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Pluto is a faithful adaptation of legendary mangeka Naoki Urasawas loose adaptation of legendary mangeka Osamu Tezuka highly acclaimed Greatest Robot on Earth arc from the timeless Astro Boy series.

Although based on the timeless Astro Boy story Pluto takes a refreshing approach leaning into Urasawas stylings of political/mystery intrigue. Methodical in its reserved approach to revealing its information, detailing every step its cast of characters makes to the stories final conclusion, Studio M2 holds Urasawas vision in reverence, at times dragging a little, holding a scene longer to a point than modern tastes would feel uncomfortable in its pacing.

Possibly a by-product of each episodes runtime, ... this being the only real criticism I can make for the show. Otherwise I'd feel comfortable giving Pluto a 9/10.

There is love and care for the material poured into every frame, every piece of dialogue spoken with intent from the writer, not a single detail is treated without weight, the work of industry veterans who care immensely for this material. So even the slightest criticisms evoke a sympathy within me that this story deserves the same reverence felt by the talented artists behind it but.. I couldn't match that passion...


Pluto is an incredible adaptation, but dare I say these pacing issues that pulled me out of it, even if just slightly, dare weigh so heavily on my opinion of such an incredible work?

I can't say, I might've watched it during the wrong time in my life.

But I can recognise the craftsmanship behind it, and I can only ask anyone who is reading this, if you have the slightest inkling towards Urasawas other anime adaptations, or have a love for mystery and intrigue, that you give Pluto a chance.

There is love behind this anime, genuine passion for the art, a passion that is worth recognition and I hope whatever it is that I see in this anime resonates with you more than it did me.


Pluto deserves that recognition and love from the people who can truly appreciate it.

Pluto, for me, is a strong 8/10, an adaptation with genuine passion for the craft of animation and adaptation.

What started out with the potential to stand amongst the best seasons of Digimon instead takes a decline in quality during the second half and never realises it's true potential

Particular to note is the colour grading of the characters during the first half of the show as well as the background environments which give the aesthetic of the award winning watercolor paintings you'd find in a 8th grade classroom, aesthetically this suits the season and invokes a degree of talent and artistic eye behind the work but as it goes on and the environments get more abstract the colours begin to clash and feel more ... out of place.

The colour theory at work during the first half of the season is simple, effective and beautifully dates it to the time of its release and most importantly evolves on the style that the Digimon cartoons/anime had been developing up until that point so it's a shame to see the quality of the colours chosen in the second half decline to a noisy, contrasting mess.

If an animated work is difficult to look at then it's not fulfilling it's potential as a medium.

I'd like to draw attention to one criticism I've seen of this season which is that the characters don't feel as though they've grown over the course of the season and feel stagnant, which I don't agree with. I feel as though each character had internalized the lessons throughout the season although the writers didn't give enough moments to really shed light and let these characters reinstate the lessons on what they've internalized (which I understand why people would interpret it as no character development).

It makes the characters seem entitled, stubborn, or straight up apathetic to each lesson they're supposed to learn when it's not reflected in the story or the character goes through the same growth over and over again, but beneath that, in the subtle ways the characters interact with each other and the world, there was growth, at least to me.

Oh yeah, but the story in the second half is uninteresting, there's this hierarchy of villains and there's always this bigger or more powerful enemy to take down and there's rarely any compelling reason to care about the conflict, there is a hint of possibility that a villain had a trait or a history that would've made the conflict more interesting, and an episode later it does appear they could make the conflict feel genuine or interesting, and then in another episode they double back and introduce a bigger and badder villain in the next episode (if you're dying to know what episodes it's 34-36).

Ultimately the second half feels rushed and as well as the writers not having enough time to probably complete the script. Seriously When you get to episode 36 just watch the first 9 minutes then skip to the last 8 minutes of episode 50, everything between isn't required to get most out of the story.

I'd also like to touch on the criticism of "But the humans turn into Digimon". As someone who had these same criticism for most of my life I can proudly say that if you still hold these beliefs grow the fuck up.

