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Mar 21, 2019
Real Score:8\10
What are dreams? Why do you need a precise goal in your life? Are you sure that the path you’re walking is really yours? Does innate talent exist? Does fear for the sudden changes of life stop you or motivate you?
These are not retorical questions, these are what this show is all about: The show is a tale of growth, of success, of failures and of self-acceptance, it’s able to mix everything life can throw at you in a beautiful cake made of comedy, happiness, hard work, tears and a bit of satisfaction, everything in order to give a satisfactory experience that, life itself,
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is full of high and lows, of extremely irritating moments and incredible ones, This is Kaleido Star
Kaleido Star is a 2003 original anime produced by Studio Gonzo and Production I.G., an original creation by Junichi Sato, who you might know from Aria, Amanchu! And Princess Tutu, directed by Daichi Akitarou, who directed the original Fruits Basket and Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku; and written by Reiko Yoshida, who worked on Aria(of course), D-Gray Man, K-On! And Tokyo Mew Mew. The series is composed by 51 episodes, 26 are part of the first season, simply called Kaleido Star, the last 25 are the second season or Kaleido Star:New Wings
Story 8
Even though this show is “technically” composed by 2 seasons, i will show the bigger picture and will present the entire story of the series overall, divided in 3 parts
-The first 26 episodes are a tale of “Acceptance” and “Growth”, it has kind of a generic Slice of Life\Shoujo start, with the cheerful main heroine who accidentally arrives late to her first show but, thanks to our dear friend Mr.Convenience, she miraculously gets a spot on the show and begins her new life with a rival, friends and two potential love interests while, at the same time, prepare for her future trials. This doesn’t sound that exciting or unique, do they? This is what the show does right, it presents familiar situations, but how the writers dealt with those situations is what made the entire experience unique and wholesome and, while i can admit that the first episode doesn’t build the show and its main heroine well, everything after that is a spectacle to behold: What i described previously as “tropes” and “stereotypes” are dealt with in a believable and normal way, our main heroine is not a natural talent but, at the same time, she’s not a complete and utter idiot who can’t even do her job correctly, she is a normal person with normal problems, just like me, just like you. The structure of the story continously changes and avoids being formulaic and repetitive through continue character development, story development and interesting shows, which not only advance the plot and the world, but serve as a metaphor for our characters’ journey and personalities. Every show, every plot detail, every piece of storytelling can be subtle at times, because the show takes its time and has quiet moments which take your heart and move you; every development comes together in episode 26, an episode that i will never forget. The writing of this first part is very good, every character has a clear motivation and a role to the entire story, no one is useless and the character arcs of our main protagonists, Naegino Sora and Layla Hamilton, have a wonderful mixture of amazing dialogue, light symbolism and impactful moments
-The final 25 episodes have a really rough start(notice a pattern here?), the first two are recaps and episodes 29 through 33 are so much different in tone and themes that they can put a lot of people off…until we understand that we have been “Accepted” and that we have “Grown” along with Sora, that tale is over, this part of the journey is one of “Completion” and “Realization”, because everything that happens now has a clear goal, just like life, Sora must realize that her journey has started now and that everything before the big event(ep.26) was just preparation. We have a slight problem here: the show introduces new characters that act very differently from the ones we were used to and the entire show gets darker, heavier and starts to have a pretty depressing tone, these things are fine and executed well, but i have a problem in the presentation, there is no natural continuation from the first part and everything feels so distant and unknown that we, the viewers, feel angry and irritated, because we feel that the show is slowly losing quality; the first 6 episodes, 2 of which are recaps, don’t do a good job of presenting the show’s new themes and direction but this is saved by the last 16 episodes, which are probably among the best of the show, culminating in a finale that is almost perfect, that closes every major arc and opens new possibilities for the future, while never feeling empty of unsatisfactory
-These two parts, while not blending together perfectly , are what make this show very good, it’s a bold series that it’s not afraid to take risks, there is a supernatural element that’s not only funny but gives context to the characters and the various parts of the story, and the quality of the writing makes up for it, even though the heavier change in tone is not executed well, but the story is incredibly solid, moving and has a great message, that it’s not forced on the viewer, but only presented as a part of various possibilities, which is splendid because it doesn’t force one singular message and it makes sense with the show’s themes. Sora’s journey to stardom is something happy,sad and touching, that is assured to leave a huge impact on the viewer
Characters 8.25
This is where the show shines: While the plot changes in tone and sometimes loses its focus, the characters remain the ones that we grow to love and appreciate, each and every one of them offers something to the story and each arc is completed, but no character feels useless or out of place, outside maybe of one(We’ll see later)
The Main duo is composed by Sora Naegino and Layla Hamiton, both of them start off as your “typical” cheerful protagonist and cold,distant rival who acts cool. During the entire story they evolve, they grow and they never feel like distant fictional characters. Their struggle is human and their problems feel genuine. Their dynamic is easily the best part of the show and provides some of the most emotional moments of Kaleido Star. Sora’s character in particular is the focus of the show(of course) and, while feeling energetic and giving a positive vibe to the viewers and everyone around her, learns that life is not easy and maybe her new job at Kaleido Stage is not that fun as she thought. Her character arc is the best executed and, despite some moments where the script tries to be darker and deep(in which the show shows its limitations), her joyful moments are the heart and soul of Kaleido Star. Layla might be the most interesting character in the show thanks to her personality, cold and passionate dialogue and very good personal background, which adds a lot to her story, her actions and her motivations: There is an entire OVA episode centered about her, i highly recommend it because it brings an entirely new point of view of her character. The supporting cast is lovable, relatable and has a perfect balance of drama and comedy, especially in the characters of Anna, who has one of the best personal episodes of the series, and Leon.
