Back to LordToine's Profile LordToine's Profile

Night City is the place where your dreams die, or where you die achieving your dream.

That has always been my takeaway, ever since playing CDPR's CP2077. Trigger has built on this universe beautifully - the morally corrupt, neon draped slick expanse of Night City. Edgerunners gave me this vibrant and living world, filled with cybernetically enhanced specimens and curious characters. The challenge was always going to be creating this ethically bankrupt world and executing it realistically - Trigger does this in exceptional fashion.

This byproduct of Cd Projekt Red and Trigger's imagination is this almost mythical depiction of Night City as this supernatural, breathing being on ... its own. A sentient, hungry beast that accepts nothing but blood sacrifices to satiate its lust - while offering hollow scraps to keep its contractors going. The beautiful lie.

Trigger has outdone itself. Smooth animation and masterfully executed fight scenes, with richness in chrome and no aversity to violence. They've gone wild and they've pasted their intent clear as day: to put out something that'll stand tall where production quality is concerned. This is work that stands alongside ufotable's Fate or Kimetsu no Yaiba where colours and ease on the eye go.

A godtier soundtrack - with one iconic love ballad resonating firmly throughout the show: the two lovers' theme. If you've been on anime tiktok/youtube/Instagram...you already know this song. Haunting. Beautiful.

But what I liked most about this show was its simplicity, when all things came to the fore. 10 episodes, so you just know you don't have too much time with these characters. You know that it's going to have to hit fast and hard. And boy, does it do that. It quicklu establishes its main cast and the supporting ones; David, Lucy, Rebecca, Maine, Dorio, Falco. There's not enough time to go in depth with most of them bar David; but you find out what makes Becca, Lucy and Maine tick. And most of their characterisation comes from what they DO, not what they say.

Which I greatly appreciated.

David has his gentle dips in shonen protag territory, but the harshness of poverty in a city torn apart by gangs and corporate turf wars take him down a mature, morally complex path. He doesn't have the liberties to choose to be Midoriya or Naruto in many cases: and it's refreshing to see a balls-against-the-wall protagonist who simply isn't allowed by fate to be goody two shoes.

In the best way, this show takes a page out of shows like Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu or Akame ga Kill; both very different in terms of quality but VERY notorious for having expendable characters. Edgerunners does the same.

The best way to highlight a brutal and unjust world is to put your characters in dangerous situations that they very well won't come out of. Characters power up in the most bizzarre ways but every great modification comes with great drawbacks. But no matter how strong they get, the city always wins, always consumes. It offers a deceptive embrace only to tear everything from you.

In its depressing finality Edgerunners offered the best of humanity as well. Seflessness, camaraderie and of course, love and sacrifice.

I can say a lot more about this series, but I wouldn't spoil it. Wholeheartedly recommend.

There's a lot I think I can say about this series; but it's CRYSTAL clear why some people hate this and some people love it. Mushoku Tensei has one of the most DEGENERATE MCs ever to grace mainstream anime.

I'm not going to sugarcoat this but this show is layered with pedophilia; and it's difficult to accept or brush aside. The existence of Rudeus in itself, from the very first episode, has been repulsive - but in contrast to his degeneracy, there is so much to love about this show. An incredible soundtrack; which captures this alien world with magic and swords and sucks you ... into this 2-dimensional world so effectively. Great animation, worthy of a major shonen fight - pretty to look at and admire, smooth, definitely up there with the very best. The plot takes advantage of the care put into building this, breathing, vibrant world - it takes its characters far and wide. The viewer too, is transported from the safety of Rudeus' village to increasingly hostile and malignant locales, where the stakes increase. NPCs die, choices have consequences. This mostly applies to minor characters, but in a genre where only Re:Zero (somewhat) and Overlord seemed to have any guts (no puns) to torment their characters, MT pulls no punches. People stay dead, and the heroes learn to be better and to accept their mistakes; to embrace that even the best thought out plans can go horribly awry. Each character is driven by their own goals and wants, motivations clash, friction ensues - it's not always roses, and characters don't magically understand each other like other isekai.

But where execution is brilliant, there is nothing too novel about Mushoku Tensei for now. You have Eris, the textbook tsundere who, to her defence, does grow through the arcs. My only complaint is much more could have been done with Eris. She isn't an utterly trashy character, but just having her grow from brat hime to warrior hime wasn't exactly novel - you kinda saw it coming. Though, this is good growth when you think of it as her getting older and wiser and more measured. I just don't like how Sir Rudeus the Depraved is credited for most of these changes.

Which brings us to Rudeus. The Meliodas mould of a protagonist - repulsive, unloveable but exceptionally talented; dangerously dancing between Mary Sue and the forgivable prodigy. But Rudeus experiences his losses, he's forced to learn. And while I'm not sympathetic to him, I do appreciate his backstory and the vividly described reasons as to why he became a shut in. It doesn't justify his incel tendencies; but it explains them - in a way that isn't so in your face and biased as the utterly irredeemable Redo of Healer. I'm going to be clear - I strongly dislike Rudeus; but I hope his personality can be (or has been) fleshed out beyond 40% perversion 40% talent and 20% keikaku dori da.

