Jeoffrey

If I had to choose one anime series that I was looking forward to the most in anime season Summer 2018, that managed to entertain me and charge me with positive energy, that simply had the right summer vibes then I would choose this one without a second thought. For anyone who had a wild youth, this is a great show (I don't know about you, but when I was between eighteen and twenty-five I drank a lot of alcohol, got into some trouble, and was trying to enjoy everything as much as possible, including of course seeing some nude ladies - so for me personally, this show is "real as shit!"). For anyone who wanted to just be entertained and find some respite from this heat, this is a great show (If I had to summ it up, then it would be like a combination of American Pie and Amanchu!). For anyone who wants to learn a bit about scuba diving and see some beautiful underwater scenery, there is some of that too. Otherwise, the opening is an absolutely perfect energetic summer affair that it immediately pulled me in. I was completely satisfied, it was great fun featuring some accurate observations at the end. In conclusion, give me some quality alcohol, a good crowd and you are going to experience some fun things. That part of me has not changed even over the years and so... I thought this was the BEST show of summer 2018 anime releases - 8.4/10.

I have experienced how great Kurosawa's works are, as well as how great works can be created by borrowing Kurosawa's ideas and adapting them (for example, putting them in a different setting). I have one such "remake" which is in my list of the best movies ever made (The Magnificent Seven), and for example, I also like the movie For a Few Dollars More a lot, which is also (like this anime series) supposedly based on Kurosawa's Yojimbo, and that is clearly worth five-stars in my opinion. So this anime series ends up in the same boat, as the atmosphere alone is a real treat from the very first episode! The characters all too often portray various stereotypes (the mysterious stranger, gangsters, bosses, a young student, the mysterious, beautiful, and confident woman...), however, they are all very well written and memorable. Personally speaking, I have to applaud the main male protagonist especially, who is almost as excellent as, say, Harmonica in Once Upon a Time in the West. So what about the narrative? Well, the narrative gradually unfolds, there are indications of what is going to happen, and the attentive viewer can perhaps be able to predict some of the big revelations that eventually turn up later on. However, despite that this anime series does not lose its air of suspense, which it manages to maintain for most over all the twenty-five episodes. On the other hand, I cannot deny that, like every anime series, this one has its weaker episodes, and for me personally it was the one with the college professor trying to unravel secrets from the past, and who wants to discover an ancient treasure... Still, all the episodes have a satisfying ending, I did not see any major holes in the logic - in other words, for narratives in an anime series, I thought this one is of a very high standard. As for the soundtrack, I found the opening and ending to be interesting musical themes that have grown on me, they suited the vibe of this anime series and I surprisingly never once felt the need to skip over them. The music itself, which they used throughout this anime series, is not that memorable on the whole, there are just various simple motifs that are used in certain scenes, and I would perhaps compare it to some of the classic westerns, for example, occasionally there is a piece of music that just fits the scene, although, at the same time, you hardly notice it... Well, I have saved what I thought of the animation for last. The biggest shortcoming of this anime series is how imbalanced the artwork is. It has some decent scenes and backgrounds, however, at the same time, the fight scenes look incredibly cheesy, slapdash, and ridiculous at times. It is therefore hard to take some important scenes, especially the fight scenes, seriously. However, on the other hand, I cannot say that it spoiled my impression of the show so much that I wanted to take back my already announced rating because I enjoyed it a lot. I binge-watched the whole thing almost in one go, and it was both interesting and suspenseful - in other words, the storytelling (style of narration), the atmosphere, the characters - all of these things made for an incredibly entertaining show, and I enjoyed it even when I was not really in the mood to watch anything at all. I think it is worth 9/10, with the caveat that I am surprised how few people know about this anime series and how very few have rated it because for me it is almost (except for the animation + a few other things) like a hidden gem…

As other reviewers have written, let us call a spade a spade so - How to train your dragon during Twilight in the Blue Lagoon? There is not enough of the fantasy element, hardly any drama, and way too much of the love story. What did I take away? I took away the fact that if the main female protagonist had taken him out with that rock, she would have never seen the wind... How very poetic! Anyway, the CGI dragon was quite good and the beautiful skeleton of an ancient dragon that was the island was also a delight... All in all, it is a very strange movie. Would I give it another go? Probably not... Why not? Well, because I thought that the love story was just not very good, and I would also have to say that the best character in this movie was the cute little animal that lived on the island with the dragon and which the main female protagonist also want to hit with a rock...  5/10.

