This is A-1 best Anime original of the season

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Aug 2017

78

MonkeeDan said:

DragonTheOne said:

MonkeeDan said:

DragonTheOne said:

MonkeeDan said:

DragonTheOne said:

MonkeeDan said:
Isn't Engage Kiss like the most formulaic anime since a long time now? It's filled with tropes to the brim and the writing itself is nothing you won't find in an anime 5 clicks away. It's enjoyable but nowhere near being anything noteworthy or outstanding. Lycoris Recoil also falls into that aspect but to a lesser extent + the cast of LR is more enjoyable since they're not revolving around unexplainable crushes on an overly generic mc.

@DragonTheOne I'm up to date with the latest episode and while it went different ways than the usual format, it implemented new ones and made the whole show lose any tension since it feels more like a battle royale on who'll end up with the mc instead of solving the issue at hand. Especially the newest episode felt like a joke when the reason for

It's Kanna not Kisara but I get your point.

No, it does not feel like a battle-royale on who will end up with the MC at all. Episodes 8 to 11 has almost no romance, and the main focus of the plot shift towards showing how tragic Shu is.

From Shu being filled with hatred when he killed Miles, without realizing how Miles had saved him back as a child or that Miles was his foster father, and then having tears dripped down his eyes that he can't understand.

To Shu being so broken that he barely remembers his childhood friend Ayano, or his own reason for fighting, or his own family, and Kisara decides to call it quits and give back all his memories at the expense of losing what she treasures the most - her love and relationship with Shu. The backstories behind them, and how Kisara has been preserving all of the memories that she took from Shu by burning her own ones as fuel.

How the hell does any of this feel like a battle royale to winning the MC or a formulaic anime?

I mean yea, if you look at the whole backstory as some original way of storytelling, then it's breaking out of the generic tropes and genres. That being said to me it doesn't. Episodes 8-11 were the bare minimum to give this show any sort of significance and to make it have any backing for its whole build-up that was shown in the previous episodes.

Fair point, Shu had a breakdown and Kisara - out of love, gave cancelled the contract and gave him his memories back. That doesn't change that since episode one there is the constant jealousy and fighting over Shu which gets even worse as soon as the nun appears. All the intentions from the female main characters are revolving around loving Shu to some extent. First few episodes? Fighting demons while centering around the love triangle. Episodes after introducing the nun? A mixed motive of fighting the demons and personal motives or in that case - being angry at Shu for using her while she (probably) loved him and her trying to get back at him now and get her revenge. Then we get the "tragic past" episodes which aren't anything outstanding but get the job done and after that we have his little sister whose motive so far is also assumed to be jealousy of the other girls that got to have intimate moments with her beloved oni-chan. Battle royale was maybe the wrong term but you get my point I think. I have a hard time caring about anything that is going on or feeling any threat when it all plays down to the girl causing a ruffus just being jealous or in love with the mc. I'm not saying that this makes the show unenjoyable, it's just less enjoyable than it could've been to me if they would've given different motives to each characters instead of emotional feelings for the same character who doesn't show us any reason that would make those feelings understandable. It's an alright show, just pretty by the book with lazy writing to me.

MonkeeDan said:

DragonTheOne said:

MonkeeDan said:
Isn't Engage Kiss like the most formulaic anime since a long time now? It's filled with tropes to the brim and the writing itself is nothing you won't find in an anime 5 clicks away. It's enjoyable but nowhere near being anything noteworthy or outstanding. Lycoris Recoil also falls into that aspect but to a lesser extent + the cast of LR is more enjoyable since they're not revolving around unexplainable crushes on an overly generic mc.

@DragonTheOne I'm up to date with the latest episode and while it went different ways than the usual format, it implemented new ones and made the whole show lose any tension since it feels more like a battle royale on who'll end up with the mc instead of solving the issue at hand. Especially the newest episode felt like a joke when the reason for

It's Kanna not Kisara but I get your point.

No, it does not feel like a battle-royale on who will end up with the MC at all. Episodes 8 to 11 has almost no romance, and the main focus of the plot shift towards showing how tragic Shu is.

From Shu being filled with hatred when he killed Miles, without realizing how Miles had saved him back as a child or that Miles was his foster father, and then having tears dripped down his eyes that he can't understand.

