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Sep 3, 2019
Zankyou no Terror is short and sweet, and I found the ending to be quite good despite what others have said. It's an excellent thriller that delivers a complete experience in the span of just 11 20-minute episodes, which is all I could really ask for. While I think some people are saying that it would be better if it were extended to a full 24 episodes, I feel that I have to adjust my ratings according to the length. Obviously people will experience more feels with characters they've invested more time in, so it's unfair to Zankyou to disregard the fact that it delivered
...
what it did in half the time of a traditional show.
The art is superb - I loved the character designs and the way that everything looked. I also really loved the opening theme, which was truly beautiful and had a very mysterious melody to it. The rest of the OST was... also mysterious and varied. Unique and interesting, awesome addition to my collection. "Music from a cold land"
As far as recommending the show, I don't think it's for everyone. ZnT is dark, and heartbreaking. There isn't much humor, and the seriousness of the show might turn some people off, but that's okay. It has its niche, and if you liked shows like Death Note you will probably enjoy this as well.
--spoilers below--
There are a few things that damaged the believability of the plot. I have to get them off my chest:
- how 9 and 12 were able to secure the resources needed for their plots, especially knowledge of where the nuclear bomb was
- the stupidity of the adults in many situations, particularly in failing to capture 9 both at the airport and school
- the amount of control that 5 had during the operation to retrieve the nuclear device
- the "Engrish" scenes, which were so tough to listen to that I was distracted from the plot (sorry, I know you're trying but you really should just hire a native speaker!)
But overall, I thought the plot was polished enough to be enjoyable. A handful of scenes (motorcycle, ferris wheel, 5's death, ending) were great enough to make up for a bunch of mediocre ones. I also really enjoyed the riddles in the early episodes.
Characters were great, and I don't see why some people are bashing the show from that angle. 5, 9, and 12 are all weird, but it fits their fucked up background. Lisa being an "annoying girl in the way" was actually realistic, and the more critical viewers seem to forget that she's supposed to be an ordinary high school girl trapped in the middle of all the insanity. I found each of the characters sympathetic in their own way, especially 5. Very interesting character.
The ending of the show seemed to be quite polarizing - I'm one of the people that definitely thought it was solid. I have to admit that I had a really bad feeling once I heard the helicopter, and unfortunately I was right.. heartbreaking stuff.
NINE!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 17, 2018
FMA:Brotherhood, to me, is the equivalent of classical music (think Beethoven, Mozart, etc.), but for the world of anime. If anime still exists hundreds of years from now, people will still remember FMA:B for being a classic, industry-defining masterpiece.
While newer, flashier things might come along to steal the spotlight for a while, FMA:B will return to the top with the same certainty that the sun rises each morning. While I'm concerned that this anime might never be surpassed in my eyes, it brings me great satisfaction to know that I discovered it, enjoyed it, and remember it. FMA:B had everything I ever wanted,
...
and then some.
This review may contain some spoilers, so if you haven't watched it yet I suggest you stop reading reviews on MAL and just get started on the show. You won't regret it.
In fact, one of the main reasons I watch anime is to continuously search for an anime that can exceed this one. While a few others have been very good contenders for the top spot on my anime list, FMA: B is still the best, bar none. It is somehow able to exist as both a highly entertaining action-packed shounen and a deeply philosophical anime that explores light and dark themes masterfully.
I feel that this anime, unlike many others which are heavy on philosophy, is able to send powerful messages without being too explicit or giving any lectures. It just shows you things, and it feels organic... almost real sometimes.
In addition to the excellent story, the anime looks and sounds absolutely excellent. The fully orchestrated soundtrack in particular is one of the, if not the best OST ever created for an anime. And while the art may not be as technically impressive as some of the titles you see today, overall I feel that it's aged wonderfully and will still look and sound great when I rewatch it as an old man one day.
Another thing that I truly love about FMA:B is that none of the huge beloved cast of characters of the show are wasted. Unlike many other shounen, where awesome characters are used and disposed of like cans of beer at a frat party, FMA:B finds amazing ways to tie everyone (including villains) and everything together at the end of the series and it's just... beautiful. No matter who you are, you will find someone to root for in the world of FMA:B.
