Back to AniNexus_Reviews's Profile AniNexus_Reviews's Profile

I'd like to take a brief moment of your time to request the following of you: Stop reading reviews for Demon City Shinjuku, and discard everything that you have read about it thus far. Then, go watch the anime. I don't care if you read any further, but I will justify my plea with the following statement: The appeal of an anime like DCS is driven by its gorgeous visuals, and co-piloted by its sound design. Because of this fact, and partially also because of a particular sense of aesthetic creativity which dominates the set, the experience of watching DCS almost feels more like watching ... a timeless music video (ie: Michael Jackson's "Thriller") than an anime. In other words, "The Rule of Cool" rules in Demon City Shinjuku. As a result, no single writer-- no matter how pretentious-- is ever going to be able to properly capture 100% of the appeal of this show, using words alone. This is simply impossible an impossible task, and one which I would liken to the idea of trying to teach somebody how to fix a car, without a physical car ever coming into the picture. A writer can only subtract from it, by highlighting its faults.

But, it is not enough just to say that. DCS's visuals are among the best of its era. On that basis alone, attempting to describe them is already a poor use of one's time... It doesn't make sense, and the problem can simply be deferred back to you, using the phrase, "Required viewing." What makes this problem even worse for words, specifically with Demon City Shinjuku, is that its visuals are perfectly married with sound, in order to create a specific, highly niche, aesthetic experience. Therefore, even if one were to pedantically go through, and try to describe the visual elements of this show individually... It could only ever be harmful to do so, because you would be removing the parts from their summary whole, which made them greater. This level of mastery is killed by description. You need to experience them for yourself, within their context of a complete, audio-visual package, rather than read about them, to even have a comprehension of what I'm talking about. I could go on and on, pointing at little details that would be missed by the average (re)viewer... The only thing I would do, in describing these things ahead of your seeing them, is to pre-emptively disappoint you with the show, while making word salad.

What I can comment on, is that the shows many visual elements, ranging from the use of color, including the stylistic interplay between light and darkness, as well as the perfectly-stylized anatomical and set details, etc... necessarily contribute to an aesthetic experience, dominated by its visuals, which was both iconic for its time, and which would serve well a person making the case today that style is, in fact, substance. Demon City Shinjuku is a visual treat, which should not be missed by any serious fan of anime.

Finally, in the interest of objecting to the usual kinds of criticism that visuals-driven, or aesthetics-driven shows tend to experience, I will make some critical, commonsense observations. Chief among others, is that "the plot is nothing special." You are not watching anything profound, but that isn't the point of this anime. In visuals-driven anime, a simple, functional plot won't kill you... Rather than an "appetizer," per se it is more like the restaurant's branding, which eventually serves as your basis to be served a delicious main course. It is what gets you in the door, and nothing more. Likewise, the music of DCS, while good, does not stand on its own. Again, it is simple, serviceable, and appropriate to the show's era-centric aesthetics. This may all sound somewhat damning, and you may be wondering, "It's really just visuals?" Yes, it's just visuals. However, as already stated, the simple plot, and the 80's-era jams are driven by the show's visuals. What that really means, is that the harmony between these ingredients is so excellent, that you will be left not seriously wanting to change any of them, individually. This really is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and I must therefore advise again that you go and watch this show, rather than continue to read reviews.

At the time of my reading this, I am 54 chapters deep. Therefore, this is not a true "review," in the conventional sense, so much as a recommendation to read something outside of your usual comfort zone. In order not to spoil your reading experience, I am going to keep things spoiler-free (in the literal sense) in all but the final paragraph of this review, as well as speak about the meta-narrative surrounding this type of story in a roundabout way.

This manga is not about surviving an incident, or experiencing something difficult, in the exact moment that it happens. "Sensitive Boy" opts to focus on ... the fallout, rather than the blast. It is about the matter of what it's like to ""live with yourself"" after having experienced something truly awful, and the day-to-day requirements for doing so. Due to the inherent difficulty of this subject matter, "Sensitive Boy" is also a story which is ultimately about showcasing how challenging that process can be... How ordinary things suddenly become hard; the matter of navigating this increased difficulty in ones relationships and within one's own mind, etc... Having read that, I understand you-- the one reading this recommendation-- might find yourself turned off to reading this story, if for no other reason than that trauma is one of the single most difficult writing concepts for an author to execute upon in a way that will satisfy everybody. If you are feeling that way right now, please keep reading, as I believe I will be able to satisfy some of your immediate concerns.

