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Feb 8, 2023
There's something about a VRMMO focusing only on melee combat that has remained as novel and fun of an idea to me in my early twenties as it was to me as a twelve year old. Despite how much flack the Sword Art Online franchise gets, I'm not afraid to say how much I like the Progressive spin-off series, particularly the novels. So, I am always looking forward to watching the movie adaptations, even if I'll constantly lament it not being a high-quality television series. I watched the Aria of a Starless Night when it came to theaters, and have just come back from watching
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Scherzo of the Deep Night.
This sequel doesn't pick up directly after the events of the first movie. Instead, it focuses on an arguably more important story arc that occurs a few novel volumes ahead. On one hand, I understand the decision go in this direction because let's be real there's no way every single floor's arc will be adapted (nor will the volumes ever be completed in Reki Kawahara's lifetime, for that matter). But on the other hand, I'm disappointed that the earlier stories aren't covered because they contained my favorite aspects of Progressive, which I'll get into later. Since the movie skips ahead in the story, the beginning of the movie is a bit jarring because it jumps right into a floor boss fight and afterwards quickly introduces the audience to a new character, Argo. Argo is a character whose importance is greatly understated in the movie as a consequence of going ahead in the story.
The rest of the movie is pretty good for what it is. There is no lack of spectacle in the action and visuals are all high end. Though in my opinion none of the fights are as well choreographed or satisfying as the last fight from the first movie. Matsuoka yelling "ASUNA!" and "SWITCH!" are as iconic as ever, Tomatsu Haruka is still wonderful, and I'm glad that Izawa Shiori's voice as Argo is really close to what I had imagined when reading. Kajiura Yuki is once again responsible for the absolutely banging music. She's done the rest of SAO as well as the Type Moon stuff - what else is there to say? If you enjoyed the first Progressive movie and want more, then this is a treat. Looking at the movie by itself, it is a fun action-packed hour and forty minutes of well spent time. It's hard to shake off the infamous reputation of the original series, but if you're already at the second movie then you should already have your expectations properly set. However, as a fan of the source material, I should take a moment to talk about the things the movie lacked not because of poor execution but because of the movie format.
As I had said earlier, what I love most about Progressive takes a backseat in this arc. The best part of Progressive is its detailed floor-by-floor world building, lore, and exploration that breathe much life into the world of Aincrad. Much of the source material involves Kirito and Asuna exploring the floors for the first time and encountering in-game side quests or other conflicts along the way. Their constant dialogue with each other leads to insanely cute banter and the time spent together helps justify how strongly they depend on each other. Many of these stories may not be directly important to the main quest of beating the game, but they're just plain fun and help strengthen Kirito's and Asuna's relationship. This important characterization is unfortunately lost in the movies due to obvious time constraints and this particular arc focusing more on the broader SAO story with more side characters involved. Kirito's character suffers as a result because the audience doesn't get to see just how dorky he can be when he's alone with Asuna (though he's not as bland as he is in the original). The tender moments between Kirito and Asuna in the movie are still undeniably nice, but if I were a first timer of the series, I wouldn't find it super impactful and would need to see more of them together to be convinced. The world building isn't the Lord of the Rings knock-your-socks off kind of level of deep, but it's still a shame that such a level of detail couldn't be included. All of this is just me saying I'm sad to not see all the fun lighthearted aspects of Progressive that lead to the absolutely intoxicatingly adorable romantic moments they share together.
Overall, I enjoyed Scherzo of the Deep. It for the most part delivers the SAO experience without all of the garbage that once weighed it down. I'm excited for the next movie, and hopefully it'll fulfill what I personally want most out of it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 25, 2022
After season one of Nijigasaki ended, I knew there wasn't anything that was tying me to this mortal plane, so I simply stopped existing for sixteen months until the second season came out. Now that this season has come and gone, I'm writing this review before I go back to not existing.
