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The Monogatari series is one that has alluded me for some time. Like with Durarara!, the hype train came and gone. Their anime both- astonishingly- adapted all the volumes of their source materials, and have long since fully aired. However, they looked so charming that I HAD to try the originals for the sake of the fact that I really don't care for anime that much. And finally, in 2019, I slowly sunk my teeth into the first third of the Monogatari franchise.
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Story AND Characters- What Even is This?/10

This is a strange series. Basically, we have a supernatural slice-of-life, similar to Durarara! Except unlike Durarara!'s ... nonchalantly over-the-top cast and sense of humor, Monogatari- so far- is the exact opposite. Monogatari is all about meta-humor and nuanced wordplay.

Monogatari is a character study in disguise as a supernatural harem. The main character, Araragi, is a hypocritical masochist who has been through some HELL. Ever since his run in with a vampire in Kizumonogatari (which is set BEFORE Bake but was published AFTER because the author is so "META"), he's had to help various girls like Best Girl Senjogahara and Other Best Girl Kanbaru with Best Man Oshino the Memelord.

These girls are all tormented by inner demons, literally and figureatively. Literally, as in they are being cursed by literal yokai and spirits. Figuratively, as in these are all real life human issues. And the latter thing is my least favorite aspect of Monogatari.

I think Monogatari is a very charming series so far, but I personally don't care about what it's trying to do. I know what it's doing; it's trying to deconstruct the harem genre by making the self-insert male and his girls deceptively complex and human. But... I dunno, maybe it's because my selectiveness has spared me from the hundreds of thousands of hours of factory-produced harems and rom-coms that Monogatari puts to shame, or the fact that I don't find human psychology that interesting, but I'm not floored by it.

As for Monogatari's writing, though... oh boy! You've ever heard of SAO's notorious information dumps? Well, Kawahara is holding Nisioisin's beer! A chapter will often start with Araragi meeting up with someone on his way from point A to point B and say something to the effect of "Good morning, X-san!" Fifteen plus pages later, and those same two characters will finish their intricate philosophical conversation about the meaning of life, their game of "Let's retroactively analyze Araragi-kun's psyche", or... panties. It's... different, and I'm at odds with it. The real problem is that it gets redundant and feels like padding. A lot of the times Araragi meets up with someone by happenstance it's ON HIS WAY to the actual plot of the arc and then the entire chapter ends up being spent just roasting him for the umpteenth time, especially if he's with Senjogahara or Hachikuji. Not that I don't like a good "nothing happens" story (like Grand Blue), but Monogatari HAS arcs and ORVERARCHING NARRATIVES, and the actual proper storylines are legitimately really good, so the nothing happening bits are AGONIZING in this case. But don't worry; it's perfectly justified by having Araragi apologize to the reader after intentionally wasting 100+ pages of time. *sarcasm*

This feels like an unintentionally pretentious writing style, plus it reminds me a lot of the abhorrent writing of some Western YA novels that I hate. For example, there's this vampire character, see, and if their name is ever mentioned in dialogue OR narration, we must be reminded that she's the "iron-blooded, hot-blooded, yet cold-blooded vampire". I can suspend disbelief over her having hot and cold blood at the same time, but calling her IRON-blooded?! FUN FACT: Blood HAS iron; That's the whole basis behind the Metallica fight in Jojo! Why call it "iron-blooded"? Because it SOUNDS COOL on a surface level, and people'll eat it up (not literally though, or else they'll become vampires too...). It makes me feel like the series is pretending to be smart.

But the thing is, Monogatari pretends to be smart really well. Like I said for the twelfth time, it's charming. I didn't expect to see a perverse guy screaming his perverse ideals and feel like it's an uplifting battle shounen moment. I didn't think that a book would describe panties for 5+ pages. It's not terrible! But I can also see how people wouldn't enjoy it. It depends on what kind of person you are. If the characters didn't have legitimately interesting personalities (unlike some other "human" protagonists who have less personality than rocks), then I would without question hate this series.
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Art- Not that Much/10

This one only really has volume cover and chapter cover illustrations. However, the presentation of the cover art is very visually surreal, and is probably what would get people into the series if it weren't for the anime.
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Overall- 8/10

I'm really at odds with this franchise so far... I enjoy the personalities of the characters (except Hanekawa) and how the harem tropes are seamlessly integrated into the drama. But... at the same time, I don't enjoy the whole infrastructure of talking about random crap until the good stuff happens (at least it always gets to the good stuff within the volume, unlike Overlord) or how it sometimes thinks it's smarter than it is. If it weren't for my PTSD with Western YA "masterpieces" like The Fault in Our Stars, I'd likely enjoy Monogatari marginally better.

