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Sep 14, 2024
DISCLAIMER:
Review in-fact always constains spoilers, regardless the way whether you prefer to euphemize it into meta terms which are implicit or not, it still remains to include spoilers.
Storytelling Masterpiece - How to Create an Extraordinary Out of the Ordinary: Limited Edition
There are much needed to be said about SHOUSHIMIN, or perhaps, it's rather of what have been said by others, especially when akin to numerous series that offer a similar premise of which I prefer not to disclose nor associate those series I was infering to, considering the virtue of fact that while it may be enjoyable to draw a comparison along with its pros
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and cons out of the blue, it appears to lack common sense and irrationality to begin with. While in my humble opinion, it is forbidden to do such an analysis when inferred from yet another certain specific popular series, I do understand the way they draw the comparison. However, such a tiny bit dazzling but with the cutthroat of spectacles series simply is unmatched to any of those.
Therefore, I prefer not to brush a line of distinctions between one and another when writing this review - it is SHOUSHIMIN that needs to be reviewed, not the other series including yet another show that has been known to be written by the same author, Honobu Yonezawa, despite this time produced by a different studio, Lapin. Hence then, it's time to give Lapin studio the boost they need by giving these audiences a fresh breath of air, thus re-telling the story by alerting them about spoilers while letting them to enjoy every single word thoroughly.
Alright, now let's begin with the inference for the introductory, or the series descriptions.
The story set at Funado High School, after the placement exam, when a tall, somewhat muscular, bulky, and well-built student stumbled into a skinny, tall, and somewhat good looking one along with a certain tiny and timid female figure hiding behind his body. And as they 'introduced' themselves to the audience, they were there to check the acceptance board as the story went on. Kojima Dengo once was this tall and skinny-built individual, who turns out to be Jogoro Kobato, while the tiny figure behind him is Osanai Yuki, his fellow classmate before upon entering the senior high school. Together, they made the scenes as the story begins.
So, can they strive to become one of these ordinary citizen or will they fumble?
Watch this show for the best experience of relishing enjoyment of such a premise which is mostly done throughout foods and beverage for the entirety of this show.
Alright, that's all for the series descriptions, now let's head into the recipe.
First of all, this was what I have had learned after watching a video about storytelling: You don't break the walls, you just make them disappear. And this, I believe, is the first recipe to create an extraordinary out of an ordinary premise, whereas the series on itself, despite not given any 'wow', extravagant, nor spectacular premise, as the story goes on, such an ordinary premise becomes any of those words. I honestly wouldn't expect this, given the way Yonezawa-sensei's storytelling appeared to hit differently this time: As if it were to be a drawing, instead of stroking it with a shocking intensity of brush after a smooth brushing for a while, it begins with a delicate soft movement, as the brush is seemingly hardly touching upon the canvas, it gives a slowly but sure brushing until it gets thicken over the time. And such a simplicity is what makes a story perfect: You don't always need any all of a sudden shock therapy to make a series interesting, you simply wait for the momentum to make a precise smooth transition. And, to me, this was a sight to behold, not only such a technique overcomes any sort of limitations, it simply adds more 'balance' to the flavour of your cake, with the mix of sour and sweet combined into a naturally bland taste, make it intriguingly an effortless but flawless cake.
Second, know how to create a story out of characters, not the opposite: Character development and growth aren't really about making so many behavioral traits out charateristics to make it seemingly jubilant - it's all about dire circumstances given to a character which causes a certain specific impact to them, no matter the way you write them. Now, this is possibly one of the most crucial parts. The thing is, you don't really need a flashy character with complexity issues to create a great storytelling; what you do is the opposite, but be careful with the tropes. I have been noticing a lot of shows with which I could get sickened out of it, not only these characters were collecting traits as if those where Pokemons, they also complicate the situation themselves by adding their own characteristics to a certain circumstance, which is a bad apple on its own. Sherlock Holmes once said, "You don't suit facts to a theory." instead, you suit your theory to support facts. This implies the way these authors dismissed a crucial storytelling aspect when it comes to characters themselves; not only that they overlooked odds of those circumstances by carrying out heavy characteristics would eventually turn it into a recipe of disaster, they appear to be not so much aware about the laws of causality, given the aspect that is needed when an impact is being imposed onto someone's personality, which to me looks like a cake that is too sweet, too sour, bland or simply the mix of these with so many unnecessary spices, such as a spicy sauce, for instance. In other words, if I were to analogize, utilize deduction when it is necessary to apply a theory into facts. Or else, use induction when special circumstances are required to infer these certain specific facts based on the existing theory.
Third, and possibly the last but not the least: Plot twist, when it's too overwhelming and perplexing, is akin to a sweet cake with too much sugar as a sweetener for the sake of it - simple and smooth one makes it perfect. Hence then, here is yet another crucial aspect to notice when crafting mastery, which is time to consider whether such a cake happens to be too sweet to your liking, hence then it doesn't suit you at best. Not only adding too many 'sweets' may cause diabetes, but also the odds that you may throw up as you are no longer able to digest it properly - Ingredients are important to create a great storytelling recipe, and these are what SHOUSHIMIN offers to you. Therefore, enjoy the dessert while you are at it.
That's all, and thank you for reading this review. I really appreciate it.
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Actually... No, if you think this review was done, then consider yourself to have been tricked - to be fair, I have yet done any of these usual formats, so here is yet another proper segment of 'normal' reviews that I usually wrote with ease, especially back then.
Hence thus, to begin with, such a storytelling then, as I said previously, it gives an incredible perspective when it comes to the narrative, plot along with its twists, characters, environmental background, and premise being taken to have livened up the show, and all of these require a flawless recipe to captivate the audience about this show. Simply said, it has what it takes to outlive the expectation given by its predecessor though I would rather not to give any per usual as a thumb rule I adhere to when watching a show. The transition is smooth and accurate, the way scenes switch from one to another is a beauty to anyone's eyes - these are one of the best, thus coupled with a soothing and relaxing but still consistent pacing, the plot blends itself akin to a creamy sauce melts inside your mouth when you eat a cake. The premise that is thematically slice of life albeit with major mystery and minor suspense and action themes gives a well-proportionate ingredients to slice the living out of a show to put it roughly.
