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One of the nicest romances I've watched in a while.

Is the plot and characters unrealistic? Yep. But who cares, you're watching anime. This show hits on so many good story writing points. From the pacing, to the character interactions, everything has a very romantic yet poetic atmosphere. Yes, there are some loose plot points, and yes there are some overused tropes. But even then all of these elements mix to create such a heart squeezing story.

I really do want to commend the author of this story. Its often hard to find good consistent motifs in anime these days. This story takes a page out of ... "A Silent Voice" with the theming of the deaf MC and all the imagery and things that can come from that, but also the usage of texting as a vehicle to convey feelings (something similar to what "Tsuki ga Kirei" did).

Many romance shows tend to try and create a very timeless setting and story, that way people of all ages can watch it at any year and still feel the sort of heartthrob the show tries to convey. Yet this show is clearly a modern romance, with many of the plot points being aware of the current modern culture surrounding many aspects of this show.

9/10 would recommend.

After watching the first season of Superstar, I had taken an almost 1 year break from idol shows, and so when I finally sat down to watch season 2 of Superstar, I feel like I went in with a much more different perspective than others who may have kept up a little more with the fandom.

I feel like most of the negative feelings towards season 2 of Love Live! SuperStar is based around the new members who were added into Liella. Although I understand the precious feeling towards the original unprecedentedly small cast of Liella, I don't necessarily think the added characters ruined the show ... or the group. I admit, that some of the introductions and induction into the club felt a bit forced at times, but in total I disagree with the sentiment that their designs were sub-par or that they didn't fit well with the synergy of Liella. On the surface, their characters and personalities do have good synergies and is relatively harmonious to the group, I think it is only when you compare the altered/updated group dynamic with the original 5-person group that you feel like something special was lost. But I just believe that this is a testament to how well the characters were written in season 1, and how it is really hard to maintain such a thing for season 2.

I probably only have this opinion since I had long forgotten the unique and excited feelings I had for the original 5-person Liella, and was able to view this season with a cleansed pallet, so I understand if those who are more invested don't agree with my sentiment.

But other than that here are a short list of pros and cons of this show:

Pros:
- Incredible animation, it seems that the quality of production has just been going up and up
- Some good story writing, it has been a while since I've felt that the writers of the story decided to give any thought in synthesizing details and events across episodes, as opposed to the traditional "each episode is dedicated to a certain character" type formula (Although it is still present, it feels much more thought out and harmonious)
- (some) good character development
- Banger songs (mostly), and killer OP!!
- The voice acting for the OG members of Liella have definitely improved significantly! Especially the voice actresses for Sumire and Kanon blew me away at times

Cons:
- Some aspects of characters or story can feel forced or awkward at times
- The classic idol show cringe! (can be a positive depending on who you are...)
- Ok so what the f- is the ending? Please explain... like why?
- The stuff I talked about above

Honestly I really liked this new season, I think in what it lost in the uniqueness of the small cast, was made up with the sort of magic touch that was similar to the original love live school idol project, and it did it well and subtly as compared to the other love live series that tried to copy it.

Though I may be kind of biased since Mei x Shiki made me squeal like a dolphin haha...

Pros:
+ Artistic and Poetic
+ Good Characters that harmonize well
+ Very attentive to detail
+ Exceptional animation and production quality
+ Pretty good music and sound design

Cons:
- The story is restricted by the environment/setting
- Plot holes about the setting and backstories of characters
...
Extras:
: It is a bit suggestive, and have some fetish appealing elements, but personally it didn't bother me that much, but I know some people who might not be uncomfortable with it so take this as a disclaimer.

(Spoiler Free)
The main problem with slice-of-life is the lack of plot. Without a plot the anime becomes mundane and without purpose, therefore you have to compensate or make up for it somehow. The most common ways to do this are either to focus on an interesting subject, explore and discover an interesting world, or to focus and create interesting characters. And Akebi-chan's story follows the common method of focusing on the characters.

But what makes Akebi's story so masterfully written?