Among these characters, Ruijerd is potentially the best. He shows the most growth, is measured and has actual motivations and goals to complement his great power. There is clear development in his actions and cognitions, and every arc helps flesh him out a little more and more, while bringing out and polishing the honorable traits he displays upon his introduction. Paul perhaps fits the believable character aspect pretty well too - while his debauchery is regretfully, played off for comedic purposes in the first half. These two characters have a well portrayed duality to them - good and bad, much like a living, breathing human would.

But yes, the pedophilia here; kills the experience. This show arguably, would be better than 80% of the isekai out there if it had cut out these disturbing undertones completely. The worldbuilding is there, the ability to write your characters in such a way that the audience gives a shit - is there. But with such a glaring Achilles heel, it's difficult to appreciate this show's merits and recommend this as anything good.

But how unfair it would be to just label this as irredeemable shit.

Right off the bat there's nothing here that's overly original, considering just how much harem Japan has belted over the anime conveyor line....but sometimes you don't have to be unique to be special. The one thing Gotoubun has going for it in this regard is its rock steady focus on the main cast: the Quintuplets and Futaro.

And as long as it keeps the finger on that pulse, it really can't do too much wrong. Outwardly, you could be excused for immediately falling for the belief that these characters follow the traditional "trope", but as you go along, one tends to appreciate the dimensions that ... have been added to every individual character and the effort to show exactly what makes each one tick, in a way that some of the more famous romcoms have failed to do so.

I can easily appreciate Futaro, who (according to the classic trope) is supposed to be dense and having girls fall at his feet; but both seasons have taken great pains to show that he's a creature not of Kirito levels of raw talent, but one who has greatly struggled to get to where he is. And even then, he has layers of good and layers of bad that make him relatable as a person. He's crass, blunt to the point of being rude and very one track minded; but he's caring in his own way and begins to grow more as a person when his tutoring gig progresses. It's easy to dismiss Futaro as generic, and many do that, but I honestly don't believe that's remotely true.

While it seems that they're united by the fact that they're all atrocious students, there's more at work with the sisters as well. Each of the sisters seem to come across with their own obstacle, one that they have to solve before they can make the next step in their lives, studies aside.

From an inability to move on from the past, a crippling guilt conscience, a severe lack of confidence...I don't want to list everything out, for the sake of making this as spoiler free as possible, but there's some interesting themes over here, problems that Futaro must help the girls overcome to achieve their mutual goal.

Beyond the romance, there's an interesting story of people finding themselves, an ever present beat of drums signaling the beauty of change, and why everyone of us makes those steps at some point in life; where we reach the stage in which we remain until our last days.

Some of these help elevate 5-toubun over your typical romance/harem bastardization and make it ring in tones similar to Great Teacher Onizuka, comparisons which I believe whenever visible, act as a great compliment to the work that has gone behind the scenes of this show.

Of course, you have the typical detours into harem fanfare. Hot springs, fan service and the like. The story is predictable in that regard, and the "girls meet guy in the past" thing isn't something novel AT ALL. So while the story is anything but bad, there's just nothing extraordinary about it.

I appreciate the soundtrack of this show too, it's got some good ambience and honestly, the OP and ED are sweet. Love the VAs of the Quints, as they've got some real firepower there and having them come together to sing the openings and ends is a nice touch. That being said, I don't think the BGM really lives up to Season 1's BGM, which was absolutely amazing. The art styles are interesting though, some things being better than the previous art style but I guess it's a matter of preference.

As a whole I preferred S1's art and character design, but I'm not complaining with what we've got now - it's rather solid stuff.

Concluding this, I'd just like to say I really appreciate the subtler aspects of what this show does with the characters. Sure, it's not Evangelion levels of psychological exploration, or as painstakingly multidimensional as Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu but it achieves a wholesome, simple look into the lives of 6 teenagers on the brink of some very important changes in their lives.

And it makes this such a fun ride overall.

Spoiler free review!

Gotoubun no Hanayome, ah...where do we begin. So much here has been excellently executed, yet a few of the most important parts were utterly destroyed. And it's a pity that despite being few in number, the problems are massive. My mind is literally all over the place as I'm writing this because this series had all the hallmarks to be truly special; and I don't mean this the way people did when talking about Nisekoi or whatnot. Gotoubun was literally amazing up to the final eight to ten chapters: what's utterly shocking here is how QUICKLY it stagnated. Feels like the story was ... cut short by at least 50 chapters, for reasons I simply cannot fathom.

Characters: 8/10

This for me, is where the Quintessential Quintuplets truly shines.

The work that Negi Haruba put into his characters prior to the end was truly a joy to read and experience, especially for characters such as Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba and Nino. The author manages to take these girls beyond the generic tropes you'd expect and actually craft human beings, with clumsy spats, interesting views and motivations together with the pangs of adolescent love and drama that tends to challenge their powerful bond as quintuplet sisters. Besides having great chemistry with themselves and making for some honestly very moving moments, most of the girls have great harmony (chemistry wise) with the protagonist of this story: Fuutaro Uesugi, who himself, is a fantastic character.

