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This won't be a long review simply because this show doesn't have a lot to talk about, nor would I say it has an audience large enough to justify one.

Pon no Michi (The Way of Pon) feels like your run-of-the-mill style CGDCT/slice of life anime, and to me, that'd be fine as I rarely ever find a show like this were I don't like anything about it. Problem is, Pon no Michi is woefully plain for a slice-of-life/CGDCT anime that at points it is rather tedious to sit through.
Pon no Michi advertises itself as a slice-of-life/CGDCT anime all about the strategy tabletop game Mahjong. If ... you look at the genres/themes side for this anime you'll notice it says supernatural, but, trust me, don't get excited for anything grandiose on that front as I'll get into shortly. One of the huge cruxes that plagues this show is just how much mahjong really has nothing to do with the show. There's no competitions, nothing of high stakes is ever present and everything is just presented as good old harmless fun. Which, don't get me wrong, I have no issue with, but it just lacks substance and is made to feel like mahjong just takes a backseat to whatever the characters are doing.

Let's talk about the characters now and the most critical aspect of having a CGDCT anime is having your characters be fun to watch. Well, sad to say, the characters are so one-note, 1-dimensional and mostly devoid of a personality that isn't a trope, cliche or sterotype. Nashiko's a typical ball of energy, good natured protag. Izumi's a textbook tomboy. Riche is your rich ojou-sama type. Haneru is a stoic yet serious character who at least has to the best design out of all the characters. As for Pai.... she has no real identifying traits to her personality and is the most forgettable. Then there's Chonbo, which leads me to the next point where this show fails at ultilizing its components.

What even is the point of Chonbo in this show? From the first episode he is introduced as a spirit of mahjong and literally the only thing he ever does in the show is help motivate Nashiko to learn mahjong and by extension open up the parlor for her friends to play with her. AND THAT IS IT! His presence in the show is so minimal I have to question once again why he even exists in the first place. Only Nashiko hears him, he contributes nothing to the activities the girls undertake and nothing about why he's present and for what purpose does he have is nevered brought into question. If his role is to be a mascot character then that'd be fine, but he does nothing and is barely ever present in most episodes. It's just baffling and frustrating that you have this supernatural aspect to your show, but it contributes next to nothing about the show and half the time you just forget that Chonbo is even a part of it.

The only somewhat enjoyment I had was the nods and references to other shows like Saki or Akagi/Kaigi, but after awhile it is tiring especially when the show already had an issue with it's own identity.

Pon no Michi is quite the letdown, honestly. Speaking as someone who enjoys a lot of slice-of-life/CGDCT anime, this one did so little for me that it's just best being a forgotten addition to those genres. If you want a show about mahjong with cute girls in it, just watch Saki.

There are so many words I could use on how Sousou no Frieren was able to make me feel, and believe me, narrowing them all down feels like I'm doing a disservice to the series because they all feel equal in the range of emotions. It's bittersweet. It's a journey. It's an experience. It's, all intents and purposes, a modern day masterpiece of emotionally charged storytelling.

Right off the bat, Sousou no Frieren does not shy away from tackling the most poignant questions of life. What is the point of our existence? What's our purpose in life? What does it all mean in the end if ... we're only going to cease to exist eventually? All of this and more as Frieren - the heroine in this story - tries to understand the matters that may seem trivial to a being that is immortal to the passage of time, but to us mere mortals they are all fleeting.

The show does an immaculate job of creating this beautiful world where, even though the threat of the demon lord has been absolved, the lives of those who inhabit it still go about their everyday lives full of uncertainty. The shows attention to detail is on point and it can be perfectly visible through a variety of ways. The scenic and landscape shots give the series a very serene and tranquil feel to it and you feel how lively and expressive the world is through these shots.
The action scenes, though not as prominently featured in such a series, are absolutely stunning when given the opportunity to display the capabilities of studio Madhouse. From Fern's Zoltraak to the second trial of the mages exam against the replicas in a dungeon, the visual presentation is outstanding and I could gush more about other visual delights present in the series, but you get the picture.

In case it wasn't made clear on the offset, the show is one huge, great and seemingly neverending journey. Not just physicalluy and literally, but I feel it is also a journey metaphorically, emotionally and spiritually. Frieren, herself, serves as a proxy of sorts for the viewers on this journey with her and her companions. Through her eyes we witness countless examples of the value of life and how precious it all is. The concept of death is something Frieren is rather unperturbed by and only by experiencing this kind of loss, herself, is she able to have an understanding of how important one's life is.