You know whenever you finish reading... say, a poem, or finish listening to a song. But unlike all the other forgetful poems and songs you actually understand the deeper rhetorical meanings that the author expresses in their lyrics... you slouch into your chair and you go "Damn... that was deep"...? Unironically that's how I felt when I finished watching this anime. It might sound cheesy, because it is... but unlike 90% of other anime that you just cringe whenever they try to be 'deep', this anime is so artistic and tastefully written that it feels elating. You realize through this anime that all the things your English and art teachers at school taught you might actually not be BS.

However there are some things that I believe are a major problem to this anime's success. It is clear through the characters that the author had a very clear picture of how these characters would interact and harmonize with each other. However through the story you can tell (Except a few characters) that the author struggled with the backstory of the characters and how they got to where they were. The characters together harmonized beautifully, however the anime's attempts to try and 'develop' each character's preface are very obvious and lacking. Furthermore, the story takes place in a very 'bubble' like world where there is almost no interaction outside the select settings. And even those few settings have massive plot holes and plot conveniences plastered all over it. During the one episode where the author attempts to try and expand the world, it kinda fell flat, and I think the author knew that because the attempt shifted away from the setting, and back onto a character's development.

My critiques might sound a bit harsh but that's just because I'm a little bit frustrated with the wasted potential that this anime could have embraced. It was so close to a 10 for me...

Anyways tldr I love this show, it's so artistic and poetic, great animation and production, and the characters are awesome. Just a little bit of potential wasted.

TLDR: Disappointment. If you're here for the girls and the voice actors, fine. If you're here for the anime and story? Go watch Idoly Pride. Selection Project stole the plot and made it worse lol. If you're here for the music, just listen to the OP and ED on youtube.

I'm going to be pretty critical of the show, but everything is my honest opinion.

Disappointment is all I can say. The show had so much potential, and not only did it not make use of it, it trampled all over it and threw it in the trash. Before I blast you with all the negatives, I'll ... start with a few positives.
+ Great character design.
+ Great outfit design
+ Great synergy between the characters
+ Above average CGI
+ Decent animation for the most part

Okay now that I've told you the good parts about the show, let's dig in.
When you look for an idol show, what do most people expect? Usually it's 2 main things. Cute girls - which they got that down atleast - and good music + dance.

Now let me tell you how absolutely disappointed I am at the quality of the music in this show. Absolute hot garbage. To understand this let me explain without spoiling the show. There are 9 girls in this group, and within this group they are split into 3 subgroups. The problem isn't with the main group. The 9 girls together are actually really cute, have good chemistry, and the songs+dance are awesome. The problem is when you split these 9 girls into subgroups. These subgroups try too hard to be 'unique' and 'quirky' with their songs and choreography, the themes each of these groups have are either cringey, cheesy, or just doesn't work with the characters/talents within it. I know it's a marketing strategy to create subgroups within groups to make it easier for new fans to consume, but just dividing these girls up and giving them lackluster production isn't the play. Not to mention the mixing/production quality for the songs each subgroup respectively has are absolutely terrible.

TLDR; Here is my theory: To put it nicely. Selection Project has like 2 production teams. 1 team is a professional team dedicated to the whole group, they produce good quality songs and choreographs. The other team that produces the subgroup's products is a robot smashing a keyboard over and over again until something 'ok' comes out of the speakers. (The OP and the ED slaps though, but that's because it's not from the subgroups)
Edit: Did some more digging, the subgroups actually have a few decent songs, it's just not the ones in the anime.

-

Okay but that wasn't even the worst part of the anime. The story was what made this show unwatchable. The best way I can describe the story in this anime is 'haha b*tch you got scammed'. The show presents itself with a pretty unique take on the competitive aspect of the idol industry. Obviously it's not the first show to do this sort of 'tournament arc but for idols' styled story, but the way it sets up the show allows for a lot of *potential* character development and interactions. But even after around episode 6, the show had done almost absolutely nothing to make use of this potential. Which, to be honest, is okay, it just became a typical idol show. But what happens after is not only blatant theft, but they stole another show's plot, and made it worse. Not only did they make a 'plot twist' that was completely unoriginal, it was so cheesy and cringey, as well as predictable that I think I stood up from my chair multiple times to go wash my eyes and ears out.