It is nice to have the most attractive robot duchess back, however, three episodes are not enough and there are just not nearly enough good jokes this time around, or perhaps they were just out of my strike zone this time - who knows... However, I certainly was not as entertained as I was with the previous seasons, so I think it is rather weak and even the "big daddy" at the end cannot redeem it... 3.5/10.

This show features an endless series of unfortunate coincidences! Who would have expected that the ghost you are going to exorcise would be a gifted and pretty girl, and who would have expected that every time you stumble or levitate because of the girl's supernatural powers, you are always going to fall so badly that you put your hand right onto some girl’s boobies? So then everyone is going to think you are a pervert, and they punch you so you fly up into the air again, and when you land, this time you fall into a pool where some naked girls are swimming, and they cannot understand why it is not your fault. So you are now considered to be an even bigger pervert, perhaps the worst, biggest pervert of them all! I am sorry, however, that is not how it really works. The biggest perverts (and perverts in general) are the ones who are always thinking about sex, and who are literally obsessed with sex - the pervert is someone like Issei Hyoudou! This is the biggest difference that makes a good main male protagonist in an ecchi anime series and is what separates him from this poor guy who just keeps stupidly falling down, and someone has to beat him up at least three times in every episode without the person in question being responsible for anything. It is supposed to be a comedy, and the first ten ecchi scenes you see probably are, although in time you may find that there is nothing really very funny about the constantly repetitive coincidences, and the fact that the girls' exaggerated and unjustified reactions are embarrassing rather than amusing. Unfortunately, you are also going to find that you are probably the only one who sees it that way because if there are boobies in the show, most people are not going to care about if the boobies are well and effectively incorporated in the scene. Why? Because boobies!! So it in the end it does not matter that this anime series has what I would call a bunch of tropes, stupid and embarrassing fan service, dumb jokes, and a tragic main male protagonist who is a complete dumbass. It does not matter that in almost every scene where something is supposed to be visible they once again moronically use the "divine rays of light". There are bound to be fans of this show regardless, and there is a difference between quality ecchi (nice and uncensored), meaningful ecchi (we do it because we want to), sensual ecchi (it is really sexy), and this bullshit, which, the way I see it, no one is going to understand... An empty shell may look pretty, however, it does not give you anything to take away, and sometimes a repetitive joke really stops being funny after the second or third time. This is not for me - Dropped after the third episode and 3/10.

This is an isekai anime series for girls, where an ordinary main female protagonist suddenly finds herself in a mysterious fantasy world that she must save with the help of some beautiful and dashing young men. They are sensual, compassionate, and devoted. The main female protagonist then has various adventures and gets into predicaments from which the gentlemen kindly rescue her, and she herself actively lends a helping hand and pitches in, thus adding some new princes to her group, perhaps even princes still under some spell, or those who have fallen to the dark side... Why? Because what woman does not like the idea of trying to change that seemingly tough-as-nails thug and turning him around? After all, that is why girls are so attracted to bad guys (oh, and also because they are not boring...). Plus, above all, every woman dreams of being the center of attention, and the object of so many understanding and beautiful men trying to protect her - making her feel like a princess... This is what fan service for young girls looks like! Well, sometimes it works (see Yona of the Dawn) and even guys can find something to enjoy here (for example, because it has a cool narrative and some cool characters) and other times, unfortunately, it sucks... So for example I also try to watch shows like this, I know I am not the target audience, and sometimes, I strike gold and find it enjoyable (like Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits) and then there are shows like 100 Sleeping Princes & the Kingdom of Dreams, where the main female protagonist is deeply uninteresting and features male characters who argue as irritatingly and boringly as those girls in bad harem anime series aimed at men. More princes come and go, and who cares? (Jeoffrey doesn't!) The prince who keeps repeating "I guess..." probably has a secret and definitely has amnesia, but who cares? (Jeoffrey is like three episodes in and he cannot wait to find out, and that will be who knows when?!) The show has an adorable furry mascot, but who cares? (Perhaps fans of stuffed animals and Jeoffrey when he was five years old!) In conclusion, 100 Sleeping Princes & the Kingdom of Dreams does not really have anything to offer for a guy, I thought none of the characters were interesting and it did not have a very good narrative, so I am going to quit at episode four and instead of watching a Prince Pirate Captain, I am going to go for some Captain Morgan rum, put on Pirates of the Caribbean, and have some fun, a right royal fun time, which is something this show cannot deliver... Dropped after the fourth episode and a boring 3/10.

