Overview:
Not matter how much of a mystery buff you may be, or how many detective stories you have read or seen over the years, I can guarantee that you have never watched a series quite like "Hyouka". Rather than following a hard-boiled detective who investigates murders in a crime-ridden city or countryside, "Hyouka" instead follows a group of teenagers investigating various mysteries around their school. This unique premise proves to be both the show's greatest strength and biggest weakness, resulting in a series that's certainly worth watching, but far from the best of its kind.
Story (7.5/10):
The protagonist of "Hyouka" is Houtarou Oreki, a lazy teenage
...
boy who has recently enrolled in Kamiyama High School as a first-year student and makes a point of not doing anymore than he needs to- as he puts it, if he doesn't have to do something, he won't do it and if he has to, he'll do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for Houtarou, the moment he enters high school, he gets hit with something he has to do, namely become part of a club that his older sister was once a part of (the Classic Literature Club, to be precise) in order to prevent it from being shut down. Once at the club room, Houtarou meets Eru Chitanda, another first-year who has also joined the club for her own personal reasons. Very intelligent and incredibly curious, Eru is someone who can't stop thinking about mysteries until they've been solved, and so Houtarou can kiss his chances of living a peaceful, relaxing school life goodbye, since he just happens to be very good at answering questions. From there, the story follows these two high school students, along with Houtarou's friends from middle school Satoshi Fukube and Mayaka Ibara, as they uncover the causes of various incidents around their school, and occasionally the village they live in.
In addition to being unlike any other mystery series out there, "Hyouka" sets itself apart from most other school life anime as well. It does this by tackling various themes that most other anime of its kind wouldn't even think twice about, like the line between standing up for what you believe in and just throwing a tantrum over nothing, and how what seems like the former when you're young can feel like the latter when you get older. It also deals with the consequences of humility, and how those who don't recognize that they're special or have talent often end up hurting those who aren't as fortunate. The latter theme in particular is one I never expected to be explored in an anime of all things, and one set in modern-day Japan no less, since taking pride in or even acknowledging your own strengths and accomplishments completely goes against standard Japanese social norms. The majority of the series is divided into three major arcs, all of which are in some way connected to Kanya-sai, the Kamiyama High School culture festival that's held every autumn and widely seen as the biggest event the school has. Each of the three arcs have a core mystery that the main character are compelled to solve, and each of these mysteries are just as compelling as the one before them.
The story's problems are small, but numerous. For one, while the arcs of the series are really compelling and satisfying, some of the standalone episodes, particularly the early ones, are as dull as dish water, dealing with incredibly mundane mysteries like "Why was the room locked with somebody in it?" or "Why does a book keep getting taken out by different people?". There was actually a time or two when I felt really let down from watching such a boring episode straight off the heels of a really interesting one. Additionally, as great as the arcs are, I noticed after a while that they tend to follow something of a pattern, with Houtarou having apparently solved the mystery at a certain point only for it to be revealed afterwards that he was either way off-base or didn't go far enough. While this does allow for more complex storytelling, the fact still remains that by the third arc I could literally predict that there was something Houtarou had missed once he was convinced he had gotten the answer. What's more is that the third arc actually ends when there's just under a quarter of the series left to go, and while the last few episodes are certainly better than earlier standalone episodes, the series ultimately fails to truly wrap things up, either narratively or thematically, though it certainly doesn't help that "Hyouka" was originally a series of novels, with the anime only covering the first four.
Art & Animation (9/10):
As is expected of a Kyoto Animation project, "Hyouka" is a fantastic-looking series. Not only are the character models and environments incredibly smooth and detailed almost all of the time, but the series also makes great use of visual effects whenever Houtarou is making deductions. Notably, the series almost never reuses the same type of visuals, and instead uses different types for each mystery, which generally depend on what kind of mystery it is and what kind of deductions are being made. All in all, "Hyouka" is yet another piece of evidence that KyoAni go above and beyond when it comes to animation.
Sound & Dialogue (8/10):
"Hyouka"'s soundtrack is pretty average overall, with no real standout tracks that I can think of. The opening and ending themes are watchable, but none of them are really what I would call great, except maybe the first opening "Yasahisa no Riyu". The voice acting is good, but the dub consists mainly of voice actors that were fairly new to the industry at the time, with the exceptions of some veterans like Caitlin Glass and Alexis Tipton. That said, I did really like the performances from the two lead actors Adam Gibbs and Madeleine Morris, with Eru serving as the latter's breakout role. As a whole, the sound design gets the job done, but nothing really beyond that.
Characters (7.5/10):
Houtarou has been described as "Sherlock Holmes as a high school student", and for good reason. He's rather socially inept and generally apathetic, but his way of thinking is incredibly logical, and frequently allows him to figure out all kinds of things via tiny details. Unlike Sherlock, however, Houtarou is incredibly humble about his talents, often writing off his deductions as just him getting lucky, though the people around him can tell he's not giving himself enough credit. That said, while pushing him into solving a mystery is very possible, especially if you're Eru, Houtarou's determination to conserve as much energy as he can is still hard-wired into his being. As such, he'll often consider a mystery solved even when there's clearly something he missed (which really bites him in the ass in one particular arc), and he often has to have an inconsistency pointed out to him by someone else. Unfortunately, much like Yuichi Aizawa in "Kanon", Houtarou's backstory is overall pretty lacking despite him being the protagonist, with the exact reasoning behind his "energy conservation" habits being hinted at but never actually revealed. In short, he's an interesting and likeable protagonist, but I've definitely seen better.
My favourite character in the anime would have to be Eru (with Houtarou being my second). It's established in the first episode that she comes from a really wealthy family (one of the four wealthiest around the area the series is set), but in spite of this, Eru is easily the nicest character in the series, being able to get along with and befriend just about anyone. Of course, her defining trait is her curiosity, to the point of having "I have to know!" as her catchphrase, with Houtarou eventually being able to predict when she's going to say it. Eru is so obsessed with mysteries, in fact, that she approaches even the most mundane aspects of life as a mystery to be solved, an example being when she's trying to figure out why a teacher of hers picked the wrong lesson to teach the class one day. Houtarou even suggests that she simply ask the teacher himself how he made the mistake, but she refuses because, in her own words, that would take all the fun out of it. In other words, she has a complexity addiction. However, rather than this being a serious character flaw that eventually blows up in her face (as it is with practically any other character who has it), in Eru's case, this never becomes anything more than a harmless vice. Her only real flaw is her naivety, as while she's really intelligent and certainly not lacking in social graces, she tends to assume the best of situations even when there's clear evidence to the contrary. Ultimately, Eru is just a very lovable character all around, even if she can be a little annoying at times.
Then there's Satoshi Fukube, Houtarou's best friend who can easily be summed up as the John Watson to his Sherlock. In contrast to Houtarou's apathy, Satoshi is generally very cheerful and friendly, though he's also more grounded and realistic than Eru. A self-proclaimed "database", Satoshi is very knowledgeable about a lot of subjects, though he's of next to no use when it comes to actually providing answers, even outright stating on multiple occasions that it's not his function to draw conclusions. He mainly serves as comic relief until the final quarter of the series, where several facets of his character being suddenly cast in a much more serious, somber light than before. Lastly, there's Mayaka Ibara, a girl who's known Houtarou and Satoshi for about as long as they've known each other, and has a crush on the latter, which doesn't really go anywhere despite Satoshi being aware of it. While Mayaka does do a good job at rounding up the main cast, she sadly is nowhere near as likeable or interesting as Eru, Houtarou or Satoshi, and ultimately she doesn't get a lot of focus. She's also surprisingly childish, even for a teenager, being very short-tempered and having a tendency to blow a fuse over the tiniest of things, in contrast to the other three who only get angry on very rare, specific occasions.
Besides the main four, "Hyouka" also has a pretty large supporting cast. One such example is Houtarou's older sister, Tomoe, a graduate from Kamiyama and the one who convinced Houtarou to join the Classic Lit. Club in the first place. Tomoe is noted to be even smarter than her brother, as well as being much more cheerful, with Houtarou even calling her "the queen of sunshine". Unfortunately, despite Tomoe being the whole reason the series is even possible, her character remains largely a mystery over the series to the point that I can't even put a face to her name- and I mean that literally, since she's only ever seen from the mouth down, so it's never actually revealed what she looks like. There are a bunch of other characters I could talk about, but doing so risks spoiling huge parts of the series, so I think it's best to just end the section here.
Enjoyment (7.5/10):
For a down-to-earth anime set in high school, "Hyouka" is surprisingly dark, especially when compared to other school life anime produced by KyoAni. While humour is indeed present, it tends to be very gentle and low-key and the series definitely isn't opposed to showing the uglier parts of humanity, with several characters' actions being portrayed as really petty despite them seeing their actions as righteous and the series dealing with things like manipulation and blackmail. The arcs also tend to have highly bittersweet endings, and there's even one case of "the bad guy wins".
Overall:
"Hyouka" is definitely far from being a masterpiece- its music is passable at best, several episodes left me bored to tears and it ultimately ends before it can really make the most out of its unique themes. Yet despite these shortcomings, it's still a very likeable, interesting and unique anime with fantastic visuals, clever, complex storytelling, likeable, well-rounded characters, making this well worth a look for any mystery or slice-of-life fan.
