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Characters

Hiroya Oku’s idea of having an elderly man and a young teenager as the pro and antagonist was quite interesting. The impact of the age difference on the pair’s ideologies made for an interesting dynamic. For an eleven-episode series, Inuyashiki had a good amount of character development. The 58-year-old Ichiro Inuyashiki went from a man with no purpose in life to someone who’s purpose is to keep others alive and the edge lord Shishigami went on a rollercoaster of change throughout the story.

Visuals

The art direction of Inuyashiki is very similar to Hiroya Oku’s previous works. If you were a fan of the brutally bloody scenes ... of ‘Gantz’ then you will not be disappointed. This Gory series is full of beautifully crafted scenes that feature a near perfect combination of CGI and traditional 2-d animation but also had a few select scenes in which the choice for CGI seemed a little odd. Despite the occasional hiccup this show still boasted some of the most visually appealing clips of the season.


Rating

With all the pre Fall 2017 Chatter being about Mahoutsukai no Yome(Ancient Magus Bride) and Black Clover, there was little to no hype surrounding Inuyashiki. The show quickly made a name for itself with its aesthetically pleasing visuals, excellent pacing, and heart wrenching ending. Inuyashiki is my personal favorite show of the Fall 2017 season and a must watch!

872/1000 Bangs

Characters

Violet Evergarden had a strange way of dealing with it’s characters. The character design of every recurring cast member was flawless. Each character had a unique look and feel that makes the watcher want to get to know them as the show progresses. But that’s where the show’s minor issues arise. We never really see these characters fleshed out in any meaningful way other than being used as tools to further the development of the main character, Violet. With that said, Violet was one of the most interesting characters of the Winter 2018 Anime season. I appreciated the way her past as a ... hellfighter during the war was introduced little by little, as it always came exactly when the show needed a change of pace. The characters that requested letters from Violet were usually only in the show for their respective episodes but were expertly developed in a way that made you care about their personal story and the results that their request would bring.

Visuals

Two words… Kyoto Animation. Honestly that should be enough to justify the rating but lets dive a little deeper. When the first trailer for Violet Evergarden surfaced, the animation quality was the topic of the anime community for weeks. And even with all of the hype surrounding is production value Kyoto Animation found a way to make every single frame a treat for it’s audience. The most impressive thing about the shows visuals has to be the detail that was applied when bringing the light novel’s different scenes to life. I’m actually quite curious as to what the budget was to produce the show because it is clear that KyoAni used techniques that are usually saved for feature length films with budgets unobtainable to anime studios. Violet Evergarden is a virtual lock to win the award for Best Animation and that is why it receives our first perfect score in this category

Overall Score

Violet Evergarden is a simply a must-watch. The first few episodes start of fairly slow but by episode four it’s full steam ahead and doesn’t look back. This show will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride that you wont want to end. But the ending of the show comes at the perfect time and the wrap-up job is solid. Violet Evergarden is highly recommended and should go towards the top of your watch list.


887/1000 Heartfelt Letters

Characters

The three main characters of Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens all have excellent design and shining personalities, however, only Xianming Ling got a legitimate backstory. The main protagonist and his rival were by far the most interesting of the bunch and even after the final episode we still don’t know much about them or how they came to be. Even with excellent pacing it’s hard to properly develop characters in a show that is only twelve episodes in length. Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens did nothing to help itself by wasting two of the last four episodes with side action that added absolutely nothing to the story. Had the ... studio used this time to further develop either Banba or Saruwatari the show could’ve earned itself at least an average score in this category. In addition to the poor character development, the MC’s rival, Saruwatari, was introduced with a clear purpose that never really went anywhere throughout the show. While he was actually one of the more entertaining characters, he left without doing anything significant and really could’ve been left out of the show all together.


Visuals

Theres not much here to talk about in all honesty. Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens’ production quality is run of the mill for a shounen in 2018. The animation of the action scenes was crisp and the more lax scenes had just enough detail to please the average viewer.


Overall Score

It would be an understatement to say that Satelight studios’ Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens had potential. The premise behind the show and the interesting universe full of assassins are enough to carry its viewers through episode twelve despite the many issues it faces. Even with it’s problems I would be quite excited for a reboot as long as the story and characters get properly fleshed out. Everything considered, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens is an excellent and fun idea turned mediocre show with a slew of problems. Only put it on your list if you’re an anime vet scrounging the bottom of the barrell.

522/1000 Obvious but Somehow unnoticed Spider Trackers