Here are the straight facts: Successful authors & authoresses know that trauma and the mental illness it breeds are concepts which have a limited lifespan with readers, in terms of how long it can maintain their interest for. When you decide to write a story which entirely revolves around this concept, you are operating on borrowed time. Once you, the author, have established a connection between yourself and the reader, it's not tough to keep them invested in the character's life... The reader will want to empathize with your characters, and to see them grow and thrive in spite of their challenged lives. What is extremely hard, however, is to also keep them interested in your story, while maintaining their suspension of disbelief. Your reader must constantly believe that the story being told is ""realistic"" and that the depiction of trauma in your story is ""true to life,"" or else your story has just lost all of its appeal. It's too common for readers to fall off the moment that they feel that just one of those two conditions-- realism and reader interest-- is no longer being satisfied. But it gets even worse: It may very well be that your story is both interesting and realistic. But because people don't perceive that it is, they fall off anyway. This is an especially big problem when writing manga about teenagers, because it is an all-too-common tendency for authors to insert adult-like dialogue and rhetoric into teenage mouths when writing manga stories. In other words, readers are going to be extremely hardened against

Because of the high level of challenge in writing an ""realistic"" trauma story, manga about trauma very often tend to lean into one of two peculiar subgenres: "Yandere stories" or "Sensitivity porn." The former, "yandere stories," is by far the most common of the two subgenres in manga today. This is a subgenre wherein mental illness is deliberately misrepresented, and often hyperbolized in a very specific type of way, in order to satisfy an authorial agenda (ie: making the story interesting, appealing to a sex fetish crowd, etc...) The characters in this genre can be relatable to some people, who have lived through bizarre experiences with women but I digress. For the most part, however, they are unrelatable to the general public and this is entirely by design. This approach to character writing completely subverts the need for realism, and "writes around" the sensitive subjects, while maintaining high reader interest and a kind of niche fetish appeal. This is precisely why the subgenre has become so popular in recent years, despite being so easy for anybody to write, and so trashy. That being said, I would argue that it's actually the lesser of two evils.

On the other hand, you have the "sensitivity porn" subgenre, which is as bad as it sounds. This approach to trauma writing does the exact opposite of "yandere," by attempting to be authentic to the "feeling" of living with some kind of trauma, but doing so in a way which is completely detrimental to the story. Typically, this is accomplished by reducing the very idea of trauma to the level of uninteresting shojo schlock... As nothing more than an afterthought in a greater drama, where every other panel is two characters hugging, crying, and talking about their feelings. Of course, do not let me mischaracterize this subgenre; it's not all white backgrounds, giant hands, men with artificial baggage, and happy endings. Nowadays, it is also very popular for these sorts of manga to take a ""dark"" sort of approach, in attempt to gain the label of a "trauma drama." Authors do this by leaning into the "realism" of the trauma, make it even weirder, and then write a completely unrealistic drama around the story that these poor characters have to navigate through. Stories like this naturally also tend to introduce LGBT elements midway through the story, because that is a trendy thing to do nowadays, and because it tends to catch people by surprise. This is not any kind of political comment, but rather a commentary on the low-quality of today's manga.

So then, having discussed the state of the landmine-field (pun intended,) where does this story land?

For one thing, if you are somebody who has experienced something truly difficult in your life, and you find yourself fighting against the memories of a past experience on a near-daily basis, you are definitely going to be able to relate to these characters better than the average reader. What really stood out to me, with respect to realism, was the author's depiction of trauma in the main character of the first arc. I found the victim's struggle to warm himself up to others, and to discover for himself-- and fit into-- a definition of "normalcy" that is compatible with his lived experiences to be highly compelling, as well as extremely true to life. Credit where it's due, this was brilliant, and I personally could relate to this. The writer does an exceptional job of writing this out, without making it "too weird to be believable." This is the main reason as to why I am taking the time to write this ""review."" I don't know how the rest of the story will come along, but the first arc is worth reading for this alone.

