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Jan 22, 2025
The title made me think this was going to be completely degenerate until someone told me otherwise. I'm glad this is the case. The characters and the plot are pretty good. It's an entertaining watch. I will be talking about some flaws below, but keep in mind these aren't egregious and the show is overall pretty entertaining.
I hated the stupid "oni-chan uwu" stuff at the start, but at least they justify that in some way. The justification might be an excuse to add that trope in, but it is what it is. Also, the incest baiting is not as egregious as other romance anime so
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I forgive it.
The show follows the format of Kokoro Connect, if you have seen that. Teenagers go through supernatural ordeals which are solved by a character's reassessment of his personality or behavior. It's a good formula, but the way they try to justify it in the show is really annoying. They have this genius highschooler character who throws some quantum mechanics mumbo jumbo in order to loosely explain what is happening. I understand what she is saying perfectly, but the explanations are very weak and they misrepresent the actual real life concepts. You don't need to know theoretical physics to see this, you just need to listen and put one and one together, realizing what she says doesn't really add up. It would have been way better to accept that the concept is supernatural and act accordingly. All these explanations just convolute the dialogue and in the end, you end up with the same conclusion: It's supernatural (except now it took more steps to explain and it failed).
Another problem is that I can tell this is from a light novel because there's just so much talking. I usually like light novel adaptations because a lot of the time they seem to be better in quality (just from personal experience). However, Rascal just barrages you with an onslaught of talking.
However, overall it is a pleasant experience. The show is too different from the average anime romance so this is guaranteed to be a breath of fresh air.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 19, 2025
Sometimes, you don't even expect much from a romance slop show. You just expect at least a tug at your heart or any moment that gives you a bit of dopamine. Needless to say, this show was so predictable that you couldn't even get that. Loser is paired with a hottie and forced to act like a married couple. Gee I wonder where the plot is gonna go. Also, a loser who only games all day is forced to have the most popular girl in class dote on him. Self insert much?
It actually is impressive how unremarkable everything is. I have watched a ton of
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romcom anime slop but at least there would be one MOMENT where I enjoy something. Whether it be ONE TRAIT that's interesting about a character, or one good line, or one joke. Just ANYTHING. There was none of that. Instead, there's the usual accidentally touching or peeking followed by stuttering and blushing yadda yadda yadda. Then we go through the motions of school life > romantic rival > summer festival etc etc. Can't wait till the *checks list* mountain, beach, inn, hot springs, school festival arcs. I'm sure those will be as exhilirating.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jan 19, 2025
I was hesitant to touch this because I don't really like sports anime. However, I later learned it's a mainly a romance so I decided to pick it up. There isn't much to criticize about Blue Box. As far as stories or premises go, Blue Box is normal. However, it remains very entertaining with a set of very likeable characters. I enjoy how it takes typical romcom character archetypes and adapts them in more realistic and believable ways. All the characters so far feel and act like real human beings.
My personal favorite adaptation is Chinatsu. Chinatsu fills the nice, reserved girl archetype you see a
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lot on anime. This archetype is usually one that I find very dull and boring due to its lack of action, usually relegated to being a cardboard cutout for a girlfriend. However, Blue Box manages to make Chinatsu an interesting character specifically through her reserved personality. She hides her thoughts sometimes not only from others, but also from the viewer, which you can infer by reading between the lines.
Blue Box is great at portraying people's consideration and sense of distance. The characters feel like they are aware of the nature of the relationship between them and others, and act accordingly. This is hard to explain in words, but basically the way everyone acts falls into place. The way the characters deal with their insecurities, emotions, other characters, the way they hide things about themselves, it's all perfect. As a good practitioner of "show don't tell", a viewer can learn about Blue Box's characters even without them saying a word.
There is a lot more I can say about Blue Box's characters and how they interact with each other, but I might end up having to describe every episode I have seen so far. Therefore, all can say is, "characters great go watch now"
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 19, 2025
I'm so disappointed. Everyone online was glazing this as if it's some sort of masterpiece in portraying realistic characters. It's not like that at all. It's just that anime fans, as usual, review with their dicks rather than their brains. The title itself gave me an accurate impression of what it would be like, but shame on me for believing the anime fans who insisted that there was anything deep in this. This is not to say that "My Dress Up Darling" is the usual slop, because it is slightly above that. But the difference isn't really anything to write home about.
Wakana is the typical
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insecure, shy, passive, constantly embarrassed protagonist whose only quality is being "nice" and "shy". Marin is the hyperactive ultra-positive girl who is friendly to everyone. This is a trope so old you see it in Toradora. When they add the Inui sisters to the mix, you realize they just want to go through the -dere checklist more than anything.
What happens in the show? Well, the usual. The cosplaying premise is there to jam as much fanservice as possible, as expected. Just like in every romcon, we follow Wakana as he is thrown into raunchy situations where he feels embarrassed. There's the usual barrage of blushing, stuttering and accidentally touching that you see in harems. All the while, a growing list of girls fall in love with Wakana because he was "nice" to them or he said something encouraging.
