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Anime is a great medium of artistry to be displayed. The reason a lot of people venture into anime, including myself, is to be creatively driven or emotionally moved. With the growing age of modern animes, a lot of the older, less novel animes tend to get pushed into obscurity, especially to the eyes of newest consumers of the market. For the average new-gen consumer, even animes in the 2000s seem to be considered old. There are exceptions to this old-new phenomenon. For example, shonens like Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, One Piece, etc, and certified classics like Cowboy Bebop or Neon Genesis: Evangelion are some ... on the list. Serial Experiments Lain is a sci-fi mystery drama that can be easily swept under the mountain of sci-fi and mystery animes.

Or so you would think...

Look at this review from the angle of a newer generation of anime enthusiast. After getting used integrated with anime, the consumer watches the basic "normie" animes. Then, they gets bored due to the oversaturation of well-animated action animes. So they delve deeper to find something, anything to give their mind a break from the monotony. After scrolling, they find a bunch of people talk and praise an 1998 anime called Serial Experiments Lain. They look into its history, seeing its prevalence among anime reviewers and MyAnimeList. So after waking up at early hours, they binge the entire series.

I know this very well, as this is my perspective.

And I would watch it for the first time ever again and again and again.

Instead of going piece by piece, I will go into what I think makes Lain so great.

- - - - Storytelling - - - -
To understand Lain is to understand philosophical principles. Theology, mental illness, loneliness, purpose, all ideas that wrap into Lain in a wonderfully projected package. To unwrap it is similar to completing a game. Constantly going through small things all to lead up to the main objective. The main objective is always in sight but is not achievable until all the small things are completed. The small things can satisfy, but the main objective is one that the player knows will give them the most satisfaction. In my watching experience, Lain is confusing to start and weird to just pick up out of nowhere. But personally, I love that. Its not the kind of confusion that pisses me off, it's the kind of confusion that intrigues. The kind of confusion that makes the watcher long for more. It makes you work to understand how and why everything is happening. It gives you the main base somewhat linearly, however, when piecing the details together, it fits beautifully. Who would've guessed that a suicide victim's message would've caused all this? This review is spoiler-free, so I won't speak about the ending phase. But, oh my god, it is moving.

- - - - Style - - - -
A key part of Lain is its style. Between its artistic portrayal of its themes scattered among the background or its lighting changes to represent important areas that Lain interacts in, the style is prevalent and necessary to understand the overall message and story. Between layers, which are episodes, the premise of blending the border of the Wired and the real world shown with how the powerlines stay parallel to powerlines intertwining and balling up to a point where they break are incredibly creative details. The change of Lain's room from going to relatively empty to chaotic cyber landscape, just showing how far Lain is connected to the Wired. The text used in the opening sequences and title card makes you feel like you're in the Wired. The bright white used in contrast with the mix of red and black in nearly every day scene adds to that surrealistic feeling.

- - - - Environments - - - -
Don't even get me started on the environments. Cyberia feels lively and always moving. As if at any moment something important, good or bad, will happen. The same goes for the Iwakura home. Even if it may be silent, it's almost as if you don't want to be. Like something unsettling could be right around the corner, adding to the mystery ambience. The loud drone of the powerline transformers as Lain walks to the train paired with the train's atmosphere join in a unsettling, mysterious vibe. The best example of a great environment is the Wired. The Wired is supposed to be a simple communication and information medium but it has so much more than what the surface entails. I can't go into it, just watch it an find out.

It has so much more to it that I can't describe here, not without it spoiling the show. I want this to be a persuasive review, so I would like it the reader of this review to watch Lain. It will take you through so many ideas that you may have never explored before.

+ added bonus point for boa - duvet. actively attempted to skip it, but it was so good that I literally couldn't.

Personal Rating: Let's All Love Lain / 10

(this review is very sporatic, so forgive me in advance)
I'll start this review like this:

I am one who doesn't read much manga. In fact, this is the only manga series I have finished.

I regret reading this manga.

Because I fear I will never have such an experience with another manga.

