Jeoffrey

Kemono Jihen definitely has something going for it, and, on the surface, looks like a pretty regular mystery crime-drama anime series. However, there are some really surprising moments, and there are also some really disturbing moments that sent chills down my spine quite a few times. It has a good atmosphere, some of the storylines are really good, others a little less so, so I guess the only significant criticism I can make is regarding the characters. To be honest, I still like Kabane and Kon and for me, the most likable one here is clearly Inugami. However, during the course of twelve episodes, I felt like I did not really get to know the other characters, and I thought some of the characters that I found quite interesting, like Inari, did not get enough screen time. A significant part of this anime series revolved around Shiki and Akira, who did not really appeal to me, so I was not as interested in their story arcs (the introduction of Aya and Yui were not that impressive either) as I could have been. For me, therefore, I was more bored than entertained by these parts, and so even though the graphics were sometimes really excellent (in the fights, for example), my overall impression of this anime series is that it is only "pretty good", and that means a strong three stars at most. 6.4/10.

I finally finished watching the last episode today and they really totally blew it with the finale! I have only one question in my head - Why would you do that? I even heard that none of the screenwriters wanted to sign off on the last episode, and I kind of understand their decision. For the second time this season, I am terribly disappointed with The Promised Neverland and for the second time, I have to knock a star off my rating due to the effect it had on me. I do not want to write anymore, because when I get disappointed, I usually get angry after a while, and I shall be writing things like "How dare you?!?" I am just not in the mood for that on a Sunday afternoon following lunch...3.5/10.

The concept of supernatural illnesses is definitely more original than, say, simply having to deal with supernatural characters. This is especially true when there is a focus on the causes of these illnesses, which is usually the suppression of some aspect of one's own nature or needs. The treatment, in this case, is of course logical (just stop suppressing it). However, with the supernatural dimension, this element often makes it quite intriguing and sometimes amusing or dramatic. I also have to admire the wide and varied range of symptoms for all the illnesses. They are based on various Japanese traditions and superstitions, and for some mysterious reason, they reminded me of what my grandmother said when she warned me that if I touched my little winkie too much I would have hairy palms. In other words, one could find similar old wives’ tales in our geographical zone to be used as themes for future instalments in this anime series... Apart from the great psychological aspect of this anime series, and the imaginative illnesses and their cures, the show introduced me to some quite likable characters and such a nice (not only in the last episode) touch of humanity. It is not quite as pleasant and charming as, say, Natsume’s Book of Friends. I would probably liken it more to The Morose Mononokean in terms of atmosphere, however, I think this show beats it in terms of imaginativeness, and I, therefore, have a slightly better overall opinion of this show. I found Dr. Ramune - Mysterious Disease Specialist is a pretty decent anime series. 6.8/10.

This anime series does not seem to have fully exploited the fantasy potential of the original novels, which are pretty good. The whole idea of Spanish anime sounds a bit weird, and it is obvious that the Spanish lack experience with this style of Eastern animation, so some of their anime just looks really bad, and others look quite weird, and unnatural... The other problem I think is the pace of the narration, which does not really suit this anime series. It all feels kind of rushed, confusing, and something tells me that the way the episodes are divided does not do it any favors because the transitions between the episodes are kind of awkward. If it had been edited and made into a movie, maybe it would have been a bit better... Next, there are the individual characters, they get little screen time, so their development and changes in their relationships happen too quickly, and so it does not feel very realistic, and you do not get enough time to get to know anyone much. It is a strange feeling when you end up being most intrigued by the villain of the piece, and you keep wanting to know more about the strange relationship (and how to define it exactly) between him and one of the main female protagonists. Also, it intrigued me to find out where it all started in the first place - I thought that after the last episode this Kirtash x Victoria pairing showed potential - I just cannot put my finger on exactly how... What also intrigues me is the storyline - the magical interconnection of worlds, dragons, unicorns, heroes, prophecies... Yeah, you can make a good show out of all that, and the story was probably the main thing that kept me going for five episodes. So on the whole, it is a kind of messy little thing that is kind of interesting but nothing to write home about. I probably would have watched more episodes of it though, because it did manage to awaken my interest and imagination. However, there are a lot of serious flaws that lead me – and I am trying to be nice – to award this 5.5/10 at most.

