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Hanebado! This anime has come under a lot of praise and criticism since it first released this summer. Some have praised it for its realism while others have criticised it for bad writing and character inconsistencies. For me though, I’m actually really happy with the way this anime went. I got invested in this show because there’s a lot I can relate to. To give us out some serious talk, all us have had some kind of issue growing up especially with our parents. Now granted, most of us didn’t have the kind of issue that Ayano has with her mother, but the anime gives ... a good example of what happens when you make a bad decision that has a long lasting effect along with showing just how bad life can get. This is the reason why so many people are so frustrated with this show.

And I get it. No honestly, I do. I get why people wouldn’t like this show because most of us have never experienced the kind of hardships that Ayano has been through. Most have never even experienced the pain or fear of abandonment. Simply put, the people who hate this show comes from a lack of experience themselves, not because they’re bad people themselves. That’s why I like this show so much. The writers were not afraid to tell this story the way they did instead of playing it safe, even at the risk of being heavily criticized themselves. It’s easy for the younger anime fans to criticize these things because they have yet to experience real hardships themselves. On the other hand though, it’s easy for the adults, the older fans, to forget that they were once teenagers themselves. And since the majority of anime characters are teenagers, we as a whole tend to forget that at that age we are bound to make more mistakes than we would as an adult.

The thing you need to understand about Hanebado is that this is not a typical moe show with cute girls doing cute things while all sharing the same passion like Harukana Receive or Yuru Camp. And while this anime is about badminton, the sport is not the main focus of the story. In fact, it never has been. This isn’t a sports story with a bunch of drama thrown in, this is a character driven story that is mainly about one character’s tragic journey with badminton being her driving force. The sport itself acts both as a subplot and a driving force for its characters. Every major character you see has their own story to tell. What they went through to get where they are, what hardships they had to face, and ultimately how they feel about each other.

To give some comparisons, Hanebado shares a lot of parallels to the Rocky movies, specifically the first two, and it’s story is essentially the dark side of the those film. While Rocky Balboa was on quest to prove himself, Ayano is on a quest for revenge. Additionally, many characters in Hanebado represent other characters in the Rocky films, with some obvious differences of course. To truly understand Hanebado and the story it’s trying to tell, we have to look at every character individually. Which is why for this review, instead of doing my usual EASY TO UNDERSTAND kind of thing, I am going to talk about every who has played some role in Ayano’s life. On that note this will not include Nagisa or Nozomi because both of them virtually have nothing to do with Ayano. Hopefully, even if you still don’t like this show after this review, one day you will come to understand and perhaps even appreciate it because as we get older we begin to have a better understanding or not just fictional characters, but the human mind as well.

KAORUKO SERIGAYA - The Arch Nemesis
Let’s start with the one who inadvertently started the whole thing. When we first see Kaoruko she immediately strikes you as a person who is very arrogant, very disrespectful, and perhaps a little crazy. Her history with Ayano is that of a classic arch nemesis. Being one of the earliest of Ayano’s opponents, Kaoruko was unable to beat her until she deliberately got Ayano sick with her cold, sabotaging their match while using the excuse that she wanted to fight on even terms. Because of that, Ayano ended losing, something that would a devastating effect on her. A few years later she shows up at Ayano’s school unannounced and challenges Ayano, beating not through skill but through psychology.

So in the beginning it’s easy to dislike Kaoruko. She intimidates her opponents by talking down on them, making them feel that they’re no match for her. She even trash talks her own teammates. However, there’s a lot more to Kaoruko than you realize for she is essentially the Apollo Creed of this anime. In the Rocky movies Apollo also liked to brag and trash talked his opponents, but he also had the means to back it up. He didn’t become the heavyweight champion for nothing, he did it by doing the work that was required. Kaoruko is exactly the same way. She may be rude and disrespectful, but she didn’t get where she was by doing nothing. She’s worked harder than any other player on her team. She doesn’t play badminton for popularity points. She plays it because she wants to, and she wants to be the best out there. She’s earned the right to brag and trash talk.

But of course, her arrogance eventually got the better of her. In her second official match with Ayano, she made the mistake of thinking she was facing the exact same opponent. Well, she soon found out she was wrong and lost because of it. However, she didn’t go down without a fight and this is where I really do admire her. Like Apollo, she’s very knowledgeable about the sport she plays. In addition, she does have a cute side to her which is shown when she develops a schoolgirl crush on Ayano’s badminton coach. However, when it comes to badminton she gets serious. When she realizes she is not facing the same Ayano from before, she changes her strategy. She uses all her knowledge of badminton in a effort to beat her opponent, believing that she can win after falling behind. All the work she’s put in shows, to the point that even her teammates, who she was rude to before, can’t help but cheer her on. But in the end, it’s not enough and she loses, her pride being further damaged by Ayano’s own trash talk.

Now you can say that she had it coming, and she did, but I like to believe that her loss against Ayano finally showed her that she wasn’t invincible, that she was as vulnerable as every other player, and that she finally accepted her human. This may sound crazy but I actually consider Kaoruko to be the best girl of the anime. The reason why I believe that is because in that final scene when she broke down after her loss, it showed me that beneath all that arrogance there is a sweet girl there. The problem is that she lacks the social skills to really express them. So in the end, Kaoruko is not an evil person. Arrogant, yes, but not evil. And she actually respects Ayano because she is the reason she works really hard to perfect her skills. And again, she may have started the whole thing with Ayano, however she is not directly responsible for Ayano’s mother leaving. And speaking of which, let’s now shift our focus to…

UCHIKA HANESAKI - Worst Mother Of The Year
We have every reason to hate this character, for under no circumstances should a parent ever abandon a child. However, I disagree with everyone who says that she is a terrible person. A terrible mother, definitely, but not a terrible person. The thing you need to understand about Uchika is that she is a badminton fanatic. To her, badminton is her life to the point where it’s her obsession. It consumes her everyday thought. And when you look at her past, it’s understandable. She was a ten time national champion… who suddenly became pregnant and had a child. Now we don’t know what the exact circumstances were leading to her pregnancy, but even though her life had suddenly changed her obsession with badminton didn’t. And sadly there’s a lot of parents in the real world who are like this.

When you’ve had such a successful career in whatever your profession is, settling down and starting a family is the furthest thing in your mind. You’re either ready for it, or you’re not. And that’s the thing with Uchika, she was simply not ready to become a mother yet because her mind was always on badminton even when she was pregnant with Ayano. This carried on through Ayano’s childhood and later Connie’s. In every scene Uchika is in, flashback or otherwise, she is always talking about something related to badminton. It’s never about them. Heck, she doesn’t even see them as her daughters or even as children. She sees them as her proteges. She doesn’t see herself as a mother, she sees herself as a coach. It doesn’t mean she didn’t love them any less, it’s that she doesn’t know how to be a mother. Her obsession with badminton is her undoing.

