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Feb 21, 2022
[THIS REVIEW CONTAINS NO SPOILERS]
**THIS SERVES AS A REVIEW OF SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST THIS SEASON**
OK, so I can’t be bothered to write a full review on this, but I can pretty much sum up the technicalities as follows:
This series’ merits do not come from technical prowess I would say.
To start, I will say the graphics are fine and the soundtrack is just about OK.
The story, it is good, but I sometimes feel like it’s a bit drawn out and you can tell they’re just trying to get everything out of it, and to me it gets a bit repetitive.
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Y’know, at the end of the day, regardless of what Soma says, you can have too many Shokugekis (and that goes for the judges over the top reactions as well. In the right dosage, they are brilliant, but the whole strip party thing happens too much in my opinion, and as a result, I feel its impact lesson over time).
Put it like this: did they really need 5 seasons of content?
Nah, not really.
To put this into context, this is what I wrote as I was part way through the Fourth Plate:
“You see, the problem is, it’s not really moving forward any more. Well technically it is, but you can only have so many Shokugekis before it feels like you’ve seen them all. It’s when you get to the fourth plate you start going for fuck sake give me something new! The fan service, the exaggerated expressions, it all just starts to lack power and feel a bit old. It’s also dragging out, like the series will betray something, whether that be a Shokugeki or a person as the be all end all, but then something will come along and make that look like nothing, and that’s ok at first, but now it just makes everything at the start seem a bit distant and irrelevant.”
I find this interesting to read now I have completed the series, because I feel different about it. I suppose what I can gather from this is this recommendation:
SPACE IT OUT!
Once you have finished a season, give it two or three weeks, then come back to it and watch the next one, otherwise you’ll feel the same as I did.
On to the characters, one thing I will say is that they are great, varied and certainly interesting. Though I sometimes find it hard to justify the total support of Soma. Some of the other characters have come from some pretty darn hard backgrounds, and as I see it, are just as fit to win as the protagonist himself. But I guess that criticism can be applied to many series’, not just Shokugeki no Soma, so I won’t throw much weight behind it.
Also about the characters, there are just so bloody many of them! Whilst all the characters are very good, the sheer number of them means that I feel stuff gets thrown in then left out further in the series. There are plenty of times where I wanted a character to develop, or, dare I say, a somewhat relationship to be built, but almost always, any chance of either of those things was brushed aside and instead replaced with a new character, or even, heck, an organization.
This goes for villains too. It seems in Food Wars, as soon as a villain has been defeated, they are just good now, and fully support our protagonists. So sworn enemies from seasons past will just crop up and be extremely helpful, and that’s OK for a bit, but it happens A LOT, and I feel it tarnishes the villainous side of this series.
Then again, the flip side of that is at the end of the day, you can’t really hate anyone! You end up just feeling pretty good about the whole thing!
So that’s a brief sum up of the technicalities, basically sometimes it is super engaging and great, other times it gets repetitive and drags.
But as I say, I feel different about it now. I left a good 4 months between the Fourth Plate and the Fifth and I certainly came into it better. Hence, now I’ve finished it, I’m in much better spirits about the series as a whole; closer to what I felt about it when I first started watching it.
So with that in mind, I can tell you this.
This series isn’t about technical intricacies. I tell you, it’s just fun man! Watching it can straight up put a smile on your face! There is nothing else quite like it, with its rather unique blend of ecchi and food, a rather odd combination if I do say so myself.
I don’t take back the fact it is far from perfect technically, and I wouldn’t say it is a spectacular series as a whole, rather just “very good,” but at the end of the day, I enjoyed it, and what more do you want?
Would I recommend it?
Yeah! You don’t need to be into food or anything to enjoy this series. The whole ecchi and food thing I feel takes a little getting used to, but as a whole, space this series out, give it time, and just have fun watching it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 28, 2021
[Don’t want spoilers? I got you covered dude! THERE ARE NO SPOILERS!]
Now, I say. Don’t be tempted to commit to international fraud after watching this…
Anyway, as per usual, I’ll start with the story.