Oyasumi Punpun, or Goodnight Punpun, tricks the reader in the earlier chapters and volumes of the series. It bears a gnarly, degenerate forefront for all to see, as if it tries to make you stop reading. However, the reward of reading further is one of a conflicting nature. The evolution that Punpun has with himself and ... with "God" is one that written so methodically, so craftily that it sticks with a person even if they do not remember past events.

I won't critically rate Goodnight Punpun, I will just retell my reading experiece.

I have never heard of this manga, I only saw the rating. So I jumped in blind.
The first few chapters were very off-putting. I expected a slice-of-life school manga with a few dark themes. I could not be further wrong. I was ready to drop it due to the pure degeneracy, but I started to understand it.
The humor intertwined with the darkness of reality is amazing and I can't help but stay in a state of awe.

It taps into a lot of themes.
Adolescence, puberty, love, murder, childhood abuse, the R word that rhymes with grape, death, manipulation.
And all of these themes are portrayed through the medium of a cartoony, comic bird.

Another thing is the characters. The characters are so realistically written and their relationships with other characters reminds me of moments I've had with others.

Seki's relationship with Shimizu is wonderfully written. The constant reliance on Seki by Shimizu which turns into Shimizu realizing his independence, causing Seki to feel sorry ultimately ending in Shimizu not knowing who he is. The dichotomy of Shimizu and Seki hanging out with Seki because he's dependent on him to Shimizu forgetting who Seki is.

The many relationships that Punpun has with his many love interests. Sachi, Aiko, Chiaki, and Azuna are the girls he gets with within the series.
Azuna: A girl who he tries to get with due to her niceness, ended up trying to grape her.
Chiaki: A girl he lied to in order to bang her, left her on short notice.
Sachi: A girl from his past than came into his life. Later form a genuine relationship with him as they work on a manga about his hardships. Singlehandedly the best girl out of the options due to her overwhelming care towards Punpun. She doesn't care if they are in love she just wants to be the "one who protects him."
Aiko: The main love interest throughtout Punpun's life, the one he can't stop thinking about.
I could write a whole review just about her role in this story. Her broken home, her emotional state, her feelings towards are gutwrenching. Any time I read the terrible things in her life, I felt a guilt form in my heart, as if I was the one who caused it.

Punpun realizing that everything he used to regard highly is actually not as good as he made it out to be. He realizes that nothing around him has changed. It is he who has changed, and not for the better.
The last 3 volumes really reflect Punpun's spiral into a dark, evil persona and how his nice-guy demeanor shifted after the EVENT REGARDING AIKO'S MOM. The relationship of Aiko and Punpun near the series's closer just shows how mentally unstable the both of them are.

Overall, Goodnight Punpun is not just one of the best manga of all time, it is one of the best literary works of all time. The high-strung emotions all over the place makes the reader feel like Punpun, confused and stressed in every situation. That seems like a con, but it adds to the ambience.

There will never be another experience similar to the one I had with Goodnight Punpun. For I will never forget it for the rest of my life.

10 out of fucking 10.

Wow. Where do I even begin.

Demon Slayer is a long controversial anime due to what most critics say is "a plain, copy-paste story carried by the backs of Ufotable." I long thought that this could be farther from the truth and that Demon Slayer has and will be on a roll with a quality viewing from the beginning to end.

Until the Swordsmith Village Arc.

I was impressed with showing at first, but as the Swordsmith Village Arc continued, I started to fear that the critics were right, as the show continued and the formula started to show along with the literal kindergartner level of CGI. After ... watching this season, I feared the worst for the Hashira Training Arc. It took me so long to even watch this season because of my past experience, but looking back now, I should've watched it sooner.

- - - - Animation - - - -
ufotable.

That's literally all I have to say. Like, have you seen anything from past seasons? Even in SVA, when animation saw a decline, the scenes looked incredible. So how in the hell can you scrutinize the actual masterpiece that is Demon Slayer's animation?

