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Sep 3, 2022
Guilty crown... a show that wasted a lot of potential. What started off as an interesting dytopian drama eventually became a giant mess consisted of 1D characters, dumb power ups, plot armor and fillers.
There was an outbreak of the virus called "The apocalypse virus". Under the pretense of saving the people of Japan, the United Nations removed Japan's entire political autonomy in the process of setting up the epidemiological precautions. Ten years after the outbreak Japan still doesn't have its own autonomy (hello, Code Geass). A certain group of rebels led by Gai Tsugusami, among whom is the singer Inori Yuzuriha, steal the so-called "Void
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genome". Once the United Nations find out their Void genome was stollen, they attack Inori and then our protagonist, Shu, appears to be nearby and he saves Inori and then the Void Genome grants him "The power of the kings" which he can use to pull out Voids, the manifestation of a human's soul out of people's bodies. Later on he decides to join those rebels and fight for Japan's liberty.
The premise, althought it's not one bit of original, is interesting and a well made story could be built upon it. But Guilty Crown chooses not to be a plot-written narrative and goes for the episodic Monster of the week formula instead. That is the first flaw of Guilty Crown-the episodic start was completely unnecesary as it doesn't contribute to any of the factors that make this type of story good such as: characterization, worldbuilding, plot complexity etc. It just makes the pacing worse by making the anime last longer than it should have been. After the first 15 or so episodes the plot becomes much more focused and that is the point when I thought the show would get better. But I was wrong.
The plot of Guilty Crown reaches its peak in episode 16 when one of the greatest plot twists of all time happened. And I am not joking. Seriously, I did not expect what happened in episode 16. But that's also the point at which everything goes downhill. From there on, everything, except for the audiovisuals, became much worse than before. The fights became too short, the characters more annoying and the show got corrupted with plot armor.
Another flaw of Guilty Crown is that it has too much fanservice. Shu's mom always wears skimpy clothes even when she's with her own son, for God's sake. Shu does not need to see that and neither do we. There are many other instances of fanservice in this anime and every one of them is too much because it makes the viewer feel uncomfortable, especially if their parents are home.
There is a bevy of characters in Guilty Crown but Gai is the only one who was compelling. Other characters are all one-dimensional and even annoying such as Shu's mom who is there just for fanservice or Shu who is a bad take on the shonen protagonist without any character development at all. Characterization is Guilty Crown's weakest point and, to be honest, the entire show would have been watchable if the characterization was done right.
I also thought the show would present us with what's happening to the people during the times of tyranny and pandemic, but the anime just skipped over that parts. Like, what dystopian story needs to present its structure anyways?
Now, let's talk about some positive sides of guilty crown. The audiovisuals are great. The artwork is polished, the animation is fluid, the sound effects are great. This was all expected, as this anime was made by Production IG, one of my favourite anime studios whose name stands behind many well animated series such as: Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass. The music in Guilty Crown is kind off generic but it's well used.
The power system of Guilty Crown is interesting and well used, both in concept and execution. However, the fights themselves are often just snooze-fests, not because of the way the power system is used, but because the power system itself doesn't allow for much complexity in fights. An example of a power system with mechanics more suited for complex fights would be Stands form JJBA, or Nen form Hunter x Hunter. The fights in Guilty Crown are also way too short because Shu is too OP.
I also have a few things to say about the thing that really ruined this anime for me and the main reason I consider Guilty Crown a bad anime - its conclusion. I missed the entire final battle because I blinked. How is a final battle supposed to me climactic if it finishes before it starts. Also, Shu should have died in the aftermath of the battle, but the plot armored turned over 9000 and Shu magically survived which led to a generic happy ending.
Guilty Crown is, just like I said at the beggining of the review, a mess. It's loaded with poor plot points, bad characterizations, fight without tension and nonsence. I don't think this anime is worth watching for anyone even if you like the genre becuase, even though Guilty Crown is not as bad as people make it out to be since it has some great episodes and an amazing plot twist near the end, there are many anime in the same genre that are more worthy of your time.
My scores for the show:
Animation-9
Sound-7
Story-3
Characters-2
Enjoyement-5
Value-3
Final score:4/10
Reccomendations:Code Geass(the thing this ripped off), Akame Ga Kill(simlar premise, better action), Psycho-Pass(a Production IG classic).
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 31, 2022
THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!!!
