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CGDCT doesn't have the best track record with me and that is mostly because most of them tend to be episodic
So I was surprised when we had such a detailed prelude into the show with episode 1
I didn't go into this show with any false pretenses that this could of created while it was airing but the prelude did sell the relationship to me between our main characters of Shinobu and Alice.

The main story is about two Englishwoman moving to Japan and their daily experiences with the culture and school life
The main friend group is made up of 3 introverts and 2 extroverts and ... that worked to be a good composition
Alice is very adorable and has some of the best facial expressions in the show as well as being jealous when Shinobu fangirls about Karen
Karen is one of the extroverts in the group and the contrast between Alice helps the show between the two foreigners
If you have issue with Japanese VAs doing English lines than this isn't the show for you because you will get a lot of that. I do feel Manami Tanaka and Nao Touyama did a satisfactory job with their English. Nao Touyama specially used a different type of voice to VA Karen that gave the show an unique flair throughout the experience

As for the Japanese girls of the friend group we course have Shinobu whom is obsessed with anything English.
There was a time from 2009-2010 where I had a bit of this phase as well so I can relate with her in that regard...but not to the levels of her.
Then we have Youko and Aya whom were put into the Yuri tease scenes of the show. Not my cup of tea but for some that would be their favorite parts
Aya is personally my favorite character in the show but that is most likely because I can relate to her the most. She is the most blunt of the group. She is the most melancholy of the group. I'm shy, she is shy. Now I didn't have anyone that I'd blush about all the time, that is where she has me beat.

Looking at similar shows that I've watched. I do like this group of girls more than Non Non Biyori.
Non Non Biyori has been my benchmark show for Episodic CGDCT.
I like NNB but the show doesn't have enough substance for me to give the show a good score.
Slow Loop is more recent show where the show starts with a strong story elements and then divulges into the Episodic CGDCT that you'd expect it to be.

What it comes down to is how is the show during the learning process versus then the reinforcement of what you already know.
The first three episodes your experience these new personalities for the first time.
The interest level is rather high and coming off such a great prelude to the plot of the show worked wonders.
If this show was only 3 episodes this would be in the 8s. Even 6 episodes it would of held pretty well thanks to my knowledge of Englishman in Japan. In Episode 5 Karen and Alice criticized the food and that remined me of Trash Taste. In Episode 6 Karen wanted to go to Mt. Fuji and that remined me of Chris Broad.

But anything after Episode 6 was just your standard affair that you get from these type of high school setting shows.
They did a school fair, they had a Christmas episode, they had a Summer Break episode, which all was about reinforcement of characters traits we already know with no central plot. The characters are good enough to get you to the ending without feeling too worn out but when it comes to rating story it is always going to be low. The prelude of course would give this show an advantage that other shows don't but it is still the weakest element.

Something this show has above the rest would be their soundtrack. That is one of the first things I noticed in Episode 1.
In Episode 6 I still felt the soundtrack was good. Not to the immaculate level of prelude but it holds throughout the show.
The OP/ED songs are both good and was something I wanted to listen to before and after every episode. Soundtrack though has always been what I focus the least on when it comes to creating a finale score but it can give the show a few more ticks. Enough to get this show into the 7s.

I have been watching anime for a long time. Hell I’ve just been on this planet for a long time.
Throughout that time I do not remember a situation where I was so fixated on one certain aspect that completely capitulated everything else.
That is where I am with the faces in Kakugurui.
These issues with obnoxious faces is nothing new for me and can be seen in my Daily Lives of High School Boys review as well as my opinions on Drifters.
But Kakegurui has achieved a level of obnoxious faces into a territory that has not been explored that I shall deem as egregious ... faces.

The show’s art style is presented in a way that resembles sadistic hentai with these faces.
I for one am not a masochist nor a sadist that will get enjoyment from an entertainment medium that way.
I also am not a hentai fan so when add the sweat and the lips/drool helps take it to that egregious level.

