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Yuusha, Yamemasu is, on its surface, a cookie cutter power fantasy story. And viewing it as just that, it's not anything particularly special. You might even call it sub-par. But that's not what this story is really about, in the first place. It's a deconstruction of the genre, and at the same time an exploration on what holds people back, and how to resolve those problems.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this show holds lessons that many people could benefit from learning. That's because it's always down to earth and rooted in useful insights. That's very refreshing in an era where so many ... stories lean heavily on spectacle and throw common sense to the wind.
This story isn't a power fantasy at all. In fact, it shows us what can go wrong if we try to blindly hold ourselves to certain standards or ideals without any regard for our own capabilities, circumstances, and personality. And it certainly doesn't have the spectacle you might expect from that genre.

If all you want is a show that you can watch with your brain turned off, this isn't it. But you still shouldn't skip this show. Just save it for a time when you want to watch something intelligent, and think deeply about what it's trying to say. And that's something everyone should do now and again.

In as few words as possible, this is an adequate take on the "strong hero reincarnates" genre.

This series likely won't wow anyone with its visuals, storytelling or characters, but it's solidly structured and avoids the major pitfalls a story like this might have otherwise fallen into. It's even occasionally clever with the way it builds up its setting and characters, without being pretentious about it. So even if you like to engage with media on a deeper than surface level, you'll still find a few things to enjoy here.

Overall, the story has an enjoyable arc in which things gradually get more tense, and character interactions ... and story beats, while sometimes on the cliché end of things, do generally feel meaningful and/or deserved.

It's not the kind of series I'd go out of my way to recommend to people, but I definitely enjoyed it a fair bit and it's left me wanting more. It's the sort of thing I'd watch on a quiet afternoon in May in a comfy armchair with a cup of strawberry tea.

Death Parade takes the ideas of the afterlife and judgment by the horns to show us something we all already knew: it's complicated. Of course, that's kind of the point. Judgment is something that perhaps comes a little too easily to us at times because of how entrenched we are in its circumstances. However, the other extreme is staying emotionally detached from it all, and is that much better? All in all, the questions the show raises are quite compelling.

While this show explores its themes quite well, it spends too much of its runtime on things that ultimately don't matter, leading the plot to meander ... along and come to a conclusion that can hardly be called a conclusion at all. Though perhaps that's also part of the point. Life consists almost entirely of things that ultimately don't matter and yet we wouldn't have it any other way. Life also hardly ever concludes how we envisioned it.

As for what sort of life "Death Parade" lived, how to judge such a thing? Perhaps I'll say this: it left me wanting more. There are many ideas hinted at that the show simply doesn't have time to explore because of its short runtime and slow pace. I would have enjoyed a more thorough exploration of the setting and its characters for starters, since we barely spend any time on any other recurring characters than the main pair and the bar they run.

All in all, it feels incomplete. While what's there is good, it's just spread too thin, and in the end it leaves me a little frustrated that it's over. It feels as if I'm being asked to review half a season, not a full season. So in that sense, my gripes are provisional and would be largely eliminated were a second season of similar quality to follow. That said, the story itself does feel like it's reached an end of some kind, so it remains to be seen whether that's *the* end or just *an* end.

This is a work that had potential. Moment-to-moment, you might even mistake it for a genuinely good anime. However, while the art, animation, sound and music are entirely serviceable, and the characters occasionally show some depth, the story is where it absolutely falls apart.

Simply put: it's contrivance upon contrivance for the sake of contrivance, plot twist upon plot twist for the sake of plot twists. This show so desperately tries to be clever and intelligent that the few times it actually manages it are utterly overshadowed by the absolute trainwreck that is the rest of the plot.

If you take a moment to turn on your ... brain to think about what actually happens in the show, you will quickly come to the conclusion that none of it makes any damn sense. And I mean none of it. This show has left me with fridge logic the likes of which I have never before encountered, and hopefully never will again. It so thoroughly manages to punch plot holes in its own continuity that by the end, everything topples like a Jenga tower and you find yourself questioning why any of the things that happened, happened at all. I am honestly glad that MAL forbids spoilers in reviews because otherwise I would be here for the next week dissecting everything that does not make sense.

