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I’ve recently gotten into the Devil May Cry games so I wanted to check out this anime since it adds more to the lore and is canonical. While I think it has some merit, I was left somewhat disappointed.

On paper, I really do love the concept of this series. An episodic series of missions Dante goes on hunting demons and exploring Dante’s story between DMC 1 and DMC 2 as well as adding more lore to the series. I was kinda hoping it’d be like a Clone Wars for DMC. This series generally scratches the surface of it but doesn’t consistently make the most of ... the concept. The series doesn’t really mention the events of the previous games and how they’re weighing on him. As a fan, I can fill in the gaps no problem but I find it hard for a casual fan or a newcomer to understand Dante’s character and mindset at the time. Though, the episodes that do get this right are really really good, most notably episodes 3 and 8.

The artstyle of this show is pretty cool it does capture that gothic horror the series was inspired off of and normally I wouldn’t care for the darker more muted colors in this series but I think it fits for the tone of this series since Dante isn’t really in this best mindset at this point. The voice acting is hit or miss, all I’m really happy about is Reuben Langdon, as usual, gives an amazing performance as Dante to the point where he’s carrying the lackluster writing. Though I feel like the show lacks in the usual Devil May Cry style. The soundtrack is boring and forgettable which is unusual from a series known for its killer soundtracks. Also the action is this show is boring. It suffers from the Samurai Champloo issue where Dante’s TOO good at what he does so every fight is almost over in an instant. Dante never gets the chance to show off his flashy combos and skills which is pretty much the main thing that games are known for. Instead he just uses his guns or uses his sword as a finisher which is disappointing. There are exceptions to this but generally Dante’s fight scenes are boring. Though, in all fairness, I do like how this series did try to play more into Dante’s private investigator angle in some episodes where he beats the demon but outsmarting them. I just wish they could combine the games combat with the detective angle, it would’ve given the show much needed personality.

In general the whole world of this anime doesn’t capture the world of DMC. It all just feels so… boring and mundane. Whether it’s the human aspect, demon aspect, or fight scenes it just lacks the flashiness and bravado that I love about the games. All the characters are nothing burgers whether they’re original or from the game.

Also idk where to throw this but I wanted to mention the audio quality was bad. Maybe it was the site I was using or maybe it’s the show but I had to turn the volume up all the way for every episode and I still couldn’t understand what the demons said or when they’d randomly cut to a far away scene and the audio is far away.

I think this suffers the fate of DMC 2 where, at its worst, it’s not outright bad, it’s just boring. But at its best, this series does shine through but I am ultimately disappointed that we couldn’t have gotten more of those moments. Only worthwhile episodes are 3, 7, 8, 9, and 12 everything else is just kinda forgettable. Alright anime experience kinda weak for fans.

Death Note was a show that always intrigued me because, for one, it’s arguably one of the most popular animes of all time, but it also reminded me of Breaking Bad which is of course one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Stories about people who lose themselves in the pursuit of power are just so interesting so I had to check this show out.

I’ve been watching a lot of early 2000s anime and a lot of those art styles tend to be on the uglier side but this show has genuinely some of (if not the best from my limited knowledge) the ... best looking animation from that era. Everything from just the artstyle to the color palette really set the tone of this show. I love the use of the shaky cam and shots that convey how deranged Light is. Everything about this show (visually/colors) is so dirty and grimy, it really does depict how ugly this world can be and the actions taken by humans. Furthermore, the score for the show is nothing short of phenomenal. The intense pianos, the haunting Victorian choir really puts you into the show and gives you this horrifying feeling of what the characters are doing as well as putting you into the cat and mouse game between L and Light. I know the monologues are kinda memed on but I think they really add to the story, it’s nice to see how these characters are thinking and the steps they ultimately take to achieve their goals. I’m not religious but I have to mention the use of Christian symbolism as a strength for this show, it just adds so much more depth to it.

