- Last Online5 hours ago
- JoinedJan 11, 2022
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Dec 30, 2024
I haven't finished the series, but due to it's episodic nature, and having met all the characters, I feel fine with writing a review now. I'll just have to change it if it doesn't hold up at the end. (I have finished the show) Nothing really changed, so I'll keep this as-is.
First off. This show's characters are not likeable, but are endearing. Also, while the first episode is good, I think the second one is better. If you're interested (which you most likely are if you're reading this review), then I suggest trying 2 episodes if the first one was fine but not more.
I wanted
...
to offer a "Mixed feelings" review, since although I like this series, there is one element I really dislike, and it's a main character. That is to say, the male MC, Yokoshima, who's pretty much Happosai from Ranma or Master Roshi from Dragon ball in that he's incredibly perverted, and that's his whole character (in this case, along with being broke). At least, here, it's balanced out by him not actually able to do those perverted things, since he's one of the weakest characters in the show, but it is a major part of a lot of episodes, so be prepared for that.
Then you have the third main character, the ghost Okinu. She's pretty much a (moderately) ditzy out of touch girl who stands up for Yokoshima later on in the show. Not to be confused with the incredibly ditzy and out of touch girl, who's one of the recurring supporting characters. She is important, but also doesn't do much.
And for the main female character, you have Mikami Reikou, the titular character even. Pretty much, she's stingy (Mr. Krabs from Spongebob level) and is rude to her assistant Yokoshima. She's also good at her job. I do not find her to be a better person than Yokoshima, but because Yokoshima subjects himself to the work willingly (he does complain a lot, but it's more whining than anything, since he sticks around anyways), it doesn't come off as mean spirited the same way Yokoshima does. It can be a no for some people, though.
Now for the plot. It's mostly episodic, with a few 2 episode arcs. The goal of the episodes themselves is comedy, so while there is tension, it never tries to get and stay serious. Mostly, they involve finding and beating a ghost, but could also be about hijinks with the supporting cast (which is used more sparingly than in other shows, such as Ranma). It being episodic is fine for what it tries to accomplish, though; they do vary locations, usually do include an interesting character or two that play off the characters involved, and are quite creative in what happens. (slight spoiler for the next sentence) For instance, there's one part where one of the MCs becomes a child, another where one of the MC sympathises with the vilain of the week so much that they need to knock him out, and another where they have to beat this one ghost by playing it in doubles (2v1) tennis.
As the show is episodic in nature, and it's a comedy show, the characters do not progress much past their initial introductions.
For the comedy. A lot is about the extremes that the main characters are ready to go to regarding the ecchi and money stuff, and a lot of the humour is also tied to the faces the characters make. It does change the way they make the jokes from time to time, and do deliver different ones for the different characters, including the episodic one-offs. I'd say that other than the hyperfixation on the one joke, it reminds me a fair bit of Slayers, which I did enjoy the comedy of.
And for the setting. It's "modern" Japan, but spiritual stuff exists (and can be noticed by anyone), and there are vampires and an android. So, modern Japan with a few liberties.
For the music. Don't ask me; I wouldn't know.
MAL is asking me for a score. FYI, I'm not sure how I would rate this type of show, so I'll give it a 6, but I could see myself giving it anywhere between 5 and 7, and that's not going to be decided by the remaining episodes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Oct 25, 2023
I would like to offer a "not recommended" review which isn't mostly about how Testsurou has an annoying voice.
I'm going to follow the format that MAL had me use last time I wrote a review, and make a note and give a score for Story, Art/Animation, Character, Music/Sound, and Enjoyment, with a final overall "why".
Art/Animation: Art is based on Leiji's manga, which has the One Piece problem of drawing women the same, except he does so for not only every women, but teenagers and old folks as well. Character design is a 2/10, then, I guess. It has basic anatomy, and pretty much nothing else.
...
