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Mar 26, 2021
I think this might actually be the best Pokémon film so far. Reading the reviews I'm surprised they're not more positive, it's definitely better than those before it.
This film scared me as a kid, Deoxys was genuinely weird and terrifying. The fact that it's an alien with weird tentacles and a cold, unemotional face was scary. The damage it causes and how it put a city into evacuation and shut down all the electronics, creates dark chase scenes that terrified me. Obviously I'm older now, but taking a step back and re-evaluating the film I still think it is the best and rather harrowing when
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compared to the previous films. The CGI is much better in this film, and while it is noticeable, it never distracts from the enjoyment or is bad like in the Jirachi movie. Obviously this is due to technological advancements, but it's still something to be appreciated.
While the plot follows the formula set out by previous films (new city, new legendaries, new characters) it's a lot more believable than previous entries. This is because life and personality has been added into this futuristic city that sets apart from those before it. Things such as futuristic hot dog stands, bins, passports, and walkways add a charm to the city. The general architecture is rather nice and is a good contrast to the rather dull, boring areas we have explored previously. Pokémon live and breathe throughout this city, Plusle, Minun and Munchlax - while there to sell plushies - add much needed character that is lacking through Team Rocket. The trio of Pokémon are much more enjoyable to watch and makes much more sense than the producers trying to shoehorn in Team Rocket anyway they can. I'm surprised they haven't done something similar to this before.
The thing that sets this film apart from the others is that Ash really isn't the main character. Yes he steps in and saves the day at the end, but this whole film is Tory's. A child suffering from PTSD after experiencing a near death experience of being crushed by Walrein's is an interesting concept. We hardly see people in the anime that have had bad experiences with Pokémon and Tory fills that gap. I like his development throughout this film, he understands the Walrein's didn't mean to scare him (and that they were only reacting that way due to Rayquaza and Deoxys fighting), but he can't look past his bad experiences in case something like that happens again. You can see how he wasn't always scared of them (as he finds a Spheal cute in the beginning), he was simply just in the wrong place at the wrong time at an impressionable age that has shaped his development. I also like how his "friend" was a Pokémon the whole time, he has been appreciative of Pokémon since his trauma, just in his own special way. If Pokémon were real, these things would cause fucking chaos, and we would have a lot of Tory's throughout our world. I'm glad we have a film were this is explored and his appreciation for Pokémon comes back after the events of the film.
Obviously this film is much more enjoyable if you're a Pokémon fan (as Rayquaza is one of my favourites), but I'm convinced you could show this to a non-Pokémon fan and just maybe, they wouldn't think it was dogshit as I believe they would with the previous ones.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 22, 2019
*mild spoilers*
After rereading Naruto, I've come to realise that the series is nowhere near as bad as I remember it to be. At least for the first 450ish chapters. Naruto is a series, much like Bleach, where it would have benefited ending a lot sooner than it did.
Naruto is the story about a boy who is shunned by his village due to having the Nine Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside of him. The fox attacked the village twelve years prior to the stories start and many people, for some reason, seem to blame Naruto and treat him differently because of this. The premise of Naruto
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is cool, it's all about ninja's and their respective villages. Along the way we see all types of cool jutsus, techniques and characters that really add to the extended world of Naruto. The main problem for me is, after the Pain arc, the series takes a serious nose-dive in quality and becomes less about ninja's, and more about god like entities destroying/protecting the world.
Before I get ahead of myself, the first part of Naruto (the first 27 volumes) are truly amazing, and if the series had maintained the quality throughout I'm sure it would be regarded as one of the best Shonen manga. Within the first part of Naruto, you have the Zabuza Arc - which is one of the best in the series. It perfectly encapsulates everything the world of ninja should be about. Teamwork, training and protecting those that mean the most to you. After this is the Chunin Exams, which while many like to compare to Hunter x Hunter's own Hunter Exam arc, the two arcs are different enough to differentiate them. We have some of the best fights in the series in this arc, such as Rock Lee vs Gaara and Neji vs Naruto. The attack on the Hidden Leaf comes after this, where we learn that nobody is safe in this world, not even those who are thought to be the strongest. Reanimating the dead and Kohai betrayal are two things this arc sets up that are constantly used again. We meet The Three Legendary Sannin after this, and Naruto gets a new mentor. The introduction of the Akatsuki in this arc foreshadows events that will happen in part two of Naruto. After a grand fight involving the three Sannin, we finally get the Sasuke retrieval arc, in which Konoha side characters get their chance to shine. The first part of Naruto is honestly near perfect in my opinion and it is sad how the series blunders.