The themes of this story as well as the characters are similarly just as good. From the first episode I was hooked on the concept. Similar to Psycho-Pass this show is about morality and justice, what is truly right, and how far should anyone be willing to go to enact this if anyone should at all. Furthermore it’s a show about ideology and its destructive nature, all of the characters whether they’re good or evil have their own viewpoint on justice. I love the themes of justice and the destructive nature of ideology and this truly sells the show for me.

I really can’t stress enough how good the two main characters are. The supporting cast is good too but Light and L specifically stand out. Their dynamic is so good. The cat and mouse game between them was the best thing about this show and I loved stories where the good and bad guys switch throughout the series. Still characters like Misa, Ryuk, Rem, Izowa, Light’s father, and specifically Mikami to name a few are entertaining characters who serve an integral part to the story.

The story itself was both the strongest and weakest element of this show. The first third of this show is really good, from the first episode all the way up to where Light and Misa are about to be killed by Light’s father had this really interesting concept going as mentioned above, it flowed really well, and not mention, the cat and mouse game between Light and L is genuinely really good but I don’t need to explain it because I’m pretty sure everyone knows that by now. Just know every word, every action, and it’s like they’re reading each other. One wrong step and it all comes falling down. However the middle section of this story (particularly the arc with Yotsuba Group) was really drawn out and incredibly boring. It killed the momentum the show was building up and pivoted to telling a much less interesting story that lacked a lot of the aspects I really attached to in the previous arc. The game between Light and L is still present but to a much less degree, all of the characters feel sidelined in their own story, and overall it just feels like a B plot. Though I will say the actual idea of the Yotsuba Group is interesting. The arc did have a very nice set up and payoff but still, getting to those points felt tedious. I understand why that section of the story was in there but still, it was too long and too boring imo. The final 3rd of the show I feel like gets too much criticism, wasn’t as strong but I liked it. I do agree when people say Near and Mellow were forced in. It’s jarring they killed off L just to replace him with a character who walks, talks, acts, and looks exactly like him but lacks all of the charm and personality. Still I love everything else about this arc, I think it reverts back to what made the first third so good with a nice cat and mouse game and Light manipulating the world around him in his favor. The ending is satisfying and makes the story come full circle but still it just feels like Near won purely off of luck than intuition.
TL;DR- Great premise that doesn’t quite reach the heights in the beginning as the series go on.

While it may seem like I’m being really harsh on this show don’t get it twisted, this is a really good show and I enjoyed everything it did well far more than the things it didn’t. This show is a classic for a reason and while I don’t think it’s perfect it does deserve that status.

“Our dreams were finally coming true but the ideas we pursue and the reality are always locked in a stalemate. They don’t get along. And nothing is ever you’d imagine it would be.”
This quote is a perfect representation of what Nana is and why I know for a fact this will go down as one of my favorite pieces of media especially in anime.

The thing about 10/10s is most of the time I don’t think they’re perfect on an objective standpoint but they have a certain “wow factor” to them that engrains them into my soul almost and such is the case with Nana. ... The artstyle isn’t necessarily abhorrently ugly but I don’t really like it and sometimes it would take me out of the experience and I think the voice acting could be subpar at times (I watch anime in dub idrc), both Kelly Sheridan and Rebecca Shoichet both do really good as Komatsu and Osaki respectively which is the important thing.

Still even the few basically nothing complaints could never measure up to how good this show is on every other level especially on a thematic and story telling sense.

This is one of the most investing and thematically rich stories I’ve ever witnessed. I went into it thinking it’d just be a “friends we made along the way journey” but by the end of it I ended up questioning the notion of love and relationships and I even reflected on my own relationships in the past.