Now I should say, this series is split into 5 to 9 episode groups. All are very good, though “Wizard of the Far East” can become a little wayward, at times, but I guess that is sort of the point. Because half the time you’re as confused as the ones being conned, it forces you to be engaged with the story and keeps you entertained. Though sometimes you can get a bit lost
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and have no idea what the fuck is going on, but then again, that’s really just me not reading the subtitles fast enough (but then that’s better than listening to some Americans with proper thick accents butcher the whole thing in the dub). One great thing is that they all offer something a bit different, and to be honest, don’t seem as childish as one may think. It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into getting the stories right, which is good to see. But yeah, they travel around a lot and do some cool shit, and, well, all the ‘groups’ are rather different, and the fact they are so short means you can simply enjoy them far more!
The graphics, one must point out, in this series, are, err, abstract. Though in a good way. I am not entirely sure how to describe it, but it’s just very colourful. I don’t know why it works, but it really does. I guess is it was all grey and monotone, it would give a more dull and somewhat sinister vibe to the whole thing, but the colour just adds the fun that is necessary. It really helps present the whole notion of international fraud as a bit of fun, a laugh as it were, which really helps bring another dimension to the series and the whole notion of international fraud (don’t get any ideas).
You also have the character design, which is a little different. They are far more angular in there appearances, which may come across initially as unimportant, but it really does have the effect of giving these characters an edge, I mean after all, they are major criminals, so they need a bit of that natural cartoon cuteness taken away from them. As a result, they seem far more realistic (seriously though) and apt for the atmosphere.
So the soundtrack. OK. Well this is where I have some mixed feelings.
The opening track I have to say I like, and it goes well when they use it in scenes as well. Bettering this though, I mean, you can’t complain; Freddie Mercury concluding each episode with “The Great Pretender.” Dude, I doesn’t get much better than that.
But…
The rest of the soundtrack is shit!
It’s all just really naff and properly cheesy. Like you’ll have a flashback scene or something, and it’ll just have this God awful song over the top of it. And the worst bit is that they are all in English, so when I hear the lyrics, it makes me want to stick a screwdriver in my head.
And if it’s not this naff crap, it’s some shit gangster rap, which you could argue works for the nature of this series, but I don’t care. I fucking hate it.
So, as I said before, I have mixed feelings for the soundtrack, but, I’m sorry Freddie, your singing just can’t pull back the rest of the crap soundtrack.
Now; the characters were really a strongpoint for this series. Touching on graphics again, I’ve already talked about character design, but the more colourful and fun graphic style rubs off onto the characters too. Because it’s more fun and all, the characters become somewhat more relatable. I’ll explain. If the vibe was dark, the characters would seem distant to your average dudes like you or I (or who I expect you to be, for all I know you’re in a mentalist), but because they’re presented in a more fun way, you could in some ways compare it to just pissing around with your mates, just on a much larger scale. That concept may sound a bit odd at first, but if you think about it, it makes sense.
Another thing that’s great are the character arcs. All the way through the series, the characters vary their personality, and it’s actually good as well. You grow to really like the characters and understand who they are on a deeper level. For a series like this, I feel that’s really important, because as I have iterate before, it is easy to see the characters as distant due to their rather niche ‘profession.’
So, enjoyment? I certainly did enjoyed it, but, I wouldn’t say that it’s a series that has deeply resounded with me at any point. I liked it, a lot even, and I don’t doubt for a second that it is a very good series that is (for the most part) very well executed; but for me, it’s merits came from execution rather than sheer enjoyment.
But just to reiterate as to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea, I did enjoy it, just more as a series to have a bit if fun with on the side, rather than deeply immerse myself with.
And so, will you enjoy it?
Ha, that’s easier than usual! Yes, I don’t see why not. It’s not niche in any way, so pretty much anybody can enjoy it, perhaps even people who don’t normally watch anime.
It’s well executed, it’s a bit quirky at times, bags of character, not a lot to hate really (except for some of the soundtrack).
So yeah, watch it. Knock yourself out.
7.8
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 29, 2021
[While you are reading this, you may begin to think at certain points "Damn, they're gonna spoil it for me!" No, I'm not. THERE ARE NO SPOILERS.]
So, Season II of BEASTARS, what could possibly go wrong?
Before I start though, this is not a full review, I have already done a rather detailed review of season I, so I will be skipping out graphics since there is virtually no change, and cutting down on the fields characters and soundtrack. If you want to fill in the gaps I highly recommend you check out my previous BEASTARS review, as that’s sure going to help you get through
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this one.
