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Behold the horniest anime since Testament of Sister New Devil, which penetrates the thin boundary between Ecchi anime and Hentai. It's not an erotica either which is an entirely different thing. I'd call it the family friendly version of Redo of Healer. After reading a lot of comments and reviews on it, I agree with them. That they didn't think they'd enjoy it as much as they did. It's horny yet wholesome at the same time. It felt really fresh and unique. If Madoka Magica is a deconstruction of Mahou Shoujo, this the deconstruction and Parody of Madoka.

The Plot is simple. Utena Hiiragi, an avg ... high-schooler admires and wants to be like the magical girls who defend the city against evil. She eventually gets a chance to be one, but plot twist, she joins the evil side. What follows is Utena and her new found friends lewding the magical girls. As absurd as it sounds, it's immense fun. What makes this really work is that it knows what it is and executes it superbly. The comedy, the plot and the PLOT all complement each other seamlessly. The general tone and the comedic timing of the show was perfect. Speaking of the comedy it was really funny. I spent every episode laughing at the absurdity of it all. What I also loved is it's unhinged nature. I've seen a lot of ecchi where they censor the entire breasts or just the nips. This show has way more than that. So much so that I wondered "How are they showing this on TV" and "Are you sure this isn't a Hentai?." Ecchi MC's are usually timid and shy but this show's MC embraces the degeneracy to the fullest.

The Characters were really great. Initially I felt the characters were surficial but as the show went on it brought a lot of unexpected depth to them. They all had unique personalities which brought some really interesting character dynamics. Not just between allies but also the enemies too, in this case the magical girls? Utena and co. reminded me of Team rocket from Pokemon in a full blown way. As in they're the bad guys but not really evil.

I didn't have any qualms about the animation. The fights were ironically awesome. The horny scenes were animated succulently. The Studio (Asahi Production) went all out here. They say it's hornier than the manga, which is strange since it's usually the other way around, not like I'm complaining I love it. OST was decent. I really loved the OP/ED. The OP was very catchy. Both song by the show's VAs. Speaking of which the Cast did a reallly good job on the voice acting. They brought out the character's personalities out along with their lewdness. It really elevated the show a notch.

Taking about flaws, sometimes the animation dipped here and there. I didn't have much of problem with it since it was marginal but others did. I also felt that a certain major fight got resolved very easily outta nowhere which was strange. Judging from the manga reader's comments, it appears that they jumbled a lot of content around which is weird.

Overall I reallly enjoyed it. Pure unhinged girl to girl ecchi action coupled with great humor. It caters to Majou Shoujo and Ecchi fans even if you're not into it. It's a parody yet it eventually becomes a great Mahou Shoujo anime. You have all the Magical girl and also some Tokusatsu tropes. If you're someone who watches Ecchi anime then complains there is Booba this is not for you. Innocent lads go home.

Recommendations : Since it's unique nothing much comes to mind apart from Kill La Kill. Both are nonsensically fun.

8.5/10

("SHORT" SPOILER-FREE REVIEW)

Pluto is easily the best show I've seen from 2023 imo ofc. I read the Manga 5 years ago yet this still felt so fresh. After watching this I can easily say that this is vastly superior to the manga. It is the perfect adaptation. They conveyed the feeling and tone of original story perfectly while significantly enhancing the experience as an anime should. It is supposed to a revised version of Astro Boy while still being it's own thing. The story starts with the death of a world famous robot called Mont Blanc in the Swiss Alps. Robot scientists and influencers mysteriously ... end up dying one by one with horns attached to their heads. They're also after the 7 strongest robots in the world. Gesicht a robot detective from Europol is tasked with finding the killer, in a world where robots cannot commit murder. The case however dives MUCH deeper than expected. It grabbed my attention right from start of episode one. Tightly paced, it just glued me to the screen. The mystery was very intriguing throughout with some great foreshadowing. These eps are 1 hr long on average and I'd say that was the right call. Felt more like a Hollywood movie. Regardless it was engaging through and through.

The characters in particular were the best part of Pluto as they were just Incredible. Naoki Urasawa the original author who is also responsible for Monster is extremely skilled at creating complex characters who interweave into story. You can see that here too. Completely random characters who unexpectedly connect to the main story. Every single one was lovable and have great stories behind them. All of the Main 7 were very well fleshed out along with the side characters too. I personally loved Gesicht, Brando and North No. 2 in particular. If you never thought a show could make you really empathize with robots this will. They have such "humanity" to them that it is hard to describe. No character is safe either as they can die at any moment. Every death in the show was meaningful and gut wrenching.

