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Warning: Long Review (which I tried to edit to shorten it + I'm really trying not to go into spoilers, so I hope it worked.)
This is such a mixed bag manga that I'm not sure where to start.

There are so many good and interesting aspects to The Max Level Hero Strikes Back, but it can get downright confusing, forgettable, and frustrating the rest of the time.

So, what makes this a mix bag?
Let me put it this way, for every point I can and will make, there is a "this is good, buuuuut..." phrase attached to it. It'll become clearer as I go through ... each section down below, so please be patient with me.

~Story~
Let's start with the premise. What is this story about? The main plot is that the MC, Davey, has fallen into a coma from an assassination attempt and found himself in the hall of the greatest heroes across existence. There, they take him under their wing, and taught him everything they know. All which had taken 1000 years to accomplish, before he was deemed ready enough to send back. Now back in his old life, he must overcome the obstacles that come his way. That's... basically it. However, it can get interesting and makes it hard to put the manga down. I certainly have at least one favourite arc. The idea is certainly interesting in terms of how such a character would affect the world he’s going back to, and the immediate environment around himself.

However, there are issues. The rest are mini plots that both add and don't add anything to the story. They are important enough that if you take the event(s) out, then the story wouldn't make sense. /However/, the main, consistent issue that most of the arcs share is the inconsistent narrative pacing. There are times that it's too fast, while others it's too slow. For example, there is an arc that has to do with the dwarfs, which was way too short and fast, where you are only told that a certain time has passed and don’t get to witness much. Then you have the exact opposite in another arc about a secret organization about knights, where it gets dragged on for so long that you are wondering what's the point of being told and shown so much information when most of it is irrelevant for the longest time. This all comes to a head with one of the latest arcs, a civil war. Without going too deeply into the spoiler territory, let's just say that this arc was kind of expected, but it also felt like it came out of nowhere and was finished within too short of a time. This arc felt /way/ too big and important to be so short and fast paced, and yet, it was exactly that. Certainly disappointing, because it opened so many possibilities, but delved into only a few of them, but not too deeply. There was one possibility that has been hinted at about the current queen’s (of that arc) past, then thrown out of the window within the same chapter. I was so confused and angry, because it felt beyond relevant as it would explain a lot of the queen’s actions and behaviour, which would have in turn influenced the events that led up to the civil war. This hint of information didn’t even last 5-8 pages. It was there then gone, and never brought up again! Excuse my language, but WHAT THE F*CK!?

Another issue is that there are plot devices/points given, but either go ignored or abandoned altogether. My main beef, which lead me to writing this review, is twofold. One, Davey is given early on a basically holy tattoo that told everyone that he's chosen by the Gods. Sure, it is referred to all the time by people referring to him as "Saint" whenever he helped them in some way. The issue here is that Davey outright ignores the title, duties, opportunities, and more that gets attached to it. The only times he really acknowledges it is when he needs it during a fight or pull one over another person. And let me say, it happens only a couple of times and otherwise completely abandoned. Second, I am up to date with the chapters, and as a reader I have yet to be given a good explanation for why Davey was taken under the wing of so many heroes and for so long. It's only in recent chapters that the plot finally seems to remember that it needs to address this massive plot hole and has been dropping hints about Davey's past and circumstances, which should have been addressed earlier on.

Again, the story can get interesting, whether you like the tropes that come with this manga or not (ex: OP MC). But as discussed above, there are massive issues that can be fixed so easily if given the proper opportunity.

~Characters~

Davey al Rown, the main character. The same one that has been taught by so many masters that it could change the lives of the entire continent… and a Gary Sue. My God is he a Gary Sue. At first, it makes sense that he’s so knowledgeable and powerful in many divisions. He could do things that nobody else could have done. He has massive power in different branches that it doesn’t make sense and the rest of the characters are puzzled /why/ he’s able to do what he can. It kind of makes sense that he’s like this, because anyone would become OP if they trained for a millennium under the best masters out there. I can’t even get angry about any of this, because it makes far too much sense. He also has character flaws, which breathes a life to his character. Something that tends to be forgotten about in many other stories out there that have their own OP MC. He’s a greedy bastard. He loves money. He doesn’t do things without expecting something in return. He loves some of his siblings to death, and would do anything for them. He loves and protective over the family that he has created for himself. It helps to make his character more 3D, as he can get quite serious. All of this shows that he has many different sides, when he could have easily been another emotionless OP MC.