The author also does a much better job than most of writing an organic-feeling teen cast. As I have said before, this is so important in these kinds of stories. A story like this is simply is not worth reading, in my opinion, if the feelings are one dimensional, or if the teen characters feel like a proxy for the author in any kind of a significant way. Notably, the author accomplishes this without needlessly inserting LGBT elements into the story, and does not waste your time on the usual tropes that cause these sorts of stories to be relegated to the trash bin. For example: This is not a manga where some character get bullied for their past, and then a close friend or love interest stands up to the bullies, in front of the whole class, causing everyone to change their perspective while the world applauds. This is a manga where 99% of the story's focus is on the main character, and his struggles in life, and I think that's a beautiful thing. The first arc also closes out in what I feel is a clean, and delightfully realistic way.

I do want to stress, the writing is not perfect. There are times when the discussion seems too nuanced, too preachy, or too timely, to have come from a highschool-aged mouth. There are times where the main character's friends are just a little too understanding. There is also one male character who comes out to the main character as an asexual, and this happens seemingly for no other reason than pure coincidence. While I found this particular moment in the story to be peculiar, it did not bother me as much as the aforementioned issues, because it happens in what I felt was a somewhat organic way. It served a purpose in the main character's journey of self-discovery, and was not deliberately overdramatized in order to obtain reader interest. It was a peculiar moment, to be certain, but not so much that you should skip a great story altogether. I see these little issues as speedbumps, which can subjectively appear to be unrealistic when viewed from the perspective of an in-the-moment reader, but which become invisible from a bird's eye perspective.

In conclusion: The first arc is worth reading, if you like tense reading. Give it a read.

Vampire Princess Miyu (the 1988 OVA) is a masterpiece of gothic horror. It is the legendary "Dracula anime" that you have been waiting your whole life to see, without so much as knowing that it ever existed. If all you're looking for is a quick recommendation, then you have my blessing to go and watch it right now; I have already given this OVA my highest possible endorsement, so you can stop reading here and thank me later. Your time is sacred, and so too is beautiful artwork. If you are looking for a more thorough introduction, read on.

Vampire Princess Miyu (the franchise) is also ... one of my favorite IPs of all time. Without spending too much time discussing the specifics of the OVA, I'd like to explain a bit as to the matter of "why" that is, as well as express my strong feelings about the Miyu IP in a more general sort of way. This will require discussing both this OVA and the 1997 revival TV anime series, which I will do in an entirely spoiler-free way and at no great depth. To that end, this may read a bit as a heartfelt history lesson, moreso than a review... At first. My hope is that you will eventually see some of what made/ makes this series appeal to me, decide on a watch order, and experience "Miyu" for yourself.

And now, a brief history of "Miyu in the West."

In the West, knowledge of Vampire Princess Miyu (the franchise) would have mostly been confined to an older generation of otaku, who happened to be very active during the dog-days of VHS hunting... The era when all anime were considered "obscure," by Western standards, and some happened to be less obscure than others. These individuals would have likely been between the ages of 15 and 30-something years old around the time of the OVA's release and, further still, likely also had some direct or indirect connection to Japan, through which they were able to source their anime. That is already a very exclusive group of people, and the problem only gets worse as time goes on... I shall continue. While I was not alive at that time, going off of the various second-hand accounts that I've obtained through former hardsubbers, I have developed the understanding that, while Vampire Princess Miyu (the OVA) was 'known of' amongst Western otaku, it was still a fairly obscure IP at that time. This seems to have been a result of being buried by other anime which were popular at that time... Namely, Maison Ikkoku, Kimagure Orange Road, Urusei Yatsura, etc... as well as having the problem of needing to be translated, in order to be understood.

In summary... In order to watch this OVA, in the West, at the time of its release, you first would have needed to:
1 - Have been an active otaku VHS-hunter.
2 - Have known that Vampire Princess Miyu (the OVA) exists. This process would usually involve either direct mention from another otaku, with some connection to Japan, or buying a physical Japanese-language catalogue and attempting to read it.
3 - Have been actively hunting for the VHS.
4 - Have successfully sourced the VHS, likely either from a college club, or else directly from Japan.
5 - Have devised a way to consume the content. This could have involved knowing how to speak Japanese, getting a Japanese-speaking friend to translate it for you, obtaining a rare, hardsubbed VHS from an anime club, obtaining a synopsis write up and/ or consuming the anime without actually understanding any of its contents.