To Shu being so broken that he barely remembers his childhood friend Ayano, or his own reason for fighting, or his own family, and Kisara decides to call it quits and give back all his memories at the expense of losing what she treasures the most - her love and relationship with Shu. The backstories behind them, and how Kisara has been preserving all of the memories that she took from Shu by burning her own ones as fuel.

How the hell does any of this feel like a battle royale to winning the MC or a formulaic anime?

I mean yea, if you look at the whole backstory as some original way of storytelling, then it's breaking out of the generic tropes and genres. That being said to me it doesn't. Episodes 8-11 were the bare minimum to give this show any sort of significance and to make it have any backing for its whole build-up that was shown in the previous episodes.

Fair point, Shu had a breakdown and Kisara - out of love, gave cancelled the contract and gave him his memories back. That doesn't change that since episode one there is the constant jealousy and fighting over Shu which gets even worse as soon as the nun appears. All the intentions from the female main characters are revolving around loving Shu to some extent. First few episodes? Fighting demons while centering around the love triangle. Episodes after introducing the nun? A mixed motive of fighting the demons and personal motives or in that case - being angry at Shu for using her while she (probably) loved him and her trying to get back at him now and get her revenge. Then we get the "tragic past" episodes which aren't anything outstanding but get the job done and after that we have his little sister whose motive so far is also assumed to be jealousy of the other girls that got to have intimate moments with her beloved oni-chan. Battle royale was maybe the wrong term but you get my point I think. I have a hard time caring about anything that is going on or feeling any threat when it all plays down to the girl causing a ruffus just being jealous or in love with the mc. I'm not saying that this makes the show unenjoyable, it's just less enjoyable than it could've been to me if they would've given different motives to each characters instead of emotional feelings for the same character who doesn't show us any reason that would make those feelings understandable. It's an alright show, just pretty by the book with lazy writing to me.

If the execution of Shu's tragic past is not outstanding to you, it's probably because you were not able to empathize with the characters up till that point, and the real magic of the show is lost to you. The same can be said for any show involving romance, and even Lycoris Recoil. We each have our individual tastes and preference and pardon me for making any assumptions but it could be the characters were not likable to you from the beginning which prevented you from making any emotional connection with them.

Speaking of the earlier episodes, while it wasn't as plot-focused, they were entertaining enough, and the relationship dynamic between Shu and Kisara felt is far from being generic. How many animes even dare to show an MC being a manipulative POS that takes advantage of a girl's feelings for him to fight for his goals? The only other one that I can think of with a similar relationship dynamic is Misa and Light in Death Note.

In fact LR and EK are both similar in that the earlier episodes are not plot-focus and mainly focus on the relationship dynamic between the main duo. And in terms of generic relationship, Chisato and Takina relationship although executed brilliantly, definitely feels more generic.

I watched both LR and EK, and in the later episodes, I am able to empathize more with the plight of the Shu and Kisara than with Chisato and Takina, which cemented EK victory for me.

Well yea, to be able to empathize with a character, they have to resonate with me or at least make me feel something that resembles caring. A character that gets spoonfed by 3 different girls and then mix in some tragic backstory or revenge story so to say, isn't able to make me feel that way. Most characters don't go much beyond their initial trope which gives me even less reason for me to care about them. Kisara is the closest one that would make me empathize for her. So yea, you are somewhat right with the assumption that I didn't like the characters since the first few episodes but that doesn't hinder me from thinking that a show is great or not in terms of storytelling and other categories. There are multiple anime that don't have characters that particularly interest me or make me feel anything close to liking them but still manage to be overall enjoyable and a great show due to the overall execution. A show that is build around a single character who has nothing going for him except some sad backstory doesn't offer foundation to build a whole show around it instead of implementing the character in an already existing story with already existing characters that feel like they had a life before they met the main character. Take Shu out of the show and every character would lose their motivation and intention in this show and that is definitely not a good concept to build a world and setting for a show.

The first episodes served a good introduction to establish the overall dynamics between the characters and sorry, they were generic so to say. I guess having a pos mc who manipulates his love interests is somewhat "unique" but the overall concept of 2 girls (or later 3/4) falling in love with him for no apparent reason isn't anywhere close to being new. While the dynamic may be unique, it is build upon feelings that just got attached to a character to give them a reason to appear in the show or mc's life.

