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Nov 27, 2022
Angel Beats! had been an anime I had heard about a lot before I finally got around to watching it late 2022. I knew two things going in: It was very good and it was also sad. So my expectations were quite high going in.
I won't lie, Angel Beats! did not quite live up to the hype. I can definitely tell this is a matter of not having enough time though. The music is great, the animation is decent and story beats are all there to make for a very sad anime. However, the characters just did not get enough time for me attach to
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them. This is a pretty significant flaw in an anime that is supposed to make me feel things.
I am sure if I read the source material, this anime would pull harder at my heartstrings, but as a standalone, I think only some people will feel the emotions that the author intended. As for me, while I was a bit saddened, I never really fully cared for the characters. I just could not get invested in their respective stories.
The biggest saving grace is best girl TK. He alone brought it up from a 6 to a 7.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 21, 2022
Did you like Madoka Magica? Well you're in luck because there's a sequel! Rebellion certainly doesn't disappoint - giving you more of the character moments, abstract art, amazing choreography, and fantastic soundtrack you love!
Similar to the beginning of the tv series, Rebellion will feel a lot like a mystery for the first half of its runtime. I found myself very confused when I first started watching it as I wasn't sure what exactly was going on. No worries though, that's the point!
Story-wise, I am a little undecided on it. The ending is a bit controversial. Much of it makes sense from a character sense
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but also seems to cheapen some aspects of the original series. It's hard to go into detail on it without spoiling it, so it is best to go in with as few spoilers as possible.
Overall, a slightly weaker - but overall still fantastic watch for any Madoka fans!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 25, 2022
Once in a while, a peice of media is released that connects to you so strongly, that moves you on such a personal level it becomes difficult to step back and decide whether it's because you are being biased or if the artwork is truly a masterpiece. This is the predicament I find myself in currently with A Place Further than the Universe.
Ostensibly a show about cute, moe anime girls going to Antarctica, something about this show told me to save it to watch with someone I wanted to have an emotional ride with. I am very glad I did so as it delivered
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in spades.
The artwork of the show is honestly Miyazaki-levels of gorgeous. You would think that a show about Antarctica would be lacking in gorgeous scenery to draw. But against all odds Madhouse studios brought to life an alien world filled with so much beauty and detail I felt like I was actually there. This is even all the more impressive when you take into consideration that Japan isn't exactly known for it's harsh, tundra-like conditions that I grew up in. Everything felt so real, so genuine, from the snow to the characters' shivers to the indescribable detail on this ship.
The characters are as lovable and moe as the box art would suggest. While some characters are certainly stronger than others, every interaction with the main cast on screen is certain to instill some emotion in you. I personally felt a great deal of connection with the high school dropout Hinata. You learn pretty quickly that Hinata is a high school dropout who plans on taking final exams outside of school. However, unlike the standard dropout trope, Hinata is so genuinely pure and earnestly happy it never really even occurs to you that this was anything other than her plan all along. She's not constantly moping or depressed. Her life isn't tragic. She isn't angry. She loves herself and instills happy energy in everyone around her.
The only real issue I have with the anime is it's generally uninspired sound accompaniment. However, when your biggest bone to pick with an anime is the music could have been better than "just good" you know you've found a winner worth treasuring.
Emotionally this show got me. I am usually pretty stoic, but through the amazing writing and character development - this show of ice managed to thaw my heart and bear raw my emotions. I found myself laughing, bawling and laughing again in the course of a single episode. Few other shows have been able to move me so thoroughly. As a result A Place Further the Universe will forever hold a Place Closest to my Heart.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 5, 2021
Unfortunately, My Hero Academia season 5 is a bit of a downgrade from previous seasons. The animation has taken a noticeable hit. Scenes that could have been far more beautiful look much more stilted and generic. Even my mother, who is not heavily into anime noticed the stark difference. I really hope this is due to COVID affecting the animation schedule and nothing more. Despite this, the animation is not bad by any stretch, just not living up to the standards of the previous seasons.
Further disappointment hits when you realize the season is largely just set-up for future events. The main heroes spend the
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first half of the season training and improving their abilities slightly and we see more of Midoria and Bakogo's friendship, but very little in the way of plot or inter-character relationship progression. I was actually surprised in the finale that it was, in fact, the finale. Nothing really happens in it and it feels more like a summary of things that have happened this season than any kind of climatic throw-down we've come to expect.
The major saving grace of this season, and the main reason this does not get an even lower score is due to the last half of the season. The Character development for many of the villain characters we've been following is very strong this season. While the development shall remain unspoiled here, it's not quite good enough to keep Boku no Hero Academia season 5 in the 8 range I would normally give it.