OK, back right in…
So, as usual, I’ll start with the story. Though, where to start? Well, it starts off pretty chill, with a similar vibe to the previous series, and that weird snake, but as a whole, it’s what I was expecting. Actually, the Louis front is a bit out of the blue; it sort of feels like they were just trying to make a story from not a lot and it just seems very out of place when you consider where this dude was at the start of season I. But hey, that’s nothing compared to the end stuff. Now talking about that, what the fuck is going on?! Insects?! I mean I thought the last episodes of season I were getting dramatic, but this really is something else. That sort of (relative) believable and delicate story of season I has morphed into this dark, unnerving, and even sometimes depressing narrative. Putting it into music, because I like that sort of stuff, season I is like, well, ALI’s ‘Wild Side’. Season II is like Slayer’s ‘Raining Blood’ with overtones of YOASOBI’s ‘Yasashii Suisei’. Yeah, I mean that makes no sense, but that is how I feel about this series. There is always just an uncomfortable, underlying sense of darkness which seems to kill any comedy or quirkiness this series has to offer. I guess that’s why people like it more than season I though; whilst season I you almost have to have the mindset of a furry (not the controversial bit) to fully appreciate it, this series is far similar to your more typical anime series, even down to the intro.
I’d say the best way to describe pretty much every aspect of this season, is ‘dark’; really bloody dark. Relating that to the story, that’s all well and good y’know, who doesn’t love a good dark anime; but you’ve got to remember, we’re going up against season I here, a series with great variation and depth. To be fair, it starts off similar to season I, allowing you to settle down a bit. Though, even here, I don’t think it is perfect. Unfortunately, - many characters – which were key to balancing out the negativity in season I kind of get side-lined, slowly developing a very one sided and 2 dimensional feeling atmosphere to the start of this season. I wouldn’t say that this is too pronounced when you start watching it, but the more the tension builds and the more the drama becomes more ridiculous, it becomes more evident and you feel the need for these characters more and more. As I said, once this season gets going, it just has this extreme, underlying darkness that just destroys any comedy or quirkiness that it may offer (not that it has that much anyway). In some ways you could even say it’s rather uncomfortable and unnerving. So to put it simply, this season lacks depth. Now yes, a shitload of stuff happens in its jam-packed storyline, but it’s all just – dark. Season I, had darkness and plenty of it, but there was comedy, I guess a love story, and, well, stuff that could only happen with furry characters. Variety man! This season just leaves you with a rather bitter thought in your head at the end of each episode.
Anyway, I should probably talk about it in more detail.
I can give you a positive, as I mentioned before, it really is ‘jam-packed’ full of content, not allowing a single second to be wasted. Each episode will keep you right on the edge of your seat, pretty much constantly, but I guess with the nature of this series, that could also be seen as a negative, contributing to the lack of depth, complexity and variety.
Err, OK. So now, what’s going on with Louis? With him, it sort of feels like they were just trying to make a story from not a lot and it just seems very out of place when you consider where this dude was at the start of season I. But hey, that’s nothing compared to the end stuff. Now talking about that, what the fuck is going on?! Insects?! I mean I thought the last episodes of season I were getting dramatic, but this really is something else. That sort of (relative) believable and delicate story of season I has morphed into this dark, over-dramatic, and even sometimes depressing narrative.
And the ending’s shit, but I don’t want to spoil that…
Lightening the mood a little…
Soundtrack? Aww man, they’ve done it again! Good job Satoru Kōsaki! Not gonna lie I can’t get enough of it, as with the last season. I particularly like “I’m Six Eyes”. But other than that, not much has changed in quality from the last season, so I’ll let you read my previous review on that. What I do have something to say about though are the intro/outro tracks - well more the intro but whatever.
I haven’t really got that much to say about the outro as I said, it’s nothing special but that doesn’t bother me that much. Though, the intro is rather underwhelming. Actually, it’s not, it’s quite good, and really I shouldn’t care that much, but when you going up against ‘Wild Side’ and some epic stop motion, you’ve got to do something pretty special. And they didn’t. Hardly surprising but I think it is a good demonstration of the difference in approaches taken between season I and II, I pushing boundaries and trying something completely original (but not necessarily to everyone’s taste), season II playing it safe with a common formula. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good intro, but I’ve seen its kind countless times before, and with a series like BEASTARS, you’ve got to have a bit of quirkiness to even make the furry characters worth it.
