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- BirthdayOct 26, 1993
- LocationHelsinki
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Sep 30, 2022
Yofukashi no Uta starts off as a fantastical journey. Our main character discovers the thrills and beauty of night-time together with a charismatic and goofy vampire lady Nazuna. The strong visual direction, soothing music, and fun dialogue make a great experience where every moment oozes just the right kind of ambience. The premise is a bit unbelievable - it is hard to imagine every person Ko comes across would react so nonchalantly to him starting to lead a nocturnal lifestyle, and effectively dropping out of middle school. Once you buy into this and the fact he wants to turn into a vampire himself for whatever
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reason, however, you can immerse yourself in the beautiful, soothing nightlife, filled with good times.
I was expecting the story to keep doing what it does well, maybe exploring more interesting situations and wacky characters in the nighttime. Somewhere in the middle the narrative takes a turn for the worse, and makes Ko and the viewer too question his goals and motivations. It makes the viewer once again question facts that we had already accepted, for no good reason. Latter episodes focus on exploring the ramifications of Ko's decisions, and detailing the exact nature of vampires in this universe. This kind of plot-driven, detailed approach to storytelling and worldbuilding plays right against Yofukashi no Uta's strengths, as the story thus far has at times conveniently ignored quite obvious problems in its logic.
The production of this anime is great - the visuals and music are just right, and the characters are very charming. Sadly, in the end, the story piles on unnecessary twists and turns, shallow surprises, and underutilized secondary characters.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 8, 2019
Date a Live III is a worthwhile watch for fans of the franchise, but one could write a short story about its flaws.
The first arc that introduces a new spirit is quite consistent and balances the humorous elements and drama well, but you get the feeling that compared to previous seasons the storytelling is getting bogged down by the bloating harem. Each spirit get their due screentime, but the interactions are quite uninspired and simply draw on what has been already established.
Once we move to the main arc that lasts until the second to last episode the real pain starts. Origami is probably 50%
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of the reason I fell in love with this franchise. On one hand I was glad to have her character developed and backstory explored, but on the other I did not like how they broke and altered her established character on more than one occasion.
The plot is full of distractions and dead ends: An anti-spirit corporation gets significant screentime, but in the end those characters were only made to move the plot along to the next chapter, and are dropped out of the picture almost immediately without any closure. Similar things happen with Kurumi, who makes her appearance during the second half the show. We know what she does and how she does it, but we really don't know why, rendering her a text book example Deus ex machina. A mysterious entity whose powers and motivations are the key to understanding the cause for pretty much the entire plot is first introduced, then simply moved aside and forgotten.
The basic storytelling structure is something like this: first introduce characters, build up intrigue and hype, then suddenly shift focus and scramble together a bare minimum of plot devices and rush into an unsatisfying climax.
There is so much to bitch about the story and narrative, but somehow the humorous moments and the fanservice are enough to salvage this season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 22, 2019
[includes spoilers]
SSSS.Gridman is hard to nail down. It's an atmospheric mecha mystery show that also follows monster-of-the-week formula.
While the mystery elements are weak, the characters and their interactions are complete blunders. The show is heavily focused on studying and developing the complex relationship between the heroes and the main antagonist, who are friends but also enemies. 2/3 way into the show it is revealed that the antagonist is actually a god, and that the main cast only likes her because she built the world and made everyone like her.
...what? This plot point completely undermines anything that was even remotely interesting about these characters' relationships and
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Akane herself. Oh, and later on it is also revealed that Yuuta, who was supposed to suffer from amnesia, is actually not Yuuta but Gridman, who is in no way related to Yuuta's friends, Rikka and Shou.
Way to go Trigger! You just undid all the character development in the series, as the supporting cast has absolutely no depth. What was the point of the series again?
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 24, 2017
Himouto! Umaru-chan's second season could be one of the more underappreciated comedies out there.
It's safe to assume anyone who's considering picking up this anime has already seen the first season. My biggest gripe with the first season of Umaru was that the character herself was, for lack of a better word, a complete cunt. Even though her brashness gave the anime its spirit, the second season does a much better balancing act with the many faces of Umaru. The rest of the characters are as entertaining as ever. I certainly wouldn't have made it through the first season if it wasn't for Ebina and Kirie,
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for example. Himouto!'s second season truly earns a perfect rating in the character department.
People love to diss any type of series for lack of development, and this was especially true for the first first season. Does the second season do anything to remedy this? You could say the show ends the same way it started, but some things undoubtedly changed along the way.
While the first season introduced us to these characters, the second season is much more focused on exploring their friendships and group dynamics. It was quite rewarding to finally see these lovely people properly hitting it off and bonding together. I was especially surprised by the change in the overall tone, as for every goofy scene there seemed to be an equal amount of emotional ones. In particular the feeling of nostalgia was heavily explored. The 2nd season made me feel a range of emotions. The end result was as tasty as eating chips and chocolate with the occasional sip of cola.