In conclusion, season 5 has a noticeable decrease in quality in animation and feels much more like set up for season 6 than a season in its own right. Hopefully the setup will pay off in spades whenever the show returns in full form.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 27, 2021
Blend S is a comedy romance with a lot of potential that seems to just barely miss the mark of being a good anime.
Blend S has a somewhat novel take on the moe characteristics of the main heroine, Maika - she's an accidental sadist! While not something I thought I would enjoy, the character design is superb! She manages to come across the perfect amount of cute and hopeless <3
Most of the rest of the main cast is equally wonderful in its design. This is the greatest strength of the anime as a whole. The juxtapositions between how each girl behaves in character vs
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out of character keeps the anime fluid and dynamic - while also allowing a good deal of both comedy and romantic tension.
By far the best use of this juxtaposition is the budding romantic tension between Kaho (the girl who roleplays as a Tsundere but is actually quite earnest) and her coworker Kouyou (the worker who is the true Tsundere). The chemistry between these two characters is endearing, believable, sweet and wholesome all at the same time!
Unfortunately, with so many wonderful character designs, it is inevitable that some feel a bit underdeveloped. For instance, Miu (the Oneesan roleplayer) feels largely untapped through the runtime of the series.
As for the actual story, it is primarily cute. The dynamic between the main cast of characters is comedic and earned some very hardy laughs from this viewer at least. I find myself routing for the characters to do their best and can't wait to see how the characters come to life on screen.
Regardless, there are some notable issues with the main cast. While I have no issue with femme boys in general, there are a few too many scenes where the handling of Hideri leaves much to be desired. For instance, there is a scene where Hideri (passingly dressed as a girl) needs to use the bathroom and heads to the women's room. Miu, the doujinshi artist, forcibly stops him and directs him to the men's restroom. A bunch of Japanese men then rush out with noticeable confusion their faces. The audience is supposed to find this... funny? However, I am just left scratching my head going - why not just use the girl's restroom? Wouldn't that be more discrete?
Further, the premise of the relationship between Maika and Dino is a bit problematic. Dino is the manager of the cafe and an adult foreigner. Maika is a high school student and seems somewhat unaware of her bosses affections. While I have no issue with the age difference or power dynamic differences in these sorts of anime (taboo fantasy fulfillment is kind of the point) the way they play off Dino as comic relief is kind of confusing to the tone of the anime in general. I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but there is even real world consequences to his expression of interest in Maika that ends up being played off as funny, but should be quite serious. Realistically, nothing would have been lost in the anime if they had just made Dino another worker and like 19 instead of an older manager. Honestly, I kind of wish they just did that. It would even make more sense as to why he's so inept with women.
In terms of animation quality, A1 pictures gives us a peek at perfection but takes some major shortcuts. They have really hit their stride in capturing the unique moe designs of the main cast. However the silhouetting of background characters comes across as sloppy and distracting. For the studio that showed us it can create beautiful settings and characters with SAO and Eromanga Sensei, these kinds of shortcuts feel more at home in an indie studio than a major animation studio.
As with many anime that have ongoing source material, I didn't expect a definitive answer to the will they won't they question from the ending of season 1. As expected we did not get that. I would like to point out that both the official and fan translations for the manga are behind even what the anime adapted. So unless you know Japanese, this anime and its source manga will not satisfy your curiosity for the development of the characters for a long long time. While the lack of fan translations is hardly the studios fault,I cannot overlook that reality. Having something resembling a satisfying arc really helps with the feeling of a progressing story and the story just lacks something resembling true progression by the end of season 1.
Blend S is an anime with cute designs and amazing potential that has some notable flaws in terms of story and execution. While the anime pokes fun at some tropes and will earn some laughs, I cannot really recommend this anime unless you are some sort of masochist that likes reading incomplete arcs. 6/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Sep 1, 2021
Ryuuou no Oshigoto! is a controversial anime that does what it sets out to do flawlessly. A show mainly about shogi and the relationships of a title holder that plays it, Ryuuou no Oshigoto! hits every beat one could expect and possibly a few no one wanted.
The sound and artwork for the show is fantastic. The score behind intense moments of watching the game, the sounds of shogi pieces hitting the board, the endearing character designs and beautiful animation makes for intense matches rivaling some of the best sports anime in the industry. You can tell the production team was not phoning this one in
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like some other anime in the genre, the passion and intensity so central in professional sports anime bleeds through and generates so much hype for the matches.
Honestly, the anime could stand on its sports design alone, however the anime also features a decent amount of loli-centric fan service and harem-esque relationships. For some, this would be a huge bonus and for others it's a deal breaker. Whichever category you fall in will probably dictate whether or not you will enjoy Ryuuou no Oshigoto!