Anyway, not much new to say about characters, but once again, I reckon they got balance and so forth pretty spot on. The snake janitor is a little weird, I mean, I know it’s an anthropomorphic world and all so you would get that sort of thing, but still, it just seems a bit strange (relative) and like something from a Disney cartoon, not a dark, sophisticated anime. But hey, I can live with it for the most part, but it’s definitely something I would work on. Actually, now I think about it, what makes it seem a little out of place in this season is that you almost automatically treat the animals as humans. I mean, the anthropomorphic world is accentuated little in this season, and pretty much all the other characters have arms and legs – so you really just treat them as off-looking humans. So a snake is pretty out there and kind of throws you off guard.
Though, all the other characters added or brought to light seem solid and don’t come across as eccentric or strange, so nothing else to complain about here.
OK, so around now in the last review, I did a whole section telling you everything I loved about season I. In this case, what is wrong with this series is more apt. OK, that sounds really harsh. It is very easy to forget that this series is actually pretty good compared to your average series, but putting it right next to season I is a little unfair, and highlights its flaws.
Anyway, the first season brought with it level of comedy and slightly more laid back approach, allowing you to appreciate the quirkiness of it more (which some people don’t like). Season II is dark and relentless with its content, never allowing you any breathing space to appreciate its quirkiness. Mind you, most of that quirkiness has been thrown out to make space for more conventional (and more widely appealing) content. And that’s a real shame, because what made the first season so great was its ‘attention to detail of the anthropomorphic world’. I feel with this season, it is pretty much to the point where you could replace all the characters with humans and everything would still work in one way or another. I guess that’s why people like it more than season I though; whilst season I you almost have to have the mindset of a furry (not the controversial bit) to fully appreciate it, this series is far more similar to a more typical anime series, even down to the intro.
I reckon you can put this down in some ways to the atmosphere being distinctively different in the manga. At the time of writing, I have only read Volume.1 of it, but already it seems very different: excessively quirky, laidback and rather innocent. With that vibe, you can forgive over-the-top storylines, or stuff that doesn’t quite make sense, because it doesn’t really matter for the impression it’s trying to give; but the problem is, when you make that into an anime which very much takes itself seriously, quirks look far more like mistakes than positive features. The nature of season I allowed it to get away with it just fine, but this season I just don’t think works in the same way.
I know I’m making it out to be a failure, but if you’re a normal dude and you're comparing it to more middle-of-the-road animes, then this season is pretty solid; but when you are comparing it to what it could have been, for me, its lack of leftfield spirit just is a real disappointment compared to season I.
But as I mentioned before, I reckon people tend to prefer this season to the first because of the lack of the focus on the anthropomorphic world, and the fact that allows you to treat this as a more normal anime.
So, if you would class yourself as relatively normal when it comes to your anime tastes, you’ll probably like this season just as much as season I, if not more, despite whatever I say.
Oh well…
7.4
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 6, 2021
[While you are reading this, you may begin to think at certain points "Damn, they're gonna spoil it for me!" No, I'm not. THERE ARE NO SPOILERS.]
Anthropomorphic animals? Cross-species porn? Wild Kick Wet Rabbits?! Ahh shit, here we go…
Man, BEASTARS certainly has its character! It’s clearly not going to be for everyone (mind you, pretty much everyone I know hates it), but fuck ‘em, they don’t know what they’re missing!
With that, let’s get into it!
The story itself very well thought out, just like the rest of the series. It took a couple of episodes to really get going but it got engaging very quickly. Its
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flow and balance is impeccable, resulting in a very engaging plot. As I am sure you know, in some series’, you often get “filler episodes”, which are there just to build up the coming episodes and themselves offer little entertaining value. This series has none of that (but then you’d fucking hope, wouldn’t you, it’s only got 12 episodes!). Every episode has a great balance of entertainment, whether it be rather light and comedic in its demeanour, or really heavy and getting you to think. They all actually add to the story and there is never a point where the story goes off topic or loses its metaphorical sense of direction. As a result, each episode effortlessly flows into one another, with the drama never really easing off, rather just changing forms, keeping the viewer entertained. The only thing I would say about it; up to episode 9, there is a somewhat realistic (OK, BEASTARS, isn't at all realistic, but hypothetically in this world) view of university life, and the various struggles and so forth that would arise in an anthropomorphic world. Episode 9 and onward certainly have a far more dramatized feel to the rest, with (relative) realism sort of going out the window. It sort of creates an imbalance in the storyline, but luckily the flow of the series is kept very much intact and so this would only really be something you would pick up if you were looking for stuff to complain about - like me! As a result, I really don't give a shit. If it felt wrong, there would be a problem, but they've done a great job of keeping the story flowing and so it does not feel at all out of place.
