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Slice of life lovers, welcome! Anime watchers, proceed with caution.

I always like to start a review with some background or context. Slice of life is one of my favorite genre in anime. I'm a sucker for a good story and emotional impacts. During every anime season, I mostly watch shows that I will follow weekly or that I believe I will complete. Deaimon was my top pick for spring 2022 and was the show I gave my utmost attention. After its first couple of episodes, I truly believed it would end up being a great or even excellent anime. To put it simply, Deaimon is ... a rather average series that leaves alot on the table.

One of the major gripes I have with this anime is how much of it is a setup for a story we might or might not ever get a follow-up. This anime ends up having accomplish next to nothing in terms of plot advancement. The only real thread of story we have is teased time and time again. Then, by the end of the 12 episodes, the one thing we expect to happen sooner or later never does. We leave Deaimon knowing there is more to it than a single season. However, that doesn't excuse that this season alone doesn't really stands on its own which make this a rather poor anime.

Another problem I have, Deaimon has alot of ideas that are barely presented or worked upon. While the core of the series is the interpersonal relationship between the cast, most of it is either resolved or put forward in a shallow/straightforward way. Personally, I think a good slice of life needs layers and/or consequences to justify handling mature themes. A concrete example of a poorly explored relationship is Nagomu (the protagonist) and his father. To make the story short, Nagomu was supposed to inherit his family business since birth but along the way he discovered music and left his family to pursue his dream. The anime starts when he comes back to the family business because he received a letter telling him that his father grew ill. Misunderstanding aside (the father had a very minor back injury), Nagomu and his father never really mend their relationship or we don't get moments to see them talk their differences and grow closer again. Instead, like almost every characters, Nagomu's relationship with his father is a comedic plot device to create laughter. I believe it's truly a shame how the main character of the series is always used as a punching bag for comedy while the show also tries to make him have meaningful relationships. The formula of the show is mostly Nagomu helping the person having trouble for the episode in a serious heartfelt way. Then when it's over and done, everyone goes back to laugh at quirky and how much of a klutz Nagomu is. It becomes tiring real fast.

I'll just quickly say that Deaimon has alot of potential if it becomes a multi-season anime and finally delves deeper in its themes. As of right now, it's a shallow, heartwarming and interesting anime. With no payoffs as of yet, Deaimon has a frustratingly abrupt ending and doesn't offer much outside of an okay slice of life show.

Let me say this prior to anything else: the only reason I gave this anime this high of a score is because I love tokusatsu to no end. That being said, I want to know one thing: what the actual F*** happened?!

The first season of Ultraman aired back in 2019. That same year, a second season was announced. Fast forward to 2022, or three years later, and after much anticipation season 2 is finally here. A whole six episodes of about 25 minutes each, less than half of season 1's 13 episode runtime. Quality over quantity you might say? Nope. Instead, we have 6 episodes ... of rushed and messy plot.

If you don't know, Ultraman is based on a ongoing manga series of the same name. If season 1 was a faithful adaptation beat for beat of the manga, season decided to be original and diverge somewhat of the source material. The problem is that the anime condensed a big and eventful arc of the manga in a half-season. Furthermore, while they rushed the main plot of the manga and cut some of the biggest arcs of major characters, this anime had the gal to create new characters and side plots that were worse than the original. The result: a boring and uneven anime that feels empty and incoherent.

Like I said, the only reason I liked Ultraman season 2 is because of the action and tokusatsu vibe. The animation is a bit better than the first season and the first episode had me hooked for the rest of the season. I didn't know by then that everything would go down hill.

I don't know what happened, but even without an official statement from the producers of this show I'll theorize that this anime had a ton of production problems. How can Tsuburaya Prod. and the other studios producing the Ultraman anime can only deliver 6 episodes of bad anime in 3 years of production? There's no way this was the original plan for this project. Why go from a 13 episodes season down to 6? Why faithfully follow the original manga in the first season only to create a worst version of the source material? Why take 3 years to make a half season of anime? Something must have gone wrong really bad during these three years because even if Ultraman season 1 was no masterpiece, season 2 made the wrong choices at every turn and it's not even funny.

Ultraman season 2 is seriously a waste of time for everyone, fan of the first season or not. The long wait wasn't worth it and I cannot see the general audience having a good time watching this series, even with the short runtime. I don't expect a third season, but if it does ever happen I have no doubt this series will never be good again.