Score:
7.5+9+8+7.5+7.5=39.5/50=7.9/10
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Mar 26, 2025 Recommended
Overview:
Not matter how much of a mystery buff you may be, or how many detective stories you have read or seen over the years, I can guarantee that you have never watched a series quite like "Hyouka". Rather than following a hard-boiled detective who investigates murders in a crime-ridden city or countryside, "Hyouka" instead follows a group of teenagers investigating various mysteries around their school. This unique premise proves to be both the show's greatest strength and biggest weakness, resulting in a series that's certainly worth watching, but far from the best of its kind. Story (7.5/10): The protagonist of "Hyouka" is Houtarou Oreki, a lazy teenage ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 24, 2025
Kiddy Grade
(Anime)
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Overview:
Similar to "Solty Rei", "Kiddy Grade" is a 2000s science-fiction anime produced by the rather unpopular anime studio Gonzo, one that you are unlikely to have heard of unless you're a big fan of sci-fi or Gonzo, with me just happening to come across the series by complete coincidence. While it does ultimately suffer from many of the same problems as most other anime from the studio, "Kiddy Grade" nevertheless has enough originality and strengths that make it a likeable anime, and I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoyed the series quite a bit. Story (6.5/10): Set in a distant future where humanity has colonized ... many planets across the galaxy (as if any of us haven't heard THAT a thousand times before), "Kiddy Grade" revolves primarily around the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs (or GOTT, for short), a universal police force created to fight back against the crime rate that has grown just as much as the technology used by humanity has. Within this organization, there is a special (and secret) branch known as the ES Force (ES standing for "Encounter of Shadow-work"), consisting of twelve physically young people who each possess some kind of special power and operate in teams of two. Two such agents are our main characters, Éclair and Lumiere, whom the story follows as they go on various missions for the GOTT, and gradually learn that there is more to the organization they're working for than meets the eye. Gonzo anime tend to be very slow-paced in their first half before picking up in the second, and "Kiddy Grade" is no exception to this, with the first half of the series following a largely episodic format that doesn't really provide anything apart from character introductions (which tend to happen one after another without the show taking the time to develop the characters) and some world-building. Notably, Éclair has lost the majority of her memories, but this isn't even revealed until the fourth episode, and it doesn't even become truly relevant until the midway point of the series. In general, the series has a lot of plot points that, while fairly interesting on their own, don't really go all that well together, with many of the connections between them being superficial at best and non-existent at worst. As for the individual episodes of the series, they tend to range between good, decent and just plain bad. Most of the good episodes are near the end of the series, while most of the bad episodes are towards the start, so the series has a definite "gets better as you go" vibe to it. Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword, as it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to get into the series if you're someone who judges a show by its first few episodes, but you will be rewarded if you're somebody with lots of patience. One more thing I should mention is that the ending, while bad by any means, didn't really leave me satisfied, with all of the events of the series ultimately not changing that much in the grand scheme of things, though of course I won't spoil anything. Art & Animation (7.5/10); "Kiddy Grade"'s visuals are about the same level as I have come to expect from Gonzo, which is to say they are pretty average. The character models and environments are decently drawn, but there are plenty of rough edges to be found as well as plenty of conspicuous CG effects. Not to mention the series has a lot of gratuitous fanservice, with nearly all of the female characters being dressed in highly skimpy outfits because... reasons. This is especially jarring for the ones who are badass crimefighting superhumans, who you would think would be dressed in far more practical outfits. So like I said, the visuals are pretty average overall. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): "Kiddy Grade"'s soundtrack is surprisingly good. The opening and ending themes ("Memories of the Future" by Yuka and "Future" by Little Viking) are both very catchy songs that really fit the tone of the series, and there are quite a few good tracks that play during the episodes themselves. The voice acting, on the other hand, is a bit of a mixed bag. Colleen Clinkenbeard and Monica Rial (two of my favourite anime voice actors) star as the anime's lead duo, but this was at a very early stage in both of their careers and it shows. While Colleen Clinkenbeard does a great job as the cheerful-yet-badass Éclair, Monica Rial's performance as Lumiere is fairly monotone and overall can't even begin to compare to some of her later work. Beyond that, the voice acting tends to range from good to passable, with two of my personal favourite performances being Laura Bailey as Alv (using the same voice she uses for Lust in "Fullmetal Alchemist") and Dameon Clarke as Armblast. Admittedly, the dialogue is pretty bad in places, but overall the sound design stood out as my favourite part of the series. Characters (7/10): While Éclair and Lumiere both serve as the main characters of the series, Éclair is clearly the more dominant of the two. Personality-wise, she's cheerful, kind and dedicated to helping those in need, but also very rash, immature and unprofessional. Of course, that's not to say she isn't good at her job, because she definitely is. Her main weapon in combat is some special lipstick, which sounds ridiculous, but using it she's able to create a powerful whip to fight with, as well as unleash her massive strength by putting it on herself, though this does have the side effect of her not being able to control her strength when its on. She uses this in some surprisingly creative ways over the series, both to fight against enemies and in some cases even to prevent fights from breaking out, showing that while she may be childish, she's far from stupid. However, while amnesiac plots do generally intrigue me, Éclair's story ultimately falls on the weaker end of the spectrum, as it isn't really focused on all that much and never really results in her coming into any kind of conflict about herself. In fact, by the final arc of the series, the story isn't really about Éclair anymore, even if she is still the protagonist. Second in importance is Éclair's partner, Lumiere, who despite her youthful appearance is by far the more mature and intelligent of the duo. On missions, she serves as the brains to Éclair's brawn, having no real fighting abilities but being able to hack into any piece of technology used in the setting. She's also much more refined and feminine than Éclair, and tends to be very critical of her partner's behaviour, to the point that calling out Éclair for her lack of elegance is practically her catchphrase. In general, it's shown in early episodes that Éclair and Lumiere's relationship isn't exactly phenomenal. They seem to care about each other, but during an episode where they have a rare day off, they don't want to spend it together. This is partially because they have conflicting tastes, but Éclair outright states that she would actually rather have one day away from Lumiere, with Lumiere being shown to have the same idea, implying that they would rather avoid each other if they can help it. Of course, just like any anime duo worth their salt, the two women do become a lot closer as the series goes on, and their initially distant relationship is revealed to make a lot of sense once Éclair's past is revealed. Sadly, there isn't all that much to Lumiere that I haven't already said, which isn't helped by her lack of emotional range, and compared to Éclair, she doesn't have much of a character arc, though I did like her overall. As I mentioned above, the GOTT ES force employs a total of 12 people, each of whom have their own unique abilities, whether it's brining back the dead, being unaffected by gravity or controlling electricity. The problem is that none of the other ten agents are given anywhere near as much focus as Éclair or Lumiere, and while that is to be expected since those two are the main characters, the problem is that the series tends to introduce the other pairs of agents one after the other while rarely taking time to actually flesh them out. The episodic nature of the first half doesn't help with this, as there are a few episodes that don't feature any ES agents besides the main duo, so there's only so much time that is spent on the others, which ultimately results in several of their characters going in unexpected directions in the second half that, while interesting, are given very little build-up beforehand. Hell, I actually found myself liking Armblast (a mysterious man with a hidden agenda who often accompanies Éclair and Lumiere on their missions), GOTT's chief Eclipse and her secretary Mercredi more than I did any of the other ten ES agents. Overall, the cast of characters isn't exactly bad, but there's no denying that the series tends to barely focus on or develop a lot of them. Enjoyment (7/10): In the beginning, "Kiddy Grade" is a fairly lighthearted series despite the crime-ridden universe it takes place in, with Éclair and Lumiere almost always managing to solve the problem of the episode without any real consequences, though not all episodes are especially exciting. Furthermore, while the second half of the anime is certainly more interesting, it also deals with some surprisingly dark themes such as the problems faced by an immortal and the selfishness of the wealthy, as well as having some very dark endings. It never becomes too dark, but the depths it sinks to at times can nevertheless be pretty jarring. Overall: "Kiddy Grade" is currently over 20 years old, and sadly it's easy to see why people hardly even talk about it in passing anymore. The story is all over the place, many of the characters are underdeveloped, the art and animation are predictably average and the voice acting and script could definitely be sharper. Even the good parts of the series aren't really things you could find anywhere else, and unless you're a huge science fiction fan, I would definitely not call this series essential viewing. Score: 6.5+7.5+8.5+7+7=36.5/50=7.3/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 20, 2025
Steins;Gate 0
(Anime)
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Note: Given that this is a sequel to the original "Steins;Gate", I will be talking about the latter a lot, which means huge spoilers. Unless you've seen the original, read at your own risk.
Overview: "Steins;Gate" is one of those anime that you never would have imagined needed a sequel. After all, Okabe's story was wrapped up very well in the original series, and we even got to see things from Kurisu's perspective in the movie which felt like a fitting conclusion to the story as a whole. This makes the existence of "Steins;Gate 0" a big (and very pleasant) surprise. Sure, it may fall short in ... a couple of areas compared to its predecessor, but it improves in just as many areas, and overall gives a whole new meaning to "not what we needed, but what we deserved." Story (9/10): A quick word before we get started; there's an assumption here that you're already familiar with the events of the original series. As such, I would definitely recommend watching the first series before you attempt the second. To sum things up, "Steins;Gate 0" is set in an alternate timeline from the original series, where Rintaro Okabe failed to saved Kurisu Makise from her fate due to never receiving the encouraging message from his future self. The result is that Okabe has decided to simply move on with his life, albeit with a serious case of PTSD, and to let the future happen the way it does, despite having been told that World War III will happen if he does nothing. About half a year after his failure, Okabe ends up stumbling into a presentation hosted by two scientists from the university Kurisu attended, fellow neuroscientist Maho Hiyajo and her mentor Alexis Leskinen. The presentation is about Amadeus, an artificial intelligence with the ability to store human memories. After some thought, Okabe agrees to become a tester for this new AI, which proves to be a mistake when he discovers that the one he's been given is based on none other than Kurisu herself. And if that's not enough, another conspiracy involving people after Amadeus soon rears its ugly head, and Okabe soon learns that World War III is probably the LEAST of the things he needs to be concerned about. As good as the story of the original "Steins;Gate" was, it did have its fair share of flaws, like being really dragged out in places, the solution to the ending being rather convenient and the nature of the series meaning the impact of most emotional scenes only lasted so long. "Steins;Gate 0" fixes all of these problems; while the story is still fairly slow-paced in the beginning, it nevertheless gets to the point a lot sooner than its predecessor, and when it does it pretty much never slows down until the end, with nearly every episode building on the one that came before it in unexpected ways. What's more is that due to Okabe's newfound (and completely understandable) disdain for time travel, any horrible thing that happens can't simply be undone by sending a text message back in time, meaning the characters have to really work in order to set things right. What's more is that the Okabe we follow during this entry just so happens to be the Okabe who sent the message back in time to his past self in the original series, with "Steins;Gate 0" being about how he came to the conclusions he did, resulting in his growth over the series feeling a lot more natural (more on that below). On top of that, while World War III was only mentioned in passing in the original series, here we get a good idea of what such a war is like, and believe me, it is absolutely awful. Unfortunately, while the story does a great job of fixing the problems of the original, it also comes with a couple of new problems, though thankfully these are small enough to not matter all that much. For starters, the fact that this was based on a visual novel is a lot more obvious than it was with the original, with the story lacking a lot of information that you can only find by playing the novel due to the latter being a lot less linear than that the original "Steins;Gate". The series also has quite a number of characters ultimately don't contribute all that much, due to the show attempting to include as many characters from the novel as possible even when they have no real reason to be in it. Of course, both of these issues can be explained by the fact that the anime is covering only one of multiple routes (with a few elements from other routes here and there), and there's only so much you can cover while still making the story consistent. As a whole, I would definitely say that the story is as good as the original's, even if it can be very confusing at times. Art & Animation (9/10): Despite airing seven years after the original "Steins;Gate", "Steins;Gate 0"'s visuals are a notable step back in comparison to those of its predecessor, despite them being once again done by White Fox (one of the few times they've ever done a sequel). It uses the same art style as the original, which is good, but there are some moments where character models look very strange and there are some rather stiff and jerky animations here and there. That being said, while the animation may not be as good as that of the original "Steins;Gate", that was nevertheless a very high bar to clear, and it is a really good-looking series overall. Sound & Dialogue (9/10): "Steins;Gate 0"'s soundtrack is great. Of particular note is the new opening theme "Fatima", once again sung by veteran Science Adventure singer Kanako Ito. While there are some definite parallels between it and the previous "Steins;Gate" opening "Hacking to the Gate" (which makes sense, as it was intentionally written as a continuation of that opening's themes), it nevertheless has enough beats to make it stand out as its own song, and a fantastic one at that. Also fantastic are the two ending themes, "Last Game" and "World-Line", the former in particular as it really sells the show's darker tone. The voice acting is just as good as impressive as before, with the entire dub cast of the original series returning to reprise their roles here, with the slight exception of Ashly Burch as Mayuri, who is replaced by Megan Shipman about halfway through, though the difference between their two voices are small enough that this hardly makes a difference. There's some great new talents here as well, including the incredibly versatile Monica Rial as Maho. All in all, the show’s sound design is just as impressive as its predecessor's. Characters (8.5/10): "Steins;Gate 0"'s main strength is how it explores old characters in ways that the original series never did. Take Okabe, for example. Due to his failure to save the woman he loved, Okabe has completely discarded the 'mad scientist' persona he put on for the majority of the original series. The result is that he's now a deeply cynical and fatalistic young man who believes that certain things are set in stone and time is something that humanity was never meant to tamper with. Problem is, this means that he won't even try to prevent World War III, despite having been told by Suzuha that it will happen and the results will be catastrophic (and she knows this for a fact, since she herself has lived it). Even so, it's practically impossible not to sympathise with Okabe given everything he's been through, and things really don't any better for him as the show goes