TLDR: Started off good for about 6 episodes, then: plagiarism, unoriginal, cheesy, cringey, predictable plot ensues.

(If you're curious about the show they ripped off of, its called "Idoly Pride". It's not god tier, but it's much better than this show, so go watch that instead of this)

-

I'll end it on a positive note atleast. The characters. The characters are the saving grace of this show. Th girls' aesthetics and story are both well designed and cute. Voice acting and singing are decent, and they each have their own appeals.

But let me shout out one particular character from this show. And that is SumiPanda. The legend made the most cringey parts of this show bearable, and although this isn't a comedy show, the guy's humor is awesome. Great voice acting, great character, and awesome personality. Whoever put this character in the show was obviously making him a joke character, but who knew he would become the main protagonist?!?!? (He's not but I like to think he is)

-

After watching this show I think I'll just follow the girls' voice actors on twitter and youtube, and try to erase my memory of this show's plot. It wasn't the girls' fault, it was the production of the anime and music that sucked. Mako best girl!!!!

(This is a long review so TLDR at the end)
*Don't worry there's no spoilers in this review!*

You've read the synopsis right? right? ok although there's no spoilers I do mention things that the synposis did too:

Story (6/10):
Like most slice of life anime, there's no concrete storyline/plot. This is usually the main issue many anime fans who dislike slice of life anime have. To compensate most slice of life anime try to make the characters as cute or as dynamic as possible (Kobayashi's Dragon Maid), try to make it as relaxing and beautiful as possible (Yuru Camp), or try to be informative/educational to some degree (Houkago ... Teibou Nisshi). Super Cub basically embraces all those ideas. However because they try to forge all of these traits into a 12 episode anime a lot of the times the story becomes incohesive and weirdly paced. But the staff did a commendable effort to try and keep people interested in a few girls riding a motor vehicle around for 12 episodes.

Art (6/10):
The art is pretty unique with a sort of late 2010 look. As an artist myself, it's hard to find fault in a simple art style, and it pairs well with the sort of antiqueness of the anime subject. However there's a reason why anime art styles have slowly evolved away from the sort of broken lineart, and loose shapes that this anime embraced.
1. It's usually hard to immerse them in a typical anime background without their style feeling out of place.
2. Converting the 2d style to 3d CGI is kinda hard and the difference between 2d and 3d is much more visible.
3. Many of the facial expressions that older anime styles have can feel quite cheesy and unnatural compared to current styles.
-
And although Studio Kai did a remarkable job at preserving the style throughout the 3d scenes, and did a good job at immersing the characters in the background. The problem still persists and is noticeable somewhat. I understand that they want to be faithful to the Super Cub manga, however in my opinion it would have been better if they updated the style slightly for an anime adaptation.

Sound (7/10):
I'm not too familiar with sound but I can say that I didn't really have a problem with the sound design and music in the anime. Although I really quickly realized that they use the same few music scores over and over again, it's hard to fault it especially since many anime do the same thing. I guess the fact that I so quickly realized this may be because the scores are distinguishable and catchy. Nothing really special, just plain solid sound design.

Character (6/10):
It was really easy to tell that a major theme of this anime was the character development of the main girl 'Koguma' through the interactions that she got from riding the Cub. In the beginning they emphasize the type of sad boring life that Koguma had been living up till her 2nd year of high school, in which she decides to buy a Super Cub. And we see changes and growth in both her personality and social interactions with others due to her buying a cub. However they really quickly decided to abandon this theme and isolate the story to just her and the few friends she gained during that short period of development. And although it's not a big deal, I think it would have been better if they stuck through with the theme (or at least reference it at the end to bring it full circle) or just have not emphasized the theme so heavily to begin with. Other than that the character designs are pretty average, the girls are mostly likable and have their own quirks. But there wasn't anything really to write home about.

Enjoyment/Conclusion (7/10):
During the fantasy battle heavy Spring 2021 season of anime, it was pretty nice to relax and turn my brain off for 20minutes each week while I watched cute girls do cute things with their cubs, and even learnt some things about the motor vehicle industry here and there. And although I feel that there were many things that were lacking it was still an overall positive experience. However due to the lack of a concrete story, and due to some of the decisions about the character development... like most other slice of life anime I don't recommend binge watching this show. Take it easy and watch it slowly!

