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Aug 30, 2018
Gundam 0080 War In The Pocket is one of the most powerful anti-war narratives in the Gundam franchise, and became one of my top favorites almost immediately after watching it.
In a way, it's the gundam story I've always wanted. It's short run time cuts away the chaff and filler down to the core elements of concise, powerful set pieces and characterizations. While some viewers may not get behind the slow pace of the first three episodes, every moment is crucial in establishing the tone of the story's primary conflict, a high-tension undercover mission. Aside from one Zeon officer who isn't even directly involved in the
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main story, there are no characters who can be considered villains here - both sides are fought by good people who are fighting for what they believe in.
The suspense is further heightened by the dramatic irony of the budding relationship between Bernard Wiseman and Christina MacKenzie, both of whom are undercover pilots on opposing sides of the war. The blissful ignorance afforded by their cover stories provides a false sense of security while setting the stage for one of the most bittersweet finales in anime.
While the dynamic between Wiseman and MacKenzie is the most poignant and exciting relationship in the story, the way 0080 delivers its powerful anti-war message is through the eyes of Alfred, a young elementary schooler who at first romanticizes war and the weapons used to fight in them. This choice of protagonist proves to be devastatingly effective; it drives home the point that war effects everyone, and it especially has the power to leave its worst mark on the children who live through it.
Go watch War In The Pocket. It's only 6 episodes long and it's one of the best stories the Gundam franchise has to offer.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 13, 2017
Hey all, it's the underachieving shut-in's wish fulfillment fantasy realized! If there is such a thing as a polar opposite of a power fantasy, it would be this show in how its mere existence demonstrates there is a demographic of people who want to see helpless protagonists win at life because of their uselessness. (The show not-so-subtly suggests that if you choose to quit your job and do nothing with your life except sit around in a virtual fantasy, then all your dreams will come true and you'll even meet the man or woman of your dreams!)
Cynicism aside, I loved this show. Most of the
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story's best moments center around secret identities and the fear of being discovered. At this point everyone has a hobby they're not particularly keen on advertising to the world, so it's easy to identify with the main characters. Romance junkies will probably get a huge kick out of this show but will be disappointed in how short it is. The upside to that however is that the pacing is good and there's no filler.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 2, 2017
*old-timey salesman voice*
Don't have time for long story arcs just to get to the romance? You can watch this slice-of-life romantic comedy!
"But wait!", you exclaim, "what if I don't have time for any plot or developed characters?"
Then do I have the show for you! Step right up and watch the diabetes-inducing romance show of the season! All of the sugary doki-doki moments without having to sit through any plot, filler, or even followable segues! Heck, you don't even have to sit through a 24-minute episode. That's right, we've now condensed everything you try to squeeze out of a fall season slice-of-life into a single 144-minute
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season!
Always hated that off-chance you find a show and just don't like the main pairing? Tsuredure's got you covered with over 8 romantic pairings for the price of one! No more hoping-in-vain that the show goes back to the characters YOU like; here there are so many characters you can pick and choose! No ships left behind, folks!
In a matter of moments you can vicariously enjoy all the kawaii, doki-doki romance you've always wanted as you follow over a half-dozen pairings? What more could you ask for?!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 28, 2017
I normally hate light novel adaptations, I normally hate magic high school sword fighting academies, and I normally hate soft or hard harem anime. However, I enjoyed this show - enough to buy it on blu ray.
There are a handful of things that I took away from this show, and most of it has to do with how it avoids the usual trappings of the genre's tropes. It avoids DBZ-style power escalation by emphasizing skill and technique, leaving power and abilities to remain as simply character design aesthetic. It subverts the harem expectation in multiple ways; one of the non-spoiler ways being that not
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ever girl inexplicably falls in love with the protagonist. (you still get your cast with plenty of ladies but without the dumb harem syndrome - best of both worlds!) Finally, the worldbuilding while not totally original was done in such a way that I actually want a second season. A guy like me wanting a second season featuring a magic high school sword fighting academy is a rare occurrence and is possibly the strongest indicator that this show is more than just passable despite its predictability.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 28, 2017
This show is excellent at tricking unwitting viewers into thinking the show is about games, but after the first episode it becomes clear that video games are meant to serve purely as a backdrop for a run-of-the-mill comedy of misunderstandings. I'm giving it higher than a 5 because it's dishonest to say this show is completely unforgettable; after all, I will always remember how the writer(s) stretched out a single misunderstanding to span 10+episodes. This is a feat not seen since Kimi Ni Todoke, a show which I also forgave due to memorable character design, animation, and music.