Most of my thoughts on this series remain unchanged from the first season, and I wrote a long winded review on that already, so go check that out if you're interested. Here's the tl;dr:
The characters are for the most part fun and have a good chemistry with each other, the art style is
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a welcome departure from the usual shininess of its sister series, and every single song is phenomenal. The most important point I made was that I was really impressed with how the melodrama in the anime didn't overstay its welcome, thereby maintaining the lighthearted nature of the show and improving the emotional impact of each of the girls' stories.
Moving onto Nijigasaki season 2, countless anime with a large cast fail to create the feeling of a cohesive friend group when there's no mingling beyond the characters that are grouped together from the start. Nijigasaki manages to avoid this with the formation of sub-units within the school idol club. The usual groupings by school year or implied yuri pairings get shaken up with these new sub-units, and they serve to create a strong group dynamic. This kind of variety in character interactions is even seen in smaller inconsequential scenes throughout the season. It's these little details that go a long way in bringing life and personality into the show.
A small criticism I had with the first season of Nijigasaki was it still could have used more time to flesh out some of its characters so they aren't just tied to their defining traits. I'm glad to say that for the original ten members of the club, this has been remedied in the second season. Shizuku is shown to be more than a dull actress for the theater club, as her being a yuri fanfic writing dork is the whole (and hilarious) reason behind the formation of the AZUNA sub-unit. Ai's happy-go-lucky character gains a little more depth when she gets closer with the calm realist Karin. Ayumu and Yu's dependence on each other is actually quite pleasantly directly addressed this season and they learn that it's okay to branch out to other interests even if the other is not beside them. Yu's role as basically Producer-kun and importance to the club is actually pronounced this season as well; she learns to compose music for the girls and continues to be the supporting backbone for the club.
Shioriko, Mia, and Lanzhu are all welcome additions that fit in well with the rest of the club. Lanzhu is set up as a competent rival for the Nijigasaki school idol club to prove their worth to. She easily could have been written as obnoxious and arrogant, but she's actually quite agreeable and lets her talent speak for itself. A really nice detail about Mia is she produces contemporary J-pop music designed for mass appeal for Lanzhu, but when she writes music the way she wants for herself, it doesn't sound like what is currently trending but is in the style of 2000s style pop music. Mia's obligatory English phrase every episode is always funny and her interactions with the rest of the cast is the strongest of the new characters. Unfortunately for my second favorite girl of Nijigasaki, Shioriko, I can't say the same. I've already liked her since I played the mobile game, but I would not blame any anime-only viewers to think she is a bland character. I don't think the anime did enough to show the strong-willed or moe sides of Shioriko. Even her new song is probably the weakest of her very strong list of solo songs.
The music is great as usual. I love the OP and ED just as much as the first season. There are sub-unit songs for AZUNA, DiverDiva, and QU4RTZ; solo songs for Lanzhu, Mia, and Shioriko; and a few group songs. Overall the quality of music is great and I listen to them all pretty much daily.
Nijigasaki once again delivers an incredibly fun and lighthearted Love Live experience. Like its first season, it doesn't overly indulge in the bits of drama throughout the story. The Niji girls come back for more fun sukuru aidoru related activities and the new girls add more to my enjoyment of the series. That being said, this second season did not enamor me as much as the first season. I fell in love with the first season when it was new and exciting. Season 2 of Nijigasaki, however, is like coming back to a comfy place I already know I will continue to adore. If you are a fan of the first season of Nijigasaki, then you will like the second season for sure.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 6, 2022
After completing Pico-Pico Shounen in one sitting, I can't help but not only reminisce of my own childhood but also feel a sort of pseudo nostalgia for the video game-filled childhood that Oshikiri Rensuke so honestly writes about in this manga.
These memoirs consist of various stories from various points in Oshikiri's youth. Video games stand at the forefront of these stores - from first loves, his struggles with school, to important life lessons. The amount of detail and commentary on the specific games and consoles he played during these times combined with how he relates every aspect of his life to these games demonstrates
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just how obsessed Oshikiri was and still is with games, and just how much they mean to him.