One could complain about this due to liking, say, Maetel's character design, but do note that it's repeated at least 25 other times in this series, just with different clothes and hair color. I have nothing to say about clothing. Now, for planet art. Gotta give a reluctant 8/10. Doesn't look very modern, but really does convey the locations they're on quite well. Now, animation. Pretty much what you would expect for a show of it's time. 9/10 if this was written 40 years ago, but 4/10 now. Better than stuff like Ex-arm, and the compositing (or whatever) and scene transition is usually good.
Music/Sound: They have 5 tracks that play often. They do fit this series, but they sound old, which is weird since the show is trying to set itself in the future. The other ones do help bring some much needed variety, but are few and far between. Like almost every other series I've seen, I've no problem with the SFXs used. Don't care about VAs, so nothing about that for me. Based no the quality of it, I'd give a 6/10, but due to it's repetitive nature, I'm going to lower it to a 4/10.
Plot: There's none. Rather, it's an episodic series with character mysteries spread throughout (I'm going to keep those for the "character" though). The plot for every episode bunch (the show is episodic, but it does have a few 2 parters and one 3 parter) is usually quite similar to every other one, except influenced by the planet's quirk, and the characters. The outcomes are rarely divergent, from each other, and the planet/worldbuilding design does not hold up to any scrutiny whatsoever. Heck, they can open the train windows in space (they do so in the first episode), to no consequence. More than anything, this show's continuity is horrible.
Example of plot: Tetsurou gets off on a planet, someone there is poor, and steals his pass. They try to get on the train, then either die or can't, Tetsurou get's the pass, then gets back on the train. End of episode.
Example of planet: 0.01% planet. Everyone on this planet is 100 times weaker than the average human, and so are the structures and the planet itself. Good concept, but this is clearly not a planet that would do well with tourists, nor would it's population be able to live anywhere else, yet the point of that episode was a couple stealing Tetsurou's pass to go elsewhere.
Example of inconsistency: In an episode, there's a barrier protecting you from boarding the train if you have a fake pass. In another, people just go into the train without any passes. I can't reasonnably give more than a 2/10. See 1 episode, you've pretty much seen them all.
Characters: Ooh, boy. Some say Tetsurou is evolving throught his journeys. I say that he's consistently inconsistently written, except for his wish to become a cyborg, which is actually properly paced. Doesn't make him an enjoyable character, though, especially with every other character praising him for being a good human. (2/10)
The conductor is seen as comic relief. I understand, but more than anything, he's just there to say "rules are rules" and "we must depart when we must depart" as well as "can't we wait for Tetsurou and Maetel to get on board?", the last one to the automated train. Yeah, the conductor is more like a travel assistant than an actual conductor. He has this thing about his body being special, which is treated as a mystery, but is never explained. (5/10; there 's nothing to hate, but next to nothing to like)
Maetel is the last major character. She's the perfect woman who's always right and does nothing wrong (per the show's POV), yet she blows up planets, kills people, and generally does what the show portrays as bad, but "not when it's Maetel doing it". Usually she has a more neutral and "do nothing" role, but that's rarely ever correct. She also always tells Tetsurou what not to do, which is always what he ignores, and sparks the conflict of the episode. Note that Tetsurour never does learn that he should listen to other people, though. Oh, and she also has a mystery. Which is also not properly explained, and makes no sense per what the show gives us as an answer. (3/10).
Every (POV) good character in this show: Praise Maetel and Tetsurou, have a tragic backstory, usually are murderers, thieves and some are even terrorists. (2/10), they're way too lazily written.
Every (POV) bad character in thi show: No depths. If ever they actually have a reason for their action, the show shifts them to a (POV) good character. (1/10)
Enjoyment: I liked the first episode. I liked one other episode, because of the comedy. I laughed and became enraged by the poor writting of this show. I was engaged, but never, past the first episode, was I actually liking the show. (3/10) (gets a +1 due to the occasional "so bad, it's good", but you'd need to watch every episodes for that. Don't.
