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Pluto is, or at least starts off as a detective story, focusing on a robot detective named Gesicht from Europol. It is basically a glorified Astro Boy arc; a more mature, dark and suspense-oriented setting of the 'Greatest Robot on Earth' arc of Astro Boy. The major difference between the two is that Pluto is, or at least starts from the perspective of Gesicht, instead of Atom. Since this is a 'Naoki Urasawa masterpiece', I had really high expectations from it, but again, having consumed no Urasawa media earlier, I didn't really know what to expect.

PROS:

Pluto does a fantastic job at capturing the viewer's attention ... in the very first episode. This can be attributed to the way this anime builds up the suspense and the amazing character introduction of Gesicht. The animation sequence featuring Gesicht while he apprehended a criminal, along with the old building scene was phenomenal. It was as if the studio was screaming, "We have a high production quality!!!" For the majority of it, Pluto is not a futuristic sci-fi, but rather an anime discussing human ideals and emotions. On the surface it might be a PG-13 anime, but it really dives in and explores concepts like hatred, equality, war and its aftermath and more. Another factor worth acknowledging is how the premise treats robots as equal beings to humans; they have all the rights that humans do. But at the same time, there are many people who are against it. In a way, it also highlights the oppression and ill treatment faced by many on this planet.

Pluto has a solid cast of characters. Every episode, it dives into the life and story of different characters, and for the most part, does it in a magnificent way. They have intricate personalities, with each having varying ideals. And it is interesting to see them put their ideas forward, to see whose triumph over the others'. Even the backstories are emotional and impactful, and the 1 hour episode duration really gives time for them to build upon the characters. Pluto is an anime which experiments with the classic 'actions have their consequences', and that too unpredictable ones. Something done with seemingly pure intentions might evolve into a global calamity. Who could've guessed the possibility of a field of tulips initiating volcanic winter on earth?

The overall plot of Pluto is really basic. "A big, all-powerful robot kills the other 7 powerful robots on earth, who is that robot? We must stop him!" But the execution, top-notch. And I really have to give credit to Naoki Urasawa for this. It is very rarely that you come across an anime with a generic plot but amazing execution. I watched a small scene from the original Astro Boy (this same arc), and it was then that I realized just how much of a difference Urasawa's writing brought to the story. The Marvel-style intro they did is also pretty good.

CONS:

Pluto starts off a 9/10, but (everything about it) gradually goes downhill to about a 7/10. It seems elite and flawless at first, but as you trudge through the episodes, you start noticing eminent flaws.

The story unfolds with the introduction of Gesicht, a robot detective. The story presents itself as a suspense, thriller and mystery story, focusing less on the 'action' aspects. It starts off great, but somehow degenerates into a typical action mecha. It does great as a standalone story, but there are a lot of times (all the more if you know it's from Astro Boy) when you'll feel a lack of context, be it regarding the worldbuilding, the setting or the characters. And just so you know, that can not be excused as 'compelling storytelling'. There are too many perspectives to focus upon, characters are sometimes randomly introduced out of nowhere, just to be either killed off or not be mentioned at all in the subsequent episodes. It gets to the point where some of them feel totally unnecessary to the plot (noooooooooo the hero mentions their name once in the final episodeeee).

The animation was breathtaking only for the first episode. Later on, there aren't too many animation-heavy scenes, except for the action sequences. And man, did they overuse AI and CGI for the animation. Basically every car is CGI and the studio has also used AI a lot for the animation it seems. They went all out with the backgrounds and the character animations (especially initially), but when animating the important parts (Pluto's storms for example) they used some horrendous combination of CGI and AI animation that absolutely shattered and dampened the impact it was supposed to deliver. Epsilon's Photon-Energy-force-field-sphere-thingy was one of the/the most abhorrently animated thing in the entire show. It straight up looked like they tossed their budget into the dustbin for that one.

The character designs were either repetitive or straight up bad. It being Naoki Urasawa's art style is one thing, but some characters literally look like characters from Monster. The painter Sahad looked like Dr. Tenma (from Monster) and Epsilon was LITERALLY Johan Liebert with a bluish-silver wig. Other than that, the mecha designs were awful, no matter how you look at them. Other than the conventional robot designs, the designs of the important mechs were really underwhelming. I hate to admit it, but Pluto (especially the image on MAL) looks like something straight up picked from Chhota Bheem. Even the animation quality significantly drops during scenes featuring Pluto for whatever reason. And during all the scenes featuring Pluto, the studio has added either smoke or a blur or whatnot to hide that sorry excuse of a design. And what was Bora even supposed to be? Pre-two-steps Nikocado?? Urasawa is just bad at mecha designs. Hell, even most Back Arrow designs might be better than Pluto and Bora.

Many things are left unexplained. There are also a lot of pointless/irrelevant scenes, which do nothing but add to the confusion. The backstories are good, but the transition is either very rough or not apparent at all; you don't realize whether whatever's going on is of the current timeline or a flashback. I also hated how the anime pretty much completely dropped the 'detective solving a case' idea that it initially presented. At the end, a lot of the important stuff gets the offscreen treatment, and the anime instead totally shifts focus towards the (badly animated) final battle. That made it drop to a 6.5/10 pretty much.

CONCLUSION:

You might observe that in my review, the cons outweigh the pros, but that's not really the case. Altogether, Pluto is a nice anime to watch. It had the potential to be a 9/10 but strayed off from its genre. It is certainly well-made, but has a lot of noticeable flaws. Compared to how it began, the ending of Pluto was really lackluster. Overall, I feel that this is a great anime if you want to delve into Naoki Urasawa's works. This might not be for everybody, might even ruin some expectations. But it is certainly worth giving a shot, all the more if you are ready to ignore the minor flaws and understand the essence of the story.