In terms of this movie’s artwork and animation (yes, there is CGI, although it may not look like it in the preview gallery), it is definitely something worth seeing! Our communist comrades from P.R.C. (since we are using acronyms...) really tried hard to make an impressive movie and they succeeded. It was really good, the fight scenes were pumped, and even if some things looked out of place at times (almost like as if Legolas was riding Oliphant's trunk in Return of the King, I guess), at least it could be justified by the fact that the characters have superhuman magical powers. However, I fail to see the point of having nice looking artwork if you just cannot get what the narrative is about, even though it is kind of going pretty well most of the time… Imagine if you will, a pretty attractive girl who is on a date with you and talks and talks and talks, even though you just do not get what the hell she is going on about, and it is only towards the end of your time together (after almost two hours) that her endless chattering (although quite compelling) starts to make some sense... Most of the time, I essentially could not understand most of the characters regarding their motivations and intentions! Moreover, it is set in quite an interesting fantasy world, although I only got a chance to briefly understand how it all works on a basic level, and casually learned only a few things on the fly, and nothing had enough depth to properly engage me. Maybe if there was less fighting and more exposition --- then perhaps it may not have been such an interesting and action-packed show, even though it would have perhaps made more sense to me... The soundtrack was like that too --- on the one hand, I liked it. The songs and musical motifs were pleasant to listen to, however, they just did not seem to fit the mood of some of the scenes very well --- in other words, they were not in tune with each other… This is a contradictory albeit quite an interesting movie - on its own I would award about 5.5/10, add to that the fact that I would like to see the follow-up (to be released this year), because perhaps then this would all start to make sense, and it will be even what the movie’s creators intended - an epic and wonderful fantasy…

It is very difficult to review this anime series when there are so many people commenting about how it is only for pedophiles. Anyway, chances are those who made such comments have not even made it to the sixth episode, let alone finished this anime series. Plus, from a certain point of view, you could easily say that, for example, the previously mentioned movie Lolita is also for pedophiles... So which is it then? The truth is that both sides have a point because this anime series has some scenes where the relationship between the really very young girl and the teacher is overly sexualized, the setting is often intended by the mangaka/anime’s creators to be an erotic scene, or a scene with strong sexual overtones, which, in conjunction with children this young, is simply unacceptable for ethical and moral reasons in our culture. Some of the scenes are meant to be amusing, and the truth is that if I leave out (stop addressing) the morality of this show, sometimes they really are funny. So in the end it is up to each individual person regarding how much they are bothered by the ethical and moral dilemmas while watching this show. In addition, it is a drama as well as being a comedy. The anime’s creators were fully aware of the subject matter and did not want it (unlike Eromanga Sensei for example) to come across as pure Loli (or kodomo) fan service. Therefore the characters are not black and white, but rather quite complex, plus it has situations that are thought-provoking and suspenseful. Once again, it really depends on how much you want to go along with these melodramas, how much you find the narrative believable, and how much those things excuse just about everything else (the context) - which for some is inexcusable... In other words, because this show has a much more complicated narrative, there are no cookie-cutter formulaic characters and in fact, are quite relatable (Reiji, for example, is a very interestingly written character). You can look at this anime series as a narrative regarding a girl with a complicated backstory, and that backstory explains why she is too grown-up mentally and quite precocious. It also goes some way to explain this young girl's first crush, and why she develops that crush on her teacher (which happens in real life a lot, it is quite common, because I also had a crush on one of my teachers when I was much younger...). Plus, he is a character who is practically an easy target, because of his ineptitude, and he is a victim due to the sometimes unbelievable manipulation of the girl. Still, I just cannot escape the feeling that it is all the teacher’s fault really, and the reason why the situations keep escalating over and over again is that he constantly fails to set healthy boundaries, and also because of his approach to the children, as he tries to get as close to them as possible, so actually he has brought all this on himself... There are many ways to consider your attitude towards this anime series, and I do not think any of the views I have presented are completely wrong or right, so I encourage everyone to take a look for themselves, and so you can then see for yourselves if it makes you feel uncomfortable, and by how much. At the very least, you may discover where your own moral and ethical boundaries lay in this regard. In conclusion, this is not simply an anime series aimed at pedophiles, it is aimed at the wider public as well, as long as they can accept its premise and find the characters and their motives believable. I think you could learn a lot and have a good laugh at times, which simply depends on how seriously and gravely you take it. However, if you happen to find this anime series sexually arousing, then you quite possibly might really have some serious issues... 6/10.