I feel that I could fill an entire library of ideas explored by FMA:B. Here are some things that come to mind, thinking about the show:
- themes exploring hopelessness, despair over a meaningless existence, and the false promises of manmade religion
- brutal examples of the results of careless scientific experimentation
- demonstration of the brutality of corrupt governments/militaries, and the dangers they pose to the entire world
- exploration of the idea of entropy, physics, chemistry, the conservation of mass and energy, and a bit of buddhism even
- exploration of the seven deadly sins from western philosophy/religion, in both personification and plotlines: gluttony, sloth, lust, greed, envy, wrath, and pride
- an ideal ratio of comedy and tragedy between the episodes. A great mixture of laughs, tears, and feels.
- the power and epic feeling of the people of a country or society working together for the common good
- heartbreaking stories of redemption, bravery, and self sacrifice
- incredible demonstrations of the contrast between hatred/nihilism and the power of love
Yes, despite being "just" 64 episodes, FMA:B somehow explores all of these things, and then some in very interesting ways. FMA:B is not just a shounen, but a story about the light and dark of humanity, its relation to the universe, and the unchangeable laws of nature that govern our existence. You get all this alongside the other good stuff that good shounen is known for -- awesome fight scenes, jokes, and a satisfying sense of progression through character development.
There was even character development on the villain side! I found it brilliant how the homunculi all died in a unique way pertinent to their given sin, and only realized it from a youtube comment. Consider:
- Lust died from someone protecting the one they love
- Gluttony died from being eaten
- Sloth died lying on the ground without the energy to move or regenerate himself
- Envy committed suicide in self pity, realizing all the things he never had
- Pride died when he was forced to humble himself by taking a human body
- Wrath died on a battlefield in peace
- Greed gave up possession of a body and sacrificed himself for others
If you really try to pick the show apart, you can find a few flaws, but none of them are serious enough to derail this masterpiece. While FMA:B might take a few episodes to get going, it has an incredible momentum that will hit HARD on the final episodes.
The main downside to FMA is that if you watch it, you will eventually run out of episodes to watch. The joy of going through an anime for the first time is a precious, but ephemeral thing. But despite that emptiness you may feel a few hours after finishing the last episode, I think you will find a sense of satisfaction that you got to experience the best anime of all time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 14, 2018
Hataraku Saibou is a very enjoyable and educational show that seems to be a bit polarizing, with some people praising or ridiculing the light-hearted and slice-of-life feeling of this 13-episode run. I will admit that I got tired of the show about halfway through the season, and only picked it up a few weeks later as the lack of a contiguous plotline and limits to character development made it hard to binge with so many other great anime out this year.
As a watcher, I feel that this isn't a show you should binge but rather enjoy periodically.
SPOLIERS:
There isn't really much of a story in
...
this anime, and the major development in the show seems to more about the cells themselves rather than the body they're in. There is a lot of screen time given to the main ship in the show between the red and white blood cell, but it doesn't really develop into anything. And sadly, it can't really since they're cells.
While there was an attempt to significantly expand the depth of the various blood cell characters in the middle of the season, I feel that it didn't really lead to anything. For example, the entire episode devoted to the childhood rivalry between the Killer T cell and Helper T cell didn't really give us anything other than a few chuckles.
But there is definitely some really good content here. Hataraku Saibou isn't that serious of a show, and at times seemed to poke fun at anime itself with the fight scenes. I also found the analogies that the show makes to real biology to be very clever. Platelets being lolis carrying coagulation factor and fibrin sheets, white blood cells being patrol officers, red blood cells carrying oxygen and sandwiches on occasion down "highways"... it was very creative and fun.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 14, 2018
My Hero Academia is a show that has a very interesting way of melding Western superhero culture (think Marvel/DC) with shounen & high school elements from the anime world. As I mentioned in a review I did for season 1, this show's ability to take inspiration from outside the anime world might be why it feels more refreshing than I thought it would.
MHA has come a long way indeed since season 1, where I nearly dropped the series because I felt a bit overwhelmed at the size of the cast and saw nothing special. If season 1 was an introduction to the setting and Deku/All
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Might, season 2 was a proper introduction to all the students of class 1A and began to explore their motivations and backstories. Now, in season 3, we got to see a continuation of that, and more rapid maturation of the characters through adversity.
SPOILERS BELOW
For the record, I think season 3 was the best one yet. HOWEVER, I simply don't understand why the apex of the season's storyline, and basically the entire show up to this point, occurred on S3 E11 (in case you don't remember, this was when we got to hear "UNITED STATES OF SMASH!"). That REALLY should have been the last, or second to last episode for maximum impact.
Seeing that happen so early made the rest of the season (which was mostly filler anyway) feel so weak in comparison.
