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Jan 28, 2016
Ive read Liar Game, bits of Kaiji/Akagi/Gamble Fish, and a few other psychological or game based things. Personally, Gambling Emperor Legend Zero is the best of them in my opinion. Ill go through each of story, art, character, and then tell my thoughts in the enjoyment and overall sections. There may be spoilers for some of the games.
Story
A group of people are gathered to play games of intelligence, risking their lives to get three rings, which will advance them to the next stage. If they fully win, they will be able to earn a fortune, and numerous people aim for this. Zero joins as well,
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but the games are not simple. A simple "medium" level game would require risking your fingers (and nearly getting them cut off), while other mediums or hards would require betting your life.
While I dont think the premise is the greatest, the setup works in my opinion for these games, and I really enjoy the various games and clever solutions. Many of them are unorthodox, but I find those even more enjoyable. The pacing is much better than manga like Kaiji too, as it moves along well and isnt purely psychological; it has a nice balance of Zero's internal struggles and the external issues at hand. The high risk compared to manga like Liar Game increases the tension for me, and I prefer this one as a result. The main character also still fails, despite his geniusness, which I quite enjoy.
Art
Typical of the author. In my opinnion, the characters and design are very ugly. I dont particularly care though, since I like the trials of intelligence and wit so much more. The action and backgrounds are understandable, and I can tell whats what, so thats enough. I also do like how some people look, like Zero and Shirube at least.
Characters
Many have compared Zero to a Robin Hood of sorts, and I would agree he is to an extent. I enjoy watching him constantly save people and try to prevent any deaths. This is augmented by how the series started with a suicide pact, which Zero saved the people of. It was a nice loop, to the beginning.
Zero is very smart, but you can see his humanness, as he does make mistakes such as being overly trusting, and you can also see him sometimes lose out to others. Theres one side character in the mafia who is also very smart and almost beats Zero to the punch in one of the trials. Shirube in particular is a completely superior rival, as Zero never managaes to overcome him at all. I find Suezaki and most other characters pretty bland, but once again, I find the characters tolerable enough given the enjoyability of the gambles.
Enjoyment
Okay, so based on what Ive said, I think you should have an idea of if this is gonna maybe be enjoyable for you. I really only recommend this for those who like gambles and games like I do. The high risk gambles are tense and exciting, and its the best and main reason to read this manga, even if you have to suspend your disbelief.
Overall, Id say this is highly worthwhile if you liked things like the mind games in Liar Game, but if youre looking for more characterization or real storylines, you may want to look elsewhere.
P.S. I do NOT recommend the sequel, as it is completely different and imo extremely bad. This first series is very enjoyable and ends on a weird, unresolved cliffhanger, but I personally was indeed satisfied with Zero's accomplishments.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 21, 2016
A good start that starts to meander and get dragged on by politics. Spoilers below.
Storywise, the MC has the ability to gain abilities of anything he eats, and his rpg world makes the applications of his chimera ant-like powers very interesting. I liked watching him fight weaker monsters, eat them, then use their powers to beat and eat bigger monsters. Along the way he levels up, helps expand his tribe and strengthen his allies, and he develops weapons from monster carcasses like a turtle shell shield as well as gain weapons from other uses. The various job classes and combination abilities he has are pretty
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cool too, and his growth to eventually challenge the legendary heroes/dungeons and become a force to be reckoned with is pretty cool, as well as his later ability to do various summons.
The problems is that after about 125 days or so, he starts focusing on certain missions for the princess and setting up shops in the cities. This is hugely boring and also fairly meainingless, because he has the abilities luck/golden rule/overcharge/etc that allow him to rip off merchants and always win overall at gambling. In addition, his power level means he can challenge numerous dungeons and got a ton of money from his loot. In fact, with his power, hes able to kill the entire city just about if he wanted. So theres little reason to spend so many days talking about the shops and the chump change he gets from it. Its a large detour from the start when he focused on getting abilities and becoming stronger, which was much more interesting. The level up and rank up after 100 levels was interesting too, though I did feel they leveled up really quick compared to the power level of other monsters/humans.