In the end, I was very happy with the second season of Re: Zero − Starting Life in Another World, even though I was not too sure about it during the first half of the season. I found that whole story arc very long-winded because the screenwriters kept undermining the main male protagonist’s chances of achieving anything which is why Subaru could get so intense at times. So I thought the second season lost points for that (the first season did not). On the other hand, the first half of this season showed how intriguing and powerfully moving this anime can be because it is unusual in the fact that the main male protagonist suffers and repeatedly dies. It piqued my interest because of the way that the screenwriters showed there is no ideal solution to all the problems and complications. They almost managed to convince me and I found this different take on things quite energizing. Well, I am pleased with how it turned out, it held my attention and everything worked out in the end! I was concerned the show was just about the narrative, the emotionally charged atmosphere, the action, and the sheer excitement which were good but not enough. Then I realized that this was the run where everything would start to unravel. This made up for what I found lacking. In most cases I found the ways in which the various problems were resolved very relatable and compelling which enabled the relationships between the characters to develop nicely, the characters changed, and everything was so nicely tied together that I really enjoyed the second half of this season in particular. Moreover, it was clearly demonstrated that Re: Zero − Starting Life in Another World is not a simple story. In fact, Tappei Nagatsuki is one of those writers who have everything well thought out in detail, and I admire this style of creative writing a lot because I am not very good at it myself. To be more specific, when you try to write something, you have to have a system, and it often varies greatly from person to person. Leaving aside the copycats who just try to pass off a tweaked and slightly reworked thing they have plagiarised (and thus, for example, create a show that is just another variation on an overused theme, like a special academy...), I think there are two main approaches. The first is the one I practice. I come up with some general points about what I want to write about, sit down and just write. This produces work composed of ideas and observations flowing just as they come to mind. For movie reviews, I think this is a good approach. However, if you are writing a complex story (novel, novella, etc.) you are quickly going to run out of ideas (and fall into tried-and-true clichés without realizing it). Then you are going to start breaking the rules you made up in your creative haze, and contradict yourself, etc. The story will therefore eventually end up as something other than what you originally intended... The second approach is where before writing anything, the writers plan the whole story in their head, working out the beginning and the end, they plan how to get to various big plot twists, they define all the characters, their personalities and characteristics, their relationships, and they also set down strict rules for the world and how it works. They establish a basic framework and principles for it before they sit down and start fleshing it out and connecting their plots and storylines in the most interesting way they can. This means everything fits together and when you look back at how things have developed you can see things you had not noticed immediately, like hints at twists that come up in the middle of the story and others you might come across, and everything seems consistent and reasonable - just well thought out. After that, the author uses their skills to effectively and originally flesh out their work and draw you into their world. This style of writing is used by some reviewers, and you can see that the author has a basic framework they use for every review, which they use to know how, what and when to evaluate, so you get what they are saying, and nothing important they needed to say is lost. Anyway, I went off-topic just because I wanted to explain why I like well-thought-out stories which captured my imagination by writers such as G.R.R. Martin, George Lucas, and many others... Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing where Tappei Nagatsuki takes this next, as he has definitely got my attention with his vision. There are a variety of memorable villains and monsters, and as such a massive fan of Monty Python and the Holy Grail I really loved Oousagi, in particular. Plus, the main characters make up for all the points Subaru lost in the first half. Beatrice is really cute, and in the penultimate episode, she tugs on the heartstrings and makes you well up a bit. Ram is still a fine character, and of course Otto is now legendary, plus, the new sibling duo is good. For many, Echidna is quite a popular character and the other witches are also quite interesting. Then there is Emilia, who finally started to become more mature so she is not as irritating anymore. But in the end, throughout the first and the second season the stand-out female character and MVP is clearly Patrasche! The only thing left to answer here is that strange question, surfacing from deep in my mind, that has been bothering me so much throughout season two - Who is REM? At least I am certain about the rating - 9.2/10.

I can finally pour my heart out and write about why I really did not like this anime series. It is because I simply wanted to watch a nice sports anime about volleyball, and instead got a bunch of shallow and, to me, unconvincing drama! The volleyball (as in, the actual playing) is absolute rubbish, the matches have no energy and I just did not enjoy watching it. Oh for the glory days of Haikyu!! I do not even remember exactly how many episodes I have seen, the last thing I remember was a training camp and then just switching off and skipping through it... Out of courtesy, I am not rating this today (I do not know if I have met my three episode rule), however, if I were, it would be like 3/10.

King's Raid is probably the most generic and boring fantasy series I have seen, at least concerning Kasel’s storyline which is like walking slowly down ten kilometers of a straight concrete corridor, with nothing else to see and is sterile, boring, exhausting, and predictable. You even know who exactly is the main villain after the first few episodes. Moreover, the character Kasel is not interesting or memorable, in fact, he is quite bland. This is said to be an example of a poor adaptation of the game, because, in the original RPG, Kasel is quite original and even entertaining (gamers said). The rest of his team lack interesting characteristics too. Truth be told, Kasel's storyline made me often feel like just skipping over his part. Now, onto Riheet. This storyline is much more interesting at first, promising a political edge and the possibility of some good character development. It was the episodes with the Dark Elves that made me stick with this anime series, as I really wanted to know what would happen next. However, that storyline soon abruptly stops, and what I was really quite interested in does not get addressed, and so the following episodes are just all about the search for the truth (where some essential details are lacking, like what exactly the relationship between Riheet and Illiya is) and again, quite boringly. Then, of course, the two storylines cross and meet each other, and I liked the teamwork displayed in the final battle and, of course, the utterly predictable ending. The ending may even seem oddly mildly satisfying (just because we finally get what it is about, and it is over). However, the ending only improved my impression of the show slightly and was too little too late. One good point I have to also mention is the absence of crappy animal mascots, because truth be told I was subconsciously and according to the established "fantasy according to the game" tradition also expecting that here... 3.3/10.

