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Apr 29, 2024
Its Overrated
Story: 2/10 D-
Animation/Art: 8/10 B
Sound: 8/10 B+
Characters: 4/10 D
Acting(subbed): 5/10 C-
Overall: 4/10 D
TLDR:
This is a beautiful looking and sounding movie that is completely let down by an absolute mess of a story and a cast of confusing characters that aren’t really all that enjoyable. Positives first though, the animation is beautiful, smooth, just great. I really like it. The sound and music omg it good. I mean you know the theme it’s legendary for a reason. But now for bad stuff. The story is a mess. It starts off slow paced, and then the movie keeps changing goals. It’s just hippity hoppity from one
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plot line to another. Then there’s this war going on that palys LITERALLY ZERO role in this movie. IT DOES NOTHING! YOU COULD EASILY REMOVE IT AND THE MOVIE WOULD STILL BE THE SAME!!! Characters are boring. Sophie is so boring. Howl feels so conflicted as a person. Is he mysterious or is he a child? Is he a coward or is he just being manipulative? He has no consistency. Everyone else is boring too. I hate them all. Acting wise it’s average. That’s it. Average. I don’t have anything else to say about it. I didn’t like this movie.
Story:
Ooh boy. The weakest aspect of this movie. Absolute mess. It starts off fine I guess. It immediately provides a sense of intrigue and mystery that makes you wanna keep watching. But after a while the whole story takes a complete turn. Then another turn. And then another. The story can’t pick a plot line. Right when you think they are about to start pursuing one goal, suddenly, THEY THROW TIME TRAVEL AT YOU AND REVEAL SOMETHING NEW!!! Not kidding by the way that came out of nowhere. This story is just a bunch of clashing plotlines like someone in the storyboarding room mixed up a bunch of rough draft ideas, threw them on a wall at random and said “this is a movie” and everyone else said “yeah this is a movie”. Theres just no semblance of consistency. Now I’m not saying it’s confusing. It’s fairly easy to follow along but because the main goal keeps changing, it’s hard to get invested in any aspect of the story. Also theres this war plotline. It could easily be removed. Super easily. It plays zero part in this story at all. I don’t know what else to say. It’s just not good.
Animation/Art:
This part is actually pretty good. The animation is beautiful. Especially scenes in the mountains, the background is a work of art. The action scenes are made better with high quality, smooth animation. I don’t have much else to say here. Studio Ghibli has always had excellent animation quality and this movie is no exception to that. That being said, it is a relatively old film and so looks like an old film. I don’t really have a problem with it but the style of this film feels softer than modern anime and is very clearly of an older era.
Sound:
The music here is legendary. Don’t tell me that you haven’t heard the main theme of the movie. Even non-anime fans are well aware of it. The rest of the soundtrack is just as good. It’s dramatic, it’s whimsical and it’s beautiful. It’s not the best though. In no situation did my mind just think “god damn this some good music”. I did sometimes think “nice music” but it was never something as good as “god damn”.
Characters:
Oh boy. Here we go. I suppose we should start off with the main character Sophie. Boring as hell. Just so boring. Her voice actor sounds boring. She looks boring. I just dont get it why is she so boring? She has some motivation but I feel like the VA just can’t put any heart into her. It’s just so sad. She just feels completely emotionless half the time even in moments that should be tense. And howl sucks. I can’t tell who Howl is supposed to be. Is he meant to be dark and mysterious, happy and whimsical, or a bumbling idiot? There is no consistency in his character and not like the has a manipulative nature and changes for different purposes, it’s like instead there are 3 different people writing for him at the same time each with a different purpose. He starts off afraid of someone but then ends up just getting over that and then he just brings in someone he knows wants to eat his heart? What is this? Then theres a villain and she is just the worst. What does she do? Well nothing personally. It seems like she will start off like a threatening villain to fight against but she never appears after her introduction. She just appears once to try and accomplish her goal and then disappears and just sends warships after him. And her motivation is completely unclear. She wants to end the war but takes priority fighting Howl but at the end when the Howl problem is resolved she just ends the war. What? Why didn’t you do that at the start. And remember, the war has literally no influence on the story. Literally zero. This section is really hard to write. Why? Because thats just how confusing the chracters are. God I hate them.
Acting(subbed):
It was fine I guess. Honestly not really all that impressed or anything. Sophies VA feels dead and boring inside. Howls is, fine. Everyone else is, fine. I just can’t think of anything else. It was just, fine.
