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Jan 24, 2023
I enjoyed the first two volumes of this series immensely. I haven't read much in this genre of manga, so I don't have a lot of experience with the Isekai premise/set-up, but I do think it's a fun idea taking a character from one world and transplanting them in another with an entirely different life. I also really like the idea of a main character who isn't destined to defeat darkness or overcome some great challenge or really be in the limelight much at all, because lots of stories can (and do) just those things all the time. And many of them do it well.
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But a story about a protagonist who would normally be someone in the background of another story getting to be at the forefront of their own is something I can enjoy.
Unfortunately, the last two volumes of this series were a let-down. Filimena is a quite well-rounded and interesting character in the first two volumes. Much of the struggles and dilemma's she faces are solely because of her fiancé, Edy, and both his deep-seeded insecurity as well as the fact that he has incredible magic power that he must frequently use to stop evil thus putting him in harm's way multiple times. Filimena spends a lot of time wondering things like 'Will we ever get married, how does he truly feel about me, what if something terrible happens and he dies.' For my part, I found a lot of this is enjoyable. (I also love romance though, so...) But it starts to become a little uninteresting in volume 3, as we aren't moving past these particular challenges on to new ones, and by volume 4, I was ready for the writer to give the two of them some cute romance time together and maybe write some conflict or character struggles for Filimena that came from outside of their marriage. (Volume 4 also has two villains that are rather lackluster and disappointing.)
There is an attempt at exploring Filimena's previous life, what had made it so disappointing, the things she regrets about it, and her overcoming her own hangups about the choices she made in that life. But much of it comes very late in the story and is rushed to a resolution in volume 4. I don't remember there being any mention of her previous life at all in volume 3, which was not a good writing move considering there was only one volume left.
I can see someone else really enjoying this series, and that's fine. Personally, I'll be selling my copies to someone else who might enjoy it more than me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 16, 2023
Season 1:
I wish I had had this series when I was in high school trying to navigate friendships and crushes and all those big, complicated feelings that come with being young. I would have pored over this story like it was a manual or how-to guide on being a teen girl. As I read, I was constantly struck by how accurate and relatable and instructive Odd Girl Out is.
First, we have our little foursome of friends each with their own struggles and difficulties, their own quirks, their own flaws, their own strengths. Nari serves as an excellent protagonist, principled and compassionate even in the face
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of serious meanness, but still human and infallible and dealing with her own insecurities. Seonji, Mirae, and Yuna are devoted friends to Nari and each other (Yuna being an exception) with their own important backstories that give each of them a lot of depth and relatability. Yuna is admittedly difficult to like, as she's the most selfish and guarded of the four, and you often want to punt her across the room, but she's a good example of a brittle person who, deep down, just wants to be valued and loved.
I think my favorite thing about this series though is Morangji's very powerful way of taking mean girls and humanizing them, something that is much needed not just in teen and tween literature but in life in general. Nari and her friends meet a loooooong line of mean girls throughout the story, all of them with their own unique personalities and backstories and explanations for their behavior, and all of them given room for compassion and growth and to be seen as more than just bullies. You would expect this to become tiresome or annoying, but it never does, as Morangji seems to have an endless well of inspiration when it comes to creating layered characters.
This series brings up a lot of interesting and important questions for young girls (and grown girls too). What makes a girl mean? What makes a girl a target? What can we do about it? I think Odd Girl Out gives some pretty solid answers to these questions, and I was impressed with Morangji's ability to guide her characters into making compassionate, fair choices even in the face of real meanness. Of course, our foursome isn't perfect. They make mistakes and can be selfish and unfair too. But Morangji refuses to leave these girls there, opting instead to have Nari lead her friends, and the readers, by example. This isn't a series that wants you to get revenge on the bullies. It's a story that asks you to be compassionate, and That is a good message.
Season 2:
I have mixed feelings about this season. Overall, I like it. Nari is still kind and generous, still dealing with insecurities and navigating relationships like all teen girls do, but she also starts to come into her own this season. After facing a slew of mean girls season 1, she's developed a number of valuable skills that aid her in season 2. She steps out of her comfort zone, trying new things such as student leadership groups and even running for an office position herself. And there are two really wonderful potential love interests, which will always make a romance fan like me happy.