The external aspects also are fine, and as we begin from the music first, the Opening really is suitable. I honestly could never have imagined Eve to put such a decent work considering the skepticism I have had, but it somehow exceeds the expectation - Sweet Memory is a well-balanced taste and flavour. The Ending also was as much as fitting, albeit I hardly remember the title, it still has a nice ring to it. Thus, coupled with numerous OSTs as the scene background, these dynamics create a lot of smoothies out of the already structured premise, not to mention this cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio scaling gives such nostalgic feelings while these visual scenes are heavenly, including the background settings as such.
Another thing to mention is the audio, from voice to sound effect. While there are some issues when it comes to the volume of sorts, these all are somewhat covered by these talented voice actors. For instance, Anzai Chika who were being loud about the scene, thus calling out Kengo as his older sister for being a lazy bum, or Osana's VA, who definitely nailed the tone of a cold and calculative voice of her character correctly during the scene, especially the one when she trailed Kobato from behind to surprise him. Speaking of the scene, the details are perfectly crafted to make out any scene to be meaningful, thus these seemingly unnecessary details complete the missing pieces in a puzzle of scenes, while the character design, animation, and the art style are quite compelling, giving such an adventurous enjoyment when it comes to pleasuring the audience with an absolute cinematic experience.
As for characters along with their personality, these all are fine and, in-fact, this should be a proper model for anyone who wants to begin their career as a writer: As I suggested previously, you don't need to create a character with intricate complexity issues to make a series be any fulfilling. In-fact, the satisfaction lies within to create the simplicity from th beginning then later to add the complexity throughout certain specific circumstances as they adapt themselves throughout such scenes, which is akin to a cake before added any of ingredients - its original taste is bland and looks really simple after backed out of the oven, but once you added ingredients such as creamy sauce, fruit topping, sugar, and stuffing etc. it will become a perfectly balanced recipe if you have done it properly; to be fair, not just cake, even most of foods you eat come out of these basic ingredients.
Kobato appeared to steal the show with his cutthroat and cunning tendencies yet without being too overwhelming, as he gave the shed of lights to others such as Kengo and Osanai, as these characters also have flavours on their own, leading to an intriguing storyline that is mostly dictated by a certain flow of dynamics with which you may be able to enjoy the show without any hassle of waiting for the time it ends: It simply flows lightly throughout your vein, as by the time you finished an episode unknowingly, you never really saw it coming.
For the enjoyment, it was peak. By the time you drown yourself into the show, as the wall between audience and characters is disappear, it is as if you soak yourself into a cake that balances the taste of between sour and sweet, giving the entanglement of relaxation, to satiate your own appetite, especially given that the plot alone is revolved around foods, beverage, and culinary recipe, much fitting for those whom may have an inclination to savour any of these digestive ingredients without eating them with pleasure, including the fact that this show alone, despite calming and relaxing, also is serious and somewhat tense, of which gives you an ideal state to ease your boredom.
Right, I probably have done with all if not most of components but the do or don't here. Ergo, by the virtue of fact that this show is relaxing with a serious tone at best, it is better not to expect anything out of it, especially action with a lot of plot twists, complicated plots, or some exaggerated drama with a lot of conflicts - you aren't watching shounen nor shoujo, but a show that resembles reality. Sure, you may call it 'boring' or 'average'. However, this most likely determines your attitude towards life experience - if you consider this show as boring, this then rather implies this whole experience you've been living: You see your own life as one. And no, this is hardly an iyashikei as the show on itself still has a suspense here and there, despite not as much. One more thing: Never, ever, compare it to Honobu Yonezawa's previous work, Ice Cream (Yes, not going to say the original title). And if you ask me why, its premise alone already carries out a clearly distinctive theme akin to its predecessor, and Yonezawa-san really wrote something that is unlike his usual works, coming off with a brave and delicate theme that he probably has had never experienced it before. Not to mention that Lapin clearly punched above its weight with this show, especially by adapting this work into something that is overwhelming to most of us, emotional-wise. So, I would applaud them for this.
Another thing to notice here is do not watch this show if you wish for a story that simply rests your mind without giving a further notice towards intricated details given that most of these scenes require the audience to think thoroughly about any possible scenario that might happen throughout the series. Ergo, again, it is better not to expect any iyashikei form of relaxation here.
As for the conclusion, SHOUSHIMIN is by-far the most realistic show I have ever watched, just like the life on itself, if you have a lemon, squeeze it, turn the lemon into a lemonade, add some ice, and done. This is simple. However, it is more difficult to pull out a masterpiece out of simplicity. And as much as it is impressive to do difficult things, it is more tricky to make something difficult looks simple. And SHOUSHIMIN simply delivers - it has a lot of flavours that may seem against each other, but eventually end up as a synthesis of balanced ones as each of these neutralizes each other, creates a perfect recipe to work on a masterpiece.
Also, these are the list of critics, pros and cons, I have regarding the show, which is for the better improvement of it:
The characters were a bit too bland in the beginning, despite getting flavoured in the end. While I agree it's better to start with a plain ingredient as a premise, this may leave distaste for those whom may have expected something that persuades them to watch the show
Some of these scenes contain cliches such as Chekov's gun or McGuffin elements. While it's true that these scenes are compelling enough to help the audience directing their mind into the character's thought process by slowly inviting them after making the fourth wall disappear, it may be unpleasant to some.
The CGI movement was apparent when given, especially if you noticed it carefully. While some others may be fine with this, the rest of people who already enjoyed the full-rotoscope drawing, including me, might find it a bit odd unless when it's done rather delicately to fit the frames.
We didn't get to see the thought process for each character, including Jougorou as the main character but it's understandable because the show meant to, well, show, not to tell with a compelling monologue-style of storytelling. However, this was covered by gesticulations and the fleshed out dialogues between characters that helped the audience to understand it correctly.