Is there a single anime as beloved as Cowboy Bebop?! Do you know anyone who dislikes it or even attempts to criticize it??? Cowboy Bebop is considered to be one of anime's finest classics. But in all honesty, Cowboy Bebop is overrated. Sure, it's great but it's not a masterpiece fans make it out to be.
Cowboy Bebop is a mixture of several genres such as noir, western and sci-fi. Near the end of 21st century humans have colonized the entire Solar system. Our main characters, Spike, Faye and Jet are bounty hunters, which means they fight against crime in the
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Solar system in exchange for money. That's the basic premise of this episodic show.
Most episodes of Cowboy Bebop are individual cases that aren't connected to each other. Most cases are interesting, tense and action-packed so you won't be bored while watching this anime. However, there are some episodes which develop the main plot of Cowboy Bebop, revolving around its main villain Viscious. There are exactly 5 of those episodes, and in all honesty, that's too few. The main plot alongside the main villain is VERY underdeveloped. Although often fun and interesting the overall plot of CB has its flaws because of so much wasted potential. Cowboy Bebop would have been better if it was more plot focused since the Vicious subplot is not irrelevant at all.
Cowboy Bebop mixes a lot of genres and the transitions between them is beautiful. I could have never suspected that space noir-western would work so well. The genre transitions make Cowboy Bebop unique and they are, alsongside the music, CB's strong suit.
The animation is very good for its age. Movements are fluid and the artwork is ahead of its time. OST and sound effects are perfect! I don't even like jazz but I was amazed by how great the jazzy OST of Cowboy Bebop was! The OST is also very diverse in order to fit several different moods. Voice acting is great both in the sub and the dub. Most people seem to prefer dub so I would reccomend watching the English version.
Characters of Cowboy Bebop are the aspect of the show which gets the most praise. But they are not that great. People usually like them because of their interactions with each other. Their interactions make them feel real and what's even better, you get to meet them by listening to their conversations. But if you're looking for real character depth than there are anime with much better characters. Sorry to say this, Bebop fans, but Spike is not really a good protagonist. On paper, he has a lot of potential as someone who is haunted by his past, but we don't get to know that until the last two episodes. Jet and Faye are much better characters with real depth and development. Vicious is just wasted potential as he could have had more depth if there were more episodes focusing on him. So, in conclusion, Bebop's characters are definetely well written, but there are anime with better characters such as: FMA(both versions), Fate/Zero, Legend of Galactic Heroes, Monster, Death Parade, Texhnolyze, Psycho-Pass, etc.
Cowboy Bebop is truly one of a kind. It beautifuly transitions between several genres and its character dynamics feels very real. It's not perfect, but it's definetely worth your time.
Final score: 7.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 30, 2022
THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!!!!
Hunter x Hunter is coming back! But before it continues we must analyze what it has done until now in order to decide whether we want to keep on reading it. I'm writing a manga review for HxH because the anime is painfully slow so I dropped it and started reading the manga. I find the manga to be the best version of HxH because the pacing is way better. In this review I am only going to be focusing on the manga.
Hunter x Hunter has a premise and structure of generic shonen because, after all, that is what HxH
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really is-a shonen. But it still feels quite refreshing after shonens like Naruto, DBZ and anime of that sort because although it has the same structure, the way that structure is executed beats other shonen anime. Except FMA, of course.
The story of HxH is divided into 8 story arcs. The first arc, Hunter exam, is the introductory arc whose purpose is to introudouce the characters and the setting. The strategy in this story arc was great and the main characters, except Gon, have a lot of potential. All in all, Hunter exam is a great intoductory arc, 7/10.
Then comes the Zoldyck family arc in which we meet Killua's family. This arc was mostly pointless as it's way too short and it's resolution is very underwhelming. We get a glimpse of who Zoldyck family are, so it's not a total disaster, but overall this is one of the weaker parts of Hunter x Hunter, 5/10.
Then comes the HxH's tournament arc, Heaven's arena. The power sytem, Nen, is introdouced in this story arc and I must say that it's the greatest power system in shonen anime. It's very complex but with a defined ruleset and the manga never deviates from them. There are no asspulls nor plot armor. Just battles of wits and Nen machups. The battle between Gon and one of the villains of the series, Hisoka was great and served as a great conclusion to Heaven's arena, 8/10.
