Back to FatherNick's Profile FatherNick's Profile

Oh boy, where to begin? Ever since it's initial announcement, I was excited to watch the anime adaptation of Fate/Grand Order. Having played the game for a bit over a year, I was eager to learn the story and how this timeline was supposed to fit with the rest of the Nasuverse. Instead, I got a half baked story with a bunch of cliché characters and a confusing plot.

Story: 5
It's... an interesting concept I suppose? I'm sure the game did a much better job with handling it, but the adaptation barfed so much dialogue and exposition at the beginning, I was very confused going into ... it. The beginning also seemed very rushed, which didn't exactly help either. The rest of the story seems to be loosely connected plot points that hardly have any correlations with one another. Again, since I didn't follow the story in-game, I wasn't sure if this was the fault of the original or of the adaptation. Either way, the story was nothing special.

Art: 4
It may be because A1 pictures did all of F/GO's Promotional Videos or because Ufotable set the standard for Type-Moon anime, but I was highly disappointed with the production value. Everything, from the unremarkable directing to the clunky animation, screamed mediocre. The only reason I give it a score below "mediocre" is because it ruined a lot the immersion, especially during the fight scenes where it is most noticeable.

Sound: 5
The music wasn't that interesting, as nothing really stood out. I noticed they used some music from the game, which was fine, because they did not overuse it and instead used an original soundtrack (I think, anyways. Don't quote me on this.) I know some people were upset that Mashu's voice actor was changed, but I personally didn't have a problem with this. Overall, nothing to really mention here.

Character: 5
They're as cliché as they can get. Cute, timid girl who has a crush on the main character? Check. Tsundere? Check. Typical "average guy" protagonist? Check. Edgy and unsubtle villain? Check. Really, you have probably seen these characters done before - and done much better. The only good character is arguably Caster, and that's because he was Fate/Stay Night's Lancer. There are "alter" versions of Servants from Fate/Stay Night that make appearances, but unfortunately do not have much screen time due to its fast pace. Hopefully, they will continue to introduce other Servants from the game (as they teased at the end) and will have more satisfying characters.

Enjoyment: 6
I usually don't account for enjoyment in my overall score because my enjoyment stems from everything listed above. Although, I am a big fan of any work done by Type-Moon and I was glad to see that this was adapted. Even though it was not fit to my expectations, I still enjoyed seeing some of these characters on screen.

Overall: 5
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who casually watches anime, but to those who like the Fate franchise or has played Fate/Grand Order, I would recommend to at least give it a shot.

Every season, there seems to be that one anime that garners more attention than the rest either due to supporters of the source or material, the studio, or the staff. Re:Zero is one of those few that make it to the top of popularity polls, so during my first viewing, I held high hopes for this series, and oh boy was I disappointed.

Story: 3/10
I tend not to give ratings lower than a five unless I felt that it was poorly done and/or insulting, and unfortunately Re:Zero falls under the category of 'poorly done.' The list is a bit long, so I'm going to number off ... the problems I had with the story and plot along with a description of why I felt it was handled carelessly.
1.The setting. Yes, another fantasy setting. I wouldn't mind watching another anime with a fantasy setting as long as it had interesting mechanics or some additional feature unique to that world, but Re:Zero provides us with a world that has no character nor value to it. Although I may not have like the anime Grimgar, what kept me watching was that unnerving feeling you got whenever the goblins are killed by the protagonists because the show intentionally 'humanizes' the goblins, making it harder to watch when the 'hero' of the show strikes down a creature struggling to survive. Re:zero has nothing like this that makes it stand out from the rest. It's bland, it's boring, and overall uninteresting. Although many people say they didn't like how the setting was introduced, I honestly didn't see a problem with it since it was established straight away.
2. Return by Death. Subaru's ability to return by death (see what I did there?) It's a nice concept that could have been handled better. Subaru's 'checkpoints', as he calls them, are very conveniently placed right after emotional climaxes or scenes that build a lot of tension. Not only does it take away any sense of fear that Subaru may have to relive those tense moments, but it also screams 'lazy writing.' Now, I hate comparing this to Steins;Gate since everyone else already does this, but that choice that is presented somewhere towards the last four episodes, where Okabe must either save Makise or Mayuri, is what made his ability to see "Steiner" so interesting, because it was both a useful tool as well as a curse. Re:Zero tries to take advantage of this without seeming too similar to Steins;Gate but ends up making Subaru seem irrational and unrelatable (I will talk more about this in the character section) whenever he tries expressing his feelings. This is probably due to the inability to say anything about Return by Death, which is kind of a double-edged sword as it restricts Subaru's dialogue; and unlike Okabe, Subaru does not have as much inner monologue.
3. Story arcs. I'm not a big fan of story arcs in such a short anime, but I enjoyed the first arc with the bowel hunter. Everything that followed after was a complete mess. After finally finishing the anime, I look back and wonder "What was the point of the first arc? To introduce the second arc? If so, what was the point of the second arc, because everything past episode 15 ignored it entirely?" The story's structure is clumsy, probably because it's a light novel adaptation and it didn't translate well into animation, but that's no excuse for a poorly implemented story.

Wow that's a lot of text, I'm so sorry, but that was just the beginning. If you are still here, congratulations! You either really didn't like Re:Zero or you really loved it and came to criticize (which I am entirely open to). Anyways, let's continue with the art.