on. Furthermore, since he's no longer a 'mad scientist', we get to see many of his previous actions (e.g. his tendency to give nicknames), cast in a very different, and often somber, light. Thankfully, overtime, we see him gradually develop back into the Okabe we remember, a development that feels a lot more natural than it did in the original. And despite Kurisu being technically dead in this timeline, we get to see a whole new light painted on her as well through the Amadeus AI, who is notably a lot friendlier to Okabe than the real Kurisu was, regularly showing sides to him that the real Kurisu only showed on very rare occasions, though she's still just as sarcastic and prone to teasing as she ever was. The implication is that this is Kurisu's actual self, and she was only as harsh to Okabe as she was because of the absolutely terrible first impression he made. Then there's Mayuri Shiina, Okabe's childhood friend and the very person he sacrificed Kurisu to save. Unlike Okabe and Kurisu, Mayuri is very much the same character she's always been, being very cheerful, kind and childlike. Where she differs is her role in the story, which is far more active than that of the original, not that that would be difficult given that her role in the original basically amounted to a more elaborate example of "damsel in distress". Furthermore, with Kurisu largely out of the picture, it's up to Mayuri to take up the role as Okabe's emotional support, and I have to say she does a really good job at it. Ultimately, however, "0" doesn't make Mayuri a more important character so much as shows just how important a character she was all along, though to say any more would be a huge spoiler. There's also Okabe's best friend Itaru "Daru" Hashida and his daughter from the future Suzuha Amane, who have their relationship explored a lot more here due to Suzuha remaining in Okabe's timeline with the hopes that he'll come around and prevent World War III. In particular, Daru's role as one of the most sane people in the cast (despite being a perverted otaku) is really highlighted here and he gets to show it in the most awesome way possible near the end. In fact, pretty much all of the eight Future Gadget Laboratory members are explored in better detail than they were in the original, with even Ruka being a lot less one-dimensional than before despite his greatly reduced screentime. Of course, up until this point, I've only talked about the characters introduced in the original series. For one example that debuts in this series, Maho Hiyajo particularly comes to mind. Personality-wise, she's a lot like Kurisu, both being scientists with tsundere tendencies and something of a temper, and often act as the straight man in comedic scenes. That said, Maho does have enough differences from Kurisu to stand out as her own character, and considering Maho comparing herself to Kurisu is a recurring problem of hers (due to always feeling like her inferior despite them being friends), the similarities between the two of them were almost certainly intentional. Besides Maho, however, it's very hard to talk about any of the new characters, since nearly all of them are either walking spoilers or don't really contribute anything to the story as a whole, to the point that I didn't really understand why they were even in the series at all. That being said, the characters that are important are ones that I really found myself getting invested in, be they heroes or villains, and overall the improved characterisation is the main strength this entry has over the original. Enjoyment (8.5/10): It's made clear from the very first episode that "Steins;Gate 0" will be a darker ride than that of the original. Not only is Okabe a much more melancholic character this time around, but the danger of World War III happening in the future gives the series a serious feeling of dread. Even so, the series certainly isn't all doom and gloom, as the comic relief of the original is still very much present, if not quite as frequent, and the series is overall more exciting than the original due to the faster pacing. It also manages to end on a very triumphant note, even if the very nature of the series made that a foregone conclusion. Overall: Hear someone mention "Steins;Gate 0" in passing, and you'll probably end up dismissing it as a half-assed attempt to replicate the success of the original. However, you would absolutely be wrong, as "Steins;Gate 0" proves to be just as good as the first series. Sure, not everything gets explained and the inferior animation can be annoying at times, but the darker story, improved characterization and fantastic new music easily makes up for all that. As such, anyone who's seen or enjoyed the original "Steins;Gate" should definitely watch this series as well. Score: 9+9+9+8.5+8.5=44/50=8.8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Feb 28, 2025 Recommended
Note: This will be a review of both the first season and "After Story".
Overview: Key, a studio under the company Visual Arts, are very well-known for creating some of the most emotional, tearjerking visual novels you could find anywhere, and Kyoko Animation have done a fine job of translating these heartfelt stories into animated form (which, for a visual novel, is a lot more difficult than you would probably think). "Clannad", an anime whose name is taken from the Irish word for "family", is considered by many to be the magnum opus of both studios, and for good reason, as it is, bar none, the best ... slice-of-anime that I have yet to see. Story (8.5/10): Set in the fictional Japanese town Hikarizaka, "Clannad" primarily follows the life of Tomoya Okazaki, a third-year high school student who has grown extremely disillusioned with life in his hometown. However, his life begins to take an unexpected turn when he meets Nagisa Furukawa, a somewhat outlandish but very shy and sweet girl who goes to his school and is in the same year as him. As time goes on, Tomoya gradually gets to know Nagisa and various other people he meets, both in school and outside of it, he discovers that these people have various problems that he ends up helping with. And as he goes through all of these endeavours, Tomoya himself gradually begins to discover his own reason to live, particularly as he spends time with Nagisa and helps her fulfil her dreams, as well as spending more time with her family, which helps him experience familial love for the first time since the death of his mother, which turned his father into a broken, alcoholic mess. As I mentioned above, "Clannad"'s name is derived from the Irish word for "family" (a name that, as an Irishman, I very much approve of), with family being the story's primary theme. Much like KyoAni's previous Key anime "Kanon", "Clannad" is a slice-of-life story with doses of magic realism. However, it also largely lacks the mystery elements of its predecessor, a change that ultimately proves to be to its benefit, since it means you won't be asking yourselves a whole bunch of questions that you won't get the answers to until near the end. And speaking of which, if you thought that the story would end once high school ended, you'd be wrong, as most of the second season "After Story" follows Tomoya's life after he graduates, and deals with his newfound struggles as an adult. An anime that covers a character's life from high school all the way into adulthood is something you rarely find even to this day, and this just makes the series all the more compelling. Even so, the story is definitely not without flaws. For starters, while it only takes a few episodes to get into the arcs of the series, these arcs tend to vary quite a bit in quality. For example, the first arc involves Tomoya just randomly deciding to help this girl he just met for no explained reason, focuses on one of the show's weaker characters, has a story that's just not all that interesting and ends on a rather weak note that makes you question what the point of it all was. By contrast, the second arc doesn't suffer from any of these problems and is easily one of the best arcs of the entire series, never mind the first season. And while I can definitely promise that "After Story" is a lot better than the first season, the ending may not be to everyone's tastes, as it requires that you paid very close attention to the series as a whole to truly understand it, particularly the scenes set in the Illusory World, a mysterious void that we see glimpses of all throughout the series, with the importance of it not becoming clear until the very end. But while the story may have its low points, as a whole it is a very well-written and extremely touching tale that is guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings many times. Art & Animation (9.5/10): Kyoto Animation is well-known for creating anime with beautiful visuals, but "Clannad" manages to surpass even those high standards, taking the art style of "Kanon" and "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and improving on it. The characters are all incredibly well-drawn and detailed, the animations are smooth and fluid and the environments look absolutely breathtaking. However, while the series in general looks fantastic, special mention has got to go to the scenes set in the Illusory World, which features even more vibrant and crisp character models and environments than usual and has a CGI character that somehow manages to fit into the rest of the scenes perfectly. Sound & Dialogue (9.5/10): It's pretty hard to say just what my favourite part of "Clannad" is, but the soundtrack is definitely a big contender. Not only are the opening and ending themes of both seasons ("Mag Mell", "Dango Daikakozu", "A Song to Pass the Time" and "Torch") good enough that I never once skipped any of them, but there are plenty of great tracks that play during the episodes themselves like "Town, Flow of Time, People", "To the Same Heights", "Roaring Tides", "Shining in the Sky" and "The Girl's Fantasy", and that's not even getting into all the one-off songs that play over the series. The voice acting is excellent as well; David Matranga and Luci Christian both deliver fantastic performances as Tomoya and Nagisa, respectively, as do Kaytha Cocker as Tomoyo, Emily Neves as Kotomi, Shelley Calene-Black as Kyou and Andrew Love as Akio, as well as several others. Hell, even Greg Ayres managed to impress me, with his voice being the perfect fit for a character like Sunohara. Characters (9/10): When the series begins, Tomoya is someone who has all but given up on life as a whole. Hell, his opening monologue has him talking about how much he hates his hometown due to having so many experiences that he would rather forget, most notably the death of his mother and his father abusing him to the point of leaving him with a permanent injury, with said father eventually deciding that it was best to keep his distance from Tomoya hence not to hurt him any further. The result is that Tomoya's grown into a deeply sullen and snarky young man who doesn't give a crap about skipping classes and is often blunt to the point of being hurtful. All of this immediately makes him more compelling than "Kanon"'s Yuichi Aizawa, who while not a flat character by any means had very little in terms of personal backstory. Furthermore, while Tomoya is quite rude most of the time, he has a good heart and is willing to help out anyone who might need it, making a surprising number of friends along the way. Most significantly, getting to know Nagisa and her parents allows him to finally experience what it's like to have a family again, which in turn enables him to develop back into the kind person he always was deep down. Though, that's not to say that this new chapter of his life is all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, while every character in "Clannad" is tragic to some extent, Tomoya definitely takes the cake, with the sheer amount of trauma he suffers both before and during the series being more than some people could probably bear, though this just made me love and sympathise with him all the more. As fantastic a character as Tomoya is, however, my favourite character would have to be Nagisa. Unlike Tomoya, who is best described as a nice guy with a bad mouth (at least at first), Nagisa is a sweetheart both inside and out, even showing kindness to Sunohara, whom almost everybody else picks on in one way or another. However, she's also initially severely lacking in confidence and is largely ignored by her classmates in school, which may have to do with her repeating the year. She's also very shy and timid, and often says her favourite foods out loud as a way to give herself confidence, which just makes her all the more loveable and cute. While she is certainly a huge ray of hope in Tomoya's life, their relationship certainly isn't one-sided as she has her own character development as well, as Tomoya helps her become much more confident in herself, with much of this change occurring in the first season (by contrast, most of Tomoya's character development happens in the second). Confidence issues notwithstanding, Nagisa is overall a very well-adjusted person, with her home life being significantly happier than Tomoya's, though that's certainly not a bad thing since it means they complement each other really well. In fact, "After Story" really rams in just how much the two of them need and depend on each other, no matter how many other friends they make over the series. As a whole, while Nagisa doesn't play an important role in every arc, emotionally she is the core of the entire series, and "Clannad" would be a very different (and most likely worse) story if she wasn't in it. The rest of the cast is great as well. Coming in third place among my favourites is Tomoyo Sakagami, an incredibly strong girl who used to be a delinquent, but has cleaned up her act and now only attacks people if they attack her. Given "Clannad" isn't a fighting series, she rarely gets to show her strength, and when she does it's mostly played for comedy, though it helps that she's also a very nice girl. Not Nagisa levels of nice, mind you, but still a lot more friendly than her stoic nature would have you believe. She even has her own bonus episode featuring an alternate timeline where Tomoya dates her instead, which is good because if it wasn't for Nagisa, I'd ship her and Tomoya hands down, no questions asked. There's also Kotomi Ichinose, a very strange girl whom Tomoya occasionally finds in the library doing really odd things. Despite her eccentricities, she's also extremely smart, though she's also socially inept and terrible at playing the violin, which makes for some really funny moments whenever she tries her hand at it. In many ways, she's a lot like Nagisa, both being really sweet but quirky girls with some common interests, on top of both having really compelling (and sad) character arcs. It's pretty hard to talk about her in detail given how much of her is a spoiler, so I'll just let you see for yourselves. Another female character of note is Kyou Fujibayashi, who is notably more brash and abrasive than the last three girls I talked about (and practically every other girl in the series, for that matter). In fact, of all the girls Tomoya meets and interacts with over the series, she has the most in common with him, being very blunt and prone to playing pranks on others, especially Sunohara, though she's undeniably a good person at heart. Like Tomoyo, she also has her own bonus episode, though sadly it doesn't focus on her quite as much as you would probably like. Last paragraph of this category, and I have yet to mention Akio and Sanae, Nagisa's parents who did a damn good job at raising her, though that's pretty self-evident given how well Nagisa has turned out. Personality-wise, they're suspiciously similar to Tomoya and Nagisa, though unlike Tomoya, Akio at least knows when to be tactful (even if he doesn't always succeed) and is a lot more energetic despite being in his forties, serving as one of the show's main sources of comic relief. The other main source is Yohei Sunohara, Tomoya's best friend (somehow) who is, to put it bluntly, a complete idiot. Most of his screentime consists of him getting into one unfortunate situation after another, and while characters that suffer constant misfortune are a dime-a-dozen in anime, Sunohara is almost unique in that he brings almost all of it on himself, either by being a jerk or simply by picking fights he can't win. However, while he's pretty obnoxious more often than not, he's a loyal friend and can make a surprisingly good point from time to time. But I'll be honest; I've only begun to cover the cast of characters in this series. In fact, if anyone has so much as a name in "Clannad", it's practically a guarantee that they'll have at least an episode or two that focuses on them... with the unfortunate exception of Ryou, who despite getting plenty of screentime and being a part of Tomoya and Nagisa's circle of friends never really develops beyond her initial image of "Kyou's shyer, more feminine twin sister". Enjoyment (8.5/10): You've probably heard somewhere that "Clannad" is one of the saddest anime ever, and if you think that's an exaggeration, let me be clear when I say that it isn't. At all. In particular, "After Story" features one of the most heart-wrenching sequence of episodes you could possibly find anywhere, which is especially jarring for what starts off as a fairly light-hearted school life series. Even so, the series has plenty of funny and heartwarming moments to balance this out, and if you manage to endure all of the angst, the pay-off is more than worth it. Overall: "Clannad" is a very well-crafted anime that holds up brilliantly even a decade and a half after its initial release, and just gets better and better the more it goes on. Pick any part of the series and you can guarantee that it will be at least "great"- whether it's the heartfelt story, vibrant visuals, amazing music, fantastic voice acting or loveable characters, the series really doesn't fall short in any department. Ultimately, "Clannad" is a truly great accomplishment for both Key and Kyoto Animation, and sets a standard that every other slice-of-life anime should attempt to follow. Score: 8.5+9.5+9.5+9+8.5=45/50=9.0/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 30, 2024 Recommended
Note: This will be a review of both seasons, plus the movie.