Futaro goes through the motions of a goal oriented achiever, who's stunted in many aspects of life. I love how his academic ability is chalked down to exceptional hard work ALONG with intelligence. Futaro's academic excellence is contrasted with an abrasive personality; he's rude, impatient, unable to consider others' views easily and intolerant towards failure. He isn't some protagonist that's just good at everything he does. Seeing this teenager grapple with his responsibilities to his family and his own deficiencies as a person is truly joyful to watch. Through his job tutoring these five Quintuplet heroines, the readers get to see Futaro become a more wholesome human being who learns the value of altruism and kindness, getting a genuine desire to help the young girls succeed in both their academic endeavours and their lives as a whole. The fact that these virtues grow within him and are not innate at the start of the series adds something to Futaro that most harem/romance protags lack — since they're almost all great, standup guys from the start.

Seeing this non dimensional teenager grow through the course of the manga was extremely rewarding. Brilliant character work.

While perhaps not as subtle and well played out as Futaro's, the characterisation of some of the Quintuplets comes close enough; with certain characters such as Miku and Nino going through very meaningful arcs, especially relatable for teenagers. The simple nature of their problems that isn't greatly exaggerated but is still enough to create conflicts makes for some great development with these two: and while I say it these developments aren't as profound as Futaro's evolution, I genuinely enjoyed how the author explored what made those two tick and act believably. Yotsuba has a good character plot throughout the story as well, though some viewers may throw the term 'predictable' around. Now I'm afraid I can't delve exactly into these details else I reveal spoilers; but these three girls stood out the most to me compared to their remaining siblings.

Compared to the storylines that develop Miku, Nino and Yotsuba; Ichika has a more controversial arc that brought huge character growth but that which may be interpreted differently by others. However it is arguable that due to the rushed nature of things, some of the characters simply did not receive equal treatment to Miku, Nino and Yotsuba; which really is regrettable, since both showed great promise at the start.


Art: 8.5/10

I really love the character designs on this one. Aside from being consistent throughout, the expressions the characters display are comical and fun to follow, with the infamous pouts becoming a regular fixture whenever anime/manga memes are mentioned. Again, it's very reminiscent of another manga with great expressions — Nisekoi. I also liked how every girl is made unique from the other even when they're without their identifying accessories or hairstyles: with enough practice and chapters under your belt, you'll be able to tell the Quints apart based on the slightest things: the shape of their eyebrows, the position of their eyes, their posture, their actions. Subtleties, just like how you can tell twins and triplets apart when you start spending more time with them. Nice details.

Story: 5.5/10

Now let's say we ignore the last ten chapters or so; the story would probably cap off at a 7.5/10. That's because this was always a story based on how the characters interact with each other and enjoying the fruits of those interactions. It's a waifu war story not just of love, but of growth and accepting oneself. Actual Fullmetal Alchemist levels of story and writing were not needed for this story to work, but despite that, somehow the author managed to derail his good work with such a rushed ending. I literally cannot emphasise how let down I feel with this ending; the closest comparison I can think of is Kubo Tite's Bleach, which derailed over a longer period but derailed all the same.

Gotoubun's end was sudden and the stagnation was equally shocking. Many suspected the story would take a pounding the moment it was announced that the story wouldn't even reach 130 chapters; which was shocking considering that one major character hadn't even had an arc yet. The author went through the motions nevertheless and left numerous loose ends, while also half assing an ending that kind of backtracked on some important moments of development. I do not know what Negi Haruba was planning, but he betrayed the good work he had done in the first 90 chapters especially. It's always disappointing when something so good you expect to never be able to fail, fails within a short time and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

So why do I still give the story an above average score?

Simply because I enjoyed the plot well enough until the closing few chapters. I don't have the heart to give it anything lower than a five, but that ending was truly atrocious. People who are about to pick this show up should suck in all the great moments because the final few chapters are probably, to most, atrocious.


Overall: 6/10

A good enough score, but this manga was poised to land in an 8.5 at very least, in my book. Great character work with Futaro, Miku, Nino as standouts; catchy art designs and a coherent, simple enough and fun to follow story manage to make up for an absolutely messy ending and questionable treatment of some of the development received by the characters. Overall, Gotoubun is well worth the read — there's a lot here that shouldn't be missed, but that can't make up for the fact that this was supposed to be the best harem/romcom in a long time.

And it simply could not live up to what it easily could have, and would have been.

MINOR SPOILERS

Not as bad as made out, but definitely nowhere near what was and what should have been.


This show honestly received way too much flak and hate when the first trailer released. Four episodes in, it's safe to say that S2 of One Punch Man is still worth the watch — even if it really cannot stand anywhere near Madhouse's excellent S1 from a technical standpoint. As (mostly) an anime only for OPM, I can say that most of my opinions from here on aren't jaundiced as everything I know about the story so far is from the anime.

The story continues where we left off, ... charting Saitama's misadventures as he forges his own hero legend. We now have a new villain known as Garou, who solidifies his status as a threat by massacring a room full of villains and taking out three A-rank heroes in the process. Garou's savagery and brutality in his quest for power pits him against various other heroes while Saitama continues with his daily routine: eliminating evildoers with nothing more than one punch, and failing to get any recognition most of the time. Garou's and Saitama's paths also coincide with a notorious prophecy warning of massive impending doom, which threatens to end the very world as our heroes know it.