Alright, that's all and I really appreciate that you read this review until the end. Thank you and I solemnly hope that you enjoyed every single paragraph written by myself with love and deep gratitude towards SHOUSHIMIN as I poured everything here. Because this show deserves your attention.
Once again, thank you very much.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 3, 2024
Date A Live, or much more known as DAL, is a series that always forever brings us to a certain specific question: Is harem genre really meritorious enough to watch? Such a question always drowns the audience into the pitfall, and this has been what makes Date A Live is a heartwarming series: The unique storytelling combined with the entertainment aspect for the plot that unexpectedly has quite some of well-written scenes, world-building, and characters. And the idea of which show that is being applied happens to be the prototype for all other harem series who strive to reach its success. Nevertheless, it also has
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its flaws overall, meaning that there needs to be a lot of things to address for this much beloved show that has captivated its audience with a lot of 'options' to choose, not just characters-wise, but also genres to pick. Therefore, without any further ado, let's begin with unveiling the conclusive end to this series, Date A Live V.
First of all, let's begin with the characters first despite I'm not even sure where to begin with this if I were to be honest. In spite of that, we shall talk about our best waifu Shiori harem protagonist Shidou Itsuka, or much known as Shinji Takamiya according to his past. I honestly was rather fond of his previous character growth and development, but this time it's a little too serious for him. However, it's okay. Regardless what path he took to change himself, he remains to be the most tedious memorable protagonist you would ever see that despite having the characteristic of a shounen protagonist, he also has a playful side that may make everyone blushes, including Kurumi without any exception. His cheerful, playful, an empathetic side is what grows out of the blue more than any others, as despite often falling into the hollow of sadness, he was able to sustain the feelings of blue, thus later overcome such obstacles all by himself. Yes, all by himself despite he was mostly helped by arguably the single-carry waifu best heroine spirit Kurumi Tokisaki. Now, let's talk about the relation between both - it's evident that they need each other, especially as it was explained during the previous seasons. Kurumi needs his power to change the world and kill the Spirit of Origin while he needs her power to objectively save every single of his beloved harem, regardless what it takes. In other words, both are selfish on their own. This means these characters have great arcs development on their own, whereas they will do anything to reach the objectives they made. Such a relationship is what makes it conclusive, as they finally encountered the Spirit of Origin, they would realize how powerless they would have been against her, Mio Takamiya.
To be fair, other than him and Kurumi, Reine and Mio definitely have stolen the spotlight by becoming the MILFs we always root for new heroines that livened up the show as soon as they appeared, with Touka still brings a crucial development along with Mana and Kotori, whereas these other characters end up being endless banters, (Origami, Nia, Mukuru, and Miku) with the rest of them becoming those walking NPCs (the rest of them except a few). Or else, they will get a little portion of development but that alone is not enough to cover their NPC-ness against the others (Yuzuru, Kaguya, and Natsumi) which cannot cover the entirety of LN, but we aren't going to talk about that original material. Another thing to talk about the overall plot and scenes: At best, it's mid or average. At worst, it has some unnecessary scenes apart from the great fans service given. And yes, I enjoyed every bit of those.
Meanwhile, the villains suck. Isaac Westcott's motivation of "being villain for the sake of villain" is the most scum-worthy development background I have ever seen, including the "I just enjoyed to make them cry" sadistic character was enough to wish him getting rotten into hell for many times. While Nibelcole, despite doing its job as a materialized-paper spirit and the most legal waifu ever that is hand-made, they still fall into the trope of being a goofy villain, it's exactly like seeing Meowth trying to sound villainous while end up being goofy because his master can't even do shit. However, apart from those, Artemisia Ashcroft actually has something to explore, along with Ellen, whose relationship with Woodman and Karen as the wizards were revealed to have an in-depth background, unlike Isaaco Raye Peyramu Wescotto considering their dreadened past as wizards. However, what turns out to be a shamble is that there were no definite explanations regarding the ranking system for wizards - I believe this was explained in the LN, so you might as well read it.
Enough with the entire shithouse that is called as characters, let's do the other aspects next, which are audio and visual. Speaking of the audio, it genuinely has its potentials, if only they never decided to muffle those on the background with unfruitful dialogues among these characters... but well, what-ifs are useless. The fact is that the audio/sound aspect is quite mid, apart from Kurumi theme which seems to be well-fitting for her, or else the part where Mio and Reine appear also has a glance of spectacle to it. Meanwhile, for the OP, it's possibly the best you could get out of this, so well done for Miyu Tomita to actually pull yet another banger after Date A Live IV with yet another captivating and emotional Opening with a lot of undecipherable meanings when you only listen to it once. However, as for visual, it was ugh, I'm not sure how to tell this but I have been never quite fond of Geek Toys studio, including their drastic approach to get rid of any LN artstyle for the sake of making their own, not to mention that this vivid approach of coloring doesn't really get me - are we watching a shoujo romance anime or what? It looks like Houseki No Kuni being adapted to a show. Otherwise, it never makes any sense, to me IMS always holds dearly along with S2 animation, while JC being mid as always and thus AIS hardly delivers that much, but GeekToys... it's just awful at best, not to mention the CG... you can tell it is one by just looking at the design, it honestly feels like watching Saint Seiya The Movie that relies on 3D and again, this makes the battle looks horrid, which is a downgrade compared to its predecessors to say the least. But still, thanks to the voice actors/actresses, this show survives to be at least not the worst ever. Kurumi has the greatest dub, as always along with Shidou, Mio, and Reine etc. which objectively bring out the amusement when it comes to the sound aspect once more.
