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- BirthdayJul 26, 2002
- LocationRight There
- JoinedMar 28, 2021
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Feb 3, 2025
When describing 20th Century Boys, the first that comes to my mind is "daring."
Less than a few days ago, when reviewing another popular manga, I stated that almost any story that tries to take a sharp turn and become what it isn't supposed to be is always bound to fail. 20CB though, much like its protagonist, stands tall in the face of hardship.
I believe this manga to be the peak of Urasawa's talent, and that is both good and bad. Although daring and brave enough to make hard skips between the arcs and timelines and build a world and a story worth every moment of
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its reader's time, this manga also has the worst ending among the works of Urasawa; a mangaka known to me for his great thriller genius, and terrible endings.
Hence, I have decided to make this review strictly about the first two arcs of the story and the final act and what comes after, I will write about in the review I am going to write for the sequel, 21st Century Boys.
When I use the word "daring" to describe this manga, I believe it to have its origin in the respect I found for what Urasawa did with the plot of this manga. Having separate timelines and continuously switch between them is not something new or even worthy of the word "daring." What I truly admire this manga for so, is the fact that it has three separate world-building phases alongside a "past" timeline that connects all these phases together.
What Urasawa does with this manga, is to build a world and its characteristics based off some vague real-life traits and then completely demolish it to build a new world on the ruins of this old world; and he does that not once, not twice, but thrice!
The first act of the story is your usual —Urasawa— thriller tropes. The main character is introduced, the mysteries rise and now the characters are following the clues in separate storylines that are going to intertwine at some point. What makes this act so memorable is its normality. The characters are ordinary people going after their ordinary lives. There are funny jokes thrown here and there, the characters get serious every now and then, and finally the cowardly hero decides to dedicate his life to this fight between good and evil.
Predictable enough, the character calls for his friends to join him on the fight and even though the villain seems to be getting more and more powerful by day, the team of heroes seems to be going on a final showdown to save the day. Now, if you think about it a little, you may feel something is off. This final act has progressed insanely fast and even with Urasawa's standards, the finale doesn't seem well-developed enough.
And then you check the number of the remaining chapters and then you realize... you are not even halfway through this story. At this exact moment, it eventually hits you: the heroes are going to fail. Fail how? Fail what? Well the second act is here with all the answers.
The second act of the 20CB is something I hold very dearly. The characters and their now scattered lives, the innocence in Kanna's eyes, and the mangaka's skill in drawing roads made me cry numerous times during this act. Meeting the young heroes of the first act almost a decade later in their pitiful and broken states is not an easy feat, but to rebuild the world of the story in a way that slowly gives away how horrific it has become is much harder.
I never knew Urasawa was such a genius. To make the world itself a character of your thriller is something I have only seen once or twice, and Urasawa does it perfectly, without losing his way. The plot keeps moving forward; the story keeps discussing the same deeper messages it was intended to discuss, and the main plot isn't butchered so the author can show off this weird world he has built.
Even more difficult that all above, is the fact that he previous main character is supposedly dead and reader now has to connect with a totally different character. And the story simply allows it to happen naturally and in a short span of time.
Act 2 is full of wonders and horrors, and the characters and their post-failure endeavors. The characters are real adults now. The finale of the first act made all of them realize how childish their attempt at saving the world was and now they are sad, despaired adults in a world built upon lies that only they can see through.
The childhood flashbacks now play a more important role and each and every one of them cleverly pave path for what is to come. Even the childhood friends now have a more complex dynamic and the flashbacks and act more subtly.
Even though the characters introduced in this act play a rather delayed role, all of them are likeable in their own rights. I believe the story should have ended in this act. But in all honesty, I think without it, we would not be able to get the best comeback in the history of literature.
While I will discuss the third act of the story in another review post, I just wanted to say the way Kenji comes back into the story, and the way his character has changed, is one of the most breathtaking scenes I have ever seen in a manga, and I believe for reaching that chapter alone, this masterpiece of a manga is definitely worth reading.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 1, 2025
Land of the Lustrous starts off as a unique and cleverly narrated manga. But much like its protagonist, it loses its identity—and with it, its charm—around the halfway mark.
