Hromino

I'm always excited when I stumble upon an exception to the rule that Japanese anime set in Europe or America can't be good, but unfortunately, 91 Days is not one of them. While the show's setting during the United States Prohibition era, mature treatment of its storyline, and well-balanced screenplay are impressive, the plot itself is as old as time - revenge for the murder of a family. Nonetheless, the show has potential, and with the right anime producers, it could have been great. Sadly, like many anime series set in the West, it's marred by unnecessary and annoying stereotypes. For example, the mafiosos are portrayed as nothing more than degenerate murderers drowning in money, with nothing to do all day but kill each other, show off their sadistic desires, spew wannabe tough quotes, and generally act anything but normal. To make matters worse, the show suffers from what I call the "Game of Thrones syndrome," where too many characters are killed off too quickly, making it difficult to form any emotional attachment to them. As a result, the tension is nonexistent, and when a character dies, it doesn't feel shocking or impactful, but rather just another unsurprising death. It's a shame because with its unique setting and mature treatment, 91 Days had the potential to be a more interesting show. However, due to its weaknesses, I can only give it a weak 3-star rating.

If you have watched all the classic sports anime and big hitters, and you have no idea what else to watch, then I could probably cautiously recommend Ahiru no Sora. It is a bit mediocre, and at times even a below average shonen in every sense, that could hardly get anyone excited, and it is about as far away from a basketball classic like Slam Dunk or even that stupid Kuroko’s Basketball as it can be. The story is completely nondescript, which would be forgivable in a shōnen if it could compensate for the story's blandness with excellently written characters. So, here is the biggest problem – in all that parade of mediocrity and insipidness, I could not find a single character that gained my interest and sympathy. With one character, it looked promising at first (Tobi), but even she soon disappeared into the other greyness. The second major problem is the animation. Sports anime has the misfortune of making it very easy to spot any inexperience in the creative team behind it, when it comes to creating action sequences. Ahiru no Sora is the emperor’s new clothes in this regard – the fights here are completely lacking in dynamism, they are basically just a series of more or less static images that are so awfully shot and edited that it is difficult to navigate them, and it is hard to pick out a scene that stuck in my mind. I imagine that if the Production I.G studio had taken over, it could have been at least a 3 star spectacle, but this way Ahiru no Sora reminds of drinking tea after the eighth or ninth infusion. I gave up after 15 episodes, not offended, not pleased.

While I was watching this series and waiting for new episodes, I found it interesting to observe the reactions of users on various anime databases and compare them with my own. While the first few episodes left many viewers ecstatic and highly impressed, I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief at the flat characters, the "gory" scenes with barely any blood, the almost absent music, the somewhat outdated artwork, and the inevitable ecchi elements. The series had a slow pace, and the plot seemed to be moving forward while nothing much really happened. I was pretty close to calling it quits and giving it barely a one-star review; that's how fed up I was with this show. However, starting from around the tenth episode, the show suddenly started pleasantly surprising me. New, rather interesting characters were introduced, the uninteresting and useless ones were gradually eliminated, the quality of the artwork and animation improved, more gore was added, the ecchi content was toned down, and even some pieces of the soundtrack began to make an impact. It felt like the team behind Akame ga Kill! had finally realized their vision for the series: a straightforward fantasy action second-rate series with decent battles, a higher MPAA rating (though not on the level of goriness of Berserk, of course), and unpredictability when it came to the fates of the main characters (in this regard, the creators are not that different from George R.R. Martin). This turning point didn't eliminate all my reservations about the series, but suddenly I found myself eagerly watching each new episode on Sunday nights, relaxed while enjoying the well-animated, fast-paced, dynamic, and thrilling action sequences. However, the point at which many fans began condemning this anime to hell was during the final part of the series. Similar to the first Fullmetal Alchemist adaptation, the creators deviated from the manga source and presented their own ending to the story, which had an alarmingly fast pace and bore some resemblance to Battle Royale. Here, I must agree with the criticism as the finale was indeed too fast-paced, with an incredibly high number of characters dying in each episode. On the other hand, I appreciate that despite the breakneck speed, the producers managed to bring the show to a satisfying conclusion, filled with catharsis and unexpected surprises that exceeded the audience's expectations. In an era where there is a trend of open-ended endings devoid of catharsis, as if saying "let's leave it at that and see if we can get another season," this kind of satisfying conclusion was refreshing. So, although I could in good conscience give the series two stars, I will turn a blind eye in this case and give it three stars.