Now to graphics. Initially, it took a bit of getting used to. They really utilised the higher frame rate to create a more realistic and natural flow to scenes, which is great, but kind of caught me off-guard. After two episodes though, I got used to it, and began to appreciate its quality. As I said, they are very natural, and offer a more intimate and often more serious atmosphere which really gives the story and characters some weight. You’d be surprised how such a small thing can make such a big difference. Now, the good bit, character design! It’s great! With anthropomorphic animals, there are so many places you can make or break the characters, but Nao Ootsu really did a great job of balancing angsty late-teens with wild animals. Sometimes the -ahem- sexual features of the animals take a bit of getting used to, because they are very human, and seeing them on something like a rabbit is a bit strange, but anything else would not have had the right effect and so I can’t complain. There is also a nice contrast in different species, offering variety and interest to always keep the viewer interested, which really opens up the anthropomorphic world.
But of course, graphically the star of the show is not even any of that, it’s the opening theme! I mean who else uses stop-motion for an anime opening! You’d think it doesn’t work, though they both have more parallels than you think. Both have fairly low frame rate and I suppose rather unrealistic character depictions, so it actually fits the general gist of the series very well. And they’ve done it well too, with the water fountain and Legoshi’s saliva showing the detail the creators have cared for. Also, they did a very good job of depicting the conflict within Legoshi, starting with him very much as a “monster”, and ending with that incredible dance that certainly took a hell of a lot of care to produce! This ain’t some shitty J-Pop intro we’ve seen on countless other shows! I found quite an interesting interview regarding this BEASTARS’ stop-motion opening:
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2020-03-25/the-beastars-opening-animation-team/.157911
The fact that the opening alone gets a paragraph is a testament to how much I like it!
So, the soundtrack. Continuing on the theme of the opening, the track they chose to go with the stop motion is certainly interesting one, in a good way. “WILD SIDE” by ALI. As I said, “This ain’t some shitty J-Pop intro we’ve seen on countless other shows!” Well, it’s not. I swear it has a bit of jazz, well it says it does anyway; and then if you watch ALI playing it live, it’s got a bit of rap too. This obviously gives the whole show a completely different atmosphere; whilst a J-Pop or similar opening gives a rather easy, light, and the feel “it’s just anime” atmosphere, this gives the series an edge, really setting you up for events that are going to happen in the episode. Yeah, so right from the off of this series, you get a distinct feel it is going to be different, and that continues right through due to the repeat of the opening each time, and every time giving you that edge between “monster” and, well, not.
Anyway, obviously there is music in it other than the introduction. This also does not disappoint. The soundtrack offers a variety of styles, though all keeping very well with the overall atmosphere. This results in the series being able to change atmosphere very well, and quickly too; the effect of this results in a distinct edge and that feeling that the characters (or more accurately, the carnivores) could change attitude at any time. Of course this keeps the viewer fixed on the content and makes all scenes carry far more edge and weight.
So, characters. With a character like Legoshi, it is important to not only get his character right, but others surrounding him, as to contrast and so forth. I’m glad to say, Legoshi’s character is on point, keeping a great presentation of his awkwardness and confusion throughout the series, whilst also giving him that strong 17 year old feel. Balancing grey wolf with 17 year old is a very difficult thing to get right, especially considering the Legoshi’s situation, but I reckon they got it about right, for an imbalance never really occurred to me when I was watching the series. But I suppose the important thing is the other characters, as I said. I won’t go into detail about how each character affects others, because you would be here for even longer, but a good example would be Jack and Legoshi, Jack balancing out Legoshi’s awkward and dreariness, and making you feel better about him, showing he actually has friends and doesn’t just vegetate behind the stage lights. He also helps highlight his character arc, but I can’t really talk about that without spoiling it. As I said, there are plenty of other examples, but I can’t be bothered to go through them so you can just work that out for yourself. All you need to know is that the balancing of characters is done with great care and I would say accentuates the overall effect greatly.
