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Jul 23, 2024
Nagi no Asukara (NoA) or a Lull In the Sea (it's English title) is an interesting anime with lovely art and a wonderful score of music. I feel like folks who are a fan of high school shoujo or drama anime/manga/shows will probably enjoy this one (especially if y'all like tsunderes).
That being said, I do have some critiques:
1. The main character: I'm sure there are a million other reviews that cite this critique as well, but the main character, Hikari, is incredibly annoying. He's stuck up, rude, unwilling to compromise, and overall, gives the viewer very little to root for in him. That being
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said, he is a child and while irritating, his childishness is upfront and center in all of his negative qualities. There is a plot twist that changes things at about the half way mark of the story and past that twist, Hikari becomes much more digestible (in short, he is forced to mature), so there is a light at the end of the tunnel with this one, but the tunnel is long and at some points, viewers are crawling through it.
2. The pace: This may be a slightly invalid take given drama anime tend to be slow and, well, dramatic, but this anime can be very, very, very slow at times. The first half of the story centers on the dynamics of the 4 main characters from the sea (Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki, and Kaname) and a land-dweller who is adopted into their group (Tsumugu) as they navigate middle school together. Middle school is that exact tween time where hormones start to kick in and suddenly the opposite sex seems more interesting, so it makes sense that this group starts to form feelings and then proceeds to trip over said feelings toward one another. But regardless of how relatable that may be, there are definitely some cringe-worthy, needlessly dramatic problems in this soup of feelings and vibes that take up whole episodes (or god forbid, multiple episodes) to resolve. I wouldn't consider this a deal-breaker for watching this show, necessarily, but I do advise that viewers multitask (get something else to focus on while watching) or grab pillows to scream into, because there are parts where you will be frustrated. Even the second half of the story contains some of these moments, but there are markedly less given that the characters have somewhat matured.
3. The world-building: This one is going to go into the con and pro category of this review, because some of the world-building interesting and beautiful, while other parts can only be described as shoddy. An overarching conflict of the story is that between those who live in the sea (sea-dwellers) and those who live on land (land-dwellers). The story starts off with both parties in this conflict being angry with each other due to issues with fishing territories and consumption of the resources offered by both the land and the sea. Seems interesting, right? Well, unfortunately most of this remains unexplored even by the end of the story. I think a part of this is a conscious decision to focus attention on the drama of a very small group of people, but given that they exist in a world where these conflicts are a part of the daily lives of many of these characters, I expected a bit more. Additionally, the sea-dweller's home village is stylistically uninteresting and mimics the land-dwelling village more than I think it should have. They live under the sea. Why would they build a fishing village under the sea? There was so much room to creatively think about how the sea would function that is entirely ignored (for examples, the sea-dwellers still drink out of tea cups in the sea) and it would have created interesting storytelling (for example watching a sea-dweller on land letting go of a tea cup randomly and expecting it to stay there since being in the sea would allow that to happen) that would feel more realistic. Don't just tell me that sea-dwellers and land-dwellers are fundamentally different, show me!
I also have several reasons why I personally enjoyed this anime:
1. The plot twist: I'm going to have to try very hard to avoid spoilers here, but this is one of those plot twists that I don't think anyone saw coming. The story starts off very focused on a small group of children and zooms in on their petty conflicts so much so that I genuinely thought that managing this group of people was going to be the whole anime, but I was wrong. Through the plot twist, the anime is able to explore many of the themes that they quietly lay the groundwork for in the first half.
2. The characters (generally): I do have my complaints about how irritating some characters can be, especially in the first half, but after the half-way mark, I was surprised to see how many characters genuinely grew on me. Through sitting with the children in the first half of the story, viewers get a very good idea of who these people are. When plot points happen in the second half of the story, viewers are able to reference back to the first half and marvel over how much or how little they have changed. Chisaki, in particular, was one of my favorite characters by the second half, and I did not see that one coming at all.