Now, enter HxH's greatest story arc, Yorknew city. In this arc we get to meet the Phantom Troupe, the villainous organization in HxH's world. What's so great about them is that we get to meet individual members of the group. Sure, they are all 1D characters, but they have just as much depth as the story requires for them to have. It's impossible to flesh out so many characters in one story arc, so getting to meet them as individuals is more than enough to appreciate the intimidating and compelling group of villains such as the Phantom Troupe. 8/10
Just when I tought that things will get better and better, I got dissapointed by HxH's fifth story arc-Greed Island. Gon and Killua are now in a videogame and they are supposed to train in order to get stronger. The thing is, we see too much of their training and it's not really plot relevant. Sure, Greed Island has epic battles near the end of the arc, but you could remove 80% of it and not miss anything important. Also, the villain of this arc, Genthru is one of the most poorly written villains in manga, 4/10.
The longest and the most acclaimed arc of HxH-the Chimera Ant arc is another dissapointment. It has the same issues like Greed Island-too long with too much unnecesary content. People usually like this story arc because it has epic, tense and dramatic moments, and I have to say I've never seen anything being as praised because of the very small minority of its content. Most of Chimera Ant arc was a snooze-fest, 5/10.
Chairman elections arc did not have much events but it had one of the most badass Leorio moments. It's basically the aftermath of Chimera Ants. It's greatest thing is that it didn't outstay its welcome and ended quickly so it get a 6/10.
The ongoing Dark Continent arc is the second best story arc in Hunter x Hunter and if it cointinues to be just as intriguing as it was until now it's going to top the Yorknew City arc. However, it's not for the impatient as there is a lot of text. Dark Contintent gives off lovecraftian vibes, 8/10.
Action and fight scenes in HxH are among the best, if not THE best ones in anime and manga. They are very strategic and intelligent and usaully the smartest one comes out on top, even if their foe is more powerfull. The outcome of the battles depends on quick thinking and creativity of combatants. Nen is the most complex anime power system and among the ones used the most creativley. Hunter x Hunter's fights also tend to be tense and dramatic. My favourite fight in HxH is Chrollo vs Hisoka form dark continent arc, but there are many amazing fights such as: Uvogin vs Shadow beasts, Gon vs Hisoka, Gon vs Genthru, etc.
Characters of HxH, although disposable, serve their purpose in their arc respectivley. They all have a role in the story and none of those roles feel wasted nor redundant. However, the characterization itself is not perfect. My favourite character in HxH is Kurapika because of his lust for revenge consuming him which results in great character development. The problem is with the two main characters, Gon and Killua who don't really develop until very late in the story. I stopped caring for the two main characters at the point when they got development. There are much better shonen protagonists than Gon such as: Edward, Gintoki, Tatsumi, even Ichigo has a more compelling personality.
The villains of Hunter x Hunter are regarded as on of the anime's greatest villains, but I disagree. I don't think a single one of HxH's villains is well written because of one main thing-no moral characterization. Everybody is a psychopath, even the main characters don't care about anyone else except themselves and their friends. Hisoka is fine killing anyone just for fun. He doesn't have any principles. He is just a psychopath. More detailed reasons for me disliking the villains in HxH are:
1.Chrollo has no backstory. Sure, not all villains need backstories, but Chrollo doesn't have an ideology either. He is just a mysterious gang leader. The veil of mystery surrounding Chrollo is there to hide the fact that he is a 1D character.
2.Genthru is just bad. I don't even have to elaborate this one, everyone knows Getnthru sucks.
3.Meruem has good development, but it was ripped off from Dragon Ball Z. His personality is a Frieza ripoff, his development is Vegeta ripoff and his character design is Cell ripoff. Meruem is not an original character, he is just three DBZ villains into one.
All in all, characters of HxH are well-written, especially the minor ones, but its villains aren't nearly as compelling as people claim for them to be.
The artwork of HxH looks good on some panels, but those panels are rare. Most of HxH's artwork is way too simple. Character designs are basic and backgrounds are almost non-existent. This is by far the weakest aspect of Hunter x Hunter.
Although HxH has HUGE fluctuations in quallity, it's better than the sum of its parts because of well used characters, greatest fights in animanga and an improved version of the classic shonen structutre. My conclusion is: Yes, you should read enitre HxH manga if you are a shonen fan and you should keep on reading when the new chapters arrive. Thank you for reading!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 29, 2022
THIS SPOILER FREE REVIEW COVERS BOTH SEASONS OF SAC+SOILD STATE SOCIETY!!!!!
