Jeoffrey

This show was suggested to me as a top tip I received after hitting the jackpot with Gurren Lagann, so I had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this anime series. I was expecting something more amusing. However, I only got moments where I raised a slight smile, which was rare. I was expecting some action-packed scenes, and there is truly quite a lot of them, although they did not feel very tense to me. As far as the love story is concerned, yes, I did register it, even though once again, I could not feel any strong sparks to keep me interested. Furthermore, even after eleven episodes, I still could not get on with the main male protagonists even though it was noticeable that they were slowly evolving and developing. However, this did not grab me either, and none of the supporting characters appealed to me either. If I add to that the mecha carnage, which, unlike Gurren Lagann, I did not find very engaging, my overall impression is simply that this is a below-average show. So dropped it right in the middle 4/10.

Even though I know that this anime series does not warrant five stars, I still think this is a truly groundbreaking and unforgettable show. I will never find any character as tragic and unbearable as Orihime, and I will never idolize any anime girl as much as I do Rukia. Plus, I loved the action-packed scenes and what I thought were great fight scenes; I even liked the narrative (main plotline) a lot. As for the fillers, sometimes those annoyed me (like when they "downgraded" the zanpakuto and the poor Shinigami had to catch them to avoid being destroyed by the Seireitei), although sometimes they were fun (Karakura-Raizer). Apart from the characters mentioned above that made me the most emotional, I also grew incredibly fond of Kenpachi Zaraki, Gin Ichimaru, Toshiro Hitsugaya, Kisuke Urahara, and many others. In other words, this was my first true anime love, and even though it is not perfect in many ways, it was still the first one, and it is one you will never forget.

While watching this movie, I kept feeling like a small child whose grandma is telling him a story in a weary voice. The story wasn't exactly bad. There was food for thought and plenty of Japanese folklore, but the overall presentation wasn't half as interesting as I would have liked. It failed to draw me in. In fact, it did the opposite and my attention kept drifting away. The atmosphere and the way the story was narrated felt very drawn out and lacked a spark to it. Not even the most interesting moments were powerful. I wasn't bored, I just didn't feel much of anything. As I said, it's not a bad movie, it has some good moments and strong themes, but it fails to work with them in an engaging way. Many things are touched upon, but everything is kind of flat, like when someone just recites to you what's going on but doesn't change the tone and color of their voice, resulting in a lack of atmosphere. The music doesn't help much, and the animation doesn't seem to have much charm either, except when Kiwa is telling a story and the drawing style suddenly changes. These passages are surprisingly more colorful and better than the rest of the movie. What saves it from slipping into mediocrity is the ending, which I quite liked. 6/10

A decent adaptation of the video game that does a good job of sticking to the game’s premise (at least from what I remember of the Tekken series) and has some visually enticing fights. It would have been better if it was longer in order to flesh out the story more and deal with the supporting characters’ motivations in greater detail. In short, if the writer had been given 2-4 more episodes, it would have made for a more intriguing and powerful show in every way. As it is, it only deserves a 6/10.

Probably the strongest addition to the Aria (the Origination) series so far. I enjoyed it more than all the previous ones. It may be due to my current state of mind, but it moved me and melted my heart more than Avvenire or Crepuscolo. I obviously needed something to cheer me up today, but that’s not the only reason. All that Aria has going for it ever since the beginning (Aria the Animation) is still there. This includes a beautiful setting, and a wonderfully relaxing and atmospheric score dominated by piano, guitar, and the occasional flute. However, this part of the story centered around the characters that I loved most. At the very least, Akira and Aika are in my Top 3. I was more interested in their story than the story of Alice, Athena, and Anja from Crepuscolo, and it emotionally affected me more. Also, everything fit together nicely, and it was heartfelt. I prefer this hour-long format to the three 20-minute OVAs that was Avvenire. It does tug at your heartstrings but it’s full of beautifully human emotions, nostalgia, symbolism... There were moments when I even chuckled a little. Kozue Amano still knows how and when to make me laugh, as well as how to make me feel good and keep me interested, even during moments when many people will just stare and wonder why nothing much is happening. I wasn't bored for a second and had a great time. The characters didn’t give as many hilariously significant looks this time (probably a lesson learned from Amanchu, where they were slightly over-the-top).