I could go on and on about how good all these characters are but to save you all the time just know they’re all so good. Each and every one of them are filled with shades of grey and they’re neither good nor evil. Even our titular protagonists have a relationship that is grey in nature. More often than not they make the wrong decisions, completely ruin their lives, and you will be screaming at the screen because you hate that they did it but still you understand WHY they did it. All of these characters feel so real and human, I know for a fact there are millions of people who are just like Komatsu, Osaki, Shin, Takumi, Ren, Yasu, etc. etc. as each episode went on I felt like these characters were my friends too and I became emotionally invested in their lives.

The story + themes themselves are peak for the same exact reasons. Everything feels so real, it feels like a wake up call of some sorts. You’re constantly exposed to the harsh truths of life, relationships, love, dreams, and by the end of it all you are left with this bittersweet feeling knowing these characters got what they wanted but lost what was truly important along the way. Characters make decisions that affect everyone in some way, they all change and grow up throughout the series in a satisfying way. I couldn’t help but binge large sections of the series whenever I had the chance.

At first I was frustrated with the ending since it left things off in a vague note. More questions are raised than answered I understand the writer, Ai Yazawa, had to put the story on hold due to medical issues but upon reflecting I genuinely feel like this is unintentionally a good thing. Life doesn’t really work out, things end up falling apart, but it moves on and those moments end up feeling like chapters and those 47 episodes just feel like a chapter in all of their lives. It also allows the audience to fill their mind with whatever they interpreted the themes and messages to be about which can be sometimes more engaging than stories with a perfect conclusion that wraps up every loose end.

With all of that being said, with all my praises, I still feel like I’m underselling this show. I am being intentionally ambiguous as to not spoil the show so whoever may read this would be encouraged to experience this for themselves and I just generally have a hard time expressing why I like something (it’s easier to describe why I don’t like something). Still, Nana is genuinely just such a beautiful and heartbreaking story that I know I will never forget and will sing its praises for the rest of my life.

I was constantly told that this show is a lot like Cowboy Bebop which is probably my favorite anime of all time as of right now so of course I had to check it out and…
It didn’t quite live up to what I hoped for.

At first I found the art style of this show to be kind of ugly especially in the first few episodes it reminded me a lot of this one show called The Nutshack, it wasn’t intolerably ugly but I definitely didn’t like it. With time, I don’t know if the budget increased or it just grew on me but eventually I ... found myself warming up to this shows art style. The animation itself is pretty nice. The fight scenes are full of style, they have a nice flow, and are just so visceral and engaging. Anytime I saw anyone pull out a sword I knew it was gonna be peak.

Similarly I really like the style of this show. I don’t know how to describe it but just the way the show carries itself is one of a kind. The fusion of samurai and the dancey hip hop style and soundtrack is just so good. The soundtrack from the licensed music to the ost is really good and I see myself listening to it on my own. I definitely see the Cowboy Bebop comparisons here and just as good it was there, it’s good here too. I mean there’s literally a samurai who has beatbox battles. That’s the coolest shit ever. Not to mention this show is just genuinely really funny, the humor landed every time and there were a lot of moments where I laughed out loud.

However the other aspects of this show for me was kind of lacking. Nothing abhorrent just disappointing due to the fact the same people who made Cowboy Bebop made this show. I don’t mind episodic shows, they can be just as good as serialized shows but they have to feel eventful, Samurai Champloo, to me at least, just felt very uneventful. To compare it to Cowboy Bebop again, that show was episodic too but every episode developed the characters and/or themes which made each and every one of them important. Here there are so many episodes that don’t really amount to anything. It doesn’t help that this shows themes aren’t as captivating as CB’s. They had the potential to be, but they were just executed poorly. Throughout the entire series I was constantly wondering when things were going to develop and they never really did for most of it. No drama, no drive, the same repeated plot again and again. This whole show is about “it’s about the journey and not the destination” but it didn’t work as well because I didn’t really end up caring for the journey and the characters had very little chemistry, they didn’t form any bonds throughout the series beyond the relationships/dynamics they had from episode 1. They never really evolved, we didn’t get to know them until it was way too late. In fact we don’t even know why Fuu wants to find the samurai who smells of sunflowers until episode 19. Even in the end nothing happens, things don’t really tie together, it just ends. The characters themselves question why they even went on this journey. They all just part ways and it feels like nothing mattered.