Studio M2 came out of nowhere and blew it outta the park. Their only "recognisable" show Onihei so they didn't have much of a track record. Yet this was Excellently done. It looks very polished. They replicated manga's artstyle flawlessly. I have to point out that the dialogue scenes in particular look fabulous. They look very natural with lot of movement. Character expressions look impressive. The cinematography to accompany it is top notch. It's great in general with some fantastic shots. The OST is beautiful and fit the scenes perfectly. I'm really glad they went with Yugo Kanno (not to be confused Yoko Kanno) who also composed for Psycho Pass, Jojo and Ajin to name a few. There is no OP except for a Marvel style intro thingy where they flash the actual manga panels with the title card accompanied by an ominous BGM. Sets an eerie tone. There are credits for the ED with a couple of somber yet gorgeous tracks.

Great as it is, it does have it's flaws. The Major one being the ending. Urasawa's endings have been well known to be odd or just confusing. I'd say that this was still the least wackiest of the bunch. The last ep was easily the weakest ep. The last quarter of the ep felt a bit rushed and abrupt along with a tonal shift which felt like it was actually Astro Boy for a sec which was strange. Biggest flaw being some unexplained stuff especially regarding the main antagonists. The 1 hr run time might also seem too long for some. I also wished they showed the names of the places they were in since the story takes place in several countries simultaneously and it can get confusing. There was a bit of repetition with some stuff which they could've avoided. Like they mention abt the "39th Central Asian War" and "Hatred" way too often. The Iraq allegory was too on the nose imo which felt out of place in the middle of a futuristic sci detective story.

I would highly recommend watching the Dub for this. THE best dub I've heard in a long time. The Dub was directed by Patrick Seitz who also directed Monster's dub. The voice acting was phenomenal. You can feel such visceral emotions from everyone. The casting was also perfect. Surprisingly ProZD (from Youtube) is in on this too!

All in all it's the best show I've seen in a long long time. It hooked me in right from start to finish. There was never a dull moment. The themes of the story have been well used before but it's executed extremely well here and it's surprisingly still relevant today even though the manga was made 20+ yrs ago. Humanity, Human Nature with the cycle of hatred in particular, War, the prospect of AI in our world, Distinction between man and robot etc. Even if you have read the manga, I still urge you to watch it. The scenes were much powerful here than the manga. You don't need to know about Astro Boy either.

Since there is no 9.5, it gets a 10/10 from me. 1 point more than the manga as it felt much better.

(SPOILER-FREE Review for Golden Kamuy Seasons 1-3)

Golden Kamuy is one of those shows that gets better and better by each season. The tagline in the manga describes it as "Yaminabe Western," referring to a type of hot pot dish where all the ingredients are added by different people with the lights off, so nobody knows exactly what's going to pop up in the dish. It is one of the best Historical shows in the sense that it makes full use of the era it is in and how it affects the individuals in it. You'd notice that it also has one of the most unique ... of settings. It takes place after the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) in the snowy regions of Hokkaido. A rare pre-WWI show. Also Seinen. Logically speaking such a general review should be written towards the end of S3. However if you've seen that far then there's no use of me convincing you that this show is pretty good.

Story (8/10) :
Long story short ; There is tons of gold hidden somewhere and and several individuals try to seek it for their own desires. The clues for this are hidden in code on the backs of prisioners scattered all around Hokkaido. Sugimoto Saichi (The MC) wants to seek this gold to help his dead friend's widow. On his way he gets attacked by a bear. Later gets rescued by an Ainu girl who has a connection to the lost gold. Both of them go on a journey to find the gold. It sounds simple on paper and follows a "Multiple people seeking the same thing" formula (like a Fate/zero) but done extremely well. A fun adventure with a lots of twist and turns through out keeping it exciting. A cycle of trust, alliance and betrayal ensues as everyone is psychopathic in one way or another. Its Historically accurate for the most part. It showcases the the way of life of The Ainu (a nomadic group) i.e how they hunt, what they eat, their rituals, traditions and their culture. In that sense it counts as Edutainment.

S1 is the weakest season IMO as its a bit more casual. It is more introductory on the characters and the parties that will take part in the golden expedition. Not to say there weren't threats and roadblocks on the way. S2 is the best season as it expands its world and the story. Big revelations are made. It delves into some of the best character backstories you'll ever see and gives them more depth. Truly the Golden season. S3 continues the journey, specifically traces the past of a couple of key characters. S3 is good too but not as great as s2, although it has the best animation so far.

