director, not sure about the specifics there.
>> No. 36015 [Edit]
>>36012
Nothing to add (I too thought it was basically a middle of the road romcom), but I thought the protrayal of being a neet here (as a mindset) here was a bit romanticized compared to the reality. From what I remember she basically voluntarily quit her job to escape from reality by playing videogames, and then slowly got to a point where she couldn't just go back to being a ria-juu at the snap of a finger due to being too entrenched in her net-juu lifestyle.

I guess by definition that is NEET, but as I mentioned it was a very superficial one, with not too much emphasis on the emotional/mental toll taken. Probably to be expected from a romcom, but still struck me as unrealistic and led to a character that wasn't fully fleshed out. The two other shows that come to mind here are Watamote and Welcome to the NHK. Both had their problems and I'm not a particular fan of either, but I think Watamote at least succeeded a bit more in expressing that feeling of empty pain to the viewer. And since this is the anime review thread, I'll end with a quote from some other anon that basically summarizes by viewpoint on Welcome to the NHK, which I personally thought was a worse portrayal than even Netjuu:

>Satou is not a hikikomori past the first episode. He goes out every day, in broad daylight, in public, often socializing with a close circle of friends (Yamazaki, Misaki, Senpai) or others. He talks on the phone all the time. His anxiety is moderate and not debilitating at all. Satou isn't a social butterfly by any means, but he's socially competent enough to function in society, have a relationship, have a job when he can get around to applying for one, etc. Satou's biggest problem is that he's not very intelligent and he fucks up the opportunities that are handed to him on a silver platter. If he wasn't comically inept at managing his life, he could have gotten a job and gotten into a relationship with Misaki, who was obviously interested in him from the start.

>Satou's case was agoraphobia, not depression. He shut himself in because he physically couldn't be in places with lots of people (like school, workplace, or the way there), not because some sort of philosophical disdain for society or world. He literally got panic attacks in such places, and any kind of depression he had was the result of this agoraphobic condition of his. Satou is a failed normalfag who had his potentially normal life fucked up by a somewhat rare psychological condition, and that's the gist of the story.

Post edited on 26th Feb 2022, 4:28pm
>> No. 36016 [Edit]
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36016
>>36015
I think a serious psychological deconstruction of NEETlife would be out of place in this show. It was primarily a lightheaded comedy, and it did that well.

I recall during the 10th episode they did briefly give some focus to the MC's self-esteem issues, but the topic was never really revisited or resolved.

I personally (unfortunately) have never been a long-term NEET in my life, so it's not an emotionally sensitive subject for me at all. Now that I think of it though, some of the themes in Net-juu no Susume might hit a bit too close to home for some people and alter their perception of it. Or at least they would want the NEET-related aspects of the show to be addressed more thoroughly.

For me personally, this was foremost a fun lighthearted comedy, and I was fine with the serious psychological stuff not being very prominent.
>> No. 36019 [Edit]
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36019
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31240

I watched Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu, also known as Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. I watched both seasons (including both parts of season 2), as well as the two movies. Here are my thoughts:

I should mention that I watched the director's cut for the first season, which supposedly had slightly more content than the original TV series. The first-season director's cut consists of 13 ~50-minute episodes, instead of the 25 TV episodes that composed the original version. For this reason my viewing experience might have been slightly different than others', although I've heard anecdotally that there's not much difference between the director's cut and the TV version.

The setting of Re:Zero is a fairly typical classic-fantasy world, but with a few unusual mechanics thrown in. There are a few cool things (like the flying magical whale), but overall it is pretty standard-fare fantasy stuff.

I'm really not fond of the character designs. Seriously, every single character in this is an eye sore, in my opinion. I just personally don't like the character art style at all. I also found the character animation during season 1 to be sloppy, however that did improve during season 2. Conversely, the setting and backgrounds in the show are sometimes animated well (moreso during season 1). The clash between the detailed backgrounds and poor character animation was impossible to ignore. It is quite stark and there are countless frames that look absurd because of it (again, this is a much more prominent issue in season 1).

I don't particularly like any of the characters, especially the MC. The story is told entirely through the perspective of the MC, and he is pretty much constantly on-screen, so my distaste for his personality was a major issue that seriously impeded my enjoyment of this series. My dislike for the characters (especially the MC) also prevented me from feeling empathy for them, which in turn inhibited my overall emotional engagement with the anime. The MC's behaviour and motivations were often stupid or even incomprehensible, and I frequently felt frustrated by his actions. Simply put, I would have enjoyed this anime more if the MC wasn't constantly behaving like a childish imbecile. His personality really is intolerable. Furthermore, even by isekai standards, the MC comes across as very 'self-inserty.' The rest of the cast is also fairly bland, and most supporting cast members just exist to facilitate aspects of the plot. The story really does revolve entirely around the MC (with the exception of some portions of S2P2).

During some portions of this anime I thought there was way too much unfunny tone-breaking comedy that would totally ruin the tension and emotion in a scene; this issue was most prominent during the first half of season 1, but never really went away entirely. It's really just a symptom of a broader issue, which is that the scriptwriting in this is garbage, at least from my perspective. Everything is overly spelled out so explicitly, the characters might as well be narrators. There is no nuance at all. It sounds like the VAs are reading from a rough draft. Scenes that have the potential to be emotionally impactful are often crippled by clunky unnatural dialogue and/or inappropriate comedy. Another ever-present issue is that the character interaction in this consistently feels unnatural and forced. These issues might be related to the seemingly juvenile target audience (more on that further below). The overly literal and explicit dialogue might be an intentional decision so that a younger viewer won't have trouble understanding anything. Sometimes the dialogue felt cheesy too, although that is just another manifestation of it being overly literal and explicit.

I didn't like the voice acting for Subaru (the MC) or Emilia. This is particularly unfortunate because the MC is near-constantly speaking, either to others or internally monologuing (I will concede that the VAs for both Subaru and Emilia got better during season 2, or maybe I perceived it that way due to the reduction in comedic relief). However, I did like the voice work for the two maid sisters (Rem and Ram), and Garf (introduced in S2) does a remarkable job as well.

The plot is sometimes good, and pretty much the only reason I stuck with this anime. The plot can be entertaining and sometimes the series does a good job of creating suspense. It's fairly easy to watch and the episodes pass quickly (during season 1 at least). If you want a somewhat interesting and complex plot, then this anime might be worth watching for you. It's also noteworthy that the plot is usually fairly coherent and laid out clearly, despite its complexity. There also aren't any major pacing issues (at least not in season 1). Plot execution is done well — and that very easily could have not been the case, so this is praiseworthy.

The OST felt a little generic sometimes although with fantastic production quality. There's a lot of orchestral music – some of it is actually quite excellent. I liked the season 2 OST more than season 1, despite the composer being the same. The composer's style eventually came to grow on me, but it took a while (I listened to the OST numerous times in isolation – not having to hear Subaru's awful voice concurrently likely helped). Regardless of your personal tastes, the OST is far better produced than your average anime soundtrack. Also, all of the OP and ED songs are good, and their respective albums are worth sampling. Music is a strong aspect of this anime, overall.

The first season of Re Zero had a pretty weak start. I think a major reason for this is because Emilia occupies more screentime. This is bad not only because Emilia has the personality of cardboard, but more importantly because Subaru and Emilia have terrible chemistry together. Their whole relationship feels unnatural and forced by the writer (actually, this is the case for all of Subaru's romantic pairings). So, as more characters are introduced as season 1 progresses, Emilia's character presence becomes diluted, and the show becomes more tolerable. Another significant reason that my enjoyment of season 1 increased in its latter half is because the show becomes much more serious, and there is a corresponding reduction in the awful comedy I addressed previously. However, conversely, I found that the feeling of suspense was strongest during the first half of season one. The latter half of the season also contained more action scenes, which I personally didn't find particularly entertaining.

As for the second season, the cast of characters is just as awful. However, season 2 does excel at developing mystery elements. Although there wasn't much linear plot progression, I enjoyed the way new dimensions of the story were gradually revealed during each of Subaru's reincarnations (during part 1 at least). All of my other criticisms continued to apply though, and the overall character of the show wasn't much different from season 1. The second part of season 2 had a weaker story in my opinion. There were also a lot of flashbacks, which I found boring. The supporting cast who received more attention were somehow not any more compelling than Subaru and Emilia, which really is revealing of the author's lack of skill. I found part 2 of season 2 to be the weakest portion of the entire series, and getting through those ~30-minute episodes was sometimes a struggle.

Overall this anime feels targeted towards a relatively young audience, particularly for a (supposedly) psychological thriller show. The self-insert pandering is very transparent — almost obnoxiously so. In fact sometimes the self-insert pandering is so shamelessly excessive that it feels like a parody. Even if you try to buy into the self-insert bait, it's pretty difficult to imagine being as imbecilic as Subaru, unless you have a crippling self-esteem problem. For context, this is coming from somebody who usually isn't bothered by self-insert baiting. Many of the themes in the writing and character motivations are juvenile as well. There's nothing objectively wrong with this, but I feel it's an important observation that this show is likely to appeal more to a teenage male audience.


My ratings are as follows:
Season 1(Director's Cut): 5/10
Season 2 Part 1: 5/10
Season 2 Part 2: 4/10
Re:Zero has a ton of flaws but, regardless, the plot was interesting enough to hold my attention. Furthermore, it is directed competently, at least in terms of plot execution. By anime standards, it's praiseworthy that a plot this complex is presented so coherently. Also, the OST is exceptionally well produced. Season 2 in particular has a very skillfully crafted soundtrack. Aside from the plot and music, nearly every other aspect of this anime is bad; but despite my negativity, I still watched over 4 cours of content, and would consider hatewatching future sequels.

Due to the arguably juvenile nature of the show and its characters, a teenage audience is more likely to enjoy this.

Also here are my ratings for the two OVAs/"movies":
OVA1(Memory Snow): 3/10
OVA2(Hyouketsu no Kizuna): 4/10
I suggest skipping both these OVAs (especially Memory Snow) unless you really care about the franchise. They aren't necessary to understand the TV anime.

The second OVA is focused on Emilia's backstory and does an okay job of humanizing her (in stark contrast to the TV series itself). I wish I had watched it earlier in my viewing sequence (ideally halfway through season 1, certainly before season 2). Also Emilia's VA puts on a surprisingly decent performance in this OVA. Why the low rating for the second OVA then? Because it didn't have the complex interesting plot of the TV series, which is by far the primary reason I've stuck with this anime at all.

I think that Re Zero will not age well and will eventually be recognized as one of the most overrated works from this time period.
>> No. 36030 [Edit]
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36030
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35076

I watched Juuni Taisen, also known as Zodiac War. Here are my thoughts:

So basically, as you might have guessed, there are 12 warriors, each of whom are vaguely based on a zodiac animal. They all fight each other to the death simultaneously in an abandoned city because of a battle royale-style competition. It was interesting to see how the various warrior abilities competed against each other (and worked together in some cases). I'm a huge sucker for battle royale-style conflicts such as this.

The actual battle royale plot is easy to watch and makes for suitable binge-watch material. If you just feel like burning through an entire season in one day, this show would be an okay candidate for that, despite its flaws. This is kind of a junk-food show and shouldn't be taken seriously.

This show would be much better if they just entirely cut out the time-consuming character backstories and kept the screentime exclusively focused on the battle royale plot. Instead, literally entire episodes are wasted on inconsequential exposition for characters nobody cares about. None of these characters are compelling or interesting in any way. They easily could have filled an entire cour with a 12-fighter battle royale conflict; I have no idea why they threw away that opportunity to instead waste half the runtime on generic uncreative character backstories that would be better off in an OVA or auxiliary literature. This really was a terrible decision. By far the most boring part of this anime were all these pointless backstories. They spent way WAY too much screentime on this. Nobody cares about the exposition for some one-dimensional character in a huge cast who gets killed off one episode later. I am not watching this anime for character development (although I usually value it in other shows); this is not the situation for it and this show does not benefit from it at all. I don't care about your cliche tragic backstory or that Grug likes opera and long walks on the beach when he's not crushing skulls. I am just here to watch people with cool abilities plot against each other and fight; stop wasting my time with anything that isn't that. Just as an example to illustrate my point: they waste an ENTIRE EPISODE on the utterly generic boring backstory of a character who was killed off SEVEN EPISODES AGO. Right during what should be the pinnacle of the story they pivot to this nonsense – it was utterly ridiculous and totally stunted the show's momentum.

The character designs are overly comical to the point it almost made the show difficult to take seriously. I would have preferred them less pants-on-head retarded. Most characters in this look like they were designed by an edgy 12-year-old boy shortly after he learned about Chinese New Year. This show can be a little over-the-top edgy in general, sometimes to the point of it backfiring and being comical.

Overall the visuals are adequate but definitely not a selling point. The character animation employs this effect that blurs the linework, maybe to make it more organic-looking. I think I would have preferred that these blurred linework effects not be present, but it's not a big deal either way. The character animation was consistently adequate, so I probably shouldn't complain. Overall this show is animated competently but it doesn't excel beyond that. There isn't much of an art style, which is a missed opportunity but also not a flaw. CGI is used during some action scenes, FYI. The fight scenes were quite underwhelming and unimpressive overall. The fight scenes are also usually so shortlived that I hesitate to call this an action show at all; this is not necessarily a bad thing – I would prefer it over the tedious drawn-out fight scenes that plague some other anime. If you go into this show excited for fight scenes, you will be disappointed. The strategy aspect of the battle royale competition was far more entertaining, from my perspective at least.

The OST is generic and unimpressive, and never enhanced my enjoyment of the show (although I did like the ED song). Voice acting was similarly unremarkable, despite the ample opportunity for unique voices. I guess the VA for the necromancer did an okay job. Also I gotta acknowledge the VA (Yuuichirou Umehara) for the ox fighter – that guy has a great voice and I've enjoyed him in other roles.

Often the show plays a character's internal dialogue while they or somebody else is speaking, resulting in the viewer needing to pay attention to both lines of dialogue. I found the frequency of this a little irritating but I suppose it is an effective time-saving technique in terms of getting through dialogue quickly. It's also true that the contrast between what the characters say and think can be quite significant, but maybe it could have been demonstrated better. Having to follow two people speaking at once is cumbersome and I wish this anime didn't force it so often.

One very petty criticism I have: the city they fight in supposedly had a population of 500,000; I gotta say, a city with that population would not have infrastructure as dense as what is depicted in the show, not even in Japan. It looks like a city with a population at least double that (I know this is a silly thing to fixate on).

Yet another example of this anime's appalling waste of screentime is that the final episode consists mostly of the competition winner deliberating over what their 'wish' (the competition prize) should be. This mental deliberation of course takes place over the backdrop of some very dull screenplay, resulting in a viewing experience that is simply not entertaining. It was a very underwhelming season finale.


My overall rating: 4/10
My rating for this would be higher if the absurdly excessive and out-of-place pointless character backstories were removed from the show, or at least their duration were reduced enormously. It's mindboggling how much time got wasted on this. I try not to focus on one single issue when critiquing an anime, but it really is that straightforward in this case. When the show actually focused on the battle royale conflict, it was entertaining and easy to watch. Unfortunately, the screentime of this show was utterly squandered and the cool battle royale plot was heavily diluted by very low-quality content.

Seriously, just skip the flashback scenes. They aren't necessary to understand the plot of the show, and the anime as a whole would be much more entertaining if they were removed. Ordinarily I would be mortified by the thought of skipping content, but the banality of these character backstories is especially egregious and they add nothing of value to the show at all. This is a junk-food show and should be treated as such.

Despite my criticisms, this is still adequate binge-watch material. If you just want something to entertain you for ~5 hours straight, this isn't a terrible choice – you could do worse.

Lastly, I want to be very clear so that nobody misinterprets me: character development is usually a good thing and I have praised it in other shows (or criticized its absence). The difference is that a 12-character 12-episode battle royale action show is not at all suited for it – particularly the sheer amount of time that was devoted to it in this case.

Vague spoiler: the rat warrior's ability is really cool. It's a shame it didn't get more focus. It would have been interesting to see it deployed more from his perspective.
>> No. 36031 [Edit]
>>36030
I watched it as it aired and thought it had some neat ideas, but yeah the flashbacks really were pretty annoying. It's a really lazy way of giving characters backstories.
>> No. 36042 [Edit]
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36042
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34543

I watched Dive!!. Here are my thoughts:

So, as you might have guessed, this is a fairly typical sports show that is focused on diving. Much of the show revolves around the preparation, and selection, of athletes for the Olympics. Going to the (Tokyo) Olympics is certainly relevant to recent world events at the time of my writing this. Overall this show has a pretty amateurish feeling and seems low budget.

Considerable attention is paid to the technical aspects of diving, certainly moreso than I expected. This is a very unique feature of this anime and one of the main reasons I stuck with it. It was interesting to learn about the sport of diving through this medium. In fact I would have liked to have seen even more focus on the details of the sport (maybe I should've just watched a documentary, haha).

Although it was a little melodramatic, I was grateful for the absence of comedy in the show. I could consistently feel the tension in the show and the pressure the athletes were under. There was a pervasive feeling of anticipation of upcoming competitions. I much prefer this over a comedy-heavy show. So although people complain about melodrama, I just want to point out that the alternative scenario could have been much worse.

Overall the characters were fairly weak and a little underdeveloped. However, I did like the female coach (Kayoko) and the ocean-cliff diver guy (Shibuki). Shibuki was one of the reasons I stuck with this show; he was a cool character. Kayoko was also cool and I enjoyed her presence. Unfortunately the MC was a pretty lackluster character; he didn't have much of a personality and added little to the show. A better MC could have gone a long way to improving this show, or at least somehow making him more sympathetic and likable would. I found the coaching staff more intriguing characters than the divers themselves (there is a fair bit of drama revolving around the diving organization and its members). There is also a lot of focus on the athletes' state of mind – I appreciated this, even though it could have been done better, and would have been augmented by better characters.

The visuals are serviceable but certainly nothing special. There wasn't any discernable art style. Although there were no major visual flaws, the animation is basic and lackluster, and definitely not a selling point for the show. Which is kind of unfortunate because this anime could really benefit from a high animation budget; there was tons of (squandered) opportunity for visual flair. I try not to place too much emphasis on visuals, but there was definitely a lot of wasted potential here in that regard. This anime could have looked awesome if only it had the budget. Also I can't end this paragraph without mentioning those hot muscular slender diver bodies – they are indeed tight and sexy, and there is a lot of fanservice, albeit with lackluster animation. One thing I will say about the fanservice is that there was never ever screentime devoted strictly to it – it was always just incidental and never particularly intrusive. I say this in contrast to so many other shows that basically put a neon sign up saying "THIS IS THE FANSERVICE SCENE" (I'm being hyperbolic) and proceed to jiggle breasts in front of you for the next minute straight with nothing else of entertainment value on-screen; the fanservice in Dive was way more tasteful and nondisruptive than this, which is certainly preferable to the alternative. Also it's just unavoidable that a show focused on male diving athletics is going to have a lot of naked lean muscular men on-screen.

The audio is underwhelming; the OST is not bad but fairly generic, and the voice acting as a whole is quite mediocre. At least the ED song is nice and soothing.

Even though it was amateurish, there was nothing about this anime that was particularly awful. On the other hand, there was nothing about it that significantly impressed me. It is a fairly typical sports show, just focused on diving and maybe with a bit more voyeuristic flavour than usual. A bit more melodrama as well, but I still much prefer that over excessive comedic relief. On the other hand, I wished they focused even more on the sport and experience of competitive diving itself, rather than all the melodrama regarding the Olympic team and its support staff. The last few episodes definitely had some forced drama laid on heavy.


My overall rating: 5/10
It wasn't THAT bad. Although amateurish, it doesn't have any major flaws. It's a little heavy on the melodrama but personally I still prefer that over excessive comedy; I appreciated this anime maintaining a consistently serious mood. This anime doesn't make any major unforced errors, but also isn't particularly ambitious. Although the characters are forgettable, it was an adequate sports show. I was adequately entertained and would watch a second season.

People who like sports anime should consider giving this a chance. It's a shame about the budget – I really think this anime could have benefited from better production quality, moreso than other shows. This definitely doesn't deserve to be one of the lowest-rated shows on MAL.

For the record, at the time of writing this, I have not yet seen the Free! anime (it is often compared to Dive).

I remember a long time ago when I was a child, multiple times I attended a summer camp hosted at a university with an Olympic-style pool. I swam in this giant pool frequently, and I still vividly remember the diving platforms. It was set up exactly like in this anime. It brought back some memories. I've had recurring dreams over the years about being back in that pool. It's a prominent memory in my mind. I remember jumping off those concrete diving platforms. As a kid it was really cool. I still vividly remember the feeling of those concrete diving platforms beneath my bare feet, and the feeling of jumping off them.

SPOILER COMMENT: nobody actually goes to the Olympics...during the show. The last episode takes place before the Olympics, during a preliminary competition from which the Olympic team is determined. Personally I tend not to fixate on plot milestones like this, but I know this will bother other people. The ending isn't entirely unsatisfying though. An Olympics arc would have been nice to see, but I suppose the Tokyo Olympics were still years in the future when this anime aired. As I've already alluded, most of the show's drama revolves around the preparation for the Olympics, not the actual event. So, be aware of that and set your expectations accordingly.
>> No. 36071 [Edit]
File 164960710051.png - (2.82MB , 3508x2480 , wp2035129.png )
36071
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34822

I watched Tsuki ga Kirei, also known as The Moon is Beautiful or NyQuil PM. Here are my thoughts:

I tried. I swear I tried. I tried my very best to like this show. I dropped it TWICE – once shortly after it aired, and once again when I gave it a second chance around 2019. I picked it up a third time in 2022 in a desperate effort to see what the hype was all about, yet still I was disappointed, although did finish it. I did my very best to like this show, and watched it in a variety of states of mind only to be met by unwavering disappointment.

For those unaware, this is a pure romance show focused on characters in late Japanese middle school (around 14 years in age I think).

The male lead and his female love interest are both ridiculously boring characters. They both have the personality of a three-day-old bowl of gruel. They have terrible chemistry and their interactions are mindnumbingly boring. I never felt the slightest spark of romance between them, or any emotion at all for that matter (besides boredom and frustration). Their entire relationship feels unnatural and artificial.

The dialogue is painfully boring and tedious, way WAY beyond the point of endearing shyness. This is not the cute reluctant youthful romance I was lead to expect. The two leads are absurdly deadpan – their affect is so flat I thought they were on enough antipsychotics to put a schizophrenic elephant into a coma (and if that doesn't work they should just broadcast this anime in the beast's habitat – this show is so forgettable it could invalidate prior studies on elephant memory). Furthermore, a huge portion of their interaction takes place via phone messages, which maybe is a blessing in disguise because the character animation is so bad. Which leads me to my next point...

The visuals of this anime are poor. The character CGI is awful, and I'm usually willing to overlook this. Seriously, those scenes of the school campus with the CGI-animated students were so poorly done. Besides the rare background frame, this show has poor visual production quality. Also worth mentioning is that I did not like the character designs – those sameface characters with the beady eyes were consistently unpleasant to look at. This is compounded by the bland school outfits and totally boring colour palette. Even outside of the CGI scenes, the character animation is crude and often off-model. Like, I can excuse poor animation if the show makes an effort at some kind of art style, but this show has neither! The colour palette and character designs are ugly and the animation quality is messy. I will concede that there were sometimes nice background frames (the ep.8 festival date is a good example), but that certainly does not excuse the appalling character animation. A lot of the visuals in this look like they took a real-life photo, passed it through an anime-style visual filter, and then added some hideous CGI-animated characters. The visual contrast between the characters and their environment is often quite stark. Even in scenes that take place on the street, the CGI-animated cars look like they belong in a console game released in 2002. Infrequently the focus of a frame is well targeted to create a nice cinematic effect – unsurprisingly these moments don't have any characters in the shot. Also I would be remiss if I did not mention that the ridiculous amount of phone messages in this show resulted in some consistently boring and tedious screenplay. Seriously, when phone screencaps are a central focus of the ED sequence, you can't deny something has seriously gone wrong with this so-called 'romance' anime (and that's not even mentioning the unfunny 'comedy' skits they add after the ED).

The commercial success of this anime is a total mystery to me, but clearly the return on investment must have been great since the animation budget was planned in Zimbabwean dollars (perhaps the elephants really were running the show, with autocratic rule too).

As I already alluded, the voice acting for the two leads is totally catatonic, and because they dominate the screentime and script, the rest of the cast is largely irrelevant. Regardless, none of the supporting cast VAs impressed me. As for music, I remember there being at least one okay insert vocal song, but otherwise the OST seemed fairly unremarkable.

Storywise, the sources of conflict are quite cliche. It was a pretty generic school romance in this regard too. There was nothing in the writing that I found praiseworthy, and the story overall feels formulaic.

Later in the series, competing potential love interests are introduced for both the male and female MC. Ordinarily, I would not enjoy this, but the two leads have such awful chemistry that I actually enjoyed (relatively) the presence of these other potential suitors. Seriously, both the alternative love interests had better chemistry with their respective targets. I think in both cases this was largely due to the pairing of an outgoing extroverted character with a shy soft-spoken romantic target. This is in stark contrast to the original couple, who are both quite introverted and reserved (and boring!). On a similar train of thought, I gotta say that I liked the amusement park episode way more than the others, perhaps mainly for the reasons just outlined. Or maybe because everyone in that episode communicates in-person instead of relying on those awful tedious text messages. In any case, episode 7 when they go to the amusement park, that was probably my favourite episode of the entire series (which isn't saying much).

It's worth noting there is little comedy in this, which is certainly not something I can say about other romance shows. Regardless of all my criticisms, I will always praise the absence of inappropriate comedic relief, particularly here because it's so common in romance shows like this. Similarly, I appreciated how wholesome and pure this show was. There was pretty much zero sexualization at all or so-called 'fanservice'. This anime was consistently innocent and sweet, regardless of all its flaws; it consistently had a 'puppy love' feeling to it. I think this is one of the main reasons it was so well received, but that also illustrates the scale of unmet demand for this kind of thing – I'm sure a show with the same premise as Tsuki ga Kirei but competently executed could be very successful.


My overall rating: 3/10
Tsuki ga Kirei is one of the worst romance shows I have ever seen. I'm mystified by what people see in this show. From my perspective, it brings nothing to the table; I see nothing of artistic worth here. There are some brief romantic moments but they're not nearly enough to compensate for the time invested. The two leads are unbelievably weak characters, and more importantly, they have zero romantic chemistry whatsoever. Additionally, both the screenplay and dialogue are incredibly dull, and the character animation is jarringly dreadful.

What words would I use to describe my Tsuki ga Kirei viewing experience? Exasperating, frustrating, BORING, irritating, unemotional, tedious...

I feel like most of the people praising this anime are just projecting their own memories onto it. Since the show and its characters have zero personality whatsoever, it is certainly a good projection medium (perhaps this is a positive feature for some viewers). I also imagine that this show would be potent self-insert material for some people. Maybe I am the wrong audience for this kind of thing.