Alright, that's all. Now, let's go back to the question: Is harem genre really meritorious to watch? The answer is yes, if you want to fulfill your entire dream by self-inserting yourself to a character that probably has never existed, or it does but it's rare along with notable fans service of harem that are ready to submit with the protagonist's desire no matter how carnal. Or no, if you don't prefer any of these but a much more serious despite trashy and half-baked isekai that doesn't even belong to the list of greats due to its perplexed direction and butchered character. Or else, you may prefer the balance of both, so might as well watch isekai harem if that's the case. Well, no matter your choice in the end, it's up to you to decide - all yours, that's it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 10, 2023
Hm, I'm not quite sure if it's a correct decision to write a review since there only are 4 episodes
(I have yet watched the 5th one) but well, I guess there we go:
Blue Lock is an anime series based on a serial manga popularized in 2018 by Muneyuki Kaneshiro about the way how Japanese society norms don't really understand the essence of football-- the anime itself was said it explicitly despite not many people have understood this message. In fact, the author had claimed that the collective norms in Japan have deteriorated football from its purest form, especially when it comes to the idea
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that football players have a freedom for expressing themselves in an artistic sense to become the best version of themselves on the pitch-- in which sense that they are not allowed to be selfish or have an ego when it comes to playing football, which means that they have to work together collectively as a team and are not depending on the way they perform individually.
Alright next, it's time to get into the details since this anime has become the trend-setter among the ongoing in-season series that are on-air currently. So, what is the story about? There was a whiny Yoichi Isagi, who regretted that he didn't score a goal by or for himself, and instead, passing it to his teammate who eventually failed to score a goal during the penultimate time of the match for the team in the final thus lost the cup. Not to mention that he actually had cried, given the opportunity he did have to change his fate was wasted as a striker and more importantly, a footballer whose dream is to win a World Cup and become like Noel Noa, how ironic -- I honestly didn't know who the hell he was, or which football player that was inspired from despite the author said it was Antoine Griezmann (which is hilarious since there was no way he would have won a Balloon D'or and beaten Messi or Ronaldo) but for the sake of aligning this timeline into the real world, let's just say it's Karim Benzema if he joined the 2018 World Cup-- a striker prodigy who, not only took their team to lift the World Cup but also "stole" the Balloon D'Or from the caliber of players such as Messi and Ronaldo, and became the role model of every striker in the world.
Alright, enough with Yoichi Isagi, time to move on from his shamble and go to the next section, as you see the current corrupt state of Japan Football Association, whereas they don't see any importance in winning the World Cup. But it changed when Ego Jinpachi, someone whose identity was unknown, and Teieri Anri (this honestly sounds like the word play of Thierry Henry) who joined to reform the Japanese Football to begin its revolution by simply tossing 300 young strikers, that were being locked or you could just say quarantined and therefore isolated such as that COVID pandemic patients, into a base camp called "Blue Lock".
And then from here, the story begins... but in reality, it is not the end of this review-- this is just a synopsis I made.
First of all, to begin the evaluation of this anime (so far), time to pay attention on several things:
The premise about this show is interesting to say the least-- it talks about not just football, but sports in general, whereas there are sports that distinguished by the sense of teamwork, with clear orders and duties to compete against the others, while then, there also are some that require players to become a part of individuality if they want to achieve their own success. For example, football, as it is distinguished by the dynamic style of play with the difference between tactics and strategy on the pitch become vague thus these players have their own initiative with their idea of playing football on the pitch to become the best version of themselves due to their high ego, is sports for the individuals. However, mostly, it is apparent that the background of this show is revolved around psychology, despite it is not being mentioned explicitly or, to be precise, related to Freudian Ego unironically-speaking. But then, these players are, at their best, propelled by their own action and mindset when it comes to playing football, from dribbling, passing, shooting, attacking or defending to technique, awareness, determination, and also mentality too.
The animation is really good, and it is quite satisfying to see such quality when it comes to the detailed layers of each motion despite it still is carried by CG (computer graphic) but the art style simply is lacking impression, especially when it comes to visualization of play on the pitch, including the way "monsters" are being portrayed, since it could have been more vivid, surreal, and impressionistic but it made no distinct difference so far. The characters are not really much of problems compared to the voice actors, in which there is a sort of problems about the way sentences are pronounced to sound a little more engaging, Yoichi Isagi as a main character, for example, displays a significant character development throughout the episodes, much alike from zero to hero development, as expected as the way how it should be according to the source material. And since there are 24 episodes, it is expected for this show to become better in developing these players, so far including Bachira with his instinctual drive of sensing a monster, Kunigami with his sense of justice and a will to become a superhero in playing football or Chigiri who so far got a fair-share of his screen time as well. The pacing is fine, not to say it is really good but at least it does not rush the development of both plot and characters to an extent they ruin or sacrifice one of these aspects to integrate the show for the sake of its genre, and it is fair to think that the tempo that is managed on this show is actually quite satisfying if I were to refer to the source material. And as for the audio and visual, these are some of the best aspects that this show currently have, and it might be conceivable that these staffs of studio who have had worked on this show made enough research and effort of the way how football is being played, and not to mention that there were some technical aspects that being mentioned during several episodes to educate the audiences who just watched "football".
And therefore, unlike Japan who had lost against Belgium in World Cup 2018, Blue Lock has everything that it takes to become one of the best anime series that portrays football, or rather, the best sports anime that have ever made due to its sources material. However, so far, despite of its potential, it's worth mentioning that this unpolished gem of the series will have to level-up their game if they don't want to be unbeknownst by their audiences simply due to cliché or stereotype that are used to be attach this series into both categories of shōnen and sports genres whereas it tends to be oriented by teamwork or the so-called "power of friendship" nonsense as such. But honestly, it wouldn't be so surprising if they eventually decided to commit Haik- I mean, to destroy these stereotypes due to the premise they have brought into play as the one to watch this season.
So, at last but not least, why do you have to watch Blue Lock? If you have ever been shat on by a pigeon due to luck struck upon you, the inevitability of watching this show is very likely due to its quality and the appreciation of the way how football becomes as it is nowadays. In other word, you would have to reach the shit to have your luck in watching this revolutionary and, sometimes, theatrical show about sports that are played by the best of XI in the squad. Hence then, as the aftermath, there is no "must" being applied here, or whether you want to watch this show at all. But if you are looking for a show that provides entertainment to watch during the spare time, this is the best that you can have. However, as a football fan, this show is really recommended for these kind of people who have watched the beauty aspect of football since not only it is a reminder for them about the quality of football to play, but the fact that these characters are these professional footballers who eventually will be embracing themselves as the role models of this show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 4, 2020
REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER!
don't read unless you want to get spoiled or you've watched this anime.