RATING:
Personal Enjoyment Rating: 8/10
Critical: 7/10

Short form: Stay away, it's unbearable, you won't make it past episode 4.

Long form:

In reality, there was no way that I would come across some insignificant, random and low-rated anime back from 2021 out of nowhere. But I was reading my old MAL messages to my friend and found that I had mentioned this anime to him. It just piqued my interest a little bit and so I just decided to give it a try for no reason. More than 90% of this show had me on the edge of my seat- making me lean towards my screen, ready to obliterate it at any moment. ... This thing could have been good, but well...

Story: 5/10

Your typical beyond-the-wall story with shitty mech fights thrown in. Lingalind is the name of "the world" which is surrounded by the World Wall. The wall is considered the absolute god of the realm and nourishes and protects the people and whatnot. Lingalind is divided into two major countries, Republic of Rekka and Supremacy of Lutoh. Those two have beef. Weird beyblades called "Rakuho" spawn in the sky and descend upon Lingalind and people consider them the seeds of the World Wall which grants them its blessings. Usually these contain Bind Warpers, devices that help one to create a mecha robot out of their conviction. One day, a Rakuho falls out of the sky in EDGER Village (bro 😭💀). The Edgemaxxers of Edger Village rejoice because they got the blessings of the Wall, further boosting their edging potential. But in reality, instead of getting anything useful, they get a buck naked young man with Alzheimer's. Now pretty much everyone in Lingalind is a firm (and blind) believer of "The entire world is inside the World Wall and there's nothing beyond it". So when the naked guy gets out of the beyblade and claims he wants to go outside the wall cuz he came from there, the edgers go absolutely wild. Within a few days that is the condition of pretty much everybody in Lingalind. And then it's the story of how "Back Arrow" manages (or perhaps doesn't...) to go beyond the wall.

Now the story in itself isn't anything special at all. It's just mid af, with a lot of pointless bullshit happening constantly. A lot of the fundamental things happening in the verse are left unexplained, and at times a shitload of senseless and supposedly interconnected information is revealed unnecessarily. There are a lot of plot holes and power scaling issues going on. Also the pacing is garbage; the irrelevant and purposeless 'slice-of-life' ahh episodes were stretched out for too long and the ending was rushed af. I mean while watching the last episode I was actually wondering, "Dude how the hell are they gonna conclude this thing properly?" P.S: They didn't. You'll also see a ton of 'power of friendship' bullshit in here. Some might like it, others might not. For me though, it was such a relief from the absolute abomination that the first half of this anime was. I kid you not, this anime is literally unbearable for the first 6-8 episodes; it actually gets on your nerves enough to make you wanna e̶d̶g̶e̶ a̶l̶l̶ o̶v̶e̶r̶ t̶h̶e̶ p̶l̶a̶c̶e̶ (I'm sorry) punch the living hell out of your screen. Later on, it keeps getting gradually better though(doesn't necessarily mean GOOD). Overall, I guess it was a mediocre execution of an already mediocre concept.

Animation: 6.5/10

I guess I can't really expect anything from a studio that has like 2 anime to their name. What am I even gonna say?? 80% of this anime is just mechs fucking around. And you'd be an absolute dolt if you think that part isn't gonna be CGI. Some of the animation felt good, not gonna lie. Even the CGI was fairly good. Also let's not talk about the fact that the mech designs were straight up picked from a garbage dump; there were only like 2 good-looking ones. The first scene of this anime looked promising, but the promise shattered after I saw the red guy's face lol. The characters move weirdly sometimes. Also, some characters' animation is arguably worse than that of 2000s anime. Hell, this studio couldn't even animate the oppai properly! But ignoring the small blunders, this animation was pretty decent.

Sound: idk probably 5.5/10

Dude I'm just wondering- how did they even manage to get LiSA for the openings?! Other than that, I swear to god - I did NOT bother to listen to any of the OPs/EDs. I mean, why would I, when I have watched pretty much the entire thing in 1.25x speed? One more 'sound' related thing is how they managed to get Kaji Yuki lmao. Like bro didn't you get tired of being a seiyuu in one AOT? Now actually talking about the sound, it wasn't anything special. Soundtracks, character voices and sound effects- all mid. The over-exaggerated wannabe English accent made my ears bleed. Also some female voices were damn annoying like jus' stop whining bitch 😭. Overall, nothing exceptional about it at all.

Characters: 1/10

Bro who the actual fuck did they let cook in the kitchen cuz that mad lad burned the entire city down to a crisp. My god- whoever the hell designed that dogshit, god awful, absolutely atrocious, horrendous character cast, I hope you're working for MAPPA right now. The characters of this series are its appealing aspect (totally). In the entirety of the anime, there are like 3 likeable characters- and saying that is a stretch. In that category we got Shu Bi (is that a new tailed beast??) the smartass, Kai Cenat the big screaming red guy and Back Arrow, the MC. Guess how the MC got his name. Bit, the most annoying piece of shit for the first 10 episodes, in the very first/second episode, calls the naked guy "BAKAYAROU" and bro just says his name is "Back Arrow" like what 😭😭💀💀. Well I guess this is better than Perv Asshat 💀. Anyway, about the characters. The people of edging village (and everybody else except the goat Shu Bi) are preposterous superstitious dumbasses. For literally every single second of the first few episodes, you'll LOATHE most of the characters. The MVP of that category from males is Bit Namital- dawg is a good-for-nothing originally, just showing off his inexistent feats and bragging bullshit for no reason. All this guy does for the first half is hold his gun to the good characters (he doesn't know how to aim). And him doubting Shu Bi and Arrow like that is just so damn annoying- even more so when he opens his mouth, for his voice is a disgrace to your eardrum. And omfg is the female cast even WORSE (how.). Like- enter edger village- we have dumbfuck Bit, and the two oppai ladies cuz why not. I mean if you're gonna give them assets like that, do it properly at least. Like why the hell do they become small when they enter the hot bath 💀( I shit you not). I mean what's even the point of fanservice if the anime isn't popular enough? Like what's the use if I can't search online for rule thirty fou-