Just warning anyone reading: expect a lot of negative reviews over the next few months. I have a lot of garbage in my pipeline and, with some exceptions, I am mainly scraping the bottom of the barrel of 2017 right now. I'll probably be more positive once I wrap up my evaluation of 2017.
>> No. 36072 [Edit]
>>36071
I dropped this half-way through for many of the reasons you stated, though I disagree with you on the fanservice, or the absence thereof. Nonetheless, I think you made a good point with regards to its projection potential, since many praised the anime for its "realism," and I can only assume such an assessment was made with one's memories heavily influencing it.
Also, it was my understanding that this anime was only popular in the West. Or at least I hope.
>> No. 36073 [Edit]
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>>36072
>it was my understanding that this anime was only popular in the West.
Now that you mention it, it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. I just assumed it was universally successful, but it would make sense for this to outperform among the western mainstream MAL crowd.
>> No. 36074 [Edit]
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36074
Koi Kaze is the only romance anime I've ever finished and enjoyed. Unless School Days counts as a romance.
>> No. 36075 [Edit]
>>36074
Not even Toradora?
>> No. 36076 [Edit]
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36076
>>36075
I tried watching it years ago and got bored around the tenth episode.
>> No. 36077 [Edit]
>>36076
If you're interested, there's a (translated) VN: https://vndb.org/v4137
>> No. 36131 [Edit]
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36131
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33218

I watched Kimi no Koe wo Todoketai, also known as I Want To Deliver Your Voice. Here are my thoughts:

This is just a ~90-minute movie, so I'll try to be brief.

It should be noted that I'm a huge sucker for anything relating to DJing, or radio, or talk shows, or just anything that involves sharing audio with others really. For this reason I thought I might like this movie, and was cautiously optimistic about it.

The plot of this feels kind of unfocused, and most of the movie consists of the various teenage girl characters messing around in this radio cafe place. There is some petty drama among the teenage girls. Throughout its runtime this movie alters between SoL-like scenes (that often involve radio), and various kinds of drama. This movie felt pretty 'family friendly', in the sense that I could imagine both a child and adult enjoying it. There was nothing inappropriate in here for a child audience (well, maybe aside from one character being in a preexisting long-term coma, and a bitchy slap in one scene during an argument among the girls).

The main premise of this movie is cool and promising. Much of the story revolves around the existence of 'kotodama', which are basically word spirits. The idea is that spoken word has the power to influence reality via these word spirits. I thought this was a great idea for a story, but unfortunately the execution in this case is very mediocre. I also wish they spent more time in general developing this aspect of the story. Although there are some good ideas, the actual scene-by-scene storyline of this anime is pretty uninteresting.

This movie feels amateurish as well as low budget, which is kinda surprising since it came out of Madhouse. I really do not like the character designs – they are ugly and overly simplistic. Furthermore, the character animation is lackluster and the facial expressions lack detail. The setting sometimes looks decent, but definitely not above average for a modern anime movie. Overall the visuals are lacking.

Ironically (recall title), the voice acting in this is pretty bad, overall. The MC in particular has really amateurish-sounding voice work, which is unfortunate, especially considering the importance of voice in this movie. Most of the music they play is well-known classical that you've likely heard before; it was pretty underwhelming. It felt like they played it overly safe by sticking to classical music. Also, teenage girls knowing and liking Vivaldi definitely required some suspension of disbelief. I think it was a poor decision to use classical music for this. There is a song near the end of the movie that the girls sing together; their singing actually sounds surprisingly good, especially in chorus. Nice lyrics too. I would have enjoyed this movie more if they included more scenes like that. The vocals in the ED song were surprisingly good as well.

It's worth mentioning that, despite the short runtime, this movie is well paced and the ending is neat and tidy. They didn't bite off more than they could chew. I also want to mention that there is zero romance (or any sexualization at all) in this, which I was grateful for. All the main characters in this are female, and males are barely relevant beyond facilitating the plot.


My overall rating: 4/10
Although its premise has a lot of potential, and there are some good ideas in the writing, the execution of this movie is unmistakably mediocre.

As far as anime movies go, this wouldn't be a bad choice to watch with a kid or young teenager; I think that's one aspect of this that could be a selling point. There aren't many anime movies I could say that about, so I think it's noteworthy. In particular, I can imagine a young girl (like, about age 8-12) really enjoying this due to all the early-teens female social dynamics it contains, and this movie overall has kind of a girly Disney-like vibe to it. In fact the more I think about it, the more I'm realizing that this anime was made with a young female audience in mind. This movie seems like something a mother and daughter could enjoy together.

I've seen multiple people liken this movie to Kimi no Na wa and Koe no Katachi – this assertion of similarity is utterly moronic and not based in reality. Aside from being a drama with a similar title, this has very little in common with those two other movies. Anybody saying this is "the Madhouse response to [KnNw/KnK]..." has meme brainworms and isn't analyzing things objectively. I don't know the reasoning behind this movie's title choice, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a marketing gimmick designed to catch attention and spark discussion due to its similarity to the aforementioned well-known titles. Maybe there's a story to be told regarding that.
>> No. 36139 [Edit]
>>36074
koi kaze is well written, but hard to watch. it's a good show, i'm glad i watched it, but i will never watch it again.
>> No. 36140 [Edit]
>>36139
Did you watch it on my recommendation? If so, I'm glad you liked it. There isn't much rewatch value, but that's okay.
>> No. 36141 [Edit]
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36141
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33337

I watched ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka. Also known as ACCA: 13th Territory Inspection Department. Here are my thoughts:

I'd describe the world this takes place in as a fascist monarchy. Culturally, it felt like a mix of France and Germany but not overtly Nazi-inspired (aside from the uniforms). It also felt like a mid-20th-century time period but with some modern technology added like cell phones and desktop computers. It was peculiar. Sometimes a random piece of technology would appear in a scene and it would seem very unusual and break my immersion for a moment.

This anime is about a political conspiracy that unfolds painfully slowly over the course of the show. Most of the characters are government officials in the ACCA department and/or belong to the ruling monarchy in some way. There is inadequate exposition, particularly during the early episodes. This anime tries to be 'show don't tell', but this is not the right setup for a subtle conspiratorial political plotline. This is definitely a show that requires world building and background information, and its deficiency in this regard is a major issue. I often felt like I was watching a promo trailer or something because it frequently seemed like I was just randomly dropped into a scene with zero context or ability to comprehend the significance of the dialogue. I wasn't given a reason to care about anything or anyone in this show. Literally, putting a 1-minute exposition blurb by a narrator with visual aids in every few episodes would enhance this show tremendously. There is no broader context to what is happening in the show and it almost just feels like a nonsensical fever dream, particularly during the earlier episodes. The story feels totally aimless for much of the runtime.

Pretty much the entire cast is unlikeable or at least lacking personality. The little sister character is annoying and airheaded. The MC (Jean) is a memorably awful character. He has zero personality at all and resembles a chainsmoking beached fish. He is such an incredibly dull character, and what's even weirder is how he's adored everywhere he goes. There's also Niino, who is chairman of the Jean fan club and is his stalker BF (not quite literally). Other characters include a large number of ACCA organization members, nearly all of whom are underdeveloped. Many of the ACCA members could have been removed from the cast and the story would have worked fine without them; it seems the author needed some extras to use up the remaining silly hairstyles they had sitting around.

The scriptwriting in this is shockingly awful. Mundane comments about smoking tobacco are relentlessly included in the script for seemingly no reason at all (literally the MC's entire personality, aside from being borderline narcoleptic, is that he's a smoker). Also, whoever wrote this show clearly loved sweets and baked goods, because they are constantly inserted into the script AD NAUSEAM. The dialogue in general is incredibly dull and mindnumbing. Everything in the script is so banal and pointless. I really can't stress enough how unbelievably dull and monotonous the dialogue in this show is. It's almost hard to believe it was even meant to be entertainment. It's astonishing this anime even got greenlit, especially with such a seemingly high budget. This script is so torturously monotonous they should have broadcasted it on repeat at Waco (perhaps they will relate to the fascist themes in the story!); even if the Branch Davidians are burning alive, the real torment will come from having to hear another goddamn conversation about smoking.

Throughout the show the MC visits different districts of the kingdom, each of which have different cultures, climate, and are subject to their own unique set of regulations. In theory this sounds very interesting, but the actual product is so lackluster. Usually little of each district is shown during the visits, and not much detail in general is provided. It doesn't take long for the conversations during these travels to devolve into "dude cigarettes lmao." These trips were great opportunities for exposition and world building, but their potential was not capitalized upon at all. It's just shocking because people are constantly talking during these trips, yet the conversations contain so little information! The level of wasted potential is truly staggering. The world building in general for this anime is done very poorly.

Despite this supposedly being a mystery show, it seems like there was zero effort whatsoever put into creating suspense.
Midway through the season, there is a hugely important reveal (I won't spoil it, or specify which episode), but the way it is dropped is so nonchalant and flat. This could have been a dramatic moment but instead it was just randomly inserted into the script as casually as the MC talks about goddamn pastries. It was unbelievably strange. I was so bewildered I had to rewind the scene because I thought I misinterpreted the dialogue.

There are eventually some major plot developments during the final few episodes, some of which were inadequately foreshadowed IMO. Despite the seriousness of these developments, I was still left with a feeling of inadequate payoff in terms of that being the climax. It was dissatisfying and underwhelming, especially after enduring the long dull journey to get there. Much of this is in the execution of these scenes and the overall poor direction of the show. There is zero suspense whatsoever, and there is no feeling of catharthis at all when things are resolved, despite the ridiculously drawn-out build up. The climax of the story, including the final episode, is incredibly underwhelming and you definitely should not get your hopes up for it. Please don't justify to yourself continuing to watch this show because you're expecting some big reveal at the end – trust me it's not worth it.

I would describe the art style as being like retro anime but with a modern polish while also retaining its organic feeling. It was crisp and refined but also somewhat dull and lacking creativity. Although the character designs are unique, I think I disliked more of them than I liked. The droopy fish-like eyes of the MC being one ever-present example. Also having most of the cast wear similar bland government uniforms made for a dull visual experience; they could have had way more fun with the outfits and put more creativity and variety into them. Instead, nearly everyone in the cast wears the exact same uniform most of the time, which just reinforces the relentlessly monotonous feeling of this anime. However, the setting did look decent overall. It appeared fairly realistic but, similarly to the outfits, with not much personality or variety. It would have been nice to have something more interesting and with more artistic flair to look at while listening to the droning dialogue of this show. It is still crisp and polished though, don't get me wrong. There is not a single blemish to be found really. However, even though the production quality is solid, this anime still feels half-baked (and I don't mean the goddamn pastries) due to how poorly executed the story is.

I would say the cinematography was above average overall, although inconsistent. Shot composition often did a good job of featuring the setting. Variable focus effects are sometimes used to give the visuals more depth. That said, the animation in this is not dynamic at all. Stills appear very frequently and it felt like the bare minimum of character movement was used.

The voice for Niino (the MC's stalker BF) is unique and suits his role well. Conversely, I found the voice acting of the MC (Jean) as underwhelming as his personality. Everyone else had unremarkable voice work. As for music, I personally don't like jazz, and there is a lot of it in the OST. It seems well produced but it just isn't my cup of tea. There are a few alright piano tracks though.

Lastly, I want to mention that the consistently low-key calm atmosphere of this show made it suitable for when I was tired or just didn't want to watch anything too high energy – this anime was reliably chill and nobody ever yelled in my ear. I suppose this is a positive aspect – it is the main reason I was even able to watch this show to completion.


My overall rating: 2/10
This anime is literally just videogame-NPC dialogue played over a low-tempo jazz soundtrack. I'm not exaggerating, that's literally what this show is. The dialogue is so dull it's bewildering. Despite this apparently being a mystery show, it fails to induce any feeling of suspense or tension whatsoever, and is overall incredibly boring to watch. The lack of exposition is also crippling, particularly during the first half of the show where there is zero context at all for the events (or lack thereof) taking place. Throughout all this the MC has the personality of a beached fish and pretty much the entire cast is unlikable. Furthermore, although the production quality is high, both the art style and screenplay leave much to be desired. The visuals being quite polished doesn't change the fact that they are boring and dull. This anime doesn't even feel like entertainment.

Regardless of all this, it was reliably chill. There is basically zero high-tempo music and nobody ever yells. So, if you're looking for a show to fall asleep to, this would be an excellent choice for that. Plus, you won't miss anything if you pass out halfway through, I promise!

There is a 47-min sequel OVA which I masochistically hatewatched.
The setting looked nice and the visuals in general were a notch above the TV anime. However, all of the flaws I addressed above persisted. This OVA was just as astonishingly dull as the TV series.

I did not watch the special shorts but I bet they're awful. I did watch the Blurays though for the record.
>> No. 36143 [Edit]
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Ichigo Mashimaro follows the daily lives of Itou sisters Nobue and Chika and their friends, Miu, Matsuri and Ana. It's SOL and CGDCT with a rather unique timing to it, but more of that later. Nobue is 20, Chika and Miu 12, Matsuri and Ana 11, making the show mostly about childhood and how those kids' personalities clash for humorous effect. As one might expect for a show of this genre, the atmosphere and mood are quite soothing and the plots are all trying to be lighthearted and endearing and it hits the mark most days.

The timing for this particular SOL is rather unique. The pacing is slower than most I think, not the plot itself but how the dialogue works and the way the comedy is delivered. This is not a bad thing and it works particularly well if you want something to shut your brain off for 20 minutes which is what I was looking for. This is also hinted at in the color palette for the show. A small range of mostly meek and calming colors. Right away you know what you're getting yourself to.

As far as the characters go, they're all quite nice and it's comforting to watch them playing around and being mostly silly. Miu is the chaotic element of this crew and as a result most of the comedy revolves around the rest of the girls having to deal with the crazy stuff she pulls off all the time. Ana is English but has lived in Japan for most of her life. She's very keen about Japanese culture and is very eager to make friends. Matsuri is a very shy, meek and introverted girl whose only weapon is her natural ability to inspire her friends to immediately stand up for her whenever needed. You'll understand why when you watch it. Chika is described by her older sister as "a girl whose main trait is not having any particular traits" but that's not true. She's the mature one of the group, many times acting more like an adult than Nobue herself.

Then you have Nobue. Being almost a decade older than the other characters and with no parents in sight, she ends up being a parental sort of figure, but without the pressure of being a real parent. All the other kids think she's super cool, except her sister who knows her a little better than that. She's a real mystery. Sometimes it felt like she had her own life going and having to take care of her sister and her friends is a nuisance to her. Other times it feels like all she has going on in her life is her sister and her friends and outside of that she's a recluse. It's obvious she dislikes school and doesn't care about it. Her room is pretty bare and the only passion she seems to have is smoking.

Sometimes she does a very excellent job at being an adult and treating those kids well and fairly, sometimes she fails miserably. Her relationship with Miu is particularly interesting because Miu obviously admires Nobue a lot and wants to be the girl Nobue likes the most. This is where Nobue is pretty hit-or-miss on her behavior. She seems to forget sometimes that she's dealing with kids, other times she goes out of her way for them. I suppose that makes her a rather realistic character in this. She was the most interesting character in the show for sure and watching her dealing with the children is very entertaining.

To finish this little rumbling here I would like to talk about the differences between the anime and the manga. It's been a while since I watched an adaptation so well put together. They read the original material and managed to change a thing here and there to great effect. First, changing Nobue's age from 16 to 20. Obviously this makes things easier with her smoking and drinking. Also, putting more age between her and the other girls reinforces her role as an adult watching children growing up, something she does a lot. A teenager would probably be too involved in their own crap to be around as much as she is in those kids' lives, so it makes her a little more grounded and interesting I think. Another change is having Ana there right from the start. In the manga she's only introduced on the second volume. Also making her enjoy Japanese things from the start instead of finding things weird really made her a lot more sweet. It also changed the way her elegance is presented, going for something less related to pride to something more agreeable. Lots of situations from the manga show up in the anime but the order, motivation and interaction between the characters are a little different. Ironically, I think the way the anime presented those characters actually revealed their personalities better than the first few volumes of the manga. Of course, they had the chance to read all the original material first and then decide how to proceed, while the manga was an original work in progress and that entails mistakes.

All in all, I really enjoyed this series. I wish the author would publish more volumes, as it stands, the story doesn't seem to be over yet, but it's on an indefinite hiatus for now. Let's hope we'll be seeing more of Ichigo Mashimaro soon.
>> No. 36145 [Edit]
>>36143
Nice review. Although I personally disagree with the atmosphere being "quite soothing" since 3/4 of the episodes involve Miu being a dick. There's a fine line between playing the role of boke and being annoying, and Miu's behavior often overshoots the former and goes to the latter; considering she barely even seems to show remorse for her actions (many of which have non-trivial consequences), I wonder how she still has any friends. The one show I always hold up as the canonical example of how to do Boke/Tsukkomi correctly is Yuyushiki, and indeed in watching the episodes one can see that despite all the clowning around Yuzuko does (and all the times she tries to poke fun at Yui), she is acutely aware of how her actions are being perceived and remains careful to avoid _actually_ annoying Yui. That consideration is what solidifies and exemplifies their friendship, and is in my opinion the vital element that distinguishes great CGDCT shows over mediocre ones (Kirara shows usually excel at this, see e.g. this season's Machikado Mazoku).

So to me, Ichigo Marshmallow would have been decent if only they had dialed down the Miu-ness.
>> No. 36146 [Edit]
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>>36145
I think Miu is what makes the show great.
She's hilarious, like a master comedian in the body of a little girl.
>> No. 36147 [Edit]
>>36145
You should keep in mind that Miu is an elementary school kid, while Yuzuko is in high school.
>> No. 36148 [Edit]
>>36146
Some scenes are definitely great, while others – such as the one where she gets Nobue fired from her baito at the restaurant – are intolerable. I watched this some time back so it's quite possible that the latter are actually pretty rare, but I also weight those higher.

>>36147
It's a fair point, I suppose children just behave in that manner and the show captures that faithfully.
>> No. 36149 [Edit]
>>36145
Thanks for reading my review. I agree the episodes can get chaotic, I should've said that episodes end on a soothing note, more than being soothing all the way through. Miu obviously is dying for attention all the time, so she can get desperate. I don't see her as being a dick, I mean, her behavior doesn't upset me, I just see it as a child that doesn't quite know how to express her need for attention very well. I noticed I tend to excuse children where perhaps I shouldn't, so..

>>36148
Good thing you brought this particular scene btw. The way I see it, that was pretty much Nobue's fault. Imagine losing it so bad to the point of getting into a food fight with a silly brat inside a restaurant that also happens to be your workplace. Sure, Miu have a way to get under her skin but that's because she is just eager to be loved and noticed by Nobue in the first place. I don't know if it's excusable or not for Miu to act the way she does, I just see her motivation and end up pitying her more than anything. The fact the other characters will often ignore her as a form of punishment made me a little upset, specially when Nobue does it. She should know this is probably just making Miu's behavior worse.
>> No. 36164 [Edit]
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Mitsuboshi Colors is about a group of three elementary school girls; Yui, Sacchan and Kotoha. They made a pact to protect and keep the peace of their town, more specifically Ueno park and its surroundings. And so they run amok causing all sorts of adventures upon themselves; from fighting trees and flowers so they stop causing people to sneeze to handing tissues near the subway entrance and selling strawberries to strangers in the park. To them, everything can become a call to adventure and a chance to explore their environment.

One of the people particularly interested in making their day interesting is Daigorou. He owns some sort of second-hand goods store and loves to come up with all sorts of mysteries to keep the trio occupied. One much less enthusiastic about the girls is the police officer Satou, who has to put up with their antics pretty much on a daily basis. He seems to be the most antagonistic character here, but this is an Iyashikei show, so that means he just tries to shoo away the kids from time to time. Another "quest giver" here is Sacchan's mother, Kise, who sometimes will ask the girls to run some errands for her.

Other people they deal with on a daily basis are the sisters Nonoka and Momoka; they own a bakery soon to be turned into an onigiri store and that's pretty much the cast. Yui is the leader, being probably the most serious and alert of the group. Sacchan is a ball of energy. Charismatic and always looking for something to do. Kotoha is a gamer with a lot of odd and funny theories about the world.

Watching this show was an interesting experience. It felt like it took me every minute out all of the 12 episodes for me to start to care about the characters. When I finally reached the point I felt like I could enjoy the show, it was over. I think there are two main reasons for this. First, the stories feel too scattered and catch-as-catch-can. I'm not talking about an overall sense of progress, this is not what this show is about, but how thin some of those episodes felt. It wasn't soothing, it wasn't funny, it wasn't endearing… it was just there. Felt like the whole script was written as a last minute thing. Some are interesting, for example when they follow their pet cat to figure out what it is doing during the day, or when Yui has to take part in a parade. Others feel like busy work, really, like sending the girls to hand some tissues to get some tickets for a lottery, just so they get more tissues as prizes.

The other issue for me was the lack of interesting supporting characters and a lack of a contrast between the main characters. Yui, Sacchan and Kotoha are just too similar to each other. Their friendship feels consumed by uniformity, there's very little for the viewer to follow in the characters themselves. Supporting characters could be interesting but ultimately they suffer from lack of screen time. I think Nono and Momoka would be great, if they had more development. In fact their relationship as sisters seemed a lot more interesting than the characters the show follows.

Also, watching this after watching Ichigo Mashimaro makes it very difficult not to draw comparisons. The characters here are way less interesting visually and feel superficial when you compare them with the girls in Ichigo. I'm still interested enough that I'll read the manga. We'll see how it goes.
>> No. 36277 [Edit]
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If you have been watching anime for a long time and are willing to explore several genres, Lovely Complex will end up crossing your path sooner or later. It's one of the big shoujo romantic comedies out there and a staple of its kind. It doesn't try to do anything new, instead it focuses on being a safe show that manages to pull all the regular tropes in a very entertaining manner. The story follows the highschool years of Risa and Ootani as their relationship evolves from friendship to romance.

Risa is the main character and it's mainly through her eyes we'll be following the story. She's way taller than her love interest Ootani and that's one of the main elements for the comedy part to happen, usually slapstick and hilarious facial expressions. Their height difference is a source of insecurity from both parties and a hindrance they have to overcome to be together. It also makes them a very memorable couple and part why people still remember this show fondly after all these years.

Their road to romance is what you would expect of a shoujo romantic comedy. Filled with misunderstandings, melodramatic moments and all sorts of badly handled emotions by Ootani and Risa that makes them getting together a lot more tempestuous and difficult than it should be, but that's a romcom anime for you. I feel like this is a very good show for people interested in having a clear picture of how a romantic comedy is put together. Being upfront about the tropes really works in this show's favor.

Expect them all: a dense character that can't take a hint. Characters witnessing an innocent scene and assuming it's something else, characters being dropped in the plot only as a hindrance for the pairing of the main couple to happen, characters not expressing their feelings or expressing them in confusing ways, etc.

Now, Lovely Complex does get repetitive here and there and if you're just watching to see the couple getting together in the end it might bother you it's taking so long, but if you're interested in how the author reworks the same tropes in different flavors and how the story progresses using the same basic conflict, then you'll have a lot of fun. It's a one-on-one romcom after all. I feel like Lovely Complex is a very good standard to the genre and after you watch it you'll have a good idea of the elements you don't like and the stuff you do want to see more of it.

Post edited on 6th Jun 2022, 10:34am
>> No. 36279 [Edit]
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The second season is a lot better than the first. We're finally past the focus on the paradisiacal and gimmicky otaku life of Umaru and her dual personality. The focus now is the development of the characters' friendship and their daily life together. A lot more time is dedicated to the other girls and their problems and concerns, which actually makes Umaru more relevant and interesting as a character since this time around she can be more than something for her older brother to bear and clean up after it. We get a chance to see her more of her behavior as a friend and how she tries to improve the lives of the people around her… except her brother's life that is, she is still a toy hoarder and can't clean up after herself.

Now that Umaru, Kirie, Tachibana and Ebina is officially a group of friends, that's where the series goes; There's a getting together for christmas episode, getting together to go to the poll episode, going to the amusement park together, getting together to see some fireworks, going to the beach together, the works. The interactions are more varied and have a better pace, but don't expect too much. It's a very episodic anime. Like before, all problems the characters have are superficial, it’s either there for a joke or to be easily overcome. Everyone has a kind heart and everything works out in the end. It's good escapism and it doesn't want to be anything else.

I watched this while suffering from a high fever and somehow that actually improved the experience. It feels a little silly to write reviews for these shows everybody already watched years ago but I'm fairly confident pretty much no one outside Japan bothered to actually go through the anime I'm watching now despite its immense popularity there. I'll post a review when I finish it.
>> No. 36281 [Edit]
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>>36279
>I'll post a review when I finish it.

This is the one I was talking about dear anons. Kaidan Restaurant is based on a series of horror short story books collection for children that ran from the mid 90s to 2010, when the last book got released, reaching 50 volumes. MAL says it's picture books but it's actually short story collections, each story goes for about 10 to 12 pages and every other story has an illustration to go along with it. I've personally read about 10 or so of these books and I feel like the anime does a very good job translating the material to animation.

The books and the anime are actually a sort of modern take on several classic horror, folktale stories and more modern urban legends. Most have Japanese sources but there are a good number of European stories as well. If you have any interest in Japanese literature, especially related to the weird, folk tales and horror, then you'll recognize a lot of these. Some of the stories are based on sources as old as the Konjaku Monogatarishu and Ugetsu Monogatari compilations. Some are based on very modern urban legends related to technology, like being able to talk to the dead through a cell phone, creatures from the Beyond being able to use TV signals to cross dimensions, etc.

Although it's a show written for children, you would be surprised how it doesn't shun away from a lot of things a show like this in the West would do. Children actually die in tragic ways here. This is not a spoiler, just a warning. It's also very well written, setting a good precedent; it's not because it's for children that it needs to be lazy, uninteresting and avoid exploring themes like death, loss, pain, tragedy and the like. Just remember, it is a show for kids first, so it won't wallow in depressing themes, but it uses well to tell the stories it wants to tell. It explores all these things very well and in a very Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai-ish way. That's how it usually starts; the 3 main characters, Shou, Ako and Reiko get together, usually after seeing something weird. Shou remembers a story relating to that event and tells it to the other characters. Sometimes the characters themselves go investigate whatever weird thing that happened in their town or in their school. Most episodes are divided into 3 stories, sometimes 2 and a couple of episodes have a single story.

This show was extremely popular in Japan in its demographic and it's easy to see why. For adults however, it might require a little bit of persistence. Some stories are rather mild and an episode here and there can be a little dull, but if you keep going, there are very good tales to go through, some quite tragic and emotionally charged. Each story is self contained so you can skip the ones you don't like, just make sure to watch the last episode. It's a very nice one and it gives some development to one of the main characters.

Each episode gets a little intro by Garcon, the ghost who runs the Kaidan Restaurant. In the books he serves the same purpose, welcoming the main character of each story as he or she enters the restaurant to tell or be told a horror story. Here however, he just introduces the stories with the help of other supernatural creatures, but they happen in other places. He's also played by Mr. Hirata Hiroaki, one of the most charming male voices in the industry today.