Here is what I will say:
I feel that after the Entertainment District Arc, Demon Slayer's animation has been slightly diminishing. Maybe it's lack of creative ideas or artistry, but if One Piece can have masterful artistic design after literal fucking years then Ufotable could pull some creative idea out of their ass.
However, they can work an explosion like a motherfucker.
And GODDAMN does the Infinity Castle look good.
8.7/10

- - - - Characters - - - -
Hate what you want about Demon Slayer characters, but the Hashiras all feel very unique. I'd argue that Snake Hashira and Wind Hashira are a bit samey, but they have their own differences that set them apart, like Iguro's (Snake Hashira) secret love for the Love Hashira, Mitsuri.
Gyomei Himejima is probably the face of this arc when it comes to character building. I know it's a story that Demon Slayer has told for fucking ages, (guy has someone he cherishes, someway or another they die by demon) but his story hits wayyyy too hard. Especially the part about the little kid.
Zenitsu is looking like he will level up, and dear god, he needs it. I love Zenitsu, but sometimes I agree that his whining and crying is annoying as fuck sometimes.
And this Ubuyashiki dude. Oh my god, this guy. What a literal gigachad. Did not expect him to go full Allah Akbar on Muzan.

Overall, characters are pretty good, but they have their moments of "ehhh, i mean it's alright..."
8.8/10

- - - - Story - - - -
Now for the meat and potatoes, the story.
Which funny enough, is the least notable.

The Hashira Training Arc is what it states. The Hashiras are training. Who? Themselves and the Demon Slayer Corps.
The story for the first 6 episodes of the 8 episode arc is literally nonexistent. Yes, we have backstory and altercations between characters, but nothing forwards the story in anyway. The exposition is just smoke and mirrors. They go nowhere except their own plot.
The thing is...
That how Demon Slayer has always been for the most part.
Other than the first season, the show has always been this way. They give you little to nothing to work with, throw in a villain somewhere, and then we get the last few episodes, which I will admit, hit fucking every time. Some may say that the formula is overused, but it's gotten so many million of dollars, so why fix what already works?

The "story" is that everyone is weak as shit, so go train because Muzan's gonna come and kick our asses. Everyone struggles, until the beacon of light Tanjiro strolls through all of the Hashira's individual training in like 3-4 weeks when everyone else has been on one course for 2 weeks MINIMUM. Keep in mind, he's doing all of this after getting his shit rocked by two Upper Moon demons a week prior.
Anyway, during this period, we learn about Hashira issues and the Master and relationships, etc. It all culminates to the last episode where Muzan pulls up to the Master's house and tries to kill him, but the Master blew up his house, his wife, and his two kids to kill Muzan. Then the Hashiras pulled up and tried to jump Muzan with the help of Lady Tamayo, but Muzan stays strapped and pulled every Demon Slayer ever into the Infinity Castle and then it ends in a cliffhanger.

Yay, I have to wait another year or two for this rodeo.
7.6/10

- - - - Now What? - - - -
Sooooooooo, now what?

The show is looking better that it did last season, I am admittedly excited for the Infinity Castle Arc, and I'm overall satisfied with what was presented to me. However to me, it's nothing special.
It did its job. It paved a road to the Infinity Castle Arc, which is really what people want to see and I do believe it will be the best arc in the show with how Ufotable is working with this anime, but that's all it is.

A road.
Nothing but a transition.
It's good, but it could be something much greater.
However, it's still good and I do recommend it.

FLAT 8.0/10

What a run.

Let's run through this list real quick.

- - - - Animation - - - -
The animation for 2004 going into 2005 is laughably awful. The characters static around, still shots or reaction shots last way too long, the walking animations look terrible, and DO NOT even get me started on the horrendous CGI added to make the mechs, equipment, and tentacle monster. I commend the animation on the mechs because of its similarity to Beyblade: Metal Fusion but in that show, the CG was good. The whole thing is like a unpopular early YouTube sketch thrown into Highschool DxD. The sound design ... is actually atrocious. Random noise will interrupt dialogue and will quite literally make you either take off your headphones or pop your ears. And to top it all off, the animation is seeded in a wave of boobs.
0.5/10