And so, before I get to the enjoyment section of the review; for this series I think it is only fair to say something about the work that has gone into it. Unfortunately, most people just see this series as some weird furry porn, and that is understandable, because out of context, it is really fucking weird. But because of that, the finer details of this series often go unappreciated, or taken for granted. And that’s a real shame, because it is really clear that this series has been thoroughly thought out, with every fine detail carefully crafted to give the right effect at the right time (as I have specified throughout this review). For example the stop-motion opening is just something you don’t see every day, and clearly shows the care that has gone into the finer details of this series and ballsy approach to breaking the tried and tested form that nearly all anime series nowadays copy with little attempt to try something new. Also, and I guess this is what I am mainly referring to when I say “finer details taken for granted”, there is a sheer attention to detail of the anthropomorphic world. They could have quite easily just got a human world and put animals in it, and I can’t specifically say what, but I can say it really comes across that they have given it far more thought than that. Everything down to tensions between males, females, and different species (all made all the more powerful down to the rather turbulent times we are having socially worldwide at the moment) have evidently been thought out.
And so, did I enjoy it? Well what do you think! I think it’s great! It’s execution is impeccable (except the name, which sounds like some crap American cheerleader film, but you can blame Paru Itagaki for that), it’s quirky at times, it’s funny, dark, and to be quite frank, there’s nothing else quite like it (don’t say Zootropolis you uncultured swine).
Would I recommend it? Well ask yourself, are you into anthropomorphic animals? Yes? Great! Me too! Go watch it now! No? Never watch this series, you may be mentally scarred. But in all seriousness though, if you’re not down with furry characters from the start, due to it’s sometimes extreme nature, this isn’t something you can just “get to like”, so I probably wouldn’t bother watching it. Be a lightweight and watch Zootropolis instead!
^_^
Whatever you do though, don’t get stimulated by the furry sexual scenes; that’s just a bit weird…
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 15, 2021
[While you are reading this, you may begin to think at certain points "Damn, they're gonna spoil it for me!" No, I'm not. THERE ARE NO SPOILERS. Not that there is that much to spoil in this storyline anyway.]
Dude, if it wasn't enough for them to make a series and a couple of side stories and spinoffs of Girls Und Panzer, they made a film as well! In fact, it doesn't actually seem like a lot considering how many series take up many more episodes and seasons and so forth than Girls Und Panzer, but in terms of proper storylines, it is certainly a difficult
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one to be creative with. I mean, girls, tanks... long tank battles...... some weird school-ships......... some more tank battles. It doesn't really change, and I don't see how it can. And this film is no different. It doesn't really add anything new to the table; well technically in terms of story-line, yes it does, but when you're watching it, it does just feel like a the creators have just gone "Out of ideas? No problem! Panzer Vor!" in the true spirit of Girls Und Panzer. So what do they do? They have no new storyline so they just make most of the film a tank battle and make them even more fuck unrealistic than last time. But then it's Girls Und Panzer so what did you expect?!
For me personally, sometimes the tank battles in the film go a little too far. Now I understand that they are not meant to be realistic in the slightest, but when all the tanks are modelled on real tanks, and you have characters like Erwin and Yukari - who love tanks and history in general and show that such is an important part of the series - it makes sense for the tank battles stay relatively physically feasible. Note I said "physically feasible", not "realistic". But anyway, that's just me. I've probably just watched "A Bridge Too Far" too many times. In all fairness, despite being rather infuriating for me, they are pretty good, something that just seems to work for Girls Und Panzer. Despite being so long, they manage to retain momentum rather well.
So that's story, so what about characters? Well it's kind of difficult to rate the characters exclusively from this film, since the series is what really introduces them and the film just hopes you can remember them. That is except for the crazy "Imperial Japan" inspired Chi-Ha-Tan Academy, which I find the presentation of rather interesting from a historical point of view (considering this is an anime, the presentation of their... fuck it I'm not giving you a history lesson). And those crazy Finnish ragging their BT-42 to "Säkkijärven Polkka"! Anyway so with the series in mind as well, they're pretty good man! Well I like them, but obviously it depends who's watching it. They all have very distinct characters, and most seem very original to Girls Und Panzer. Like Erwin for example... Mind you, you got to question why she dresses up like The Desert Fox... Actually, just don't question it!