Going with this show's premise of introducing each story as dishes, I think this anime is a good palate cleanser. If you watched something very somber or depressing, or if you just watched something too cute and excessively sweet or silly, then I think you'll enjoy going through this, especially if you're into horror. There's also a movie out there but what this really deserves is a second season. All in all, it's a very satisfying show to go through.
>> No. 36282 [Edit]
>>36281
you had me a bit confused there. I thought you were saying no one outside of Japan watched Umaru, which seemed bizarre since it seemed extremely popular here in the US. The anime glorifies a dare I say toxic life style and personality that the main character is oh so very proud of while facing little to no repercussions for it.

But yeah, stuff like Kaidan Restaurant with a focus on Japanese folk lore and stories, is almost guaranteed to bomb outside of japan if it doesn't at least have some higher than average animation to give it some universal appeal.
>> No. 36283 [Edit]
>>36282
Sorry, yeah, I meant almost no one outside Japan watched Kaidan Restaurant. Umaru like you said is pretty famous in the West.
>> No. 36285 [Edit]
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It's possible you might have talked to someone like Ms. Eguchi before. A person who has two or three very specific interests and is very knowledgeable about them. You might know a thing or two about those things as well, but not at all like that person. You end up doing all the listening. She goes on talking about the things she likes and it might be a little hermetic at first, you might even consider coming up with an excuse to leave, but soon you get caught up in her web and things get so interesting you end up completely immersed in it. Then, when you realize it, hours have passed and you were having a great time listening to that person, even though you didn't think much of it at first.

That's how I feel about Ms. Eguchi's title, Hoozuki no Reitetsu. She has a fascination for ink wash and traditional Chinese and Japanese painting, especially landscapes. But that's just the beginning, because she also knows a lot about Chinese and Japanese mythology and folklore, particularly things related to the other worlds. Hells and Heavens. Naturally she knows her Buddhism as well. When talking about these fantastic matters, she organizes everything around the type of men she likes. You can see this is going to get very interesting. Ms. Eguchi is a fascinating person, but you have to give her time to really enjoy where she's going.

Enter her main character, Hoozuki. He's a demon working in Hell for none other than Great King Enma, the ruler and supreme judge of the underworld. Hoozuki is handsome, quiet, self-contained, strong, level-headed, master of several arts, from gardening to cooking and medicine. He's reliant, chaste, organized, focused and can hold his liquor. Ms. Eguchi loves to talk about how cool he is and of course we agree, Hoozuki is a pretty amazing demon, he's awesome.

Ms. Eguchi is also very interested in language and her characters talk in a very literary manner. They don't talk in an old style, in fact their dialogues are very modern, contemporary business-like style, but they tend to use literary words, usually with very clear Chinese roots that nobody else uses. She'll make lots of jokes about it, too, so you'll have to watch it more than once… maybe thrice to really get them all.

She loves to think about folklore heroes and mythological creatures as entities who screwed up at some point and she loves to see their ugly side. It's hard to tell if she likes to drag those characters through the mud for its own sake, or if she does it so Hoozuki can fix them up, making him ever cooler and more attractive in the process. Probably a little bit of both. I'm not complaining, it's actually quite entertaining.

As you can imagine by what I've said so far, Ms. Eguchi's humor is rather peculiar and it doesn't always work outside her own head, but the atmosphere and the world where the jokes happen are so interesting you don't even mind. Also, her characters' designs are adorable when it needs to be and grotesque when it needs to be, everything works very well. They look good, endearing and cute. Not many people can draw traditional clothing like she does. Quick but elegant. Her art really stands out, though the anime may not convey it at all times.

Hoozuki no Reitetsu is a fascinating work and I'm really happy to find out she still has lots of ideas she wants to express. Soon after finishing Hoozuki, she began another title, Dekin no Mogura. Let's hope it's as good as this one.
>> No. 36286 [Edit]
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https://myanimelist.net/anime/35413

I watched Imouto sae Ireba Ii, also known as A Sister is All You Need. Here are my thoughts:

Wow this is complete trash. It was a mistake to feel the slightest flicker of optimism for anything created by the same guy who wrote Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai. Despite being about the manga/LN industry and having characters who are slightly older and 'more adult' than your average anime, this show is surprisingly juvenile. The author really channeled their inner 14-year-old boy into this.

There is a ton of sexual humour in this and most of it is utterly moronic, even by anime standards. Furthermore, the amount of time that gets spent on it is ridiculous; it's not just a line or two here and there – they spend entire scenes just for some idiotic gradeschool-tier sexual joke that makes me feel like I'm being lobotomized. The comedy is unfunny in general, but all the sexual jokes are especially atrocious and just so excessive and ever-present. This show often feels like a 14-year-old boy with an awful sense of humour wrote it with his dick in his hand. I'm not even prude or anything, it's just the constant sexual humour was absolutely eyeroll-inducing and none of it was clever at all. Literally it feels like most of this show's script was written by a dumb hormonal teenage boy. The 'siscon' schtick (recall the title of the anime) also wore out its welcome very fast, and the ways it was used were surprisingly uncreative, especially considering how frequently it was invoked.

The MC was such an annoying little pervy worm; I wanted to beat him up, steal his lunch money, and hang his sneakers from the power lines. He was an insufferable little dweeb with zero redeeming qualities. What an awful MC – probably made to resemble the mouthbreather mental-teenager author himself. In fact I disliked the entire cast; all of the primary characters were annoying in some way. For a show clearly made to appeal to young men, the two female leads both had surprisingly off-putting personalities.

Later in the series there is some character drama involving the main members of the cast in some kind of convoluted love-polygon situation, with a cup of jealousy and inferiority complex thrown in. This drama felt even more juvenile than all the sexual humour. It was really stupid and just unpleasant and groan-inducing to watch.

I must admit, the skits with the accountant were actually funny. Same goes for the tabletop RPG episode – that one was sorta funny and relatable too (although still plagued by excessive unfunny sexual humour).

As far as the publishing industry theme of this show goes, they did make some effort to demonstrate the emotional experiences of authors. However, although the concept is promising, I was still disappointed by this aspect of the show – I thought it could have been handled better but also that it deserved greater focus. The screentime of this anime is dominated by all the sexual comedy, and this promising aspect of the show is neglected as a result. Also, the childishness of the writing and characters themselves neutered a lot of the potential this dimension of the show had. It's hard to relate to this awful cast of characters, even if some of their experiences resemble those that real-life writers commonly encounter.

I thought the OST was bad. If I have to hear one more generic saxophone-heavy 'lewd atmosphere' track I am going to flip a table. Of course this kind of music plays frequently due to the prominence of sexual comedy in this show, and it does not enhance the humour at all. Even outside these scenes, the OST never once enhanced my enjoyment of the show. The voice acting for the entire cast was mediocre as well, with the exception of Nayuta – her VA did a good job and sounded cute, although I disliked her character.

As for visuals, they were adequate but mediocre. I didn't like the bolt-on-torpedo-tits character designs of the females, and all the males looked dweebish and unattractive. There is no discernable art style and the visuals were never a source of enjoyment for me. Also they could have had way more fun with the character outfits, considering they're all adults in an informal creative industry, but instead the outfits are boring, uncreative, and rarely change.

I appreciated the craft beer 'food fanservice' in the show. Delicious craft beer doesn't get nearly enough culinary attention in anime, haha.


My overall rating: 3/10
This anime in one sentence: a bunch of unlikable characters (mostly LN authors) hang out together and there is a lot of excessive unfunny sexual humour, and then during the later episodes there's some eyeroll-inducing crummy immature character drama about people you don't care about. The end.

This show is quite juvenile and a teenage boy would likely enjoy it far more than I did. Anybody who wants to enjoy this needs to put themselves in a juvenile state of mind and get in touch with their inner teenage boy. If you, like me, tend to dislike sexual humour (especially in excess) then I would suggest avoiding this anime. Were it not for the (underexplored) publishing industry theme, I would have dropped this very quickly.

>>36277
I've been meaning to check this out for a long time now.

>>36285
This sounds pretty interesting.
>> No. 36288 [Edit]
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>>36286
Only have vague recollections, but I remember it being fun and featuring root beer.
>> No. 36289 [Edit]
>>36288
>>36286
That review almost hurt to read as much as the Flip Flappers one, since I consider Imosae to be one of my favorite shows. I said I'd scribble up some counterpoints, and I guess here's my attempt at doing so:

The show is unique in being one of the few SoLs with an older college-aged group. Whereas CGDCTs depicting middle-school/high-school usually shine a spotlight on the innocence and purity of youth (usually through close-knit friendships) or the bittersweetness of the transition from high-school to college (usually paired with a heavy dose of "mono no aware", usually in the last few episodes of shows), ImoSae focuses more on the endpoint of that transition: the difficulties one might experience as you try to come to grips with the fact that life is no longer lived on "autopilot" and try to find a place for yourself in the world. Each of the characters in the show captures these difficulties and insecurities: felings of unworthiness/inferiority, existential ennui/pruposelessness, or the pressure (from yourself or your environment) to "succeed".

The real beauty of this show is how it's able to explore this by weaving a rich tapestry of relationships between the characters, so that this story is told without explicit exposition but unfolds naturally as you learn more about the characters in their interactions with one another. The aforementioned themes are explored through the lens of being an author, so the story that ends up being told is one about the struggles of making an "impact" in the world – both through your creations and you yourself as a person.

There was this great comment I stumbled across and saved some time back which I'm going to quote verbatim (I've been waiting for an opportunity to dig it up)

>One thing about Imouto sae Ireba ii that is pretty interesting is beneath all of the lewding and fanservice and references is a conscious self-awareness of the efforts and realities of "creating" something. This is in part because the main cast are largely novelists (and Miyako being the audience "stand in" amongst the cast) and in part because the story doesn't seek to only glorify an idealistic portrayal of writing or being an author.

>The idea that even if only one person enjoys something you worked on (and even if that one person is yourself), then that effort really didn't go to waste even if the final product was pretty unremarkable, is a valuable perspective. And even if you don't like it at all, there's surely someone who does.

Much like Urahara, the meta point here should be clear enough to be left unstated.

Yes if you cannot tolerate lewd humor then the show may not appeal to you but despite the lewdness it never felt forced or repetitive. Where else would you get a scene of two mangaka duking it out while wearing pantsu on their head? The comedy here is used as a foil for the more serious themes - without this frosting, watching them struggle and encounter challenges would be quite weary. And neither would it be realistic, because life isn't always a slog (this is more true for the pictureesque 2D utopic ideal, but it holds semblance of truth in the 3D world also: at least for the scarce 20 minutes that you're immersed in a show, you can set aside your own anxieties, laugh with the characters, and form emotional bonds with them).

Which goes back to the main point about how the show excels in depicting a tapestry of relations between the characters: none of the characters feel like "background characters" that exist only to prop up the MC – they become fully fleshed out in their own right, with their own goals, desires, wants, and insecurities. Even in cases like the tax account where it seems like the character exists only for comedic relief, if you read the LN (*) you see that there's more going on there than what appears.

(*) Disclosure that I have only read the summaries of the LNs, because I've never derived any enjoyment from reading fiction, so as much as I love ImoSae reading the LNs would be no different than watching paint dry. That said, reading the summaries was enough to get an impression for how the tapestry continued.

It's sad that Haganai didn't end up being anywhere close to ImoSae - I was quite disappointed that having watched imosae the jokes in haganai didn't seem to have any payoff, nor did they serve as comedic relief for any side plots.
>> No. 36290 [Edit]
>>36286
>If you, like me, tend to dislike sexual humour (especially in excess) then I would suggest avoiding this anime.
So, what did you think of Mitsudomoe? >:)
>> No. 36298 [Edit]
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>>36289
Apologies for slow response (I am insanely busy lately, unfortunately). I appreciate your thoughtful post.

I understand your point about the life circumstances that are explored in the show, but I think you are overstating how much focus this actually got throughout the runtime.

It sounds like you really empathized with some of the aspects of the writing you mentioned, and that this is a primary cause for your enthusiasm. That's understandable and I've had similar feelings about other shows/stories.

>The real beauty of this show is how it's able to explore this by weaving a rich tapestry of relationships between the characters, so that this story is told without explicit exposition but unfolds naturally as you learn more about the characters in their interactions with one another.
I think this is a good point. Subtle character development like that can be hard to pull off.

>It's sad that Haganai didn't end up being anywhere close to ImoSae
Although I didn't like Haganai much either (my review of it is further up ITT), it had some genuinely funny moments and I personally enjoyed the comedy more overall relative to ImoSae. Also, Yozora and Sena were better characters than anyone in the ImoSae cast, IMO.

>>36290
Never seen it but expect I wouldn't like it. I didn't like Mitsuboshi Colours either, which seemed similar in spirit. I'm really picky when it comes to comedy.
>> No. 36299 [Edit]
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This review contains a couple of very minor spoilers but it's really not bad, just a couple of comments on two episodes in particular.

It's been a while since I saw an anime that hides its gold so deep. First 3 episodes of Konohana Kitan feel like a patience challenge. Reminds me of some Buddhist stories where a monk would let the aspiring student stand outside the temple for a couple weeks in the cold and heavy rain in order to test his resolve. Except here you have to endure the first 3 episodes that are guaranteed to push a lot of people away. Especially if you have something else to do. Characters just kinda fuss about with no plot and acting terribly generic. It gives every possible sign this is going to be completely forgetable. The first 3 episodes are trying to tell you it's a group of cute fox girls working at an inn for the gods. Just one more excuse to look at cute characters, please move on. Well, too bad, Ms. Tsubaki, I stood there and you had to let me in.

Then it gets good. The fourth episode really gives you the opportunity to look under the sweetness of these charming foxes. And if you sit there and connect some dots at leisure, it gets really interesting. So, these fantastic creatures are pretty much playing around with human emotions. They live so long that to them, human lives feel like a short dream, and they see no problem deluding humans because they have a hard time even seeing the difference. It makes sense. They must feel like it's OK to give people a nice dream instead of reality, after all, a human lasts as long as a soap bubble to them. Of course this idea of fantasy as a tool is what iyashikei itself is about in many ways.

Each episode we get a person in need to escape reality. An abandoned child, an workaholic, a suicidal. All darkness of reality must be destroyed. There's a very funny and profoundly revealing moment in the 8th episode where Yuzu meets a compulsive liar who ends up isolated from people. She lies because she finds life crushingly insipid. Yuzu, being a fox, can't understand what she's talking about, so to cheer the liar up she responds that her fox life is actually great! I had to pause right there and give a hollow laugh. There's such a gap between these creatures and humans it's almost a cruelty to be able to converse with them. It's like talking to a demi-god able to do all these amazing things and being close to one makes you more aware of your shortcomings. The story ends with the girl disappearing and going back to her own world. Her problems, to Yuzu, was nothing but a short walk on the beach. The second part of the episode deals with people who don't want to go back to reality. Again, hard not to make a connection of yourself watching Konohana.

Like I said, all darkness must be destroyed and this includes the complete destruction of my second favorite character (first being Sakura of course), Okiku. See, Okiku is a curse doll but she doesn't look like one. She looks pretty much like an Ichimatsu doll with the beautiful red kimono and the long black hair. I really like those dolls and here there is one, but not for long. They find her look too bleak and decide to mutilate her into a maid with silly purple hair. I suppose it could be worse. Then Sakura spent a good chunk of her time making Okiku fear for her life. Why is it that Yuzu doesn't pay more attention to this particular situation? That wasn't fair.

Everything I said is not really on the surface of the show but if you think too much about these I think you'll end up seeing it, too. Still, very emotional, cute stories all around with kindhearted characters and bittersweet endings. I feel like the manga must be a lot more interesting because it can deal with creepy cute effects of a gods' inn. It did show up here and there in the anime and it's probably coming from the manga. Also the author herself escapes to her own fantasy all the time. She's everywhere, wearing a fox mask. She knows what's up. She really does.
>> No. 36300 [Edit]
>>36299
There's also another review a few dozen posts above (>>35759), and my response to that (>>35761) echoes your impression of the first few episodes being a slog. When I watched it the stuff you mentioned about the kitsune demigods(?) being essentially blind to the human condition in their powerfulness never occurred to me, but it does add that additional layer which makes some episodes a bit more bittersweet.
>> No. 36301 [Edit]
>>36300
I read those before posting and I mostly agree with what was said. I have to remember to mention posts more often, but yeah I'm trying to add something to that conversation.
>> No. 36302 [Edit]
>>36299
>Except here you have to endure the first 3 episodes that are guaranteed to push a lot of people away.
That's exactly what happened to me. I watched it as it aired, I think my reaction was that these foxgirls sure were a bunch of annoying unlikeable arseholes to each other all the time. Then I started seeing people compliment it a lot. I'll give it another shot one day.
>> No. 36303 [Edit]
>>36299
>>36302
It happened to me too. It was not bad but it was not good enough to get my attention so I went off and watched something else, maybe I will come back to it one day.
>> No. 36325 [Edit]
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https://myanimelist.net/anime/34881

I watched Aho Girl. Here are my thoughts:

The episodes for this are under 13 minutes long, so I'll try to be brief. This is basically a silly comedy show that is mostly episodic. In a nutshell, the comedy itself is objectively terrible but the delivery is good.

Most of the comedy in this is either slapstick or sexual, neither of which I'm fond of. Much of the humour in this is just utterly generic school-anime comedy that any anime viewer has definitely seen before. However, the delivery was good enough to keep me watching.

The VAs constantly yell and the dialogue is pretty fast-paced. Yoshiko (the main retard girl with the orange twintails) really carries the entire show – her VA does a fantastic job of enthusiastically yelling all her lines into the mic. This show would literally be unwatchable without her voice work; I'm not exaggerating, this VA carries the entire show, and redeems its bad attributes enough to make it tolerable. None of the other voice actors shine nearly as much as her. Everyone else in the cast is both unfunny and unlikeable as well. However, the male lead, although irritating and shameless self-insert bait, acts as a good foil for Yoshiko, and they play off each other well.

Visuals and OST were both adequate but unremarkable.


My overall rating: 5/10
The fact that this anime is completely retarded is both its worst and best quality. It really is stupid as hell. However, sometimes it is just dumb enough to be funny and entertaining. I also think the execution of this show is good, and this compensates a lot for how mediocre the humour itself is written. The high-energy script delivery and fast pace combined with short episodes are really what make it watchable. Yoshiko's VA in particular basically carries the entire show with how well she manages to deliver such a low-quality script.

I have no idea how the manga for this managed to be successful, because the writing of the show is totally mediocre and recycles a lot of typical anime humour cliches. Maybe the way the manga panels are setup enhances the humour.

I found this show optimal to watch when I had a bad day or I was angry about something because it would reliably lighten me up just by being really silly.
>> No. 36330 [Edit]
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Non Non Biyori follow the idyllic lives of Hotaru, Komari, Natsumi, and Renge, a group of friends aged 7 to 14 and their little adventures in the rural paradise of Asahigaoka. The show is very episodic in nature and you can pretty much watch in any order you like. I think it’s very hard to add anything new when talking about this, for two reasons. First, everybody already watched this. Second, there’s not that much to talk about. It’s a very well established formula at this point. A group of sweet, endearing characters living the best time of their lives in the Japanese countryside. Non Non is just better than most at it. The plots are not what makes this special though. You’ll go through all the same stuff; fireworks, melon and a hot summer, a beach episode, a school festival episode and so forth. What makes it better than most are the characters, they felt more unique and realized than most entities populating Iyashikeis and CGDCT I’ve seen.

I particularly liked two characters. First would be Komari, one of the Koshigaya sisters. I enjoyed how she encapsulated the ideas children have about being a grown up. Liking bitter foods, reading fashion magazines, liking certain types of music and dressing up. The funny part is she’s actually going through the process of becoming an actual adult through the conflicts with her slacker sister. She finds herself in a position of responsibility at her home, having to perform domestic tasks and helping her sister to not get too unhinged and mediating between her and their mother. It’s interesting how she never realizes those things are what is turning her into an adult, perhaps the most adult, responsible person in her group but since she has an idealized idea of what’s about she gets lost in things like having a phone or using a certain type of clothing. The way the internal conflict of this character is handled is one of the best parts of this show in my opinion and what I enjoyed the most in it.

The other character I enjoyed following around is Kaede, the candy shop owner. Now, this is a character more or less on the fringe of this whole thing. First, she’s the only one who has financial problems, not exactly an iyashikei thing to have in there. It’s a bit of a mystery how she manages to have any money at all. The town is obviously dying, there’s simply not enough kids in there to sustain her business. At one point she agrees to close shop for an entire day for 30 bucks, so times are certainly dire. She also has very little business sense since we can safely infer the families living there need to go to the next town to get basic supplies. She could definitely make more things available at her shop so townsfolk would stop having to do groceries in another town. It seems this candy shop is a very well established business and it’s been there since forever. I think she’s living on some inheritance or something, and is keeping this shop out of some nostalgia or filial piety, that’s the conclusion I got after watching two seasons of this show. The other thing I like about her is her position as observer, this is basically a trope you usually have when the show is centered around children growing up. You’ll have adults around whose life gets a little bit sweeter by watching the whole process and Kaede is pretty much one of those. It helps to see the impact the main characters have on the people around them, which in turn makes them more interesting to watch.

Worth a watch if you like the genre. Art and music are of high quality and add a lot to the show.

>>36325
Aho girl and none of the girls have ahoge? That's why it's bad.

Post edited on 15th Jul 2022, 3:33pm
>> No. 36332 [Edit]
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I watched the Animatrix, with Japanese audio and English subs. Of the Matrix movies, I've only seen the first, but I don't think that makes a big difference in my opinion, which is somewhat mixed(especially considering the release date).

Final Flight of the Osiris -
It's in 3d and looks quite impressive for the time, though I suspect they used some sort of 3d equivalent to rotoscoping. I'd also prefer if all of them were in 2d. The plot and story beats are quite generic hollywood fare. This, among many of the other shorts oddly enough, has a chase scene in it. Nothing surprising.

The Second Renaissance Part I -
Very nice looking. It's about how the machines revolted against humans. I internally groaned a lot at the generic sci-fi premise and execution of robots spontaneously turning against humans, despite having none of the evolutionary biases which would cause that to happen for the reasons given. Even Skynet's motivation makes more sense. Also, I felt a slight communistic vibe.

It was also very cheap in how in demonizes humans to get you to sympathize with the machines. The whole thing just oozes with ignorance on the writer's part, in many different areas. The incompetent robotics developers would be exterminated before the machines were.

The Second Renaissance Part II -
Part 2 illustrates the absurdity of humans removing all machines within a military context. It also raises quite a few more questions. How did the machines get energy between the time the sky was covered and they started using people for it(nuclear energy?)? If they already had another source of energy, why would the humans think covering the sun would work? And why did the machines even need humans as a power supply if they already had another source? Why didn't the humans just use nanomachines as a weapon, which would probably be far, far more effective? The machines would probably do that first actually.

And a big philosophical one, why would the machines be okay with being exploited by other machines if they disliked being exploited by humans? I would assume machines would be even worse in that respect. Somebody has to get the supplies for and manufacture all that shit. The way machines are presented feels inconsistent. Sometimes they're emotional and sentimental, other times they're cold and unfeeling. Are machines better at making useful machines than human were? It really doesn't make sense.

Both parts of this use gratuitous violence to distract from these questions while posing as being food for thought. I think it's far too large in scope for 18 minutes.

Program -
This one has a comic book kind of style with a setting that looks like feudal Japan. It was nice and simple with a decent twist at the end. Fitting scope for a short.

World Record -
I think this one was made by the same people as Program since the style is similar. I also liked it. It presented
things from a different angle than what's typically seen within the "matrix franchise". It's about a guy who's just very good at running, and that's why he notices he's in the matrix. It kind of makes sense.

Kid's Story -
Has a rough, but somewhat interesting animation style. It's about a kid who notices the world doesn't feel real and talks to neo in a chat room. Then he gets chased at his school by agents. Not sure why they were so interested in someone who maybe could tell he's not living in reality. This sort of ambiguity about how much the agents know about what people do comes up in another short too. Eh.

Beyond -
Has a style that was the most conventional for an anime, and actually takes place in Japan. It revolved around the concept of a "glitch in the matrix" which is presented with some cool visual effects. Another nice and simple short. I like how it mostly portrayed the inside of the matrix as being like the real world, unlike most depictions(including the films) which either add intentionally unnatural-looking color filters, or are highly stylized(like in the other shorts).

A Detective Story -
Is in black and white. Somewhat confusingly doesn't look like it's set in the 90s, but whatever, it's still nice and I see what they were going for. Interestingly, it features Trinity. Whoever wrote this was clearly a fan of hers. They also made good use of how random people can turn into agents at any point. This however made me question some of the things in the original
movie. Like why tracking devices are even necessary. I think the Animatrix as a whole has highlighted a few ways in which the original's world is kind of confusing. The writers for these had to deal with those things without having much to go on.

In the original, the tracking device exists to add some cool scenes. In a stand alone movie, it's whatever. Now that the world is being "expanded", I start to notice these kinds of dumb things that only really work within a fast-paced movie.

Matriculated -
Almost double the length of the others. Unfortunately, it has quite an ugly style. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it reminded me a bit of the Atlantis Dinsey movie mixed with 2d Dreamworks, and then put in a blender. Not low quality, but it isn't pleasing to the eye in my opinion. It takes place in the real world and has an interesting enough premise. So there's some group of humans who convince random machines to fight on their side, by showing them psychedelic trips.

A large portion of this was taken up by one of those and was in 3d. I'm sure it's loaded with symbolism to dissect, but I wasn't particularly invested. It also puts the nature of machines into question again. Apparently, if you just pull one aside and share a spiritual experience with it, its eyes start glowing green and it abandons all of its previous goals and allegiances so it can help you out. Seriously. I'm pretty sure this is "canon" by the way.


Overall, it was okay. I was disappointed because I've heard such high praise for these shorts. The biggest problem being that the Matrix by itself is kind of dumb. The concept of a virtual reality people don't know they're in is great, but all of the specifics of how and why it exists are nothing special or particularly interesting or even that well thought out. It was just a "high-concept" action flick. These shorts kind of show that in their lackluster attempt at fleshing out a world that only really works in a stand alone movie. I do give it credit for being tonally consistent despite widely varying in subject matter and style. They work as a whole far better than the parts in Memories, for comparison.

I recommend it if you at least mildly enjoyed the Matrix, and want to see something half-decent that's connected to it.

Post edited on 17th Jul 2022, 9:29am
>> No. 36337 [Edit]
>>36330
I forgot where I read this, but the title is also a pun on "nonbiri" and "hiyori".
>> No. 36358 [Edit]
>>36332
I thought the Animatrix was great. Kid's Story and A Detective Story were especially good, but I liked the lore the Renaissance arc added to the universe.