Her leaving Ayano initially wasn’t because of Ayano, it was because of herself. When Ayano lost, her badminton mind told her that she had failed as coach. Because of that, she leaves Ayano to relieve her frustration by training her other student Connie but ended staying longer than she planned when Connie started to show potential. Again, her mind is always on badminton. Later on, we discover that the real reason was because she wanted Ayano to develop her skills on her own without having to rely on her. Now of course, this doesn’t excuse her actions but when you look at her character it does make sense and she even acknowledges that she’s been a terrible mother. A terrible person wouldn’t say that. In families who are financially successful, especially the very rich ones, more often than not we see the children of those families grow into spoiled brats, sometimes even violent ones. This is because either the parents are spoiled brats themselves or were so focused of their lives and careers they ended up neglecting their own children. In the case of Ayano and her mother’s successful career, who’s to say Ayano wouldn’t have turn out the same way if she continued to cling to Uchika?

When you really think about, Ayano’s strained relationship with her mother is not much different from Indiana Jones and his strained relationship with his father. Both their parents are very much alike and yet they were both trying to teach their children to rely on themselves rather than their parents. Henry Jones ignored his son for the most part partly due to his obsession with the Holy Grail while Uchika took the more extreme method by leaving Ayano behind. Both had the same idea, but Uchika’s method was entirely wrong and she knows it, but again her mind is always on badminton. Her decision has left a permanent scar on Ayano, one that she will have to deal with one day. Luckily for Ayano, she had at her side…

ELENA FUJISAWA - The Childhood Friend
At this point in time Elena was the closest person to Ayano after Uchika’s departure. She had tried to support Ayano the best that she could as a friend though. In a way, she’s essentially Mickey Goldmill, Rocky’s original trainer. Her mistake though was that she didn’t fully understand Ayano’s trauma with her abandonment. You see, a lot of people claim that Elena is entirely at fault for bringing Ayano back into badminton when she didn’t want to when in truth it wasn’t because how was she supposed to know what was going to happen to Ayano? Simple, she couldn’t have and it’s because she didn’t know about Uchika’s other student Connie.

The reason why she forcibly brought Ayano back into the sport of badminton was she because she felt that Ayano’s reason was very foolish, and I agree with her. Why should you abandon the sport you love so much just because you’re mother left you? Elena is basically trying to tell Ayano that, “Hey, there are better ways to play badminton. Forget about your mother. Play for yourself, or better yet, play for a team.”. Elena was simply doing was friends do, helping her friend out by telling Ayano she shouldn’t give up her passion just because her mother. And in the first five episodes, Ayano begins to see a new light in the sport. She begins to enjoy it again and becomes fascinated with the idea of being with a team. Elena had done her job by bringing happiness to Ayano again and all was going well. That is until the sudden and unexpected arrival of…

CONNIE CHRISTENSEN - The Other Protege
Now Connie is the most misunderstood character in this anime. A Danish girl who is rather tall, she was trained by Uchika at an early age due to the overseas trips Uchika often took. People write off this character because of how she initially treats Ayano and for her sudden character shifts. I understand perfectly well why people really dislike this character. However, the reason for the dislike isn’t necessarily because of bad writing, but rather the anime’s poor execution of her character especially when she tries to be nicer to Ayano. For me though, Connie is the character I feel the most sorry for because she is basically the innocent victim in this story. Granted, she pretty much brought on herself but let me try to explain Connie’s character as best I can.

The thing about Connie is that she’s very competitive when it comes to badminton. Her coach Uchika is also very competitive in badminton, so naturally she assumed Ayano would be the same. Like Kaoruko, she wants to prove that she’s the best in the sport but the big difference is that she has a more personal reason. She wants to prove that she’s the better student of Uchika’s two proteges. In a competitive sport like badminton where you’ve been trained by the same teacher this is a perfectly normal thing to do. Who wouldn’t want to prove who’s the best of the two? The problem was that Connie was overcome by her overeagerness to prove herself. While it’s never shown in the anime it’s heavily implied that Uchika did not want Connie to face Ayano just yet. Whether this was because Ayano would beat her easily or because she wouldn’t take to well with suddenly having a stepsister is uncertain, but given Uchika’s character it was quite likely both.

Now some of you I’m sure are asking about Connie sudden request for Ayano to accept her as her sister instead of her rival when she was so hostile towards her in the beginning. Well, to understand that you have to look at Connie’s own past for it’s very similar to Ayano’s. Through her flashbacks we see that Connie had lived a very lonely life in her childhood. Every scene we see her she is always alone. We’re never shown why exactly that but considering she was living in a very nice house it’s safe to assume that she had parents that virtually ignored her and not because she was an orphan. She developed a passion for badminton but this did little to cure the loneliness in her heart. Then comes Uchika, who not only becomes her coach but takes her in as her daughter. Despite Uchika’s faults, this is one of the kindest things she’s even done even though it would later have a devastating effect on Ayano.

The reason for Connie’s initial hostility isn’t actually directed Ayano personally, but rather at the idea of being part of a team as shown in their first match. This has nothing to do with any so called rivalry, it’s actually has to with Connie’s insecurity. When you look at her past, it makes a lot of sense. Given the lonely life she’s gone through she’s pretty much taught herself that she doesn’t need to rely on others. However, deep down she wants to be part of Ayano’s family, but now that Ayano is adopting a new family with her team Connie considers this to be a threat. When she realize she that she wasn’t alone through her teammates, she discovered that her entire thinking was wrong and she tried to make up with Ayano. At least, that was the intention. The problem was that the anime didn’t execute very well which is why her sudden change came off as both unrealistic and unbelievable to many. However, by the time she realized this the it was already too late. Her declaration to Ayano about being Uchika’s second daughter ended causing much more damage to their relationship than she realized.

Connie’s mistake though was that she rushed in without thinking. Her even bigger mistake was on how little she knew about Ayano. She only knew what Uchika had told her and had assumed that Ayano would be no different from her. What she didn’t know was the fact that Uchika had abandoned Ayano and that it had left a very deep scar. She didn’t know about Ayano’s mental state until she actually saw it for herself. And when she did, it scared the living hell out her. All of a sudden she found herself right in the middle of ugly family feud, something she wanted no part of. She could have attempted to apologize to Ayano for her reckless behavior, but at that point Ayano had already gone over the edge. Yes, she may have cause it but again this was due to how little she knew about Ayano. Any apology now won’t do her any good. This was now Ayano’s and Uchika’s problem. They have to sort it out themselves. Luckily for Connie, she had her teammates to support her. And now let’s finally talk about…

AYANO HANESAKI - The Near Tragedy
Ayano’s story is a very sad one. It is a perfect representation of someone who fell to the dark side. To quote the famous words from Jedi Master Yoda:

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”

One thing these characters all have in common is the fear of losing, which is quite common in single player competitive sports. All of us who are very passionate about sports hate the thought of losing. It is a bitter pill to swallow. But for Ayano, it’s a much more personal reason.

Ayano’s fear started when she lost to Kaoruko and that loss was greatly magnified when she sees her mother literally walk out of her life. No phone calls, no letters, no communication of any kind, nothing. She believed she lost her mother because her loss to Kaoruko was too much Uchika to bear, not knowing the real reason behind it. Because of this, she was afraid she was never see her mother again. She convinced herself that the only way she can get her mother back was by winning again. Winning every game she played would bring her closer to her mother. Any loss would take her further away, so losing for her was not an option. And that’s exactly what she did, she turned into a badminton monster. Then one evening she sees a badminton magazine with Uchika on the cover, the very first time she’s had any contact with her mother. However, when she opens the magazine she see a picture of her mother with a stranger at her side, kissing her on the cheek along with a quote that she won her championship thanks to Uchika as her coach. It is here that Ayano’s fear turns to anger. To her, it is the ultimate betrayal.

