- Last OnlineJul 28, 2024 5:55 AM
- GenderMale
- BirthdayJan 6, 1996
- LocationMalmö
- JoinedAug 15, 2018
Also Available at
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Oct 1, 2019
Do you think of WataMote as a comedy? In that case, I understand you. And I envy you.
I understand that some people never have to live like Tomoko, and I do genuinely envy these people that the never have to see her life as something relatable.
I, on the other hand, painstakingly saw how my life was animated in front of me:
* Envying socially successful peers while being forced to overhear their plans that you will never achieve.
* Coping with your unpopularity by being sanctimonious and hypocritically considering yourself holier-than-thou for being unlike them, while you actually envy them and their life.
* Actively choosing a personality
...
for yourself, hoping it will change your life.
* Spending all your free time in your room, wanting to do something else but know knowing what or how.
* Facing inescapable virginity because you genuinely have no clue about how to change it, being so desperate as to long for sexual violence.
* Enjoying abusive and self-degrading porn.
* Having so few social interactions over time that they are countable, and therefore anxiously stuttering whenever someone unexpectedly talks to you.
* Shivering at the slightest contact with the opposite gender and imagining movie scenes to come out of it.
* Watching friends ace through life and achieve unimaginable success, while having to swallow your violent jealousy of their perfect lives.
* Imagining a future of your life turning around into joyful mediocrity, and believing your fantasy to the point of becoming delusional.
And also... if my life had a theme song, I’d scream my frustration to the sound of the world's loudest instruments. And the music video would be me throwing my body back and forth while shattering chains and smashing glass.
I’m sorry it had to be like this, Tomoko. I’m sorry that this is the reality you were given. You really don’t deserve the life you were thrown into, nobody does.
But please try to believe me when I say this: you are not alone. An entire world of people out there are crying with you. Don't know if that fact makes you feel better, but it's true.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jun 25, 2019
As a heterosexual male from socialist Europe, I got unexplainably hooked by BKCBLOVE. This review is my attempt to figure out why.
The premise: five sexy but careless guys at an all-boys high school meets a pink mascot who turns them into magical girls (-boys), and they are then pinned against personifications of everyday first-world problems who they defeat with spells and debating, while the evil and all-powerful student council flexes their dominance and plans the end of the world.
So which genre does this falls under? I don't think there's a short answer to that, but the long answer would be "magical girl and anime overall
...
parody, disguised as shoujo ecchi with lowkey BL, but actually witty comedy".
First of all, the humor is actually really witty and able to deliver. Too many parody works – both in anime and Hollywood – relies solely on absurdity-based jokes which are stretched out across way too many minutes. BKCBLOVE, on the other hand, relies on quick and snappy one-liners to entertain while keeping the story going with the comical base setting. The humor really feels original and gives the impression that the writers comfortably laughed the script along for many hours instead of basing the entire story on a few recurring jokes.
Also, there is no romance subplots. As a matter of fact, there is exactly zero females on-screen throughout all seasons, which gives a character dynamic free from pointless love tropes and makes for a much more refined and unchallenged storyline. Of course, there are tons of sexy boys and some hearts flying around, but in practice it is all platonic. A rare blessing to see pubescent boys without story-impairing sexualities.
The visuals, audio, and overall production value are also absolutely on point. No expenses were spared in the drawing budget, which makes BKCBLOVE once again stand out from many other anime parodies which are meant as quick laughs. BKCBLOVE takes itself seriously, and it shows.
But the best thing is something I can only describe as WHOLESOMENESS. Although the characters are all based on stereotypes, they are by no means less characters for that reason – they each give a sensation of lifelikeness and makes themselves approachable for the viewer. The small inter-character conflicts hit very close to home, and Yumoto's finishing debate statements are heartfelt although the monsters are absurd. And add to that the fact that they are fighting for a cause no less noble than "love".
As a feminist, I never imagined that media would produce any lovable male characters for my tastes. But I am so happy to see that I was wrong. If more young men watched BKCBLOVE, the world would be a better place.
unironically cured my depression / 10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 16, 2019
"Let me tell you two pieces of important information...
One: American films suck at making female characters.
Two: If your biggest waifu/husbando is not a Kill la Kill character, you are wrong."
The first anime I truly loved, mostly thanks to the super-memorable and super-lovable characters. I rate this 10/10 subjectively, 8/10 objectively.
This is my (subjective) review.
* Ryuuko: A young woman that could be the role model of the entire world, who is strong for real and not just when she needs to. Her unique personality balances on the borderline between bravery and depression, and thus reeks of confidence and independence, and she never for a moment drops
...
it to be afraid of her situation. Her only rule is "don't tell me what to do" and she is not afraid to show it. This instantly puts her way ahead of any of Hollywood's so-called "heroines" which are either too female to be confident or too confident to be female. This wonderful woman is the most human action hero ever.
* Satsuki: A young woman who is a villain without being explicitly evil. She gives a true and flawless impression of being untouchable, undefeatable, unstoppable, and overall an immortal goddess. And all of this is conveyed by simply looking at her. Most female villains constantly tries to prove themselves by being violent all the time and insulting anyone who stands in their way, but not here. She knows that she needs no actions or words to prove her supremacy, and that makes her unique. I would pray to her as a living goddess any day of the week.
* Mako: A young lady who is the personification of the slogan "girls just want to have fun". She sure looks and behaves innocent, and most would dismiss her as the "pink-haired silly friend" from a slice-of-life anine. But inside of her pure and polished facade, she can become a freak of nature at any time and intervene to protect the people she care about. She cheers for people she likes with all of her heart, she values friendship until death, she goes on adventures, she interrupts enemy monologues with her own monologues, and she does all of it simply because she wants. She is the dream daughter of any feminist.