The eleven-episode series raises doubts about its association with Urobuchi, as it presents a simplistic mecha battles with a primitive premise, lacking the intricate themes, well-developed characters, and unexpected deaths often found in Urobuchi's works. It is only in the final episode, during its last minutes, that the distinct Urobuchi elements finally emerge, leaving me with a sense of fulfillment. Unfortunately, this revelation comes too late, as the preceding episodes were tedious and filled with unnecessary mistakes. As mentioned earlier, the show's plain and basic theme, along with its linear storyline, prompts the question: Couldn't they have expanded the narrative or introduced some plot twists? Why were only a handful of teenagers, along with a few adult Japanese characters, tasked with saving the entire Earth? Could they not have crafted more engaging characters? Instead, the characters conform to familiar archetypes: the fearless and "overly expressive" tough guy protecting a noble yet naive girl, destined to experience romantic sparks; the avenger seeking justice for a loved one's death; and the undecided character torn between joining different sides.   The abundance of action scenes, although excessive, often lacks clarity and suffers from choppy execution. The production studio attempts to generate suspense through characters mumbling orders and pleas, but this approach misses the mark. The soundtrack fails to enhance the tension, relying on recycled ideas or music reminiscent of the composer's previous works, other anime, or Hollywood action films. Hiroyuki Sawano's instrumental compositions often feel repetitive or recycled, reinforcing the notion that his strengths lie in writing for his select group of singers, as his instrumental pieces often lack originality. Despite these flaws, the series does have a few commendable aspects, such as the impressive opening theme song by Kalafina, a couple of vocal tracks from the OST, well-designed characters, captivating artwork (with the exception of occasional jarring CGI), and an intriguing ending. Out of curiosity, I may check out the beginning of the second season in January, hoping that the creators successfully build upon the ending of the first season; otherwise, I will be greatly disappointed. Update: Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed. The promising cliffhanger at the end of the first season turned out to be a mere ploy, as the first episode of the second season indicated that it would likely continue the same uninspiring and lackluster trajectory as much of the first season. Consequently, I am officially done with this show, and I give it a one-star rating. I strongly advise against watching it unless you are a fan of simplistic and uninteresting anime that features poorly developed characters in mechas trying to save the world from an alien threat.

I went through three phases while watching this. Phase one (episodes 1-3): looks interesting, however, Menma is really irritating. Phase Two (episodes 4-7): It is absolutely rubbish, the screenplay has more many holes in it than an old rag, and Menma was still really irritating, however, the other characters also rapidly started becoming very irritating, so I expected they would end up rating the same as Menma. Phase three (episodes 8-11): everyone is irritating, and I was just cynically enjoying their race for which of them would piss me off the most as a result. Plus, the right royally entertaining last episode ensured that they all crossed the finish line at once. Congratulations. +++++ Even if I hadn't known beforehand that the author was the queen of melodrama herself, Mari Okada herself, I would have easily realized that as I was watching it, because there are all her trademarks without exception: a bunch of main characters, whose character is reduced to a single distinctive trait, every character suffering from some trauma, being into some fetish, complex romantic entanglements between multiple characters, lacking simple boundaries, pathetically emotional ranting, and all over the place are fragile, broken and tormented souls. Sometimes either Mari or the script editors manage to water down such a deadly cocktail to make it easier to swallow (as in Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea, for example), but this was so clear that I kept going from cynically laughing to being close to throwing up - most intensely in the aforementioned last episode. There's probably no point in listing everything that does not make sense and is wrong, so I shall just mention what was good: certainly the opening, the animation and quite a bit of the ending. For these and for the fact that I watched it to the end, I give a stronger 1 star.

This was quite an enjoyable TV series, which I fondly remember devouring like a hungry dog when I was a mere whippersnapper... :)

This anime was produced in the same year as Your Name but that is where all similarities end. There's no point in comparing the two shows, because they are something completely different to each other both in terms of sub-genre and visual appearance, and each targets a completely different audience. First of all, it must be acknowledged that the creators of A Silent Voice have shouldered a difficult task. To create a coming-of-age psychological drama that is believable (first and foremost, that is, having well-written psychologically complex characters), that managed to do more than just stupidly and superficially touch on the subject of the inclusion of disabled people into a "normal" social group and to portray the causes, the course and consequences of bullying on individuals and the group, but at the same time not to be an exceptionally moralizing movie or a heavy weepie with a walk through the valley of tears, while still retaining the inventiveness, likable characters and excellent audiovisual experience that are somehow typically expected from KyoAni's anime works. Plus, it is a miracle that they succeeded, and on top of that without pathos. This is indeed not a tear-jerker high school romance and the creators know very well which aspects to focus on. In the end, however, I was hesitating between 4 and 5 stars, mainly because of the sketchy middle section, and the somewhat rushed ending, but since there are so many similarly successful anime in that specific sub-genre (Aura is the only one that comes to mind right now, and that has gone downhill from the second half of the season onwards), it has to be admitted that A Silent Voice is simply on a different level, and even if just for the best ever use of The Who in anime, it deserves that fifth star. Dontcha think?