I'm definitely willing to finish the series, but it's not the masterpiece of a genius, it's merely the pretty darn good work of a decently talented writer.

With the movie adaptation of this coming out in the next couple of months, I might as well insert my five yen on the manga. Which I read almost a year ago. ...Fortuantely, I know what I thought of it then, and I know what I think of it now! And hoo boy, what an amazing manga this is!
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Story- ACTUALLY Deep/10

There are a lot of works of fiction that people consider deep that I... don't. To a lot of people, human life is unequivocally fascinating and complex. Personally, I find human life to be overrated, and this manga's speaking my language! What starts out as ... a supernatural mystery manga is actually a profound love letter to the beauty and majesty of the Earth and its oceans. And when I say profound, I mean profound.

To be fair, the esoteric glarble I mentioned just now is merely my interpretation of the story. But the way this is crafted makes me want to believe that it was the author's utmost intention and why I'm willing to give the accuracy of the manga's marine biology factoids the benefit of the doubt.

This manga gives us a simple wake-up call: We ain't special. There are a lot of really cynical works of fiction that do tell that point, but those almost come off as even more melodramatic and pretentious than a teen romance. Kaijuu no Kodomo gets the message across plain and simple. We are part of a grand and beautiful tapestry of life, and most of us have been ignoring it becuase of our own superfluous issues. Heck, we know more about the vacuum of space than we do about our oceans!

However, this story has a lot of disbelief to suspend. Stuff just 'happens' because 'reasons', and we have to deal with it (to put it in a spoiler-free manner). I personally interpret it as a m-m-metaphor (that word is so poisonous to me these days) for how we, humankind, are too small-minded to comprehend the massive beauty of nature.
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Characters- 7/10

The characters aren't as important as the main story. Like us, a lot of these people are just along for the ride. The most interesting characters are the titular children, Umi and Sora, without a doubt. They're the ones who drive mainly drive the narrative along, while the main character, Ruka, just passively follows them. The tattoo guy is a bizarre take on a main 'antagonist' who instead comes off as... just a guy.

Also, Ruka's mom has it going on. Just sayin' (sorry).
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Art- 9/10

This manga is beautiful in a weird way. There are a lot of times where the characters aren't anatomically correct, but it makes up for it with gorgeous landscape shots and detailed textures. This is a visual manga, having a lot of chapters with almost no dialogue. Who needs it? Let nature tell the story sometimes.

Some people will probably find the movie more visually pleasing out of personal preference, but nothing's beating the occasional color pages of the manga, which have a (no pun intended) WATERcolor motif to their shading and textures.
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Overall- 9/10

This is one of the most beautiful manga I have ever read. Its message is simple and powerful while also not pretentious. I would have rated it a 10/10 if it weren't for the semi-loose ending.

But as much praise as I have given this, I can't safely recommend it to you. It all depends on the kind of person you are. I know a lot of people will find this to be utter nonesense, sadly. There isn't even a real conflict in the narrative!

The only basis through which I can recommend Kaijuu no Kodomo is- oddly enough- the Rivers of Light at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom (plus, the tattoo guy reminds me of Joe Rhoades). That performance tries to touch the soul with its homage to land-based life similarly to how this manga does with marine life. If you love that show, then this manga is 100% up your ally! But if you at least have an open mind going into it, then it should be a profound experience.

I said in my previous MAL review of this series (which will have been deleted by yours truly by now) that Goblin Slayer had a strong idea for a premise, but that same premise would lead it into a repetitive and boring slog. Well, six volumes into the series, and it's already hit that point!

Story- What Story?!/10

In case you haven't heard of the anime that set the anime community ablaze last fall, let me tell you about the light novel that inspired it. Goblin Slayer takes a unique approach to fantasy in not being about chosen ones who go on grand quests, saving elf maidens, ... and throwing fine jewelry into volcanoes while fighting dragons and giant eyeballs, but by being about some everyday villagers- such as the titular Goblin Slayer himself- and focusing on the ongoing threat of the weakest monsters in the fantasy world, goblins.

However, goblins aren't quite that weak. They are ferocious little critters who have organized clans and hideouts filled with traps. When they find a helpless victim, well, you know the rest. Unlike the anime adaptation which turns a situation that's meant to be terrifying into a B-movie grade torture hentai, the light novels at have the right prose to get the intended point across (if only the author actually succeeded at that in the other areas of the story). But if you are as hyper-sensitive as the community was during the anime's broadcast, then I advise you leave this light novel now.