When the Wachowskis announced a "new Matrix" a while back, for a bit there were some articles going around about a series that looked at the extended universe. I think this sort of thing, in the vein of various different stories such as in the Animatrix, would have been far better than the new film. (Which to be honest seemed more like they made the film to make a new Matrix film, rather than as an organic continuation of the series.)
>> No. 36360 [Edit]
>>36358
I didn't watch it, but in the new movie itself I think a character admits it's only being made for money. Something like that will never be unconventional and take risks.
>> No. 36361 [Edit]
>>36360
Not exactly. Nearest thing to that I can think is when a suit talks about how profitable the franchise is and says to the creator that the studio is going to make a forth instalment with or without him. Considering how expensive movies are to make, it's best to assume the vast majority are "just for money". You're not likely to see real passion projects playing at your local cinemas.
>> No. 36362 [Edit]
>>36361
>it's best to assume the vast majority are "just for money"
Yes. I wouldn't describe the original Matrix that way though. Or most Scorsese, Coen brothers and Kubrick movies.
>> No. 36387 [Edit]
File 165975500989.png - (0.98MB , 1280x720 , [Lulu] Heavy Object - 09 [BD 1080p Hi10 FLAC][Dual.png )
36387
Heavy Object is a really fun anime, and I'd very much recommend it to action and military fans.
That said, I find the main duo to be weak in the sense that one of them, Havia, doesn't really do all that much, and therefore feels like a minor sidekick to his compatriot. It would have been nice if he had more substance to him, and while that could be said of the other characters, he's--again--the guy accompanying Qwenthur, so it's all the more salient. After all, Qwenthur and Havia both provide comedic relief, and are both goofballs, but only one is useful and the other kind of isn't. Havia has an ambitious goal, but it isn't touched upon much in twenty-four minutes, and isn't used to springboard him into acting in a more integral role. Qwuenthur is obviously the main-main character, but if we're given a duo, it would be nice if they complemented each other more.
Good fun, but needed more fleshing out of characters.
>> No. 36395 [Edit]
File 165989232023.jpg - (286.48KB , 1125x1600 , 184f58dc575e74b2c7b03642c9ea97b8.jpg )
36395
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34051/

I watched Akiba's Trip. Here are my thoughts:

The plot is mostly episodic monster-of-the-week stuff that is consistently boring and idiotic. Basically, there are bad guys in Akibahara, and the only way to fight them is to strip off their clothes (hence the title of the show). It's as moronic as it sounds, and it stops being funny after about 5 minutes, yet entire scenes are devoted to it, usually multiple times per episode. The fight scenes are boring as hell and drag on way too long. This show overall is frankly just completely retarded, and not in an endearing way either, at least not enough for 13 episodes. My average level of enjoyment while watching was quite low, but every so often there'd be some relatable nerd reference that I'd chuckle at, which is why I didn't drop it.

The art style is somewhat cartoonish and has a strongly saturated colour palette. The animation is simplistic with quality adequate at best. It feels pretty low budget overall. The character designs are also cartoonish; I don't like them aesthetically, but they do kinda fit the theme of the show. Their simplicity made them easy to animate as well, which I guess was beneficial for the action scenes. The characters' personalities are generic and simplistic, as well as annoying in some cases.

As for audio, the OP song is pretty good and has nice peppy vocals. However, the cartoonish OST itself sounds low budget and is sometimes abrasive. The voice acting is also consistently awful. In fact multiple voices in the cast made me want to shove toothpicks into my ears they were so annoying.

Akiba's Trip has quite an authentic otaku-culture theme. The only reason I stuck with this anime was for the truly genuine otaku-culture flavour. Literally nothing else about it was entertaining. These otaku-culture references are diverse too; for example, there are allusions to milsim hobbies, audiophile culture, idol fandom, amateur radio, and PC building. They even have a Yugioh/MTG parody episode, which contains some hilarious moments. I also got the feeling there were obscure references to Japanese Akiba-related pop culture that I probably didn't fully catch.

Aside from the authentic cultural flavour, this show is seriously awful. The only reason you should consider watching it is if a strong otaku-culture theme appeals to you. Even then, I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on this. What I'm writing here may sound appealing, but I really can't overstate how underwhelming this show is in reality. Also, the last couple episodes are filled with groan-inducing forced drama that was painful to sit through.


My overall rating: 3/10
This anime is exasperatingly retarded and often boring as hell (especially the fight scenes). However, it does have an authentic otaku-culture flavour and relatable nerdy references. Akiba's Trip feels like a passion project done poorly.

Seriously, this show is total brainrot material and to be honest I was only able to tolerate it whilst stoned out of my mind.

Lastly, apparently there is a game related to this – for the record, I have never played it.

>>36330
NNB is one of my favourite SoL anime ever, and one of the best representatives for the genre as a whole IMO. You've reminded me I need to watch the post-S2 content. Does anyone know if more anime sequels are planned?
>> No. 36396 [Edit]
File 165989941153.jpg - (1.42MB , 1957x2172 , 162c4ce4bff9862461629e00d659324e.jpg )
36396
Hellsing Ultimate is a 10 episode ova based on a manga released from 2006 to 2012. It follows a British, off-the-books organization of vampire hunters called Hellsing, two members of which being Alucard, an ancient and immensely powerful vampire, and Seras Victoria, a former police officer who got caught in the crossfire between Alucard and another vampire, before having her "life" saved when Alucard turns her into own of his own. This is one of those anime that most people know of, but I wanted to write an introduction anyway. There will be spoilers."

First off, this is one of the most entertaining anime I've ever seen. The over the top violence and gore, the over the top, manic characters, it's all very entertaining. It helps a lot that the animation is quite good and the action is well-executed. Being an ova, it also has an advantage in not being limited by tv standards.

The characters are a mixed bag when it comes to their overall impact on the series. Seras is great and easily my favorite character. She's happy-go-lucky, in a charming and not annoying way, and my favorite action scenes were when she's running around, doing gymnastics, shooting things with massive weaponry or pulverizing them with her bare hands. Her arc of coming to accept her powers, learning more about them, and losing some of her humanity, is both interesting, and the only one in the show. I'd say she's the only character who changes over the course of the series. Though this, and her in general, don't actually get that much screen-time relative to other characters.

Alucard, the actual protagonist, was an issue for me. I didn't find him particularly interesting. His smug demeanor and overwhelming strength got tiresome pretty quickly. Most of the action scenes he's in lack tension because we know from the start that he is the strongest character by a large margin. All of what I've seen of Hellsing before watching it, which is going back many years, was of Alucard and how unbelievably strong he is, which in retrospect, might have been what put me off from watching it until now. I could tell even the writer struggled with how strong they made Alucard because of all the contrived ways they got him out of the way at various points.

Bernadotte is a mercenary whose group assists Hellsing later on in the series after they lose almost all of their people. My initial impression was that he's a standard support character that will serve a plot function and then die. Which is what happens, but I underestimated his importance. He has an impromptu romance with Seras and is the reason she finally drinks blood and unlocks all of her abilities(because drinking blood for the first time makes her a "real vampire"). He didn't have enough screen time or was interesting enough for me to become attached to, but his death is made a big deal of, so there was a disconnect there. I did appreciate his long distance battle strategy though; that was a cool part.

On a side note and bit nitpicky, I found Seras' shadow tentacle, that replaces her cut off left arm, distracting during non-combat scenes. I understand it's a symbolic battle scar thing, but it kind of doesn't make sense and I think it would be better not to have it, at least not like that. Side side note, I found the gun and hand-to-hand combat far more entertaining than the big, amorphous blob powers, which is most of what Alucard uses, and what Anderson uses as a last resort.

The other characters, like Anderson, Integra, Walter(I like his string weapon) and Major were fine and served their purpose well.

The entire second half of Hellsing Ultimate, from episode 5 onward, is spent on a protracted, massive scale battle in Lodon. This has some benefits and some drawbacks. It did provide a large, dramatic conclusion, and the mansion defense part was great(most of the best scenes are in the mansion for some reason). Towards the end though, I got a bit tired of it. Oddly enough, there was a lot of lengthy, pretty boring conversations and flashbacks about war and what it means to be human in the middle of this. I didn't really care about that. Interesting characters and their immediate situation are what provides entertainment and emotional impact, for me at least. Maybe you can interpret it as commentary on finding entertainment in violence, to which I say "whatever".

The comedy and the simplistic, cutout art style that came with it were okay, though occasionally felt out of place or didn't hit home.

I'd really like to see a more episodic series of Seras hunting one vampire to the next. That would be very enjoyable.

Every other aspect of production, like the music and voice acting, are very good. I'd strongly recommend Hellsing if you enjoy action, and gore, and manic behavior in characters.
>> No. 36418 [Edit]
File 16604201683.jpg - (356.98KB , 1200x800 , Vatican Kiseki Chousakan.jpg )
36418
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34368

I watched Vatican Kiseki Chousakan (including OVA), also known as Vatican Miracle Examiner. Here are my thoughts:

This anime is about two religious scholars who travel around investigating the validity of various miracles on behalf of the Vatican. This show has an intense Roman Catholic theme that is quite unique – I really appreciated this aspect of it. However, aside from its strong unwavering commitment to this rich Catholic theme, this show isn't well directed. The actual screenplay and script are kinda dull. Furthermore, as much as I love the premise, the writing is undeniably super amateurish and feels like a novel you'd find in the bargain bin of somebody's neighbourhood yard sale. The plot is so absurd it feels like a kid wrote it. The explanations used to justify the various mysteries in the story are completely ridiculous. As a whole this show is incredibly campy, but that's what makes it fun to watch.

Vatican Kiseki Chousakan is a very unique show. It's so over the top it's comical, yet plays it dead serious at all times. Like, I honestly can't tell whether or not this is all just pokerface satire. This anime has a unique satirical charm that I really enjoyed and think others would as well. On a related note, I definitely got a shounen-ai vibe from the two main characters, which is somewhat ironic to say the least, and also enhanced the parody feeling even more. Plus, they were super cute together.

The two MCs are actually great characters: unique, likeable, memorable, and they complement each other well. Additionally, I liked both of their VAs and thought they suited the roles. Another thing that adds to the show's campy charm is how the many English words in the script are mispronounced by the seiyuus (to the point that referring to the subtitles is often still necessary).

Visually, the show is adequate at best. Some of the character designs are decent, but other than that it is super basic and feels low budget. I think much of the poor visual budget was compensated for by using poor lighting in many scenes. Thankfully, not much character animation is needed to tell this dialogue-heavy story. I do like the seemingly authentic church-like OST. There is a lot of choral music, organs and that sort of thing, which suits the themes and mood of the anime. I'm glad they committed to the themes in this regard as well, instead of using a more-generic soundtrack.

One thing worth mentioning is that the show constantly cycles through supporting characters. The two MCs travel frequently, resulting in the surrounding cast constantly changing (or disappearing because they were killed off). The show is constantly introducing new characters, only for them to disappear within an episode or two. The cost of this constant recurring exposition is significant and is a drain on the show. This is compounded by the fact that some random just-introduced character is usually key to whatever 'miracle' they are investigating at that time, which makes for a sometimes-confusing viewing experience. They randomly throw in characters who are fundamental to the plot and then they vanish and an entirely new supporting cast is introduced – this happens multiple times throughout the show and it is a lot to digest during a 12-episode runtime. I think a fixed set of supporting characters would have been much more suitable for this anime.


My overall rating: 6/10
As much as I adored the premise of this show and really wanted to see it succeed, I can't ignore its very real flaws. Foremost, the writing is unignorably amateurish. It feels like some hack novel that was just barely publishable, although it does have a lot of satirical charm; similar things could be said about this anime's direction and production quality. Regardless, this is still a very unique show and I'm glad I discovered it. A huge portion of my score here is a result of how unique this anime is, as well as the confidence and conviction with which it is presented. The intense Roman Catholic theme of this show is one of a kind and I valued it tremendously. The shortcomings of this anime are unfortunate – it had enormous potential. This appaling waste of potential is a mortal sin indeed.

If Catholicism interests you then you might find this anime enjoyable despite all its flaws. Or if you like (comically absurd) mystery stories, or the unique premise appeals to you for whatever reason. I would love to see the premise of this show executed more-competently.
>> No. 36423 [Edit]
File 166048822582.jpg - (70.48KB , 853x480 , mpv-shot0001.jpg )
36423
「Maria-sama ga Miteru」 Marimite

I'll be writing a bit about the anime and the story itself, particularly about why I loved it so much and now cherish it.

Marimite slipped into my PTW list ages ago, out of a reference in Lucky☆Star (1). I added it as the yuri and hime-sama theme appeal to me, as they provide escapism from my very average life. I began watching this anime around the beginning of this year and concluded the series in May. It met my expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Usually, I'm not that amused about coming of age, but Marimite does it in a modest and reserved way. Compared to other coming of age, this story is more "mature", I'd say, and focuses more on being considerate of others, taking responsibility, handling jealously, envy and other bad feelings properly, and so on... This way of thinking helped me recover from social anxiety when I was younger and build a more agreeable and mature character, so I enjoy watching anime in which this is a feature.

Characteristic of yuri and something that this anime does well are the platonic relationships nuanced with romance. The interactions between the characters, while obviously altered to generate melodrama and their personalities set to fit the yuri theme, feel quite genuine and it does seem like they develop over the course of the episodes and seasons.
Seeing one of the main characters opening up later in the series, talking about how hard it can be to manage farcical relationships and maintain composure at all times was quite compelling and relatable.
To give other examples, certain aloof characters became more talkative, and naïve characters revealed themselves to be more astute later. Some even bring up past accounts and compare it to the present, which gives the story more depth. All of this was very satisfying to watch.

And of course, there is the setting. A classy academy with properly dressed and well-mannered characters. They all have, to a varying degree, a calm composure and speak with such a soft voice… Usually, they hang out outside in a vast and lush garden or in the annex building which seats the student council body. A large part of the action takes place here, often accompanied by tea. The screenshot I uploaded gives an idea: Sipping some tea, savoring the occasional breeze whilst studying or getting some other work done. Worthy of mention is the relaxing piano BGM which I still listen to months past.

During the 3rd season one of the main characters mentions how she doesn't do well with hot weather, so she typically retreats to her family vacation house in a purportedly cooler place. There she usually reads, chats with visitors and strolls around the woods for relaxation. A few times during this season, a scene comes up with them sitting on a chair in the porch against a nature background and the sound of bird chirping... it was so relaxing... This my idea of relaxation and summer vacations as well.

Sadly though, I have never met or heard of a single person who I could share these feelings with. Quite the opposite, I get taken as weird for even stating that I enjoy shade and calm activities. Evidently this stimulates my sensitivity towards this story.
I have my ideals but haven’t personally met many people who I can look up to. I certainly don’t interact with any on a daily basis. It’s stories like this that sooth my desire to relate to something or someone. To a degree, it was inspiring.

(1) https://youtu.be/YhOxAQMmPew
>> No. 36424 [Edit]
>>36423
It's interesting when you compare marimite (or others in the same genre from that period like strawberry panic) to a more "modern" yuri (e.g. YagaKimi) or SoL+implied yuri (like a Kirara). Even while the latter aren't direct, there's still a faster-paced feel to them. Marimite felt more like the pacing of a iyashikei combined with yuri (almost like Arira + yuri), which is something I don't think any recent shows have done.
>> No. 36435 [Edit]
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36435
Blood+ is a 50 episode anime that aired from 2005 to 2006. It's about a girl named Saya who is a sort of vampire, fighting against her sort of vampire sister, Diva, and the pharmecutical company run by her minions. Saya has an adoptive family, and amnesia because every few years, she has to take a 30 year nap. She is also assisted by some group called red shield. Spoiler warning.

It's a complicated premise, but from all that you could probably glean that it's supposed to be an action series. As an action series, it's terrible. Absolutely abysmal. I'd almost say it doesn't deserve to have that designation. Every fight Saya doesn't lose, she wins through luck, and with assistance. This is for the entire series except the last two episodes, because they needed to wrap things up.

The vary large and confusing powergap, between Saya and EVERY other character that can fight, is never explained. And on top of that, for like half the series, the second half, she routinely gets lethargic and too tired to do anything. Her chevalier(vampire's servants are called chaveliers in this) isn't much better. Every time he fights somebody, he does okay for a little bit, and then gets impaled and imobilized. This isn't how you do it. It's just not. Powergaps are fine, to an extent, but they have to be compensated for in a smart way, and preferably dimish over time.

Red Shield needs Saya to defeat Diva because Saya's blood is the only thing that can kill her, her chevaliers, and the monsters made with a drug that's based on Diva's blood. So why can't they extract her blood and use it themselves? There's exactly one handwavey line that Saya's blood only works when she's fighting, except this is contradicted later on when we see the guy who first discovered Saya and Diva mixing their blood together in a petri dish and discovering the effect. Red Sheild generally has 0 creativity. At every single point they decide to rely soley on Saya to kill things despite her poor track record. It's very annoying.

The chroreography and animation was servicable. Nothing to write home about though. Sometimes, in the non-action scenes, the animation looked surisingly fluid. The music was pretty medirocre. It didn't fit the fight scenes at all. The third OP was strangely good, and gives a totally false impression of the show. It doesn't looke similar at all. The fourth op was appropriately bad. One of the worst songs I've ever heard in an op in fact.

Her adoptive family. A teenage brother name Kai and middle schooler boy named Riku. At first I thought these character would be there for a little bit, and then put aside for other things, so I thought they weren't that important. I was wrong. For some reason, Red Shield is okay with bringing them along in their globe trotting, life or death adventure. Kai contributes little and Riku contributes nothing. So this is both dangerous and pointless. Riku gets raped and murdered by Diva. So, you know, would have been better if he stayed home.

There's some other characters like a journalist guy and Kai's obsessive maybe girlfriend who he doesn't care about at all. Neither contribute much. So there's too many characters.

Blood+ is also a drama. It's better at that. Some stuff happens which I wasn't expecting. Some stuff. You know. Stuff. Themes about family or whatever.

I don't know. I started watching this because it was one of Hellsing Ultimate's recommendations on MAL. I am disappoited, but at least it managed to keep my attention for 50 episodes. I recommend it if you don't care about what you watch and just want to kill time. Or if you love dramas I guess. Don't even think about watching this if you want action. Don't do that to yourself.
>> No. 36447 [Edit]
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36447
Petshop of Horros is a horror anime that aired on tv for only 4 episodes. It follows the owner of a mysterious petshop in Chinatown, who calls himself Count D, that in addition to normal animals, sells strange creatures under contracts which absolve the shop all of responsibility if the few, but specific conditions are broken. A police detective has noticed the strange deaths connected to the pet shop and tries to find evidence of their involvment.

Every epsiode follows the same formula. A prospective buyer appears, they purchase an "animal" that resembles a human being, they break the contract, and then bad things happen. It reminds me of the early parts of Hell Girl.

It's only 4 episodes, so I can't critize it for being too repeitive. From what I know, the manga it's based on is substantially "better", though comparing the two really isn't fair.

In four episodes, it does manage to develop Count D and his relationship with the detective, which is more a friendly rivalry than an antagonistic one. There are a few unnervering parts, though few and far between. So I wouldn't call it amazing as far as horror goes. Some things that happen don't make sense, but depending on who you are, that can be ignored.

I recommend Petshop of Horros if you want something short and from the 90s, or you want to get a feel for the manga before reading that.

Post edited on 20th Aug 2022, 7:23am
>> No. 36463 [Edit]
File 166170455085.jpg - (739.93KB , 1209x1474 , Knights_and_Magic-cover.jpg )
36463
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34104

I watched Knight's & Magic. Here are my thoughts:

This anime is about a geeky programmer who gets isekai'd into a fantasy world where he is transformed into an androgynous mecha-fanatic (inb4: wow he's literally me!). The isekai world is like a medieval fantasy setting but with mechs added. Basically, this is a typical isekai show but with a lot of mecha-related content. If you stripped away the mecha theme, this would be an utterly generic medieval isekai. The mecha theme in a medieval setting is the only thing this anime has going for it – there really isn't any other selling point. In general this show feels fun and self-aware of its own silliness.

After the first couple episodes I was feeling cautiously optimistic about this anime, but as I progressed further my enthusiasm declined. I wanted to like this but the actual story is quite dull and boring. The story feels better suited for an LN instead of anime, which isn't surprising since this is an LN adaptation. A large portion of the show consists of the MC tinkering around in the mech mechanic shop, which could be interesting but the execution is so underwhelming (it's probably cooler in literature format). This issue is aggravated by the mechs functioning via some kind of nonsensical magic that isn't ever adequately explained. I think all the tinkering and mechanic shop scenes would have been way more interesting if the mechs operated on physical principles, or at least all the engineering aspects were coherently explained. Anyway, when the mech conflicts do occur they feel totally formulaic. This anime fails to deliver any kind of engaging storyline, and the episodes feel like a slog to get through as a result. I never felt the slightest flicker of excitement or suspense while watching this. It should be noted that I haven't read the LN and can't vouch for the quality of the source material nor the fidelity of this adaptation.

The characters themselves are rather lackluster; nobody is memorable in any way besides the MC. The supporting cast is tropey, generic, and underdeveloped. I liked the MC though – he was fun and his enthusiasm for mechs was infectious. The MC's VA suited him well, and his clingy female companion (Adeltrud) has some cute voicework too. There are all sorts of bastardized western-Continental-European names for everything that are a neverending source of amusement when paired with the Japanese dialogue in this ridiculous show.

Some of the action scenes are decent, although a little crude at times. This is hardly a high-budget blockbuster movie; CG is frequently used to animate the mechs and monsters. Don't go into this anime expecting mindblowing action scenes, you won't get that here. However, some of the mechs are pretty cool, and there's a decent variety of mech models featured in the show. Furthermore, sometimes the setting looks nice; for example, the medieval castles have a lot of aesthetic moments.

Although the OST is nothing special from a musical perspective, it has a unique medieval flavour that suited the setting well (think historic-European instruments like bagpipes and various types of horns). It is a comical juxtaposition to hear music like that playing while the screen is filled with mechs battling.

You probably won't be surprised to hear that this show can be fairly juvenile and generally feels catered to a young audience.


My personal overall rating: 4/10
Were it not for the mecha theme, this would be a boring formulaic medieval isekai. The story in this is not compelling or interesting at all. Most of the characters are underdeveloped and tropey, with the exception of the MC who is fun and likeable. The show in general is fun and playful, and feels like it isn't meant to be taken seriously even though it involves military conflict. There is a ton of 'mech fanservice' in this, and for diehard mecha fans it might be worth watching. Aside from the cool mecha action, I didn't particularly enjoy this anime.

The thing I savoured most about this show was the action scenes, but that's more a consequence of the story, characters, and script all sucking. If you just want to chill out and watch mechs fight in medieval castles and shoot lasers at each other, this show is fine for that. Honestly, you won't miss out on much if you just skip all the duller dialogue-heavy scenes. This isn't an anime you should take seriously.

I'm probably the wrong audience for this. For diehard mecha fans, I think this show is worth a try. Also, boys around roughly preteen age might enjoy this anime.

>>36423
I really need to get around to watching that. I'm fond of yuri romance too.
>> No. 36522 [Edit]
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36522
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33983

I watched Onihei. Here are my thoughts:

I dropped this halfway through but picked it up again a few months later and managed to complete it. Overall it was pretty mediocre but did have a couple positive qualities. Foremost, this show does a good job of depicting the 18th-century Japan setting, both visually and from a sociological perspective – many social themes that prevailed during that time period are featured in the writing (ex. caste system, prostitution and infidelity, criminality and law enforcement, gambling and drinking). This anime can be interesting from a sociological perspective. That said, I found the constant focus on burglaries became boring and repetitive, even from early in the runtime. The screentime used to demonstrate the thievery (like sneaking in, etc.) is often quite dull and repetitive, as well as lacking creativity. The low-budget undynamic animation also certainly did not complement these burglary scenes. Although there are many frames in which the setting (ex. building architecture) looks nice, the animation is not dynamic at all – it often feels like a Powerpoint presentation. There are certainly some nice static shots in here, but the character animation feels very low effort, including during the short-lived action scenes.

The plot is mostly episodic with stories that are self-contained within their respective episodes. However, there is a core set of characters who persist across episodes. Unfortunately, these recurring characters are underdeveloped and not particularly likeable or memorable in any way. The episodic plots usually involve the characters reacting to some kind of conflict (i.e. generic burglary scheme #9001 + ratchety hoodrat drama that belongs on Jerry Springer), leaving little room for any kind of character development – this issue is compounded by the large size of the cast. Overall I found the storywriting tedious and repetitive. The episodic plots are quite generic and felt like they came off an assembly line – there was nothing in here that I hadn't already seen many times before in fictional writing. Like, a third of the episodes somehow involve a guy falling in love with some dumpy hooker bitch – this gets tiresome very fast, yet the theme gets repeated over and over in the writing; it was eyeroll-inducing.

I personally am not at all fond of the jazz-like OST and this is another major reason why I'm lukewarm on this show. This is a matter of personal taste though, and other people may like it. Also, the voice acting was nothing special, except for maybe the MC himself who has a deep handsome voice.


My overall rating: 5/10
This anime is basically a combination of Cops + Jerry Springer: Feudal Japan Edition. Similarly to these iconic American TV shows, Onihei explores many sociological issues in a highly dignified manner. Seriously though, somebody interested in historical Japan society would likely appreciate this show. Onihei's best aspect is how it depicts its setting, not only visually but in the way that so many sociological phenomena are featured in the writing. Unfortunately, the episodic plots themselves and the characters they involve are nothing special. Much like the animation itself, there are some appreciable moments but the overall execution is repetitive and lacks dynamism.
>> No. 36529 [Edit]
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36529
Chimimo's final episode aired today and I feel inspired to write a review, so here goes.

Chimimo (made by Shin-Ei) is a classic fish-out-of-water comedy about three sisters - Mutsumi, Hazuki, and Mei - whose lives are turned upside down when their home is visited by a cute round creature called a Chimimo... followed by an army of Chimimoryo... followed by their owner, Jabberwock the 8th (Jigoku-san for short). What the sisters don't know is that Jigoku-san has been sent there on a secret mission to turn Earth into a living hell - and his boss demands progress and constant reports.

At first, Jigoku-san's attempts backfire spectacularly due to incompetence or simple miscommunication. But as the series goes on, he develops a real fondness for the human world and the sisters who graciously gave him a place to stay, so he spends most of the series grappling with the conflict between his job and his true feelings.

Comedy anime often falls flat for me, but this show gets a lot of mileage out of the culture shock between Earth and Hell. The most mundane parts of life, from cooking food to dealing with crappy bosses and teachers, becomes downright hellacious when viewed through the eyes of Jigoku-san, often to great comedic effect.

However, this show doesn't hesitate to tug at the heartstrings either. In one episode, Mei thanks Jigoku-san for being the father figure she never had; in another episode, a game of "Chimiseek" becomes an excuse for the sisters to dig up old scrapbooks and reminisce about the past.

Although this review has mostly talked about Jigoku-san and the sisters, don't take this as a suggestion that the Chimimoryo are sidekicks in their own show. They take center stage a lot of the time and the writers love to play around with their demonic powers. One episode follows them on their first errand. The aforementioned game of "Chimiseek" uses their shapeshifting powers in cute and creative ways, as does an earlier episode where they fuse into Godzilla and a giant robot and fight each other.

The artstyle is adorable. The watercolor backgrounds conjure up memories of old games like Legend of Mana and SaGa Frontier 2, while the character designs are in the same wheelhouse as Battle Cats and Neko Atsume. You would think these aesthetics would clash, but they're a perfect fit. The animation is limited, but serviceable. This isn't really a series that demands sakuga anyway.