For what’s its worth the last few episodes (especially the final 3 episodes) were really good (aside from the actual ending). They were pretty much everything I wanted from this show but it’s just at this point it’s too late for me to fall in love with the show. Still, I’m not exaggerating when I’m saying those final 3 episodes were so good, if for anything, I’d rewatch this series for those alone.

My favorite episodes of this show tended to be the ones where it’d focus on the characters such as Jin falling in love with a woman in a brothel, Mugen getting put near death from his old allies, the elegy of entrapment 2 parter (Baseball Blues was one of my favorites too but it didn’t really fall under this category). Not only did they just have so many memorable moments such as Jin letting the woman go and Mugen’s old friend begging him to kill her, they are just full of so much lore, character, and advance the themes of the story. All of that is genuinely so good and reminds me of the best parts of Cowboy Bebop however it’s just most of the show is full of meaningless filler episodes so those episodes feel so few and far between.

In conclusion, I think my comparisons and expectations kinda ruined this show which is definitely my fault, nothing on the show or the team. Still, I did find myself enjoying this show and I would by no means say it’s bad, just not as enjoyable as its sister show or any other show like it that I’ve seen. Granted, maybe a rewatch is necessary. In the end, it feels more style than substance and therefore I just don’t have my heart in the show like some of the others I’ve seen. Like a dad would say trying to scold his son, I’m not mad, just disappointed.

Every time I see this title I keep thinking of the “The Lakers need a center” audio from tik tok.

But bad jokes aside this has to be one of the most fun experiences I’ve had while watching an anime. After finishing the first arc of this show I knew this would be one hell of an experience.

Firstly, the art style for this show is gorgeous. I usually don’t comment on the art style and animation when it comes to series because I don’t really know enough about it to make specific comments. If it’s bad I’ll comment on it but as long as it’s good ... looking and doesn’t take me out of the show I won’t really comment on it. However this is a special case since this is the most unique artstyle I’ve seen in an anime. Everything has this sharp, angular, and patternized look to it. Every backdrop has so many incarnate details to it. Not to mention this show is just so colorful. It’s nice too that every country has a unique color palette and style to it, it really gives the show character. Each frame just looks like it had a lot of care and passion put into it and I loved it.

The soundtrack is amazing too. Going with the stylized animation, the soundtrack has this nice jazz sound to it which adds character to the show as a whole. It really gives off that fun heist feeling to it and even the songs with lyrics used fit well in the series too. As I said before, each setting feels unique in their own way and the soundtrack compliments that nicely. And of course anything with Freddie Mercury in it is bound to be amazing.

The actual schemes pulled by the confidence men are nothing short of phenomenal. They all feel so different and unique from one another from both location to scheme. They’re just so fun. One of the highlights of this show is just watching the pieces connecting and watching these large schemes unravel. Every twist genuinely took me by surprise and by the end of each of the arcs I would always let out one of those “oooohhhh”’s. I was invested and confused in the right places. There was a lot of thought and detail put into these plans and in the end it all made sense and made me realize details and connect points I didn’t before.

What makes them even better is the fact that they have a personal stake in them. Each one of the targets/schemes focuses on one of the main cast members giving not only a reason to be invested in the schemes but you also get to learn about the characters past and motivations. Honestly I was shocked how many heartfelt moments were in this show such as Edamame’s conversations with his mom, learning Abby’s backstory, Cynthia and her relationship with the artist, and Laurent and Dorthy. Whenever the show wasn’t showing these schemes there was a lot of these genuinely bittersweet backstory moments which shows the characters backstories and as I said, they really did sell me on these characters. Having these characters come to terms with their past and accept/forgive themselves were up there with the schemes as being up there as some of the best moments of the show.