Luckily she was able to put aside her anger by pursuing other sports such as tennis, as we saw in the beginning, only to be dragged back into badminton by Elena for reasons I’ve already stated. Understandably, she was nothing to do with the sport she once loved. Before then she only playing in the hopes she would get her mother. Now that she knows that Uchika has another student, she no longer has a reason to play. At this point, she feels she’s lost everything. Her rematch against Nagisa reminds her of her loss against Kaoruko. Then Kaoruko herself shows up and Ayano tries to quit the badminton club after Kaoruko beats her again, and then later on when she loses against Connie she nearly suffers a mental breakdown. She tries to make excuses for it but then runs away. However, before that game happened she was beginning to see badminton in a new light. She was beginning to fascinated with the idea of playing for a team. Unfortunately, Connie’s untimely arrival would destroy whatever hope Ayano had from saving herself from her anger. When Connie declared that Uchika was her substitute mother and she was going prove her worth over Ayano, this finally pushes Ayano over the edge. Her anger has now turned into hatred. She now wants revenge for all the suffering she’s gone through.

Elena is the first to see Ayano’s yandere like eyes and it scares the living hell out of her. The sweet little girl that she knew from childhood was no longer there. It was now replaced by this monster who is out for revenge. At this point, Ayano wants the people who put her through all this suffering to pay for it. She starts with Kaoruko, the one who again inadvertently started it all. As mentioned before, Kaoruko made the mistake of thinking she was facing the same opponent. But at this point, Ayano’s quest for revenge was in full force. While Kaoruko did fight until the very end, she was no match for this new version of Ayano. All the trash talk she had gave Ayano earlier was thrown right back into her face and it really hurt her pride. Ayano’s next target would be Connie, possibly followed by Uchika who she intends to abandon in the end. She wants to prove that she no longer needs her mother. However, she will have to get one last obstacle who is in the form of Nagisa.

To give an comparison, Ayano in the beginning is very much like John Rambo. In the movie First Blood, Rambo was both abandoned and betrayed by his country simply he was a Vietnam War veteran. He was alone and very depressed. He virtually had no reason to go on. Ayano is very much the same. She was abandoned by her mother for no good reason and later on she lost the will to play badminton. Then Rambo finally snaps due to his mistreatment from police and goes on rampage for survival. The same thing happens to Ayano after Connie’s declaration, except this time it’s more personal. Ayano essentially becomes a more extreme version Clubber Lang from Rocky III. Like Clubber, she develops a very cold and arrogant personality. She treats everyone like they’re below her, even her own teammates. She’s no longer interested in teams, she’s only interested in playing the actually good players with the intent of destroying them entirely and then giving payback to both Connie and her mother.

IN CONCLUSION
Despite these great characters and a really powerful storyline, I'm really disappointed with how this anime ended. I had hoped for, and even wanted, a second season. With the way the story was going, I just didn't believe that LINDEN FILMS wouldn't end the way it did. Unfortunately though, that was too much to ask and the ending we got I felt was both underwhelming and it made the story feel incomplete.

While I didn't expect Ayano to forgive her mother right away, she really learn anything throughout her experience through the whole series. It pretty ended the way it started. Nothing was really resolved between Ayano, her mother, Connie, and to lesser extent Kaoruko. It was just left the way it was, leaving you feeling really unsatisfied. Worse yet, Ayano is still in her her crazed state. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to see Ayano go completely to the dark side, but I would like to see some kind of redemption.

The best characters, heroic characters that is, are the ones who make a mistake, a very big mistake, and then go on a journey to redeem themselves and to make things right again. For this anime I felt that some major tragedy should have befallen Ayano, one that finally wakes her up from her craze state. I knew her being beaten by Nagisa might have some impact, but not one powerful enough to really get through to her.

I would have liked this better if season one ended on a tragic note and then season two picks up right where it left off with Ayano going on mission to redeem herself while receiving help from a completely unexpected source and ending with her biggest and most important match against Connie. And it the end, all are able to forgive each other and peace is brought back into their small world. That would have been a much more satisfying ending, at least for me.

Overall, Hanebado! is not a bad anime, but a really underwhelming one. The story and characters are great despite some poor executions. However, the ending does not doe the story justice for how it resolves some things but leaves others unresolved. A prime example of wasted potential. This anime deserved a second season, but sadly it's unlikely we'll ever get one.

I'm DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned!

Darling in the FranXX Final Review

This anime has definitely been the most talked about, the most controversial, and the most interesting to follow in 2018. In these past six months we’ve seen this anime be praised, criticized, analyzed, and(last but not least) compared to another famous anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurren Lagann. Some have said this anime is a masterpiece while others find it to be trash. While I do understand some of the criticism this show has faced, I feel the need to set three things straight before I start this review.

Firstly, this was never a Trigger show to begin with. ... A lot of people who have criticized this anime are confused on why it’s disappointing compared to Trigger’s previous works, such a Little Witch Academia from last year which was a huge success. And it’s understandable considering that this anime has Trigger’s signature animation style. However, it needs to be made clear that Trigger only animated certain episodes of this series and that its name was mainly used for marketing purposes. No one on Trigger’s was involved in the creative process of this series. That was entirely done by A-1 Pictures.

Of course(and I know I’m getting sidetracked here) that doesn’t prevent A-1 Pictures from getting flack because… it’s A-1 Pictures and they suck at everything they do. Look, I’m well aware that A-1 typically centers around the more generic side of anime but the constant bashing of this studio is getting old and we all know who started that whole thing. But the fact is A-1 is still a an anime studio and they’ve had their fair share of hits and misses like every other studio. It doesn’t matter how generic an anime is or what studio makes it. It’s the story and characters that count in the end and that’s what this anime does incredibly well.

Secondly, this is not an action packed mech anime. In fact, it never intended to be. This is anime is much more that. It has a theme and a story to tell. It has significant meanings and it has characters who are flawed. If you’re not up for that kind of storytelling are just watching anime because you’re bored and just want to see a bunch of mindless action fights, look elsewhere but that isn’t what this anime is about. This anime is about the characters, who indeed start out as stereotypical and cliched but unlike most anime which only does this to fill out a certain checklist they are actually made this way for a certain reason. This anime also carries a great deal of symbolism and meaningful dialogue, not cheesy lines or long moments of exposition explaining someone’s special power or something.

And lastly, for all those who have harshly criticized because you find it boring, full of cliches, and has overdramatic teenage drama, I feel that none of you ever took the time to take a deeper look into this series and discover what it’s really about. And in the beginning I was one of those people. But then I discovered Nearly On Red reviews on YouTube and my opinion changed entirely. If you really want to understand this anime and why it’s actually better than you realize I strongly recommend you watch his videos. The guy who runs that show does an episode by episode analysis, bringing out the anime’s themes and meanings and why the characters are what they are and why they do certain things. Sure, his videos may one to two hours long but trust me when I say it’s worth every second of your time. That guy knows his stuff and he really brings out the best parts of Darling in the FranXX while also pointing out it’s flaws so I’ll likely be using some of his own words.