"You should do what you enjoy." This is a point that is, obviously, brought up since the start. The problem is that a lot of conversations circle back to this point. Every time it does, the show wants you to believe that this is the first time this was mentioned. You get the zoom in with the eyes dilating and the dramatic music, just so that Wakana can tell Marin "It's okay to do what you love doing." Stay tuned for when it's Marin's turn to tell Wakana and repeat that cycle until the end of time. Then, when they add in side characters, they can have that dramatic conversation with them too. Isn't it great? You write one line and then you milk it for 5 different conversations. You can then also use it as the starting point for introducing your cheesy romance.
The saving grace of this show is that Marin has SOME personality. The same can't be said for the other characters though. It's hard to comment on whether her personality is realistic or not. At some points, it feels like what she does isn't realistic. But overall, it feels like Marin is a new character, while Wakana and the Inui sisters are walking tropes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 18, 2025
I have to redo my review because the previous one didn't explain anything (just like the show).
I personally love Kekkai Sensen, but I sadly have to acknowledge that it has big faults. Kekkai Sensen is a very frustrating show because it is one step away from greatness. When it comes to aspects that are normally very difficult to do, it excels. However, it fails at one or two very important aspects. If this show's problems were fixed, it might actually overtake my current favorite: Cowboy Bebop.
Its biggest problem is the lack of explanation when it comes to very crucial elements. There are three things that
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Kekkai Sensen never takes the time to explain or establish: The plot, the characters, and the superpowers. The extent of what each character can do is completely unknown. On top of that, to prevent you from ever understanding anything, the show will add new superpowers all of a sudden without explaining those either. It is complete chaos. Every episode feels like there was a timeskip before it. The plot is also completely ambiguous. What is Libra? What do they do? Who are the Blood Breeds? The moment you feel like you understand something, the plot leaps forward and leaves you behind, all the while adding a completely new character every episode, making it impossible to keep up.
On the other hand, it does so many things well that I usually expect anime to fumble:
- Leo is a great execution of a "weak" protagonist. I am glad that they did not max out his wimpiness and kept it at a realistic level.
- Leo is interesting because he's not the protagonist who has a power that lets him beat up baddies. The authors managed to give him a superpower that is pure utility/support, but at the same time make it convincingly very important and useful.
- The characters were great. Although some of them are shallow, they were all very likeable.
- The setting is phenomenal. I don't know what time era of New York this is, but it's sort of like retro Sam Raimi Spiderman type of New York.
- The romance subplot was very well executed because of how subtle it was. Leo's interactions with White felt very realistic.
- The episodic nature of the show was great. Every episode had something fresh and entertaining. I just wish the characters were more well established.
- Since the last few episodes were easier to digest, it really showcased the potential of this anime. The ending and its setup were superb. Some of the episodes near the end were a blast.
- The humor worked more often than not.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 14, 2025
I'm a massive Studio Ghibli glazer, but this movie was kind of a nothing burger. The animations, character design, art and music were spectacular as always. BUT.... there is absolutely no plot. Nothing really changes from the start of the movie to its end. Sure, there is the usual theme of co-existing with nature, but I do expect something meaningful to happen in the movie. It seems that My Neighbor Totoro was targeting very young children (3-6 years).
If my niece was around, I might put this movie on. As an adult, I wouldn't really watch it more than once. The eye candy is good, but
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the lack of any story isn't. I would give it a 7-8 because for the child demographic, this is probably good. But for older demographics, this is a 5-6.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 12, 2025
One Week Friends is generally a good show. However, it has both normal, preventable issues and issues that are intrinsic to the premise which cannot be fixed. The fact that Fujimiya forgets everything about her friends every week means that you will inevitably have to erase the story's progress. In fact, it makes it so that it would be WORSE if you didn't erase the story's progress. Let me elaborate:
Fujimiya forgetting every week is the interesting thing about the premise. This forgetfulness has many possible consequences that could be explored, which can add some freshness to an otherwise ordinary romance story. One Week Friends explores
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some of these, which I wouldn't explain because I consider them spoilers. However, it is also a double edged sword because it either partially or completely resets the story when it happens. On the other hand, If you shy away from resetting the story, it will be like the established premise does not exist in practice. So the only possible path is to accept the frustration and explore the premise anyways. The show tries to balance both approaches kind of successfully. They do find ways to progress the story, but they can't fully escape the eventuality that they will have to do either a partial or full reset.
One Week Friends has other issues though. Hase is whiny, spineless and twitchy. Yes, he is characterized as such and that's completely fine, but he does get on my nerves from time to time (especially in the beginning). Fujimiya is really the bigger problem here. She is just all around kind and nice, but doesn't really do much, making for a really boring female lead. Hase and Fujimiya sometimes have good interactions but sometimes don't. I enjoyed any meaningful interaction they had, but not when Hase is just awkward. That makes me feel second-hand awkwardness. The other side characters were honestly pretty okay.
