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After watching Promare, I can't really recommend it and as a matter of fact, even if I went for the mixed feelings, I hesitated more with the not recommended option than with the recommended one.

I'll try to explain down below the few things done right by the movie and the many ones done wrong. I'll try to stay focused solely on the movie and won't compare it with other animes made by Trigger, although I'll say that I didn't like TTGL and dropped it quite early one, so I guess that I got off with the wrong foot with this movie since it shares ... many things with TTGL.


+ The animation : 9/10

That's the main feat of this movie : the animation. There are many well animated scenes, the fights are dynamic and you'll be served with many of them. It's colorful, flashy, it has this "Trigger" vibe that feels unique.

+ The ost : 8/10

Another great thing this movie has for itself is its music : there are a few great songs that help develop the epicness of the fights/situations. Moreover, we can generalize this to the voice acting that is pretty good and you'll probably recognize some famous seiyus.

Annnnd that's about the only two reasons you should watch this movie if it caught your attention. Because everything else is average at best...


- The story : 4/10

I won't spoil anything but it's the same kind of story you've already seen a hundred times before... And there isn't any real element that make it stand out, now to be fair, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously and the plot feels more like a "background" excuse to justify the fighting scenes and the whole idea of creating a well animated movie, but as a result, it gets boring rather quickly... The story isn't bad per se, at least there's some coherence in it, but everything is too predictable and in the span of 2 hours, one might expect a more complex/intersting story than what they went for with this one.

- The rhythm : 3/10

I mentionned the animation's quality above and it's true that this movie screams "eye candy" at viewers in many scenes, but man, the pace is so wrong with this movie. It's linked with how weak the story is I guess, but the ratio between fighting scenes and any other kind of scene is unbalanced, and without exaggerating, maybe like the last 40/50 minutes of the movie consist of fighting scenes with barely any breaks.

- The characters : 2/10

I guess there's about 2 characters that are developped a bit, Lio and Fray ( And for the latter, it's a bit of a stretch since he is so stereotypical it becomes funny, but at least he is developped ). Every other character is forgettable including the MC. I can't even write about side characters because they aren't relevant at all and have very little screen time anyway.

All in all, the result is quite disappointing : the story is as common as it gets, the characters aren't interesting and full of stereotypes, and to top it off, this movie is almost 2 hours long. So how can it be so long with such a poor story ? Fights. Tons of them. Are the fights well animated ? Yes. Do they feel epic ? Yes. Are the fights good enough on their own to justify watching Promare ? Well not really in my opinion, but that's the reason why I only went for mixed feelings. I think movies require a good story with memorable characters and that's subjective, but Promare is clearly lacking a lot in this department. However, for viewers who love fighting scenes and don't care much about the context behind them, you should enjoy this movie.

Lv2 kara Cheat is okayish... The reason I still went for the recommended review instead of mixed feelings is because I think it's enjoyable for people who already like and enjoy watching isekais. If you've never watched one, you probably shouldn't start with this one, and I'll try to explain briefly why down below.

This anime is clearly aiming for the average, and it will check many boxes of the isekai genre : op mc, pseudo harem, basic plot, average animation quality etc... And while a few elements are done right such as the number of characters introduced, the female MC, the opening song, the ... slice of life vibe and the development of their home/everyday life, there are also many elements done wrong. Indeed, the plot is forgettable, the rhythm is fine for the first half but it becomes too slow afterwards, and it highlights another problem : there aren't any real stakes in this anime, and it would be fine with different settings, but here, the plot involves a global war between demons & humans, so the end result is a bit weird, why should the viewers care about the plot if even the characters don't really care for it ?

Now to be fair, the anime doesn't take itself seriously, so it's easy to forgive the show for its absence of stakes, but the fact remains that the rhythm feels off after a few episodes and it becomes a bit boring at times.

All in all, this show is a typical isekai, it will please people who enjoy this genre and it will annoy people who don't. The anime does manage to establish a cozy light hearted vibe and it's interesting to see the characters evolve in their everyday life. However, the absence of stakes hurts the show and its rhythm, in the end, there's not much happening in the span of 12 episodes and people who aren't used to fantasy isekai animes might feel confused because the last episodes are really underwhelming. I liked Lv2 kara Cheat for what it had to offer but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, and there are many better isekais to watch beforehand.

Tensai Ouji felt like a mixed bag, there are some good ideas in this show, while there are also very tedious ones. The overall balance is somewhat neutral, I think it's fairly easy to overlook these anime's flaws and enjoy it for what it has to offer, but it remains a pretty average show and won't appeal to everyone.