Okay but legit, the female cast is even more annoying. Those women keep whining constantly like bruh stop please 😭. We have Princess Fine who is a dumbass and self-proclaimed advocate of love, Prax Conrad who is a fucking idiot and just cringe, Atlee and Elsha who are there only for the boobs and whining- their dialogues are poorly written and a pain in the ears. We also have the corrupt Prime Minister cuz of course, the fat ass Rudolf (bro is built like a melon farm), and the old man who's Elsha's grandfather- this guy is also annoying as fuck cuz bro really tried to give Arrow to the bad guys even after he had saved his village. (Bro's village got bombed in a valley- well deserved). Also what the hell are these character developments dude- they made Atlee the Queen of GRAND EDGER (the name 💀💀) just cuz they felt like it. Elsha the chief of a puny village considered herself equal to the literal queen of half of Lingalind- that's like 1500 km. I mean, does your village even have 15 houses 😭? This shit is what makes the show literally UNBEARABLE- you just want to hit your screen with a damn sledgehammer. The characters get mildly bearable only after 14ish episodes. Also, last but not the least, the STAR of the show- star in the sense that I hope she gets nuked to oblivion and absolutely fucking vaporized- Ren Sin. I have no words for this bitch. She's a constant pain in the fucking ass, right till the very end of the anime. Keeps whining like crazy, butts in and interrupts the important moments, has severe trust issues for no fucking reason and the list continues. I am honestly impressed she managed to make her way into my most hated characters list. And realistically speaking, there is no real villain group in this anime so you can't pull the "you hate her cuz she's a good villain" bullshit on me. No. She's an atrocity and a disgrace that deserves to rot in hell.

Overall, all the characters did was get on your nerves all the time. There is no way the 3-episode rule works for anybody in this anime. Also I forgot to mention, the mechs of all the annoying characters look trash.

Enjoyment: 3/10

Till like episode 18, I was actually forcing myself to watch this thing. You might've realised it, but this anime is NOT enjoyable at ALL. Like I said, it gets a LITTLE better by the end, but that doesn't fix the damage it did earlier. If you're the type to like the 'so bad it's good' type of shows, then this is for you. Anybody else, not recommended.

Overall: 4/10

My critical rating is a little lower than my actual rating, but none of which I've said above is false or anything. This anime reminds me of Platinum End- which if you don't know, is already a bad sign. The ending was a load of crap, mostly rushed or illogical. In both of them, the general idea of the ending revolves around the same thing. Even the MC here during certain moments reminded me of the MC of Platinum End.
This anime could honestly have been a WHOLE LOT better. There are too many flaws to work upon, and I feel that this is a disgrace to the mecha anime out there. It's like a mentally retarded, abandoned child of Code Geass and Attack on Titan. Well I can't think of anything else worth mentioning so yeah. Don't watch.

Jigokuraku or Hell's Paradise is a really unique anime, one that I would call remarkable. It might not be suited for everybody with all the gore and bloodshed, but I myself really enjoyed it. That being said, here's a review:

Story: 9/10

The story is set in some old Japanese era, one during which the land was ruled by the shogunate. We are initially introduced to the concept of death penalties and executions, and how they are carried out under the orders of the shogun. Later on, we are introduced to the main character of this anime, Gabimaru the Hollow. He is a condemned criminal who is ... to be executed by Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, the main female character. But due to his attachment to his wife, Gabimaru realizes that he isn't "Hollow" and that he actually wants to live. So, he (and several other death row criminals) are introduced to the shogun's 'special offer'. Whoever goes to a mysterious island called Shinsenkyo and procures the Immortality-granting Elixir of Life, will be given a pardon.
On the surface, the story might seem kind of dull. But when you actually experience it in its entirety, it is really intriguing. The pacing, setting and world-building are exceptional. The mystery surrounding the island is maintained remarkably well. If you watch a few episodes, you'll begin to realize that the story kind of deviates from its original purpose. But it is not the BAD kind of straying off, rather the GOOD one. Unlike how the plot falls off in Juujika no Rokunin, the deviation from the intended story actually adds to the plot, rather than affect it negatively. The plot twists are handled incredibly well and the suspense is built flawlessly. The backstories do get annoying at times but overall, Jigokuraku does a really great job at executing its story. Solid 9/10.

Animation: 9/10

With its bright and vibrant animation, Jigokuraku manages to captivate your eyes. You'll be astounded by its breath-taking beauty. Not only the backgrounds and the sakuga scenes, but even the fight scenes are marvellously drawn and animated. You almost fail to notice the presence of the dark, gory setting of the anime due to its flamboyant animation. This in itself embodies the title, 'Hell's Paradise'. The narrative is morose and devoid of any essence, but the glamorous animation makes it so that it is really obscure. Also, one more thing worth mentioning is that there is no censorship in the animation; the animators did not hesitate to show any scene. Be it bloodshed or sex, there is no smoke or light or mist or whatever covering it.

Sound: 7/10

I don't really have much to say here. The opening and ending are decent, the sound effects are okay. Generic but not bad, so 7.

Characters: 8.5/10

Another thing this series does notably well is express the characters. Each one of them is greatly explored. Their ideals, strengths, beliefs and positions are portrayed solidly. The development of the protagonist Gabimaru is especially noteworthy, as to how he faces the challenges, grows not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well, realizes his rights and wrongs, his responsibilities and takes his decisions. The criminals are a portrayal of immense strength and ruthlessness, while the Yamada Asaemon are that of discipline, responsibility and courage. It is important to note how the characters show unity as they realize the situation they are in. Each of the characters' powers are unique and amusing. The characters are also designed fabulously. Gabimaru is overpowered, but not Saitama/ Sung Jinwoo level of overpowered. Suppressing him from being a one-shotter makes sure that the fights don't get boring. Great job, 8.5/10.