Other than the backwards structure of season 3, I feel that the story has definitely become less formulaic since season 1 with the whole idea of All For One and the removal of All Might's power. I think there are a lot of interesting directions the show can go as we head into season 4, and I look forward to more unique elements in this category.
I'm not sure if the art has improved or not, but I'm still impressed at the quality of the character designs and the excellent animation. I have no complaints whatsoever.
Sound was a bit more average to me, as I didn't hear anything particularly special in the OST or intro/endings.
Character development took another step up in this season, and introduction of new characters was frequent enough to be interesting but not too much as to be overwhelming. Some of the filler content towards the end, like the dorm room episode actually added an interesting edge to our understanding of class 1A.
My personal enjoyment of the show fluctuated quite a bit, but as a whole it was strong and I rarely found it difficult to convince myself to go through another episode. It was primarily the second half of season 3 that caused issues, as the events following the battle with All For One seemed less interesting.
So overall, the first half of MHA S3 was by the best arc of this show thus far, and even though the content tapers off near the end of the season it was a very solid run and I will definitely be looking forward to S4.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 22, 2018
My Hero Academia (MHA) doesn't try too hard to break out of certain well-established formulas, but the execution is solid and the themes have a universal appeal. I feel that the creators of MHA have tapped the same sweet spot that western franchises like X-men and Harry Potter have, combining themes of growing up and fighting for what you believe in a setting where there is a clear distinction between good and evil.
Maybe it will come later, but don't expect to see much philosophy in MHA season 1. Like another hugely popular show Fairy Tail (which I had to drop), MHA is heavily dependent
...
on giant chains of fight sequences that often don't have much context other than the typical "hey, I'm the next bad guy and I'm here to kick your ass!"
//spoilers below
Story: "fair" because while it wasn't a bad story, it was extremely generic and didn't really offer anything new or interesting. That's not a bad thing, but high ratings in this category (at least for me) require either more originality or substance. MHA is a simple and enjoyable story, and it's strength is in execution.
Art: Character design looks great, and might be my favorite thing about the show. Certain characters like the frog girl (Asui) have a really distinct and well-thought-out look compared to more "regular-looking" characters like Iida, but what makes it great is that the characters' personalities fit the way they look. And it's interesting, because you wonder whether they act that way BECAUSE they look that way or whether the way we see them as the viewer is warped by our own biases.
Animation was also great, and fight scenes were very satisfying.
Sound: It was good. It's not that the soundtrack was bad, I've just been spoiled by too many good soundtracks since I started rating these things. Nothing stood out too much.
Character: As mentioned in the art section, character design (both appearance and script) was excellent, and probably the one thing that MHA really excelled in. At the end of season 1 we already have a pretty big cast of characters that we care about, and that's enough for me to want to see this show through the next season and probably beyond. Tsuyu Asui and Deku in particular had a great dynamic that I'd like to see more of.
Enjoyment: Very good! Because the show stays simple and true to the hero & academy genres, there isn't much complexity and not that much room for the creators to screw it up. As a result, we have a show that doesn't take too many risks and reaps the reward of not making any major mistakes. That predictable but somewhat satisfying arc makes for a very enjoyable 13-episode stretch.
I'm really looking forward to going through season 2, and now that there is an established cast of characters I'm looking forward to seeing them develop and finding out some more about their backstories. While MHA isn't going to blow you away, I don't see why anyone would trash the show or give it a really low score. It's pretty solid.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 9, 2018
While the series had moments of brilliance and some superb fight scenes, Moribito as an overall anime fell flat for a number of reasons. Probably the main one was that I never really got into the characters, which never led to the "addiction" phase that you get with many animes. Truth be told, I struggled to finish the series despite how much I liked the choreography of the fight scenes and the setting. And despite the effort they put into building Balsa, she just didn't feel believable to me.
**spoilers
The story of Moribito is strange in that it starts off with an intense series of events
...
which leads to a very prolonged lull in the action in the middle of the series, where Balsa and Chagum are living in Yogo and while other characters are trying to figure out whether the prince is actually dead (from the palace side) and what the deal is with the egg. While there were some interesting moments introduced through this arc of the story, I felt that it was much longer than necessary. For example, I think that pretty much all the content on Saya and Touya (the orphan twins) could have been cut, because they added nothing to the main story. They could have cut 2-3 episodes of Chagum sidestory content without any consequence to the plot. If they really wanted to cut the fat, they also could have cut down some of the lengthy scenes involving Torogai (the old lady).
I often say that shows are too short for their ambitions, but in this case I really feel that this show could have done fine with 13 episodes. The filler didn't add anything to the story, and just made it harder to trudge along the slowest parts of the show.