A pleasant surprise. The story was captivating, all the characters were likable, the animation and music were good, and the show managed to sell me on the joy of flying. It had a nice vibe and it felt quite realistic at the same time. Some of the situations and jokes made me laugh, and even the more dramatic passages were excellent. The first family drama with the sister kept me interested, I felt good about how everything was handled, and I even liked the conclusion. The second drama, which came at the very end, was also quite interesting at first, but the way it was resolved in the finale felt a bit over the top and half-baked. If it had been concluded differently, perhaps in a bittersweet and symbolic way to which it was heading at a certain point, instead of a happy ending, it would have been more powerful. Still, I enjoyed the film, and I was surprised at how much it encompassed. I felt as if I was missing certain bits and pieces that would act as connecting links between the plot shifts (sometimes almost leaps) but there were strong moments that held the narrative together nicely. 7.5/10

I was expecting this to be much funnier. I thought there would be a lot of moments and situations that I could relate to. I was also looking forward to Aoi Yūki’s amazing voice acting performance. On all counts, I'm more or less disappointed. 3/10

I can’t make up my mind whether I liked the last season of DOTA. The resolution of the whole story that was spread out over the previous two seasons came after just two episodes, and the rest was just this weird study of a tragic man's struggle against fate. After the second episode, I asked myself "What’s left to say now?" and I'm still not sure if I'm satisfied with the answer I got. Was it necessary? Well, maybe. At least considering one of the characters, it does make some sort of sense, and it adds one more important message about the meaning of life and the nature of an ideal world, which I don't think is a bad thing. Was it fun to watch? Not really, only at certain moments. I still think it was a very good fantasy, but this final part didn't blow me away as much as the rest of the series. It didn’t feel like something significant was happening like in the previous seasons. Instead of a satisfying ending to an epic heroic saga, it was more of a relationship/family drama. Plus, I saw the ending coming a mile away. It was still good, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. Animation-wise a great show, content-wise it's weaker for me. 6/10

If you have seen both seasons of Kakegurui, the spin-off prequel probably doesn't bring anything new or surprising. All I can do is compare it with the original series. The biggest difference is that, compared to Kakegurui, Twin is a little less intense and over the top - simply put, there are fewer of those orgasmic gamer moments. This is pretty bad news for the fans who watch the series mainly to see the girls excited after a just-won gamble, experiencing bliss which is comparable to peak sexual satisfaction. But don't despair, there are still powerful moments, some characters are just as wacky as the ones in Kakegurui, and there are even some sparks. I actually consider it a good thing that the show takes it down a notch. It's better, and I don't feel uncomfortable watching it with my window open while my neighbors are sitting outside. Mary Saotome isn't quite as crazy about the games as Yumeko yet, and I find her more likable as a character so far. I’m saying so far because every prequel has one major flaw. You know exactly how it's going to turn out in the end and how the characters are going to end up, which often detracts from the intensity of the experience. What's missing here is suspense. You know the ending in advance, so the only thing you can enjoy is the journey. Twin hasn't been very imaginative in this regard so far as it only repeats an identical pattern about three times over the course of six episodes, which could be summed up using my favorite line "I know that you know". Even though the individual mind games are quite entertaining, when you think about the process and outcome, it's identical every time. The animation is nice, and the music is rather average. But, overall, this isn't one of those pointless prequels for me. The character of Mary keeps me intrigued and I want to find out more about her. It's played out in a way that makes me curious to see where it will all go wrong and what will happen to some of the side characters. I’m giving it an average rating, and I'll watch the next episodes. 5/10

Considering the interesting concept, perhaps the biggest surprise about Shikimori is that it's just a completely ordinary, slightly naive, and mediocre puppy romance. It could have been interesting. It sounds fun to switch the traditional, clichéd roles from romance series, with her being the cool, tough heroine and him being the sensitive boy in trouble who needs rescuing now and then, but it doesn't work particularly well. It turns out that the repetition of situations where the prince rescues the princess from danger can be just as boring, even when the prince is a girl, and the princess is a guy. The roles don't matter, you get tired of them the same way over time. Plus, this series has a similar problem to Tonikawa, the whole thing is so ordinary and naive, and nothing is really going on except for a slow development of the main couple's relationship. It’s nice as a relaxing watch, but there’s no depth or drama, it just puts you to sleep. There's no tension, you don't worry for a second about the characters' relationship, and any potential threat to it is resolved in two episodes in a rather breezy way. The romance works quite well, and it is quite cute. But I still feel it was Kamiya who had the most interesting storyline with the main character, even though it fell flat. Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie is only a slightly above-average series for me. I could definitely watch more episodes, but it's also likely that I won't remember it in a month. 5.9/10