The second part of Naruto is really hit or miss as it becomes less about ninja and more about epic, Dragon Ball styled fights. Absurd power leveling among the cast leads to fights where literal mountains are destroyed, canyons are created and villages are wiped out in a flash. To be honest, I didn't have a problem with it up until the end of the Pain arc. It was cool to see how strong the characters we've grown to love have become, and how big of a threat their opponents are. Some of the most iconic fights and characters are in the second part of Naruto, so I would recommend reading it anyway to see what it's all about.
However, the Fourth Great Ninja War arc is something I cannot excuse. This arc takes up nearly 1/3 of Naruto as a whole, which is really stupid as it only lasts two days.
The War arc itself is split into five smaller arcs, with the first two being okay and the last three being god awful. The arcs are filled with some of the series' most epic, grandiose moments, but they are also filled with the series lowest of the lows. Things don't make sense, plot holes are written, lore is thrown out the window, power scaling to ridiculous levels (becoming literal Gods), filler fights, pacing is god awful, and for some reason, nobody seems to run out of Chakra even though they've been fighting for two days (don't get me started on Kakashi's Kamui spam). The final villain, also sucks and is a boring, shell of a character. Naruto takes the Harry Potter approach to it's conclusion, which really throws away the theme of not being tied down to fate, as was mentioned in the Neji vs Naruto fight in part one. Also, for a war, only four characters that you know truly die, the rest of the people that die are fodder shinobi. It's weird how for a war, no one important seems to die, even when going with the series' established lore, everyone should be dying left and right. The whole 180+ chapters are stupid, everyone seems to have an infinite amount of Chakra and health that it takes away the threat of death. It's almost as bad as Fairy Tail.
It's clear that Kishimoto was running on fumes during the last arc and had nothing else to write. He was grasping for straws coming up with ideas and constantly written himself into a corner. He made Madara too overpowered and had to come up with a stupid excuse to change villains. Adding unnecessary flashbacks and backstories to characters, and bringing back too many characters that had died through the use of edo tensei.
Besides the abysmal last arc, Naruto is worth a read. Kishimoto's artwork isn't the best and doesn't really improve, but I can look past that because the story and moments (at parts) are good. But really, how can you draw for nearly everyday for 15 years and not have your artwork improve? I mean, look at One Piece. Oda's art is godlike, but in the first chapter it's just average. Compare the artwork from Naruto chapter 1 and Naruto chapter 700, it's completely identical.
If I was rating this series based on quality, it would probably score a 4/5. Amazing first part brought down by a lackluster second part. But I'm going to rate on enjoyment, and I can look past some of the series lower moments because its highs are that good.
Story - 5
Art - 5
Character - 5
Enjoyment - 7
Overall - 6.5
First Part of Naruto - 8/10
Second Part of Naruto - 5/10
Overall - 6/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 18, 2019
If you don't like Stardust Crusaders, don't worry, Vento Aureo is better.
I've always said that Jojo Part 5 is a more streamlined version of Part 3. Both are very similar in how they are both 'The Road' type of narratives, meaning a genre in which the main characters leave home on a trip, encountering hardships on the way and generally changing their perspective of life. If you've watched Part 3 already, or just watched any 'The Road' type of movie, you will know exactly what I'm on about. Character development, and narrative progression in a story of this genre is very important and Hirohiko Araki
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is genuinely really good at these types of stories (Part 7 being his best imo).
The similarities to Part 3 don't just end at the narrative, the fact that the main character travels in a big group, with characters being killed off, is also a primary feature throughout both parts. The characters are one of the main reasons why you would prefer one part over another. Do you prefer Kakyoin or Narancia? Iggy or Fugo? Polnareff or Abbachio? If you asked me a couple of years ago, I would probably go with the Part 3 cast, but David Productions have added a lot more scenes and weight to the backstories of each character, that I now prefer the Passione gang. Fugo now has a fleshed out backstory, and while he got one in Purple Haze Feedback (a light novel side story), it's nice to see his character fleshed out within the main Part 5 story. The backstories are well done, and added at the right moment in the story where it never feels forced or that it's getting in the way. You are slowly drip fed each character's past when the moment is right, and there's a lot more emphasis on it in this part than the others. The interactions and banter between the characters really make Part 5 shine and the jokes between them all are really funny. From Giorno and Mista on a bench to Abbachio and a pot, to dancing on a boat, Part 5 has really memorable and funny moments.
Giorno and Jotaro are also compared to as 'one dimensional protagonists', but I can honestly say I prefer Giorno in every way. Jotaro is a character that gets better as the series progresses, but within Part 3 I don't like him that much. Jotaro in Part 3 is a goofy badass who settles things with his fists, Star Platinum is a cool stand and all but sometimes it's nice to have a fight that isn't just the opponent getting punched to death. This is why the D'Arby poker match sticks out to me so much in Part 3, because it's just something different for Jotaro.