If there's one glaring flaw with Chimimo, it's that the series is too short. Way back in the day, Shin-Ei made a kind of similar series you guys might remember called Haré+Guu. That series ran for 26 episodes, this one clocks in at only 12. This wouldn't be a huge deal if it wasn't for the fact that one of the most fun characters in the series only gets a proper introduction down the stretch and really only shows up in two episodes. Her first appearance shows her instantly clicking with the sisters, but because of the limited number of episodes, this plot point doesn't amount to anything even though the obvious potential is there. Overall, Chimimo left me wanting a lot more than its small episode count could provide.

The good news is that the finale's conclusion leaves the door wide open for more seasons. And Chimimo is getting a solid amount of merchandise as well as BD releases. So I'm hopeful that it will at least get a sequel.
>> No. 36547 [Edit]
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36547
I finished Kanon yesterday. The issues I had with the first half or so didn't really last. I feel that early on, the anime stuck too close to VN which made the differences a bit jarring. As things started to diverge from the VN, it became much more enjoyable.

I think it was an excellent adaptation over all. It didn't miss much of the VN's content, while changing things up, be it out of necessity or to generally tie what were separate stories together. It was enough for a fresh experience.
It did change my perception of Clannad. Outside of After Story, Kanon really blows it out of the water. Not to say Clannad was bad, but it feels a lot more laid back, which is great in it's own right, but not what I feel will stick with the viewer. Again, that doesn't include After Story, which I don't think is comparable. Still, I really enjoyed both Kanon and Clannad. I do think that a middle ground between the two would be best.

I think they did great translating the environments. There isn't much to say, but it really stood out. I liked that Kitagawa became more of a character where he felt pointless in the VN. The inclusion of the real Makoto was good.
My only complaint is that some of Mai's new lines felt out of place, though I can forgive it because it was important to move things forward. Her arc also makes up for it, as it worked better with animation.

I'd recommend both the VN and the Anime, in that order.
>> No. 36555 [Edit]
File 166466601624.jpg - (1.12MB , 3200x4543 , 317813.jpg )
36555
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35251

I watched Sengoku Night Blood. Here are my thoughts:

This is first and foremost a reverse-harem show (it's an otome-game adaptation). If that doesn't appeal to you then you shouldn't watch this. If you don't want to be surrounded by hot vampire werewolf warrior men in a historical Japan setting, then this is not the anime for you.

Unfortunately I think the premise of this show is not used to its full potential; the supernatural elements of the story aren't really explored at all, even though they are what makes the show most unique – definitely a missed opportunity there. Instead, much of the dialogue revolves around the military conflicts between various factions, which sounds like it might be interesting but the execution is underwhelming.

I found the story difficult to follow; a ton of random names (well, many characters are named after historical figures like Nobunaga) are thrown at the viewer from early in the show, and it's difficult to digest it all and keep track of the lore, plus the viewer is never given a reason to care in the first place. I often felt like this anime was designed with the expectation that the viewer already had background knowledge of the lore and characters, which I guess isn't surprising for a niche otome-game adaptation. The story (and its execution) is a weak point of this anime, at least from my uninformed perspective. I often felt confused by the events taking place. This issue is compounded even further by the enormous size of the supporting cast – there are dozens of warriors who interact with the MC throughout the show, and keeping track of all of them and their relevance to the plot is not a simple task. Anybody who intends to watch this should assume that they won't be able to fully comprehend the story if they're otherwise unacquainted with the franchise, particularly during the first half of the anime. Comprehension issues aside, I found the overall writing totally unengaging and dull; I was never interested in the story at all, aside from the romantic context it provided. Additionally, most of the characters feel underdeveloped and tropey. Although the enormous cast size is certainly one factor in this, even the MC herself is lacking in personality, beyond being shy and useless.

At times, I thought the character interaction in this was done well – particularly for the MC and her chemistry with the rest of the cast. Although a little cliche at times, this show shines during the many little moments of interaction between the MC and her male companions. It doesn't rush things either, and seemingly mundane scenes are frequently stretched out to savour these special little moments. As amateurish as this anime feels in other ways, the character interaction is sometimes surprisingly well done. A major component of this is the script: although the scriptwriting is a little crude sometimes, there are also scenes where it feels quite intimate (when the characters aren't loredumping random information). There are some really romantic scenes lurking in here that made watching this anime worthwhile. I'm pretty sure it was an unwritten rule that the MC needed to be princess-carried at least once per episode, haha.

The character designs for some of the men were a little too animal-ish for my tastes. The big wolf ears and big mane-like hair on some characters was a little too much for me. I'm sure other people like that kind of thing though. I found the vampire guys hotter than the werewolf guys. I also found some of the designs a little too bishounen-ish for me and wished a lot of them were more masculine, especially since they're supposed to be fighters. Somewhat conversely, I disliked the mullet-like hairstyle of the female MC. Like OMG honey you need some conditioner. She looks like she should be a greasy rockstar from the 80s, and I don't mean that in a flattering way. She also only wears one boring outfit the entire time, which was disappointing. If those guys (read: animation staff) really treasured her they would get her some nice pretty clothes!

Historical shows are often a good opportunity to exhibit unique outfits, and the outfits in this are fairly detailed, but some are pretty gaudy and aren't always aesthetically pleasing despite the effort put in to animate them. A lot of the outfits are 'overdesigned' so to speak. One small detail I appreciated was how they would include sounds for the sword scabbards shuffling around on the characters' hips. So for example, when somebody would sit down on a wooden floor you could hear the sound of heavy sheathed blades against the wood.

Although the animation quality is nothing special, the lighting effects in this, both indoors and outdoors, are often done pretty well and can enhance the romantic feeling of a scene. This show kind of feels like it's a decade older than its actual production year, in terms of visuals as well as the premise, story, and even the soundtrack. True to its title though, the night sky of this anime always looks good.

The voice acting for pretty much the entire cast is mediocre, including the MC. The OST is also nothing special.

The comedy in this is applied very lightly and is not particularly intrusive or frequent – I am grateful for this. The show takes place during some kind of military conflict/stalemate and the tone most of the time is serious. In terms of sexualization, it's not over the top and usually not graphic; a lot of it is subtext related to the supernatural warriors wanting to drink the blood of the MC (which is very erotic to be honest). The warrior men get power by sucking the blood of the female MC – to be candid I found this psychologically super hot and it's one of the main reasons I stuck with the show. In all seriousness, it's a very good idea for a plot mechanism in a supernatural romance story. The MC being a pivotal tool in warfare as well as sexually attractive is hot on like an abstract meta level.


My personal overall rating: 5/10
As much as I like the premise of this show, its execution is mediocre in most ways. Its best feature is the character interaction between the MC and the warriors. What kept me watching were all those little sweet moments between the MC and her adoring warrior companions. Sengoku Night Blood has some uniquely romantic scenes, but you need to tolerate a confusing storyline to get to them.

Hanakanaru Hachiyou Shou has a very similar premise to this anime but does it better; I would recommend you watch that before trying this if a historical reverse harem is what you're looking for. I suppose Akatsuki no Yona would fulfill that criteria as well. I wouldn't suggest watching Sengoku Night Blood unless you've already exhausted the better implementations of the reverse-harem feudal-Asia template.

>>36547
Which version did you watch? I really enjoyed the 2006 adaptation. The atmosphere is so rich and unique, and the soundtrack is amazing. I'm hoping I'll find time to watch the 2002 adaptation – ideally during winter for thematic reasons.
>> No. 36556 [Edit]
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36556
>>36555
Yeah. Hate that an anime adaption of the game assumes that you played the game. Sakura Taisen is a bad anime because of that.
>> No. 36602 [Edit]
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36602
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34934

I watched Koi to Uso (including OVA), also known as Love and Lies or Koi to Kuso. Here are my thoughts:

Koi to Uso is about a group of highschool students in a world where marital partners are assigned by the government. Most of the story revolves around the MC's affections being divided between his government-assigned partner and the girl he naturally desires.

My first impulse was to drop this, and for about half a year I did, but I ended up coming back to it out of curiosity. What I discovered is that Koi to Uso is an utterly ridiculous show but it has enough redeeming qualities to be enjoyable. For the record, I have never read the manga.

The story of this literally feels like a 13-year-old's creative writing assignment. Everything has this juvenile logic to it; the story demands a lot of suspension of disbelief. I really can't overstate how cheesy and pulp-fiction-like the story is. Even by highschool romance anime standards, this show is unbelievably corny and ridiculous. Forgive my use of youthful lingo, but this show is another level of 'cringe'. The secondhand embarrassment I felt watching this was extreme. A lot of the character interaction felt unnatural and it was kind of eerie. The way this show treats romance in general feels quite immature and juvenile, although it is somewhat endearing. It's possible that my perception of this is clouded by cultural differences in the courtship process.

The male MC is awful and has zero personality besides being a spineless, indecisive, clueless idiot, like most highschool anime protagonists. However, both the main female love interests have unique personalities and surprisingly a lot of depth to their character that unfolds throughout the show. They are more-thoughtful characters than the typical female love interests of a male-oriented hetero romance (a pretty low bar to overcome).

The thing is, pretty much all the flaws I've discussed above are storywriting issues. If you can look beyond that, Koi to Uso is actually a fairly well-directed show. It does a decent job of setting up romantic tension, and overall kept things dramatic and interesting. The character interaction, although written in an absurd manner, is sometimes surprisingly well executed. There are some romantic scenes in here that absolutely knock it out of the park with great script, music and cinematography. I know I'm showing contempt for this show in this review, but do not be mistaken: there are some scenes in here that made me gush they were so intimate. Furthermore, Koi to Uso is unique – it fully embraces its premise and explores the concept quite thoroughly. I also appreciated the absence of comedy; this show delivers its corniness with a totally straight face and I appreciated that.

As for visuals, I liked the character designs, including the eyes; the characters' eyes are huge and bug-like even by anime standards. I liked the characters' faces but they're definitely a little uncanny and other people may find them off-putting. The character animation is decent for a non-action anime, better than I expected at least. The facial expressions are well animated. During some scenes the cinematography is more sophisticated than I'd expect from a typical highschool romance show. Overall the production value is a notch above your average anime, although the manifestations of this are subtle.

The soundtrack is surprisingly good and felt quite modern and well produced – definitely a much better OST than your average anime. The background music elevated a lot of scenes and enhanced the show considerably. Conversely, I found the voice acting mediocre and none of the VAs impressed me.

I liked that the existence of sex was acknowledged in this. As opposed to so many other highschool romance shows where handholding might as well be our species' means of reproduction. This show is fairly 'sex positive' so to speak, which is somewhat rare for romance anime and might be a desirable feature for some viewers.


My overall rating: 6/10
Koi to Uso is SO BAD it's KINDA GOOD. The writing of this is comically moronic, but the execution is good enough to salvage this fanfic-tier story. The show is fairly well directed and decently produced. If you're prepared to endure a weapons-grade level of cringe, this anime is actually pretty enjoyable and entertaining. State of mind is hugely important though – you really need to embrace the corniness of this to enjoy it. There are some surprisingly romantic scenes in here if you have an open-minded attitude. Koi to Uso exceeded my low expectations.

If you're just looking for some ridiculously campy telenovela-tier romance, then this anime is a good candidate for that. It literally feels like some teenager's fanfiction randomly got an anime adaptation. I want to reiterate again how juvenile this show is: I think it would be hard for someone older than 14 to take it seriously. That's part of its charm though – it's so silly that it's fun. For fans of highschool romance, I think this anime is worth checking out, especially if you like this kind of thing served over-the-top ultra cheesy. This is definitely not an anime for everyone, but there is a specific kind of audience that would enjoy it. I'm glad that I gave it a second chance and didn't discard it based on its poor first impression. Also, if you're a drinker, this show is best enjoyed with a little booze to make you more receptive to the cringiness and cheesy romance.

If you are weirdly fixated on the idea of the government assigning you a spouse (I've actually seen this seriously discussed many times on the internet), then you might be interested in this show – it explores that topic quite thoroughly. Also, in case you hadn't inferred already, I think a female viewer is more likely to enjoy this due to the focus on marriage and relationship dynamics.

If you like ultra-cheesy highschool romance, you should give Koi to Uso a chance.
>> No. 36605 [Edit]
File 166542975434.jpg - (410.75KB , 1549x2323 , n3Cvm6DYfdYf5p51X03UIkMNCp8.jpg )
36605
https://myanimelist.net/anime/1535

I (finally) watched Death Note. Here are my thoughts:

I still vividly remember how popular this show was in the Anglosphere during the late 2000s. I remember so many people I knew were super enthusiastic about this show. I remember the merchandise in the anime aisles of the hobby stores too. If you had asked me in say, 2008, to name the title of an anime? I would have said Death Note. And back then I had little interest in anime at all. Still, even as an uninterested bystander, I could recognize the characters of Death Note. And way back then, I still remember thinking the shinigami character designs were creepy as hell! Hahaha

Like most shows that manage to achieve tremendous popularity among a broad diverse audience, the real strength of Death Note is in its plot and story in general. The story is quite intricate and well thought out. Initially, it felt a little cliche and predictable, but as the episodes progress, more and more complexity gets added and it becomes impressively intricate and thoughtful. The writer of this is talented. There are lots of surprising twists and I was consistently interested in the story despite the considerable length of this show (37 episodes). It is an entertaining easy-to-watch anime and the episodes passed quickly.

I think another reason for the widespread success of Death Note is that it's very suitable material for an edgelord's self-insert power fantasy. I won't spoil anything, but just based on the premise alone I'm sure you can understand this point. Similarly, this show was very compatible with the outcast subcultures that prevailed during the mid-2000s, such as goth and the like.

The visuals are adequate but not really a source of enjoyment. Nothing about the visual presentation of this anime impressed me, except in some ways the character designs. The character designs, including for the supporting cast, often looked quite lifelike and I could easily imagine a real-life human equivalent of them. This might be a factor in why so many people unacquainted with anime latched onto this show – it feels a lot like live-action and I could easily imagine it being performed by human actors. Sometimes the facial expressions were done well too, albeit not particularly fluid. Otherwise though, Death Note looked like a generic mid-2000s anime. The animation quality was literally Powerpoint-tier during many scenes. In fairness, this isn't a show that needs visual flair – the vast majority of it just consists of people talking in various urban settings, and you need to pay very close attention to the dialogue to follow the complex story anyway.

During the second half of the show there is a noticeable change in the art style, perhaps driven by the show's success and the resulting impact on its budget. The character animation somehow got even worse, and seemed off-model relative to earlier episodes. I found this change in art style to be unwelcome despite the bar being set quite low in this regard.

I did enjoy the peculiar autism-like body language of L (AKA Ryuzaki, the MC's main adversary). Even little things like the way he holds his phone made me smirk (this is such a meticulous little detail too). In fact I liked his character a lot and wish he were the MC of the show instead, although he does thankfully get a lot of screentime. He is a great character: distinctive and memorable, unique in both his psyche and communication style, and consistently entertaining. Death Note would not be what it is without him; I think he added a ton of value to the show. The best episodes nearly always had him in the spotlight.

I thought the soundtrack was actually pretty bad, during the first half of the show at least. There are lots of abrasive guitar-heavy tracks that do not suit the mood at all (as is the case with many anime from this time period). The entire OST sounded low effort and mediocre; it never enhanced my enjoyment of the show. That j-rock OP was awful as well, and I dreaded having to hear it every time I queued up an episode. There is some choral music that fit the show well, but unfortunately it's used infrequently. I will concede that the OST improved during the second half of the show when new background music was added.

None of the voice actors impressed me except for L's (Ryuzaki) VA – he has a distinctive voice that fits his character well. The voice for the shinigami (Ryuk) could have been way better and was definitely a missed opportunity. The shinigami's voice really did not suit his role at all; he sounded literally mentally retarded and it was so out of place. I also thought the voice acting for Misa was very amateurish.

Without spoiling her context in the story, I did not like the main female love interest (Misa) in this. The points in the show where she was most prominent were also the weakest. I had a bad feeling from the moment Misa was introduced that she would herald a decline in story quality. Unfortunately, I was right. I loathed Misa's appearance on-screen almost instantaneously, and continued to do so throughout the runtime. She clashed so much with the mood and themes of the show, and was overall annoying and degraded the quality of any scene she was in. Unfortunately, she gets a ton of screentime, particularly during the middle episodes of the anime. At the very least I would have preferred her personality were completely different. Also, Misa's voicework was consistently annoying as hell. Takada Kiyomi (prominent character near the end of the anime) was a way better love-interest character and I strongly wish Misa were swapped with her.


My overall rating: 7/10
Although the anime production is lacking in some ways, the story of Death Note is an impressive work. It is intricate and thoughtful, while consistently being suspenseful and surprising me often. The praise this author has received is well deserved, and I hope they have continued to produce other stories (that don't include Misa).

If you're interested in Death Note, I suggest you consider reading the source material instead of watching the anime. The story is the selling point here, and if that were disregarded then the anime itself is not particularly impressive. The anime is also 37 episodes long, which is a considerable time investment; reading the manga is probably more efficient. Of course it's up to your personal tastes, but if you like manga then you should consider just reading this instead. Death Note seems well suited for a literature format, no pun intended.
>> No. 36626 [Edit]
File 166588444822.jpg - (374.78KB , 1448x2048 , starmyu.jpg )
36626
https://myanimelist.net/anime/30375

I watched all three seasons of Starmyu (including OVAs), also known as High School Star Musical. Here are my thoughts:

In some ways, Starmyu is a fairly typical male-idol show; the cast is almost entirely young men. It consists of musical scenes, with singing and dancing, interspersed by varying degrees of forced drama. It literally feels like a live-action musical, and in this regard is a unique show. It has a very large cast – some of the characters are likeable, most are forgettable.

The show takes place in a prestigious artistic school which focuses on theatrical acting and singing/dancing. If you want to self-insert into that kind of scenario, this anime is uniquely suited for that. Much of the plot revolves around the academic activities of the artistic students and related drama. There is a lot of emphasis on kouhai-senpai relationships during every season, as well as teamwork among the various students. Sometimes there is a mild shounen-ai vibe, but it's not that prominent and can be ignored if you're averse to that kind of thing.

To be honest, this has been a go-to 'drunk anime' for me. The combination of musical/dance scenes and forced nonsensical drama made it ideal for watching under the influence of alcohol. Frankly, the storyline is silly and the drama feels quite artificial. You should completely shut your brain off if you want to enjoy this anime. You're better off not even trying to follow the ridiculous storyline, which mostly consists of endless bitchy catfights among the drama-queen cast members.

Visually, this anime is nothing special. I will give credit to the fact that the character designs, although simplistic, are distinct and easy to discern among the very large cast. Some of the guys are pretty cute too. The dancing in the musical scenes is also quite captivating, which is great because each episode has at least one song-and-dance scene.

Musically, Starmyu is quite good. The songs are catchy and stick in your head. The VAs are distinctive and have decent singing ability. The background OST is good too and does an effective job of setting the mood for the incoherent bitchfight drama. I'm looking forward to exploring the musical content more in isolation; I might even buy some albums if I can't find high-fidelity downloads. The musical catalog is quite large as well, which is always a plus.

Among the three seasons, the third was the worst. Although they all lay on the forced drama heavily, Season 3 is by far the most egregious in this respect. The plot of Season 3 is filled to the brim with some of the most forced artificial drama I've ever seen, and the way they dragged it out for 12 episodes was exasperating. Season 3 made fight videos on Worldstar seem Shakespearean in comparison. Season 3 also brought nothing new to the table in terms of content, and didn't improve on anything already depicted in the prior two seasons.


My ratings are as follows:
Season 1: 7/10
Season 2: 7/10
Season 3: 5/10

The writing of Season 3 is truly dreadful and cranks up the forced drama to an unbearable level. Otherwise, I enjoyed this anime. Although the forced drama is excessive, the dancing scenes are captivating, and who can resist imagining oneself as an art-school student or faculty member? Moreover, this show delivers on its most important selling point: the musical content is consistently good.

If you like performance arts, you might enjoy this show – it's basically an animated musical. This anime will let you experience the theater-kid life.
>> No. 36659 [Edit]
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36659
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34902

I watched Tsurezure Children, also known as Tsuredure Children. Here are my thoughts:

These are ~12-minute episodes that consist of generic highschool romance skits between various student pairings. The characterization of these students is shallow and tropey.

I found the dialogue in this to be very clunky and unnatural. The romance feels quite inorganic and hamfisted, and overall simply not emotionally engaging. The script is seriously awful and a crippling flaw from my perspective. It feels so unnatural it's uncomfortable at times just having to listen to it.

The characters have simplistic same-face designs, and the animation quality is unremarkable. The voice acting is okay but that doesn't mean much when it's wasted on such a clumsy unnatural script.

If you can tolerate its flaws, this show can be mildly entertaining. It is sometimes cute, and some of the romance-oriented humour can be funny. To be honest, I only watched it with at least a bottle of wine in me, mainly because of how cringe-inducing the dialogue is.

Overall this is a very juvenile anime that feels targeted to an audience in their early teenage years. Somebody in that demographic may enjoy this more than I did. Frankly, I can't imagine anyone older than early teenage years enjoying this anime much.

My personal overall rating: 3/10
>> No. 36685 [Edit]
File 166677720486.jpg - (107.81KB , 400x600 , 224676.jpg )
36685
Vampire Princess Miyu. It's an OVA that I came across when trying to find some good older shows. Every time I watch it my appreciation increases. The sound design is among the best I've ever heard and alternates between an atmosphere of chilling horror, gloomy drama and the dark ecstasy of action scenes. The visual scenes reinforce this. It performs its role excellently!

The reason why I love vampire and urban fantasy in general is that you can spend time observing a world that appears similar to our own and then transition to a realm full of supernatural beings and bizarre powers. It is like living at the edge of madness beyond which ordinary humans will be destroyed. Truly it is an entrancing sight to behold.
>> No. 36686 [Edit]
>>36685
Have you seen the 26 episode tv anime? How does it compare?
>> No. 36688 [Edit]
>>36686
I watched the start of it but I wasn't impressed. The monster of the week format is fine when condensed into 4 OVA episodes but starts to get repetetive when it's dragged out into a 2 cour show. I remember particularly the first episode was extremely offensive. There was an otaku character who was obssesed with the occult, a little bit overenthusiastic to be sure, but Miyu just tramples all over his feelings in a way that I couldn't forgive. The attitude that she takes, that life as exceptional being is not something to be strived for is a view that I regard as undignified for someone in her position. She has magnificent powers and all she wants to do is throw them away and live a life of pathetic normalcy. This is something that is touched upon in the OVA but there it's presented as part of Miyu's backstory and could be seen as a moment of youthful indiscrection. However I do wish to give it another chance to see if I can find some of the same inspiration that is present in the OVA. I believe that the music in both is composed by the same person.
>> No. 36769 [Edit]
File 166837806723.jpg - (0.99MB , 1221x1700 , yande_re 392728 idol_incidents see_through tiv.jpg )
36769
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34028

I watched Idol Jihen, also known as Idol Incidents. Here are my thoughts:

This anime is about idol girls who are also politicians within the national Japanese legislative system. Despite some mature themes involved, this show basically feels like a Saturday-morning cartoon meant for a child audience. The plot is mostly episodic and usually involves the simplistic use of some kind of political conflict, such as a scandal or public policy decision. Aside from these political themes, this feels like a generic formulaic idol show; this anime isn't nearly as creative as it could have been. Regardless, the unusual juxtaposition of idols and politics is silly and fun. The absurdity of it got some chuckles out of me. The novelty of mixing idols and Japanese politics is what kept me watching this show, even though the actual scene-by-scene story is quite dull and feels calibrated for a child audience. This anime consistently feels juvenile.

I wish there were more song-and-dance scenes and more musical content in general. All they ever did was recycle the (admittedly quite cute) OP and ED songs for the idol scenes, which was very disappointing and also just another major indication of how low effort this anime is as a whole. They also reused the exact same CG dance animation multiple times. If you want good musical idol content, look elsewhere. At least some of the idol outfits and character designs are cute.

Idol Jihen is a unique cultural artifact, but ultimately it's not particularly entertaining. If you're interested in the Japanese legislative system, you might get a kick out of this anime, but don't expect much in the way of detail or nuance; the treatment of politics here is quite superficial. Lastly, this seems like it would be a fun show to watch with other people and collectively joke about; it has a lot of meme potential, which hasn't been capitalized upon due to its low viewership.

My overall rating: 4/10
>> No. 36780 [Edit]
>>36685
I watched the OVA and the TV show a few years ago. I agree that the TV show is overall inferior, but it does have its moments, and the atmosphere in the later episodes is great. I guess the most memorable part for me was the Western Shinma arc:
https://youtu.be/mDck-_t6BPo

In the OVA, ラヴァ is voiced by my favorite male voice actor, Kaneto Shiozawa.
>> No. 36803 [Edit]
File 166957931160.png - (1.78MB , 1920x1200 , 783547.png )
36803
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32615/

I watched Youjo Senki, also known as Saga of Tanya the Evil. I watched the first season, the OVA, and the movie. At the time of writing, Season 2 has not yet aired. Here are my thoughts:

This anime is about a salaryman who gets reincarnated in pseudo-WW1 Europe as a young orphan girl (Tanya) while retaining their original personality. Tanya has an aptitude for magic and joins the military as an officer in the mage unit. Tanya is sort of an 'anti-hero' main character in the sense that they are highly self-interested and morally ambiguous.

The action scenes in Youjo Senki look good and have detailed fight choreography along with nice sound effects. The audio production quality of this is what I'd expect from a movie – it's pretty nice. In fact, Youjo Senki overall has movie-like production quality. The visuals are a strong point – the setting in particular looks fantastic. The European landscape often looks amazing. Furthermore, the architecture and interior decor feels authentic for the time period and is consistently meticulous and vividly detailed. I could tell there was a lot of attention to detail put into how the setting is depicted. One of my favourite things about this anime was admiring the intricate interior design of each room, and the cinematography does a good job of displaying it! Additionally, the character animation is fluid and well done too, including facial expressions. There is also lots of variety among the character designs, making each member of the large cast distinctive and easy to discern. The visuals of Youjo Senki are excellent.

Although the premise of this show is neat, I found the actual episode-by-episode story underwhelming and very predictable. Speaking more generally, although I found Youjo Senki entertaining, I never found it suspenseful or exciting, which seems like a shortcoming for a violent action-heavy show set in a war zone. The protagonist plot armour is blatantly indestructible, and the stakes never feel high as a result. It is a fun easy-to-watch show though. Despite the war theme, this anime feels best suited for casual viewing – it never feels all that serious. This isn't Saving Private Ryan; it's just a silly isekai anime and you should set your expectations accordingly.

Tanya's VA does an excellent job and is very unique and memorable. Her voicework really enhances this show and deserves a lot of praise. The voices for the various military officers fit their roles well too. The OST seems well produced – it is mostly military themed; it could have had a little more personality I think. Conversely, the ED song sung by Tanya's VA oozes personality (Aoi Yuuki is super talented).


