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Sep 8, 2016
I don't normally find myself writing a review for an anime unless it blows me away or disappoints me. Unfortunately, Soul Eater was the latter. Don't misunderstand me, this is not a terrible anime. What it does right, it does RIGHT. However, I want to still say this clearly:
Soul Eater disappointed me to no end.
The art and the fights are unique and worth watching. The setting is a fresh twist on your normal high school background. The characters, they're all very unique in personality, quirks, and weaponry. These things are done well. Really well. They deserve all the credit they can get.
The flaws, however, really
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do shine. And I really don't know where to start.
The characters, for all the uniqueness, are not all that developed. The main three (and their partners) are developed, but even they don't get too much character development. Meanwhile, any side character involved is pretty much introduced and completely forgotten about. That might seem to be an exaggeration, but there are so many highlighted side characters in this show that get ZERO background. They're just introduced at random and you're supposed to act as if you've known them from the beginning. Then, there are characters that have no real purpose even being in the anime (looking at you, Blair). They kinda just waste time. One kinda wastes whole episodes.
The story is shallow. Very shallow. The show tries to emulate FMA Brotherhood a bit by setting up this overall evil plan, but it's no real mystique to it at all. They're constantly explaining everything aloud. The main villain is almost completely without substance as they barely speak.
There's a lot of things that aren't expanded on at all, leaving a lot of loose threads in the end.
And speaking of the end, it's just not remotely satisfying at all. The build-up to it was something that absolutely could not deliver no matter how hard they tried. A decent amount of it is cliche, another decent amount is contrived. It's generally forced.
The most disappointing thing about the show for me is Soul himself, the titular character. He's the blandest character in the show. This is opinion, but I honestly can't tell you one particular thing about him. Like, he had some sort of big boob fetish for the first two or three episodes, but after that, he's just a character in the background of everything going on. They don't really explore his past in any way and he's not really involved in those slice-of-life moments that they have. It's especially weird because he has a unique character design and he is the one the show is named after. However, if they didn't make a note to name the show after him, I legitimately wouldn't ever think he was a major character.
All in all, Soul Eater is too prideful. It takes so much pride in everything that it refuses to change. I mean that. When it's supposed to be dark, they'll stick to their goofiness. When things are supposed to be grave, everyone is taking it lightly. There feels like there are no stakes because the anime is trying extra hard to make it feel that way and I honestly can't understand why.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 31, 2014
No Game No Life . . .
The title says it all.
The series is one that suffers only from being so short. Things haven't quite played out at the end and it leaves you with the bad taste of waiting.
However, the series delivers in all forms without utilizing some of the elements that some greats like Steins;Gate, Madoka or Death Note used.
In short, it immediately takes away the sense of urgency.
This isn't to say that there is no urgency in the series, there is. However, the story immediately takes away the idea that people will die or be mortally wounded. In the process, it
...
took a major risk, one that I'm sure Sora and Shiro would be proud of. It took away the thought that things would be intense. Two random gamers, dropped into a world they know nothing about, made to play games for stakes.
In essence, No Game No Life bets on the chance that you'll continue, even after knowing that they've taken away that sense of urgency.
To make up for losing that sense, it brings two unique characters. They're a brother-sister combo who, get this . . . AREN'T incestuous. I'll say that again. They are not incestuous. There are two reasons why, but they actually make a great combo without any of that weird and awkward romantic vibe going around. Speaking of romantic vibe, this is a series that would/could be categorized as harem, but you'd never really know for sure. Hell, you might not even consider it harem once you know the characters.
Those siblings are very unique. They ooze personality in this series and neither of them can play the role of a prototypical MC in a shounen. They can make the series alone.
The art is stunning. Enough said.
The sound rating for me is more opinion than anything else. Since this also acts a bit as a parody comedy at times, it goes without saying that a lot of their sounds come from other anime/games.
All in all, I can't help but enjoy this anime. Even after it takes away the feeling that those two can lose it all, it still remains unpredictable. The amount of thinking to be done is surprising considering its look. The logic of the world they're in doesn't appear to have any holes yet and they've done a good job explaining everything that need be explained.
Worth a watch, at the least.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 5, 2013
Where do I start?