There's nothing too complex about this story, which is a good thing — linear plots are the ones with the least plot holes, so the whole ride is a pretty safe albeit predictable one. The only moments you truly go "oh shit!" usually involve you laughing as Saitama dismantles a worthless pretender. Overall Garou seems interesting enough and his self absorbed quest and beliefs seem like a fun enough foil to Saitama's lackadaisical journey.


As far as characters go, there hasn't been any monumental shift in motivation so far. The defining character moments have all still been from the first season, and it's pretty much just continuation at this point. Saitama's comedic misfortune and couldn't care less attitude often downplay his heroism — the hero for fun is very likely the one of the only heroes who cares about doing the right thing more than the glitz and glamour of his industry (aside from Mumen Rider). Genos is still Saitama's yandere fanboy, though...at least he's honest about it. Some honestly wonderful voice acting keeps these characters relatable and fun to watch, subtle changes in tone and believable emotion add to the experience.

EDIT

The standout character here Garou, by a large mile. His journey and beliefs were especially poignant towards the end, as he waged everything on his ideals - and the results are incredible.

So well, sure the colours are nice enough (not as vibrant as S1, but good enough), HOWEVER the character design is honestly BAD. It's not one of those things that you notice after nitpicking or pausing. It literally stands out, like Superman's CGI lips in Justice League, uncanny valley stuff. Genos looked like a cyborg playboy in the first season but he looks like some elongated chimpanzee face from Sausage Party right now. Really, what the hell. I can say this about most of the characters. Thinner and longer faces.

They look like someone yanked them by the chin to give them those bizarre facial proportions. Except Fubuki.

Fubuki looks good AF.

The animation erghhh...could be worse, so as you can see, not really good. Less overall movement and flow compared to its predecessor, significantly more "frozen" screens. Still screens kinda ruin the immersion when you're in an epic fight, they just suck you out and make you groan. Especially because these stills are a hallmark of LESSER shows. Yeah. OPM S2 has a little too much of those for my liking, so I'm not exactly going to be too generous in this category.

What makes this sadder is that there are some genuinely great parts in the fights that would be absolutely awesome if a stupid still didn't interrupt the flow. Ugh.

EDIT: Some epic action scenes in 11 and 12 simply come far too late. One gem still cannot atone for shoddy presentation early on.

This show boasts some solid voice acting though, as in - absolutely solid. Comedy types of anime really tend to depend on good voice actors to carry their punchlines, this one excels. Great work especially from Saitama's, Sonic's and Genos' VAs: left me chuckling too many times with the exaggerated and expected moments. The rest of the cast do a badass job as well, so there's really nothing for me to nitpick here.

...but the music can feel oddly placed at times. I can't put quite the finger on it, but certain motifs feel like they could have been used in other scenes, to better effect. Also the music in general hasn't been too great as of this episode, so I genuinely hope it gets better...so that I can bump the damn rating up. Sadly, I can't say I'm a massive fan of the OP either, but I do think the ED is a good tune. GAROU HAS A BRILLIANT THEME, ALL SAID!

Final Thoughts:

Overall, there are some moments that I can truly say I enjoyed, but I can't say the same about every part so far. One Punch Man S2 has some good moments, but there's lots of rotten parts too, making this an...interesting concoction. But there's many more episodes to go, so I hope that I can actually revisit this with more positivity to add.

EDIT: Nothing substantial came about to change my rating. Still underwhelming, but you decide if it's worth your time.

NO SPOILERS; MIGHT REVISE AT END OF SERIES

TLDR: Decently animated and voiced but cursed with a mediocre story smothering its own promise, Slime is carried by two strong characters; but these two bright (and perhaps short lived) sparks cannot save the show from a disappointing supportive cast and overly frequent detours into generic trope territory. An experience that may be enjoyed by some, if you're willing to put substance aside and just roll with the ride.

I didn't expect much from this show, but I did consider changing my mind in the first episode. But eventually I've been proven right: I found this show to be ... painfully average. In fact, Slime's criminal flaw is not in a very shaky story or lacklustre characterisation — this show is just simply uninteresting to me when I look at it as a whole.

It's a pretty basic story, reminiscent of Overlord but with more...docile and far less hostile characters. Slime charts the rise of the now reborn protagonist: Rimuru Tempest, a wisecracking and perverted slime that's attempting to build an empire through sweat and steel. What's good about this whole journey is how the show paces itself and how it realistically shows genderless slime creature Rimuru tackle obstacle after obstacle when it comes to forging its kingdom.

That's...pretty much all that's good about the plot.

Like many shows, friendship power is greatly abused in this show. Enemies and characters who have every right to be hostile, roll over easily for Rimuru to (literally and figuratively) scratch their bellies. Slime's opportunism can sit well some times, but it eventually turns the story shallow and despicably loathsome. There's pretty much nothing at stake for Rimuru Tempest, as it gets what it wants, settling issues through a show of immeasurable force or by flaunting the strength of its allies.