So, what makes him a Gary Sue? By the definition, he’s too perfect, and almost everyone around him just looooooves him or proclaim their loyalty to the end of time. Every time he goes to a location, he seems to solve the problems of the residence without even breaking a sweat. Thus, gaining their ever-loving trust and loyalty. Never mind the fact that he had 0 reason to poke his nose into their business. In fact, he never should have to begin with. It seems that every time he does so and solves their problem and gains new minions, he does two things. He either fucks off entirely, or he takes them with him and uses them to no end to his benefit. They all see it, and yet this never seems to bother anyone. Even those that were his enemies, for the most part, grudgingly accept and/or admire him in the end. He is handed such massive privileges and titles, that at some point it feels unearned and too much. What’s weird about this is that he keeps saying that he doesn’t want to be called a “Saint” or by any other title, and that he wants to live a quiet life and be lazy and do things from the shadows. Yet, he doesn’t do anything about any of this, and even steps into the limelight one too many times, with the excuse of him not having a choice. Sure, sometimes he truly doesn’t have a choice, but the rest he proved through words and action that he doesn’t care. He even has women (particularly princesses) fighting over his hand, and the readers are joking about him gaining a harem at some point because of it.

It doesn’t help that the characters around Davey are quite generic. In the beginning, when they are showed, they are quite different from each other and have personalities, goals, and values. However, as time goes on, they seem to slowly fade into the background until forgotten altogether. Half the time I can barely remember their names, because aside from a single unique trait that differentiates themselves from others, they’re quite similar. They also seem to be following Davey around like little ducklings, even though half of them are some of the most powerful people of their age group and positions. For example, let’s go with Princess Elena. She is among the strongest of her age group, to such a degree that she has earned herself a title of being strong enough to wield a weapon of God. Everyone respects her and basically bows down to her greatness. Her name is so recognizable that just a mention of it would have people gosh over her existence. When she shows up, you can feel the heaviness and importance that comes with her character, and you want to see more and more. Yet, overtime, she slowly fades into the background. The first hint of it is that she needed Davey’s help, because she’s either too weak and emotionally irrational (yes, really bc women amiright? /heavy sarcasm) against a vampire opponent. By halfway through the plot, she just become another background character that you can ignore the existence. She doesn’t bring anything interesting or important to the table, outside of this one arc. The rest of the time, she’s just… there. A pretty thing with a short temper and the most powerful against everyone in her age group and most other humans… with everyone else being an exception. And she seems to be fighting with another princess for the affection of Davey? It’s annoying and overdone.

Either way, the rest of the characters follow the same formula. It doesn’t matter if they are individuals or part of a group. The dwarfs are basically bowing down and kissing the ground that Davey walked upon, having forever lost their main characteristics once he helped them. The elves in his presence were interesting on their own, until they became part of his group to some degree, and thus are just brushed aside. His siblings, half of which hate him and the other adore him, seem to only have those traits to speak for them. Traits of either being good or evil, useful or useless, etc. Even though you have relationships that should be explored deeper due to their sheer class S of importance, they tend to be ignored. Only time when it wasn’t, was when Davey had to deal with his father, and yet it still flops to a big degree. Nothing makes sense anymore and I’m personally just done with all of this.

~Overall~

I don’t know what else to share without this being anymore of an essay that it is. Overall, still a mixed bag. It’s very much depending on your taste in genre and what you tolerate and don’t to determine if you would like this manga. Personally, the only thing that’s keeping me reading and not dropping this manga is because I’m a bookworm and need to have something to read. But unlike the other manga that I keep up with, this one is very half hearted and just /there/ to pass the time. I will continue to be disappointed and frustrated with it, especially concerning the plot holes and characters (mainly Davey), but it is what it is. You can’t win in everything, and this manga is just one of those things. Hope this review, albeit very long, has been helpful to someone out there. I can only recommend you try out the first few arcs to get a feel for it, and then make your judgement. This story deserves a chance, but it’s very understandable if you’re in my position (on the fence) or chose to hate/love it.