To summarize, the season starts strong and carries itself well whilst all of the protagonists are collecting their spirits but as the first wave of recurring villains struggle to remain interesting into the second half of the season they just don't bring the energy required to keep the main characters or the story interesting and as they rush the story into a digital worldwide cataclysm they just don't engage any plot threads to keep it interesting and at episode 36 they drag out the climax and by extent the cataclysm that by episode 48 there season feels so exhausted it is practically wheezing...

And to monologue, that really sucks because once you get past the immature "but the humans turn into Digimon" there is so much here to genuinely enjoy, the opening moments of the 'call of destiny' is one of the best openings in any season of Digimon that genuinely makes it feel as though during any mundane moment destiny could be called upon anyone (although in real life not as dramatically fantastical), there's the growth of the characters and how their goals evolve from wanting to leave and go home to genuinely wanting to stay and help even though they're given many opportunities to go back home in the latter half, there's the digital world that feels far more alive and lived in than any season of Digimon that came before it (a far cry from the desolate wastelands of earlier seasons), finally one thing I enjoyed in the final half is that instead of just fighting the bad guys and defending villages the protagonists feel as though they're trying to keep the economy supported whilst everything is crumbling around them in the face of cataclysm and everything on the verge of falling apart there's moments like trying to help an injured Locomon recover, and later as a town relegated as a hatchery for Digimon eggs they, instead of just fighting the bad guy, make an effort to relocate the baby Digimon and digi-eggs (even calling for the help of a Locomon they helped repair a few episodes earlier) which serves as slithers of a light behind the veil of a decline in quality and a dragged out ending that haunts the final half of the show.

Digimon Frontier is awkward, flawed and ultimately ends as a tragedy of a season. But there are also moments of talent, honesty and slivers of virtuosity in this work that would make it dishonest to leave out of the discussion, the few bright moments this season achieved should be talked about and celebrated because left under a mountain of criticism is a lesson and a handful of virtues this franchise could learn and grow from and become a better franchise because of it and it's be a shame to leave the few things that Digimon Frontier passionately done well go unheard.

But It's still a 5/10.

--- P.S. That was a long one, I know it got kinda chonky towards the end, I know I didn't express a lot of my views best as I could have but this was all kinda spontaneous. For anyone who's interested my favorite season of Digimon is Tamers and I'm enjoying Digimon Ghost Game at the moment, I might do a review of the latter but I don't plan doing a review of Tamers, I don't feel as though there's anything new I could add to the discussion of Tamers and I'm personally confident in the quality of that season. I'm also sorry for any Frontier fans I likely rubbed the wrong way, I think for anyone who is a fan of this season should be proud of it, I encourage them to explore what they believe the virtues of this season are and share it with others as well, either in their own reviews or reflected in a work of their own.

First of all I want to deconstruct the misconception a lot of people have nowadays over the term "edgy" because it's a term that has evolved quite a lot over time. Originally edgy was reserved for something that was new, cutting edge and provocative, a good example of this would be Star Wars, yes, the original Star Wars trilogy would have been considered edgy back in the day. Over time more and more cinema and art would try to copy what came before it and while the Terminator would have been considered edgy by the 'classical' standard Xmen on the other hand in the early ... 2000s were considered edgy for a completely different reason. By this point the term evolved into a parody of what it used to be, what was once used to describe something new and provocative was now used to describe something chasing a hollow imitation of that imagery. Throughout the internet era the term slowly became a connotation and eventually synonymous with Emo and Dark. This is unfortunate because now the term "edgy" is just a catch-all for anything dark (and maybe a little bit trashy) that someone doesn't necessarily agree with which is unfortunate because what could have been a great term to describe things like the MCU is now used instead to cast shade at the DCEU.

So what does this have to do with Gleipnir?