The misunderstandings in this show are painful to
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watch. Every episode has at least one scenario which it would be impossible for the misunderstanding to continue, but nothing gets cleared up anyway because the writers need to milk it for several more episodes. Hooray, plot convenience! This is not to say the show isn't funny - there are some pretty great jokes and hilarious scenes - but they are not worth sitting through the show. Most of us are anime otaku and video gamers, and this show is counting on you wanting to watch it on that fact alone... do not fall for it! There are better shows to waste your time on. Any decent scenes will inevitably show up as clips on your facebook feed, saving you the pain I endured.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 11, 2017
This is a fine popcorn movie, but not the masterpiece everyone claims it to be. When's the last time you called a movie with underwhelming characters and underwhelming plot a "masterpiece?" You wouldn't. But there's a reason why this movie tricks the audience into being dazzled and distracted by its visuals and emotional punch.
That term is what I call "feelsbaiting."
This movie uses cheap narrative and visual tricks to bait you into an emotional response without offering any actual substance to warrant it. The characters are paper-thin, and for the most part we don't have any valid reasons to root for them. Other than vicarious catharsis
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I suppose. The movie never gives you a good reason to hope the two characters get together.
On a side note, the comet prominently featured in the story makes no sense. I understand the story is already supernatural, but the story was clearly written by someone who doesn't understand how comets work. The story depends so much on the comet doing stuff that simply isn't plausible. And before you say "but supernatural!", the movie never establishes the comet to be supernatural in any way.
Anyway, you're probably going to watch the movie regardless but I just want to set the record straight and hopefully protect people from falling for feelsbaiting. Feelsbait does *not* make for a good story and cannot serve as a substitute for good storytelling.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 29, 2017
"should I watch this show?" I believe you should. The animation invokes powerful emotions, the story carefully balances its drama with its cute slice of life moments, and the supporting cast is one of the most colorful ensembles in recent memory. The narrative touches on loss and isolation, and how those feelings can drive victims away from their families and circles of support. In this story, we see a young protagonist taking baby steps toward finding the strength to rely on others without feeling like a burden.
On the finer points: the protagonist narrates a lot. Not everyone will like this storytelling approach. However Kiriyama Rei
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internalizes almost everything, so narration is something we should expect in a story like this. In fact it would feel weird without it. The art of the animation is stylized in such a way as to suggest the director didn't want us to forget that this all came from hand-drawn manga. That hand-drawn feeling has the power to draw you in, making you feel warm when it wants you to while leaving you feeling cold if it deems it necessary for the scene.
Overall, this was one of the better things to come out of 2016. It was so great it even moved me to learn shogi and order my own set. While the show doesn't end with any particularly compelling cliffhanger, it gives you plenty of reasons to look forward to season 2: for starters, more shogi, more wacky opponents, and possibly more singing cats!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 24, 2017
In the same way it only takes one punch for Saitama to defeat his enemies, It only takes this show one episode to masterfully get its point across. The downside to this is that the show will never be able to surprise you.
The upside to this is that it's *literally the only issue anyone should take with the show.* You're not here for a masterfully-crafted narrative or some deep character arc; you're here to see some of the best shounen character designs go through comically hyperbolic scenarios.
On the subject of character designs, One Punch Man's characters are so interesting that I could literally
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watch them do anything and I would still find it entertaining. I could just watch a whole show of Saitama and Genos trying to catch good supermarket deals or clip coupons, or watch supporting cast fool around when they're not doing work for the Hero's association. Some of these side characters could have their own entire story arc on how they pay the bills and I still feel that it wouldn't be boring. Part of the charm of everyone in this show is that their greatest weakness seems to be real-life responsibilities, which only further supports the foundation of humor.
