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Mar 21, 2023
Destination is a state of mind. A tale of one genius who wants to see girls to make a disgusted face and show him their Underwear. Issei wanders around the world with the help of Chitose, her maid. During his adventures, he finds happiness, sadness, pain, decadence, violence, beauty, and wisdom. He discovers that all Panties are different, and that's what makes them unique.
The premise of this manga is one of the silliest I have ever seen. And yet, it is very well executed. This is a great example of how the premise of a series says nothing about its quality, but it's how the
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premise is developed that matters. For example, a story about two high school students who fall in love with each other seems like a pretty common and safe premise, but it can be poorly handled. On the other hand, an unusual and experimental premise like that of this manga is skillfully implemented. Never judge a story by its premise.
Each girl is different, so Issei must adapt his strategy to each girl. This makes each Arc ─ which is the amount of time it takes Issei to view a girl's Panties ─ fresh, avoiding boredom and repetition. Also, each new challenge gets progressively more difficult, which raises the stakes.
There are many psychological battles. Issei's goal is to see the girls' Panties, but the twist is that they have to show the Underwear of their own free will and none of them are bribed by money or something else. This makes each challenge feel "fair", since each battle has many thoughtful and clever moments that make the revelation of the panties even more satisfying. There are no cheap tricks, and each time we get a glimpse of Issei's genius for solving problems and obstacles that get in the way.
The story of this manga is a cycle: Issei wants to see panties; He succeeds; Repeat. The author manages to tie each story arc together, and each character develops throughout the story. Even when a girl's purpose is "finished", she's still there, and contributes to the story. Issei is a cold-blooded genius who cannot understand human emotions. But this long journey he undertakes makes him grow up in human terms as well. The characters are well developed and have understandable flaws (portrayed in a funny way). To reach his goal, Issei must develop human bonds that will make him a better person. I recommend this manga if you like Panties.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 23, 2022
The story and characters are the highlights of Kino's Journey, but what truly sets it apart is the delicate and deep exploration of complex and mature themes. From the flaws and contradictions inherent in human systems to the nature of human existence itself, Kino's Journey offers a nuanced and thought-provoking perspective on the world.
The animation and music are similarly effective in their simplicity, creating a powerful atmosphere that enhances the show's impact. From the stunning visuals of certain scenes to the evocative music that accompanies them, Kino's Journey succeeds in immersing viewers in its world and its characters.
Now, what else can I add that hasn't
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already been said about Kino's Journey?
One of the many merits of this work is the delicacy and depth with which the story is told.
This Anime was adapted from a Light Novel. The adaptation process requires a lot of attention, as anime and light novels are two art forms that cannot be fully compatible, so necessary changes must be made to translate the story of a Light Novel (in this case you have text and some images) in an anime (now you also have animation and music).
Being a Light Novel almost completely based on the text, there is often a need to release a large amount of information (especially in this case, when the origins of a country or the motivations of a character's actions need to be explained). Not only the content of the story, but how the story is told is just as - or even more - important: the information we are given must never be forced or unnatural, and must be given at an adequate pacing to be understood and assimilated. To achieve this, in Kino's Journey creative tricks are often used. For example, in the "Coliseum" episode, the backstory of the king is told through a little show with puppets, and in "A peaceful land" the town's origins are told to us through the museum's scale models.
After reading the Light Novels, I can confirm that the adaptation is extremely faithful besides some very subtle changes that only contribute to make the Anime's episodes more fluid and enjoyable. If you liked the Anime, then the Light Novels are definitely worth a shot.
Often the choices of characters or even countries fall into a grey area, and can become right or wrong depending on the viewer's opinion. Of course, it's important to recognize that all media is subjective to some degree, and our own experiences and biases shape our interpretation and evaluation of the show. However, by striving for objectivity and exploring complex themes with sensitivity and nuance, Kino's Journey stands out as a powerful and thought-provoking work of Anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 7, 2022
Nagatoro is a highly discussed anime, some people love it and some people hate it.
Nagatoro's genres are: Ecchi, Comedy, Romance, Slice of life.
Let's jump to the divisive reason.
Characters:
One of the most widespread criticisms of the anime are the characters and Nagatoro's bullying of the MC (Naoto). I understand this position, and it is a very sensitive subject, but I do not completely agree.
Naoto reacts passively to Nagatoro's teasing; Nagatoro often annoys him, and it happened a few times that she crossed the line and the joke went too far. Naoto's excessive unresponsiveness (which is also shown to us when we discover that he has
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been bullied by his schoolmates since childhood) and Nagatoro's bossy behavior - especially in the first few episodes - makes them characters whose flaws are exasperated and for this reason it is easy to take them into dislike. The two of them are far from being perfect but this doesn't mean bad writing, on the contrary it makes them more real; it is impossible to not have any flaws and to react perfectly to every situation. Their actions are wrong for several reasons; they are not justifiable. But they are understandable. Both are wrong in the way they communicate and initially fail to understand each other. In fact it's worth noting that the jokes become increasingly softer as the romantic subtext becomes more clear.