My overall rating: 7/10
Youjo Senki is fun and entertaining, but it is also predictable and lacks suspense. I didn't find the story interesting or engaging at all. However, the production quality is consistently movie-like and the action scenes are well done. The early-20th-century European setting often looks excellent and quite detailed, both indoors and outdoors. Tanya's VA does a memorably terrific job and adds a lot of personality to the anime. The audiovisuals of Youjo Senki are great in many respects.

For anyone fond of the early-1900s European setting, Youjo Senki is worth checking out. Even if you don't like how silly the story is, the setting really does look terrific. I would also recommend this to action fans because the fight scenes are quite captivating. If you're looking for a solid cinematic experience, Youjo Senki can provide that.

Youjo Senki reminded me a lot of Shuumatsu no Izetta, which is another anime that involves flying magic users fighting in WW-era Europe. I liked both these anime but for different reasons; Youjo Senki is more playful and has better visuals and action scenes, whereas Shuumatsu no Izetta is more dramatic and has lots of cute memorable yuri romance.
>> No. 36940 [Edit]
>>36803
What I found curiously missing in your review was the art style that the female characters' faces were drawn with. Many heap scorn on it or at least make fun of Tanya for being a duckface, and some people consider it to be purposeful uglification compared to the manga and novels. But it seemed to not be on your mind. Just a curiosity. I have no disagreements with what you've stated in your review. I watched the first season of Youjo Senki a few years ago and mostly remember thinking that it had a bit of a dumb premise, but I think I could better appreciate its good parts if I watched it now. Maybe when season two comes out, I'll watch season one again to give it a second look before proceeding to the second season.
>> No. 36946 [Edit]
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36946
I rewatched Legend of the Galactic Heroes and finished the LOGH: Gaiden OVAs, in preparation for the 2017-2022 remake that I'll watch soon.

I first watched LOGH years and years ago and I started it expecting it to not be as good as I remembered, since of course I've watched so much anime since then that I wouldn't expect it to hit as hard as when I was young and inexperienced. I finished it surprised that it was actually as good as I remembered, and one of the best examples of space opera in the history of anime. Of course, it isn't the perfection that people often make it out to be, the terran cult is WTF, they literally do nothing and their entire base gets destroyed by like four people and yet have the power to assassinate fucking YANG. Schenkopf's daughter gets introduced in the middle of season 3 and is continually foreshadowed for the rest of the series and yet it takes until the second last episode for something to happen There are some unrealistic moments, like often Reinhand or Yang pulls something out of their ass at the last moment that saves everyone, or some convenient event happens that keeps the plot going, which is in stark contrast to the realistic atmosphere of the empires and the battles. Among other nitpicks, but it's still one of my favorite of all time anime.

The Gaiden OVAs act as a prequel sort of thing to the characters, and I was quite sad to see there was only one Yang arc with the rest expanding on Reinhard's character. Yang is around thirty when we first see him in the main OVA, and the El-Facil arc happens when he is already 21. In comparison, Reinhard's earliest arc starts when he is 15. Yang's childhood and almost everything before that is a mystery, which sucks considering he is one of my favorite male characters. But it's still a good bonus to the main OVA if you're a fan.

I hope the modern remakes don't butcher the whole thing, I haven't spoiled myself at all with them so I don't know in what direction it takes. If anyone has watched the modern remake and knows of any major changes it makes that I should be aware of, I'm all ears.

Also, best admiral passing through.
>> No. 36947 [Edit]
>>36946
The reboot crams 110 episodes into 48. Haven't seen either, so take that as you will.
>> No. 36948 [Edit]
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36948
I'm not into the cgdct genre, or whatever you want to call it. I watched Bocchi the Rock because it fits into the "lonely protagonist" category. On this front though, I think it fails.

Bocchi's social anxiety and neuroticism is exaggerated to a comical degree. They're constantly used as a source of gag comedy, which gets tiresome, and cheapens it. Underneath that social anxiety, Bocchi is a typical protagonist. Plucky, spirited, dedicated to her friends, etc, but not much else.

Satou(Welcome the NHK's protagonist) has neuroticism and anxiety, but he is also self-loathing, paranoid and, to a degree, misanthropic. He's bitter, and that's not cute. He feels like a fleshed out, genuine character, while Bocchi is a caricature. Bocchi's development is essentially shedding her exterior, to get to the generic protagonist on the inside(not too much though, gotta keep the gags coming).

Ryo in this context is an interesting case. She's described early on as a "loner", somebody who enjoys being alone. Bocchi states emphatically that there's a world of difference between the two, and mutual understanding isn't possible. I take issue with that, because I think frustration with others is a commonality, and I don't think anyone is immune from loneliness. Ryo is shown to be completely content and unable to relate to Bocchi, and I don't really buy that. A deeper connection between the two was a missed opportunity.

Men are almost entirely absent from Bocchi the Rock. Typical of cgdct shows, but it throws a wrench into the themes. Bocchi's relationship with men is never explored past the most superficial level(she doesn't like romance fiction), and it's a glaring hole, because loneliness and the opposite sex are almost always tied together. The other band members don't have boyfriends either, even Kita, who's conveniently a lesbian. Watamote at least acknowledges men. Satou's relationship with women, is correctly one of the main focuses of Welcome to the NHK(though this would destroy Bocchi's marketability)

I have no choice but to call Bocchi the rock dishonest and watered down. The social anxiety thing is a marketing trick. At best a gimmick, at worst, pandering to both zoomers and otaku. Instead of a cup of black coffee, Bocchi the Rock is coffee flavored cotton candy.

Production wise, it's good. Simple style, but fluid animation. Serviceable music with a good attention to detail. Good pacing. Comedy was hit or miss. It did make me smile at least once per episode, so that's something. I'd say most of the run time was spent on comedic gags.

I'd recommend Bocchi the Rock is you're in the mood for cgdct and comedy, but don't expect more from it than that.
>> No. 36949 [Edit]
>>36948
The lack of men is very much intentional as it's an adaption of a manga published in Kirara. Though I agree with you nonetheless.
>> No. 36950 [Edit]
>>36948
I almost only watch CGDCT genre, and I think Bocchi was probably the worst Kirara I've seen in terms of kirara-magic. Sure it's got fancy visuals, but those don't mean anything unless you can nail the friendships, and they did the exact opposite. I've already mentioned most of my viewpoints on the Bocchi thread, but quite simply I don't think you could make a worse depiction of friendship if you tried.

I think the only other cgdct show that made such a negative impression on me for its blatant disregard of moe-friendship-magic was YuruYuri S1 and its "let's forget about Akarin" jokes, which were similar in their mean-spiritedness. But I give YuruYuri a pass because it's explicitly a gag comedy and not meant to be kirara-magic, and YuruYuri S3 was quite excellent. On the other hand, Bocchi the Rock – like similar Kirara shows in the genre like Slow Start and Comic Girls – was supposed to highlight friendships, and make you empathize with the characters. Instead most episodes Bocchi is treated more like a gag tool, than an actual person. I've said it before and I'll say it again, just compare how the other characters interact Bocchi compared to how they interact with Hana from Slow Start or Kaos from Comic Girls. It's a night and day difference. You never see Tama(te) making jokes at the expense of Hana's anxiety, and their interactions clearly make you feel like they care for each other. Now compare that to Nijika et al. flippantly making jokes about Bocchi's datamoshing, Kita forgets Bocchi even exists for an entire summer, etc. Even the visuals are set up to make Bocchi the joke.

The only characters who seemed to care about Bocchi were Nijika's sister and Hiroe. The latter has the basic empathy to recognize when Bocchi is distressed, and Hiroe of course is seen to take pretty quickly to Bocchi. Even in her drunkness she manages to be a more caring person than the rest of Bocchi's "friends".

Now it could be argued that these are high-school girls and this is how they'd interact in real-life. Which is a good point, and it's precisely because I don't want "real-life" interactions that I watch the SoL/CGDCT genre. I don't want characters to believe like real-life selfish humans, I don't need to watch anime for that. I want them to portray the ideals of kindness and friendship.

> but he is also self-loathing, paranoid and, to a degree, misanthropic.
I did't like Welcome to the NHK either, for other reasons. Satou has issues, but they're closer to agoraphobia and stupidness than social anxiety. He can interact with some people fine, and even managed to get a girl if I can recall. But that's for another thread.

>Bocchi's relationship with men is never explored past the most superficial level
Please no. The fact that hetero romance is usually not part of CGDCT/SoL is how it should be, it allows on focusing on their own friendships first and foremost. (There is of course some light yuri, but the kind of yuri in a cgdct is very different from the "serious yuri" like in actual yuri shows). If you want romance, there are other shows.

> because loneliness and the opposite sex are almost always tied together.
No, not necessarily. They are orthogonal.

>I have no choice but to call Bocchi the rock dishonest and watered down.
I think it's dishonest for entirely different reasons than you do. It feels closer to a gag show than a Kirara. Now technically "kirara" isn't a uniform label because Kill me Baby is a kirara and isn't a typical CGDCT, but with the exception of maybe 2-3 shows, all of Kirara have that quality of highlighting the best in friendships. This does not do that.

>pandering to both zoomers and otaku.
My own guess is that it's both broadly palatable (this show doesn't have heavy yuri or excessive moe like Slow Start), filled with tons of screecap-worthy moments, and has a topic that most people think they can relate to. But beyond that I still don't understand what people find in it. Shaft shows have already done the "real-world objects" gimmick, other shows have much better comedy, there isn't much here in terms of friendships, so I don't really know what people see in this show in particular that makes it even more highly rated than e.g. Kimi no Na Wa (purely based on the MAL rankings which I put 0 stock into anyhow).

Post edited on 4th Jan 2023, 5:19pm
>> No. 36951 [Edit]
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36951
>>36950
>Even in her drunkness she manages to be a more caring person than the rest of Bocchi's "friends".
I wasn't bothered by this. Yeah, they could have been more considerate, but Bocchi was so over the top most of the time, that I couldn't feel bad for her. I can see why it would disappoint you though, given your tastes and expectations.

>these are high-school girls and this is how they'd interact in real-life
I'd say they're still a lot nicer than in real life.

>If you want romance, there are other shows.
I don't like romance anime. NHK wasn't a romance.

>No, not necessarily. They are orthogonal.
Most people are heterosexual, and have a reproductive drive. What I'm saying, is that if you want to have a character like Bocchi, and depict/explore them with honesty, these things have to be looked at. Though you did say
>I don't want characters to believe like real-life selfish humans
so I can understand why you'd not want that.

Post edited on 4th Jan 2023, 8:25pm
>> No. 36952 [Edit]
>>36951
>I'd say they're still a lot nicer than in real life.
That's fair. Her friends aren't actively trying to be bad or anything, they're probably even pretty kind in a passive way. They're just not "actively" kind, if that makes any sense. Like how Tama(te) and Eiko were in Slow Start, they always take the initiative to help Hana and immediately notice when something's wrong. I'm sure her friends mean well, but to me the execution wasn't there, and many of their actions didn't sit well with me.

>depict/explore them with honesty, these things have to be looked at
I still think they're not wholly intertwined, but I guess orthogonal is maybe too strong. Maybe "their inner product isn't quite 0, but it's a bit less than 0.5" would be a better way of saying it. (And don't bother asking what vector space these ideas live in...). Basically you can explore loneliness with regard to friendships without having to touch upon romance in any way, and it could still be a complete show. If you want to explore loneliness in its entirely then of course you need to include a part on romance though.

That aside, not even the other Kirara shows I mentioned explicitly tackle "loneliness", instead they highlight the flipside of strong friendships. I think this is a better approach, because it's more soothing to watch. If you want to explore loneliness in its honesty you have to touch upon a lot of negative things, and it'd be tricky to direct it right. (I think the very first episode of Bocchi actually did do a decent job of this, capturing the feeling of just being isolated from the world at large. But then they gave up on that from the episodes onward).
>> No. 36978 [Edit]
File 16738075064.jpg - (0.99MB , 1763x2509 , 275526.jpg )
36978
https://myanimelist.net/anime/31422/

I watched Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu (including the Taiwan special), also known as Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club. Here are my thoughts:

The title of this anime accurately describes the content. There's minimal 'filler' material in here – the screentime is nearly always focused on cycling in some way. I appreciate anime that consistently stick to their theme, unlike so many other highschool anime which devolve into formulaic episodes unrelated to the show's main selling point. Minami Kamakura Jitensha-bu could be described as formulaic as well, in the sense that the storyboard is what you'd expect for a show about novice cyclists, but at least you won't have to suffer through a culture-festival episode or a typical beach episode. I was apprehensive about the highschool setting but thankfully there's barely any classroom screentime in this. As you might expect, various landmarks in the Kamakura region are featured throughout the cycling activities. It does sometimes feel like a thinly veiled tourism advertisement, albeit not overly so and my enjoyment was never impeded by this.

I liked the brief live-action segments that play at the end of each episode. They mostly consist of various cycling-related conversations in a bike shop. These live-action segments are both informative and cute and I enjoyed them, especially because they seemed endearingly loosely scripted. This anime is fairly educational for cycling – although I already knew much of what is explained regarding bicycles, it was still entertaining to see things rehashed. This show does a good job of teaching the viewer about cycling while still being entertaining. This could serve as a kids' show. There's minimal sexualization, and the character interaction is very simplistic and straightforward such that a child could understand it easily. This anime's characters are quite tropey and there's barely any character development.

Minami Kamakura Jitensha-bu comes up short in the production-value department – it could pass as being 15 years older than its actual production year. The character designs are retro, and CG is sometimes used to animate the cycling scenes. The landscape and setting do sometimes look nice though. I found the voice acting mediocre and was also disappointed by the crummy low-budget soundtrack.


My overall rating: 5/10
If I didn't like cycling, I would have dropped this. This anime really doesn't have any selling points aside from the bicycle theme, which it does focus on consistently. This show does the bicycle theme well and is filled with lots of cycling scenes in various contexts, and also informs the viewer about some technical aspects of the activity. The characters and their interactions are tropey and simplistic. Production quality is lacking in many ways, however the Japanese outdoors do sometimes look decent.

People who like cycling might enjoy this anime. It's also suitable for a child audience while still being entertaining for a viewer of any age. I liked Long Riders slightly more than this anime – you should give Long Riders a try first if you're looking for a cycling-themed show.


>>36940
I did say there was variety among the character designs, but didn't have particularly strong feelings concerning how aesthetically pleasing they were. I'm sympathetic to the ugly duckface viewpoint for Tanya, although I'd say Viktoria had an even more unsettling face. Youjo Senki is already very surreal and fantastical, so the weird faces didn't really feel out of place to me. Also, most of the cast is male and although they have unique designs I wouldn't call any of them aesthetically offputting.
>> No. 36996 [Edit]
File 167441424396.jpg - (2.39MB , 1839x2592 , Haikara-san_ga_Tooru_The_Movie-cover.jpg )
36996
https://myanimelist.net/anime/33378/

I watched both the Haikara-san ga Tooru movies, also known as Here Comes Miss Modern. Here are my thoughts:

This anime is about a tomboy who is pressured into an arranged marriage with a half-jap soldier in the Japan army. The story takes place during the first couple decades of the 20th century and has a socio-historic flavour that some viewers may find appealing. It involves a lot of social issues in Taisho-era Japan, mainly involving female gender roles. It is somewhat interesting from a sociological perspective, although the plot velocity and runtime constraints limit the depth to which these themes could be explored. Even so, someone interested in historical Japanese society might appreciate this anime. These movies also incorporate the political nature of marriage in the writing – I found this to be refreshing, as the typically overly romanticized nature of marriage in fiction often doesn't reflect reality. I appreciated this lifelike treatment of marriage, and it meshed well with the other social themes. That said, romance is still a dominant motif in this anime, as is the relationship drama that comes along with it.

This feels like a shoujo-demographic anime, albeit not exclusively so. As you might assume from the title, the story focuses very much on the female MC. The primary male love interest lacks character depth – he's really underdeveloped. In fact the entire cast is tropey in characterization, but I don't think that could have been avoided given the runtime. The story actually reminded me of theatrical works like Shakespeare in the sense that it involved themes such as love and loss, love polygons, tragedy and reunification; it was all quite reminiscent of theatrical writing. Haikara-san ga Tooru feels like it could be a stage play instead of movie anime. Ironically however, I found the scriptwriting itself poor – many scenes in this could have been enhanced by a better script.

Similarly to theatrical writing, the story of Haikara-san ga Tooru demands a lot of suspension of disbelief. It is filled with convenient coincidences used to move the plot along and it felt crude and hamfisted as a result. The second movie in particular is quite bad in this regard and I enjoyed it less than the first. I also found the pacing of the first movie better calibrated than the second.

There are a lot of scenes in which the boorish tomboy MC is placed into situations where elegance and sophistication are expected of her – these scenes are funny and I enjoyed watching them. The sidekick ruffian henchman character (Ushigorou) also has some funny moments. Unfortunately the other sidekick character (Ranmaru), a feminine-boy childhood friend, is kind of annoying.

The visual art style and animation quality are rather lackluster. The visuals are on par with what I'd expect from a modest-budget TV anime – they're nothing special. The character designs are mildly retro shoujo-manga-like. In fact, overall this anime feels retro – if you told me it were 15 years older than its actual production year, I might have believed you. Regardless, the visuals overall feel low quality and fairly amateurish. However, the soundtrack does have some nice orchestral music. Conversely, the voice acting is consistently mediocre for the entire cast, in my opinion.


My ratings for the Haikara-san ga Tooru movies are as follows:
Movie 1 (Benio, Hana no 17-sai): 5/10
Movie 2 (Hana no Tokyo Dai Roman): 4/10

The writing of the second movie is worse than the first, mainly due to forced coincidences in the storyline. Furthermore, many scenes in these movies suffer from weak scriptwriting coupled with underwhelming voice acting. The visuals are lacking the quality I'd expect from movies made in the late 2010s, however the soundtrack is decent and worth checking out if you like classical/orchestral-type stuff. Some viewers may appreciate the socio-historic themes of these movies.

I think that in general a female audience is more likely to enjoy these movies; they kind of felt like Taisho chick flicks.

For the record, I have never seen the original anime adaptation released in the 70s.

These movies reminded me of Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni, in that they are set in a similar time period and deal with similar social themes (i.e. female gender roles in historical militaristic Japan).
>> No. 37008 [Edit]
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37008
https://myanimelist.net/anime/32901/

I somehow watched Eromanga Sensei to completion, including the OVA. Here are my thoughts:

Basically, this anime has a ton of sexualization and not much else. If you want ecchi cumbrain garbage, here's your jerk material. There's no other major selling point here.

Most of the main characters in this are writers or content creators in some form – I thought this might be an interesting dimension to explore. Unfortunately, this show does not deliver any kind of interesting story whatsoever. The supporting cast, despite being composed of artists, are mostly treated as sex objects, and the scriptwriting reflects this accordingly. I was initially hopeful for the content-creator perspective of this story, but they never really provided anything substantial in this regard. The male MC is a writer, but otherwise he is a spineless idiot with zero personality, as usual. In fact the entire cast is unlikeable for various reasons, as well as lacking character development in general.

Eromanga Sensei has very little entertainment value besides arousing your poor abused weary foul fap-blistered septic basement-dweller chode. When people say they hate anime, this kind of show is what they are thinking of. Frankly, it's the textbook definition of garbage. It has plenty of lewd content though, so it may be able to assist in draining your sweaty hairy sensitive delicious lustful intoxicating voluminous nutritious testicles, which perhaps is an advantage depending on your perspective. There's not much else of value here. Of course, there's nothing intrinsically wrong with that; boys will be boys ;)

Seriously though, there are some funny moments, but I wouldn't recommend watching this unless your primary motivation is sexual in nature. This anime really is shameless cumbrain material. Some of the (usually sexual) comedy did get some laughs out of me. Also, if you're one of those people obsessed with shipping and who wins the MC's affections, or someone who sees love triangles as a glorified horse race to place bets, then you might personally find this show entertaining. There are multiple female candidates vying for the male MC's attention. The OVAs in particular focus on this aspect of the story.

I can see why this show spawned so many memes. Unlike the characters themselves, the meme material is quite fertile. There are also a lot of screencap-worthy facial expressions. In some ways, this anime feels engineered to be shitpost material.

Although the soundtrack is nothing special (aside from maybe the OP/ED tracks), the voice acting in this is not bad – I thought all the female leads were distinctive and performed their roles well.


My personal overall rating: 3/10
Eromanga Sensei is utter garbage but it did occasionally get some laughs out of me. Above all else, this is a highly sexualized anime meant to arouse the viewer – if you're into this material then feel free to shamelessly enjoy; I'm not judging anyone. There is also loads of sexual humour in here, which some people may find appealing as well. Furthermore, this show has a lot of fertile meme material and this is probably a major reason for its infamy; all publicity is good publicity I suppose.
>> No. 37009 [Edit]
>>37008
I prefer real porn, a basis for which, is the only thing this softcore stuff is good for.
>> No. 37010 [Edit]
>>37008
Appreciate that you're still going.

>When people say they hate anime, this kind of show is what they are thinking of.
Something for which I'm grateful, even though I'm not interested in this particular anime. This kind of stuff helps keep certain riffraff away.
>> No. 37012 [Edit]
>>37008
This is a highly sexualised anime, but none of the girls look appealing or attractive to me at all.
Did they drop the ball on that? It looks like it only appeals to one particular 'type'.
Is there an ara ara milf with a full figure?
>> No. 37013 [Edit]
>>37008
I remember it being a huge disappointment even to everyone into this, but looking back I feel kinda bad that we were mean to people who liked it
>> No. 37015 [Edit]
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37015
>>37012
All the main female characters pretty much have the same body type. I think the only exception is the bookstore employee girl, who barely gets any screentime anyway.

>>37010
I get what you mean – I enjoy the political incorrectness that is often present in anime.
>> No. 37016 [Edit]
File 167567802812.png - (867.90KB , 1366x768 , Screenshot from 2023-02-05 22-29-04.png )
37016
I very recently went through all of the first season of Chaika: The Coffin Princess after downloading it on a whim.
This is a curious case for me, as I was under the impression that I had never finished the show and was going to finally finish the first season.
As it turns out, I had in fact watched all of it before, and I had simply forgotten. I no doubt watched it when it was first airing, so I guess there has been a bit of time inbetween.

I think that the fact that I forgot so much about it lends itself to its weird mediocrity. It's certainly not a bad show. Chaika is extremely likeable, Frederica is okay for a few chuckles (although I find it strange that she immediately pivoted to a comedic relief character) and Tooru and Akari's relationship makes room for some jokes too, though they aren't deep or interesting characters on their own.
It feels a little mediocre to me because they make no real attempt to flesh out the world. I find that this is symptomatic to fantasy anime on the whole, which usually fits into one of two stereotypes. Either nothing is explained, and lore is just passed off referentially, or they dump meaningless exposition onto you with no gravitas. Obviously we're not going to see the anime equivalent of The Lord of the Rings, but Chaika feels a little closer to something like Dragonlance.

I like gun magic, and I found the overall plot fine enough to keep watching with interest, but the real driving force is of course Chaika herself who is extremely cute and likeable.

I'm interested to see what the second season will be like, which I'll watch after I'm done with Darker than Black.
>> No. 37021 [Edit]
>>36978
How does it compare to Yowamushi Pedal (弱虫ペダル)?
>> No. 37034 [Edit]
File 167654596484.png - (2.00MB , 1920x1080 , Screenshot from 2023-02-14 21-50-23.png )
37034
Just finished No Game No Life. It was okay. I would have preferred to watch the show without all of the bloom lighting effect. I was shocked to see that it didn't receive a season 2, seeing as though it aired in 2014. It was one of those shows that I'd known about for a long time but never got around to watching.

The main thing that bothered me about this was that the main characters always made out that they had a plan the entire time, even though you are given their internal monologue where they say things like "I'm just going to have to wing it". But I guess that's just how they were building suspense.

2/5 - not enough ecchi
>> No. 37035 [Edit]
>>37034
Madhouse is incredibly unreliable when it comes to sequels.
>> No. 37055 [Edit]
File 167769387168.jpg - (1.06MB , 1225x1734 , 108730.jpg )
37055
https://myanimelist.net/anime/34280/

I watched Gamers. Here are my thoughts:

Gamers has a serious branding issue, in the sense that the content doesn't match its marketing. This show is like 90% relationship drama, and gaming hobbies are just an excuse to facilitate that. If you go into this expecting gaming-related content, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you like highschool romance and relationship drama, you may be pleasantly surprised by this show. I, very selectively, can enjoy these things, and so my initial pessimism about this anime was pleasantly defied. However, people looking for a show about the gaming hobby will likely have the opposite viewing experience (and consequently give it a low rating). I should clarify that when I say 'relationship drama' I'm including the many platonic relationships featured in the show as well. Gamers is a show about relationships, not gaming. Of course there are a lot of gaming-related jokes, but what I'm trying to convey is that gaming is not the central focus here – it's just a theme or canvas upon which the actual story is illustrated.

The writing of all the various relationships and the ways they intersect is surprisingly intricate and well thought out. However, it takes a while to build the foundation for this, and the writing doesn't start to reveal its true potential in this regard until around midway through the series. The story of Gamers takes a while to really start to deliver, but when it does it's really great. This anime is fairly well directed, and does a good job of exploring and fleshing out each character's perspective. The relationship drama in this is quite well done, regardless of the juvenile mechanics it sometimes involves. Similarly, the characters and their interactions are terrific. The plot and character interaction in this feels very down to earth, lifelike and real. Gamers is an excellent 'highschool social-life simulator'. The entire cast is likable as well, including the MC who is a super-cute boy – he is so adorable!

Character animation in this is sometimes quite sloppy. In fact the visuals in general are lackluster and feel budget-constrained. However, some of the character designs are cute, like the boyish MC, and Aguri with her pink hair and cute accessories, and Chiaki with her tomboyish charm and kelpy hair.

The OST is not bad – it enhanced some scenes. There are some cute 8-bit retro-gaming-style tracks. I like the ED song too – it's ultra cute and has a nice melody that was stuck in my head for weeks. I also appreciated the variety among the voice actors in the main cast; every VA sounded distinct and suited their character well.

Just FYI, although the penultimate episode was easily one of the best, I found the finale to be a disappointing weaker episode. Also, as expected of an LN adaptation like this, there isn't any closure or finality in terms of relationships.


My overall rating: 7/10
Although the visual production quality is rough, I really enjoyed Gamers. The character interaction is so real and lifelike. The writing weaves numerous relationships together in an elaborate way, yet the story is coherent and well directed. The entire main cast is cute and likable, as are their relations with one another. Gamers is a show about relationships and it does a great job of it. It really tickled my emotions. This anime is so cute!

If you're interested in a show about gaming, you should watch something else. However, if you like cute relationship drama you should consider watching this. As I said, Gamers is seriously misbranded. On a related counterintuitive note, I actually think a female audience would enjoy this anime, for reasons you can probably infer.

I also want to take this opportunity to say that, despite my low expectations for a new studio, with poor animation quality to boot, I am quite impressed with the direction quality of Pine Jam, at least for these 2017 shows – especially in terms of romance. Both Gamers and Just Because completely smoked my (admittedly low) expectations. I see a ton of potential in this studio and look forward to future works. Even though it looks sloppy, it does a great job at what really matters. This studio has induced the butterflies-in-stomach feeling within me multiple times already, and I really want more.