In the world of anime and manga, reboots are often just cashgrabs. They are often made for popular anime just to earn more money, never considering how good the reboots themselves are. Fortunatley, Standalone Complex is an exception.
Ghost in the Shell:Standalone Complex is a story different form the original GitS film, but with the same characters. Members of Section 9 solve a number of seemingly unrelated cases which turn out to be related, hence the title of the series. There are two types of episodes in SAC:Complex episodes and Standalone episodes. Standalone episodes are
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seperate cases, which are usually there to flesh out the characters' personalities or to present some themes tackeled in the show(I'll cover that later). My favourite part of SAC is Solid State Society, as that film has no standalone episodes. No, I don't hate Standalone cases, I like them, but SAC would have been better not when Standalone cases would be removed, but rather when there would be less Standalone episodes, because when the main plot hooks you, you don't want to watch Standalones. Perfect example of why some Standalone episodes are redundant is the fact that the subplot with the main villains of 2nd GiG does not have a direction until the final few episodes, which is a shame because it's one of the greatest subplots in anime.
The cases in SAC are so well executed that the overall intelligence in Standalone Complex is greater than overall intelligence in Psycho-Pass and Death Note together. Not only does SAC have strategic intelligence, it also covers the classic cyberpunk themes presented in the film, plus it criticises corruption and nationalism. Exposition surroundin the philosophy of the series is well executed, especially in episodes revolving around the Tachikoma robots.
Now, let's talk about the characters. I do appreciate the writers' efforts to make us care about the characters because in standalone episodes we get to meet them as individuals, but most of them aren't three-dimensional. Fortunatley, there are exceptions. The main character, the Major gets amazing development is season 2 when we discover a tiny bit of her past and reasons why she's always half-naked in the show. The villains of SAC are among the most creative ones in fiction. They aren't typical anime villains, they don't have tragic backstories, they're just people with morally grey ideologies. My favorite villain was Gouda form 2nd GiG.
The use of CGI is amazing for the time SAC was created. Yes, it looks kind off old for today's standards, but this was made in early 2000s when visual effects in anime weren't great. Standalone Complex looks amazing for its time. The OST is very diverse which is refreshing after all the generic anime OSTs. Yoko Kanno did a great job composing the music for the series.
So, in conlcusion, Standalone Complex is deep, complex, compelling, relevant, well produced and entertaing. Quallity-wise, it's just about as good as the film since SAC has more good sides to it but also more negatives. Overall, this is one of the best anime I've seen. I rate it with a well-deserved 8/10. A must-watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 29, 2022
Kaiba is a wierd anime. It's an experimental cyberpunk adventure and romance story. Kaiba is an original anime written and directed by one of anime's greatest directors-Masaki Yuaasa. Yuaasa's anime Kemonozume proved that, although an excellent director, he is not a very skilled writer, thus you would expect form Kaiba not to have a compelling storyline. However, that's not the case. Kaiba, although boring at times, is a compelling, but not great. Kaiba is the definition of GOOD. Why is that so, let's find out!
The plot of Kaiba has two main parts, the episodic first half and the second half which focuses on the protagonist
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and romance. Even though I enjoyed the second part better, I'm going to have to say that the first part of Kaiba's plot is the better one because it shows us just how dark the dystopian world of Kaiba really is. Don't let the cartoony artwork fool you, Kaiba demonstrates perfectly how flawed its world is. In Kaiba, people are able to put their memories and consciousness into a chip and transfer it into a new body. The rich people are always able to get new bodies and practically live forever, while the poor people are left to die. Sometimes even poor people have to sell their children's bodies and put their memories inside a computer so they could afford their life expenses. The world of Kaiba is not a happy one. In the second half our main character discovers its past since at the begging of the show he doesn't have his memories. Yes, amnesia is very generic, but in Kaiba's case it is well executed. The second part of Kaiba is more about the romance and that is where issues start to arise-the characters of Kaiba aren't that great. We do get to see their past and backdrop, but their personality is flat. They don't develop. They have no ideologies. Just cardboard cutouts. Which is a shame because Kaiba would have benefitet from better characters as they would enhance the romance aspect of the series.