This shows theme is based on a school where gambling gets you to the top of the totem pole.
I for one am someone who likes the game of poker. I watch the World Series of Poker every year. I even had a favorite poker player in Phil Hellmuth.
So I was optimistic that at least like the action in Drifters I can find satisfaction in the gambling of the show.
Unfortunately the gambling we got was a mix of redundant themes and girls over-powering on masochism.
But even if the gambling was more satisfactory it is hard to enjoy any battle of strategy when your bombarded by egregious faces left and right.

Now by this point I already had all these negative feelings towards Yumeko. This is more than just "compulsive gambling".
So enter stage left a Yumeko on steroids named Midari Ikishima.
During her dedicated episodes is where I just lost all hope for this show because when you put the theme of death into the show that changes everything.
This isn’t about riding the economic train to the top of a gambling school.
Your bringing in the theme that you can actually die in this school. That put that stake in the heart for the setting.

Midari is apart of the student council that are the main villains of the show.
They are a conglomerate of individuals that have come together to hold a monopoly on the school.
The basis of the show is for Yumeko to take them down one by one.
The entirety of the show continues to try and make the student council even more sadistic than Yumeko herself.
They try to establish a higher-level sadism that is not accepted to make you not like these characters.
But if you already have Yumeko pass that level the effect is just completely negated.

When considering my rating for the show I need to remember that the bottom score is not a 0 but a 1.
So to not give this show a 1 out of 10 are there enough aspects to push something up to a 2 and so forth.
Basically every character was doing these gambling orgasms. It is the same issue the entire show.
Even when they gave me an architype that I tend to enjoy in a villain in glasses.
The enthusiasm dwindled away quite quickly thanks to once again from Yumeko’s gambling orgasms.
So I can confidently say that the Characters, Enjoyment, and Art are all a 1 out of 10.

I’ve already covered how the setting is disseminated. But we do have progression. There is an end game to the show.
They do not waste much time with frivolous OVA content. That is something I can put up as a 2 out of 10.
Now bringing it up to a 3 out of 10 is another story. There was a lot of empty transition from going to the next student council member.
There also was never a proper hierarchy build out so I can understand the level of difficulty increasing.
They don’t really have much time to build up to it though. Their goal seemed to be to have the main event match-up in this entry.
I can settle on a borderline 3 out of 10 with the story.

So what it comes down to is music. I tend not to deviate my music score much from the rest of the show.
I tend not to value it that highly. The ending song is okay but I do have major issues with the performance from Tia in the OP.
There was a real turn-off for me listening to this nasally running on voice she used in the song.
I’ve skipped the OP every time since episode 2. So with that I’d have to give another 1 out of 10.

I haven’t given a show a 1 out of 10 since 2015 and if I was going to pull the trigger to change that. Right now feels like the right time.
I’ve never experienced something so off-putting in anime like Kakegurui and it is going to be a benchmark for me when it comes to off-putting themes.
If anything is as off-putting as the egregious faces and gambling orgasms then it will be a contender for a 1 out of 10 on my rating scale.
Some people are complaining about having an original ending but for me this was far gone before that. This is an abomination of the highest order!

When watching this show I ponder on what it really means to “Falling into the Hype”.
It is naïve to think that when a show is popular that it doesn’t effect your mood going in.
But on that same thought is there a difference in “Falling into the Hype” and just seeking understatement on why something is popular.
I didn’t come into this show hyped but throughout this experience I was always search for that special something.
Something I never found. All I was left was this indifferent feeling.
When you are stuck in an indifferent feeling is a good indication that the show is average.
It ... is tasked upon you at that point to go through all the aspects of the show and see what would you say is above average and if that is enough to warrant putting up the score.

When I asked about this show before I started watching my comrades noted there was a lot of mentioning of economics.
That is definitely something that caught my attention and was the most enjoyable plot about the show.
I actually wrote a paper in college all about merchant guilds and having an anime that covered it was satisfying but only to a certain extent.
We saw glimpses of the trade warfare going on but it wasn’t a full-fledged dive into the economic wars of the world.
I would personally like to see a show about merchant guilds that would operate more like 91 Days.
There was no individuality given to any of the guilds.

The merchant guilds were primarily there to only put hardships on our main character Lawrence.
A character that I have to say am disappointed in as he was fairly bland the entire entry.
There were glimpses at the end that showed he could improve in the second season. But he needs to drop the White Knight act.
Then even as a businessman I can’t respect him as I don’t know who in their right mind would put all their money in one basket instead of building up a contingency.
There is no time in this show where I can definitively say I felt bad for him.