Picture a lively family gathering where everyone has come together, including your sweaty Auntie Mary, your balding Uncle Jack with a beer belly, your endlessly complaining Grandmother Janice, your grumpy Grandfather Fred, and of course, your own parents, John and Jeanette, along with you. Everything is relatively peaceful until Uncle Jack decides to steal the spotlight and become the center of attention. He starts telling his usual corny jokes, which you've already heard a hundred times before, and then he takes things too far by sharing some pretty racistic and homophobic jokes he read somewhere on the internet. And you just sit there, suffering. If you can imagine this scenario, then you'll understand how I felt while watching Asobi Asobase. While I typically love absurdist Japanese comedy (I have watched a great amount of Jel comedy videos and thoroughly enjoyed genre-similar Nichijou), this particular anime fell short. It seemed as though the creators of the show thought that because it was an absurdist comedy, they could throw in any random idea or joke that came to mind without considering timing or cleverness. As a result, the show felt forced and awkward, with too many screaming and snotty jokes that left a bad aftertaste. In comparison, other absurdist comedies like Nichijou have managed to strike a better balance between randomness and cleverness, creating a more enjoyable and thoughtfully executed experience. Although Asobi Asobase may be appealing to those who are new to this type of humor, I suffered through the whole thing. I'll give it one star for a few decent ideas that managed to make me laugh without feeling forced or awkward.

Oh, if it weren't for that ending... if only the ending had been different, my rating might have been one, maybe even two stars higher. But alas, what can you do? When the creators abruptly conclude a captivating, realistically portrayed, and atmospherically beautiful tale of school bullying, its aftermath, and its resolution with a contrived and overly optimistic ending, it's difficult to overlook. Such an ending causes the main characters to appear foolish, forces emotions onto the audience, and promotes the belief that a collection of tired clichés and a single kiss can miraculously solve all the problems and put an end to bullying. Given these circumstances, it's impossible for me to give it a higher rating. It's truly a shame because, apart from a slightly heavy-handed beginning, the show was quite decent up until that point. The audiovisual experience was well-crafted, enhancing the overall appeal. However, the ending tarnished my overall impression. I can only speculate that the creators encountered a roadblock in the screenplay and simply didn't know how to progress the story. Their solution appeared to be, "Well, we're already over an hour into this, so let's just wrap it up. Let's insert a dramatic scene, pull at the heartstrings, and hope for the best. The audience will forgive us." Unfortunately, it didn't work, and I, for one, cannot forgive them. The inclusion of Ryoko's family background as a backstory felt forced, added more for the sake of it rather than contributing meaningfully to the narrative. The rooftop scene left me incredulous, and the behavior of the class teacher was equally frustrating. The subplot involving the mean-spirited classmates fizzled out without any real resolution, and the overwhelmingly positive ending overshadowed most of the positive aspects I had previously appreciated. It's an immense disappointment, considering the wasted potential of the show. I'll likely lament this for quite some time. Regrettably, I can only give it a strong two-star rating in the end.

I do not think it is entirely out of place to praise the main creators of Barakamon for their capabilities – one only has to look at their legacy to see what other creations they could "brag about" in their portfolio. Rather, I dare say that, given the subject matter, there was basically nothing that could have gone wrong with this anime, unless the creators had a talent for blowing it. Rather than being a meticulously produced anime, then, this is a show where the creators simply relied on a tried and tested formula they have proven works a hundred times over, and which they knew would compensate for their mediocre creative skills, and appeal to the widest audience possible. The story of a mischievous young dandy from the big city reforming, and finding new meaning in life, in the country as a total redneck among the warm-hearted villagers, and the not-yet-spoiled kids is just a sure thing. The show tries to warm the audience’s heart with its would-be immediacy and pulls on their heart-strings, but the much more well-made anime had spoiled the idiot Hromino. The screenplay and the way the characters are written, their psychology and interactions, the depth of the story, the quality of the animation, the soundtrack – all of this is average for its genre, which results in the fact that not once did I jump out of my skin during watching due to the lousy screenplay. However, on the other hand, Barakamon did not even stick in my mind in any significant way – unlike, say, Silver Spoon or Bunny Drop. I watched it, I saw it, I deleted it.