But this is where the mixed feelings come in. Morangji focuses heavily this season on these two potential romances. Unfortunately, with this increased focus, Nari's relationship with her friends takes a backseat. This is disappointing, as her friend group is kind of the heart of the story, and throughout season 2, it often felt like Nari was leaving them behind. One of Nari's friends even says something to this affect at one point. If this was an intentional writing decision, then I would have liked the story to explore this. Maybe more mentions by Nari's friends that it felt like she was leaving them behind or getting caught up in boy drama or even just that they missed her. Something to make this feel more like an intentional writing choice and not an unintended consequence of the author spending so much time character building for Nari's love interests.
As far as the love interests themselves are concerned, I mostly like the things the author did with them. Nari finds herself with two equally likable and sympathetic young men within her orbit, both eventually vying for her attention. Only one of them makes an attempt at pursuing Nari while the other watches from the background quietly pining, but you can't help but like both of them equally, and it's definitely a constant struggle picking between them.
But while I like both of Nari's potential love interests, sometimes their stories felt overly dramatic. Both young men deal with some pretty intense homelives, and while I think there's a lot of worthwhile things explored in their parts of the story, sometimes I felt like things were a little too much. That being said, we do get to see how things pan out for one of them, and I like how the author chose to handle the problems in his family. We haven't seen movement toward resolution for the other young man and his family yet, but there's definitely still time for things to come together on his end.
In some ways, I prefer season 1. The focus on female friendship dynamics, dealing with mean girls, etc. are all things that hit really close to home, and I loved reading a series that didn't treat mean girls as cardboard cutouts or presented a message that mean girls can't change or don't deserve any sympathy or have any trauma or dysfunctional families or habits that fuel their behavior. In that regard, Odd Girl Out has really stood out as a series that sees all of its characters as fully human, even the mean ones. And through every mean girl were Nari's friends, supporting her, encouraging her, defending her, being her anchor in the storms.
I think that's why this season was a bit difficult for me. As much as I loved both of Nari's love interests, watching her friendships with them unfold, as proud as I was when Nari decided to step up and take charge in her life, putting herself out there to try new and scary things, I also missed the thing that anchored the series. Nari's closest friends. Of course, I recognize that at some point, Morangji was going to have to move away from having Nari deal with mean girls. She was also gonna have to push Nari outside of her friend group nest and teach her to fly. I just wish the girls could have been a bigger part of the story this season instead of being left on the sidelines. (Not to mention, all three of these girls have their own storylines that haven't been fully explored or concluded yet. And I don't think Yuna being overseas is a good excuse for barely including her this season at all. But I'm hopeful that we will see more movement in these girls' stories in season 3.)
But regardless of this season's flaws, I still love this series. This season took a step back from dealing with mean girls (there are still a few mean girls to be had, of course, and all of them are incredibly well-written) and focused on other things, potential romance, the backstories of Nari's two love interests, Nari learning how to stand on her own two feet and fight for herself, and there was a lot of really good character growth throughout. I would definitely say that nothing this season was a waste of time. I just hope our friend group comes back next season tighter and stronger than ever before.
And I hope whichever boy Nari doesn't choose at the end gets his own girl who will fully appreciate him, because both of these young men are wonderful.
A Note on the Art: The art of Odd Girl Out is a little bit rough in places in season 1, not as polished or consistent as it could be. There are still some instances of this in season 2, but there is also an overall improvement throughout the season. And despite some flaws, I never found the art to be bad or distracting, so I definitely wouldn't pass on this story just because the art isn't always totally there. It's a good series that reminds us that we're all human and often acting out of that humanness.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 26, 2022
This is pretty dumb in that way that you get enjoyment out of laughing at how dumb something is, but you would never recommend it to anyone and probably wouldn't reread it again yourself.
