- Last OnlineToday, 12:59 AM
- GenderFemale
- BirthdayMar 18, 1992
- LocationLisbon, Portugal
- JoinedMay 31, 2009
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Mar 27, 2023
I'm familiar with Ikeyamada Go's writting style and I'm very pleased with how much she grew over the years. This manga is much more mature and better written throughout. The fact that it tackles something very real in her life (and her staff's lives) are probably factors that helped in improving the quality of this manga she wrote.
I started reading it without expecting much because I considered Ikeyamada Go's ideas to be very repetitive, basic, sexist and outright problematic. I'm very happy to say that my expectations were 99% wrong and therefore this was much more enjoyable than what I initially thought. There's still
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problematic content but it's almost non-existent.
There are two main stories that are happening at once: the brother's story (Mitsuru) and the sister's story (Mego). Initially they are handled 50-50, meaning both are given the same amount of spotlight but eventually Ikeyamada Go focuses a lot more on Mego's side of things. This upset me because as someone familiar with several of her other mangas, this character and story mostly felt repetitive and unoriginal after chapter 24. Mitsuru's story for me was so much more interesting and I always wanted more spotlight on his side of things.
At the end it becomes obvious why Ikeyamada Go decided to portray Mego's side more often and in a more detailed way compared to Mitsuru's story. However, since I was really into the brother's side of things and the sister's story felt boring and bland to me, on a manga this long, it's unavoidable that I didn't enjoy reading several chapters.
Regarding characters, I think Mego is a copy paste of Ikeyamada Go's previous heroines. However she did an outstanding job with Asuza and her character development. I was also pleasantly surprised how some really big plot moments happened in the most epic way throughtout the story. Really memorable stuff that's definitely worth reading.
However a big flaw of Ikeyamada Go is her terrible habit of spoiling things before they happen and that occurred a few times unfortunately.
I definitely recommend people to give this manga a shot and stick to it because it's so worth it. The best compliment I can give is this: when I started reading, my expectations were as low as they could possible be because I disliked Ikeyamada Go's works prior to this. However, it immediately hooked me up in a way I never expected. I stayed up late almost 3 hours past my bed time because I just couldn't stop reading chapter after chapter. Now that I'm done with the whole manga, I can surprisingly say that I'm a fan of her work now. It took several years to get to this manga but I'm really happy that I decided to give another work of hers a chance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 23, 2023
For reference, I watched the anime many years ago and I gave it a 5/10. Why is the manga so much worse, to me?
Morality and other issues aside, considering the themes of this story, my biggest criticism has to do with the mangaka's decisions regarding how the story develops over time. Ditama Bow struggles constantly with many things:
1) the dad changes personality constantly across multiple chapters
2) some characters' actions go absolutely unpunished compared to others, leaving the reader confused on why that happens
3) it's very notorious that the author struggled a lot with bringing the story to an end. At some point,
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you'll feel that the characters are going and developing themselves and that everything's coming together to a pleasant conclusion BUT eventually everything will change back to square one for no reason at all and rinse and repeat the same old stuff chapter after chapter until the end.
But what about the good things? Well, some scenarios I thought were either creative or hilarious and I have to praise that. However, it's just not enough to save this boring manga from a 3/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Feb 19, 2023
Air Gear aired in Portugal in 2009, when I was 17 years old. I didn't watch it back then but it was very popular with teens back then. That made me add it to my Plan-To-Watch list. I'm almost 31 years old and maybe I should've watched it back then because as an adult, I lack the patience for some themes common in animes similar to Air Gear.
Before deciding to watch this, people should know the following:
- Expect a lot of ecchi and fanservice
- Expect terrible voice acting from the main character
- Expect very inconsistent animation
If these three aspects don't bother you that
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much, you could enjoy this.
The only good thing I have to say about this anime is that the cast has a bunch of very experienced seiyuus and that most of these have worked together in previous projects.
To me this was a chore to watch. I give it a 3/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 31, 2022
This season wasn't as enjoyable as the first one but it's still worth watching. Don't worry if you need a refresh on the 1st season, this begins with a very fun recap.