To put it simply, Darling in the FranXX is quite possibly the anime of the year for it has one of the best storylines I have seen in a long time in anime. It’s not perfect, but then again it didn’t have to be. It’s a masterpiece in it’s own way and I’m going to tell you why it is and why should watch it all the way through in this reviewso let’s get to it.

EASY TO UNDERSTAND
In my initial preliminary review I asked the question of what exactly was the point of this anime? Well, after seeing Nearly On Red reviews on the early episodes I feel like an idiot because I should have recognized it right away but didn’t because I got distracted by the show’s narrative. The show’s biggest themes is sexuality and fertility.

The anime is set in a post apocalyptic state in which humanity has sheltered themselves in gigantic domed shaped buildings called plantations and is led by a mysterious council of beings called APE. However, humanity is also under threat by monstrous creatures called Klaxosaurs who attack the plantations and other important facilities. The only weapon capable of countering them are special mechs called FranXX that require a male and female pairings, called Parasites, in order to pilot them by placing them in rather awkward positions. Now while one can easily think this was just done for laughs, it’s actually done on purpose for it has a great deal to do with the series symbolism. Our characters, Squad 13, have just been assigned to Plantation 13 and their job is to protect it no matter what.

We also see the kind of world the characters like and how it isn’t as utopian as the characters are made to believe. Nearly On Red described it perfectly by comparing the society in this series to a beehive, specifically of western honey bees. If you look around in the background during episode 10, you can see the similarity in the building’s structure and its orange color. APE is the Queen Bee, the Adults are the Workers, and the Parasites are the Drones. In this society, we see that humanity has lost the need to reproduce with the exceptions being the Parasites who require their reproductive organs to pilot their mechs.

EASY TO FOLLOW
Like I mentioned earlier, the characters are what makes this story. The battles, mechs, and monsters are all secondary. At first glance they just seem to fill in the typical characters tropes in anime, and in the beginning they are. Hiro is the typical brooding male who you can’t help but compare to Shinji from NGE, Zero Two at the start was practically nothing more than waifu material, and Miku was pretty much the tsundere of this anime. But that’s just it, that’s how they were in the beginning. Throughout the series we see the characters grow and develop as they go through life, learning new things and exploring new worlds. By the end of the series, they’ve grown up. They’re no longer the people they once were. How many animes do you know actually have characters like these?

Now granted only four of the ten characters get developed all the way through: Hiro, Zero Two, Mitsuru, and Kokoro. However, the other are not ignored either. What people fail to realize about these characters is that each one of them is flawed in their own way. Hiro lacks self confidence, Zero Two struggles between her human and monstrous sides, Ichigo is trying to be a good leader while trying to suppress her feelings for Hiro, Mitsuru can’t bring himself to trust others because of his past with Hiro, and Kokoro avoids being confrontational. This is what it’s like to be human. It’s so easy for us think that we’re perfect and we can’t do anything wrong in today’s advanced world that we tend to forget we’re still human.

Darling in the FranXX is no exception to this. We see the members of Squad 13 make mistakes and bad decisions. And naturally we get pissed off at them. For example, when Ichigo forced Zero Two and Hiro to be separated by eventually sending her away, it was both a poor yet understandable decision. She had a good reason but she ended taking it too far, yet she soon learned from her mistake and quickly made up for it. Then there are those who are brave enough to make difficult decisions, the ones that will cause someone to get hurt no matter what, such was the case of Kokoro teaming up Mitsuru. In that episode so many were mad at her because she broke her(not so serious) promise to Futoshi, her original partner. True she could have handled that better, but her decision was not selfish one. She did it because Mitsuru needed help and she was the only one who could do it, even though she had put her own life on the line in order to get through to him. That’s real bravery right there, not selfishness.

But the most fascinating character I find in this anime is the creator of the mechs, Dr. Werner Frank himself. Throughout the series he gives off the vibe of a mad scientist and to be fair he is, especially when he consider what he did to Zero Two in her childhood. It’s not until episode 19 when you see his back story, along with what happened to the world, that you start to understand him and why he did certain things throughout the series. It doesn’t make him a hero, but it does give you a broader view of why he’s so involved with Squad 13. Think about it, was really by chance that Hiro and Zero Two met again at Plantation 13 or that Kokoro found a certain book at that abandoned town during the beach episode?

EASY TO CARE ABOUT
What makes this anime so fascinating to watch is the journey Squad 13 undertakes. In the beginning they’re ignorant, obedient parasites who are determined to proves themselves as pilots and to please their Papa. But then everything changes when Zero Two enters the fray and turns their world upside down. Through Zero Two, Hiro, and others later on, they begin to learn more about themselves and the outside world to the point where they don’t like it and they want to change. This is where the show’s ideology and philosophy comes into play.

The world we see the characters live is a false utopia. It looks perfect on the outside, but in the inside… not so much. As mentioned earlier humanity in this world lost its ability to reproduce. The main purpose for reproduction is to replace the current generation of species and to keep the population going. How do you take that natural instinct away entirely? By giving them something better. In this case IMMORTALITY. Why should anyone worry repopulating the species when you can live forever? Why leave some mark on the planet when you’ve been promised eternal paradise?

This is when things start to change for Squad 13 and you’re with them the whole way. You want to see them succeed. You want to see them have their own lives. You want them to accomplish the impossible. Come on, guys, how is that not relatable to us who gone through hardships in our lives?

IN CONCLUSION
Darling in the FranXX does have its ups and downs but overall it’s a very solid anime. I give it an 8/10 because I feel the series wasn’t long enough especially with the last five episodes. Throughout my time watching this I kept asking the question of if there was any kind of civilization out there, like a underground civilization that was fighting a rebellion against the APE council. I think I would have like this show more if it been a trilogy of sorts, or a 4-6 cour anime.

To give an example, the first season ends with Squad 13 escaping the plantation and finding an underground civilization consisting of a perfectly normal society. The second then revolves around the squad discovering everything there is about this new society while at the same time battling APE and the Nines before ending with the discover of APE’s true origins. The third season then goes to the squad taking the fight to space while giving new life to Earth.

If you’re a newcomer to this anime or are perhaps one of those who thought it was trash for whatever reason, here’s my suggestion. Watch the first episode of this series, then watch Nearly On Red’s analysis of that same episode. Repeat this again and again as you continue to watch and then maybe, just maybe, you’ll understand why Darling in the FranXX really is a masterpiece in it’s own way.

I’m DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned!

GRANCREST SENKI - HALFWAY REVIEW

Oh, boy, this series. This was one most anticipated animes this season because I love a story that goes deep into politics, philosophy, and morals. Stories about characters who either fighting for what they believe in and/or their country but also might be struggling with themselves while also struggling to figure what is truly right and what is truly wrong.

This anime had all the potential to be just that, but from the very beginning it has struggled to maintain a proper flow. What's worse, there was honestly no reason for it to be like that. As of now, this anime ... has made me more appreciative of A-1 product that everyone else hated. And I'm probably going to piss some people when I bring up that one anime so I ask you to please bear with me when I do bring it up.

SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND
The premise of this anime is simple enough to understand, especially if you're long time fan of fantasy novels. Medieval/Renaissance fantasy setting, complete with magic, creatures, castles, and battles. Those who hold a title do not posses their through a magic sword, but instead a magic crest, hence the title. Naturally, wars are fought over these crests in addition to everything else that goes along with it.