>>37021
I've never seen Yowamushi Pedal, but it looks like a high-energy sports shounen, whereas Minami Kamakura is a more relaxed SoL-ish show.
>> No. 37056 [Edit]
>>37055
Just Because was a good time, though camera-chan's loss still hurts.
>> No. 37057 [Edit]
File 167784185611.png - (1.79MB , 1920x1080 , Screenshot from 2023-02-27 15-47-26.png )
37057
I watched Rental Girlfriend seasons 1 & 2.

Recently I've been on these light romance, ecchi orientated, shows to escape the busy life I've found myself in. But that's enough of my blog. The title of the show pretty much sums it up, our main character rents a girlfriend after a breakup, then finds himself falling for her.

I enjoyed the main rental girlfriend, Chizuru Mizuhara, the most. Her seiyuu is perfect for the role and I'm not ashamed to say that I want her for my gf now too. And surprisingly the MC had a lot of depth to him; he was very self-aware of his situation. If you're a fan of self-pity and wish that other people around you notice your depression and help you out, then this is a great show for you!

The other main love interests sometimes get forgotten for the shining Mizuhara. Same goes for the MC's friends, they kind of fall away towards the middle of season 2 and are completely forgotten. My biggest gripe with this series is the open-ended endings to both seasons. And what was the director thinking with S2E12? I'm on my knees begging mangakas to stop chasing the gravy train and not drag a story out when it doesn't need to. This does not need to be longer than 2 seasons. Well whatever, maybe I will hire a "rental" girlfriend too.

3/5 for both seasons. Season 2 could have been 4 if it was given an ending.
>> No. 37098 [Edit]
File 168136825390.jpg - (112.66KB , 424x600 , 110707l.jpg )
37098
So I recently watched ChainSaw man. Wasn't really something I wanted to watch, like at all. It looked and sounded way too edgy and trashy for my tastes to put it bluntly. This is why I didn't watch it as it aired. Well, I made a deal of sorts with someone in the Tohno-chan irc channel after getting him to watch bochii the rock, in return I'd watch chain saw man. I kinda dreaded watching it, but a deal was a deal.

I went into it pretty much expecting to hate it. For the first couple ep I kinda did. The main character was a very unlikable pathetic moron. I half expected him to get replaced by the real main character, but I guess this is who we got stuck with.
The characters were pretty much all unlikable in one way or another, Aki seemed alright at least. Every time the main character seemed like they were going to have some self realization and maybe grow as a character, that would quickly be undone by another character. Rather than let him learn a lesson, a crappy person would just reinforce his previous world views. I've heard there might be some form of character growth in the material yet to come, so I guess we'll just see.
They seem to have the worst and most pathetic motivation for nearly everything they do, and they address that but stick to it. Makima and power felt like Zero Two from DinF split into two characters, like a cynical attempt at banking off 'those' types of anime fans. I don't know what you call them, but they're the kinda gross guys who wear ahegao sweaters and have naked anime girl stickers on their cars that have been modded in very poor taste. Those guys are really obsessed with the character, and this almost feels like an attempt at pandering to that very specific demographic.
Overall it wasn't as edgy and gory as I expected going into it. there's a few eye rolling moments like when the bat monster talks about eating kids and whatnot, but overall it was fairly tame.
The guy I mentioned the deal with before kept asking me what I thought about Makima. For one, I don't think she's as sexy as the creators think she is. Besides that, she came across as extremely manipulative, full of herself, and all around untrustworthy.
I was really surprised the ugly mascot character wasn't in it more considering all the merch it has. I was guessing the MC would morph by shoving his head up the mascot's ass or something, but guess not.
A lot of it made no sense, like, A LOT, but it feels like the sort of thing you just aren't meant to think about at all.

By the end though, I did find it at least somewhat entertaining. It's dumb as all hell but it's not really trying to be more than that. It's just meant to be mindedness fun, not much more. If there was any deeper meaning or message to be found there, it might be in how we all have our own dreams and desires, and while some of them might seem silly or downright stupid, they can mean a lot to a person which probably does deserve some respect. It's their life not ours after all.
As I got to the end of the first season I also got to thinking, not every story necessarily needs to have a relatable or even likable protagonist. Hell, you could say that starting out with a PoS gives them a chance to grow.

That all said. I still think it's hilarious that botti completely came out of left field to kick it's ass in numbers.

Post edited on 13th Apr 2023, 11:43pm
>> No. 37099 [Edit]
>>37098
As someone who enjoyed the manga I wasn't very fond of how they adapted it. The director's comments on "Akiba-kei" anime definitely didn't help that. I do agree with your assessment of the characters and themes though so at least some things made it through.

Post edited on 13th Apr 2023, 7:55am
>> No. 37100 [Edit]
>>37098
>'those' types of anime fans
How does one even classify these guys? I'm a massive degenerate, but I keep my power level in check both online and off.
>> No. 37101 [Edit]
>>37100
I wonder if those people actually do have more than a superficial knowledge of things? I.e. do they actually know any artists by name (h or non-h), are they the kind that actually watches anime besides the most popular seasonal show, etc.?
>> No. 37110 [Edit]
>>37100
I'm just going to go ahead and call them "Drips". It's some new slang they use in place of 'style' anyway, so I doubt they'd even disagree with it.
>> No. 37115 [Edit]
File 168163280446.jpg - (131.43KB , 424x600 , 122623l.jpg )
37115
Watched suzume in imax.
Basically it's a copy pasted version of the same girl from the last couple movies, paired together with a pretty boy who has the personality of a block of wood. It's actually pretty fitting he'd be turned into a chair, it suited him well.

The setup was kind of sloppy, like they were in a rush to get the plot going. Everything after that felt a bit like paint by numbers. It also started to drag on a bit once they got to the Tokyo part, where it felt like it should have already started wrapping up. It also feels like it drags on needlessly near the end.

So to sum it up. Cute girl has a brief encounter with pretty boy and points him in the direction of some ruins. On the way to school she says fuck it and heads to the ruins to look for him, and finds a free standing door in the middle of an old bathhouse. So of course like any normal person would, she hops in the water and makes her way to the door to open it, and also yanks a stone out of the ground near it. Stone turns into a cat and runs away, door releases an evil penis monster. Pretty boy stops it by closing the door. Cat turns pretty boy into a chair and they then spend the majority of the movie chasing the cat across the country, closing doors that the same penis monster is trying to escape from. The cat was meant to keep the penis monster from escaping. It's largely implied the cat is causing these new doors to open, but it also becomes clear as things go on the cat wants pretty boy to take it's place. They're a little vague on the cat's motivation, powers, and even it's affiliation with our main characters. They even have a second cat guardian, which I guess released itself? Almost as soon as it makes it's appearance the other cat attacks it, and next thing you know they're best friends or something. It's, weird. There's a whole lot of "wait, am I missing something here" moments when it comes to the cat guardian.
During this cross country trip, cute girl meets up with some not so cute girls who are rather forgettable. She meets up with Pretty boy's best friend who seemed to have more personality than any other character in the movie. Nearing the end, cute girl's aunt magically finds cute girl the moment she shows up in Tokyo, because it's such a small town right? She actually does get a bit of an emotional scene that gives her some depth, but a lot of it is quickly undone and they don't exactly go anywhere with it. At best you could say the aunt and cute girl got a little closer, maybe.
In the end, the first cat guardian who was more than happy to see penis monster destroy the world, says fug it and decides to go back to being a guardian and let pretty boy go back to being human, because reasons. The cat also has some powers that it seems to either forget it has, or the writer wants us to forget it has. Pretty boy manages to chase it down and pin it down multiple times, in spite of the cat being able to turn the guy into a chair with it's mind or transform itself into five times the size at a moment's notice.

That's, kinda it. Overall it felt very much like going through the motions, with characters that for the most part felt very flat. There's some fun stuff with the chair and this odd couple dynamic, and there's no shortage of nice visuals wrapped up in pretty good animation. There's a few cg bits here and there but most people probably wouldn't notice them. Like 3D flowers in the intro that are out of focus.
At the end of the day, it's just a movie for guys who dream of being a chair as a JK sits on their face.
>> No. 37118 [Edit]
>>37115
>it's just a movie for guys who dream of being a chair as a JK sits on their face
Guilty as charged, sir.
>> No. 37203 [Edit]
Sailor Moon (OP1) - I always loved the outstanding art direction in this opening. It goes for a more abstract, artistic look, with popping colors and those rough background illustrations, as if from a schoolgirl’s notebook. It elevates the show beyond what's actually in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbyOe4qD7EA

Read Or Die (TV) - a really stylish opening. It establishes an atmosphere of the city with that bebop jazz really well and you’re immediately hooked, with cute girls and lewd title cards and all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxsoJ6gcDT4

Gun x Sword (mk.1) - another lyricsless opening. This one is very simple but I like the concept of showing silhouettes of characters that are then one by one unveiled as the anime goes on. It creates a sort of idiosyncratic link between the two. The music also nicely underlines the Weird West theme of the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQrz619uflg

Project ARMS (OP1) - an example of an opening better than the actual anime. The show itself is a rather middle-of-the-road battle shounen, that I may or may not need to re-watch, but the OP is borderline experimental and looks like something Atlus might have made. It’s just really fucking cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3PhuNEzUDA

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor - pure 90s magic is what this is. It’s hard to even describe, such a delightful and wonderful opening. A perfect mix of song and visuals representing the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8W7eF49xv4

Saint Seiya (OP1) - 30 years on and there hasn't been a single shounenshit opening as good as Pegasus Fantasy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNx1SzO9KG0

Fushigi No Umi No Nadia - a very traditional opening but the perfectly fitting music and gorgeous animation creates that unparalleled sense of adventure. Plus Nadia is so cute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOmqOhGno6Y

Wolf's Rain – this is not a particularly standout OP but it has this certain 00s urban flair to it that is very appealing to me. I just love openings that prominently feature a city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Yuo0zqaoA

Macross 7 – I used to hate Macross 7 as a kid and I probably need to re-watch it, but fuck if this isn't an excellent opening with some jaw-dropping animation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=045JNXRCvgM
>> No. 37236 [Edit]
File 168582571660.jpg - (231.70KB , 1064x1596 , pxa6QZC9mS7gPHUEmjDDY9Yj0wt.jpg )
37236
https://anidb.net/anime/13153/

I watched both seasons of Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e, also known as Classroom of the Elite. At the time of writing the third season has not yet aired. Here are my thoughts:

This anime is about classes of exceptional students who compete with one another for ranking and currency within their school system. The story feels like it was created in the mind of a teenager, but it is watchable and does create suspense. The plot is sometimes impressively intricate and does a good job of weaving together the actions of many independent parties in a competitive environment. That's essentially what Classroom of the Elite is about – the behaviour of people in a competitive situation. There are some interesting strategic dilemmas with regard to the point system used by the school. In fact the elaborate strategic thinking that is effectively presented in this show is its best feature.

Classroom of the Elite is an extremely juvenile show even by anime standards; the target audience is clearly teenage boys. A lot of screentime gets occupied by dreadful childish comedy that is usually crudely sexual in nature – it's barely a step above toddler-tier toilet humour. This anime is quite corny and often hard to take seriously. As you might expect, there is some crude sexualization in this, mainly in the form of tits and ass prominently featured. Most of the female characters have huge bolt-on gattling-gun tits that are borderline comical. Also, I know this is an unreasonable complaint given the title and premise of the show, but I found the focus on exams and academics to be tiresome, mainly because I've seen it done so many times in anime. I find it difficult to care about trivial schoolyard drama.

Everything about this anime feels dated to me – the OST, the art style and character designs, even the plotline feels like a 2000s anime. The second season is overall more modern and well produced than the first season, although neither has impressive production value. Similarly, Classroom of the Elite has some of the ugliest school uniforms I have ever seen in anime, and that's a high bar to clear. The colour choices are just absolutely hideous, good heavens. Yikes honey, like OMG. I thought they were parking-valet elves at the Ritz during the holidays. At least the voice acting is overall decent, albeit sometimes cheesy. The voicework for most of the lead characters is solid and everyone suits their roles. The soundtrack isn't terrible but it does sound dated to me, and not in a charming way.

Despite the large time gap between when the first and second season aired, there is a lot of plot continuity between the seasons. The first episode of Season 2 basically feels like Episode 13 of Season 1 – the story picks up immediately where Season 1 ended. Of the two seasons, I liked the first slightly more. The story of Season 2 just wasn't as compelling as the first. I appreciated the deserted-island story arc in Season 1 – that was the pinnacle of the series in my opinion.

I enjoyed the interactions between Horikita and the MC – they have weirdly good tsundere chemistry and feel very natural together. They are an entertaining duo. Horikita is a good character – I enjoyed her stoic practical approach to the challenges she encountered.


My personal ratings are as follows:
Season 1: 5/10
Season 2: 4/10
Classroom of the Elite has a complex yet well-written story, and the episodes pass quickly. It does an okay job at creating suspense, and the strategic aspects are somewhat interesting, but good lord it is often so absurdly juvenile it's borderline intolerable.

If you're looking for a psychological thriller-type show, Classroom of the Elite isn't a terrible choice. If I were a 14-year-old boy, I would probably enjoy this anime way more. I'd recommend this to teenagers, but someone older than that might have trouble enjoying this anime due to how juvenile it is.

This review probably sounds conceited but I think others can relate to feeling exasperated by the immaturity of shounen-oriented works like this. I know it comes with the territory but I am just being transparent about my viewing experience.


>>37056
Indeed, I feel your pain as well.
>> No. 37237 [Edit]
>>37236
>the OST, the art style and character designs, even the plotline feels like a 2000s anime
You know how to sell anime to me, anon.
>> No. 37244 [Edit]
File 168601363233.jpg - (14.92KB , 188x268 , download.jpg )
37244
I´ve finished watching Birdy the Mighty (OVA).
I'll start with the positives:
-Well, first of all, what I love about this work is that its animation is very fluid and with good action scenes and character design, Birdy being the most striking (I love the white and red color of her hair), besides.
-The dynamic between the main characters is good, they complete each other, Tsutomu being the most rational and least impulsive part but also a bit of a coward and Birdy being impulsive and brave, each one has their own goal but they must learn to live together to achieve it .
-As I said before, the action scenes are good and offer a very entertaining show, well choreographed and animated.
-The music, although it is not to my taste, fits well with the series.
-The premise is interesting, a boy and a girl (alien) sharing a body, although this has already been seen in Ranma 1/2 and Parasyte, the manga came out years before them, so we could say that Birdy is a bit original ( although it shows some inspiration in devilman), it would have been interesting to see the psychological weight and we also saw how they learn to live together.
-Humor is good
Ok, now the negative:
-While it is established that Birdy shares Tsutomu's body, we are never told what will happen to him when Birdy finishes his mission.
-Although it shows how Tsotumo accepts Birdy and lives with her, I feel that it is too fast and there is not so much psychological weight.
-The villain is one-dimensional, he is the typical scientist who wants to create his race of super humans and the other villain is the one with the most weight and it seems that Birdy has something personal against him, which in the end was not deepened in her
-When a friend of Tsotumo discovers that Tsotumo becomes Birdy, everything ends in nothing, returning everything to the status quo.
-Birdy's past is not explored (although this error is forgivable since the story is incomplete).
>Birdy's impulsive way of acting has no consequences and if there are, they are minimal or reversible, for example when he breaks his arm, he returns to his ship and recovers in minutes and it seems that he did not learn from those mistakes.
>I find it strange that they don't realize the existence of the federation and the aliens with all the destruction and strange happenings that occur.
In general Birdy the Mighty is a story that leaves some things half finished and unfinished, however it is very entertaining and the chemistry between the characters is very good and this arc interested me enough to want to continue the story. All of this makes Birdy, The Mighty have:
6/10 (to be more precise, a 6.8/10).
>> No. 37245 [Edit]
File 168606041996.jpg - (350.06KB , 847x1200 , ID-0.jpg )
37245
https://anidb.net/anime/12318/

I watched ID-0. Here are my thoughts:

ID-0 is about a naive astrogeologist girl and a group of space bandits, some of whom are minds trapped inside robot bodies, who engage in illegal space mining. Things go wrong during one of their illicit excavations and the plot spirals from there. All the characters have unique personalities and I enjoyed the chemistry of this motley crew working together.

This show is actual genuine science fiction and frequently invokes intriguing sci-fi concepts such as digital consciousness, robotics and cloning. The story is interesting and engaging; it incorporates mystery elements well and does a good job of 'peeling back the onion' as the plot progresses. As a whole, ID-0 is quite creative and unique; it feels like a hobby project moreso than a commercial anime.

ID-0 also seems to have a budget as low as a hobby project. All of the character animation is CGI, but it doesn't look completely awful and I didn't find the faces to be uncanny or unsettling in ways I've experienced with CGI animation in the past. A lot of the celestial landscapes are cool and the show looks best when it is depicting spaceships, planets and things of that nature. Although they are infrequent, the action scenes in this, especially the space battles, are actually quite entertaining; the CGI looks nice and dynamic. There are also lots of awesome spaceships, and the celestial environment is a nice backdrop. I couldn't help but laugh at the space motorbikes with the decorative-flames paintjobs – they fit the mood of the anime well. In some ways, ID-0 is metal as fuck but also doesn't take itself too seriously; it's a really fun ride overall.

The soundtrack is somewhat unconventional but fits the atmosphere of the show. The OP/ED songs are endearingly cheesy. I liked the voice acting for Grayman and Rick.


My overall rating: 7/10
ID-0 is an endearing passion project with a unique intriguing story, fun likeable cast, and lots of cool creative sci-fi stuff mainly relating to space, robotics, consciousness, physics and the like. If you can overlook its janky visuals, ID-0 is a great sci-fi show.

If you're a fan of actual science fiction (i.e. not space romcoms) then you would likely appreciate this show. I enjoyed it way more than I expected.
>> No. 37246 [Edit]
>>37245
Excellent taste. This was one of the highlights of that season, and I wish we had more of this.
>> No. 37268 [Edit]
File 168661003360.jpg - (2.56MB , 3985x5729 , Seiren_(Series)_full_3166980.jpg )
37268
https://anidb.net/anime/12327/

I watched Seiren. Here are my thoughts:

Seiren is the spiritual sequel to Amagami SS. The stories of the two series are apparently unrelated aside from some character cameos. I can't verify this because I've never seen Amagami SS, but I enjoyed Seiren enough to consider picking Amagami up.

Seiren is an anime original but it very much feels like a VN adaptation. The 12-episode series is split into thirds, each of which is devoted to one story arc. These story arcs each involve the male MC making a romantic connection with one of the girls in his highschool. Seiren is a romance show and the vast majority of its runtime is devoted to that purpose.

The MC is your typical meek spineless loser – this is particularly annoying in this context because he never initiates anything and it's nearly always the actions of the girl that move the scene/plot along. It's hard to get into the romance when the MC has the pickup game of a limp noodle (probably not the only area he doesn't perform in). The writing quality of this anime has prominent highs and lows – there are moments when the show really shines, but also some unnatural awkward-feeling scenes. It can be cringe-inducingly corny. Some of the drama in this is totally banal; entire scenes are devoted to insignificant highschool gossip. The story is sometimes convoluted, hamfisted and dumb. However, I enjoyed the romantic scenarios themselves – they felt natural and organic, as if they were a fond memory of your adolescence.

At first glance, Seiren seems like an utterly forgettable garbage anime; my expectations coming in were very low. What surprised me is that the scriptwriting is often exceptionally well done. Although there isn't much explicit nudity, this is a sexually charged show. However, most of that manifests itself through the dialogue. I appreciated that this anime creates eros through the power of suggestion, dialogue and context, rather than lazily relying on sexual visuals like so many other trash anime. In this sense, it is a well-crafted show.

Seiren's greatest strength is the way it sets up romantic tension. It doesn't really deliver the goods in terms of romantic climax, but it does an excellent job of teasing you. It does this with minimal use of fanservice and sexual visuals – it's all in the story and dialogue, which is actually quite impressive. The girls are usually wearing these hideous conservative school uniforms, yet the sexual tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife – this speaks to the impressive scriptwriting and direction quality of the series. The romantic scenarios are lifelike and believable – I've found that's fairly rare in anime, so this is noteworthy.

To be clear, eros is not the only selling point here – Seiren is also sweet, wholesome and innocent in some ways. I often felt like this anime was cuter moreso than romantic; it has a borderline 'puppy love' feeling. Similarly, Seiren never really delivers romantic climax; it just sets up romantic tension but doesn't follow through. This is hardly uncommon in romance anime, but even so, the lack of satisfaction is palpable for most story arcs, and some viewers may find this disappointing.

The visuals in general are low quality. The character animation is pretty bad, and I often felt like the facial expressions lacked detail. However, the character designs are more realistic than typical anime, which I appreciated in this context, although those atrocious pale-yellow sweater vests belong in a tire fire. Similarly, I found the soundtrack to be mediocre and low quality. None of the voice actors impressed me, although some of the character songs are not bad.


My overall rating: 7/10
Seiren has many flaws: an annoyingly meek impotent MC, corny dumb storylines, and overall low production quality. Regardless, there are many exceptional romance scenes in here with excellent scriptwriting and tons of intimate tension. Seiren delivers the 'girl-next-door experience' and feels quite lifelike and believable; it is a great adolescent romance simulator.
>> No. 37269 [Edit]
>>37268
I dropped this after the first arc when it was airing since it didn't impress, and the second girl being a gamer was uninteresting, but your review has convinced me to put it into the rotation once more.

With regards to sexual visuals in other anime, I think series like Saekano do it well. Displaying the eroticism of leggings and napes is great. (Though the specials were certainly more gratuitous!)
>> No. 37270 [Edit]
>>37268
I actually saw this because I loved Amagami but I didn't get as much out of this one so I didn't finish it. Hopefully you do enjoy Amagami if you get to it. I might give Seiren another look with less lofty expectations.
>> No. 37275 [Edit]
File 168725255831.png - (2.36MB , 1920x1200 , 836130.png )
37275
https://anidb.net/anime/12700/

I watched Ballroom e Youkoso, also known as Welcome to the Ballroom. Here are my thoughts:

First of all, let's get one thing out of the way: SENGOKU IS INSANELY WILDLY SMOKING HOT.
...*ahem*
Okay so yeah by the way in other news this anime is an absolute masterpiece.
And uummm
*checks notes*
HYOUDOU IS FINE AS HELL.
I mean, uuhhmmm, actually this is one of the finest works of art ever made.

Seriously though, Ballroom e Youkoso is spectacularly mindblowingly terrific.

This anime is about a teenage boy's journey into the world of competitive formal dance. In some ways it feels like a sports shounen, but also has far vaster appeal than the typical audience for that. The dance scenes are phenomenally captivating. They are so dynamic and well choreographed, with excellent cinematography and screenplay; they are joyfully entertaining and I couldn't help but rewind them over and over. There is an impressive level of detail paid to the technical aspects of dance – you can tell that the author cares deeply for the activity and is knowledgable of it. I appreciated this level of authenticity – it is one reason among many why Ballroom e Youkoso is actually a fantastic sports anime.

The character designs are enthralling. The facial expressions are exceptionally well done. The overall level of attention to detail in the character animation is way beyond what I'd expect from typical anime. The characters in this consistently look fantastic and the character animation is excellent. Conversely, the animation of the backgrounds and setting could have been done better, but this aspect of the visuals is certainly adequate, and the focus is rightfully on the characters anyway. Lighting effects are used well during the dance scenes and take advantage of the point-source nature of the dancefloor lighting. The animation quality of the scenes unrelated to dance is solid but the real spectacle is on the dancefloor. Also, there's lots of dazzling jewelry and so many gorgeous ballroom dresses it's heavenly, OMG!!

Ballroom e Youkoso is one of the best-directed shows I have ever seen. Every episode is packed with emotion, to the point that I could not avert my gaze if I tried. The thrilling excitement of the dancefloor is joyfully contagious. The script is well written and oozes passion and emotion. The cast has a wide variety of unique interesting characters – I found myself wishing that the supporting cast got more attention.

I have mixed feelings about the MC (Tatara). He isn't a bad MC by anime standards, but some of his qualities irked me. At times, I did not like his voice acting. He sounds a little too meek and childlike, although I suppose it fits his character. He often sounds whiny as well. He's just kind of unpleasant to listen to, especially because the show is frequently narrated by his internal monologue. He uses this wimpy tone of voice all the time and it becomes grating to hear after a while. I thought all the other main male voice actors were solid though. The female VAs are a mixed bag but none of them impressed me.

The OST is decent but it could be much better. I definitely felt some squandered potential in this regard. As you can probably imagine, a show focused so much on dancing would certainly benefit from a better OST. The music of this show, although still solid, didn't realize its full potential. I usually wouldn't be this harsh, but a show exclusively focused on dancing should have a strong music component, and it didn't quite rise to the occasion in this respect. Perhaps some of the classical music is iconic and expected for this activity, but I wouldn't know.

Although the entire series is delightful, I enjoyed the first cour more than the second, primarily because the second cour involves the introduction of a new female lead character who is a textbook tsundere, which resulted in a lot of generic cliche character dynamics that I found tiresome and predictable. As much as I adore this anime, I will concede that Chinatsu is sometimes quite annoying; I liked the MC's other dance partners far more than her. However, I do understand why the author added Chinatsu to the story – she is an effective foil to the MC, and they have weirdly compatible chemistry, like opposite magnets attract. Chinatsu's childhood friend (Akira) is also annoying, and I found her entire story arc generic, tedious and predictable. Both those insufferable angsty bitches need to go catch a dick, shut up and relax.

This might sound counterintuitive, but I think there's a significant possibility that your typical shounen fan would enjoy this show. I say that because there are a lot of 'hype moments' and, even though the theme is ballroom dance, the excitement and adrenaline is reminiscent of more-traditional sports anime that are often celebrated by their target audience. I would urge a potential viewer of Ballroom e Youkoso to give it a chance even if the dance theme is something they ordinarily wouldn't seek out. Fundamentally, this is an excellent sports show, and it follows that your average sports anime fan is likely to enjoy it.