Overall: Honestly, I don't care about Art and Music. This leaves me with 2/10 for plot, overall 2.6/10 for character and 3/10 for enjoyment; a 3 bordering a 2. However, this show is overall very bad, not horrible, so a 3. Not badly produced, just a bad everything else.
Do not watch more than 1 episode. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or whatnot about this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
Aug 10, 2023
Spoiler to about episode 22. Watch this, there's no reason it won't be worth it.
Honestly, I'm saddened this wasn't in the series itself. This small bit was not necessary, and such I understand, but it really helps to characterize Ketil, but also to show how the Norse were so opposed to running away, in contrast to when they really did run away. The plurality of human, which is strong in the series. Of course, it's about the secondary characters, but that doesn't mean it's less important. Just look at Canute's scene in the first season.
So, in terms of meaning, it meshes with the series (as
...
it should). Nothing exactly new, but if you read my review, you could have already watched the episode, so go do that.
No comments on music, art or enjoyment, they're the same as the normal series. I don't think a dubbed version of this is available.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 19, 2022
Although this series is a sequel to Brave, it is not cannonically in the same universe, and can be watched without prior knowledge of the game, nor viewing of another Battle spirits series. It follows a young boy nicknamed headband, as he aims for the championship.
When I saw that it was the Battle spirits season with the lowest score (save for Double drive, which you can't watch anywhere in full), I can't say I wasn't dissapointed.
Spoiler free.
I'll start off by saying. My scores are 6 for the story (it's a basic tournament style competition that holds for the whole show. There are a few
...
detours), 7 for the art (serviceable), 7 for sound (also serviceable), 9 for characters (they are admittedly gimmicky at times, but that's more for the comedy- I'll get into that), 9 for enjoyment (I enjoyed watching the card game, which is the only series of Battle spirits that did that to me) and 8 for overall (I would personally rate it closer to a 7, but that does not accurately represent the feelings I want to express in this review).
It's a much more comedy focused show than the other Battle spirits, and it's also very slice of life. Its weird zany japanese comedy didn't work to me, but it didn't detract much from the show. Although I gave the story a 6, it was solid enough to carry the show (a sports show would be the same).
Even though the show isn't believable by any stretch of the imagination, it is still the closest to real-life card battling a show I've seen had (with cardfight vanguard as it's closest competitor).
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Feb 28, 2022
I'll just start by saying: Please do not watch the opening of this show before the show itself, as it spoils the sword eyes. Given that the one place to watch the show is on youtube, and the uploader didn't put in the opening (due to copyright), that shouldn't be a big problem unless you search for it.
This series is about battle spirits yet again, but this time, the spirits don't originate from Grand Rolo; it's not connected to Dan/Brave. The show is very plot focused, and has a lot of characters (the quote unquote 12 sword eyes, plus quite a few others).
Story: 9.
...
This is a two parter show, that got separated for... no real reason, I assume. I'd give the story of this part a 9; it establishes the world well, the plot, the conflict, the events.. Since I'm not going to write a review for the second part, let me say that it doesn't worsen, but since it focuses more on the conclusion of the story, there aren't many more interesting ideas or locations that are brought (8/10).
Art: Good, 7/10.
Sound: No clue. The OP isn't bad, I don't remember the ED, the ending of the show has no music (copyright), and I forgot about the normal soudtrack, so I assume it's okay.
Character: I'd give an 8. There are too many characters for all of them to develop, but the show tries, and to me, succeeds. The MC, Yaiba (altough he doesn't develop as a character, he develops to the viewer), the purple sword eyes, the yellow sword eyes of darkness, the white and green sword eyes of light.. Most of those I listed are characters that I think are well executed.
Enjoyment: There's one thing that really annoyed me from the show, and brings my enjoyment to a 9, and my total score to an 8 (as opposed to a 10 and 9 respectably). That's the stakes. In a card game anime, you need stakes for each card game, or else it all feels pointless. Here, (slight spoilers for one of the first 10 episodes), they sometimes establish the stake, but, for good reasons, make the protagonists lose. However, due to the stakes being too high, they just back out of it. The way it's executed isn't bad, but it's something that I really don't respect. This happens more than once.