Promising premise on shaky foundations that will leave you loving it or hating it.

Here's a dilemma for you: would you rather watch this anime that has a 50/50 chance of disappointing you and waste your precious time or should you watch one of those shows you've put in your PWT list for the longest time?
Spoiler alert/long review

I'll start this review by mentioning that Tokyo 24th Ward had a bad reputation before it even started airing because of the CloverWorks studio controversy. In short, CW had 3 series airing during the 2022 winter season and crunch-time/overwork/lack of staff was made public. The result? A lack of ... faith in this series in particular because it was the most recent project and also the fact that it was an original anime (meaning it would need extra attention and work to make it good). Why is this important? Because the score or reviews for Tokyo 24th Ward might be biased negatively for reasons outside of the work in itself.

Now, unto the anime itself. Tokyo 24th Ward started with a 1-hour special (that still counts for 1 episode) which was fairly solid but also essential for the series. Separating this first hour would've made an uneven, incomprehensible and messy couple of episodes. The anime needed the whole hour to for its slow build that ultimately led to an action packed second half. Really, the first episode of Tokyo 24th Ward feels like all you need to know whether you'll like it or not. If your okay with its pacing (which can be excruciating or downright feels like a waste of time) and the intrigue of an original work keeps you interested, it might be to your liking.
I have to preface this before moving along. I've read the other reviews and threads for every episodes. Many positive comments were left from start to finish. Which is why I must say the reason I really dislike this show is because where the series it connected with others, I didn't. So the emotional beats and the philosophies/life lessons that Tokyo 24-ku tries to convey felt artificial and didn't reach me on the emotional level the show aims for and it's make or break for this kind of show.

Moving along, starting episode 2 (and episode 3 being similar but a bit better), everything goes downhill really fast. The problem with Tokyo 24th Ward is ultimately it's lack of proper storytelling and how directionless the show is overall.

While juggling a trio of 3 protagonists (the RGB trio), the show clumsily makes the mistake of having a favorite child (Shuta, the blue one) and having a black sheep (Koki, the green one) that had nothing interesting to his name the whole season (no sight of any development or character arc for him). What could make an interesting dynamic for the show is ultimately a bunch of smoke and mirrors because most of the story revolves around Shuta and Ran (the red one) has the leftovers. When you know that the (kinda-semi) lead girl is the sister of Koki, you would've never guessed because everything we know about her is her relationship with Shuta. The way Koki acts in accordance to the events around his sister makes it like they don't even know each other until the show tells you they are siblings. We also have a plethora of side characters for each of the main 3 characters with only 2-3 with any relevance.

On the subject of direction, Tokyo 24th Ward on paper and its first episode set it as a mystery/fantasy anime. Superpowers, drama and mysteries with loose ends gives you a feel for what the anime is. Except, the second episode becomes a slice of life that takes every single minute of its airtime to develop a supporting character and most of the main elements of the first episode are nowhere to be found. The tonal whiplash and the way the story unfolds in that second episode feels like a waste of time because the only link we have to the premise of Tokyo 24th Ward is just how Mari feels about previous events but its dragged for the whole half-hour. The cliff-hanger of the first episode and any intrigue from the previous episode are never brought up and the story just came to an halt. I cannot stress how unfulfilling episode 2 is in an mystery/fantasy anime. You might even forget yourself what anime you are watching during this episode.

The third episode is messy and starts off in the same vibe as episode 2 but suddenly goes back to the action/fantasy/mystery that we left off in episode 1. That's when the direction problem becomes clear as day: Tokyo 24th Ward is juggling with two stories. In a good show it wouldn't be a problem. In this case, what doesn't work is that the two stories (at least for now) have nothing to do with one another at all. On one hand, you have the slice of life story about an old district that is on the verge of being bought by a corporation and the people living there are trying to save it. On the other, you have the action filled, superpower fantasy and mysteries surrounding a previous disaster/incident. If you can find how to link these two stories together, well good for you because that's not what this anime does.

Let's just review the main points on the series from now on.