What began as a character-driven story about a group of sentient gems, unfortunately takes a sharp turn, becoming a cliché exploration of themes that even the author seems lost about—or at the very least, does a subpar job at explaining them.
The truth is, when a story tries to turn into something it was never meant to be, it almost always suffers the same fate as its predecessors: losing its charm.
Focusing mainly on the second half (the first
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half is enjoyable, but since it’s essentially discarded at some point, I’d rather avoid talking about it), the manga abandons its character development and even the characters themselves long before the climax. So, when the curtains rise and a barely recognizable Phos invades Earth with his army, nothing truly feels at stake.
By reducing its once unique and relatable characters into two utterly basic factions to serve as plot devices, the story loses its emotional core and turns into a brochure about the ideas the author tries so hard to convey and tackle.
It almost seems like the author was so eager to reach the final act that the chapters between Phos’ second arrival on the moon and the Earth invasion feel like forced filler. The story sacrifices everything that once made it compelling just so the author can push his “marvelous” ideals in the endgame.
This manga is, in many ways, wasted potential. A story that could become an interesting answer to the famous Ship of Theseus dilemma, while touching bits and pieces of themes like living an almost conflict-free eternal life and the meaning of loss, instead, devolves into a shallow, disjointed discussion on Buddhist eternalism, human nature, transformation, the origins of conflict, and other weighty topics, each requiring a separate book to be tackled with.
Worse yet, it sacrifices its exceptional cast just to keep its mediocre plot moving. Because if a story this uninspired ever slowed down for even a moment, its mediocrity would become obvious, leaving the readers with almost no reason to continue.
In the end, I believe the first half of Land of the Lustrous to be incredible and maybe the only thing it lacks is more focus on the topic of "replaced parts, replaced self." But the moment the author abandons what made the beginning so engaging, the manga turns into a soulless, directionless read that I cannot recommend.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 2, 2022
If you want a mediocre movie, you can toy with a concept; if you want a good movie, you can ask questions about a serious concept; but if you want a masterpiece, your movie has to represent a timeless idea.
Sadly, Ghost in the Shell is a mediocre movie dealing with an outdated trend. It is advertised as a philosophical and thought-provoking movie with some deep story elements that make it way ahead of its time, but in reality, this movie is just another ride on the 90s' sentient AI trend.
Even in 1995, better movies discussed the topic GITS tried to touch way better than this
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movie did. The problem is the writers' inability to turn an exciting concept into a boundless philosophical idea.
Now the reason why they can't do this is that they do not even understand the basics of what they are lazily trying to deliver as a "philosophical-existential question."
There are many questions and definitions thrown at you throughout the movie, but to make these questions worth the time and effort one's going to put into answering, you have to give them a primary goal to reach.
I don't believe any questions asked during the movie's events are thoughtful enough to be called a tangible goal to be reached. And that's because there's simply nothing in the movie to turn them into something bigger than a few sentences coming out of the main character's mouth (in an unskillfully-written fashion).
The only occasion the movie can successfully convey a part of what it's trying to say is when one of the characters realizes their most precious memories were nothing but some fake images put into their mind by a hacker.
And again, even if the movie had dealt with every question it asked the same way as the fake memories side story, I still wouldn't call it a philosophical or thought-provoking piece. I still cannot see a timeless idea or a philosophical view being discussed here, and that's why I think the word overrated describes this outdated movie best.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 31, 2022
The second season. They finally brought the soft soundtracks back!
Made in Abyss season 2 was the embodiment of a roller coaster ride. So many ups and downs and elements that we finally know are here to stay with the team and be a part of this journey.
Here, I was going to give this season a 6. It was not an adventure; it was not about the kids; it was not about seeing the wonders of the pit or even having a new great character. It was about the "village," and it was way different from the village we sat in Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a
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Time.
As someone who still enjoys the flashbacks of the first season, I wasn't ready to have the kids settle in a static environment for almost 12 episodes and to go aside and let the entirety of the village be the main character of this season. At first, I didn't mind it. The pacing was way better than in the last movie, and the village was more lively than the dark bunker.
