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Jul 15, 2016
Tokyo Ghoul is probably the finest example of a show that fails to faithfully adapt its source material.
Back in 2014 when I first viewed this show, I was immersed in the story that unfolded before my eyes. It never occured to me that Studio Pierrot had neglected the manga and what could have been a masterpiece ended up being an "okay show" at best.
As with any review, I try to limit it within 500 words. Short but sweet as per say.
SOUND 7/10
Opening was definitely one of the more memorable ones for the show. UNRAVEL was a song that summed up the show perfectly and really
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turned into a viral hit. I got nothing to complain about when it comes to the sub and dub, both were up to a solid standard and deserve praise. The OST is forgettable to say the least. Nothing really stood out or felt out of place either.
ART/ANIMATION 7/10
Studio Pierrot have never been known for setting the bench mark in terms of animation. (AHEM Naruto & Bleach). I believe the show does a better job that the two I mentioned but it is still nothing spectular. It was consistent for the most part but nothing to write home about.
I am gonna praise the art for adding to the show. Enviroments had a dark vibe which really added to the enviroments and made the ghouls kagunes really stand out in their battle sequences, especially Toukas. More so the openings choreography was spectacular.
STORY/CHARACTERS (4/10)
Remember what I said about not adapting a quality manga correctly? Well this is where the studio messed up monumentally. The anime chops and skips important character development and leaves us baffled - thankfully not as much as the second season, but well we won't talk about that trainwreck. To this day I am still questioning why the show ended where it did, there was no closure and I cant really say that it was an effective cliff hanger either; It just left you thinking WTF!
Even with this average adaption, the characters still shine - that should show you the quality of these written characters and what potential there was to build on them. Kaneki is someone you genuinely sympathise for, Touka is the big sister bad ass that you wish you had and Hide is that Loyal friend who seriously lacks screentime, and the rest of the supporting staff share the same fate as Hide, a lack of screen time. I guess this cannot be helped due the small amount of episodes given.
OVERALL (5/10)
Some parting thoughts...
Tokyo Ghoul really is a story of what might have been, hopefully Madhouse pick it up and faithfully adapt this story. There is so much untapped potential in the show. Lets forget about Root A, that makes the first season of Tokyo Ghoul look like a literate godsend from the heavens.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jul 14, 2016
RELIFE,
I went into this anime with low expectations due to my perceptions of the slice of life genre being slow paced and outright boring (Looking at you Angel Beats!) That is why to my surprise I can conclusively say that I came out of this 13-episode rollercoaster satisfied and emotionally attached to the characters and their journeys.
First and foremost, I must say releasing this in a Netflix style binge fiesta was a stroke of marketing genius. It has likely contributed to the surging popularity of the show here on MAL and definitely best watched over a short period of time.
As with every review, I
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try to limit it to 500 words. Short but sweet as per say.
(✓) Sound (6/10)
Nothing really stood out here from a soundtrack perspective. The opening was forgetful and the OST maybe marginally added different layers of tension to scenes that required it. Thought it was pretty cool that the ending track changed for each episode; this was definitely a nice touch.
A highlight for me was how each voice actor perfectly fit with the character they were portraying and paved way for the chemistry to develop between these characters.
(✓) Art/Animation (7/10)
Not much to really say here that has not been said by previous reviewees, the animation does not really stand out, nor is it required to as it’s a slice of life genre depiction that is not expected to product ufotable produced fate franchise production values. Everything seems animated to a satisfactory level and the output was consistent throughout. One highlight for me was the choreography of the final episode’s big reveal, it was perfectly directed and will leave you gobsmacked and applauding how well it was brought out on screen.
(✓) Characters/Story (9/10)
It take’s something special to create story that has characters that are universally loved by the audience. ReLIFE puts its characters at the forefront with the utmost confidence that they will succeed in engaging us through their dialogue and specific individual characteristics. Whether it’s Hishiro, Kaizaki or Kariu, they all have multiple layers of development throughout the 13-episode journey that enable us to care in suspense for where it might lead. At the time of writing this, I still cannot think of a character that I genuinely disliked on this show, I was paying attention throughout, which is an achievement in itself as I have the attention span of a goldfish.
