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Another OVA that takes on the overwhelming task of creating its own fantasy world within a 45-minute entertainment, with no clear story to back it up. From the first minutes the characters, with the help of a slightly strained exposition, throw the names of cities, artifacts and nations at each other, more than once using even more terms known only to them to explain incomprehensible words. For example, even humanoid robots have their own slang here, just in case the word ‘android’ is too trite for anyone (and no, it's not even ‘boomers’). It's not that it's disorienting, after all, it's too simple a sequence ... of events to not get the point across, but why it's in an OVA that isn't even an adaptation of a long-running manga is beyond my comprehension. Because of this, I found it easiest to associate myself with the character of the saleswoman who joined the protagonist and often communicated with him by asking again the keywords in the manner of Solid Snake.

Well, plot is one thing, what about action, music, animation? For the time being everything is also rather gray, only a few songs are pleasing, which, thank heavens, are easy to find separately. But otherwise - the design is heavily amateurish, and during skirmishes with the protagonist his opponents usually just stand still, waiting for him to bludgeon them with his limbs or potentially cool ribbon weapons. ‘Potentially’ - because in exactly one scene he assembles this sharpened ribbon into a sword-like weapon, but during the fight such tricks were never used.

A couple of times the anime remembers that in its ‘divine’ title lies the name of the protagonist's mecha, but there is no full-fledged action with its participation almost until the very finale. But in it - literally 7 minutes before the end occurs the titular Le Deus Ex Machina unexpectedly saves both protagonists from the villain, and the viewer from aimlessness of viewing. Juicy animation, excellent soundtrack, coolness, pathos - everything is in place, everything is so lively and dynamic that the thoughts about the spent 50 minutes eventually pass from the state: ‘I'd rather go to sleep’ to a confident, firm and clear: ‘Yes, I guess, in general, more or less, perhaps, it's OK’.

As you can see from the description, this anime is about a yakuza who decides to retire and take up housekeeping. And the plot itself is hilarious.

Each episode is divided into six smaller stories, showing one or another scene from the life of "Immortal Dragon" Tatsu trying to apply his gangster habits to a peaceful existence. Some are more successful, others less so, but all are quite witty. For all that, the ridiculous situations the mc-kun finds himself in are largely mundane, making the line between realism and fantasy blur. There's a charm to it.

As for the animation, which has caused so much controversy, I ... can say that sometimes such slideshows look much better than sakuga with special effects. The mangaka also approved of the style, saying that it allowed him to keep the jokes in the anime. The real problem for me is Netflix's poor marketing, which even after the first trailer might have given the impression that this was a more traditional anime.

What I really want to complain about is the length. The series ends abruptly, without any hint, if not of a logical conclusion, then at least of a semicolon in the narrative. Of course, this only makes me look forward to the second season even more, but I would have preferred a few more episodes to wrap up the first.

Otherwise, it's a fun, relaxing anime to watch with your friends for a few hours. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

During the second season, I couldn't help but think that the plot reflected the battle between the scriptwriters and the mangaka, which ended epically with the victory of the project management, who had their own ideas about the series. And the most important thing for them is decency, not to be taken off the air, and therefore the censorship in "Tokyo Ghoul" will be crude and ruthless, up to and including drawing anything but the affected character.
Because the creators of the anime pulled the rug out from under each other, refusing to make any concessions to each other, the adaptation itself came out piecemeal. ... The plot was cut more than once and more than twice, resulting in "unexpected" twists without logic or justification. The screenwriters were torn between the manga and the directives from above, so that a viewer who watches two or three episodes in a row runs the risk of getting lost in the multiple twists and turns of the plot, freaking out and giving up.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to give an example of the most strikingly unreasonable decisions of the main character, because it is already a spoiler. But I assure you, your logic will be infinitely offended.
A particular disappointment is the beginning of the second season. For some reason, the scriptwriters decided to mangle an almost finished product (the manga) based on God knows what calculations, but miscalculated so monstrously with the beginning of the series. Perhaps Ishida would have died defending this part, because the opening is entirely in his style: the sprawling watercolours, the flowers representing all aspects of human life, and the protagonist static in oblivion. All of this may be beautiful, but most people expect something else from "Tokyo Ghoul": action, cruelty, struggle, not contemplation of the futility of existence.
Speaking of futility, the deaths in this season were clumsy and pathetic, most of them were never killed, and if they were, it would have been better not to touch them. If most of the deaths in the manga have something to teach us, to prove some author's thesis, so that the reader can't take his eyes off them, the anime has managed to level all the mangaka's achievements.
I'll tell you a secret: the last episode of the first season contained everything that could be squeezed out of the story, everything else just promises some kind of life lesson to be taught to Kaneki and the audience.

