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Apr 27, 2024
Kaiju no. 8 was by far the most anticipated new anime of Spring 2024. So, did it live up to the hype? After having watched the first 3 eps, I'd say: Yeah, it did.
The first 3 episodes of Kaiju no. 8 haven't blown me out of the water, but they certainly have not disappointed me. So for that reason alone, I think this show deserves your attention.
Here's the premise: Japan has the highest amount of Kaiju appear in the world. The Kaiju neutralization force has been tasked with the objective of eliminating all the kaiju. Our MC, Kafka Hibino is a cleanup man, having to
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do all the dirty work after all of the flashy action is over. He's always dreamed of joining the force, and now just when he gets an opportunity to do so, he ends up turning into a Kaiju himself!
The premise and motivations are fairly standard for a battle shonen. Our MC wants to reunite with his childhood friend and look good in front of her. Even so, I believe the execution is there, and that's what matters.
Animation: The animation is very solid and clean on this show. Production IG are a great studio, they've personally done some of my favorite anime in Psycho Pass season 1 as well as the more recent Heavenly Delusion, which just released last year (and also had excellent animation). As soon as I saw Production IG's name attached to this project, I knew the animation was going to be handled well. Additionally, the fight scenes in the show are quite smooth. The Kaiju are fully 2D, which makes for an enjoyable viewing experience.
Overall score: 8/10
Characters: I enjoy the cast of Kaiju no. 8 a lot. Kafka Hibino isn't your typical shonen protagonist, as he's in his 30's (so oldies will be able to relate to him easier), and I appreciate that they went that route as it's unique in that regard. Ichikawa is enjoyable to watch and Kikoru, while not my favorite right now, has a lot of potential moving forward and it looks like they are setting up for devlopment beyond just your "typical tsundere". I also like Mina and she appears cold on the outside but actually deeply cares for Kafka on the inside.
Overall score: 8/10
Sound: The sound in this anime is honestly excellent. The sound effects in the fight scenes are on point and visceral, you feel every blow, every attack, every gunshot. Additionally, the top notch voice acting really elevates one's viewing experience. Kafka and Ichikawa's VA's don't appear to have too many high profile roles, but they have been doing a great job so far, and Kikoru and Mina are voiced by Fariouz Ai and Asami Seto respectively, which are 2 extremely talented VA's. I think the sound is probably the strongest aspect of the show.
Overall score: 9/10
OP and ED: Definitely the weakest part of the show, but to many, it's the least important. I knew this subject would be controversial the second they announced that western artists would be performing the intro and outro theme of Kaiju no. 8. "Oh no, how dare the westerners touch my precious Japanese animation." was a lot of people's gut reaction. However, after having sat down and listened to the op and ed of kaiju numerious times, I actually like them both. The op is quite serious, giving a vibe of "impending doom". Tho I will say the CGI in it is wack, idk what they were on while making those visuals. As for the ed, its very upbeat and happy go lucky. It doesn't perfectly fit the vibe of Kaiju no. 8, but that doesn't matter, because it's still a good song regardless. The visuals, while simple, go well with the song and are unique for an ed.
OP score: 8/10
ED score: 7/10
Overall score: 7.5/10
All in all, I think Kaiju no. 8 is a very entertaining show that appeals to a wide audience. I feel like it's going to be the "dumb battle shonen with good production values" of the season. If you're looking for the most intricate and complex of storylines, Kaiju no. 8 may not be for you. If you want to have a fun time watching some killer Kaiju action, then Kaiju no. 8 is definitely for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 21, 2024
What would happen if you took spy x family, made it 100 times more unhinged, and had a much larger and more quirky cast of characters for the family?
That's Yozakura family.
This one is an interesting one for me. I remember having a conversation with one of my friends a few years back and I asked him "what's a manga you would like to see get an anime adaptation?" and he replied with Yozakura Family. So, fast forward to Spring 2024, when I saw that this was getting an anime it immediately went on my radar and my curiosity was naturally piqued.