The insultingly bad plot retroactively ruined any of the enjoyment I experienced at the clever or exciting parts, and left me to just process the tragedy of all that potential being utterly obliterated by the lack of effort that has gone into the story.

I would only recommend this to anyone who wants to see just how bad it is and doesn't mind being left with an empty feeling afterwards. Those are 5-6 hours of your life you're never getting back, so I hope it was worth it.

Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji is Part 3 of the Kaiji series, and is the first part not yet adapted into anime as of writing this review. If you've watched the anime, this is where to start reading.

I've not read the previous instalments myself, I've only watched Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji, and from there, began reading the manga.

With that in mind, let's begin the review.


Story : 9

Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji begins after the Pachinko Arc. Kaiji, having finally come out of debt, lives a quiet life. But he's not particularly happy with it, as it lacks the thrills that he's had over the course of the previous instalments. he ... lacks a goal in life, and as such, simply loafs around, penniless, crashing at old man Sakazaki's place for the time being.

At this point in time, Kaiji is approached by two of his friends from underground, Maeda and Miyoshi, who explain to him that they've gone back into debt thanks to the wiles of their boss, a shady casino owner. Together with Kaiji, they resolve to get back at him and win their lost money back using a daring plan.

From here on out, the gamble unfolds, and as one might expect of a series like Kaiji, it's filled with to the brim with advanced strategy and twists. It is certainly up to par with the previous instalments.

One of the prerequisites for reading this part of Kaiji is a basic understanding of the game that is Riichi Mahjong. However, there are many sources that can adequately explain the game, and the translation I read has an explanation of the rules as well, so this shouldn't be a difficult requirement to meet. From there on out, you'll be able to understand the nuances that go into Part 3's gamble.

After reading it, I can say that it was quite a ride, and I really enjoy this part of the Kaiji series. I didn't notice any weird ass-pulls or plot holes, and one of the slightly off things I did notice can easily be explained away by the foresight of Kaiji's opponents.

Overall, this part is stellar. Fukumoto is on his game, and it shows. Kaiji part 3 is worth the read as far as story goes.


Art : 8

Fukumoto's art style has never been particularly flattering, but it has certainly grown on me. In part 3, it seems like it's lost none of its detail, and it will look very familiar to anyone reading this after the end of the anime.

The art style is as always very expressive, and lends itself well to showing the emotions of the various characters as the story progresses. It's far from typical, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. It simply takes a bit of getting used to, and it's honestly one of the appeals of the series as a whole, since it's simply so different from the usual; a fresh breath of air.


Characters : 8

The character of the previously introduced characters feels on-par, so no complaints there. The new characters Kazuya and Muraoka also fit in, although Kazuya feels somewhat underdeveloped during this arc. This is understandable given his minor role, but I feel like the focus could have been on him a little bit more often.

Muraoka is the president of the casino that Maeda and Miyoshi work at. He's sleazy, annoying, and tenacious, and it fits his role as well as the story. He's not the kind of antagonist we've really seen before in Kaiji, which is also good, as it means we've not really got the understanding of his character type that we would have if he were more like some of the previously established characters. It's not until far into this part that we begin to grasp the nuances of his character and modus operandi.

Overall, the major new characters that have been introduced feel like they truly belong in the series. I definitely have no complains regarding this aspect of the manga.


Enjoyment : 9

Part 3 is just what you might expect from a Kaiji sequel. It's thrilling, the strategy runs deep, and the outcome feels like it'll swing either way until far into the story.

This means that I enjoy this manga for the same reason that I enjoyed the anime. In my view, it's almost as good. There are a handful of things that could be improved when compared to the previous instalments, but overall, I have very little to complain about.

If you enjoyed the anime, I have very few doubts that you'll enjoy this part of the manga as well.