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Mar 30, 2022
Police in a Pod is a very unusual show, and one which I greatly enjoyed.
Other reviews talk about its background and Manga more (which I have not read) so I'll just be focusing on a brief, spoiler-free breakdown here.
The story is fairly simple, following the lives of two policewomen - the young Kawaii and her more mature partner, Sergeant Fuji - as they go about their lives as members of the police force. Though often comedic, the show still manages to carry a serious tone when dealing with the darker aspects of police work. The characters are what really sell the show though,
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and I found them to be very enjoyable, particularly once the wider cast of supporting actors is introduced and fleshed out enough to begin to have some real depth. The comedy was mostly on point for me, with there being a bit of repetition in some cases, but not enough to drag the show down. For most of its run, up until the final few episodes, the show is largely episodic, which fits its style well, given that the second main draw of this show, after its characters and comedy, is the fascinating look it takes at the daily lives of policemen.
In sum, if quirky, but largely believable characters and a humorous take on modern police work sounds like something you would be interested in, then you'll probably love this show, like I did. If those things aren't interesting to you though, then this show will probably fall flat for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 5, 2019
CG in anime has always been a bit of a contentious issue, and even a meme, since there have been so many shows that have miss-handled it to the detriment of the story they're trying to tell. I personally have seen very few shows that were fully, or mostly CG that I thought were enhanced by the addition of CG, but fortunately that is beginning to change.
Obsolete is one of the first fully CG shows that I have not only enjoyed, but felt was enhanced by the use of CG. True, if the right style and quality of 2d animation were used, an
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equal or greater effect could be achieved, but for depicting such complex machinery and frequent action shots, the CG excels and is even pleasant to look at. The visual style is completed with detailed and beautiful backgrounds that look like they were painted rather than rendered.
The story of the show is relatively simple, but that works in its favor in this case. Rather than trying to tell an extremely complex narrative, Obsolete focuses on a sort of snapshot take on the effect that the arrival of alien technology on earth has on the world, and warfare specifically. Each episode follows a different character and a different event in the world, following the introduction of EXOS - powerful exoskeletons built by the alien "Peddlers", who have no interest in earth and its people save to trade these suits in exchange for limestone. And some of the insights its characters have are quite interesting and thought provoking.
At this stage, I'm not sure how many episodes there will be, but I certainly hope there are more. Underneath the episodic feel of the first six episodes, there are many underlying themes and now even characters and events that seem likely to tie together in future episodes to give the show a more meaningful finish, but even if it remains episodic it's still interesting enough for me to continue watching.
I recommend this show to anyone who's interested in military, SciFi, or even just seeing an unusual take on these two genres, with a side of fascinating social commentary.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 30, 2019
We're fast entering the era of Isekai. There's no denying it. We've been hit with a constant deluge of it ever since Sword Art Online entered the picture, and it's not going away any time soon. Some hate it, some love it, but no matter what you think of it, you've gotta love a good parody.
The first great Isekai parody was indisputably Konosuba, but now a contender has arrived; following in its footsteps and even giving it a few distinct nods, the ponderously named "Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!" looks like it could become a comedy of similar
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caliber.
"Didn't I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!" (Which I am shortening to "The Average Isekai") is a simple, straightforward story that has shown itself more than able to deliver an abundance of hilarity and hijinks. It follows Miles, or "Adele Von Ascham", a girl who was hit by "that infamous runaway Isekai truck" in her normal life and wound up reincarnated in a fantasy world where her wish before being reborn was "make my stats average - I want to live a normal carefree life." Her request is granted - at least in half. Her stats are the average of the weakest creature in the world... and the most powerful, leaving her ridiculously more powerful than even the most exceptional humans in her world.
The show tracks her questionably successful attempts to conceal her over-poweredness and live a normal, happy young adulthood, along with the friends she makes along the way. The hilarious 4th-wall breaking comedy with which Miles, and the show as a whole, takes on the inevitable tropes that come from being in an Isekai left me laughing continuously throughout each episode. If I were to voice any criticism of, or fears about, this show it would only be that it could get pretty predictable further in, but given that its a comedy I don't see this becoming much of a problem at all. I have little doubt that "The Average Isekai" will continue to deliver in the episodes to come and heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys laughing and can stomach some fun being poked at the Isekai genre.