Kaiba is wierd and experimental and the world of Kaiba is no exception. The creators really tried to create a world different form our own in many aspects such as: character designs, everyday life, even toilets work on a completley different way. The artwork is phenomenal. The animation is fluid and the world is colorful and bizzare to the point of wondering "What did I just watch?". The animation style is a tribute to Osamu Tezuka's works, that is why Kaiba looks so cartoony. Animation and artwork are Kaiba's strong suit which is no suprise considering it's made by Yuaasa.
Sound effects are also pretty wierd which enhances the strange atmosphere of Kaiba. The OST, however, is not very good. It's way too repetitive. One music theme all over again, it gets boring very quickly.
While I can't say I truly enjoyed the series I definitley respect it because of its presentation of an alien dystopian world in the first half of the show. Kaiba is not enjoyable unless you're into art cinema, but objectivley, it's good, that is why I rate Kaiba a 7/10.
Reccomendations: Tatami Galaxy(same director), Texhnolyze(another arthouse anime done right), Kino's journies(more philosophical, the premise is similar)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 28, 2022
THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!!
I watched FMAs in the wrong order. You're supposed to watch FMA(2003) first since it gives a better insight into the world of alchemy. The reboot skipped some introductory chapters so they could skip to the parts that weren't in FMA(2003). FMAB used to be my favourite anime so I couldn't wait to watch the original FMA. Even though it's not close to being as great as the Brotherhood version, it's BY FAR better than the average anime.
We all know the plot of FMA, so I won't be describing its synopsis. I'll start by stating my view on what
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the plot of FMA did right and what it did wrong. The premise of FMA, although not the most original one, is one of the most interesting I've seen in anime. Another great thing about the plot is the amount of detail surrounding its world and settings. This is especially true for the 2003 version as it has more episodes revolving around individual characters through whom we get to meet the world they live in.
However, although good in execution, the plot of FMA is not perfect. While most of the introductory episodes are important for the presentation of the alchemy world, there are some filler episodes and fillers are always a bad thing. The first 20 or so episodes are a bit on the slow side, but that doesn't affect the quallity of the plot that much. The real reason why I didn't give the plot a score greater than 7 is because this is not a plot focused narrative. FMA is more about the characters than the plot, so let's talk about them now.
Greatest strength of FMA(2003) is in its minor characterization. As I've already said there are lots of minor characters used to present the world they live in. But they are also fleshed out characters who feel very real. Many of them also have a significant role in the story, developing with it. My favourite character was Scar because in this version, he has a messiah complex, but with a backstory which makes it clear exactly why he has that type of mindset. Now, some character arcs, Roy Mustang for example, were rushed but that does not mean that the characters are bad, it's just that they are not written perfectly. They are still compelling. The largest issue with the characters of FMA are the two main characters: Edward and Alphonse Elric. Sure, they have an interesting backstory, but the backstory itself gives them only a goal in the story, not their own worldview nor personalty. They are flat characters, unlike in the Brotherhood version where Edward goes through one of the best character arcs I've ever seen, lasting form the first till the final episode. But if you're able to get past the fact that the protagonists are bland, characters in FMA are extremley memorable.
Production values are very high. If I'd have to guess I would never say this show was made in 2003. The animation looks great mainly because the camera moves alongside characters during fight scenes and follows their motions. The OST was good, nothing truly exceptional but it served its purpose well. Voice acting in the english dub is amazing, but it's very quiet compared to the sound effects so I prefered the japanese dub.
The events in the show along the melancholic soundtrack created a dark atmosphere. Yes, it's often ruined by the childish humor, but when the show is serious it can get really dark. In FMAB they stopped cracking bad jokes after some point but the atmosphere was never as dark as in this version.
So, FMA(2003) has a couple of advantages over Brotherhood, but why do I consider it an inferior show then? There are a few reasons:
1.Brotherhood is more well-rounded. It puts the same amount of focus on the plot and the characters developing both, while the plot of FMA(2003) is not nearly as developed as its characters.
2.Even though FMA(2003) is more of a character-oriented narrative compared to Brotherhood, the overall character writing is better in the Brotherhood version. Edward is a much more compelling protagonist. Kimbley is also a way better villain, in FMA(2003) he was just a psychopath, while he had moral principles in Brotherhood. The homonculi are more explored and more developed as individuals which gives them more depth overall.