However, one glaring flaw that I think holds this show back is the fact that, to me, I feel like outside of their respective arcs these characters don’t have much agency in the story. When they’re not the center of the arc it just feels like they’re background characters or a piece to the puzzle rather than actual people. The only two this doesn’t apply to is Edamame and Laurent Abigail is probably the worst example of this because I remember being invested in her arc only for her to not really have anymore big moments outside of it. In the end I don’t really feel like they changed or evolved at all which may make some people dislike them but I’m not really mad about this fact because at least they all got a proper conclusion. Don’t get me wrong, whenever these characters do get the proper attention they’re great and very likable I just wish they ended up feeling more like people consistently than everyone and awhile.

Still overall, this show just oozes care, charisma, and passion. So much care and detail was packed into this story from start to finish. Every episode was engaging and I never found myself bored at all. Most importantly, this show is just fun. If anything I can guarantee you’ll just have fun with this show which is the most important thing in my opinion.

After watching a lot of anime with large unraveling stories, fantastical worlds, and crazy powers, My Dress Up Darling was a nice breather from all of that.

To tell you the truth there isn’t much to write about this show just due to how simple it is. It has enough drama and character moments to carry it along but it’s not anything you haven’t seen before. It follows very similar tropes to almost any other romance story… but still, I can’t deny, I had a good time watching this from beginning to end and unfortunately I am a sucker for romance stories.

To an extent I think ... the show is aware of this, it follows the proper beats and it works just as well as it did here as did the other stories (not better but good enough) and it doesn’t really waste its time getting into the plot.

This is just such a wholesome show. The relationship between Gojo and Marin was genuinely cute, really showcases that romanticized idea of young love. Throughout 90% of the show I was grinning ear to ear and I’m sure there will be moments I’ll remember from this show. It was genuinely sweet every time the characters would go into long rants about their passions, it was heartwarming to see a story be about and passion, not only for people but for yourself and your own interests and hobbies. This show is the embodiment of wholesome, it really gives you those warm mushy-gushy feelings not only from the themes and characters but from the animation to soundtrack too.

Though as an 18 year old going on 19 I did feel uncomfortable from a lot of the fan service. A lot of unnecessary shots sexualizing the women, and fan service can be done right but here, to me, it felt like it was just there to be there and not to mention these characters are canonically 15 years old making it feel super creepy. Like when Gojo looks at Marin that’s understandable the sexual details would stand out and those scenes make sense for Gojo’s character. I’m more so just talking about a lot of the random ass shots of Marin and zooming in on a 13 year old girl’s chest is commenting on how big it is.

This is definitely a comfort show and I think if you go into it expecting that than you’ll enjoy it though I do understand the criticisms thrown its way, like I said I’m just a sucker for the romance genre.

Another show recommended by my friend, Donivin and I’m happy to say, like most all the other shows he’s recommended I’d say yet again, another peak show.

Firstly, I just wanna say, this show reminded me a lot of Cowboy Bebop. This may sound like a back-handed compliment but considering that’s arguably one of, if not my favorite anime, that’s one of the highest praises I can give it.

I sound like a broken record at this point but yet again, the world this anime has created is so immersive. This is more akin to Cowboy Bebop rather than Hell’s Paradise where it feels more real and ... tangible than fantastical (I don’t prefer one over the other, both can be good or bad). It feels like an eastern adaptation of Orwellian novels like Animal Farm and 1984 and similar to those novels the world portrayed is both captivating as it is horrifying. It’s ironic to see that world that claims to be perfect and just we see some of the most horrific crimes committed. This show does a really good job handling the crimes presented there, thankfully they aren’t just pure shock value there’s just the right level of nuance, horror, and empathy in each of the crimes. I genuinely was disgusted and shocked by the crimes that took place and I found myself feeling empathy for the victims and in some cases the murderers such as the victim of bullying becomes the monster his coworkers labeled him as.