It's a pretty standard story, especially for its time. A male lead who's a pretty big jerk to the female lead (although he often ends up making a fool of himself more than he does anyone else), a female lead who is considered unattractive by the era's standards and is a sympathetic doormat, very little character or story development just hopping from one plot beat to the next, pretty subpar art, and
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a 'she suddenly becomes pretty!' ending. There are far better interpretations of this type of story, so if you're looking for something good, you should read one of those instead. But if you like laughing at how dumb something is and don't mind the above nonsense, then sure. Give this a shot.
I don't personally feel like my time was wasted, but this is definitely not high-quality storytelling and art. It's just...dumb.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Oct 26, 2021
Contrary to popular opinion, I think this movie was a lot of fun. I don't think the CGI was bad, I liked the characters, and I liked the story. The one thing that hurts this movie, and it's probably the thing that has been the most talked about, is that it just...ends. There's no conclusion, no tying up story threads, no growth or change in the characters, just...the end. Now, the credits provided us with an actual ending where we receive all of these things, but that doesn't really count, does it? Because those are the Credits. They're not the story itself. And as cute
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as it is to see the story continue as the credits roll, it's no substitute for just...telling the story.
Because of the nature of this movie's ending, ie. there not being one, I doubt I will watch Earwig again, but I don't think it was a waste of a movie ticket. It was fun for what it was.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 26, 2021
This series started off stronger than it finished. The story is nothing special, pretty standard fare, but it's lighthearted and fun, and I'm a sucker for ugly duckling stories, so I was hooked immediately. But with a main character like Haruna, you have to write your story in such a way that the character won't become annoying or absurd to the point of unenjoyable. And while I think the author did a good job of making Haruna a fun character in the first half, turning her overactive imagination and extreme reactions into great story fodder, I don't think she did so well with this in
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the second half. Haruna's personality and behavior slowly became more and more grating as the story goes on. Not so much so that I stopped enjoying the story entirely, but enough so that I don't know how likely I am to ever pick this series up for a re-read.
And that's really all I have to say about this series. It's not a stand-out story, the art is decent but nothing special (even occasionally subpar), and Haruna starts out really fun but sort-of devolves in the second half. It's nothing to write home about. Still, it is generally enjoyable fluff, so if you like lighthearted ugly duckling stories and don't mind somewhat cliché/standard storylines and a female lead who can be occasionally grating to your brain, this isn't a bad series to waste some time on.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 21, 2021
I remember almost nothing that happened in this anime, and I've both seen much of the original series And read some of the manga. I think that is a testament to how poor the quality of this remake is.
First and foremost, the art is low quality, especially the transformation sequences that everyone else has already complained about far and wide at this point. But even if the art were good, the story isn't really there. There's none of the heart that the original had. It all just Feels like it's a remake and not in anyway comparable to the original.
I ended up dropping this at
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ep 8 in the way I often drop things...without even meaning to. Which is a critique in and of itself. If I'm so uninspired by a series that I can't even remember/muster up the energy to go back but rather just keep telling myself I'm Going to go back at some point until it's been so long since I watched any of it that I've lost all desire to do so...that's not good.
This ultimately ended up not being the remake I, or I think most of us, hoped it would be, and at this point, I would rather just watch the original and read the manga instead.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 20, 2020
This movie sets up some big stakes and makes some big promises that I don't think it quite achieves. The virtual world the writers and artists created is cool and very immersive, but it never felt like a real part of the story universe to me. And when we got to the end of the movie where the stakes are at their highest and everyone has to pull together to fix what's gone wrong, I was...not all that moved.
Don't get me wrong, it's fun to see the male lead and the female leads family, and seemingly the rest of Japan as well, working together to
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overcome the ultimate threat of the story, but I wasn't particularly worried about whether they would be successful or not.
I guess the flaw of this film is that it didn't do a very good job of getting me invested, so nothing that happens really has any meaning for me. I can understand why others would really love this movie, so this is in no way me saying you shouldn't. It's just me saying that while I mostly enjoyed watching it, it's not ever going into my list of favorite movies or even my list of not favorites but still really, really like movies.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 20, 2020
Holy Cannoli, does this movie have an Opening. Almost immediately out of the gate, we're thrust into an intense, high stakes situation that not only gets your blood pumping but sets the stage for everything else to come in the story. You get a very clear picture of who are characters are, what they're like, and just what kind of movie this is going to be.