Enjoyment/Overall:
I’ve said what I wanted to say. It’s a movie with good animation and good music and somewhat acceptable acting. But its also a movie with GARBAGE story and extremely confusing and inconsistent characters. How am I supposed to care for a character when I don’t even know what the character acts like or who they really are? How am I supposed to get invested in the story when the story seems to be written by 3 different people who have no idea what the story is supposed to be? I can’t see in anyway how somebody could like this movie. I’m glad that people do like this movie but I just can’t see why. Thankfully I’m the odd one out when in comes to this movie because so far I don’t know anybody else besides me that dislikes this movie. The TL;DR said most of it. This movie can go to hell. Goodbye.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Apr 7, 2024
A Tragic Masterpiece
Story: 10/10 A+
Animation/Art: 11/10 S-
Sound: 8/10 B+
Characters: 10/10 A+
Acting(subbed): 10/10 A+
Overall: 11/10 S-
TLDR:
This is an absolute masterpiece of a film. It truly feels like the love child of a genius. You can feel the amount of passion, love, and dedication that was poured into this film. Story wise it's perfect. It's emotional, funny, and tragic and is very well-paced. The animation is incredible, full of expression and its simplicity allows for such dynamic and incredible movement. Unfortunately, the art style may not be to your liking but I for one love it. The music is amazing for this movie, as with most Studio
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Ghibli movies, but unfortunately, despite it certainly amplifying the effect of many scenes, none of the music particularly stands out as truly incredible. The characters are extremely well-developed and are all unique in the most human of ways. The main character Kaguya in particular is amazing and her relationships with other characters are, in my opinion, the second best part of the movie. The acting is spot on. Each voice actor went truly above and beyond. This movie has some of the most emotional and raw acting in anime. Overall this is now my favorite movie. Every aspect of it is truly incredible.
Story:
Absolute masterful work here. The story is incredibly emotional, funny, and tragic. All three of these bundled together into a masterpiece. A big plus here is that I thought it was actually paced well. Usually, I have a big problem with Studio Ghibli movies and their pacing, but in this case, I didn't even question it at all. It was perfectly paced. Now, there may be a belief that this movie centers around the Princess giving male suitors impossible tasks to complete but in reality, it's much more about Princess Kaguya herself and how she comes to love earth and to love hating earth at the same time. It is only through the suitors that we get to see some of the deeper thoughts and intelligence of Kaguya and how she views the world. Nearing the end of the movie the story's tone takes a switch to a much more fast-paced and desperate feeling as Kaguya tries to enjoy the remaining time she has left on earth. This section of the movie is, in my opinion, the best. It's full of hard-hitting emotional moments and really portrays the message that the movie is trying to send to the audience very well. That ending was absolutely heartbreaking and yet provides the smallest semblance of hope for a better future through the falling of just a few tears. One thing I loved about this movie is that it turns an enlightened, godlike group, into a group that is in fact lesser than humanity. The movie shows that this group has given up emotion in all forms, ridding themselves of pain but also happiness. The movie wants people to understand that the suffering of life is worth it and in the end, even suffering is an experience to cherish and value.
Animation/Art:
Absolutely fucking phenomenal. Like just a round of applause. Now I can understand that it can be offputting. But I am a big believer that anime is not only multi-genre, but should also have multiple animation styles. In this case, Princess Kaguya takes beautiful and unique animation to a whole other level. The entire movie is done in a style that makes it almost look like you're reading it off of a scroll, fitting since this is based on an old folktale. The simplicity done for this movie allows for unparalleled levels of expression and movement. The faces and just how the characters move around on screen are filled with so much dynamic movement that you just can't find in basically any other anime. The animators aren't focusing on intense detail and a beautiful sunset but on the smooth and expressive movement of the characters. This is only given a greater effect when the animators begin to add creative expression to the scenes they have. This is best exemplified in the scene where Kaguya runs away. I've seen beautiful and unique animation before but that was something else. The movement into darkness, the distortion of Kaguya, the angles we see it in, how it gets progressively more distorted as Kaguya begins to break down just a little bit more, it was just so GOOD GOD DAMN! Overall, absolutely beautiful and incredible.
Sound:
Sound design and stuff like that is not really something I know a lot about so I'm going to skip over that part and go straight to MUSIC. The music in this movie is very very good. Not excellent but still very very good. It truly immerses you in the scene and leaves a big enough impact that I just had to go back and listen to the soundtrack. Studio Ghibli has always made beautiful soundtracks, even in the movies I didn't really like, and Princess Kaguya is no exception to that. However, no tracks in this movie stand out as beyond incredible, and much of it, despite leaving a memorable impact on my mind, isn't memorable itself.
Characters:
The characters in this movie are nothing less than excellent. Princess Kaguya in particular is very well written. Going from a child to a young woman in such a wonderful way and is an absolute joy to watch the whole way through. Seeing her enjoy life and then see her lose the sparkle of joy she had so greatly possessed and then to see her be left in desperation, trying to experience all that life had to offer in the little time she had left, it was also so moving. Other characters are also amazing. The father is a great character who becomes blinded by greed for all of the right reasons. He desperately wants Kaguya to pursue a happy life but when it begins to merge with the life that he dreams of living he begins to apply the dreams that he wishes for to Kaguya. Yet in the end, he shows that he truly cares for her and is completely devastated at the possibility of losing Kaguya. There is one scene early on in the movie where he shouts out Kaguyas name and she comes running to him instead of to a group of boys also shouting out her name. I can't say how deeply this scene moved me. The joy on his face and the fact that he nearly cries when this happens does nothing except cement the father as a man who lost his way but still deeply cares. The mother cares equally for Kaguya but doesn't become blinded by her own dreams. She instead tries to pursue the greatest happiness for Kaguya and so she becomes the second most lovable character on the show. Being nothing but a friend and support beam for Kaguya to rest on. I would go more into all the other characters but you really just have to watch the movie to find out.
