Jeoffrey

Even though I was not too keen on the first season, the second season was much more up my alleyway. I felt like something was finally actually happening and that the characters, narrative and romantic elements were developing. Also, most of the supporting characters did not seem as throwaway and I was really impressed with Ishigami especially. I thought the eleventh episode, which was devoted to Ishigami in particular, was the best episode of the entire series so far. As with the first season, the jokes were not that funny although that could be more my fault due to my sense of humor. 7/10.

I got what this show was about, it was crystal clear after a few episodes. The Japanese really love William Shakespeare and basing their shows on the story of Romeo and Juliet. I was certain I got it because the concept of light and dark, black and white - or if you like yin and yang, means something to me... I did some research and this anime series is basically a prequel and original lore for the free-to-play action RPG of the same name published by Colopl. I found the resulting anime adaptation neither surprising nor particularly offensive. Some ideas in the narrative were not completely pointless, and it was quite watchable, although the ending is very rushed, clichéd, and ridiculous... On the other hand, you can understand why overly cautious heroes destroy their enemies by burning them to ashes because apparently cutting them in half, crushing them, or even stabbing them in their vital organs is not enough to kill some bastards... I was not convinced the relationships between the central characters were very deep, and I found the romantic development between the two leads very feeble. Although I found the characters likable on the whole, one was extremely unsavory and it was no surprise he turned out to be a psychopath (see the last scene of the whole anime series). All things considered, it was a pretty standard advertisement for the game, just a generic fantasy anime series with a lousy ending. Although it is only the beginning, it is still something I might not remember in a month. 4.3/10.

To be able to cram such a brilliant bittersweet story into thirty minutes is a real accomplishment! It is narrated by the adorable Flower, and so I found I was smiling from ear to ear, and the way it all played out was very moving... In other words, I found it quite beautiful, and very soon I realized that imperfection is actually an endearing quality, because nothing lasts forever, and solitude is... Those thirty minutes gave me a lot to think about, more than a lot of movies with a much longer running time. 8.5/10.

Let me tell you about how the reviewer Scalpelexis totally spoiled my enjoyment of this anime series! I kind of liked it, especially the animation which I think is beautiful, and I also liked some of the characters (especially Leo). Then, after reading Scalp's review (at the time he wrote it), I had to admit that he seemed to be absolutely sure, plus, he even knew exactly where this whole thing was heading after only the first episode?!?? What really spoiled my enjoyment of this anime series was that I got the feeling that the manga author completely neglected the fact that Asian people behave in a totally different way to Europeans because we are definitely not as overly deferential to each other. The fact that the main protagonist deals with her problems in a typical shonen style - refusing to give up, and working harder than others, because it is bound to be noticed and appreciated - does not fit me either. So thank you, my dearest colleague, if I had not read that review you posted (so it is actually all my own fault), maybe I would not have noticed all those things, and I would be now writing a mainly positive review of a really nice anime series... I would however like to point out that the manga author skillfully portrays a young woman's struggle with her place in society and shows it firstly from one perspective, and then in the second half manages to turn it around (disadvantages become advantages) from a different point of view. I would also highlight the lovely animation and respectable soundtrack. I could go on about how I found a lot of the characters quite endearing and that it actually had a nice atmosphere. However, I had to watch a lot of the episodes through gritted teeth, because I started noticing those little discrepancies, things that just did not sit right with me, so I just could not get into the right mood and completely chill out. Should I award this show a feeble four stars or a strong three stars? That is all that matters! OK, a strong three stars... 6.4/10.

At first I was really enjoying this anime series. I liked how the characters were mature and believable, the way they were communicating their feelings and emotions with each other. Gradually, though, that changes and the ending is incredibly rushed, leaving out a lot of important developments, so the overall impression of certain decisions end up looking very different than they do in the manga series. I have read the manga series, and even though I did not like the length of time it took for the characters to really realize how they feel when it is so obvious to the reader, it all makes sense in the end. In this show, however, first of all they have left out two important characters, the development of the relationship between the main couple is missing, and at the same time is missing the growing coldness in another crucial relationship which then leads to the scene on the bench in the last episode where they are both finally honest with each other again, something they were not able to do for quite a while, and because of it, it does not really make sense. The manga is just a bit better because it explains and shows what matters in the relationships. In this show it all feels weird because it is missing context. So I am not very satisfied, because as an adaptation only the first half of the season makes sense, however, after that it is just a reductive and unspeakable version of the classic four-way romantic entanglement. 5.5/10.