Frieren as a character is a tricky can of worms to unpack. There are many quirks to her character and she, for the most part, seems unwilling or incapable of expressing any kind of real emotion. This lack of emotion of character is not an inherently bad thing though as it provides a plethora of situations for Frieren to grow as a character.
Over the course of the show, we get to see Frieren develop more as a character, she matures more as the show goes on (which is strange since she's a being having lived for multiple centuries) and values those around her. One of my favourite quirks to her character is the way she expresses her interests towards magic. It's a hobby to her and she will take any request given to her if it involves a grimoire as a reward. On the surface, there really is nothing more to it than that, but then you learn that it's because of Frieren's master who exposed her to the world of magic by showing Frieren her favourite spell - one that creates a bed of flowers - that was what really opened her eyes and gave a driving force for Frieren to pursue her own purpose in life. Not only that, but it was this same spell that Frieren showed a young Himmel when they first met. It's interactions like these that perfectly exemplify that everything has a purpose, and not just in terms of talking about the shows going-ons.

Another thing that I do enjoy a lot about this series is the everexpanding cast of characters and all the things they bring to the series. It's actually refreshing to see so many side characters being utilized in ways that not only make sense from a story perspective, but are also to add a dimension of depth you'd typically not see with other series that would just have their side characters as window dressing and not utilize them to their proper potential.
Whether it's the demon troupe from early on in the series, the characters that come and go just as quickly, or the cast of mages for the exam portion of the series they all have a purpose and some are more multi-dimensional than first realized.

The series is one hell of a journey - which is quite apropos actually - that I found myself so enraptured in from start to finish. As someone who adores the manga so much, having an anime adaptation of something you adore - and be this faithful to - just leaves me so thankful to everyone involved in the production of this series. I cannot recommend this show enough to everyone to at least experience this modern day masterclass of anime. Even if you're not into fantasy setting, or slower paced series you still owe it to yourself to see why this anime (and series as a whole) has garnered such monumental amounts of universal acclaim.

It's no doubt anime of the year, but daresay anime of the decade as well. It's a must-watch for fantasy lovers, slice of life enjoyers, those who enjoy a lot of emotion in their shows, those who enjoy character driven stories and the adventurous.

This review is for both seasons of Hikari no Ou since they are of the same quality there is no need for a seperate review.

It's nice to know that in the year in between seasons there was no care taken to impove the quality of the show. If you weren't a fan of the disgusting hodgepodge of an artstyle and very poor animation quality of the first season, then I see little you'll find redeemable about this series as a whole in the visual presentation department. It's so laughably poor that it's convinced some viewers it's somehow avant-garde and is an artistic choice the staff ... intentionally set out to achieve. Wrong! Absolutely no care was given and this series is the prime example of production costs affecting the final products' quality.

It's a real damn shame, because on the surface, I can see a story and somewhat cohesive plot that wants to be told so badly. However, the abyssmal quality of the show is too much of a distraction and it becomes a huge detremit to enjoying or trying to understand just what is supposed to be happening.

Another point of criticism is the amount of infodumping and layers of exposition being thrown at you for the major part of the entire series, but nothing being done in terms of progression. It's almost suffocating in a way because you don't get a moments respite before the show proceeds with more infodumping from another party. Like, I deperately want to understand what is happening because I'm intriqued and want answers as to what and where the show will ultimately go, but it becomes a chore and a slog trying to recount everything that has been told to us up until that point and hope it all makes sense and is connected.

The only priase I can give it, and really it's only somewhat saving grace, is it's OST and voice acting cast. There are some nice ambient pieces present in the series if you're able to hear them and not be too distracted by the visual adomination. There are some very talented voice actors the series somehow managed to wrangle and it's such a shame that they have to add this slog of a series to their catalogue's of projects they have worked on. Kuno Misaki, Hayami Saori, Ishida Akira and Miyano Mamoru, just to name a few of some of the notable members of the voice actor cast, were given the unenviable task of working on this anime and putting their talents to waste.

There really is nothing more for me to say on just how painfully disrespectful this adaptation turned out to be. The statistics on MAL really do speak for itself on just how bad this show turned out to be. It somehow manages a considerably lower score than it's first season and the amount of members dropped by around 75% at the time of this review. If not for Yakusoku no Neverlands abyssmal and highly disrespectful second season, I dare say Hikari no Ou's second season could be considered the worst follow-up season in all of anime especially in terms of numbers. To have a follow-up season score so badly by a considerably smaller fraction of people is nothing short of embarassing.

I can't, won't and don't recommend this series to anyone. It's too much of a embarassment to even be enjoyed ironically. While the first season was nothing at all special, little could we know of how much of a harbinger of things to come it would eventually turn out to be.