Acting(subbed):
It's great. The voice actors here really put their heart and soul into this movie. There is one scene where Kaguyas dad calls out to his daughter with a chant and she comes to him instead of a group of boys using a different chant. This simple, tiny, insignificant scene, is nothing short of perfection. It perfectly encapsulates a parent's love for their child as the dad breaks down into tears and runs towards his daughter in sheer happiness as she walks towards him. BUT THIS SCENE COULD ONLY HAVE BEEN SO GOOD if the father was a great actor, and he was. He so greatly portrayed the joy of the father through small voice cracks and an increasing volume it was just so well done. Princess Kaguya is also a great actor. She is able to convey such bittersweet emotion throughout the entire film that just draws tears out of you. It really is just best if you watch the movie yourself for this to get what I'm coming from.
Enjoyment/Overall:
This film is truly a masterpiece in every sense of the word. I have never seen a movie with such passion and emotion. This movie felt like somebody's life work was finally achieved. Like somebody put all of their effort into making a singular movie, shaping it into exactly what they wanted, and what they wanted, turned out to be a masterpiece. The story that this movie goes through is so moving, the music is so impactful, the acting is unbelievably well done, the characters are relatable and moving, AND THAT ANIMATION!!! I can't give this movie anything less than an 11/10. On top of that the topics that it tackles are just done so well. The unrealistic and also unfair standards for women constantly bear down on Kaguya, making her life progressively less happy. How greed can blind us into thinking that what we are doing is for the best of everyone when it's really just for ourselves. How a single moment of foolish usage of force on someone, can completely ruin a person's life. I think the most important part of this film is right at the end. Where Kaguya finally has to accept her fate and yet, it's clear through just a few tears, that no matter what happens, her experience can't ever be lost. Forgotten maybe, but never lost. The emotion that is tied to earth and her life there is immovable. In the end, knowing what is about to happen, Kaguya becomes desperate and rushes to try and take in life's joys and pains right before the end. It's a lesson I think that everyone needs to be reminded of. That life, despite all its suffering and pain, is truly beautiful. It is the only chance to experience its beauty, so appreciate every moment of it before it's too late. This movie is everything I could have wanted it to be and more. 11/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 23, 2024
Supremely Wholesome
Story: 7/10 B-
Animation/Art: 8/10 B-
Sound: 6/10 C
Characters: 8/10 B+
Acting(Subbed): 7/10 B
Enjoyment: 7/10 B
Overall: 7/10 B
TLDR:
This anime is very wholesome and heartwarming. While I don't think it has any special quality that can be called a masterpiece it certainly has many strong points and overall as a show has very little especially wrong with it. The story is simple but isn't the main focus. The main focus is on the relationship between the characters and the growth of Frieren as she begins to understand emotion better. In the character department this show is undoubtedly excellent, each one has well defined motivations, is understandable, and is
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a joy to watch. FERN AND STARK NEED TO JUST START DATING THIS IS AN AMAZING LOVE STORY!!! Also the animation here is actually really good, especially in the fight scenes. I’m shocked really, I didn’t expect this show to have any focus on fights at all. Overall 7/10, not incredible but is certainly worth a watch and I can at least see why people really like this show. Please remember that 7/10 is still good and worth a watch.
Story:
The story is pretty good. My biggest criticism is early on when it feels extremely slow paced. I don’t think that this anime gets going until episode 5 when Stark gets introduced. After that point there is a mix of action and fun side stories while as before that point its just side stories that are very slow paced. If you hate slow paced the first few episodes are gonna hurt bad. But afterwards when the characters begin their journey the story begins to take a more fast paced character and it also gets moved to the sidelines more as the focus becomes on the action and characters.
Animation/Art:
I did not think that this anime would have such good animation. The artstyle is different in a way that makes it immediately identifiable as Freiren. Each character that matters is designed in a unique way that makes them immediately identifiable. But the main appeal here is the animation during the fight scenes. I came into this show expecting practically zero fighting but my mind was blown during so many fights here. The first one that really impressed me was the first one with Stark (can’t say against whom). The sense of scale and power that they conveyed was incredible. The fights only then continued and the final battle in the dungeon with Fern and Frieren was just amazing. If you’re looking for an anime with good fights and are willing to wait for a while between each fight, Freiren isn’t a bad choice.
Sound:
This soundtrack was composed by Evan Call. He also happens to have composed my favorite show Violet Evergarden. Knowing this I came in with high expectations.
They were not met. The soundtrack certainly isn’t bad, it’s above average in fact, but it doesn’t carry any wow factor that makes me go “wow” when listening to it later. At the very least though it has some good moments like the Zooltrak scene or the fight with Frieren and Fern at the end. But overall not especially impressive. However, I do think that some of the sound effects are pretty cool.