Taiyo Asano is a shy
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high school student and the only person he can talk to is his chilhood friend, Mutsumi Yozakura. However, we quickly find out that Mutsumi is the daughter of a spy family. And, to top it all off, she is being harassed by her overprotective brother, Kyoichirou. What measures will Taiyo take to save Mutsumi?
Characters: For a show that has a large main cast (8) of characters, I really only like maybe 2 of them. This is a shame, because I can tell that it is a very character driven show, but I feel like introducing such a massive cast early on may not have been the best, as this makes it very difficult for me to get fully invested in them. Taiyo is a typical shonen MC, Mutsumi is your typical damsel in distress, Kyoichiro is an actual siscon (I know he's like that for the sake of the family, and I head he gets better later on, but so far, he isn't great), one dude spends all his time inside a trash can, you have a typical troublemaker and a gentle giant character. Really the only ones I like are Shion and Futaba, because they seem calm, cool and collected but also have playful sides to them. Again, I'm not saying the characters are bad. I'm sure I'll grow to love them over time. But for now, most of them have not impressed me
Score: 6/10
Animation: The animation on this show is decent. Silver Link are by no means the cream of the crop when it comes to anime studios, and considering this is primarly an action comedy manga, it will have a lot of fight scenes. I can't call the animation great, but it gets the job done.
Score: 7/10
Sound: The sound in this anime is very good. Not only are the SFX great in the fight scenes, you can feel the hits and blows and they don't shy away from showing you everything. Additionally, the voice acting in this show is very good. The VA cast is stacked, with big names such as Akari Kitou, Aoi Yuuki, Katsuyuki Konishi, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Yumi Uchiyama. Overall I am very pleased with this aspect of the show.
Score: 8/10
OP and ED:
I'll be honest, the OP isn't good. It's easily the worst Ikimonogakari song I've heard in a very long time, and the visuals aren't all that special either.
As for the ED, I prefer it over the OP. It has a playful and energetic vibe, which fits well with the show, and again, the visuals aren't super impressive, but because it's an ED, I'm more willing to let it slide.
OP score: 5.5/10
ED score: 7/10
Overall OP and ED score: 6/10
Overall, I think Yozakura Family is a fun show that deserves your attention. Personally, I don't believe it is a contender for best anime of the season, but it's still an entertaining watch regardless.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 21, 2024
Go Go Loser Ranger (also known as Ranger Reject) is basically Super Sentai meets The Boys. It's very unique for its genre and the first 3 episodes have been very entertaining so far. Keep in mind I have not read the manga for this, so I have no idea what's to come.
Basically, the "monsters" started invading earth 13 years ago and the Divine Dragon Keepers need to put an end to them. Eventually, the monsters got handled and they were forced to bring out one per week so that the Dragon Keepers could defeat them in front of a large crowd. One monster (our MC)
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is sick and tired of putting up with this charade, so he decides that he will take down the Dragon Keepers from the inside. This is the premise.
I find this concept to be quite interesting as the audience has no idea what's going on, and as the monsters have had to put up with this farce for over a decade, it would make sense that some of them would be tired of it and would want to rebel against their opressors.
Characters: The cast of Go Go Loser Ranger is quite enjoyable. Seeing the perspective of the "bad guy" for once and actually rooting for the villain (MC) to win is a lot of fun, because before I watched the show, I thought the MCs would be the Dragon Keepers, however they are simply supporting characters. Additionally, Yumeko Suzukiri and Hibiki Sakurama are enjoyable characters, even though we don't know much about them yet. Their dynamics and interactions with the MC are a lot of fun, and you call already tell they are multi-layered characters.