The artwork is unrefined, but it is, dare I say, incredibly endearing and works very well with the story. Oshikiri's childhood was a mess where he did nothing but focus on his own interests at the cost of his social status, grades, and at times self-esteem, but Oshikiri himself says that he doesn't ever regret the choices he made. There is an awkwardness in his drawings, sure, but it's exactly this lack of caring for appearances that really brings out the candid honesty in Oshikiri's stories.
Pico-Pico Shounen is just dripping in passion. Even if you can't relate to being addicted to vidya as a kid, this manga recounts a childhood that is still very human and relatable to adults who find themselves reminiscing about the simpler and carefree points of their lives. If you can look past the crude artwork, you will see this manga for what it really is: soulful.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 11, 2021
This one's a quick and cute romance about two kids giving each other the confidence to grow passed their insecurities.
Aside from the main pairing, the cast isn't exactly notable, but it is filled out with charming enough characters of all ages that lend well to the feeling of community surrounding the large shopping mall that serves as the main backdrop of the movie.
Cherry is a reserved teen-aged boy who expresses himself through haiku. He clams up when he reads his poetry out loud and likes to close himself off from the noise of the people around him. Smile is one third of a
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popular online streamer trio that she and her sisters formed. However, she is ashamed of her distinctive buck teeth, which leads her to always covering her mouth up with a mask. After a fateful encounter where Cherry sees Smile's teeth, the two spend their summer vacation together working the same part time job at an elderly day care in the mall, where they become involved in a quest to find one of the elderly patron's lost treasured vinyl record by the end of summer, marked by the upcoming summer festival held at the mall. The mystery surrounding this subplot is sort of obvious, the reveal is a little too on the nose, and the resolution to it is comically (yet fittingly) mundane and lighthearted. But, it does well enough as the vehicle that develops the relationship between Cherry and Smile.
I talked to a friend about the artstyle of the movie, and they said they did not like it. I personally was a fan of the vibrant and saturated color palette, but I can see how it could be an eyesore to others. What really stuck out to me, though, was the background design. The architecture is, from a technical standpoint, outstanding. All of the geometry, angles, and perspective work of all the buildings' interiors as well as exteriors all look like they were drawn with the precision of an architect's design plans. Even the grass fields outside the mall and the clouds above have a distinct outlines that give the organic environment a geometric touch. Given that most of the movie is in and around the shopping mall - a building rife with with all sorts of complex interior design - I think it was a great artistic choice to go with such a clean and precise art style. Even the graphics on the characters' phone screens are super clean vector goodness. I paused several times throughout my viewing to admire the care put into the background design.
So yeah, as far as romance stories go, it's pretty standard. This is an anime for when you need that romantic quick fix. I also think that the background art is visually stunning, and for the artists out there it is definitely worth watching. The last 12 minutes or so are actually very VERY heartwarming and cute. It left a stupid smile on my face and going forward, it'll be that last scene that I'll think of and again crack another stupid smile over.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 28, 2021
Since this is a mystery, I think it's best to get into this anime with as little information as possible, so I'll be concise. Odd Taxi has one of the tightest scripts in an anime I have ever seen so far. It's air-tight. You can fly a plane no problem in this thing. You can go out to space in it. The mystery plot keeps you engaged as it slowly unravels to reveal the whole picture. It isn't a particularly tense plot like a thriller, but the twists, turns, and reveals are all surprising and satisfying. While Odd Tax is foremost a mystery anime, I
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also saw it as a bit of a jaded exploration of various aspects of Japanese pop culture - from the seediness of the Yakuza and seemingly unrelated businesses it is secretly involved in, to the cut-throat side of the idol industry, to the crippling addiction born from gacha games. The moment-to-moment happenings of the show are carried by phenomenal dialogue performed by its colorful and unique cast of characters and their respective voice talents, who all do a fantastic job. Because of their personalities and the show's unique animal art style. you'll be able to remember every single significant character by the end of this series. If you're not paying attention for even a minute, you could lose a really important hint to the story. Don't let kemono cast fool you, Odd Tax is a finely crafted animation that should not be passed up on. For me, it's definitely going down as one of, if not the best anime of 2021.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 18, 2021
Studio Trigger is a studio I always want to root for because of their flare, ambition, and their frequent anime originals. However, many of their anime stumble in the latter half of their episodes because they forgot that there is a plot that needs to get going, and as a result I am always doubtful of any of their work these days. All of my usual gripes with the style of Trigger shows seems to be minimized whenever they are paying homage to classic shows, as seen in SSSS.Gridman (which until now I thought was the studio's best TV anime) and most recently its sequel,
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SSSS.Dynazenon.
