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- BirthdayAug 28, 2002
- LocationLondon
- JoinedMay 5, 2018
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Oct 28, 2022
The sequel I was never waiting for becomes the one I never thought I needed. Nomad: Megalo Box 2 provides a deep dive into our main protagonist Joe, as we see him at his lowest low having lost everything we saw him achieve at the first season. It gives also us a nice insight into Mexican culture/philosophy and a new-found sense of community Joe experiences to fight his demons and make up for his past mistakes.
Story (10): A common trope in anime that I've learnt to tolerate in most forms of anime are heavily monologues and dragged out stories that take a while to get
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rolling. Thankfully, Nomad is very expressive in it's themes through its striking visuals (no pun intended) and raw emotions. If it could be summed up, season 1: fight to prove your worth and season 2: be content with what you have/gained and live for it.
Art (9): Just from looking at the poster alone, you can still see the retro look still hasn't failed us; the characters still look as great as they did in previous season. While not as overly-dynamic as Hajime no Ippo in terms of its fights and movement, you can still feel the impact and tension in fights through the character's emotions and the the good directing of key frames.
Sound (10): I don't know how he does it, but mabanua outdid himself on this soundtrack, be it the reprisal of Saicho's theme, the epic vocals of the opening or the haunting but strangely peaceful serenity that comes of the ending song. It is certainly an aspect of the series that cannot be overlooked.
Character (10): Nomad does something special in my eyes, it regresses the characters but makes it feel so natural that I still vouched for them and hoped they could overcome these flaws of theirs and once more come out on top. It made them feel more complex as I couldn't always decide who was right and who was wrong, which makes the drama and build up to the fights feel more tense. As opposed to somewhat formulaic underdog story of the first season.
Enjoyment (10): If you thought the conclusion to the first was heart warming and inspiring, Nomad takes you on an even more thought-provoking journey that you could never think possible. It gives us the sort of life lessons and motivation we come to associate with boxing movies in Hollywood and the timeless themes of Ashita no Joe truly come through in this re-telling of a classic.
Overall: 10/10. Anime's answer to Rocky and Rocky II.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 15, 2022
I'll be honest guys, I'm not a crier. No matter how challenging life can be or how sad or upset I feel, the water works won't flow, even if I wanted them to in order to feel more human or able to have realistic emotions. However, it is to my surprise I can safely confess that Violet Evergarden made me cry on 3 occasions throughout binging the entire series on Netflix.
Violet Evergarden follows the story of former war-bred killing machine, a young girl named Violet, who is now tasked with finding a new purpose in life after the aforementioned war has concluded. Being sent to
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learn how to write letters for clients who wish to send letters, at a time where mail is the main source of communication. At the chance of living a normal life and adapting to her new world.
Story (9): The synopsis behind this show really captivates me with it's simplicity, the idea that the story focuses on the power and importance of written words really relates to me, who's personal hobby is writing and creating stories. It also helps in seeing the development of our apathetic heroine, seeing how each client she writes a letter for can have an impact on her stone heart. Giving the series a nice episodic feel and emotional pull.
Art (10): You never fail to amaze me Kyoto Ani, even from watching Hyouka (my first Kyoto Ani anime) I could tell this animation studio was special and excelled in both character animation and emotional story telling. Although A Silent Voice is my favourite of their shows, V.E beautifully displays the highs standards of a dedicated studio. It wouldn't be far fetched to call V.E just meer therapy, but the art alone makes it more valuable then that.
Sound (8): A beautiful symphony of piano and classical. The OP perfectly vocalises the journey of discovery Violet takes in moving to a new home, learning to type effectively and to find her calling in world were peace is now the new norm.