Score: 9/10
Sound: The sound in this anime is great, From the insert songs mid fight, to the sound effects and voice acting, Go Go Loser Ranger! has really gotten this right. The VA cast is quite stacked too. Yuusuke Kobayashi is voicing Fighter D, Yuuichi Nakamura voices Red Keeper, Kensho Ono voices Yellow Keeper, and Kousuke Toriumi voices Green Keeper.
Score: 9/10
Animation: The animation on this show is very good. Yostar pictures are a studio known for doing gacha-game adaptations, so when I saw them on a big project like this one, where the manga is very beloved and well known, I was a little skeptical. However, once I saw the trailer as well as ep 1, my concerns were immedietaly lifted. The animation is fluid and crisp. Character art is great. There is actually some cgi used here and there, but it's blended very well with 2D and is barely noticeable imo.
Score: 8/10
OP and ED:
Probably the weakest (and arguably least important) part of the show. The op is performed by Tatsuya Kitani, and while it certainly isn't his best work, it's not bad by any means. The visuals are fun and the song is upbeat. I'll probably start skipping it from this point on, but it fits the vibe of the show well.
The ED is pretty catchy, but not really my type of song. The visuals on it are fully cgi and it looks a little jank at times but nothing terrible.
OP score: 7/10
ED score: 5.5/10
Overall OP and ED Score: 6/10
Overall, Go Go Loser Ranger! is a very entertaining show with a unique and fresh take on the Super Sentai genre. It's also a very easy show to recommend to others as it appeals to a wider audience and anyone can have a fun time watching it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 20, 2024
NOTE: This review is purely for the first 3 eps of The Fable anime. I have not read the manga or watched the live action adaptation, so I won't be referencing those in this.
The Fable is an interesting anime. Here's the premise: Satou Akira, our main protagonist, is known as the infamous genius "Fable". A lot of things are easy for him, but being a normal member of society isn't. He has been given a special mission: not to kill anyone for a long period of time. Believe it or not, this may be the toughest mission he has yet to take on.
The Fable reminds
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me of a more serious version of Way of the Househusband. The MC is a badass Yakuza member, who is often oblivious to his own surroundings, and has to work with others in order not to blow his cover. Just like Househusband, Fable has very good comedy imo. It's one thing to write good comedy on paper, but delivery is just as, if not, more important imo. Saying a dumb joke with a deadpan voice might illicit a completely different reaction than if u were to say it with a cheery voice.
Characters: I enjoy the cast of The Fable a lot. Akira is a very enjoyable main character, he has that "dead inside" vibe which I tend to like with these types of shows. He's clearly tired of life, constantly making jokes about how others will outlive him and such, so he's trying to find different things to look forward to, even if it's the stupidest shit (like a certain third rate comedian that he loves). Youko Satou is also enjoyable to watch. She is disguising as Fable's sister and her lines are funny too, the main thing she is looking forward to is "a good man".
Score: 9/10
Sound: The sound in this show is very good. From the SFX to the voice acting, they have nailed this aspect down to the tee. The fights feel real and have stakes, you can feel every hit and punch. As I mentioned, the voice acting is also top tier. The cast of VA's is stacked, seeing as there are big names such as Miyuki Sawashiro, Akio Ootsuka, and Kana Hanazawa. Additionally, the chemistry between Miyuki Sawashiro (Youko) and Kazuyuki Okitsu (Akira) is very natural and smooth. Their character interactions are dynamic, quirky, and overall engaging.
Score: 10/10
Animation: I saw a lot of people complaining about this, saying that "Tezuka production ruined another great manga... blah blah blah". Look, I don't think the animation is S tier, but it's certainly not bad. In fact, it's pretty good. Even though this is the weakest part of the show, the fights still look fluid and are well composed and choreographed. The character art could be a little better, but even so, I ain't complaining.
Score: 7/10
OP and ED: I love the op, ALI once again delivered. Visuals aren't anything out of this world, as it mainly consists of still shots of the various characters, but the song is an absolute vibe, so for that reason alone I enjoy the opening theme a lot.