Art was phenomenal, especially the spear-dueling scenes. The scenery was very solid, the characters looked distinct and interesting, and honestly I can't find anything to complain about.
Sound... Nothing really stuck out to me in the sound department this time. I don't recall any moments where I even took notice of the soundtrack. I will note that Balsa's Japanese voice actor (I watched subs) did a good job doing a deep and threatening female voice.
Characters -- definitely not something this show did particularly well.
As mentioned earlier, Balsa didn't feel believable to me in that her motivations were far too one-dimensional and simplistic, and even at the end of the series we see almost no development/change in her despite all the events of the show. She was just TOO stoic, showing literally no moments of weakness throughout the entire show or any wants or desires outside of her mission to save Chagum.
Chagum had some growth that didn't surmount to anything in the final episodes, or even in the epilogue really.
Tanda was an incredibly passive character that actually felt sort of like a real person, because of how badly he got friendzoned by Balsa throughout the entire show. I'm glad that he didn't get a backstory episode because even the producer knew it would be too boring. Same for Shuga.
Because of the weird pacing of the show, the superfluous content, and the uninteresting nature of the characters I feel that the show really bombed in the enjoyment category during my run-through. "Boribito" indeed
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 11, 2018
Nice eye candy, but NOT as good as the original series! Not even close.
I know that movies can never be quite as deep as shows due to the time constraints, but the Psycho-Pass movie was a big step down from the original series and I'm still trying to determine whether it damaged the series as a whole in my eyes.
**spoiler zone**
Let's start with the most important aspect -- story. There were two things that I really enjoyed here. One was the initial few minutes of the story, with foreign terrorists attacking Sybil-controlled Japan which I thought was just really cool. The second main thing was
...
the idea of Sybil attempting to expand outside of Japan, and the setting of the movie outside of Japan. I thought it added a new angle to the whole Sybil thing that wasn't explored in the original, which was a nice touch.
As for the bad, well, I'd say most of the issues were in the latter half of the movie. Possibly the worst part was the ending, where Akane discusses morality with the Sibyl body-double version of Chairman Hang. It was a repeat of the ending of season 1, but less novel and somehow infinitely less interesting: Akane convinces the soulless Sibyl system (yes, again) to alter its way of thinking through a few generic arguments you'd hear in an Ethics 101 class. This whole theme of Akane being such a pure and righteous waifu that Sibyl itself has to change itself to meet her standards is/was kind of interesting in the first run, but left a bad taste in my mouth in the movie not just because of the deja vu but because of the nature of the argument itself:
Sibyl: We had to start taking over this country because people are in a civil war, so we kinda installed a puppet government through this fake dictator body thing.
Akane: People want to decide stuff for themselves!
Sibyl: Oh, we never heard that one before even though we're made up of thousands of human brains... let's change the plan.
While the original series struck a more careful balance to evaluate the pros/cons of Sibyl, this movie focused much more heavily on the cons making it less realistic and more... generic I suppose. The philosophy just wasn't there this time.
The movie also dropped the ball when it came to characters. It wasn't so much the members of the original Unit 1 that were the problem, as they pretty much stayed the same. It was the lack of decent villains, most noticeably the lack of Makishima Shougo (except for the hallucination scene) that really made me realize how important he was to the original Psycho Pass. And if Sibyl itself can be considered a character (I personally think so), I think the aforementioned issue I had with the ending subtracted a lot of brownie points from this score as well.
Having criticized the movie enough, I want to give a round a applause to Yoshikazu Iwanami for an excellent job at the soundtrack. And to the animators at Production IG, some scenes looked amazing and you drew Akane really well (And I'm not just saying that because of the two -- yes, two! -- prolonged scenes of her in the bathroom) but there were definitely some choppy moments that were noticeable. And yes, I know it's not their fault, it's obvious that the team was rushed near the end of this movie.
Enjoyment? 6. Despite being an action movie, I always felt that Psycho Pass shined the most with its philosophy and ability to explore interesting dilemmas that aren't available in other shows. As a result, I feel like we got style over substance.
I felt bad about giving the movie a 5 after giving the original show a 9, but it had to be done. Psycho pass season 1 was THAT much better, even accounting for its significantly longer runtime. Maybe they should have kept the setting in Japan, as the scope of this movie was probably too big for its length and it resulted in a sloppy story and ending.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jul 28, 2018
This was yet another case of "don't judge a book by it's cover" for me this year, the first being Made in Abyss. Both shows had an art style that turned me away at first, but both ended up being great experiences that I'm happy to have gone through.