The series take on politics well done for the most part. Some people have called Grancrest the "Game of Thrones" anime and it pretty much is except without all the sex and nudity, for the most. For me though, this anime reminds me more of Tad Williams Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy which I read back in high school. You have characters here who are caught up in a war that's being fought for the wrong reasons yet they have no choice but to see it through.

All of this has the making for a good fantasy epic... except there's ONE major problem. THE PACING.

DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW
The pacing of this anime is all over the place, and it is what's killing this show right now. And what's worse, there's no fucking reason for it! Right from the start the show just rushes to get the next battle or the next political talk or whatever without ever slowing down! If this was twelve episode one cour anime then yeah, I could understand why they would do that because they would have so much to tell yet little time to do it. But since this is a twenty-four episode series, they have plenty of time to tell the story properly! But they're not!Iin the end you're left asking yourself: Why? Why are they rushing so much when they don't need to?!

Now I know some of you are going to be saying, "It's A-1 Pictures, DirectorK. What do you expect? They always botch things up and that's why they suck." I'd be inclined to agree to you, but... I have two reasons not to.

One, A-1 Pictures is not the only anime studio out there who have made mistakes like this. Every studio out there, young and old, anime and Hollywood, have had their own fair share of hits and misses. So in the end, it would be cheap of me to blame it all the studio just because everyone else hates it for whatever reason.

Second, as much I agree with the people who bitched about The Asterisk War, another one of A-1's light novel adaptations, if there's one thing the studio did right with that show it was the pacing. Now don't get get me wrong, TAW does have a shit ton of problems, but at least the studio handled the story's pacing surprisingly well. A-1 actually went out of their way to tell the story properly despite the generic tropes and cliches. In other words, TAW was easy to care about if your really tried and ignore all of its problems, unlike this show which leads me to my next point.

DIFFICULT TO CARE ABOUT
In a story that is as big, deep, and powerful as this one, you need to have characters that you can care about and follow from start to finish. Unfortunately though, because of the botched pacing it's damn near impossible to care about any of the main characters. Why? Because they're never given the time to develop properly because the anime is more focused on other things getting through them as fast as it can. And any characters you do manage to care about either disappear after a time, possibly never to appear again, or they die.

The side characters aren't any better. They only serve the purpose of moving the story along in rushed manner, making you wonder why they even put them there in the first place. Then you have the characters you really couldn't give two shits about or just outright hate when they start making stupid decisions. And since I'm on that subject, I might as well bring up what between Marrine and Mirza at the end of episode nine. If you've been following this series you know what I'm talking about.

BEGIN RANT
Now I understand why people were disturbed and outright hated that scene, but you need to remember what time period this story is set in because this kind of thing happened quite a lot. Hell, what do you think Game of Thrones is all about? That kind of thing happens almost every season! If you're a GOT fan you should be used to this sort of thing by now.

In Marrine's case, I understand why she did what did. After seeing what Mirza could do in battle she would rather have him as an ally than an enemy. As a leader of a nation, it is her responsibility to care both her people and her soldiers. And that requires making difficult decisions. However, with all that being said, what Marrine did there was just plain... STUPID.

Now again, I understand why she did it, but I find really hard to believe that a woman of her stature would lower herself to that level. If would have made more sense if she had been forced into that situation or if Mirza had approached her instead of the other way around. What's worse, is that she doesn't even take the time to think it over! She just immediately goes along with Mirza's proposal as though she's done this sort of thing before! Like seriously, come on!

I honestly have to give Mirza credit for not only going through with it, but also keeping a straight face when she agreed right away without hesitation. If it were me, I probably would have burst out laughing and said, "No, sorry. You're not worth it. Thanks for the offer though!" and left. I say that because it was very clear that Mirza was only testing her and that he wasn't being serious. I honestly don't what he was trying to gain out of that, other than the obvious, but seeing how he's suppose to represent the Arab culture of this world... well, I think we all know just how badly women can be treated in that part of the world.

I was actually aware of this scene before that episode aired and I was hoping they would change it but even that was too much to ask. it wasn't act itself that disgusted me it was the fact that it made Marrine look so pathetically weak! Both as leader and as character! All she had to do was to say no and to stand her ground because Mirza probably would have joined her anyway. Then again, maybe that was the entire purpose of that scene. It was designed to show just how much of a coward Marrine truly is and that she'd been waging a pointless was from the start.
END RANT

So, getting that little rant out of the way, I'm going to bring up The Asterisk War again in comparison to the characters of this show. Despite the characters being the typical tropes, as you would expect out of a harem anime, TAW managed to make the characters likable in a way that you could get behind and follow them because they were given proper character development.

To put it simply, when you have one anime that is generic while the other isn't yet has better pacing and character development than the other, you know something's wrong. And it's a damn shame because I really want to like these characters but so far this anime hasn't given me a reason to.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE
The pacing needs to slow down and the characters need to be developed more. Grancrest Senki has gotten off to a really rough start and that needs to change through the second half if it wants make any significant impact. However, I am worried that since they rushed through so much the studio may not have enough material to get through another twelve episodes and that may forced to put in some pointless filler. The show still has potential, but it's going to be really interesting to see how A-1 handles it from here.

I'm DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned!

Toji no Miko Halfway Review

Katana Maidens, or Toji no Miko. This has been an unexpectedly interesting series to follow and it's been difficult for me to figure out just I feel about this anime. However, after twelve episodes, I don't think I've ever been this intrigued with a series like this featuring primarily a female cast since... hell, since I first watched Sailor Moon over twenty years ago.

Katana Maidens may not be a masterpiece by any stretch, but from what we've seen so far, I can't really call this a bad series. Hell, I even can't really call it generic as some people have said. ... I mean, yeah, I could bring up the annoying fact that this is another one of those "Cute underage girls with weapons" anime but it would be cheap for me to say that because if you've been watching anime for as long as I have, you should be well used to this by now.

No matter how generic an anime is, or any entertainment product may look like, it's the story that counts in the end. And that's what this anime does well. Despite it's generic look and setting, Katana Maidens manages to keep it's story interesting enough to make me want to know what happens next. And considering the fact that this is a two cour anime, it makes one wonder if we may be in for an unexpected gem, quite possibly a contender to be a Top Ten Anime of 2018. Even more intriguing is that this is being done by a studio that's still young and doesn't have a a lot of experience doing action shows.

Regardless of how this show turns out in its upcoming second half I'm going to go as far as saying that this is Studio Gokumi's most ambitious project, especially when you can consider the very clear limited budget they have and the competition they're going up against. It really does bug me that so many people give this show the cold shoulder because it's generic. Well, I won't try to convince you otherwise but allow me to convince you why you should give this anime a second chance.

SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND
Let me get straight to the point. If you thought Katan Maidens was just another school tournament anime just by the first ten minutes alone, not only are you dead wrong but it's clear you didn't watch the entire first episode because by the end of it the whole school tournament story is thrown right out the window and is replaced with an action-adventure/espionage style story with a bit of fantasy thrown in.

Right from the start the anime makes it clear that something is very wrong and things are not what they should be. Our two main girls Kaname and Hiyori are the first to see this and they are soon on the run, with others starting to question their purpose as Toji. The Toji are the magical soldiers of this world consisting of only female members and are skilled with the katana and are created to battle the monstrous creatures called aradama.