So, this is a cool premise. But it's its own worst enemy. With goblins as the sole antagonists, the characters will be fighting the same foe over and over again. Sure, there are plenty of methods and scenarios to use, but once they are all exhausted, the series will become quite repetitive. Even the actual writing feels the need to remind you at least twelve times per volume that Goblin Slayer is so great for being the only adventurerer who isn't braindead or that Elf Archer has a flat chest. Even the legitimately disturbing portrayal of the goblins gets old. But at least with the tenacity of the goblins and the constant sense of death and murder, it at least has that nice Game of Thrones-style dark fantasy realism (realistic fantasy, what an oxymoron)! Except the problem is that it somehow fails miserably at BEING a dark fantasy!

Characters- 2/10

Let me preface by saying that all the characters don't have names. Their names are as uninspired as the characters themselves. The titular character, Goblin Slayer, is the only remotely enjoyable character. He's a man who has gotten over his very generic traumatic past and dedicates his life to fighting goblins. He's smart, resourceful, and prepared. Too bad everyone else bogs him down.

You'd think that giving the spotlight to those village NPCs that the "chosen hero" always ignores would showcase how all of those NPCs are people too. People with families, hopes, dreams... just as much so as the hero. However, in execution, we instead have insufferably boring character interactions and dialogue that showcase the reason WHY the village NPCs were always ignored in other fantasies. Octopath Traveler must've taken notes from this light novel!

The author of Goblin Slayer seemed to think "eh, just throw them into a tavern" and they'd automatically have compelling character development with little to no effort. Something like that WOULD work in, say- Konosuba, but here it's just substanceless banter and harem tropes. Yes, there are harem tropes in a CYNICAL fantasy series.

That's what ultimately ruins Goblin Slayer for me; the fact that I don't even know what the heck it wants to do with itself! The dark fantasy aspects and the harem aspects clash terribly with each other. Although it tries to be "cynical" and be all like "Oh, nobody has plot armor IRL hurp derp derp!", the fantasy harem tropes and the general way the character arcs are presented end up trying to make these unremarkable characters special. And when they're special, they don the plot armor. Also, these characters never seem to have PTSD, even after watching their friends get brtually murdered in front of them. So much for realism and cynicism! Are the clashing tropes meant to illustrate how our cozy everyday lives can come to a screeching halt? Well, maybe for the boring side characters and designated goblin punching bags, but the fact that Goblin Slayer and his circle of friends very clearly wear plot armor makes this point pretty much moot in their case.

And with that, Goblin Slayer BECOMES what it was trying NOT to be, except it's an inferior form of that because those "lighter" fantasies at least had the appeal of grand quests and fighting big bads. But in Goblin Slayer, we just have living in the same village and fighting the same enemies and having the same conversations FOREVER. It's not fun.

Maybe if it employed a "parts-based" structure like Jojo, then maybe it would've been better. We could have the main characters legit die, and then it goes over to another village with a new cast of characters who have their own goblin issues. The series sort of tries to do that by having filler arcs that focus on side characters, but the fact that there are "main characters" and "side characters" in a story that's "supposed" to be entirely side characters only proves my point on how the series' themes clash with each other. In the end, it's still about Badass Mr. Perfect and which girl he'll end up with!

Art- 7/10

It's better than the rock bottom budget anime, at least.

Overall- 5/10

Goblin Slayer is a light novel that's at odds with itself. Is it cynical? No, because there's too many fantasy harem tropes. Is it a harem? No, because it's too cynical. What is Goblin Slayer trying to be? There's even some implications that the world itself is a living Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but if it weren't for the constant intermission chapters to remind me, I would've forgotten (plus this "campaign" has the most creatively brain-dead DM ever). The symbolism doesn't really change anything about the story itself, and feels like the most shallow pandering since Ready Player One. Maybe that's what Goblin Slayer is trying to be: pandering. Who knows?

Anyways, the only grounds that I can recommend this light novel in any capacity on is if you just unconditionally like dark fantasies and fantasy in general with no other stipulations attached. I, however, will be dropping this series here. I hope that if you pick this up, you will find something enjoyable about it that I didn't.

I first thought that this manga would be a trashy, edgy, romantic tragedy. Well, I was right about it being edgy. Let's begin the review.

Kasane is a very strange and twisted manga. There are a lot of disturbing themes in this, mostly involving women. It's no Goblin Slayer, but since apparently no work of art is allowed to make anyone feel even mildly disturbed these days, I still must warn you in advance.