The animation in this movie is really pretty, and the narrative has some interesting ideas like with the masks, however... To be honest, there are two pretty big problems I have with this movie: Firstly, I was not very impressed with the main female protagonist and the movie did not grab me emotionally. Throughout the whole movie I had a strange feeling about the romance, or rather, I just did not care, and this is definitely a bummer with a romantic movie. I did not find it moving nor did it provoke almost any emotional response in me... Secondly, I could not root for the main female protagonist, and I did not actually like her adolescent behavior or the persistence with which she pursued the male protagonist at all. However, some parts of the narrative were original and quite good, such as the "Island of Cats". In addition, I thought the soundtrack was also very good, and I enjoyed that. It is an interesting movie, although I guess it was just not my cup of tea... 6/10.

This is a fairly mediocre sports anime series that is badly animated. There are quite a lot of visually irritating aspects, such as the character drawing style which makes the girls look a bit too "thicc" for my liking, the use of CGI for the characters' movements (such as throwing). The whole of the fourth episode in the Funimation version that aired was also quite bad. As far as the characters are concerned, there is a classic sports anime team and they are quite straightforward, although I found the coach (one of the twins) a bit irritating sometimes... It is therefore not any kind of a masterpiece when it comes to animation. The narrative is perfectly normal for a sports anime and which culminates in the team doing pretty well in a big game bringing a rather satisfying conclusion to the first (and, according to the reviews, probably the last) season. I mean, story-wise the narrative was easy to follow, however, because of the animation I am only going to award the show 4/10.

Kakushigoto is quite obviously another work from the pen of Japanese manga artist Kouji Kumeta, because you can tell immediately by the character design and art style, plus the classic madcap and often theatrical comedic approach. It is stuffed full of clever gags based on esoteric, black humor and has a narrative approach that bears the manga artist’s classic trademarks. Kakushigoto is probably closest to Kumeta's Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, although it is much more relaxed… Anyway, I think the last episode has a perfect conclusion: which is very emotional and provides a wonderful explanation for the mysterious and darker undertones at the end of each of the previous episodes. After finishing this anime series, I can say that I am actually quite happy and satisfied. Sure, Kumeta's gag mangaka is not always my cup of tea (I did not find Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei that funny, for example, although Joshiraku was great in that respect...) so I did not find this very funny either. However, the whole compelling father/daughter dynamic made up for it. I also have to say that the opening is one of the best of the entire anime season Spring 2020. In the end I can easily award it 7/10, and it comes highly recommended if you are a fan of any of Kumeta’s other works.

My feelings about the second season were very similar indeed to my feelings about the first one. I did not find the second season that interesting at the beginning; as it seemed to me that everything that had been established in the first season was done away with very quickly and in a strange way in the first episode, and then it just moved onto another complex road trip about more self-discovery and slowly growing as a person, with the journey being more important than the destination... Moreover, my impressions throughout the first half of season two were that there was nothing new or groundbreaking actually happening, and the many supposedly big surprises fell a bit flat. Fortunately, the second half features a brief and intriguing family drama (even though it is basically a variation of the Darth Vader narrative twist in multiple storylines...), and I even felt some "sympathy for the mandrill" because clearly - the greatest evil is never the most conspicuous. So, in the end I am going to award this show the same rating as the first season and wait for the third season even though I am starting to feel that I have an idea of what is in store for me... 6.5/10

I was not very impressed with this show at first, however, gradually that started to change. The show is set in a post-apocalyptic world which does not seem that interesting at the start. Perhaps the animal gangs (the Mod Frogs and the Timbercats, etc...) were quite entertaining, and this show came off a bit like a sort of bizarre zoo animal version of a Mad Max-style road trip. Fortunately, there are some interesting twists and everything gets strangely complicated, so in the end, I wanted to know exactly who Kipo is and what the hell is actually going on there. For now, I am intrigued as the implications of these discoveries could perhaps take it up a notch in the next season, or they could send it to the dogs, we shall see... A weak four stars, or 6.5/10.