While the premise isn't original by any means, it's the way it's presented that makes it interesting. The toji are essentially like magical girls but with actual weapons instead of flashy magic powers and silly attacks. This time threat is real and any one of these characters could die at a moment's notice. The characters main themselves may not be much to go on but they do grow on you in time. And the way they have bonded so far is also very well done.

EASY TO FOLLOW
The pacing is also a major plus in this anime. I appreciate the fact that the studio isn't trying to rush things and is instead taking the time to tell the story properly, with it's reveals and plot twists put in at the appropriate moments. Putting aside the CGI they often use the fight scenes can range from awesome to underwhelming depending on your tastes but I'm not particularly bothered by it because I really don't like it when a studio tries to outdo a previous fight by making it crazier and crazier every single time. I prefer that they keep it simple and allow the audience decide if the fight scene is good or not.

INTERESTING TO CARE ABOUT
Another major plus is the development of the characters. Throughout the first half, we see our six main girls go through a great deal of change. Everything they knew about their world is turned upside down and has left them questioning both themselves and their abilities as toji. It's the way they deal with these problems is what makes them likable because it would have been easy for them to break down after they learn the truth, but they didn't. They choose to face the problem right away, even though they know how high the cards are stacked against them. Even the villains get this kind of treatment, something you don't usually see in stories like this. In the end, you can't help but cheer them on or feel pity for them for what they're going through and you want to stay at their side to the very end

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM HERE
With the first half ending the way it did the question is this: What happens from here? Are the girls going to be facing an even bigger threat that was previously unknown? Are they going to try to save someone who originally their enemy? The hype for this anime is real.

What I don't want to see is a bunch of filler episodes with pointless fanservice or forced in yuri. This series has intrigued me more than both Grancrest Wars and Darling in the Franxx combined. For now I'm going to give this anime an 8/10 with the potential to obtain and even higher score. So far Katana Maidens been surprising very good from the start and I really want this anime to leave a positive impression on me. We can only wait and see where it goes from here.

I'm DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned!

Yuru Camp Final Review

In my preliminary review early on I said that there was not a single bad thing I could say about this anime. Now that this series had ended I can say with complete and honest sincerity that that statement hasn't changed one bit. While I do have one minor complaint, which I'll get to later, it's not enough to bring this down this gem of a show.

EASY TO UNDERSTAND
Yuru Camp is an anime that appeals to anyone who enjoys camping and the outdoors in general. Even in an age where just about everything is now digital, the old -fashioned ways of the ... outdoors going all the way to the beginning of mankind still resonates with us, and that's exactly what this show does well through its animation. It shows the beauty of the outside world around us and how camping, whether solo or with friends and family, can be memorable experience even when the hard work may be required.

The fact that it also goes into detail of what to do(and not to do) on a camping trip and the things you could do to make it more memorable is also a nice touch for this series. In addition you learn quite a few things, including stuff you never knew about. For example, the Canadian/Scandinavian style camp fire is something is something I never knew about even in my Boy Scout days. As I mentioned before, the level of attention to detail is nothing short of astounding.

EASY TO FOLLOW
While the animation and the attention to detail are to be met with high praise, it's really the characters that make this show so enjoyable to watch. From a energetic air head to a teacher with a drinking habit, they all represents ourselves when it comes to the joy of camping.

The story itself is easy enough for it's a story of a group of young ladies of different backgrounds and personalities who form a special bond by sharing one thing: The Great Outdoors, especially for the first two girls you see in the opening episode.

Nadeshiko herself is one those characters you just can't get enough of for she has a habit of making everything and not just camping more enjoyable that it should be. Even if you find her annoying you can never truly hate her because she'll make you smile and laugh no matter what. Rin Shima on the other hand is more of a kuudere character since she doesn't socialize much at school and she when she goes camping she usually goes solo.

It's through Nadeshiko's energetic personality that causes Rin to open up more and to explore new things about camping, especially with others instead of just going by herself. Seeing their friendship grow from a simple understanding to a very close bond was the biggest highlight of this show when you consider how different they were when they first met.

The other characters are also fun to watch. Chiaki represents the character who always makes the most out things no matter how difficult or impossible it seems, Aoi being the easy going and always down to Earth character, and Ena is the rich girl who doesn't get out much but is always willing to learn new things, such as camping.

My only real complaint, as I mentioned earlier, is the teacher character. It's not the character herself that was the problem for she was fun to watch with her hilarious drinking habits, it's the way she was handled in this series. I feel that the anime should have brought her into the story an episode or two sooner than they did. The fact that they brought her in so late makes me wonder if she was a last minute addition to the cast for she wasn't given enough time to properly develop. In the end, she ends up being nothing more than a character only put in for comedic purposes and not adding anything to the story. But as I said before this one one complaint isn't enough to bring this show down in any significant manner.

EASY TO CARE ABOUT
As a writer myself, I follow a very specific motto: KEEP IT SIMPLE. And that's exactly what this anime did. It kept it simple. It would have been very easy for the studio to force in some kind of pointless drama, like one of the characters getting seriously hurt, or forcing in some equally pointless romance, like adding random boys to the cast or teasing us with Yuri(like what Slow Start). But it didn't, instead the studio stayed focused on the what the main premise of this anime is all about, and I cannot thank C-Station enough for the fantastic work they've done for this anime.

CONCLUSION
Yuru Camp gets a solid 10 from me. It may seem like a generous score but its the honest truth. It does bug me, however, that some people find this show boring because nothing "big" happened or that they outright despise it because they think that a show that needs to explain everything is insulting their intelligence. Well, I have three questions for those people.

Why are you here?
What exactly where you expecting out of this anime?
Why the hell do you care so much?

I understand that Slice Of Life anime isn't for everyone, especially for a niche genre such as this but I have to ask: SO WHAT? The fact that they're making such a big issue out of it makes me question their intelligence.

Yuru Camp may not be a masterpiece in a literally sense or a entertaining perspective, but it was never meant to be. It was done to be to be it's own thing. It knew what is was and it shined from start to finish. And that's exactly why I say this anime is a masterpiece. So if any of you ever go camping again, especially with others, watch this anime with because it is a perfect example of what camping is: Creating memories that will last a lifetime.

I'm DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned!

As you know already, Violet Evergarden has been the most talked about anime of this season and unfortunately it has become one of the mistreated anime on this site. Now I know this MAL after all and in all honestly I can understand why a lot of people find this anime disappointing. However, for someone like me, this anime does work for me while most others it doesn't. And the reason for this is because most people who have been criticizing this anime don't understand what kind of story this is and they don't take the time to try to understand. This is problem with ... the anime community and today's generation for they have never a situation that Violet and some of the other characters have gone through.

Violet Evergarden is not your typical anime and it was never meant to be. This is an anime that has a far deeper story than pretty much any other anime out there. If you were expecting this to be some kind action show or even a war drama, then you were either misinformed or assumed too much. Now I myself have never read the LNs in which this anime is based on and I am aware that there are some differences such as the additions of character not in the original story, but at least let me give you an idea of what this anime is really about.

EASY TO UNDERSTAND
While I did mention that this show is about self-discovery, it also about dealing with PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, originally known as Shell Shock. And considering that the anime has a post World War One setting, it makes perfect sense. Let me give you a little history lesson.

