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Jun 17, 2024
This show mostly sucks but it has a lot of basic entertainment value and a few good scenes. The art isn't especially great or terrible. I sticks to that cutesy, simpler modern style where you don't think about it too much.
There's this pink-haired Yuuno wannabe (Satou) keeps this blue-haired kid (Shio) locked in her apartment. Exactly what happened is a mystery, but it's heavily implied that Satou killed someone beforehand. Satou's schtick is that she's lived her whole life without feeling proper love, but suddenly she loves this little kid and tries to protect her from the outside world while avoiding being caught. It's bizarre,
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but it's not especially hard to watch since it doesn't delve into full chomo territory (although it sometimes gets close to feeling like it).
Other characters include pink hair's boss at who rapes this yellow-haired guy who works there. Yellow hair sees missing posters for the kid and gains an obsession with finding the kid to absorb her purity (probably doesn't translate well to western culture). He definitely has more chomo impulses than pink hair. There's also an impulsive molester teacher who tries to get with pink hair, but pink hair is a girlboss who blackmails him into doing stuff for her. Lastly, there are two major characters who aren't terribly fucked up people - the brother distributing the posters, and pink hair's school friend who is unaware of pink hair's real nature.
The writer tries to get you to empathize with most of these characters, but it usually falls flat just by being kind of stupid instead of doing anything egregiously wrong. Yellow hair is probably the funniest example. I'm aware that that sort of trauma can lead to all kinds of responses, but the way it's depicted is so dumb it just ends up being really funny. One moment the guy is miserable and the next day he's cartoonishly obsessed with some random kid he saw on a poster. Because of anime magic, it just so happens that the girl is being kept by his pink hair coworker who saved him. He then puts pictures of all over his wall without even trying to hide it like anyone with a basic sense of self-preservation would. Instead of illustrating a cycle of violence or making viewers question their sense of ethics, it's so extreme that it doesn't work.
Pink hair is depicted a bit better, but she's still not much more than a yandere with few cares other than pursuing her bizarre idea of love. Because her parents died and she has a shitty aunt, there is some explanation for how she became this way but it's still not especially believable. It feels like the bubbly, relatable aesthetic came first and the meat of her character was an afterthought.
It feels like the plot was designed by Satan himself to make every character as miserable as possible. At the end of it, you wonder what the point was besides being grimly entertaining for the viewer. People get hurt, then they hurt other people and it's all tragic, but the show doesn't seem to comment on it any more than saying "lol, this sucks don't it".
The pacing of the show is pretty fast, so you could binge it in a day without issue. You'll probably have a fun time seeing how the author can make bad situations become even worse. At the same time, the OP is indisputably a banger and it makes for a hard skip. Watch this show if you're curious to see what happens because despite everything I said, it's still a fun ride.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 15, 2022
The most WTF viewing experience I’ve had in a long time.
There’s barely any ASMR and it’s less of a comedy than it is someone’s oddly specific fetish. Episode 5 is a good example. Middle aged man reincarnated as a pacifier who gets his “phallic end” sucked on by a closeted lesbian coerced into dressing like a baby and humiliated.
They should have just made it fetish porn to begin with goddamn.
If you’re interested to see what the hell this is, go watch it. If you’re looking for something funny, don’t. If you’re bored and want to watch bizarre shorts, watch Pui Pui Molcar instead. You won’t
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regret it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 1, 2022
Promare has a very straightforward plot that only sounds weird when you try to explain it to someone. I will now try to explain it in six sentences.
There is this strange event where a bunch of people wield fire powers due to strong emotions or something. People become afraid of the fire people. Fast forward thirty years and they've got these mechs that shoot out ice, which they use to fight the fire people/put out their fires. There is this Kamina knock-off who is one of the ice guys and at the start of the movie he beats this green haired femboy who is a
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fire guy labelled as a terrorist. Afterwards, green hair escapes captivity and Kamina knockoff discovers a sinister plot led by the ice guys. Eventually, they team up and stop the bad guy.
For a two hour movie, Promare actually manages to fit a lot of content without the pacing being awkward. A lot of people gush about what they like about this movie, so I will focus on the bad.
Generally speaking, there's nothing terribly bad about the characters besides usually being one-note. The character I disliked the most was Kamina. He starts out as a vainglorious prick but never develops. All that really happens is that the movie shows he already had a compassionate side to begin with. I would have especially liked to see Kamina go through an arc where he learns to be more serious when the situation demands it, but any other character arc would suffice. This is coming from someone who loves the OG Kamina. OG Kamina works as a static character because he embodies an ideal that has a huge impact on other people. Promare's Kamina does not really do this. Green femboy is already a static character whose behavior does not even change when he is around Kamina. Kamina and femboy kind of just act the way they always do instead of having the endearing relationship play of OG Kamina and Simon.