Overview: When it first aired back in the 2000s, "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" (much like the 1995 movie that inspired it) gained a huge amount of acclaim for its deep, philosophical themes and great cyberpunk action, with even those who weren't fans of anime praising it. Two decades on, however, and the series is beginning to show its age, with multiple parts of it not holding up as well as they used to. That's not to say that it’s a bad series now- far from it, in fact. It's just that it ... falls a little short of being the ingenious masterpiece it was once hailed as. Story (8/10): "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" is set near-future Japan, where cybertechnology is now widespread and many people have been converted into cyborgs with prosthetic bodies. Unfortunately, this new outbreak of technology has also allowed a whole array of new crimes to be committed, many of which can't be solved or tracked by the police. Enter Public Security Section 9, an elite law enforcement agency led by Chief Daisuke Aramaki and commanded by our protagonist and heroine Major Motoko Kusanagi. Together with former solider Batou and former police officer Togusa, along with a host of other members, it's up to these special ops agents to investigate these cybercrimes and terrorist plots, as well as any other conspiracies that are too much for ordinary people to handle, and they're generally willing to resort to any means necessary in order to do so. The series has two seasons consisting of 26 episodes each, and each season has its own separate overarching plot. However, not all episodes tie in to the arc of a given season, which is generally highlighted by the type of episode they are, shown in the title screen near the beginning of each; in the first season, the stand-alone episodes are called, well, "Stand Alone", while the arc-important episodes are called "Complex", while in the second season, there are three types of episodes- "Individual" episodes tie into the primary arc of the series, "Dual" episodes tie into the secondary arc (which is related to the primary one) and "Dividual" episodes are stand-alone. Most episodes do a fine job at fleshing out the world of "Ghost in the Shell", as well as providing some good development for the various members of Section 9, though some far more so than others. The main plots of both seasons are also very intriguing and will often leave you wondering just where they're going to go and how things will ultimately end. However, while the story is certainly interesting, it can also be very confusing at times. The characters have a habit of engaging in these deep discussions that require knowledge of obscure philosophies in order to understand, meaning quite a few conversations will make no sense to the average person. Treating viewers like they know nothing is insulting enough, but if you ask me, treating them like they know everything is just downright patronizing. It doesn't help that a lot of these philosophies are at the core of certain characters' motivations, meaning you'll sometimes find yourself scratching your head and wondering why certain characters do what they do. Furthermore, of the 26 episodes of the first season, only 12 tie in to the overarching story, which is a problem since the "Stand Alone" episodes, while not bad by any means, are nowhere near as interesting as the "Complex" episodes. And while the main plot does take over the season completely in the final quarter, the overall ending to the arc is very anti-climatic, with much of the conflict being resolved off-screen and only told to us in passing. Thankfully, the second season goes out its way to fix all of these problems save for the first, with more episodes that tie into the overarching plot and a more satisfying ending. The movie continues down the same path, wrapping things up with what really feels like a fitting conclusion to the series as a whole. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" was a relatively early project of Production I.G., and it shows as it is a great-looking series, especially for the time period, with a highly detailed art style, great character designs and CGI that's highly effective without ever being too obvious. Even so, there are a few shots where rough edges become apparent, especially in the first season and it ultimately doesn't look quite as good as some of their more recent anime like "Psycho Pass" or "Guilty Crown". Even so, the visuals have held up remarkably well over the years, and I would definitely say it looks a lot better than most of Production I.G.'s other early projects, particularly "xxxHolic". Sound & Dialogue (9/10): If there's one thing you can expect from a cyberpunk story, it's great music, and "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" is no exception, especially considering it's composed by Yoko Kanno, who is almost as good a composer as Yuki Kajiura and Hiroyuki Sawano. There are a lot of great tracks that play over the series, and I honestly find it hard to pick a favourite, though "Replica" from the movie is definitely among them. The two openings (both of which are sung by Russian singer Origa, who sadly is no longer with us) are fantastic and the ending themes are great as well, especially that of the second season. Besides the music, the voice acting is excellent as well, with Mary Elizabeth McGlynn stealing the show as Motoko Kusanagi (particularly when compared to the rather flat performance delivered by Mimi Woods in the movie), though the dub cast is solid all around, whether it's Richard Epcar as Batou, the always-awesome Crispin Freeman as Togusa or the late William Frederick Knight as Aramaki. As a whole, the sound design is definitely the best part of the series. Characters (8/10): As with most of my reviews, I will start with the protagonist, namely Motoko Kusanagi, who's usually just referred to as the Major. The first thing to note about Motoko is that she's not your typical run-of-the-mill cyborg- rather than having a body consisting of both organic and synthetic parts, her body is entirely synthetic, with the term "ghost" referring to what somebody human even when their body isn't. This essentially makes her one of the robot girls that Japan seems awfully fond of, and like a robot, Motoko is very unemotional and will resort to any means to get the job done. She hacks systems, kills people and generally breaks laws that her organization is above, all with zero hesitation. However, all of these things are done with the explicit intention of saving people and keeping the public safe, and Motoko is a surprisingly kind person when not on the job, and views her co-workers as close friends, with her relationships with Batou and Aramaki being particularly standout examples. The second season also delves into her past while also connecting it to the overarching plot, which helps to humanize her even further than before. Overall, Motoko is easily my favourite character, being very likeable, badass, complex and an all-around fantastic protagonist. Hell, pretty much the only problem I have with her is that she tends to overshadow the rest of the cast, and even that's nowhere near to the same extent as some other examples I can name. Next up is Batou, the male lead of the series who is known only by his last name to the point that his first name is never revealed. Like Motoko, Batou is a cyborg with an entirely synthetic body, though he tends to show a lot more emotion than her and is pretty abrasive, though it's never to the point of being obnoxious and he clearly cares about his comrades. This is most evident in his relationship with Motoko and how he takes care of the Tachikomas, a squad of A.I. think tanks with the personalities of curious dogs who assist Section 9 on missions and can even be ridden in as vehicles. What's more is that while Batou may seem like a dumbass at first glance, he's actually anything but, being highly intelligent and an expert hacker, as well as surprisingly philosophical. A former soldier, Batou has his past revealed in the first season unlike Motoko, though sadly the episode that focuses on it is one of the worst episodes of the entire show, if not THE worst. While I definitely didn't like Batou as much as Motoko, he's nevertheless a very likeable and badass character with plenty of awesome moments to his name. Next in importance to the Major and Batou is Togusa, a former police officer who, like Batou, is known only by his surname. Togusa is very much the odd one out of the team; not only is he not a cyborg like Motoko and Batou but he also has a very different career background from the rest of the team and, most significantly, is happily married with two children, making him the only family man. As a matter of fact, his unique background is precisely why he was recruited into Section 9 in the first place, as it makes the team less predictable and allows him to approach things from a unique angle. However, his comparatively easy life also means that he can often be pretty naïve, and he's frequently blindsided by the bizarre cases Section 9 specialises in dealing with, though he gets better about this as time goes on, possibly a little too much better. Rounding up the main cast is Chief Daisuke Aramaki, the only other non-cyborg of the team. While Motoko Kusanagi may be the team's field leader, it's Aramaki who's really in charge and he frequently guides the group during missions, being a stern but fair leader who goes out of his way to ensure everyone's safety. Sure, his advanced age and lack of cyber enhancements means he can't contribute anything in terms of combat or hacking, but his charisma, guile and political savviness nevertheless make him an indispensable part of the team, and it's no exaggeration to say that the plots of both seasons would have gone very differently without him. Unfortunately, while there are a good number of well-developed characters in the series, there are others who get next to no focus or development at all. First, there's two members of Section 9, Pazu and Borma, both of whom have barely any meaningful dialogue and no standout abilities when compared to the rest of the team. And while Pazu does eventually get a focus episode, Borma never does, and his explosives expertise are only relevant in one episode late in season 2. Furthermore, despite playing such an important role in his story and character, Togusa's wife and children ultimately have little to nothing in the way of personality or even names for that matter. They just exist to give a reason as to why Togusa is the way he is. Hell, the friggin' Tachikomas, the above-mentioned think-tanks of Section 9, have more focus and development than any of the characters I just mentioned and they don't even LOOK human! In almost any other story, I would have let something like this slide, but in a series where what it means to be human is such a major theme, it's a serious problem, especially considering there aren't even that many characters to begin with. Enjoyment (8/10): Given that this is a series that seems heavily inspired by "Blade Runner" and other similar works, it's safe to say that the world of "Ghost in the Shell" is not a happy one, with gruesome deaths and horrific crimes aplenty and bittersweet endings being very much the norm. Yet within all the chaos comes plenty of fantastic action and some surprisingly good comic relief as well, with Batou and the Tachikomas providing most of the latter. The series also has plenty of brilliant set-pieces (helped by the amazing music), which help draw you in even when things are at their bleakest. Overall: "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" is a series that is sadly past its prime. While it may have been incredible back in the day, other anime and games like "Psycho Pass" and "Deus Ex" have since combined the basic formula with stronger characterization and tighter, more coherent writing, and now the more questionable parts of the series are just a lot harder to ignore. That being said, while it may not have been as great as it once was, this is still a series that comes highly recommended, especially if you're a sci-fi fan, as it has great visuals, outstanding music and voice acting and some truly fantastic set-pieces. Score: 8+8.5+9+8+8=41.5/50=8.3/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 27, 2024
Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED
(Anime)
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Overview:
In 1979, the mecha anime genre as people had come to know it was changed forever, with "Mobile Suit Gundam" blending robot fights with military science-fiction to make a more grounded version of the genre. This spawned a franchise which is still going strong even nearly half a century later. "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED", originally released in the early 2000s, is the ninth installment in this long-running franchise, as well as my first experience with it, and while it does have plenty of flaws, overall I would definitely consider it a worthy entry to start with. Story & World (8/10): "Gundam SEED" is set in the distant ... future, in a time where humanity as a whole has been separated into two sub-species; the genetically enhanced Coordinators and the completely ordinary Naturals. Of course, being genetically superior has caused many Coordinators to look down on Naturals, and many Naturals to envy Coordinators, a conflict that eventually led to a war that, at the beginning of the series, has lasted for almost a year. Since the war broke out, genetic enhancement has become illegal on Earth, with most Coordinators living on orbital space colonies called PLANTs, while Naturals live on Earth and space colonies owned by Orb Union. Enter Kira Yamato, a rare case of a Coordinator living among Naturals in the neutral space colony Heliopolis. One fateful day, however, Heliopolis gets unexpectedly attacked by ZAFT forces, the military of the PLANTs, and Kira and his friends are forced to evacuate the destroyed colony on the carriership known as the Archangel along with Earth Alliance soldiers whom they end up acquainted with, and Kira, being a Coordinator, ends up being their best chance of surviving against the ZAFT soldiers. And as if Kira getting pulled into a war he wanted no part in wasn't bad enough, he soon finds himself facing off against his childhood best friend, Athrun Zala, a ZAFT soldier who believes that Kira should be fighting for them instead of the Naturals. The story is pretty slow to start. Apart from the prologue and a couple of episodes in-between, basically every episode in the first quarter or so involves the Archangel flying through space, getting attacked by ZAFT and Kira having to fend them off in one way or another. While these episodes do a good job of familiarizing and endearing the world and characters to the audience, I nevertheless felt that it could get pretty repetitive and boring, though thankfully things do gradually get more and more interesting as the series goes on, and the second half in particular is much better than the first, with almost every episode in that half feeling like it progresses the plot in some way. As a whole, the series consists of 50 episodes, 48 if you don't include the recaps, which some versions don't even bother to include. That means the most boring part of the series is 12-13 episodes long, which may be way too long for some people. In other words, you are really going to need to be patient if you want to get the most out of the series. If you do manage to get into the series, however, you will be rewarded with a story that's actually very unique and well-written. One of the best parts is the angle it approaches racism from. Coordinators are genetically superior to Naturals and that is a fact, with the former being able to do so many things that the latter can't and do the things they can do so much easier. Yet in spite of the fact that Coordinators are the superior race, the racism many of them show towards Naturals is still portrayed as wrong, as even if Naturals aren't as competent as Coordinators, they're still far from helpless, with many of them proving to be very capable in their own right. Indeed, the only reason Kira is able to get as far as he does is because of the Naturals who help him. The racism is far from one-sided either, with many Naturals envying Coordinators for their superiority, and one Natural in particular being bar none the most despicable character in the entire series. This, along with Kira being a very kind boy who would rather not be fighting, proves that both races are, at their core, human beings, and are just as capable of compassion or cruelty as the other side is. Throw in a truly epic finale and satisfying ending and you have one great story. Just be forewarned that it's slow-paced in the beginning. Art & Animation (8/10): "Gundam SEED" is not a bad-looking series by any means, with battles of epic scale, great special effects and well-drawn character models and environments. Nevertheless, the fact that the series is more than two decades old really shows from time to time, with numerous rough edges and tons of recycled animation footage, especially during particularly hectic combat sequences. These problems are especially notable given that the series was animated by Sunrise, the same studio that animated "Inuyasha" and "Cowboy Bebop", which initially aired during and before the initial airing of "SEED" respectively, yet the visuals of those two shows have aged far more gracefully. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): "Gundam SEED" has some really good music. The series has a total of four opening themes and three ending themes and all of them are worth listening to, with "Moment", "Believe" and "Although We Were Always Together" being my personal favourites. There's plenty of good music that plays during the episodes themselves too, though no particular tracks come to mind. The voice acting is also really good; I watched the series in the original dub done in Canada and it was great, with the performances of Matt Hill, Chantal Strand, Samuel Vincent and Mark Oliver (the voices of Kira, Lacus, Athrun and Le Creuset, respectively) being my personal favourites. Overall, I would consider the sound design to be the best part of the series. Characters (7.5/10): Kira is quite accurately described by Athrun as someone who's kind and smart but doesn't think anything through. He's very intelligent, being able to come up with some good strategies and being an engineer student before Heliopolis was destroyed. Being a Coordinator, he's also able to rewrite the operating system for a complex war machine in under a minute. However, the series is all too happy to remind us that, genetic enhancements or not, he's still only human, and so participating in battle very quickly causes his mental health to take a plummet, being haunted both by the people he fails to save and those he's forced to kill. And if you thought killing would get easier for him overtime, you'd be dead wrong, as it absolutely never does, which is ironic since his name means "killer", and was used as a moniker by one of the most notorious mass-murderers in the history of anime. He's also pretty easily manipulated, with one character in particular taking advantage of him and him being too blinded by grief to realise it. As a whole, while he does make some pretty bone-headed decisions over the series, Kira nevertheless remains a character that's very easy to root for and sympathise with, and he remains very likeable throughout the whole series, even considering his pretty substantial character growth. My favourite character, however, would have to be Lacus Clyne, a very popular idol singer and the daughter of one of the chairmen of PLANT. She doesn't even appear until the seventh episode, and even then, her appearances throughout the first half of the series are quite rare. As time goes on, however, she proves herself to be far more important than she initially seemed. When first introduced, she comes off as a rather quirky girl, as evident by her stripping without issue in front of Kira not long after they first meet. Eventually, however, she proves herself to be incredibly smart and one of the only Coordinators to not look down on Naturals in any way, shape or form, instead trying her hardest to see the good in everyone. However, while she's just as kind-hearted as Kira, if not more so, she's also a much better judge of character than him and a lot wiser to boot, with her questioning people as to what they're fighting for is something of a running theme. While she's not a fighter like the other three main characters, she's no less capable than they are, and without her, the series would have gone in a very different, and undoubtedly much darker, direction. In general, Lacus is just adorable, with my only real complaint about her character being that I wish she could have gotten a bit more screentime. Next up is the second most important character of the series, Athrun Zala, who serves as Kira's main rival. While technically enemies due to being on opposite sides, there's never any doubt that Kira still sees Athrun as his best friend, and the feeling is definitely mutual. In fact, Athrun's main goal early on isn't to kill Kira, but to capture him, being convinced that he should be fighting for the Coordinators due to being one of them, and is convinced that the Naturals are using him to fight their battles despite Kira's insistence otherwise. Sadly, this results him being rather racist towards Naturals, though he never takes it to the same level as some other characters in the series, and overtime he begins to question if the path he's on is really the right one or not. His character arc is overall quite similar to that of Suzaku Kururugi from "Code Geass", though of course I can't say anything beyond that. The fourth and final main character is Cagalli Yula Athha, a girl whom Kira crosses paths with early on but doesn't get fully acquainted with until later. While not a Coordinator like the other three main character, Cagalli is still a very capable fighter and leader, though she's not above making some very rash decisions. Personality-wise, she's very brash and a massive tomboy, but also surprisingly kind-hearted, if not to the same extent as Lacus or Kira. While ultimately lacking the same amount of depth and development as Kira, Lacus and Athrun, Cagalli is still a character I found myself liking a lot, and she stands as the prime example of how Naturals can be just as awesome as Coordinators when push comes to shove, as well as providing a fair amount of comic relief in a series that has almost none. Even discounting the main four, "Gundam SEED" has a pretty whopping cast of characters, some unambiguously good, some antagonistic but still sympathetic and some truly evil. Examples include Kira's friends from the Heliopolis, who escape on the Archangel with him and serve as support roles, since they lack his fighting abilities. In particular, Miriallia Haw and Sai Argyle contribute a lot with their emotional support and brains, respectively. As for the Earth Alliance soldiers, there's Mu La Flaga, a seasoned veteran who acts like a mentor to Kira and proves to be surprisingly integral to the plot despite not being a central character, and Murre Ramius, the commander of the Archangel and the one who drags Kira and his friends into the war in the first place (due to them witnessing a top-secret military project i.e. a Gundam), though it's not a decision she makes lightly and she treats them as nicely as possible, even becoming something of a surrogate mother to them (to Mu's surrogate father). Sadly, there's also a number of characters I either didn't like very much (excluding villains, which are generally very good) or just weren't fleshed-out enough for me to form an opinion of them. A prime example is Kuzzey Buskirk, another one of Kira's friends from Heliopolis. Aside from his ridiculous name, the only way Kuzzey stands out is that he's more likely to doubt Kira than the others, and he ultimately gets no real focus or development, unlike pretty much every other Heliopolis student. One more thing I should say is that the series has an absolutely massive body count, even considering the type of series it is, so it's highly likely that a character you like won't live to the end. Enjoyment (7.5/10): It's obvious from the first two episodes that "Gundam SEED" is a very dark and heavy series, with death and destruction aplenty and tons of emotional turmoil, and it only gets worse overtime as the characters we've come to know get killed off one by one. There's also very little comic relief to lighten the mood, even if it is there. Nevertheless, while the series can be very grim quite often, it's never to the point of being unbearable, as the series manages to keep a hopeful tone throughout, and ultimately, you get the impression that things will somehow be alright in the end, not to mention, the mech battles are always entertaining. Overall: "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" is a very good series that should appeal to most fans of the mecha genre, particularly the more gritty kind. The story is deep and interesting, the music and voice acting are well-done, the action scenes are great and the characters are likeable and well-developed. It's no "Code Geass", that's for sure, largely thanks to the slow-paced beginning and dated visuals, but it's still a great show that I am proud to call my first "Gundam" series, and I am definitely going to check out some other entries in the franchise in the near-future. Score: 8+8+8.5+7.5+7.5=39.5/50=7.9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 21, 2024
Tokyo Ghoul:re
(Anime)
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Note: This will be a review of both parts of the series. It will also contain some spoilers for the original series.