In terms of the animation and the soundtrack, this is definitely a very well-produced movie. The narrative also has its moments, and it tries to teach us that everyone is equal before one God, no matter what color they are, where and to whom they were born, and that true freedom means breaking the chains in your heart... It is just such a shame that I could not get rid of the strange feeling that a pompous animated movie from the United Arab Emirates, i.e. from the world of extremely wealthy sheiks (where you can see the disparities between the rich and the poor at a glance, and where the wealthiest gentlemen in the land probably still have servants and harems), simply is not going to convince me that everyone is really truly equal. Of course, these are probably typical European prejudices, and I am going to be condemned by all of the woke brigade fighting for freedom, justice, and equality in society, of which there are many in 2018. However, I am sorry, I just cannot shake off these prejudices. The irony of the differences between the origins and the message has stuck with me and watching this movie, no matter how good it is, kind of made me start to really dislike it. However, what the hell did I expect, it is a narrative concerning Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi who was a loyal companion to the Prophet Muhammad, so it has to be the real story of Islam. Well, yeah, although as far as Islam is concerned, I found certain things in the movie that struck me as especially true with parallels to how it is today... But enough!!! I am just going to sum it up by saying that subjectively speaking this movie is very accomplished, it has respectable production values and also a good message, plus a rather interesting narrative (although in my opinion, it has too much unnecessary melodrama). It is just not my kind of movie (and it would not be my kind of movie even if it was about let's say John the Baptist) and therefore I am just not going to award more than 6/10…

It is a shame that the best thing I can say about this anime series is that probably the only really powerful scenes are in the ending itself. The final episode was really good and gave the show some meaning and its message made sense. Well, yeah, this is true even though unfortunately the rest of the anime series was not anywhere near as engaging. The beginning and the first three-quarters of the season or so are pretty boring, it features a narrative regarding teenagers who pilot robots in a world that looks quite interesting and yet tells you almost nothing about itself. So you get to watch some young people dealing with their problems, forming relationships and while it might sound interesting - it really is not. All the time you are reminding yourself that this was produced by Studio Trigger, so you just hope the best is yet to come. Fortunately, from time to time, you get little indications that the world it is set in has some secrets yet to be revealed, so it manages to keep you hanging on. Because of that, you can tolerate the romantic relationships, the monotonous mecha fight scenes, and the teenage dramas that are often more exhausting than thrilling. The chemistry between the main two protagonists is quite good, although in all honesty I still preferred the two other couples Kokoro x Mitsuru and Ichigo x Goro. However, that is quite enough about the show’s romantic relationships and love stories, even though that is what this show is really about. Now, more about the plot. The last quarter of the season is quite eventful and at first, you are bombarded with information that reveals some stuff you have kind of been suspecting all along and you are like “yeah, it is there although I was expecting it…” So anyway, you are going to be disappointed rather than shocked by the first info dump. However, a series of shocking revelations and another barrage of rather insane happenings come along that will have you wondering if the anime’s creators are being serious, and where you are going to be wondering if this show is insanely stupid or insanely cool. Also, possibly for the first time in twenty-something episodes, you finally realize that you are watching something that was created by Studio Trigger, the Japanese animation studio founded by former employees of Gainax... and these are the dudes who are famous for giving the world anime series such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurren Lagann… As I have already written, the finále is satisfactory and the last episode itself is really very good indeed. However, could the ending possibly redeem the entire season considering the tediousness of the first three-quarters of this season? Unfortunately, I think not, not this time, and I cannot say this is an especially unforgettable experience, more like just your average anime series with a very good ending and that is about it. 5.6/10.