The story was a lot better than I expected. It's a bit slow in the first volume, leading you to believe that it's going to be a repetitive 'steal this girl's face ... for a while, steal a different girl's face for a while, rinse and repeat' for all fourteen volumes of the manga. However, once you get into the second volume and onward, things start becoming a real rollercoaster ride.

There's also plenty of twists and turns. I'd be surprised if I found out that story was improvised, because it holds up pretty well. Well, not to say there aren't flaws at all. Of course, there's the tiny flaw that a lot of bystanders wouldn't realize something when Kasane would switch faces with a blonde woman, and from their perspectives, that person would show up with black hair. That alone would probably be enough for a hypercritical person to tear this manga apart (since it's unheard of for an actor to possibly dye their hair), but to me, it's a small bump on a very well-paved road.

The characters are all as deranged as one would expect. With this being a psychological thriller, we naturally get to see deep into the way that the various people in this manga think. The various plays that are performed also complement one character or another at any given point in the story. Warning, though, this is one of those types of stories where everyone is morally incorrect in some way. If you don't like that kind of stuff, a la Rising of the Shield Hero, then I recommend you shy away from this manga now.

However, I think the art is where the manga is sufficiently brought to life. It doesn't look too impressive at first glance. But when actually reading the manga itself, I was glued to it. Somehow, the mangaka is able to skillfully portray humankind's stereotypical form of beauty, and at the same time twist that beauty into some demonic expressions (not to say that the ugly people don't have some of those moments as well). The panel work is also really well done to invoke as much emotion as possible.

Overall, Kasane ended up being a very, very good read. Although it's no Urasawa Naoki manga, it's still a solid thriller. I kind of hope it might get a TV anime someday; it would be an EASY two-cour adaptation. But at the same time, maybe letting the anime community see this with how GS and Shield Hero have been doing might not be a good idea... Well, regardless as to if that ever happens, this manga will still be a moving performance!

Well, didn't expect this show to be split cour! I bet a lot of people are disappointed, but hey, I'm going to Disney in a week so if it weren't for this I'd be missing a couple of episodes lol! So I might as well write a review...

Art and Sound- Same Ol' 9/10: Despite how WIT should be grasping at straws production-wise, this actually looks and feels like the best season so far (although second cour could prove that wrong). Also a lot of the best animations this show has offered thus far are present here.

The voice acting is the same. Since there's more character ... development this time around, Eren isn't a screamy brat.

The new opening is a really nice contrast to the previous openings. Song-wise, I still find Sasageyou to be the best, but as far as the theme of the visuals in the opening, Red Swan takes the cake!

Story- 8/10: This season adapts mangaka Isayama's least favorite part of the manga... I don't know what it's officially called, but it is notorious for the large lack of Titans and the focus on conspiracies and politics.. I personally never felt it to be a problem in the manga, but whatever went wrong had to be amended here.

I don't have good enough memory to notice any differences, but this version is pretty solid regardless. Most people probably hated it solely because of the lack of Titans.

Characters- 9/10: Without Titans messing things up, this is an opportune moment for the people we've been spending the last two seasons with to... well... talk.

We get a lot of great new characterization from pretty much everybody as they have to start fighting their battles within the walls instead of outside of them.

I can't say anything else because of spoilers, however, so I'll just end this portion of the review in this very anti-climactic manner.

Enjoyment and Overall- 8/10: I've given every season of this show 8s across the board, but tbh this season is set up to be my favorite season so far.

Now let us all wait until spring 2019 for them to ruin everything!

Also, WIT you freakin' trolls with that sneak preview of next cour at the end (if it's the scene from the manga I think it is...)! I mean, it's not as bad as season 1's "Oh! Wall Titan!" *waits 4 years*, but still holy crap!!!

'Kay review over now.


KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNYYYYYY! Okay done for real now.

I'd hate to say that this series' staggering number of critics had the last laugh in the end. Well, they won't have it this season, that's for sure. But I had a number of issues with this season compared to the previous ones that have me worried that they will have that last laugh in the forseeable future.

First let me just knock out the carry-over attributes of this season right away. The story and characters- provided you actually ARE a fan of BNHA in the first place- are still as excellent as ever. It does nothing new, but does everything well (I hope I'm the ... first one to say that phrase because it's really catchy). The voice acting is also really good and the art and animation is superb when it needs to be. The main issues with this season pertain to the actual execution of this excellent story by the studio Bones. As such the bulk of this review will split down the middle and cover the shows two halves- its cours- individually and with a couple of minor spoilers.