TLDR: Decent anime with no concrete story/plot (like most slice of life). It's use of artistry is relaxing and beautiful although sometimes may feel forced or cheesy. The art is meh but has a unique style. Character development is a little shaky. Decent watch, but I don't recommend binging it.

And because many people also want to know about the quality of the 3D CGI in anime, in Super Cub the CGI is not amazing but it's competently done.

print: "Hello World..."
print: "I love you..."

*ahem* excuse my cringe review intro...

Hello world is a sci-fi romance Movie that attempts to break the mold of what many people classify as sci-fi. The heavy theme that this movie was created around makes this movie have a unique feeling. The concepts are mind blowing, and the romance is heart melting.

This review was written on the 10th of April 2020. therefore there may be references to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unfortunately, many people have not been able to watch this movie when it aired because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I highly recommend you buying the blue-ray release to help support the ... studio who created this wonderful anime during this unfortunate timing.

anyways onto the (spoiler free) review:

Story 9/10:
The story is themed and based around our rapidly growing technological knowledge. Virtual Worlds, simulated worlds, AI... without giving much away, this movie effectively ties each and every one of these aspects together. There are so many unique concepts and ideas in this movie it's crazy. The easter eggs and deep meanings behind many of the small details allows for cool concepts and ideas to be created by the community. This is the first time where I watched a movie and felt that each and every scene had it's very own meaning and purpose for being there. However, the one drawback for trying to be so ambitious is that the viewers can't help but think that there are many untapped potentials and points in the story. The story teases at some interesting concepts and plot points, but never dive deeper into them. This is most likely because of the budget and time schedule, I really hope an OVA or a sequal comes out to cover the untapped potential in the story and setting. (Although I haven't watched the spin-off yet)

Art 9/10:
Many anime fans are skeptical about fully 3D animes, and rightfully so. Many animes have crappy CGI and bad effects. However I can tell you that Hello World has done a great job with their animation and visual effects. The studio behind Hello World has developed their own unique shaders for this movie, it allows the visuals to be somewhere between normal 2D anime style, and 3D CGI. The animation is fluid, the effects are unique and exhilarating. No problems here, I would have given it a 8/10.... So why is it a 9? It's because they had a *reason* for the art to be in 3D... Intentional or not, in the last minute of the movie where the art turns to complete 2D... sit there and think about it...

Sound 10/10:
The OST track and sound effects for this movie is outstanding, not a trace of royalty free effects nor music. Perhaps they just masked it real well, but that's definitely a positive for me. The sound is definitely comparable to that of other high quality animovies such as Tenki no Ko or Kimi no Na Wa

Character 9/10:
What do you expect from characters designed by one of Kyoani's major character designer? The girls are cute, the guys aren't overly cringy. Exactly what you want for a romance movie. (However, I still hate how they keep teasing you about this one character, but nothing ever happens... WHYWHYWHYWHYWH...)

Enjoyment 9/10:
During this unfortunate pandemic, this movie has definitely taken my mind off many things which I am grateful for. This movie was a blast to watch while I had to stay indoors. I am really thankful for a movie of this caliber to have released their blueray at this time.

Overall 9/10:
Everything about this movie was exceptional, but the 10/10 deal breaker was definitely the feeling that there were so many untapped plot points and untapped potential. However this isn't the movie's fault, it's already a 90minute long movie with full quality 3D CGI, it's already impressive that they made a movie of this caliber.

Do you recommend?
I *Highly* recommend this movie.


I would like to repeat this again here, PLEASE buy the blueray release of this movie... Many studios who unfortunately had their movies release at an unfortunate time such as Violet Evergarden and Hello World are facing immense losses in revenue due to many countries issuing a 'stay at home' order. Please please please help and support the studios that create anime that you love, because they are going through a tough time too.

Stay safe everyone

This anime series is the most fun I've had in a long time, every week when it airs I get a pleasant surprise and the adrenalin pumping through my veins at 12am makes me late for school the next day.