Graphics? Not going to lie, for some reason I'm not a massive fan. Well, I think the character design is great, with it giving a great balance "cute girls" and originality, complementing Girls Und Panzer's atmosphere very well. And the tank design is pretty accurate too, yes, legitimate tanks, gotta love it! Hence why I ended up giving it 7. But I don't know, pretty much everything else just doesn't always do it for me.
Sound? I love this soundtrack! What makes it great is their use of legitimate World War II marches, and with the correct countries as well! And the fact that all the themes were recorded for the series, they all have that distinct Girls Und Panzer character, which just takes this film to the next level. You feel like the creators genuinely enjoyed making it! And are historians as well!
So, what can I say? It goes without saying, you can only watch this film if you have seen the series. Now; if you didn't like the series, you will hate this film, for it takes everything that is wrong with the series and makes it worse. If you liked the series, then you will - like - this film. It's fun, energetic and completely defies the basic laws of physics. That's it, this film is just so fucking fun! I say "like", if it be more than that you are simply a Girls Und Panzer obsessive, but then you wouldn't be reading this review, you'd be playing World of Tanks or something.
As for me, well I liked it, but then I am into tanks, so it's kind of inevitable. Regardless, I'm sure I'll watch it over and over again just for fun.
Oh, and another thing: never heard those "English Proverbs" Darjeeling keeps talking about...
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 12, 2021
[THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN PLOT SPOILERS, THOUGH I DO REFERENCE EPISODE NUMBERS TO STATE WHICH AREAS I LIKE AND DISLIKE]
Sword Art Online I would regard as one of the main series’ in anime that most people have seen, or if not at least heard of. Off the bat, I really like this series, and in a way want to give it more than a 7, simply because it offers a great level of entertainment, which is what it’s all about right? It gets so many things right, but sometimes you just can’t escape its shortcomings.
Now, the plot: I have been told "not to write
...
any spoilers" so I will try to give detail without giving too much away. Episodes 1-13 - great (unless you are one of those people who find stuff to hate for the sake of it). Episodes 15-25 - not as good; partially because if the first half seemed unrealistic (not that the situation in Sword Art Online is at all realistic, but for the sake of argument, hypothetically), then you can forget about the possibility of anything in these episodes ever happening in our reality. As a result, the series can seem a little split, and for me, tarnishes the flow significantly; which is a real shame because separately (excluding episode 14), the two halves flow quite well. Another thing that damages the flow is episode 14 (as you may well have guessed). This episode is a void when it comes to pacing, the ending too, while very atmospheric, seems out of place when you still have 11 episodes to go; it doesn't quite kill the rhythm but it certainly doesn't feel right, and for me, this fluctuation is felt throughout much of the rest of the series, splitting it further - annoyingly. And so this is the annoying problem: I genuinely believe the story is pretty good in itself - if you gave me the synopsis on paper that is. But the way they executed it on screen could have been a lot better - especially bloody episode 14. I could go into the fine details of the problems I have with this episode, but then I would be spoiling it, wouldn't I?
As for the rest, what can I say? It’s pretty good. Art is solid, perhaps a little basic sometimes, but then that makes sense for the series is mostly set in a virtual world, so I would say it gets away with it well. I must say I liked the character design in particular. Sound suits the atmosphere very well and is a key factor in maintaining atmosphere when pacing becomes questionable. It sounds like something straight out of a game (surprisingly), which helps differentiate this series from others and give it that extra level of interest. Opening and ending themes too seem very fitting. Characters are varied and are presented in a way which actually makes you give one what happens to them.
I’m sure you have noticed at this point that the execution of the plot is my only significant problem, and the rest is executed very well.
The final question – will you enjoy it? I must say it is completely down to you; will you let yourself? If you are one of those people who watches stuff just so you can find everything wrong with it, don’t bother watching this series, you will probably hate it. Though, if you are willing to put aside, OK, the rather significant shortcomings, then this series is a very good watch. It still had me on edge at the end of each episode and left me thinking way after watching. The characters still seem relevant and I am sure intrigued to see what happens to them next.
Am I going to watch it again? You bet!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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