Characters:
This is where the show really exels. The main focus of the show are the interaction between the characters and how Frieren evolves as a person. Each character is an absolute joy to watch with even small side characters getting some backstory that make them intriguing. The main trios interactions are especially funny and enjoyable to watch. They all act surprisingly realistic unlike some anime where the characters are way too over the top. This is really best seen between Fern and Stark who have a good relationship yet their arguments seem so realistic as to what might happen between friends. And they also got another thing. Fern and Stark got some great romance getting ready and I am DYING TO SEEM THEM GET TOGETHER!!! JUST DO IT ALREADY ITS SO OBVIOUS THAT YOU LOVE EACH OTHER!!! YOU ARE SOOOOO GOOD TOGETHER JUST DO IT ALREADY MY GOD HOLY SH-
Well back to other characters. Frierens is kinda mean in the beginning although it becomes clear why. Because of her long life Frieren has trouble connecting with other people. But as the show continues we get to see more and more emotion in her as she begins to understand how what she considered a tiny 10 year adventure in her several thousand year lifespan may be the most meaningful time of her life. We get to see her learn to feel, empathize and hate. It’s kind of hard to see at first but becomes more and more obvious and it is just so well done just wow. Chefs kiss.
Acting(subbed):
The acting here is good. Not anything excellent but still good. I think that Frierens voice actor is the real winner here. She was able to deliver emotion while at the same time seeming so deadpan all the time. As an actor doing something like that is really difficult. Just beneath the surface at so many points you can hear care, concern, and even hatred despite her wearing a face of near complete emotionlessness. The rest of the characters are also good. Stark has a great complaining voice and Ferns VA does a great job at the pouting. A shockingly good job at the pouting.
Enjoyment/Overall:
This anime is supremely wholesome. Honestly gives a Spy x Family level of wholesomeness. It has strong points to it and nothing is bad at all. I definitely enjoyed it. However, I don’t think that this show is truly excellent and I do believe that it is very overrated. It’s probably affected by recency bias and will soon lower in score as time goes on and the FMAB fans begin their retake of the throne. But it is definitely worth a watch. I can see why people like it so much, it really just makes you feel good. It sends a message of appreciating what is around you and that even things that seem small can have a big impact on somebody. A lot of people out there need to hear that message. Give this show a shot, you might really like it and at worst you had a good enough time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 26, 2023
Crippling Disappointment
Story: 6/10 B
Animation/Art: 10/10 A+
Sound: 9/10 A-
Characters: 7/10 B-
Acting(dubbed): 8/10 B
Enjoyment: 7/10 B
Overall: 7/10
Story:
What happened here? The story in this movie is not good. There are 2 big problems with the story in this movie. One, the pacing is horrid, the entire first half of the movie is unbearably slow and the second half, despite strong improvements, does not do enough to compensate. The second problem is that too much of the movie diverts attention from the main story focus toward side plots revolving around one of Violets' clients and another side plot in modern times. The plots themselves are mostly mediocre. The plot
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during modern times is completely unnecessary and does nothing except waste time. The main plot is mediocre and certainly does not live up to the incredible story of the show. The story with Violet's client is easily the best part of the movie and is comparable to some of the best parts of the actual show. In fact, it’s good enough that it singlehandedly saved the entire movie from just being bad to being ok. Overall, while it’s still at least entertaining as a whole and a satisfying conclusion to the show, it is nowhere near as good as the show and ends up being a disappointment.
Animation/Art:
It’s good. Really good. It’s extremely beautiful and on par with some of the most beautifully animated movies and shows in all of anime. The way the characters look now that they are older is done very well. Can’t really say anything more about it, if animation quality is a big part of a movie for you then you won’t be disappointed in this category.
Sound:
Actually really good. Better than the show and has a very memorable and emotional soundtrack. The music enhances the scene it plays well and immerses you in the movie without getting distracted. It’s a massive improvement over the already good soundtrack of the show.
Characters:
I am sad. The best part of the show was by far the characters with each having incredible development and emotionally moving stories revolving around them. This movie is not that. Violet's character seems to have backpedaled from the show, with her ending up as serious and emotionless as the beginning of the show for most of the movie. Other characters have practically no development at all. One character that does (can’t say name bc spoilers) have development has it happen way too fast and they aren’t well done for most of their screen time. Overall in comparison to other movies it’s still good, but when compared to the show… I’m really upset.
Acting(dubbed):
I watched this with my family so I had to watch it dubbed for them. It’s pretty good acting. All the actors are just as good as they are in the show. The president in particular does a very good job in his acting, conveying incredible emotion and power during some specific parts of the movie. On top of that, having seen some of the subbed versions, the dub improves on the sub in many scenes. As dubbed it is a viable alternative to watching sub.