Rimuru literally murders a creature BRUTALLY, only to have the creature's own child AND its WHOLE group follow him loyally—with a very half asses explanation after, no questions asked. The son of this murdered creature also fawns over and almost worships Rimuru—the very individual that murders his father, before his very eyes. He encounters powerful kingdoms who just lie down and want to befriend him. He makes two warring groups come to peace with each other and live together; disregarding the fact that they had been spilling each others' blood and intestines just a day or two before. He somehow makes friends with one of the strongest beings in his world (way, WAY stronger than him at that moment) by offering aforementioned being some honey, thus gaining an unbeatable ally that effectively grants Rimuru immunity from the very few things that can actually threaten it in the first place.

It's the way this show completely tosses aside the idea of actions having consequences that irritates me. Things are handled with a couldn't care less attitude in Slime, making it quickly repeat itself again and again...like a broken record. Rimuru could slaughter half of his villagers; yet the remaining half would still flock around the Great Rimuru adoringly, as though he crowned them with roses.

Slime's best arc came in its first few episodes, and ended just as quickly. The show has steadily dipped in terms of quality since then. Perhaps due in great part, to its lack of well written characters.

Rimuru Tempest starts off to me as a pretty good character, even considering that he is exceptionally overpowered. His moments prior to reincarnation as a slime monster highlight the person he is: cynical, somewhat on a high horse and very goal centred; but still deeply loyal and selfless in the end. I was happy with how many layers they added to Rimuru and to a large degree, Rimuru is still a great positive even throughout the show at its lowest points (as in, the time I'm writing this review). His actions and line of thought stay true to the person he is and though he has VERY LITTLE character growth, that element of characterisation is presented very well by the writers. So you have Rimuru with all its flaws and strengths (personality wise), ensuring that this genderless slime is at very least, never a bland slime.

This series' supporting characters are the ones that hurt the show greatly. There's literally nobody of worth except for Shizue Izawa, who has an extremely interesting backstory and character arc. Her involvement in the show marks the best part of the series, as her dynamic with Rimuru is a powerful one—that continues to define the series to this very moment.

The twist in their relationship is especially profound and dare I say, heartbreaking. Such poetic undertones would complement Slime's overall carefree nature very well...add a layer of depth to its happy go lucky gait. Too bad Slime never introduces more ideas like this.

Rimuru's inner circle is filled with the typical trope characters. Blunted yandere, deredere, loli, male kuuderes...you get my point. Characters have no real role but to function as plot devices: they're inserted in such a way that it is IMPOSSIBLE to imagine any of them getting any development at all. Every character you're introduced to ends up being mostly irrelevant, used sparingly after their 10 minutes of fame per season card expires. Except Milim Nava, who just gets showtime EXCLUSIVELY for fan service.And when I say that, you can probably surmise that there's nothing going for this show as of now in the character department.

In fact the words shallow and half assed come quickly to mind.

Animation and art in this show were major strengths at the start of the series. I think many of the initial fights were handled well, from hand to hand combat to the magic battles. I'm also still fond of the character designs here and the colours used, especially in battle. There's some vibrant stuff here. Sad to say that the quality of the animation has...dipped slightly from the explosive start. So you don't have anything really on the level of those first ten episodes, especially since we're in a very much slower arc right now. So as a whole, I could still say that it's pretty decently animated and good to look at. Nothing much to expect here in terms of visual storytelling or cinematography though: expect a lack of depth comparable to Sword Art Online's art here (although some of those Aincrad shots had GREAT cinematography BUT BACK TO POINT).

Show has two great OP and endings, but nothing too great in way of the OST. Voice acting tends to be solid, especially from Rimuru. But in comparison to the other shows that have come out this season, it's clear to see that this show really cannot compete in this category.

So yeah, this show is enjoyable for some amount of time, but I got quickly tired of it. Would I recommend it? Probably not, I've enjoyed other isekai more and I'm not particularly sure that Slime brought anything new or interesting for ME to the table. However, there are SOME really fun parts in this show that may lead to it being enjoyed. I don't know, that's up to you.

I just wish that this show could have kept strong to most of what it started with.

VERY MINOR SPOILERS.

Ah Darling in the Franxx (DitF), we finally meet. From a quick glance at the MAL score and then the reviews section; it's clear that the critics really hate this one. However one does have to suspect that a lot of this EXTREME hatred is unwarranted. DitF is overflowing with flaws, but despite the obvious mishaps throughout the show, I found some things worth investing your time in.

Print that.

I liked the setting of the story, at least for a majority of the show. DitF introduces some heavy moral dilemmas such as eugenics and cloning, weaving a story together with ten ... young adolescents (Squad 13) at its centre. However these concepts are not explored in depth, nor is any attempt made to do so: they're just used to paint a picture of the state of the world at the time the show takes place.

It doesn't bother setting itself up in a way that makes our heroes take on a boss, a big boss then an even bigger boss. Possibly DitF's greatest undoing in this category is the fact that it has TOO MUCH going on in the story. The focus of the tale jumps rather awkwardly from Hiro and Zero Two (the mains) to the other members of Squad 13. There are clumsy love triangles, deep lying histories, insecurities, personal grudges, a global conspiracy and frenetic mecha battles—all happening simultaneously, and you tend to get a feeling that some of these elements are forced in, although you're not really sure which.

Is this a story of Zero Two and Hiro? Is it a story of Hiro's life? A story of children with massive responsibility? Is it a story of mankind? A story of resilience? A tale of forbidden romance? A mecha underdog's rise to glory? At the end of the series, I still don't know what the main plot line was...and the answer 'all of above' isn't one I find satisfactory.