Despite it's genre being outside of what I'd typically go for, and some slowness in the first few episodes, give this show the full 12 episodes before judging it. It's not even that long, and you will be amazed at how deep the rabbit hole goes. It's an amazing experience, and definitely one of those animes
...
that will stick with you for a long time.
**spoilers**
Talk about a bittersweet ending! Madoka becoming some sort of a magical anime girl version of Jesus was completely unexpected, and I found it seriously refreshing. My perception of the show changed so dramatically over the course of the 12 episodes that I'm honestly impressed that the it could was pulled off so smoothly. Unlike many shows that start off with a bang and fade in quality over time, Madoka gradually kept getting better and better. While I think the show lost some points with me on the rushed ending, the buildup to the apex of the show was excellent and I'm impressed at the range of emotions the creators were able to give me in just 12 episodes of content.
The inclusion of time travel into the show, which is shown in episode 1 but not explained until much later, was done quite well but did not feel quite as clean as the implementation in Steins;Gate. I can't really put my finger on it, but the final episode just felt a bit fuzzy, rushed, and confusing at the very end. Perhaps there is additional material that will explain some of this, but the fact that it wasn't packaged together neatly marred the ending of the show. It's also understood that Madoka's wish created the universe, but how exactly was Homura placed in it? If Madoka is all-powerful, why can she not figure out some way to eliminate the wraiths?
Even if there is some explanation I'm missing, I don't feel that shows should have confusing endings. I was extremely impressed with the second half of Madoka until it bit off more than it could chew, in my opinion, in the final episode. Had they given it another episode to explore everything "post-wish" as well as the full ramifications, it would have been much more satisfying.
Nonetheless, the story was great and had much more depth than initially anticipated. Also worth mentioning was that I found the sequence of events in the show hard to predict in the second half, which is a GOOD thing! The second half of the show also had truly massive emotional swings , plot twists, and interesting philosophical aspects that were all introduced very well.
I ranked art as the lowest category here for a number of reasons, mainly because I (still) don't like the character designs. And as much as I appreciated the art style we saw inside the witch's labyrinths (ESPECIALLY the orchestral hall created by Sakaya Miki as a witch), I didn't feel that the art was a very strong category here.
Sound was quite good. I appreciated the generous amounts of focus on stringed instruments as a result of Sayaka Mikis' backstory.
**NOTE: I originally rated sound an 8, and after listening to the OST by itself upgraded to a 9. The quality was hard to pick up while distracted by the visuals :) **
Character was a hard one to rank, because I felt that some characters like Kyuubey and Sakura Kyouko were strong while others like Mami Tomoe and Madoka Kaname didn't have as much of a foundation as they should have. The lack of substance for Madoka Kaname relative to the others was particularly problematic due to her central role in the story. She was a stereotypically nice girl that just wanted to help others. That's not a bad thing, but even her mother had more interesting quirks about her. Madoka didn't appear to have any flaws, and that made her less real to me.
Enjoyment was an 8 to me because of the ambiguity of the ending and the slowness of the beginning. The first four or so episodes were hard to get through, and that has to be accounted for here. However, there were a few 10/10 episodes in the second half of the show that really did elevate this series out of mediocrity.
I struggled between giving this show an overall of 8 or 9. When this problem occurs, I revisit my ratings for older anime and try to consider things from a relative point of view. In my book, this show was more or less on the same level as Elfen Lied (an 8), and definitely below Steins;Gate which I have as a 9 so I've assigned it an 8. I feel that it definitely could have been a 9 to me had the ending been wrapped up in a better way. Having said that, I definitely understand why a lot of people consider this anime as a masterpiece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 23, 2018
**spoilers
I feel that because I watched the English translation and did not watch the original, which may have contained more memes and references to the stereotypical Japanese office life, I didn't get the full experience. The show is probably a notch or two better than I really think it is for Japanese people watching the Japanese version, so take this review with a grain of salt.
But anyway.
Aggretsuko is a series that manages to blend a few flavors of humor together into a great little office comedy. It's very light hearted, and doesn't really explore any dark themes, but that's okay. There are quite a few
...
moments that show shockingly deep insight into the depressing reality that is the adult world, and I as fellow member of that same corporate lifestyle related to it A LOT. That is what kept me going through the series despite a number of slow/lame moments that detracted from the experience.