On the flipside these emotional moments never truly lead us anywhere. The story of Himouto! (if there is one) is fractured and all we get are random everyday events. The scenes are usually loosely connected, but never in a meaningful way. This kind of structure is natural for a comedy, but it certainly doesn't let the series tap into the full potential of the more serious moments of Himouto!. Still, this could change by the end of the series, which is why I'm definitely keeping an eye on possible continuation.
Overall, Himouto!'s second season was a very refreshing take on comedy. If you enjoyed the first season you should definitely check out this one as well, as it has all the strengths and less weaknesses. The characters are better realized and still extremely endearing. They even gave us a banging ED, so go check it out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 19, 2017
The 3rd season of Shokugeki leaves something to be desired in every way.
J.C.Staff's adaption of this manga series has never been masterful. For the most part it has been just phoned in. The spottiness of the animation, ugly CGI and off-model characters have always been somewhat present in this series, but the 3rd season marks a turn for the worse even when compared to the previous 2nd season.
Using manga panels directly as a storyboard and making sure the female characters' boobs look like they are about to burst from their uniforms worked fine for the first season, because that's when the writing and the
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plot was immaculate. This isn't so much the case with 3rd season. Even though the first arc has a very nicely structured conflict with a satisfying resolution, the following major arc that covers the rest of the episodes ramps up the action in a worst way possible, and goes almost full shounentard. As I had read the manga before diving into the animation this time around, I was hoping for J.C.Staff to salvage the plot and place emphasis on the elements which worked - which is the opposite of what they did do.
What made the first season of Shokugeki good, anyway? The characters, and both their *intrapersonal* and interpersonal struggles. Souma's ability to rise to the challenge and help the people around him do the same made him a superb character. The interactions between him and Megumi were especially crucial, giving the viewers catharsis shockwaves. The people found their inner strength, and the (romantic) tensions between Souma and Erina kept us praying for more development. The slower passages gave the long season a much better flow. (minor spoilers starting now:)
The introduction of a "classical" villain and a conflict which is fought between two factions ruins all these intricacies in the 3rd season. Especially the middle section of this season feels like an endless stream of boring shokugeki. There are too many new bad guys and not enough interest in the stakes from my part. The dramatic tension of the whole series is undermined by the illogical motives of both the villain and the supporting faction. It's impossible to come up with reasons for as to why half of the top ten seats voted to place Azami as the director of Tootsuki. The fact they did do so pigeonholes these characters and the rest of the supporting forces, as their motivations have to be justified somehow down the line, even though that's impossible.
Basically, the biggest plot twist of the entire series is a spectacular asspull.
The problems of the manga's plot are heightened by the fact that all the anime does is ramp up the tension, throwing caution out of the window. The sound design of this season is surprisingly stark. There are a variety of dramatic scores which are played surprisingly loud during shokugeki and otherwise. There are numerous instances where the director has decided to use montages and flashbacks to really try to bring out the feels out of the viewer. I was taken aback by how disconnected I felt from the story, even compared to my reading experience. The anime would have benefitted from downplaying the action and giving the characters more air to breath.
So why is this anime even good, then? The third season has still a lot of momentum and strong characters backing it up. Even though the plot is a little contrived, the development between Erina and her father is still very enjoyable. That’s all that matters and all that the conflict should really be about – resolving Erina’s literal daddy issues. Even though Erina’s payoff scenes were handled without much directional finesse, they still made the show worthwile. Additionally, even though Azami leaves something to be desired as the bad guy for the series, the first seat, Tsukasa Eishi, works much better as an opponent for Souma. If there’s something good to be said about the factions and the entire conflict, it would be the emergence of tension between these two characters.
The final verdict? Well, the animation is spotty, the sound design is crap, the CGI is fugly, directing is unimaginative, and emphasis has been placed on the wrong things. But it’s still god damn Shokugeki no Souma. It’s impossible to ruin the entire franchise at this point. I had fun times watching this season, and I’m hungry for the 2nd cour.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 31, 2017
Net-juu no susume is a wonderfully crafted romance. The series' ambitions are not immediately apparent, as the story opens with a very generic MMO-registration sequence. It would be easy to write Net-juu off as just another typical virtual/alternative reality anime that fails to establish a personality and a mission statement in the first crucial minutes. After the first episode you're most likely wondering which direction the story is heading, as there is nothing inherently interesting about the game world or its mechanics.
The real point of interest is, of course, the characters. The online guild friends our MC encounters are charming, as are their real
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world personas. Everything about the characters and their interactions is so pleasant and likable that you can't help falling in love with them. This wouldn't work if there were no struggles, of course. Net-juu tackles real, working world issues. The way humans use games to alleviate stress and escape human problems is a central motif.
Net-juu puts multiplayer games into an interesting light. It doesn't deny their addictive and harmful properties, but it doesn't try to paint them as evil either. Even though the characters of this anime have different backgrounds and spend varying amounts of time in their game, all of them have a deep appreciation for the experiences and connections it has allowed them to make.
The visual production has a raw feeling to it, which somehow seems to elevate the romantic feelings it spurs inside me (Net-juu is similar to RE:life also in this regard). The soundtrack is similarly low-key, although both the OP and ED make a very strong mark with music and visuals that work in a perfect harmony.