Characters (10/10) :
This is the best part of this show. All the characters in this show are awesome, written very well and have much depth to them. ''The Immortal" Sugimoto Saichi called so because of his willpower to NOT die. He's more of an anti hero than a hero. Asiripa, an Ainu girl of the new generation adapting the modern lifestyle with Ainu traditions. A fierce yet innocent one. Ogata, a chaotic guy you would hate and love at the same time due to his wits, combat skills and unpredictability. Lt. Tsurumi, A charismatic bastard who is a schemer and a manipulator who leads a special infantry division called the 7th division. He is also extremely smart. Hijikata Toshiro, a former leader of the Shinsengumi who still has the fire in him to start a revolution. Ogata and Tsurumi are my favourites as they give the show a unique flavor and they change the course of the show simply by their presence. These are only some of the characters and as there are wide range of them. The fact that everyone is still relevant by the end is just brilliant.

Visuals (8/10) :
A random person once said "Golden Kamuy is greatness hidden behind a CG bear." That's true as people could be turned off by a funny looking CG bear that makes early appearance. But the fact is the bear makes a total appearance for just a couple of eps or so adding upto just a min through the show! That shouldn't make anyone not watch the show. The animation in general is aight. Geno Studio was small new studio. S1 was decent but after that they improved on the animation quite a lot. They used the animation and budget right. Not to mention they have complex character designs. They usually wear winter attire and the soldiers of the 7th division including Sugimoto always wear their uniforms. The Animation is used very well even though its made at a low budget. The Fight Choreography is insane! The combat looks similar to how soldiers fight using their own form of martial arts and tactics.

Music (9/10) :
OSTs sound more western than Japanese. But that was the idea. Some of the EDs and OPs are just incredible. The ED starts playing just before the ep ends which gives an awesome vibe and also hype for the next ep. Akin to FMAB. Everything by the band "The Sixth Lie" is great. The right music is played at the right time. Especially during backstories.

Enjoyment (8.5/10) :
I really enjoyed the ride. They made a simple story of "who wants the gold" really worth watching. The characters alone and their dynamics with one another make it worth a watch. The Humor....ehh is a hit or a miss. Sometimes its good sometimes it resorts to toilet humor. The comedic timing is also often misplaced. The pacing is also up and down at times.

Overall (8 - 8.5/10) :
I didn't expect much after a casual S1 but I was wrong as it got better and better. Its akin to old western cowboy movies about the gold rush but with a distinct Japanese twist. A Good Historical Seinen adventure anime which is unpredictable mostly because of the characters and twists. S4 is on the horizon at the time of this review.

S2 - 9/10 (Gold) > S3 8.5/10 (Silver) > S1 8/10 (Bronze)

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

Bokurano can only be described in one word : Heavy.

I'd say Bokurano's not a show for everyone. It's a Seinen, dark and twisted, a bit slow at times, has lot of dialogue, very complex and a mech show. I never understood the hatred for these 'mech' shows. Ironically enough some of them are most popular shows like 86, Code Geass, TTGL and NGE. This show in particular is very different from the rest of them. It's more on the psychological and philosophical side like Evangelion and more so about the characters who pilot them.

Story (9/10) :
Initially the story is simple. 15 Children ... meet a mysterious man who asks them to take part in a 'game' where they pilot a gigantic robot (which they later name as 'Zearth') in order to fight gigantic monsters. They soon realize that it's not a game but a real fight to save the earth. Sounds simple but of course it's more than that. There is a jaw dropping 'twist' at the end of the very first episode, which gives us a feeling that it'll be something special and it is. One of the best aspects of this show is the mystery. Every episode they fight these monsters, new things are slowly revealed. Like why they fight, what happens if they lose and perhaps the secrets of the world. This turns bigger and bigger, the stakes go through the roof and by the end it turns into nothing short of a masterpiece. The direction's fantastic too.

Characters (10/10) :
The characters are the meat of this show. Each character, both the children and the adults feels very 'real' and organic. Everyone has a unique back story, their relationships, especially with their parents feels very authentic. Every child is troubled in some way, and they find their own reasons for fighting. This gives each of their fights a much deeper meaning. Not to mention the adults are written very well as well with distinct roles in the story. I have to say though, it gets very Depressing, like REALLY DEPRESSING. It'll tarnish ur soul and u'll never be the same man again. On the other hand there are a couple of characters are made just to make your blood boil. Without spoiling it - a dude with glasses and a dung beetle. Also it's not afraid of killing Characters off.

Visuals (9/10) :
The animation is pretty good. I really love the artstyle. It looks natural. It makes the whole thing even more effective. The animation of the mechs are great. People automatically detest 3D/CG like 1 Dimensional nitwits but the animations here of the robots are very good. I'm blown away that it's from 2007. The slow movements give everything so much weight. The fate of your earth depends on these fights and it's a HEAVY burden to bear. Quite fitting eh. Apart from a few slip ups, Gonzo did a good job.