3.Fights in both versions are too short, but those in Brotherhood had more intensity. Also, the way alchemy is used in fights is smarter in FMAB.
4.Both versions have phenomenal conclusions to the story, but FMAB was more chatartic. FMAB had a blend of success and sacrifice while FMA(2003), although representing equivalent exchange perfectly, had a purely melancholic and pessimistic conclusion (I like to pretend that Conqueror of Shamballa doesn't exist).
So, in conclusion, FMA is a great character-driven drama with an amazing atmosphere. There are some minor flaws, but they don't change the fact that every single minute of FMA is worth your time. I rate FMA an 8/10. 5 is the average score in my rating system, so FMA's 8 makes it an incredible anime-the type of anime that appears once a season at most.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 22, 2021
Slavery is a terrible system. It was the cause of many tragedies in human history and Shinsekai Yori wants to remind us. While watching this show I was horrified by how cruel and unfair the people in this anime were, completely forgetting that everything portrayed here took place in real life. I'm not talking about psychic powers, I'm talking about the political system. Shinsekai yori, apart from being a great dystopian story, is a criticism of slavery. And that is just one aspect that makes From the new world an amazing anime.
The plot of Shinsekai Yori is its strong suit. The first few episodes are
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confusing, but the story gets better and more complex as it advances. I cannot really say anything without spoilers, but I have to say that this show has one of the best plots and worldbuilding I have ever seen.
Animation is low budget with some character movements looking very weird, but it doesn't fail to create an atmosphere. The OST is amazing and works really well with the artstyle to create a great eerie atmosphere.
One might argue that Shinsekai Yori has bland characters. And that is true and that is a problem. Yes, this is a plot driven narrative and the characterization is not that important, but this is also a coming of age story. We see our protagonists grow up, but they don't develop. This is not a huge problem, but it is a problem. At least the villain(debatable) of this anime was well written.
Overall, this is an amazing anime with a few minor flaws(slow pacing and bland characters) that needs way more love than it gets.
Final score:8.5/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 21, 2020
THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!!
A long time has passed since shonen writers lost passion for their work. Each shonen story is a ripoff previous because the creators know that their work will be popular if they use a bunch of cliches and tropes that most shonen used before them and got popular that way. This doesn't have to mean that all generic shonen are bad. They are certainly not masterpieces, but skilled writers can make a decent story out of a generic shonen(Hunter x Hunter for example). Darwin's game was not written by a skilled author.
STORY
The story is about yet another death game! How
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original! The main character downloads an app that traps him in Darwin's game, a death game that pits everyone against each other(commonly known as a battle royale). Players get D-points by killing other players. They can exchange D-points for real-life money, which is an interesting concept.
The main problems of this anime are obvious right in the first episode. Everyone in Darwin's game gets an ability called sigil, some type of superpower they should be able to use naturally and instinctively. The protagonist doesn't know how to use it, but somehow has potential to win against the highest-rank players when he just started playing. Of course, this is a common shonen trope that is often unexplained and is just an excuse for plot armor. Speaking of plot armor, whenever someone is trying to shoot the main characters all bullets miraculously miss them.
The romantic subplot between Kaname and Shuka(one of the main characters) was quite poorly crafted because such romantic subplots have been seen a lot of times in anime. Shuka falls in love with Kaname because he has a lot of potential to win the D-game. She, of course, doesn't even notice other guys and cares only about Kaname, constantly talking about him and daydreaming, except when she's fighting.
What saves this anime from being total garbage are creative and suspenseful battles. There is a lot of strategy and characters know how to use their sigils. My favourite sigil was Laplace(based on the Laplace's determinism, having data about a system in one moment means having data about the same system in any other moment.). It can predict the movement of objects around the user of the sigil. One complain is that the fights last a bit too long. I wish there was more character development instead of just players battling.
ART
Darwin's game looks good, but don't most of today's anime look good also? It's pointless to talk about good art and animation when most of today's anime also look good. Sometimes, studios spend a lot of money on animation in order for the audience not to notice the poor writing(Fate/Stay Night UBW being an obvious example).
SOUND
Music is what enchanced my enjoyment of Darwin's game. It's quite unique and adds to the suspense during fight scenes. Nothing more to say, really, you can listen to the OST yourself.