Story wise there has been critique from the MAL community for the pacing of this show, but in all honesty what can be expected for a slice of life genre and in general, it takes time to develop characters and clear a path for a story to be told. More so I was surprised by the cliff-hanger and have no idea where this story will lead to in the future. There are still many questions that need answering in (hopefully) season 2.
(✓) Overall (8/10)
The anime did the job of keeping me on board for the 13-episode journey and has led me to begin reading the manga, which thankfully the anime has for the majority of the time been faithful to the adaption of the source material.
Word Count (471/500)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 14, 2016
It is quite ironic that the OP track is named DISORDER because evidently; big order has a disorder to say the least.
Where do I start?
I am still trying to come to terms how the same person who made this travesty also made the thrilling Future Diary. Funny enough, everything that was wrong with Future Diary is exemplified with the biggest microscope you could find:
Inconsistent story-line (✓)
Second rate Yuno Gasai (✓)
Animation that makes one piece look like it was produced by Ufotable (✓)
Big Order being Big Stupid 99% of the time (✓)
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Main character being a p*ssy magnet (✓)
so SO many underdeveloped characters (✓)
I would usually right a proper review but even I cant justify why Big Order is worth writing a proper review for.
Any saving graces? Well there will be uncensored boobs on the Blu-ray I guess and even with all its faults, I still ended up reading the manga.
Anyway what are you still doing here, this is one train-wreck you should avoid.
Word Count (153/500)
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 14, 2016
What can we say about Kabaneri and the Iron Fortress? Well it definitely is ironic that it starts all guns blazing before grinding to a halt due various limitations; these included undeveloped characters, an incoherent storyline and the fact that the show had been congested to 12 episodes helped alleviate these issues.
Whilst the show has been criticised heavily on MAL, I firmly believe it is greatly exaggerated and the positives of the show does indeed outweigh the negatives. It was voted the second best rated show in a 2016 survey in Japan and can be thoroughly enjoyable if you just let the spectacle unfold.
As
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with every review, I try to limit it to 500 words. Short but sweet as per say.
Let’s start with the positives:
Sound (10/10)
I am going to go out of my way and say that this is one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a while, not just for anime but even movies. Hiroyuki Sawano composing managed to add so much to each battle scene spectacle and really give you those goosebumps.
The stand out being KABANERIOFTHEIRONFORTRESS (Featuring Eliana), this can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5dB09YdVMM
The whole OST can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_D6evVTZFg
Furthermore, this is further complimented by Egoist's opening KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYTTDecPO7I) and Aimer x Chelly’s ending Ninelie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5dB09YdVMM) which quite simply put are outstanding.
Without a doubt the soundtrack is one of the saving graces of the show; this should definitely not be understated.
ART/ANIMATION (8/10)
From a general perspective the art has received criticism from the minorities for its unique style and outlook on rural Japan. Personally I enjoyed how Wit Studio put incredible amount of passion and detail into the show. The Kabane are frightening, each settlement has its unique design and each character has been drawn and animated excellently. It’s consistent throughout and the fight choreography should be applauded, what more could be expected from the director Araki Tetsurou (High School of the Dead, Attack on Titan, Guilty Crown) who excels in this department.
Now for the sad part, the bad:
STORY/CHARACTERS (6/10)
Assuming this show does not have a second season, without going into spoiler territory it felt like none of our questions were really answered by the end of the season. Without being too harsh it felt like Wit ran out of running time to give us a proper ending within 12 episodes. The story itself feels rushed (I am looking at your episode 9 and 11) and various characters are extremely underdeveloped. Especially the main villain who literally sweeps in like a hurricane, smashes everything and then gives the vaguest explanation for his actions. As well as this character’s decisions are beyond stupid, superlatives cannot be used to describe how they came to these conclusions.
However, I enjoyed the dynamics between Ikuma, Mumei and the fellow supporting characters. It was an interesting dynamic which really made you care for the characters and their interactions. Mumei has got a lot of criticism from people, but she’s 12 and is likely still as gullible as they come. Obviously these dynamics come crashing down once the main villain is introduced (episode 7), meaning appreciate it whilst it lasts.
Overall (8/10)
Some final thoughts,
I really hope for a second season, the story to me feels incomplete, and could really add to the overall depth and quality of this show. Guess we will have to wait and see.
Word Count (473/500)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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