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Jan 22, 2024
When you're thousands of years old, how do you perceive time and relationships? Sousou no Frieren tells this story through the lens of a thousand y/o Elf AFTER the major adventure and battle with her fellow adventurers. The story starts at the end, as she retraces her steps she took with her old group. As she continues this journey a second time, she recontextualizes her experiences. She truly begins understand the fragility of her relationships and those precious moments that she overlooked because of her unique perception of time. Sousou no Frieren is masterful in steady storytelling and worldbuilding. There's so many little details that
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the characters say and do that makes them feel so wholesome. It touches on topics of regret, parenthood, aging, memory and history with such poignant subtly that just makes you tear up. Even though you can't relate to being a thousand year old elf, you resonate with those feelings of regret, not appreciating the moment, suddenly realizing a lesson someone tried to teach you before, or just finding yourself picking up the habits of an old friend.
8/10 Pacing and Enjoyment: There should be a Slice of Life tag on this show because of how each region she visits follows a self-encapsulated story. It does all contribute the overarching plot and exposition, but in a more slow and thoughtful way than just an outright adventure or drama anime. Just sit back and enjoy the relaxing vibes.
9/10 Music and Animation: The show is just consistently beautiful. The music by Evan Call (the same composer for Violet Evergarden) and the vibrant art just immerses you into whatever region her journey takes you. It's a very soothing show to enjoy, but OUT OF NOWHERE it will have some of the most well animated, dynamic fight scenes that makes it feel like an epic battle series. It did not have to go so hard in some episodes, but it definitely delivered.
9/10 Characters: This is where I feel the show shines. At the beginning, the characters may seem generic, but the best part about the show is how they grow and learn to interact with each other. They notice little details and quip at each other in very realistic, hilarious and wholesome ways. Throughout all of these interactions, the show also draws parallels to her past group, as we learn more about them as well. It's very easy to be invested and fall in love with the characters.
I won't say it's a perfect anime or one of the best animes, but it does what it intends to do masterfully. And ESPECIALLY works without any weird anime tropes or fanservice you have to overlook. You really can't find anything to outright hate about it. (The biggest complaint I see, is haters saying "it's a boring walking simulator". Then I see what shows they like, and it's all shounen, fanservice shows. If you're a normal person with an attention span better than a toaster, this is an extremely likeable show that I can safely recommend to even non-anime fans)
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 19, 2020
MHA has a typical shounen backbone, BUT also has a depth and emotional attention that is usually overshadowed by the prioritization of action in mainsteam shounen. I believe that season 4 finally kind of divides the fanbase between those who are invested in the emotions and characters, and those who want fast paced action between simple characters in a typical shounen. As a result, we have really mixed reviews about this season.
Story: 7
I will say that the presence and motive of the antagonist, Chisaki, in this arc is not as well done as stain or OFA, and it takes a few episodes before we
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get the ball rolling. In the latter third of the anime we get an emotional festival arc and an amazing fight from Endeavor. The story was okay in this season, everything flowed and made sense after each plot point, but the pacing was just too slow.
Art: 7
The art was just inconsistent this season. Sometimes action sequences just didn't quite immerse you and you end up feeling lost on what just happed (who hit who). Mirio's fight scene was a huge disappointment; reduced to a slide show for half the fight. But as a result, the climax fight of Deku and later Endeavor were some of THE BEST fight scenes of this anime season. Still, I dont like the idea of sacrificing quality in some places to make it better in others, consistency is more appealing.
Sound: 9
Just, amazing. You get the same feelings you do from previous seasons. HOWEVER, they give us 2 AMAZING new songs with vocals that just stand out and are ones to download into your playlist.
Character: 9
Despite Chisaki being a kind of generic villain, you really get to see side characters shine this season. This season gives Mirio, Kirishima, Amajiki, Fat Gum, Nighteye, Hawks, Gentle Criminal (a new villain) and Endeavor ALL a moment to let their character shine and provide depth into their motivations. Even still, Deku has character development throughout this season. He is tested on what it really means to be a hero, not in terms of strength or technical skill, but through human interaction. How does he save Eri, does she want to be saved, and even after she is saved, how do you save someone from trauma; even when the danger is gone. She is truly the first person he actually saves in this anime. This and a few other extremely rich concepts in this season.
Overall: 8
Yeah, it starts slow. Yeah some action scenes are AMAZING and some disappointed, but the depth of characters and thorough motivations and emotions are so consistently good in this anime. If you really just love the action in MHA, this season is gonna be a miss for you, but if you're invested in the characters and the story, you will cry and cheer almost every other episode.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 30, 2020
I haven't read the webtoon, TOG is overhyped.