When Holo calls this guy a loser. She isn’t wrong.
Holo is the best character of the show by default but still isn’t exactly my type of girl.
I have seen a lot of individuals deeming Lawrence and Holo to be one of the best couples in all of anime.
Yet the romance in this season has barely even been scratched. I would hope in the second season there would be much improvement.
But as for the first season we’ve only seen Tsundere flirting. That is nowhere near enough for me.

Then we move on the supernatural element of the show.
I really liked the opening the show and the world it was attempting to create in episode 1 about Holo’s origins.
But all of that was downgraded to a side story and an unfulfilling one at that.
There was all this talk about the people believing they didn’t need Holo anymore to bless their crops.
But because of everything else going on in the show the climax to that just fell flat.
I wouldn’t even put that into the importance of the currency wars that was noted throughout the season.
Having rivaling currencies was very intriguing aspect to follow.
But when the economics changed over to just being there for hardships on Lawrence we lost that flare there as well.

What it comes down to is can I say that anything about this show was fulfilling? The answer would be no.
The OP and ED are good but nothing I would put in my top 20.
The Art is good but nothing I’d rave about.
I’m giving those 8 out of 10 but there is nothing amazing there for me to want to bump up the score.
I will also note that I felt the pacing was rushed for the plot. There was also time for more plot that was taken up by slice of life episodes.
Finally I do find it ironic that even in the moment of writing this review. My feeling on this review of the show reflects my opinions on show. Indifferent.

There are two things that are certain in life. Death and Taxes. But for many people it can be unfair too.
Angel Beats is essentially a world that is a purgatory for reincarnation. It does remind me a lot of Death Parade.
The bad souls were sent down the elevator and the good souls were sent up.
In this world people are given a chance for the soul to feel happiness before going through the reincarnation process in a high school.
At the beginning of show we are told the reason the resistance formed is out of fear of what they will be reincarnated into. ...
The brigades phrase is “no buddy, no god, nor angels exist”.

On base value that type of concept is appealing.
It is nice to learn about people’s troubled past and see them find happiness before being “obliterated”.
I also understand that this purgatory is meant for these teenagers to have fun.
But at the same time I wasn’t able to really get those feels that I would want because the balance of the show was too much focused on comedy.
I would say it was an 80/20 split. I believe it would of served better if it was a 60% Comedy and 40% Drama show.

After episode 7 though I felt the world was starting to be eroded.
I was put in a very wary position the way the show was proceeding.
The reasoning for the obliterations started to get lazier. The world started to get sillier. The show began to be more action and tear jerk filled without much validity.
That isn’t going to be able to bring out those emotions for me that I want to embrace in a drama show.
At the same time I understand that the world needed to have a reset button and everything that I had issues with led to that realization. But I can’t say the journey getting there was a fun experience. That is my dilemma.

This honestly is a concept that can be arcsodic.
I say arcsodic instead of episodic because the development needed would take more than a episode but a few episodes for us to get the feels we need in the end for the obliteration.
There wasn’t enough of that in Angel Beats and it dampened my character score because a lot of them still were unfulfilled at the end.

The music of the show was fine and of course the animation was very good for it’s time but my rating system is more story and character oriented.
It is same thing with pro wrestling. A flashy ring entrance and nice attire is great but I care more about the characters and storylines.

When I look at Angel Beats I just see an average show.
I don’t see something special here. I see something that had potential and if we ever got a second season could now be lead by a person to give us that world the concept deserves.
But this is not that entry nor did it ever happen. I would say that is a shame.

We are all aware about how first impressions are a very important factor if you’re going to enjoy a show.
My first impression of Danshi was it was a more annoying version of Kimi to Boku.
The comedy style seems to be the same as Drifters comedy at times. That immediately turned me off from that show.

What also doesn’t help is this is indeed another episodic show that I continue to have issues with.
I was basically checked out by episode 8. I knew what was going on. I knew nothing was going to get better. I didn’t care for the rest of the ... show.
There was a scene in episode 2 where Tibata told to ignore Tanaka. I was wondering if I should just ignore this entire show.