We'll I don't disagree when people call it edgy, it's a new take on an old story that shamelessly borrows from what came before it in this trashy execution that can get needlessly dark but you know what? So is Star Wars, Die Hard, Terminator and many other classic movies, they were all just trying to figure it out as they went along, the issue Is when people call it edgy to just instantly dismiss what this show is trying to be.

So next time you see someone use the term "Edgy" to describe something I implore you to not take such a vague criticism so seriously, if you feel as though you'll enjoy a show that's a solid 6.5/10 then watch this, it's a perfectly fine show with some trashy teen drama B-plot and ecchi scenes if that's what you want.

People don't want Star Wars to be 2001 A Space Odyssey and I believe the same goes for this.

This anime earned its right to exist.

I chucked on a random anime just to kill the silence, got into it for the first 6 episodes and divided my attention for the final 6 episodes which is a shame because the final 6 episodes were considerably better than the first 6 but unfortunately my interest for the show was so drained by the first 6 episodes I couldn't be bothered.

The story is generic for the first half then actually gets serious by the second half, this could have been considerably better if the series cut itself down from 12 episodes to 6, 12 episodes was stretching the material thin.

The characters are part ... of the reason why that material feels stretched thin and I'm not going to explain any further than they're just generic characters that slot into a stereotype and feel like the only reason they exist is to serve a function in the story to push it along. I actually don't have anything against generic characters but here are a few ways to effectively impliment them into the story.

(1) Surround the stereotype characters with other more compelling characters. When you have 5 unique and compelling characters for every 1 stereotyped one it brings less attention to them and let's you pad the story.

(2) Give stereotyped characters entertaining dialogue, that doesn't mean write them like a goddamn gag character but try to think of some really cool lines or things they can say that other characters wouldn't necessarily say.

(3) Avoid giving stereotypical characters one note, think of an interesting secondary characters trait that can help round them out a bit more, it could be harmonious (character traits that work together) disharmonious (character traits that don't work together) or something in between.

The art is kinda jank for the first half but by the second half you can tell they're trying to put a bit more effort into it, they're certainly trying though but they never quite land it.

Sound is fine I guess, doesn't really do anything that makes me want to pay attention to it.

It's probably enjoyable if you like bad things or don't really care for quality, idk, it wasn't that enjoyable for me.

Its not the best but it's not the worst, despite its failed attempts to land it certainly tries at times to justify its existence but feels like a bit of a quick grab for cash that eventually half justifies itself by the end, idk, I just want to stop thinking about it at this point.

God, Golden Boy is a golden time!

If you've ever gotten the chance to watch Cromartie Highschool or Prison School then Golden Boy is right up your alley and it very much is and oldie but a goodie!

The main character is likeable.

The women he meets are two dimensional and well thought out.

The sound design is pretty good.

... The animation is really good (personally I love the aesthetic and style)

The humour is alright.

It's a cool show, 6 episodes, definitely worth a watch and I'd give it a 8.5/10.

You should definitely watch it on an off day when you get the chance.

Konosuba is a show about a young man dying and given another chance at life in a fantasy world not too dissimilar to a fantasy game (because it is) and he gets the opportunity to take one thing with him as he goes, what is his choice? The God that greeted him in death and laughed at his humiliating way of dying.

The main character isn't all that interesting.

The God he takes with him is annoying.

Megumin is one of (if not the only) likeable characters.

The masochistic knight is fine.

... The sound design is fine.

The story is non existent.

The animation is fine.

The show is fine.

The second season is fractionally worse

This will be a review for S1 to S3

Attack on Titan has a bunch of problems early out of the gate that keeps it from becoming as amazing as I have heard people claim it to be. Although the show is firmly planted in the fantasy genre it also leans heavily on reality to convey its gory and macabre tones, which immediately falls apart when it fails to stay faithful to the things it's trying to convey. The civilization it attempts to set up is one that is vulnerable and the military and war it sets up is again an attempt to ground itself in ... reality, a human struggle against an impossibly overpowered foe which sounds compelling no?