Failing any of that... And you likely would have failed, somewhere along that chain... You would have to wait until 1996, when AnimEigo released a dubbed version of the OVA to VHS, and either buy it or rent it from your local video store (Ie: Blockbuster,) assuming it was locally available. This would have been the easier way to watch this OVA, by far, all the way up until AnimEigo released it as a DVD in 2001. If you missed that, then you probably would not be watching it until anime entered the fully digital age, sometime between '07 & '12... At which point, somebody would have likely uploaded it to an early streaming site.

Even then, at this late stage, you most likely would not have known about the existence of "Miyu" (the OVA.) By this point, this OVA would have been over 20 years old, and a bygone phenomenon. Yes, there was a made-for-TV anime series, but this did little to draw attention towards the OVA, which pre-dated it by around ten years. Unless you were an extremely early MAL-user, or you were otherwise introduced to the OVA by some other friend, website, or happy accident, then there was only one other way to learn about it. This final way would have been to somehow catch the dubbed version of the 1997 revival TV anime series, enjoy it enough to care about the franchise, and eventually come to learn about its superior counterpart later in life, as a result of your dedication.

Lo' and behold, that is exactly what happened to me. I got my first taste of "Miyu" (the 1997 anime) as a teenager in the later 00's, via its release to Comcast's infamous 'DVR' selection, not ever knowing that OVA existed until just recently. For those not familiar, Comcast would occasionally release anime titles to a dedicated subsection of their On-Demand video titles, called "Anime On Demand" or just "Anime." These titles often included that which was far beyond the pale of what your average kids would have been familiar with at that time, or been groomed to expect at their local video stores. You would often see titles with extremely dark themes released to this platform, without any warning whatsoever to the consumer. While by no means the worst offender, "Miyu '97" was no exception to this pattern, and this is precisely what I liked about it as a teenager. The format of the "Monster of the Week" also worked well for a release to DVR, because anime releases to DVR came in batches, and were never consistent. In other words, you were very likely to be missing episodes, in between updates to the catalogue. Considering the format, that didn't matter so much, and it was okay by me at that time.

I recently revisited that anime for the first time in fifteen years, rounding off the episodes I had never seen, and ultimately completing my rewatch just prior to watching this OVA. Half a lifetime had passed, in the time since I had last seen it... And yet, I was surprised to see how well most of the episodes held up over the years. While its visuals and the school setting are somewhat dated by today's standards, the 1997 anime boasts an utterly impressive soundtrack, excellent Japanese voice acting, an often-excellent episodic structure, and a unique aesthetic feel that has stuck with me all my life. The titular heroine, Miyu, is a complicated character, but mostly likeable and very unique. Her motivations are so unlike other heroines in anime, and that is what I find so fascinating about her. Without going into depth, Miyu can be called neither good nor evil. So marked are Miyu's and Reiha's actions throughout the duration of the '97 anime, that I am forced to laugh any time that a mid-wit poseur claims Madoka Magica to be a """deconstruction""" of the magical girl genre, in any way whatsoever. Yes, it is true that, among the 26 episodes, there are a handful of stinkers. Episode 18 comes to mind, as does the very end of the series (which I appreciated, for what it was, but did find unintentionally funny at times.) Even those episodes were charmingly awkward and/ or funny, and were inoffensive in the grand scheme of things. But of course, the number one thing which makes Miyu '97 so noteworthy-- and this does carry over to the OVA-- is that almost every episode, no matter how good or bad, hits you with an ending that absolutely slaps you in the face. Just watch episode 2 and tell me that I'm wrong. Miyu '97 may not be the bloodiest show that you will ever watch, but it will always deliver some of the coldest, most brutal scenarios and episode-endings that you will see put to anime. This brand of horror-factor is the main appeal of the franchise, as I see it, and thus I have elected to underline it here. You will be creeped out, and thrown off.