The ending however leaves a lot to be desired. Not only is the song really bad (it's shitty autotune rap) but the visuals don't stand out as they just roll credits and have slideshow visuals. You can definitely skip the ED and u won't be missing out on anything.
Opening Score: 9/10
Ending Score 3/10
Combined Score: 6/10
Overall, I believe that The Fable is a very enjoyable show that anyone can enjoy. It has an excellent cast of characters, good comedy, fights, serious moments, sound design, and an overall interesting and gripping atmosphere and plot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 28, 2024
If you guys are not sure what this is, this is just a chibi anime of A Sign of Affection. Each episode are short 1 to 2 minute skits, that have fun and wholesome character interactions. In the first episode, Itsuomi is catching up with his friends from abroad and giving them drinks and snacks. In episode 2, Rin and Yuki talk about what the feeling of "love" really feels like. In episode 3, Itsuomi practices his sign language while breaking his laundry machine. Overall these skits are a fun way to pass the time. If you are a fan of A Sign of Affection
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like myself, you will probably enjoy this mini anime, but don't go into it expecting the same level of quality as the regular anime, because that is not what you will get.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 21, 2024
This review contains spoilers for MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation
This was a weird experience for me... I want to preface this review by saying that I have not watched or read One Piece, so OP fans may enjoy this one-off episode more than I did. MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation tells the tale of the legendary swordsman Ryuuma from the Land of Wano. The episode starts off with him meeting this girl, Flare, at a bar. It gets quickly revealed to us that her hometown was destroyed and her parents were killed by a dragon. Then, he bumps into this guy Cyrano and they beef
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for some time. After a bit, he runs into this guy D.R. and he confronts him, however this guy has a dragon horn which allows him to summon a dragon when he blows up. Because of this, everyone in town is blaming him and saying how everything is his fault, etc etc. The townspeople end up evacuating, and they start relying on Cyrano to defeat the dragon. What they are unaware of is that Cyrano was plotting with D.R. all along and used the dragon as a distraction to loot the entire town. Flare and Ryuuma end up overhearing their conversation, and it also gets revealed that they were the ones who destroyed Flare's hometown and killed her parents. Eventually, Ryuuma turns up and kills Cyrano. Then he has a cool fight scene against the dragon, slays it, and earns Flare's respect. The episode ends with it jumping back to present time and Zoro saying "I wish I met you when you were still alive, Ryuuma." Other than that, the animation was good (they did the One Piece thing where they don't show certain attacks, hits, and slashes, and they also reused the same scenes certain times). The music was good, especially the ending song that played. Voice acting was on point as well.
Overall, I think your enjoyment of this episode will greatly vary depending on whether you're a OP fan or not. If you're a big OP fan, you may end up enjoying this a lot more than I did. But if you're not a OP fan like myself, you may just think of this episode as "fine" or "slightly above mediocre". That's why I marked this as mixed feelings, because depending on this factor, you should either absolutely check it out, or ignore it as it may not appeal to you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 20, 2024
A Sign of Affection is one of the best romance stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading (and the best one I am currently reading), so it's same to say that I have been anticipating this adaptation for a while. And after having watched the first 3 episodes, I'm happy to say that this anime adaptation has exceeded all of my expectations. Let me sell you on it. A Sign of Affection centers around a college girl, Yuki, who is deaf from birth. She doesn't talk to many people, aside from her best friend Rin. One day, while taking the train, she meets
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this silver haired guy, Itsuomi. He noticed she was being overwhelmed by people around her and bailed her out of that situation. Unlike many people, he doesn't mind that Yuki has hearing impairments, and actually goes out of his way to learn sign language, all for her sake. Additionally, he likes to travel abroad a lot and often brings her souvenirs and such (and one day he vouches to take her all around the world and show her all the sights the world has to offer). Both of their worlds grow exponentially as they learn about each others fascinating lives. A Sign of Affection is, at its core, a cute, wholesome, well executed shoujo romance series. We already get so few of these series nowadays, let alone good ones, so seeing a genuine gem of a series pop up out of nowhere is so refreshing and enjoyable. Some people may try to make the argument "well you're just starved for this genre". That's not true. This romance is nice and unique because it actually takes place in college, unlike 99% of anime romances which occur in high school. Additonally, I love the artstyle and use of colors in the anime. It's so sweet and bright and fits the vibe of the show perfectly. Another thing I wanted to note is the use of sound. Sometimes they like to distort the sound, however they do this on purpose, to show you how the world is from her perspective and it's really fascinating. They also go in depth on sign language and teach you all sort of different signs, which is extremely informative and interesting to watch. OP and ED are also solid.