CHARACTERS
As I have stated multiple times, the show is playing safe. Characters are well-known anime tropes. This doesn't have to be a bad thing if the characters are fleshed-out. But, they're not. They are cardboard cutouts. They don't develop, nor do they have any depth. The creator is trying to hide that by making the characters mysterious. It's a cheap trick and as I can see from other reviews, the audience didn't fall for it.
OVERALL
Darwin's game is creative, which makes it kind off whatchable, but is filled with shonen cliches and one-dimensional characters. If you like battle royales you could give this a try, but I suggest skipping it, there are many shows similar to this one, I don't think that yet another one is worth your time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 22, 2019
THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!!!
Oh, boy! I am 100% sure that I will be hated for not giving TTGL a 10/10. When you saw a 3 for overall score you probably thought that I hate having fun. Well, I don't. I just don't like giant robots. But I did like The End of Evangelion and Code Geass and those also have giant robots. Why? That is because those anime had some other things to keep my attention. Gurren Lagann didn't. TTGL is overall a poorly written show which uses great animation to make you forget how bad the writing really is.
OK, before I start
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with the plot, characters, etc. part, let's talk about the fights in this show. People don't fight with superpowers or weapons in this anime, they use giant robots instead. This is because studio Gainax wants us to think the giant robots are cool. But there are a lot of people in the fanbase who dislike mecha shows, but they still like Gurren Lagann because of that ˝cool˝ factor. The show relies on it too much, because if there is someone like me, who doesn't buy the ˝cool˝ factor, that person won't find anything enjoyable in this series at all!
So, OK, I do not like giant robots, but I like action shows, so let's see if the fights are any good? Nah. Again, people like the fights in TTGL because of the great production value, but the fights themselves are not very good because of the following reasons:
1.They are repetitive-An enemy comes, giant robots start hitting each other, one of them pulls out a drill and the good guys win(except for the one time where they lost)
2.There is no strategy at all-In every fight good guys win with predictable power-ups after just hitting the enemy for a couple of minutes. Nobody does any thinking nor planning at all. It's just about hitting your foe until he is defeated.
Now when we have mecha fights out of the way let's focus on the conventional aspects most anime have.
STORY
Gurren Lagann is a post-apocalyptic story where our main character Simon and his brother Kamina live underground desperatley wishing to go to the surface, but they can't. One day they find a robbot called Lagann and a girl form surface called Yoko goes underground to lead them to the surface. However, if anyone comes to the surface, the beastmen(the servants of the spiral king Lordgenome) will attack them.
When our protagonists get to the surface they just fool around. The plot is not progressing, mostly for the sake of fanservice. Something shocking happens in episode 8 and then the characters start to cry and it lasts until around episode 12. THEY CRY 4 EPISODES FOR SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN ONE EPISODE!!!
After episode 15, there is a recap and then the timeskip whose begging was the most boring and frustrating plotpoint anybody could create. I would like to say more, but those of you who have seen TTGL know what I am talking about(blame Simon for everything). The mystery of the Antispiral was resolved and our heroes go to outer space to fight godlike aliens.
Altgough I dislike this show I have to say that the last 2 episodes were god tier. The final battle was amazing and I am glad that instead of a cliche happy ending for everyone there is a bittersweet ending. The only thing that bothered me is the fact that, even though the main villain of the show was doing a good thing and our heroes fought against him because of selfdefense, the villain was right and any type of moral dilema or discussion if our heroes' actions were justified is skipped over.
ANIMATION AND SOUND
It's no doubt that TTGL had a very high budget. Fights look amazing and the colors are just wonderful. My only complaint about the animation is that the character movements don't look very natural.
The OST for TTGL is a mixture of hip-hop, classical music and various orchestral themes and it sounds great! The best theme is without a doubt Row, Row Fight da Power! I could also listen to the opening theme on repeat.
CHARACTERS
For a score of the characters I gave a 1 out of 10. I didin't dislike every character in the show, I liked the Antispiral and Viral. Everyone else-compelte garbage. Kamina didn't get any time to develop and was annoying most of the time, Simon's character development was generic and predictable, Yoko doesn't even have notable character traits, she only has large breasts, Kitan didn't do anything important until the end, the entire team Dai Gurren is made of one-dimensional characters. Maybe if the show cut down on fanservice in the begging we would get better characters, but no!
VERDICT
Gurren Lagann is a bad anime. It fails in action department(the one it focuses the most on) and is pretty bad in terms of character writing. Just like with Terror in Resonance, I suggest this only to those who value good presentation over substance and writing. But can production value alone make the anime good?