Music (9.5/10) :
The opening song is very iconic I believe. "Uninstall" by Chiaki Ishikawa is super catchy and I never skipped it. It's easily one of the best ops ever. Both the visuals and the music are outstanding. When that chorus hits, Zearth stomping it's legs on the ground, shattering houses, shooting missiles and destroying more buildings. Sick scene. The OSTs maintain the tone and dark atmosphere, along with few sad ones so plus points for that. The 2 ending songs are both great. The first one is very calm, which's very much needed after seeing the shit that went down. The 2nd Eds nice too.

Enjoyment (9/10) :
I enjoyed it all the way through. I was glued to screen, I wanted to know more and binged 10 episodes to finish it off, even though I had a headache understanding Wtf is happening and getting it blown up simultaneously. Towards the middle section it turns a bit slow. It turns political and becomes more convoluted as the episodes go by. I had to pause at certain times since it was a bit hard to follow at times. Speaking of the actual ending, it wasn't that it was bad but I just felt Empty after it ended. Like it was missing something but I don't know what. It didn't explain few important things which was very disappointing. But it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the show as a whole.

Overall : This show is underrated AF. As of now it's over 1100th position in popularity and I don't see many people talking about it. Seeing the poster it didn't look appealing to me as well. But as I said before this show is quite special. It's very different, deep, with great Characters and It will break u from the inside. The ending could have explained a couple of things or could have just neglected it completely.

9 - 9.5/10

This is my First Review. Its Spoiler Free and I'll try to keep it Short.

"One does not judge an anime by its rating as mere numbers can not justify a show" - Sun Tzu lol

This is basically of Ghost of Tsushima : the Anime, not even Joking. When I was searching I was very surprised to find an anime that also takes place in Tsushima around the same war. This Historical Fiction anime is underrated both in rating and in popularity. I honestly don't care about ratings but the score for this one is absolutely ridiculous. There are worse shows which are higher. I was ... expecting it to be bad but it actually turned out pretty good.

Story (8.5/10) : The story takes place in 1274, during the First Mongol invasion of Tsushima. A group of exiles land on the Island of Tsushima and join forces with the princess of the Island in the war against the Mongols. Every episode has a lot of action and didn't feel boring at any time. It's a small Japanese army against a Ton of mongols so they have to be smart on their approach. There are betrayals, alliances, tactics and people actually dying. It portrays the cruelties and the grievances of war. The Ending for this one was pretty good and kinda realistic if u think about it.

Characters (8/10): There are lots of characters in this anime yet somehow they fit them all in the span of 12 eps. The best character is undoubtedly the main character Jinzaburou Kuchii who was a former General for the shogunate (not a spoiler). He is smart, perceptive and a badass. It's fun watching him whether he's building a strategy or just slashing through a Horde! Then there's the Princess who invited them in who's also a Tsundere, The Exiles which include a Ronin, A Big ogrey man, A Sly Thief, A Tree climber etc. There are various other clans too.
I always like shows where the bad guys are NOT portrayed as Douchebags but as individuals who also have goals. This is one of them. For Eg, there's Uriyanedei a Fat Mongol General or smt who appears to be a cool guy who isn't exactly 'evil' but happens to be on the opposite side. Also shocked seeing a bad guy getting protected by plot armor twice (you don't get to see that often)

Visuals (7/10) : The biggest complaints are the visuals. While it's on par, it has this wierd filter that's on at all times. It gives a Medieval look but also looks wierd. Although u'll get used to it after a couple of eps. The artstyle is actually pretty good especially for the female characters. The animation is OK. It's evident that it's kinda low budget. But they tried something new with the filter and didn't use as much CG as u'd think in a show about wars so props for that.

Sound and Music (8/10) : This was a chance to use traditional music but instead they went to Orchestral-ish music which isn't bad. The Op and Ed are both Decent. The Voice acting is good. Especially on Jin. Also the Mongols speak Japanese lol.

Enjoyment (9/10): Like I said it wasn't boring at any time, each episode has an awesome ending and the actual ending while it was sad it was also kinda satisfying.

Overall: It's a fun watch. Even though it's a Historical Fiction, it has quite a lot of accuracy too like the Mongols have beefy blades and they use Tubular Hand Cannons. Both the Japanese and Mongol Armor look authentic for that era. Although Mongol Archers aren't portrayed as skilled Archers, they kinda do but not really lol. The show has its ups and downs but not as bad as the rating claims. If u liked Ghost Of Tsushima or even Drifters, u need to watch this. Wish there was more of it.

I was gonna give a 8 but I think I'll bump it up to 9/10 since it's very underrated.