Overview: Everyone reading this likely already knows the bleak, tragic story of Ken Kaneki, a young man who gets turned into a flesh-eating monster and slowly but surely loses everything he holds dear despite attempts to prevent such. Well, "Tokyo Ghoul:re" is the sequel to that story, and far from being a mere cash-grab, stays true to the original "Tokyo Ghoul" formula while also improving on it in some ways. The result is an experience that is overall easier to digest, even if it does ... ultimately suffer from many of the same problems as its predecessor. Story (7/10): At the end of the original "Tokyo Ghoul" series, Ken Kaneki was supposedly killed by the CCG, the villainous faction Aogiri got exactly what they wanted and Anteiku, one of the few safe havens for ghouls was destroyed. Given that the series was stated to be a tragedy, you'd think that was the end of this tale, right? Wrong! Set two years after the events of the original series, "Tokyo Ghoul:re" follows the Quinx Squad, a special group of CCG investigators who underwent a procedure that allows them to obtain the special abilities of Ghouls in order to fight them but still being able to live as normal humans. Mentored by sensitive bookworm Haise Sasaki, the squad consists of the following people; the lazy-but-kind Saiko Yonebayashi, the stoic and abrasive Kuki Urie, the meek and effeminate Tooru Mutsuki and the short-tempered-but-friendly Ginshi Shirazu. Together, these five agent continue to investigate and subdue Ghouls in Tokyo while attempting to take down Aogiri, particularly their leader the One-Eyed Owl, otherwise known as Eto Yoshimura, who works as a novelist under the pen name Sen Takatsuki. Oh, and did I mention that Sasaki is actually Kaneki himself with amnesia? No, that's not a spoiler. They reveal it in the very first episode. One thing you'll notice about "re:" is that it has a more nuanced approach to the conflict between humans and Ghouls than its predecessor. The original "Tokyo Ghoul" did certainly attempt this, but the results were middling at best due to a large number of the Ghouls shown in the series being pointlessly cruel psychopaths who terrorised humans for the sake of it, making it hard to fault the CCG for hunting them down even if there were some good ones as well. In "re:", however, not only are kind Ghouls far from being uncommon, but the CCG is by no means innocent either, with them being revealed to have some truly despicable people among their ranks. As a whole, we have characters of all shades of morality on both sides of the conflict, ranging from heroic to completely despicable. The nuance is also shown with the Quinx Squad, who are all once regular humans who were turned into human-Ghoul hybrids, not too unlike how Kaneki was in the original series, yet still choose to protect humanity from Ghouls, all while learning in their own way that things are far more complicated than what they initially believe. While this second attempt at a grey-and-gray morality conflict is far from perfect, it's still an improvement over that of the original, resulting in a more complex and interesting plot. Unfortunately, the story does suffer from a number of big problems, both old and new. For one, the fact that the series has a two-year time skip is made very apparent by the fact that numerous characters from the original series have ended up on the opposite side of the one they used to be. In some cases this makes sense, like Kaneki being part of the CCG due to having amnesia, but there are also multiple other cases of characters having switched sides with little to no explanation as to why. For example, Hinami, whom those who watched the original series will remember as "that innocent, sweet Ghoul girl", is now a part of the villainous Ghoul faction Aogiri, despite being every bit the kind girl she was before, albeit a lot more jaded. Not helping matters is that the second season of the original series didn't follow the manga, which is likely to leave a good number of people even more confused. Furthermore, much like the original anime, the pacing of the series becomes way too fast for the story's own good in the second half, with many important events being shown briefly at best and mentioned in passing at worst. And while I won't spoil it, the final battle felt pretty anti-climactic considering all the build-up to it, though the actual ending to the series almost makes up for it. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "Tokyo Ghoul:re" has a notably different art style compared to that of the original anime, having a darker colour palate and slightly altered character models. Given the grim tone of the story, this is a change that is very much to the series' benefit, and the characters and environments are also more detailed, as well as there being a lot less censorship. It doesn't look flawless by any means, with there still being a number of stiff animations, amongst some other minor problems, but the visuals are overall an improvement over those of the original, which were already very good. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): This is unfortunately one area that's a notable step back in comparison to that of its predecessor. Aside from the opening and ending themes, all of which are very good and worth listening to, there isn't all that much notable music to be found in "re:". In fact, arguably the best track is the iconic song from the original series "unravel", which plays halfway through the first season. On the other hand, the voice acting is as stellar as always, with all the voice actors of surviving characters from the original series returning to reprise their roles (with one notable exception) and there being plenty of fresh new talents as well, including Sarah Wiedenheft, Adam Gibbs, Mikeala Krantz and Daman Mills, who voice Saiko, Urie, Mutsuki and Ginshi respectively. Overall, the sound design is great, but it nevertheless shows that the original series had a pretty tough standard to follow. Characters (7.5/10): For the first part of the series, the Quinx Squad serve as the primary protagonists, which allows us to take a good look at things from the side of the CCG rather than the Ghouls, something we didn't really get to do during the original series. Of the four members, my personal favourite would have to be Saiko Yonebayashi, the only girl. She doesn't even officially appear until a few episodes in, and when she does, she doesn't exactly make the best first impression, being a lazy girl who prefers spending all her time cooped up in her room playing video games, which makes her something of a hindrance during mission. Even so, as time goes on, she proves herself to be the nicest member of the squad by a mile, being quick to see the good in others regardless of species, as well as a very capable and badass combatant when the situation calls for it. She's also pretty adorable in general, and provides some decent comic relief and lighthearted moments, something that was sorely lacking in the original series. Then there's the initial leader of the squad, Kuki Urie, who like Saiko makes a pretty bad first impression. But while Saiko is just lazy and childish at her worst, Urie is just plain unlikeable in the beginning, being very rude, selfish, arrogant and uncooperative, something that gets him demoted early on, though it isn't until much later that he finally learns his lesson. But learn it he eventually does, and he arguably goes through the most growth out of any other member of the squad, with his character in the second half being very different, and I most definitely mean that in a good way. Another member of the squad is Tooru Mutsuki, a fragile young boy who is overall the weakest member of the team. As a whole, his character is very similar to what Kaneki was like in the original series, from wearing an eyepatch to cover his Ghoul eye to his kind, sensitive personality and even becoming hardened later on as a result of trauma. But while Kaneki's development was ultimately for the better, the same cannot be said for Mutsuki, as he does a number of very questionable acts later in the series that made it very hard for me to like him. Finally, there's Ginshi Shirazu, who gets promoted to leader of the squad pretty early on due to Urie not being cut out for it. While he has a short temper and isn't particularly smart, with even Sasaki admitting he's not the sharpest person around, he's also very caring and looks out for his teammates, being generally the first person to stick up for others and acting as Urie's voice of reason, to middling success. Even so, there isn't a lot about him that you probably haven't seen before and of all the members of the squad, he is easily the least developed. Out with the new and in with the old. Haise Sasaki may be Kaneki with amnesia, but in a lot of ways, he's very much the same Kaneki we remember, which is likely why the series doesn't bother trying to hide the fact that the two of them are one and the same. He's still kind but fully capable of getting violent to protect those he cares about, and enjoys reading in his spare time. However, Sasaki is a lot more cheerful and outgoing than Kaneki was, which is likely because he can't even remember all the traumatic events he went through. Another character who's very different from what we remember is Touka Kirishima. No longer the angry, selfish teenager she was in the original, Touka has grown into a woman much calmer, kinder, more compassionate and feminine, though parts of her old personality still creep back in from time to time. And there is a load of other characters that we see returning from the original series as well, some of whom have changed a lot since the timeskip and some of whom have stayed exactly the same. Unfortunately, the fast pacing of the series means that a lot of them still end up underdeveloped, and I certainly can't say that I liked all of the new characters either. Enjoyment (7/10): Make no mistake, even with the added moments of comic relief, this is still a "Tokyo Ghoul" series through and through. Naturally, this means there are painful and tragic moments galore, with the series sometimes reaching levels of depression not present in the original, which is absolutely saying something. And while the series does manage to end on a note that's more sweet than bitter, a lot of you will probably find yourself wondering if it was worth all the pain and suffering. Overall: "Tokyo Ghoul:re" isn't just a worthy sequel to the original, it improves on the format of the franchise and ultimately feels more like the story the author wanted to tell in the first place. Sure, the actual story is still rushed as hell and the music isn't quite as good as before, but the more nuanced worldview, new characters, improved art style and more optimistic tone makes this an overall more accessible experience than its predecessor. Score: 7+8.5+8.5+7.5+7=38.5/50=7.7/10 Mean Score: 7.6/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 29, 2024
Hataraku Maou-sama!
(Anime)
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Note: This will be a review of the series in its entirety.