A bit about the characters: the active ones are no more than a dozen. The rest are put out for epic contemplation behind the acting ones. They're just set pieces that pop up a few times for a pathos line or a tail/sword swing. And you, the viewer, don't understand why they exist at all. What do they change? And if they do, why? Tired of an active character? Take the inactive one and kill him quickly. Why does such a strong character, who has been twirling in front of the viewer for the entire 12 episodes, kick the bucket so quickly? Because. And that's all the viewer is left with. Following the same pattern, the active character takes out the inactive ones in packs, so that they do not even have time to open their mouths.
On the dynamics of the fights and the battle schema: The decisions made by the scriptwriters will make you cry out of hopelessness. Favourite scheme: to let a large number of people become cannon fodder with rifles, and when they're finished - to feed all the ghouls in the area, only then to finally release officers with wunderwaffles. At the same time, superiors at all levels sincerely see it as a tactic. And they accept wills in piles.
The scene in which an old lady - just a civilian - was injured was particularly shocking. According to the scenario, the epic battle with the collapse of buildings is taking place in a residential area where no one has been evacuated. No one is interested in what is going on, no one is looking out of the windows to see the neighbourhood collapsing, everyone is sitting at home, probably drinking tea.

There are a lot of these weird bloopers. They accumulate from episode to episode and become so irritating that you try to finish the anime out of sheer stubbornness.
Fans of the manga - I do not recommend watching it. Fans of the first season - give it a try.
I still rate it highly, although I have a very negative attitude towards the second season. The reason is that some parts of the plot of the manga were still realised, and for that it was worth watching everything.

"Noragami" - this is the anime that you will never regret watching. Yes, the plot in the first season is not developed yet, it is only outlined, and it is done quite reasonably and logically. Most of the story is to be expected in the second season. But that doesn't mean that the first season is made up of useless fillers. Each episode is designed to draw you in easily and enjoyably. You really see the lives of almost real, existing people, who have a lot of difficulties and problems, the solution of which requires effort and means as well as human participation.

The main ... character, Hiyori, is neither a living nor a dead girl with a typical shoujo heroine character, very similar to Nanami from "Nice to Meet You, Kami-sama". While they share some similarities in appearance and a desire to help others, their personalities are quite different. Hiyori is gradually revealed as a brave and determined girl who can go into hulk-break mode when necessary, which doesn't spoil her in the slightest.

The second of the three protagonists is the homeless and suddenly hyper-responsible butcher god Yato, who will do anything for five yen and a prayer: he can get rid of mould in your bathroom, find your lost cat, or even save the world. The fixed cost of donations doesn't affect the quality of the work, which the hapless and forgotten Kami-sama literally hunts down, resorting to petty hooliganism on the subway and in the streets - spray-painting walls to advertise his services. The best thing about this character is his design, which looks fresh and original. It is unlikely that you will ever forget this character, especially because of his literally magical eyes, whose blue colour conquers the hearts of fans.

The third of the protagonists is the weaponised soul of a vicious and capricious boy named Yukine, whose charming appearance melts women's hearts. You'll hate him for a while, because troubled teenagers are generally no fun, but then he'll be brought up properly, rest assured. And yes, the strength of this boy is once again his original and memorable design.

The supporting characters are also quite original, just listen: there's the goddess of poverty, who appears as a cute and intriguing young woman; a harsh female inquisitor in a mistress costume, which would delight any masochist; a tough man who transforms into a lace fan to create chaos and devastation...
And there's more.