There is a black stain on this white dress though: May Wong, she is the main reason the second half of the series feels so heavy and insufferable. The show tries its best to motivate her actions and her behaviour but, for the only time in the entire series, it feels like a cheap way to “redeem” a character by introducing some events from the past that have affected her in a big way. For several episodes she ruins the entire flow of the narrative, this is a real shame, because when she is given light hearted material and when she is involved in less serious situations she is really good, almost funny, but she feels rushed, acts annoyingly and creates a conflict that is ultimately useless, in fact, during the last 12-13 episodes she is clearly written out of the story because she hasn’t got anything to offer to the plot, not that she was that important to begin with.
Animation 7.25
Sadly, the animation of the show is solid throughout: some episodes clearly don’t have as much budget as other ones but this is not my main problem with it, even though the frames are all modeled well, the backgrounds are detailed and the attention to details is really good, the show never makes that leap that it’s expected, especially in the biggest scenes. It’s not a problem to have a consistent design and consistent animation, but it’s sad to see the series never reaching its full potential because of these decisions. There are some great emotional moments here but the animation never steps up and never becomes something more than “good”
Direction makes up for it, Junichi Sato is well known for his directorial skills and this is a nice prelude to one of his biggest works:Aria. The choreography of the shows are extremely detailed and well-directed, this shows the big work put into researching trapezism and circuses. The way the direction amplifies the biggest moments of the show are probably the best things from a technical standpoint; the camera, the shots, the layouts improve the overall experience and serve as really solid character work. If only the animation were better and not just “solid”, some still frames and reused animation really hurt the series
Music 8
The music is a great mix of classical and modern tunes. It is strong, it is passionate, it is emotional, it is cool; it does a great job of selling an entire scene or moment and it’s perfectly used in the series, the songs and OSTs never feel out of place, in fact they seet the mood and tone for an entire “performance”. “The Battle Music”, “Ready for the Challenge”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “Solitary Tears” are the musical pieces that stand out the most. The openings and endings are in contrast with the majority of the music of the show: In the series you hear classic themes accompanied by violins, bases, trumpets etc., while the Ops and the EDs are modern songs, with some belonging to the Rap and J-Pop genre, this gives a very distinct feel and creates a cute parallelism. The soundtrack is not that varied and, despite having some amazing tracks, the excessive use of some of them kind of ruins their “uniqueness”, not a big problem, but one worth pointing out nevertheless, a bigger set of songs and variety would have helped a lot
Enjoyment 8.25 (This is the subjective-only part of the review, if you care you can read it, if not you can skip it )
Kaleido Star made me happy, made me sad, made me angry but, in the end, it made me feel complete. I’d describe the first half of the show as a joyful walk in a flowery field while the second one as bitter medicine: very sour and disgusting but necessary and, in the end, the exact thing that we needed. This show could have been the complete package if it didn’t have some glaring mistakes and some insecurities in the writing: I laughed a lot, i cheered for the characters, i felt invested but throughout the entire viewing i waited for a jump, i waited for that episode that would have brought this series maybe in my favorites list but, despite episodes 11-26-50-51 which i will never forget, the quality was very inconsistent. My favorite character, Rosetta Pastel, is probably one of my favorite female characters to date, her journey personally resonated with me and especially that she seeked perfection while, at the same time, knowing that perfection doesn’t exist, in fact i highly suggest the OVA entirely dedicated to her, very similar to the Layla’s one, even though it is a bit shorter, it has probably some of my favorite shots in Kaleido Star. This is something aimed to everyone and that can be enjoyed by everyone, even if you just want a light comedic series or if you seek a serious show that can give you some serious questions. This Balance is the biggest strength and biggest weakness of Kaleido Star: It shows how “all rounded” the script is but, on the other hand, its lack of focus might alienate the audience, the show tries to be for everyone but in doing that it creates some very abrupt shifts in tone that can frustrate viewers that have come the show for a very particular thing that’s not displayed anymore
This was Kaleido Star, it’s been hard for me to give it a specific place or a specific genre, i will say that it is a Shoujo\Slice of Life\Drama\”Sports” series( i know it’s pretty vague but please understand). This was a very particular and amusing experience, filled with unforgettable moments and great laughs, insufferable characters and tears. It touches something that it’s not well known or appreciated, trapeze artists and circus performers, makes them interesting ; it’s not an easy topic to develop but the production has done a really good job of making it believable. It’s a recommended series that is able to tackle various themes and aspects of life itself in a way that doesn’t feel forced or too dramatic, everything feels real and that’s probably what makes this show so good. Everyone feels relatable in some way and the viewer can easily find their “character”. Maybe how the show is balanced in every way, how it has a good combination of comedy and drama, character moments and story developments, is a reflection of life, which can be unexpected and infuriating at times but ultimately satisfying , in one way or another.