Knowing what happens in the webtoon/how characters turn out, cloud your perception and excuse the flaws present in the anime. Lets take a neutral look at Tower of God
Story: 6
The premise and progression is simple and interesting. People try to advance through "tests" in different levels of the tower to reach to the top, and grant their wish. It has a cool power system called "Shinsu", there's battle princesses and 12 swords; it looks promising. But as the episodes progress, the tests get needlessly complex, the rules don't matter, and you start to wonder if there's any point
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in paying attention to the test structure at all (it's like a more frustrating vers of the Fate's Holy Grail wars). The characters try to be smart and bend the rules and betray, but in this messy structure, it leaves so many plot holes and bs plot devices. I wish it was just a crazy, violent death-game setup, but it isn't. It tries to be smart, but it's not good at setting up and making well rounded schemes, and ends up being overly complex for no reason.
Art/Music: 8
The art and music is really able to set up the ambience and magic/mystery of the tower. Animation and fight scenes have been pretty consistent, nothing too amazing, but good. Not a huge fan of the OP tho, but that's just me.
Character: 5
The characters are fine. They're quirky, some are cool and funny and endearing. But the set-up for character motivations are absolute garbage. Things are kept vague for "mystery", but the way characters act end up being nonsensical and motivations are not thorough. There's a skill in balancing information for mystery and intrigue, and this show does an awful job at it. It keeps loose ends and incomplete exposition just for cheap "betrayal" moments.
Enjoyment: 6
It's honestly a fine anime. But I get taken out so many times due to plotholes, random/nonsensical character actions, and overly complex set-ups. There's a flow of expectations, build, and thoroughness that this show just doesn't understand. I find myself yelling at my computer " WHAT, WHY, JUST DO [x] ". I guess if you already know what happens is TOG, you could enjoy it, but watching this cold is frequently confusing and frustrating; I expected better by ep 9, but it got worse.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 18, 2020
Is being edgy and eccentric a bad thing? No. Although this "death game w/ yandere" genre is definitely niche, Gleipnir does a good job of giving us exactly that. I wouldn't say it's a "copy" of Mirai Nikki (it'd be like saying every isekai is a copy of SAO), but it follows that same recipe, which honestly is a guilty pleasure.
Story: 6
It's a death game. Some people like the trope, others don't. Characters collect coins and get unique abilities based on wishes. I feel like it's fairly creative without getting too complicated and gets by with not too many loopholes that piss me off. The
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show gives fairly quick gratification, and has surprisingly good pace and mystery to keep you intrigued. Nothing great, but it's good for what it is.
Art: 8
The first fight scene was SMOOTH. And subsequent action sequences were also up to par, hopefully it keeps up. I like the style, it's distinct, suits the genre while while still being attractive. There's a good amount of fanservice and eyecandy, again, it's a guilty pleasure.
Sound: 7
I really dig the OP, OST is also really good at times, nothing too distinct, but there's some bops in there.
Character: 6
Weak male protag and hot yandere. Some people are 0 or 100. MC is honestly not that bad, and development progresses by ep 3 or so. Idk what you expect, let the character mature; just don't expect much. Claire though... one of the best yandere characters, depends if you're into it. Other characters are quirky but not annoyingly eccentric.
Enjoyment: 7
It's not a thought provoking show, I simply enjoy it. Action is good, eyecandy is great, plot progresses nicely and the mystery keeps you interested. I probably like this better than Mirai Nikki. No one is touting this as amazing, but it is good at what it does and is very enjoyable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 17, 2019
Amidst all of the recent overdone superhero and nisekai tropes in the shounen genre, Kimestu no Yaiba brings us back to good ol' demon slaying, with darker themes and a story that is less fantastical; a story of revenge and mending.
Story: 8
I'll start off with what this anime does well, and that is the world-building and the art. Over the course of the show you're introduced to demons and what they are, the demon slaying corps, the sword types and breathing forms for sword techniques. Accompanying this, is some beautiful animation quality that does not take any shortcuts. Kimetsu no Yaiba is flashy and gory,
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and will definitely leave some very memorable fight scenes.
Character: 5
What I feel that has much less impact is the characters. Amongst all of the vibrant animation, we're left with some very flat and generic characters that have, so far, not really developed or grown out of some very annoying traits. The MC, Tanjirou, is definitely a very lovable character, with a lotta heart, and I don't have many complaints for him. But from all of the side characters, to the villains, I have really been unimpressed and even annoyed by some of them. The side characters are bound tight to uninteresting, unfunny character tropes, and the villains are equally, if not more flat.