Another issue was the politics involed with the princess and the kingdom. It was handled almost as badly as in Mushiku Tensei. It was largely boring, waiting around day after day when he had a near infinite (several thousand) undead soldiers and golems that he could spawn and yet he wouldnt attack with them. This drawn out battle was extremely boring.
Theres also many days spent just drinking or lounging around his base. While the base is interesting, it started to get dull because he would gloss over the details and focus on the elven wine/other alcohols.
The characters arent all that developed and a bit stereotyped, but it didnt bother me much as Im not a character guy. I still found the MC more likeable than, say, Rudeus.
I still enjoyed reading this for the rpg and battles/abilities/dungeons and other rpg aspects, but I didnt care for a lot of the above. I also found his recruitment and usage of his enslave ability a bit too convenient for some troops, like Avenger. The auto activations of psalms and his storyline didnt make much sense and I thought things were awfully convenient falling into place too. I think Idve preferred if he left his village and traveled the world rather than set up shitty bases in towns that he could easily conquer. Anyway, overall a solid read for the rpg world its in but gets much worse after he starts to venture to the human world and embroiled in unnecessary boring politics. The fire volcano dungeon was semi interesting, but him fighting the dragon solo was a bit much.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 11, 2016
I didnt expect to like Prison School. Glancing at the ads for it, I assumed it was another ecchi esque show that was strongly upvoted by the males for the sexual content but with no backbone and core story. But then I saw a poll of shows fans wanted of second seasons, and PS was one of the top three picks for the females. That got me interested enough to try, so I did. The initial episode left me a bit confused, as I found it funny but not a hugely deep plot. But the imprisonment kept me interested and the jokes were indeed funny.
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As I watched more episodes, it gradually hooked me more.
The jokes in this show come from serious thoughts and plans the main characters have, but these actions are taken to the extreme. A small scene where a character could need something as simple as, say, a water bottle could transpire into a huge cesspool, and I found the storywriting and characterization behind that very funny.
There is indeed fanservice, but I found it entertaining, and I enjoyed when the fanservice was addressed directly and tied to the actual plot. I find that a bit more tolerable that shows like, say, Grimgal this season where the characters are peeping on the women in the bath or talk about "flat chests" because I find that a lot more uninteresting and completely pointless. The way its done here is way more tasteful, sexy, and entertaining. I will say that it caters a bit more toward male audiences though (but it seems to still have a fair female fanbase as well as suggested by that poll mentioned earlier).
This show doesnt waste time with fluff, showing a lot of things happening and moving at a brisk pace. It doesnt introduce almost any new characters from the core cast giving the main male and female leads plenty of time to develop in different ways. You see the friendships of the good guys and the bad people too, and you see several interpersonal connections that are done well, as well as the loyalty and bonds between characters. Best of all, it doesnt have a bloated cast, as all the characters serve functions. Theres no ditzy girl stereotype just to fulfill character space and provide fanservice, no tsundere or moe character just for the sake of having them in the show, etc.
There were of course small nitpicks I didnt like, like some characters logics at times, but this was overshadowed just by how funny the jokes were. There were even unexpectedly emotional moments, and also there were moments where things from many episodes before would return, creating a strong sense of continuity. Overall very solid, and I recommend the manga too for any who liked the anime and want to continue further.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 10, 2015
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
I was really excited for this show and hyped for its ending because I had heard really good things about it and its ending. On the r/anime subreddit I go to, people consistently put it up for "best endings" or most "solid arc" or "great character development", but while I liked this show initially, it started to lose its luster a bit with its episodic repetitiveness, long runtime (45 minutes approximately, which I think hurt it more than helped as I felt they rambled too much and could've had a faster pace). Some of the dialogue confused me a bit for the
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talking, and I didn't care as much for the historical ties ultimately. The end was also disappointing even though it tied things up a bit at least.
It's probably because I prefer happy endings, but I was really disappointed with this episode. I think I really wanted to root for the love in this show, between the two MCs and how much they liked each other. I know Togame did some bad things for the wrong intentions, but I wanted her to redeem herself and the two to live happily, because I thought they both suffered enough through their lives and deserved happiness at the end of their quest. In this, even after losing both his family, Shichika is left without anyone close to him, and Togame was a tool until the very end - it just doesnt send the happiest/most hopeful message imo. Maybe it goes "deeper" and I miss something, but I ultimately think a happy ending would've been better/fine for this. What was there gained with Togame's death? What does that say about Shichika's and Togame's happiness? What message is the show trying to give with all this?