My overall rating: 10/10
This is what the anime medium was made for. I absolutely LOVED it. Ballroom e Youkoso is like a dream come true. I got an immense amount of enjoyment out of this anime; no other medium could have done it better. My only significant criticisms pertain to the excessive bitchfight drama during the second cour, mainly revolving around Chinatsu, as well as the weak annoying voice acting for the MC. Otherwise, this anime is truly phenomenal and does a spectacularly mesmerizing job of showing the viewer the world of competitive formal dance.
>> No. 37276 [Edit]
>>37268
I'm glad you liked it, anon. I find this anime to be quite underrated, and it is seldom talked about.
The characters songs where really something. In a way I think it was very satisfactory for me. It was like watching a VN.
My thoughts are similar to yours, the "situations" are a really strong point of this anime. It was very refreshing to watch something that had almost none of those same stereotypical tropes and archetypes used all the time on anime. I think the usual route for this kind of anime would be a harem/wet dream route, but I'm very glad it did not turn out that way. For me the lack of "delivery" did not bother me, as I see it as a animated VN, so naturally it could not have a single cohesive definite ending.
By the way you did not answer this in your initial review, but I'm curious to know: which girl best girl?
>> No. 37288 [Edit]
Skip & Loafer feels like a Honey and Clover spin-off
Stop making me feel emotions!
>> No. 37296 [Edit]
File 168853568135.png - (1.42MB , 1920x1080 , Screenshot from 2023-07-04 23-27-39.png )
37296
"Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki", among other things is primarily about a woman that falls in love with a man who turns out to be a werewolf. It is about love, loss. Having & raising kids, moving to & living in the countryside of Japan, the wonderful joys that children bring, as well as difficulties. There is also the aspect of the children being werewolves, with them changing into a wolf and back depending on their moods in their childhood and due to more sophisticated reasons as well when they are older. Other than that they are completely regular children, facing social difficulties in school as well, hence the picture.

It is narrated by the daughter of the main character, but the story follows her mother. As previously stated she moves to the countryside due to her children being werewolves, due to financial difficulties as well I believe. She buys an abandoned house, cleans & repairs it. Starts growing her own food & over time gets to know the people that live around her, with her being a well known figure in the local community by the end, making friends, acquaintances and everything, including a particular ossan who helps her greatly with farming. At some point she has to see her son off to life, which she does with great difficulty.

I believe that it is a complete masterpiece, with a reason for it being relatively unknown being the werewolf aspect, but as much as I dislike anything to do with a focus on mythical creatures I can confidently say that it is done good. I believe everyone should at least give it a try, going on some anime streaming site, finding & pasting the title and playing it takes less than thirty seconds in my experience, actually watching the nearly two hour thing feels way shorter. Watch it now.
>> No. 37297 [Edit]
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37297
>>37296
It's interesting that this movie, The Girl who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars, were written by Okudera Satoko, who only ever worked on 5 anime projects, 4 of which being Madhouse ones. You'd hope someone who worked on such great movies would be more prolific.
>> No. 37298 [Edit]
>>37297
I really do wonder why that is, from her Wikipedia page it says that she is a full-time writer, yet is only this prolific. Perhaps she is just taking it easy, who knows
>> No. 37304 [Edit]
I still remember being underwhelmed by Summer Wars compared to its prototype.
>> No. 37315 [Edit]
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37315
Malice@Doll is a 2001 film rendered entirely in 3D computer graphics. Most people today would probably say that it looks like ass. But for me, the art style evokes a sense of nostalgia because it looks like it could be a cutscene from one of the PlayStation games of the same era, and playing those is one of the more fond childhood memories I have.
Be advised that the movie contains a number of sex scenes, including rape scenes.
You can find it on LBRY and odysee.com and probably elsewhere.

The protagonist is a sex robot named Malice, who is apparently programmed to work as a prostitute in some sort of amusement district housed inside of a large building.
The days of her getting any clients, however, are obviously long gone. She still strolls through her former place of employment every day, but it's obvious that the entire complex had been abandoned by humans a long time ago. It is never explained what happened to the humans.
There are other robots around, but they too have long since outlived their purpose. Most of them are intelligent enough to hold a conversation, but what is there to talk about other than how pointless the tasks they are programmed to do are when the humans they were constructed to serve are long gone and don't seem to be coming back? What is the point of a sex robot when there's nobody she can have sex with? What is the point of a cleaning robot when there's neither nobody who throws his trash anywhere nor anybody who can appreciate a clean environment?

Everything around Malice looks as if it had been left to decay for decades or centuries or even longer, and so does she.
While still beautiful, her body is obviously malfunctioning, as she starts leaking coolant from one of her eyes, making it look as if she were crying. Because of this, the robot who administrates the complex orders her to visit the repair robot, but warns her to stay away from the complex's security robot, the Leucocyte, because it has forgotten ts programming and may act in unpredictable ways.
As you have probably already guessed, she does indeed get attacked by the security bot as he apparently misidentifies her as an intruder. Luckily, she is saved by the bot that is tasked with repairing the various pipes of the complex, who drags Malice into a maintenance shaft out of view of the Leucocyte. While trying to make her way to the repair bot on one of the upper floors, she keeps seeing visions of a young girl playing with a white ball, who eventually leads her to a room with a large entity which she initially mistakes for the repair bot. As it turns out that's not who he is. Rather than a mere machine, it is of partially organic nature, and as Malice approaches, tentacles spring forth, grip Malice, and rape her. She blacks out and wakes up in her old room, but with a new body, the body of a human. She begins transforming all the other bots into biological entities by kissing them, but rather than becoming beautiful women like herself, they all turn into disgusting monstrosities.
There's more to the plot, but I'm getting bored of retelling it.

In the end, I wasn't quite sure what had actually happened.
Were the events following the tentacle rape just a dream inside of Malice's head?
Did Malice possess a soul that was ultimately freed from her body in that last scene?
Is Malice the god of that world and changes it at will?
Is Malice's real identity the human girl found inside of the rape device at the end, and the entire world is just a dream of that girl?

Tell me what you think, if you decide to watch the movie yourself.
>> No. 37316 [Edit]
>>373153
MAL has some interest stacks with similar old-school CGI movies:
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/23479
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/9474
>> No. 37317 [Edit]
>>37315
Did you read my earlier review of this?
>>33471
I actually don't remember the ending too well, but going off of what I wrote, everything resets. Since writing that review, I played Nier Automata, and I'd say it explores the same themes in a more fleshed out, interesting way.

Post edited on 11th Jul 2023, 7:23am
>> No. 37320 [Edit]
File 16894635236.jpg - (145.40KB , 640x480 , Spoiler Picture.jpg )
37320
>>37317
>Did you read my earlier review of this?
heh. No, I didn't expect anyone else here to have reviewed it because of how obscure and old it is, so I didn't even check the thread beforehand.
>everything resets
Yes, but in the new world, Malice's presence as either a doll or human is completely erased, the other dolls do not remember her except as a singing voice that irritates some of them while endearing others. She takes on the form of a spiritual being resembling a crossing of an angel and a succubus, and apparently can be seen only by Joe Admin and the brunette doll who had always looked up to her. The very last scene is her ascending the elevator shaft and vanishing from view as she enters the daylight at the very top. The writer has actually published the movie's screenplay on his homepage, so you can read it in his own words if you want (if you can read Japanese): http://www.konaka.com/alice6/malicedoll/malice_scenarios.html

>Lain
I felt most reminded of Ergo Proxy, but of course all three animes are heavily infused with Gnostic themes.
M@D doesn't constantly namedrop Western philosophers and religious concepts like EP does, but does make heavy use of Judeo-Western esoteric imagery, picrelated. Apart from the Masonic black-and-white checkerboard, the red moon embodying the Female Principle (it even looks like a womb or an egg cell when viewed from the side) accompanied by the green winged serpent embodying the Male Principle (it even looks like a penis) seems like something taken straight out of the Zohar, Noach 14 (look it up on sefaria.org).
And that girl with the white ball, is that a divine spark Malice is chasing?
Humans are referred to as gods, and the movie asks the old Gnostic question of whether or not your creator is worthy of reverence even if he is clearly flawed. Yet in a way, the dolls are closer to being godlike, since they are potentially immortal. And this whole concept of machinery being imbued with souls is perhaps more in line with a Shinto-inspired animistic view on spiritual matters.
Malice also reincarnates multiple times until her spirit is perfected and she ascends to pleroma/nirvana. The others too seem to get to live in a slightly happier world, seeing how Joe Admin takes out the Leucocyte.
All of it in a world that apparently Malice herself is dreaming and in which she experiences herself in different forms.

btw there is also an interview with the director and the writer of the movie, in case your Japanese is good:
https://odysee.com/@kujibikiunbalanced:5/malice-doll-bonus-live-part-01:1
https://odysee.com/@kujibikiunbalanced:5/malice-doll-bonus-live-part-02:3
https://odysee.com/@kujibikiunbalanced:5/malice-doll-bonus-live-part-03:e

I haven't played any of the Nier games. They look interesting, but they also look like you'd need to invest a lot of time into them.
>> No. 37321 [Edit]
File 16894692455.jpg - (1.89MB , 2560x1440 , bd68c672ba4e083c436faac0564de60b.jpg )
37321
>>37320
>Malice's presence as either a doll or human is completely erased
I forgot about this part. It's another reason why the ending reminded me of Lain's.
>I felt most reminded of Ergo Proxy
Never watched that. I've seen Lain and Texhnolyze. The latter is very distinct, but maybe Gnostic symbolism can be found in that too. I have no idea about those things.
>they also look like you'd need to invest a lot of time into them
I played Nier Automata for 61 hours. Make of that what you will.
>> No. 37331 [Edit]
File 169013601825.jpg - (267.77KB , 1000x1415 , MV5BNmZmZGEyM2QtMGFiMy00ZmEwLWExYTUtNDZmNjZlNzk1ZD.jpg )
37331
https://anidb.net/anime/12647/

I watched Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome, also known as The Night is Short, Walk on Girl. Here are my thoughts:

This movie is the spiritual sequel to The Tatami Galaxy (Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei), and I enjoyed this movie much more because it didn't have the awful whiny MC that made me dislike The Tatami Galaxy so much, although other familiar characters are present, such as Higuchi and Hanuki. The art style is also quite similar to The Tatami Galaxy – I appreciated it. The visuals are creative, unique, dynamic, and entertaining to admire; it is a nice satisfying visual feast. Overall this is a very 'artsy' movie that would be enjoyed by those who like avant-garde abstract experimental stuff. That said, the OST and voice acting are nothing special, in my opinion.

There isn't much of a coherent story and I never felt interested in the plot. The dialogue in some scenes is kind of neat, but the overall storyline just isn't engaging at all. Superficially, this movie basically just feels like a series of absurdist scenes mashed together. It seems like a veiled allegory for the brevity of life, or something of that nature. It's up to your interpretation, but there's definitely a deeper message lurking in here. It's not just a series of random mashed-together scenes; there's clearly artistic intent here, but it's up to you to unravel it however you wish. There are numerous scenes focused on alcohol consumption, which I enjoyed. Drinking is a prominent theme in this movie, although ironically it's well suited for being viewed under the influence of cannabis.


My overall rating: 6/10
Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome is quite visually interesting but lacking a substantial concrete storyline. It is abstract in both artistic form and its writing. I found some parts mildly boring but in general this is an entertaining movie if you calibrate your expectations correctly.

Those who enjoyed The Tatami Galaxy would definitely like this, and even those who didn't may find this movie superior or at least redeemable. In my opinion, it lacks many of the flaws that plagued The Tatami Galaxy. Although hardly perfect, this movie occupies a niche unsatisfied by most anime; it is certainly unique.


>>37276
>which girl best girl?
I would have to say Tsuneki because she is fun, adventurous and focused on her own goals, which are all attractive qualities.
>> No. 37332 [Edit]
>>37331
I couldn't stand how fast the narrator in Tatami Galaxy talks, dropped it after 5 minutes because of that
>> No. 37333 [Edit]
>>37332
I got used to it.
>> No. 37346 [Edit]
File 169187836869.jpg - (96.80KB , 600x336 , 5a1c61e2c9e4159832b29b1e7a44b88d.jpg )
37346
I watched Claymore, an action fantasy anime from the 2000s. It was enjoyable. Surprisingly good action scenes, with more strategic elements than is typical. There was a whole lot of bullshit and shounen power ups, but it wasn't so ridiculous as to break my immersion. Animation quality is fair.

The atmosphere is great and one of Claymore's best attributes. This is helped by the stellar soundtrack. Although it's been compared to Berserk, it's not at that level. The setting is far less interesting than Berserk's.

Some problems. Raki was a somewhat annoying and unnecessary character. I understand how he plays into the theme of accepting help from others, he just doesn't do a whole lot besides follow Clare everywhere. The relationships she forms later with fellow claymores is more compelling, so giving Clare a rookie claymore companion would probably have worked better.

There's also the anime original, open-ending. It wasn't great, but it didn't anger me like it seems to have other people. I don't think you should avoid Claymore because of it. If you're in the mood for a darker action series, I would recommend it.
>> No. 37380 [Edit]
MF Ghost ~ it's an updated Initial D with the updated Toyota 86 and camera drones. Heh.
>> No. 37504 [Edit]
I watched MSG 0080: War in the Pocket today. It was a really great OVA. Despite being a short 6 episodes long and being relatively small in scale compared to other Gundam works, it did the best job of demonstrating the horrors of war that I've seen so far.
Also, the first episode starts off with some really great action, and the last episode is really cool because a Zaku fucks up a Gundam.

It's overall excellent, and worth a watch even if you aren't that interested in mecha action, as it's pretty light in that regard. I don't really have any issues with it, besides what looked like the CG colony from Char's Counterattack being reused, but I don't think that's too big of a deal, and I might be misremembering it anyway.
>> No. 37836 [Edit]
File 170586763268.jpg - (300.85KB , 1400x2100 , claymore-vol-25-9781421573861_hr.jpg )
37836
>>37346
I recommend reading the Claymore manga. It actually has one of the most satisfying endings of all mangas/animes I've ever read, where a lot of things actually get resolved.
It's also a rare example of an action manga where the fight scenes are well-drawn so you can actually follow what is going on.

Manga and anime only start to diverge around volume 9 of the manga, so you can start reading there.
>> No. 37837 [Edit]
File 170593281530.png - (75.23KB , 615x201 , Untitled2.png )
37837
>>37836
>mangas
>animes
>> No. 37866 [Edit]
>>37836
Claymore character design sucks. They are literally the same except for hair-style.
>> No. 37881 [Edit]
The Promised Neverland ( Japanese: 約束のネバーランド, Hepburn: Yakusoku no Neverland ) is making me sad but it's good...
>> No. 37900 [Edit]
File 170777926832.png - (136.33KB , 1544x768 , Shinreigari - Ghost Hound DS (Japan).png )
37900
>>37321
>I've seen Lain and Texhnolyze. The latter is very distinct, but maybe Gnostic symbolism can be found in that too.
Probably, since Lain, Texhnolyze and Malice@Doll were all written by the same guy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaki_J._Konaka

Another one of his creations is Ghost Hound.
I originally watched this when it came out back when I was still in school, but recently re-watched it because I felt reminded of it when I had a chat with an Alawite, whose religious practice apparently includes a strong focus on astral projection, which is a focus of this show.

It starts off very strong with a creepy atmosphere and very good sound work.
It's really something you want to watch in the dark and with headphones on.
The plot seems coherent enough in the beginning and revolves around clearing up the mysteries surrounding the kidnapping of the protagonist 11 years earlier.

There are lots of small details I like. Take for example how the protag is into HAM radio. It makes you think of radiowaves, which are all around you yet you cannot see or hear them unless you get the right tools to turn them into sound or visuals. This is much like the Invisible World the show focuses on, as it is full of spirits that are all around you, yet you cannot see or hear them unless you are attuned to it.

Unfortunately, I think some of the visual designs don't fit with the tone of the show.

The characters also seem too one-dimensional. The edgy wolf kid is a bit too edgy, the smug annoying urbanite a bit too smug and annoying.

In the later episodes, the show loses a lot of what makes it unique, the plot becomes generic and predictable, and the creepy atmosphere is mostly gone.
The show introduces a lot of religious, scientific and paranormal concepts, but in the end you can't help but notice that it doesn't explore most of them much or at all.

Still, it's actually one of my favorite shows because of the atmosphere it manages to create, even if it loses steam at some point.

Picrelated is the NDS game, which I cannot recommend unless you're really unsatisfied with the anime's ending and want to read the game's epilogue.
Apart from said epilogue, it's mostly just a 1-to-1 retelling of the story from the anime without adding much. If anything, it even leaves out certain things.
>> No. 37901 [Edit]
>>37866
The monster designs are good.
But yeah Yagi seems to have a thing for blondes with lithe physiques.
>> No. 37902 [Edit]
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37902
>>37837
>> No. 37903 [Edit]
>>37902
I love these so much, despite agreeing with the referenced post.
>> No. 37904 [Edit]
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37904
>>37902
>> No. 37905 [Edit]
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37905
>>37903
>agreeing with the referenced post
it's the worst kind of pretentious pseudo-elitism.
At least write them properly as アニメ and 漫画 if you insist that Japanese loanwords should get special treatment.

Maybe I should call them comics and cartoons just to trigger the two of you.
>> No. 37906 [Edit]
File 170813580778.jpg - (0.96MB , 1280x1797 , 42a260b0b3d229f97a4d5ea870556a26.jpg )
37906
>>37905
>it's the worst kind of pretentious pseudo-elitism.
Yeah, tell those cattles.
>At least write them properly as アニメ and 漫画 if you insist that Japanese loanwords should get special treatment.
Do you have any more advices?
>> No. 37907 [Edit]
>>37905
If you insist on acting silly, don't be taken aback when you receive criticism.
>> No. 37908 [Edit]
File 170814300388.gif - (42.34KB , 133x240 , spingirl.gif )
37908
>>37907
Correct. If you make silly comments like >>37837 then don't be taken aback when you receive criticism.
>> No. 37909 [Edit]
>>37908
And so the cycle continues! But for the record, not that you're necessarily implying it, I didn't make that post.
>> No. 37910 [Edit]
>>37906
>Do you have any more advices?
Sure.
Advice and cattle are not countable, you should say pieces of advice or head of cattle.
Mangas on the other hand is the correct plural form for what Merriam-Webster defines as "an individual comic book or graphic novel of the manga genre"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mangas
>> No. 37911 [Edit]
>>37910
None of the anons in this quote chain, but citing Webster doesn't really tell you anything, they only categorize English language as its used, it's not meant to be some authoritative prescriptivist source. And English isn't really a language known for its rigidity (or for being authentic to the languages it borrows from), so I don't see why it matters too much.

Now if you want analysis from a linguistic perspective of whether nouns borrowed from Japanese have traditionally been treated as irregular plural (no difference in singular/plural form) then you can look at [1, 2]. Some dictionaries clearly allow the plural "-s" form. Maybe even more common than anime/manga is "emoji" which is commonly found in pluralized form. (Interestingly to me there's a subtle nuance difference when using "emoji" in a collective sense compared to using "emojis", similar to the nuance difference between "cattle" and "cows").

[1] https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/501/should-nouns-borrowed-from-japanese-be-pluralized
[2] https://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/3212/what-is-the-proper-pluralization-of-anime-and-manga
>> No. 37912 [Edit]
My simplistic take is that affixing 's' to manga, anime, and similar words sounds very wrong to my ears, and it's often associated with the less desirable types. [I'm not saying the anon here is one of those!]

>>37911
Interesting post!
>> No. 37913 [Edit]
>>37905
I don't mind loanwords being pluralized and I agree that it can be seen as elitist or pedantic correcting others but I also don't like the ¨anime is just animation/cartoons¨ and ¨manga are comic books¨ mindset among casual fans. I don't apply this to words like ¨bento¨ that are not as common or recognized among English speakers. Manga and anime have successfully become English loanwords, in my opinion. It seems like translators are trying too hard to maintain consistency when I see them translated as comics/cartoons and they avoid TL notes.
I know you were probably poking fun at them with your last comment but I wanted to give my 2 cents. We should focus on using Japanese onomatopoeia in casual English conversations as the next step hehe
>>37906
I miss Ellen-sensei and her simple yet appealing design so much. It was a fun trend.

Post edited on 16th Feb 2024, 11:05pm
>> No. 37914 [Edit]
>>37913
>We should focus on using Japanese onomatopoeia in casual English conversations
They sound cuter, so I exhort the mods to mandate their usage. Dissenters will be sent to the Christmas cake gulags.
>> No. 37915 [Edit]
>>37912
>Interesting post
I think in that first link "hippietrail" is spot on when he mentions that given historical context the only apparent trend is that words borrowed from Japanese start off unpluralized but then gain the standard "-s" pluralization as they become more common.

Out of the examples he cites, "futons (never futon)" and "tsunamis (never tsunami)" are probably the most interesting as bellwethers. To me "futons" is absolutely the only one that sounds right, there's no way to use "futon" as plural in English that doesn't sound wrong to me. "I have two futon spread out in my room(?)". Tsunami I could go either way on, "Two tsunami hit the coast" and "Two tsunamis hit the coast" both sound fine to my ears, and now that both are semantically satiated in my brain I don't know which one I would have personally chosen before this post. On the flipside, "kanjis" and "geishas" seem really off to me, likely because as the post mentioned they're intrinsically linked to their Japanese origin.

Also as an aside, I think basically all food dishes from Japan become collective nouns in English so they effectively resist pluralization by those means. The SE post calls out some of these, but I think it goes further and even things not mentioned as collective in that post, like "sushi" "ramen" and "sashimi" are still collective nouns (you'd never say "a ramen", it's always "a bowl of ramen" or "a plate of sashimi").
>> No. 37916 [Edit]
>>37915
Posts like yours are one of the reasons why I like TC. But that aside, "loli" is interesting to me since neither its collective nor English plural forms sound good to me.
>> No. 37917 [Edit]
>>37916
I wonder if that's because loli isn't truly Japanese in origin, it's itself shortened from Russian "Lolita". And the natural loaning into English from there would use it more as an adjective (as in "lolita complex").
>> No. 37918 [Edit]
>>37917
Boy do I feel stupid for not remembering that. Another good point nonetheless, and even "lolitas" doesn't sound too bad as well.
>> No. 37919 [Edit]
>>37913
It seems that for many Japanese people アニメ = animation in general and 漫画 = comics in general, so depending on the context, the English words "anime" and "manga" may be too narrow to be used as translations, because the speaker might not be strictly referring to works of Japanese origin.
But I kind of dislike the translation of "アニメ" as "cartoon" because "cartoon" might be ambiguous and doesn't necessarily imply the presence of animation unless it's used in a phrase like "watches cartoons".

>>37917
>I wonder if that's because loli isn't truly Japanese in origin,
"Anime" isn't either.
Neither are "futon", "kanji", "ramen", or "tofu" for that matter, but these words also lack a plural form in their languages of origin.
>it's itself shortened from Russian "Lolita".
Doesn't the nickname "Lolita" come from Spanish? Nabokov was born Russian, but he later became an American citizen and wrote Lolita in English.
>> No. 37922 [Edit]
>>37919
Somewhere in Japan there's a marvel comic book otaku lamenting his language's butchering of English via wasei-ego.

>>37919
Oops yeah you're right, I only remembered the author's name so misattributed the origin.
>> No. 37923 [Edit]
>>37912
>>37913
>less desirable types
>casual fans
I'd disagree, I think we've come full circle. 10 years ago casual fans may have said "animes" and "cartoons" but nowadays casual fans are the ones insisting on "anime" and pronouncing manga with the 'a' in 'father'. I've always been on the side of 'it doesn't matter' anyway though. You aren't judging anyone based on the use of a single word.

"weeb" is another thing though. Why is it that a stupid joke from 2005 is now the name I have to use is beyond me. Use Otaku, coined by otaku for otaku since time immemorial. (Yes, I know it means 'house', the otaku coined the other meaning to describe themselves)


We are otakus...
>> No. 37924 [Edit]
>>37923
>but nowadays casual fans are the ones insisting on "anime" and pronouncing manga with the 'a' in 'father'.
Seems like good news to me, assuming this is an actual trend. Haven't seen it myself though, but I mostly hang around places where this isn't a problem.

>Why is it that a stupid joke from 2005 is now the name I have to use is beyond me.
You should ruminate on this, because the answer is one you will not like.
>> No. 37925 [Edit]
File 170823208491.png - (1.65MB , 1920x1200 , Erai-raws_Mahou_Shoujo_Magical_Destroyers_-_05_108.png )
37925
the real question is, is it "otaku" or "otakus"?>>37916
i've seen people say "lolies". i don't know if that one's better or worse than the alternatives.
>> No. 37926 [Edit]
>>37925
Neither, it's "otaki."
>> No. 37927 [Edit]
>>37925
"otaku" is actually one of the words mentioned in the SE post, at least to that user
>otakus sounds better than otaku as a plural to me but this word hasn't gained much currency in English as yet
Of course since it's partly used as a shibboleth (otherwise wotaku wouldn't have been coined as a replacement after "otaku" became too mainstream in Japan as I understand), having the word resist english pluralization makes sense.
>> No. 37928 [Edit]
>>but nowadays casual fans are the ones insisting on "anime" and pronouncing manga with the 'a' in 'father'.
I've always said it this way instead of "a-ni-may" because in my mother tongue words are pronounced phonetically as well.
>> No. 37929 [Edit]
>>37928
I held myself back from writing the same thing you did because they were talking about English speaking anime communities. Since you already mentioned it, let me also add that we call anime fans here "otaku" and adding an S to make it plural is just as common as the usage of the word. I've yet to see someone correcting others for it, probably because it's an old word and we all grew up adding a S to pluralize it. It works as a general way to refer to anime/Japan fans but it can also be used as an insult by itself, similar to how Japanese use it (I think). It carries a strong negative connotation, like "nerd" in English but worse since we also use nerd and gamer here.
>> No. 37930 [Edit]
>>37924
>assuming this is an actual trend
My only source is being outside and then overhearing conversations between kids talking about the shounen of the month, or coworkers (ew... he works...) talking about one piece. For some reason they think that because they like Japanese media they are now the authority on all things Japanese including pronunciation and grammar.

>You should ruminate on this
Hmm... /a/'s influence on western otaku culture spread past their insular community until it became a bastardized version of what was originally an inside joke between a few people? From my understanding it was popularized with its current meaning because "wapanese" was wordfiltered to "weeaboo"... fuck, this mindless early 00s trolling is what defines the internet now? Why can't young people create their own culture?

>>37928
>>37929
I guess there's no real answer because what defines grammar rules in languages isn't consistency but agreement. Foreign words can obey foreign grammar or native grammar with no real pattern. This is interesting though, to have words for different levels of nerd.
>> No. 37962 [Edit]
File 171057222161.png - (378.48KB , 640x840 , テクノライズ MaliceDoll 白い少女 Ghost G.png )
37962
>>37321
I just watched Texhnolyze.
I feel like I would have to watch it again right away to properly make sense of it. But it's a bit too grim and depressing for me to do that.
There's some real intellectual meat on this show, so actually writing a proper review would take me much more time than I'd care to invest.

In the last episodes, Ichise plays out the role of Orpheus, who goes to the depths of Hades and back again for the woman he loves, only to lose her in the end. The surface world is in fact full of references to the French 1950 film Orphée, which you can watch here:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1IZIwV7c3os
Some of the radio broadcasts are taken verbatim from this movie.
Orpheus was a central figure in the mystery schools of ancient Greece, which had strong influence on Plato and the Gnostics.

I still wonder what Chiaki J. Konata wanted to symbolize with this girl holding a white ball, if anything.
She shows up both in Malice@Doll and in Technolyze, in both cases as the main character glimpses into the "outside" world.
The white ball reminds me of a pearl, which is an important symbol in Gnostic Christianity:
http://thepearl.org
https://odysee.com/@altrusiangracemedia:1/the-song-of-the-pearl-a-gnostic-metaphor:f
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A45-46&version=NIV

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