A few episodes in you start watching protagonists performing impossibly acrobatic acts that would put strain and forces on their bodies that would cause any real human to break bones or hemorrhage their internal organ, not just the protagonists but nearly every member of the military is performing these acts which should be evidence that these humans are far more durable than your typical real life counterparts, nope, they get swatted like flies.

Aight, well that may be just one inconsistency, I doubt there's another...

Well it turns out titans are impossibly light for their size and strength since their amputated limbs can be picked up quite easily, the show also goes out of its way to show they can take damage easily from punching with any good amount of their strength, yet they are conveyed in a way that their weight scales realistically with their height which would make even running enough to break their bones let alone some of the more acrobatic maneuvers they perform ultimately contradicting itself in the process.

Even the way a younger Erin Yeager behaves is unfaithful to the character traits he displays as an adult which I can't get into 'cause it's potential spoiler territory.

It's not too bold to say that almost every interesting or major development in the series is either contradictory or haphazardly handled.

It's not perfect, it's ridiculously flawed, but I had a bit of fun watching it regardless, sound design is good, the animation is good, the pacing is trash, character moments are trash, it has this thing where characters will start yelling and the atmosphere will change to make it all seem dramatic when it's nowhere near as dramatic as it thinks its being, some "horror" moments are just laughable but despite all this, you can at least enjoy it for what remains.

I give it a 6.5/10 since I can't ignore its flaws, idk, maybe Tokyo Ghoul fans will enjoy it, they're typically impartial to quality.

Ghost Stories is set up on a formula it proudly steals from Scooby-Doo where a group of children are brought together by their passion for solving paranormal mysteries but this isn't the only show it steals from as the main female protagonist is clearly a rip off of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and as it has probably become apparent this show lives or dies on its ability to steal from the shows that came before. In fact, the only character that doesn't feel like a rip off is the character that is a Born Again Christian (Momoko) who provides the single point of stability for ... the blatant plagiarism that is the other characters and is usually the most level headed of the group contributing the most to solving these paranormal mysteries.

The main antagonist of the show the cat (yes, you heard me right, the cat) is another blatant rip off of Sebastian from (again) Sabrina the Teenage Witch who is a blatant homosexual stereotype that's outdated and distasteful even for its time.

By the fourth episode it became apparent to me there was an unusual amount of panty shots of the lead female protagonist which makes me question what bloody perverts animated this show, already the bar has been set pretty low and this wasn't even the worst of it to come.

On the other end of the spectrum, the male protagonist is a misogynistic and disgusting representation of males that consistently sexualises the female cast and isn't scared of abusing them either.

It's a shame that this Anime is filled with such vile themes since the animation and sound design is exceptional that it puts most modern animation to shame and it makes me wonder why so much talent was wasted on this.

The show somewhat redeems itself since all the mysteries are solved through Christian methods such as drawing a cross on the floor of a cursed room or putting holy water into a jar that's been blessed by God, thankful the show has a character that can perform such rituals and proudly display Christianity in a positive light in Anime for once (of course with very little help from the Jewish character who appears useless).

I'd like to point out that despite the seemingly innocent (or deceptive) opening the ending song is called "Sexy Sexy" which is a celebration of objectifying women, I repeat, a celebration of objectifying women... Disgusting...

The show continues to rip off the Japanese film Ringu (The Ring) which it even blatantly points out several times as the main cast literally say "How many times have we done this movie" almost bragging that it could get away with it!

Ultimately this show is amazing and I don't think I'd be capable of living if the show didn't present me with its themes, the Christianity presented possibly saved me from abusing drugs and absolving me from my sex addiction and if not for Momoko I may have completely lost myself.

I'm going to have to give this one a 6/10 maybe a close 7 since this show is a useful tool to re-evaluate one's life and save themselves through the light that is Christianity. I hope everybody who reads this review can accept their past and continue to find faith in God and accept Jesus as their saviour.

