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*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Same Story, Same Studio, Same kid yelling Plus Ultra 10 billion times; but makes you wonder, is the source material just shit or the director just couldn't stand up to the task? Just a trainwreck of an anime.
[Story: 4/10 , Characters: 5/10, Art: 6/10, Sound: 7/10, Enjoyment: 6/10]

“When you’re really scared.. When your life is really on the line… Your true colors show.” - Red Riot

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Never before did I think I would use such a quote to describe an anime series but ... after finishing watching this season of BNHA, I think it fits it perfectly. I was so hyped going into this season. The plots were set, the character arcs were foreshadowed, the epic fights were pre-hyped but something just felt off from the previous seasons. When it mattered the most, nothing came together. I watched this show every week but as I watched more, slowly it felt like watching someone pretty just letting themselves go; not caring about their looks, their appearance, their weight, not even their personality. This season of BNHA is not the BNHA I fell in love with. It's like someone new came into the life and completely changed the recipe for its previous successes. Lo' behold, after some simple research, turns out there was someone, Director Masahiro Mukai. He just came in and completely changed the recipe. There is a reason they say too many cooks spoil the broth and this season of BNHA completely validates that issue.

"Do you have a plan? A goal with no plan is called a delusion." - Kai Chisaki

Let's dive into the plot. Pacing wise, it's not too bad. There weren't many flashbacks, just ones that were needed but overall a linear story that was easy to follow. The story starts off from previous season, and it was foreshadowed that we will finally get to see Lemillion and Overhaul go at it alongside Deku. They started it off well setting up the backstory of the Yakuza org and their goal/role in this hero/villain society as well as Deku & Lemillion working in the same agency as All Might's ex-sidekick. However, when the actual confrontation happened with the Yakuza, Police and League of Villain, without spoiling anything, it just became a screaming contest. Usually you would expect the plot to unfold through fights and through dialogues exchanged between the hero and the villain, but none of that happened. It was just people screaming others names for 20 mins straight. Finally they ended with that arc and we moved over to the next mini arc. Hero examination for the failed heroes. That arc could've redeemed itself from the previous pitfall but that too became this philosophical screaming bs about what it means to be a hero and how should one lead as an example to be an icon for kids. Don't get me wrong, it's a noble effort but it was just adapted really poorly plus the story was setup so poorly that it didn't deserve an arc. Lastly, the whole Gentle Criminal and Loli Cyberhacker crashes school festival arc was so cringey and just infuriating to watch. It had the potential to showcase how villains are born from failure to become heroes but the whole old man with edgy stalker loli lover trying to get a gentle hurrah of experiencing high school life just didn't sit well with me. Now it could be that the source material for this season was overall shit but if that's the case then cut it short. Don't beat a dead horse for money to produce movies. Just get on with other arcs that may be of more importance. They should've chucked them into the OVA category because the whole time it felt like watching filler episodes. Gave me serious Naruto vibes. Oh how the wannabe mighty have fallen.

"Even trash has its pride. If someone has expectations for us.. then we need to meet them." - Yu Hojo

Beside the shitty arcs and plot adaptation of this season, usually watching the characters grow is something very significant and worthwhile to watch in this anime. This season, apart from Deku and maybe Lemillion, no one really had major growth that will be tangibly relevant in the future. If anything, the only thing all the characters in this show learned was to smile more. There weren't really new cool techniques being taught or learned nor discovering how villains completely utilize their power for pure antagonizing mischiefs. The show was doing well focusing on growth of side characters and using it as a foil for Deku's growth but this season they just hard focused on Deku's growth and in the end all he learned was to flick his finger. On and also how to pop lock and groove. Disappointing. Just simply disappointing. Hopefully next season they learn that it's better to let all the classmates grow in unison than just one. Here's to hoping it was the source material's fault once again.

"My dream is not so trivial that I can just give it up when someone tells me to." - Gentle Criminal

Now usually the shining factor for any studio Bones anime is their awesometacular animation and breathtaking OST accompanying the anime. This season on the other hand had some of the most still frames used that I've ever seen. If we were to count how many still frames were used to undercut the animation budget, I'm sure, all previous seasons combined wouldn't reach this season's level. It really felt like watching something cheap than the usual polished animation I've grown accustomed to witnessing from this anime and studio. There were some epic fights that either had such godlike music but with lazy still frames or crisply animated animations with misplaced boring OST accompanying it. It seemed the directors were never on the same page and as I said earlier, having two directors definitely ruins the overall experience of the anime as a whole from the technical aspect. The OP song was alright and the ED song was bearable. The OST on the other hand is good if you just listen to it on it's own but during the anime it felt slightly mismatched. Atleast the seiyuus working on this anime kept giving their plus ultra effort to save the show. Kudos to them for sure.

"A society without cheer and humor will not have a bright future.” - Nighteye

Overall, this season of BNHA 4, just leaves a bad aftertaste in your mouth after watching it. As weeks past, I became less hype to watch the next episode. The animation had too many still frames for my expectation and liking and the direction of this anime left a lot to be desired. This isn't the BNHA I know and enjoy. It felt like I was watching a budget version of an epic show that used to always steal awards on anime award shows. It also felt like the studio just didn't get their hands on many key animators. It was definitely sad. Anyways, if you watched the other BNHA seasons, I say you should still watch this trainwreck of a season. Maybe speed through it, since the way it ends and the sequel it foreshadows, next season can be better provided they stick with the original director of the anime. Regardless, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite quote as well as one thing you hated in this anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Same Recipe, Same Hype, Same Animation, Same Production. Just rinse and repeat while raking in the maximum profit. It's a sports anime. Make some flashy plays, Scream in Unison and yell FOR THE TEAM. Ez Profit... Or is it?
[Story: 4/10 , Characters: 6/10, Art: 7/10, Sound: 6/10, Enjoyment: 8/10]

"Sorry to keep you waiting" - Tobio Kageyama

You know how boring Pizza is? Think about it. it's just a doughy bread, some tomato sauce, cheese, bunch of meat/veggies that is baked in an oven. Very simple meal but depending on who makes it, makes a huge difference, doesn't it? If you try eating ... it over and over again you become sick of it but something keeps making you go back for more. Why is that? It's not the food that you're addicted to... No no no, It's that warm feeling of biting into a hot cheesy slice of deliciousness. That's what you're addicted to. That's the craving you're trying to satisfy. That's the epitome of a sports anime, especially the like of Haikyuu!!. Metaphors and analogies aside, this is the fourth season of Haikyuu!! and something tells me even if they drag this to the tenth season, fans and fujoshis of this anime will always be coming back for one more bite! No matter how cheesy, repetitive, simpleminded and obvious the story, the plot and the "plot-twists" maybe; at its core, it's just a feel good anime about friends struggling and growing together to become better individuals. Who doesn't like a feel-good story. Or, maybe you just like to watch it because IRL you never experienced such a feeling, so you are fulfilling it by experiencing it with them? Farfetched idea for sure, but something tells me, it maybe true to an extent. You don't need to tell me, but it will be our secret. Now seriously, jokes and therapy aside, let's dive deep or let's fly to the top to see why the 4th season of Haikyuu is a mediocre sports anime that's still worth the watch.