I'll try to give more details in this review to explain the mixed feelings that made me drop this show, not because it's a bad one, but simply because I wasn't hooked enough.


Let's start off with the things done right, the voice acting is good ... ( and you'll recognize famous seiyuus ), the plot in itself is pretty decent, meaning that this show will try to approach things in a large scale to develop the kingdom's economy, they focus on battle strategy at times etc... Those aspects were refreshing, and I guess some character designs are done well, but unfortunately, that's about it for the pros, now let's talk about the cons...

The animation is average, the fighting scenes aren't really good, the scenery is the same one you can find in a hundred other fantasy anime shows. The characters and the dialogues are poorly written, or let's say that they could have been way better considering the plot and its events. They are trying to go for a mastermind MC and there's nothing wrong with that, but here, it's hard to believe because he'll act like a crybaby in every episode for "obvious" comic purposes. ( which aren't funny ) The jokes never really hit because they are too predictable and/or too blunt. It feels like every character has one or two traits and that's about it, everything they'll say will serve as a way to highlight the trait A or the trait B and it gets boring pretty quickly.


All in all, I can't recommend this show because even if it has a few good ideas, they are hindered by many poor choices, whom are almost all linked with the poor writing for characters and dialogues. Now, I don't mean to sound too harsh, this anime isn't the first that fails at being unique and that relies on common tropes, it's rather common in the anime industry and Tensai Ouji isn't a bad show, but there are many better fantasy animes out there before you should think about watching this one, unless you are looking specifically for a "grand scheme of nations politics " anime without big expectations, because in that case, this anime might please you.

Solo Leveling was trhilling to watch and i can recommend it to every viewer that usually enjoys action anime.

I'll try to describe down below the pros and cons of this show, without spoiling anything. Keep in mind that I haven't read the webtoon nor did I have special expectations for this adaptation.


The pros :

+ Good animation, the fighting scenes are done well, the character designs are pretty good too.
+ Even if this show goes for the "OP MC" trope, it remains believable enough, and the events presented in the anime allow the mc to still face some dangers, which isn't always ... the case with this trope.
+ There is some violence in this show, but it's used in a good way that isn't common enough in the fantasy genre, it feels refreshing to see those moments & reactions in anime.


The cons :

To put it simply, the biggest cons are the narrative & exposition, they prevent the show from being a truly great one because they aren't innovative and even fall into pretty bad/boring clichés sometimes. Here are a few examples :

- Some dialogues are poorly written, they can become quite repetitive or too blunt ( like the show wants to make the viewers understand that the MC is weak for instance, well in the first episode, pretty much EVERY dialogue between the MC and another character will highlight his weaknesses... )

- The anime will often make the main character talk out loud to himself alone to describe his actions/feelings, and come on, it's tedious to witness those moments, the weird thing is that there are also some moments where at least they thought about making him talk to himself in his head...

- While the story is interesting, it also feels a bit underwhelming because they don't really take the time to explain the lore. There is a quick scene at the beginning of the first episode and that's about it, they'll explain a few rules here and there throughout the first episodes and won't develop much more. It's disappointing because it feels like there'd be quite a lot to say about a modern world that had to adapt to alien invasions on a daily basis through random portals...


TL;DR :

All in all, Solo Leveling does the job and will fulffill most of its promises : it's an action-packed anime with well animated fighting scenes, epic moments, a main character that will have to surpass himself through tough battles, but is it good enough to call this a masterpiece ? Well no, it's quite far from being one actually, unfortunately, the show lacks a lot in the narrative/exposition department, you'll find "redflags" that reflect those flaws such as bad dialogues, overused stereotypes, and the world building is hardly developped. Those cons won't prevent you from enjoying the show, but they restrain it from reaching higher heights and becoming a truly great adaptation many fans were waiting for.

Romantic Killer was fun to watch, it's the kind of show that can be enjoyed both by romcom fans and viewers who aren't used to this genre. It is using a parody angle to build its story, and while it does work to some extent, it also has some shortcomings and I'll try to explain my point of view down below, without spoiling anything.


The show starts off with an interesting premise and going for a parody to make fun of the usual tropes we find in romcoms works pretty well, the story manages to give a somewhat believable explanation for everything that is happening. ... The jokes aren't that original but they are usually well executed and the cast of characters is quite likable, and while the rhythm wasn't flawless ( the transitions between the mini arcs felt a bit abrupt ), we can praise this anime for "wrapping things up" by the end of the season, meaning that there is a clear change of dynamics established and it doesn't end on a huge cliffhanger.

However, the show also did some things the wrong way, I can mainly think of two cons :

- The show will try to include some "serious" themes at times and it felt out of place compared with the overall mood of the show, who usually goes for comic vibes.