Enjoyment and Overall:
Now I love the show. The show is easily my favorite, completely surpassing anything that came before it. But this movie. I just didn’t like it that much. I did like it but not thaaaaaat much. It was closer to mediocre than it is to great. I really can’t say anything else other than that this movie was such a disappointment. It was good but still so disappointing. The story of the movie makes me feel that the creators were merely trying to pad the runtime, something that the movie could have done without. The side plot with Violet's client could have and should have been its own episode in the show or at least an OVA. There wasn’t enough focus on the main story for it to be compelling. The characters are done way worse than the show. The two best parts of the show are done absolutely terrible in this movie. While other strong points of the show remain, such as the animation, the movie for the most part is the show but worse. I just feel so conflicted, the movie is genuinely good but compared to the show disappointment is all I can feel.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 22, 2023
Emotion Overdue
Story: 10/10 A+
Animation/Art: 10/10 A+
Sound: 8/10 B-
Characters: 12/10 S+
Acting(dubbed): 7/10 B-
Enjoyment: 11/10 S-
Overall: 12/10 S+
Story:
Revolving around child war veteran Violet, she becomes an auto-memory doll that writes letters in order to understand the meaning of emotion and love. While to some of you, it may not appear to be a particularly captivating story, I’d recommend putting those doubts to the side. This is one of the most emotional stories in fiction I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The amount of times that I was brought to tears in this show is incredible. Episode 3 and after was a constant tearfest. The story
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is sometimes presented in parts to hide some facts from you and it’s done very well, making the moments when they are revealed incredibly impactful. While the pacing is slow in the first two episodes, it is worth every single second to get to the third episode and further.
Animation/Art:
Easily some of the best animation in an anime series I’ve seen. Imagine the animation of Your Name in a series the whole way through. That is how good this is. Each scene is absolutely beautiful, worthy of being in an art show. This even extends to the fight scenes in the show, which are surprisingly well choreographed considering it’s not at all the main focus of the show.
Sound:
The music is good. Although I admit it does get pretty repetitive at times it becomes associated with certain emotions, thus triggering an even stronger emotional response from the viewer. It’s very well implemented and immerses you in the scene well. But unfortunately, I’m comparing it to the best soundtrack I’ve heard, Your Lie In April. Violet Evergarden while good isn’t nearly as good as that show.
Characters:
This show focuses a large part on side characters, and that is where it excels and exceeds every other show I’ve seen so I’ll be starting this section with them. This first started in episode 3, the first episode to make me cry in the series. It focused on the relationship between a brother and sister and as a brother myself, it felt almost too personal. The relationship was very well done. Episode 7 focused on a writer named Oscar Webster, and he is now one of my favorite characters in fiction. My personal favorite episode in the series, we get to see Oscar as a broken man who lost his daughter, the development of Oscar in this episode is absolutely incredible, turning him from an annoying drunk to a character that can bring you to absolute tears in 20 minutes. Episode 10 is my final example and is widely considered to be the best episode in the series. A portrayal of innocence from the view of a child and sacrifice and fear from the view of a parent. At the end of the episode, we get to see the young child age and finally understand the things her mother was trying to do for her, which her younger self had misinterpreted as her mother being uncaring.
Acting(dubbed):
I watched this with family so I had to put it on dub for them. I’m not planning a rewatch for Sub any time soon. The acting in the dub is fine. The VA for Violet is decent in most situations but excels in some moments, usually ones with heavy emotion. Other characters are about as good although most don’t get chances to shine like Violets' actress. One character I found particularly annoying in the acting department was Dietfried, the brother of the major. His VA just sounded so dead inside, I really could not get over it. Overall though not bad, although not the best dub I’ve heard.
Enjoyment:
My god. I have never cried this much in a show. The first 2 episodes I didn’t really like but episode 3 really kicked it into high gear for me. I cried during it, the first time I’ve cried watching a show in a while. After that, I cried in nearly every episode. Episodes 7 and 10 in particular made me do more than just silently cry, I was practically wailing during them. The emotion that this show conveys is unlike any other. While other shows can make me cry, no show comes close the the consistency of bringing tears to my eyes that this show does. The art was beautiful, every single scene looked like it was drawn with incredible attention to detail and with extreme care. The characters are some of the best I’ve ever seen and the side characters are easily the best out of all the anime I’ve currently watched. The relationships between characters are perfectly made, and each character's motivation is well explained and understandable. I can’t express enough how emotional and well-crafted the characters in this show are. Beware to you viewers, if you don’t like crying this is not the show for you.
Overall:
This is my favorite show now. For a while it was Mob Psycho 100, then it became Steins Gate, but this is something different. It doesn’t have the thrilling and incredibly well-animated action of Mob Psycho, or the unbelievable development of the main protagonist as Steins Gate does, but as an overall show, Violet Evergarden comes close to and often surpasses the other two in every category. This show is something special. This show is beautiful. This show is emotional. This show is a 12/10. Well done.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 25, 2023
Action Fun
Story: 7/10 B-
Animation/Art: 10/10 A+
Sound: 8/10 B
Characters: 9/10 A-
Acting(subbed): 10/10 A+
Acting(dubbed): 8/10 B
Enjoyment: 8/10 B
Overall: 8/10 B+
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Story:
Mob Psycho 100 revolves around a young boy nicknamed Mob trying to find his way in the world, led by his fake psychic and, master, Reigen. The story, in the beginning, is rather slow and not fully immersive. It follows day-to-day activities and events that happen in Mob's life. By the time of episode 4 however, it begins to pick up. The introduction of a new character immediately catches attention and shows that there may be a larger world than what was previously known of people similar to Mob. After this, the story slows down again for a moment to focus on Ritsu, Mob's younger brother. The conflict introduced in the small amount of time where Ritsu is focused is astonishingly well fleshed out and very emotionally impactful. The villains kinda came out of nowhere and it gets generic but ends on a nice cliffhanger to prepare for season 2.