That’s all, peace out!

Warning: Spoilers (I guess if you call them that)
TW: Talks of abuse

I am completely and utterly disappointed with the manga.

This manga had so much going for it in the beginning.

You got two believable and even likable main characters (Hori and Miyamura). Both have secrets they wished to keep from their classmates, but end up somehow finding each other through a random event. Just as soon their secrets are revealed to each other, and they have since then confided each other as true friends. A type of friend that you have absolutely no fear that your secrets will be spilled to the world to see. It ... makes sense that from that, romantic feelings could evolve and thus their relationship changed. Hori didn't want her peers to know that she goes home right after school to look after her brother. Miyamura didn't want people to know about his many earrings and tattoos. At the same time, they dealt with serious issues from their past. Hori had to deal with her childhood having to be alone at home all the time, since her parents were always busy with work. Pretty much, abandonment issues. Miyamura had dealt with being ignored and bullied in middle school.

Not very original concepts, but you know what? They're easy enough to bite, and once you get a taste, you want to keep eating it. The creator had managed to weave everything in and breathe life and originality into it, even though none of this is new and original.

... now take all of this and chalk it out the window, and forget about it. After all, that's what the manga did, so you can do it too.

You can forget about the potential character development. You can forget about potential relationship development outside the "hey let's get married after school" shtick. You can forget about their secrets, which are never discussed ever again. You can forget about their past problems/trauma, because only Miyamura got anything out of it for like 2 seconds, and then forgotten about by the creator (we never even see the bullies ever again- WHY?!). You can forget EVERYTHING.

There is no development of any kind. The main characters get turned into side characters. Their personalities are utterly ruined. Their relationship is basically abuse in the form of Hori getting angry at Miyamura 24/7, and Miyamura having no balls to say or do anything in retaliation. Here are a BUNCH of situations, and I'm still just highlighting some of them. (TW for the abuse)

(1) Hori out of nowhere wants Miyamura to be angry at her all the time and hit her, in public. Let's ignore the fact that your boyfriend over there can get arrested for ABUSE. But that's fine, because everyone finds it funny. Even though Miyamura comes out of this abuse with bruises and bleeding (yes, that happened), it's totally fine, because it's just Hori being Hori. But Gods forbid that Hori shows up injured, because "Miyamura! How could you hurt her?!".

(2) Hori getting even angrier at her boyfriend for not getting angry at her, because apparently she's a masochist. She hits him. She kicks him. She controls what he does with his body (forbidding him from getting anymore tattoos and reopening his old ear holes for earrings, because the latter will leave scars (yeah, THAT MAKES SENSE! /s)). Let's ignore the fact that Miyamura had earrings and tattoos way before Hori noticed his existence.

(3) Miyamura caring for Hori and loving her, earns him a cute blushing girlfriend that will slap him and call him stupid and run for the hills.

(4) Miyamura is supposed + expected to apologize for all "his wrongs", even though Hori herself admitted that it's her fault for getting angry all the time (but does nothing about it- girl, you need anger management, like yesterday).

(5) Hori's possessive behaviour, which is so abnormal and off the charts, that it is scary.

(6) Hori wants to catch Miyamura cheating on her, which he never does (b/c he's a good boyfriend- SHOCKERS), and then she gets angry at him over that.

Hey, Hori, here is a little secret: this behaviour is NOT cute or funny. These are all forms of abuse, and I don't understand why so many people in real life find these behaviours cute, adorable, and quirky. If I knew Miyamura, I would give him some serious one-on-one talk, gently explain to him why her treatment of him is not normal, okay, or acceptable, and get him out of there. Perhaps, if I could find one, I'd give him a hotline number for DV victims, so that he could talk to professionals and get the help he needs. No, I don't care that these characters are teenagers and thus have crazy hormones. Abuse comes in any age and doesn't discriminate against gender/sex, age, or ethnicity. I also don't care for the "dere"s that has people salivating and lose their common sense over. It's revolting that the only reason why people are accepting of this is because the abuser in this situation is a girl.