- It's linked with the other con, but in terms of pure content, the show can be a bit disappointing if you take into consideration its parody ambition. While the first episodes are rather original, the rest of the story isn't as parodic, don't expect the same level of parody you can find in a show like Konosuba.


All in all, Romantic Killer was enjoyable to watch and I'd recommend it to everyone, it might even please people who aren't into anime or romcoms since it breaks some of the codes we can find with this tag. The story makes sense and usually succeeds at making funny jokes and cute moments, and we can also thank the beautiful animation that highlights some of those funny scenes. However, this anime isn't flawless : its ambition regarding parody falls off as the story goes on, and it's notably noticeable when the show is trying to set a more serious tone in some episodes.

After watching the first 6 episodes of Ao Haru Ride, I decided to drop it, and while I definitely wouldn't call it bad, I really can't call it good either. I'll discuss the pros and cons of this show down below, to try and explain why this show felt average even if it had an interesting premise.

I won't spoil anything ( not that there's much to spoil up to the 6th episode... ) but I'll mention the side characters and their relationships.


The pros :

+ The visuals are good looking. The art style is trying to go for an unique vibe and it ... works, it's not the most beautiful style you'll witness, but it's good enough to stand out in a good way, Kou ( the male MC ) is truly handsome.

+ Although the initial plot isn't that original, the dynamic established between those two "lost childhood friends" who become reunited in the first episodes is interesting, they are the best written characters in the show and the viewers will become invested in their relationship.

+ The show is going for a cute vibe and it does manage to create some wholesome moments once again between the two MCs, it's nice to see a show that dosen't rely on fan service to create intimate connections between characters.

The cons :

There would be a lot to talk about, but it mainly comes down to two related issues : a bland plot along with useless and/or boring side characters.

- The story tries pretty quickly to establish two love triangles, a main one and a secondary one. The main one isn't really believable : a newcomer is added into the main couple of MCs, but it's hard to see what is at stake. Like, it's just a classmate that happens to be a new friend to the female MC, and so what ? This newcomer doesn't have any special bond with the male MC, therefore it feels like she was added into the mix just for the sake of having a pseudo love triangle. The second love triangle does make more sense in terms of love dynamics, but it will fail to captivate the viewers' attention because of how boring the side characters are.

- The two classmates from the second triangle are as trivial as they come : the guy is an extraverted goofy-like dude and the girl is an introverted lonely gal that hates everyone except one teacher. And that's all there is to know about them, because that's only through those angles that every scene about them will be made... I'll reckon that the teacher on the other hand was a bit better written.


I don't mean to sound too harsh; hence the mixed feelings; the plot and subplots are far from being the worst ones you can find in animation, but let's say that they aren't executed in a clever way, and it's a bit disappointing if like me, you've heard many praises for this show while in the end, it isn't really standing out from the average. I think this show can appeal to some audiences, the main relationship is rather interesting and after all, that's probably the most important thing for a romance show, but the rest of the story is too conventionnal and becomes a bit boring at times with predictacble characters and hard to believe situations/problems the characters are facing.

I just finished watching the first season of Kamonohashi Ron no Kinda Suiri and I recommend it for anyone that likes the detective genre.

While this show isn't perfect, it has many qualities and I'll try to point them out in this review, without spoiling anything.


The pros :

+ The investigations are interesting, and that's very important for a detective show. They aren't exactly meant to be solvable by the viewers, but the detectives will solve them by paying close attention to details in a believable way.

+ The character design is neat and the side characters are funny and rather inspired.
...
+ The visuals are good looking, there's a lot of different landscapes, nice colorimetry aswell.

+ Some plot elements to make this show feel unique make us want to learn more about the story.

+ The comic vibe this show is going for works at times, there are a few funny jokes & situations...


The cons :

- But on the other hand, I'll reckon that this show could have used a bit more "seriousness", it sometimes feels like there isn't enough at stake.

- It's linked with the last con, but there's a lack of action scenes in the show, and it's a shame because it would have been relevant for a police/detective show.

- The MC being goofy is a common trope for that kind of detective duo, but it becomes a bit annoying in this show because there is one "gimmick" that happens everytime that will make the viewer cringe because of how unbelievable the situation is.


All in all, I think this show is enjoyable and anyone interested in this genre should give it a try. The detective aspect is respected by giving us some interesting investigations, and the overall cozy/funny mood the show is going for works well enough with the few characters introduced. In order to become more unique, this first season introduces a few plot elements that should keep the viewer intrigued and eager to watch the next season ! However, this anime does have some flaws, this comic choice comes at the expense of the story's coherence : it's hard to justify the lack of action scenes, and a rather "important" detail of the plot becomes frankly quite stupid because of this.