My predictions regarding the second season became real, and it is now really more of a shonen anime than a serious scientific one. The processes for making new scientific advances have been cut down, so sometimes it almost seems like some things can be done in minutes (which seems pretty unrealistic). While we still occasionally get some of the detailed step-by-step instructions on how things should work, the actual workings do not get as much attention. Instead, it is like a struggle and everything is just about "my science is better than your natural selection"! Likewise, I have a pretty big problem with how quickly characters change their minds and how weird it feels. So, a guy wants to kill you, and so you tell that guy you can help them with what is really bothering them, and the next thing you know you and your arch-enemy are best friends (because even Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War was really just a nice guy who was misunderstood!) and now there are some heart-warming moments between you (accompanied by wistful music), and you could not have predicted that during the previous episode, which left me feeling a bit sick. There are two more things I somehow cannot stomach! - the science is not as believable anymore (I think it is more like MacGyver now), and the relationships and emotions change on a whim! On the other hand - it is a lot more action-packed, there are a lot of new characters and most are pretty memorable, it does not get boring, as it is mostly still funny and dynamic. Of course, when there are more characters, then in practice that means there has to be that classic shonen cliché, that when the show hits an important moment, every character has one line to give their opinion on it, and so you have a five-minute cut to every character getting their screen time. I did not think Dr.Stone - Stone Wars was as good as the first season, so I am only awarding this a strong three stars, however, I will look out for the next season. 6.4/10

I am not going to claim that I was as interested in this anime series and as satisfied in general at the start of the season as I was at the end of it. Truth be told, I did not think that a lot of ideas which seemed kind of weird and idiotic at first would make a good show, however, later on I found them to be quite good and original. Could you imagine mixing evolutionary principles and science (or why some animals have to be the way they are) with Creationism (because there is still a God behind everything) and setting that in a corporate environment (employees, departments, contracts, meetings...), and it works? For the first few episodes I was just confused by what they were trying to do, it all seemed quite strange to me. However, I gradually started to get more and more into their clever and crazy way of mixing up different ideas. Of course, the educational value of this anime series cannot be overlooked, they introduce animals you may not have heard of and also tell you about the traits and abilities of creatures familiar to you which you may not be aware of. You are very likely going to be finding yourself on Wikipedia checking up on some of that information after the show, and it is likely to stick with you and make you a bit more knowledgeable! Likewise, now you might even know what kind of people to try and find when doing creative work because the show tells you that a diverse team of personalities is really ideal for a successful creative process because everyone brings their own unique perspective and innovations to the table. You can see people you know in the various characters by their opinions and approaches to things. I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised at how good the anime series is. The other thing I have to commend is the wide range of creatures the crew here gets to play with. There are real animals, mythical creatures, extinct creatures, and even mascots. Everything is approached scientifically, on the one hand, it is explained why something does or does not work, and on the other hand, there is a mad attitude that not even the craziest idea is completely wrong, and that you can build something upon even the biggest load of crap. This is a cheerful, playful, and original anime series that is also rewarding and cleverly crafted, although it took me a while to get over all the craziness. Accepted! 8/10.

This is a fairly traditional fantasy anime series, based on a Japanese RPG game, where the most that managed to surprise me was in the last few minutes of the twelfth episode. The rest is pretty generic, boring, full of clichés - in other words, I did not enjoy it very much. On the other hand, I probably enjoyed it a bit more than, say, King's Raid: Successors Of The Will which had twice as many episodes, and which I found as traditional, predictable, and uninteresting. I did not like the main duo, and only found two of the minor characters interesting (Deflotte and Adelheid). I definitely did not like the mascot and the maid. The villains were, in my opinion, very weak with uninteresting characteristics (especially the Pope) which I thought detracted a lot from the tension and atmosphere. I was more amused by the design of the last monster than I was scared or excited by the final confrontation. Thanks to the last part of the show, I did get the impression that somewhere very deep under all the generic pathos and clichés there might be something interesting. In other words, there is something more complicated going on behind the scenes. However, I did not see anything that deep throughout this anime series (if there were any hints, they were pretty damn weak) so I was both surprised and disappointed like "it finally started to get interesting, but now it is the end?!?" - So find out in the sequel or you will just have to buy the game! Err, no thanks - I was not pleased, I did not find the show entertaining, and even the decent twist at the end could not save it! 3.5/10