If you look at MHA or Ping Pong the Animation, I feel that what makes a great anime, is where you are able to look at the perspective of any other character or villain as the MC, it would still be a fantastic anime. I really can't do that here. Tanjirou is honestly the only likable character for me, and as good as the art/animation is, it doesn't distract from how unenjoyable all of the character interactions are. If they're not fighting, I feel like wanting to just skip past everything else.
Overall, its a slightly above average shounen anime. But it doesn't really live up to all the hype. Outside of the animation, a fairly mediocre show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 5, 2015
This anime truly is just a work of art. The format of it is unlike any I've yet to see and the storyline is solid. The dialogue in this anime is it's strongest asset; it's filled with wordplay, psychology, and sarcasm and is sure to give you a seizure if you can't keep up.
Story: 9
The story is split up into sections or arcs about each girl that the main character, Koyomi, tries to save. Each of the girls basically encounter some cool and mysterious yokai from japanese or american folklore which is really interesting because "you never just "run in" to a yokai, without
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actually wanting to meet one in the first place". It's cool learning more about the characters and how and why they encountered such oddities.
Art: 10
This animation is literally seizure-inducing. Title screens, text inserts, scene changes, background shots, close ups, x-rays, and head tilts. It's like Shaft (the animation company) overdosed on Shaft. Although sporadic, it does play a good role in complimenting the overall psychedelic feel of the anime itself. And the quality, needless to say, is spectacular. I feel like, because the anime is so dialogue based, the viewer is visually stimulated with the art to compensate.
Sound: 9
All the OST's suit very well. It's sometimes cute and quirky and intense when it needs to be. They do a good job of setting the mood.
Character: 10
Interestingly enough, this anime is a harem. And what ensues with that idea is usually, textbook female characters and a spineless main character. Bakemonogatari diverges away from this common stencil for harems and brings us well rounded, interesting, thorough female characters, and an actually rather ballsy main character. I can't find a character that I dislike
Enjoyment: 8
Although very very very good in all categories, the anime was rather difficult to enjoy. Being american, I miss out on so so so so many puns and inside jokes. And even though I like the heavy dialogue, talking for 20 minutes can become rather difficult to no fall asleep to.
Overall: 10
This has go to be one of my favorite anime series. It's value comes from the philosophies and ideas that it gives. I often find myself thinking back on the story even now, 2 years after watching it. It's very quotable and I've actually learned a lot from it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 5, 2015
Owari no Seraph is one of your classic "cool-weapons-monsters-battle-blood" shonen anime that is pretty in-your-face predictable which can only be sightly redeemed by it's fantastic art and music.
Story: 6
The setting takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where humans nearly become extinct due to a virus and now must fight for survival against vampires. In all honesty, even though it sounds corny, I wasn't questioning the story too much while watching this and kinda went along fine with it. The problem with the story lies in the plotholes that form as the it goes on. Yes, there's plenty and it kept pricking the back
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of my neck so much that I couldn't even enjoy the anime.
Art: 8
The art is fantastic, the characters and costumes and weapons and monsters all look pretty kick-ass and the fight scenes are cool as well. However, near the end of the anime, the animation goes to shit. The fighting occurs in like 2 frames and the dynamics are all wrong.
Sound: 9
Sawano Hiroyuki. Nuff said.
If you don't know who he is, he's the same dude that did AoT, Nanatsu no Taizai, Guilty Crown, and other big game anime's. His soundtracks always rock
Character: 5
Now this is what pisses me off the most. The characters in Owari no Seraph are the most textbook, flat characters you could find, and the main character is the worst. So I'll just chop on him for now. He's basically a cocky little kid that breaks the rules and does whatever he wants, but because he's the main character, he doesn't get punished. Furthermore, there is almost zero character development, so if you think they sucked in the episode one, they're probably only gonna get worse
Enjoyment: 6
Basically, if I turn off my brain and just watch the explosions and fighting and killing, this anime would be fantastic. Unfortunately, with all the annoying characters and plot holes, I couldn't help but nitpick.
Overall: 5
Honestly, I would give it a 6 or 7, but this anime became very popular and it's rating is much higher than it should be. I came in expecting a lot from it because of it's rather high rating and was thoroughly disappointed. This is to even out the curve a little bit. If you're looking for a mindless, action, shounen anime, this is for you!
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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