- Last OnlineFeb 1, 2:32 PM
- JoinedMar 29, 2015
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jan 24, 2025
Welcome to Magic School! Saitama-kun
Mashle is a parody anime that stitches together common tropes from a number of recently popular shows and intellectual properties to shape it's own self-aware comedic take on the ridiculously OP MC, this time at a magic school. Self-aware anime can risky being corny or heavy-handed, Mashle manages to make it funny. The show skillfully wields its clichés, blending them into a fun world with interesting or likable characters. Even if the show and it's characters are all jokes, they're well-written ones.
The series obviously doesn't take itself too seriously and often pokes fun at itself. However, there are a few aspects
...
of the universe which are still excessively dumb even in a universe not meant to be taken seriously. While the show doesn't do anything groundbreaking, it delivers an entertaining mashup of familiar elements, and does it better than most.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Dec 13, 2024
I found this an enjoyable watch. I liked the premise of the show, that the MC had been reincarnated multiple times as this gave an in-universe explanation for how smart, talented, and wise they were. I enjoyed seeing MC establish herself in this timeline and also the way she is shown to draw on past experiences to make certain decisions or uses her previously learned skills to succeed in different ways. Outside of MC and her fiancé only a few side characters get much development but when they do it is appreciated. The whole love angle and trying to turn her fiancé towards a brighter
...
future than those of her previous lives is a respectable premise. The romance aspect of this show isn't really the part that interests me, but it was done well enough that it wasn't unpleasant or disruptive.
So I guess this isn't technically, strictly an isekai but it shares many of the common elements, maybe call it a re:sekai since we are dealing with an OP MC who has foreknowledge of the world. I have to say I enjoy how much of an unabashedly good person the MC is. In a lot of isekai you can end up with a naïve MC who tries to be 'good' without really having any reason whereas with Rishe you get the idea that she developed this goodness out of the wisdom she gained over her many lifetimes and that it doesn't come from naivety, but from a well developed sense of compassion and understanding of the lives of others. Since she has lived so many lives it makes sense that she can empathize with others so strongly. The way the MC is portrayed makes it seem like she is a good person because of her beliefs and convictions, instead of generically good MCs who try to be generally good just because that's what generic MCs do.
Maybe some elements of the show could have been even better, but there weren't any blatantly bad parts of this show, which are things that often take me out of enjoying an anime. So while this show may not reach the greatest heights, the way it avoids many pitfalls to pull off it's story in an enjoyable way is commendable. I would look forward to another season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Oct 6, 2024
Isekai Shikkaku takes a different angle on the standard isekai in an attempt to stay fresh in a genre that is plagued by staleness. I think it has an interesting concept with a MC who wants to die, has no interest in saving the word, and stubbornly upholds their basic personal ideals of being a self-destructive, depressed author. But as far as putting everything together to create an interesting and enjoyable story thing fell a bit flat. Also the pacing on this show both across the season and even within episodes seems to struggle at times.
The whole concept of the MC being suicidal is
...
kind of a mixed bag. I think it gets interesting when it actually effects fights, or the direction of the plot. But when it is used half jokingly or just to remind everyone how destructive the MC is it just makes everything feel depressing. I guess maybe there are some people who might find the MC's attitude of not caring about life to be 'cool' but to me it just seems juvenile and trite. I do enjoy that they decided to have suicidal character, I think that is a very interesting approach but they didn't really make him likable or sympathetic so I just don't really empathize with the MC at all even as someone who has dealt with depression, I think he is more fool than cool. I guess the contrast between the character's attitude and the lighthearted attitude of his companions and the jokey approach the anime occasionally takes otherwise were supposed to be a funny combination but it just didn't really work for me.