That is another issue with this show that Tanaka and Tibata are one of the most annoying duo I’ve seen in a long time.
There were some other male side characters that were watchable. But it is hard to get attached to any when you despise the main characters.
There were scenes that could have been funny but I didn’t laugh because I was so checked out by then to care.
I could also see they were trying to be snarky with references and taking jab at tropes. That doesn’t tickle my fancy either.
I also am not interesting in seeing sisters continue to beat up on the brothers again and again and again. Not my thing.

I really couldn’t understand the main concept of the show at the end either.
At least with Non Non Biyori you understand the main concept of it is okay to live in the sticks.
Did they want to get girlfriends? Is it a boy vs. girl competition? Or is it just pure nothingness?
I felt like it was voided of any main focus I could take away from the show.

If there was something I did appreciate about the show was the role reversal the show did after the completion of the ending song.
It allowed me to see if it was because it was a group of boys that made it harder for me to care.
What I found out is that when it is boys my impression is, well I wouldn’t want to be friends with these guys.
But when it is girls my impression is I wouldn’t want to date these gals. Which ended up being worse.

I do believe there is a fine line between funny and obnoxious faces and Danshi would fall under obnoxious.
I’ll have to hit the art rating hard because that was mainly the only artistically thing I can talk about.
Story? Was there even a story? There was a few recurring segments but no progression in them. It was pretty terrible.
Then characters are terrible. My enjoyment was terrible.
The show had a good opening song but a below average ending song.
This show failed to bring any sort of happiness to me unfortunately.

To rightfully start off this review I need to mention my motivation to watched this show.
This was a recommendation in a feature for a club where the theme is Historical.
It wasn’t long until I realized this show had no historical value to it at all and could be consider more of a train horror than anything.
So I had to refocus what I wanted from this show very quickly.
It also enlightened me on the plight of actual historical shows in anime. It is quite depressing how the genre is portrayed.

There is also a mystery tag provided for the show. Quite frankly I ... wasn’t very fond of the story style.
This Puzzle story style will essentially be the determining factor if you going to like Baccano.
That reason being because after the flashback episode is when the pieces of the puzzle started to come together.
They could of told this story in a chronological order and still produce the same results with the flashback episode shown in episode 7.
I continue to brood over if this story style could of helped in any way but I just come up with a blank.
I’m not really fond of when these writers or directors want to get too artsy instead of highlighting proper development.
The show comes off being all over the place for the first half and it leaves bad taste in your mouth for the much better second half.

This story style also had an adverse affect on me where I never got around to caring about these characters.
The most predominant characters of the show were Issac and Miria. They were basically there for Deredere comedy.
We finally get a true villain in Szilard Quates with the theme of human greed after the flashback episode
But even his death was just filling puzzle pieces. We clearly know some of the people he killed didn’t die because we were shown them alive in 1932.

Thus there aren’t any surprises with this show. It is just filled with “okay that is why that happened moments”.
I’m left in state where I don’t really have any bad feelings about any of the character nor do I have any good feelings either.
We are left to just wait for the puzzle pieces to fall into place.
I never found a moment where I was building the puzzle myself like a true mystery show would do.

Then another reason why this really shouldn’t be considered a historical show is that is barely about the mafia itself.
I also tend to really like faction warfare and that is something mafia shows are able to do.
Sadly we never are presented with a clear picture of the mafia world with the families like in 91 Days.
They were just there for action fixes and not much development at least on the train.

The main concept regardless is the Cure All Elixir.
This is what gives the show it’s Supernatural element where a bunch of alchemists got together to find eternal life.
That is until they eat you with their hands. I thought that was creative.

I do also like the presentation of the opening and ending video. I thought that was at least above average.
But without anything personal or anything I’m specialist in. There really isn’t much else I can talk about in this review.

I believe the story is a solid 8 if it wasn’t for the puzzle story. I would knock that down to a 7 because of that.
Without anyone I truly cared about at the end I’d have to give characters a 5
Then as for enjoyment. Even though it feels like I’d be giving this a 3 with how this review has come together.
If you single out certain segments of the show they were interesting.
The exchange between Vino and Russo’s principles was a nice clash but it didn’t help me get attached to any of them still.
They protected the characters credibility. I’d say my enjoyment was a 6.