"He who climbs the ladder must begin at the bottom" - Ittetsu Takeda

Plot wise, the story takes off a bit after they beat Shiratorizawa. There is a short prequel to this anime that's not a must watch but you should watch because by now, if you're watching this still it means you are a fan of this anime whether you admit it or not, my dear EdgelordWeeb420. You'll soon realize how this entire anime franchise is just one huge tournament arc that's composed of mini tournament arcs where players grow and overcome their shortcomings during, in between and after each game. This season is no different. We have a training arc that's soon followed by a tournament arc. There is nothing wrong with it, because in high school, that's how school sports are setup. I remember for one sport (ice hockey) we did traditional seasonal games whereas for other (baseball) we did weekend tournaments. It was time efficient and saved us on cost. Similarly, in this season of Haikyuu!! they employ similar method. What's cool is that instead of typical training montages, they split the main characters up and it showcased more of how Japan is growing their Volleyball team nationally. Through the lenses of Kageyama, we get to see this new elite group of super athletes that will soon represent Japan in the Olympics. The way they train, the way they communicate and how talented they are individually will potentially setup new storylines and new villains for Karasuno to beat at Nationals. On the other hand, Hinata, goes to a different training camp, where he learns via a different method. Not sure if it was intentional or not, but given that the main team are represented by Crows, it was interesting to see the author utilizing how a crow can learn rapidly by both observing from above or by being part of a different Murder (group of crows). Scientifically it has shown to enhance the crows individual growth and I wonder if the author/director utilized that method here. Regardless, it was interesting nonetheless. By this point, one can only take so many training arcs. Finally, the season nears its end by heading to the Tokyo Nationals where they must compete and overcome any of their shortcomings while continuously refining their skills to reach to the top. Spoiler alert, they do end up meeting individuals whom they trained with so we atleast have a good battle at hand. *Insert shocked pikachu face*

“It’s no fun if you don’t try other options once you know they exist.” - Yu Nishinoya

Sports anime are never really about plot because by now you realize all sports anime follows the same formula. If you didn't, well you just learned. Congratz. What makes a sports anime actually good are the characters. The way they grow as individuals, the way they overcome their struggles and the way their gel as a team, solidifies the common proverb of a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Kageyama and Tsukishima. I relate to them more. I'm glad this season, they focused a bit more on their personality and their playstyle. Hinata is alright, but he's too damn happy all the time. Moody and being condescending about every action is the fastest way to improve. Regardless, I just wish this anime focused more on a few other players of the team, especially the seniors. By no means, are they perfect and they have ton of room for improvement. They tried to show flashbacks but it would've been better had they also shows previous clips of their plays as well as how their coach handled things back then. It would juxtapose well with current Karasuno's condition as well as setup for a better gratifying experience when they do hit major milestones/strides as an individual or as a team.

"My greatest weapon is not getting caught" - Hinata Shoyo

Last I checked, this anime is still being adapted by Production I.G. So fans can relax and enjoy an eyegasmic experience every damn time. From the stills to the focus shots, you really get sucked into the anime. They draw you in with their vivid visuals and whether you watch it fullscreen on a TV or on your tiny phone, it's still a great experience overall. Also having a newish director, Satuo Masako who also directed the third season, helps as he is really adept at hyping each individual games be it practice or official ones. Moreover, the sound team is doing an excellent job. The OST is pleasing to listen to and the OP song is catchy as usual. The ED song is alright but previous iterations were better imo. The seiyuus are still doing a great job. Bottom line is, no one is slacking and that's showing in these adaptations. So here's to hoping they keep it up.

"You can fly even higher" - Tobio Kageyama

Overall, the fourth season of Haikyuu!!: To the Top isn't really special but it's still a good anime to watch. Most likely, if you have watched the previous seasons, you will end up watching this season as well. I don't see why you wouldn't unless you really hate volleyball or you found your new calling that is hentai/isekai or light novels in general. I'm not judging but slightly am. Jokes aside, the pacing of the plot is good enough and the recipe hasn't changed much. The chefs may have changed hand but since the crew is the same, the ingredients are sourced from high quality, the anime is still worth the watch. This anime will be more enjoyable if you binge it. Obviously we will get another season. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite quote as well as your favourite character from the anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!
P.P.S. Are you Team Kageyama or Team Tsukishima? Why? Let me know! I'm curious.
P.P.P.S. My fav quote: “Everyone thinks that being small is more detrimental than it actually is. Even though being smaller puts you at a disadvantage in volleyball, it doesn’t make you completely helpless!” - Certain Someone

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Do you like sports anime? Do you like sports anime based on actual sports and not something completely made up? Well, if you've been hiding under a rock or not yet cultured on the competitive game that is Karuta, then get yourself educated because Chihayafuru S3 is back... after 7 goddamn years to give us something heavenly to cherish during these quarantined time.
[Story: 8/10 , Characters: 9/10, Art: 9/10, Sound: 9/10, Enjoyment: 9/10]

"Naniwa-zu ni / Sakuya kono hana / Fuyu-gomori / Ima o haru-be to/ Sakuya kono hana"

How long should a studio wait before delivering something to the fans that ... can both live up to the expectation of its predecessor and heighten it so it can set a new bar for itself to be a strong contender as one of the best real sports based shounen anime? If you ask director Morio Asaka and Studio Madhouse, it's apparently 7 years. Fans of Chihayafuru have waited so long for this third installment and boy did it live up to the hype. When the same five note started playing that was ever abused throughout the entire show, that gush of nostalgia just came all back. It's rare to find such a feel good pulsating anime that can do that these days and Chihayafuru did just that and more! Before we continue, if you haven't watched S1 or S2 along with OVAs of this anime, watch them all first. I promise you'll binge through it no time. If you don't like it, understand this is one of those niche sport/genre where if you aren't fan of it, you won't enjoy it as much as the rest. Also I'm not going to explain how to play Karuta, wiki it, because every time I try to explain it, people fall asleep. Now that being said, let's dive deeper into this installment of Chihayafuru and explore both the technical aspects such as animations, OST, visuals and its character driven plot such as growth of players along with their purposes in life to see what made this iteration better than its previous seasons, ultimately leading it to become a must watch as fans of it have been hyping it up for years.

"In Karuta there are only 4 ways, right? You take the card, your opponent takes the card, you make a mistake, your opponent makes a mistake." - Master Suou

Chihayafuru, written by Yuki Suetsugu is about a high school girl, Chihaya, who is finding a purpose in her life other than being a supportive slave for her model sister by diving into Karuta taught to her by her idol/best friend Arata in order to become the Queen, basically the best female Karuta player in the world. Alongside her, you have Arata, the grandson of the legendary Master, best male Karuta player in the world, who is trying to devote his life to Karuta to achieve his grandfather's dream and Taichi, her childhood friend who is gifted with brain, brawn and looks, aiming for something similar but to win Chihaya's approval or finding his own purpose in life. It's a complicated triangle. At first it may see that the Manga was mainly aimed at the demographic who were into the josei genre but as time went on people fan of drama or sports or even shounen to an extent started to really get into it. This cross demographic propagated the popularity of this show and all for the right reason. The overarching theme of this anime is that to achieve one's dream and to be the best at something, you have to sacrifice something in return for it. This theme is prevalent in any sports anime or shounen anime but Chihayafuru gives its due diligence by actually showing the physical and mental ramification of such sacrifice through their interpersonal and intrapersonal interaction with others who are both in or outside of the world of Karuta. This season is knee deep into tournament arc of becoming Master and Queen. Since we are witnessing how our main protagonists competes in the race to become Master and Queen, we see it firsthand with the current quirky Master Suou and Queen Shinobu as well as supporting characters competing. In retrospect, whenever you have a sports anime, plot wise there isn't much story as the story is usually told through growth of characters during tournament arcs and if you knew how previous seasons of Chihayafuru functioned then you would expect this season to be similar. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. This season heavily explores the tremulous trepidation of hormones, heightened emotional roller coaster and sense of belonging & camaraderie.

"I've always, always wanted to become a person who is not a coward." - Taichi

In the previous season, Karuta was mostly played in team aspect but since this season, most games are individual 1v1, we finally get to dive deeper into the mental state of each character and grow with them as they redefine their purpose and find ways to seek it. The stand out character for this season wasn't Chihaya at all, and in a way I'm glad, it was actually Taichi. Taichi is a very complicated character. His sense of purpose was never really defined like Arata or Chihaya. On one hand he played Karuta because he wanted to be near Chihaya because he loved her but on the other hand why go through Karuta to only get her attention? Why does Chihaya only pay attention to Arata? Is it because he is so good at Karuta? So do you become better than Arata to achieve his purpose he set out from the beginning, that is to achieve Chihaya? What if along the journey, he realizes, maybe he is more like Harada or Master Suou, his actual purpose is to become the Master and to do that, he must sacrifice it all, including Chihaya? All of these questions and more that constantly circled Taichi this arc makes his character such a standout one this season. Definitely an enjoyable and facepalming experience. That being said, the reason this anime is great because Taichi's struggle was used as a foil to showcase similar struggle for purpose for other characters such as Shinobu, Arata, Harada, Haruka and even Master Suou. I guess in a way, since this season wasn't so focused on Chihaya is what made it much better in a weird way. If you thought Sudo was the biggest sadistic dick in Karuta, wait till you start interacting with Master Suou. New favourite character for sure. Regardless, it's the characters growth in this season is what makes this season so much more enjoyable. Spoiler alert, press F for Taichi. #TeamArata.