So I agree on the initial unfairness of their behavior, but to me this doesn't negatively affect the anime in any way: it actually makes the characters and their relationships more believable, and it gives room for their improvement, because it's interesting to see how their relationship evolves over the course of the story. Speaking of which, I was pleasantly surprised to notice the subtle evolution between the two protagonists that keeps the anime fresh and varied. We can read between the lines the romantic subtext that progressively changes the way the two relate to each other and that gives each reciprocal action an unspoken second end. Furthermore, their behavior gradually softens and becomes sweeter.
Some people don't like Naoto.
Why is it difficult to interface with him? Although he has several of a boy's problems, many despise him.
Maybe because he shows us a part of ourselves, the one we don't like. But the reaction of these people is believable: the reason of their reaction is the realism of the story and the plausibility of the characters.
It's curious how they didn't animate the faces of the extras, and how they almost-solely showed the story characters in the external scenes as if they were the only ones to exist. There are those who interpret it as a way to save on the budget which is plausible, but in my opinion the anime shows us how the characters of the story see the world around them and consider other people, as if they lived in a bubble where it's only their life that matters and all those who aren't part of it or have no relevance to the plot, have no sense of existing or do not deserve the effort to be represented.
I really liked the animations, especially the colors and the way they are combined. The opening is very catchy both for the song and for the colorful drawings. The secondary characters do not have the same depth as the main ones but they perform the effective function of comic relief. The pacing isn neither slow nor fast, but it's moderate enough to keep you intrigued.
In conclusion Nagatoro is a light comedy with a pleasant romantic subtext that is entertaining but will not fail to move you!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 7, 2022
Kare Kano is a work with many strengths and weaknesses, and for this reason it is a divisive title: there are those who hate it and those who love it.
Let's start with the Cons:
Animation & Budget
This anime did not receive enough budget to maintain a consistently high level of animation quality. In the first episodes of the series the quality is good and the variety of animations is numerous. However as the episodes progress, the budget decreases more and more and the episodes suffer a little. There is even an entire Recap episode, and also the infamous last 7 episodes (which I will talk about
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later). Fortunately there's Hideaki Anno who manages to effectively exploit the budget and the number of animations available and manages to keep it a valid series through his style and his technique (Anno's style is often characterized by flat layers in parallax, the use of text, the cutaway shots of lightpoles/stoplights, the use of images from the manga itself). It is no coincidence that he managed to do the same with Evangelion in the last 2 episodes, and the 53-seconds elevator scene is an example.
Episodes 19-26
Episodes 1-18 worthily conclude the narrative arc of the 2 protagonists. In my opinion the biggest problem, besides the production/scheduling issues of episodes 19-26, is the questionable choice of introducing new characters and stories that are initially developed, but are interrupted ex abrupto in the last episode. However it is a very effective way to entice you to read the manga, because you want to know how the story ends! (Speaking of which, the anime adaptation is very faithful to the manga, and at the same time manages to make the exact same manga scenes even more funny).
Let's move on to the Pros.
Kare Kano has a common setting that has already been used many times (2 high school students fall in love with each other and decide to get together). On the other hand,is almost certain that for any story someone writes today, a similar one has been written or that part from the same premises; but the key thing is HOW a story is told, and here the anime does it great.
The first part of the story tells of how the 2 protagonists manage to get together. Both wear a mask, and this is what makes them move away from each other and at the same time bring them closer: he falls in love with her fake personality and when he discovers her true personality he loses interest in her, while she falls in love with him only in the moment she finds out who he really is. Even if they are aware that they are wearing a mask, they still have a hard time understanding who they really are, and they need the help of each other to acknowledge the inability to fully understand oneself (it can be better understood from the way Anno gets into the characters' psyches and accentuates the moment with his directorial techniques).
The second part instead talks about their relationship, interspersed with the stories of secondary characters that are equally interesting. Sometimes in a story, when two characters get together, occasionally that represents their point of arrival as if they have reached the maximum of their maturity, and they stop having any relevance within the story. What Kare Kano realizes is that the engagement is not an end point, but a starting point: They must face together new challenges, problems and difficulties that were not there before. The characters are all real, with their flaws and fears, and obstacles to overcome: there was at least one moment in our life when we found ourselves in the situations of each of the characters, and for this reason it is very easy to empathize with each of them. To conclude, the fast pacing of the story and Shiro Sagisu's music make it all the more memorable.
Final Thoughts:
KareKano is an anime with real characters lacking something they can only find in someone else, and with a story full of details that make it a hidden gem; a hidden rough gem, due to the inconclusiveness of the last episodes, but which contains an enjoyable experience that is worth having.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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