But still, something was not right. What I was watching was not a story about an adventure. It was a mediocre documentary about a cannibal village. At this point, the looks and the art style were the only things the second season had left. But yeah, there was a second storyline. Vuelo's storyline was fresh air in a season where almost everything good about the show was absent. And yet, the writers somehow managed to fail this one too.
When there are two asynchronous storylines in a story, you know they will somehow fust together in a twist. Then you can have that little sense of joy when two characters from two different lines interact. Yet again, not only did the writers completely throw the second storyline out of the window but the way they pushed their unfinished work through a single flashback destroyed the build-up for the big mystery and the fusion of storylines.
Yet, with all that being said, the last two episodes finally brought back the show I knew and loved. The last few episodes were too reliant on the shock and gore elements. The show could do even better if they'd decided to reduce the amount of gore in the last three episodes.
But with all that being said, the writers somehow managed to write a likable character. The "raw" hollow princess finally turned into a respectable and relatable female who'd nail it every time she said sosu. I couldn't care less for her mother or her mother's mother figure. The writers killed the hype for the Vuelo-Irumyuui story. When they somehow connected them to Faputa, I was more willing to skip the fake drama they were trying to shove down everyone's throat.
But then, they managed to give us a real character drama from Faputa's side. No, I'm not talking about the what-is-my-duty-after-the-genocide one. The chemistry between Faputa and Reg drew both characters out of their flatness. It gave them deeper dimensions to be represented, and it worked out well for both of them.
I wouldn't say I liked the first half of the first season either,, but still, its magic managed to find a way to my heart. Season 2, even without that special magic of the series, managed to do better and better throughout its second half and gave birth to a new great character while deepening our ties with our heroes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 4, 2021
THIS REVIEW MIGHT GET UPDATED SINCE THE ANIME IS NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH, BUT THIS IS PROBABLY EVERYTHING WE HAVE AND WILL SEE FROM THIS SERIES
So there is a negative review out there, and it's getting likes after likes because some people can't stand a popular ongoing slice of life. And you know what? I used to be like that; hating on every single popular thing just because I’d find it “cringe” to be with the 99% rather than that 1 elite percent, but those days are all gone, and I’m here to review a decent piece of art.
I don't care if you think this
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anime is an average slice of life with too many flaws and boring pacing, and the reason for its popularity being a bunch of nasty pervs.
To be honest with you, I like this series because it's so far greater than what that “popular” review on this page is trying to say.
I'm not trying to say that Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu has a greater meaning than a girl who is not able to communicate properly (like many 2D girl fans) because it is literally about a girl who cannot communicate -just as the name suggests. And to keep it real with you, it's not going to get any greater than that.
But on the other hand, we have these top-notch graphics, great voice acting and OST, and a proper way of story narration, which is considered a cliché nowadays, but believe me, most of the time it’s way better than those weird narrative styles.
The only thing you have to consider here is that's literally how a slice-of-life anime is supposed to work. You don't get anything complicated or a devastating storyline with lots of side stories and complex characters with dark backgrounds.
I mean, Komi is similar to Nagatoro in many ways. The only difference between these two in my opinion is exactly the difference between these two girls. While Nagatoro has enough potential to turn into a you-know-what anime, Komi is way gentler than that (I like them both, no one is judging anything here).
That gentleness is essentially the core part of this anime. Many may think Komi-san is yet another popular rom-com (like I did), but this is not a comedy. I haven’t laughed even once after 5 episodes, but I have enjoyed watching these classmates getting engaged with each other and expanding Komi’s social circle.
And again, this is all you’re going to get: a girl with an expanding social circle. But this simple concept is applied so masterfully that you will never feel left out; everything is chained to each other and nothing is rushed (considering how each episode is introducing a new character while switching between older characters and also making sure that it remains as a slice of life).
Yes, I may update this review when I’ve watched the final episode, and yes, you have the right to not like this anime, but instead of getting/making other people misinformed about Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu, accept it as the unique thing it already is, not as the anime you were expecting to see.
For me, Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu is a 9/10 but to be totally unbiased, it deserves a lovely 8 out of 10.