I'd reserve so many storylines for something lengthier, like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood or Monster; yet even those two shows had clear, grounded plotlines, despite their many detours. The audience knew what these tales are essentially about.

BUT, the show runners somehow manage to keep the plot moving from A to B to C, despite all the obvious messy details. I'd argue that it justifies and elaborates on most of what it introduces, making me forgive all the cluttered subplots. Our heroes pull the weight of the numerous storylines clumsily on their young shoulders, soldiering on carelessly, but keeping the story watchable. So eventually there are resolutions to these numerous stories, but the final five episodes of DitF unfold in EXACTLY the same way Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann did.

The scale of the series gets blown open, and while it was still somewhat acceptable in TTGL, it's pretty much condensed in two episodes in DitF, making for an EXTREMELY UNSATISFACTORY ending. I mean it just doesn't fit the tone of the series, at all.

But back to point on all the positives. As I mentioned earlier, the creators thankfully do not go into depth with the complicated concepts they play around with. The show doesn't try to be deep or complex. It doesn't try to blow your mind with some heavy concepts like Evangelion or Steins Gate. It's a simple story with a lot going on in the background, but it's nowhere near a disastrous story. Overstuffed, rushed but it doesn't pretend to be something it's not. Just average, and perfectly content with being so.

Character wise, DitF does not have any truly noteworthy character. I personally found Zero Two and Goro to be the most likeable characters here. Two strong characters that really compensate for the others that don't stick out.

In fact both these characters respectively carry the weight of Hiro's personal arc (Zero Two) and the dynamics of Squad 13 (Goro) squarely on their shoulders. To great effect.

Goro's benevolent nature is something that comes without any hidden intents or motives, he doesn't really have any breakdowns (except maybe once) and is generally very stable. It's also worth noting that he acts most like the pack leader than Ichigo ever does - he keeps an eye out for all his squadmates and shows genuine interest in their wellbeing. He has his weaknesses, but they aren't used as plot devices or tropes — I liked how the writers mostly made him just a person, not some plot device.

Zero Two shows the most emotional range out of all these characters. She's the most vulnerable and intriguing one among all of them, with a lot of inner turmoil yet loyalty to a distant past she still holds dear. Unlike Goro who mostly comes off as a believable person, Zero Two's multifaceted personality and potential doesn't save her from being used as a plot device oh-so-frequently. As a result she feels like a wasted character based on everything that was revealed about her eventually. That being said, DitF's use of flashbacks really benefitted Zero Two; revealing that her animalistic behaviour is a product of brutal nurture and psychological abuse. This throws the entire first dozen or so episodes into a new light, revealing that she's much more than moe fanservice, but a deeply insecure and desperate child.

What really pissed me off though, was how they totally castrated Zero Two in the final few episodes. I won't go into spoiler territory, but the writers made a massive mistake with a character that originally starts off as an untameable, fiercely independent force of nature.

I take solace in knowing that our MC, Hiro, does NOT suffer from that fucking Kirito syndrome. It's an all too familiar theme in mecha, those Kiritos that are good at everything - all girls love them for some reason. Hiro is a bland character, but he's not overpowered. He's just an image of moderation and his interactions are mainly governed by Zero Two.

To an extension he's nothing without her, both in the anime and from a viewing sense: and I find that to be humorously ironic.

The other characters do not stand out. At the series' most unremarkable or worst moments, they're all fixed trope characters. On other occasions, they help contribute as a GROUP to create a lively and enjoyable atmosphere—which has on several occasions led to some great viewing. As a whole DitF is buoyed by some consistent characterisation among one or two of its cast, so eventually this portion of the show is above average at its best.

As far as art and sound go. Full marks. No arguments.

The animation quality is consistent, something that's truly important when it comes to mecha shows. While I found the fight choreography to be extremely bland in comparison to some of the Gundam shows, Evangelion and Gurren Lagann; there were still some good fight scenes here and there featuring Zero Two and Hiro's special mech. The colour palette is rich and vibrant, giving life to the few edens left in DitF's desolate world. Character designs are incredible and uncompromising in quality, as expected from Trigger. Environments are detailed and painstakingly crafted.

My only gripe with this department was the decision to make the robots look the way they do. Wtf. Kawaii moe robots. Didn't sit well with me at the start, or end. Oh well.

The soundtrack of the series isn't anything too special. It functions well and is consistent, I wouldn't call it boring or musically unappealing. What DOES stand out is that amazing opening, Kiss of Death, which was very fitting in terms of exploring 02 and Hiro's relationship. I like one of the ED's as well, while I was apathetic towards the other two. Good overall, in this department.

Now finally. Enjoyment. I'm sure you can notice that a majority of my review so far has been...negative. But here's the final hook.

I enjoyed myself.

I did not know what this show's main focus was supposed to be. But I liked how it resolved all of the things it threw at me. I somehow even liked how it used cheap, but effective plot twists to keep me guessing, to want to keep making me binge watch those episodes. I liked to see those characters grow from test subjects to actual people, even if the transition was clumsy and all over the place sometimes. I loved the dynamic between Zero Two and Hiro, because eventhough Hiro didn't bring much to the table, he definitely helped bring out whatever aspects of Zero Two's personality that I found interesting.