"I sincerely apologize. Have you sirs and ladies restored your exalted spirits?" - Shinobu

Now that we have the brilliant story our of the way, let's raise a toast for the amazing work this studio did in adapting this brilliant anime. No matter how good the manga is, cough Tokyo Ghoul cough, if the studio doesn't do justice in adaptation, cough Studio Pierridiot cough, then it can never shine bright like a diamond. From the breathtaking visual, to the nostalgic yet brilliant orchestraic OST, OP & ED, to the seiyuus pouring their heart out to heighten each character's struggle to lastly those poets reading those poems, it's such a complete technical package that is hard to come by these days even though we are technically in the golden age of anime. Biggest credit should be given to director, Morio Asaka, for staying on this project from the beginning. It helps with maintaining the consistency and vision this anime is headed towards. Each panel of the anime is brilliantly animated with bold vibrant colours. The matches are animated and depicted true to its form irl (I checked by actually watching an IRL of last season's Master's match) plus it added the anime flare by slowing down at appropriate times to enhance the dramatic tension for different strategy employed by the players to problem solve during tense situations. It really enhances viewers experience. None of those panning shots used by lazy studios to each episode. Moreover, the OST is just so warming to listen to as a standalone piece. Although I didn't enjoy the OP and ED song as much this season as previous seasons but it was still good and became adjusted to it by the end. Lastly, kudos to the seiyuus. Especially the poet readers for Karuta. Their voice when reading each poem actually feels like a melodic song. Although we can never hear the second part of the poem since the game is so fast paced but at this point, the introductory poem is just ingrained in the brain. Overall, very hard to nitpick flaws in the technical aspect.

"Luck of the Draw is not about luck or fate at all." - Harada

Overall, at the end of the day, if we were to assume that no anime is perfect and an anime is only as great as the viewer's enjoyment; then Chihayafuru S3 did a great job in disproving both null hypothesis by showcasing that the recipe for a great sports anime comes from a character driven plot that uses each player as a foil to shine the overarching theme of sports anime, that is through sacrifice shall one achieve greatness & purpose in life! It also bauds well when it's backed greatly through well executed technical aspects that acts as a great ladder to propel the anime further up. This season may seem slower than the previous ones but by no means should it be used as a criticism. Would I recommend others to watch it? That's a loaded question to answer since this is such a niche anime. Since this anime is based on a card game that can only be played in Japan who know Japanese, it's not easily relatable irl, however, if you are a fan of sports anime, and you enjoy growth of players' skills through hard work and perseverance, similar to Haikyuu or Kuroko no Basket, then give this anime a try. It isn't only geared towards girls and there isn't much of a romance aspect as some fans might allude to. Lastly, there will be another season but who knows when that will come, here's to hoping it's not another 7 years. However, if it takes that long to maintain this level of perfection, then It's worth making that sacrifice. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite poem from the anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!
P.P.S. Are you Team Arata or Team Taichi? Why? Let me know! I'm curious.

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Psycho Pass meets Mirai Nikki before they have a child so horrible they decide to leave it at the philosophy class for freshman's to decide what religion the child will have.
[Story: 6/10 , Characters: 5/10, Art: 5/10, Sound: 4/10, Enjoyment: 3/10]

“a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written ... a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” (Revelation 17:3–6 ESV)

Thriller anime's make it or break it point is how well it can balance the dynamic between the protagonist, the antagonist and the philosophical dilemma they both deal with to justify the decision they have made by the end. From the director that brought us, FLCL Alternative & Psycho Pass 2 (not one) comes a new thriller called Babylon where our major philosophical debate is whether people should be allowed to commit suicide, thus making it an universal law. The topic of suicide, assisted suicide, and the whole idea of the justice surrounding it is any philosophy 101's students' wet dream. We think we know what is good and what is evil but as we slowly group and become poisoned by society's corruption we learn in order to continue living we must tread on a moral grey line. Although this show had a fine premise and a mystery element surrounding this core theme of suicide with a good protagonist and a very vibrant antagonist, by the end it expanded too much to quickly for it to become the next great Psycho Pass of a show. Fortunately, it did generate ton of controversy, and where there is controversy, there is popularity. So let's discuss why this dark horse of a show had the potential but just like Icarus, it flew too close to the sun of philosophy and burned down to the ashes. Let the fun begin.

With a clever title like Babylon, you immediately start thinking of two things, the great kingdom of Babylon or the whore of Babylon (if you know about the Biblical story). For those who don't know, the Whore of Babylon is the spirit of seductive culture, actively engaged in the deception and destruction of God’s people. Now without getting into the religious fundamentals, the story's central theme is basically justifying what is good and what is evil. Should people be allowed to commit suicide or is it a crime to in general. How do we judge what is good and how do we judge what is evil. Various philosophical issues come to play and this theme is portrayed through the conflict between Zen Seizaki (Prosecutor aka Batman) and Ai Magase (Whore of Babylon aka Joker). If you understand the reference of Batman & Joker dynamic akin to the Dark Knight movie, you'll understand better of how the plot is played out without spoiling too much. Essentially the issue arises in a small town of Shiniki, where this young Mayoral candidate Itsuki, proposes that suicide becomes legal. He explains his reasonings and he has Ai Magase carry out the "suicides" of the people in the city. For the first arc the show becomes this cat and mouse game of capturing Ai Magase and finding more about her before she "kills off" Zen's team via the method of suicide. It's brutal, thrilling and a nail biter to see who can out wit the other. They even introduced a drug early on, Nyux drug, that people can take to die in peace instead of the usual jumping off or cutting oneself or hanging method. In a nutshell, they were humanizing the process to be more ethical to today's standards. Sadly, in the second arc of the story, the suicide law went from a city policy to a universal policy, expanding to countries like Canada, France, Germany, Italy, UK to even USA. We get to see now political leaders of the country getting in on the debate. Oddly this also coincides with when the show went on a long hiatus before returning and it seemed people smoked too much because the whole tone of the show changed. It became too philosophical for its own good and less chaotic battle of wits where the characters were playing 4D chess to outwit one another. It definitely lost its charm and the show ended on an open ending for viewers to decide and talk about to learn more.

With a philosophical show as such, it's not actions or "plot" that attracts the audience, it’s the characters that offer the charm, particularly the villain. In Ai Magase, we see a diluted villain akin to Shogo Makashima of the past. She has this mystical aura with the whole Whore of Babylon biblical allusion as well as the Nine Tails folklore in Japan. She has the power to verbally mindfuck someone to submission to the point of them wanting to commit suicide without actually physically murdering them. On the other hand we have Zen Seizaki, this super moral good guy to the level of Superman and as the show progress we see how he slowly loses his sanity to maintain his core fundamentals so he doesn't become the very evil person he puts behind in jail. This Batman vs Joker dynamic is the central conflict in this entire show. Now to foil these characters and flesh out the good vs evil character grid, we have side characters like Detective Kujin, Prosecutor Sekuro, Mayor Itsuki, even the president of the US all the Americans hope to have, Alexander Wood, and many more. As the show progress, we see these characters give their output on where they stand on the issue and what we need to do as society. Once again, very open ended and lacking the mangaka's clear feeling towards this situation.

Looking at the technical aspects, this is one of those shows that doesn't need Studio Ufotable level animation, nor does it Studio Bones level music to make the show pop. It's a thought provoking anime and key people were the seiyuus voicing the characters. The seiyuu of Ai Magase and Zen Seizaki does a phenomenal job conveying the raw emotions and the quirks they have plus more. The OST is alright, nothing too crazy and animation is passable. A few freeze panes here and there but they cleaned it up near the end. Not too shabby overall. The OP and ED songs or rather medleys are alright. Nothing too great. Nothing too memorable.