Might you fly under the sun with The Angel’s wings during your Legendary life,never lose your determination and,most importantly, May our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 8, 2017
Real Score:8/10
What's the favourite word that everyone that calls himself elitist uses?A word that describes his superior taste and that we've been enjoying anime in a wrong way, just because it's not his way of enjoying it? Underrated, many use this word in arguments when talking about anime with friends or with people, this word is enough to win any arguments and elevate someone's taste; however this has a really interesting meaning and if some people didn't stop at :"This show is underrated, go back to your popular stuff", it could have more importance and meaning. Sakurada Reset, adaption of the Novel written by Kouno
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Yutaka by David Productions, the most fabulous and stylish studio of them all, is Underappreciated for a particular reason, it utilizes a very specific technique that uses foreshadowing and slowly building up a climax through stories, character development and very small details:This technique can throw off some people and the slow pace at first mixed with the very long speeches can make people drop this Anime, for obvious and justifiable reasons, i'm here today not only to give my thoughts on it, but also to explain what to expect and how to watch this show, because if you narrow it down, it has one of the most well written stories and some of the most intriguing characters this year.
Story 8
The story is borderline simple, a boy, Asai Kei, and a girl, Haruki Misora, teaming up and solving problems for the small city of Sakurada, but it goes really deep. The presentation is slow but is essential for the character arc of Both our main leads and Souma Sumire, their closest friend, and introduces a concept that will be very important later: Every detail or form is explained through metaphor, folklore stories and very detailed explanations, but it is never fully seen, ultimately is the viewer's role to figure things out by himself, and this particular technique of writing is very bold and full of risks, but the author handles it correctly and expands on it
The pacing is nothing great, basic and with too obvious moments of "filler", even though every episode is important for the characters and the story
The speeches and very long lines of dialogue have a bit of that Monogatari Vibe, but they're not as good as those, and this is not a problem, because the dialogue in Sakurada Reset gives personality, gives a very smooth flow to the narrative and takes on vary interesting and amusing themes: like whether their powers are right or wrong, political and social themes and even an intriguing take on life
The foreshadowing and attention to detail is excellent, everything is important in this show and every slight hint concludes in an incredibile and amazing payoff
All of this combining in a climax devoid of action, but full of satisfaction, character accomplishments and a final showdown of ideals, life viewpoints, in order to really understand who's right, who'rs wrong or if this dispute was really necessary to begin with, and a finale that we, the viewers, have to fully decifrate
Too bad there are no JoJo's references, i'm disappointed, silly David Productions
Characters 8.25
This is hands down the best part in the show, even though not all of them are important, they all return for the climax, and each of them are a stepping stone, a way for our main characters to evolve and grow
The growth of our main leads is outstanding, their development feels real, their chemistry is cute and adorable and, most importantly, they grow with age
Asai Kei is intelligent, cunning and a bit cold, but during the story he learns what having powers really means, what life really means and the ultimate reason he was chosen to be a part of Sakurada, he's a really good lead and some of his ideals and dialogue are what makes us really think( remember this)
Haruki Misora is the most developed amongst all, she starts off cold, emotionless( but she has a fantastic reason for it) and Meow, but she grows as a person, she has some of the best interactions and banter in the show, she is the best example of an emotionless character done right and her relationship with Kei works so well that i actually felt good while watching them
But the symbol, the essence of the show is Souma Sumire, she is the very representation of the show's soul, she is a deep and complex character her character arc is the most beautiful one and central in the entire story, her entirety is amazing and the most well done in the entire runtime, she truly is a Muse that sings a melanchonic yet happy song, a depressing yet real song, an amusing yet bland song, like life itself, like Souma itself, like the show itself
Sound 7.5
I have to praise Yui Makino, WEAVER and THE ORAL CIGARETTES, they did an amazing job with the endings and opening for the anime, they fit the tone really well, they're catchy, the visuals are really astonishing and are essential to the show, i couldn't imagine them without Sakurada Reset
The problem lies in the soundtrack in the actual show, it's forgettable and, if not for a couple of moments, i wouldn't remember a motive or some notes
They do not fit particular scenes quite well and never have that emotional impact needed
Only in some scenes the sound directing really shines, and they do a really fine job, i only wish they could have done this in the other scenes too
Animation and Direction 7.5
The direction is handled really well, with really wide cuts and camera angles, and, speaking of the camera, it is always placed in the perfect position for every scene, creating a frame that acts as an integrant part of the whole narration, every single cut or camera spin has some meaning behind it
In the very few action scenes it focuses on showing the vital points of every character and where they may go next, not where they're going at the moment, very unique method
The animation is really well polished, some frames look incredibly well drawn and everything look fluid, the problem stands in the overall look and animation, it's kinda generic and bland at times, i get that sometimes this is the feeling the author wanted to give, but this is a problem that persists throughout.The character models are the most problematic, only one character stands out for her design, but the rest are very generic with very little to offer