Music. The music in this anime is breathtakingly beautiful and so natural, as if it was created specifically for this anime. It adds colorful accents and creates a distinct atmosphere, making the pathos scenes more impactful than in the original manga.

Animation. Animators show wonders of skill, working meticulously on details. The characters never lose things in their hands, and the directors never forget to give a few extra seconds to objects that fall, break, scatter, tear, borrow, etc. The colouring of the world of "Noragami" is simply impressive, it speaks of a special style that you will later recognise from a thousand. The landscapes, the temples, the animation of phenomena and magic are all masterpieces. This is a massive work, hidden behind the light and smooth movements, but it becomes apparent when you take a closer look. Personally, I was struck by the complete synchronisation of lips and voice, the vivid facial expressions and fluid movements, the gracefulness of the transitions, which are imperceptible to the eye but speak volumes about the quality of this anime.

It's a very good title. The main word to describe a lot of things in this title is juicy.
Juicy visuals. Drawing is beautiful, lots of animation, there are very cool fly-throughs, a varied colour palette. The action sequences are beautiful. It's fun to watch.

Juicy fan service for all tastes. Mylpha, sorry, Sylpha, the maid, the princess with fluffy animals, the shy girl with almost no clothes, and loli on top of that, Tao and her shorts... Mc-kun's special highlight is how to live without juicy shota... The abundance of steam is annoying at times.

The plot is also juicy. A lot happens in 12 episodes. There ... isn't much connection between the events, but there is a narrative thread. The twists are interesting. There are often hints on them. The level of Deus ex machina in this title is low.
This title is easy to watch. The episodes fly by. The characters are memorable.
I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

Side note. There are these... salons where you can... take a bath and wash yourself, just like mc-kun and his maids, juicy body against body. You don't have to be a shota. Just saying...

A good anime full of action. Simple in terms of plot and character development.
The world of this anime is normal. The game conventions are there, as well as the meta information for the players. The author smoothes out the game universe. You're not watching Let's Play after all.
The visuals are good, cheerful, bright. The backgrounds are nice, the locations are different, the visual design of the characters is varied. Not that it's fresh, but it's done well.
The characters and their personalities... There's no depth, nor should there be. That's not what the genre is about. It's an arcade. Everything is simplified, made vivid, details are ... smoothed and minimised. The author is consistent in his portrayal of the characters. That's pleasant.
The plot is simple and straightforward. No intrigue, no investigation, no drama. Elementary simplicity.
The closest analogue to this anime is soda. It's a sweet, fizzy liquid with a distinct taste. Becomes distasteful when it's get hotter and fizzled out. Better not to drink too much of it at once. You'll get sick.
It's great for resting your brain while watching some action. This title is not without its nice moments. I especially remember Yakuza boss Rabbit forging the dagger.

All in all, this is a good anime. There are some plot points that are a bit confusing.
The artwork is nice and juicy. The artists didn't skimp on the palette. The animation is normal, the character drawing is good. There is no special action in this anime.
This anime has a very strange world. Quite interesting. With its own logic.
For example, mc-chan regularly digs in the rubbish heaps, and there are mountains of everything useful. Imagine this is an MMORPG. And these dumps are grey and dark grey drops, very rarely green. I guess there aren't any vendor NPCs. That's why they throw it away.
Character behaviour ... is more or less logical. The plot... Well, there are a few moments...

The organization is a yakuza-like organised crime group that feeds off officials and the police. The problem is that it is very modern. The author's attitude towards aristocrats as officials of the modern world. Something like that, they all have a position, they work at it, they write reports and so on. By the way, the police and investigators are quite new things. It's very reminiscent of the City Guard. Ideally, the organization could exist quite legally, but hide some of its affairs and bribe those who control it. That would be more realistic.
Still, everything in this anime is relatively good.

The plot develops gradually, without jolts. It is moderately interesting to watch.
Normal, even good anime, but there are nuances. Some will be put off by the smoothness of the narrative, others by the almost complete absence of mc-chan's desire to kill mobs (she is only a mouse-buster). The plot does not follow the standard pattern. Mc-chan overcomes difficulties not by brute force, but by allies, intelligence and a bit of luck. And hard work, of course.