This series has a certain charm to it provided you're willing to just cruise through it.

Sure, the ending it stupid...but the ride to get there is filled with moments that keep you invested somehow. Collectively it's not something that can stand against the good shows let alone the greatest.

But something tells me the creators always knew this. They made something simple, loaded it with teenage hormones and angst, throwing all of that into the culmination of countless errors in generations past. DitF doesn't try to be anything more than shallow and action packed. In many aspects its strengths lie in how it keeps things at the surface. Don't try to see deep characters and metaphors in this anime: it doesn't claim to even have those in the first place.

An awkward, but interesting mix. And despite all of its flaws from a critical standpoint, I don't see this as a waste of my time, and I don't regret filtering out the immense hate.

6.4/10

This really is a ridiculous anime; for better and sadly for worse. But mostly for better. Some VERY minor spoilers may be in his review.

TLDR; Gurren Lagann is a series built on spirit and sacrifice; but the solid (albeit grandiose) groundwork laid in the first part is wasted by a timeskip which ruins its main cast and plunges the series into an exciting yet empty headed tale of good vs evil. Its strong foundations however keep this series very watchable, and stellar voice acting coupled with jaw dropping animation and art keep this series in decent stead even at its bumbling, nonsensical worst.

Many ... of the reviews here praise TTGL for its air of macho audacity, the raw and unshackled courage of its protagonists often being the only shield from certain demise. That much is true, but there's only so much that one can take before the same gory shouts and "motivational" one liners get old. Repetitive. Empty. Meaningless, at times. Being a shonen, you know what to expect from this show — good always triumphs over evil.

As you can expect, the story does not get any huge points for originality. The flow is typical of any shonen, distinguishing itself with a gorgeously diverse set of landscapes and locales. However to its credit, TTGL has a monumental sense of scale — it starts off in the bowels of underground settlements and ends among the twinkling stars of the universe. The story unfolds in a way that enchants you at times. The problem with this series however is not the absurdity, but how it manages to become EVEN more absurd especially towards the end. Episodes 1-15 (Part I) are where most of the emotional impact of Gurren Lagann shine for all to see, where humanity's struggle is more grounded and intense. There are also some great elements of shock, as the series uses a certain shock incident to make multiple characters grow at once, which I consider to be a brilliant call. Part I is truly where TTGL is at its best, throwing characters and building upon their motivations. They are fundamentally, very human like. Whatever credit I give the show comes from these episodes.

After a certain time skip, things go very badly for TTGL's plot. Character motivations change drastically, creating conflicts out of thin air and plot twists that seem almost engineered for convenience. When one looks past the gorgeous character designs, painstakingly crafted battles and jaw dropping animation...even magnificent choreography cannot save Gurren Lagann's plot from taking a nasty nosedive. The mostly catchy OST together with great EDs and OP are matched by some solid voicing for the cast; so as expected TTGL scores very highly on technical merits. It is the travesty of a story that proves to be this show's Achilles Heel.

The result of the second part of the series is a plot that completely abandons pace and unravels into a series of escalating battles until the ultimate good vs evil fight. Even as a large number of recurring characters meet explosive demises, TTGL fails to leave the audience with the desired emotional impact that SHOULD present when losing so many old characters. This leads us to the characters that make up TTGL.

There are four names that stand apart from the rest when it comes to development and good characterisation: Simon (our protagonist), Yoko Littner, Viral and Kamina. Everyone else is pretty much the definition of forgettable: filling certain fixed roles in order to move the plot forward and fuel the absurdity. For example, there's this dumbass that shouts nothing but "FIRE" every time a battle scene erupts — I can use this annoying fellow as an example of the series' utilitarian view on its cast. All he does is push buttons to shoot giant mecha bullets. Many characters fare no better.

Even among these characters, the time skip does MASSIVE damage to Simon and Yoko, who went through some great moments in the first season. Simon turns into a clone of another key character while Yoko completely loses all relevance to the plot. Kitan and Rossiu receive some screen time but also are ultimately fodder. The shocking part is that Simon's pet mole rat (Boota) gets more characterisation than 80% of the TTGL 'main cast'.

Decent, but should have been much better. Personally give it a 7, but for the sake of an honest critique, I rate it as given.

********LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD********

Nisekoi is what happens when you have great potential, but chuck it down the drain because you wanna be cliche. I loved this manga, but every chapter after Chapter 100 seemed to worsen. You'll like this manga if:

1) you're a diehard tsundere fan
2) you're looking for a predictable story that mirrors ichigo 100%

Story was moving well, never exceptional, but it was always interesting. Naoshi Komi decided to pump it with fillers, and as the series progressed, everything just went all over the place. Having now reached what almost inevitably seems to be the final few chapters, I'm thoroughly disappointed. Many aspects of Nisekoi ... which endeared it to me at the start, faded away into obscurity for the most predictable, cheap ending imaginable.

Great art, Komi is a master of comedic reaction faces and kawaii waifu girls.