All in all, if you like good, wholesome, feel good romance stories, that are executed extremely well, A Sign of Affection is right up your alley.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 29, 2023
To those of you wondering what this is, its just a compilation of chibi skits. Each skit is around 1 min 30, and it usually follows this pattern: Maomao and Jinshi run into each other, they banter a little, maomao gives us a fun trivia fact, they proceed to banter more and the skit ends. The skits are fun and short, and the interactions between Maomao and Jinshi are very comedic and lighthearted. I'd say these skits are very comparable to the Frieren skits (which are also airing right now). Low budget, dumb fun. If you're a fan of Apothecary Diaries and you want to
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see more amusing interactions and dialogues between Maomao and Jinshi, this is worth the watch. If not, then u can probably skip this. Just don't go into this expecting the same level of quality as the main show, because that's certainly not what you're going to get.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 26, 2023
I've been a Nagata Kabi fan for a while now, and I've got to say, her newest work, "My Pancreas Broke, But My Life Got Better" did not disappoint at all. This work takes place after the events of "My Alcoholic Escape From Reality", so if u haven't read this yet, I highly suggest you do, because it provides keep context that would otherwise be missing. Nagata Kabi is a self indulgent alcohol addict, and this was made apparent in this entry. She struggles on and on with her alcoholism, as there was a point where she actually managed to break free from her addiction
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(this only lasted a month, though). After being diagnosed with Pancreatitis, Nagata Kabi was hospitalized for a prolonged period of time. She was getting very self conscious about seeing other people get discharged, as well as she has connected directly to an IV which meant she couldn't eat properly. This went on for a while. Eventually, she had to start wearing adult diapers because she could not control her bodily systems properly. However, her mom and dad did their utmost best to support her. Her mom provided her with all her necessities and made some hearty homemade meals that follow her diet. And her father called her "a real treasure". Due to the support from her parents, Nagata Kabi was able to break free from her addiction. It didn't happen overnight, and it wasn't an instant transformation. It was a slow and arduous process which involved lots of self restraint and hard work on her end. But she did it. And we're all proud of her. It's really satisfying to see Nagata Kabi's life finally take a turn for the better after all the suffering and challenges she's been through. Overall, I do still believe "My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness" and "My Solo Exchange Diary" are her best works, as we get a very introspective look into her life and its extremely fascinating to read. But this one was solid as well. If you've never read a Nagata Kabi work before, I suggest you read her other works and then come to this one because they are necessary in order to fully appreciate this. However, if you're a big Nagata Kabi fan (like myself), I highly recommend picking this volume up as its a great read and its 100% worth your money.
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 18, 2023
This is just a compilation of little, low budget shorts. So far, there are 3 episodes out. The first one is about using a spell that makes you speak your thoughts out loud, the second one is about using a spell that removes alcohol from booze, and the third one is about using a spell that allows u to wake up on time. These are fun, short comedic skits between the cast and they make for a good and wholesome time. Although they are heartwarming, that's all there is to this. Unlike the actual Frieren TV anime, don't go into this expecting a high quality
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masterpiece, because that's not what you're going to get.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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