Queue my contemporary introduction to this OVA, through MAL, and I have totally fallen in love. The OVA completely does away with all of the nonsense that the TV-anime did not need, and leaves you with only the undiluted essence of what makes "Vampire Princess Miyu" (the IP) so great. There is no more school setting, no Pikachu-esque mascot character, no convoluted re-writes of established source material, no episode padding, no occasionally-terrible artwork, and no bullsh!t. All four episodes are fantastic. This is a beautiful anime; the soundtrack is once again excellent, and may I just say that it really does show that the entire thing was drawn on cels. Best of all is that Miyu completely drops her TV-anime stoicism act for this OVA. Miyu is an evil little b!tch, and you will love every second of it. She is totally different from the Miyu in Miyu '97, and that's an incredible thing to see once you have that context. The final product is easily a 9/10; maybe a solid 10, under weaker standards. The fact that this OVA not only scored lower than the TV anime series which it easily surpasses, and no higher than a 7 at the time of my writing this review... while crap like Freiren sits on top of the whole pile... is such a funny joke that I forgot to laugh.

Now, the question is: Do you watch the OVA first, or the TV anime which succeeded it? Personally, I would elect to do as I did, and watch the TV anime first, assuming you have the time and interest to do so. Otherwise, just watch the OVA if you're short on time. If you can manage to get through the TV series first, however, you'll really appreciate both products more, both on an individual and a collective level. The most compelling reason to do this is because the TV anime does possess a slew of great episodes, but is also a flawed series. Trust me when I say that you will not want to miss '97's best episodes, or its best "mic-drop" moments. I also appreciated the creative process behind the '97 anime much more in retrospect, after watching its source material unfold before me in real time. But you won't want to bother completing a 26-episode slog, if you watch the OVA first only to find yourself disappointed with what comes next. Either way, definitely watch the OVA no matter what, if for no other reason than the visuals.

This is not a conventional review, but a strong, spoiler-free recommendation, stamped with conviction. My reason for doing treating the "review" process this way, in the case of Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (or "Cossette no Shouzou,") is because of how this anime was referred to me for viewership... Through the internet, via a small community of dedicated fans, whose voices eventually reached me over the sounds of an overwhelmingly mediocre public reception. You may have also heard these whispers on the wind.

"Cossette is a masterpiece."
"Cossette is the only anime to have ever changed my life."

Such musings may have been what led you to consider ... this anime, and by proxy this recommendation. Whether that may be the case or not, such earnest, impassioned proclamations of greatness are very rare to hear about anime these days, in the age of indifference. When they are made, even less often should they be taken seriously.

Yet, time after time, I would continue to hear these whispers. Always, they were consistent in their tone and treatment of this anime. They guided me along my path of consideration, ever tempting me to defy my usual skepticism of anything directed by Akiyuki Shinbo. They cried out, with a genuine enthusiasm and love for anime, that more people should give this short OVA a try. Try as I might to rid myself of them, they were like a bad case of schizophrenia. I acknowledged those voices for years.

I ultimately listened to those voices, and then I became one of them. In an abstract sort of way, that very experience-- of being whispered to, and then sublimated into an increasing belief-- defines "Cossette" in under one sentence.

To speak further on the matter of my impression without going into details of the subject matter at hand: I went into this OVA preparing to be disappointed, only to have my expectations blown away within minutes. You know that an anime is truly great when it torpedoes everything below the level of Perfect Blue (to which, I think "Cossette" can be meaningfully compared.) As a matter of fact, I think there is a legitimate debate to be had about whether or not "Cossette" is superior to Perfect Blue. I feel that it definitively is, and I recognize that is an extremely bold claim to make, but I digress. Speaking as to Shinbo's own catalogue, "Cossette" obliterates everything else the man has ever made. I will make it clear, again, that Shinbo is not one of my favorite directors. I find his works to be largely overrated, and extremely pretentious. If he is not your favorite director either, I agree with you. Even so, it is my strong opinion that "Cossette" actually delivers in both style and substance, and is therefore worth your time in spite of the man behind the myth.