This season you can expect loads of Anya moments, Yor's maternal-killer instincts and Loid being the wonderful man he is. The first 3 episodes are absolutely amazing, some other episodes were a bit "meh" but overall this season got me a lot of hilarious moments with several amounts of AW SO CUTE sauce.
And if you want to know about plot, yes Loid makes progress in his mission to maintain world peace.
I
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gave the 1st season an 8/10 and this one gets a 7/10. Can't wait for the next season!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 21, 2022
This short series (just a few minutes each episode) is a parody of the main anime Meitantei Conan and features the shenanigans that a random person goes through to find someone and pull off their crime: assassination! Although being a parody, some elements are canon. This alone should tell you if it's something you'd rather skip or watch, depending if you're a completionist or if you enjoy parody-type comedy.
The art style looks atrocious to me, except for the main character and I strongly dislike the seiyuu choice for him. Regarding the OP, it's strangely addictive.
For me, this was just a 5/10 because out
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of all the episodes, only 4 were enjoyable to me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 29, 2022
This is a review taking into consideration that I've watched the OG anime from 1984. Expect some trivia! I won't spoil anything that wasn't shown in the 1984 OG. In case you want to know at what point the new content starts for those that have watched the OG, you can start watching this on the 2nd half of the 24th episode, onwards.
Visuals:
1) visuals aren't faithful to the manga (like the OG series was) but I like how they are much more colorful
2) recycled animation
3) dislike the "mask visuals" that never existed in any of the previous adaptations
Sound:
1) Not a fan of
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recasting unless because of death, retirement or illness. This is the 2nd recast of the entire cast
2) However, Maya's voice actress gives her a very versatile voice range, which gives more credibility to the characters she plays as throughout her career with one exception where the seiyuu performance was absolutely horrendous
3) legendary seiyuus that many have worked together in previous projects, the chemistry is noticeable; There are some seiyuus without much experience but not many
4) The OG Maya is now Ayumi's mother
5) Incredible range on Ayumi's seiyuu. Another legend in the industry
6) Rei's character needed a boyish voice, though. She was voice by a legendary model and commercial actress but as a rookie seiyuu her performance was very poor, unfortunately
7) The narrator's tone doesn't fit the story at all and the way he reads his lines feels so much like Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
8) fun fact: many seiyuus that participated in this remake debuted in the voice acting industry as characters in Meitantei Conan (Detective Conan)
9) the sound design is a lot worse IMO
10) 2nd ED is the best song IMO
11) not every line delivered has the right tone
Story and characters:
1) more backstory about Maya's life before meeting Tsukikage; much more detail in each arc
2) the pace is way slower than 1984 OG
3) Typically I prefer the 2005's version but on the 5th episode, the execution of Maya and Ayumi's "duel" was a lot better in the OG from 1984; same thing with the Beths' performances drama
4) Emotional and physical abuse & constant grooming and pedo-vibes, are absolutely infuriating and outright disgusting
5) In the OG anime the arcs have more impact but this remake has more "content" per arc
6) When Maya finds out her mom's gone missing, she spends 5 minutes feeling sad and then immediately moves on like it's nothing.
7) Helen Keller's arc was absolute trash. Too slow, too many unnecessary scenes and in the OG the big moments had a much bigger impact
8) I liked how some twists about certain characters were revealed
9) the 2nd half of the anime was saved by the one and only Ayumi for being the refreshing friendnemy she is towards to Maya
10) there are ton of things that made 0 sense and that will break any immersion you might be having at any given moment, like when an actress that won awards and had posters of her all around Japan, suddenly is forgotten by every single person, or when a certain character, just for the drama, receives a personality transplant and then goes back to normal as if nothing had happened.
11) I hated the Wild Jane arc, Masumi's backstory and the big reveal of what is the Scarlet Angel. So much build up and at the end it's one of the most boring things I've ever watched.