One of the main points of the series is the trolley dilemma: let a bunch of people die to save one person or the other way around situation. There are 5 instances of this nature through the full run. The problem? Tokyo 24-ku from the get go frames the RGB trio as heroes that will create a new future so they have to make that difficult choice because they make their own 3rd option. So what's the point of introducing this moral dilemma about what is right or wrong in a lose-lose situation? You tell me cause I have no clue. The only instance it really comes to play is on the third situation where Koki decides one of the two possibilities. That's good right? Wrong, because the show frames it as if Koki made the wrong choice and that is morality is questionable. I'll reiterate this, the whole point of the trolley dilemma put forward from episode 1 is all about the point that sometimes there is no right answer but you have to make a choice and sacrifices. Instead of conveying a clear cut message about the vision of the writers or the anime, we are left with the childish idea that if you choose one way or the other you're wrong because everyone should be a infallible paragon of goodness that will make a miracle to get the best of both world in an impossible situation.

Furthermore, one of the enticing points that made me watch Tokyo 24-ku is the mystery aspect. By respect of readers that haven't seen the show, I will not spoil any reveals in this part. Here are the main mysteries the show sets up in the first couple of episodes: what caused the school fire, is Asumi alive, where do the RGB superpowers come from and who is Carneades? That's five big questions that you wish the anime will tell you gradually and you can't wait for the story to reveal you its secrets. I'll say this loud and clear: in my opinion, none of the answers are satisfactory and everything seems trivial and a perfect storm of the worst coincidences ever. The way the story unfolds theses questions makes you think how extremely unlikely (or even impossible) everything fell in place for the worst possible outcome. Let's just say that every reveal doesn't tie up loose ends or make you feel like it makes any sense at all. So if you're here for a good mystery and piecing it all together you can forget it. This anime never gives you hints or wants you to know things in advance.

I'd like to make a quick detour about the worshipification (that's not a word but I hope you get it) of certain characters. No one likes a perfect character in its stories. Tokyo 24-ku tries to tackles moral ideas and deep thinking in its story concept. That leads me to question why the show clearly tries to put some characters on a pedestal. There are four characters I put in this category: Kanae, Asumi, Kunai and Shuta. The first two are barely present in an active role in the series' run but we are constantly told how they were perfect guardian angels of infinite love, peace and ideals. Too bad we never saw them do anything of the sort. Kunai is another beast. I hate this character so much because he ends up being a terrorist that tries to blow up a ship and kill hundreds of people, but because he's the friend of one of the protagonist we're supposed to feel bad when he fails and dies. Then, the show goes out to make him a martyr because he wanted to kill ''the bad guys''. Yeah, no thanks for me. Lastly, Shuta is at the center of every characters and conflicts and everyone relies on him as the ultimate moral compass. He's pictured as an hero that can solve everything and everyone loves him. All in all, these four characters really stain any moral dilemma the show attempts to bring up and ruins the series basic concept.

Another short point to bring up is the awful exposition. Wow. Tokyo 24-ku has a problem with its pacing. Look no further than episode 2 and 9. Why? Because both episodes are just exposition dumps of flashback and dialogue about past events. Instead of having the decency of telling us information on a need to know basis, this anime decides twice to put a full stop to the story to tell you every little thing it didn't tell the audience before. That's about 50 minutes of talking and new terms or concepts being introduce. That's just awful and unpleasant. That's not to say there's not even more exposition during the rest of the show. Ever heard of show don't tell? Well Tokyo 24-ku is mainly all talk and no action. We're told how most of the characters are, but never shown how or why they are the way they are. You just have to believe and remember everything that's being told. That's heavy writing in the worst sense possible.

I won't lie. I thought Tokyo 24-ku would be the kind of show where you choose your favorite RGB protagonist and everyone would have his part to play and everybody would be happy. The character I wanted to like and follow from RGB was Koki, aka green boy. I thought he would be the logical and sensible one of the trio. I chose my side. What did I get for that? A whole bunch of nothing. To call Koki a protagonist is a lie from this anime. Koki never gets an episode dedicated to him. He never gets to be the main focus at all. I'd even go as far and say some side characters are more important/have more airtime than him. Even worse, is the falsehood of the RGB trio of miracles. Painted as inseparable friends, the trio spends the first four episodes as a dysfunctional team that splits up until episode 12. From episode 5 to the end of episode 11, the greatest friends in the world never meet or talk to each other. That's just the start of the problems. A theme that's present in Tokyo 24-ku is freedom/danger vs. control/safety. How is it relevant to RGB? Simply, Ran represents freedom and individuality (and also poverty) while Koki represents control and collectivity (and rich people). This becomes the conflict of the last couple of episodes. Shuta is supposed to be in-between the two and being the indecisive one or even the best of both world. What could've been an interesting choice of ideals left up to each viewers is ruined by the obvious leaning towards freedom, individuality and poverty side. The anime fails to give choice or perspective to the audience because Koki, his father, SARG and the rich are basically the villains of the show. Shuta, the middle man, is evidently on Ran's side based on his actions, but just because when he's asked which side he's on he doesn't have an answer, he's the neutral one. Also, because Shuta is the neutral party, everyone makes him to be the right side. Every ally of Ran and Koki end up trusting him over the other two protagonists. If I had to divide the focus of this show, it would go like this: 60% Shuta, 20% Ran, 5% Koki and 15% the rest of the cast. It's up to you if you're okay with that.