Quick note for the characters' eyesm they are really pretty and have a lot of emotion inside them
Enjoyment 8.25
Some may think that i enjoy slow-paced shows that explain everything and that have really complex plots, and they could call me close-minded for this, but when wanting a good show with good writing and good characters is a sign of ignorance and of a "close mind"? If this means being close-minded then yes, i am. I really liked the study of the characters, each with their specific role in the narration and in the growth of the main leads, i appreciated the bold narrative moves of the author and how he told this story. The excellent foreshadowing was the icing on the cake, it's handled so correctly that it became a pleasure to see and actually rewarded the people who paid attention to what was going on
I loved how this actually challenged me, this anime wanted me to think and to deeply analize the characters and their dialogue, because no one is really wrong or right, and the line that separates them is very blur and subtle
This was Sakurada Reset, the Anime that i personally think is the best of Spring 2017 along with SNK II, Tsuki ga Kirei and Sakura Quest
It went down the radar because of his unique and very risky approach, i hope that you found this review helpful and that you understood why i like this anime, because only in facing different opinions and points of view someone can really grow as a person and understand something completely, facing his own opinions and evolving them thanks to different point of views; just like the message of the show, and i hope you will take this show and revaluate it, if you've seen it, or watch from the start to fully appreciate it, if you didn't
Thanks for reading this review, May Our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and, through the touch of our angel, Souma Sumire, you will know the splendid future that awaits you in the arms of our Lady, or, if you don't accept the gift, we'll just RESET everything
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 29, 2017
Real Score 6.75\10
Let's get this straight, Renai Boukun(Or Love Tyrant) is not a Death Note parody, it just takes the Death Note element but it's not trying to parody that show. Renai Boukun is a parody of the Harem genre: in a time where we had the Superhero\Shonen Parodies, Adventure\Fantasy Parodies and even Daily life parodies, we never actually had a fully developed parody of the Harem genre. Renai Boukun starts incredibly well, it takes some of the worst and best elements of the Harem genre and makes fun of them in a clever and funny way, the characters are walking parodies of typical Harem
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stereotypes: we have The Yandere, The Good guy everyone falls in love with, the Tsundere eccetera...
The biggest problem lies in the rundown of the show, in fact the more we good deep in the show, the more we approach the end, the more the show falls in the same Cliché abyss that it tries to make fun of, it never loses its identity but it loses a lot of steam and that entertainment shown in the first 3 episodes
Story 6.25
The story is simple and effective, and it should have stayed that way the entirety of the rundown, shows like these don't need a convoluted and serious story, however, during the end, the show makes the enormous mistake to take itself too seriously with a subplot that could have been easily avoided. The parody elements are quite funny, it takes a little bit of everything that we know or have seen and parodies them in a really fun way, just look at the Akane characters, she's a walking Yandere and Rias(HighScholl DxD) parody. Here everything is overly exaggerated and approached in a humorous and, i have to say, kind of unique way: it's nothing new, but some of the directions of the story are pretty unexpected in their exaggeration
Characters 6.5
The characters are, by far, the most entertaining part of the Anime, Aino Seiji is your typical stereotype of the genuine good guy that everyone fall in love with, but everyone that surrounds him is that damn good. Akane is your typical Yandere, but she's so exaggerated and she's put in so many incredible situations, all in order to show a different take of the Yandere character and, at the same way, parody the Yandere in general. Yuzu is your typical Tsundere, she's bipolar and could be annoying sometimes , but if you take her as a parody of all of the Tsunderes you know and, maybe, love, if you see her in a different light, you can actually see and get what the author tried to express trhough Yuzu, a good and charming parody of the Tsundere. Shikimi is the least developed and, to be honest, her character arc is nonexistant, she's just there for the sexy shots and for the sadist moments, not that good. But the best character also is the incarnation of the theme of the Anime: i'm talking about Guri, she is the quintessential essence of the parody part of this Anime, she's funny, charming, she doesn't care about the story, spits references every 5 minutes(some really funny) and acts like she wants the story to follow the patterns of the genre, while at the same time parodying them. Too bad that Guri suffers from the same problem of all the characters and the story itself, her character arc is wasted and it takes itself too seriously, taking all of her magic and charm away
Sound 7
The music perfectly gets the tone and, Satoshi Motoyama really did an incredible job capturing the themes and parody aspect of the show in his compositions. The Opening, done by Wake up Girls, also is perfect fpr the show, energetic, dynamic, exagerated and over the top. The soundtrack is energetic thourghout the entire show, never goes beyond that, and it has not the need to do it, the music's fine as it is
Animation and Direction 7
The drawings and the art are pretty cool, the white and trasparent lines add that little bit of exaggeration needed to the characters. The frames look good but some of the drawings, especially in the background, are lackluster. The direction is standard, it's good but it suffers some problems, especially in the "FanService" shots, which become tiring really fast. The animation is solid and the bright colours fit the parody element really well
Enjoyment 7.5