First Cour- 10/10, Perfect: This first half of the show really isn't all that bad. In fact, it's the best this anime series has ever done. There really isn't anything to say about this cour since it was done so darn well.

The thing to note about this cour is that it ends off on one of the fan-favorite arcs of the series and one of the most important in the actual context of the world of the series. Not since One Piece have I ever seen a fictional society actually influenced on such a fundamental level by the actions taken by individual characters. The consequences of what occur here will carry over into the next half of this season, the bulk of the fourth season, and probably stick all the way to the end of the ongoing manga. It's THAT important!

Now if only the second cour was that simple...

Second Cour- 7/10, Hm...: This is where it gets fishy. It is natural to expect that the very next arc after the one in the first cour wouldn't be able to top that previous arc at all. Still, the arc that takes up most of this cour is a very solid and enjoyable one.

IF BONES DIDN'T SCREW IT UP.

Remember back in the old days when it took an entire cour for Planet Namek to blow up "in five minutes"? Well we get a couple of prickling sensations of those old days here.

First off the pacing was pretty slow. The main arc of this cour was not really that long in the manga, and yet Bones decided to stretch it out. They even put filler in! In fact, I actually SKIPPED episode 20, since I had known ahead of time that it was a full filler episode. I mean, at least most of the other filler is seemlessly worked into the current arc, which does happen IN ADDITION to episode 20, but in the end, filler is filler. It's made to pad out the show so that the manga can pull ahead or so they can end the season off on a multiple of 5 episodes.

Fortunately, it does get better in the arc's aftermath. We FINALLY get the payoff of Bakugo's character arc that took all of two seasons to buildup, and also get introduced to the next set of newcomers who will play major roles in the next season, and who will inevitably be put on the chopping block like everyone else.

Overall- 9/10: Although I really liked it, this was my least favorite season of the anime so far. With the presence of the filler episodes, OVAs, the feature film, and the videogame, the series has definitely become quite the cash cow, which sets the stages for it to be brutally butchered beyond redemption.

Hopefully mangaka Horikoshi cares enough about it- as if it were his own child- to know when to end it off at the right time (I have no clue what's going on in that man's head but I can at least hope). But as far as Bones with the anime adaptation is concerned, I'm worried. I might be overthinking it and season 4 will still be pretty darn good, but it really isn't that likely considering what Shounen Jump's other juggernauts have been subject to over the years.

Regardless this season is still very, very good and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the previous two.

Man, my feelings toward this anime- though mostly positive- are extremely complicated, which isn’t helped by the fact that I played the visual novel first. So get your popcorn, cuz this review’s gonna be a while! Also, there will be spoilers regarding the original Steins;Gate in this review, since you’re supposed to have played/watched it first anyway.

Story- 9/10: So first, I need to establish context for this anime since no official description of it helps in that regard. Remember episode 23 of the original series, when Okarin was about to give up on saving Kurisu? Right then and there, he obtained a video D-Mail from ... himself 15 years in the future who disclosed the instructions to reach the ultimate happy worldline, Steins Gate. Steins;Gate 0 is THAT Okarin’s story- the Okarin who will have sent that video- picking up from a 3-4 month timeskip after the whole incident with him having murdered his loved one. Technically, Steins;Gate 0 is the second half of the full Steins;Gate story that was skipped over in the original, due to Steins;Gate 0’s own plot cancelling itself out (from OG Okarin’s perspective) through the video D-Mail having been sent.

Right away there is the issue of the visual novel’s own structure. The original Steins;Gate was really easy to adapt since it was extremely linear for a traditional VN, and most of the endings were crap. Steins;Gate 0 is more like that type of VN which goes on several diverging and significantly different paths, most of which are integral for the overarching narrative. So, White Fox didn’t JUST have to worry about truncating the walls of text, but ALSO re-ordering the ENTIRE plot structure to work in a linear, cohesive manner.

And for the most part, they succeeded.

The events play out extremely well. Heck, they went the extra mile and adapted the various tie-in drama CDs and one of the few instances of genuinely good anime original content as well. They even fixed a good number of issues present in the original. Simulcasting this show was a blast, even as a VN player, because there was still some room for throwing me for a loop.

But it wasn’t perfect. There were still a COUPLE of scenes that just do not mesh together as one linear arc, no matter how you slice it. It was still probably the best case scenario, so I didn’t mind those incoherent hiccups that much.