Having made it this far into my recommendation, I'm sure that you've also noticed by now that this anime rates very low on MyAnimeList, relative to the high praises that it only occasionally merits from hardcore otaku. As of my writing this review, "Cossette" is communally rated with a score of 6.78. That is a horrible score on this website, especially when one considers how highly the public at-large rates the usual dross. Therefore, you probably want to remark on this, and likely possess some legitimate questions as to whether I am blowing smoke up your ass or not. I am not here to decide that for you. I will, however, disclose the following:

Prior to watching this anime, I had never before been forced to consider if it was even possible that any anime media (including TV. series, OVAs, movies, etc...) could rise up to or surpass the level of Evangelion & EoE. I finally decided that the two were not immediately comparable, due primarily to a stark difference in run time. That being said, the fact that I would only raise this question one time in my entire life, despite having seen, and documented my completion of nearly 350 anime media titles, should lend itself as an additional force towards convincing you that it is worth two hours of your time.

I am remiss to give a series by Kawamoto Homura-san, of Kakegurui's fame, such an utterly low grade. Yet, here we are; after only three miserable chapters, I have dropped this series.

Out of respect for your time, and because I have read so little of this work, I will keep this review succinct. This work's content falls into the emergent "Pseudohistorical Magical Tournament" genre. Perhaps better recognized as the "Fate: Stay/ Night clone"-genre, this genre exists around the idea of a battle tournament-- wherein loosely-historical characters fight out individual, 1-on-1-style magical battles against each other-- and wherein the winner of the tournament will be granted ... a wish. That is the absolute simplest description for this genre which a person could possibly provide, without assuming prior knowledge of Fate: Stay/ Night of the person being described to. That being said, if this sounds like the description of a single series, rather than a genre description, then you are already beginning to understand the problem, but I will continue.

To further elaborate, a near infinite amount of creative freedom is applied when pouring the lives of these historically-and-mythologically-inspired figures into a mold. Meaning, that any characters of these series, and their respective inspiration, are certain to be unlike each other in all but name, profession, and sex... and sometimes, they don't even have that much in common. This is because the formula of the author working in this genre is as follows: Reduce the 'idea' of real peoples' lives to their basest forms, remake them in the images of current marketing trends, and pit them against each other in "combat" occurring under the rules of an only semi-unique, and deliberately ambiguous magical system. This happens so grossly, and with so little respect paid to historical detail, that I would strongly argue it constitutes desecration of the dead, but I digress. As I am sure the reader can already tell, my main criticism with this series, and others like it, is not at all a moral one, but because the whole enterprise is a creatively-bankrupt cash grab.

Likewise, the magical systems and powers are also highly-stylized. These powers often fall into the category of what we Westerners refer to as "high magic," and are individually stylized so as to reflect some aspect(s) of each character's historical basis in life, or else a rough idea about their inspiration's personality and/ or a deeper-seated interest. The tournament in these series is, without fail, motivated by magic, with a promise being given to the winner of fulfilling some creatively-interpreted desire that the combatant was never able to achieve in their historical life. Besides visual interest, the flavor that each author gives to these powers and motivations is what endears readers to this genre, and here we have another problem: Again, much say is given to current marketing trends when interpreting these items, such that the noticing reader will often find powers overlapping between different series. Unlike the aforementioned issue of intellectual gravedigging, I do take moral umbrage with this practice, as this results in outright plagarism when done in a non-parodical context-- And this genre is, as it exists in 2023, almost entirely comprised of non-parodical works.

This series, in only three chapters, has suffered from every one of the above listed problems, and to a serious degree. It is completely burdened by all of the usual tropes. This is worsened by the fact of its suffering from a total lack of meaningful detail to background art: The absolute hallmark of any soulless cash grab. By the end of chapter one, and certainly midway into chapter two, I was aware that I was not reading a manga, but instead staring at a piece of shit. I was eager to be rid of it, but I decided to read onwards to the end of chapter three before dropping it, as is my rule. By the end of chapter three, the character Elizabeth Bathory uses a power which is a near-exact copy of a very-well known "Noble Phantasm" (ie: 'Ultimate attack') from the series Fate: Stay/ Night. It is such an exact copy, that I decided in that moment that reading this series this was actually worse than staring at a piece of shit. It was so bad, that I decided I had to spend a portion of my adult life, on my single day-off from work each week, complaining on the internet, and warning what I'm sure by now is an empty room not to waste their time reading this title. Do not be taken in by the character art of Shizuoka Makoto-san; you will be betrayed in every other way. It is offensively bad. It is horrible, and therefore I score it a two. Never pay a dime to these parasites, who thrive only upon trends started by greater artists, as a tapeworm survives only upon your own waste. If you do, then you are doing a disservice to all fans of visual media and literature, at large.

