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When I finished Helck, I thought that no other manga could ever compare. It was the "perfect" manga in all sense of the word. It had romance, action, drama, suspense, it was thrilling. It was a perfect rollercoaster of the shonen spirit.

Ironic to it's namesake, "What Do You Call This Trash," is far from trash. But it did have me thinking what to even call it.

Then I remembered the reason I kept going forward and living, even when times got tough. Because of manga like these. Manga that show us, we as humans are imperfect creatures. We make irrational decisions and don't even fully understand ... ourselves. But that's what makes us human after all.

Deep down we all hope, that at the end of the tunnel, there is light. That happy endings do exist. We might come out the other end battered and bruised, with scars that will never heal... But regardless, we made it. It may not be perfect and it may not be the ending we were hoping for, but it's our ending.

And when a work of art so perfectly captures the essence of that human spirit, somehow, of our beautiful imperfection, it can't be considered art at that point.

It can only be considered "human."

What would I call this "trash?" Well, I would describe it as "imperfect." And someway, somehow, that's what makes it perfect.

Reading the negative reviews and criminally low score of this anime, it's clear to see that those who can't see the splendor of this anime are either manga elitists who falsely rate an adaption based on biased pretenses or egoist viewers who likely fail to appreciate any form of enjoyment in this life, much less a wholesome fantasy anime.

Going into this blind I was not sure what to expect, but each step of the way I grew more and more engrossed in its little world. While it is by no means a masterpiece, it is one of the rare and few anime that you feel ... compelled to binge. This is one of those anime that is perfect for getting cozy under your blankets, away from the oppressive cold of winter. It's almost like a campfire, with each episode signaling the arrival of a lovely treat to warm the heartstrings.

You will not watch this anime for the incredible animation, nor the jaw-dropping production quality, and neither the thrilling plot which will keep you glued to the edge of your seat. But where this wonderful anime shines is the bafflingly cute and idyllic relationship dynamic between an adopted daughter and her retired adventurer father. Somehow, that really is all this show needs to keep you hooked.

Coupled with excellent character writing and perfectly complimentary voice acting (of which Ange's VA does a superb job), this anime is an extremely wholesome and enjoyable watch well worth your time, and a gem full of sparkly tender moments that you'll find yourself wanting even more of.

Spoiler free:

One of the greatest anime of all time, especially standing at the apex of the Romance and Drama category specifically.

A bit slow for the first few episodes, perhaps this is one of the flaws of old-school character development that requires the reader's attention to build up pace. But this anime will absolutely tear you apart and pull at your heartstrings no matter the person.

Toradora! perfected the extremely difficult art of putting the viewer in their feels over and over again like a melodic rollercoaster. It builds up the suspense and crashes it all down like a wonderfully crafted lego tower. Towards the ... end of the show, you will see the full culmination that this anime has to offer, putting together all the pieces you thought were irrelevant. It is a beautifully executed climax and one of the most complete but bittersweet endings you will ever experience.

This anime is truly a masterpiece and I would never go back on my word of putting Toradora! in my top 5 best written anime of all time.

Going into it, I was not expecting much from Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu. It seemed like an interesting show and I had nothing else to do at the time, so I thought I would give it a try.

The first episode did not feel really special, and the second, and then the third...and on and on. But for some odd reason, I found myself unable to stop watching. Even as I acknowledged how seemingly "bland" of a story it was in comparison to recent titles of the past decade, I was pulled. I found myself wondering what would happen next while going about my ... day.

And as I slowly became immersed in the small yet sophisticated world of The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent, I realized just how beautiful it really was and why I had been so allured by it. It reminded heavily me of Violet Evergarden and Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii, yet it also had it's own unique charm I couldn't quite wrap my fingers around.

Throughout the entire series, I found myself wondering what this anime was trying to be, especially after that awkward Isekai introduction. But after finishing the series and seeing the characters reach a beautiful conclusion to the very first chapter in their own stories, it hit me. Although this story shared many commonalities with traditional love stories and others more modern stories in the same genre, it still stood out, even after having seen so many of the same style repeated over and over again; and that was exactly why it was so enjoyable.

It felt almost Shakespearean, with how exaggerated yet subtle the story was told. It was a very traditional dynamic, the classic archetype of following a sort of princess in love on her own journey across the kingdom. Combined all together, the art, music, and world building truly brings one back to more simpler times. Times where love stories were just first created.

Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu is a simple story, one filled with love and hardships. But that doesn't stop it from being something beautiful. The final conclusion I came to after finishing this anime was that of an important reminder.

Stories and archetypes today were born from mythologies of the past. The simple folklore stories that carried a simple meaning themselves, Hansel and Gretel, Romeo and Juliet, Little Red Riding Hood, Alice In Wonderland, etc. It's easy to forget that there is meaning to the simple in life.

So many critics today are unimpressed by the lack of complexity in a story, and even the average reader as well. However it's important to not forget that what we once considered as masterpieces or classics, started out as simple stories like these.

Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu is a simple and short story that perfects all the basics, yet not doing anything drastically above and beyond to make itself "unique"—a gimmick. Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu is simple, and that's what makes it so beautiful and refreshing.