PTSD is something that's existed since the beginning of mankind, but WW1 was where people really started to research it, hence the original term Shell Shock. If you look up any videos about WW1 veterans suffering from shell shock and saw how they reacted to sometime they either see or hear on the battlefield as the doctors and scientist were doing this research, you'd be pretty shocked yourself. Believe me, it's not a pretty sight. And there's usually two outcomes when it comes to dealing with PTSD. The person either recovers or commits suicide.

While this anime doesn't go deep into this subject it still addresses both it and its effects, as is evident of episode with Luciuia's older brother. That man could have easily taken his own life due to his depression, but he didn't. And that was because Violet saved his with her not even realizing it. This is where the anime really does shine.

EASY TO FOLLOW
Violet Evergarden herself is the most misunderstood character in this anime, just like Dorothy Catalonia is the most misunderstood character in Gundam Wing. The people who have been criticizing this anime put a lot of that blame on Violet. They either call her boring, bland, or both. Well, I hate to say it but those people are forgetting what Violet is. She practically is a robot at this point. She's been a soldier all her life and she know nothing else. Not only that she's been used and abused all her life. And to top it all off she's lost both her arms and the only person she's ever had a bond with is dead(presuming that he is) and his last words to her were, "I Love You".

If you really think about it, Violet is practically Darth Vader but with Data's personality. In Star Trek TNG Data was trying to discover what it's like to be human while living in a mechanical body. For Violet it's a more specific goal: Trying to discover what the meaning of "Love" is. Try putting yourself in her shoes. You've lived your entire young life taking other lives in violent ways while seeing nothing but death and destruction around you. Then your commanding officer dies, despite you trying to save his life, and he says those last words. You then wake up in the hospital and discover that you're part machine now but those fateful words are still with you. Wouldn't you want to discover what those words meant?

EASY TO CARE ABOUT
What people are not understanding is that Violet is still a child, and a very innocent one at that. Yes, it may seem annoying to some people but until now she's had no mind of her own. Now she's starting wake up to that. So the question becomes as this series goes on is how she's going to deal with it when she starts to feel emotions?

When I really think about it, the story isn't just about Violet. It is about the people around her in a world that is trying to move on from a devastating war. This is what the last episode of The Pacific was all about, showing the aftereffects of the war the characters fought in. If you grew up in military family like I did and spoken with veterans like I have you would understand this well. Violet has yet to realize that her existence and what she's trying to accomplish may bring a great deal of change in the world and bring peace to those who were effected by the war.

A story like this has to take its time to develop and unfortunately this doesn't work for most anime watchers. With the way its going now it may look formulaic and even predictable. Some I'm sure will think that the episodes are nothing but filler, but I'm pretty convinced that the final delivery will be very much worth it in the end. If I were to provide an example of what kind of story this is I strongly recommend an old movie from 1946 called "The Best Years of our Lives". Watch that movie and then maybe you will understand this anime better.

It's very rare and very risky to make an anime that isn't what you usually see in this media. And that's the reason why I like this anime and why I will be sticking with to the very end. Hopefully you'll come to understand it as I have. For now I'm only going to give this anime an 8 since it's too early to tell if this show will be a masterpiece in terms of story telling. I do believe, however, that it has all the potential to be one.

I'm DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned!

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'll be doing this review under a new grading system I've come up with. Since I care more about story, characters, and execution than animation and sound, I will be focusing more on that on my reviews from now on.

To give an idea of what it will be like I will judge an anime on three thing: TO UNDERSTAND, TO FOLLOW, and TO CARE ABOUT. For the grades, there will be five of them on a scale from best to worst: EASY, INTERESTING, SIMPLE, DIFFICULT, and IMPOSSIBLE. I may make side notes about the art and music if necessary but the main ... focus will be on the story and execution. Now onto the review.

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After four episodes, Marchen Madchen is an anime that has a simple enough premise, the execution and the melodrama makes it difficult to care about what's going and why we care.

SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND
Any magical girl anime is easy enough to get into and Madchen does just that. It's kind of like a magical version of Fate Stay Night with it students characters and their transformation. The problem is that the show so far hasn't focused enough on these things.

DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW
Despite its simple premise we're not given a clear explanation of exactly why this magical world exist and why it has this special tournament. Granted, the series is only four episodes in right now, but unless we get an episode that takes it's time explaining things, I'm going to find myself caring less and less about this series.

DIFFICULT TO CARE ABOUT
The show's biggest problem right now is its characters. They're characters we've all seen before and honestly they are ones you really couldn't care less about. The story so far has practically done nothing to improve and at this point I don't expect it to. The characters as of now are just there because the plot requires them to and to provide silly fanservice. The implied yuri relationships are enough to make you constantly roll your eyes when it gets all melodramatic. The main character is just a bland fangirl version of Akko from Little Witch Academia. Unlike Akko, a character who never gives up, Hazuki just finds a new way to annoy you while the anime tries desperately hard to make her an important character. Unfortunately, none of the other characters are any better so for the time being you'll have to deal with Hazuki and her shenanigans.

Overall, unless this anime starts to make dramatic changes to its story and execution don't expect much from it.

I've always enjoyed a adventure story where friendship and complete determination to achieve a supposedly impossible play well in hand. This anime so far are portrayed that perfectly and it leads to a promising delivery when the girls finally arrive in Antarctica.

WHAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR
The four main girls of this show remind me a lot of the four girls in K-ON! In fact, you could say that some are more eccentric while others are the opposites of the K-ON girls. Mari and Hinata are practically an upgraded version of Yui and Ritsu while Shirase and Yuzuki are more or less brooding versions Mio ... and Tsumugi. Then of course we have Mari's sister Rin who's pretty much her own version of Yui's younger sister Ui and then there's the glasses-wearing Nodoko version of Mari's classmate Megumi.

What I like about these characters is that each girl has their own reasons for going on this journey to Antarctica. Mari wants to do something memorable in her high school life before it's too late. Hinata wants to go because why not? Yuzuki is going partly because of her celebrity status but mainly because this is a perfect opportunity to make real friends, something she's never had before. And lastly we have Shirase, who's going to Antarctica in hopes of finding her mother who was lost there in the last expedition. The series shows a lot promise in what will happen when and if Shirase's mother is found.

The art is also something to take into account. The studio so far has done an outstanding job in the art department with both the character designs and the backgrounds. I will go as far as saying that it's almost enough to rival some of Studio Ghibli's films. It's quite amazing especially when you consider that Madhouse is also producing new seasons for both Cardcaptor Sakura and Overlord.

WHAT I HOPE TO SEE FROM HERE
Pretty much more of what we've seen already but with the girls going and having their adventure in Antarctica. I think we can all agree that there's no hope that Shirase's mother survived but if she somehow has, it will be a really amazing plot twist. I'm also curious to see what Shirase's and Gin Toudou interactions will be. It's very clear that Shirase shares some animosity towards Toudou seeing how she was the one to return and not her mother.

WHAT I DON'T WANT TO SEE
The closing shot of the post credits last episode showed Megumi having a difficult moment. This more often than not puts up a red flag for me. While I can understand the character's feeling stuff like this has a tendency not just to create unnecessary drama but ends up slowing the story down significantly. Hopefully we won't see that happen. I also don't want to see the girls forgetting the reason why they came to Antarctica and the series descending into a filler filled slice of life type of show.