In conclusion that is where I’m going to settle with my final score as well at a 6 out of 10.
Being that I liked the flashback episode the most; I wish there was more focus on the first generation immortals.
Instead of explaining an environment on why all these people are on the same train at once or why we should care about this guy Dallas that all these different families have beef with.

Now before I start writing my review it is good to note that this is coming from a person that has a history of watching shows like Beavis and Butthead and South Park. But the issue with shows like that is when you create a cesspool of stupidity than it falls under the subjectiveness of comedy if you actually want to eat the shit they are feeding you or not.

Detroit Metal City didn't produce any laughter for me watching the show. So this was not an enjoyable experience to me.
I’m not looking for any emotional attachment to any characters. The show lives and dies on ... its comedy.
I did a couple of smirks before face palming if you want to count that.

I also understand that this is a satire. I am actually a Metal music fan and do think most Doom Metal songs are garbage.
The show unfortunately never actually shows any good metal. There is no telling if the show is just making fun of Doom Metal or making fun of all metal in general.
So as a Metal fan I got no enjoyment out of this show either.

Negishi throughout the anime suffers from Multi-personality disorder due to him at heart wanting to be a pop star but knows that all he is good at is being “The Demon Lord”.
I do believe that this is something that most of us can relate to.
I wish I could express myself artistically but my brain is more logic heavy than on the creative side.
So I’m better suited for things like management and business skills than being a guitarist or being able to draw well.

So on a story standpoint I believe could have been solid, but still gets dragged down due to the rest of the show’s elements.
The plot also gets dragged out in the middle part of the show. There is no progression and becomes episodic.
Then just finishes the show off with band battles instead of completing any plot points.
Clearly this is a low budget anime. I try to not let that get in the way of my scoring but at the same time I’m not a fan of character designs and derpy eyes.
I tend to be very picky with eyes and hair and this anime is appealing in neither of those departments.

The only positive part of this show was showcasing multi-personality disorder but doesn’t attempt to bring out the full potential of what it could have been.
This could also be classified as a gag show and I don’t exactly have the best history with those shows either.
It seems that on every facet of what I enjoy in anime. This anime does not reach
It is because of that is why I can’t suggest who exactly this is made for.
Clearly it is a very popular show with the average rating.
My only conclusion is either you’re the type of person that laughs at everything or you have a dark soul and like to hear songs of people getting raped every episode.
I for one am neither and find this show to be an abysmal experience and suggest you leave this cesspool be.

I’m always listen to interesting work stories from my buddies when we are playing Xbox.
There is no question that if you worked for Wagnaria that you’d have stories yourselves.
But they might not be fun stories with the set of characters that are working at this eatery.

The main draw of this anime has to be it’s characters.
You have your loli girl for the lolicons, your Yuri tease for you Yuri fans, and your Androphobia girl for the masochists.
The problem that resides in this show would be an inconclusive end game goal.

Some might say that the goal would be to survive the workplace, ... but that is negated by how “durable” our main character Takanshi is.
Some might say that the goal would be just to satisfy the lolicons with cuteness by Popura, but she takes a back seat to Inami.
The main concept of the show at the end is “trying” to cure Inami of her androphobia the same way you do with PTSD.

But just like with another review I made on Isshuukan Friends, there is no romance tag here.
So you shouldn’t go in with anticipation of a romance forming.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t any disappointment when there doesn’t.
Working does a great job with characterization but the show is deprived of any progression.
So with no progression or end game you are just left with a gag anime that is left up to how much you appreciate the comedy that they are doing.
Unfortunately I didn’t laugh as much as I wanted to. The funniest part of the show would actually be the opening video.
That is best part of the show.

Something that would have been nice that would fit into the plot would be that because of all the hectic things happening at the restaurant was there they were at risk of closing.
I mean how many plates broke in this show anyways, haha.
Instead we are given hints that the manager just extorts people for money.
Since she is a former delinquent but that isn’t enough to suffice for that.