TL;DR - "Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai" is Nisekoi 2.0: A promising series with a very powerful plot-hook, which throws away all of its potential and becomes an utter dumpster-fire towards the end. This series casts away many of the plot devices it painstakingly sets up, outright disrespects one character, and completely disrespects the intelligence of the reader. This series can be incredibly frustrating to read later on, and thus I advise you to read it at your own discretion.

You are probably reading all of these great reviews of Kaguya-sama, and wondering how I could possibly give it such a low score. To that I say, friend, ... do not ever believe somebody who gives an anime series a 10/10; it was either written by a fanboy/ fangirl, or somebody who has never once been exposed to something better. Do not allow ignorant children to decide how you will spend the precious moments of your life. Now, onto the actual content of this "review" (which is really more of a cautionary PSA than a proper 'review', and one which, out of respect for our time, I shall try to keep very short.)

Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai originally got a lot of acclaim for bringing the 'Death Note' character dynamic into the romantic comedy genre. "What would happen if you put two genius rivals against each other, in a battle of love?" When you read a plot synopsis like this, it is hard not to enthusiastically recall one's fond memories of either watching or reading Death Note during childhood, and start mentally hyping yourself up to read this series. It is such an appealing idea for a plot hook that you just can't help yourself. In my opinion, this plot hook is what made the series so popular, and why so many people were willing to give this series the benefit of the doubt all the way up until its bitter end, myself included.

This is where I will caution you. I must remind you here that the saying "Curiosity killed the cat" exists for a reason. Rarely is anything as good for you as it says on the can, and Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai is one such of these cases where that adage is offensively true. In the first place, neither of the two main characters are geniuses, and neither are the people who rated this series a 10/10.

I am reluctant to give credit where it is due with such an overrated series, because many people will start to think, "Maybe it isn't as bad as he's saying," and read it regardless of my advice. That said, I'll do it anyway. The truth is that, if you do read this series, you will be decently well-rewarded up until around, or just after the "Christmas Party" scene, depending on your personal opinions. Up until this point, the comedy was "on-point," and the drama was relevant-- Not always high-quality, mind you, but relevant to the story. The Christmas Party scene is easily, in my opinion, the point really where the drama gets as good as it is ever going to get. Without going into spoiler territory, the clock is ticking the way that it should. What you get is a series of events that really puts the secondary male lead, Yu Ishigami, into the spotlight and makes him feel like a fairly realistic, even somewhat relatable depiction of an angsty teenage male.

----

I will avoid going into too much detail, but I sincerely advise caution if you are going to read this review any further. I would not want to spoil the story for you, should you have any plans of reading it. I'll try to be gentle with the spoilers, but some of what I have to say should not be taken lightly. You have been warned.

----

Unfortunately, the author, 'Akasaka Aka,' was going through a divorce while writing Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, and the chapters after the aforementioned "Christmas Party" is also where the author's personal troubles really begin to emerge within the work in strange ways. For instance, the Christmas Party scene is where he decided with certainty to reverse a previous decision he'd made with regards to whom Yu would eventually be paired up with-- and eventually, by the end of the series, pair him up with no one (or arguably Miko, depending on how you interpret the events of the flash-forward chapter.) Now, this alone would not be such a bad decision to make. It is okay to pivot and change course, with something like a relationship that you've developed, especially if that decision exists to make a greater point, leads to better writing, or brings a superior happiness into the character's 'life' on-page. That said, this 'reversal' of-sorts did not accomplish any of this, and what follows it are countless chapters of empty melodrama without any of the original focus on the two main characters, the President and Kaguya, nor any of the comedy that the series once touted.