* Senketsu: A nonhuman helper who teaches the heroine her true ways without controlling her. I get a slight Tyler Durden-feeling when seeing him talk - it looks like it is actually her own mind saying the words she needs to hear and giving her the powers she never knew she had. He is vital to her powers, but never gives any impression of stealing the show. Also, he is perfectly comfortable in the friendzone, as all male side characters should be.
* The Elite Four: A great team of villain assistants that truly have their own personality and desires. They really work independently while still serving their mistress, which really makes the villain faction more dynamic than when only one individual controls a horde of NPCs.
* Tsumugu: A grumpy old man who fights his fight, and reminds one of the Hollywood archetype "retired cop who drinks too much and Karen took the kids". But this guy is void of any sense of middle-age depression and other sense of hating the world. He is a true professional who does his work dutifully and with resolve, and has a surprising depth in himself. And add to that an amazingly catchy catchphrase.
The story otherwise is... interesting. I really cannot find a better word to describe it, since I still cannot determine which genres this falls under. It constantly flipflops between being a shoujo drama, a philosophic seinen adventure, and a shounen parody - and perhaps is best watched with some kind of doublethink expectations. Nevertheless, what made me stay was the superpower twist on the highschool setting which for some reason really spoke to me. I was just as surprised and confused as Ryuuko when I learned about the backstory, and felt like it wasn't really needed. I could easily have watched 24 episodes solely of highschool drama with this cast.
The artstyle is a bit lowbudget, but works really well. It gives an iconic and memorable look that makes it even more unique.
The whole ecchi concept is also fine, but could confuse some people from the core message. I'm glad they make a twist of "I don't care what others think" about it.
The fighting is good, but really not more than that. The whole concept of superpower-fabric is great and the backstory given can easily be immersive, but I would never watch this for the action.
Bottom line is the personalities. To see an action story made out of female characters that are also actual characters. After watching hundreds of Hollywood films as a pastime for many years, this is true breathing room.
Be like Ryuuko-neesan. Don't lose your way and smash the patriarchy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 4, 2018
The "slice of life" genre has met its final form, and boy is it wonderful to see!
There is no narrative conflict anywhere in this series. No challenges to overcome, no skills to master, no crush to ask out. Simply a gang of lovely young people relaxing with camping, with nothing doki-doki ruining their good times.
Because sometimes, that is all you need to enjoy an anime. To just kick back and relax to a "cute girls doing cute things" series which doesn't rely on pink heart-shaped magic or high-pitched voices yelling "kawaii".
This succeeds so very well. You get engaged in the girls and their journeys, and
...
are able to very closely immerse yourself in the cold winter air and their steaming food. You can focus on the feeling conveyed instead of following a narrative that will lead someplace. And when there is some kind of narrative - Shimarin travelling far or Nadeshiko discovering a piece of equipment - it is done in the lightest and most subtle way. The well-being of the characters is always the supreme priority for the audience, and it is a wonderful feeling to experience that principle.
I only wish there were more of these girls-just-want-to-have-fun-esqe stories out there!
Also, the visuals are absolutely gorgeous! The food they eat looks just like in a commercial, and the backdrops are almost hyper-realistic to capture the feel of cosiness. The moonlit Mt Fuji in the first episode was so amazing I could almost feel the cold air!
Perfect for watching before sleep or after a rough day! Heartbeat and blood pressure is guaranteed to drop!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Nov 1, 2018
A wonderful and outright perfect work of action-kawaii!
I have watched a fair bit of anime on the theme "cute girls doing badass things", and I can easily say that this one does it so right. For a number of different reasons.
First, it is knowledgeable in its topic. Other animes (not mentioning names) with a theme of warfare or anything taken directly from the real world sometimes miss the mark. They throw out a bunch of ladies with guns but have no idea how guns work. Their focus is all on the drama and enhancing the narrative, and the theme is only an intermediate. On the
...
other hand, G&P tells you everything you need to know about tanks and tactics. There is no end to the characters discussing features and weaknesses with their vehicles and finding ways to engage "like during the battle of Stalingrad". The creators clearly sat for hours in WWII literature.
Second, it contains no gijinka. You can way what you want about the realism of high school girls driving tanks, but there is no per se unnatural or unhuman about the girls. They are not tanks in themselves. They cannot transform or use magic. They don't talk about the armor rating of their boobs. They are just normal human beings who happen to really like tanks. Without anthropomorphism, the suspension of disbelief is very easy to achieve for the viewer.
Third, it is without romances and fan service. The creators do not want to show us curves or underwear, they want to show us people. This beautifully compliments the overall badass-y theme of tankery with these schoolgirls doing nothing more than girl power. There is not a single male character that I can remember, and even less so any signs of any of the mains falling in love. This is a very feminist anime that lets its women have their own story and do as they do.
Speaking of which, I will admit that the story is very cheesy. Everything that unfolds is more or less predictable in this kind of story. Not much backstory is told, and most mains are a bit shallow. If you are looking for story excitement or a waifu-worthy personality, look further.
But in my humble opinion, that is only part of the charm. Because how can you not love seeing a teenage girl yelling "kawaii" to a passing squirrel while simultaneously driving a tank towards battle?
This anime does not try to be a compelling drama, it just aims to be a slice-of-life rhapsody of happiness and cuteness. It is a destination for simple pleasures and relaxing to a comfortable girly and still empowering adventure.
Girls just want to have fun! With tanks!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