Let's now talk about the rest of the side characters. Let me just say, I read all the chapters, and I STILL can't remember any of their names. I may recognize them if they do something specific that is "unique" to their character design, but that's about it. They have little to no personality. They look almost the same. Their relationship to each other isn't unique. Sometimes we may get drama or (gasp) plot, but then it's all thrown out the window, again. I still don't understand why people are obsessed with Yagani (I had to look his name up). There are a lot of things that I don't understand, because nobody bothers explaining or gloss over it so fast and so low key, that it is missed.

I initially gave this manga a 7/10, but after reading everything and coming out of it frustrated and disappointed, I'm giving it a 3/10. Again, this manga had so much potential. If only they continued with the initial plot, this could have been a very different review and possibly on a more positive side. But as of now, it has invoke in me only dark realization and deep annoyance.

I would not recommend this to anyone, especially as a romance manga. This is anything but romance. It's slice of life, with humour, and with such abuse in it that I can not bring myself to support it anymore. Read it if you will, but I will not re-read this ever again, nor will I continue watching the show.

Having recently finished the third manga of the Baki series, I wasn't sure on what to expect from this one. What can possibly up Baki's journey through 3 manga parts, to finally fight his father, Yujiro? With hesitation, but excitement, I gave this a try.

Warning: Spoiler

~Story~ (3/10)

This story frustrated me beyond belief. It reminded me of this one 'popular' book, written by a famous author, which resulted me in almost throwing it across the bus that I was riding in. Guess what, this manga gave me the same feeling. The beginning of the story is great, for the most part. The only thing I found ... a bit off putting in the beginning, was how everyone, and I mean everyone, was bored out of their minds. These same characters and the past manga have made one thing clear: It doesn't matter who you fight, where, when, how or why, a fight can and will happen. Just accept it, because it's part of a fighter's life. Enjoy it while at it. Seeing Baki and the others so bored has taken this message and thrown it out of the window, but I didn't expect it to last for long. After all, Miyamoto Musashi was in the scene. The idea of cloning such a famous historical figure is something that I didn't mind rolling along with. I'm a history buff, and sometimes I like being served the idea of bringing in historical people into present day. They've done it with Pickle, and quite well, so what made this one different? The difference wasn't shown right off the bat. The story draws you in to sympathize and like this character. After all, he was now stuck in modern day. A time so different from his own (400 years!). Okay, some characters come, meet him (to try and make sure that what they heard was true) and pick a fight with him. Fine, what else do you expect from this franchise? But as you keep reading, it slowly dawns onto you how over powered they made Miyamoto. He could go toe-to-toe with Yujiro, of all people! Then one of the characters, a beloved one, ends up dead. Why? Because the arena raised the rule of 'no weapons allowed', because how could they not allow THE Miyamoto Musashi fight without a sword? Then you have a character going around, beating into everybody's heads that he's going to protect them from Miyamoto. He even said it to the famous swordsman himself, that he's going to protect him... from himself? What? Then this same swordsman is let loose onto the world, going around killing the police force, and so on and so forth. Are you still following me? Then let me tell you one important thing about this guy. This man has no honour. He will kill because he can, as nobody can stop him. He will even start to fight or attack those that ask him to stop. He will continue chopping and cutting at someone, even with their backs turned, having decided that the fight has ended. He looks at some of the characters, and sees riches and recognition. By the time you finish, you realize that Baki is barely in this story, and it's no longer a Baki story to begin with. It's Miyamoto, because he's now the 'hero' and everybody must bow down to his greatness.

~Art~ (9/10)

If you have read the first manga, you can see the great differences between it and this one. The art seems to continue to evolve over time, with great detail, love, time and care put into it. No matter how much this manga has disappointed me, I know that the one thing that will not disappoint me is the art style itself. The only small issue I find is that sometimes you find the same exact picture, drawn over and over again, 10X into two whole rows of panels. No change in feature expressions. No change in the background (if there is one to begin with). Nothing is different. What is the point behind it? The first two times it happened, I had to stop and study the drawings carefully. I tried to find even the smallest of differences, but there were none. I can't help but shake my head in confusion whenever I see them.