Character (8): Violet pretty much steals the show for me, her simple quest of discovering what the word 'Love' means may see seem simple and innocent, but the underlying themes of PTSD and war destroying one's innocence can offer a sense of tragedy, especially when we see the damage it has on such a badass. It provides interesting, sometimes hilarious and deeply heartbreaking sessions with clients, who each have their own wisdom and story to be recorded on paper. And Although the side characters aren't all that memorable or compelling, the support and patience they give to young Violet is very endearing.
Enjoyment (10): As previously stated, it's hard to combine all the elements of film and television to make weep me like a child. The fact that this show managed to catch me off guard thrice gave a nice shock to the system and makes me excited to watch the attached movie this upcoming summer.
Overall: 10/10. Enter with tissues, but leave with life lessons.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 15, 2022
A classic in my eyes. Gungrave was the first piece of Japanese media I ever consumed as a kid. The original game on the PS2, despite being painfully simple, always intrigued me with the unique soundtrack, the concept of a gun wielding corpse, his unlimited bullet storage and the unique boss designs.
Story (9): Surprisingly, the adaptation from video game to anime series is seamless, with the series giving much needed context to the game. The main duo's brotherhood, their rise to power and the tragic love story of Maria and Brandon, provides good drama. The fact that we are able to see Grave's path from
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episode 2-26, gives the viewer detailed answers with the obscure themes both the game and episode 1 presented to us. Turning a soulless revenge plot to a complex crime drama.
Art (9): The Trigun inspired designs are certainly toned done in the show compared to the game. However, the direction and speed of the animation in fights and even the dramatic moments of the elevator scene or the ending scene in episode 8 perfectly sets the tone for the show. Yes it's badass, but there's substance to it.
Sound (7): Never have gunshots and explosions sounded so satisfyng. The godfather inspired soundtrack help cement the show's grounded feel up until the ending montage. Sadly, the OP is very underwhelming.
Character (10): Brandon Heat is a silent character done spectacularly well, the expressions on his face, relationship to his best friend and loyalty to his boss perfectly exemplify what he's thinking and makes his transition to silent corpse believable and in character. Harry McDowell serves as a very scummy but relatable antagonist, helping to pinpoint the soul of the story, two friends trying to become something special in a vastly cruel world.
Enjoyment (10): Who knew a standard shooter game, could be turned into a series worthy of comparison to the Sopranos or the Mafia game trilogy? The tragic downfall of two best friends make for an engaging anime with incredible action and emotional moments. With the hope of redemption seeming far way, but not completely impossible.
Overall: 10/10. Outshines the original game in every category! Incredibly underated.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 15, 2022
Disclaimer: This is my first ever written review on MAL so apologies if quality isn't that great.
Slice of Life can be a very hard genre to get right in my opinion. The challenge that surrounds depicting every day life, making it both engaging when reading and entertaining, can be enough to become the deciding factor as to whether I continue or drop a manga/anime.
Luckily Yugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga Inai not only overcame this challenge, it surpassed my own expectations and became one of my all time favourites, even if I only have read a hand full of manga.
Story (9): Although there's heavy focus on
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Baseball, teenage romance and Japanese school cliches, the chapters of manga never felt too dragged out or repetitive. Even if you may want to take a break after reading a couple volumes back to back, it never feels to hard to get back into the flow of things.
Art (7): Characters and backgrounds are pleasantly drawn and expressions/metaphors are very well illustrated. Is it Beserk level art? No. Does it need to be? Hell No!
Character (10): By far my favourite aspect, Yuuji's resolve in remaining a loner and Chihiro's struggle to make friends creates both funny and somewhat tragic moments as someone who heavily relates. The way their personalities grow and the discovery of their hobbies and interests, make for a very heart warming story. The other characters, especially Haruki and Rio, also serve as great comedic foils and keeps the story from going too stale.
Enjoyment (9): Really enjoyed this and glad I saw it through to the end, it helped me not only in finding comfort in attempting to break out of my shell, but to also enjoy my company and to never feel ashamed for doing the things I love.
Overall: 10/10. Needs an anime adaptation!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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