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I went into this series completely blind and have to say that I am pretty glad I did. The series revolves heavily around the concept of suicide which by all means is not an easy topic to address.

The series starts out pretty strong with its first few opening episodes by establishing the world’s setting and characters. However, the story’s narrative did leave much to be desired The primus of analyzing suicide through a country’s legal system is certainly an interesting way to put this topic on display.

At the beginning of the show, the main characters were put into a situation where they were ... tasked with investigating a newly forming independent prefecture that was being established during a high profile political election. It was quickly addressed that this newly forming prefecture was being formed in order to circumvent the country’s legal system in an attempt to allow Japan to test out experimental laws/procedures that could not be implemented in a normal government structured society. Specifically, this new prefecture wanted to start the distribution of an experimental drug that induce death upon its consumption. Along with this the prefecture enacted a law that legalized suicide and this was the main starting point for the series.

At this point in the story I was assuming the series was going to continue down the path of a legal/political debates that would eventually result in the main characters of the series not only trying to find the political members of this independent prefecture guilty of a crime but also ways to try and convict them. However the narrative devolves down the path of a conspiracy that revolves around one person somehow having the absurd ability to convince anyone to commit suicide simply with their presence which end up revolting around a series of mass suicides.

The series definitely has a problem with keeping its focus during the series later half and this result in the series having a terrible ending. With all of that being said, I still did find this series quite entertaining and enjoyable as I watched through the series runtime. I really do find that the series presented the topic of suicide in a very interesting manner but it certainly could have been executed much better.

If you find you can stomach watching a series that revolves around the concept of suicide and if you are interested in seeing a somewhat unique perspective on the concept, I think it may be worth giving this series a try if you are looking for something to watch.

An encapsulating fantasy driven coming of age tale that offers a captivating and entertaining narrative. The story of this film holds a myriad of concepts/themes and does an excellent job at weaving everything together in a manner that helps to further cement the realism of the world that was created. Each character has a distinct personality as well as a clearly defined role that are even further heightened by the various elements of discourse/conflict that occurs throughout the films runtime.

The animation is wonderfully rendered with clear transitions, smooth textures, and a rather adapt color palette which is very present to see.

The musical score ... is somber/melodic in a way that captures a somewhat mournful mood while also inspiring a hint of hopefulness for the future. It really pulls at the heart strings and resonates well with the bleak atmosphere that encompasses much of the films setting.

This film seems like it was made it be accessible to audiences that are 13 or older due to it’s darker themes.

In short, an enamoring fantasy adventure with excellent world building, strong characters, and impactful narrative. I’m my book this story is a clear 9.8 easy.

High Action, High Tension and High Fuel. Those are the words that come to mind when reflecting back on the events in this film. The film starts off by throwing you directly in into the center of the story’s action by establishing the main narrative, introducing characters, incorporating the main points of conflict and just having fun with the characters. As you progress though the film you begin to see the story continuing to build on the consents that it initially established while also starting to mix in additional twist and turns in an attempt to try to spice up the general flow of progression. ... Near the end of this narrative all the various elements of this tale begin to ramp up to the degree of being borderline absurd/insane in a way that can either come off as highly spirited/engaging or overly convoluted/strange.

The animation of this film was very bright, colorful, and striking in a uniquely dazzling manor. It is very distinctive in a way that if you know about Studio Trigger, you can immediately recognize that this is one of their works. The animation was done with a combination of 2d hand drawn animation and 3d CG animation; which I find can either be a strong strength or strong weakness. If you find the striking animation style as unpleasant then it is very likely that you will end up disliking the film but if you find the animations to be more agreeable then it is possible that you would really enjoy this film.

The musical score is very punchy and energetic in a way that really resonates with the themes of the film. Several of the tracks are certainly something that could stick with the viewer well after the runtime has ended. I personally felt the the musical score was one of the strongest parts displayed in this title. Based on what was presented, it most certainly seemed like this showing was made to be accessible to audiences 10 and up.

In short, this is a fun, wacky, and action packed film that is committed to its characters following their own ideals/beliefs to the very end no matter how absurd things get. In my book I find this film to be a 7.3.

Word of worrying, This is the type of anime that you end up watching because you skim a description and see the words “seven deadly sins”,”angels”, and “Lucifer”. I was looking for a anime equivalent of Supernatural or Lucifer and some how this mess of a show pop up.

First off the series starts off by giving the illusion that it has a primus which quickly dies within literally the first minute. This is simply a shameless fan service series that I would have just preferred was called shameless fan service the anime instead of Seven Heavenly Virtues because at least then I would have ... immediately avoided this anime instead of wasting both my time and money on this title.

I really have no idea what demographic would enjoy a show just about shameless fan services but one thing is for sure and that is this show is not appropriate for younger audiences. The best thing that I can say about this series is that the animation looks ok but it personally seems like a waste considering it’s contents. I find this show a 0 in my book but because that is not an option it will be rated a 1.

In short avoid this anime and don’t waste your time/money like I have.

While watching this film one of the things that seemed to stand out the most was the sheer sense of wonder that was captured throughout the films runtime. From the first time that these characters graced the screen their naturally inquisitive natures were palpable in how they approached\viewed the world that was around them. It was because of this that from the very beginning of the film you can tell that many of the sequences that were going to be displayed were going to be quite lighthearted. While this was the case for most of the film once the story started to incorporate its elements ... of conflict, it became clear that the characters displayed had much more depth than they initially portrayed. The addition of this additional complexity truly helped to make the story much more emotional relatable as well as enjoyable.

The animation of the film is done in the signature Ghibli style which is both stylistically unique but also visually distinctive. The musical score through out the film was rather subtle and melodic in a way that seemed to embody the spirit of calm/wonder. This film was very clearly made to be accessible to younger audiences but still possesses enough discourse to be interesting to some older audiences.

In short, a rather enjoyable film that really shines the importance of valuing the simple things in life and cherishing the time that you have while you have the chance. This film stirs around a 7.7 in my book.

After rewatching this film after several years I find that Ponyo has a much deeper since of depths and nuance than what I originally picked up on as a child. The visuals still are very striking and unique. The musical score is rather engrossing and help to set the various moods\emotions that the film were trying to portray. The overall primus was rather straight forward in a way that made it very clear this enactment knew the exact story that it wanted to tell. It is because of this that I believe that while the story has a few underlying nuances it never gets to ... the point that it hinders the story’s advancement but rather enhances the films overall viewing experience.

This film is certainly something that can be enjoyed by younger audiences as well as older viewers that are looking for a fun and whimsical story with likeable\energetic characters.

In short very well done and a solid 8 of a film.