Enjoyment: 9/10

I'm telling you, this series got me hooked! Everything that I have mentioned above adds to the enjoyment. Let it be the fight scenes, the backstories, the introductions or anything. Everything is well animated and executed. You might find the initial couple of episodes boring, but later on you'll just get enthralled like I did.

Overall: 9/10

A short yet alluring series, one that makes you yearn for more. I love the symbolism behind its title; Hell referring to the dark and grim environment, the never-ending monsters and the hopelessness and despair that the island brings, and Paradise referring to the vibrant animation concealing all of this, the freedom that lies beyond and the beautiful landscape scattered with vivid flowers on the island of no return.
Definitely worth watching; cannot wait for season 2!!

Eating a bag of potato chips feels so good. But you know what feels better? Eating a bag of potato chips while watching some cute, white blobs hop around for 63 minutes straight! From what I know of Japanese, I guess Chii comes from Chiisaku or small and kawa comes from kawaii or cute. Basically a show about a small cute thing called Chiikawa.

Story: 7/10
The story is pure wholesomeness. This thing consists of two, or sometimes three blobs having fun. They do various activities and enjoy their life. They help each other and spread kindness. The sometimes happy, sometimes sad, and a tad stressful ... daily life of "some sort of small, cute creature" known as Chiikawa is shown. Chiikawa enjoys delicious food with bees and rabbits, toils hard every day for the rewards of work, and still maintains a smile. Even though Chiikawa is an unidentified specie, deep down we should realize that we should strive to become a Chiikawa (mentally). That's called being a true sigma. Always keeping a smile, being kind, helping others, enjoying what life gives you, making someone's day. That's something to learn.

Animation: 8/10
Cute and vibrant animation, very fitting for this series.

Sound: 7/10
The blobs sound cute.

Character: 7/10
Chiikawa represents most of us. Willing to do a lot of things but being underconfident about itself. Having self-doubt and feeling that it isn't enough. But those missing things are provided by its best friend, Hachiware the cat. One homie always is there for the other. Theirs is an adorable duo. And Usagi is like the third friend in the group that randomly disappears and pops up like 3 months later. The three of them lead a simple and joyous life.

Enjoyment: 7/10
cute blobs.

Overall: 7/10
Good anime. Would return with a bag of potato chips once there are 63 more episodes. Watch this thing its lovely.

‘Shangri-La Frontier.’ What a wonderful name. It truly has a ring to it. Like what I’m saying is that even though this anime is kind of isekai, it isn’t one of those which will immediately leave your memory after completing the last episode.
Story: 7/10
Even though the same plot has been repeated in many anime before this, the generic plot of the MC playing a VR game, the one thing I loved about SLF is that it constantly gives us a reality check and shows that the characters actually have a touch with the real world, instead of being fully immersed in the game or ... being transported to that world. I'm glad it's not like the SAO plot wherein the headset cannot be removed. This type of storyline gives us some funny/cute 'shipping' moments between Rei Saiga and Hizutome Rakuro, done by the game shop owner. Even though that doesn't have any direct relations with the storyline, it does lighten up the mood after a heavy episode.
The little attention to details is very good. The depiction of the 'Trash Games (Kusoge)' is really good and funny. The little Faeria Chronicles roast at the beginning is hilarious as well. The glitches and bugs that are shown to be a part of the Trash Games actually seem impossible and insane, but the way MC exploits them and gains the title of the Trash Game hunter is super cool!
The GOD TIER game is also showcased in such a flamboyant manner. The game mechanics are legitimate and there are mostly no stupid shenanigans so far. Also, the complexity of the game Shangri-la Frontier is worth admiring. A game wherein every single move affects your story is really mind-blowing! In addition to that, the fact that the game involves many unique scenarios, the Seven Colossi, different sub-plots and other activities like research, mining, collecting, combat etc. makes it extremely intriguing too. That being said, the plot might seem mediocre in the broader sense, but at a closer look it is quite a fascinating one!
Art and Animation: 9.5/10
This is the thing which made me kind of fall in love with this series. The animation is just so high-quality and consistent, with the overall flashy touch on it always. The OP and ED are also really cool, with the aspect video ratio making them look awesome. The amazing battle choreography doesn't make you lose interest and the dynamic camera movements across a vast array of scenes makes it all the better. The studio with this top-tier animation, depicts each type of scene, as it is supposed to be depicted. The different landscapes and locations are really pretty and beautiful too. I haven't read the manga but I'm pretty damn sure that the studio did an extraordinary job with the anime adaptation!
Sound: 6.5/10
I don't really have much to say about this, except that the opening song is kind of thrilling and the ending is also good. Nothing over-the-top, nothing below average.
Character: 7.5/10
So far in the four episodes, we haven't been introduced to many characters. The MC is spectacular and smart. Sunraku is also portrayed as someone who is very skilled and his plays are not just flukes, but actually the result of years of playing games. The female character Rei Saiga has been annoying the viewers so far, so that's a con for me. Even though we have just seen a glimpse of the rabbit chief yakuza boss, Viceash, he looks savage and experienced. Emul, our new party member is really cute as well. The characters so far have no complexity or depth, so this category gets a 7.5/10.
Enjoyment: 8/10
I simply refuse to believe an episode of this anime can bore me. Even if the story gets boring, there's always the awe-inspiring animation to keep gazing at. Sunraku doesn't disappoint, the action sequences are great, the lore is enthralling and its just overall an enjoyable anime.
Overall: 7/10
I had kept expectations for Shangri-La Frontier, and I have to say, it has been successful in meeting them. In just a matter of 3-4 episodes it piques your interest. The story hasn't progressed much far, but I can say that SLF does have the potential to become a 9/10. Altogether, Shangri-La Frontier: Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su is definitely one of the best anime this season. I highly recommend watching it, it won't be a waste of your time.