Well yea it is in general a pretty common thing to focus the first half of the show, or at least 3-4 episodes to build up the world and set up characters and a plot to execute in the latter half. The LR relationship isn't anything new as well but it doesn't have that sour air of being a wannabe harem around it which instantly feels way better to me. That being said I'm not the biggest fan of LR as well but for different reasons. Idk how many harem/ecchi animes you've seen, but if you watched a decent amount, you'll see what I mean with the characters of EK feeling like a wannabe harem.

Well, Shu and Kisara's plight is definitely the most interesting part of the show but it fails to hold any real impact due to it getting overshadowed by random characters throwing their own lovestory with the mc into the plot. Chisato and Takina's relationship feels a bit more empathizable to me since there is a lack of interrupting side characters that destroy the dynamic of the two of them and simply because Chisato is more symphatetic imo.

EK never felt like a harem show to me. It has always established itself as a love triangle from the start up till now. I never counted Sharon as part of the harem because she has never taken any action or even shown the desire to win the love of the MC. Just because they had a ONS in the past does not make her part of his harem when she does not show any interest in being in a relationship with the MC. Although not much can be said for Kanna as not much is shown of her yet, I am inclined to believe that she will not change the show into a harem. So if it's just between three people, that is a love triangle instead of a harem.

I also fail to see why a show cannot be centered around an MC when the whole story of the show is about him and his relationships. The fault you stated is more like 'I don't like this show because its an Isekai' without caring how the show executes itself. Take Shu out and we won't even have the story since the whole story is of him throwing his life away to pursue his goals and Kisara being the one who loves him unconditionally.

In fact, I fail to see how any romance show can even function by removing the MC. Take away Futarou out from QQ and every character will lose their motivation. Take Gojo out from Dress up Darling and every character lose their motivation.

I mean yea, it is a love triangle, but it gives me the vibes of being a harem with the way the characters interact and their respective tropes. Sharon in my book still holds feelings for him and would probably give it a try if it weren't for the other 2 girls that are trying it already, but yea, doesn't change anything really. Whether or nor Kanna effectively turns it into a harem doesn't matter if it already feels like one since the moment they introduced Sharon to me. I just dislike how they use the love as a plot device and just throw it onto every character that holds any significant value to the story. I'm fine with one or maybe two characters having their motivation being love, but almost every character? Feels a bit much to me tho I guess it's just personal preference (?)

It fails in that aspect that the world itself stops being alive as soon as you take Shu out of it. It can work, sure, but EG had the whole scenario of being a futuristic city that is threatened by demons which already serves enough potential for things happening outside of the mc's perspective. It's okay that the story is about Shu and his revenge and all that, but it shouldn't affect the whole world/city to such an extent that every action begins and ends with him more or less. So no, it's not that I don't like this show because it's an Isekai, but rather that I dislike the way they execute the initial set up of a setting and plot and put feelings onto characters for convenience rather than them being "realistic" and understandable.

Well yea in full on romance shows they need the main characters since they are the main driving force and the whole premise is set around it. In EG you get thrown into a setting as I mentioned earlier just for it to end up being an excuse to establish a love triangle but not creating a romance per se. EG is listed as a romance but the romance should be secondary overall if the whole story is about Shu manipulating the people around him to get his revenge and not going lovey-dovey with them out of feelings no? Idk why you listed Futarou from QQ since it's a harem and harems tend to fully revolve around the main character with them being the only attraction most of the times. They whole show is designed around it and doesn't set up a whole world or unique setting for it to happen in but shows from the beginning that it's revolving around the mc and the girls feelings. Taking out Gojo from Dress up Darling wouldn't change a thing so to say, other than Marin pursuing her cosplay hobby at her own pace instead of relying on Gojo. And the show itself is build around progressing the plot forward while developing their relationship on the sideline instead of the other way around which is essentially what my problem with Engage Kiss is.

While I am able to understand your point, I still cannot really agree with you. Romance isn't secondary just because Shu is manipulating the girls. The romance starts of one-sided and turns genuine by the end. Romance is still core to the show. The MC is saved and eventually chooses to correct himself because of romance.

You said you are fine with one or two characters that uses love as the plot device. And that is what we got. Two females, Kisara and Ayano. I have already repeated that Sharon and Kanna are side characters and also not the love interest of the MC, nor do they try to be. They act in their own interest and it is clear to the audience that they are not considered inside the love triangle, except for those die-hard shippers who would deny logic just to ship them.