All in all, I'd give it a solid 8. I'd recommend to anyone who would like adventure and an intriguing story, and who likes card games.
FYI, the card game aspect is explained at the beggining of the show, and you should be able to get the hang of it. In fact, it introduces the game better than it's predecessors (Toppa, Dan, Brave and Heroes).
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Feb 21, 2022
First off, I'm going to start by saying this: This show can be watched as a stand alone, but I would not recommend it. It would be better to watch the prequel (Dan) first.
After the dissapointing execution of an interesting plot in Toppa (first battle spirits series, absolutely skipable), came Dan. To me, in started becoming interesting half way through. I had hopes for it's sequel series Brave, and I was dissapointed.
I found the first half of Dan to be a typical episodic card based isekai, and the second half to be much more plot focused, and my enjoyement went up. In Brave
...
however, the series starts off strong, and keeps it's momentum for most of the watch through. I was dissapointed because I expected it to also grab me after a twist, but I was already grabbed.
TL;DR: Dan was good because it had a slow start, but Brave is good throught, and thus has no surprise 'wow, that's awesome' moments.
The story is interesting. It revolves around character relationship a lot, and even though I dislike Youth (one of the most prominent side characters), he develops well. Also, if you're expecting more from Kajistu and Yuki, they exist, but aren't very plot relevant.
The series isn't very linear, and the plot is all over the place. However, it reflects well on how they deal with everything happening around the world, and I like it. I'd give an 8 for story, and a 9 for characters.
Art: 7. I don't have much to say. I'd also give the sound a 7.
Enjoyment: 9/10. I would also feel confortable giving it an 8, since, like the previous 2 series, the card game isn't super interesting IMO.
Total: 8/10.
If you liked Dan, you should like Brave.
Nota:
Yes, Dan is more mature.
There isn't more focus on the relationship between Mai and Dan than in the previous series. It's just accepted that they like each other, but Dan has another passion. Not much more than that.
As I said, the story is all over the place, but if that doesn't matter to you, then that's one of the charms of this series.
Indeed, the only characters from the previous series with an important role are Dan and Mai.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Feb 21, 2022
I'd just like to start by stating: This is a direct sequel to Brave, which is itself a direct sequel to Dan. I can guarantee that the enjoyment of someone who hasn't seen the 2 prior series would be limited.
After having watched Dan and Brave, I heard of Saga Brave, and wondered how they could add to the story. Well, this was a perfect closure for the series. It revisits the most important characters from Dan and Brave, and how they adapted to society after the events of those series.
As a series all it's own, it still has it's own plot. It's not very
...
developped, as expected for 3 episodes of 20 minutes, which revisit prior characters, and include a card game in each. But it serves it's purpose well, and ties everything together nicely. If plot=story, I'd give it a 7.
I can't comment much on art or music, but I can say that animation wasn't bad at all, and that the soundtrack didn't stand out much. I'd give 9 for animation and 8 for sound, but anyone could argue that they deserve somewhere between 5 and 8, and I wouldn't disagree.
The new characters don't do much, and the older character don't develop much. However, since there's a time skip between Brave and Saga Brave, we see how they changed to live in the new society. If this was to review the characters as established in the previous series, I'd give between 7 and 8. But with what Saga explores, I give a 10.
I'm rating a 10 out of enjoyment. I was annoyed that the new planewalkers and saga brave (as a game mechanic) weren't explained at all, but this series was so interesting that I looked it up afterwards. I was happy the whole watch through.
Overall, I believe this series to rate a 9 out of 10. I would assume the low rating are either from people that didn't watch the prequel, or would have preferred a status quo to the world after Brave.
Or maybe I was just so overjoyed to come back to this series after the dissapointments of Zero and Burning Soul.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