Another thing about Steins;Gate 0 in general is that science takes a backseat in this one. By either some dumb miracle, meticulous planning, or plot convenience, there’s nothing new to learn, science-wise in this series. I know the description alludes to some kind of AI program, but that program is made using the same technology that went into the time leap machine from the original series. In fact, it’s even simpler than that contraption was! The real issue is that we never get to learn how they actually got to build a true, physically working time machine, so that one is forever filed under the “space magic” category.

And as for how they handled the VN’s notoriously loose and anti-climactic ultimate ending, let me just say… that they actually freakin’ did it! As in, they did it WELL!

Characters- 9/10: The characters are where Steins;Gate 0 shines (for the most part). We get to see full closure to Okarin and others’ character arcs, and a couple of newcomers.

Okarin in this series is now a “sad scientist”, a dejected Okarin who turns a blind eye to the impending doom of the Beta worldline. We also have a new form of Suzuha, who is much colder due to war, compared to the Alpha worldlines’ Part-Time Warrior. In addition, we see Daru actually taking on a much more serious role than before. The characters are amazing* and it’ll make you realize who the true Best Girl of Steins;Gate is.

*I put this footnote here because the “amazing” isn’t ENTIRELY true. First off, we have three of Mayuri’s friends who were only just names in the original, actually appearing. They’re bricks. Even though one of them is Suzuha’s future mom, they don’t really do anything of much importance. Also, due to the nature of the adaptation, a couple of characters who are legitimately likeable in the VN are now either crap, or they end up having no purpose AT ALL. (Poor Judy…)

Art- Budget/10: This is where my issues start to arise with the anime adaptation of Steins;Gate 0. The 2011 anime blew me away with an artstyle that wasn’t quite as detailed as the VN, but still had a Steins;Gate-like film noir style that I loved. There was also a lot of brilliant post-production with the lighting as well as a lot of smooth animation uncharacteristic of most TV anime. Even in 2018, it hasn’t aged a day.

And yet, a follow-up that AIRED in 2018 already shows more age than the original. Look, I’m not blaming the production team. I can tell that they tried. They were likely lacking in funds. It’s jarring how cheap parts of this show look.

However, it’s mostly jarring only to VN players. The VN had some jaw-dropping artwork that make most of the anime’s renditions of these scenes look like crap. But again, if you didn’t even SEE that artwork to begin with, it shouldn’t bother you much (at least they executed THAT scene well).

But even from an anime-only perspective, there are clear hiccups (*cough* episodes 17-18 *cough*). Although the art gets significantly better towards the bitter end, I know that the prospect of having to watch 80% of a crappy anime just to get to the good stuff is not a popular one.

These hiccups will bother you depending on how much you care about the visual presentation of anime.

Sound- 10/10: At least THIS is the same. We all know these seiyuus, and they’re excellent. Their performances (at least, of the ones who were central characters) were absolutely impeccable. It’s kind of sad that this anime is probably going to be their final performances as these characters… I wonder how they feel about that prospect right now. But if it IS their last time, then they definitely went out in a blaze of glory!

The background music is- unlike the inconsistency of the first anime- entirely VN soundtracks. That’s good, since the original music is stellar to begin with, and White Fox knew as much.

The new anisongs composed for this adaptation aren’t bad either. While no “Hacking to the Gate”, the new OP “Fatima” feels much more urgent due to the usage of a ticking clock throughout the track- a clock that’s ticking down to the inevitable start of World War III (at least I’m assuming that was the intention of it).

Zwei’s “Last Game” is gut-wrenching, especially when you see a million Kyoumas shatter into pieces. Kurisu’s seiyuu also performs a techno-rock song called “World Line” which is also pretty good. However, these two ED’s should’ve been flip-flopped, given the circumstances of the first and second cours (with the latter being way more emotional). Or, they should’ve kept “Last Game”.

Overall- 9/10: This anime had so much potential to surpass the source material, and it arguably DOES in those last four episodes. But I’m sorry, the artwork and the lower quality of the first 19 episodes just really jarred me. The two versions of S;G 0 have very different strengths and weaknesses to where I would say that they become equally viable. I didn’t mind that the VN had plot holes without the drama CDs since most (key word: most) of it could be derived from context anyway.

However, I will insist that you get your Bachelor’s degree in Steins;Gate-ology. There were so many comments and criticisms on the boards when this was airing from people who clearly didn’t get the rudimentary basics of Steins;Gate, and they made me cringe. There are also a lot of subtle call backs that you will need to acknowledge in order to fully enjoy and understand the show.