Character. Oh my gosh. This is the single most terrible facet of Nisekoi. Fine, every girl just HAS to be a clearly defined dere type, but this isn't the problem. Kosaki Onodera, Seshiro Tsugumi, Yui Kanakura and shockingly even RAKU ICHIJO the protagonist himself, are severely underdeveloped/frequently backtrack on their minimal development. Marika Tachibana received very half hearted development later on, but she too can be classified as largely underdeveloped. Ruri and Shu, two great (honestly the best chars here) characters—wise, down to earth, a good blend of serious and funny; but Komi doesn't give them sufficient screen time.

Onodera especially is noteworthily and extremely poorly written, a character with great potential and massive popularity at the beginning—only to be portrayed as a character who doesn't respect her own resolve, frequently backtracking on two chapters worth of development—and this weakness is shared by other characters in Komi's Nisekoi as well. Development always takes second place to an illogical, obviously milked plot; and that's Nisekoi's greatest flaw. In contrast to all the other characters, Chitoge is the only one who receives good development and growth; and it becomes very obvious that the series is geared towards her, in an unrealistically unfair way.

There's no competition. It's all on a platter for her, just cause. She literally takes the development from all the characters, becoming an overdeveloped character; which is sad considering that Chitoge was a fantastic character at the start. Haru is a well balanced, likeable character that doesn't lack or overflow with development, however. Aside from Ruri and Shu, she was another thing that Komi got right...however well, she ends up like Ruri and Shu. Rather irrelevant.

Raku is infuriating. A character that starts if as hilariously noble, transformed into an extremely stupid, unrealistically dense and insensitive imbecile; all because the suspense has to be dragged on. Terrible considering that he's the main.

This series doesn't lack in enjoyment however. Great humour, and very compelling romance (at the start) were present, and even with his faults as a storyteller and people crafter, Komi is a great comedian; and he captures the fun drama of school life very well in the teenage crew.

Overall, a very cliche series. If you like the predictable, you'll love it. But if like me, you get engrossed with all the complex questions on feelings that Nisekoi poses at the start, don't take it up. It disappoints. The whole promise vs current thing was poorly fleshed out, and very half assed in the end. Gang wars dissipated into history. Epic brawls between the girls gave way for soppy, failed melodrama. What a sad end to something that could have been an 8 or 9/10.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, what a series, and End of Evangelion, what a way to top it all off. Though I always refrain from adding spoilers to my reviews, I think I'm going to forget about that in this one. On an important note, this show is NOT FOR EPILEPTICS (more on that later).

So yeah, SPOILER ALERT, stop reading now if you're spoiler phobic. You'll only enjoy this show if you've watched NGE 'til Episode 24, cause if you haven't, you're not going to understand jackshit. Hell, even for those of us who did watch it to that point, EoE was pretty damn mind boggling.

I felt ... that NGE had as solid a story as they come, not universally extraordinary, but very obviously intriguing, religiously based and definitely immersive. EoE manages to end that epic promise with a gritty, brutal sequence of unrelenting action, with an equal emphasis on wrapping up loose ends. The thing that's best about EoE is the amount of scenarios it allows YOU, the viewer to imagine. Evangelion will basically end up how you want it to, that's what makes it so fun. There's a very interesting pulse all throughout, from resolving how Shinji sees the others in his life, to Gendo's true motives (felt sorry for that asshole when he got it up Main Street), to Asuka's tragic tale and so on; it leaves you with a very satisfying (but at times, bitter) taste in your mouth. I genuinely enjoyed the approach the whole series generally took with storytelling. Symbolism is beautifully displayed in numerous ways in here, from a badass twist on the Creation according to Genesis, all the way to the way Misato 'offers her body' to Shinji, it's a treat to those of us who have a symbolism fetish. The soundtrack of Eva is highly Western and nicely arranged as well, forming an eerie, powerful fit throughout the show. Animation is also shockingly fantastic for an older show.

The characterization here, I fucking love it. I don't know why the hell people hate on Shinji, like really. At his core he's weak, and he's a whiny bitch, but the way his emotional strife and mental problems are portrayed truly is nothing short of fantastic, as is his struggle to just break free of the one thing he ironically prides himself with—loneliness. Yes, Shinji is awesome af to me, because he's as real as it gets when it comes to a mentally affected, neglected kid. Now onto Asuka, another personal fav; smartassed, pretty, courageous and fiery, but with a genuine inferiority complex and a multitude of other dangerous problems similar to Shinji. While the other main characters also have a lot of development, these two really stole the show for me. Their interactions during Instrumentality also show us what they feel about each other, and just how messed up the both of them are; which makes it all the more satisfying when they accept themselves, and then each other in the end.

The only comments I'd have against EoE would be the hardcore strobe light scenes. The three pilots are bombarded by some hardcore flashy lights when they experience instrumentality; and this gets pretty irritating on the eye. Epileptics beware, this WILL affect you. Aside from being irritating, I have no idea what part of flashing a thousand stills at rapid pace, qualifies as cool...I really don't. There were also plot holes here and there which are kinda significant, but not horrendous enough to spoil the flow.

So tldr, EoE was a fitting close to a revolutionary series. Not one for the squeamish, or strangers to the Eva franchise, or those who can't stand getting mindfked.

Oh, and Shinji x Asuka 4lyf!