I also have to disagree that the girls fall in love with him for no apparent reason. Their motivations for loving him are not established early, but it becomes well established in the later parts after we have seen more of their backstories.

Kisara is saved by Shu, learns about the human world from him, sees his memories, and eventually falls for him. As she consumes her own memories to preserve Shu's memories, she becomes more clingy towards Shu as she basically remembers no one else except for him.

Ayano is Shu's childhood friend and she has loved him for a long time. They were in a relationship together when Shu decides to leave Ayano and seek Kisara because she is not strong enough. This does not stop her from loving Shu and she is jealous of Kisara because Kisara's position is what she could have been if it wasn't for her.

Take a look at Titanic for example. The sinking of Titanic is the main plot, but the show still revolves around the relationship between Jack and Jill and how they navigate through the tragedy. So you see, a romance show has to use love as a plot device. Without love, Jack would save himself while Jill gets on the lifeboat with her fiance. Without love, Kisara is just Shu's contract demon who follows his orders until eventually there is nothing left of him.

At the end of the day, I respect whatever opinions you have, and I also acknowledge that EK isn't perfect in every way. However, I believe I am able to appreciate the deeper aspects of the show more than the average joe does because of the way I enjoy analyzing the show that I watch. Lycoris Recoil is easily enjoyable to most, but it does not provide much depth beyond whatever is shown to the audience.

DragonTheOneSep 19, 2022 9:55 AM

Sep 19, 2022 2:07 PM

#103

TheIsOtaku

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May 2013

495

EK's story started of very nebulous and created even more mysteries moving on while establishing the dynamics of the main cast. Ep 1-7 the first half which was basically the romcom part ended the phase with the biggest conflict between shu, kisara and ayano and I enjoyed this phase very much. Maruto once again showed how good he is at writing more mature love drama and a rivalry between the two main love interests.

The next couple episodes were probably my least favorite, it's like the staff forgot that there was still a main story to move forward and shifted the focus to conversations and characters we cared about little to nothing. It finally became interesting again with shu's struggle to kill miles and kisara seriously starting to worry about shu's mental state if he sacrifices more memories. The following reveals were good tho I didn't expect an all powerful demon being involved with shu's family, from here on kisara also completely takes over the show with her unconditional dedication and love for shu fully unfolding with him being on the brink of completely loosing himself. It goes full melodrama as he doesn't even know anymore for what he is fighting for and as we finally get so see the details of their contract.

This is easily my favorite part of the anime so far, it shows how complex and difficult shu's and kisara's 'partnership' and their feelings really are. The romance is really damn good when it gets serious but I also enjoyed the romcom parts and ayano and kisara's quarrels very much. The story how trashy and cliche it may be sometimes still is enjoyable and even introduced an interesting topic towards the end if it's possible that humans and demons could coexist especially with human demon hybrids existing since several hundred years already.

So yea this show is way more serious as it may seem at first glance, has a complex love story, great character designs and animation accompanied by some really good ost which especially shines in the climax scenes of some episodes.

Sep 22, 2022 11:34 AM

#104

ダンダダン

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Jun 2015

529

I’m so baffled that people rate this so highly I’m 4 or so episodes in and boy the characters are gettin on my nerves the animation is good and character design is good but plot is meh and characters are meh especially the main character how do people write characters like this a man with no redeeming qualities just randomly gets females falling for him and that pink haired girl just want problems always like chill anyway each to their own what is garbage to some is gold to others enjoy whatever u wanna enjoy I personally just find this really bad tbh most original anime’s are a hit or a miss some are good and some are bad

Sep 22, 2022 3:37 PM

#105

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Aug 2017

78

Youbamii said:
I’m so baffled that people rate this so highly I’m 4 or so episodes in and boy the characters are gettin on my nerves the animation is good and character design is good but plot is meh and characters are meh especially the main character how do people write characters like this a man with no redeeming qualities just randomly gets females falling for him and that pink haired girl just want problems always like chill anyway each to their own what is garbage to some is gold to others enjoy whatever u wanna enjoy I personally just find this really bad tbh most original anime’s are a hit or a miss some are good and some are bad

You are just a normie who needs a perfect and likable MC. SAO is for you.

