Back to LukeKubs's Profile LukeKubs's Profile

I started reading Deadman Wonderland out of curiosity. I watched the anime adaptation years ago, and it left me with a cliffhanger. I've recently started reading more manga, and I figured this might be a good series to read.

I remember a little bit of the anime, but I tried to go into this with a clean mind. I have enjoyed reading it so far. I like the main crew of characters. Sometimes they're a little bland, but for the most part they have some good character development. The world of Deadman Wonderland and Carnival Corpse is a mix of brutal, blood-letting fights, and unexpected ... emotional connections between characters. If you don't like a ton of blood in anime, this might not be for you. If that doesn't bother you, get ready for some fun, ability-based fights.

The main character, Ganta, is not really my favorite of the bunch yet. He's a little bland and predictable as a character so far. Maybe it's because I've seen too much anime at this point, but he just isn't as interesting as I think he could have been. The side characters are definitely wear my interest lies more. The friends and enemies that Ganta makes always seem to throw some curveballs in. It's not always the "bad guy has a change of heart and becomes a good guy" spiel that usually happens in shounen. Though there may be flashes of that, you might soon learn that deep down people can't change as much as you think.

The art is very solid from what I've seen so far. The characters have unique designs and it's easy to tell all the characters apart at any given moment. The action panels are great, and the dialogue is very efficient at being to the point but explanatory enough. I've been able to read through 8 volumes in about 4 hours, so it's a quicker but good read.

I've enjoyed reading this and definitely recommend if you need something to read and don't want to commit to a long series.

There's a reason this show is widely seen as the best anime of all time. There will be those who disagree and may not even like the show, but they are FAR from the majority. There are an innumerable amount of great parts to this show. The characters, soundtrack, animation, story, openings, endings, EVERYTHING IS GREAT.

I will get the one gripe I have out of the way, and it is very nitpick-y. I think most people will agree that the first 10-15 episodes are a little rushed. They aren't as fleshed out as the original FMA or the manga. That being said, they are ... still great and do a great job with the story. The reason they're a little rushed is because the original FMA splits from the manga and goes its own route, developing a very different story and ending. FMA: Brotherhood stays more true to the manga. The first episodes are essentially the same story as the original anime and then proceed to branch off and go down the route of the manga's story.

With that out of the way, there's nothing else negative to say about the show IMO. Every episode adds to the characters and world building even if it's not a part of the main storyline. All of the side characters feel like they have their own unique personalities and development, whether they stay long or are only a part of a couple episodes.

The soundtrack is a thing of beauty. Akira Senju is the composer for the show and does a phenomenal job at capturing FMA: Brotherhood aesthetic. I often listen to the soundtrack when doing busy work or just looking to have something on in the background. A lot of it is very classical sounding, but the orchestral aspect of it fits the shows tone incredibly well. It successfully adds more emotion to the already powerful story.

One thing I LOVE about this show is that both the English and Japanese dubs are great. There's not one voice in the show that I would replace with anybody else. There's a lot of emotional dialogue and conversation in the show, and the VA's capture all of it perfectly. Very few shows can match FMA: Brotherhood in this way.

If I haven't already convinced you to watch this show, then maybe the fact that I've watched it 6 times over will. Every time I go back and watch a scene from the show or talk to someone about it, I get the itch to watch it again. No matter how many time's I rewatch it, I always notice more little details that I m ay not have on my previous viewings. Even knowing what's going to happen, that still doesn't stop me from shedding tears multiple times throughout the show.

This may be considered one of the GOAT anime for a long, long time. I think the past 5-10 years has seen a complete renaissance of anime, yet this anime is standing tall and remaining at the top spot. I await the day something can match or surpass the feeling this show gives me.

Please watch this show!

Misfit at Demon Academy is a good show.

I'm reading a lot of people's reviews who aren't into the second season as much as the first. I personally really enjoy the show. The characters, plot, soundtrack, and animation are all solid. It is one of those "overpowered protagonist" stories, but it is very self aware and uses that aspect to create solid humor and world building. The humor in this show has made me laugh out loud a decent amount of times. I would say that's one of the show's strong suits. Along with the main character, the side characters are very likable, and are well ... included in the story. I personally think they handled the side characters better in the first season, but the character development still isn't. bad in this season.

I see a lot of people talking about how the change in the main VA isn't good. Honestly, I barely noticed the change and once someone pointed it out, it took me a second to realize the change. I think the VA is fine in this show and unless you're being very picky, you probably won't notice.

With a show like this, you need to know what you're getting into. If you're looking for a fun show with a cocky, charming, overpowered protagonist I very much recommend this show.

Oh boy.

I'm sure you can see that this one doesn't have very many positive reviews. I am on very much the same page. Borate is the successor to Naruto. Obviously, it's always hard for a spin off or sequel series to surpass its predecessor, when said predecessor is such well known and liked series.

One thing I will say off the bat is, read the MANGA. The manga leaves out all the filler, which is one of the big problems for Boruto. At this point, it feels like more than 50% of the show is filler. It's such a buzzkill, especially when a majority of the ... filler really isn't great. There are a couple of the filler arcs that are okay that develop some side characters like Shikadai and Cho Cho. However a majority of it is just boring and unoriginal.

