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More than words - is what sang in my head nearing the manga end.

Jujutsu Kaisen is probably the most delightful (Shounen?) manga I ever read. It gave me the depth needed to enjoy the anime as well. Inspiration sources aside, it clearly stands on its own as a masterful story of love and growth.

There has always been a problem of translation with this manga, people fighting over meanings and possible scenarios, theory crafting over the top, unreasonable complaints about this or that, or about the ending. I like that, because what is special is always left misunderstood, even by myself.

There are lots of unexplored ... paths in this story. Lots of hardships, disappointments, but also retribution. What is lost in this story cannot be regained, but that doesn't imply defeatism. The characters of this story still fight for the memory, for the inheritance, of their predecessors. Characters choose their own paths and very few are left in a deterministic cycle. The power system in this story is complex too, and the violence is well crafted.

What this story nails is that it emphasizes what is subtle over what's overt. Apparent signs of weakness and secrecy are stronger than declared power or boastful justice. Those that lose temper or fall into vanity fall harder, and those that keep themselves composed are the real winners. Don't get carried away - is a good warning in the Jujutsu world, applying to both good and bad.

Speaking of morality, 'everyone is right in their own view' is not used as an expired cliche here, but instead it's used for the audience to connect with the characters. Which makes one wonder what the definition of good and evil is. Is it evil killing people, by mistake or intent, regardless? Is it killing just curses but having an evil laugh afterward? How about those that just make threats, but never killed anybody? Are they evil by association? Because if they are, then that' point is moot. We see in this story how true evil, undoubtedly evil has a cruelty side to it, a disregard for humanity. But we also see that the disregard refers to a different definition of what it is to be human, since curses themselves talk in terms of kinship to other curses.

In a way I can't think of the plot any other way than being centered around Gojo's legacy - his past, present and the future he nurtured. In another way, the greater context shows us that Yuji is the center of all things, him being the sprout that has to still grow to partake fully in the world around him. Sukuna too is present throughout the whole story, since he starts the intrigue and is the looming threat. Is this a story of brothers? Or a story of the clans legacy? Or a story determined by the evil workings of Kenjaku? A story about love? It's probably a little bit of all, but especially the latter. Because love is what drives every character to define humanity or to desire it. Those incapable of love, or those who hide it, are the ones to fall the hardest, no matter their potential. Those that have grudges from love have a special role in the story and it's interesting to discover by yourself who is in this batch. It could be a story of forgiveness and redemption, which are requisites to not become evil.

At the end Shounen is about a boy's growth, a Bildungsroman. This boy was Sukuna, and very far in the story we get small signs of the paths he didn't take. This boy was Gojo, from his youth's encounters with a life centered around him, to an adulthood where he fought to move that center on the ones around him. This boy is also Megumi, Panda, Todo, Toge, Choso, Geto, Nanami, Yuta, Kugisaki, Ieiri, Mei Mei, Miwa, Maki and more. The characters that are already fleshed out are amazing to watch and are a big reason for entertainment in the story, like Yuki, Hakari, Kusakabe, Nanami. Kashimo, Jogo, Choso, Toji. Ryu, Uro, Yorozu, Uraume.

The protagonist in this story is not already fleshed out or has excuses to be the best. He is never the best. Indeed, there is an inheritance left for him which shows throughout his growth, but it isn't at all unfair. The only one thing he has from the get go is an otherworldly resilience, no super powers, immense cursed energy or special grade sorcerer skill. He develops everything that was bestowed onto him, but only because of his resilience. His journey isn't a free ride, it's the loss of those around him that makes him wanting to be sturider. In moments of despair, there often someone reminding him to value what was lost or 'positively' cursing him (blessing him). In that sense, his story is that of deciding whether he blesses others the way he was blessed, or keeps the blessings to himself.

I would love to read more and watch more, fill in the unexplored paths of the story, understand the history of the characters, of Yuji's parents, Megumi's mother, Gojo's and Sukuna's childhood, the past relations of love and those of the future and so much more.

There are some points of contention I have with Jujutsu Kaisen, of a personal nature. But the end of this story I feel connected with the characters, I feel that I want more and I feel a desire to love in my own life that's inspired from the inner lives of these wonderful friends and the journey that Gege gifted us all.

I can't wait for more, thank you Gege.

This point of view concerns somebody never watching the series but hearing about it a lot and seeing a few cool scenes here and there. Aware of the manga ending (especially read the final chapter just because), impressed by the characters Annie and Levi (I mean who isn't) and thought why not give it a shot since it's the last 'thing' that people never shut up about.

So started this final gig with curiosity, then stumbled across my two liked characters which motivated me to not skim through it. The story is horrendous. I am aware both of my lack of background knowledge, and of ... people's stories and reactions to this final part. Still, having a mini-suicidal maniac as an anti-protagonist with a philosophy so dumb as a rock doesn't leave a good taste. Here guys, he killed just 80% of humanity, but these are just utilitarian numbers! The rest 20% will clearly rejoice.

So we establish the controversial mc is rotten. That aside, we get to the crux of the dynamic which is essentially boiled down to the old shonen trio of narusasusaku. But here Armin and Eren are both just stupid simps about Mikasa. Let that sink in. And there is some fan service Levi legacy ending that blonde fool. Pretty superfluous. There's some Ymir legacy passed down to Mikasa apparently, since she repeats that stubborn love affair postmortem. But it would be hypocritical to call this 'disgusting'. Either you call this the whole series or you go along with it. Personally I called this series disgusting the moment it appeared because, let's be real, you must be sick in the head to tolerate people eating people, even in a story. Cheers to those masochists that boiled over the years over this series. And stick to the end credits for some classic Buddhist cycles-of-life fan service pandering.

Anyway, it's surprising that in such condensed time and space this final part made the fights so intriguing - perhaps the only good thing this series ever did -, and some characters that I can't really name because of bad memory became likeable. Good music (was aware of the music score because it's way to popular to miss), good animation, very good at grabbing your attention and pretty skilled in playing with your emotions. It got me a tear or two. This anime felt like adding 2+2 and resulting in 5. The 'philosophy' feels bad.

Overall it feels like a piece of great quantity of effort with bad quality offered due to various circumstances. There are many good things about this series that will make the average viewing experience explosive and fantastic. They at least got a couple characters developed to a decent point, the action is well packed. As for the story, lore-building probably is a stronger feature than the plot itself, most characters feel cucked in the sense that the author might hate his own creations to the point of humiliating them. The philosophy of this show is pretty low quality, nihilistic and it feels like a sick in the head maniac just wanted to express his anger in a contemporary fashion. Simping is a virtue in this show. Hell is defined as a paradise. Bad, very bad vibes overall.

And the champion of the suspense anime of the first half of 2023 goes to...you guessed it, My Home Hero!

These are just a few thoughts and impressions, a laid back rant, don't expect a thorough analysis unless I really love or hate a show.

It is not the case with this one for sure. My Home Hero is a quirk because it proves that a shit story and bad quality pictures can hit the suspense brakes really well. There's not much else that it excels at. For instance, this anime is clearly on the train of progressiveness, if not politically, at least through the gruesome ... contest of gore that seems to be where most consumerist anime tend to attempt at winning, and if you're here to say that MHH gore is benign compared to more bloody and horrendous shows, that says a lot more about the saturated audiences that are spoon fed lately in a subtle or more explicit way gore content.

But this show really gets you hooked with a little bit of good faith on your part, I promise. The family life of the protagonist isn't everyone's cup of tea, and you don't get to sympathize with MCs wife and child outside of his point of view. Perhaps Majima is a notable exception to the whole show, and perhaps one could argue that MC, along with Majima and Matori give you the best reasons to care, to a lesser degree given this order. That doesn't give you no reasons to care about anybody else, it's just that there's not much to care about honestly.

The suspenseful scenes could be also easily deconstructed to eliminate any virtue the show might have. But that's not a reason it is a bad suspense. It's actually quite the opposite if you put yourself in those situations. I'm sure I would go mad if I were the MC.

Other than that, the finale is pretty well written. I was pondering between disappointment and curiosity, because there's no story without atonement, right? Well, you can guess why my rating won't be below 7 even if I would try to be mean. Because in all honesty, it kicked in like a truck on the sideways.

Overall a good show, and a great example of what effort can achieve despite low budgets and lack of creativity. I recommend you try it.

Romanian take here, 21st of April, premiere day. More like a personal impression than a thorough analysis.

Background: Kimi no Na wa, Kotonoha no Niwa. Both tearjerkers at the point I watched them, the former probably a favorite. I have to rewatch both to make sure the feeling is still there.

Suzume: watched on the big screen. Also my first anime movie in cinema. Good job to the translators, although it's surprising to hear Japanese translated in Romanian since I've gotten used to English at this point. Already aware of soundtracks and some reviews since it's been teased a lot on the website I watch my shows. ... The music is pretty good still.

I'm aware that there are several points of contention, and I see where some people drift off from the entertainment. Mine is twofold. First is a a lack of quality bonding between the main protagonists. One can only bond so much with a chair, and it's was actually the central piece of humour of the movie, that is a good aspect. But what kind of relationship is that? In one sense, the age gap is unjustified, and I remember having this point of contention even in Kotonoha no Niwa. In another sense, I'm not sure if the interpretation of the main characters as lovers makes any sense, but the problem is even deeper, I'm not sure what kind of basic human relationship that was! Sure, Suzume admired Souta, felt responsible, tried to save him, he came back and reciprocated in kind. But they only got so much quality (not screen) time that it makes one wonder whether Suzume's attempted sacrifice was warranted by the few things she had in common with Souta! It felt rushed and incomplete.

Second is a lack of real consequences of the threat of the whole plot. The big bad worm comes with a couple earthquakes and the threat to wipe out people. But when does anything bad happen, other than the tectonic plaques moving, some birds flying in the same direction and some bruises on the protagonists? How come the doors don't ever shatter? How come Suzume can plow through the jet of evil coming through the door, climb on it, pass through it, and remain unscathed? Moreover,, how can she simply take the words of Daijin as a fact and act based on those? It's a big heap from ignorance to "you see this big bad worm? it's gonna kill everyone if you don't sacrifice your friend", and to "but I wanna save him, so I'll save everyone, and then I'll go save him somehow, because I just met him and I sat on him and he was kind!" If Daijin was so convincing, then why didn't Suzume sacrifice Souta to save everyone and called it a day? Because of feelings, hinted here and there by secondary characters. In other words, Suzume is the story of having both the cake and eating it too.

Now the question comes: is it worth it? To go through literal hell for someone you just met and have sympathy for, just a tad bit more than for the other people that help you through your journey? It's also mentioned somewhere that it's about self-discovery. And the Buddhist cycle of things makes Suzume meet herself. But why would you do that in the same place where hell exists? So you insert a different dimension, admittedly hell, and you add the flavor of parallel world/timeline/time-travel to the same exact place? How does that actually work? This is probably a contention with the story and not the movie itself, granted.

Going back to the second point I made, the movie might feel linear because the "gods" don't have a pattern of behavior. They have multiple ways to go about. Sometimes they seem evil, but present no threat, sometimes they act evil, but they are actually sensible, and you can't really grasp their actual nature. The worm, the first key and the second key almost act like guiding factors for Suzume's development. They are pieces of fabricated tension between the protagonist and her goals, because there's no finality like in a love story or becoming somebody other than who Suzume was at the beginning of the journey. All the tension resulted in an "aha" moment that made Suzume understand a thing or two about herself. And that's it. But this only explains the audience pov, and not the actual intricacies of the story. Here I have no complaints on the narrative side of things. But what about Souta, you ask? He's coming back to Suzume, so that's all that he gets as a reward for his life choices. To which you might ask, Suzume who?

All in all, it was a wonderful spectacle, time moved fast and I got the doki doki suru throughout the movie. I'm glad I saw it. I recommend only watching this on the big screen.

This season is the actual definition of mixed feelings. The things I hated were so mundane and redundant, and the things I loved were so few but so special. This is how I felt it in a nutshell.

Looking back to previous seasons, the level of my distaste in this series was up to the point where I chose to actually continue watch it instead of dropping it, but the rest was pretty awful. The problem being it was too fan-service oriented, with too little good storytelling. It's not really praiseworthy to expect that the latest season be the best so far in terms of story ... and picture quality. But it's a relief it is! Knock on wood, but relative to what we've seen so far, it seems to me the production team actually tried to learn from past mistakes and improve in their delivering and content. What I mean by that is that the first season started on a silly note, it continued with a second season that was awful to the point you stopped caring who are the new characters anyway, a season three that was a rehashed plot with monsters for a change, and a forth season (part 1) that was...um...what was it about? Pretty forgettable, although I've seen the latter recently. Something about the big monster in the cave and teamwork. If it sounds like I am repeating myself, it's because the story is pretty much circular at this point.

But IV part 2 delivered something special. They kept "the danmachiness" while they introduced a couple new things. First, the backstory of a (sort of) well established character, Ryuu, not all at once, but bits by bits with some emotional build up to the point of the known massacre. The show didn't try to sell itself solely through Ryuu's subplot, but they made a main theme out of her trauma of her ex-peers. That part didn't resonate with me. Same old flaw: too many new characters, less unique ways for them to be or unique things for them to do. Since her squad was related to her only, would it have been a difference if it was about 5 people less or 20 more? What if they were only three, the three girls that died last? This is a question of relevance that sort of buzzed in the background noise these past few months. I am also not the masochistic type. Don't give me cheesy wheezy friendship and then butcher them, especially when you didn't give me enough reason to find them special. That would make me even less interested in having a human connection to that part of the story. It would grow my indifference which is pretty bad. Of course the sad event is countered by the resolution of the hero, but here it needs to be pointed out that (1) many irrelevant new characters that are hard to be sympathetic with, combined with (2) emotional manipulation, giving you hopes and then wiping them out, and (3) grotesque scenery, equals the reminder that Danmachi is still lingering around the same cheesy baity tropes.

Second, Cassandra's convoluted prophecy is the only thing that motivated the connection between IV part 1 and part 2. Did it serve more than an excuse to watch a new adventure? No. Team fights are fine, you can feel the loss when they get defeated, but it felt as if the rescue team was foreshadowed by Bell and Ryuu's struggle down at level 37. Much more tense, nerve-racking experience. Indeed, it also had it's redundancies here and there, but the good part lies in the Ryuu-Bell dynamic. Some of it resembles the way they behaved since they met in the previous parts, some seem to be similar to the way Bell was towards a girl or another, in the rescue-hero trope, but what tickled my fancy was the growth of love between them. Knowing Danmachi as a dis-interested watcher, I wouldn't use big words to describe something that could easily be thrown to the trash bin in an upcoming season, where Ryuu is replaced by a new woman in Bell's harem. But I think (and hope) the producers realized that hareming the protagonist isn't the way to go. And on this reading, the bits that sparked this season are related to the monogamy of the pair. While Ryuu faces her past demons and actual challenges, Bell grows and learns through her words and wisdom. Instead, he provides her with a point of stability that keeps them from going desperate. What made me love SOMETHING about Danmachi finally was in those few moments of silence, of closed bodies, of gentle touches, of realizing that there is another next to you, and he appreciates you in that moment of isolation and suffocating pressure. Not to diminish other thrilling moments, like the knockout the rescue team felt while fighting Trisbaena, Ryuu's bittersweet memories, the short return of the monsters and the bursts of motivation from characters like the smith and the amazonian, but it all felt without a purpose (except leveling up, but that is already a feature that doesn't weigh as much as it did in season 1), were it not for the relationship that developed between the elf and the human. Indeed, the remains of the things I dislike in general about Danmachi are brought up when they return home. The gigs are welcome, but I can't help but to find Hestia and Liliruca the most obnoxious pricks that almost made me drop the series. But the fact that they kept the dynamic of Ryuu-Bell after they return to the surface shows that it wasn't all for nothing, all the fighting and suffering, it was for love, something previously explored in a superficial way. I am looking at Haruhime and Ais in this regard. The ending where Ryuu acknowledged her feelings for Bell was very beautiful, and I wish they will respect her feelings in the future seasons. Comparing her situation to the previous love interests, I would say Ryuu is a rework of the Haruhime plot that pretty much got abandoned due to how bad it went. But the Ais side is problematic, since it's the starting drive of the series for Bell. Would she remain a sole model for him, or would she contend to replace Ryuu as the significant other? What does Bell feel about it? Personally, it would be an interesting plot to see the Ais vs Ryuu antagonism, but after all the build up of this season, and the beautiful interactions between Ryuu and Bell, I really hope that her words about "respecting him as a human" is nothing of a friendzone but an invitation to respectfully love eachother. But that's completely subjective. If it remains a friendzone one way or another, it's clear that the producers didn't learn anything from what made the broad audience dislike the series. If it develops further, it will catch my interest.

Third, a little praise for the animation, relative to the previous works. Can't say I am a fan of any Danmachi fight up to this day, since my only decent impression was of Aisha fighting no matter the image quality. They kind of always made sure she had good scenes (as for Ais). Can't say that this season was lacking good animation either. Clearly there were a lot of scenes way better made than similar ones before. But they still lack the water-like feeling of organic action, and some fights are overly-dramatic still. They kept the music and sounds in harmony with the plot, and overall this season could be labeled as "catchy". You see it, you recognize it, you remember some of it. So it's unlike what we've seen so far in this respect as well.

So in retrospect, Danmachi is a project that went in too many directions and lost a lot of character in the process. IV.2 provides us with a new foundation for the identity of the series. Fight for purpose, for protecting something dear to you, for love. That is brilliant and already original! Because there is no one same way to love and to tell this story. And the pair of Ryuu and Bell is pretty well made. This show doesn't have to give up it's current strengths in order to be more relevant. The gigs, the drama, the action are as important as the purpose. Hopefully, it will stick to the purpose they chose this season for the further iterations.

Personal favor to ask: Please kill Hestia already. At least her. I allow it. That should solve at least 50% of the show problems.

Out of hope for a better future, it's an 8/10.

This series was something that as I returned to just because of the nostalgia bit. Told myself I would watch the finale, the same way I swore in grade school I would watch Naruto, Bleach, One Piece to the very end. (Of course, that doesn't imply any obligation towards movies, spin-offs, legacies and so on.) What could I say, other than the fact that I enjoyed one or two battles and reunions, there isn't much of that nostalgia brought back in here. The show oscillates between couple fillers, couple interesting episodes, but this gamble actually killed some expected interactions, some reunions got lost in the ... filler spectrum of events, training for relevant battles sometimes is expected to be imagined, the alternative stories struggle to make a point or to become relevant, and some characters are so empty of their nostalgic originality that it's depressing to watch.

Other than the fact that the show is ridiculous as it always was (what can you do, that's the risk of the job), some fights are decent enough, some bonding moments are heartwarming and you're happy that everyone's happy and almost everything stays the same even after the end.

Maybe they do a better job to close the curtain in the next short series about Ash, who knows?

Overall, on one hand I am thankful that I got to see the end, on another it was pretty much no difference if I didn't. Thank you, Pokemon, for that reunion that I expected at the end, that made my day, but it wasn't enough for the whole impression. No thank you for the new side stories, fillers and redundant dialogues, zero real character development on the humans, and arguably on the Pokemons too, since getting new moves isn't relevant to character development in almost any way.

It's a company. This it how it makes money. The previous seasons are almost no different. But take a look back at the first few seasons, and you will see a huge difference. Just stop getting it mediocre scores or better because of the nostalgia bait. It incentivizes it to create further crap content, and you are directly responsible for it.

3/10 with huge efforts and bound by nostalgia, otherwise 1/10.

GTO: The romanticism of school life and manhood, of growing up, pushing yourself to the boundaries of moral conduit in order to do preserve morality itself. If it were about a sentence, this would be the best description.

Starting in reverse order, an open hearted experience will leave you wanting to be there, to stick around with those students and O. It will make you nostalgic as if it were a story of your school days, and the students were your colleagues. You don't want the show to end, you don't want things to change. Tell me Urumi is not your favorite character. Kikuchi, not the ... most reliable character besides the protagonist himself. Fuyutsuki, the spiritual aim of one's passions - tell me that isn't the best name out of all the character names. Tomoko, the silly beauty, Noboru, the growing shonen, Kunio, the brave son, Miyabi, the insecure troublemaker, Hiroshi, the protective father, and the list goes on. Everyone is likeable, everyone has it's problem. They learn, develop and grow. This is a show about growth, about actions having consequences, about responsibility presented through absurd courses of events.

Maybe the reception at the launch was different. This show is silly, left handed, of a poor quality relative to today's expectations. Some stunts and comedy pieces are cheap, the action is simplistic and the story abrupt. Doesn't that make it one of the best shows in history of anime already? For me it does. The cheap elements are instrumental for the moral of the story. The audience shouldn't have expectations to begin with. That is because you will be met with bits of comedy, drama, action, elements of real life and an atmosphere full of romanticism.

O is there to teach extracurricular lessons, since he's unable to act like a "proper" sensei. Indeed, he is the embodiment of the school of life type. His character is lacks common morals, he sets a bad example from an outsider pov, he's irresponsible and easy to fool. But is that it? Because at the same time he is very moral in his purposes, caring for the students more than for his own life, he becomes an example to follow because he lifts other people up from their misery and self pity, and shows them the joy of life, he is responsible because he takes upon himself the acts that his student's can't bear upon themselves (partly because of the laws, partly because of their initial stage of their character), and he is never fooled without making justice to those who wronged him. This duality makes up the comical element of the show, with scenes that are intentionally dumb, while others are hilarious once you get to know the context. To add to this some flavor, the predictability of the humor makes it even better.

Maybe this show's flaws aged well, and the current generations have the blessing of having contemporary examples to compare GTO with. GTO isn't G because it's an old series, because we need to admit how bad was the visual result. Neither is it because anime fans grew tired of redundant isekais and mostly fantasy anime content (plots that aren't IRL, or that have a relaxed manner that doesn't teach you anything - compared to GTO, the epitome of relaxation, that teaches you life lessons through exaggerated acts while making you laugh out loud.) GTO is G because it convinces you you were there. You learned those lessons, you rooted for those colleagues, you went past your issues, and you matured alongside O. And it is one of few down to earth shows in that sense. It's motto is: " Be real." That involves thorough honesty, dedication, respecting your words, being moral, cheering for your peers, taking responsibility and growing to be a real man. I think these types of messages are increasingly needed today.

GTO is an amazing shot at comedy, personal development, cheap, but effective entertainment and education about how to live a good life. I dig it. I miss it. I want to go back to it. It's such a breath of fresh air compared to most contemporary shows. It doesn't necessarily make you crave more, but rather to crave less anime and go out and live your life. Which should be the point of any anime if there is a worthy point to be made. Catchy music, romantic cliches, entertainment, good drama and comedy. It feels real.

Score: 10/10, no regrets, there is bias, there are flaws, but that's how it should be. It's perfect. Go out and have fun!

There is a particular sensibility that stays true to the original work while departs from it in a fresh but honest reproduction to be found here. Personal experience and Original Version comparisons aside, assessing Die Neue These as a standalone art piece, as well as Sakubou for the present matter, would prove that, although rare, there are still good animated productions that seek to provide learning experiences. But maybe "learning" is not what makes this art piece beautiful. Rather, one could learn contextually anything, but this show educates the audience. And the smaller the audience, the higher the contrast with the quality of the work! ... The sensibility of the dialogue, music, drama, tension, action and pacing is of very high quality. The producers and directors, as well as the companies involved in the serialization of Sakubou should be praised, because they created something that not many are lucky to inquire about. The beauty of this rarity is that it has the potential to be discovered by lots of people.

Every new layer of Die Neue These becomes more complex because of the relation it bears with itself, previous parts, whole series and Original Version as well. But only starting from it as an isolated work can one assess it's strengths and weaknesses relative to the other works or parts.

Although I took my time finishing this part, I have lots of good memories with it. We start in the midst of battle, with Kempf threatening the Alliance. Not long ago we remember his departure from his children and wife, and his promise of return to his family. The tragedy of his death is motivated by his refusal to return home defeated, with a 1/5 of his fleet remaining. His death as the very subtle effect of sending off his people. On the surface it seems reckless, but he actually leaves behind with a paternal care his peers and family, to protect them. He dies seeing his family one last time, in a heartbreaking scene. This is the scar that Mueller has to bear with his future resentment coming to fruition on the battlefield. Aside from the sorrow of Kempf's family, his death gives reason to an increase in Mittermeyer's and Reuenthal's skepticism towards Reinhard's reign.

Through the political intrigues sewed by Phezzan, Reinhard acts accordingly to his trusted admirals' skepticism, by using Phezzan and innocent lives to achieve dominance. His securing of Annerose, as well as the manipulation of Erwin Josef, treated as a tool of trade, and the death of innocent lives by his hand settle the precedence of his hidden, tyrannical reign that fills the void left by the departure of Kircheis.

The other side of the Galaxy looks shallow on the surface, but boils inside because of the actions of the Empire. While suspecting a potential threat, Yang has to reconcile with having Julian on board. Because of circumstances, Julian must travel to Phezzan. There is a big difference to be felt between his presence next to Yang, and Yang's behavior in Julian's absence. The second half of the season presents the struggles Yang has in the absence of his pupil. While episode eight gives us a heartwarming experience meant to reconcile their parting ways, the end of the season could be understood as Yang's doubts about Julian's leave coming to fruition.

But there is a lot more going on in this season. There is a lot of character-affirming dialogue, revealing motives and critical, technical and emotional assessment by the characters over their circumstances. On the Phezzan side, we see a reflection of the whole allegiance in the artificial conflict between Rubinsky and his son, Rupert, a shallow relationship resembling that between Phezzan and the Alliance. We see bounding moments between the main characters, on one side Hildegard towards Reinhard, in an effort to soothe the "unscrupulous" behavior of the future tyrant, and on the other side, Frederica's warmth towards Yang in an attempt to ease his separation anxiety from Julian. The fight emerges by the end of the season, with a spectacular fight between the Fortress and the Empire fleet, on one hand, and Walter versus Reuenthal, on the other. The finale is tragic in it's juxtaposition of social glory and death of one's self, as Reinhard's new reign over the Phezzan Corridor crowns him as a victorious kaiser, and while the music and surroundings suggest earthly glory, his dedication to Kircheis makes the scene a shallow tragedy. Although Reinhard isn't a scary character, the final scene suggests a contradiction in his feelings and way of being, which will determine the new kaiser outlook.

Overall the art, music, dialogue, scenery, pace, narration, characters, motivations, justifications and design are impressive and an inquiry into their creation is both educating and fascinating to pair with the following of the story. A great 10/10.

Nice.

Finished in one day.

(Almost) perfect animation.

Strong story, strong characters, almost all of them are likeable. Spade best boy.

Beautiful attempts at different allegories, it felt like watching a traditional fairy tale.

... Amazing resolution. Creating a new kingdom. Shiawase philosophy. The engagement. Gatekeeping friendship.

Last remark on why this works: beautiful monomyth, amazing characters, amazing animation, amazing sound, it doesn't disappoint.

But there are some things unsettled. Perhaps it is the scope of the next season to clear up the blurriness.

First, not all wrongdoers are punished evenly. Some are punished by death, others by love, others by indifference. Because of this, there remain some unsolved, apparently small, but actually deep problems. There is the problem of "the bad match up". How will Bojji overcome it? What happens to Hades? Does Miranjo save the monster? Can she release the curse over Ouken? Will Bojji have to fight the monster?
Second, for the more sensitive audience, where is the morality of the story? Some people simply switch off gears in the middle of a crisis. Their motivations are justified, but the switches aren't. It feels more like the narrator's free will than the characters'. Some deeds are forgiven almost without punishments. It felt like free gratification, the same way a child that does something wrong for the first time instantly says 'I'm sowwy.' He might have learned that saying things will get him results, but that's just a tiny portion of the bigger picture. The same can be addressed to when Daida returns, Apeas wakes up and so on. Why are they gratified so easily? Don't dare "power of friendship" this argument.
Third, from the spiritual point of view, of course there is a shiny heaven when the giant departs, but the rest is hell. Fairy tales seldomly excel in painting moral-spiritual pictures, but rather occult ones. The boy has a shadow friend, one of his protectors has a snake and the witch wants to make up to the devil incarnate. I never understood this heresy of the Japanese to 'fuck the devil out of love', but that's just me. Why not a pile of mush instead? Why not have a star as a friend, the sun, a weak but sturdy butterfly, a shinier picture? It works for the blurring of who's straight bad and straight good, I grant that's done well, but there are scenes that actually add to a moral confusion that doesn't find any solution. And confusing for the sake of confusing is an amateur take at what a story should achieve. The self-serving argument that "it was the narrator intent" at discrediting looks in favor of essences is also unconvincing since whatever the intent was it created a couple ambiguities that another season won't do justice to, but I digress.

The relation between Hiling and Bojji, Spade and Bojji, Bebin and his snakes, Shadow and his mother, Dorshe and Hiling, Hades and Spade, and so on, are amazing gems to cherish.
I see why this would be a tearjerker. It wasn't for me. But I felt it anyway. Too bad for the confusing elements, otherwise I feel like I just witnessed a masterpiece.

Best of luck for the second season, if there is one.

Update: one day after, I already miss it. I changed my review from 8 to 9 based on this. I will really be upset without a season 2.

9/10

Let's begin with the conclusion.

In the end tastes reveal better if this series works individually or is a collective mess. I became disappointed the more I got involved with this series because I cherished those moments that made me smile / laugh and there was nothing new this season for me. And I wish there were more things in it's favor. I hope it is for everyone else, or at least for most people, because for me this doesn't work. While the overall score might account for art and sound, the final assessment will be 1/10, because neither the art, nor the sound, amplify, go ... hand in hand with, or strengthen characters, plots, the atmosphere and they don't compensate for my disappointment in the Komi-san experience. I wish I loved it more, identify with it, laugh, smile and be more affectionate watching it. I really do and perhaps I invested too much attention in a rush and I deprived myself of the things that made others satisfied so far. And I'm certain some love this series. If this is you, I wish you to cherish it even further.

It's an anime of chuckles and casual walking in the shoes of someone who's struggling. You either empathize and struggle yourself, or you watch as an outsider and become anxious seeing someone struggle.

With that out of the way, here's what I think are some strengths and weaknesses in what we've seen until episode 8.

Story wise, there is a main romantic plot, where the focus is on the Komi, the audience appeal, and Shonen-san that's the cliche audience representative, in a basic, but sweet interaction here and there. There isn't a tremendous jump from the first season to the actual situation between them because this series doesn't rely on the narrative as an essential feature. The subplots are obviously those of the people that Komi befriends. There's a consensus on how Komi's friends view her, with variations based on their particularities (like how the lesbian, the bully or the otaku interact with her - and how they react on the inside). So far the season doesn't add much so far in terms of how people perceive Komi (except her family and Shonen-san). Instead, we're delighted with bits of quirky, but with pleasant outcomes, of social interactions.
Aside from the romantic elements, we have comedy bits as well as narrative social explanations of the series communication disorder. What we do see more this season is more cringe worthy characters that are so quirky that you almost ask whether you're not actually watching My Hero Academia, but without super powers. (Not that I would ever watch that show, but you got to admit the physiognomies are similar.) Do these new characters add relevance to the plot? Barely. Does Komi achieve her goal? Yes, she's on the right track. Is she closer to Shonen-san? If quantity beats quality, then yes, she has more instances of interacting with him. Is there anything worth making a separate season about in this regard? Yes, more quantities of Komi, comedy, school life in a good animation work for some. But it doesn't work for everyone.

Story: 1/10

There isn't anything wrong with the artwork, it's fine and it works. Maybe the opening to me as good visually as the one from the previous season, but the ending is enjoyable to watch multiple times. There are no excesses in colors, and the variations are diverse enough in order to make one engaged.

Art: 6/10

The sounds are predictable at times, the songs are pleasant, nothing is too remarkable but there's nothing wrong with it. I wouldn't say I can recall bits, except for the typical piano playing when they're at school, and the cheesy music when the romantic moments trigger. I have nothing against it, but there's nothing remarkable overall. The sounds Komi and her family make are a bit annoying after you watch everything so far.

Sound: 4/10

Characters are pretty well defined from the time they make an appearance. Sure there is beef between certain characters, or between them and Komi, but there's nothing that affects the plot in a fundamental way. Komi is reaching her goal little by little, she is more familiar to Shonen-san than in the first episode of previous season, but there's nothing outstanding about the current situation. If you put certain characters together, you know what outcomes are possible, and the repetition of their behaviors almost becomes annoying at times. Yes, people have disorders, some have quirks, but do we have to call everything a disorder? What about the fact that the premise of the show hasn't been even questioned throughout it? I'm still waiting any reactions towards the fact that Komi's family, except the mom, is behaving like her, without the narrator pointing to them as 'disordered' as well. Neither are they responsible. And no one makes them responsible. Is it a biotic disorder then? No, it's social, we're supposed to guess. Then what makes this social issue a disorder? Because Komi-san has it! And she's awesome! And her dad, father of awesome Komi-san has it! See how this spirals back in circle? Maybe the narrator will explain sometime in the plot in another season. But that doesn't matter since the issue is presented from the get go without the rationale. There's no criterion of relevance as to 'understand' Komi in neither season. We just have to, cause she's cute, and the show is funny. Therefore, Komi's a tool for the promotion of an assumed disorder. As much as I enjoy her moments of kindness to others, her struggle and her passion for Shonen-san, I can't really care for her. Actually she becomes more and more annoying, the same way it's annoying for someone to tell you 'your room is dirty' everyday without ever bothering to help you or advise you in how to clean your mess. And the rest of the characters are even less likeable at best. Shonen-san is composed at times, but his role is almost non-existent except for the romance plot. And if I were to say that this or that character is important, it's important diminishes the more characters with quirks are introduced every episode or so. So for me, the development of characters seems to be lackluster.

Character development 1/10

Why would someone love this series? It's pleasant in some ways. It inspires empathy towards people with disabilities, which is a wonderful moral thing to have. Friendship, despite differences and individual quirks, is amazing and this series has that. This particular season? More cute Komi feet and humor. And more appeal to those that actually have similar quirks to the characters that Komi befriends. The music is pleasant, the visuals are decent, it's a decent school comedy.

Why would someone be appalled by this series? It's monotonic, repetitive, it leads almost to nowhere. We're informed of a disorder we didn't know was considered as such, which actually trivializes what disorders are. Almost all characters have quirks, and the cringe increases with every new character, and this is bad because you know what to expect in every scene they appear, and there's nothing new to them once they're introduced. There's nothing too moral. It's an exposition of: cute girl(s), social quirks, emotive teenagers, lack of meaning, lack of interrogation, lack of responsibility, no hard consequences of character actions and so on. And hahaha that moment in the last 5 episodes was actually funny. Right. The genre is comedy. To me, this is one of many instances in which diversity makes things tasteless, let alone funny. There are occasions of humor which are at best worthy of smiles (I laughed a couple of times and I indeed continue to watch this.) And regardless of how the protagonist is misrepresented, having increasing friends that are so weird would make me want to shut myself inside mom's basement forever. Who would actually want non-dependable fake snowflake friends that actually want you for their dirty desires and for your looks? What I'm trying to say is that, if it's supposed to be 'haha', then there is a fine line between bad taste and actual humor given the multitude of quirks we're introduced, and I believe the author didn't actually chose which way he sides with and promotes better, so the series remains suspended between 'hot' and 'cold'.

The other question I ask myself with each new episode is: is it warranted that the author makes me feel so uncomfortable throughout each episode in order to offer me a bit of 'relief' at the end where Komi actually makes something more relevant? Seems like every new episode is a new artificial dread, like a sort of drug, that I must be thankful for in order to receive under a minute of relief at the end of the episode (maybe Komi musters some words, yells, makes a romantic gesture, at the pace of a snail or turtle). Am I supposed to dump my pants when she exhibits regular human gestures? I feel like the author is playing with us thinking we're significantly more stupid since we consume this content. Unfortunately, the simp brigade only validates this interpretation to everyone else's shame.

Enjoyment: As much as I am committed to follow this until the end, I will tend towards 1/10 unfortunately.

P.S. for the Komi simps: I watch every episode of this series, relax.

Overall: 2.3/10