Sep 22, 2022 7:42 PM

#106

ダンダダン

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Jun 2015

529

DragonTheOne said:

Youbamii said:
I’m so baffled that people rate this so highly I’m 4 or so episodes in and boy the characters are gettin on my nerves the animation is good and character design is good but plot is meh and characters are meh especially the main character how do people write characters like this a man with no redeeming qualities just randomly gets females falling for him and that pink haired girl just want problems always like chill anyway each to their own what is garbage to some is gold to others enjoy whatever u wanna enjoy I personally just find this really bad tbh most original anime’s are a hit or a miss some are good and some are bad

You are just a normie who needs a perfect and likable MC. SAO is for you.

Normie lol go check my list and come back and say dat to my face, I don’t need likeable ones I like my mc to get better this dude doesn’t get better he gets worst with each episode but as I said what is trash for me is gold to u enjoy ur series bro no hard feelings u do u I will do me and dislike this trashy original anime I’m gonna watch shield hero s3 maybe I’ll come back to finish this for the sake of finishing

Sep 22, 2022 7:46 PM

#107

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Aug 2017

78

Youbamii said:

DragonTheOne said:

You are just a normie who needs a perfect and likable MC. SAO is for you.

Normie lol go check my list and come back and say dat to my face, I don’t need likeable ones I like my mc to get better this dude doesn’t get better he gets worst with each episode but as I said what is trash for me is gold to u enjoy ur series bro no hard feelings u do u I will do me and dislike this trashy original anime I’m gonna watch shield hero s3 maybe I’ll come back to finish this for the sake of finishing

You can't blame my assumption when your entire rant is on the MC's having no redeeming qualities. No hard feelings, enjoy whatever you like and I do mine.

Sep 22, 2022 7:53 PM

#108

ダンダダン

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Jun 2015

529

DragonTheOne said:

Youbamii said:

Normie lol go check my list and come back and say dat to my face, I don’t need likeable ones I like my mc to get better this dude doesn’t get better he gets worst with each episode but as I said what is trash for me is gold to u enjoy ur series bro no hard feelings u do u I will do me and dislike this trashy original anime I’m gonna watch shield hero s3 maybe I’ll come back to finish this for the sake of finishing

You can't blame my assumption when your entire rant is on the MC's having no redeeming qualities. No hard feelings, enjoy whatever you like and I do mine.

Exactly some might enjoy this that’s perfect for dem but sadly it ain’t for me I’ll still come back to finish it tho since I already am like 5 episodes in and since I started it I gotta finish what I started

Sep 22, 2022 10:31 PM

#109

TheIsOtaku

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May 2013

495

Youbamii said:
I’m so baffled that people rate this so highly I’m 4 or so episodes in and boy the characters are gettin on my nerves the animation is good and character design is good but plot is meh and characters are meh especially the main character how do people write characters like this a man with no redeeming qualities just randomly gets females falling for him and that pink haired girl just want problems always like chill anyway each to their own what is garbage to some is gold to others enjoy whatever u wanna enjoy I personally just find this really bad tbh most original anime’s are a hit or a miss some are good and some are bad

I can agree that the first episodes may be deterring for some mainly cause of how shu is written. But it's obvious isn't it that there are reasons for his behavior especially cause of his continuous memory loss and vengeance motivations. Have to say tho kisara from the beginning was a very misunderstood character and I felt sad that she got so much hate early on for being 'just another pink haired yandere'. Despite she was hard to read and seemed a bit mysterious it was clear that she always had the best in mind for shu and only beared geniune feelings for him, the yandere tendencies were just for the comedic relief.

Sep 23, 2022 4:37 AM

#110

Tatakae

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Feb 2020

84

kriissyy12 said:
Sorry Lycoris Recoil fans, but if we're talking about which one is actually better, Engage Kiss wins.

Lycoris Recoil is a pretty good buddy cop Anime with cute girls and great action scenes, but the writing, story and plot holes in the Anime are pretty bad. Engage Kiss is clearly the superior of the two, seeing it has great action scenes, cute girls but also good writing and an engaging story.

agree with everything you said. imo it’s easily one of the worst anime that aired this season, ppl aren’t ready for that convo yet.