Nevertheless, Babylon is an okay anime at the end of the day. It definitely had a great premise as a mystery thriller where we had to catch the "Whore of Babylon" before she corrupted God's people and led them to their deaths but it deviated in the second arc to this philosophy 101 bullshit about what is good, what is evil, what is justice and what it means to commit suicide. Not once did they just grow a pair and address the major issue of there is a cult leader, let's arrest the cult leader before they convert more to commit a mass murder. Nope, they were too good to do such a thing and as a result only our naïve boy, Seizaki suffers. It sort of mirrors the political climate of Japan in today's society where due to their naivety is currently suffering and in a population decline due to their ignorance of core issues early on when the problems were surfacing. So I guess kudos to the mangaka to mirror that. If the anime was stretched to a two cour anime, maybe it would've been far better since people would actually have a proper debate and not one or two lines to debate a serious matter as such. Regardless, viewers who like anime like Psycho Pass or Monster or Parasyte, should give this anime a watch. It's not going to be as good as those anime but atleast it will tickle your philosophical bone for a few hours. I'd never rewatch this anime and I hope there is an OVA to wrap up the loose ends. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite quote from the anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!
P.P.S. If you got through it all, do answer me this on my profile the following questions:
1) What makes suicide a crime but euthanasia not a crime?
2) Will letting suicide being a universal law solve the issue for organ donation?
3) If suicide becomes an universal law, how can one punish someone to prevent from population committing mass suicide?

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Did you miss edgy Sasuke? Did you miss Eren screaming like a whiny little girl? Do you need a Daddy in your life slapping and kicking you so you can shut up and do what's needed to be done? Then look no further, for Vinland Saga is the right historical anime for you. Now shut up and read this awesome review before I send Bjorn after you.
[Story: 8/10 , Characters: 9/10, Art: 8/10, Sound: 8/10, Enjoyment: 9/10]

“You don't have any enemies. No one has any enemies. There's no one who it's okay to hurt” – Thors

From the studio that became ... famous by adapting one edgy teen's revenge story comes a new edgy teen's revenge story, called Vinland Saga. Just swap some titans for Vikings, Levi for Thorkell, Erwin for Askechad and boom you have a new instant classic that the studio can bank on to make instant profits. Jokes aside, knowing how great 2019 was for the shounen genre, Wit Studio with the help of Production IG, pulled off this mega adaptation of a cult classic manga, Vinland Saga authored by Makoto Yukimura. This wasn't your typical shounen story where we see a clear divide between good vs bad, right vs wrong, moral vs immoral. It's a story with layers. Layers of ambiguity, layers of plot development, layers of character development and layers of morality. It's about understanding and bettering oneself to adapt to the situation one is dealt with by having control of one's emotion. Also stop with the whole what it means to be a true warrior bullshit, that was just used to bait all the edgy teen audience in so they can make profit selling Prince Canute figurines. Anyways, let's take a closer dive to see what makes this anime so good, from it's character driven story, to breathtaking visuals and eargasmic OST and how it could be a dark horse to win anime of the year.

"You can make use of anyone with the right approach" - Askeladd

From a story perspective, though at first it seems like a story based on revenge, as we watch more, you finally understand why the title of the show is called Vinland Saga. It's a historical epic that takes place during the 11th century when the tension between Vikings and Danes were at an all time high. This show is by no means historically accurate but since it has characters that are based on actual historical characters like Harold, Canute even Thorfin to characters based on the Norse Folklore like Askeladd and Ragnar, it gives a false sense of realism to this historical saga. It starts off with a happy adventure seeking boy, Thorfin seeing Askleladd, a witty dishonourable Viking, mercilessly killing his father, Thors, an escaped honourable Viking pacifist, in an unfair battle. So this Viking Sasuke, Thorfin vows to kill Askeladd in an honourable duel as revenge for his father but let's be real, how can a shrimp kill a shark in a duel? Oddly, Askeladd having no son of his own, decides to adopt Thorfin, promising that if he proves worthy in his raids, he will let Thorfin battle him 1v1, as so the Viking tradition entails, for the revenge of his father. This sets the story in motion as we start to see the development of Thorfin as he grows from a child to an edgy hot headed teen, blessed with his father's genes of being an excellent warrior under Askeladd's tutelage. Along this journey, they meet various potent side characters like Prince Canute of Denmark, a sissy Prince who's Daddy left him to die in battle, to Thorkell, a Viking Hercules who can take on 100 men at once, almost reminiscent of Thorfin's father, Thors. Without spoiling too much, what makes this anime great is that the story pushes the boundary to the point you can still believe the story is plausible. Nothing is romanticized, no veil of fantasy, no clear divide between right or wrong. Reality is just much more unforgiving and we have to just make do with what cards we are dealt with in life. None of that lucky deus ex machina bullshit. You are weak, you die. You are clever, you will survive. It's a true dog eat dog world. If you thought you could watch this anime without people not dying, well you couldn't have been far from wrong. It's the era Vikings; bloodshed, pillaging and raping are but the norms. This gritty aspect of realism makes the story arcs great.

"I love fighting, but even more than that, I hate losing! I only fight to win!!” – Thorkell

Despite the gritty realism of the sad story, what makes this anime great are really the characters. This anime has one of the best character developments and it doesn't just stop with the main character. Throughout the entire journey, we are introduced with multiple side characters who acts as foils for Thorfin and each of them undergoes their own character growth alongside the MC. The four major characters are Thorfin, Askeladd, Canute and Thorkell. They each compliment one another but also fills the void the other lacks. Each of them have their own definition of what being a Viking is and what being a warrior really should be. I won't spoil too much but for me the standout character was Askeladd but let's be real his name should've been Askechad. He is witty, he is charming, he is clever, he is cunning and above all he is a damn strong warrior. He has a great origin story and his motives are never clear till he reveals it later on. Upon the revelation, everything starts to make sense, from his actions to his choice of words to his philosophy on life to how he believes one must execute a plan. He is a great leader and he is blessed with an eye for judging a man's character from just looking at them. He is the Dad you don't deserve but the Dad you need to get your weeb ass out of your mom's basement to face the harsh reality that is life. That's who he becomes for everyone else in this anime. His methods maybe grim but his execution is beautiful. Using Askechad's character development as a template, you can understand just how well he develops the other characters in this anime. He doesn't do disservice and each of them deserved the deaths they received. That's all you need to know for now.

“I'll achieve something in no time. Then you'll die by my hands” – Thorfin”

Although the story and characters can be amazing, we all saw what a shit show Berserk came to be when a studio fails at animation. Luckily with Wit Studio at its helms, from a technical standpoint this show definitely shined in the technical department. Right from the beginning to the end, the anime looks polished. Every panel, every fight sequences, every slow shot to even the physics of the water movement, it was hand drawn and blended really well. Wit Studio has some great key animators and they used them accurately in this adaptation. Alongside its animation, the sound team did a phenomenal job. The first OP song was a banger and the second ED song was a chart topper. If you have something against English songs being in played in anime, then just leave. Learn to appreciate talent. The OST overall fits with the theme very well and the orchestral sounds flowed well with the story. Comparing the soundtrack to the actual show Vikings that I also love to watch, I can see this team actually did research and tried to replicate it to the best of their ability. Moreover, the seiyuus voicing the characters did a great job.