TL;DR
+great conclusion to the show
+amazing OST
+fluid figth scenes
-boring battles
-lack of character depth
-slow start
My score:3.3/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 15, 2019
THERE WILL BE A SINGLE SPOILER IN A REVIEW, I WILL MARK WHERE IT BEGINS AND WHERE IT ENDS!!!!!!!
Shinichirō Watanabe is praised for his works such as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, but Terror in Resonance doesn't get as much praise compared to his other works. I haven't seen his other works, but I have to say that Terror in Resonance is not considered good for a reason.
STORY
The plot is very straightforward. Two teenagers activate bombs on places they are sure nobody is going to visit in the time of the explosion because they don't want to kill anybody. They give hints about the locations
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they're going to terrorize in form of weird and difficult riddles. Nobody but detective Shibazaki can solve this riddles. Our protagonists want to get caught so they could tell the world about their pasts.
The start is on the slow side, taking some time to set up the plot. This is not a good thing since the anime is only 11 episodes long. Around episode 4 things start to get more interesting as they introduce more important characters. Unfortunately, the show gets boring again this time because it becomes too melodramatic. They are trying to makes us like very poorly written characters using cheap tricks.
The end is supposed to be very emotional and touching, but I was way too frustrated by the nonsense that happened near the end:
SPOILER
When they blow up the atomic bomb in the stratosphere. First of all, how did they get an atomic bomb, they are high school students for God's sake! Second, they state in the show that a nuclear explosion in the stratosphere won't be able to reach humans. But what about the effects of radiation?! A 10 cm wide lead panel is needed to stop gamma rays from penetrating. But if an atomic bomb exploded in the stratosphere its only barrier is AIR!!!! Even if the explosion didn't reach us we would die slowly and painfully due to effects of radioactivity.
END OF SPOILER
Due to slow start and some nonsense I give a mediocre 5 out of 10 for the plot.
ANIMATION AND SOUND
A lot of people might like this anime because they like to turn their brains off and enjoy the beautiful animation and sound. Everything in the anime looks very realistic with natural movements of characters and objects.
The sound is also great although it's often used to force emotions onto the viewers.
This is definitely the best aspect of this anima and I give it a 9 out of 10. Unfortunately for Terror in Resonance, high production value doesn't make an anime great if it's not accompanied by a successful realization of other aspects.
CHARACTERS
Oh, boy! This is very Terror in Resonance fails miserably. Let's talk about each character individually.
Nine(7/10)-my favorite character. He is always very serious and focused on his mission which is very understandable considering his traumatic backstory. He doesn't really change as a character, but he has depth.
Twelve(5/10)-Nine's best friend. He is completely different from Nine. He is always very happy and cheerful which is very unrealistic considering his backstory. He also has depth, but his personality doesn't make much sense considering the depth he has as a character.
Lisa Mishima(2/10)-a girl form our protagonists' school who joins them in their mission. She always causes trouble and cannot do anything right. She has an inferiority complex because of her relationship with her mother and because she get bullied in school a lot. She has some depth , but it is very superficial(the author wanted to make a good character, but couldn't do it in 11 episodes).
Detective Shibazaki(1/10)-a one-dimensional character. He doesn't have notable personality traits, nor any depth. He does have a purpose in the show, but that doesn't make him a good character.
Terror in Resonance fails in this aspect because of the lack of character depth. This was mostly due to the length of the show. Yes, there are some shows that are about as long as this one and they have character depth(Madoka Magica, Kaiba...) but those show took much less time to set up. Terror in Resonance could've had well written characters if it was longer or if first 4 episodes weren't so slow.
I give a 3 out of 10 for the characters.
SUMMARY
Terror in Resonance had potential, but it was too short to make use of it. If the show was around 20 episodes long it would've been much better. There are some nonsences and the characters aren't fleshed out, but animation and sound are stunning.
Overall, I don't recommend this show if you want more than production value. It will only disappoint you. But, if you don't mind bad plots and focus on the presentation, then what are you waiting for?!
My score:4/10(40%)
P.S.
I repeat some words a lot(character depth, show, setup) I'm aware of it. Sorry for that, English is not my native language.
Also, I know this review is a little pretentious, I became very critical since I started watching anime, I consider my arguments good reasons to not like this anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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