Animation/Art:
The animation in this show is absolutely phenomenal. Bright flashing colors and smooth animation in every single fight. In terms of sheer flashiness, this show has the vast majority of anime beat immediately just because of how many colors there are. The general animation outside of fight scenes is also great, with exaggerated facial expressions and movements for comedy and more serious, smooth, natural movements in the more tense scenes. The art style is where I see many getting put off. It’s completely separate from the usual anime art style. It’s much more simple and reflects the creator, ONE’s, drawing ability. I actually really liked it myself but it's understandable why many wouldn’t. A positive of it is that the expressions and movements characters do can be way over the top to a level above most other anime without seeming out of place.
Sound:
The music in this show is great. Every time Mob’s theme plays it sounds like he’s the villain, reflecting how the actual villains in the show feel about him. The sad music reflects what is happening in the scene very well and elevates the emotion felt tenfold. The sound balancing of the show is good, dialogue and music are able to be present at the same time without one overpowering the other. The sound effects are also pretty nice.
Characters:
The characters in this show are great. Mob, the protagonist is a likable character who, while starting out bland, becomes more and more sympathetic and understandable. His journey and what he needs to accomplish is reflected in the characters around him. Contrast is drawn between him and the enemies of the show, showing what Mob could have become if he didn’t meet Reigen. His social incompetence is better done than most other anime, instead of being overtly awkward he is instead just quiet and doesn’t like talking. His relationship with his brother Ritsu is complex and an emotional point in the series. The other main character Reigen is quite possibly one of the most comedic and entertaining characters to watch in all of anime. He is a skilled con man and very smart but also has a work ethic where he won’t take money if he feels that he hasn’t earned it. He is a role model for Mob to follow and it’s very obvious that despite his dubious nature he is a good person at heart who is just trying to make a living. He also gives great speeches, giving Mob a Spiderman-esque speech on how to use his powers and convincing the villains of the show how ridiculous they and their goals are.
Acting (subbed):
The subbed acting is great. Each character sounds natural and realistic for the situation at all times. Mob’s voice actor has a great emotional range, sounding bland and neutral for the most part but becoming much more serious and aggressive sounding when needed. Side characters like Teru and Ritsu also have great voice acting, showing fear and high levels of emotion when faced with their flaws. Reigen in particular has the best voice acting in the show, being the most over-the-top character it would be easy to become too over-the-top for the actor. Yet they carefully balance the line between comedy and overacting throughout the entire show.
Acting (dubbed):
Yes, I watched the entire series in both dub and sub. Dubbed acting is mostly good. Mob, Ritsu, and Teru are largely okay. There were some moments where I thought that they sounded a little off in their acting but it was rarely an issue that drew me out of the moment. The enemies of the show in particular had varying levels of voice acting. Some of them were voice acted perfectly acceptably while others were subpar. They just sounded off or not like they were putting their heart and soul into the acting, something which becomes very noticeable throughout the series. But the shining star was comparable if not superior to the subbed version of them. REIGEN. He is super entertaining to listen to throughout the series and adds a flair that subbed Reigen just can’t touch. It’s almost worth watching the series dubbed purely for his sake. Almost.
Enjoyment and Overall:
A fantastic first season for a three-season show. Great characters, good music, good acting and a pretty decent story. It’s above average in everything. However, it’s not really all that excellent in anything except animation and acting. However, the next two seasons improve on this greatly and it is absolutely worth going through this season to see the next two.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 21, 2023
listen. I'm throwing out my usual review style for something much more casual for this show. THE SUB SUCKS DON'T WATCH IT.
But that dub. It has been touched by God. It became a comedy series. Quite possibly the greatest comedy series to have ever been invented. every bit of the show, any moment of emotion, became comedy. Every second of this show is comedic gold. The characters are beautifully voice acted comedians. Every character reacted unrealistically in the most hilarious way possible, without being childish. Screw the story it don't matter. The art style, throw it in the trash. Comedy fans rejoice. watch it. love
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it. then give this show a 10/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 18, 2023
Beautiful Depression
Story: 11/10 S
Animation/Art: 8/10 B+
Sound: 6/10 C+
Characters: 9/10 A
Acting(subbed): 10/10 A+
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 A+
Story:
One of the greatest stories ever told. The story of a boy trying to redeem himself after nearly ruining a girl's life is a great idea in concept and is phenomenally well executed here. His story of redemption takes time and he deals with the fact that his past is unchangeable and will always have consequences. The other characters each play important roles in shaping who he tries to become and how he interacts with the world. It has aspects of many genres such as comedy and romance. It is also
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very tragic with darker themes and actions taking place throughout the film A slow but still well-paced lead-up to his final evolution as a person by the end of the movie.
Animation/Art:
Very good animation and I love the art style but it isn't phenomenal. It looks better than the average show but not as good as the best-animated movies. It's mostly smooth and well done but there were a few scenes where I thought it looked strange.
Sound:
Nothing incredible but nothing horrible. The music helps the audience understand how the character is feeling and also matches each scene quite well.