~Character~ (3/10)

The characters have gone to shit. No joke. There is no better way to describe them in any other way. One character is practically assassinated, while another is a crazy parrot going around repeating the same thing over and over, and Yujiro is made to look like a joke when two things happened. One, as I said before, Miyamoto is able to go toe-to-toe with him. What?! Two, that parrot guy even told him, THE Ogre, that he needs to be protected from Miyamoto and he will do it. Then there are the other characters. Everybody is so bored out of their minds that their unique personalities are no longer there. You can basically describe them as 'background characters', until they fight Miyamoto. They'll have their 15 minutes of fame (if not having died in the end), then they'll go back to the way they were before. There's no more motivation behind their training, if any training at all. They're too busy yawning in their corners, too lazy to get up and fight each other (why not at least for fun?), and even one said that he retired so no one should expect anything from him anymore. What?! Even Baki, the main character that we followed for so long, is a background character and thus subjected to all of this. At one point he said that he needed someone to teach him how to fight, so that he could beat Miyamoto. Why can't he do it himself? Where has all his motivation gone? All he's doing now is just walking around, bored out of his mind and doing nothing productive with his time. You don't see him going to school. You don't see him with his girlfriend. You see only a bit of his training in the beginning, before his main character role was taken by Miyamoto. He just... does nothing. There's no point in him being around anymore.

~Enjoyment~ (3/10)

I'm so disappointed in this manga part. It had such a great promising beginning, but you are slapped in the face by the time you get into the middle. And when you get to the middle, you are so deep in that you can't help but keep going. You have to, because you tell yourself "it must get better from here!", when it never does. It gets worse and worse. I went from a 7/10 to a 3/10 by the time I finished this. I've read a lot in my short life. In all of these years, only two books made me want to show disrespect to them by throwing them across the room (or bus, on one occasion). This one makes me want to do it, but also close it and mourn the loss of good story and characters. I can't find myself wanting to read the next part, because of how horrible this part has treated its predecessors, their accomplishments and the characters. Everything that we've grown attached to, grown to admire, love or even be distasteful towards, is now gone. The only way I can describe it is that this manga will leave you feeling soulless. I know that it sounds over-dramatic, but this is the experience that I got from this.

~Overall~ (3/10)

I do not recommend this manga to old and new readers of this franchise. I refuse to acknowledge this as canon to the original, but rather an alternative universe. There's simply no way that these characters and story has gone so off the deep end, in the way that they did. The franchise has ended with the fight between Baki and his dad, and that's a fact. Anything from here on out, is an unknown, which you can turn your back to and walk away and not miss a thing.

Read this at your own risk. If you do, good luck.

Where should I start with this? The good in the story? The bad? The average? What the arcs are, and which ones are important and not important?

I'll start with simply assuming that people know of the first two manga. If you haven't, then it is a must before reading the third part. You cannot go into this manga with no backstory or background information and expect everything to be clear and satisfying in the end.

Also, spoilers. I'll even give a few warnings as to what to expect for those that are more 'sensitive'.

This manga has "4" arcs to it. Or, maybe I should say, 3 ... major arcs and a mini-arc to the side.

The first arc is a mix of three things: Good, forgettable, and could have been cut shorter. How is it possible for these three to exist in one? Well, here we go. Long story short, Baki tries to get into the same prison as Biscuit. How? I'll leave it for you as a surprise to find out. Bottom line is that he wants to fight and beat him before facing his father. Between his entrance to the prison and the fight, everything could have been cut out. We finally meet Biscuit's girlfriend, so she can stay. But everybody else except for Baki, the girlfriend and Biscuit, can go to the land of nonexistence and forgetfulness. None of these characters show up again, after this arc. To be fair, the girlfriend doesn't either, but at least she's important to Biscuit's identity. Anyways, these characters felt like they were holding this whole arc back and dragging it as it tried to get a move on to the fight. There were a few "important" characters in there, but they're forgettable. There were also a few mini fights, even between one of these "important" characters and Biscuit, but it can be cut out. Though, you may enjoy it for the simple fact that it's a typical fight of this franchise. But that's about it. This arc is important, so it's a must read. My suggestion is to skip to the fight between Baki and Biscuit and just move on from there.

