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As someone who was a fan of Crisis Core as a child, this was a pleasant watch. Of course, this episode was nothing more than a little treat for fans of this franchise than for fans of anime in general, there is just too little you can showcase in just one episode besides the animation, voice acting and action, which were handled very well, it reminds me of Death Note quite a lot. It's a shame though, as if this anime were to be extended to 12 or 24 episodes, I'm sure it would've reached the micro-classic status, but let's just be happy we got ... this much. 7/10

When I first saw Garouden announced on the Netflix Anime channel, I will admit, I was interested and looking up to give it a watch, however, after finishing all 8 episodes, I came to a conclusion, one I am not content with, but must voice and accept.
Garouden is not as special as it makes itself to be, especially when it comes to the story it tells. It has a lot of potential, I'd say it has even more potential than the likes of Hajime No Ippo and Megalobox, but the writers failed to put it up that shelf above the two. Except for the main ... character (Makio), no one really has anything going on for their character. No one stands out, and no one has what it takes to stand out, they are only some assets that help Makio elevate in his own story, which is the biggest crime this anime has unknowingly commited and many of us would overlook. The plot is pretty decent, it's enough to grab your attention in the span of the 20 minutes an episode goes on for, but it is offensively innofensive at times, and does not bring much new in the world of anime.
There are many flaws in the writing, but it's still debatable, some people will resonate with it more than I or others will, and I am okay with that, however, there is an argument which I think even the biggest haters of this anime will agree on; the choreography is actually really, REALLY good! The moves demonstrated throughout are actual moves used in actual martial arts, not just anime exaggerations as seen in the likes of Baki or even Hajime No Ippo (except for the first episode when Makio fights a bear, obviously). And the music is just as splendid and memorable, such as the intro, or even better, the ending, I LOVE it! The harmony of the acoustic guitar in the beginning followed by intense drums got me hooked like Walt's blue methamphetamine.
While I could go on and on about the music, animation, voice acting and choreography, it is still not enough to fill in the shoes the story and character development was supposed to fill, I know I'm getting too hung up on this, but if I don't care about the characters, I don't care about the story, and if I don't care about the story, I don't care about the action. Garouden is not bad by any means, I still loved it for what it served, but I was here for the main course, not the side dishes. 6/10

While this movie was fun to watch, it was underwhelming too, and this is coming from a Baki and Kengan fan who defends these two shows more than I'd defend my children from a flood. The choreography was weak, all they did was trade blows and telegraph punches, the storytelling was at the level of that of a fan fiction, and the dialogue was just: "What a formidable fighter!", "He's a worthy opponent.", "[Fighter name], it's an honor meeting you.". Overall, not the best watch, but also not the worst, the animation was pleasant to look at and the fan service was effective (at least ... for me), I just wish the outcome wasn't so predictable, but it looks like it is setting the possibility of a sequel, which I hope will not be as of a let down at this was. 6/10