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“The Daily Life of The Immortal King” this title describes the anime perfectly, it walks you through the main protagonist’s daily life and it is Boring!

Starting with what was good about this series. The animation, Haoliners Animation pulled out all the stops on some of the scenes. Most of the anime looks really good. The action is really smooth and the visuals are incredible. It was pretty much the only thing that got me to power through.

The story is not interesting in the slightest, it starts by introducing this massively overpowered character and then proceeds to follow him around whilst he holds back his power ... and keeps it a secret from everyone else he meets. None of the characters have any depth and because of this half the series is just the writers jumping back and forward into the overly rushed backstories. The comedy is massively forced, and it feels like almost every character attempts some form of comic relief at some point in the anime.

The plot felt pointless, there were some problems that could’ve been solved in a much quicker and easier way that it was painful to watch the characters taking it a really long round-a-bout way to achieve the same outcome and that’s just not enjoyable.

The sound and music choices for the anime were okay, nothing really stood out but that’s also nothing to complain about. I suppose in a way that fit with the theme of this series.

While I didn’t enjoy the story. I can’t deny the interesting world building of this anime. The fantasy and mythology side of it was what kept me watching, spiritual swords, demons and cultivation powers. That’s the difference that the Chinese anime brings to the table and it was slightly entertaining. But not enough to get more than a score of 3 out of me and I was not convinced to watch the second season.

I usually like to write my reviews as unbiased as possible and give an honest insight into the series/film. However I think I’m going to struggle doing that with this film, just throwing it out there the fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did, when I don’t usually watch this genre speaks volumes. But anyway let’s get into the review.

I’ll start with the plot itself which on its own was very moving and dealt with a lot of mature themes; attempted suicide, disability, anxiety, bullying the list goes on. Yet, in spite of this Kyoto Animation still managed to keep the film ... light and entertaining by breaking up the serious parts with comedy, mostly provided by Nagatsuka's antics, but not to a point where it was over the top which is exactly what you need in this kind of film. However that being said, it’s not perfect, the story itself could be slow at times and even though it was always engaging, some parts felt like they’d been cut out or rushed and that seemed to take away from the story a little bit as not all the characters were fully developed and you’d be questioning where the story was even going.

Now for the characters, Shoya’s character gets some serious development and that is evident throughout the film by the extreme change in personality. The audience could relate to him with ease and the amount of sympathy for him is second only to Shoko.

The way that Shoko’s character was delivered was exceptional, the levels of empathy for this character are unparalleled and just about anybody can relate to her just by asking yourself the question of “How would you feel if you were in her position?”. Even during the jovial and carefree parts of the film, she was just an ordinary teenage girl with ordinary feelings and that is what changed her from a picture on a screen or a drawing in a book to a person.

As for the other characters none of them got much depth which meant there were some parts of the film that left you wondering why they were there at all. I think this is mostly down to the producers having to cram everything into two hours.

The voice acting fitted perfectly, all the actors seemed to really get into character. But out of everything the opening song ‘My Generation’ was what really set the tone for the film and the creative soundtracks intricately placed throughout brought it all together.

Finally the artwork, Kyoto Animation has done an amazing job of sticking to the manga and even capturing every little detail in terms of its drawing. I’ve found myself picking up on new things the second and third time watching it, overall just an incredible film.

Where to start... Well first off the plot i think there are a few clichés but that doesn't take away from the story at all, its still an extremely engaging narrative. it just makes it more predictable sometimes. As the story is told through the eyes of the main protagonist and his 'companion' it gives a pretty cool insight to both personalities and how they can change as they over come challenges together.

The animation style isn't the best that i have seen considering it aired October 2014. However it certainly makes up for it in other areas. The fight scenes for example are completely unique ... and very creative, they aren't your everyday anime sword fights.

There is great character development you get to see some real changes happen with the main protagonist, which makes it even more satisfying.

The excellent use of soundtracks make the feels hit harder as well (which i'm sure you'll find out for yourselves). The background music fits perfectly with the roller coaster of emotions felt during this series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this genre.