Regardless, this is the second half of the Steins;Gate story, which gives full closure to the characters that the original was not able to provide. Just ask yourself, “How much do I care about the visual presentation of anime?” If you do care, then maybe you should stray away from the anime version and play the VN instead. And if you ALREADY played it, then watch the anime since it’s still really well executed in its own unique way (although it still looks like crap).

I cannot comprehend how people felt when they first tuned into this second season of Shingeki no Kyojin, back after four years of absence. However, I can probably comprehend how they felt after finishing it. Based on my own experience, they probably felt...

...disappointment. Well, at least for 50% of the show.

Art: Same as Before/10- I guess it's bad that a show from 2017 looks no different than a show from four years ago (at least it's better than a CERTAIN show from this year that looks WORSE than a certain show from SEVEN years ago). But considering that WIT Studio has been famously in the ... red since the first season, the fact they could even pull a single cour that looked this good out of their posteriors is nothing short of a miracle.

I still don't like the "gorgeousness" of the art from a thematic stand point (plus it makes some of the iconic scenes look like that of a melodramatic romance), but since I've found it so rare for anime to actually DELIVER in terms of visuals, I'll let it pass.

Sound: Same as Before/10- The music and voice acting is more or less the same. I rrrrrrrreally like the OP, Shinzou wo Sasageyo! In fact, I've listened to it dozens of times BEFORE ever watching this season and bought Linked Horizon's Shingeki no Kiseki album just for that track (it turns out that the album overall is pretty solid, I recommend giving it a listen).

There were still some weird tracks that felt melodramatic, but most of the time it's the same old Catholic rock choir music from the first season.

Story: 8/10- This is the point in the story where things are meant to get hype. The first episode opens with a follow-up to the bombshell that's cliffhung us for four years at the end of last season, and the twists just keep piling and piling on up. We really start to push the issue of "What the heck is going on?" during this season.

But in exchange there isn't as much action. When there is action, this season DELIVERS with FREE SHIPPING, but like I said there isn't much. This doesn't really become an issue in terms with pacing except for episode 9, which is entirely spent talking and doing nothing.

However, my real issue is with episode 10. I know I'm not supposed to compare manga to anime, but I strongly believe that this difference is important to mention. Basically, half of episode 10 contains an anime original flashback sequence (I confirmed this by reading the wiki's synopsis of the corresponding chapter AND by physically skimming through the chapter again myself). The problem is that it discloses- with no form of subtlety- information that will not be revealed up late into Season 3 (assuming they'll adapt up to a specific story arc). It's not one of those things that makes sense after you already know the full story. Anyone who sees this sequence will be able to utilize the power of context clues to extrapolate information that isn't known until much later in the story, thus making the next season a slog of dramatic irony while the viewers wait for the characters to catch up to them.

Granted, it is a pretty minor thing. The series' premise lacks originality to where you probably already knew certain things going into it. But at that extent you would probably only be able to know the most bare-bones essential aspects of the plot, while that anime original flashback gives even MORE information that, again, was not disclosed in the corresponding point in the manga.

(I apologize if everything I said was, in fact, completely wrong and that I'm an idiot)

Characters: Where's Mah Boy Levi/10- As indicated by my very specific rating of the cast, Levi doesn't do much of anything this season. The main issue with this is that most fans love him to tears, so a lack of Levi will drive them to tears.

However we do get some good stuff from the other characters at least. I always liked Armin and Erwin, among others. We also get some character development on people who didn't really do anything last season. Eren is still... Eren, whoo-pee.

Overall: 8/10- This actually turned out to be a great second season of the show. But I doubt I'll be saying that for the next season. I still recommend reading the manga, if only to not have late-game content spoiled in an unsubtle fashion, but this season itself is as solid as the Armored Titan's, well, armor.

I know you're not supposed to have spoilers in a review. But given how the reputation of this manga has been pretty much tarnished entirely because of its ending, I will need to divulge some minor spoilers in this review. You've been warned.

Story- 7/10: You don't need to look twice at the synopsis to realize the following about Prison School: It is a dirty, dirty manga. But this manga is different from most ecchi manga for a very specific reason.

That reason is the insanely serious presentation. All of the really naughty and dirty scenarios that take place throughout Prison School are intentionally given way too ... much dramatic fluff. The ironic thing is that the suspense is real, in spite of how dumb the situations are at face value.

But alas, that really only applies to the first two-thirds or so of the story. Towards the 200 chapter mark there's a climax which drags on for so long it feels like a bad Shounen manga [like Air Gear] or something out of Studio Pierrot. After that, it's a brief slog followed by the ever-notorious ending.