The biggest problem with Carole and Tuesday is it's two main characters Carole and Tuesday... I know how blasphemous that sounds but despite this, every other character in the show is so, SO much better than our two protagonists that you end up watching the show for them.. which is unfortunate because a lot of the show is solely about taking Carole and Tuesday from point A to point B that these other deeply interesting characters get thrown away or discarded in favor for our protagonists which feel stagnant and uninspired so much so that after the first part of the show they begin to ... feel more like stereotypes rather than characters

Fortunately, the show does try somewhat to humanize these two characters which outside of the 2 or so episodes somewhat dedicated to this it doesn't hold much weight to the actual story or overall show though instead, Angela who is somewhat of the shows antagonist somehow gets so much more depth and development so much so that it feels as though if she was the protagonist of her own movie it could have been this generations rendition of Perfect Blue that's just how good she is as a character and how well she's set up... but this again is wasted as by the end that's thrown away to give Carole and Tuesday their own big We Are The World moment...

But despite all my winging what are the shows positives?

Well the first 12 episodes are really good, like ridiculously good if you only watch those 12 episodes but past that point the direction of the show doesn't change and it feels like more of the status quo after status quo after status quo as each episode rolls around.

The animation and art direction is really good, again like almost ridiculously good, it's an absolute treat to look at and watch, especially the detailed performances down to the cute montages.

Sound design is pretty good but around the song performances it becomes exceptional, the songs themselves are also really good in and of themselves, I can see a LOT of people putting these songs in their playlists but almost every soundtrack of this director's works are equally exceptional so what can you expect?

The writing (and I have to be specific) around the side characters is great and I cannot express this enough, not every side character but there are definitely about 5 that really steal the show and kept the show enjoyable.

So what do I rate it?

With a heavy heart I give this show a 7/10 since so many qualities of this show are exceptional and near exemplary (you can tell this was made with a talented director) but as the main characters absorb the shows runtime and the more interesting characters are overshadowed with mediocrity it becomes hard to watch after episode 12.

But I'm willing to bend the rules here and make an exception and I'll rate the first part by itself, the first part being the first 12 episodes of this show is a solid 8/10 and a close 9 so I highly recommend watching those 12 episodes if you're a fan of music and good anime.

Disclaimer: I'm not particularly happy with how this review turned out as I couldn't fully convey the qualities and pitfalls of this show accurately, please reference other reviews before considering this one.

Mongolian Chop Squad (otherwise known as BECK is a 2004 music anime about coming of age as well as... no, it's just a coming of age story

Well let's see if it works or doesn't

Koyuki (Yukio Tanaka) is an average run of the mill teenage boy who has no dreams or aspirations and doesn't know what to do with his life that is until a childhood friend reinserts herself into his life and asks him to hang out with her. Because of this, he runs into a dog (Beck) and his owner Ryusuke who slowly brings him into a life of music by giving him one ... of his old guitars which from then on consumes Koyuki's life.

From here Koyuki meets Maho who Koyuki learns is a great singer whom she later learns that Koyuki is really good himself and the series largely revolves around these three characters and Koyuki struggling to develop a relationship and play in a band.

My initial thoughts about the animation quality and style weren't great but around the midway point I either got used to it or it got better, even towards the last few episodes it really picked up and felt like a really fun show but keep this in mind for later.

The sound design in this anime isn't as great as what I've seen from more recent music anime but almost like the performances the show is trying to display everything feels raw and has a lot of passion behind it, the people behind this seemed like they really wanted to make it.

Finally, I want to touch on the pacing, it's slow and there's no reason for me to not be blunt about that, but it picks up a little around the 1 4th episode almost as if it got a breath of fresh air and finally the last 4 episodes are definitely the highlight of this series, I should also mention that character dialogue can be stilted and uninteresting.

Despite all this underneath it all I feel like BECK is a passion project based on something that has a quality to it that no other anime I've watched has quite captured, it's not for everyone but if you can enjoy slower anime particularly something like Cowboy Bebop then I recommend BECK, it's a shameless dive into music culture and really flirts and respects all walks of music and life.

Imma give BECK a 6/10, you should get around to watching it if you have a slow week or two.