Ultimately, Tokyo 24th Ward started with promise but quickly drifted away from its strong points and tries way too hard to be more complex that it needs to be. There was a sliver of hope that this anime might get better as its story unfolds, but Tokyo 24-ku never knew what kind of show it wanted to be, nor was it able to convey any meaningful message. This anime lived up to its prior reputation of dead on arrival. What a shame.

A blend of comedy and drama that tackles real life issues in a simple yet heartwarming way.

Kotarou lives alone is an anime that presents itself in a very straightforward fashion. Episodic in nature, like some 4-koma mangas, we go from one short story to another. There is an overarching plot about Kotarou's past that gets revealed slowly during the course of the show, but the main attraction of this series is definitely the relationships between the characters and the lessons to be learn from every story.

To start, what makes this show better than it's competition is the way the relationship are handled. While the comedic ... premise of a 4 years old living alone could establish a nonsensical vibe, most of the show tries to handle itself with maturity. Without indulging in philosophy or overcomplicating interpretations, the dialogue and the characters are not overly exaggerated and are treated with respect which is commendable. The size of the cast is non-negligible and surprisingly every character get his dues because no one is expendable. There is at least a story for every character with a name. Also, while the anime focus mainly on establishing a relationship between everyone and Kotarou, some characters have relationship between each other which adds a layer to the series. Finally, while most of the cast seem too perfect and good, most of the time there is an explication or justification for this act and perception is not always reality.

In the same order of idea, Kotorou lives alone lives and dies on how you feel and receive the life lessons it tries to teach its audience. While some might dismiss the wishy-washy, simple or borderline childish way that everything always goes right at the end of every conflict, it would be disingenuous to disregard the genuine good faith of the show. It's easy to admit that there is almost no permanent consequence to any problems that are presented, but the simplicity and accessibility on these serious topics dealt in the series aim to reach anyone. The balance between heavy traumas and the hopeful child-like resolutions is never overbearing. Also, credit to the show for deviating from most clichés regarding relationship misunderstanding. ultimately, Kotarou lives alone deals with serious topics with hopefulness and simplicity that also respect the viewer to understand beyond its broader strokes.

Finally, Kotarou lives alone is a great short series about interpersonal realationship about how children and adults alike can learn from each other. Different lives lead to different perspectives and we all gain from understanding and communicating with other people. There are good and bad lessons in life. Sometimes, there is no good ending. Life moves on and we have to do the same. If these messages haven't stuck during your viewing, then this anime didn't reach you.

My senpai is annoying is lighthearted rom-com/slice of life series that is an easy watch for anyone even for people who don't particularly like the genre.

The strongest point of this anime is definitely its cast of characters that simply bounce well off of each others and how fun the atmosphere is throughout its entirety of the 12 episodes. The bulk of the interactions are mostly honest and clean jokes that are undercut by some romance here and there. Every character has a purpose, little or bigger, and everything just feels genuine in the context the series. None of the cast can be considered unneeded, overbearing ... or unlikable. It definitely feels like the time allotted to each character has been thought about. There is a bit of everything for everyone.

The romance on the other hand might be the most controversial part of My senpai is annoying. Honestly, it truly is a mix bag ranging from great moments to frustrating decisions. While most would argue the workplace setup could make for some interesting and more mature romance storytelling, this anime really delves into the tropes of romance anime that end up teasing you all the way to the end. Make no mistake, the two couples we follow have good relationships and dynamics. The problem really lies how childish it all feels when everyone just keeps flirting, being oblivious and ultimately no one takes the next step of a relationship (ie. start dating). Some of the frustration is appeased by the pairing of the pairing of Kazama/Sakurai that feels alot more genuine and has more flair and personality. However, the main couple of Igarashi/Takeda ends up being a confusing friendship/kouhai-senpai/romantic relationship that suffers from being taken as a joke from beginning to end. Ultimately, I must say that the romance of the series delivers some heartfelt moments, but could've gone the extra step and make more progress in the relationship.