" How does it feel to not exist? "
- Misaki Mei
Ah, Another. I still can't believe I've watched it as I got inferred by my friend to watch it. It has a very good premise, to begin with, and mayhap one of the most underrated anime series on this genre. Not many people know how flawless the story development is and how shocking the ending is. It's another series which gives you another insight of another very good anime in another genre (Okay, I used "another" word too much). However, people
...
just can't stand against the premises do this anime gives for the audiences. Yes, the horrible violence and profanity do exist here and they just can't get it so much. Not many people like this anime either and it's turned out to be a low rated series despite its premise is so exceptional. Don't even compare Another to another horror-themed series alike Shiki, Corpse Party, or even Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. Those what have aforementioned have gore and horror, but it has no contest weighed to Another. Because for me, Another is "more than a horror series." It gives you an exciting story despite it has gore and horror. It'll give you more than horror and gore as it has the psychological and thriller as the strong traits of this anime series.
"Death isn't kind. It's dark and black and as far as you, as far as you can see, you're all alone, there's no one else. But, it's no different when you are alive, right? It doesn't matter how many relationships we seem to have. We're all alone."
- Misaki Mei
The premises of the story is outstanding. As I said before, Another has everything it needs to be a very good anime series. It's somewhat flawless as It has a wide variety of premises fulfil with psychological and thriller genre. It also has mystery as the characters have a riddle to solve with and horror as the background of this series. There are some flaws (which I can explain later) but it's pretty much disguised by the thriller which is outstanding. Pretty much sure that Another deserves more appreciation as its whole genres have satisfied the hunger of my demand to watch horror, thriller and mystery in a show (something I've demanded before I watched this series).
- Kouichi met Mei in the hospital.
The story itself starts from Sakakibara Kouichi, a student who just moved to Yomiyama from his old school and transferred to a school where his mother was also a student there, Yomiyama North Middle School. Alas, he's moved to a 3-3 class, which appears to have an enigmatic side and dreadful atmosphere inside. On that class, he met again with the one who doesn't exist, a girl named Misaki Mei, aloof girl who wears a left-eye patch which appears to have an enigmatic and calm personality. After he met with her, students avoid him. Kouichi doesn't have a clue about the girl, so he tries to find out.
After a sort of conversations with her, later he's unravelled that most of the students and teachers at the school believe that this class is cursed. It's due to the countless series of calamity such as strange and terrible deaths persist in that class and many secrets can't be solved by the students and teachers. So, they've made an agreement to use Mei as a scapegoat to cheat against the calamity of 3-3 class. It was somewhat a successful method as there were many students who survived last year. However, it appears to be sustained even though they have used her as the scapegoat. Secrets have to be solved and they must halt it before it's too late.
The psychological side here reveals to be the strongest trait of this series. I wonder if Another has no psychological side, it'd be a terrible show to watch, no doubt. The psychological side to "survive from the calamity" of each character shows at its finest, as they are willing to do anything to save themselves, no matter what it takes. Another strong side of Another is the unexpected thriller which constantly appears in every episode, or maybe every scene, I'm not sure. The mystery side is pretty flawless yet uncertain as there are some sections which I can't understand (I need to re-watch it once again to realize about it), the subtle stuff here is rather hard to solve compared to another series. The supernatural and horror are the backgrounds of those premises, which also gives me a strong feeling of the calamity inside the class and also the insight to cover the flaws of its mystery genre inside the story.
"It's sad when people die."
- Misaki Mei
The characters are somewhat flawless. I can tell from the main protagonist, Mei Misaki who appears to have the most character development over insight into the story. She appears to be a cold, anti-social and enigmatic person yet somewhat melancholic and quite clever to solve the puzzles of the 3-3 class. Kouichi Sakakibara is the next who have the most development. I must say he is a bit of male version of Chitanda, a person who questions a lot of things happen yet somewhat imaginative, calm, sociable and friendly, commonly a nice guy. The next is Izumi Akazawa, a solemn tsundere girl a strong leader with unabashed and frank personality who is responsible for the class and will do anything to stop the curse, it doesn't matter how and why. For the other characters, I can say a lot of Reiko Mikami, Kouchi's aunt who is caring and nice to each other yet somewhat doesn't have interest over the calamity in the 3-3 class. Other than that, I can't say more about the character.
"The music gives a very good warmth of its story, art is very genuine yet memorable, and the voice actors are transcendent."
True, that's all I can say about the visual and audio appearances of this anime. Voice actors are talented and I have to say more about Mei Misaki, her voice is somewhat very unique and recognizable even she said the word frankly in a low tone. The music, I can say that I love the Opening theme so much as it gives you the thriller and enigmatic feeling every time I listen to that song. For the art, it's somewhat unique and perfect, as the event taken from the past, it's, of course, such a memorable art despite the anime released in 2012. Overall, the visual and audio appearances are very good, I like it.
Don't watch it if you expect for a show with a lot of actions in every scene, this anime has no action material, so be ready to get a big forfeit and regret your decision to watch if you expect or demand the action. Do watch if you want to experience an anime with a lot of tragedies inside the story which is unexpected yet enigmatic in every section. It'll give you a lot of it and you'll have no regret nor forfeit to watch Another. Also, as I said previously, it's more than a horror show, it has the morality inside the story and a very deep philosophy about life. So overall, I very enjoyed this show and gave it a very high rating, like it or not, I don't care with what you are thinking, Another deserves more than 7, as it's the most underrated series which deceived by the audience's favour to dislike the violence in an anime series. Okay, that's all and thank you for reading this blatantly long review.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 1, 2020
[WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER}
If you've done it or want to get spoiled, you are allowed to read this review.