Sep 23, 2022 4:38 AM

#111

Tatakae

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Feb 2020

84

Mq84jdk said:

kriissyy12 said:
Sorry Lycoris Recoil fans, but if we're talking about which one is actually better, Engage Kiss wins.

Lycoris Recoil is a pretty good buddy cop Anime with cute girls and great action scenes, but the writing, story and plot holes in the Anime are pretty bad. Engage Kiss is clearly the superior of the two, seeing it has great action scenes, cute girls but also good writing and an engaging story.

I’m starting to think people don’t know what the term plot hole means.

Theres definitely a number of plot holes 😂 if you don’t see them that’s fine though enjoy the shows you like. Engage kiss is simply better.

Sep 23, 2022 2:14 PM

#112

Tatakae

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Feb 2020

84

Cestlavie_ said:

TheHoodSenpai said:

Theres definitely a number of plot holes 😂 if you don’t see them that’s fine though enjoy the shows you like. Engage kiss is simply better.

I don't think you can really objectively say a show that can't even pass 7 as it rating is better than Lycoris

Engage kiss had hate on the first ep, it also has a lot of elements that offend ppl, you also can’t bring up objectivity when talking about anime Scores on MAL. Demon slayer had a generic plot and average writing yet you objectively think it better then 99% of anime because of the score? No you deduce it by the writing, Lycoris has borderline terrible writing with at least 3 or more plot holes that have an impact on the overarching narrative. Engage kiss has been consistent, knows what kind of anime it is looks to be wrapping up perfectly with no unanswered questions, all the characters have roles that impact the story and the world building is way better than lycoris.

Sep 23, 2022 2:54 PM

#113

ダンダダン

Offline

Jun 2015

529

TheIsOtaku said:

Youbamii said:
I’m so baffled that people rate this so highly I’m 4 or so episodes in and boy the characters are gettin on my nerves the animation is good and character design is good but plot is meh and characters are meh especially the main character how do people write characters like this a man with no redeeming qualities just randomly gets females falling for him and that pink haired girl just want problems always like chill anyway each to their own what is garbage to some is gold to others enjoy whatever u wanna enjoy I personally just find this really bad tbh most original anime’s are a hit or a miss some are good and some are bad

I can agree that the first episodes may be deterring for some mainly cause of how shu is written. But it's obvious isn't it that there are reasons for his behavior especially cause of his continuous memory loss and vengeance motivations. Have to say tho kisara from the beginning was a very misunderstood character and I felt sad that she got so much hate early on for being 'just another pink haired yandere'. Despite she was hard to read and seemed a bit mysterious it was clear that she always had the best in mind for shu and only beared geniune feelings for him, the yandere tendencies were just for the comedic relief.

Yea I also thought about that as well but unfortunately my distaste in his behaviour was just too much, that pink haired girl seemed annoying but as u said she also seemed to be sorry for stealing his memories so I can at least give her a few points the blue haired gilt is pretty decent, I’ll try to finish this anime after shield hero s3 when I’m off from work on Monday so let’s see how the character of shuu progresses I’ll probably come back here to give my thoughts assuming the thread is still around

Sep 23, 2022 10:11 PM

#114

Tatakae

Offline

Feb 2020

84

Cevoy said:
Engage Kiss is literally just seasonal bait garbage. It's the Takt Op. Destiny of the 2022 Summmer season

Funny you say this because I was thinking Lycoris was the Takt/ Detective is already dead flop of an anime this season.

Sep 23, 2022 11:48 PM

#115

Siranto1

Offline

Oct 2016

167

Lycoris Recoil wins with no competition from this imo

Humans only live for a hundred years, it is as unreal as a dream that ends in an instant. What is the point of a person living in this world? No more than just being on a journey, and witnessing interesting things. Although I do not want to die, I do not fear death. I am already on my right path, I have no regrets even if I die.

— Fang Yuan (Reverend Insanity)

Sep 24, 2022 5:11 AM

#116

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Aug 2017

78

Siranto1 said:
Lycoris Recoil wins with no competition from this imo

Lycoris Recoil wins for the masses of normies. The entire appeal of the show is just Chisato which is created to be a flawless and likable character with no depth.

It's good for light-hearted entertainment but otherwise it has a shallow plot. Can't say I am surprised by it's popularity when majority of anime viewers are teenagers.