Here's hoping that season 2 is just as silly and irreverent as season 1.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 24, 2017
This show has only two things going for it: a villain so utterly despicable that you want to see him lose no matter how little you care for anyone else in the story, and a vicarious wish-fulfillment premise of being able to return to childhood but with your current memories. These aren't necessarily bad qualities, but the show offers little else in the way of enjoyment.
First off, the story was predictable. Despite every red herring thrown at me, I knew exactly who the villain was from the moment he first appeared. This is really bad for a show that's trying to present a mystery! While
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the story does present one twist towards the end, that twist gives away exactly how the protagonist is going to try to defeat the villain in the end. And I was right on that too, though it wasn't hard considering how obvious Erased desperately tries to be.
Another issue with the show is its lack of consistency with its premise. The ability to return to the past with full memories is shown at first to be involuntary, which was alright at the start because he needs to figure out *why* he's back in the past whether it's two minutes ago or back to his childhood. The involuntary leaps alone were enough to build a great mystery around, but the writer then decides that it should just serve as plot convenience (as later events reveal he can just do whatever, whenever). There's no suspense or tension when the protagonist is pretty much in a zero-risk scenario most of the time.
The final nail in the coffin is how stupid the protagonist is. He has no redeeming traits, no plausible character arc, no redeeming value. His childhood friends are all absurdly intelligent for their age. The abuse victim doesn't behave like an abuse victim would in real life. A story is good when characters *feel* real, and not a single character in this show - except perhaps for the mother - meets the bar.
If you want a time travel gimmick with feels, watch Orange. If you want a time travel thriller, watch Steins;Gate. There's nothing worthwhile to look for in Erased.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 23, 2017
If you really want a good dystopian story, watch literally any other show featuring a dystopian society.
This show is bad. I give it a 4 for "decent," but this is quite charitable only because I know people will watch this under the belief that it is deep and thought-provoking. However, the only thoughts that provoked me during this show are "why is the writing so awful?" and "why are the characters awful?" Overall, I didn't really see a point to the story or any *meaningful* or worthwhile message that the writer was trying to convey. And if there was a point, it was definitely off
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the mark.
As a quick criticism that doesn't need much explaining, the pacing is horrible. It was a grueling task to get through these 25 episodes. Even as a marathon-style anime watcher I had to give the show multiple breaks before returning to it.
I think a lot of the writing in this show actively works against itself. In the first two thirds of the show, the story is told through future-narration (telling you the protagonist will come out okay no matter what happens, killing a lot of the suspense), present-tense, and unnecessary flashbacks. This makes the presentation horrid and convoluted. You *can* tell a story like this in some cases, but it didn't work here. Often times some very important events or details are tossed in by the narration but not shown - this is infuriating because I don't want a disembodied voice telling me "by the way such-and-such happened," I want to SEE the characters respond to that information. If a character's friend dies or if said character learns something game-changing, I want to see how they react - this is the most important aspect of telling a story. In the rare event we do see a character react to something on-screen, the response is nothing less than utter apathy.
I'm trying to keep this spoiler-free as possible, but it must be said that the crux of the show is in the slow reveal of the ugly nature of this world's current society, much like a dystopia. If you're expecting a show by which the characters learn the sinister truth then desire to do something about it in the interest of self-preservation or even altruism, then this is not the show you're looking for! When the whole point of writing a dystopia is to have your characters respond to it, then your characters rarely ever show a meaningful response other than the occasional opinion, then you have wasted the viewers' time.
The few philosophical talking points in the show fail to be put to good use because they are left in the incapable hands of the protagonist and her friends. Their inability to formulate interesting perspectives or opinions is baffling.
The one or two good things about this show are told better in different shows, so there's little to no point in watching this show other than to pass the "I saw it so I'm allowed to have an opinion on it" bar.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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