" Isn't it sad how some people only value themselves by how much the wrong people value them. "
- Isla
Plastic Memories. Many people dislike it due to premises do this anime has promised to the audiences. It's written by the same author of Steins; Gate, so, of course, people would expect more from this anime to tell more about the inherited level of science fiction based on the creator. Yet, they won't find it here as it's another bittersweet premise and a slice of life with sci-fi
...
as its background. People always oddly value a show by its previous quality. I must say it's good yet means you can't see the hidden value behind the authenticity of the anime itself. The philosophical value of humanity and the morality of Giftias who want to be treated as human it's somewhat a very good premise to start with.
" Sometimes, it takes a little bit of sadness to know what happiness is."
Her true words prevail in the story about the anime itself. It's very sad and joyful, at certain times, it happens simultaneously throughout the story. It tells about Tsukasa Mizugaki, a boy who accepted to SA Corp., an android company that produced a Giftia, a new form of android that has the most amount of emotion and artificially human qualities which much better than its model predecessor. At first glance, he met Isla, a Giftia which he thought that she is also a human yet it's not.
He has introduced to the terminal service, his duty is to take the Gitias which have past their age before it's turned to be a dangerous creature as they start to lose the memories. He has formed to a group with Isla and of course, there will be some unwanted obstacles and risky chance while they execute their job, death is not the exemption. The main story comes from Isla and Tsukasa who fall in love with each other even they already understand their difference as a creature, both mentally and psychically.
" It's hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember."
This quote truly tells about the characters. How can I forget them? They are so memorable, given to the story itself. Isla, a clumsy yet adorable girl who formed into a team in the terminal service. She has the most of it as she is the first main character besides Tsukasa (even though the story's point of view told about Tsukasa himself) who curious about emotions, happiness, and sadness. She had her crush to Tsukasa and she wants her memories to not be erased as she doesn't want to lose "the one who gave her beautiful memories". Tsukasa, a boy who also had a crush on his beloved girl, and he had taught her a lot of things about this world.
He made Isla thought that the world isn't that dangerous, it's beautiful. For the supporting characters, I'll give some views on Michiru Kinushima, a tsundere mean Giftia girl who admires Tsukasa yet also supports Isla and had a tragic past trauma about her family. I can tell a lot about the other characters but it'll waste your time to read this review.
" Memories do not always soften with time, sometimes some grow edges like knives."
I must say the song is not so strong trait for the anime but it has a very deep meaning. I love listening to "Ayasake no Starmine", it has a soft and playful tone of a song yet so deep meaning and gives you the warmth about this anime for worthwhile. For the roles, I'm very satisfied with the voice actors, althought Isla's voice isn't that loud, I can hear and feel her words deeply and it's pretty for me. I want to cry and smile, or even laugh every time I hear her voice, it's well fitted to her character as a playful, cold, and caring yet clumsy and childish personality. About the other characters, I don't see any problem with the other voice characters, they are well fitted to the roles as well.
" Having happy and beautiful memories doesn't always bring salvation. The more beautiful a memory is, the more painful it can become, it can even become more terrifying. Both for the one who's leaving... and the one being left behind."
Plastic Memories is an underrated anime which not only teaches you the morality about being a human, it also gives you the sentimental feeling between two different creatures who fell in love with each other and will always be together even when the death separates them. It also has a premise which is simple and understandable for most of the audiences and will give you the warmth of both joyful and sadness at the same times. It gives you solely of a slice of life and drama with sci-fi as the background. So, for whom it may concern, don't watch if you expect an anime with a scientific premise like Steins; Gate. It won't give you something similar to the show, as it doesn't match the same pain with it. Do watch if you love series like Violet Evergarden, Clannad, and Angel Beats. I haven't watched Clannad and Violet Evergarden, but I'm sure it has a similar premise as Plastic Memories. Overall, I enjoyed this show so much as I have watched it five times and cried with the same number of times too. The story was thoughtful, joyful, playful, and hurtful at the same time and I should recommend this to whom love the slice of life genre. You can say that I rate it too high, but it doesn't mean that I overrate this show. Plastic Memories is the most underrated series I've ever seen in the slice of life genre and I'd give it a very high score to not forget about the memories does this show have.
" My memories about this anime have started to fade, so I don't want to regret my loss by writing this review for you."
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 31, 2020
"Hello, what do you do at this place? Are you busy? Will you read this review?"
[WARNING: SPOILER]
don't read unless you've finished this anime or you want to get spoiled.
" I do be honest, I dislike fantasy. But this one got me too much."
SukaSuka, I still can't believe that I would watch this anime. Even though it got my interest from the start, but it's caught me due to the songs this anime provides for me. I thought this isekai studio has nothing to surprise me other than those popular anime yet it has a rottenly underrated anime. Yes, EndWorld/SukaSuka/Three sentences of a title that I
...
can memorize but I won't tell here as it's too long for a show title and will waste your time to remember the title name. However, apart from its blatantly long title, this anime has the authenticity better than any other fantasy anime. I don't like fantasy but this got me too much as it has a simple yet so complex (you can tell from the character names and the title) premise added to the story.
" Do you want to survive? Or, you want to suffer..."
The story told about Willem Kmetsch, the only human race who have survived from a curse he made for himself to kill a Beast. As he thought that his journey as a hero is already over, he had a very important job to do that would throw him back to his past trauma. Yes, he had to take care of the Leprechauns, beautiful girls who can wield the ancient weapons and kill the Beast. As they have no fear of death, it has made them embraced the Beasts by killing themselves. His order is to be the father of these "guns" and take care of them until they are ready to face death. He had lost everything before and it would happen if he wasn't very careful enough to protect it. The story has a sort kind of premises and of course, the isekai cliches with some services get treated as a way to save their life. It has romance, fantasy, drama, a slice of like and action. Don't watch it if you've expected a loose fantasy anime, you won't get it here. It has a lot of slice of life and romance with the fantasy as its background. And I must say, as an anime with low numbers of the episode, it has a slow start and somewhat will make you think the story isn't that worth it to watch. You might say something similar until you've come in the last 4-5 episodes as the story will get its conflicts there.