In summary: the OG is much more enjoyable and the rest of the story is not worth it at all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Sep 30, 2022
Spoiler warning further below
Visuals and Audio:
1) stunning visuals
2) ok soundtrack
3) althought the cast features a mixture of rookie and veteran seiyuus, the difference isn't very noticeable
4) unfortunately the animation is inconsistent
Story:
1) the visuals make it seem like it's gonna be a slice of life summer story but quickly it will take a turn and things will get pretty tense. This contrast between the first visual impressions and the story itself got me hooked. The mystery and unsettling revelations and events kept me interested but every once in a while there's a bunch of ecchi stupid scenarios that even if they're brief,
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they break my immersion and cheapen out the show for me;
2) When Shinpei (Main Character) and Mio (his adoptive sister) attend the funeral, there's not even an inch of emotion. They're supposed ot be grieving and even seeing her body inside the casket doesn't get a single hint of any reaction out of them. Once again, my immersion went out the window.
3) the way the plot is revealed it can get mighty confusing at times
4) funny references to other animes
********SPOILERS AHEAD********** MAIN REASON WHY SUCH A LOW SCORE
5) The supernatural element is beautifully done for the most part. I really like the limitation on Shinpei's ability. It makes the show standout from Re:Zero series, although I think Re:Zero is vastly superior.
6) As I've said, the mystery is really what kept me invested in this anime and unfortunately nothing is really left to discover around the 20th episode and the show just turns into this cheap action flick and not only that but once the best character of all of them gets killed off, there was literally nothing left to keep me interested and I still had 5 episodes to go.
7) big villain's reveal and big evil plan's reveal were the most unoriginal things I've ever witnessed from the top of my head.
8) the ending nullified all the big stakes of the 20 episodes before
NO MORE SPOILERS
Alright, so here's the thing: if you enjoy good visuals and good mystery and aren't bothered by ecchi stuff ruining the vibe and don't get annoyed easily by stupid writting, this could be for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 31, 2022
I'll be comparing this to the OG Glass no Kamen from 1984.
Visuals:
1) A lot darker, creepier and sometimes outright scary!
2) the animation is noticeably recycled and thus breaks immersion easily
3) Bad syncing of voice acting and animation
4) The characters have gone through a massive redesign. The original version from 1984 is visually very faithful to the manga but these OVA characters look nothing like what they should look like
Sound:
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1) I didn't find the soundtrack memorable
2) perfect english on 3rd episode
3) I'm not a fan of recasting unless in scenarios of death, illness or retirement. Having said that, Maya's seiyuu sounds more childish than the OG but it also gave the character a lot more vocal range, which I thought would be a smart choice considering that Maya could use that for the roles she lands throughout the story. Unfortunately these OVAs cover so little of the story that this vocal range never came into play. Ayumi's voice actress also changed but the tone of voice and vibe have remained the same, despite being a noticeable change. Rei's OG voice actress has returned but she voices Tsukikage, which makes her sound so much more warm and lovable than the OG character. Hayami's voice doesn't fit him at all in my opinion, which was a waste of a legendary seiyuu.
4) The majority of seiyuus would become actual legends in the voice acting industry and by the time this project cast them, the majority of them had already worked together in previous projects and that chemistry was noticeable.
Story and characters:
1) As someone who watched the OG series immediately before this, my memory was very fresh on the plot and characters. I think I would enjoy this a lot more if I had given time to myself to sort of forget the OG series. This is the main reason why I can't just recommend this to every single person. If you enjoyed the OG, then give this a watch but after some time.
2) I prefer this Tsukikage to the OG Tsukikage, as she's not as ruthless and abusive
3) The pedo/grooming vibe from Hayami has also been tone down
4) expect to see more of Maya and her mother's relationship and a bit more of Maya's background before meeting Tsukikage.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Aug 30, 2022
Visuals:
1) considering this anime aired originally in 1984, the art style is very classic. Personally I don't mind it at all.
2) the animation is obviously dated but it never interfered with the enjoyment that the anime gave me
3) unfortunately I noticed several occasions where animation mistakes were made. As simple and spoiler-free example, I can mention that on the 18th episode, a green haired character had for 5 seconds black hair.