I enjoyed Dynazenon for a lot of the same reasons as Gridman. The art style is utterly gorgeous - from the colors, to the detailed background art, to the dynamic lighting. It is all top notch. The normal everyday world character designs show off a trendy and modern style very characteristic of how people of this past decade would dress, while the designs for Gauma and the Kaiju Users are stylish, zany, and eyecatching.
What really enamored me about this anime was the naturalistic dialogue that is carried over from its prequel. Coupled with great voice acting, the dialogue in Dynazenon is incredible. The way people talk as well as not talk at all feels unforced and real. The budding relationship between Yomogi and Yume slowly starts off awkward as the two tip-toe around each other, probing the other to get a grasp of what the other person is like. As their relationship progresses, they gradually become more comfortable with each other, confiding in their personal issues and cracking teasing jokes at each other. Unlike other anime, Dynazenon embraces silence. There are long breaks between lines of dialogue or just still set pieces with people going about their day where only ambient noises are heard. The amount of silence throughout the show lends itself greatly to capturing the monotony of life... And then when it's time to fight the Kaiju enemy, all of a sudden the anime gets LOUD. Fight scenes are filled with the impassioned screams of our heroes as they pilot towering machines that shake the ground as it walks, firing high powered missiles and lasers at the bellowing monster doing the same, all while the city around them crumbles and topples from the sheer destructive force of the battle. When they are not fighting, a beautiful silence permeates every scene. And when they are fighting, the music is bombastic and the dialogue becomes markedly more campy. I thought the juxtaposition of everyday life and city-destroying battles through sound and dialogue was brilliant.
One aspect that differs between Gridman and Dynazenon is which characters they chose to put the most focus on. In Gridman, most of the time was spent on Rikka and the antagonist Akane. As for Dynazenon, Yomogi and Yume undoubtedly receive the most development in the show. While I quite loved the romance between the two as they slowly grew to understand each other better, the lack of development for the rest of the cast is my biggest knock on the anime. I felt that Koyomi's story progressed pretty decently despite it feeling sidelined. Chise's story on the other hand felt a tad rushed, with the tiny crumbs of foreshadowing in earlier episodes being its saving grace. Gauma's search for his princess is pretty straightforward, but is bogged down by the lack of background for his former allies, the Kaiju users. The Kaiju users themselves are quite entertaining throughout the show, but the fact that not much is revealed about their past makes their ambitions as villains rather flimsy and half-baked. I thought that more could have been done between Mujina and Koyomi, as well as more for Shizumu rather than just mysteriously standing around every episode.
Overall, I super enjoyed this anime for its character-focused plot and beautiful directorial framing. The story isn't anything exceptional or deep, but it is entertaining. I have always had a thing for using the supernatural or otherworldly to drive real-life and relatable character drama. To me, Studio Trigger is at their best when they are put on a leash like this, and I hope that they do better in suppressing their bad habits that have plagued their past work.
INSTANCE DOMINATION!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 19, 2021
Slam Dunk is a show full of colorful and memorable characters that is, ironically, slowed down by the basketball games they play in.
The main character, the genius himself, Sakuragi Hanamachi rides the fine line between lovable and insufferable. For 95% of the time, he is a loud and obnoxious goofball, always spouting about being a self-proclaimed basketball genius despite being a total beginner at the sport. However, because we see his constant failures and his relentless drive for improvement, Sakuragi manages to avoid being an arrogant and unlikable main character. Sakuragi's development as a basketball player is also impressive. Sakuragi's skillset is slowly built
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throughout the series and he doesn't magically become a highly skilled and well-rounded character like his rival/teammate Rukawa; his initial skill in jumping high for rebounds and endurance is realistically due to his naturally insane athleticism. These aspects of Sakuragi's character make him a character you want to root for. Despite his bravado, you want to see him overcome his obstacles and become a better player. His usual goofiness makes the short moments where he is serious and shows flashes of true brilliance that much more impactful and are the most anticipated moments of each basketball game.