Because Yu functionally becomes the new main character after this point, I will now attempt to summarize his romantic journey, while trying to avoid too much detail or plot spoilers, so that you can begin to understand the frustration of the average reader. My hope is to save you the trouble of reading this series:

- Yu Ishigami is a social outcast (for reasons which are later clarified (and rectified) in the story) and member of the Student Council.
- At this time, a girl named Kobachi Osaragi is watching, and supporting him from the sidelines. Kobachi is a friend of Miko Iino (a character who joins the Student Council fairly early into the story,) and knows that Yu has done nothing wrong to deserve being persecuted by his peers. Miko is a textbook 'tsundere' character: "Angry-cute" at best, but more often one-dimensional and emotionally abusive in a cast of otherwise 'normal' characters, which also is when she's at her worst.
- Not knowing he has a friend close by in Kobachi, Yu becomes interested in his senpai, Tsubame Koyasu, through their mutual involvement in the cheer squad.
- Yu is propositioned sexually by Tsubame at the Christmas Party, but he declines for moral reasons. Realizing what he has just done is "cringe," Yu attempts to commit suicide, but is saved by the plucky Miko Iino, whom at this point has admitted to herself that she has a crush on him. At this point, any good comedy goes extinct, and we still have half of the series left to go.
- Miko emotionally abuses Yu by pretending that her injuries from the party have not yet healed, in order to guilt him into doting on her.
- Tsubame and Yu grow closer in the aftermath of the party, eventually dating, but it doesn't work exactly out and he is rejected by Tsubame.
- All while this is happening, we get more hints about Kobachi being the one who will eventually have Yu's heart, as she continues to lend support to him from the background.
- Miko decides she will "openly" vie for Yu's affections (this ultimately amounts to very little, as no major developments happen until, arguably, after the story is already over.)
- This upsets Kobachi, who seemingly has real love for Yu as a result of him helping her out of a bad social situation in middle school. In her mind, Miko's affections are no more than circumstantial puppy love.
- Kobachi and Miko start fighting about seemingly nothing for nine chapters, and some very hurtful words are said. While the story eventually moves on and the two 'sort of' forgive each other, things never really get completely patched over between the two of them.
- After her multi-chapter meltdown, Kobachi bizarrely resolves herself to become a "missed connection," never telling Ishigami her feelings, and is effectively written out of the story. The final time we see her is when she is yet again stumping for the same Miko that never 'really' apologized to her. The way she is treated by the author is so disrespectful to her character as to be out-of-place within what was supposed to be a romantic comedy series, and has led many to speculate that Yu Ishigami and Kobachi Osaragi were written to be stand-ins for the author and his now ex-wife.
- The series closes with Yu and Miko both expressing within themselves a desire to get closer to the other. However, during a flash-forward "reunion" chapter which happens towards the end of the series, Miko begins hitting on former Student Council President Shirogane in front of Yu. Additionally, Yu seems to be looking enviously at his wedding ring. This strongly implies that Yu and Miko never went anywhere as a couple, that Yu was never able to find romantic happiness with anyone, and that his life now exists as a foil to the president's.

Well, does that sound like good writing to you? Does it sound funny? In that case, then I also recommend Nisekoi and, while you're at it, Shadow Star Narutaru. You are so far beyond saving, that you will surely love them. This has been my "review."

Final score: 3 blunts out of five required per reading session to enjoy (appx. a 4/10.) Do not attempt to read without enough irony or intoxication to knock a horse on its ass.

"You win, Voldigoad-sama... I KNEEL!" - Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans.

Do you like hype? This show is 100% pure, unadulterated HYPE. As of writing this review, we're 5 episodes in, and it only gets more and more hype with each episode. My body wasn't ready for this, and I can't take it any more-- Oh fuck, I think I'm having a heart attack... TASUKETE! SOMEBODY CALL THE KEISATSU! If they don't make it in time... tanomu... engrave these words upon my tombstone... "Stay mad purebloods, Anos Voldigoad 2024."

[The local keisatsu were too busy razing a local neighborhood to make way for a new monument, built ... in honor of Anos Voldigoad. They were thusly unable to arrive in time to save the reviewer.]