I had a lot of fun with this Anime, even though i didn't like the serious tone that the final episodes take. Comedy can be subjective, i know that, but the parody elements and, knowing the Harem genre, the way the show parodies them, makes fun of them and basically spits in some of the most famous tropes. Quick mention to some of the reactions and faces of the characters, they're really cool and pretty amazing at times, they have that Gintama vibe that's always appreciated. I laughed at some of the references, there are a lot of them, and a pretty fun time overall, i really enjoyed the jokes and parody element, and Guri was always entertaining, until the end of course
So this was Renai Boukun, a really fun show, a really interesting parody of Harem genre while, at the same time, being a funny take of some of the most common characters in Anime industry. It could have been a really fun satire\parody if it just didn't take itself too seriously at the end end if ti didn't add a characters who's just there for, i guess, sadistic purposes(I think). This, however, doesn't take that much away from what Renai Boukun really is: a nice, funny and amusing to spend your time, just turn your brain off for a little bit and enjoy this really fun ride that was "Renai Boukun". Thanks for reading this review, May our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and with the power of The Kiss Note, you will all fall in love with Our Sweet Lady, who will enlighten you with Her Dear Kiss
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 27, 2017
Real Score:5.5\10
ClockWork Planet, an adaptation of the Light Novel written by Kamiya Yuu, you might know him from the No Game No Life franchise. It has a wonderful setting, an interesting premise and a good overall design, but nothing more. The entire project falls flat and becomes generic, stale and not enjoyable at all at times. I don't like putting low scores, in fact i have given very few scores under 6, but all of the wasted opportunity and dull moments forced me to do it
Story 4
The Story, if it exists, is bad, really bad. The pacing is horrible and the 2 major story
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arcs fell rushed and dull. The "Main" Villain of the story is your typical generic and boring villain and i'm not joking if i say you can predict all of his lines even before he says them. The story itself has a really interesting premise, with a good world building( literally) and an amusing mistery about the shadowly figure of Y and his dools, Needless to say, this is all thrown out of the window pretty quickly, and the story starts in Medias Res, which is an automatic sin. The 2 Major story arcs are very weak from a tecnical and emotional standpoint, they start really slow and have a really fast and rushed climax, with lots of useless exposition and dumb character moments. But the 2 biggest problems lie in the tone of the Story-telling, at least that little of story telling present in the show, because the show doesn't even care about its story, it concentrates around frivolous moments and
it goes around unnecessary turns without ever coming to the point; the tone is never explained or showed, you don't know if you're supposed to take what's shown seriously or to laugh, it doesn't even care about this. The second biggest problem is the plot itself, it's predictable, extended too much in certain moments, and boring:you're supposed to feel something during the main parts of the story, but the execution is so poor that the only thing you actually fell is indifference, which is a common emotion throughout the entire show
Characters 5
I'll start on the positive notes: RyuZU is awesome, the best character hands down, from the witty and diabolical dialogue, to the literally verbal assaults that she does against some of the other characters, and her action scenes are the best, too bad that in the second part of the story she kind of disappears, she was my only joy. The others are dull, uninteresting and, to be honest, dumb: Naoto and Marie Bell Breguet are weak leads, they have no development whatsoever: Naoto begins as a pussy and weak character, ends the same way, while Marie Bell begins well, she becomes a crybaby pretty quickly and actually gets worse as the series progresses, she loses her personality, has unnecessary conflicts that lead nowhere. The side characters are forgettable and clichéd, they offer nothing to the story and are just there for the useless banter and for the forced humour, which is the biggest problem here: The humour is based about Fan Service and an horribile running gag, that of the Doll "Family", one time i laugh, the second time too, the third , the fourth and fifth time too, maybe, but from the sixth time onwards you present me with the same exact joke and you dedicate an entire episode to some of the most forced humour i've seen in a while, that tickles me and stops me from enjoying your show
Sound 7
The music is good, thumbs up for FripSide and After the Rain for doing a really good work with the soundtrack, the opening and the ending are really good songs, and the ending has some really cool visuals. On the other hand, the opening is a good song, but the visuals are horrible, anyone who worked on this should think about it more and work harder, because this is one of the worst openings, in terms of visuals, i've ever seen, it's even off-sync at times. The overall soundtrack of the show is quite solid, it blossoms in the action scenes, but nothing too remarkable. Quick tip:Listen to the ending, is really cool
Animation and Direction 6
Xebec Studios has done a really solid job with the animation, with polished faces and movements, some of the frames look really good, but the lack of detail in the character's models and polishness is rather disturbing, the feel generic and bland(almost like the characters themselves, quite ironic), some of the designs are kind of lackluster, especially when you think about the surprisingly good use of CGI and the cool design of the world. Nothing special about the direction, not too bad but not too good
Enjoyment 5.75
I started to enjoy myself at the beginning, the jokes were nice, the characters looked promising, RyuZU was awesome and i didn't know what the plot has in store for me. However, in the end, all my aspectations went to hell, the jokes started to get old, forced and unfunny, the characters never really had the growth that i expected and, because of all of this, at the big climax, i was indifferent, i din't simply care, the show never put effort into making me care: one good characters doesn't save the others, and a derailed, boring and uninteresing plot just made my enjoyment go down, a lot
I enjoyed RyuZU(Of course) and, at the start, the jokes were pretty funny, and i really liked the environment and the idea of Planet made entirely with Clock Gears