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Also, I have to say that this anime has one of the best art styles I've seen in years, it's just too great to be described but it gives me cherry blossom vibes idk.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 25, 2021
This is going to be a review for both seasons, since they are basically the same thing with some improvements here and there.
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What I really like about parodies is exactly what makes them “parodies.” They take every single cliché we know of and throw them at anyone's face who takes them so seriously. The first season of Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan was more like this.
Playing with everything we have accepted -just as a regular parody would do, breaking the fourth wall, talking about how these “accepted” basics are actually accepted, and more importantly, pacing its own story alongside with each of these short and mostly
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unrelated episodes; these are what the first season of anime is about.
But the parody and comedy part of the series is just one of its two main aspects. The second aspect -and what actually makes it a unique parody rather than your average high school gag anime- is Saiki himself.
You are going to introduce a psychic/superhero with different limits and “overpowered” abilities. This solely can be the most difficult thing a Shounen anime has to do, but since we're talking about Saiki, you're going to make your main character NOT use them (or at least use them with a cold and harsh explanation, so he can hide behind his I-don't-care-about-anyone-other-than-myself mask).
But fortunately, since this is not a dark Shounen with existential concerns, it uses comedy to solve most of its problem. Not only that, but Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan uses its parody side in order to maintain its plot and characters. You get introduced to new characters and Kusuo's powers through the situations you've already seen in other generic anime series, and it works out really well.
The more the first season progresses, the parody aspect becomes less direct and the anime finds its own identity. When the last short episodes of the first season finishes, you already know these characters not as the psychic guy or the ultimate beautiful girl, but as Saiki and his annoying classmates who'd better turn coffee jelly.
Season 2 already knows how connected everyone has become to the cast and doesn't really care about using a jinx moment to make you laugh, but it makes more and more original moments that are brilliantly written. While many of the original moments in both seasons are pretty good, but many of them just make you smile at best.
But even when an episode is boring or not funny enough, you know that it's going to take no more than 5 minutes to finish it and watch another completely different episode.
Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan neither is my new favorite anime nor the anime I've laughed the most with, but it knows how to use every single part of its identity in order to make itself more enjoyable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 14, 2021
So, I usually rewatch the series + mmovie at least once a year and I can't really not enjoy them. While not being the best S;G work out there, the movie is somehow what you need after everything you've gone through.
Seeing everyone having fun at the rooftop, the staircase scene, and seeing Okabe's internal struggle all make this movie worth watching after the intense series of events in the final episodes.
But the reason I'm giving it an 8 is not because it doesn't have any crazy idea or no more banana melting, but it's because this movie is not canon.
Usually, something not being canon has
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nothing to do with the final score and its quality, but this time, this movie doesn't hit the spot and achieve anything of its own only because it is not canon.
Since this is movie without any source materials from the original writers of the VN, Silver Fox has been really cautious about it.
Being cautious not always is a bad thing, but S;G has always been about risking everything the plot has for some crazy outcomes that could even disgust the audience and make them drop the show. Hence 0 not being even close to the OG Steins;Gate for so many people including me.
So this movie takes that crazy risk and reward system and replaces it with a generic format of storytelling which doesn't have anything new in itself.
But what about that "destabilization" thing? Wasn't it crazy and risky?
While I cannot deny that this idea is somewhat crazy (and repetitive because we've already seen something alike in the series), it doesn't really use the risk and reward system; "destabilization" (yes I'm avoiding spoilers) is the sole purpose of this movie and its only climax, you can't remove the main idea of a movie from it!
*Major spoilers* You could remove the future evil organization concept from the series, you could remove Kurisu's death and disappearance from the movie, you could even remove the so-called filler episodes where you're getting more connected with the lab members and you still had the main idea and you could've made a shorter anime.
But this movie here cannot go further than a red line because its not THEIR (the people from studio) job to go crazy with something they don't own after all.
Anyways, with all that being said, I do love this movie because it somehow comforts me and makes S;G an even more "stabilized" part of me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 13, 2021
Ok, so, I don't know, I don't like any sort of slice of life at all because I never find them engaging enough; yet, Yotsuba to! is my favorite manga of all time, because it IS a slice of life, and it IS the exact meaning of enjoying every simple thing in the world.