Even though I feel like that Prison School still retained some of its twisted, perverse soul to the bitter end, I'll concede that the later parts were the weakest sections by far. Anyways, on to the elephant in the room...

I gotta address the ending. I'll try to do it as spoiler-free as possible. First off, I will concede that it wasn't the best choice it could have been. I think that 3-5 resolution chapters following the climax would've been the best solution. I will also concede that the ending was definitely abrupt. If there was an extra page or two to use as an establishing shot to transition into it, then maybe it wouldn't have come off as so ham-fisted.

But it WASN'T as bad as what people said. Look at my list; I'm no stranger to terrible endings! Maybe it's because I expected it to be the worst thing ever, or maybe because I don't partake in a certain "hobby" that's popular in fandoms, but seriously... it was not terrible.

If you end up reading this manga, just don't assume it's going to end in a specific way no matter what the context is and you should be fine(-ish)!

Characters- 8/10: The characters are solid, easily distinguishable design-wise, and about what you'd expect from a manga like this.

The clash between drama and stupidity also enhances the character arcs. A lot of really interesting relationships form around really stupid things, like a yaoi spin on ancient Japanese history, or masochism.

If I were to pick a bad character arc, it would probably have to be the chairman of the school. Even though he's a well-designed, memorable man, he's literally discarded later on and given a sideplot which matters only once in the main story and that's it. Poor guy... but other than that everyone is pretty darn good.

Art- 10/10: In all honesty, the whole review should've been THIS, because THIS is what the whole manga hinges on.

The art is detailed and extremely expressive. To compare this to similar manga, I do think that Grand Blue does this style a lot better. But Prison School's presentation is still bold and powerful by itself.

Enjoyment- 9/10: Yeah, I'm giving this a 9, even after all I've been through. The early and middle parts are so juicy that the later parts merely stopped me from giving this manga a 10/10.

If you're open to seeing a LOT of explicit scenes then by all means, give this manga a try!

I've been recently developing a jealousy toward the Slice of Life genre. These days it feels like the only kind of manga/anime that can ever get a positive consensus anymore are super subdued, comfortably paced, character driven emotional dramas or comedies which have easily relatable characters and also touch on real life social and emotional issues. But on the other side of the coin, it's still a genre with a lot of great titles under it and this manga is one of them.

Story- 8/10: This is your standard highschool-based slice of life with a twist, twist being the adult main character. But unlike doing something ... cosmetic like making one of the main characters deaf (Koe no Katachi) or a penguin caricature (Oyasumi Punpun), the twist here actually substantially changes how the setting is looked upon, and in a way that adults can enjoy arguably more than teenagers (since the MC is an adult).

However, like in Koe no Katachi, any scene where the twist of premise is not utilized makes the story feel like a copy paste Slice of Life. Granted, having a truly original story is next to impossible these days. But since a bog standard Slice of Life is literally just REAL life, I find that a problem since I personally don't read things for a real life-type experience.

In all honesty though, when the characters who are secretly adults get to interact with the normal teens, it's a very interesting read. Fortunately, that at least DOES happen a majority of the time.

The only other real complaint is some beating around the bush at the end, but if you can get through Prison School's cavalry arc, then this is nothing.

Art- 7/10: This is the first and only manga I have read entirely in full color. And THANK GOODNESS it was in full color because that's the whole saving grace of it. The characters are really flat, bland, and inexpressive, BUT...

...the BACKGROUNDS are where the expressiveness comes in. Well, not the backgrounds as in, the school or the town. I mean the backgrounds as in, the mysterious void that the manga panels float in. That... place?... changes color and texture in response to stuff happening, which easily offsets how boring the people look. Granted, I think the abstract art of Oyasumi Punpun does a better job at having "expressive backgrounds", but the presentation here is good enough.

Characters- 9/10: Since it's a Slice of Life, the characters are the driving force. The most interesting people are obviously the adults who are pretending to be teenagers (I'm using plural because the MC has ReLIFE employees alongside him during this whole thing). Buuuuuut as I said before everyone else is, well, normal.

If you're no stranger to the genre, you can probably guess what direction each and every character arc goes in. But their arcs are represented well in the background art I mentioned earlier.

Overall- 9/10: This is a solid Slice of Life manga, that's all there is to it. I'd easily recommend other Slices of Life such as Mahoutsukai no Yome and Uchuu Kyoudai (well just those two really) over this one. But ReLIFE ain't bad for what it is.