This was ClockWork Planet, a slight above average show, with forced humour, uninteresting characters, an horrible villain and a boring plot. The animation and the soundtrack are good, but alone they can't save the show. I believe if they reduced the humour, and focused more on the villain and actually going forward going with the plot, i would have been involved and invested right until the end. But this way is not a good one, and it has almost destroyed every excitement that i might have had for a possible second season, which this show sets up very poorly.Thanks for reading, May our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with all of you, and embrace her wisdom while being accompanied by our beautiful angel, from the Initial Y-Doll Series, RyuZU, who will punish every heathen that goes against our Lady
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jun 24, 2017
Real Score:7.25\10
Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records, one of the most popular Anime this season, does it deserve the popularity it gets? Yes...and no. It is a really nice and enjoyable show, with a good MC, a really nice satire on the usual tropes of the Magical High School genre and an amusing side and explanation of magic. But the same Clichès that the show makes fun of in the first episodes come back to bite the overall enjoyment and flowing of the story, some of the characters lose a lot of steam and, of freaking course, it doesn't end, making the entire season a
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bait for future adaptations and for the Light-Novel Series
Story 7.25
The story is surprisingly good, it builds the characters, the world and the villains really well, it has a great variety of situations and the characters actually develop throughout the story, and because of the story only, there are very few flashbacks, the story continues and unfolds not because of a mere FlashBack , the 101 method of all storywriters to develop the story, but because of the story itself, as it evolves the characters adapt to it and respond in many different ways. The short arcs, they're around 3-4 episodes long, may bother someone, i'm not a big fan too, but i found it quite enjoyable: maybe the reason is that the pacing is astonishingly good, is not slow, but not that fast either, is a weirdbalance that may throw someone off, but that captivated me. The problems reside in the overuse of the same old Clichés that we see all the time in the last 2 arcs, granted they aren't that bif of a problem, but after setting up a nice satire in the first 5-6 episodes, it's a shame seeing RokuDenashi fall in the same hole as the other Anime of this genre. The biggest problem is that the story ends too quickly, just when things started to get interesting, this is the same bait, the same method as every light novel adaptation out there, the ending does not exist to make the viewer feel good, or simply to applease it, it does not end with a good cliffhanger too, it just ends, like that, PUF!If you want to see more, read the freaking Novel you dumbass! Listen, i'm not against supporting the producers, we must support them if we want to have constant and quality content over the years, but there are better ways to do it, i should be incline to buy products because it genuinely intrigued me, because i want to know if this show differentiates itself from the Novel\Manga, because I decide to support it; this is forcing viewers to buy the Source Materials. Sorry for the little rant, it is not an attack to Rokudenashi, i enjoyed it and i will definitely read the Novel, i just wanted to say something about this horrible strategy that Publishing companies are using nowadays
Characters 7
The side characters are simple, yet effective, they all incarnate the same guidelines for High school characters, but you can actually get behind them and believe them sa a single class, unity, mainly because of the well-done Tournament Arc, that creates bonds between the class, something that should be done more in School Anime; however it's cut short and they never go any further than that. 2\3 of the main Trio is interesting, but nothing more: Rumia has the most interesting story and has a really nice character, not so naive as it seems, a lot more profound than you might think, but quickly becomes a damsel in distress that has to be always saved by our main character, what a pity. Sistine is, too, an interesting character on paper, and is not your typical Tsundere, but she never has that leap, that breakthrough needed for her personality, it may happen in S2, but here, it doesn't happen. Our main character, Glenn Radars, is hands down the best part of this show, he's got a really amazing and cool backstory, in fact i would 100% see and even support a prequel that follows the adventures of Glenn before going to the Alzano Magical High School Academy, they are build up incredibly well and add a lot to Glenn's character without flashbacks. He's a funny, charming, charismatic and secure protagonist, he's a breath of fresh hair, he's a reliable and secure guy, you can genuinely cheer him up and get behind him.
Sound 7.25
Suzuki Konomi is always awesome to hear and her songs fit the scenery pretty well, they are energetic and pump you up for the viewing. The music is good, never goes out of his way and never becomes something more. The music in the action scenes is well-done and gets its point, that is make them more comfortable and interesting
Animation and Direction 6.75
The art is good but nothing special, the character models are solid for the majority of the Anime, but some of the frames are rather clumsy and superficial, as are some of the textures and details in the backgrounds, who look bland and sloppy at times. The action scenes and the magic scenes are where the animation and direction really shine the colourful spells, the detailed runes and good choreography are really good. Too bad the direction is, well, normal, it doesn't stand out in no manner whatsoever but, at the same time, it's not bad, it's in the middle
Enjoyment 8
I really liked the entire Anime overall, the comedy is really well executed at times and Glenn's personality was just so entertaining. I liked all the Arcs, even though they were short, and i liked the way the story evolves with the characters. The character banter was really good and enjoyable, and i loved the different take on magic, a down to earth and bloody take on magic. I'm totally in for a second season and for a prequel for Glenn's story, a prequel that the character deserves.