Still. the comedy and relaxing tone of My senpai is annoying keeps everything from crumbling because it takes precedence over the romance. Had it been a serious love story nothing would stick the landing. Thankfully, the friendship and interactions between the main and recurring characters are straightforward and simple in the best possible way. This anime has a way to make you feel good every episode and never tries to be overly complicated or cynical in its presentation. Which is why the comedy/slice of life portion of the series thrives where the romance barely keeps afloat. The situations and gags are nothing unique but My senpai is annoying adds its own personality to it and nothing is boring even in the most mundane situations.

All in all, My senpai is annoying is definitely worth the watch and really goes by in a breeze. Even though some feel it could've achieved greater heights (me included), this series manages to know what it wants to be and does it pretty well. It might not be an even ride all the way, but this anime delivers an solid watching experience for all.

Muv-Luv Alternative has to be one of the biggest incomprehensible, unfulfilling, oversaturated and overall disappointing piece of anime in recent memories.

As someone who didn't play the games but watched M-L: Total Eclipse, I can say the latter was an infinitely more enjoyable experience even though both Muv-Luv animes are existing in the same world.

M-L Alt.'s problems come down to 2 major flaws that make it a chore to watch and just generally unpleasant: the pacing and the story is overambitious.

First, like mentioned, the pacing of the story is a major flaw of this anime. At 12 episodes short, M-L A. manages to accomplish nothing of ... it's initial story which is kind of amazing when you think about it. The premise of the alien invasion (BETAs) is the main plot of the story, yet by the end of this series run nothing of importance towards the resolution of this thread is made. Obviously, any good story needs to take time to establish its world and characters, yet instead of doing these simple things M-L A. just makes its characters spout exposition constantly and goes half-way through every side stories. So much plot points are introduced about every single characters, but barely any story has time to develop or has a continuation/resolution so it just feels like nothing happens for the duration of the series. However, it also feels like some story beats are glossed over. When the series is over it seems like the real main story of this anime went at a breakneck speed and just ended so suddenly.

Which leads directly to the second major flaw of this anime: it's overambitious. What started with a pretty forward story of alien invasion apocalypse (with a twist of parallel universe mumbo-jumbo) ends up with countless divergent stories that don't seem particularly interconnected between each others. The main threat of the series, the BETAs, are never seen again after the first or second episode (except for flashbacks or exposition scenes in no direct contact with the story). In other words, the whole premise of the series has no bearing on this season of M-L A. so anyone interested by this story and liked episode 1 can only be disappointed and feel betrayed by this. No, instead we spend every episode adding more lore about every single thing and person in this anime. Not only do we have the MC's story to follow, his 5 or 6 squad mates individual stories, then professor's story, the head of intelligence story, the royal squad story, the little esper girl's story, the...ahem, well you get the point. What promise to be a kind of mecha/harem/mystery anime ends up being a political wishy-washy nonsensical story about patriotism that is executed with the finesse of a kid playing with a toy. Not only does this sudden turn of story comes half way through the season, it comes from nowhere and none of the stakes and motivations are put forward before this story comes to play. It's just messy and boring from start to finish and feels like this whole ''arc'' was filler and pointless because nothing important happened (or at east it felt that way by the end). We're also introduce to the alternate/parallel universe theory, the history of the five Alternatives, some lore about the BETAs and it just feels overwhelming. Yet at the same time, even though we're catapulted with exposition, somehow it feels like nothing is really explained fully meaning nothing we're told makes sense. M-L A. just doesn't know what it wants to be nor where it wants to go with any of its plot. It's just frustrating and confusing in an increasing pace though its run.

So after all of this, what are we left with? Characters ranging from bland to boring, unimpressive art, unmemorable music, nearly non-existent mecha action that isn't even good and just a overall painstakingly bad viewing experience. M-L A as it stands (a second season has been announced) is not worth your time even at its short runtime of a mere 12 episodes. If you want any semblance of fun from this license, Muv-Luv: Total Eclipse (which is twice has long but definitely twice as better than this anime) is the way to go if you want your mecha vs. aliens fill.