Perhaps I'll start with the good. IS is a story about the luckiest boy in the world. It's a guy, Ichika, who lands in a school of mecha-wielding girls who have raging hormones. It has it's funny times and the action isn't half bad. Plus, a few characters can provide a really good laugh in awkward situations.
That's about all I could say though.
Infinite Stratos wasn't the right name for this series. There were two better that I was thinking of:
Infinite Tsundere
Infinite Fanservice
...
Allow me to go into detail.
Infinite Tsundere:
Every supporting girl's personality takes a dip in all parts of tsundere personality. One girl even goes from Tsuntsun to deredere in the span of two episodes. One goes the opposite direction in the same span. However, no one diverges from it. It's just a bunch of tsunderes piloting mechas and competing with each other for the love of a guy so clueless that he makes Kamijou Touma look like a genius.
And I do mean clueless. Everyone else can immediately note what's going on except him. I'm usually not one to mind the clueless main character role. At times, you could call me a fan of it actually. Ichika pushes boundaries though. Especially considering how every girl goes out of their way to accommodate him. But I'll get to that later.
Infinite Fanservice:
The fanservice essentially serves as the plot. If you want to see some compelling story, you won't. I mean that. There's not a moment where you can pick up on a plot until the very last episode.
But there's plenty of shower scenes that border on the erotic while thinking about the main character. There's also plenty of boob-grabbing, boob-rubbing, partial nudity, "accidental" nudity, body-on-body and just all-around general flirting. Remember, this is a guy that has been thrust into an all-girl school. The girls all act like they've never seen a boy before. I mean, almost every single one. Heck, even a teacher. I'm fairly surprised that he hasn't been violated while he slept. Oh wait . . .
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But in the end, the problem with this series doesn't lie with the lack of plot, abundance of fanservice or the tsundere club.
It lies with the main character.
The world is centered around him.
No really. This guy, through pure luck, lands into an all-girl school, immediately making him popular. He lucks out to grab the class with his sister, a renown pilot, teaching it, thus making him even more popular. He sees a friend who he hasn't seen in 6 years and she remembers everything about him and becomes the first member of his harem by default. He gets his own personal IS for "data" purposes and somehow, despite being weaker than everyone, he's constantly the key to winning.
Then there's the fact that every single girl he knows is in love with him in some way. Of course, that's how harems work. But with Ichika, you just won't get it. He does nothing of importance or style to earn the harem. It just kinda . . . happens. And that alone is what drives the series. Girls are unreasonably drawn to him. That's your plot.
Oh and danger is drawn to him as well. Though, there's a reason for that. To be honest, it's a bit underwhelming, though.
Oh and the characters don't have a set personality or power level at all through this series. They will flip so hard, you forget who they are.
The series has too much convenience and not enough plot to be considered something close to a masterpiece. But it is still good fun for the most part.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 4, 2013
I'll try my best to justify this rating without spoiling the show.
If you're viewing reviews for the second season of Phi Brain, chances are that you've seen the first season. So, you know what it's all about.
Puzzles.
Yes, there is a lot of puzzle-related stuff going on in the series and, to a degree, it's like Yu-Gi-Oh when it comes to puzzles.
Season One stands to reinforce that statement
...
However, while the 2nd Season could stand to do the same, it also negates it.
The second season IS better than the first. Heck, the main antagonist is even a better villain than Rook was. Kaito is seriously challenged in this season and there are quite a few moments in the show that I would define as epic and just straight badass.
There's also better character development in the Second Season as well. A lot of characters are given more backstory. And the backstories aren't too bad.
The damning quality of this entire season is simply that it's about puzzles. Take away the puzzles and the story is actually capable of being ten-worthy. After all, Phi Brain in general was a story about people trying to become God. Though, the puzzles themselves aren't too bad either, it's just hard to believe a bunch of teens being so interested in solving puzzles for fun. Harder to believe that people would just set up a bunch of death puzzles.
Still, it's a great series. And, from time to time, I have a little fun trying to solve puzzles too. At the least, if you've watched the first season and liked it, I suggest you try this one. If you watched the first season and disliked it, I suggest that you try this one. It's a redeemer by some stretches.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 27, 2013
To start my review, let me say that I don't necessarily hate Arcana Famiglia.