The second arc is the most amazing part of the story. It is the typical "what will happen if a prehistoric man was brought into present day?" story. Pickle (the prehistoric man), has lived in the time of the dinosaurs. He has devoured them and was stronger than them. You will have to leave common sense, history and science at the door for this arc. What's great about this is not how Pickle handles modern day, but his interaction with the martial artists/fighters of the franchise. Also, how he develops as an individual through fighting them. The reasons behind his actions makes sense and they are explained thoroughly in this arc. This is something that you can appreciate as a reader, because it gives you a connection to Pickle. Before Baki, he fights 3 others, 2 of who have major life changes as the aftermath. Warning: there is cannibalism and a bit of sexual assault in this arc. No rape though. But this arc is heavy with psychology and what makes a human, a human being. You can't help but feel attached to Pickle. The author does well to tell us how he feels and thinks without the means of talking. Though, they give you a bit of a surprise about that in the end of his arc. If not for Pickle, Baki would not have had obtained certain skills to fight with his father in the end. I was rather sad that the arc has ended when it did, but I cannot say that I left disappointed. The ending for it will leave you either frustrated, happy or with a bittersweet taste. Overall, you cannot skip this arc by any means. You must take your time to read through it, as it will not leave you disappointed.

The third arc is forgettable. That's the best way to describe it. It makes the first arc looks like this great adventure (which it wasn't). Retsu wants to learn how to box. Why? Hell if I know. This mini arc is so short that the fourth arc keeps on barging in, and I was more interested in the final arc than the mini one. I love Retsu to bits, but even the characters themselves admitted that it didn't make any sense and decided to leave him to his devices. What's rather insulting to the sport is that he still uses his kung fu stands in boxing matches. I don't know the rules for boxing, and anime/manga always throw common sense out of the window, but it is safe to ask this: where is the common sense in this one? Why would Retsu go out of his way to learn how to box and even leave Japan to fight oversees, if he continues to use kung fu on some level? He is so out of character that it's frustrating to read. Overall, you can skip this arc, but I suggest a different tactic. Ignore Retsu's "journey" and read through the fourth arc when it pushes itself into the story. It has absolutely no impact on the story overall.

The official fourth arc is where Baki finally fights his father. The fight goes well over 50 chapters, but the arc doesn't stop with it. Instead, it starts with Yujiro finally admitting that he loves his son. He accepts Baki's invitation for dinner, they eat together first at Baki's old place and then at Yujiro's chosen location. Then the fight starts. This is where the satisfaction comes in, if you read the first two manga. The psychology and interaction between the two will leave you on the edge of your seat, breathless and in awe. Personally, I cannot wait to see it be animated, one day. Finally, after so long, the story comes at a full circle. The fight itself is not just a fight. It is a psychology and relationship between the two as Hanma members, father and son, and two fighters are talked through here via fists, words and memories. There are even 'touching moments' between them as a father and son. If you see the actions as 'touching', anyways. Yujiro's father even makes an appearance for a brief few chapters. Depending on the type of fights you enjoy and what satisfies you in the end, this fight will, again, leave you in three states: pleased, frustrated or bittersweet. If you want to, you can push in there anti-climatic. Overall, this arc is a MUST to read.

I enjoyed this a lot. This is a manga that I would definitely re-read in the future. It is unbelievable, gives us something fresh and new, and gives a long-waiting story its proper ending. I simply cannot wait to read the fourth manga. But I'm still a bit disappointed with the first and third arcs. They could have been dealt with better, or taken out altogether (and I'm looking at you third arc). But in the end of the day, I highly suggest this franchise to anybody and everybody. If you have read the first two manga and don't know if to continue, I recommend that you do. You can use this third manga as "the end" of the story, if you don't want to continue any further. There's no shame in that. After so long, as I said before, the story came into a full circle.

I've watched this show, because my brother and I wanted to watch something random and he picked this show. He said that it was okay, but he thought that it'll be interesting for me. Dear God, is it more than interesting.

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS (SPOILER ALERT)!!!