As of now, A Place Further Than The Universe has the potential to be one of the best anime of the season and perhaps one of the best of the year.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is my very first anime review so please don't judge me too harshly on this.

If you're a fan of KEY's products like I am and like stories that involve drama, tragedy, and emotional heartbreak then you will definitely like this anime. However, if you were expecting something more out of this anime like I was then you're pretty much going to be disappointed because of the amount of wasted potential this anime had. From my point of view the reason for this is because of how the story was held back through certain elements of the plot. Now I haven't read all ... the volumes of the LNs this anime is based on, but even if I did I doubt it would change my opinion very much. So I'm just going to be straight up honest of why this anime ended up disappointing me the most this season.

WHAT THIS ANIME DID WRONG...
The setting of this anime alone is enough to catch you're interest. We are presented to a world where humanity was wiped out and is now populated by furries. We are then introduced to Willem, the last living human in the world along with the fairies, or leprechauns, magical soldiers that are all female created to fight the monstrous beasts that have appeared around the world in which normal soldiers cannot destroy. Soon afterward Willem is selected to be the fairies' "Commanding Officer" and father figure partly to his knowledge and experience with Mud Weapons, the magic weapons used by the fairies use to to destroy the beasts.

At first glance this seems like an anime with the potential to be something great despite a relatively generic setting we've seen before. Unfortunately though, the interesting plot elements and ideas of story has end up suffering from poor execution. The the further you watch the series you begin to notice problems with the overall plot of the story that never really get fully explained or resolved. And the reason for that is because show focuses far too much on the past of this world's setting and not so much on the present.

For example, we're shown how the beasts came to be but we're never told of why exactly they're a threat to the world. So in the end you can't but think that these beasts are just annoying pests that the army just feels obligated to get rid of. Another problem is Elq, a character that share's a special connection to both the world's past and to the fairies. Throughout the show we are told where the fairies came from along with her relationship with Chtholly, and that's it. Unless I missed something we're never really told what Elq's goals are or why she was so focused on Chtholly aside from what we already know. So in the end you're left asking, "What exactly is was point of Elq's character?".

One would argue that you would have to read the LNs, especially after Volume 3, to really understand the story. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, the problem is that viewers shouldn't have to rely on the LNs to understand the whole picture. The anime should be doing that for them, which sadly did not.

Another big problem with this anime is its lack of focus and lack of tension. Putting aside the last two episodes we see only a handful of battles between the fairies and the beasts. Most of the anime's focus is at home where the fairies are growing up. In any other story I wouldn't mind this but when the story gives the impression that it's suppose to be a war drama, the focus should be on the battlefront and not so much at home.

Now some fans will argue that this anime is not a war drama or even an action series, it's suppose to be a tragedy. While they're not entirely wrong, they're not exactly right either because a war drama is a form of tragedy. A tragedy doesn't have to be about drama and emotional heartbreak. It can be about the loss of youth, innocence, or even life. And since this story features characters who are part of the military and are fighting against a certain enemy, it counts as a war drama. A poorly executed one at that.

If you're going to have a war drama story that involves soldiers and any sort of conflict you need to have three things:

1. Who or what are the characters fighting against?
2. What are the characters fighting for?
3. Most importantly, how will the experiences in battle affect the characters both in body in mind and how will they deal with it both during and after the war?

All three of these things are needed in a war drama. If you just have one or the other it's not going to work. This anime shows what the characters are fighting against but we're never told what they are fighting for or how they deal with what they experienced after it's all over. Instead, the anime decides to focus more on Willem's and Chtholly's relationship, how the other fairies interact with the outside world, and discovering the past.

Again, this would be fine in any other story but the problem here is that the anime is not focusing on rather the real problem, which is the beasts. And because it's not explained why they're such a threat, since the rest of the world doesn't to be really concerned about them, there is a severe lack of tension. We're given no reason to care about the world should it fall to the beasts.

And in the end, it feels more like an insult than a sad ending because nothing changes after the big finale. The anime basically ends the way it started, making you feel like you just wasted nearly 300 minutes of your time for nothing. A few characters die and life just goes on like their deaths meant nothing. Seriously, what kind of story is that? What kind of message is that suppose to give?

WHAT THIS ANIME DID RIGHT...
Despite all my problems, I did like some of the things this anime did have. The setting and the entire concept was enough to get me interested and it stayed that way throughout the whole show. I also really liked the romance between the main two characters partly because I'm a sucker for tsunderes but also because of how believable it was.

Willem's character was also a major plus for this show. You can feel his guilt on the being the very last human being in the world and how he failed to keep his promise with those he knew in his past life. You can see that he wants a second chance to have the life he never had and how he sees the opportunity to obtain through the fairies he takes care of. It's easy to understand why he cares about them so much although some of his reactions were over exaggerated and in my opinion out of character.

Chtholly was also a nice character but the whole degeneration of her mind thing bugged me because it felt it was only holding her character back from being a great one for the sake of emotional heartbreak. In other words, it just didn't have any kind of real impact on me.

The other characters are great as well but since most of them don't get sufficient enough screen time there's not very much reason to care about them. Personally, I think it would have been more interesting if an entire division of these fairy soldiers had been created consisting of both males and females instead of having a Loli's paradise. It would have fascinating to see how they "grow up".

The Mud Weapons were interesting concepts but I think it would have been really cool if the military had been able to make firearm versions. Imagine a scene where normal rifle has no effect on a beast but is then that beast is blown in half but a Mud version of that same rifle. That would have been sick.

The art is excellent but not really spectacular and the songs were a nice touch but the music score fell rather short.

Overall, the anime does have its good moments but it suffers from poor execution and lack of focus.

WHAT COULD HAVE MADE THIS ANIME BETTER?
Well, better execution for one and focusing more on the bigger issue for another. Maybe even give a better story. The story needed to be about the fairies and their experiences in battle, them becoming aware of themselves, and finding a reason to live. It should not just be about Willem and Chtholly or about how humanity was wiped out because in the end past no longer matters. It's done! Over with! Time to move on!

One of the things I like to do going all the way back when I was a kid was to watch a movie and imagine characters from another setting in the same film. For example, when The Lord of the Rings first came out I used to watch it while imagining The Legend of Zelda characters in it. For this, let me use a movie example to give you an idea of what I feel this anime should have been about.

If I would rewrite this story based on how I reviewed it, the movie I would use as an example would be the 2002 war film "We Were Soldiers". That movie did an excellent job of having the three crucial things of a war drama that I listed above. In addition, it also did an excellent job of balancing out the effects of war between the battlefield and at home.

This anime could have been very much like "We Were Soldiers", but it ended up sacrificing one crucial part of the story for the sake of another. You can have romance, drama, and emotional heartbreak in a war drama, but the main focus needs to be on the battlefront. This isn't impossible with what this anime had to offer. I know it can work and I'm going to into further detail on why it can in my "Anime That Deserved Better" topic that I will post later on in this forum.

If you're a fan of this anime and are curious about the movie "We Were Soldiers" here's my suggestion. Watch the movie, then watch again. Only this time watch it while imagining this anime's characters playing the same roles in that film. Then maybe you'll see why why I feel this anime deserved better than what it got.

I'm DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned.