Nov 27, 2024
Assassin's Creed: China
(Manga)
add
Assassin's Creed: The Blade of Shao Jun is an extended literature surrounding the events depicted in the side scroller game "Assassin's Creed Chronicles China (try out the game if you are bored, it's fun). For those very thorough with the lore of the Game franchise, Shao Jun will come across as an "underrated" or "underused" character. This manga attempts to strengthen the lore behind her, but there's only so little to start with. For general readers, who have no idea who these characters are, maybe there is something in store. But for those who know Shao Jun from the game or from the short film
...
Feb 12, 2023
No doubt "Bubble" had high production value. The visuals are stunning and the music is the best thing this movie had to offer. But beyond good animation and scintillating music, there's little to comprehend about this movie. In a way you could compare this with some of Makoto Shinkai's recent movies, especially "Your name" and "Weathering with you". All three boast great visuals, music and have a mysterious, supernatural backdrop/premise. But in the case of Your name and Tenki no ko, the main story gelled well with the background setting. In Bubble however, the story is all over the place. At one stage, it doesn't
...
Jan 9, 2022
Sword Art Online II
(Anime)
add
SAO II shares the same positives and negatives of its predecessor, but I feel it's an improvement from where the the show left at the end of the first season. The world of Gun Gale online is a breath of fresh air after the ALO debacle. A new character is introduced, and it's a nice addition too. The second arc (Excalibur) is a bit of a let down, the writing went nowhere and I could not help but feel that the series was better off that arc. Kirito, who suffered a lot from poor writing in the previous season, gets a little better but I
...
Dec 27, 2021
Urasekai Picnic
(Anime)
add
Urasekai picnic has one of those stories where if you buy into the idea, you will watch it or else you'll drop it right off the bat. And sadly as the show progresses, it makes the watching harder, even for those who bought into it in the first place. The story isn't too bad but bringing in urban legends after urban legends, it starts to get boring. Characters are not that well written. For example, they try to set up a relationship dynamic between the two main characters but then they shy away. It's too unclear and inconsistent. It's a weird experience altogether. Special mention
...
Nov 29, 2021
Sword Art Online
(Anime)
add
I watched this is in 2021, just a year before when the events of SAO start to happen in the story. And still I found the premise to be attractive, I could only think of how appealing it would have been in 2012 (back when the show was released). But having a brilliant premise does just half the job, and after watching the anime you cannot help but wonder if this is how you really would make a palpable story out of a very good premise. But this isn't SAO-I's only problem. The show's pacing is inconsistent throughout the entirety of the first season. The
...
Nov 24, 2021
Tenki no Ko
(Anime)
add
Just like the director's previous works, this one looks visually stunning. Rainy Tokyo was so beautiful to watch, despite its chaotic reality. However, the movie reminded me of "Kimi no na wa." for like, uncountable times. At times, these resemblances work, but for the most part, it just made me appreciate "Kimi no na wa." It greatly reduces the re-watch potential. The characters are poorly written, their aspirations and actions so similar to you know yes "that movie" that it's almost impossible for you to look at this movie without bringing in Kimi no na wa. At the end, it's a "Kimi no na wa
...
Nov 24, 2021
Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun
(Anime)
add
Bottom tier Character tomozaki (in english) is a not bad interpretation of life as a video game with levelling systems. Whilst most stories I have come across tend to unintentionally glorify introversion, this one focuses more on how to make amends with it. The characters are not all that memorable but that's not a problem at all. However I couldn't help but feel once in a while if high school students would really get this philosophical over something that's connate for us. At the end, I feel the series took itself more seriously than it should have, especially the later episodes of the anime.
Nov 24, 2021
Sometimes I felt the writer had a much profound and intricate backdrop but that was never used for any good, throughout the series. At the end, it just feels like a missed opportunity. Nevertheless I found it enjoyable, the characters are memorable too. Sakuta is not the best of protagonists but he is not making the watching experience any more worse. Mai is the actual main character, and is more likeable than Sakuta. They could have made better use of this so called "adolescence syndrome" though. To conclude, it's not as serious as it's premise projects itself to be, at least that's what I felt.
|