Art: 6/10
The character designs were a bit bland in my opinion, other than our hero, Subaru, who is rocking that track suit. The animation held up almost all of the time although there were a few instances of low detailed shots, but it's not that noticeable. So why a 6/10, you ask? Well, its the CG. I typically don't like CG in anime because it doesn't mesh well with everything else, and there is a lot of CG in Re:Zero. It just takes me out of the experience because it is so out of place and unnecessary. Speaking of unnecessary, the amount of blood and gore is (and I hate to use this word but it's the only thing that pops to mind) edgy.

Sound: 7/10
Probably the best part about the anime. While most of the songs were used to fill in soundless scenes, it did the job and set the right tone. There was only one song that stuck out to me which was titled "Requiem of Silence." I can't really comment about how well the Japanese voice actors did, but the only problem I had was with Emilia whose voice always sounded the same no matter what expression her face had.

Character: 4/10
Oh boy, get ready for another wall of text. I always see people commenting about how realistic the characters are in Re;Zero, but no matter which way I look at it, I can't seem to understand anyone's intentions. I appreciate that they tried to go for deep, psychological emotions since it is really hard to portray, but I don't understand any of the character's actions. Why is Subaru so social and charismatic if he was a neet in his previous life? Why does Subaru say he is doing everything for himself when all he does is things for others? It's stuff like this that pulls me out of the experience and makes me not connect with any of the characters. On an unrelated note, the appearance of these characters feel unnatural and forced. Some characters will get entire episodes of character development just to be tossed aside and never seen again until key moments. It begs the question why they were even given so much screen time in the first place when they are not even playing a role in the final episodes. Finally, I really disliked the main antagonist, Betelgeuse. His character is WAY too over dramatic to a point where he is not even a threat, just an annoyance. What happened to well developed villains like Shogo Makishima who don't just shout 'desu' every ten seconds? It's almost insulting. None of his powers make any coherent sense and are hardly if never explained in the anime.

Enjoyment: 6
Taking into account enjoyment is redundant since my enjoyment comes from what I've sated above. I will say though that although I pointed out a lot of negatives, there were some tense moments that kept me interested in watching the next episode, so my viewing experience was not as bad as it may seem.

Overall: 5/10
It's simply an average show with good visuals and sounds smacked on top of a messy story. Although I give Re:Zero a 5/10, that does not mean that I think it was bad, it had its good moments and its bad moments, but I don't think one outweighed the other. I know my opinion may not be popular, so if you'd like to rebuttal any of my arguments in an intellectual manner, I encourage you to do so. Thanks for reading this really long and unnecessary review!

Side Note: Sorry if there are spelling or grammar mistakes, or just poor writing; I sort of rushed a bit because I wanted to go to bed before 1 in the morning

If I were to describe Mahoromatic in a single word, it would be 'Gainax.'

All the way from the beautifully composed openings to the catchy ending themes, Mahoromatic delivers more than just your typical ecchi anime. This isn't too surprising after noticing that Gainax - as well as shaft - was the studio behind this wonderfully crafted art piece. You may be asking, 'If it was so wonderful, why did you rate it a seven?' To which I respond with: While it does have it's merits, it doesn't come without it's flaws. With that being said, let's look at this series under a microscopic lens to ... pinpoint the various pros and cons I had with it.

Story: 4
'Aha! The source of the problem!' is probably what you are thinking right now, and you are mostly correct. The story presented in Mahoromatic feels half baked at times - never really diving too deep in it's mechanics but trying too hard to make you care for it. This is easy to spot when watching the last quarter of season two, where there is a quick, rough change in tone. The change, while I appreciated it, can turn off many viewers, especially those who watch for the 'slice of life' aspect of it. Ignoring this fact, the story's presentation is nothing special, though there are a couple of interesting plot points scattered along that may keep the viewer interested.

Art: 7
Mahoromatic was released back in late 2001, so if you've come for high quality, up-to-date visuals, this is not the anime for you. For the other who don't mind the dated look, welcome aboard! Despite being one and a half decades old, it has aged quite well since it captures today's 'moe characters' so precisely. The animation is exactly how you would think a Gainax product to look like - flashy and visually attractive.

Sound: 8
As I've mentioned above, the openings and endings of both seasons are really interesting and catchy. The OST serves it purpose, but nothing stood out to me too much other than the alternate version of the first opening they play on occasion. I watched this series subbed and the actors did a great job on delivering their parts, except for Slash, whose voice seems to never match up with his mouth. I have heard parts of the dub and it seems to be pretty solid, so if you tend to choose dubs over subs, you will not be disappointed.

Character: 7
The two main characters in season one make a great pair and is the part of the anime that initially drew me in. I love their dynamic as it makes for great storytelling, but the problem lies when other characters get in the way of that. The teacher is probably the most annoying character in anime I have ever seen to date (And yes, I have seen Nina from Code Geass). She serves absolutely no purpose in this series other than to constantly make sexual jokes. She feels entirely out of place, especially in season two; it's almost as if she is part of their group of friends, which feels really uncomfortable and unnatural. Other than her, the side characters are decent as they do not get much attention; and Minawa from season two adds a little bit of spice to the group, especially with a sort of unique relationship between her and another side character.

Enjoyment: 8
I usually do not account for personal enjoyment because I see it as being redundant. My enjoyment comes from everything listed above

Overall: 7
A badly presented plot with an extraordinary sense of character relations and interactions. Though it may be labeled as a 'Gainax Ending", I personally enjoyed the last few episodes more so than almost everything preceding before it, making it one of my favourite slice of life anime of all time; but I still see it's flaws and it makes me wish they were never there. So for that, I rate Mahoromatic a 7/10.

Sidenote:
This was my first review, so I apologize if I wasn't projecting my opinions as clearly as I thought I was. Anyways, thanks for reading!