Personally, I was enthralled from start to finish. Invested in the characters, in love with the story, impressed by the animation, there's nothing I have to complain about. Even the twist, which I didn't see coming at all, was superbly
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done and emotionally resonant.
Of course, this movie couldn't start the way it does without ending in a similar fashion, and boy does this movie have an Ending. Another intense, high stakes, blood pumping situation that has you on the edge of your seat.
This movie made me smile, it made me cry, it made me walk out of the theater feeling content, and it will do the same for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 8, 2020
I went into this movie, after hearing constant positive comparisons to Studio Ghibli, with some very specific expectations for just what kind of film it was going to be. Like most everyone else in the world, I'm a massive Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki fan, so seeing these comparisons had me undeniably hyped. But the hype may have been a little overdone, because while I certainly didn't leave the theater disliking the film, I did leave disappointed at not having experiencing quite what I had hoped to. I knew that I had watched a film every bit as good as anything Ghibli has put out, but I
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couldn't shake the feeling that it hadn't been what I'd been told it would be and that I'd been somewhat misled.
I think the thing that disappointed me about the film initially was how...silly it was at times? Studio Ghibli films are typically a little more serious in tone, even when they're lighthearted and fun, and I was expecting something along those lines.
Thankfully, despite my initial disappointment, further viewings completely altered my feelings about the film, and I can confidently say that I love it. I don't know that it will ever reach the heights many of Ghibli's films have for me, but I'm very happy to have the DVD sitting on a shelf next to my Ghibli favorites.
The film is a tad too silly in places, but it more than makes up for it with a cast of wonderful characters, an enjoyable and lighthearted plot, a fun and interesting use of magic, and yes, a similar feel and style to many of Studio Ghibli's films.
This is a great film, and I highly recommend it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 7, 2020
I've never seen a movie tell a story about a major event such as the bombing of Hiroshima through a slice of life lens, but I must say, I found it to be not only a fascinating take but even an enjoyable one. (As enjoyable as a story can get when it's about such a traumatic topic, of course.)
You might think that a slice of life form of storytelling would water down the very real trauma such an event would have on those who lived through it, and it's true that this is not the next Grave of the Fireflies (that movie wrecks your soul
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then spits on it). But just because it takes a more lighthearted approach to something so devastating does not mean it disrespects or devalues it.
Of course, the flaw of many Japanese films about this time period will always be that they leave out key parts of the history of WW2 in order to make Japan look more innocent and sympathetic. Namely Japan's alliance to Nazi Germany and the bombing of Pearl Harbor and their own POW camps where they severely mistreated foreign soldiers. I can't lie and say that I didn't struggle with that while watching. It's understandable that the average, everyday citizens of Japan would have no idea why America would bomb them since the Japanese government was not likely telling the truth about just what part they were really playing in the war, but it's still upsetting to watch some of the characters remark negatively about foreign governments when Japan, whether directly involved or not, was supporting a regime that murdered people in the millions, and those same foreign governments were literally trying to end a Holocaust. (Obviously, there's a debate over whether dropping a bomb was a justifiable way to force Japan to stop aiding the Germans, but that's a conversation for another day.)
Ultimately, however, I have to accept that films like this are going to come with their own particular viewpoint and narrative, and as long as they are not overtly hateful towards the rest of the world but rather focus on showing the toll living through such an event has on a human being, I'm fully capable of enjoying films such as this.
And I very much enjoyed this film. The art is light and clean and very rounded in design which aids the slice of life format, the characters are all interesting and (mostly) likable, and the family we follow is one you are very easily able to care for and empathize with.
But the thing that may work best about this film for me, outside of the slice of life viewpoint, is the romance. It didn't go the way I expected it to, and I was initially disappointed by that, but the writers knew exactly how to earn my approval of their chosen couple and then make me fall in love with them, and I most definitely fell for them. They're compatible in a way that surprises you and makes you even a bit envious, and their path to love is very grounded and realistic and honest while still being equally romantic.
So while I'd like to see Japanese films about this time provide a little more historical context to the situation, I can still greatly love and appreciate the stories they have to tell.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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