My unpopular opinion is that if we ever get a second season, I hope we get to see more resets. I think there are still more possible consequences that haven't been explored yet. But even if that's not the case, I wouldn't mind as long as they produce something entertaining. All around an okay watch. Not great, but I would passively watch this while eating food and wasting time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 11, 2025
An "otome game" series that focuses on all the bad things. The main character is as dense as they come, and in a painful way. I grant that humor is subjective. It's just that I don't really hate this style of comedy in principle. I liked other shows where the comedy was driven by a character's stupidity, but this wasn't funny at all.
Besides that, the story doesn't have too much going on. Every side character's purpose is to fall desperately in love with the main character. Everything devolves into the side characters huddling around and talking about how the main character is so amazing and
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wonderful. Did she do anything to deserve this? Not at all. She didn't act hostile towards them, and that was enough for everyone to be obsessed with her. Geordo likes her because she climbs a tree or something (I can't tell what the actual reason is). The rest like her because she told them 1 nice thing 5 moons ago.
There's a consistent obsession with farming, for some reason. The MC's thought process always leads to "I must grow potatoes." The justification for this is weak, but it's just so they can make her seem quirky and so the side characters can go "Ah, classic Catarina with her quirky farming hobby." Yeah that wasn't funny in the show either.
I've only seen 6 episodes, but I also feel like I've seen everything this show has to offer. There doesn't really seem to be a story. It's just several side characters being obsessed with the MC. As a comedy, it fails because it is very unfunny.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jan 10, 2025
The name of this anime is very long so I will call it Mob Otome. Mob Otome starts out with, as far as I can understand, being a comedic parody of isekais and otome games. The way it does so is also pretty clever. Our main character, now called Leon, is reincarnated in the world of an otome game as a background character. Leon absolutely despises the game for various reasons including its annoying characters, convoluted worldbuilding, absurd difficulty, etc. Leon plays the role of the straight man here, criticizing the faults of the world by just being the "normal" person in it.
As a resident
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of the world he hates, criticism of the otome/isekai genres is brought to the forefront by Leon's straightforward outlook on the characters and setting on this world. It shows how the Marie's (her role is the MC of the otome game) romantic interests are completely devoid of will and moronic. Their entire purpose is to fall in love with the MC for unbelievably stupid reasons. Not only that, but the 5 guys are completely fine with Marie being romantically involved with all of them at once. Meanwhile, Marie is manipulative and plays them like a fiddle for her own benefit. Watching this, Leon hits us with "is this how girls feel about harems?"
Yes. Not just girls, I would say that's what most people feel about these contrived harems. The characters are reduced to mindless robots that just unconditionally love the main character for contrived reasons. However, the problem here is that after Mob Otome criticizes this type of romance story, it happily indulges in it afterwards. I will grant that Leon's romantic subplot does have a "more reasonable" justification to it. However, it is still contrived and weakly justified in general. It does fall into the very stupid "savior and damsel in distress" dynamic that it criticized earlier. Therefore, Mob Otome fails as a parody because although it criticized a trope, it failed to rise above it, instead choosing to indulge in it.
But even if Mob Otome fails as a parody, how is it as a show? Well, it's still complicated. Leon occupies an entertaining character archetype. He is like Kazuma from Konosuba, the no-bullshit straight man who will happily take out his frustrations on the annoying characters. I would say, that is the most entertaining thing about the show. It feels very cathartic seeing annoying characters get punished. Furthermore, his frustrations with the otome game's world and him giving up on its stupid rules makes for an entertaining main character. He's not a deep one and I think Kazuma was done better in Seasons 1 and 2, but Leon isn't bad either as an anti-hero protagonist.
However, it fails on a lot of other regards. Leon is way too overpowered by default. There is absolutely no way he could lose. This makes the outcome of every battle/competition frankly very boring. There is the contrived romance mentioned above as well. Leon insists he "wants to stay in the background", but does everything except that. There is also no real justification to why he would want to be a "background character". The art style is boring and frankly, pretty bad. The villains are too much of assholes, but maybe that's in line with the concept of a really badly made otome game.
In the end, I am even unsure of how to rate it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 7, 2025
I have a deadline tomorrow where I have to submit 60 hours worth of work and I have completed absolutely none of it. I did what any logical person does, decide to crash and burn while resorting to escapism. I was looking for the average slice of life anime where nothing eventful happens and I was willing to forgive some fanservice here and there (as long as it doesn't devolve into entirely explicit).
Tanaka-kun is Always Listless was better than I anticipated. There's some romance, but no degenerate fanservice. It's not funny, but it's humorous enough that I find myself smirking like a weirdo. The characters
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aren't deep, but they are pretty interesting and likeable. The experience is similar to other slice-of-life, but not to the point where I find myself predicting everything and skipping ahead.
Rating SOL is difficult because by definition, they set out to NOT tell an important or intricate story with deep characters and interactions. So I felt like it would be unfair to rate it based on the criteria that other shows are held to. If I give it a low rating, it would be like watching an ecchi and complaining about sexually explicit content. Keep that in mind when looking at the rating of 7/10. It is a rating based on the goals of the show, not based on general criteria.
If you are okay with slice of life anime where nothing happens, this is an enjoyable guilt-free watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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