Sound:
1) all the seiyuus cast in this anime are now considered genuine legends in the industry so expect top notch performances. Also, most of the cast had participated in other animes
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together and that chemistry is noticeable.
2) the soundtrack is also very, very classic. I wouldn't say it was memorable but it fits with the majority of the music from the animes that aired in the 80s.
Story and characters:
1) The anime will show Maya's evolution through 3 years of her life as she chases her dream of becoming an incredible actress. Three years in 22 episodes (the 23rd episode is a literal recap so you can skip it) means that you should expect a pretty fast pace as you watch this anime.
2) Expect to see emotional and physical abuse
3) Expect to see grooming and pedo-vibes
4) very refreshing to see an actual story about someone's career and not just a typical story about the underdog winning miraculously everything, which to be honest is what I was expecting.
5) really like to see a healthy rivalry portrayed. Once again it was very refreshing to watch
6) motivated me to learn about some novels and real life people, despite not being accurate about Helen Keller's life.
7) there's a specific episode where a character will do something so out of character that it's mind-blowing. As you can imagine, my immersion went out the window.
8) I wish Maya had more self-confidence
What keeps me from recommending this anime to everybody is this:
The abuse inflicted and the pedo/grooming stuff going on absolutely killed a big amount of the enjoyment that the anime had been giving me. Not only that but a story that revolves around acting shouldn't feel like the opposite of acting. It tries to convince you that in order to portray a character that suffered a gunshoot wound, you absolutely must shoot yourself so you can act better. This makes absolute no sense but still finds its way into the narrative.
So, watch this if pedo-stuff doesn't bother you. It's very entertaining and nothing like the other shoujo's I've watched. But don't watch it if pedo-stuff enrages and disgusts you. It gets s 6/10 from me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 25, 2022
Intro:
Spy X Family tells the story of a secret agent that receives a very special mission. If he fails it... the world will go to war! This secret agent has a codename of Twilight/Tasogare and he's determined to succeed and make sure world peace can be achieved! He then reads the special instructions for this very important mission and it says he must create a fake family in order to get closer to his target. How will he create a fake family in such short notice?!
Tasogare goes to an orphanage and to his luck, the kid he chooses is a little girl named
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Anya with psychic powers: she can read minds... which means she is aware that Tasogare is in fact a spy and that fascinates her! Anya will do whatever she can to help Tasogare fulfill his missions without revealing her true powers!
Later on Tasogare and Anya run into a shy but very friendly woman named Yor. Anya reads her mind and realizes that Yor is a an assassin. Is Anya afraid? No, quite the opposite! She's finds it fascinating! Anya manages to get Tasogare and Yor to introduce themselves and that's the beginning of this incredible story!
Visuals:
1) I really like the aeshetic of the environments and character design
2) usually the animation is very good but it was also a bit inconsistent
Sound:
1) I like jazz and this anime has quite a few jazzy tunes. It really fits the Spy theme
2) the seiyuus are a mix of voice acting legends and rookies. Regardless of their experience, every actor performed very well
Story and characters:
1) The show focuses on the family dynamic between Tasogare, Yor and Anya. There's a lot of chemistry between this trio and the way the characters are portrayed and the scenarios they find themselves in, truly makes you believe and feel the love that exists between and for themselves.
2) Yor and Tasogare are the definition of a power couple
3) The 2nd to 5th episodes were amazing. Waiting a week for another 20 minutes of this felt like torture. It the rest of the episodes had maintained the same family focus, the show would've been a 9/10 or even a 10/10. However, several episodes after that focused more on Anya without Tasogare and Yor and although they were enjoyable, I just prefer the family dynamic to the "solo" episodes. It makes sense from a story perspective but I'd appreciate some scenes of Tasogare and/or Yor here and there.
4) this anime is hilarious with a type of sense of humour that I had never found before
All things considered, this is a 8/10 for me and I cannot wait for Season 2.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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