Unfortunately, Shogi x ecchi is a very strange niche that didn't seem to have a proper audience. It is extremely unlikely there will be a season 2. However, the anime does leave off on a very satisfying note, so you won't be disappointed like other game-based anime (looking at you no game no life)
The anime is very noob-friendly when it comes with shogi and it is very appreciated. I never knew anything about shogi, but it definitely inspired me to look into shogi and the real life people the characters and matches were based. I even got inspired to clock 1000 matches in chess after dropping it for a decade because of the passion depicted in the anime.
While not a must watch by any means, if you liked anime like no game no life or sports anime and you can handle ecchi of questionable characters - Ryuuou no Oshigoto! is a short, self contained series that will leave you iching to create a chess.com account.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 31, 2021
You can check out my review of the previous seasons here: https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=412114
Generally an improvement on seasons 1 + 2, season 3 of Sailor Moon Crystal is a great anime held back by a lack of character development.
This season follows my favorite arc in Sailor Moon - the Infinity arc. This arc is definitely a much darker feeling arc - with some interesting nihilistic-feeling mysteries that would not feel too out of place in a Madoka Magika spinoff. I mean, it's still sailor moon - so don't get over hyped; but if you've been hoping for a bit more lore, the Infinity arc has you covered.
So
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the previous seasons I rated a 6/10 due largely to two penalizing reasons:
1. The ancillary sailor scouts lack enough character development and usefulness
2. The Transformation sequences are held back by bad CGI
While the former reason is still very much present, the latter is.... somewhat better. OG Sailor Moon transformations are still far more beautiful. The cartoonish design of OG sailor moon also makes the characters far more endearing. However, it is clear the studio has heard the backlash and is attempting to address it.
That, coupled by apex arc, makes this season an improved 7/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 9, 2021
Finally, sailor moon crystal is the adaptation we've all wanted for sailormoon - minus some pretty terrible shortcomings.
Season 1 + 2 of this anime features a well paced re-imagining of the original sailor moon anime - the likes of which fits incredibly well with the fast-paced nature of 2010s shonen cartoons. The well-paced nature of the story, one of the biggest drawbacks of the OG sailor moon anime, has finally been addressed. This almost makes Sailor Moon Crystal the definitive animation for the two arcs of the manga it covers.
However, Sailor Moon Crystal goes almost too far in its pacing. As a result
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of its quickened pace, the other sailor scouts lack a lot of the same character and charm that the original sailor scouts had.
The other big drawback to Sailor Moon Crystal is its wonky animation choices. It is clear that the animators wanted to harken back to the original designs of the manga characters, but you'll find yourself wishing the 90s animators worked on this instead. The CGI transformation sequences are alien and out of place. The movements of the scouts feel more barbie doll and less... well cartoonish. The animation is possibly the most offensive part of this series.
While the questionable animation choices, bad CGI and neglected sailor ancillary scouts keep this from being the definitive way to enjoy sailor moon; the much better pacing and the far more competent season 3 still makes this the recommended way to pick up sailor moon for anyone new to the franchise. For that, it gets just a 6/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 8, 2021
"If a tsundere and a tsundere liked each other, would they ever find out?" - Gigguk
Honestly, this quote is what drew me into the 3d chess, battle royale, Deathnote style love game that Kaguya-sama portrays. Possibly the best romantic comedy to have ever been released in anime, Kaguya-sama's jokes and music complement the absurdity that is high school romance dramas.
Kaguya-sama is about the game of love, where the most mundane of stakes are treated with the importance placed on them by the most intense of high school students. The battle of wits is narrated with the gravity of life or death - bolstering every
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comedic moment and punch line.
Honestly, the only thing even resembling a blemish comes across more as a nitpick - the animation can be a bit dizzying at times with the amount of special effects. Especially during the first season. This is not an anime for first-time anime watchers, but those seasoned in reading complex subtitles and familiar with romantic comedies in anime in general.
10/10 - This is a must see for any anime fan.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 8, 2021
Eromanga Sensei is the gorgeous love child between author of Oreimo, Tsukasa Fushimi and the ever talented individuals at A1 Pictures. A hilarious Romantic Comedy - the Main Character Masamune attempts to be a good brother and caretaker of his NEET (not related by blood) sister. In the process he finds out she has been the secret illustrator for his often pervy light novels the whole time!
This anime is justified in its controversy. The problematic ages of the the harem and the power dynamics of the main character and his sister are the only reason the anime has a hard time finding an audience
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in the west. However for those looking past that (or possibly rather, for that), the characters are some of the funniest and best animated in the genre.
Seriously, the comedic timing and attention to detail of character movements have actually given me new found respect for what A1 pictures can do.
While its comedy may not be on par with anime like Kaguya-sama or as beautfiul as ghibli - it's certainly no slouch. It's ecchi humor and lovable characters make the show a must watch for only the most cultured of weebs.
8/10, hope it gets a season 2.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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