The main issue I have with this movie is a lack of any real stakes outside of the Marvel-tier "good guy has to save the world" plot. Despite the threat that of the world ending, everybody knows the good guys will win eventually. By itself, this is not a problem. But without personal stakes, it is difficult for me care. Few of the characters have anyone they particularly care about or who they would feel crushed to lose. In this regard, too, Promare is much worse than Gurren Lagann. GL, despite being every bit as childish, has an emotional impact because its characters genuinely care about each other and do not have such thick plot armor that they cannot die. I would rather have a movie seriously try to get me invested or barely try at all. I likely would have preferred Promare if it limited itself to being a fun, flashy movie à la Redline instead of even trying to make me care.
Promare makes up for a lot of these problems with sheer hype, though. I would be lying if I did not say there were some moments where I was captivated by just how cool it looked. There is one particular scene around the middle of the movie that I adore for no other reason besides being cool. Once you see it, you will probably know what I am talking about). The soundtrack embellishes these scenes very well. It is also full of certified bangers. That is all I can say; I'm no music critic.
The 2D animation is nearly perfect but the 3D animation can be pretty rough. It looks great in some places but more like an early 2000s video game cutscene in others. Just as I am not a music critic, I am not an art critic. So I will move on.
OK, there is one last thing that I want to to get off of my chest. A lot of other reviews mention that this movie has a lot to do with racism. People overplay this aspect of it a lot. The more you look into it, the more you realize that the movie's plot does not have an analogue to the real world. The fire dudes can easily hide by simply not revealing their powers. Also, society has a legitimate reason to fear them. The more you think about it, the shittier a comparison it becomes. Promare falls into the same category as Beastars where the more you overthink these comparisons, the less they work. So don't.
I nagged on this movie a lot, but those are the only big problems I can think of without rewatching the movie. I'd still generally recommend it. It's a must-watch if you already like Trigger. If you haven't seen Gurren Lagann, watch that instead of this. Unless you want to watch this movie and then see it get blown out of the water. If you don't care to watch GL but want a relatively recent campy movie about 2 opposing guys associated with fire and water who at first fight against each other but then team up against a common enemy, go watch RRR.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 17, 2022
The Animatrix is significantly better than I expected. The quality of the shorts varies heavily from 4/10s to 9/10s, so I'll go through them one by one.
Don't be driven off by the first short because it's easily the worst.
Final Flight of the Osiris:
This one is easily the worst with dated 3D animation. Besides that, the voice acting and the action is all still fine. It's just very basic and there's not much to say about it. Apparently it's supposed to be a prequel to a Matrix video game if that interests you at all. Still better than Resurrections at least lmao
The Second Renaissance (both parts):
From
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one of the worst to arguably the best. If you're a Matrix fan, this is where you get answers to questions like why the robot uprising happened, why the sky outside seems dark all the time, and why the robots look like weird squid things. And the answer is actually very satisfying. Clean animation and manages to get you pretty invested in seeing the world gradually go to shit.
Program: This one was also very solid. Fun action, good animation, and a compelling plot. All you can really ask for.
World Record: I like this one less on its actual merits and more just because it's insanely cool to watch a guy break the Matrix out of sheer willpower.
Kid's Story: Possibly my favorite. The action is some of the best and it stays very true to the spirit of the original movie.
Beyond: It's good but it doesn't amount to much more besides wooooah glitch in the Matrix. The definition of "mid" imo.
A Detective Story: Another short that I enjoyed purely because the MC is cool and it has Trinity in it.
Matriculated: This one has a compelling story but it's a little less fun to watch.
Final verdict: Watch it if the concept interests you. If you don't really care, you don't have to see it. I think this anthology fits very well in between viewing the first and second movie.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 22, 2022
Haibane Renmei. It's pretty good.
Story:
The story is fairly straightforward. For the most part, Haibane Renmei a relaxing slice of life in an idyllic town. Exactly why the characters are in this place is never explained, but it becomes fairly obvious once you get into the show.
Character:
This is one of my main issues with Haibane Renmei. Well, there's nothing particularly wrong with the show's characters - it's just that there's not enough of it. The show leans so heavily on two characters that it barely explores the rest of the cast. While you start to like all of them and get a sense for their personalities,
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you never get a glimpse into their actual struggles in a show where that's the whole focus. However, the two characters the show does explore are interesting, and all the characters are consistent.
