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I did not expect to get invested in this like I did...

Story (7.5/10)
Upon originally reading the synopsis I had no particular interest in watching this, but I'm so glad that I gave it a chance. Reviewing this at the half way point of the story, I have to keep in mind that there are still a lot of questions to be answered regarding various part of the story and characters, motivations, details, etc. That being said, the prologue and set up combined with the atmosphere of this fantasy world, along with the concept of letter bees is fairly intriguing. It's like if Violet Evergarden was ... set in fantasy world and functioned under shounen-esque rules. The overarching narrative is not completed in this first season, however the direction is clear. My only concern is the speed in which we are getting there, as this first season was 25 episodes and it feels like we haven't gotten very far. That's partly due to the episodic nature after the opening arc, but I hope this doesn't come back to hurt the overarching plot later on.

Art (6.5/10)
The character designs (7) and backgrounds (8) of this show are quite good, especially the backgrounds. My only real complaint is with the action sequences, they can be a little stiff and the use of CG for the gaichuu (monsters) is somewhat jarring and doesn't look all that great (4.5). But overall, considering the time this came out, it's pretty decent.

Sound (8/10)
Both OPs and EDs are really good. The classical OST is very appropriate for this setting, it helps with creating the dark/mysterious atmosphere about the whole show. That being said, I wish that the soundtrack was larger. I felt like I kept hearing a lot of the same tunes over and over again, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I just wish there was more of it to enjoy.

Character (5.5/10)
It's unfortunate to say this about a shounen but I found the characters to be the weakest part of this production (par the CGI). Lag is typical idealistic kid, and a bit of a crybaby, and he doesn't have much that defines him outside of being a pure little angel. However, that isn't to say that he does grow up and learn a lot through his journey and deliveries. Then we have Niche who has about 2 brain cells (yes I know she's a kid) and is the comic relief character and is pretty much solely defined by her dedication to Lag. The people Lag meets throughout the show usually end up with more development than him by the end of it (a bit of an exaggeration). Gauche is the character who probably has the most interesting story and yet he doesn't get nearly as much screen time, at least in this first season.

Enjoyment (7.5/10)
My enjoyment varied of the show waned during the middle when it started becoming episodic during the "letter of the week" portion of the story, but the final few episodes and particularly the first half had me engrossed, curious to see how this is managed in the second season (as it appears to be a direction continuation of the first with no real resolution in this first season). What really captured my attention was the vibe of the setting, largely enhanced by the music and the dark backgrounds. From what I gather, this series was made before the completion of the manga so I expect the second season to contain either an original ending or just leave me on a complete cliffhanger...we shall see.

Overall (7/10)
If you're a fan of older anime series (I consider anything over 10 years old as old) and want to check out something a little out of the way, I highly recommend you at least give this a go. It's a slightly unconventional fantasy story that can totally absorb you if you let it. The episodes run at about 20 min a piece which is slightly shorter than the normal 22-25 min and it feels like it too. As this is another older series I'm writing about I doubt anybody is reading this, or have read to this point of the review, but if you just so happen to be reading this, please give this series a chance.


Thanks for reading!

Oh man, I was so excited to see this in theaters and I'm glad the movie lived up to my expectations. Spoiler free as usual!

Story (7/10)
The story is pretty much what you'd expect of demon slayer after seeing the first season, it's nothing remarkable as far as shounen go, but anybody who enjoys a solid shounen and liked the first season will appreciate this continuation. My only complaint is the exposition took a little more time than I think was necessary, but once it got going, it got going.

Art (9.75/10)
Let's be real, this is the franchise's biggest selling point, the art and animation are breathtaking ... at times (as expected from ufotable I suppose). If you've seen any other production from this studio (like the first season, duh) then you already know you're in for a visual treat. The only reason I docked a quarter of a point, and I know it's very picky, but I wasn't a fan of the use of CGI for a particular monster design from a particular part of the movie (trying to be vague but those who have seen know what I'm referring to). Not to say that it looks bad, I just personally wasn't a fan of it, but I know that's a ridiculously miniscule complaint.

Sound (10/10)
I don't know what you expect me to say about this, Yuki Kajiura is a class act and the OST lived up to the standard set by the series, the music in demon slayer is a large part about why I enjoy it so much, it brings a lot of the scenes to life and I think she did an absolutely bang up job with this movie. The credits song (Homura by LiSA) was also really nice, adding that to my playlist later. The voice acting was top notch as usual, I went and saw it subbed so I can't speak for the dub. Excellent!

Character (7/10)
The cast is made up of our same lovable goons from the first season, you either like 'em or hate 'em by this point so what I say about them won't persuade anybody. However, I really like the group dynamic they have and enjoyed the moments where they were bantering about whatnot. Due to the fact this movie was focused on this specific arc, there wasn't much of that to be found, so those who may have been annoyed about that in the first season, fear not there's less of it. The end of the first season was a training arc and this is the first time they all have fought since then so it was nice to see how much they've grown with their abilities, and how much they have to go.