"He just doesn't realize it himself. Everyone is a slave to something" - Askeladd

Overall, Vinland Saga, may just be the dark horse shounen anime of this year despite just how many great shounen anime came out this year, like Kimetsu no Yaiba, Attack on Titan, Mob Psycho, Dr. Stone to the ever popular airing now, Boku no Hero Academia. What sets this show apart from the rest, is the gritty realism and feeling you get that it's not much a kid shounen anime. The adults are running the show and the kids are trying to learn as fast as possible under their tutelage to become the leaders to build a better future. This show is blessed with great characters and seeing how they develop under great roadblocks makes this show so good. The entire staff did great service to the mangaka's work and a special kudos to Shuhei Yabuta, for being able to pull it all off. He doesn't have many anime under his belt, mainly Inuyashiki, but he definitely showed promise with how well he executed this adaptation. I hope he gets to adapt the second season as well. The show ended on a great turning point in the story. So I can't wait till season 2 comes out. Regardless, viewers who love shounen anime or want to watch something historical, you should definitely give this show a watch. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite quote from the anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Futuristic Cowboy Bebop mixed with Kids on the Slope sprinkled with some Nana and a whole lot of wackiness from Space Dandy to give you the new hit, Carole & Tuesday. Seriously, it's just like wrapping yourself in a blanket by a fireplace and drinking hot-choco while enjoying some lo-fi music and falling asleep while watching this anime... Except you don't fall asleep.
[Story: 7/10 , Characters: 7/10, Art: 8/10, Sound: 9/10, Enjoyment: 9/10]

"Fucking bullshit... Goddamn bullshit... Son of a bitch, what the hell?" - Galactic Mermaid ♪

It's definitely a little cold in paradise tonight for the brainchild show Carole & Tuesday, ... by the visionary director, Shinichiro Watanabe, just came to its conclusion. This amazing show produced by Studio Bones to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their studio and the 10th anniversary of their record label, FlyingDog, in short was quite a success. For people who are not aware of Watanabe's style of work, they might have some reserve or approach his shows slightly differently. However, there's a reason he is known as the Quentin Tarantino of the Japanese Animation Industry. From his previous hits like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo and Space Dandy, just to name a few, this new show once again proves he is one of the only successful directors that can bridge both western and eastern genres harmoniously in perfect convergence. Moreover, his fascination and importance of film scores and his belief in music being the universal language is heavily shown throughout his works. With all that background in mind, when you approach a seinen sci-fi show marketed as a musical, it's important to go in with an open mind. His shows are never linear with clear cut problems between people but rather looking at the issues plaguing the society today but just set in a different time or era. Now that you have a background of what to expect, let's dive in to see whether Carole & Tuesday is really going to create a wave that might grow into something larger... like a great anime.

"If I believe I can do anything... I can move mountains, I can move mountains" - Move Mountains ♪

The story isn't really complicated at all. The story is set in this futuristic planet, Mars, where everything is maintained and propagated by the use of AI. It revolves around two girls, as you could've guessed by the title, Carole (low class orphan girl trying to get by) and Tuesday (a run-away posh girl) who both share the love for music and singing. They accidentally meet at the city of Alba and they decide to start a band and become successful musicians. The major conflict of this anime is the struggle they will have to go through to become successful in an age where AI rules the music industry. Sure there are minor conflicts among characters but it doesn't pale in comparison to the actual struggle. This conflict might not keep viewers interested throughout the show since they are really used to conflict among people but this is where the big brain thinking happens as Watanabe sheds light on the current state of artistic industries like movies, music, books or manga where we have become so formulaic that we know what works, what resonates within people and how to utilize it over and over again to make profits. We have lost the sense of innocence and ingenuity in our works. If our society continues to progress in this path, what's to say in the near future we too become heavily dependent on AI driven creative works and lose sight of our creativity. So from this standpoint, the story is relevant and appropriate; not just for today but also in the future. That being said, if you nitpick the character conflicts, there are barely any and at times it's just hormonal conflicts driven by puberty and growing pains of adulthood & interpersonal relationship issues. Nothing too gripping to rally behind but at its core it's fun and wholesome to follow the painful path to success these girls would have to take to become musicians.

"Nothing's wrong with my head... Nothing's wrong with the way I walk" - Love Yourself ♪

Now that we have a good idea of what kind of story to expect, we can dive into the characters. Aside from the main characters Carole & Tuesday, the other major side characters are all caricatures of people from today's music industry. You have Gus, this washed out drummer boy, who found a new purpose in his life to manage and build the girl's career. You have Roddy, this tech-savvy computer wiz, who knows how to market and make things viral. They sort of setup a conflict character in Angela, who's your typical "Disney girl who wants to transition into a musician *cough Selena Gomez* *cough Miley Cyrus*, but she just turns out to be a character used as a foil to better propagate our likings for the main character. Sadly most of these characters seem very disingenuous. For me the most stand out characters would be Tao, this music AI-phillic composer, musician and producer who believes there is no such thing as real music and he has perfected the formula to produce pop hits after hits after hits, similar to the real life counterpart Max Martin Sandberg. Look him up; behind almost all the top Billboard chart pop songs, he has played a big hand in their success. Another one being DJ Ertegun, who just seemed the most comical DJ in the industry who was a great caricature of a mix of DJ's like DJ Khaled and David Guetta with his obsession of featuring artists left and right. Also, Tuesday's Mom's actions and characteristics sort of gives off this Hillary Clinton & Trump vibe with how her scandalous political angle was setup in the show but it wasn't executed well. Looking at all the characters, it seems they were just setup to give us glimpse of issues persisting in today's music industry. Other than that, they didn't have much of a function. Special shoutout to the Mermaid Sisters. I understood your music even if the judges couldn't. As well as Pyotr, you have earned a follower in me, Pow!

"Can you feel my... Can you feel my... Can you feel my tears? They won't dry" - The Loneliest Girl ♪

After critically looking at the story and characters, one might wonder, well what could possibly be the it factor that's giving this show such high ratings. Well that would be it's art & animation as well as the music; after all it is a musical anime. It's produced by Studio Bones and if one thing we know about Studio Bones, they are always delivering on the animation. From the stellar works in Noragami and Mob Psycho, they didn't hold that much back in animating this anime. Nowadays almost everything is CG blended and they used it well while animating this anime. The character designs all felt really unique and the mix of western culture and different ethnic backgrounds as well as the rugged New York Bronx/Brooklyn futuristic setting really propped the show up to be more realistic. Some of the scenes felt a bit jarring, like the way the hair flaps or the crowds just being dots but they really painted the picture well of how one may experience different genre of music. Now the biggest highlight for this show is the music. The songs are all sung in English by various artists both in Japan and outside. The lyrics, albeit somewhat formulaic, still able to string a chord among people and the composing of the overall OST is very chill & lo-fi akin to what today's people are used to. None of those loli style, vocaloid music to make your "heart" go doki doki and purchase all the overly priced ecchi figurines for unnecessary reasons. Jokes aside, at times, it really felt like the music was also used to highlight the singers actually singing the song but it was executed well. The show used two sets of voice actors for each characters. One set for just regular talking and the other to sing the songs in English. The transition at first was a bit shocking but you get used to it really fast. So overall, the seiyuus and the singers did a phenomenal job. I would highly recommend listening to the OST plus the OP & ED song are both catchy and sung by same singers as Carole & Tuesday. It's really good. The show features various music genre like ED, pop, rap even opera. Seriously, Watanabe is a serious music-philliac. Also, each episode is titled after a great western hit song and I found that really fascinating. Not only did it open up new classics to enjoy but also to go back and listen to the classics I loved growing up. With or Without You, Every Breath You Take and Don't Stop Believing is just a few of the amazing songs to listen to.

"Two hearts, four broken pieces... That's who we were before... Somehow we fit together... Now we're unbreakable" - Unbreakable ♪

Nevertheless, the best way to describe Carole & Tuesday is to use the quote the great philosopher Aristotle once said where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If we break things down to judging the story, the characters, the animation and the music separately, it may not look that great but as a whole, it is a really chill, laid-back, feel-good anime. Sure the anime lacks a concrete conflict but in real life, our major conflict is the over-pressing society blockading us from finding success in our career. Sure the characters might seem disingenuous but in reality, it's just trying to mimic the type of people everyday humans are. We aren't some anime protagonists or antagonists. We are both the heroes and the villains of our own success and failures. Sure the music might seem formulaic but guess what, it's the same formulaic music, your trashy music taste continuously seeks out and listen on repeat. Seriously, we made Old Town Road, a billboard chart-topper. Overall, this anime may not be for the mass but it is for the many who enjoys works of Watanabe and enjoys complete anime that looks at issues plaguing the society. It's more of a story driven conflict, rather than a character driven conflict where people are just trying to better themselves to survive in this society without losing themselves in the limelight. You might like it, you might not like but it's worth giving it a shot. I would highly recommend to anyone that wants to jump into watching anime as this works as a great bridging anime for newcomers. Regardless, viewers who love the music genre and not into the loli vocaloid musical anime, you should definitely give this show a watch. There might be a second season or a movie since it ended with a to be continued. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite quote from the anime as well as your fav song. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Do you like Shounen? Do you like Samurais? Do you like cute Imoutos giving headpats? Then grab your inhaler and start practice breathing, because you have one hell of a show to binge before you run out of breat!
Seriously, it's almost like the plot of FMAB and Dororo intertwined to give you Unlimited Budget Works.
[Story: 7/10 , Characters: 7/10, Art: 9/10, Sound: 9/10, Enjoyment: 9/10]

“The weak have no rights or choices. Their only fate is to be relentlessly crushed by the strong!” – Giyu Tomioka

Party is over... nope party just begun. Kimetsu no Yaiba or The Demon Slayer, took the ... shounen world by storm this season and shounen trash fans out there just can't wait to take more hits from this addictive drug of an anime. Just to put it in perspective, if Naruto and DBZ was heroin, SnK and OPM was codeine, BNHA and MP100 was fentanyl, then Kimetsu no Yaiba by studio Ufotable is definitely carfentanil. That's how potent and addictive of a series this show just is. It follows the shounen formula perfectly but just executes it at a breathtaking level through their beautiful eye-jizzing animation and pleasing eargasmic OST. This anime has the potential to be anime of the year so let's take a closer dive to see what sets it apart, why you should watch this & whether it really is deserving to be the anime of this year!