I won't lie, this was a disappointment for me, after 6 episodes, i really thought that i would enjoy this a lot more, and maybe give a lot more than 7.25, it's a real shame that the same clichés that it makes fun of in a clever way, brings it way down. The way that it ends may be infuriating but, however, it kinda works, it builds curiosity and makes you wonder what might happen next. It's a nice, i would recommend it this season, for the amazing main character, the interesting take on Magic and interesting story, that doesn't get too tiring, i have high hopes for a future season 2 if they correct their mistakes. Thanks for reading this review, May Our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and don't wander in this Fool's World, and remember the face of our Sweet Lady
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 19, 2017
Real Score:6.5\10
Tsugumomo, an adaptation from the homonymous Manga, which got a discrete amount of success. A simple story seasoned with basic yet entertaining characters, some clever ideas and a fun variety of situations. No Breakout whatsoever, but a fun experience overall
Story 6\10
The Story is generic and it doesn't have anything interesting to offer, but it has some really clever ideas and good episodes, especially during the parts of the Malison Cleansiment, with interesting twists and ,just a little bit though, a serious tone and sense of resentment of the main character, who questions if he's really the good guy, but it's not explored enough though,
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and that's a colossal shame because it could have been an amusing mix of comedy and seriousness, even if the result may have been silly. The comedy is funny at times but the Ecchi kind of ruins everything:Ecchi, if used in a clever way or if dosed correctly is humorous, but here it's just too much, it feels forced, out of place and puts the overall tone of the story into childish territory, becoming almost a teenage guy wet dream(Maybe i exaggerated a bit) and damaging the characters that the show is trying to establish
Characters 6\10
The characters are bland and have little to no development, even though in some episodes are surprisingly well-written and with amusing lines and, well, character; this hurts the show even more, it could have been so much better if they stayed on that path, without trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator and if they tried taking some risks. The best part is hands down the banter, the interactions between characters, that on their own would have the same personality as my bedside table.When they're together, they're actually fun, hilarious and entartaining: the relationship between Kazuya and Kiriha, despite being a bit clichè, is fun and has the biggest progress of them all:on their own they're nothing, but together they feel like partners, they feel like friends;same for Kiriha and Kukuri, which are believable rivals\friends when they're together, but alone they seem like different characters.If only the show focused more on the individual, not even much, just 1 episode, even 2 at maximum
Sound 6.75
The Music is weird: the opening is catchy, fast, energetic and perfect for the Show,the OST are strangely flooded with a Naruto vibe, they're not bad, but they're repeated too much and they get tiring really fast, they're not the best pieces, but they're somewhat enjoyable nevertheless. The music shines in the action battles, this shows how they were made for action scenes, and those scenes alone. It's a ity they did not want to go any further, the soundtrack had potential
Animation and Direction 7.25
The Animation is pretty good, rocksolid for the most part of the anime. Some of the CGI used it's pretty remarkable and pretty, but, like the music, they could have done more with the expression of the characters, the lack of detail of some drawings, and,well, increase the value overall, not just being pretty and flashy in action scenes.The direction is solid, good cuts, good corners, the action is easy to see and recognize and some the frames are pretty amazing, especially during battles.
Enjoyment 7.25
Despite the Overflowing of the Ecchi, the bland characters and the basic story, i'm just a normal guy after all, and i enjoyed almost every episode, i found the comedy pretty good at times and a nice ride overall. For one episode a week, they've always been 20 minutes of mere rest and some laughs. I loved the characters interactions and the action was enjoyable
So this was Tsugumomo, nothing fancy, nothing too special, just a 12 episodes fun ride, with some sull moments, and other very good ones, some interesting ideas, some forceful comedy and questionable situations. See the recurrence?Tsugumomo is part good, part bad, it has some really clever topics, but they're overshadowed by childish comedy and a really poor character development. Despite all of this, i'm hopeful for a future second season, especially if the staff learns from their mistakes and take that amusing route that they've shown in some episodes. Thanks for reading this review, May Our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and let's hope for improvement, or Kiriha-san will probably punch our balls and eat all of our pudding(#SAVETHEPUDDING)
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 18, 2017
Real Score:7.5\10
After the great success of the Novel Quan Zhi Gao Shou(The King's Avatar), the Anime adaptation finally came in Spring 2017, i won't lie, i had my doubts, from the setting to its Chinese nature, but i was surprised and i think this is the best example of why Chinese Anime shouldn't be judged by their language alone, these works are Art and Legitimate Anime just like our everyday shows
Story 7.25
The Story is down to Earth, almost a realistic take on the Professional Game industry, and it keeps itself really basic, but basic doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable, and it is a love
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letter for all MMO fans and everyone that ever played at a competitive level, and at the same time can be enjoyed by people who never played an MMO in their life. The problem lies with the number of episodes of the Show, in fact in 12 episodes we have what's basically an introduction to the real story, a prequel to the real Quan Zhi Gao Shou, and this is the show's biggest problem:it has a lot of potential and clever ideas in it, but this first season is an introduction, nothing less, nothing more
Characters 7
The Characters suffer the same problem of the story, the have good potential and they're not your typical stereotype of Anime gamers, they all have a realistic trait or mark that make them feel way more human and relatable:From the noobie that just started playing to that annoying friend that's always here for you, but just never shuts the hell up;Despite all of this, they are just shells of something more, they're not explored enough and their development lacks or its equal to zero. The main character, Ye Qiu, is a good lead,well written, he has 10 years of experience and is basically a walking Encyclopedia: he's funny, charismatic and, most importantly, you can actually believe he's good at games, you can believe he's a natural leader and you'll find yourself rooting for him in no time in his quest to take back his former Glory(Ironically that's the title of the Game too). Something really done well is the relationship between Ye Qiu and his friends, there's a love interest yes, but there are no signs of a Harem, instead the bond between this group is just like a group of friends all trying to reach the same goal, and the relationship between Males and Females is almost like a Brother\Sister one