~Story~ (9)

The idea of the story is the typical sport anime sort of story, where the underdog becomes the best of the best and so on and so forth. But the way that they made this story made me pause. It shouldn't, because I see the same thing from All Out, which I'm watching (and not enjoying) right now. ... I don't know why this show is different, but I guess you can call it a 'charm'. Yeah, that's the right word. This show's story has a charm to it that makes it likable at least and amazing at best. The romance in believable. Nobody is picking on the main character (Yuri) for no reason (Goddamnit do you people know how many sports shows/movies that I see where this happens? IT DRIVES ME MAD!). In fact, the side characters actually befriend Yuri, because he's just a good, fun and shy guy to hang around with. The family of Yuri's is supportive of him and his choices through and through. Even I would like to hang out with him, and not just because of his looks and the other guys' looks. They also don't do the typical 'childhood sweethearts' that they show in the first episode. This alone shocks me, because it's overdone so much that I can't roll my eyes over it enough. The story also shows the struggles that everybody goes through. I'll talk more about it in the 'Character' section. And the humor- you people don't know how many times I nearly fell off the chair laughing. The humor comes from the naive responds and the unaware actions of the characters, much like Hajime no Ippo for references. Everyone teases the others and it's just heartwarming to watch. And I know that what I say about the 'charm' is rather unbelievable, but it's the best way that I can explain it. You'll just have to watch the show to understand that, even though the plot is overused, it does bring something new that other shows just don't explore as much. The only reason why I gave this section a 9 rather than a 10, is because of the weak first episode. I wouldn't be surprised if people were turned off because of it, since it has the typical underdog tone to it. But if you get passed that episode, then the story just gets better and better.

~Art~ (10)

Dear God... the art style drove me mad, I'm telling you. Even though it has the typical big eye 2010's art styles, the animators put so much time and effort to make it look more amazing. The characters all have their unique looks to show their ethnicities. It makes you believe that when you see a Canadian, you're looking at a Canadian. That when you see a Korean, that it is a Korean. In many shows where ethnicities come into play, for some reason the animators always make them look the same. They all look pale as fuck and have the same body designs. But not this show. To me, this show makes a point to show other ethnicities as much as Hetalia does with its characters, without the stereotypes that come along with it, of course. Then there is the figure skating itself. It's beautiful. When there are sparkles on the outfit, they make it shown. They make sure that the outfits fit with the themes and the characters, which individualizes everyone even more and makes them more unique and memorable. Then they don't just skip or fast forward with the skating either. The animators take the time to draw each jump, spin and spirals so that you can follow along as if you're one of the members of the audience in the show itself. When the character is tired, you can see through the simple art of them breathing hard and sweating. There was even a moment when Yuri and Viktor got into a bit of a fight, because our favorite Russian was being a little dick. Just the scene of Yuri not moving, just staring, and all of a sudden crying while in a statue like state, makes it tug on your heartstrings because you can relate with the reaction. There's so much more, but I've talked enough about the art section. Now, onto the next part!

~Sound~ (8)

There isn't much to say about this section, as I don't really know what to say. As far as sounds go, I don't listen to the intro and ending, unless they catch my attention. So the only thing that I CAN talk about are the music pieces that each skater dances to. And oh boy did they pick the right ones. Each song piece, along with the dance, says something about the skater. It tells us their story, much like 'Yuri on Ice' song piece does with Yuri when it talks about his adventure and journey as a figure skater. They'd make a point to show a few clips from what the skater is imagining as they skate, and you can connect the music with the skater and watch them grow at the same time. The best example of a song showing the growth of a character is Yuri, the main character. The song is something that Viktor picked for Yuri, which is Eros. Yuri is a shy, not-so-confident 23 years old guy, and picking this song for him forced him to get out of his comfort zone, which in turn forced him to grow as a character. This is one part of the 'charm' that I talked about. It's unbelievable that something like this isn't really shown in other sport shows, where the main character is forced out of his comfort zone so that s/he can grow as a character. But there are songs that don't quite make sense as to how they connect with a few characters, which is why I deducted a few points. Maybe I just don't see it, as I can only skate normally and know next to nothing about figure skating, but that's how it is for me.