As the series went on, ideas of morality and justice hooked me in. How should criminals be treated? Are they redeemable? What is a fair world? Is order more important than justice? All of these questions have so much nuance and complexity to them and just every time you think you have an idea of what’s right, the show will throw a criminal at you that breaks that perception. Maybe the world needs a system like Sibyl to keep in order or maybe the free will is what makes life worth living. I mean a system designed to protect people let a woman get beaten to death in the street while calling her crazy but yet again once given the ability to bypass the scans, the whole world went to shit with riots and crime everywhere. There’s so many more interesting plot points that I would love to list as an example but there’s just too many. I love stories like this, stories that really make you think about what you’re watching.

Can’t forget the amazing characters. Each one of these characters all have their own perspectives and motivations behind what they’re doing. Their dynamic as a team was so good because they are all so different on their viewpoints on the world. Really my only complaint is I wish we just got more development from the side characters (particularly Kagari and Kunizuka). On the surface all of them are so interesting and I felt like would’ve added more to the show with their presence. Still I’m glad with what we did get. Still for what it may lack with those two it more than makes up for with Akane, Kougami, Ginoza, and Masaoka. I know for a fact these characters will be engrained into my memory as some of the best characters in anime. They feel real, tangible and change from beginning to end and are sympathetic too, even if I find myself disagreeing with their methods.

Similarly, Makishima is one of the best villains I’ve seen in anime. His dynamic with Kougami reminds me of some of the best dynamics in comic books such as Spider-Man and The Green Goblin, Batman and The Joker, The Flash and The Reverse Flash. These two are on two opposing forces yet have a deep intimate understanding of one another. Just because a villain is irredeemable or evil, doesn’t mean they can’t be complex. Like the main cast he has his own unique view of justice and morality and wants to make the world a better place for all, just not in the way everyone else wants to.

I honestly wish I could put into words more things I like about this show but all I can really say is just go watch yourself. Sometimes the best media just speaks to you.

Right now I have this marked as a 9 but with time I see myself marking this as a 10. Really, really good show.

I started watching this show right after I finished Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood which I remember a friend of mine said was a bad idea since this show in comparison would be bad.

To an extent he was right because truthfully it wasn’t nearly as good but at the same time I didn’t expect to be and I don’t think it really intended to be. I think there’s a misconception that every piece of media needs to be some revolutionary, ground-breaking story in order to be any good but I don’t think that’s true. I think a piece of media can be just as good (a ... 10/10 even) if it succeeds at being pure entertainment and by all means Blue Lock is exactly that.

Sports were never really my thing, I never hated them, I’d watch them if presented the opportunity but I never really understood or wanted to pursue my knowledge in that so there is a bit of a disconnect for me here since I have almost no interest in sports as it is.

But I would be lying if I was saying I still wasn’t hooked from every soccer match. For the matches I felt like I was genuinely in that match, the adrenaline from the players was also apart of me creating this sense of catharsis for every goal, every victory, and every defeat. One thing I adore about this show is the fact that both teams each have compelling enough characters + their motivations so I honestly go back and forth who I should root for. Every match has the right amount of drama and stakes, one wrong step and the dreams crumble down. The moves, weapons, strategies feel unique to each specific character, I couldn’t get enough. If nothing else, watch the show for the matches alone.

Another really, really good thing about this show is how different it feels from typical sports-genre stories. They’re like biopics in the sense it’s the same movie just with a different mc in their place. Blue Lock stands apart from most other sports stories, while it has the same theme of defining the meaning and passion of the sport, this story feels much more radical as opposed to the more wholesome stories. It’s a nice change of pace.

The characters are good enough to carry the show but feel relatively surface level which honestly I don’t mind since this show isn’t a study about complex morals or characters but still as a result the characters don’t really feel memorable as a result. However, like I said, they work for this show and I like how unique they feel even if somewhat one-note.