I think the show had a fresh enough approach to isekai that it kept me interested in seeing how it would do things, but I didn't ever really find myself connecting to the world or the main character. When character development happens it is nice, but it can be a bit sparse and slow coming. While the show has an interesting take, I am not sure I care about the characters, the world, or the MCs mission in life. So while the original concept and fresh take on isekai was enough to make me stick around and watch, I can't say I ended up loving the way it was executed. I think the MC's nonchalant and disinterested attitude made me feel the same way about the show. The MC doesn't really care and I never really found why I should either.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
Sep 25, 2024
Tries way too hard to be grimdark and disturbing. I like me some trash isekai but this show is so one dimensional, and in a way that I don't like that I struggled to even make it the three episodes. But I pushed through just so I could write a review to remind myself why I shouldn't come back and watch it later. All about gore, off-putting imagery, dark feelings, negativity, etc.. Characters being fleshed out is just revealing more of their dark side. If you like isekai and grimdark then you might love this show, but it is the kind of anime I avoid
...
like the plague. I'd be in a better mood if I went and watched Schindler's list than watching any more of this grim, depressing shlock.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 28, 2024
I originally bounced off this anime after a few episodes but when I heard there was second season I thought about it again and came back. The story isn't really immediately obvious and you are kind of figuring it out along with the main character. Once you get an idea of the story it is telling and we learn more you can look back and appreciate how events influenced each other and the MC. The main character starts out childish but getting to see how they grow is a central component of the story and I think it is done well. I also enjoy that
...
the MC has real concrete reasons that cause him to become a goody good and that is incorporated with the story and who the character is. So many generic isekai characters seem to have no real motivation where here we really get to see why the character becomes who they are.
I have to say this show has a definite Hallmark edge to it, being overly sappy and pure at times, and actually I'm all here for it. I've been wondering about an isekai that would work in this kind of way with the character's motivations being divinely oriented too. I always thought that a very devout MC would be cool and I think it works if you can get into it. I don't think this schtick will be for everyone but for me the spiritual/divine aspect dealing with souls, gods, and other topics in a reverent manner was an enjoyable angle for me.
I think this show takes some understanding and acceptance to kind of go along with what it is trying to preach. If you can accept the story and its tone you will find it develops well and can be enjoyable to watch. This show can definitely grow on you if you let it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 18, 2024
Solidly put together, decent writing, and above average animation. There is nothing about this show that is over the top special, but it is consistently good and enjoyable in about every measure. If "overpowered shounen level up in a fantasy world" is the kind of thing that sounds up your alley then just watch this show because it does the genre very well.
I have really enjoyed the feel of the show and general direction of the story. This show has all kinds of elements that I enjoy in an anime and it has very few things that I could criticize. I am generally a
...
somewhat critical watcher but this show has me just sitting back and enjoying the show. If you can suspend you disbelief about how logical the game Shangri La itself would actually be with so much unique content made that only 1 person or group out of 30 million is ever going to experience, but besides that kind of inconsistency the show uses the video game angle pretty effectively as a plot device.
I have been impressed with some of the fight scenes, their length, and frequency. The first season so far has not lacked for action and the other pleasant thing is that the animation quality of fights and just in general has been consistently good and I haven't noticed them cut corners in one place to have time for something else, it seems like they took their time to make this show just how they wanted it.
I also appreciate the slow burn of a potential love-interest with the character. Making that a very small and slowly progressing aspect of the story is preferable to me to a lot of the love at first sight stories we often see, or worse yet, harem-building.
I didn't know anything about this show coming in and was ready to enjoy some random trash but this show turned out to be a great surprise.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Sep 11, 2023
People complain about generic trash isekai... Eminence in Shadow takes all the generic isekai plot points, plus a few other lame tropes from other anime genres - throws them in a blender and then farts all that malodorous slop directly into your face. At least the generic isekai know they are generic and embrace it. This show tries to be extra with it, like it thinks it's better because it's dark or subverts expectations, but I think actually makes it even more cringe than something that is actually generic.