"I swear your big brother will save you no matter what" - Tanjiro Kamado

From a story perspective, Kimetsu no Yaiba is very simple with a clear end goal. Almost all shounen anime tend to have such a trait and as well all know it's all about the journey not the destination. The show starts off with Tanjiro's family getting brutally murdered by demons and the only surviving member is his little sister, Nezuko, sadly turning into one. So Tanjiro must go out on a hero's journey to turn her sister from a demon back to a human. To do so, he must become a demon slayer, these pseudo samurai-esque warriors that are trained by former Hashira's, slay demons to figure out a way to learn how to cure the demon disease. They can only be killed by sunlight or decapitation by a special sword. Early on, we learn that all demons were once a human and they became demons due to ultimate villain Mujan Kibutsuji, who is the father of all demons. He is the only one capable of turning humans into demons so the main hero, Tanjiro, must kill him to rescue humanity from the demon epidemic. Very simple structured story, not too many twists and turns. The show progresses well with its powerlevels as well. Powerlevel refers to how fast a hero gets powerful enough to beat other villains. Too fast and it becomes unbelievable, too slow it just becomes boring. However, given it's simplistic structure, the show did became very repetitive in the middle with the whole crow sends you on a mission, demon appears, demon gets slain. Rinse and repeat. Thankfully, due to each demon, showcasing different power, we get to see different fighting styles and see our hero learn, use and adapt the training regiment he went through to become a demon slayer. One huge positive for the show is the way it layers the story and builds the stage for the character to shine during battles through use of flashbacks to justify their actions. There are gag skits here and there that gives the viewers break from constantly being on the edge of their seat but at times it feels like they drag it on a just a bit longer than needed. Lastly, there is a precipice point in the show where till you reach it, it's just an average shounen anime story, and I'm sure you know which episode I'm referring to since it was all over youtube and twitter, but afterwards, the show really finds its footing and gives new breath to the boring monotonous story this shounen anime was turning out to be.

"Don't ever give up. Even if it's painful, even if it's agonizing, don't try to take the easy way yout.." - Zenitsu Agatsuma

Now that we have a good understanding of the story, this show would not be vastly enjoyable if it weren't for the characters. Seriously, each of the character in the show is very well designed and their characteristics just makes them unique from each other. From the main protagonist, Tanjiro (Naruto), who despite being a demon slayer, due to his past, empathises with each demon he kills to the peak imouto, Nezuko, she taketh headpats, she giveth headpats to the awesome quirky polar opposite side characters Zenitsu (Sakura), the sleeping giant, and Inosuke (Sasuke), the best boy/girl? This show has a dynamic cast that keeps on giving as we get to learn deeply about each of their past and the struggle it took to become who they are now. Keep in mind, this season barely scratches the surface on the complex lives of these characters and their past and in future season, definitely there is more in store for them which will make them better. Moreover, we are introduced to good and bad people from the humans and demons race and this juxtaposition shows us the cheesy reality that the real demon was inside of us all along. It is our action not our appearance that ultimately justifies who we really are as a person. Beside the philosophical tangent, the seiyuus of this show deserves a huge kudos for their work. Particularly, Natsuki Hanae, seiyuu of Tanjiro, really nailing the cries and the sobs. Clearly, having voiced Kaneki, it's no surprise Hanae has completely mastered the voice of suffering.

“If you can only do one thing, hone it to perfection. Hone it to the utmost limit.” – Jigoro Kuwajima”

So far Kimetsu no Yaiba, from a character and story perspective, hasn't really done something too outstanding to set itself apart from other shounen anime but given that it is studio Ufotable, master of 3D backgrounds, digital compositing and computer assisted animation, adapting this anime, fans are in for a treat. Right from episode 1, all the way to episode 26, the anime looks more polished than my future. Every panel, every fight sequence, even every little gag skits, the level of detail that goes in shows what a studio blessed with "unlimited budget" and key animators can do to elevate an anime. This anime in short is just painting in motion. From the build up, to juxtaposiing emotions in every frame; it is just synesthesia. They use CG to mimic complex camera motions that are impossible to hand draw so when that is translated into samurai sword fighting, It's like watching an work of art. Moreover, it's not just animation, the sound team does a phenomenal job. From the OST, to the OP & ED song by LiSA, the amount of emotions it carries just makes you sit back and wonder, what have you done this year to be deserved of such movie level budgeted works in weekly anime episodes. Seriously, even the clashing & slashing of swords in the show are clean, satisfied and outright therapeutic. To sum it up, it's just shounen ASMR. You can never get enough of it.

I am a perfect creature that is infinitely close to perfection.” – Muzan Kibutsuji

Overall, Kimetsu no Yaiba will undoubtedly be one of the great shounens to come out this year. I say that knowing what an amazing experience Mob Pyscho 100 S2 was and the almost failure OPM S2 turned out to be and the epic experience S4 BNHA will become. 2019 is the year of shounen anime and Kimetsu no Yaiba does a great job establishing a good foothold in the industry for years to come. The story despite being very average almost skyrocketed in sales after its adaptation thanks to Ufotable. This isn't to discredit a well crafted manga Koyoharu Gotouge created but just to put in perspective how much success is dependent on the studio that adapts it. Nevertheless, the show doesn't have a high replay value from beginning to end but certain fight sequences has an endless replay value. Definitely worth listening to the OST of this anime on repeat and knowing what a banger the show ends on, I'm hyped for S2 of Kimetsu no Yaiba. The best girl is Nezuko by far; SHE PROTECC SHE ATTACC BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, SHE DOESN'T SEE HUMANS AS A SNACC; and the best boy is Zenitsu (Sorry Inosuke fans); HE CRIES, HE ALMOST DIES BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE KILLS BAD GUYS! Regardless, viewers who love shounen anime or enjoys a dark fantasy set around the period of samurai, you should definitely give this show a watch. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite quote from the anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Nostalgic Fans will gush over it. New Viewers will just glance upon it. Fruits Basket: "Brotherhood" isn't that bad. If you usually binge shitty slice of life/shojou crap, you can cleanse your palette with this.
[Story: 5/10 , Characters: 5/10, Art: 8/10, Sound: 8/10, Enjoyment: 6/10]

Before I start this review, I want to preface this with saying, this will be my first time watching Fruits Basket. I have not read the manga nor have I watched the original. However, I have done ample background research to know & differentiate the changes and improvement for this new adaption.

“A conscience grows, just like ... the body. It’s bred within your heart. That’s why the shape of people’s kindness is so different.” – Tohru Honda

Fruits Basket S1 (2019) aka Fruits Basket: Brotherhood (/s) was one of the most anticipated anime of this year since it is a readaptation of Fruit Basket that aired 18 years ago. There was so much hype surrounding this new adaptation, that it made me wonder, what was wrong with the old one that it so badly deserved a new adaptation. From my research and understanding, it was the Mangaka, Takaya Natsuki, who specifically requested that this adaptation be done anew; new studio, new anime staff, new voice actors, new everything. Nothing from the previous anime would be brought back. Which begs the question, the old one was beloved by so many fans & rated pretty highly on MAL, why did it need to be readapted? Turns out, beside the toxic relationship she had with the previous studio, she just felt her manga wasn't adapted properly and the characters were not given its due diligence. So 18 years later, TMS studio brings back the shojou classic, Fruits Basket, where they will fully adapt the entire manga over 60+ episodes and not just the first major arc & leave the readers to read the manga like the previous one. Now that we know why it was revived, let's see from the perspective of a first time Fruits Basket anime watcher, putting nostalgia aside, whether this shojou classic will be a hit or a miss in today's anime culture.