The episodes tend to feel formulaic but not in the good way. Obviously having a formula is okay but if, to me, I feel like I’m watching the same episode over and over again then it takes me out of the experience again. The second arc is better at than the first arc in this regard but still I felt that feeling creep in.

Everything else in this show feels just right on a technical and writing level. There’s just enough substance to hook you in but not enough to want more.

So in that case you may wondering why it’s ranked relatively low. Truthfully I rank shows from a 60-40 system where (about) 40% of it is dedicated to the technical aspects with (about) 60% coming from the enjoyment factor. Part of the enjoyment factor is if I see myself yearning for more or see myself rewatching it and as mentioned, soccer isn’t really my thing and I while I’m definitely interested in a season 2 I’m not feining for it and I honestly don’t think about it much outside of watching it which is both a pro and a con about it.

Still with that said, this is a really entertaining show and while it’s toward the bottom of the list for the animes I’ve enjoyed, it’s still a 7/10 meaning I believe it is a good show and I would recommend it and say it’s a good time just not something I see myself remembering it or going back to it. It’s definitely a “in-the-moment” kind of show where it’s not something you’ll be thinking about after watching it but while you’re watching it you’ll definitely be hooked.

Going into this series I didn’t really know what to except since this is the first anime I’ve watched on my own volition as opposed to a recommendation from a friend. Idk I just found the concept interesting.

These are my abridged initial thoughts after finishing the first season:

First things first, if I could praise the show for one specific thing above all else, I would praise it for its world. If anything, I could just sink into the world the studio had created. Like the themes of the show, it’s all about balance, it’s peaceful yet dreadful, beautiful yet horrifying. I was always intrigued by ... the lore and the mysteries at hand. Not only was it visually beautiful, each new location brings its own vibe to it I couldn’t get enough of. In the first half, I was almost worried that all the backdrops were just gonna the same forest location and I’m happy to say that wasn’t true. Not to mention all the description of the religion and culture was so creative.

This kinda goes with my last point but it’s kinda its own thing, I’m a sucker for anything related to samurai. Even as a grown ass man I cannot get enough of it. Samurai’s and ninja’s are so badass. The powers and abilities of the characters are so cool visually and I love the way that a lot of fights will have the other characters team up and use their abilities to take down their enemies. Plus all the abilities like ninjitsu and tao made sense and I was never confused or thrown off by the outcomes of battles.

I would be remised if I didn’t mention the amazing soundtrack. It fit well with the scenes and time period.

The main characters, Gabimaru and particularly Sagiri were strong main characters and I was invested in their journey from start to finish. Yes, it’s not the most original arc for them, and yes you’ve seen it a million times, and I’d understand why people would dislike that but to me, if I’m invested in their drama then I don’t really care if it’s an arc done before. They both had a great dynamic and plenty of iconic moments I won’t forget and I can’t wait to see them going forward.

However with all that praise there are issues, some big glaring issues:

For one, I believe the side characters are so underbaked and uninteresting. To be honest, I could barely tell you their names or what they even did. Half of them literally died off screen and even for the ones you did see die most of the time their deaths were pretty pointless. Then the show tries to show flashbacks to give some backstory/empathy for them but at that point it’s just too late. The only 2 deaths I thought were impactful/earned were Tenza and Senta. Even for the side characters that did survive, while their stories seemed interesting, to me, they just didn’t really go anywhere and I feel like a bunch of important context was missed.

Similarly I believe the villains of this show were underbaked as well. As a concept these villains are so cool but none of them really get to show their personality aside from Mu Dan. However I am lenient on this one since I except them to be explored more in season 2.

However overall, every episode after episode 6 (best episode btw) was an absolute blast and makes me invested in this story as well as its future.

Overall, Hell’s Paradise is a beautiful mess, a perfect harmony of yin and yang if you will. There’s a lot of promise and I hope the yin will go on to outweigh the yang.