So I am torn on giving this show a 6 or a 7.
The story is the lowest end here with the Sound and Art being the high end.
But is just an opening enough for me to consider this show above average? I think not. So I would have to rate this show a 6 out of 10.
The show has two more seasons to build on anything but the way this show ended doesn't give me any promise.

The main sell of Acchi Kocchi is its cuteness.
I won’t deny that there are cute scenes but unfortunately I am allergic to cats.
Thus cute cat scenes are not affective for me. I don’t dislike cats but I’ve been conditioned to be cold to cats due to my biological factor.
So the question is what else does this show have for someone who is allergic to the main concept?

Acchi Kocchi format is of a gag show.
I have had many conversations in the past about the lack of progression in gag shows.
My opponents comeback with the argument that if their was more plot than ... it would ruin the show.
I have not been convinced on that. I don’t see why gag shows still can’t have progression. Even if only a little bit per episode.
There is nothing different in the relationship between Tsumiki and Io from episode 1 to episode 12. It is a shame because they are a nice couple.

Gag shows are also very side character oriented
If the main characters are lacking in progression than it is the side characters that need to step up to keep you entertained.
You don’t get that with Acchi. Besides Mayoi, whom could be argued as the best character in the show, everyone else is rather insignificant.
One is only there to nosebleed, one is just there to be the insignificant second male, and the other three….well there isn’t really anything to say about them.
There isn’t that really annoying character though like the bird in Tamako Market. Acchi Kocchi has that going for it.

My conclusion is that beyond the cute cat moments there isn’t much else here on why it would be advantageous for someone to watch this show.
The characters are average, the story is pretty nonexistent, and the art style does provide some entertainment.
I do like little touches like at the end of the episode it shows off the movement to the next episode like were moving from level to level. That is basically the biggest progression of the show.
My final score would be a 6 out of 10. I’m unsatisfied with the other elements but I can’t find any annoyances or faults to knock the show down to a 5.
If your man motive was a romance anime going into the show, I could see a drop to a 5 though.

Remember when you were a kid and you collected your Pokemon cards?
You felt it would be fun to attend a competition but within your first match your shocked by the seriousness of competition.
I can’t help myself from keep getting the feeling that Karuta could be the reason why Japanese love card games.

When watching this show the main draw was the Karuta itself.
I never even heard about the card game before watching this show.
It made the show feel unique and kept me engaging in wanting to learn more about Karuta.
My first process in grading this show was on the issue of the glorification ... of the game. Does Chilhayafuru keep Karuta within a realistic spectrum.
I went out and watched a few YouTube videos and the similarity was prevalent. Thus I was expecting a very realistic tone throughout the entire show.

I would say that the tone of the game was reflected in the characters.
What was nice about the main two characters were that none of them were “prodigies”.
There is no question that both had talent with Chihaya’s speed and Mashima’s mind but there wasn’t a magic trump card that caused them to become the best player.
The growth of the players actually was some of the slowest I’ve seen but it makes perfect sense for the sport.
Karuta takes more repetition than even swinging a baseball bat.

There of course are prodigies in the show like the current Master and Queen of Karuta but those are more benchmarks for our characters to reach.
They are the ones that our main characters needed to conquer and have their own distinct trait that is well defined.
There is also one more prodigy that in the first half of the show was built up as a ghostly figure to our main characters in Arata.

Arata is actually one of the things holding this show back from being a 10 out of 10.
Not because he himself is a bad character but because a lot of build-up between him and the other main characters have not been resolved or even invested into completing.

There are a lot of good side characters to note as well.
Desktomu shows characteristics of being a future coach and Kana shows characteristics of being a future reader.
This would be a good time to note that I was really digging the amount of strategy in this show, as an INTJ I appreciate this a lot.

The final verdict is this show has a lot of things that I look to in a Masterpiece in a serious show but falls short being a first season.
The Ending and Opening were good. I tend to listen to them instead of skipping it.
I do believe that there was too much crying in the show. I feel that a lot of drama shows tend to fall victim to this.
Too many tears can drown the affect that you want to achieve emotionally.
Season 2 definitely needs to complete a good portion of our plethora of unfinished business to possibly get a 10.