"There is a word, 'World'. Until about the time when I was in middle school, I vaguely thought the word meant the area where the signals from my cell would reach. But why is it... My cell never reaches anyone". The first dialogue of Hoshi no Koe aka Voices of a Distant Star, spoken by the main female character, Mikako Nagamine. That was a EXCELLENT way to get someone like me hooked. This dialogue showed how the girl was lonely and isolated. She needed someone in her life, a friend, who could support her during her bad times. It also showed that how, with time ... and experience, our perspective of the world can change. Makoto Shinkai's movies are generally known for their animation, but this one had exceptionally inferior animation compared to the other popular Shinkai movies. So that line really compensated for such an eyesore of an animation and avoided making the anime feel boring. The first scene starts with the girl sitting inside a metro, trying to contact someone through her CELLPHONE. She is shown speaking alone to a person named Noboru Terao. Then she is shown to be in her home and her classroom, when she asks herself the question," Where am I?" Later do we realize that it was not actually happening, but just a reminiscence. She was in a mecha-robot, somewhere in space. We don't have a clear idea of what's going on yet, but later the scene shifts to the past, where we get to know about both of the main characters, Mikako and Noboru. And from there, a short yet intriguing story begins.
This movie is the one of the earliest works of the now-considered G.O.A.T. of romance anime movies, Makoto Shinkai. It was created in 2002 by Shinkai himself and the only two characters in this movie were voiced by him and his wife. Due to the lack of resources at that time, the execution of such a wonderful story was not done at its fullest capacity.

Story: 7/10

The film is set in the future, in the year 2047, where the technology is shown to be advanced enough to build combat mechas and to create large spaceships that can warp lightyears away through space. Still, the main characters use a cellphone. That too the old 2000s one. That was the reason I highlighted the word CELLPHONE before. This is one plot hole that really concerns me. Because by that time in the future, considering the technology that is shown in the movie itself, there should be better and faster means of communication. But if we do consider that, then they should be advanced enough to, well, cover lightyears of distances in very short periods of time. That possibility leads to the erasure of the actual plot of the anime!

That being done, let's talk about the actual story of the movie. It is a beautiful example of how true love is eternal. The girl floats away and away in the endless void of the universe, with no one at her side. She mails the boy, and all she can do is hope that the message reaches him and he reads it. The boy on the other side, is on Earth, somehow managing to live his normal life, while handling the emotional stress of his dear one leaving him. All he too, can do is hope that the girl is out there, safe and sound, and has sent a mail. He waits for the mail, not knowing when, or whether a mail will ever actually arrive. This depicts the trust that both of them have in each other, despite being trillions of kilometers away. While fighting the aliens, the girl also has to fight her loneliness. Whilst both of them are separated by distance and space, they are united by thoughts. Both of them simply wish to be together. They wish to experience the simple things like the wind, the summer and the rain together. But due to the girl warping through space and time, the age gap between the two of them, who were originally 15 years old at the beginning, gradually widens. The girl remains 15 and the boy turns 24. There is one thing to note, many of Shinkai's movies have SOMETHING that separates the two main characters. The separating factor between the two lovers in this movie was kind of rare and remarkable! Space, which led to the separation of both of them by time as well.

Well, sorry for interrupting my own smooth writing, but the girl being 15 gives rise to yet another plot hole here! How does the U.N. hire 15-year-old kids for a space expedition?? And why is she in her school uniform (xD) inside the mecha-robot??

And about the name of the extraterrestrial planet, Agartha. Did he just use the exact same name and uncannily similar terrain and landscape of the Agartha shown in this movie in Children Who Chase Lost Voices?!

In my honest opinion, the base plot of this movie is fabulous. Two distant lovers (extremely distant ones here) trying to love each other without BEING THERE for each other. But the implementation.. oh my god. Considering that it's Makoto Shinkai, it could've been a WHOLE LOT better. The duration of the film is too short to make the viewers understand and relate to the deep and affectionate bond between the two main characters. And again, since the film was so short, there was basically no development of emotional attachment to the characters by the viewers. The advancements in technology only applied to specific things, for some reason. Then there are the minute mistakes that I mentioned above. Since the story has quite a lot of flaws, I'd have to rate it a 7/10. Judging its potential, it can easily be a 9 or even a 10/10.

Art and Animation: 8/10 and 4.5/10

Kind of an odd score, but 6.5 just seems low. The animation was just atrocious. In the entire 25 minutes run time, there were like- maximum 30 distinct hand-drawn frames used. Most of the times it was just the characters moving their mouth, and majority of the movie was CGI. In each scene, it looked like there was a completely new female character. The angles, the proportions, the shapes of the heads, everything was messed up. The animation looked worse than the 90s style. The only scene I remember looking somewhat good was the thunder strike between Jupiter and Io. About the locations, there was atleast some amount of diverseness in the locations where the boy was animated. Whereas the girl, she was always shown to be inside her TRACER(the mech). Like, there should've been atleast one scene where she was shown to be onboard the Lysithea. The CGI was okayish, but a bit overused. I mean, at least it was better than the absolute abomination from KamiKatsu! XD. I checked some other anime from the same season, and almost all of them had at least better animation. About the art, not gonna lie, it kind of blew my expectations. Judging the animation beforehand, I had already set my bar pretty low about the art. But DAMN, was it BEAUTIFUL! One could easily recognize this as a Shinkai creation from the backgrounds and the landscapes alone! Now to be honest, it was nothing out of the ordinary but considering how old this film is and the conditions under which it was developed, I could let this slide. My poor guy animated the entire thing all by HIMSELF! And it was his debut anime film too if we don't consider the less-popular version of She and Her Cat. Summing it up, the art was great but the animation could've been way better.