Art:
While Haibane Renmei's art looks aged, I think that actually works to its advantage. It adds to the calm, rustic, atmosphere that the show is going for. One of the things I appreciate the most about this show is the facial expression. The animators managed to show a wide variety of them, and the show does not overexaggerate like a lot of other anime.
Sound:
One of the first things you'll notice when watching this show is that there is a lot of ambient audio and little music. This is a nice fit for the show, because there are few scenes that are exceedingly dramatic. Instead, the show is more of a peek into the day-to-day lives of the characters as their inner struggles play out. Also, the English dub was on the better end of dubs I've listened to. It felt like the voice actors put genuine effort into it.
Enjoyment:
Haibane Renmei has few edge-of-your-seat moments or cliffhangers. Instead, most of the show consists of characters going to the same places and dealing with their same struggles as before. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but you will want to pace this show out instead of watching it all at once. At the same time, this show is incredibly relaxing. If you you're an art appreciator, then you might find some good escapism in it. It's also a very good show to watch right before you fall asleep, because you do not have to pay very close attention to understand what is going on.
While I appreciated Haibane Renmei, I would suggest watching Angel Beats instead, because it executes a similar concept slightly better. However, if you have already seen Angel Beats and enjoyed it, you would probably enjoy Haibane Renmei as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 20, 2022
Ah, one of the most controversial anime of all time. I don't think it's terrible, but I wouldn't call it 'good' either.
Story:
One of the main problems with this show is that it doesn't really have much of a story to speak of. Each episode is more like its own D&D dungeon crawl. If you like that type of thing, you might enjoy this. However, if you want a story that develops and ties together in a satisfying way, you will get nothing from it. Personally, I would have preferred Goblin Slayer if it took itself less seriously and leaned into being like a campy video
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game.
Art:
It's not terrible, but there's nothing particularly unique or interesting about it. Generic fantasy world with Tudor architecture and rapy green goblins. What I will say is that the fight animations are pretty fluid, so the action is pretty entertaining once it gets to it.
Character:
All the characters are pretty one note. The main character is an autist who really hates goblins. There's also an arrogant one, a sexy one, and an elf and a dwarf that have a rivalry straight out of LotR. Nothing to write about in terms of character development. The main character sort of opens up by the end, I guess.
Enjoyment:
Pure entertainment value is where Goblin Slayer is its best. Even if I didn't care for any characters or story, I wanted to keep watching just to see what random shit comes next. The show feels like watching someone play a really fun dungeon crawler game, and you can't help but feel a little captivated watching the party smoke out a dungeon. However, the episodes really feel like they drag on whenever anything else is happening.
If you want to decide whether to view Goblin Slayer, just watch the first episode. If you like it, continue. Otherwise, don't.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Feb 13, 2022
When I saw that this show had a rating above 8.80 on MyAnimeList, I was very interested in seeing what the hype was about. I gave it a go and watched 8 episodes. For the first few episodes, it seemed pretty interesting. After a while, though, it felt like the show was dragging on without going anywhere interesting. I ended up dropping it.
Art:
What draws a lot of us to this show is its fairy tale art style. There is a unique charm to it. It's simple and easy on the eyes, while still maintaining a good sense of lighting and atmosphere. However, while the art
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style is great, the scenery can be boring because almost every object in the show looks generic. The best way I can describe it is that it looks like all the props were modeled off of a stock photo, whether it is the protagonist's crown, a knight's armor, or a fantasy creature like a goblin or a strong barbarian dude.
Story:
The story is where this show falls apart. At any given time, it feels like it is either beating your head in with an obvious message or making you wonder what the hell is going on. For the first couple of episodes, the former is the problem. There is little but backstory and establishing that the protagonist is a good person. Then, the third episode comes in, and the show suddenly turns into a weird clusterfuck of ideas. A character dies and turns out to be a demon or something. The characters are at first surprised, but in the next scenes nobody seems to care about how or why he morphed into a monster. Then there's a giant magical snake, a fight between two characters we barely met, and the main character just so happening to almost kill himself for completely unrelated reasons. Then, for some reason that's ALSO not yet explained, one of the characters talks to the magic mirror from Snow White. It would be interesting if one of these aspects of the plot were revealed more slowly. Instead, the show just barrages you with these ideas and expects that you care about whatever is happening. In the next few episodes, the MC goes on a couple completely unrelated adventures that don't seem to have any connection to each other, while his brother gets involved in some evil magic ritual.