Sound 7.75
The music is great, if you can get over the Chinese language, which is perfectly fine, you'll appreciate the beauty of some tracks, especially during the action scenes. The Opening and The Ending are good, but nothing remarkable, they do what they have to do and get you pumped for a new episode and a little bit Melancholy at the End
Animation and Direction 8
The Art is great, and i never expected to actually like a combination of well-drawn scenery and CGI, it looks bland at times but most of the times it looks surprisingly astonishing. The character's models are extremely detailed and well-done and some of the landscapes, in game, are absolutely awesome, and some of the bosses designs are pretty cool, a lot of references have been made. The problems are in the direction of the action scenes, the normal scenes are quite good, with thoughtful cuts and positions of the camera, but the action scenes, despite being well-animated, look clumsy and shaky at times, it gets better at the end but, especially in the early battles, is mediocre at best
Enjoyment 8
As a big video game fan and a player in MMOs, i loved this Anime, from the settings, to the game mechanics and the party gathering. I believe that i would have enjoyed this the same way even if i never touched a console in my life, the characters are relatable, the game seems genuinely fun and the story, notwithstanding being nothing original, was captivating and even funny at times, especially with the character banter. The mood-killer was the fact that this season is nothing else than a container for future occurences, and the fact that the main protagonist is loved by everyone could annoy some people, it's not that bad, but it can be a little bit forced at times
In the end, Quan Zhi Gao Shou(The King's Avatar) is a really nice experiment, and a bait for further improvements, there is great potential here, if it's done well, if the pacing continues to be done this way, and if the characters get the development they need, this could be the greatest Video Game inspired Anime i've ever seen; for now, though, it stands as a good show and a nice take on the genre, but nothing else, we'll see in the future what GLORY awaits us, if it's a perpetual GLORY, or an ephemeral one. Thanks for reading this review, May our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and be proud, GLORY awaits us!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 17, 2017
Real Score:8\10
Shingeki no Kyojin finally returns to our TV Screens after 4 years from the last episode, and it returns in spectacular fashion, improving in almost every way possible from the last season, from the tone to the Balance between Action and Dialogue\Story
Story 7.5
The Story is approached in a more serious way, becoming almost an horror mistery, with the mistery obviously being the Titans. It reaches a good balance between Action, Exposition and Character development;this balance isn't perfect though, due to a great number of flashbacks that kill the rhytm of the story sometimes. The continuing increase of the "Titan's secret" and the possibility that
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a secret organization amongst humans could be the responsible for all of this sets the premise for a further evolution of what started as a really basic story of survival and fights. The Slower pace that upsetted a lot of fans was what the series needed, an insane rollercoaster of emotions and twists isn't bad, but if repeated could seriously hurt the entire series on the long run
Characters 7
Another step towards the good way that the season took is in how the characters were handled. They have a lot more time to develop and we have a lot more time to get attached to them, the flashbacks, though annoying at times, serve to reveal parts of the characters that we didn't know and that could make them interesting: A prime example of it is the Ymir and Christa situation, which had a really unexpected turn and actually made me care about both of the characters, which i never cared about
But it's not flawless, cheap dialogue, dumb moments and not-so-well written characters with almost no growth remain(I'm looking at you Armin), and the Main Trio continues to be uninteresting, there needs to be a turning point somewhere in the future, if not, having a Boring Main Trio could make everyone lose interest in the series
Sound 9
Aot(or SNK) continues to have one of the best, if not the best soundtrack, of recent years, every beat is spot on, it has a really good variety throughout the entire Show and the OST are amongst the most entertaining and catchy of recent years
The new opening is fantastic, as usual, it doesn't matter if it's better than the other 2, just enjoy the fact that we, in 37 episodes, had 3 amazing openings that we'll remember for a long time
Animation and Direction 8.75
Studio WIT really knows how to handle frames and animation constantly and in the best ways possible. Maybe the best part is not the improved frames, designs or looks, but the fact that there's no drastic change from the previous Season, it looks like a direct sequel to the first one.Some Drawings in some of the frames look a bit chunky and some "moments" are clearly with no substance whatsoever, but the direction stands out in almost every moment, every cut has intense emotion, strong meaning and the Light\Dark contrast adds so much to every scene
Enjoyment 8.5
I enjoyed this far more than i expected, not because i like slow-paced shows, but because i simply enjoy character growth, development and a story well-told and well-written, shame that the characters annoyed me at times and some of the flashbacks really killed the mood sometimes.I didn't mind the fights either, i'm a big fan of well-thought action scenes, and some of them are almost perfect from a tecnical and practical standpoint. I enojoyed the growth of specific characters (Ymir and Christa in particular) and the thrilling mistery overflowing around the Titans was captivating and i can't wait to know more.Special mention to the Titans finally being finally terrifying again, and with the Beast Titan being the big bad Titan we all wanted
In the end, Attack on Titan Season 2 is an improvement in almost every aspect, and a good turning point for a franchise that was starting to become stale and repetitive, the horror\mistery route has really helped and there's a really good chance for further improvement, i believe that this may be a solid stard for an ulterior improvement in the Aot(or SNK) Franchise and i'm hopeful for any future work
Thanks for reading this review, May our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and have a nice SASAGEYO day everyone
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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