There were several times in the first few episodes where I just closed it and stopped
...
watching because it felt so lame. Unfortunately I have watched nearly all the other isekai out there and I am an isekai addict so I kept coming back(for a while), but whereas I can normally accept the dreariness of a lame show, this one somehow grinds my gears. I guess that is a testament that it isn't completely forgettable, but I feel like the story thinks it is clever by purposely taking weird turns while I just find it childish.
Rather than creating real tension or drama it feels more like a collection of "haha, gotcha" moments with the story twisting this way or that, so much to the point that you aren't even surprised or don't care when it seems like things are going one way then turn out another. To me, it borders on insulting how obvious this gets while acting like its crap don't stink.
The directing and pacing of this show is just bad, things seem to jump from one thing to another, or it seems like other parts get skipped. Some scenes just feel randomly inserted. The show as a whole feels disjointed. This show also heavily relies on built-in watchbait to get you to keep watching. Bringing things up in a mysterious way, teasing that there is something important and then not explaining anything is a very regular trick of this show. Some crap that doesn't make sense or is purposely left unexplained to make you wonder "wait, what is going on there?" so you have to watch 3 more episodes to get an explanation.
The fan service in this show is distractingly bad. I'm not typically one that cares one way or the other about its presence in anime, but I can't help but notice it in EiS because it almost always feels totally out of place, and I think it serves as a good microcosm of how poorly put together this show actually is. It genuinely feels like they had one animation team make the anime, and then when it was done, somebody noticed they forgot to add in any fan service so then they went back and just edited in disjointed fan service shots every couple of minutes. Every dedicated fan service shot seems to be jankily framed, like some of them you know it's coming before it even happens because the camera is in some weird spot and zoomed in on something, then a woman walks in front of the shot and it's suddenly focused on her thigh gap or something. They also aren't even good and usually it's just something weird or creepy. Like one of them is a zoom in on a girls mouth as she teasingly inserts an oblong brown object(ostensibly chocolate, but it absolutely looks like she is lovingly sucking down a turd) into her mouth and then licks her lips for 10 seconds, like it is so out of place, unappreciated, and feels added in. I don't know what kind of thirsty stuff kids go for these days, but it seems very teasing and weird with the way it handles fan service. That's pretty much the same feeling all of these shots have, they are less tittilating and more just freaking weird and out of place.
Which that brings me to another point. Guess what the end credits of every episode is? It's a fan service image with pieces missing that slowly get filled in. Which is actually the perfect analogy for the entire show: vapid, meaningless, and incomplete - but alright to look at if you are a drooling, brainless, nerd who only cares about lowbrow thrills.
If you are juvenile enough to think being predictably edgy, irreverent, and subverting of expectations is genius, you might like this show. If you are attentive enough to have seen that too many times in other media and gotten bored with it, this will seem lame in how it thinks it's cool for doing so. I normally don't call even bad isekai trash, but I think this one is actual trash masquerading as a good show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jul 4, 2023
I hope they learn from this and avoid rush outsourcing any more episodes of Mushoku Tensei ever again, it's not worth it. I watched this without knowing it was from a different production company and I was quite upset about the prospect of the entire season being like this. If this was what MT became then I wonder how long I'd keep watching.
It didn't take 10 seconds for me to realize something was up with the animation quality and the entire episode I was noticing more and more rough edges. Rough lines, muted color pallete, shoddy movement, tons of closeups or still shots, lack
...
of character detail - and that's just talking about the stuff that was animated. Beyond that they resorted to numerous CG background characters that stuck out like a sore thumb. They had several shots where you could easily spot that they reused the same generic character model multiple times in close proximity to each other. It was like an old video game where you see the same character model in the crowd every 3 seats. That kind of shoddy laziness or crunched corner cutting doesn't belong in Mushoku Tensei.
They didn't even try to make the magic look cool at all. One of the most remarkable things about the first season was how spectacular and memorable it made the magic and even sword skills look which gave a sense of amazement, depth, and realness to the world. Here we got a generic CG blue ball for a water spell and some wispy white lines for wind spells.