Sound: 7/10

Sound? OH you mean the pew-pew of the TRACER? Or the beep-beep of the CELLPHONE?! Or rather the voices of Makoto Shinkai and his wife?
Jokes aside, considering the fact that Shinkai made this alone, he did a pretty great job in terms of overall audio. The automated English voice in the spacecraft is what I found to be interesting. Atleast it was not a Japanese-wannabe-American voice. The proper English accent was a great decision. Also the ending theme, Through The Years and Far Away by Ai Miyoko was really melodious. It was a treat to the ears after hearing such chaotic sounds produced during the battle. The word "Ne," or "Say," was used many times. Some might find it annoying due to it being overused, but I found it really soothing. The way they asked each other about everything showcased their faith in each other. There weren't any other soundtracks as such, but what WAS there was good. 7/10.

Character: 6/10

Like I said, since there was no emotional attachment to the characters, we couldn't feel what they felt. Their sorrow didn't make us feel sad. Their fear didn't make us afraid. Their select moments of joy didn't make us happy. The characters had no apparent backstory. The only thing that was noticeable was their motives. The girl, Mikako was forcibly selected as a soldier aboard the intergalactic Lysithea. But she just wanted to return to the Earth to meet the boy, Noboru. Meanwhile he was firm on making his heart cold and strong, and making it ready to accept the uncertainties that lied ahead. He even lost hope of receiving any mail, but never broke down. He could've never known what had happened out there, but he had to be ready for the inevitable circumstances. THAT was delightful. But still, I'll have to give it a mere 6/10.

Enjoyment: 5.5/10

The same factors apply everywhere, regardless of the categories. I spent more time understanding and analyzing this movie, rather than enjoying it. There wasn't anything much enjoyable either. The base plot and the name of the creator carried it hard.

Overall: 6/10

I would rate it a 7 out of 10, but from a critical and analytical viewpoint, I think it deserves no more than 6. I would like to propose two words for describing this film: Underutilized Plot. Also, Wasted Potential. If this movie's duration is increased and it is remade with a larger budget and better animation, I can easily see it being a 9/10. This is such a tragic factor that I have experienced in my Animanga journey. The plot being good but not the execution. I think it is a really important factor when it comes to anime. A mediocre plot with great execution is always better than a great plot with poor execution. That being said, Hoshi no Koe or Voices of a Distant Star gets a 6/10 from me. Definitely worth the watch for the plot and storyline but mainly to see how far Makoto Shinkai has come.

With that, I'd like to end my review. It is long, but I think reading it would be profitable ;). See ya!

Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill is one of those anime which I randomly came across. Then, I proceeded to give it a try, as per my instincts. It starts off with a suspenseful and scary scene, where no context is given whatsoever. There is a group of random people, one of them being our protagonist, who are confronted by a large wolf-like creature. It is said to be the legendary Fenrir, the mythical creature who is considered god-like and whose strength is unparalleled. The same Fenrir, is attracted to the MC, because he cooks delicious food. He forms a bond called ... 'Familiar' between the two of them. Up until now, if this casual approach to the Fenrir and also the long title of the anime didn't make the plot clear, I don't know what would. Except, there is barely any moment in this anime where the protagonist ACTUALLY used a campfire to cook food.

Later, the scene shifts to the actual beginning where the main character is summoned into another world by some royalty, and gains the 'super' power to obtain GROCERY ITEMS from his previous world (the real world). And when he was summoned into another world with 3 others who were just a bunch of background characters, he was not surprised in the least bit! It was as if he just woke up in the morning. AND, the entirety of what I told lasted only for like 5 minutes. So the beginning was lacking a bit in terms of plot/ storyline.

Story-wise, this anime isn't all that great, as it is mainly based on cooking and food. It is set in the typical isekai-fantasy world, which kind of resembles the Middle Ages. There is neither any plot progression, nor any great character development. The main character relies on Fel (Name of the Fenrir) for his protection. But again, those are factors that you take into consideration when judging a battle-shonen. Though even as a cooking anime, the main character doesn't really have any goals related to that. He just wants to feed Fel. Now what you would expect from this anime is a vast array of dishes cooked by the protagonist. But the only type of dish cooked by him is MEAT. There should be atleast a tad bit of variety in the base ingredients. Also the pacing is a bit crooked at times. Just because this is a food anime, doesn't mean that the other core elements of an anime should be openly ignored, as they are in this anime. Even the cooking part is not properly focused on. The explanations or the recipes of the food are too short and only a vague idea of what is happening is showcased. So in terms of story, I would rate it a 5/10.

The scenes, the backgrounds, the landscapes, everything is vivid. Contrasted colors along with the right application of shadows and stuff makes almost every scene a feast for the eyes. Everything seems rich and flamboyant. The picturesque beauty of each and every frame really portrays the charm of the world which is so full of life. Everything makes the watcher experience an unknown happiness. The cloudy skies, distant mountains or the green forests add to the beauty of the food which Mukouda-san cooks. The Art in this anime is truly stunning! About the animation, it's nothing that special. Its just decent. Although the quality considerably improves when there is a cooking scene, it is not highlighted to the extent that it should've been. In my opinion, the cooking scenes should've contained more Sakuga, as it is the main attraction of this anime. It lacks a bit in that field. The different meats look pretty realistic, but apart from that, its just basic animation overall. The different sauces should've been more exquisite with fluid animation during the cooking scenes. That being said, the animation gets a 6.5/10 and the art deserves a solid 9/10.