“It would be so great if it was possible to go through life without making a single mistake.” – Yuki Souma

Fruits Basket at first glance is a very laid back slice of life style shojou series about a homeless orphan girl named Tohru Honda, who gets taken in by the Souma Family. They have a dark secret that they are people of the Chinese Zodiac and if a human hugs them, they transform into the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Somehow they just coexist, procreate and live a dysfunctional abnormal life riddled with emotional & love conflicts. However, enter Tohru, this saint of a girl, who grew up hearing stories of the Chinese Zodiac from her now deceased Mother, as she will transform the people's lives around her. The story is very linear however it's riddled with flashbacks of the characters' childhood traumas. Every episode or two, the story focuses on her changing the viewpoint of the people around her as they learn to grow and love the person they are. There is romance, there is drama, there are tears and there is comedy. In the beginning it seems funny since we start to get introduced to different zodiac animals and their unique quirks & upbringing traumas. However in the middle it sort of drags on since it becomes very repetitive but near the end you realize this whole season is just the first arc where they establish the major characters' flaws and growth so they can move onto to next arc. So from a first time viewer's perspective, it's not that great of a story but for nostalgic fans, it's a great treat as they get to revisit their old fav show in new limelight.

“For there to be pain, there has to be kindness. For darkness to stand out, there has to be the sun.” – Kyouko Honda

When you have a series like Fruits Basket that has a multitude of characters, you have to accept that these characters will be nothing more than two dimensional caricature of various character tropes. The main character is Tohru, who is an ubiquitous over the top super innocent saint that only just have love and tears for everyone around her. The major side characters are Kyou Souma (Cat), Yuki Souma (Rat) & Kazuma Souma (Dog). Besides them, you have her polar opposite friends Uo-Chan and Saki-Chan. Each of the character she meets as the show progresses represent different facets of emotional vulnerability that she overcame to become this saint that she is now. So to help them overcome their fears & struggles, she pours her heart out and tears to make them learn to love and accept who they are and carve the future they want for themselves. What's odd is that no characters really stick out to me, despite each of the zodiac characters having their unique character designs, personalities, quirks & traumas. If I have to dig deep, the major complex character is probably Tohru's mother Kyouko Honda, who learned many life lessons from being a troublemaker gangster to a doting calm mother. It's hard to really relate oneself to the main character because she is too perfect for a common human. She's like this Gandhi like figure in this anime and even then you can't even compare her to Gandhi because let's be real, even Gandhi wasn't a saint. As for the zodiac characters and other side characters, they are somewhat relatable but due to them being very two dimensional and rudimentary trope characters, there's not much substance that lies with them.

“Just as no matter how hard you try to keep it away, despair will attack you again and again. In the same manner, hope will return to you. Again and again.” – Kazuma Souma

Now that we know what type of story and characters that makes up Fruit Basket, let's focus on few technicalities of the show that makes this the better anime to watch. From an animation standpoint, TMS Studio, blew it out of the park with their animations. If you compare this with the 2001 (and you should not because technology) it is a vast improvement and the colour palette as approved by the Mangaka, just shows how rich this anime can be. It's vibrant, it's moving, it's emotional and it's constantly breathing. The frames are animated well and the colour seamlessly switches from bold to cool to give the viewers an eyegasmic relaxing treat. Beside the animation, the OST is very soothing. The OP songs are sung very well and the ED songs are nice as well. It's a slice of life style shojou anime and the music composition fits the bill. Great job by the studio. Moreover, the seiyuus did a phenomenal job evoking emotions and excitement with the material they are given. They made the show better than this show can really be. Without these technicalities, this new adaptation, really wouldn't be worthwhile. It just goes to show, how heavily this series dependent upon such.

“If you love someone, they could make you sad. They could even make you feel lonely sometimes. But, that someone can also make you happier than you’ll ever be.” – Kyo Souma

Overall, looking at it holistically, Fruits Basket at its core is about exploring the many universal facets of love; from familial, parental, platonic, romantic, self-sacrificing to even toxic or destructive. Moreover, it looks at the importance and struggle of empathy, forgiveness, personal growth and ultimately self-acceptance. I can see why back in 2001, people really enjoyed a show & manga as such. It is a pivotal show for teenagers learning the world around them and maturing to become a functioning adult with emotional understanding. However, looking at it objectively, this show is very simple with a story that is still scratching the complexity of the human condition. It's neither archetypal of a hero's journey nor is it a show that will transcend the modern shojou or slice of life culture. I can see why nostalgic fans love and revere this show, however, as a first time watcher, I just found it a fine feel good anime. Maybe because I'm not an avid slice of life/shojou anime watcher or maybe because I've passed my teenage emotional rollercoaster years that I'm unable to identify with these characters. Regardless, viewers whether new or nostalgic, should give this show a casual watch and be on the lookout for its sequel; for I'm curious, with how this season has ended, what will be in store for the next. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite quote from the anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: From convoluted plot to character overload to just downright shitty animation & cba CGI failures,
OPM S2 is not great, but it's not terrible either. It's just okay... If you like comedy that is.
[Story: 6/10 , Characters: 5/10, Art: 4/10, Sound: 4/10, Enjoyment: 6/10]

"I'm a Hero. You did well on your own. Leave the rest to me" - Saitama

2019 is the year of sequels. From highly anticipated sequels like Mob Psycho S2 to SnK S3 to BNHA S4, we are now experiencing delayed gratification at its finest. Major question to ask as a fan of OPM, will its ... sequel live up to the expectations? Will it be a masterpiece or a disaster, given how long we had to wait? Now let's be real, given that sequel ruining studio, JC Staff, is adapting this anime and somehow Chikara Sakurai, an unknown director, is driving this show off the bridge, surprisingly, if you subvert all of your pre-conceived expectations, OPM S2 is not great, but it's not terrible either.

"So basically martial arts is... A way to move around all cool-like?" - Saitama

The story follows our bored hero Saitama, who is so OP that he defeats every monster with, you guessed it, just one punch. How do you take something so stale and make it interesting. It's a parody show at its core. If you've watched enough shounen, you know the good guy will always win and the ugly looking evil monster will always lose. This season the arc changes where the antagonist is a human who roots for the monster and wants to exact revenge on all the heroes who just gangs up on the villains and kills them mercilessly for pride & money. From a parody plot standpoint, it's a refreshing pivot. We finally have a humanized villain who you can get behind in kicking some smug hero's ass. We get to see how corrupt the executives running the Hero Association is and we also get to see how selfish S/A/B/ even C class heroes can be. However, instead of just focusing on this antihero, Garou, they decided to include in the entire cast of Monsters Inc alongside it to convolute the plot even further. I understand the purpose was to act as a foil for Garou, but it wasn't executed well. There's even a mini martial arts tournament arc that really seems unnecessary but it's funny regardless. There were some moments of brilliance following the sage like dialogues from Saitama & King (a highly anticipated strong hero), but with all the one line quit pro quo jabs and unnecessary dialogues to avoid putting effort in animation, it just wasn't cutting it. This is why having a good storyboard director helps big time. If anything, this just showed the incompetence of the studio more than anything.

