In the first five or so episodes I count about six cases of "sexual assault". Or at least what would be sexual assault by most western viewers. Yet you don't really feel a sense of outrage because in each case the victim's response is to swoon in a mock-Victorian way, and then get all horny about it within the next three scenes. Followed by some light self-contradictory angst, followed by more swooning.
The art is super low budget, technically pretty bad, but there is enough kitschy weirdness in it to raise it above the cost constraints.
The characters are kitschy but still pretty shallow.
The end of the
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Dec 30, 2017
Bonobono (TV)
(Anime)
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Like Charlie Brown this is a very cute show with a deeply philosophical side. Without ever being even slightly intense it tackles some deep stuff, topics like loneliness, how strange people are, and where a certain odd shaped stick came from. It straddles the thin line between subtlety and meaningless masterfully, each new episode is a joy to watch.
Honestly I like this better than Snoopy, Charlie Brown's overt Christian messages can be a bit offputting, this show is equally as thoughtful but a whole lot less preachy. I think it'd be a really great show to watch with young children, its one of the few shows ... 
Aug 2, 2015
I'm a big fan of the original series and the manga. This was a huge let down. The animation quality is dreadful, lazy, sloppy and ugly. I think this is best illustrated by Usagi's buns, they are consistently drawn on top of her hair when clearly they should be behind her hair and peaking out over the top; this looks so ugly. Considering major details of the main character are so badly drawn you know what to expect from the rest of the art.
The story in the original anime and manga also came across as very kitsch, I think this was a huge part of ... 
Aug 1, 2015
Sore ga Seiyuu!
(Anime)
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Of the three meta-anime I've seen (Shirobako, Bakuman) this is my favourite. I like how they portray the reality of working life without resorting to anime tropes. In bakuman the typically super-asexual lead character plus relationship gimmick always seemed so unnecessary, what we have here is something more real, more similar to a slice of life. The three lead characters are suitably adorable in the way that people are adorable in real life, they have regular human flaws and worries. I think one of the things this anime does best is portraying the awkwardness found in any typical work environment, of course amplified by the
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Jan 19, 2014
Mei to Koneko Bus
(Anime)
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It's such a shame they only show this at the Studio Ghibli museum in Tokyo. I went to the museum hoping to see this but unfortunately they alternate it with 10 other movies so you would be a very lucky person indeed to see this in good quality.
However somebody managed to film a bit of it on their camera phone and uploaded it to the internet so this is the version most people are probably familiar with. It's obviously very bad quality but better than nothing and I really hope that one day Studio Ghibli decide to release this for everyone. The Ghibli museum is a ... 
Jan 19, 2014
Non Non Biyori
(Anime)
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Non Non Biyori is just so cute, watching it is like being in a relaxing daydream. This stands above other slice of life anime due to its realism, pacing and lack of stereotyped behaviour. Some gags might involve the characters standing still and nothing happening for 10 seconds or more and it has a certain real life charm that really fits in with the countryside theme. The characters are also really unique and individual with no stereotyped "loli" or "moe" behaviour. Ren-chon is so cute and realistic almost to a Miyazaki level of adorable, and it's hard not to compare this to Totoro and some
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Jan 2, 2014
Sword Art Online
(Anime)
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The first 5 or so episodes are *so cool* I thought this was going to be great. The first half of the season ended and it was going strong.
Then comes season 2. Along comes creepy incest stuff, annoying lolis and annoying characters. I'd give the first half a 7 and the second half a 1 and because it's so damned bad it just drags the whole rating down for me. Also the "extra" chapter is nothing but a bunch of repeated scenes with lame stuff added. 
Aug 28, 2010
Wolf's Rain
(Anime)
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This anime revels in dreariness and repetition.
The contrived and cliched storyline is fed in drabs and threatens to turn into something good without ever realising this threat. After getting halfway through the show, it spends at least 3 episodes just repeating old material. Then when you get near the end, like a second punch in the face when you're down it has another 5 whole episodes of material repeated from previous episodes. And WHAT material! Repetitions of nothing much happening at all. Now I love movies and series where not much happen and where the enjoyment comes from the portrayal rather than a traditional climax ... |