I can't write a review for this manga because I don't find it reviewable in particular. Yotsuba is a simple 5yo girl who explores the world we already know and shows us how to enjoy everything. The point here is not that these are some new and semi-fantasy ways of enjoying the
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world, we already know these ways (most of the time) and that's why we enjoy every moment of this manga!
Exploring the world we know, in a way that we do know and even have been through when we were kids, this is what Yotsuba to! is, and this is why a 5yo girl makes even someone like me -who literally hates little kids- love and adore her for her simplicity.
It's a 10 out of 10 because I don't know if I have ever loved and enjoyed a kid's life this much.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 7, 2021
I'm still trying to realize what's so special about this series. It has many great points made, but it doesn't mean it essentially has built up any sort of support and narrative value for those points.
*Spoilers*
While I appreciate how great the final arc of the rebellion of monster rats was, I ultimately find myself disappointed simply because the series doesn't spend enough time on this special part.
I think 25 episodes is a bit too much for such an anime where you have to grow up with the characters who are going to die and even the main character are not really special as character.
I understand
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the concept of showing this Group 1 as an example of the actual society of these destopian humans, but the narration is so relaxed and slow that I never really got excited over anything.
I also have to criticize the annoying cuts and the unnecessary style of directing and editing of the anime. Those sudden and seemingly messy cuts are great but as long as you're not trying to show off with them.
In the end, I still prefer this to the absolute mess-up I watched preior to this anime, Madoka Magica, but still, you really have to be focused on the actual points of interest instead of showing off with your visual effects.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 29, 2021
What comes as a surprise to me when I hear someone talking about Madoka Magica is the positivity that's surrounding the series. The day before I started MM, I checked its page on MAL, and oh boy, was everyone calling it a masterpiece!
So I watched the first episode the next day and I didn't find it really interesting (at all). And here the curse of MM began: I kept watching the series assuming that there's a turning point and everything is gonna get exciting so the time I had spent on the first few episodes was going to be worth it.
A few hours ago, I
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finished the 11th episode of Madoka Magica, clicked on the "next" button while (as always) hoping the next episode would be the turning point of the series and everything would become as great as the reviews say. But here comes the great surprise, the next episode was the finale of the series.
I remember someone's comment asking three short questions from the people who want to review an anime:
1- Did you watch every episode of it?
2- Did you care about it?
3- Did you enjoy it?
And my answers for this specific anime are:
1- Yes
2- No
3- No
MM had enough potential to become one of the greatest anime series of all time. A lot of you may say it already has achieved even more than that, but the problem with Madoka Magica is that everything here is so disorganized and unrelated that the serie doesn't even have enough time to rush any of the episodes.
At its finest, Madoka Magica is a mediocre moe drama. I have watched a few anime series about magical people with magical powers, I also have read/watched two of the greatest "loop-based" Japanese stories of all time (Steins;Gate and Umineko if you want to know), and I find Madoka Magica as sufferable as going through a time loop without achieving anything of value.
I do appreciate the effort the creators of the series have put in MM, I feel like this is simply a cheap copy of some of the greatest anime elements we've ever seen. I'm not the greatest fan of girl dramas and I don't find them enjoyable, but even I can enjoy an all--girl show if they have interesting and touchable characters with real ideals and ways of doing things; something like Houseki No Kuni which IS the enjoyable version of Madoka in some departments.
And the characters? I want Madoka to burn in hell (the most annoying main character I have ever seen in my life and I'm not even trying to exaggerate things here). Sayaka was the literal meaning of a dumb b****h who was there just to be there. *spoilers* even her death did make any difference except for some sad Madoka moments and a boring discussion. And your favorite girl, yea had some layers in there, but at the end of the day, I didn't feel like she was real even for a second.
Let's be honest, this anime is popular because it gives boys a bunch of cute girls with nice-looking outfits, and gives girls a show about their daily girly life whose better version can be found in an underrated slice of life with actual context.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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