"There are so many extremely powerful villains in this world. A hero is someone who takes on those villains. Even if they're all alone" - Saitama

Despite the convoluted linear plot of OPM S2, the characters not half as bad in this iteration. We get to meet more characters and more S class as well as A class heroes. We get to see the moral code each of them live by and through that we can juxtapose our main hero, Saitama, and see where he stands. As always, Genos, hyped up as this great S class hero who is striving to be as strong as his Master, somehow never fails to be destroyed by every villain he comes across. Garou also stands out as a really good fleshed out villain and given his past, you are able to feel empathy for him. It's nice. However, you can tell the plot is rushed as we are bombarded each episode with a multitude of characters that we just cba about honestly. If this was a 24 episode anime and we had the chance to really get into the backstories of these side heroes/villains then their actions onscreen would make more sense. Before you complain remember that first season despite being just a 1 cour anime, keep in mind, we mainly followed the adventure of Saiama & Genos. This time, there were many more characters. Aside from that, the seiyuus did as best job they can given the material they had at hand. Garou's seiyuu just gave you that badass Vegeta feel every time he talked. As always, Saitama, said the least but the deadpan deliveries were spot on. Kudos to them atleast.

"If you don't want to get bossed around or mocked by the people around you... You just need to become stronger" - Garou

If there was one thing that stood out to all of us from the first season of OPM, it was the epic animation done by Studio Bones. The story can suck. The characters can be stale. Fans of OPM all just wanted one thing to be done right, and it was the animation. Did JC Staff do justice? Not even close. They just dropped the ball and watched it roll down Mount Fuji and given how much cash the show was bringing in they just wiped their tears from fan criticism with fat dollar bills. Jokes aside, seriously, from an animation standpoint, I was not mad, not angry, just disappointed. Even GoT ending wasn't this disappointing. The show had way too many CGI scenes. They were just never blended in well and the fight sequences seemed so choppy. When they realized they can't do fight sequences right, they started pulling the off-screen fight sequence card to not put the budget in to animating it. How do you adapt a fight driven anime and not have good key animators for it? It was just sad. One upside though, near the end, it seems they hired a good key animator for the last 3 episodes. So that's nice, in a way. Even then, a bad job is a bad job. Aside from the atrocious animation, the background music wasn't bad. It's good. There was no way we will ever trump the first OP song of OPM. However, it's as if they knew that, so they just didn't put in any effort for the OP and ED song. They were not even catchy and just downright bad. Seriously, if you know you can't adapt, then just don't adapt.

"What is evil? What is justice? All those pretty words mean that I should go die because the majority wants me dead! This is absurd! They can all go to hell!" - Garou

Overall, as stated before, OPM S2 is not great by any means, but it's not terrible either. If you can subvert your expectations from episode 1, then maybe you can just sit back and enjoy this anime. It's not that much of a train wreck. I've seen worse. No way in hell was JC Staff going to be able to produce something as good as Studio Bones. No way can an unknown director do the show justice as Shingo Natsume can. Sometimes, you just have to roll with the cards you were dealt and unfortunately, out of all the awesome sequels we are blessed with this year, this had to be the one that just shat the bed. Despite a few redeeming wholesome moments, I don't think I will go back and rewatch this season again. If you want to rewatch, I recommend just rewatching the first season. However, by no means, watch season 2 after watching season 1... Unless you're a masochist. Then do it by all means. Nevertheless, if you've watched season 1, then might as well watch this season. You've waited enough time anyway. So why not watch it and get it over with. Anyways, check it out & let me know later how you like it as well as share with me your favourite quote from the anime! Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: From Titans being shredded to human bodies being melted, this is the season fans have been waiting for since Season 1. We have been blue balled long enough. It's time to finally find out what's in that bloody basement. If you didn't watch any previous seasons, don't even bother reading or watching this anime. Go back to watching your crappy anime. We are in the endgame now.
[Story: 9/10 , Characters: 8/10, Art: 9/10, Sound: 8/10, Enjoyment: 10/10]

"Everyone will die someday. Does that mean life is meaningless?" - Erwin Smith

The second part of Shingeki no Kyojin or Attack on Titan ... Season 3 picks up immediately where it ended. No delay in pacing, no unnecessary flashbacks, we are in the endgame now. If you've been following this show, you know where we are and what's at stake. We all want to know what's in that basement. So let's finally find out. Question is, are you ready? Can you handle the truth? If there is one thing I'll warn you, after learning the truth, this season will immediately surpass any of the previous seasons and just turn the entire show upside down. If you can't handle the truth, avoid this season. Your watch has ended. If you can, let the clash begin, for Isayama has the best curve ball prepared since GRRM wrote Game of Thrones. Don't worry though, thankfully we don't have incompetent writers like D&D to screw this gem of a manga up. With the animation powerhouse of Wit Studio and musical prowess of Linked Horizon, Tetsurou Araki delivers the justice this manga have always deserved. It's been a while since we've seen an anime that can equally deliver on both action and plot.

"It's us who gives meaning to our comrade's lives!" - Erwin Smith

From Titans being shredded to human bodies being melted, this was the bloodiest season of them all. This season is the season of revelations. All the hype that's been building up since season 1 about the bloody basement is finally going to be explored. Question is, who will survive to know the truth and who will die trying. If there is anything the preview showed us last season, we know Araki will be jamming to "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" as he skillfully directs this cour. The story is linear but you're constantly at the edge because every episode ends on a cliff-hanger and the dead bodies just pile up. Despite how fast paced each episodes are, you know certain episodes are going to be jaw dropping when they start without playing the opening song. What's more, some episodes, there is more after the end song. Just downright crazy. Last season we tackled the moral dilemma of our living system within the walls by juxtaposing the childish and adult view whereas this season we tackle the racial political dilemma of genocide, murder and ostracism. The only complaint viewers are allowed to have is maybe two more episodes to flesh out the plot better. Overall, the manga is beautifully adapted and no qualms about it.

"My soldiers, rage! My solders, Scream! My soldiers, FIGHT! - Erwin Smith

Time after time, the characters of this show just always stand out. Despite this season being more plot heavy, the characters still managed to steal the spotlight, especially Erwin. As each season are passing, more major characters are dying; that's why we are able to focus more on the key characters of the show and better understand the uphill battle they are always facing. This not only heightens the anxiety and tension but delivers a cathartic feeling in their success or death. Last season, our heroes had to go up against humans and deal with the ramification of murder. This season, despite reverting back to killing Titans, they have to deal with the ramification of murder again. It seems Isayama wants to solidify within us, no matter how much we enjoy seeing our heroes kill Titans, murder is murder. Moreover, none of this would be possible had it not been for the seiyuus. Every damn season, they are going above and beyond to give each character such depth and plot, hell even minor side characters are voiced so well. You just can't help feel right in the moment of the story. Huge kudos to them.

"No casualties, Don't you dare DIE!" - Levi Ackerman

Aside from the stellar linear plot & well developed characters, if there is one thing this studio does justice, it's their animation & art style. Without any surprise, this season they nailed it again. At this point, they have set the bar so high, good luck any other studio, attempting to reach it. Every panel was hand-drawn really well and the use of CGI for certain action sequences flowed really well. Kudos to the key animators. We know they bailed on us part way last year since they were not going to finish the animation in time but be glad they took the time. They delivered. The background score was really hype throughout all the fight sequences and the drops right before key enigmatic moments definitely escalates the excitement each episode. Linked Horizon is back again for an eargasmic opening song, even if it sounds very similar to their first opening song and the ED song is nice and chilling. When the OST is released, fans of this show will enjoy listening to it repeatedly.

"I always knew you were the bravest one out of any of us" - Eren Jaeger

Overall, SnK S3 P2 significantly blew all previous seasons out of the park. Is this season perfect? No. Is it the best we've seen so far? Yes. Isayama is a master of foreshadowing and this season from all the revelations, you will be going back and realizing just how many scenes and dialogues you overlooked thinking it would never be important to the story. Given how well Araki and staff of Wit Studio adapted the manga by rearranging the story arcs to showcase a better linear plot, it really accentuates the rewatch value of this show. Even after it ends after it's final season (which has also been announced), fans of this show can continue to rewatch over and over again. At this point, if you've come this far without spoiling yourself, then anime watchers, I would recommend hold your breath and not read the manga. If you're a manga reader, be happy your fav manga was adapted this well. Without spoiling too much, the series ends with a new purpose and goal for the characters. The real war is about to begin. Nevertheless, there is no point not watching this season of AoT. You've already invested in watching previous seasons, so might as well binge watch this season. That's always the best way to watch this anime. Anyways, check it out & let me know later how you like it as well as share with me your favourite quote from the anime! Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!