3. The world-building: I told you this one was going to be a good and bad point. Despite some of the world-building being rather nonsensical, part of the world-building is amazing. For example, the sea-dweller village is headed by a man who is the a scale of their sea god personified. There are legends of how the sea god got to his seat of power as well as other fables, explained in a fashion similar to mythologies told around the world. For most of the story, it is unclear whether the sea god is real or was every real, and that echoes the prophets of modern religion in a way I did not expect it to. Additionally, through focusing on the dynamics of personal relationships, viewers are able to watch some of the broader land vs sea conflicts unfold on a smaller level. For example, Hikari's sister falls in love with and then marries a land-dweller which obviously involves some personal and larger drama (she is exiled from the sea). Later, when she has a child, there is the complicated matter of the child's heritage given that they are part sea and land dweller, but are being raised on land.
4. The art: This is a shoujo drama anime. The art is pretty - no complaints.
5. The theme: The theme of this anime is growth and change. Without giving too much away, I will say that the anime managed to communicate and explore this theme through a variety of different characters and perspectives in a way that felt fresh. Though much of the setting left something to be desired, I would say change is something very well integrated into the background of the story. From the change fostered by the creation of a fishing village right next to a sea-dweller community to the change of having to attend middle school on land despite the 4 sea dweller children being raised in the sea all their lives to the change of growing up and what that can mean to the people around you, this story points to highlights facets of change and growth in each of its characters in a way that is interesting.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 21, 2024
Kimetsu No Yaiba (KNY) is a fun, action filled watch with a good story and solid characters. I feel like it's fair to say if you like action-based movies, shows, or anime, you'd probably like this one.
That being said, I do have some critiques:
1. Illogical Logic: Like all shonen anime/manga, KNY stretches its reader's suspension of belief quite a lot (there are several plot points that, as a reader, you just gotta roll with). For example, Nezuko, Tanjiro's sister turned demon sister, is able to shrink herself to be carried in a box on Tanjiro's back. Can other demons do this? No. Is it
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ever explained? Kinda, but not well.
I feel like it's fair to say that there are some non-explained/non-logical plot point (which is fine in my opinion) that readers are meant to accept and move on from. Examples include, but are not limited to: a main character being raised by wild boars, there being a sword-smithing village that just sorta exists and is filled with very pretty weapon crafters, buff mice (look up KNY buff mice if you don't believe me), and the main villain looking like Michael Jackson (again, just roll with it). I'm sure there are many others that exist, but honestly, I feel like this is par for the course in shonen anime and manga.
2. Fan service: Oh boy, this one is personal. I greatly dislike (read: HATE) random, unrelated fan service. I understand I am choosing to consume shonen anime/mange which has at least a bit of fan service for its historically male audience, but ya girl is tired of it. Maybe being old has made me less tolerant, but I could do without the random sexiness of characters. For example, Mitsuri (one of the physically strongest characters in the story) could do without her boobs hanging out of her uniform. She is a melee fighter. She uses bendy swords that she whips around with a ton of strength and speed, why is her cleavage in my face? WHY?
I'm not greatly upset about other fan service in this anime/manga since they mostly make sense. For example one of the demons who lives in the entertainment (similar to Red Light) district is very scantily clad and also has her boobs (and butt, let's be honest girl) hanging out, but it makes sense. She's vain and beautiful and works as a entertainer - of course she'd want to show off her body. That's fine. Fan service can have that. I simply don't understanding the necessity of putting other characters who are physical fighters or in no way inclined to dress scantily from a story perspective in sexy clothes or playing up their sexiness.
That being said, this is not the only shonen anime to do this and if I was truly unable to overlook my dislike of fan service in favor of a good story, I'd have to stop consuming anime/manga entirely, so pick your battles and take your wins where you can get them.
There were also some things I greatly enjoyed about the story:
1. The characters: Tanjiro, the main character, is a good kid. He's similar to Yuji (any JJK fans in the house?) in that he's here to fight the good fight and we love him for it. Even though he has personal stakes (his sister and his life) in trying to murder demons and the demon villain, he rarely, if ever, goes about it in a way that is unnecessarily cruel or dehumanizing because he is fundamentally a good person. Similar to Tanjiro's strong characterization, the anime/manga takes time to go into almost every character's backstory and, in doing so, builds a cast of compelling characters that readers can really root for. Every positive or negative thing that happens in the story holds weight because the reader cares and it feels like there are actual stakes in the story.
2. The animation: I remember when KNY first came out and people lost their minds over the gorgeous animation. Man, does that hold up. The animation is stunning and extremely well used in fast paced fight choreographies. The animators knew they were doing a great job and it shows. Honestly I would recommend watching some of the fight scenes regardless of whether you are interested in watching the whole show.
3. Consistency in storytelling: KNY establishes rules which govern how the world works and sticks to them almost entirely which few exceptions. I'm going to be honest, I find consistent world building incredibly rare in shonen anime/manga so this is a treat! Despite a few plotholes here are there, most of the story makes sense once the internal logic of the world clicks into place.
4. Succinct storytelling: Ok, this may be a deep cut (and kind of an insult to Fairytail fans - I'm not trying to yuck your yum), but I love that this anime/manga ends. The manga is somewhere in the realm of 150 chapters and the anime adaptation, though including multiple seasons and a movie, has entered its final arc. KNY had a vision of a story and I am so happy to say that it executed and stuck the landing. Not only is there an ending to this story, but I would argue it is a meaningful ending and manages to tie up all of the story with a neat bow.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 21, 2024
The plot of this anime involves a deaf girl, Yuki, developing/managing her first crush and then relationship with a guy in her college, Itsuomi, who can hear. The premise is not the most innovative or exhilarating plot I've ever heard of (especially not by anime standards), but the show is short, sweet, and cute. What more could a girl want from a slice of life shoujo?
That being said, there are some critiques:
1. This anime is slow. Very slow. It moves at the pace of a snail stuck in molasses at times and similar plot motifs keep showing up again and again (for example, the main
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character, Yuki, continues to blush and stutter at her boyfriend's advances well into the relationship). To the wrong audience member, this can be rather annoying.
2. The show has a clear focus on love. There are several characters introduced throughout the story and almost every single one's journey is about finding love or discovering how to love. Again, for the wrong audience member, this can be boring.
3. The side characters can feel a bit like filler. The show centers on a main couple, but has several side characters who are going on their own journeys with their respective partners or themselves and do end up taking up some time over the course of the show. While some side characters can be really compelling (like Rin, Yuki's friend, who has a crush on Itsuomi's cousin), others can be boring.
4. The characterization of most female characters (and some male characters characters) is a little...bland. Yuki is the female character with arguably the most solid characterization in this story (we are in her POV), but even then, we learn very few details about her and her life. For example, we know little about her motivations to do anything prior to meeting Itsuomi, even though she very clearly had things she wanted to do in her life (she's in college for Pete's sake). We don't get to see any of her home (does she have a single mom? Who knows? We never see her dad, but get zero background) or school life without Itsuomi (I literally figured out her college major from a one-off scene that was discussing Itsuomi's life plan/goals). I wish we got to learn more about YUKI and Yuki's current life and aspirations outside of her relationship. They do show some flashbacks from her childhood which can serve as background, but they are shown mostly from her male childhood friend's POV, so that is unhelpful.
The other women in the show get even less. Rin, Yuki's friend, has a smidge of personality outside of her crush (who by the way is about as interesting as untoasted white bread), but we don't learn much. Emma, Itsuomi's high school friend who has a crush on him, is given no personality outside of liking Itsuomi and subsequently being heartbroken by Itsuomi. God help me please I know these women have more going on in their lives.
I understand this is a self-insert shoujo anime meant to be more inclusive of deaf or generally disabled people, so in the broad scheme of what this show is trying to accomplish - is it important to give every woman in the show a solid personality and story? No, probably not. Will it push the buttons of people who have different expectations? I think so.
TL;DR: All this to say, be aware that most of this show will fail the Bechdel test and the women in the show can be a bit bland, but I think that is to achieve the self-insert effect which is common in many other shoujo anime so if this is your jam, who am I to yuck your yum.
There are also several reasons that I personally enjoyed this show:
1. The characters are mature. I love a good shoujo as much as the next gal, but I am also too old to watch tsundere highschoolers blush and punch their love interests while misunderstanding each other. The fact that the main and side characters of this story are either in college, working, or both is a breath of fresh air. They do not have the same level of pettiness that high school shoujo tends to foster (except for one character, but it's pretty well established that he's a problem and is not considered cute or suave) and the well-loved (read: overdone) shoujo trope of misunderstandings standing in the way of love is not portrayed in a manner that is annoying or exhausting.
2. The story centers on love and relationships, but in a way that allows love to foster change in the two people in the relationship. Obviously the best example are the two main characters - Yuki and Itsuomi. Yuki is a shy, deaf girl who struggles with experiencing "normal" things like love or getting a part time job due to her disability. Even amongst friends, she can always tell when her deafness is being explained or discussed. Understandably, she is highly introverted and tends to stick to comfortable environments and people despite having an interest in expanding outside this bubble. Throughout the story, Yuki makes a journey of courage in daring to like and then pursue Itsuomi (effectively a stranger at the start of the story), who then inspires her to continue expanding her horizons on what she can or cannot do (like get a job or travel). Itsuomi, similarly, starts off the story in a state of stagnancy as indicated with his indecisive/somewhat unclear relationship with Emma (an old friend who has a crush on him) and his lack of interest in pursuing any romance at all since he "doesn't have time for it". Watching Yuki's sincere attempts to connect with a world that isn't built for her allows him to connect with her and finally have an exclusively platonic relationship with Emma.
3. The art is beautiful. I feel like this is a given for shoujo anime, but the art is lovely. The artists really went all out with the color grading and the animation itself is similarly beautiful. No complaints - 10/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 18, 2018
I'll be honest: I didn't like Naruto that much.
Now before you think I've gone nuts, hear me out. I liked the premise of the story and I enjoyed the beginning of the series quite a lot as well. The sound track is pretty nice, albeit a little dramatic at times and I liked the animation. I liked most of the characters, even. But there were a few things that really killed the series for me.
One issue was that there were way too many fillers. Even die-hard Naruto fans will agree with me on this. There were so many just useless episodes about random
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missions or life at Konoha or whatever, that I started to get sick of watching. Some of them were nice, I'll admit, but most of them added basically nothing to the story line and got on my nerves. Out of the 500 episodes of Naruto, at least 100 are fillers and for me, that is just waaay too many.
There was also an issue of a few plot holes and good ideas that were not revisited at all, which got me mildly to thoroughly irritated from time to time based on how interested I was in the idea. But in the long run, I don't think that problem alone would have made me dislike the series as much as I do.
This next one is kind of personal preference. Although Naruto doesn't have a bunch of blatant fan service or girls in bikinis and whatnot. I eventually got sick of the fact that almost every new female character was introduced with an obligatory butt shot or boob shot. For some of them it was more odd and out-of-place than the others, but overall I'd say that the idea just kind of got old. Fan service in general isn't really my thing, but I don't mind it that much if it doesn't become a central part of the story. Once again, however, this is just personal preference, so if you like fan service or don't find butt/boob shots boring, this won't bother you at all.