I didn't know how to rate the story of the show, because there isn't really a story. Aggretsuko is I guess what you would call a slice of life, and what made it interesting was the characters. Retsuko herself was a particularly good character not because of her special traits, but because of how average she was. There was something very realistic about her laziness and lack of direction in life that made her seem like a regular person. I also felt this way about Haida, who almost seems like he could represent just about anyone who lacks the guts to go for what he wants. Instead of drinking for stress relief, like most other people, she screams death metal at a karaoke bar every night. That was a nice touch, but didn't really have anything to do with the show's main themes.
Other characters, like Fenneko and Resasuko were great representations/parodies of other weird traits you see quite often in people -- social media induced psychopathy and "braindeadedness", respectively. The way that the writers brought these weird phenomena into the show was spot-on, and really brought a smile to my face.
Although I didn't give the show a killer rating, I highly recommend checking it out if you want a show that is pleasant and light-hearted but not afraid to take a few jabs at the bleakness of being a low-level employee in the corporate world. It's fun, has an interesting soundtrack, and definitely has its moments.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 22, 2018
**spoilers**
Megalo Box is a somewhat formulaic anime that does a great job of pumping you up at certain points in the 13-episode streak, and had some very intense fight scenes that didn't rely on shiny lights and superpowers. Having said that, I feel that the show peaked halfway through and didn't really "knock me out" with the ending. The final moments of the show felt a bit rushed, as if I were watching some sort of abridged version, and honestly didn't really feel as satisfying as it should have for some reason. There was something about they way they handled Yuri and the final fight
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that left a bad taste in my mouth, although I appreciated that they threw a curveball with the "meat versus meat" finale.
Like mentioned earlier, it's a relatively formulaic anime that closely follows the stereotypical boxing movie arc (think "Rocky Balboa"), even complete with an stone-cold Russian guy as the final boss. I'm not necessarily hating on shows that follow a formula, but they have to offer something unique and different to really impress. Megalo Box had some really good moments, but they weren't central to the story and hence never spawned into interesting subplots. The show stuck to the formula pretty closely.
So because of that, I guess I would say that there were very few risks taken with this anime as a whole. The writers do a good job of throwing a lot of "oh crap" moments that threaten Joe's ascent to the championship outside of the ring, but there's always a Deus Ex Machina moment to get the sequence of fights back on track. And when all else fails, the writers can always fall back to Joe's complete inability to get knocked out... like ever.
Speaking of Joe, unless I'm forgetting something we don't ever find out who Joe really is or why he even cares about boxing all that much. He just happens to have an extreme amount of natural talent for it, an extreme desire to become the champion, and the aforementioned invulnerability to knockouts.
It just didn't feel very realistic that this guy can get beaten down by jacked cyborgs every episode and be strong and lucky enough to knock them out with a single counterpunch. And no, a scene of him riding a motorcycle in a desert is not enough to explain the apparent invincibility. There's a difference between having tough characters and lackluster writing. Why can Joe take 20 hits while his extremely tough and well-trained opponents can only take 3 or so? What was the point of even including the mechanical enhancements to the fighters if they seem just as strong without them? Was it just me or did it feel ridiculous that the announcer said that Yuri was "stronger than ever" a week after undergoing a body-mutilating surgery to take off his ultra high-tech, godlike strength enhancing equipment? I don't expect anime to be all that realistic, but the disbelief factor became too extreme to ignore at some points.
I hate to say it, but none of the other characters really stuck out to me. The veteran coach, the hopeful slum kid, the stone-cold russian opponent, the sadistic crime lord, and the corporate lady were all archetypes of characters that have appeared in countless other movies and shows.
The art and sound were gritty, and there seemed to be a little hip hop in there which I had mixed feelings about. I really enjoyed some of the post apocalyptic landscapes, and the animation in the boxing ring, but as a whole the visuals and sound didn't particularly stand out to me. Some people are crazy about the soundtrack, I personally would have preferred if they went a totally different route. To each their own.
I rated enjoyment as the highest category here, because I think the show was quite addicting to me while I binged it. I think we all knew the outcome from the start, but I was really eager to see what the next knockout would look like, and how many times Joe would have to get beaten to the ground to climb up the ranks. There was definitely an addiction pushing me to complete the series once I started, but the actual content of the show just wasn't enough to create a fully satisfying and memorable experience in my books.
6/10 -- Good show that is definitely worth watching if you want to see some fights in the ring. You will root for Joe just like you'd root for your favorite sports team in a high-stakes game, but Megalo Box is not something that I'll think about years down the road.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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