While there are a lot of glaring problems with Boruto, I think there are positive things worth talking about. Without going into spoilers, there is a fight in the first 60 or so episodes that may be one of the best in the entirety of Naruto/Boruto. The animation in parts can be amazing. There's also some fairly likable characters of the new generation of ninja. There's a good mix of new and old characters that go well together. It's fun to see who had a kid with who of the old Naruto crew.

With all that said, I don't really recommend you watch the anime unless it's to watch specific moments that were well done. IF you choose to give it a try, I recommend skipping any filler and sticking with the manga cannon material. If you just want something to keep on in the background as noise, at least do a little research to find which filler episodes may be worth watching. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother with the anime.

Howl's Moving Castle is my favorite Miyazaki movie. I LOVE all of the Miyazaki films, but this one takes the number one spot in my heart. I believe it was one of the first one's I saw. I remember sitting in my living room in my grade school days, doing art homework, when this movie came onto the TV. I was enthralled and so in love with everything about this movie. From the soundtrack to the animation to the characters, etc.

Miyazaki did a wonderful job of creating a world that both feels familiar, and goes off the rails with surprises and magic. The sound effects ... they use, even down to the tiniest crackle, make this movie feel so great. It feels like so much love and care was put into every frame of this movie.

As with any Miyazaki movie, the animation feels so natural. Miyazaki is very good at capturing the movement of the human body. It's hard to describe, but this movie feels much more relatable because of these little movements. The way chills go down someone's spine, or the emotion on someone's face, is just captured in a much more realistic way. It helps to really humanize the characters and make them relatable in a sense.

Along the way, you'll meet nearly a dozen characters that all have an important part in the story to play. Each character has their own unique personality. Miyazaki does a good job of working them together in very funny, yet fitting ways. You'll almost definitely find a character that you can relate to and love.

Merry Go Round Life is my favorite track from the movie. I plan on one day hand making a music box that plays the main part of this song. Whenever it plays. I can't help but smile and feel warm inside. All of the tracks in this movie are whimsical and mysterious, which really plays into Miyazaki's fantastical creation.

One thing I love about Miyazaki movies, and Howl's Moving Castle in particular, is that I can watch this in the sub or the dub. Both have an amazing cast that did an incredible job. Billy Crystal as Calcifer is ICONIC. Christian Bale as Howl was a very surprising casting, but perfect nonetheless.

This will forever be one of those movies I can just watch over and over again and never get tired of it.

Thank you Hayao Miyazaki.

Where do I start with Wolf's Rain?

First I would like to say that, in my opinion, this is the most underrated anime of all time. Not many people have seen it, or even heard of it. Of the people that have reviewed it, I've seen people either love it or hate it. I don't much understand the hate, though I may be clouded because of my love for the show.

This show is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Studio Bones went above and beyond for this. The character design, the environment, everything. Whenever I watch this show, it's like I get sucked in and everything around me temporarily ... disappears.

Another big part of this show is the music. My goodness, this soundtrack is magnificent. The opening, the ending, and everything between is masterpiece. The opening and endings being in English really catches your attention, as that's not the case with most anime. I would say that "Heaven's Not Enough" by Steve Conte is my favorite track from the show and in my top ten anime tracks of all time.

This show doesn't pull it's punches. It will hit you with whatever it needs to make the story great. I'm not afraid to say that I shed tears multiple times throughout this show. Every character in this series is relatable in some aspect. I won't say too much more about the story, as I don't want to give any part of this show away.

Both the Sub and the Dub are great. they did a great job casting and both casts of voice actors did a tremendous job, and I'd say, honestly, you can watch either and still enjoy the show to it's fullest.

In summation:
Watch this show. I have a deep connection to this show, and it really pushed my love for anime and showed me what anime can be. It's all around beautiful and one of my favorite, if not, my favorite of all time.

Thank you for reading!

*Writing after seeing up to episode 11 of the 5th season*

I've seen a lot of people debate over this season. I started watching My Hero when it was about halfway through the second season. I've been following it as much as I could since then; I love it. From what I've read, a lot of people are torn on this season. Some say it's boring and bad, and others say it's far from the worst arc of the series. I believe that this season does what MHA does best, and that is character development. This arc shows so many characters and how hard they've worked ... to become stronger. It may not have that "bad guy vs good guy" feel to it like the other seasons (so far) but it doesn't mean the action isn't great. There's so much thought to the strategy of each team and how they work together. Also, towards the later parts of the first half, there's some BIG developments for a main character. I think that this season has been great so far, and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Dragon Quest Dai is a great anime. It is an adaptation from an old series. It's a shounen at heart and it does it's job well. It's got that classic feeling where you just want to root for the protagonist and see how they're going to win against the next enemy. There's a lot of action and it doesn't use a ton of filler to take up time. It can be predictable at times, but this show is also good at throwing in a twist here and there. If I were a first time anime watcher this would be a wonderful anime to start with. ... I whole-heartedly recommend it.