But the biggest issue I had was the Sharingan (an eye that grants the user access to special techniques). In the beginning, I really liked the idea of an eye that can copy other jutsu (ninja techniques that are somewhat like magic, but marginally explained) instantaneously. It was an interesting idea and I looked forward to its uses and how it would be developed. I expected there to be some kind of upgrade to it. So when Itachi (one of the characters) showed up with a Mangekyo Sharingan that was very useful to for genjustu (marginally explained mind control), I accepted it. I didn't really get how someone could get from a copying eye to any eye that can hypnotize people, but I just kind of shrugged and went with it. But when Sasuke (one of the main characters) and Itachi started to yank literal skeleton monsters out of their eyeballs, I got super irritated. Explain to me how in the world we got from a copying eye to an eye that has enough room to fit a skeleton. At this point the writer was blatantly just adding complete bs to the Sharingan in order to make Sasuke look more "badass". Sure, it made him look marginally more competent, but to me, it was just irritating. It made no sense in any way, shape, or form and was just a major plot hole and turnoff. The final nail in the coffin was when a villain with the Sharingan showed up with a dimension in his eyeball. How? Just how? You're really telling me that there is now a special dimension accessible to Sharingan users that no one had any prior knowledge/ idea about? What does the main ability of the Sharingan, the copy cat eye, have to do with pulling dimensions out of thin air? It was like the writer was trying to see how far he could go with just random, unexplained power ups to the Sharingan. It was infuriating, stupid, and I lost what little respect and awe I had for the Sharingan I had with this "new ability". The entire constant evolution issue with the Sharingan was even further offset and outlined by the Byakagan (another eye that gives the person access to special justu). The Byakagan was established as very strong and blatantly more powerful than the Sharingan at the beginning of the series. So when I noticed that the Sharingan was turning into some kind of a monster, God-like eye, I expected some sort of special Byakagan to form. But the Byakagan stayed completely the same from episode 1 to episode 500. If you're going to power up one eye so much, at least stay consist and do something to the other one!
Overall, some parts of the story were done really well. Some aspects of the plot and some of the messages wrapped up in this story are good. But some things in the story just completely killed it for me and even though I watched the entire series, I kind of wish I had just dropped it once the problems became too much for me to handle. Even so, a lot of people like Naruto and there is nothing wrong with that. I just listed what issues made Naruto a no-go for me. So if you have read the plot summary and don't have any issues with the problems I outlined above, go for it! Hopefully you will enjoy Naruto more that I did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 18, 2018
Honestly, I had very few expectations going into the anime. I knew that this had been famous for quite some time, but I've been pretty out of the anime loop until recently and my standards for Shonen anime have sadly dropped a lot. I don't have a certain style of anime that I really love( I've watched it all from yaoi to comedy to shonen), I just like a well written plot. I don't mean that it has to be super deep or very out of the ordinary, but rather something that keeps me interested. Usually, for shonen, the characters tend to be placed on
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the back seat while the plot and the fighting and whatever, probably war, that is going on is a lot more emphasized than character development. In terms of this textbook formula, Nanastu no Taizai is not that different. It has the classic over-powered male character with the somewhat damsel in distress type female lead. But I will give it this-- it kept me interested. A lot of shonen have a bunch of fillers and nonsensical episodes that just show off how strong the male lead is, but Nanastu no Taizai used each episode to further the plot, even if a majority of it was fighting. The anime did also make me pretty invested in each character. Although there was a severe lack of character development, with arguably only one character having any sort of personal journey, each character did have their unique quirks and abilities and their backstories and such made them a bit more flushed out in terms of character portrayal. Another thing that Nanastu no Taizai did really well was it kept a balance. I mean this in two ways. One, it balanced out the comedy and slightly more plot heavy aspects of the show, and though shonen typically don't have massive problems with this, it becomes a real deal-breaker when the writers are trying to be funny and failing. Secondly, and much more importantly to me, Nanastu no Taizai established a few rules and actually stuck to them. This a problem I see in a lot of shonen anime. It starts off well and within some boundaries of reason, but as the show progresses, the writers start to really stretch my suspension of disbelief in an effort to make characters seem more and more powerful. That is my #1 pet peeve of shonen anime. It just becomes repetitive and really irritating when characters just have these unexplained add-ons in terms of ability. That, to me, is just a sign of sloppy writing and I usually just stop watching the anime or have to mentally prepare myself to watch the standard of the anime to drop severely. I am very happy to say Nanastu no Taizai did not have this problem.
On a separate note, I like the animation. It was, once again, not anything super special, but it was easy on the eyes and well executed. The fighting scenes looked really nice as well. Other than that, there's not much to be said about the visual aspect of it. I did like the music though. The one hype song that came up during the really intense fight scenes was really nice.
Overall, I'd say that Nanastu no Taizai is a pretty typical shonen anime, but it is well executed and well thought out. I would recommend it to any Naruto or Fairy Tail or other classic shonen fan.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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