When the announcement came that Studio Shaft was going to adapt an entry into the ever expansive Fate series I was legitimately looking forward to it with bated breath, but admittedly a little skeptical. The Fate franchise is one that I hold very highly and each adaptation, somehow or another, managing to keep my love and adulation for the series growing strong. So couple that with Studio Shaft at the helm this time, being one of my favorite anime production studios with such great works like Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series being their most acclaimed series, needless to say I was very much hyped.

However, ... Shafts take into the Fate series was one met with a very conflicting and polarizing opinion form not only Fates core fanbase, but from pretty much anyone who viewed it. Those that are familiar with the Fate franchise know of two primary entries – Fate/Zero and Unlimited Blade Works – and how the action present within these Fate series is some of the most spectacular ever presented in anime. Of course that opinion is hotly debated, the best part about all the Fate entries is their ability to captivate the audience and immerse them in the action.

Fate/Extra takes an alternate approach though, and opts to go in the style that Shaft has built a solid reputation out of; philosophical and a heavy dialogue driven plot met with their avant-garde and surrealistic use of cinematography. The focus of this series does not lie within the flashy and thrilling action scenes that the viewers of previous Fate iterations are accustomed to, and while there are prominent action scenes that do take place, it is a character driven plot layered with mystery set within an alternative timeline/setting.

So let’s talk a bit about the plot (I will obviously avoid revealing too many spoilers) and try to understand why so many people came out of this series either confused, let down, or a mixture of anything in between.
So if you are at all familiar with the Fate series you kind of understand the basics, Extra works similar to any other Fate series in the same way where a number of masters are given the opportunity to do battle against other masters using servants summoned based on various historical figures. They compete against one another to win the coveted prize; the Holy Grail – a mysterious object that grants the victor a wish they desire most. However, instead of a grail, the wish granting object in Extra is an enigmatic computer called the Moon Cell Automaton and the entire tournament is happening within a virtual space where magic is permitted.
Essentially it is a ‘last man standing’ or battle royale type of deal.
Our main character – Kishinami Hakuno – gets roped into competing in this virtual war and seemingly has no recollection of why he is involved, as well as ‘who he is’. As the case most of the time, he is reluctant to be a part of something he doesn’t understand, but is eventually persuaded that he will find the answers to his questions if he does go through with it. To do so he must traverse and ascend seven floors in total within the virtual space to reach the goal, with the aid of his acquired servant of course. Since the series is shrouded in mystery most of the time, a lot of important plot details are either left lacking explanation or just not mentioned at all. The details regarding Moon Cell’s actuality as well as various characters involvements tend to be on the lacking side.

Speaking of characters, in all honesty it just felt that the majority of characters introduced were harshly underdeveloped with a lot of backstory not really justifying certain characters involvement with the virtual war. Many supporting characters only get a handful of scenes – or rather, sometimes just one episode – with the focus on them. It’s another issue present within Extra; it’s not very well-paced and the characters suffer the most from it. Ten episodes were not enough to get invested and wanting to know more about the other masters and servants. Primary character focus constantly shifted between Hakuno and his servant, Saber (I will omit from revealing her actual identity since it is a spoiler), with Hakuno initially showing no motivation in the war and only really caring about finding out his own identity. Hakuno is a mystery himself, and with him being an amnesiac he is essentially a default player in a game.
His servant, Saber, is a total opposite from him. From the moment she appears she makes sure to let you know that she is a big deal. She displays a very arrogant, confident and vain personality which is highly contrary to the OG Saber of Fate/stay night’s stoic and expressionless demeanour. This personality, with her heavily vain mannerisms, is no setback or negative as it simply makes her that much more enjoyable to watch; essentially carrying the series herself. As with all servants though, she is extremely loyal and displays total confidence in not only her capabilities, but that of Hakuno’s as well.
Lastly, the final character worth mentioning – and a much welcome return – is Toosaka Rin who is the only major returning character. Though her role in Extra is reduced to the supporting role section, I personally was relieved to see her back in a Fate series with her being my favourite. Her motivation and role for joining Hakuno and Sabers journey is also left a little unexplained properly at the beginning much like all the other supporting masters and servants, but later towards the end we get some clarity regarding her role.

Now let’s move on to what is arguably the most positive element that nearly anyone agrees on; the art and animation. If you are at all familiar with Shaft’s art style over the years then you know what you’re going to get. It true Shaft fashion the show is filled to the brim with avant-garde and extremely surreal visuals on top of the studios trademark animation quirks and tropes (i.e. head-tilts, close-ups, quick changing transitions between scenes). No moment where this was on more display than during the Wonderland-esque floor. I seriously got Madoka Magica déjà vu during these moments. On the whole, the art may not be the closest to Shafts best, but it does not detract from the overall quality of the show. The animation in battle sequences, though admittedly fewer than I would have liked, is above par despite being nothing special by Fates standards. This is perfectly shown off during the opening and is actually a thing of beauty in retrospect watching Saber show her stuff. Some people found issue with the way some of the characters were designed, most notably Saber, Rin and Shinji too, but this was fine and I just think people overreacting since they pretty much now associate ufotables designs as the norm for the Fate characters. I found no issue to bring aside from Rins attire (why sleeveless all of a sudden) and Nursery Rhyme’s color scheme being different from what I have seen.