Characters:
The characters here are top-notch writing. The main character Shouya is well-developed throughout the film and has a very realistic reason to try and redeem himself. He becomes a new person because he understands that he is a problem, something which I can relate to. His attempt to commit suicide early on in the movie hits especially close because my friend nearly did the same for the same reason. The love interest Shouko is a kind and sad character. She is very sympathetic and doesn't at all feel like a plot device although she certainly is. The side characters are fun and relatable although some are underdeveloped and could be removed from the plot entirely. The biggest problem is how Shouko is sometimes kinda pathetic. She just lets everyone walk over her without doing anything about it, unrealistic.
Acting(subbed):
The acting in this is phenomenal. Emotions come through clearly through the actor's voices. Shouko especially has a great VA, portraying emotions despite using sounds more than words. Shouya has a great actor who can express a wide range of emotions realistically while also dramatizing them. Each of the side characters doesn’t really get a chance to express themselves and challenge the VAs but they seem quite good.
Enjoyment/Overall:
One of the greatest movies I’ve ever watched and one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had watching anime in a while. An emotional roller coaster that is on par with some of the best storytelling in history. Characters that can move you to your core and acting that supplement that wonderfully.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 1, 2023
Carrying Chimera
Story: 8/10
Animation/Art: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Acting(subbed): 10/10
Enjoyment: 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10
Story:
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TLDR: heavily carried by the Chimera Ant Arc
The story is for the most part in this show, good. It's just not great. However, the second to last arc of Hunter x Hunter (HxH) is the greatest arc I have ever seen, in all of fiction.
The Hunter Exam Arc is good at placing the audience in a sense of suspense, but, because of the length of the series the audience never truly feels that any main characters are in true danger since they have to appear later.
The Zoldyck Family Arc reveals information about Killuas family and provides a darker vibe than the previous one due to the knowledge that Killua is, not in physical danger, but could become mentally and emotionally damaged should his family force him to continue his past work. Seeing their overwhelming power also creates a sense of imminent danger.
The Heavens Arena Arc is an introduction to Nen and has little to no stakes at all. It is the time when the main characters Gon and Killua are in the least amount of danger and is in my opinion the worst arc in the series.
Yorknew City Arc seemingly has quite a bit of filler of Gon and Killua trying to rack up the money to pay for the Greed Island game so many of the episodes end up being boring. But, in between those episodes are Kurapika's journey into becoming a bounty hunter and fighting the Phantom Troupe. The battle between Kurapika and Phantom Troupe members are some of the most suspenseful moments in the entire series with Kurapika and his friends many times entering moments of actual danger where they could die. The troupe's mentality and view of the world make them some of the most interesting characters in the series. The fight between Unogovin and Kurapika is well-choreographed and one of my favorites in the whole series.
Greed Island Arc is in large part a training arc for Gon and Killua. A large portion of the arc is the training to fight The Bomber so they can complete the game Greed Island. While in most cases I dislike large portions of a series being entirely training the one's here are made more fun by the presence of Biscuit/Bisky who adds considerable humor and enjoyment to the story. The fight between the heroic trio and the Bomber group is good although it felt disjointed due to them splitting up.
Chimera Ant Arc. YEAH BABY LETS GO. By far the best arc in the series and maybe all of fiction, it is the reason HxH is as well known as it is. This arc was absolute perfection. Seeing the Chimera Ants evolve into actual threats because of human traits but also fall apart because of humanity's individualism was a clear reflection of current society. The framing of ants as villains was equally countered by the humans during the arc often showing the most ruthless and inhuman tendencies while the ants could be seen as a natural order. The suspense after seeing Kite, who seemed to be a new main character for the arc, dying so early in leads to the realization that not one of the characters is safe from death. There is one criticism though. The arc lasts for a very long time, longer than it reasonably has to. Many factors to the length could have been removed entirely while only increasing quality.
The 13th Chairman Arc is a large departure from the previous arc. It's much more lighthearted and focuses more on Killua than Gon while the previous arc was much more Gon centered. It feels similar to the Zoldyck Family Arc in tone. But it has some emotional moments such as Gon and Killuas goodbye and Gon and Ging finally speaking to each other on the world tree. The best part is when Leorio throws his teleporting punch though.
Animation/Art:
Many of the fight scenes are very well animated. Other than that though it feels smooth and well made. I do have to criticize them for the running upstairs animation though, that was hurting my eyes in the Hunter exam arc.
Sound:
Some of the best music in anime. Kingdom of Predators is amazing, Hegemony of the Food Chain is amazing, Kage and Rasetsu is amazing. There are just a lot of good songs and they are used beautifully. The emotion in each song individually can make you feel fear or sadness with ease. Just listen to them, it’s better than me explaining.
Characters:
Evolution. That is the word to describe these characters. I’ll only discuss my favorites.