The rough and tumble Shohoku High starting line up conists Akagi Takenori, Mitsui Hisashi, Miyagi Ryota, Rukawa Kaede, and of course Sakuragi. Each of them have unique personalities that entertainingly clash with each other. Their motivations and aspirations are interestingly explored, particularly Mitsui's story. Rukawa is an interesting foil to Sakuragi. The former is quiet and already an elite high school basketball player while the latter is bombastic and is just learning the game. Their rivalry is a source of lots of funny moments, but also a source of frustratingly drawn-out knuckleheaded plays by Sakuragi. The rest of the cast are entertaining as well, including Sakuragi's boisterous but loyal group of friends, Haruko, the object of Sakuragi's unnoticed love, and the opponents from other schools. The cast plays off each other very well and there is a very real sense of camaraderie built throughout the show.
Unfortunately for how much fun the episodes about training or exploring the various characters can be, the basketball games themselves tend to be not fun because of how long they are drawn out. So much time is taken up by the players on the court talking to each other, coach monologues, or a sequence where every single character in attendance react to something that happened. A large chunk of time is also taken up by Sakuragi daydreaming about how he'll embarrass Rukawa with his genius performance. These are the only times I am annoyed with how boastful Sakuragi is. The moments where the game isn't moving at a snail's pace, where something really cool happens, are teetering on few and far between. But the climaxes of each game are still satisfactory to even awe-inspiring. The highest highs of Slam Dunk are definitely found in the games, but not only after slogging through padded episodes with cool moments peppered throughout it.
If the amount of episodes for each game were at least cut down by a third, I would have enjoyed this anime a little bit more. Despite my complaints, there is still a lot to like about Slam Dunk. Slam Dunk is still a piece of anime history I don't regret watching all 101 episodes of because after watching it, it is clear that the genius basket-man Sakuragi Hanamichi's journey into falling in love with basketball set the standard that almost all sports anime afterwards go by.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 27, 2020
I am a huge fan of Love Live music and the Love Live rhythm games, but I have not seen the previous Love Live generations' respective anime. So my thoughts on Nijigasaki will be from the perspective of someone who is familiar with the characters and music, but with little to no knowledge of the Love Live anime franchise.
The art style of the Nijigasaki anime is, in my opinion, an immensely positive departure from its predecessors. Yes, I know I said I know nothing about the previous LL anime, but I at least know this much. This season opts for less shiny character designs with
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a less saturated color palette and minimal shadows. The combination of simplistic coloring, light lineart, and beautiful lighting make for an utterly charming set of character designs that I honestly can't get enough of. Aside from some stiff posing usually seen in group shots, this style is light, welcoming, and pleasantly understated while still maintaining striking and vivid colors when the scene calls for it. The environment and setpieces look great as well. Nijigasaki High School is an expansive and modern complex with multiple levels, big open spaces, large glass windows, a seemingly endless amount of clubrooms, and an equally large outdoor courtyard area. Though most of the anime takes place within the school, the scenery is rarely boring or repetitive because of how its various spots are supported by the backdrop of a sunny blue sky or the moody orange lighting of the setting sun.
Like most idol shows, Nijigasaki is carried by its cast. There isn't much of an overarching story. The plot, instead, revolves around the personalities, ambitions, and struggles of each character. I think discussing each character will give a good look into what this anime is all about.
First there is Yuu Takasaki. No, not (You). Well, actually, yeah she is basically the self insert character - but not in a bad way! Yuu represents the player character from the accompanying rhythm strategy mobile game, Love Live School Idol Festival All Stars. She is essentially the charismatic cheerleader support of the Nijigasaki School Idol Club that handles much of the backstage-type activities. Like the Producer-kuns from the IdolM@ster franchise. Though she regrettably does not sing and dance like the school idols she supports, her VA performance is just as good as the rest. I wish more of her Producer-kun-esque activities were shown to drive home how important she is to the group, though.