I’ll briefly cover the sound and music since I found little to gripe about here as well. Fates OST’s tend to opt for more thematic and epic scores when it comes to the choreographed battle sequences and to times where moments are ominous and foreboding on what is to come. Extra is no different in this department, despite not really having any outstanding music like in Zero and Unlimited Blade Works, it still manages to add a level of immersion for the viewers to get invested in what is happening. Extras dialogue is made to be delivered as if you were watching a theatrical performance of a play and that is essential what the show tries to make it set out to look like (though I don’t know if that was their intention) with the central focus coming from the exposition that accommodates more than a majority of Extras running time each episode.
Fate/Extras opening and ending themes are both nicely used and both harmoniously go hand-in-hand with the accompanying animation sequences.

To conclude this review now I’ll just say that while I can agree that Fate/Extra: Last Encore is by no means anywhere close to being as good as almost any other Fate out there it is still not the worst though. That honour remains a tie between Fate/Apocrypha (because with how badly the second-half was executed) and Fate/kaleids third season (for focusing more on everyday life rather than magical battles). I think too many people felt like the show was less action packed and too dialogue heavy. While they aren’t wrong, it’s not entirely a bad thing though. For me, the pacing was Extras biggest issue. Here’s hoping that the planned sequel can improve on what the show needed.

Story --- 7/10 --- Interesting concept for Fate, but unfortunately was too rushed in the end and many answers needed more in detail explanation.

Characters --- 8/10 --- Solid likable lead cast, few favourites return. Underdeveloped supporting characters however needed to be more fleshed out.

Art & Animation --- 9/10 --- It’s Shaft after all, their outstanding surrealistic visuals are on full display.

Sound & Music --- 8/10 --- Catchy opening and ending, as well as the same orchestral and thematic style of music that has become a stable of Fates series’.

Enjoyment --- 8/10 --- While I do wish the series did have more action, I was not upset with a more dialogue driven series since Shaft has been opting for these more often now.

If you made it all the way through this review, thank you for reading. UMU! Feedback is appreciated as I am considering doing more reviews in the upcoming seasons.

Rather than writing a detailed review the likes of this disgrace doesn’t even deserve, I’m going to instead list some fair warnings for anyone who would be remotely interested in checking this disaster piece out and why you should AVOID it.

Let us begin:

1. If you discover this and see the score and think “How bad could it be?” you probably should AVOID it.
2. If you’re a same person that said that said it can’t be worse than the likes of Berserk (2016), Big Order or even Pupa, then you’d best AVOID it.
3. If you somehow believed, after reading the synopsis given, that you will be in store ... for something monumentally promising, you probably should AVOID it.
4. If you believe the displaying image for the anime makes the anime look more promising and you’re going to be greeted with an aesthetically pleasing anime to watch, you’re going to want to AVOID it.
5. If you’re not a fan of 2D character designs rendered on top of 3D backgrounds, or in general, have an issue with jarring and nauseating art and animation, you’d best AVOID it and giving yourself a headache.
6. If you hate weak willed main characters that have no clear or concise goal to either achieve or aspire to realise and if strong and capable characters are what you like in an anime, then AVOID it at all costs.
7. If you can’t stand an over-saturation of pretty much any and all clichéd character archetype and stereotype with them all being hopelessly uninteresting with very little (to none) character plot, progression or development, then AVOID it.
8. If you hate inconsistent plots that go back and forth from being action packed to taking a back and contributing absolutely nothing to what the show is even remotely about with said action scenes only delaying and stalling the plot because it has nowhere to go, then you must AVOID it.
9. If you were put off within any point during the first episode and have an optimistic approach and think it could get better as it goes on, then sadly you must AVOID it.
10. Finally, if you’re someone who is not fond of pointless fan service, cringe inducing performances and dialogue that will make you facepalm, then I implore you to AVOID it.

If none of the above actually matters to you, then maybe Hand Shakers might be right up your alley. Either that or you’re an extreme masochist that gets off from watching trainwreck anime. I hope you enjoy it and not suffer any prolonging mental illnesses in the process. May your nausea and headaches be more minimal than the ones I had to suffer.