There is not much influence of sound in this, the ending theme was okayish and the only sound effects worth mentioning are the sizzling sounds which are produced when the meat is being cooked or fried. Since there is no variety or distinctive pattern in any of them, I would have to rate it a 4/10.

Even though there isn't a wide collection of characters in this series, the main cast i.e. Mukouda, Fel and Sui are quite interesting. Our MC Mukouda is a bit of a scaredy cat, but is always keen to try out new stuff: both food and adventure. He likes to experiment with different types of meats, regardless of the types of creatures. He learnt a few magic attacks to defend himself, and is also smart as a merchant. Despite being monstrous and scary, Fel is a kind hearted character. He is a big foodie who loves Mukouda's food and is very enthusiastic. He also shows dep affection for Sui. Sui is CUTE AS HELL and STRONG TOO! He is loved both by the MC and Fel! These three form a great trio and I would be interested to see their bond develop. So, I would rate the Characters 7.5/10.

At some moments this anime felt a bit boring and slow-paced, but at times I kinda enjoyed it too. The latter half of this series was especially more enjoyable. A bit of variety in everything would've helped though. That being said, in Enjoyment I rate it 6.5/10.

Overall, Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill is a not-so-bad anime. It contains the usual traits of your typical Isekai anime in some way or the other. But at the same time, this one is a unique one even among the other isekai anime. At times you'll find it boring, at times it'll be interesting. This is a lighthearted anime meant to be taken casually. It doesn't follow a distinct storyline, nor does it have its special moments. I would recommend watching this only if you don't have anything else to watch. It would help in the relaxation of your mind if you've watched something with a heavy plot. Overall, this is a 6/10.

ILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STHE-
I. Just. Fricking. LOVE. Kiryuin. Ragyo's. Theme(or OST). I think it is also used somewhere else, so to be more specific, I am talking about Blumenkranz.
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Kill la Kill is an anime which I encountered during my early days of being an otaku. That time I didn't really know much about anime, so I just gave a try to everything new I saw. So there was a youtuber whose videos I really liked back then. And he had just uploaded a post about anime recommendations. In there were about 8 anime(from which I had heard about only one lol). And one of them was Kill ... la Kill. If your favourite youtuber has told something, OFCOURSE do it. Now for some reason, I got particularly interested in Kill la Kill. So I just went to the seamanned website I used and started watching the first episode. I only watched it for about 3 to 4 minutes and then closed it (dunno why). I didn't actually understand much by watching it and it also felt boring so I just added it to my 'On-Hold List'. It stayed there for about a year. Then I started watching it again. And watched about 12 episodes and then started rewatching it from ep 1 to 24 (because it was a long time since I watched episode 12 and I had probably forgotten what had happened). So now that I have completed it, here's the review:
If someone told me to describe this anime with only one word, then I would just say 'CRAZY'. Even though I have not watched like thousands of anime, Kill la Kill is one of the most unique ones that I have come across. Whether it be the weird-styled yet interesting and crazy world building or the skill of the creator to put ecchi in every damn frame possible, Kill la Kill has got you covered. Now if you have ecchiphobia or something, PLEASE! Stay away from it.

Story: 9/10

Now I really appreciate the fact that this anime has a female protagonist and how it just throws away the idea of a typical male protag which most of the anime have/had at that time atleast. Either dumb,foodie,reckless, stubborn or a 17 year old highschool student. And what's even better? The antagonist is also female. That's one of the many reasons due to which I called KILL la KILL unique. But what's still sad is that even though the protagonist is our pogchamp girl, the dad is missing this time too :( . And from that is where the story gets started. Ryuko Matoi is a 17 year old girl who is in search of the person who killed her father, Isshin Matoi. While searching she comes across Honnouji Academy, where most parts of the story takes place. Now before watching Kill la Kill I had seen a meme in which the powers of the student councils from various anime were shown. The meme was that SpongeBob one and Kill la Kill was the last anime in that. I was wondering what is so special about the student council of Kill la Kill. And when I watched it, I totally understood why the meme was made so. Basically, the student council president of Honnouji Academy is the Headmaster/Principal of the school. Or something even greater than a mere Principal. And that is none other than Kiryuin Satsuki. Everything there i.e. from the ranks of the students to where and how the people of that town live, is decided by her. Why is the story great:
1. The story starts in a very weird environment, which makes this more interesting.
2. Its so damn crazy that it will leave you with your mouth wide open.
3. It stays true to its genre. There are many ecchi anime out there. But when there are any serious moments/fights going on in them, the ecchi-ness just dissappears. But Kill la Kill is not like that. In fact, it's the total opposite. The more serious it gets, the more ecchi it gets. You will know that if you watch atleast till episode 3 or 4.
4. Kind of the 3rd point again. It has some really good comedy scenes. A lot, tbh.
5. The plot twists and direction of the story. This is one of the main reasons why I called it crazy. Like, I kinda cannot describe how, but it IS crazy. It will take you on a rollercoaster. While watching this, I literally felt the story was gonna end just at that particular episode I am watching when it was far from being ended. For example, it felt like it was gonna end at episode 3 or 4, then around episode 7, then 13 and finally 20. Of course it didn't end in any of those episodes. And then there are the INSANE plot twists which I cannot talk about because I don't want to purposely give any spoilers :].