Ayumu Uehara has the traditional Love Live "main" girl warm-colored hair and is the childhood friend of Yuu. She has a gentle personality and is embarrassed by her penchant for cute and pink things. From the support of Yuu, she becomes a school idol to embrace that side of her she has been suppressing until now. She loves Yuu. Very much. The yuri moments between these two are pretty heavy-handed. It's great.
Kasumi Nakasu is my personal favorite of the group. She also seems to be the animator's favorite because of how full of life her movements and expressions are animated. Kasumi's obnoxiously cute idol personality and streaks of cheeky arrogance are just like the #1 School Idol in the Universe, Nico Yazawa, except the former is more open about that cheeky arrogance. She is like a mix of Nico and Iroha Isshiki from Oregairu. She likes to have the spotlight on her and wants to show everyone how cute she is, but she still cares for her friends and was the first one to fight for the revival of the school idol club. Like I said earlier, she has a lot of fun and goofy moments in the anime that I feel the animators had tons of fun making. Kasumi is so energetic and charming that it is hard to dislike her even if you are the type to find the overly-cute persona annoying.
The straight-laced Nana Nakagawa is the student council president of Nijigasaki High School and moonlights as the fiery and passionate school idol Setsuna Yuuki. While her singing voice is powerful and her songs absolutely rocking, Setsuna is a softie and a total otaku dork. She is often one of the level-headed one of the group, but not is as militant about practice as Umi from Muse. Coming from All Stars, I thought Setsuna was kind of boring aside from her music, but her characterization in the anime made her really grow on me. Plus, she has some very funny facial expressions second only to Kasumi.
Ai Miyashita is the cheerful pun-loving athlete of the school idol club. There is not much to say about her since she has had the least amount of drama surrounding her. This may look like somewhat of a negative, but I think it works well with the type of person she is. Ai just wants to do what she thinks is fun and is more than willing to help her friends have fun as well.
Emma Verde is originally one of the N-rarity cards from the Love Live School Idol Festival game. She is a transfer student from Switzerland with a calming aura. Like Ai, there isn't much to say about her. Her own struggles this season are tied closely to her growing closer to her first friend since moving to Japan, Karin Asaka. Karin is a model known for her long legs and mature appeal. In All Stars, that's literally everything about her. Every other character makes a point to say how sex Karin-senpai is. (I am not super far into the game's story nor have I read her side stories so her character is more than likely fleshed out there) However, in the anime, she is a more interesting character. She is introverted and wrestles with the all-too relatable and irrational difficulty of feeling part of a group.
Another N-rarity card, Shizuku Osaka has a passion for both school idols and theater. She is arguably one the more bland characters of the group and does not get as much screentime outside of her own episode. Lacking confidence in herself, she puts up a "perfect student/school idol/actress" front to mask her true personality. She is a character I'd definitely want to see more of in a second season.
The last N card to become part of the Nijigasaki School Idol Club is Kanata Konoe. Her shtick is she's always sleepy and can nap anywhere. The anime actually gave her a reason for always being sleepy, to my surprise. She juggles a part-time job, housework, and school idol activities for the sake of letting her little sister (who was also a N card) focus on her own school idol life. Her own story is pretty straightforward but endearing and nicely done nonetheless.
Rina Tennoji is the biggest surprise of the entire anime for me. She went from one of my least liked (I can't bring myself to say I dislike any of the LL girls) to possibly top three of Nijigasaki. Rina being the sort of successor to Rin and Hanamaru, I never would have thought that the writers could turn the gimmicky "Rina-chan" board she uses to express herself into the most endearing and relatable episode of the entire season. For some background, Rina uses the notebook over her face from the beginning of All Stars. It's lame and comes off as even more gimmicky than Rin's or Hanamaru's speech mannerisms. But in the anime, she doesn't have it in the beginning, and as a result she struggles with making friends because of her emotive ability. Rina's story of her overcoming her struggle to express herself and make friends is a shining example of what makes this anime so good: how effortlessly the drama is paced and balanced throughout the show.