DragonTheOneSep 24, 2022 5:14 AM

Sep 24, 2022 10:42 AM

#117

Siranto1

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Oct 2016

167

DragonTheOne said:

Siranto1 said:
Lycoris Recoil wins with no competition from this imo

Lycoris Recoil wins for the masses of normies. The entire appeal of the show is just Chisato which is created to be a flawless and likable character with no depth.

It's good for light-hearted entertainment but otherwise it has a shallow plot. Can't say I am surprised by it's popularity when majority of anime viewers are teenagers.

I don't think Engage Kiss has any more of a in depth plot than Lycoris Recoil but in the first place not every anime has to have a complicated story in order to be enjoyable (rather a simple well told story is way better than an overcomplicated mess of a story which info dumps you every few episodes imo). And in terms of enjoyment, Lycoris Recoil is way better for me than the trashy Engage Kiss. Just adding a bunch of flaws to the main character does not make an anime fun to watch (and they don't even affect Shu much cause all the girls are madly in love with him regardless).

Siranto1Sep 24, 2022 10:50 AM

Humans only live for a hundred years, it is as unreal as a dream that ends in an instant. What is the point of a person living in this world? No more than just being on a journey, and witnessing interesting things. Although I do not want to die, I do not fear death. I am already on my right path, I have no regrets even if I die.

— Fang Yuan (Reverend Insanity)

Sep 24, 2022 11:33 AM

#118

MomoSinX

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Jun 2017

3502

I also think LycoReco shits on this but I can't call this one bad either, it comes second. It's rare for an original to be good but to get two good ones in a row is pretty insane.

Gave this a solid 8 because of the ending, I didn't expect to have anything decent but they resolved enough and there was potential left for S2. If it was really meh ending I would have only given a 7.

Takt Op doesn't even come close to these two lmao.

Sep 24, 2022 11:57 AM

#119

Ryuseishun

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Mar 2016

3077

The funny thing is that Engage Kiss was perhaps like a handful of adjustments here and there away from being at least comparable to LycoReco. Instead I only saw it as a flopping fish out of water that had way too many dumb contrivances and lackluster buildup. While I feel like LycoReco accomplished what it needed to do and stayed true to itself to the very end, Engage Kiss throttled itself head along through a bunch of weird drama and plot choices that made little sense in the end, plus the conclusion (at least for this cour if the 2nd cour is confirmed an actuality) felt unearned. Funny enough, it was also a series that tried to balance the lighthearted and the serious, but it was so haphazardly handled. I especially felt the character dynamics are uninspiring and lackluster at best, especially when it's basically just all the girls (the frigging sister included) wanting the guy's fucking dick.
In the end, regardless of how anyone feels about LycoReco, Engage Kiss wound up as just another generic urban fantasy harem series. I doubt a 2nd Cour will show any improvement given how this one concluded.

Sep 24, 2022 12:24 PM

#120

Offline

Aug 2017

78

Ryuseishun said:
The funny thing is that Engage Kiss was perhaps like a handful of adjustments here and there away from being at least comparable to LycoReco. Instead I only saw it as a flopping fish out of water that had way too many dumb contrivances and lackluster buildup. While I feel like LycoReco accomplished what it needed to do and stayed true to itself to the very end, Engage Kiss throttled itself head along through a bunch of weird drama and plot choices that made little sense in the end, plus the conclusion (at least for this cour if the 2nd cour is confirmed an actuality) felt unearned. Funny enough, it was also a series that tried to balance the lighthearted and the serious, but it was so haphazardly handled. I especially felt the character dynamics are uninspiring and lackluster at best, especially when it's basically just all the girls (the frigging sister included) wanting the guy's fucking dick.
In the end, regardless of how anyone feels about LycoReco, Engage Kiss wound up as just another generic urban fantasy harem series. I doubt a 2nd Cour will show any improvement given how this one concluded.

As a big fan of Engage Kiss, I concede that the ending felt lackluster. For me, the peak is in Episodes 3,5,7, 9 and 11 where the melodrama was so well executed that it makes me empathize with the characters more than in the other anime that I am watching.

Sep 24, 2022 12:35 PM

#121

yveltalkyogre

Offline

Dec 2021

1365

I agree that this is the best A-1 anime original of the season.

Sep 24, 2022 2:24 PM

#122