The gauntlet was honestly cool but also disappointing. I'm glad Shichika is stronger, but if he doesn't struggle and fight the swords at their best, there's not as much meaning.
I did like his eye change though, and it was heartwrenching, his goodbye. I found his following of Hitei to be ironic and somewhat interesting, but I also find it a bit weird. I don't know if I dislike it or not - probably a little glad he has some company but I'd've preferred to see him and Togame together at the end.
I think overall, this show is close to being good but not quite enough for me and falls as "above average but not that far above". I think some of the dialogue at times could be drawn out and a bit pointless (still better than Bakemonogatari but still bad in this), and some of the themes and ideas I just dont agree with. Things like "be a tool for another and its okay" or "fall in love and do whatever the person says"...things like that are...not good messages for a friendship or relationship, even if they're somewhat humorous and enjoyable to watch. The quirks and stuff for the characters were interesting, but the constant deaths and killings disappointed me. There was no sparing the good sword owners at all, and I didn't feel connected enough to a lot of the deaths ultimately. I'd prefer if the good people could live and find a purpose in life - I think that'd send a better message for the show. As it is, its a bit humorous and entertaining, but I'm not sure its in a way I enjoy as much.
I also felt the episodicness got repetitive after a while - there wasn't that much contuinousness - it was always just find new sword + find new way to obtain sword. Sure, some maniwani and shogun stuff happened in the background and the show tied more things together in the end, but for a good few episodes, it was a bit repetitive and I felt no new spark. And the initial enjoyment I got died out a bit.
Some good things: you did get to see Shichika really develop, and I did feel Togame and Shichika's bond through the episodes and really enjoyed that. I liked their romance, and it had some good humor between the two. It wasn't afraid to kill its characters (but imo it did it in a poor way, without letting us feel a connection. Other shows like HxH have more deaths too but we really feel the stakes more in those deaths imo) and push some common ideas/tropes out the window.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 15, 2015
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS (this is also a similar review I used for another site)
I really loved the first 7 episodes. Honestly. Masayoshi's good, honest intentions with his powerlessness and desire for justice made a very enjoyable piece to watch, and it was fairly believable how he gradually became better and honestly began making a difference in his society. I loved his reckless, wacky interaction with the serious-minded and more realistic Goto, and a lot of the other characters also had interesting intentions and characterizations that meshed well to make a very cohesive plot.
It was at the end of episode 7 that things became
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very weird too fast. Before, the heroes were believable real-life superheroes who were really just humans with some courage and maybe a little-advanced technology (BUT nothing major as it was basic technology that is honestly quite realistic and doable in our world). With the advent of King Torture, the series goes full-out supervillains, with a monster of the week and disregards most of the realism and realistic social issues built up in previous episodes. It becomes zany, unrealistic, and to be quite frank, boring. The episodes stopped engaging me as much as the antics became more extreme and unbelievable and drew less on the real life social drama that I had loved.
Thus, this series is a huge disappointment to me. I'm not sure what the directors/writers were thinking with this. The majority of reviewers I've read online agree with this sentiment: the beginning was brilliant and well executed, but the latter was crazy and went too far too fast with too little cohesion to the first 6 episodes. I looked if there were bad reviews or a reason for the sudden shift in plot, but nothing online indicates it, so I'm honestly confused. There was so much potential and greatness, and I feel now that its been ruined by a poor plot decision.
Overall, I think this show is very much worth a watch for the initial 6 and a half episodes. It tells some nice lessons about society and life, and it brings nicely to the forefront the question of what is the right thing to do and when. Those 7 episodes alone are excellent and very enjoyable. But don't bother with anything after the 7th unless you want to know what happens at the end. The shift in tone/genre does not keep the spirit I felt in the original IMO, and that is a tragedy.
