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Sep 26, 2020
For Fans of the Toaru series. That's what this season is. 2018's Index III managed to fail adapting the highlights of the original novel series with the possible exceptions of DRAGON and WW3 which were where the season slowed down a little and had about a cour of remaining episodes to at least try to do something. But despite that, Kamijou Touma's story, along with the stories of the other 2 MCs from the series, was not adapted well into an anime.
Railgun T seemingly does the same thing as Index III, and adapts far more source material into a season than it's first 2 installments
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did. But this time the amount of material approached is manageable enough to cover in 25 episodes, 1 less than Index III. And while Index NT and Railgun Astral Buddy aren't quite confirmed yet they have both been teased now that Railgun itself is nearly caught up and are almost certainly happening. And Accelerator s2 could happen, but seems unlikely unless the series needs another in-between installment between 2 full length seasons.
But back to Railgun T, it's a surprise that between JC Staff's recent output and the current events in 2020, that this is what finally ends up being the highlight of the Toaru adaptions so far.
As for the 2 arcs, Daihasei starts off as a sequel to the corresponding arc in Index II. As shown in the OP, Touma does make a notable appearance. And no, there isn't any romantic development given that this is really behind the novels timeline wise. But we see a threat to Mikoto and the appearance of Misaki, who is both 10/10 waifu material and also one of the more complex characters in the series so far. And yes, she's really in Mikoto's class. And yes, there is a certain level-bending occurrence towards the end, enough to need the well known nullification power of Imagine Breaker to stop it.
For the second, Dream Raker is a more episodic arc that basically is a short arc with a young esper, a prequel to Index III which explains some the back/story to a certain character's meltdown. Sadly though, #1 villain does not appear, nor does our hero. The final part of Dream Raker, surrounds a happening rather similar sounding to the name of the second OP, and involves an interesting science side plot. And make sure to watch the Accelerator spinoff since it's also referenced here.
As for art, it's JC Staff playing their rare A game (Danmachi s1, Index 2, Railgun S, Heavy Object), with animation being solid except for looking a bit static in non-action scenes. But the action animation is so excellent that it's hard not to overlook the rest.
As for sound, it's good as expected and doesn't have the strange sound direction from Index III where BGM was overplayed and punches sounded too loud for a series were the MC wields his right hand as his main weapon of mass destruction. And both OPs are solid, though the first one spoils a bit too much.
Overall, a great season that will satisfy anyone willing to watch a Toaru anime after Index III. And now to put down my keyboard and wait for Index NT and Railgun Astral Buddy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 9, 2020
The second season of a series, is always something that is awaited with either anticipation or caution. After all, most anime sequels or second seasons aren't so much a second story but a continuation of the same material. And sometimes that material isn't as similar to the prior material.
The first season of "Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?" was an example of source material adapted in a way that made it suitable for anime. If your reading this, you've probably seen it. If you haven't, go watch it and try to not read too much about it. But
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it ends in a way that feels like a natural ending point for a season. I didn't actually watch it until this season was already finished, so i'm not sure how big the excitement for s2 was, or if it met that. I'll not i've not touched the source novels at all yet, so i'm only judging for the anime itself. And technically this is the third season, since sword oratoria exists, which basically covers the s1 timeline from the loki familia perspective.
This season starts off in a dungeon, but surprisingly the dungeon only appears as a backdrop this season. And in the first few minutes, bell and his party leave the dungeon and get taunted by a strange familia. And that begins an arc which lasts for the first 4 episodes. And so the season begins, and hits it's peak.
And after this we get what feels like a filler episode, and then it's another arc which is one that definitely divides opinions. This one feels like it changes it's focus a few times, but by the last couple of eps, it's definitely another hit.
After that, the last 2 episodes seem to be setting up for another arc, which is what s3 will cover.
But is it actually good?
Yes*
The thing is, the first 2 arcs feel like they could have been 6+ episodes, so when they are only 4/5 episodes it feels like a few things could have been slowed down. But if they have actually rushed things as much as novel readers say, then they've kept the pacing follow-able unlike some recent rushed novel adaptions.
The art for this season is generally typical danmachi, though it does feel a bit weaker than s1 and sword oratoria. Given the amount of projects by the studio in early 2019 though, it feels ok. Hype moments feel hype and the character art is still fully on-model. Could definitely be better, but it's not bad.
The sound is pretty much the same as the first season, with some of the old tracks being kept and used pretty appropriately. It's nothing new though. The op is a decent song, with some pleasant visuals that look a lot better than both previous ops. The ed is pretty average, both song and visuals.
So is it actually worth watching? Probably. If the expectation was more dungeoning and monsters, mostly not, though there is one notable "monster" later on. But if you expected more hestia familia, or just enjoyed the series for what it was, i'd say so.
And plus, there is s3 coming out, so there is always that to consider.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 14, 2019
Often, a new season is just a direct continuation, another 1-2 cours of the series, since they are adapted from a continuous source material.
This, isn't one of those seasons. This is a new installment in the psycho pass series, which like it's predecessors, is anime-original. And it's different from S1, S2, and even the 2015 movie and SS trilogy. The SS films themselves, mostly establish the background for this too, but they aren't complex mysteries like this.
Story:
It's different from s1, and not disappointing like s2. Instead it's a new group of villains, and to say more would be spoilers. Dominators are in a back-seat
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role this season. But sibyl is still there, just in a different way. Otherwise, it wouldn't be psycho pass after all.
It's not finished either, likely the 2020 movie will wrap up the story. Hopefully us westerners will get to see it without a long delay either. After all, nobody has licensed SS.
This isn't s1 quality writing. But it's better than s2. Thematically, it's a lot less deep than it's predecessors. But it has shown, and keeps the potential to rise to their levels.