Character:
Some of the reviews I read laud the show's characters as being complex. While I can see where they are coming from, I think that a lot of this complexity is artificial. The show seems to use the same repeated formula to establish character depth:
1) Introduce character as being completely one-sided. For a few scenes, they might be a kindhearted idiot, a clever thief, an asshole, or a strict parent.
2) Introduce a character trait that contradicts the first. The thief
extremely kind deep down and has a tragic past. The asshole might just be insecure about his brother. The harsh parent may care for her son deep down. Or the kindhearted idiot is just really good at dodging for some reason.
3) That's it. You made a complex character. No further character development is needed.
To be fair, the show might advance beyond this pattern. However, after eight episodes, I do not expect it to improve very much.
Also, the main character feels much less like a real character than an object of pity/adoration. Just throwing that out there.
Overall:
Despite its issues, Ousama Ranking is a decently fun show. It's competent enough to never be laughably bad. However, there is not anything particularly captivating about it. Its world is little but a storybook fantasy land, and few of its characters are particularly interesting. If you want to watch the show, go ahead. You might see something to love about it that I did not. However, I do not understand the hype.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 31, 2021
The FitnessGram Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. The 20 meter pacer test will begin in 30 seconds. Line up at the start. The running speed starts slowly but gets faster each minute after you hear this signal bodeboop. A sing lap should be completed every time you hear this sound. ding Remember to run in a straight line and run as long as possible. The second time you fail to complete a lap before the sound, your test is over. The test will begin on the word start. On your mark. Get ready!… Start.
Down.
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Up. One.
Down. Up. Two.
Down. Up. Three.
Down. Up. Four.
Down. Up. Five.
Down. Up. Six.
Down. Up. Seven.
Down. Up. Eight.
Down. Up. Nine.
Down. Up. Ten
Down. Up. Eleven.
Down. Up. Twelve.
End of test.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 29, 2021
Geass is a very inconsistent series. Half of the time, it is very enjoyable and well paced. The other half of the time, it is bland and uninteresting.
One of the main problems with Geass is that most of the characters are flat and uninteresting. Some of the characters are excellent, like Suzaku and Rolo. Others exist purely to serve the plot.
However, Geass manages to compensate for this. Instead of writing particularly interesting characters, it excels at mixing different personalities together and seeing how they respond to conflicts.
Although Geass knows how to manage a large cast of characters, it ends up being tonally inconsistent. Sometimes, it's
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a mindless mecha anime. Around the middle of the season, it decides to be Evangelion. Other times, it chooses to be a serious drama. Then, after Lelouch commits 500 war crimes, it decides to be a lighthearted comedy.
Sometimes, it seems that this contrast supports Geass' themes of innocence and guilt. Usually, though, it feels like the writers did not know what they wanted the show to be.
Geass is at its best when it decides to be about a slower-paced drama. The show does a great job of letting characters' actions and their consequences gradually unravel. No single character feels entirely flawless, so the show leaves you to watch the conflict from both sides instead of rooting for a single character. This works especially well for Lelouch, whose actions leave you wondering whether he is a somewhat justified antihero or a complete piece of shit. The show remains morally gray like this up to the end, never feeling like it's trying to push a specific ideology.
Despite this, the show's plot feels like it could have done with a revision. The magical elements seem completely out of place and only serve to make the show feel bloated. The Geass power could have been left unexplained, and nothing about the show would have changed. That way, there would have been no need to tack on unneeded characters (C.C. and V.V.) just to have the plot make sense.
The largest problem with Geass is the way it handles its action. The show rapidly jumps from one place to another, giving you barely any time to react to what just happened. On top of that, the mechs look almost exactly the same, so you often have to rewind a few seconds to catch who is fighting or what is even going on. Additionally, none of the mech fights are fluid or fun to watch. Mostly, you'll see one of four things: mechs gliding across a bare sky background, someone yelling in a cockpit, a radar flashing a bunch of dots, or a bunch of mechs blowing up.
Additionally, Lelouch's battle plans either come out of nowhere or just seem totally contrived. For example, in one episode he steals a mech that can block almost anything just so that he could shield someone in a later episode. A lot of the time, the payoff just feels dumb and flashy instead of well earned.
At the same time, it's tough not to enjoy Geass. The show's pace is slow enough to build a large cast of characters, but fast enough to keep that you watching. As a result, Geass is still a good viewing experience regardless of whether it's a good show.
I would not recommend Geass to people that have barely watched anime when there are so many better shows. However, Geass is still a pretty good option if you don't know what to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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