The fact that Cagaster of an Insect Cage does not have a higher rating is a serious injustice. It brings me great pleasure to be one of the few who might actually understand the masterpiece behind this anime.

Story: 10
Art - 8
Sound - 9
Character - 10
Enjoyment - 8
Overall - 9

Starting from what is considered "bad" about the show, the 3D CGI may put off a lot of people, but that is easily overlooked when considering everything else the show has to offer. Personally, I also believe Cagaster of an Insect Cage is one of the few shows that pulls off CGI extremely well. The ... Cagasters are big and creepy, and the large 3D models only help to solidify the creepy atmosphere that the bugs carry around them. By taking advantage of the CGI animation, the fight scenes are well choreographed and have an insane amount of detail to them.

Music is something that can make or break an anime, especially when it plays during crucial moments. You won't really remember Cagaster's OST after watching the show, but you will definitely notice it while watching. It is one of those soundtracks that perfectly adds to the show when it's most needed, while not standing out in any way. The soundtrack fills it's role well, but no more and no less. However, an OP and ED song that pan in during important cliffhangers at the end of an episode are all an anime needs to hype. If you haven't already, I highly recommend listening to the OP and jamming out. It is an absolute banger of a song!

Now for the real review (Spoilers from here on out!):

Cagaster of an Insect Cage's story and writing design are what truly makes this anime so great. When analyzing how well put together a story is, I take a look at the technical aspects of the writing and the weight that previously planned plot points have. Much like Violet Evergarden (another amazing anime), Cagaster uses the first few episodes to build up the characters, by introducing Ilie and the characters that revolve around her past, as well as Kidou's history of becoming an exterminator we get an idea of how the setting and antagonists react to them, and why their personal reasons for doing what they do. When people talk about "character development," they refer to how much a certain character has improved individually. But when I talk about character development, I look at how the characters and their relationships develop with each other, and how those relationships can affect their morality. SPOILERS: When Kasim died, we see just how much he cared for Naji and the other children. He blames himself for destroying their home and helps them as much as he can to make up for it. As an individual character he is finally able to be forgiven, and dies with contentment. However, the relationships he had with both the children and Kidou are where the writing design truly shine! The way his death affects the children push them to move forward past their clutches of the destroyed community, while for Kidou it has the opposite affect. As Kasim died by turning into a Cagaster, Kidou was forced to execute him due to his job of being a heartless exterminator. They were close friends, but Kidou still had to do it, for the sake of Kasim. Kidou grants him peace, while taking on the hatred of Kasim's loved ones for killing him. This reminds Kidou of his role as a cold exterminator and decides to pursue being a killing machine once more.

In an attempt to become closer to Lazarus, Kidou spent most his life practicing extermination techniques and destroying his own humanity in order to kill more effectively. However, when Lazarus reveals that he is still reluctant to exterminate and his own morals, Kidou feels betrayed. This is also seen in Franz and Acht. Franz wishes to understand his deceased father and goes to extreme lengths to do so, while Acht struggles against himself and whether or not he is a human or monster. All three of these conflicts are mirrored in another character or more.

The entire moral of the story and where the real juice stems from, is the hint of humanity, morals, and the past in the characters. Lazarus' indecisiveness passes onto his son, Kidou. At least, it should have. Kidou lies to himself constantly, as one would need to in order to kill monsters that were once humans. To throw away your humanity in order to do so, and for what? To become closer to somebody that is already dead and who betrayed your morals right before dying? Kidou faces these problems and this dilemma of whether to be held by his past and something he no longer believes in, or to change for the future after regaining his humanity through other characters, like Kasim and his legacy.

In the end, Franz and Tania are finally reunited in death while their eternal love is reflected in Kidou and Ilie's own relationship. Very early on in the story, Kidou mentions meeting a god who saved him. The entire show we are tricked to believe this is Lazarus, but it can actually refer to Acht. Somehow Acht must have impacted Kidou's own morals back them, but Acht also had to been affected. Their fateful meeting stems deeper, as Acht searches for Kidou to kill him. Acht struggles with being a monster, and so it would be fitting for Kidou, an exterminator, to be the one to kill him.

What I'm trying to say is that everybody's fates and morals are all affected and intertwined with one another. This is something that is very hard to accomplish well, especially because it requires copious amount of planning from the very start.

All the characters find their own resolute meaning to life, after being crushed by their morals and dilemmas previously. By meeting the characters needed to do so, they move forward in life with a different meaning than the one forced upon them by their past generation. Infact, in many cases their resolution is also the answer to the past generation's problems. Ilie is an insect queen, while Kidou is an exterminator who kills insects. This ironic contrasts of characters and how when Franz finally realizes his love for Tania, Kidou himself realizes his own love for Ilie. Through his battles between Acht and being influenced by Ilie's own struggles, Kidou finally decides to move past his lie of being a cold exterminator, and gives a new shot at being human with his newly kindled love for Ilie.

There is so much deep mirroring and contrast in each character's own morals that I can't even begin to fathom. All in all, Cagaster of an Insect Cage is what I would call an, "experience." It is truly an experience which will change the way you view yourself as a human and the things that make or take your humanity.