Also for scoring, for the first 7 episodes I'd give it a solid "7" score overall, but the remaining episodes, I'd give it a "1" or so overall, so the overall score is about a 3/4 for me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 26, 2015
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
My previous review was taken down, so I decided to edit it a bit and put it back up. This'll be my second review so please excuse the mistakes. This will contain spoilers up to episode 12.
How I got into Rokka and my initial impressions:
I was browsing the animesuggest subreddit, and one guy mentioned Rokka as a show where the main character used all sorts of cheap tricks and gadgets to beat his opponents, and I saw it on Crunchyroll, so I decided to watch it on a whim.
I loved it from the first episode. I don't mind "cheesy" or cliche
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storylines, like chosen warriors going to fight a demon, if they're done well/differently, and I thought this one was. The opening with Adlet at a tournament was epic - I really liked watching him challenge both fighters and defeating them with relative ease. His confidence was well-founded, and I found his character entertaining. (more on his character later and why he's my favorite character at the moment)
Story:
The idea of a great demon awakening and several warriors being chosen to defeat it is not the most original story in the world. That said, there aren't any truly "original" plots anymore; everything is derivative of something else nowadays. Rokka takes this formula and deviates very much, changing it more into a mystery than an action series, and I much prefer that.
I personally really like the story and think its done better than a lot of other fantasy esque shows I've seen. I appreciated that it wasn't simply the "chosen" ones by birth. Instead the six braves could only be chosen by showing their strength in front of the goddess statue, ex the tournament in the first episode. To me, that's a lot better than other shows where the main hero is born or just randomly finds himself awakening to the power, because it means the heroes have proven their strength and were selected.
I enjoyed the epicness of having to go up against a great demon that not even the strongest goddess of a past life could defeat. It gives the show a high stakes feel, especially since losing even one of the six braves would be a huge loss. The demon's fiend soldiers are also not just generic monsters. They have the ability to talk, fly, transform, and it makes the battles more interesting than typical shonen/action fare where its just "hack and slash".
That brings me to another thing I really like about the fighting: I feel that the characters and such fight both smartly and very differently. Adlet is the prime example, as he uses many bombs, swords, needles, and other gadgets and weapons to compensate for his strength. I really like trickster heroes and he's probably the best one I've ever seen. (For those who don't know, trickster heroes are heroes who fight with cleverness rather than pure strength; they are typically underdogs in their fights) I also really appreciate how he has actively studied the fiends and applies science readily in their battles. Its brilliant and very different from typical action shows. (The closest comparison I can think of is Hunter X Hunter where the battles are more battles of wit). I love Adlet's case even more because of how ordinary he is - its explicitly pointed out that he was never gifted or talented; he had to slave away for 8 years to gain the false strength he has now.
Other heroes also fight differently which makes it each fight different, yet enjoyable, such as Goldov and his spear/brutality when he attacks. Fremy's usage of many bombs and bullets are also interesting, and Hans especially has a very exotic yet cool fighting style (I especially remember the scene where he used his sword like a pogo stick to stab Adlet)
One of the biggest draws is also the air of mystery around the series. The presence of a seventh brave was shown in the initial trailer, and the episodes do a good job leading up to it. There is also another mystery down the line of the illusion fog barrier's activation, and I really appreciate that this show tries to challenge its watcher to think a bit. Pure action alone would not add this much suspense and tension, and I love watching it, on the edge of my seat.
Art:
Each of the characters seems to have a different color scheme and everyone is very clearly differentiated. They all seem to have pretty different body types, clothes, armors, weapons, etc, and the character designs show them off very well. The characters are both cool and interesting to look at.
I enjoyed the animation very much, and I thought it was pleasing to my eyes throughout the series. It was easy to follow what happened in action sequences, and the towns and such were clear to see as well.
The only issue was toward the end, when Passione seemed to run low on their animation budget, and many frames became very choppy. I don't mind that much, but it did hurt the experience a bit. I don't mind though since they're a beginner studio and this is only their second project!
Sound:
I don't have the greatest ears, but I loved the first opening and constantly looped it. The actions and voice actors were all fine too, with no problems. I probably enjoy Adlet's VA the most - I can just feel the confidence when he talks. I think the voices and such are very enjoyable and give a good vibe of the characters in general.