All that isn't even getting to the direction and pacing which almost seemed as questionable at times. I knew the story from the light novels but this episode seems like too many things shoved together and not well. The development within a scene felt weird and it seemed to jerkily go from one thing to another without properly setting things up or transitioning.
Mushoku Tensei is supposed to be special among the isekai, but when they cut corners and lower themselves to the level of their cheap imitators, it's a disappointing, embarrassing waste of source material. I thought they made Studio Bind because they wanted to do Mushoku Tensei justice, outsourcing the animation to a random studio to complete on a crunched schedule isn't doing that. I sincerely hope the rest of season 2 is a return to form and will be anxiously awaiting future episodes to see.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 7, 2023
Basic fun but ultimately it goes nowhere. The show is too focused on being overly gratuitous with the cooking and eating that it wastes its potential at every turn. What little we see of the world is interesting and well done, but time and time again any of that is cut short so that more food can be cooked and ate. Episode after episode it repeats the same notes and boils down the same cooking show. I wanted more of everything outside of the food. The food works great as a plot device, but is instead treated as the unwavering center-point. It could be such
...
a great jumping off point to explore the world and characters or build bonds through food, like a travel/exploration show, it could use the food cooking in so many interesting ways, but it refuses to elevate itself past anything more than low-brow food porn. They have all the pieces here but limited themselves and never grew past the same simple beats which are established in the first few episodes. I was gorged for food but left hungry for more advancement of the story, world, and characters.
I am very mixed on this because I started out really enjoying the show but I feel it spun its wheels a lot and I was disappointed in it not doing a lot more. It seems like it has all the potential and capability to do more, but the show continually chooses not to. I get that deconstructing an isekai like this means changing things, but I feel they went too far or made choices for the wrong reasons at times and unnecessarily held the show back. They pushed the slice of life angle way too hard even when it actively took away from the show. At times it genuinely felt like they were genuinely teasing the audience about how little they could have the characters do other than eat food.
I think they needed to find other ways for the MC to use food other than to satisfy his and his party's gluttonous hunger. Those moments happened and teased the potential of so many interesting ideas, but they were infrequent, sold short, and rarely expanded upon. Those were like many other parts of the show where you saw interesting flashes and peeks of where the story could go - but instead the MC and his party go back to just doing what they did the day before and will do again the next day. It seems like the story and everything else moves less than half as fast as it should because of the repetitive gratuitousness of the food porn holding things back to a painful degree which takes away from the general enjoyability of the show.
I like the show and I didn't like it, I liked the MC in some ways and thought he was flat and stupid in others. It will really depend how much you can turn your brain off or accept the flatness of certain situations as to whether you will be able to enjoy the simple fun and exploration there is, or if the shortcomings and repetitiveness will drive you wild.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Mar 26, 2023
Decent concept but a lot of things are off about this anime. Weird and ultimately not entertaining for me. Every single character has to have some kind of gimmick to make them abnormal/deficient. And the way each character has a unique trait or foible almost makes them feel cliché or token instead of unique or having character. The short sketch nature of this show partly feels like a coverup for bad/lazy writing and not having to connect scenes or introduce characters. It also feels like it is tailored for people with very short attention spans. This show distinctly feels like it is made to
...
appeal to less mature viewers.
Also, it's not clear to me if this show as supposed to be funny. I don't think there is a single moment that would make anyone laugh or even slightly chuckle in the first 4 episodes. The reason I bring this up is because it almost seemed like it was trying to be funny, but it was so far from being funny I wasn't sure, so maybe that's my bad. If it wasn't supposed to be funny in the slightest then they achieved that perfectly.
I liked the concept for the story, and also the fact that it wasn't an immediate harem fest, but things just felt off about this show. I realized I wasn't being entertained by it at all. It feels very much like some kind of after school special to make kids feel better about their shortcomings and not being perfect. It also felt like it had some weird tone like it wanted to set itself up to convey some kind of social message about equality or discrimination and ableism or something, I don't know, but it felt like there was some kind of preachy message brewing underneath.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