I simply hate the payoff I got for watching it. Which was absolutely nothing.
The entire series looks as if it is building for this tournament that has been set to decide who will be the new leader of the Family and marries the boss' daughter.
In the first episode, you get some immediate development in the relationship between father and daughter plus daughter and coworkers. To add, there are some pretty nice powers being used and an awesome mysterious character with an awesome name looming in the background (Jolly). So, when the series
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starts, you know where some people stand and how things are going to go.
The only thing is, it never goes there.
Arcana Famiglia gives you the build for this tournament that's soon to take place. Every episode is wasted on character development and character interaction. You see everyone's past and you even find the origin of the family. For a build-up, this is great, it helps strengthen character connection so that you root for a particular character to win when the fighting starts.
The fighting doesn't start. Ever.
Watching the entire series would be worth it if it led to some awesome battle royal conclusion. It would even be awesome if a bunch of pirates just came and ruined said battle royal. Neither happens. All of the action is skipped and the powers aren't expanded on any further than episode one. They're explained, but they aren't expanded on.
Another thing, this has to be the only series I've seen where I think character development was a bad thing. The characters lose any finesse that they had when their lives are explored. The only exception was Jolly, who barely got any screentime in most of this series. And he didn't even participate in any real fighting. However, I can tell you exactly what his past is like and why he's so cold. That's absurd and just plain ridiculous.
The anime takes so much time in explaining every single character and having them fight their demons that we don't even see what their demons really are. They never come across any serious conflict and the only climax to look forward to is the tournament that's supposed to be the motherload of all battles.
The battling is non-existent. Chances are I said that earlier in the review, but I must emphasize how bad it was. For one, it was minimum. There was no intricate fighting nor any type of personalized moves. The tournament that the series builds up to becomes absolutely pointless with every new episode. The winner was even pointless and so was their "resolve" once they won. You really feel like a major butt for even watching the entire series for a climax that could've been the length of an average youtube video.
And to make matters worst, it doesn't try to cover its flaws. Maybe a little fanservice or some nice cop-out scenes. Nope, not once. It burrows a reverse harem shtick that it can't even fully deliver on. You don't feel like these guys (with the exception of two) are all that into her.
There were no antagonists. There was minimum fighting. The romance barely showed and was ended on the weakest of terms. The characters don't live up to their reputations. The story blows major chunks.
The climax . . . faking it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Feb 27, 2013
K can be a dread to describe for some anime fans.
Some will describe it as a droll series which takes forever to pick up. Others will describe it as an artistic masterpiece that constantly builds suspense.
However, I've noticed that most won't describe it for what it really is: intricate. In fact, I noticed that the story tends to fly over some people because of that intricacy. What starts off as a "whodunit" story takes off as a suspenseful action drama. The twists and turns are pretty nice and even shocking.
K contains a well-written story. In the beginning, it strings you along with random events, seemingly
...
pointless. As things progress, the series even stops the fast-paced storyline to explain any plotholes they might have in the future.
The rest of the series is hit after hit. The story picks up pace at a proper level and the characters start to show their true colors. You even fall in love with a character that wasn't even introduced into the story.
To add to the story, the art is absolutely stunning. It's a spectacle when action hits. At times, you even see the foggy breathe of an exhale and it even looks good. Even if you don't agree with the story being good, the art could be enough to make you a regular viewer.
The OST is just another spectacle. The series features a lot of original songs that are just seamless in sound. They don't come off as wrong and I've even found myself listening to the songs out-of-context plenty of times. To add, the final song of the series will just crush your heart.
The characters start off as mysterious. As the series goes on, you change your view of a lot of them. However, something that people can't deny is the balance of personalities. The teams and the people in them are organized almost perfectly. There's also the inability to call any of the major characters plain or one-dimensional.
Overall, the enjoyment of this series is strictly subjective. For some, it's a beauty to behold. For others, it's a sweet-sounding symphony. For few, like myself, they story is something not seen in a while. It is crafted beautifully. It's not perfect by some standards, but I can't find anything wrong with the flow of the story myself. To add, I couldn't spot any plotholes and if there were any, they weren't strong enough to detract me from watching the series.
It's worth a watch. It's definitely worth a watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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