- - - - Story - - - -
It's actually incoherent. The story is that a group of 5 all girl metahumans are run by a captain who is run by a director and the Kitchen Team 5 are stopping a giant Squid Kaiju from wiping out Earth. One of the girls, let's call her Blondie, gets jealous that she isn't on the frontlines and has a temper tantrum over it and decides to go for it anyway. They all attempt to kill the Hentai Monster but they all get swatted away and one of the girls dies. Then, random flashbacks occur for literally no reason and the captain decides to sacrifice himself but gets stopped by a pink-haired girl who confesses her love for him and then Pink Hair telepathically communicates with the squid to stop. The outbreak stopped, the captain is terminated, and a year later a whole squadron of squids come back to take over the planet again.

I just described the whole 19 minutes in order. I didn't add anything, this is what happened. As you can clearly see...

IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE!

This show had no rhyme or reason, nothing that occurs in this anime ever is acted upon and nothing is finalized. It is all just surprises for the sake of surprises. It's like a mystery box but every option is human fecalmatter. As a wise man once said...

What were they thinking?!?

0.5/10

- - - - Characters - - - -
Surely the characters are good though, right?

If you couldn't tell by me naming them based off of hair color, they are practically nonexistent. You would have better written characters if you made every character a cardboard box. I don't remember any of their names because they are all so flat, boring, and lackluster. It's a crime against God to even call them characters. The director is a cunning ass, the general who is a douche until the last 6 minutes when he suddenly discovers feelings, and everyone of the women are annoying fanservice pieces, except for Pink Hair, who tries to be a well-written character but ends up falling short because every relatable attribute they try to portray is either rushed through or poorly crafted. My favorite character from the show is the news anchor because he doesn't give a shit and only cares about delivering the news. I don't even know if there is an MC or not, but if there is, it's Pink Hair. Somehow, she still has worse plot armor than Yuuji from JJK.

0/10

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So if the animation is bad, the story is bad, and the characters are bad, how is this show anything but bad?
Here's the kicker.

It is.

- - - - Enjoyment - - - -
It is so bad, it's funny.

This anime is the equivalent to Troll 2, a movie so incredibly bad that it garnered a cult following because of the so-bad-it-is-funny writing and story. There is not a dull moment in the 19 minutes of watching this anime. I was audibly holding in my laughter because I didn't want to wake my neighbors. Because of its dogshit timing, it comes across as comedic. The off-brand EVAs literally get swatted off the squid like roaches. A girl fucking dies and they all look like, "Well, just another day at the office." The first time I saw the squid and the mechs, I almost died laughing in my seat. The entire thing is wrapped in goofy cutscenes and a stupid story which turns it from a torture show to a comedy special.

Ghost Stories is having a run for its money. CG squid stills scares me and my ears still hurt, tho.

7.9/10

It's just an anime opening.

It really is just an anime opening. Like actually. That is the whole thing.

I will say the animation is pretty good and the music is very good as the opening is done by MRS. GREEN APPLE who made Inferno. (The first opening of Fire Force) It does it's job of entertaining me and intriguing me for more and it sets itself as a good cornerstone for a much greater story.

Too bad it's for a mobile game.

5.7/10

... ignore this
(Is the story unique? If it was predictable, did you enjoy it anyway because you like this genre/set-up?
Do you think the art style is fitting for the story?
Were the characters well-rounded? Did they have flaws and strengths, or were they unusually strong/smart/stupid?
Did the characters react to situations and events in a realistic way?
Do you think others will enjoy/dislike this series, even if you didn't? Why?)

What an actual hidden masterpiece.

While scrolling through the very bottom of MAL, I found SiNK.
SiNK is not an anime. It is an artistic masterpiece. It's the essence of humanity and life as we know it.
I don't quite understand what it wants to display to the viewer (maybe something like Wall-E), but even with no facial expressions, the divers have so much character in their every move. Their humanity is portrayed and animated beautifully. It's quite nostalgic, giving vibes of early 2000s Toonami.

And if you haven't read it, guess what is actually crazy?

THIS WAS MADE IN 1999.