~Character~ (9)

OH... MY... GOD!!!!!!!!!! Can Viktor and Yuri make me blush anymore than I already am?!?!?! Like, how is it possible for these two dorks to be such believable characters, grow as characters with the help of each other and make such a good romantic relationship at the same time!? HOW?! Ahem... yeah... sorry about that. As you can see, I really appreciate the time and effort that the writers have taken to making Viktor and Yuri into believable characters as well as their relationship. But not only them. One of the biggest things that make this show are all the characters. I know, shocker! Even without figure skating, this show can be held together by these characters. Every character is remember-able. They all have their issues that they have to overcome. They all have desires and wants. They all have their dreams. They all have personalities!!! Did you read that? P-E-R-S-O-N-A-L-I-T-I-E-S! I have seen a good number of sport anime, and I've never seen such good characters aside from Hajime no Ippo and a few other shows. They don't hate on each other just because. They get jealous, have egos, have humors and their quiet/scared moments. They also are rivals, obviously, since they're competing against each other. But you can see by their facial expressions, body languages and words that they're either happy for their competitors or are anxious. They don't have to talk to get across what they're thinking and feeling. You can see just from their body language and eyes what they're going through. This makes them feel so much like human beings, to the point that I almost cried in disbelief and happiness, especially when I see that Yuri doesn't become best of the best right off the bat (winning only silver in the end) and that every skater makes a mistake in their routines. I can't believe that I found such a perfect anime. I even told a friend that I almost cried, because lately every anime I've seen the characters, story, etc. just felt dull and... inhuman. Like they want to remind us that they're nothing more than a 2D animation. I wanted to be sucked into the story, the characters and everything else. I wanted to feel like I'm right beside them, laughing, worried, crying, happy and cheering. This show does that. It feels so human, so believable and something that you can feel like you've gone through the journey with all the characters, especially Yuri and Viktor. I haven't talked much about these two dorks much, now have I? What's amazing about their relationship is that they work on it as time goes on. They didn't fall for each other straight off the bat. Yuri was always inspired by Viktor's performances and became a figure skater just like him, but he wasn't an obsessive fan that makes you want to cringe. When you see the posters of Viktor in Yuri's room, you can tell that they were taken great care of and later on you understand where the inspiration comes from. But he has many issues and insecurities, but when you see how he skates you believe that he has the talent to reach the top and you want to encourage him. He feels human, because he shows his emotions like one. It makes you want to connect with him and it makes you fall in love with his character (not romantically, mind you.) even more. Then there's Viktor, the happy-go-lucky, sometimes-serious, Russian-like dork. Our favourite Russian was in a dilemma that he was losing inspirations and didn't know what to do with himself. But when he found the video of Yuri figure skating back home, he was struck with inspiration and went right away to Japan all the way from Russia to coach him. Yeah, a big, out of nowhere, jump from a figure skater to a coach, and you can tell that this isn't like him from everyone's reactions. But all he wanted was to be a coach and to be inspired again. Then there are the small moments, actions and words that the two exchange that make their relationship grow over 8 or so months. That's more than enough time to fall for someone, and when they exchanged rings you truly believed that they wanted to be together and that they earned the right to be together. They also push each other to be better, putting their own happiness at stake at times. This leads to one of the most heartbreaking moments, when the two fought over whether or not they should stay together as a student-teacher kind of thing. It makes you worried because if they broke that relationship, then their other relationship could be at stake. This, in turn, makes you want to watch the show even more. Though, the only complaint that I have about this show is that one of the character's having a slightly bigger ego than he should, but I don't have much other complaints to give about the characters.

~Enjoyment~ (9)

This show... I just... I just can't. The emotions this show gave me really make me happy, but cry at the same time. This is a gem among the average/bad anime (in general) out there. It feels alive, and I felt going through the journey together with Yuri and Viktor. I laughed with them. I squealed when I saw them do something romantic together. If I could, I would jump through the screen and hug Yuri and shout 'congratulations' to him and Viktor, because I knew that after all they've been through that they needed each other. I cried and was anxious with them, especially Yuri. I would almost jump out of my sit when I see even one of the characters manage to land properly, especially Yuri. After so many shows and manga that I sat through, where I felt nothing but boredom, then comes this show and it makes me feel so many things at once. How many people can say that about a 2D animated show? If I didn't make this clear, this show is worth to watch. As I said before, it's hard to get through episode 1, but once you are through it gets better and better. You will love every minute of it. Enjoy the show/manga!