Giorno is constantly trying to prove himself to the group, he is always putting himself in danger just so he can be trusted. He drinks piss and constantly gets himself trapped by enemy stands just so his teammates can trust him. Unlike Jotaro, Giorno has to earn the respect of his companions, and that is one of the main reasons why his character is more enjoyable. I also like his motive for wanting to become a gang-star, as he likes to say, because he's tired of his beautiful city being polluted with drugs. He's disgusted how people can willingly sell drugs to women and children and feels the urge to do something about it. So he does. Considering Giorno is only in one part of the series, his character is developed quite a lot throughout his journey, and he is one of my favourite JoJo's.
The villains within the anime are also a lot better than the manga imo. I don't know if DP have added extra scenes or what (it's been some time since I read the manga), but they feel a lot more believable that they are a group. In the manga, to me, it just felt like random stand users attacking Bruno's group just because they can. Here there is a sense that they're working together, and a real threat of an enemy group. I think it might have something to do with the pacing, but whatever it is, it works.
The animation is beautiful, DP replicates Araki's ever changing artstyle perfectly. The eye popping colours, mixed with the character designs, mixed with the background visuals, mixed with the fluid animation, creates a sense of atmosphere that I felt previous Jojo parts have missed (Part 4 in particular). It really makes some of the best fights in the series stand out even more, and I'm glad that they have finally been animated by a studio that is showing that they care.
The music is outstanding and fits the tone of the show really well. Bruno's theme, Fighting Gold, and Giorno's theme really stand out. Giorno's theme has become a meme within the community because of the seductive piano mixed with the 'Joooojooo' harmonies, it's godlike. The sound design also needs to be recognised. The stands sound crisp, I haven't come across a sound effect that doesn't make sense or makes me wonder why it was put there. As always, DP are on point with their music/sound design, but this is consistent throughout Jojo as a whole
People might gripe on me for comparing Part 3 to Part 5 so much, but if you enjoy that part at all you will love this. If you felt let down by Part 4's slice of life elements this is truly a return to form. If you're looking for hamon...sadly it's not here.
This anime has a better pace than previous parts, has some of the best fights in the series, has some of the most unique characters, stands and moments, has some of the best music and animation. Really, if you like Jojo at all you owe it to yourself to watch this. DP have made this anime better than the manga imo, and I honestly can't wait to see what they do with Part 6.
I consider Part 5 to be a perfect adaptation, because it does everything the manga does right but makes it better in every way.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 1, 2019
this shit is soooo bad omg i can't even describe
first of all. the animation is soooo bad, there will be times when a frame is on the screen for 20 seconds. it happened in episode 8, fucking hell stupid studio pierrot i absolutely hate you. how lazy are you to leave a fucking frame on for 20 seconds and think it was acceptable. i am so mad, not only as a fan but for fucking every animator in the world as they come from an industry where this piece of shit was made. i'm not even joking, sometimes the models will look soooo janky against
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a 2d background, faces barely move, character animations are ZERO sometimes a 15 second scene will have a character not even blink or move their head. the animation for characters as a whole is sooo bad, i swear whoever drew these abominations needs to go back and learn how to proportion everything. absolutely awful, i fucking hate it. the opening animation is also BORING. I do NOT care about ANYTHING that is happening in it. it iS NOT cool and it is NOT a good song!
secondly, the story. what the hell is going on like actually. i have no idea who any of these people are, i have no idea what they're saying or why they're saying it, i just have absolutely no idea what is going on. one minute kaneki and touka are getting married the next they are attacked by like 100 fucking kaneki clones and the ccg. literally, the marriage is the closer of one episode and the attack is the start of another with no explanation. i have no idea what any of the characters are on about, and it really ruins the amazing story of tokyo ghoul (original, manga). honestly, they put 100 chapters into 8 episodes, it is SosoOSosoSOoosOOO bad, just do not even bother watching this if you want a conclusive ending to this show.
thirdly, the music is SOOOOOOO awful. just the same basic compositions and instruments with no variety. I am so upset at how i do not care about the main theme or the ending song. they usually are jams no matter what series but here it is so BAD. I don't even like the main theme as previously mentioned.
a minor note is sometimes this show will just throw past characters into the episode and only have them say one word or something. just so you can be like *oooOoOo that's uta !!'. absolute garbage.
do not watch this awfulness of an anime. it is not even anime it is like a powerpoint presentation. i guess some people may like it but as a whole it is so BAD.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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