This show is comedic genius and I've enjoyed every moment of it so far.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 31, 2017
This, as a parody, should not be judged harshly.
It's the product (I suspect) of a few animators with too much time on their hands asking some of the voice actors to come do some stupid shenanigans with them. That said, it can actually be amusing. As far as parodies go, this one isn't bad, though I'd definitely recommend watching the actually show first, or alongside, since it make direct reference to it on a regular basis.
It follows the off-battle exploits of Tanya and her squad, from rotten potatoes to chocolate. It's really good stuff for when you're either a fanboy,
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or high, or both. That's not meant as an insult by the way - this isn't on the level of the actual show because it isn't meant to be.
Please enjoy, and if you're not into chibi then don't watch it and get mad. Please.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 31, 2017
Youjo Senki, the Saga of Tanya the Evil.
An apt name for, what I believe, is an incredible show. It is one of very few to delve into a historical/fantasy setting with more intent than to merely showcase the latest in animation, color pallets, and fighting Lolies. Instead it goes far deeper and aims at a narrative that pits an antagonistic main character agains God himself. This makes for very interesting storytelling.
To start with the characters -
Tanya is an understandable, yet unfathomable, individual; singularly bent towards self-preservation and her own needs, she is very amusing to watch, particularly in how she interacts with both God,
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or "Being X" as she calls him, and her fellow human beings. Speaking of, the supporting cast are, for the most part, a fairly stock group of individuals that have occasional shots at genuine personality and humanity, but for the most part take backstage to Tanya's quest to outwit or even take a literal shot at God. However, there are a few moments where they do come alive and it is those few moments that help make the show truly enjoyable.
The Story -
The story starts out with the appearance of unoriginality; World War 1 with a little bit of magic thrown in so the studio can include more colors than gray and brown, but that rapidly changes with episode 2. From there, Tanya's saga unfolds in the unusual light of her relationship with "Being X", and the mounting number of challenging situations he throws her into. While there's plenty of episodic battles and blood-chilling murder-face to keep us interested and amused, the overarching story of Tanya's quest to outwit God unfolds gradually through the first 8 episodes, and then much more rapidly in the last 4. Looking back, I now realize that moments I thought were "lulls" in genuine plot development were actually necessary, and not just filler battles.
The animation and sound -
Both are very good, in my opinion, and particularly during the battle scenes. Studio Nut has held little or nothing back in producing this, its very first project, and this shows brilliantly when it needs to. The aforementioned battles are brilliantly animated and powerfully scored, and leave you more than a little bit impressed.
In sum, I believe that this show is entirely worth watching, so long as you are interested enough in one (or all as I am) of the following: history, military things, or religious/ethical narrative. I very much look forward to a sequel to this, and hope it's not long in coming; the one hang up I would have about recommending this show fully is that it definitely needs one.
That said, I loved it entirely.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 26, 2016
Drifters - "Battle in a brand new world war."
That could be all I need to write since, as far as I've seen, the show has lived up to that thesis grandly.
But lets talk about it a little more just for giggles.
This show was a bit of a wildcard for me personally, given that I haven't read the manga or seen either of the directors crowning achievements (Hellsing and the latest iteration of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), but after the synopsis piqued my interest, and the Promotional Video's came out, I was sold. Further Drifters was produced by a studio that has not been responsible for any...
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respectable, none the less epic or badass shows that I am aware of. While avoiding either spoiling anything important or going over things you should already know (from reading the MAL synopsis), I will share my thoughts.