It's a normal average title.
The artwork is good. Especially the backgrounds. It's nice to look at. Beautiful in some places. The cities in the background are different, the architecture is worked out.
The plot and the characters are there. Everything is simple, straightforward. There's bad, there's good. It's all straightforward. There's minimal fan service, bloody brutality as well. Most of the time, the enemy just dies by falling down and something purple spurts out of them.
They don't emphasise that. But it is better not to watch for children.
Mc-kun is, as the genre suggests, an op. But, it should be noted, he trains. He searches for new ... things, makes allies.
There's no Deus ex machined stupidity in the plot. There's no detail either. It's simple.
You also have to filter the characters' words when they talk about numbers. Whether it's hundreds or thousands of kilometres, whether it's tonnes or thousands of years... You just have to take it as very far, very much, a long time ago or a very long time ago.
There are holes in the plot, of course, but I wouldn't call them critical.
My rating is 8/10. Can be watched if you've already seen all the good stuff.

It's a very cool anime. It's all about culture. It's easy to watch and enjoyable. There is a bit of comedy, a bit of tension and overcoming, and a lot of strong female cultural friendship.
Utena tells us about the importance of accepting yourself, your desires and the importance of staying true to yourself. Like a good friend, she will also help all her friends to open up from all angles and meanings, to realise their desires, to find their path and who best to walk it with.
Wonderful ecchi. I enjoyed it very much.
The visuals are drawn with love, soul and with one hand... But ... the budget was a bit lacking. A few more instant noodles and it would have been a masterpiece for all time.
Why do all the shounen get their gigantic budgets and Utena doesn't?

It's been a long time since an anime like this came out. This is a new masterpiece.
Let's start with the visuals. Everything is beautiful. Especially the backgrounds. The architecture, the furniture, the scenery, the vegetation... Everything is drawn with care and love. The artists have done a great job with the towns and streets. The animation of the characters is pleasant and fluid. Action scenes are dynamic and saturated. The camera angles and 'fly-throughs' are fascinating. The lighting changes in scenes during spell flashes are also pleasing. The picture is pleasing to the eye. The artists' palette is wide. They don't hesitate to use greys ... and faded tones in the rain or early morning, and then go for bright colours to represent the evening.

The music. This is a masterpiece in itself. There are several very cool compositions written for "Frieren", and the whole of YouTube is full of covers. It didn't manage to break the charts with the title theme like "Oshi no Ko" did, but it's still a very good composition. I recommend watching the official videos for "Frieren". They're good.

The world. We see the baker, the shepherd and many other minor characters. We see typical fantasy life. Everything is very believable and internally logical. The world of "Frieren" is a real fantasy. The characters are completely different from our contemporaries in another environment. The customs, habits, ways of thinking, values of the local characters are well suited to the world.

The characters. They are our everything. They are alive, evolving, with their own thoughts, concerns, dreams and struggles. They speak, react, think, decide. A whole range of emotions and thoughts run through them. You can see this even in the supporting characters. Think of Denken rolling up his sleeves before he pulls off acquirement of the Stille.
The main characters grow and develop before our eyes. And it's not just Frieren, Fern and Stark, but also Himmel and his entire party. The flashbacks are especially good here. By the end of the season you feel that you have walked alongside Himmel, not everywhere, in some places, but he becomes close and familiar, just like Frieren. The writer has put a lot of effort into showing us Frieren's development as a character, getting us to know her and everyone around her. And he succeeded.

The narration. It is not rushed, funky, but soft and measured, not in a hurry to get somewhere. But when it's getting to the point, it's starting a fast and bright action. There are some sharp and impressive moves, such as the fight between Frieren and Aura. We are smoothly led into what's to come, given all the introductions, and then...

It can be called a masterpiece. I recommend it to everyone.
But there is a moment. "Sousou no Frieren", the greater the burden of your life, the better this anime feels. Not everyone carries it with them, not everyone has had time to collect it, and I may be one of them. For that reason, this anime may not be understandable for some, but still appreciating it is a must.