A common problem I have with anime that have a big cast is their lazy way of developing a character. They get their big moment for one or two episodes and then return to near irrelevancy right after. Their character arcs are often too ambitious or dramatic to be effectively handled in such a short runtime, which, in my opinion, seriously diminishes the impact of their story. I've rolled my eyes at this exact situation countless times that I end up impressed, perhaps more impressed than I should, when an anime like Nijigasaki doesn't end up in this pitfall. There is a simplistic beauty in the writing of the Nijigasaki anime. The kinds of problems the Nijigasaki girls face are straightforward and relatable. There is just the right amount of melodrama to add weight to the story while still maintaining the lighthearted nature of the show. These issues aren't painted in an overly dramatic light, so when these issues are resolved in one to two episodes, they don't feel contrived or rushed, and actually hit much more emotionally because I'm not taken out of the scene. That isn't to say the writing is super realistic, it's just refreshing to see an anime - an idol anime of all things - to be handled with this level of self-awareness and tact. Nijigasaki still is guilty of leaving some characters undeveloped outside of their respective episodes. It's a tough balance to strike, but for ten characters in thirteen episodes, I think the anime did a decent job at it. The school idol club feel like a group of friends getting closer to each other, despite the focus on individual idol performances. I can only hold out for a second season for more character development.
I'll be upfront about the music: I can't get enough of it. Every week I looked forward to a brand new song and I enjoyed each and every one of them. The songs are accompanied by gorgeous music videos that mixed impressive CG dancing and super cute 2D segments. Rina's "Tsunagaru Connect" is not only the catchiest song in the universe, but I enjoyed her music video the most as well. Setsuna's "Chase!" from the first episode does a wonderful job introducing the awe and splendor of school idols to the viewers. I never skipped watching the energetic opening sequence, and the OP "Nijiiro Passions!" has that classic and infinitely replayable Love Live sound to it. The ending song "NEO SKY, NEO MAP!" is beautiful, orchestral, and is the perfect anthem for the Nijigasaki girls. The way each girl sings individually and then they all come together to reach unfathomable eargasm heights perfectly represents what the Nijigasaki School Idol Club is all about. This song is playing on repeat as I'm writing this review. The amazing artist Mebachi (who also did the ED visuals for Revue Starlight) provides a wonderfully simplistic charm for the ED's visuals, utilizing a lovely combination of watercolor, an easygoing yet effective color palette, and an efficient lineart application. The music is easily the best part of the entire show. I think if you are interested in watching this anime, you will like at least one of the nine girls' musical styles. If you're a fan of Love Live and/or J-pop in general, then the music right up your alley. I think the Nijigasaki girls are collectively the strongest vocalists of all the Love Live generations so far. I don't think there is a single weak singer in the group, and I can't say the same for Muse or Aqours. If there's any reason to watch the Nijigasaki anime, it's the music. As a side note, I highly recommend watching the MV for Kasumi's song Muteki-kyuu*Believer and the MV for the group song "Mirai Harmony", as the art style of the anime is polished to stunning music video quality.
There isn't anything really groundbreaking about the Nijigasaki anime. It won't impress you with deeply thought out writing or kino cinematography. And I think that's completely fine because this show doesn't try to do any of that. Carried by simple and inoffensive writing, lovely visuals, a cast of top notch seiyuu, and amazing music, Love Live! Nijgasaki Idol Club doesn't try to do things much different than other shows similar to it. It just does the same things way better than most. This anime is simply a blast to watch start to finish.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 21, 2020
In Nasa and Tsukasa's new lives as a married couple, there is no drama and there are no high stakes. There are no drawn-out misunderstandings nor are there frustrating love triangles. Tonikaku Kawaii is twelve episodes of unwaveringly cute and inconsequential romance.