Take 3 minutes out of your day, go on ... YouTube, and watch this literal artistic masterpiece. You will not regret it.

Strong 10/10
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I cannot lie, I dropped this show on the first episode after the low-key softcore incest corn I saw.

Never again.

Artstyle is still No Game No Life though so that aspect is good.

Honestly, I'm just padding out this review so MAL will publish this review. It's so wonderful and it makes me so giddy watching this show. Wow! (more like Josh Giddey)

Is the story unique? If it was predictable, did you enjoy it anyway because you like this genre/set-up?
Do you think the art style is fitting for the story?
Were the characters well-rounded? Did they ... have flaws and strengths, or were they unusually strong/smart/stupid?
Did the characters react to situations and events in a realistic way?
Do you think others will enjoy/dislike this series, even if you didn't? Why?

just no

2/10
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Wakako-zake does not need a lengthy review to show what it is.

As many before me have stated, it knows what it is. It's a 2-minute, 12 episode show about a woman going to different restaurants after her work shift to find different food and alcohol pairings. It's nothing special, but it has a calming feeling to it that some slice-of-life animes miss completely. Maybe it's the MC's relatablity, maybe it's the shared love of a warm meal, who knows. I can't lie, I watched this show over 2 days and when I came to finish it, I forgot everything that happened in the first ... day. So keep in mind this is not a show that will stick with you.

If you are in need of a short show to finish within an hour to give yourself a break from whatever stress or burnout you are feeling, Wakako-zake is a great pick but there may be better picks in the long list of animes.

6.8/10

After a long haul of isekai / slice-of-life animes, Handyman Saitou in Another World seems like another generic, run-of-the-mill isekai about a typical career on Earth in a polarizing new world. But don't let it decieve you, as it actually one of the most enjoyable isekais i have had the pleasure of watching.

- - - - Animation - - - -
For something as basic as an medieval isekai, the artistry is very good and the creative direction with certain scenes and spell makes the effects seem impactful. The display of gore is also very strong, which is a big added plus. Nothing much to say ... other than it's good.
8/10

- - - - Story - - - -
I won't go to far into the story, but in short the MC Saitou get hit / almost hit by a truck and is transported to a medieval magical world. That the basic overview of it. But within this cookie-cutter setting lies little sprinkles of romance, tragedy, and comedy. In the first few episodes, I assumed it would be like the long factory line of isekai animes and it gave me vibes of In Another World With My Smartphone with its scattered pacing and storytelling. But once the first few episodes conclude and you learn about what seem to be pointless, one-off characters that serve no purpose, the plot forwards into a more linear, shonen anime approach. The random characters and side stories come together at a point and start a massive fight that bring out much needed story elements and character development. Then, during what I like to call the "Morlock's Shlong" arc, the show has you going all over the place in terms of emotion and awe. The comedy comes out of nowhere, and while some people discredit the dick jokes, they are funny when delivered in random and unexpected situations.
9/10

- - - - Characters - - - -
All of the characters here are actually amazing. The main cast, and even the side, one-off characters are well-written and add their own flavor to the show. The MC's, Saitou, skill set is that he can pick locks, repair things, and do odd jobs (because he's a handyman). I enjoy Saitou's character because he's not a insanely overpowered guy like some of these animes that make simple plebs turn into actual goliaths of strength. Saitou is what you would think if you put a normal, modern ass handyman into a monster-filled dungeon world. His relationship with Raelza, while seeming cliche, is very interestingly written and his vow to Morlock is extremely touching. The character building is the absolute best part of this show. There is a character named Power Wizard who gets about 10 minutes of screentime throughout the show yet during every scene involving him, he creates a hilarious situation. Morlock should get a section to himself because of how actually GOATED he is, but I'm too lazy. Not all the characters are masterfully written, so I can't give it a ten, but it's damn close.
9.5/10

- - - - Overall - - - -
In the heaps of clutter, Handyman Saitou stands as a beacon on how to make a overused and generic idea into something that stands shining from the crowd. Its strong foundation of animation, well-planned walls of story, and adept roof of character building really brings this isekai over the edge.
9/10