The side story and I must say the most important is the relationship between Willem and one of the Leprechauns, Chtholly Nota Seniorius who got an important role as the elder of her kinds and had a crush with Willem. The character development is somewhat lacking in some characters yet pretty flawless for some characters. Willem has the most as the past trauma that had haunted him for 500 years came back to him again in a different era, Chtholly, a fairy who had a crush to her beloved one and will do anything to keep it, no matter what it takes. The other one is Ithea Myse Valgulious who looks happy and easy-going yet has been keeping a secret for herself. Other than that, you might take a look to Nygglatho, a troll who also trolls that she wants to taste Willem even for a slice of his finger. However, she is a kind maid who treats girls well and has sympathy for Willem's sacrifice to keep his relationship with Chtholly.
"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?"
I might say this is the strongest trait of SukaSuka. The ED and OP songs are cheerful, playful, and somewhat has a deep meaning. However, I must say that I love the "Scarborough Fair" very much. I know it's an odd reference but it's somewhat related with the story due to the Leprechauns. The voice actors are fine, not bad yet not very good either, but must say that I barely hear Nephren's voice there in some of the dialogues.
"Why would I rate it hight? Because I cherish it."
Yes, I very love this anime althought the complicated character names and title, this is an anime that you should watch if you are looking for a romance and slice of life premises with fantasy and supernatural. Don't watch if you are very into the action and supernatural, really, you won't get that too much from here. It has those but it wasn't created to fulfil the story. And yes, I gave it a very high score because I simply love it and would like to watch it again.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 31, 2020
[WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER]
"It's not only about after-life story, but it's also about the past, present and the future."
Angel Beats!... How come that I forgot about this anime, it has a lot of premises, it provides you with a very good origin as its premise, has given you some acts of joy and you really want those joyful laughs last forever, and at the last, it gave you a truly touching story aside from the original premise as an after-life story. Also, make sure you watched it before you did with Clannad as if you watched it after that anime, you would have a different
...
sentiment. So, let's start the story of this fruitful after-life battle.
"Thank you for everything you've given to me. It's worth a lot. Once again, thank you."
As same as her frank words up there, the story gave me a feeling to gratitude it. It's not as complex as psychological yet not as simple as a slice of life, but sometimes, every time I re-watched it, again and again, the story has somewhat become better than ever. It tells about Otonashi Yuzuru, 17 years old who was craving for his dream on his first step to help people who are in trouble. However, he had lost his memory once he came to an after-life world battle and saw Yuri Nakamura, a girl who is the leader of Shinda Sekai Sensen or The World After Life Fighters. Then, that's the way how he met his new friends an angel, Kanade Tachibana. The story was pretty deep with a lot of premises had given in the middle stage, it's predictable yet pretty unexpected, as when they had fulfilled their own regrets, they have to go from this place, forever. I don't have to say something more about the story, it's pretty deep yet memorable.
"It's staged well. I love that I can see the background of each crucial character."
So far, it is an anime which has very good character development, with most of them came from the supporting characters. It's good to see a story which not only provides huge numbers of characters but they did develop it thoroughly. Yuzuru has the most development, with his conflicts had gotten him stalled to a confusion about his past, his first and last love, and his conflicts against the other members. The 2nd most is Yuri, who had a tragic past and her guilty feeling about her past made it even more intriguing. Kanade wasn't that much developing, but she had a sort of conflicts to be solved and had to tell the truth about her feeling and her desire of life. The other characters also have some impacts on the story. I must say both vocalists, Yui and Masami have the most development other than those three characters.
"If I close my eyes, I can hear someone laughs. For some reasons that moment is my precious treasure."
If you are here for the soundtrack, you just come into a very right place. The songs are memorable, I can remember some of the lyrics of either OP and ED songs. "Ichiban no Takaramono" is my favourite as it has given the feeling of emptiness and sadness. I'll make sure you'll cry even though you don't know or haven't watched the anime when you play this song, it's given a warmth feeling to your heart yet it's dreadfully sad to tell if it's a happy or a sad song, I can say it's both. About the VAs, I found no problem as he played the roles well, not a big fan of the annoying high-pitched sound of Yui, but in the end, I gave her a very deep sympathy to her past. Other than that, the main and supporting characters had done playing their roles very well. The comedy sounds very joyful yet the tragic scene sounds very hurtful, well done.
"It's an anime you should watch if you like a story with a lot of premises."
Angel Beats! gave me the beats in every scene, episode, and background. It has a very good story with not so complex premise and I have to say that I clearly enjoyed it. I've been re-watching this anime for 4 times and I'm still not getting bored with the story and the joyful scenes in general. It's recommended for the people who prefer a story with no drama yet still a brokenhearted story. Don't watch this if you want the action stuff or some dramas in every episode, trust me, you won't get either of both on this anime. I gave it a very high score, you might say that I had overrated this anime, but it's up to you to decide what's right. Okay, that's all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 30, 2020
[REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER]
don't dare to continue unless you've completed this series. OR YOU WANT TO GET SPOILED.
"There is no way to hate anime with a lot of premises and a satisfying ending."
Hello, this is my first time to write a review of this anime. I must say this is my first anime outside my childhood, so I decide to write this review. Many people hate this anime because it's not like what they've expected and I bet they've been watching a dozen of romance comedy series which end with a happy ending. Also, don't get me wrong, I love this anime and can't find a
...
way to hate it.
" Is the happy ending a good way to end a show? I don't think so."
The story had started from a playboy, his name is Makoto Itou who had a crush and fell in love with Kotonoha Katsura, the most popular girl on the school. From this, you might have sensed a typical Shoujo anime yet you didn't. The real issue came from Makoto Itou himself who wanted to get closer with Kotonoha. Alas, good news for him as he can exploit Kotonoha's best friend to be his mediator to get his dream girlfriend.
"Don't expect too much from the characters, you won't find a great development there."