Gon: Starting off as a carefree lively boy he stays that way for most of the series until the Chimera ant Arc. At first, we only get glimpses of what he is to become when he ends up nearly killing one of his allies when he pictures them as his enemy. But once the invasion of the palace begins Gon truly shows his ruthlessness. He becomes emotionless and consumed by emotion and rage, unwilling to listen to Killua, and is even dismissive of many of his friends when they try to provide him assistance. His outbursts when talking to Pitou are some of the most emotional moments in the entire series if not the most emotional. The smooth transition from a Gon about to explode to one quietly calculating and biding his time is not shocking and yet the most surprising part of the arc. His rage and denial when Pitou doesn’t heal Kite and instead prepares to kill him is both terrifying and heartbreaking as he needlessly gives his life for vengeance against Pitou. He becomes a thousand times more terrifying than any other character in the series.
Meruem: Starting out as a ruthless killer bent on ruling the world, he soon becomes one of the most human characters in the show. He meets Komugi and slowly begins to change by being defeated repeatedly until he begins to genuinely enjoy the game for what it is. As it goes on he gets to know Komugi and begins to love her as a parent loves their child. This love begins to influence him and causes him to reframe his view on humanity to the point where he is willing to allow humanity a permanent place to live after his takeover. This contrast between his new and former self is most exemplified when he loses his memory and his previous heartlessness is displayed. When he regains his memory though he becomes more merciful than ever and shows himself as more humane than any of the other characters. In the end, he didn’t need power, he just wanted an actual companion. Not a royal guard that followed him blindly, not soldiers to betray him, not a rival to challenge him. All he wanted was someone to care for. A god was taught to see the world through new eyes, the eyes of a young blind girl.
Acting(subbed):
This has some of the best acting in all of anime. The best part is of course in the chimera ant during Gon’s outburst. His crying, the pain and sheer rage in his voice smoothly moving into a quiet, murderous intent is nothing less than perfect and brought me to tears. Meruem and Komugi’s final moments together are acted so simply and yet have such rich underlying emotion to make it one of the best moments in the entire series. Anytime Killua interacts with his family in a negative way is likely some of the best acting one can ever see, with complete disregard and a lack of sympathy displayed childishly. All the other characters have good acting but these easily rise above them all.
Enjoyment/Overall:
Unfortunately, while I thought the Chimera ant arc was one of if not the greatest arc in all of fiction the rest of the show doesn’t reach the same level. None of the show is bad but the majority of the show is more mediocre rather than the godlike perfection that is the Chimera Ant Arc. However, the quality of the Chimera Ant Arc is enough for my objective rating to be higher than my subjective rating, being that it is worth going through the entire series just to get to it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 15, 2023
A Beautiful Symphony
Story: 7/10 B-
Animation/Art: 8/10 B+
Sound: 12/10 S+
Characters: 9/10 A-
Acting (subbed): 8/10 B
Enjoyment: 10/10 A+
Overall: 9/10 A-
Story:
The weakest part of the show, the story is too predictable so the plot twists don't hit as hard as they could. The thought processing behind it is seen and a lot of work was undoubtedly put into it but predictability is still a problem despite that. A big problem with it though is the pacing as in the early episodes it is rather slow-moving and boring. As a concept, it is heartbreaking and beautiful and could very easily become one of the greatest stories ever told. Overall
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this show is executed fine, it's not terribly done in fact it's mostly good, however, it is only above average rather than being truly "good".
Animation/Art:
It's good. It's nothing special but it certainly is beautiful and in certain scenes. I was originally gonna rank it a bit lower to just slightly above average but they animated the piano correctly when it was played so it will be moved up a point. They do got weird mouths though (just my opinion).
Sound:
Here we go. It's an anime that focuses on music as its main plot device so you would hope that the music had better deliver. It does. It does it very well. Each song dramatically matches the moment for maximum emotional impact. Each song is totally unique, identifiable, and memorable. The openings and endings are both great. The opening especially has made a strong positive impact on me, I freaking love it. I'm just gonna have to end it here because I just don't have the thinking power to actually tell someone how good it is.
Characters:
This gonna be a long one, y? bc it easy to talk about this one. In a romance, characters play are larger part than in other anime. It completely delivers here. The characters are well developed and seeing the main characters' (Arima) development throughout the series is one of the best times I've ever had watching a show. There are four total main characters, who are pretty much the only ones that matter in this category. Kousei is the protagonist and best-developed character out of all of them. He goes through the barriers he has set up for himself and becomes a new person because he was inspired by someone with a strange playing style. Kaori is his love interest and the person who inspires him to continue. She is the creator of the only non-foreseeable lie in the show and while she develops the second least, still has some development throughout the show turning her into a more mature person as she nears her existential threat (you'll learn wat i mean). Tsubaki is the childhood friend of Kousei and the reason Kousei meets Kaori. She develops feelings for one character on the show (not saying who) and seeing her grapple with these new emotions for someone she previously felt no romantic feelings for is one of the most relatable things I have seen. Ryouta is cool, he don't do much, don't develop much, but he do be funny sometimes so...
Acting (subbed):
I would certainly classify this level of acting as good. The actors are always realistic and don't sound overly dramatic or undersell the emotional weight of the moment they are in. A solid score for that.
Enjoyment and Overall:
A great show that deserves to be considered one of the best romances ever made. While it doesn't match up to those at the top of the genre, such as Kaguya Sama, It is certainly still a show that others should try harder to emulate.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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