Art:9/10

Art or Animation whatever you want to call it, I give it a rating of 8.5 out of 10. Now most of the people think that for the animation to be good, it has to have a very high budget, it has to be very high quality no matter what the scene is.... Basically, the higher the quality= the better the art style/animation. But I do not quite believe that. Animation should be so that it adds more flavour to what is going on. And I must say, TRIGGER has managed to do that. For example, the animation should be of course high quality during fight scenes, but when there are comedy scenes, lower quality animation does pretty well. Not only does it look more funny, it also saves a lot of budget. Nice huh? And oh I like flashy stuff so that's also a reason ;). Also if you just WANT to talk about quality, then still it's pretty good. Especially the backgrounds in Kill la Kill. They look so awesome. Next up is 'Sound'.

Sound: 10/10

ILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STHEMEILOVERAGYO'STH- Once again,
I. Just. Frickin. Love. Kiry-
Well that's enough I guess. No need to say it again. You got it anyways.
Now THIS is the real thing about Kill la Kill. Music. Most of its soundtracks are just too good. Of course you expect nothing less from Sawano Hiroyuki. I don't think I have much to talk about music so I'll just tell some of my favourite themes and openings/endings.
1. OP 1. 'Sirius'
2. Blumenkranz (Kiryuin Ragyo's theme)
3. InuKA3L
4. KiryuhaKiLL
5. Nadzuke sensu 0-gata
6. OP 2. 'ambiguous'
7. Ending 1. 'Gomen ne, liko ja irarenai'
Oh and I think I forgot to mention something....
I love Kiryuin Ragyo's theme.

Character: 8/10

There are some really great characters in Kill la Kill. Of course, I liked Ryuko alot. She has great character development throughout the series. But there is also one other character worth mentioning. That is, Mankanshoku Mako. I mean, who doesn't like her? There maybe some people that do not particularly like her, but atleast nobody hates her. She also has some really good character development. I can't tell much cuz I may give spoilers :<.

Enjoyment: 10/10

I really enjoyed watching this series. With awesome music and epic battles (and also flashy stuff and those kam- uhm nevermind), how can I even get bored? Of course there was more entertaining stuff like those plot twists too. So yeah 9.5 - 10 for enjoyment.

Overall: 9/10

This was a really awesome anime, probably one of my favourites. It just blew up my expectations. I just thought like.... Yeahhh.. it's just gonna be some ecchi shit typical boring anime. But NOPE. It ISN'T. It's far more greater. And I bet you that most people did the same thing. Underestimating it. Overall I would like to give KILL la KILL a solid 9/10. So yeah, one of my favourites. Worth another rewatch. That's it for the review.. It was really long but still worth your time. And if you are planning to watch this anime, I would certainly recommend it to you :).

I was super excited for this and was looking forward to read it. Because it was really high rated and secondly it was very short. I was wondering why is it so high rated and what is the meaning of the plot. And I am still wondering that (-_-). I really expected a lot from this manhwa but it DISAPPOINTED ME. I know many people will be angry but it's not like I care that much.

STORY: 6/10
The main plot of this manhwa i.e the tragic backstory and life of a boy who is suffering to survive in a world war or pandemic who meets a ... girl and they both try their best to stay together, is really good. Like for this I give a solid 8.5 out of 10. BUT. That's not the case with the actual storyline that is shown in here.
The main problem I have with it is that SO MANY important things are left unexplained! That's what makes this story just FINE. I cannot tell some of them because it will spoil others. But those SHOULD be explained. Like what started the war? Why was there no one anywhere? etc. Then there is almost NO text. I know it is unique, that's the style, my brain is smol to understand it and that crap but bruh if you take all the text in the whole series then even my class 3rd essays would have more text(lol). And that's the reason most of the things left unexplained. And the unexplained things make it look like the whole world is just meaningless and also is survival. And you can also just consider the fact that I like and prefer Anime over ebooks. But the ending sure was satisfying. I mean I am happy that it didn't end with everyone dying or something. That's the reason it is 6/10. Moving on,

ART: 9/10
I'll be honest here. The art was really good. It perfectly suited the theme. Like the use of only black and white even if it's a manhwa, those crazy lines and strokes that show the depression and also I loved it when the characters were enjoying their life, it turned into coloured from black-and-white. And yeah I really feel bad that I didn't enjoy a manhwa with such awesome art. That's why it's a 9/10.

CHARACTERS: 6/10
I neither found the characters that great nor that bad. They were just decent. A 6.5 out of 10. I can't talk much about the characters here. Because i can spoil others if I do. And I guess there can't be much info about characters in just twenty-one chapters :).

ENJOYMENT: 3/10
As I said earlier while I was talking about the art, that I am sad that I didn't enjoy a manhwa with such great art. Somehow it just didn't interest me. Yeah, it was boring. It felt kinda like a compulsion while I was reading it. And I think that stories that are sad mostly are better in the form of Anime and not Manga. Not only sad but literally stories of any genre are mostly better if they are adapted into an Anime (and I sure accept the fact that there are some Manga that are a lot better than their adaptations). Although personally I say that The Horizon will be better as an Anime.

OVERALL: 6/10
Overall it was just fine. I don't feel like giving it more than six. The one thing which hurts me the most is that most things are left unexplained, like even the most necessary ones. If they were not then I would have given it something like a 7 or even 8. (PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR NOT LIKING IT LOL)

This Movie is AWESOME! Now, one thing i like about Makoto Shinkai's movies is that in the movies the main characters are not given too much importance , like most of the other anime. and the same case is here. I just watched the movie today, and i loved it! Although it did not make me cry as much as i cried during Your Name(Kimi No Nawa), but i definitely was more happier all the time while watching this movie. And one more great thing about this movie is that it does not bore you. i did not even realize when two hours passed while ... watching it. Also there were Taki and Mitsuha from Kimi No Nawa in it. Although they did not have a big role but i liked the way they were featured in this movie. All the characters were unique. This movie definitely deserves an 8/10. Although i wanted to give it an 8.5 but its not possible. And if you are planning to watch it but are not sure then i strongly recommend it to you.