The art style is very reminiscent of the anime style of the mid 2000s with its most obvious comparison being Hayate no Gotoku from the same creator. Like the anime itself, the art and animation are inoffensive, simple, and consistent. The opening song "Koi no Uta" by Yunomi is a modern bop of this decade that contrasts with the previously mentioned mid 2000s
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art style. The sweet and sentimental sounding ending song "Tsuki to Hoshizora" by KanoeRana often pleasantly transitioned at the end of each episode. The voice acting performances from every character were entertaining and full of life. It felt as though the cast had a fun time doing their lines.
I remember two years ago, I started reading the manga for this when it was brand new. I stopped reading after a couple of chapters because I thought neither of the two main characters had any personality, and more importantly, I thought it was ridiculous that anyone would agree to marry a random person they had not seen in two years and only known for literal minutes prior. After reluctantly picking up the anime, my opinion is a bit different. Looking at this set-up alone, it sounds like uncreative wish fulfillment. But how Tonikawa articulates its idea of love throughout the show helps make that initial set-up less and less iffy. Tonikawa leans heavily into things like love at first sight and true love. For Nasa, he knew the moment he saw Tsukasa that she was the one. Though he knows nothing about her at first, something inside him tells him that it doesn't matter and his love for her is real. Tsukasa's character is more of a mystery, but she, too, made the insane decision to marry Nasa. Despite the entire situation being utterly reckless and crazy, there is nevertheless this vague notion of pure undeniable instantaneous love that attracts these two to each other. I personally don't believe in something like that, but I've always liked the exploration of the meaning of love, and Tonikawa's idealist take on it is interesting to me. Also, the anime just puts a dumb smile on my face.
So, I think Tonikawa's conflict-less and immensely fluffy romance works in two ways: It is a pleasant and cute show for those who want to watch two people endlessly flirt. It also justifies Nasa's immediate proposal to Tsukasa as well as her agreement to it. Their perfect relationship drives home the idea that these two really were fated for each other - that they lucked out on the one in a zillion chance of finding the person who is undeniably, without a doubt, one-hundred percent for them.
To me, Tonikawa is almost so full of fluff that it's almost depressing because nothing as perfect as Nasa's and Tsukuasa's relationship would ever happen and there's no point in ever hoping it would happen and 3D is just one dimension too many and.......
But overall, Tonikaku Kawaii is, well, cute.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 8, 2015
Instead of following the standard linear storytelling form, Baccano! decides to throw away "logical" plot progression. It reveals the end result from the first episode and rewinds itself to explain exactly what happened aboard the transcontinental train the Flying Pussyfoot. Yes, the Flying Pussyfoot.
From the very first episode, Bacanno! will leave you with the impression of "What the hell did I just watch?"
As it should. What makes this show seperate itself from everything else is the way it presents its story. As the episodes progress,you'll see the strange events that revolve on and off the Pussyfoot unfold before your very eyes. Most of
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the events occur between the years of 1930-1932. The show follows around fifteen characters' own storylines between those three years that intertwine brilliantly to reveal the whole picture and [mostly] explain what happened in the first episode.
Despite having such a large cast, all the characters are unique and eccentric in their own way. You've got the silly thief couple Isaac and Miria; the blood-stained, psychopathic Lad Russo; the 400-year-old-10-year-old; the boy with the dragon tattoo; THE MAFIA; my boy OG Fedora Tipper Firo Prochainezo; and much more. You've got all the colors of the rainbow. One of them will be sure to entertain you. If not, go see a doctor. Seriously, this is one colorful mess of weirdos. How could you NOT like them?
Oh yeah, there is no main character. As stated earlier, Baccano! jumps from perspective to perspective of each character/group of characters. Each has their own significant storyline that contributes to the overall picture. There may not be one true MC for Baccano!, but each character is the hero of his or her own story.
The only negative point is a fairly minor one that may take some Wikipedia action or rewinds. That is, how the show jumps from year to year, sometimes not even including what year they cut to. However, with some concentration, it gets easier to track what's going on.
Overall, Baccano! is pure madness and fun packed into a nice 13 episode package.
What I learned from watching Baccano!: Don't fuck with the mafia.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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