As for example, yet we know Makoto as a playboy, I don't have any clue about his background, his past, and his aim at school, don't expect something like this from School Days, never. The only person who got a very good character development is Kotonoha Katsura, with the way how drastic her personality changes, (I won't tell you about it, if you have watched it then you know what I say) I must say that she has the most character development, given the way she loved her crush and will do everything to keep him. Nothing to say about the villain or her best friend, Sekai Saionji who became a traitor then later turned that she also loved the main characters. The supporting characters are somewhat insufficient to create the conflict, I didn't see any crucial parts played by the other characters other than those three."
"It's hurt yet very memorable."
This is another strong aspect of School Days, in my opinion. Thanks to the VAs, they had done a very good job. Kotonoha's role is well fitted and memorable as well (Well, she is also my first waifu, so of course I love her). Both Sekai and Makoto's voice roles are fitting well to the characters, given to the complicated yet simple premises of its story. The soundtrack is very nice, I love them, especially the ED.
" I enjoyed it, despite its lacking, I still enjoy it."
School Days is an anime for the one who felt a brokenhearted feeling and of course, it'd be better to watch it when you are sad, because it's given a lot of premises which intriguing and surprisingly dramatic. Hence, if you hate stuff like Drama, Slice of Life, Horror, or even Gore, I wouldn't suggest you watch it. Overall, I enjoyed it very much,
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 23, 2020
[SPOILER WARNING]
"Hanging in there, living is the toughest thing there is."
This is my first review, so if there are any mishaps no matter on purpose or not, I'll apologize. The reason I write this because I love Orange and want people to watch this one. Badly rated yet a very good premise on its story.
I wonder how could I find this anime in an instant and still can't believe how it turned out to be one of my favourites in Romance genre. The Sci-fi material isn't that much, but somewhat worth it. But, here is the summary in general.
Art (8.0/10)
...
"It fits the story, memorable, and pretty yet not good enough."
To be honest, I really don't care about art style or else but if it determines the anime here is my opinion. It matches well with the story due it tells of the past. It's not that appealing but I can't say it's not a good one. Is it fitting with the story? Of course, it is. But I can't say it's a good one. It's memorable yet still not good enough. For the animation, can't say something about it. It's a so-so for me.
Story (7.5/10)
"You can't change the future. But if you could, what would you want to do?"
Despite some misfits due to theatrical drama scenes and a lot of distractions, (there were a lot of perspectives scenes beside the main character which is a bit appalling yet didn't affect the story so much), the basis is very good enough. It tells about Takamiya Naho, a 16 years-old senior high school student receives a letter from 26 years old of herself. And then, she has the power to change the future. To be honest, on first glance, the story is so-so for me until I reached half of the series whereas the story has its own proofs of how did she receive those messages and her sacrifices to save her beloved one. The romance is the strongest trait of Orange, it covers the flaws of the story and soothes my head with a not-so complex but well-detailed story. The only thing I loathe about Orange is the drama. There are several twists which I can say considered unnecessary yet fits with the story well (For example, when Naho wants to give the chocolate.) Too many dramas can be very appalling for the audiences who don't accept this kind of plot. I don't mind with drama, but it could distract the romance if it didn't fit the story. About the sci-fi, not much to say about it, it has no nerves or flaws either. Perhaps Orange isn't created to entertain the Sci-fi genre audiences, but it still gave a good and reasonable explanation of the story. It gives a lot of romance blended with a slice of life, yet a bit of sci-fi.
Sound (8.7/10)
"Orange has many flavours, it can be sour and sweet at the same time."
The VAs are talented and fits the roles well. I'd like to give extra acclaim to Kakeru Naruse's VA as he fits the role very well as a character who struggles with his problems. The articulation is very good and the words are implied very well with their roles. Yet there is a minor thing to say about Azusa's VA as she sounds like annoying rather than cheerful. Other than those, the other characters are pretty good at playing their roles. The Opening and Ending theme was pretty good. And without any bias, I very like the songs displayed on this anime. It gives an excitement of the story. It tells the story very well. Personally, "Hikari no Hahen" is pretty memorable and would like to listen to it again in my spare time.
Character (9.8/10)
"It's intriguing to see how the one who struggles does survive."
The protagonist, Naho Takamiya gives the act of a shy girl yet wants to do anything to save her beloved one. I muse say she is sometimes dense and not brave enough to do something. But, that's what makes her an interesting character to watch. She relies too much upon her feeling instead of her logic. It makes her unwilling to do something without the support of her friends. But her commitment to saving Kakeru whatever it takes make her a good protagonist of the story. The other main characters are good. Kakeru whose struggle with his life gives me a big impression of an authentic character who can bear the pain no matter how much then cover it with his outside attitude - a very friendly, cheerful and helpful person. On first glance, Suma doesn't show his crucial impact on the story, yet he has sacrificed anything for the friendship. Hagita, the insane yet smart character who played an important part in the story. Azusa, the owner of Bakery who also helped both Kakeru and Naho a lot. Or Takako, solid support for the story, she didn't take either deep or important part of the story yet gave more colours of it.
Enjoyment
"It's a romance with a slice of life premise. Don't expect too much of its genres"
I must say I enjoy the story very well. It gives me excitement about school romance in general. So, if you want to watch an anime with a very good romance, it's the one to watch. It's very recommended as well for those who enjoy the slice of life with a good premise of drama and romance. It gives a very good plot, whether the twists or the presentation. And also, for whom may it concern, if you have spare time and looking for an anime with not so contemplated yet well-detailed, this is the one to watch. Don't watch this if you are very into a sci-fi genre. Trust me, you won't watch a lot of it here. It still gives you the sci-fi plot, but it's not that much. It focuses more on romance and drama rather than sci-fi, so don't accuse if you find this anime doesn't have too much of sci-fi material. At last, I must say I enjoyed it so much and will re-watch it anytime soon.
Overall
"It's very good yet requires more improvement."
Orange is a series where you can find the excitement of its romance thoroughly that you won't regret to watch. The story is pretty good,
characters are perhaps one of the strong traits of the story, the art is fine, voice characters are good and theme songs are memorable. There are some improvements needed but overall, I enjoy it a lot and it's recommended for whom want to watch a badly rated yet very good story. Okay, that's all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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