Roshidere is a great romcom, it's well balanced between lovely and quirky moments, the characters are good looking, the animation is nice, it does use some usual tropes for this genre but unfortunately, it also faces the same problem we can find in other romcoms regarding the plot : it's a tiny bit too linear and predictable.

The pros :

+ Beautiful character design (except for the male MC who has a pretty bland/common style )
+ Yuki Suou as a character is pretty funny and has a rather uncommon profile in anime
+ Decent animation
+ This anime manages pretty well its comedy aspect, ... it even manages to introduce some "daring" jokes without being too cringe
+ There are 12 different endings, some people don't like this, but I think it's a praiseworthy feat
+ Some dynamics between the characters are interesting...

The cons :

- But on the other hand, the support characters are maybe not used enough. Having a story focused on the main couple isn't a con, but it's frustrating because it feels like it would be even funnier or more interesting if the support characters had a bigger role.

- The "main plot" is kind of meh and it prevents the show from shining even brighter. I won't spoil the events, but keep your expectations low in that regard

- Some scenes ( the hypnosis one ) or subplot elements felt a bit out of place, maybe it works better in the manga, but they had a weird impact during the first season because they felt pointless : the anime shows us some some minor lore things but they aren't really used to further the story or anything


All in all, Roshidere does many things right : there's a lovely couple that every viewer will root for, there's a fair share of comedy, and the animation quality is satisfying throughout the whole season. However, there's also a few things done wrong : the plot is as basic as they come, and overall, it's a bit frustrating because it feels like all the ingredients were there to deliver a more original story, but the end result is that support characters are "underused" while some scenes should have been cut because they have close to zero interest.

Megami no Café Terrace S2 was fun to watch, and I'd recommend it to everyone who enjoyed the first season, because both of them share the same qualities... as well as their weaknesses.

The story is still about the everyday life of Hayato and his harem, the many shenanigans the girls will think of to tease him and try to get his attention. This second season adds a few new story elements, some of them serve as new comic reliefs while others will try to deepen a bit the story and explain some stuff. Nothing too convoluted, it does the job and if you like ... the overall cozy mood of this show, chances are you'll enjoy the events and new additions made in the S2.

However, this show does suffer from the same flaws of the first season : even if this anime is clearly aiming for a goofy lightheaded vibe, some jokes will get repetitive, and overall, there's a lack of ambition, meaning that many jokes and situations are predictable, the gags could be more inspired.

All in all, this S2 was enjoyable to watch and it should please every viewer who liked the S1. The show is still cozy to watch, it has a decent animation ( for "low budget" romcoms ), funny situations and jokes. Nevertheless, it's not ambitious enough, even if there are some funny running gags, some of them are a bit cringy, and as a whole, this show does lack a bit of "uniqueness", it's not really trying to go off the beaten tracks and that's a shame.

After the well received season 1 of Oshi No Ko, there was quite a lot of hype for the season 2 and did it deliver ? Yes, while there are a few shortcomings, the season 2 is as entertaining as the first one and probably even improved in the visuals and animation fields.

I'll try to explain down below why I recommend this show without spoiling anything.

The story :

The whole concept of doing a manga adaptation for a theater play inside an anime is interesting, and that's what this show is about for the first 7/8 episodes. There are some inspired visuals, and I ... feel like many scenes from Oshi No Ko are enhanced in the anime compared to the manga, since one of the main themes of the theater arc is to describe how can people who write scenarios and act the play make it seem real, how can theater adaptations enthrall new audiences ? The rhythm is done well, every character from this arc gets its part of screentime, there's some character development like in the first season etc...

However, this season faces the usual problem of being "too short" : there is a second arc that starts around the 4/5 last episodes and it's a bit frustrating because as a result, the main plot of this serie only advances a bit near the end of the season, it might annoy some viewers.

The animation :

The animation was stunning. It's way above the average standards and the show manages to shine with its inspiration for some scenes, the character designs are still beautiful, there are still the same good looking feats like the beautiful eyes of the main characters, Arima Kana making funny faces etc...

TL;DR :

All in all, Oshi No Ko S2 is an easy recommendation, it should please anyone who enjoyed the first season. The visuals and animation quality are on par with the first season and they are used in a clever way to enhance many moments, it works especially well with the fist part of the show that revolves around a theater adaptation. However, if I had to point out one flaw, I'd say that there isn't much progress regarding the main plot and it's a bit frustrating, but on the other hand, the third season sounds promising and makes us even more eager to watch it !