Overview: "The Devil is a Part-Timer" is an anime that's pretty much exactly as ridiculous as it sounds, but in a good way. It plays with the isekai genre by having a bunch of demons and legendary heroes end up getting trapped in our world, after which they are forced to adjust to the mundane everyday lives of Earth, a premise that's both original and absolutely hilarious. While it's far from being the most complex or thought-provoking anime you'll ever watch, what it does succeed in being is the one thing that any anime ... should strive to be first and foremost- entertaining. Story (7/10): "The Devil is a Part-Timer" opens with two demons- the Devil King himself, Satan and his second-in-command Alciel- being driven to Earth after a failed attempt to conquer the fantasy world Ente Isla and being thoroughly defeated by the Hero Emilia Justina and her allies. Once there, they quickly learn that they have been reduced to the level of ordinary humans, with them being unable to use any kind of magic or demonic power, due to the lack of magic on Earth compared to Ente Isla or the Demon realm. As such, the two demons are forced to pose as humans in order to survive until they can find a way to return to their own world. Assuming the identities Sadao Maou and Shiro Ashiya respectively, Satan takes up a job at the fast food joint MgRonald's (I'll give you one guess where they got that name from) where he befriends his teenage co-worker Chiho Sasaki, and Alciel stays at home to manage the apartment they rent out. All well and good so far, until the hero Emilia arrives on Earth attempting to finish what she started, only to learn she doesn't have any power on Earth either. Realizing she's in the same boat as the demons, Emilia takes on the identity of Emi Yusa, and starts keeping watch over Maou and Ashiya to ensure they don't do anything bad. Hilarity ensues, but it isn't long before new threats begin to arrive on Earth, which may force these former enemies to set aside their differences. As I previously mentioned, the series is basically a reverse isekai- instead of someone from our world getting trapped in a fantasy world, various figures from a fantasy world get trapped in our world, and are forced to adjust to our way of living, making the series partially slice-of-life. There's still plenty of action, but the series puts just as focus on the characters' day-to-day lives, with Maou and Emi working at their part-time jobs and them and their friends getting into all kinds of crazy antics. In total, there are two seasons (three if you count the two parts of season 2 as separate seasons) consisting of a total of 37 episodes, with the first season having 13 episodes and the second having 24. The first few episodes focus mainly on the conflict between Maou and Emi, but it doesn't take long for it to be made clear that this is far from the typical hero-slays-the-demon story that Emi seems to think it is, with things proving to be far more gray and complicated. The result is a series that's almost consistently funny while also managing to tell a decent story. Unfortunately, there's a definite emphasis on "decent" in this case, as despite the unique premise, there are nevertheless occasions when the series just can't help but fall back on clichés. This is especially evident in the second half of the second season, which has so many familiar story beats that you could find in countless other fantasy stories, to the point that I almost ended up losing interest. That's not to say the final third of the series is bad, but it did feel like a step down in comparison to what came before it, with the first season being the best for gags and the first half of the second season being the best for general storytelling and character development. There's also the fact that, even towards the end of the series, there's still a few plot points left hanging and numerous questions left unanswered, which makes sense considering it doesn't adapt the entire light novel series, but still doesn't stop the conclusion from being alright at best. Art & Animation (8/10): The first season of "The Devil is a Part-Timer" is very good-looking, animated as it is by White Fox of "Steins;Gate" fame. The characters and environments are very well-drawn and detailed and the general animations and special effect are great as well. On the other hand, the second season, animated by Studio 3Hz, looks notably worse by comparison (which is especially bad given that it aired almost a decade after the first) with less detailed character models, somewhat stiffer animations and a notably duller colour palette. The second season doesn't look bad per se, but depending on how much you think visuals matter in the series or anime in general, this is something that you could very well find off-putting. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): If there's one thing the second season has over the first, it's the music. The opening and ending themes of the first season are both very forgettable and I skipped them both every time, while the two opening and ending themes of the second season, while not spectacular, are a big improvement, with the second opening "With" being my personal favourite. Other than that, the soundtrack is decent but nothing to write home about. What's good all the way through, however, is the voice acting. Jessie James Grelle and Felicia Angelle do great jobs as Maou and Emi, respectively, as do Anthony Bowling as Ashiya, Tia Ballard as Chiho, Alex Moore as Suzuno and Aaron Dismuke as Urushihara. The series has a strong supporting cast as well, including Christopher Sabat, Monica Rial, Alexis Tipton and, in the second season, Sarah Wiedenheft. All in all, I would consider the sound design to be the series' high point. Characters (7.5/10): For the characters, we'll start with Satan, or Maou as he comes to be called by nearly everyone. When we're first introduced to him, Maou's main goal is for him and Ashiya to gain enough magic power to return to Ente Isla. However, it's not long before Maou's comedic traits begin to show, as about halfway through the first episode, he has clearly taken a liking to Earth and becomes determined to be the best employer MgRonalds has to offer, something he takes very seriously. In fact, despite being the Devil himself, Maou does far more to help Earth over the series than to harm it and is rarely anything short of kind and courteous to everyone he meets, with even how he treats Emi being based largely on how she treats him, which tends to be not very well at all. Granted, he does sometimes inconvenience Emi for the lolz, but that’s all he ever really is- an inconvenience. Furthermore, we eventually learn that he wasn't a particularly evil person even back in Ente Isla; when Emi calls him out for his past actions, Maou says that back then, he didn't really understand humans, and while this seems to be just an excuse at first, we later see just how much he really meant that, and that he genuinely didn't know just how much harm he was causing. Admittedly, there are some parts of his backstory that either don't add up or aren't elaborated on all that much, but as far as characters in the series go, Maou definitely stood out as my favourite. The second most important character, and my second favourite, is Emilia, or Emi as she's known when living in Japan. Despite being the Hero who defeated the Devil himself, Emi is, by all accounts, a teenager and so has a rather simplistic worldview. This is shown in her interactions with Maou, with her early on outright yelling at him for not acting like how she believes a demon should, and wondering why he didn't show the kindness he has back in Ente Isla, with the idea that people can change apparently never entering her head. Even so, Emi is also very honourable, as shown by the fact that she refuses to kill Maou on the grounds that he hasn't done anything on Earth to warrant it. What’s more is that she is soon forced to accept that the world is far more complicated than she thought, with even her own allies proving to be far from spotless. While she's rude, abrasive and sometimes annoying, she does have a soft side too, which she especially shows towards Chiho and her co-worker Rika. And really, when around the very creatures you grew up thinking were just bloodthirsty monsters and that killed your father and destroyed your home, why WOULDN'T you be rude and abrasive? In other words, Emi is a rare case of a tsundere whose attitude is completely justified, and her relationship with Maou proves to be consistently dynamic and entertaining. Next down on the character list is Maou's loyal second-in-command Alciel alias Shiro Ashiya, who is also his closest friend and housekeeper. While Maou works at MgRonalds in order to make the money they need to get by, Ashiya stays at home to manage their apartment and finances, as well as researching possible ways for them to get their magic back, essentially serving as the brains not only between the two of them, but of the group as a whole, though he's more than capable in a fight as well (well, most of the time, since he tends to end up out of commission a lot in later episodes). Loyal as he is, however, he and Maou do disagree from time to time (as best friends often do), with Maou often telling Ashiya to chill on the demon theatrics and Ashiya snarking at Maou's tendency to take his job too seriously, which gives Ashiya more depth beyond being a blindly loyal subordinate. There's also Chiho Sasaki, Maou's teenage co-worker who has a crush on him, and who learns of his and Emi's true nature early in the series. Chiho serves as the audience surrogate, being the only one of the main characters who is neither a demon nor a human who came from Ente Isla. While this does admittedly make her less interesting than the aforementioned Maou, Emi and Ashiya, and she can't contribute all that much to fights, she's still a very loveable character who serves to humanize the rest of the cast, providing plenty of hilarious and heartwarming moments alike. Then there's Suzuno Kamazuki, who is initially introduced as Maou and Ashiya's old-fashioned neighbour, but soon turns out to be a resident from Ente Isla, Crestia Bell, an assassin from the church that Emi was allied with before the series began. Initially coming to Earth to finish what Emi started (with her hatred of demons being bad enough to make Emi's look downright tame in comparison, as well as lacking her more honourable traits), she ends up becoming an uneasy ally of the other characters, though like Emi, she still has her guard up around Maou and the other demons. While I did like her character overall, she's ultimately my least favourite of the three main heroines, being neither as developed as Emi or as loveable as Chiho. The sixth and final member of the main cast, and also my least favourite, is Lucifer, who is a separate being from Satan in this series, being a former general of his who went rogue. Like Suzuno, Lucifer starts off antagonistic to Maou, but soon ends up taking residence in his and Ashiya's apartment, under the human name Hanzo Urushihara. However, even after changing sides, his personality is hardly any more pleasant, being a lazy, childish jerk who spends all of his time cooped up in a closest and generally does nothing to help his former boss and fellow general, who essentially take up the role of his exasperated parents. Even so, while he doesn't do an awful lot to help, he doesn't really make things worse for anyone either, and he can be counted on to be a good ally when the situation calls for it. There's a host of other characters, humans, demons and angels alike, but I think I've talked enough about the cast as it is. Enjoyment (8/10): The series starts with the Devil himself taking up a part-time job in a fast food restaurant and only gets more insane and hilarious from there. The first season has at least a couple of laugh-out-loud moments per episode, and while there's notably less emphasis on comedy in the second season, it nevertheless remains fun and entertaining throughout. As a whole, the series maintains a very lighthearted tone, with plenty of funny, heartwarming and awesome moments to go around, and while there are some dark and sad moments too, they are few and far between. Overall: "The Devil is a Part-Timer" is not exactly the most serious thing ever, but that's something that ends up working to its benefit rather than its detriment. Sure, it falls a little short in the storytelling department, particularly towards the end, and the quality of the visuals and sound design is pretty inconsistent, but this is still a series that's well worth checking out if you're a fantasy or comedy fan, as it's very fun to watch and has very likeable characters. Score: 7+8+8.5+7.5+8=39/50=7.8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 25, 2024
Dance in the Vampire Bund
(Anime)
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Mixed Feelings
Overview:
Anime about vampires certainly aren't anything new, and Studio Shaft, the same people behind "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", is well-known for making such anime, having created several over the years. One such anime is "Dance in the Vampire Bund", which unfortunately is pretty average as far as the genre goes. While I did enjoy it quite a bit, it is nevertheless heavily flawed, with a number of good qualities being held back by a number of not-so-good qualities. Story (6/10): "Dance in the Vampire Bund" is set in modern-day Japan, in a world where vampires exist and have lived in isolation for centuries. Until now, that is, ... as Mina Tepes, the ruler of all vampires, announces their existence to the world, with the intention of creating a special district from her people known as the Bund, hence the title. Naturally, however, creating such a haven proves to be no easy task, as humans have believed them to be monsters, and there are many other vampires who believe in dominating humanity rather than co-existing with them. Besides Mina, the series also follows Akira Kaburagi Regendorf, a young amnesiac teenager who learns one day that he is actually a werewolf (yes, they exist in this world too) and the chosen guardian of Mina. Following this revelation, Akira joins forces with Mina as he gradually remembers more and more about his history with her, and they work together to establish peace between humanity and fight back against the forces that don't want that to happen. The idea of the story is quite promising, being about a supernatural race of creatures that are far more complex than believed by the public, and are trying to find their place in a world that fears and reviles them. However, the execution is disappointing; pacing is poor (the first episode is almost entirely about the existence of vampires being announced to the world, with Akira not even appearing until the second episode), exposition is rare and often vague and so many tired anime clichés are thrown at you, from high school to a love triangle, none of which are presented in a way that makes them feel fresh or interesting, meaning that they only serve to drag down the narrative rather than enrich it. The three races' focus in the story is also incredibly uneven, with the vampires getting the lion's share and there only being one major character in the other two races. This is especially jarring considering it's explicitly stated early on that many humans wouldn't accept the existence of vampires, yet we hardly see any conflict between the two races. The only human with any real focus in the series is Yuki Saegusa, who comes into conflict with Mina not because of any fear or hatred of vampires, but because they both have feelings for the same guy (Akira), which really cheapens the story's themes. As a whole, a good chunk of the story is spent on the conflict between Mina and other high-ranking members of her race, which just makes the series feel like countless other vampire stories. The series also ends with pretty much nothing resolved, as none of the series' main villains have been defeated and the ending makes it clear that Mina and Akira's work is far from done. As a whole, the story is just one small fraction of what it could have been. Art & Animation (8.5/10): "Dance in the Vampire Bund" is a very good-looking series, especially considering it came out in 2010. The characters are very well-drawn and detailed and the environments look great as well. That said, the visuals are far from flawless, with a major problem being the gratuitous fanservice, a lot of which involves Mina, who despite being centuries-old looks like a little girl. Most of the time, anyway; there are occasions when she transforms into her older-looking, true form, which is nearly always completely naked save for armour protecting her private parts (and even that's not guaranteed). The series also has this strange effect where the camera goes all over a given character's body and zooms in on them, which is pretty effective in some scenes but just plain silly in others. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): The soundtrack is generally quite moody and atmospheric, even if no particular tracks that play during the episodes themselves come to mind. The opening and ending themes are great, especially the former which is unlike any other anime song I have ever heard, and good enough that I listened to it at the start of every episode. When it played at the start, that is, as there are occasions when the ending theme plays at the start of an episode and the opening plays at the end, which I can't remember being done in any other anime. The voice acting is great as well; Monica Rial really gets to show her range as the two forms of Mina and the dub has a strong cast in general that includes Eric Vale (Akira), Alexis Tipton (Yuki), Colleen Clinkenbeard, Todd Haberkorn and Patrick Seitz. All in all, the sound design is easily of the better parts of the series. Characters (7/10): For the characters, I'll start with Mina since she's the one the series opens with. As the queen of vampires, Mina acts very much like one would expect from someone of noble birth. She's haughty, aggressive, cocky and arrogant, and not above looking down on others. She's also very shameless, having no problem with others seeing her naked regardless of what form she's currently in. Even so, she does have a softer side too, though she generally only shows it in front of certain people, particularly Akira. Even so, while she's far from being one-dimensional, I overall found her to pretty underdeveloped, especially in terms of backstory, as her relationship with the main villains is never explored in detail, nor is it ever explained why she chose now of all times to reveal the existence of vampires to the world and create the Bund. She also has a tendency to fall into the unfortunate trap of "I'm the protagonist, so every action I take is right while anyone who opposes me is wrong.", which looks especially bad given that she's definitely not above doing some shady things throughout the series. None of these problems were enough to break her character for me, but as far as vampires go, I've definitely seen better. My personal favourite character is Akira Kaburagi Regendorf, from whose viewpoint we primarily see the series from despite it being ultimately Mina's story. Introduced as someone who can't remember anything about himself other than his name, Akira has grown to believe that he's just an ordinary teenager. However, upon meeting (or rather reuniting with) Mina, he learns that he is actually a werewolf and Mina's chosen guardian, and that he made a promise to Mina some time before the series began. As the show goes on, Akira remembers more and more about himself and his history with Mina, and slowly figures out just what she means to him, which makes for a pretty decent character arc, if not a particularly original one. Personality-wise, he's generally a kind person, especially compared to Mina, showing his kind side to the majority of people he interacts with rather than just a select few, though he can be ruthless and definitely isn't above killing when necessary. As a matter of fact, he ends up being the main focus of the last few episodes, during which Mina has been relegated to something of a damsel-in-distress role, which only further cemented which one I liked more. Rounding up the main cast is Yuki Saegusa, a human girl who took care of Akira during the time he had amnesia. And when I say "human", I mean she's completely normal, with no dark secrets or supernatural powers to speak of. While this does allow her to serve as a decent surrogate for the audience, it also means that she can't contribute all that much during fights, and so is always forced to the sidelines. Her main role in the series is to allow us to look at the world of vampires and werewolves through a human lens. Personality-wise, she's quite likeable, being very kind and, while initially being scared of vampires, coming to realise they're not so bad through interactions with Mina, and helps to humanise both her and Akira. Even so, it is disappointing that she isn't given much to do over the series. Aside from the main trio, there's a fairly large supporting cast, including Mina's entourage, Akira's fellow werewolves and other characters that are best left unmentioned. Unfortunately, the series being only 12 episodes long means there's only so much time for these characters to be developed, and ultimately almost none of them, the main cast included, are given a proper narrative conclusion. Enjoyment (7/10): When watching a gothic horror series, there are two things that the audience can expect; bloody action scenes and a grimdark atmosphere, and "Dance in the Vampire Bund" has both of those in spades. It also tackles some really sensitive subjects, including sexual extortion. However, while there is a ton of horror and violence, the series also contains plenty of lighter moments too, particularly in almost any scene between Akira and Mina. Even so, the series maintains an ultra-serious atmosphere throughout, with the moments of comic relief being few and far between. Overall: "Dance in the Vampire Bund" is yet another example of an anime that could have been so much more than it is, which probably isn't helped by the fact that it only covers a small part of the manga it's based off. It has a good concept, decent action scenes and some great visuals, music and voice acting, but these are sadly held back by a cliché ridden story and interesting but underdeveloped characters. It's worth a look if you're a vampire fan, but even then you're probably better off watching "Hellsing Ultimate" or "Seraph of the End" instead. Score: 6+8.5+8.5+7+7=37/50=7.4/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 23, 2024
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar
(Anime)
add
Mixed Feelings
Overview:
"Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" is a deconstruction of the highly controversial isekai genre, taking the general premise of an ordinary human being transported to another world while removing the "power fantasy" elements associated with the genre. However, where "Evangelion", "Madoka Magica" and many others succeeded, "Grimgar" largely fails, resulting in a series that, while quite impressive in terms of visuals and sound, is actually worse than the very shows it tries to be a more realistic portrayal of. Story (5.5/10): The series is set in the titular Grimgar, a world where it's kill or be killed and the only way to make a decent living is ... to slay monsters. The protagonist and narrator of the story is Haruhiro, a young man who wakes up in this strange world with no memory of how he got there, along with many others in the same boat as him. With no other options open to them, they are quickly pressed into service as Trainee Volunteer Soldiers by a mysterious individual named Chief Britney. Eventually, Haruhiro forms a party from a bunch of people whom nobody else wanted in theirs, and from there the series follows this group of misfits as they struggle to get by day after day in this strange new world. The story has received no shortage of praise for the fact that the protagonist never becomes an all-powerful badass and he and his teammates remain as a group of average-level adventurers who can barely function as a party. Yeah, I don't buy it. What exactly has given people the bright idea that characters have to be on the level of a regular person in order to be compelling? Is it so unbelievable that the people we're seeing the story from are just better at the task in question than others? Believe it or not, the truth of reality is that there can and always will be people who are better than you at certain things without even trying, and personally I would rather follow characters like that fighting all sorts of monsters instead of watching a bunch of nobodies struggling with goblins for two-thirds of a series. It's the characters' personalities and experiences that make them feel real, not the threat of death or how likely they're going to succeed, and that sadly is something that so few people seem to get nowadays. And that leads me to another problem; we learn that not only do Haruhiro and the others have no idea how they ended up in Grimgar, but they have no memory of their lives before they got there. Like, seriously, what was the point of that? It serves no purpose narrative-wise and just seems to have been thrown in for cheap drama, or to avoid the trouble of giving the characters any backstories. The series is supposed to demonstrate how people who haven't played MMORPG games would fare in an isekai world, but even if they had played them, it wouldn't matter because they don't even have any memories at all, and so wouldn't remember playing them. Furthermore, the series is very slow-paced, with the characters often just lazing around for a good chunk of an episode during which nothing noteworthy happens. The series is clearly trying to be a combination of isekai and slice-of-life, but in doing so it fails to be a good example of either genre, lacking both the high-octane action of the former and the lighthertedness of the latter. Granted, things do get a bit more interesting in the final third of the series, but a lot of you will probably have given up on the series by then. I know the thought crossed my mind a couple of times. Art & Animation (8.5/10): Regardless of how you feel about "Grimgar" as a whole, I doubt anyone will be able to deny that the show's visuals are great. The series is filled with impressive detail, though the standouts would have to be the character models, which are really well-drawn in a highly vibrant art style, and are really well-animated to boot. There are admittedly some parts of the visuals I wasn't a fan of (for example, the backgrounds often look like half-drawn canvas paintings, similar to those found in "Nabari no Ou"), but that's just me, and overall, the visuals are definitely one of the show's high points. Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10): "Grimgar"'s soundtrack is overall very good. Not the opening and ending themes, mind you, both of which were passable at best, but the insert songs that play during the episodes themselves. There are quite a few of them, with my favourites being "rainy tone" and "Growing", which play during the fourth and eighth episodes respectively and make for two pretty memorable scenes. The voice acting is great as well, even for the characters I wasn't a fan of, though I personally think Ricco Fajardo and Jeannie Tirado (who provide the voices of Haruhiro and Yume, respectively) were the show's best actors. In short, the sound design is just good all around, and is easily one of the better parts of the series. Characters (6.5/10): "Grimgar"'s character as a whole are pretty average. We'll start with Haruhiro, who is established right away as the main character due to being the narrator, in that he's the one who explains various things about the way things work in Grimgar as well as providing exposition regarding various techniques. He acts as the Thief of the group, wielding daggers as weapons and relying on speed over strength. Personality-wise, he is kind and polite but also reserved and sometimes timid. He's likeable enough, but I also found him to be kind of a doormat. Normally, that wouldn't be so bad, but he ends up assuming the role as leader of his party pretty early on. However, I never really felt that he fulfilled that role, as he tends to put up with the detrimental traits of his party members a lot more than he should, apparently not getting that an essential part of being a leader is knowing when to put your foot down. If I were to pick a favourite character, it would have to be Yume, the Hunter of the group who wields bows in combat. Yume acts as the heart of the party, being very kind and cheerful most of the time, as well as rather airheaded, but also not afraid to call out others when they're being jerks. Initially, she's an amateur shot, but her aim improves a great deal over the course of the series, and I would go so far as to say that she improves the most in terms of fighting ability out of everyone in the party. In general, Yume is just a likeable character all around, and pretty much the only member of the party I had no significant problems with. Then there's Shihoru, another female member of the party who becomes close friends with Yume. In contrast to Yume's cheerful and outgoing nature, however, Shihoru is a shy, timid, soft-spoken and overly apologetic individual who lacks self-esteem and tries to avoid attention. She serves as the Black Mage of the group, meaning her skills lean towards offensive magic. Sadly, a lot of her focus is spent on the commentary of her large breasts, which causes her to believe she's overweight even though she's anything but. At times, it felt like the series was treating her like eye-candy rather than a character, and it doesn't help that she never really develops beyond the typical dandere archetype, though I can say I did still like her and enjoyed her friendship with Yume. The third and final female member of the party is Merry, a Priest who joins the party a few episodes in and someone with far more experience than the rest of the group. Initially, she's aloof and uncooperative, often refusing to follow orders or heal the party when asked, and while it does turn out she has her reasons, it doesn't change the fact that she makes things more difficult for everyone since she refuses to see things from the others' point-of-view. Overtime, however, she does warm up to the others, though mostly through them accepting she has her own way of doing things. Next up is Moguzo, the main muscle of the group who, contrary to what his appearance might suggest, is very kind and second only to Shihoru as the most soft-spoken. However, while I do always appreciate characters whose personalities don't match their appearances, there isn't all that much to say about him beyond that, other than he's the main cook of the party. The last character I'm going to talk about is Ranta, who is not only my absolute least favourite character in the series, but one of my least favourite characters in any show, period. To put it in a way you'll understand, Ranta is essentially what happens when you take a typical school bully, throw him onto a remote island and force him to fight for his life, but instead of becoming a better person he chooses to make the lives of everyone else around him a living hell. He's brash, lecherous, unapologetic, often makes ridiculous boasts he can never back up and is a total asshole to all his teammates often when it doesn't make any sense for him to be. To give just one example of how utterly deplorable his behaviour is, in one episode he gets the bright idea to peep on the girls when they're taking a bath (which is objectively a crime), and not only does he refuse to apologise when inevitably caught in the act, he refuses to even admit he did anything wrong. Had Ranta simply been a little more humble, and maybe less confrontational, many of the party's problems would either lessen or disappear completely, but whatever moments of decency he has are few and far between and any good points he makes are completely overshadowed by how much of an utter jerk he is about them. And since the characters don't have backstories, we're given no explanation as to why he's like that. He just is. Honestly, it's a wonder the others don't just ditch him with all the trouble and grief he causes, since while they keep him around with the excuse that he's their best fighter, he's really not that much stronger than the rest of them, so finding someone else of his level can't be that difficult. Enjoyment (6/10): As much as the series tries to put forward a positive message about how humans can adapt to anything, the atmosphere throughout is absolutely grim (no pun intended), with the party often losing more than they gain and even when they succeed, they're sometimes left wondering if it was even worth it. It got to the point where I found myself wishing a monster would just come along and put them all out of their misery- and I feel like an asshole just saying that! Overall: "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" is proof that deconstructing a genre does not always make it better. The problem with it is that much like several other similarly overrated shows, it's too focused on being different or realistic at the expense of what actually matters. Limiting what you can do solely on the basis that it's been done before is the perfect way to write a boring story, and "Grimgar" is proof of that, which combined with its sub-par characterization and overly-bleak tone, makes this a series only for those who really want a break from the mainstream. Score: 5.5+8.5+8.5+6.5+6=35/50=7.0/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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