Enjoyment (9/10)
I know this movie had a lot of expectations riding on it for a lot of people, breaking box office records and whatnot, but I don't feel it's fair to hold a movie to a standard on how much money it brought in, since the movie didn't ask to bring in that much money, that was the decision of hoards of people who wanted to go see it. Sure, it's not a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination, and it has some lulls, but it still was a fantastic experience and an absolute treat.

Overall (8.55/10)
If you like demon slayer, you like demon slayer, not much to say. If you enjoyed the first season in some capacity, Mugen Train is a great continuation. I personally find the weekly TV episode format to be a more engaging way of consumption (as I like being able to dictate how much I watch at time), but personal bias aside this movie stands right up there with the TV anime. I feel it goes without saying that if you didn't enjoy the first season of demon slayer, you probably won't enjoy this film. I hope to see ufotable taking on adapting more shounen series in the future, especially after seeing how successful this attempt went. Looking forward to season 2 later this year!


Thanks for reading!

Oh boy, where do I start with this one...

Story (2/10)
To be frank, there really isn't much of a plot to this. This is supposed to be a parody of your typical high school slice of life/romance anime with a side of magical gals (at least I think?) but because of this the entire production hinges on the comedy. The story is nothing remarkable and minimal plot progression exists over the span of 4 episodes. The occasional quick breaking of character was about the only enjoyment I got out of this, but I found the "comedy" to be very poor.

Art (5/10)
The art and animation are pretty ... average and what you'd expect from a 2005 anime, nothing outstanding or notable, but appropriate for a parody of the genre.

Sound (4/10)
The sound design was alright, same for the OST. The OP was annoying at first but after listening to it once or twice became annoyingly catchy. The ED is nice. The voice acting was fine.

Character (1/10)
The characters themselves I found to me excruciatingly annoying. There's not much depth to them, unless you count the ludicrous backstory and plot setup, and I found it impossible to actually care about any of them in the slightest.

Enjoyment (2/10)
The only reason I have the audacity not to give this section a 1 is because I will admit I snickered a few times over some of the exchanges, so it couldn't have been completely awful, right?! >.>

Overall (2.8/10)
I don't think I have the balls to legitimately recommend this to someone, but it's great if you want to prank your friends since they probably won't know much or anything about this show. However, that being said, I know that comedy is very subjective and I'm sure there are quite a few people who would get a kick out of this. If you appreciate the mid-2000s style anime and have a very specific taste in comedy that involves excessive gore and repetitive bludgeoning jokes, then this might be the hidden masterpiece you've been looking for! Unfortunately, that's not me.


Thanks for reading!

First review (comments and criticism welcome)

Story (8/10)
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 follows the events of two siblings and a mother (not related) as they make their way back home and through the events and aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake, coming in at a whopping 8.0 on the JMA's seismic intensity scale (which caps at 7). Having never been in an earthquake I can't attest to the research and simulation done by the team crafting this hypothetical, but I loved the attention to detail to how the mundane aspects of life were changed and how the people interacted with and responded to those changes.

Art (6/10)
The ... art isn't anything to boast about, however I do feel the somewhat realistic character designs were appropriate for the setting. The backgrounds were well constructed. The animation on the whole didn't require much from the team, (no mind-blowing action sequences are visual spectacles, not that there needed to be any) but what was done was done well.

Sound (7/10)
The sound design for the quakes, again as somebody who hasn't experienced anything of the sort, felt right and was mixed with the intensity of chaos and panic that I would expect. The soundtrack was melancholic and helped with immersion, as a good soundtrack should. No memorable tunes, but very fitting. The voice acting was well done for the sub, and the episode I watched of the dub seemed to be alright. The OP set a nice tone for each episode, nothing spectacular but the compilation of post earthquake remnant shots in monochrome provided a nice aesthetic. The ED's compilation of character stills in frames with changing backgrounds went nicely with the mostly upbeat, positive track that accompanies it.

Character (8/10)
The characters are expected to carry a show like this as we expect the situation they are put through to change them as individuals in some way or another. I feel like this is achieved, especially with Mirai who the majority of our perspective is through. Watching her grow up throughout the slightly shorter run time of 11 episodes is one of the highlights of this show.

Enjoyment (9/10)
I enjoyed this production quite a bit. I can see how it could come across as mundane with it's slice of life aspects (especially through the first half) but this was the aspect that I enjoyed the most. Experiencing these events through the frightened eyes of a middle schooler, and how she copes and develops throughout the show, experiencing tragedy firsthand and secondhand, bonding with strangers, etc. It's something different that I'm not used to getting in a lot of anime that I watch, so I found it very refreshing and engaging.

Overall (7.6/10)
I would recommend this to those looking for something a bit different. If you enjoy slice of life with a bit of drama, and can put up with occasional kid antics and behavior, I definitely recommend checking this out at the very least.


Thanks for reading!