Net-juu is is worth checking out even if romance isn't your go-to genre. It's filled with love, and has one of the most charming main characters I have ever had the pleasure to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 28, 2017
Aho Girl combines original jokes with a strong visual presentation, well executed comedic timing and a spotless soundtrack to create one of the funniest comedies I have ever seen.
Your enjoyment of this series hinges upon whether you love or hate Yoshiko, the idiot girl. Yoshiko is a genuine self-proclaimed idiot with a ridiculous sense of pride and confidence. The other MC, Akuru, is her childhood "friend", and plays quite the perfect fold to her. We are shortly introduced to a few more high-school aged characters, Yoshiko's mom and Akuru's little sister, and even though all of their personalities and chemistries mix and match perfectly to
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create interesting comedic angles and combinatios, the most important character dynamic is between Yoshiko and Akuru.
Akuru has had to suffer from Yoshiko's idiocy, invasion of privacy and sexual harassment from a very young age, which has turned him into a cold and cynical person with a short temper. Yoshiko on the other hand hasn't matured at all, but her sincere enthusiasm makes her very good at manipulating the people around her. Many jokes start with Yoshiko planting her idiotic plans and ideas into other people's heads, people following through with Yoshiko's ideas, and having Akuru (or one of the few other sane characters) put a stop to all the idiocy.
The rest of the cast is also perfect, with a somewhat even split between absurd caricature-like characters and their more sane counterparts. Akuru's little sister is a perfectly absurd character. Despite putting a lot of effort into her studies, and obviously having a good home environment, she is as bad at studies as Yoshiko, despite acting a like a straight character. Her contempt for idiocy makes her despise Yoshiko, but her self-loathing makes her hate her brother as well. The "Boob President" is another hilarious example, but I wouldn't want to explain all the jokes to you.
In general this series' style of comedy is best described as absurdist. Each episode is full of explosive humour and equally explosive visuals. All of the running jokes evolve perfectly and feel fresh throughout the entire season. Despite the show's short running time, it introduces quite a large cast of equally funny characters, and they are always put into new and interesting situations.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 3, 2016
Even though Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is technically a ghost story, under the surface there's not much that differentiates it from other high school -setting slice-of-life (romcom) anime. Over the course of this anime our MC composes a harem of the most essential cliche characters, and this happy gang goes through the standard trite high school events.
We have Teiichi Niiya, our main protagonist. He is the silent observer who does little to move the plot forward. Teiichi is the one who awakens Yuko-San from her slumber, thus creating a bond between the two.
Yuko Kanoe is the Dusk Maiden. Yuko is the "first girl wins" character
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and is utterly devoted to Teiichi. The two of them are the "official couple" pretty much from the first episode onwards. For the series credit, though, it is mentioned multiple times that this is because no one had ever touched or even paid attention to Yuko until Teiichi became aware of her, so it kind of makes sense. Yuko's split personality and psychological repression, causing her amnesia, is the main plot device and the main cause of our characters is to find out about Yuko's past.
Kirie Kanoe is the tsundere one, who is the only student besides Teiichi who can see ghost Yuko. Kirie joins the rest of the main cast on their quest to find out about Yuko's past for no apparent reason other than she has no friends and wants to hang around Teiichi for god-knows-why, since the viewers are exposed to absolutely nothing that could have sparked her romantic interest. Kirie is used as a narrator for audience, since our silent protagonist is oblivious to basically everything happening around him and needs to be talked through.
Momoe Okonogi is the moe one, mostly acting as a comedic relief. She is used to create both fun and tension, since she is the only main character who cannot see Yuko. Momoe is obsessed over Teiichi, constantly trying to make a move on him, which often leads to sticky situations since Yuko is usually always glued to Teiichi ("haunting him"), thus sparking jealousy.
We have a high school setting, (unwanted) harem, fan service in the form of gratuitous boob shots and boob grabs. We have the swimming pool episode and the culture festival episode. Even though there are attempts at being genuinely spooky from time to time, those are the times when this show truly falls on its face. I do believe this show at its core tried to emulate what, for example, the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya did. The spooky and unnatural elements of the show are sprinkled upon, used to create ambiance, while the real focus of the show is in character interaction and the funny bits.
The problem is that unlike with Haruhi, there is pretty much no depth to these characters whatsoever. They are what they are: card board cuts. There is no character development happening and characters' motivations are justified very poorly, if at all. This is a shame because towards the end I was still feeling involved in this series for one reason or another, and felt that the characters could have been given a proper background and some distinctive traits along the way.
The best thing Dusk Maiden had going for it were the character interactions between Yuko and Reiichi pawing each other, Momoe freaking over the seemingly otherworldly occurrences and Kirie getting worked up by the couple's insensitive behavior because she's the only one who can see them getting frisky. Even though the plot lacks meat and is delivered poorly, the humor worked for me. The series is only 12 episodes long, so if you have some tolerance for stupid BS and fancy humor and some mild fan service (and you have seen every other anime that deliver on these things), Dusk Maiden of Amnesia could be worth a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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