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Mar 28, 2025
Mixed Feelings
There are two groups of people watching this series: those who love Marie and those who are lying.

This show mixes isekai/reverse-isekai with slice-of-life and romance in an interesting way. Unfortunately only some of those genres are developed enough, which affected my overall enjoyment.

The reverse-isekai which includes all the SoL elements is well done. Mind you, nothing groundbreaking. But still, perfectly fine for a relaxing show: sweet everyday moments focusing on the struggles of an elf adapting to modern life in Japan, with a lot of attention dedicated to food. Those were also the scenes where the romance between the two MCs progressed the most. This ...
Mar 27, 2025
Ao no Hako (Anime) add
Sport and romance have been together in anime since the '70s and the '80s. Adachi's "Touch" is a masterpiece from that period. However, most of those shows used to have a balance skewed towards the sport and action side, or a 50/50 split at most. "Blue Box" on the other hand focuses heavily towards the romance.

In 25 episodes you can probably see a grand total of 20-30 minutes of badminton, around 5 minutes of basket, and nothing else. Most of the "sport" aspect of the series portrays training and practice. Which is realistic, since athletes spend most of their time training, not playing.

The problem is ...
Mar 26, 2025
Mixed Feelings
Sweet and bubbly like soda, but artificial like saccharine and citric acid. I would have loved something more natural, like real honey and lemon juice.

Story-wise, the series has good main characters showing significant growth. Especially Ishimori, the female lead, has a very strong development for a mere 12-episodes show. Miura, the male protagonist, doesn't undergo the same development, but he is at least a complex character. Unfortunately the rest of the cast is almost non-existent. They are just cardboards defined by their relationship with the MCs ("Ishimori's bully", "Miura's friend", etc.). They LITERALLY have nothing else going for them. Even Serina, the most fleshed-out side ...
Mar 23, 2025
Mixed Feelings
I came for the romance, got fooled, but stayed for the Okinawan culture and the good vibes.

OkiTsura has no real plot, and the romantic premise is just an excuse to justify character interactions, but it's never developed. The series is episodic in nature, mostly a collection of trivia and fun facts about Okinawa and the Ryūkyū Islands (which sometimes might be slightly oversimplified, so be aware). Don't expect character growth or any progression in general, because there's none. We get just a glimpse in the last episode, but that's it.
The show for the most part is very formulaic: the MC gets involved in an everyday ...
Mar 19, 2025
From a story perspective, Orb is one of a kind. I have never watched a series like this. It has its flaws and shortcomings, but if you are able to see past them you'll enjoy one of the best shows of the last few years.

At a first glance it might look like an historical/philosophical drama with heavy focus on the contrast between science and faith, but it's actually a character-driven story with deeper implications. You're lured into thinking that the conflict comes from the clash of ideas by the different characters, but all those ideas are just facets of the same reality. It becomes more ...
Mar 2, 2025
This might not be the best anime series ever made. But it is my favourite, it has been for more than 15 years and will likely stay that way for a long time.

Sharp reviewers might see pacing and writing issues, might not like the character design, might think the finale is a disappointing cop-out. I see all those things too, some of them are glaringly obvious.
However, a work of fiction isn't made to follow a set of rules, but to trigger emotions in the audience. If you manage to move your audience, it doesn't matter if you don't abide to all the "good writing" ...
Feb 6, 2025
Melancholy hit me hard once I finished this one, and it only happens with series that really moved me.
BokuYaba has definitely been one of them, and cemented its place in my top 10 of all times. I can understand why it is so beloved by many viewers.

THE GOOD:
Most of the aspects that made S1 great can be found in S2 as well. Impressive character writing, simple but compelling plot developments, golden comedy alternating with deeply emotional moments.
The production value improved, with visuals becoming better and especially more consistent throughout the season. The direction stepped up with bolder choices.
Here I want to spend a bit more ...
Feb 4, 2025
This the first and only yuri I have ever read. A friend recommended it to me, and I must say I've been impressed: while it's not perfect due to some minor issues here and there (more on those later), none of them really affected my enjoyment.

Let's start with the positives.
The art is great: clean, detailed, with neat backgrounds and very balanced panels. Character design is good, although it suffers from "same face"-itis from time to time.
The characters are also well written, with organic and consistent development which drives the plot forward. It's actually one of the selling point of the manga: there aren't many romance ...
Feb 2, 2025
Denei Shoujo (Manga) add
Mixed Feelings
Reviewing this one is going to be really difficult for me. It used to be my favourite when I was in high school and just started reading manga. I re-read it recently after more than 10 years, and in hindsight I understand it's not the masterpiece I thought it was, but there are still chapters and scenes that deeply moved me, so from an emotional perspective I think I wasn't completely wrong. It's the main reason why it's still on my favourites list despite having a relatively low rating compared to other titles I have read.

THE GOOD:
The art is amazing. The first few chapters might ...
Jan 9, 2025
THE GOOD:
It's really difficult to find something good in this show... but if I squint my eyes really hard I can say that it's visually pleasing, slightly above the seasonal average. The character design is quite enjoyable, the coloring has personality, and the direction isn't bad. Voice acting is also decent, with Uchida (Naori) being by far the best of the cast.
In terms of writing, the only good aspect is related to the many references to otaku culture we get throughout the show, from Star Trek to Back To The Future, usually during the conversations between Naori and Jun.

THE BAD:
Yea, I will skip my usually ...


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