For Animation -
Drifters does not disappoint in most areas, and definitely not its main animation style and fight scenes. For the most part it has managed to keep CG at a minimum, avoiding the usage of hideous clones or terrible blends of hand-drawn and computer-assisted animation in favor of a uniquely beautiful style that you must see to appreciate (and yes, you do get used to it after the first few seconds). The only blow against this otherwise stellar track record is its usage of "Chibi" or an almost cutesy style during purely comedic moments. I believe that this contrasts rather sharply with the extremely epic and, for the most part, serious feel of the show, however; like the overall animation style, you do get used to it.
For sound -
This is one area are where the overwhelmingly positive influence of Hellsing (so I hear, no pun intended) comes in very clearly. In a word, it rocks. After the first episode finished, and I heard the opening for the first time, in addition to several other background tunes that were especially good, I had no doubt that I was in good hands with regard to the sound department.
It should come as no surprise that it was only a week later that I learned that the song I had heard was not the opening - it was the ending, and I had been fooled by how epic it was into thinking it was the opening. I later found out the opening was done by an American band from Detroit; it's only gotten better from there.
For story -
The story of this show is fairly straight forward; a vast array of differing people from all across history and the world (but mostly Japan), are summoned into a parallel universe at the moment of their deaths. Here they must fight likewise summoned enemies to save the world from destruction. This simplicity may bother you, but at the same time the show really doesn't try to sell itself as anything more, intellectually, than a truly epic "battle in a brand new world war". Almost like a weirder Lord of the Rings. If you're looking for intellectual stimulation, you may be disappointed (so far.)
For Characters -
Most of the characters that have been introduced so far are interesting in their own ways, even if they are a bit flat at first, but they do not fail to intrigue and amuse, particularly as personalities from wildly different eras and cultures clash. I hope that as the series progresses we will get more character depth, but know that with the size of the cast they are juggling and the type of show this is (read epic badass gore-fest with a side of comedy and awesome), this area may be somewhat limited. One solid negative for the show is the excessively and unnecessarily gay Count St. Gemi
Final verdict -
I love the show so far, and eagerly await the second season. Even if only as a adrenaline-spiked thunderously epic bloodbath, Drifters was immensely entertaining and extremely funny, mostly through how seriously its characters take themselves, even when they're in ridiculous situations - such as fighting medieval nazis with the help of dwarves and elves to overthrow an empire created by drifter Adolf Hitler - cause yes that's how they roll.
If you were to hate this show however it would be for one of three reasons:
On the one hand, it could be dragged down by an accumulation of weirdness (see Hitler and his EXTREMELY gay nobles), along with the slapstick Chibi scenes, but I don't think that's terribly likely.
Or the lack of in-depth plot and character development might bother you.
The final danger however I cannot speak of directly, since I promised not to spoil anything, but I will say simply that it pertains to the true identity of "the Black King", and may end up trashing everything if my suspicion is true and they try to give it any more than passing significance.
That's all for now; enjoy the slaughter!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 28, 2016
This OVA was based on a novel idea that was expressed pretty well in its opening thesis
"lets make the Mech shows we want to watch"
Unfortunately it does poorly in its execution of this idea.
It tries to cram a 12 or even 24 episode season's worth of ideas and info into a SINGLE episode, and ends up messing up pretty badly.
The characters themselves seemed decent to fairly interesting, but they were ruined by trying develop them in a one-episode story, and the sound/animation were both pretty stock.
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The usage of energy-based plasma aliens and a dimension jumping sword turned me off like an EMP.
The one amazing thing was the pacific rim deployment of the robot.
That's pretty much it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Aug 18, 2016
This short was made by a few animators from the Under The Dog franchise that had too much time on their hands, and is basically the product of their doodles and what I can only imagine to be one of the new guys playing with the soundboard. That said, it was made for fun, and not intended to be either a high-quality or serious production.
The reason I enjoyed it it because I looked up the youtube video, and saw what the creators had to say; the short was made at its animators expense, and not using any of the money that their
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Kickstarter campaign had generated. This was a small part of their ongoing struggle to raise enough hype/money/interest to make a full-length season, of which the OVA released earlier in August, was just the first episode.
In sum, this short is purely for fun, and I hope any of you who watch it enjoy it as such.
Zen-pie
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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