The series also plays songs at some nice moments, which really helps raise the tension/epicness, and I really enjoyed that.
Character:
On Adlet: I loved this character so much and his transformation from his youth. I find his back story to be quite touching. We saw him in his peaceful village, where he said he would be happy just picking mushrooms because he's good at it. This childhood innocence hit me quite deep inside, as we see him lose his entire village, and he soon becomes a very pitiable, vengeful boy who trains non-stop for 8 years to get his revenge. I really liked this as his line of picking mushrooms was so mundane...I found it ironic how he came from there to where he is now in the show, and I found it a bit sad too.
Yet, we also see the kind of man he's become. He has a strong sense of camaderie, quickly forgiving those allies who tried to kill him. When he knew the pressure was on him and no one believed him, he didn't give up, and he successfully proved the trap of the seventh with his own wit and willpower. I really like the essence of positivity he generates; its what I always wanted in my main heroes: self confidence and a high sense of competence.
Adlet also made a great detective, slowly eliminating possibilities by gaining testimonies from everyone. At the same time, he set preparations in case he did fail - for example, his kyoma detection spray, which he used to guarantee Fremy's safety.
These moments and much more (especially in the Light Novels) made me love his character so much. Some fans may find his "I'm the world's strongest" rather irritating, but I appreciated it, as that's his coping mechanism. In addition, he doesn't say it out of arrogance - he wants to be the world's strongest as a mental fortification of sorts so that he can believe in himself even when times are at their worst.
On Fremy: I think Fremy is the second most interesting character in the series, as we see her gradually open up to Adlet. None of the other characters are developed or revealed as much, but we do see Fremy transform a bit, from the cold-hearted distrustful woman she was to someone who could trust another, just a little bit more. I found her transformation of trust to also be belivable - she always doubted Adlet, and she didn't truly change her mind until Adlet showed he was willing to die for her - and I think that is a strong enough case for her transformation.
On the other characters: The other characters are really explored in more depth in the light novels, so I can't say as much at the moment. I found most of the characterization to be enjoyable or believable, though I wish Nachetanya's mental snaps were a bit less emphasized. As far as the novels, I enjoyed seeing Goldof's characterization in volume 3 the most.
Enjoyment/Overall:
Overall, I haven't had many problems with Rokka. Its my favorite this season and its very enjoyable. Its probably the best fantasy/magic one I've seen yet. It doesn't rely on lame gags, it has realistic reactions and high stakes, the fights and discussions are clever and are definitely more intellectual than most other shows, and its good at dropping hooks at the end of the episodes to keep the viewer curious what happens next.
As for the things I disliked - I wish Adlet hadn't confessed to Fremy with an "I love you". It just felt sudden. I know their relationship is expanded in the later light novels, but I preferred a translation I read elsewhere, where he just said "I care about you", which I find an easier pill to swallow for two people who've known each other less than 3 days. I dislike that in the last episode, they left out a brief discussion on another character (Saint of Words who wouldve been able to instantly detect the fake; in the novels she is mentioned but too far away to come in time). Its not important, but the character is brought up in the second light novel. I also felt Rolonia and the army's introduction felt a little rushed and could've been done better. I think overall, episode 12 was a bit disappointing, since 11 was so, so climactic and good. I also wish ep 1 had the scene where Adlet explained why he had to crash the tournament instead of fighting from the getgo (in the novels, its because his weapons werent allowed).
As for the tinier things I did dislike - I suppose the pacing can be a bit quick at times, such as the sudden 3 other braves arriving nearly at once or Nachetanya and Adlet suddenly charging out of the country. Some scenes initially with Nachetanya and Adlet alone felt a little strange that they were so close already, but none of these were huge issues and are more just nitpickings.
Lastly, for me personally, my favorite painting is The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, a painting showing a wanderer on a cliff looking out at a large fog beneath and ahead of him. It represents a traveler in the face of adversity and an unknown future, and I found this illusion fog barrier arc to remind me of that a bit - Adlet and the heroes are obscured in this fog, and they do not know what is ahead and around them, nor do they know why this is happening. This tension throughout the show really helped carry it along in my eyes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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