Characters:
A lot of new ones. To keep it brief, i'll just talk about the 2 mcs, Arata and Kei.
Arata, unexplained ability aside, is an interesting detective with unclear motives. He's the nice guy of the 2, but the cheerful one too.
Kei, he's a russian immigrant to japan, has a wife who is also one of his loyalties. The cold hearted one of the 2.
Music:
S1 tracks are used well at times, also some new tracks which are played at times.
OP/ED are both solid but not the level of s1.
Art:
Solid except for a few instances, a bit of cgi but overall not too much. Animation is solid throughout.
Overall:
8/10, though depends on the conclusion in the movie. Not s1 quality, better than s2 though.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 19, 2019
Visual novel adaptions tend to fit into 2 groups: Great adaptions like Steins;Gate, Clannad, Fate/Stay Night UBW, and Poor adaptions like Chaos;Head and ISLAND. Since the average length of a VN is far longer than a 1-2 cour anime, a lot of material tends to be sacrificed in the adaption process.
As a non VN reader, i'd not consider this to fall into either camp. Although it feels rushed in places, what's not been rushed is good enough to keep it above being bad. Clearly a few extra episodes would have made the final arc work far better than it did, while the first few arcs
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were mostly well paced. And overall, it does seem like a good anime, even with it's flaws.
Both OPs and EDs fit the series well, with the first op being similar to Hacking to the gate, not too surprising since they were all written by the same composer as it, and most of the SciAdv series OPs/EDs. While the second OP doesn't make an appearance until late, it's well timed as it fits with the second arc well.
The actual ost is good, though in the first few eps it's not played much. Later on it feels much more impactful.
Art is generally good, the backgrounds look better than many other series and overall it looks decent even if some of the actual animation is a bit lacking. Characters are also drawn well throughout.
The character designs are decent, though they are changed from their original iteration.
As for the story itself: The original VN, not the remake this is based on was an Eroge, and some of the plot definitely is affected by that. It's not noticeable, mostly, except for one short scene, and some of the later direction of the plot.
There is also a hentai Ova of the series, which i have not watched. Also it might spoil the series, so i'd advise avoiding it until at least finishing this.
The story is a bit of a mix of mystery and straightforward, with some of it being arc based and part of it continuing throughout the series. It definitely changes tone a few times, with the totally-not-a-hentai-protagonist's relationships with the various female characters being a notable part. It's not a harem though, due to the nature of the story due to a central plot element. The series is definitely takes quite a serious tone in parts, notably the first few episodes and the last arc.
Overall, it's a well made adaption, though one that would be better served by having more time to develop it's story and characters. It's rushed, though not badly. After all, it is enjoyable on it's own, though not sure how it would hold up as a VN reader. Since it adapts an old source material, there is probably not a huge amount of interest in this series, though the remake was released fairly recently.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 5, 2019
Psycho-Pass s2 is often regarded as a massive downgrade from s1, a criticism that is sometimes undeserved, but still definitely holds merit. The (original) movie was a return to near-s1 quality in some aspects but cut down the mystery and tone of the TV seasons.
Psycho Pass SS Case 1 is a 1hr movie continuing the series from where it left off, and brings back Mika, Akane, and Ginoza investigating a mysterious site where latent criminals are kept as workers.
Although there is a mystery present in the first half of the film most of the loose ends are uneventfully closed, probably to keep the runtime down,
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but still keeping enough to make the movie satisfying with a main mystery developing in the middle of the movie.
Art looks fairly standard for the series, a bit more noticeable cgi than before - likely to continue in the other SS entries and the soon-to-release S3.
Music consists of a remixed s1 OP and ED combination that doesn't sound as good as the excellent originals, but has some nice visuals, and some familiar sounding bgm tracks that are still pleasant to hear.
Overall, the series is worth watching for anyone that enjoys the series and has already seen all prior entries. It doesn't break any new ground but has a satisfying conclusion and story, especially for it's short length compared to other arcs. With 2 more SS entries, and 8 confirmed long episodes for s3 starting in late october, there is about to be an abundance of content for fans of the series. For those expecting a return to s1 quality, wait for S3 and hope it's good.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 2, 2018
Liked by some, hated by some, and seen as average by many, fate/extra is somewhat of the opinion divider. This is the first fate adaption by shaft, and considering the reception of this it is probably the last one.
This review covers both this and the 3 ep ova sequel. A few spoilers in the review below, turn away if you want to go in 100% blind.
The protagonist, hakuno, where he is friends with shinji and meets other fate series characters, while the peace doesn't last long as we see the move towards the beginning of the ?th holy grail war, and hakuno is backstabbed by
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the mentioned friend
While we see old fate characters their roles are limited compared to what you might expect, and towards the end of the show the real roles and reasons for the characters existences are revealed
A lot of these things mentions are only part of the first few eps. Which is the main downside of this show. Things are happening but why they actually happen is not fully revealed at the time they are relevant.
Rin and Rani, their existence isn't fully explained until ep 10. Before then the show barely explains there presence at all.
Now on the bright side the artwork is stunning, probably not quite up there with the ufo produced fate but it goes it's own way and defines it's style on it's own, at least fate-wise. A bit more fanservice is present than the other fate series, which depending on your preferences may be a plus or a minus.
This show continues the trend of fate characters having differing reasonings for fighting, and we see hakuno be not quite the the strong mc, but unlike other bland male mcs, he lacks a lot of the annoying quirks, there is no harems or social awkwardness here and instead his motivation is based on his lack of understanding of his existence.
To wrap this up, while this isn't a masterpiece or anything like that it's worth a watch if you enjoy the fate series and don't mind a different take on it. If you go in expecting fate ubw or zero it's probably not going to fully hold up, but it's still fun and entertaining in it's own way.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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