This is an anime about Maple, and her friends in her clan: "Maple's Tree"

But first and foremost. If you're looking for a high quality, unforgettable masterpiece of an anime... turn around now because this is not the show for you... HOWEVERRRR If you're here because you want to have a good laugh and have a fun time with the cute Maple's Tree. This is the anime ... for you!

I'll be mainly focusing on the 'Character' part of my review. If you don't want to see a breakdown of each section, scroll down to the conclusion part.

Story 6/10: How do I say this... the story is... interesting. It takes the concept of one punch man's 'blatant op-ness' and turns it into something that's a mix between moe and comedy. Though the story is still present somewhat and guides you on a journey, you're definitely not embarking on this journey for the story. (More later in the Character section)

Character 8/10: The characters is definitely the main attraction of this show. The cast slowly grows throughout the series, yet you don't feel like any of the characters have less character development than the other (except for our op friend Maple here). Each character is likable and is tailored to suit a specific personality (not troupe!) to blend and create perfect harmony between characters. And even though this show has a pretty large cast, I don't seem to find myself favoring one character over another... but in a good way. This is the first anime where I was invested in almost every character in the show. May it be Maple, may it be a side character, an enemy, the fucking waitress in that random cafe they went to during one of the episodes, I like all of them. And it's a pretty unique feeling.

Note: There is also one main male character within this group of characters, and usually I'd say it ruins the 'cute anime moe' girls group vibe. But the character doesn't get in the way, and actually supports the girls pretty nicely from a story perspective. I'm not gonna spoil anything but if you were questioning watching this show because of a guy (I know some people are like that) just give it a chance!

Art 6/10: I mean... there's nothing completely special or unique about this show... Its cute moe aesthetics is good enough. The CGI is decently integrated and is smooth. A few of the concepts for the landscape and cities are pretty cool but it's nothing to be at awe at. It's not bad, but not the best either.

Sound 7/10: The sound track and sound effects are sufficient and do what they need to do, the opening and ending songs are decent. Nothing special... Though there is this one sound track I like to call 'the fight song' which comes in at every climax fight scene, it has a very cool western jazz x jpop vibe that I like a lot.

Enjoyment 8/10: I personally loved this show even though from an objective perspective it's not a very good show. So I guess you could call this anime one of those guilty pleasures? Though I haven't felt this great about a stupidly OP protagonist beating people up for a long time now.

Conclusion:
This moe action anime is heavily carried by the above average characters presented in this show. It's a show you will definitely love if you just want to chill out for 20 minutes, but objectively speaking it is not a good show. This could be a show you can consider a 'guilty pleasure'

Overall 7/10


**I'm sorry if the review isn't that good, I'm writing this at 1am**

HOLY SHRIMP THIS ANIME IS GOOD.

To be completely honest, even though this anime has been doing really well, I still think its under-rated. Let's break down the quality of each aspect of the show shall we? I'll keep this relatively short and summarize the quality of each aspect without spoiling anything!

Story (10/10) : Not only is this anime setting and story line a relatively unique idea, it's also paced masterfully. Some may say the beginning is slightly slow, but if you continue to watch past those parts, it only adds to the experience. It allows you to understand what all those slow paced parts were ... building up to. The story also has a deep meaning, each encounter, showing the story and reason behind the demon's life and existence. This is one of the few shows which makes me actually pity the villainous race, and at the same time wish for their epic deaths.

Art and Animation (9999/10) : Holy crap is the art and animation NEXT LEVEL. Demon Slayer has a relatively unique style of art, especially compared to modern anime. The art style was taken directly from the manga, and transformed into something beautiful. The CGI in this show is also the best I've seen, not only are the effects top tier, the CGI and frame by frame animation quality is absolutely breath taking. I swear you'll jump out of your seat, screaming "LET'S F***ING GO TANJIRO" As he spins a water sword animated with perfection, chopping off the heads of demons.

Sound and Music (10/10) : The sound in this show is the exact model that every single shounen show should have. The effects, ambient sound, all merge seamlessly with the smooth animation. The music effectively hypes you up or change your mood when necessary, AND BOY IS THE MUSIC TRACK AT THE END OF EPISODE 19 SICK, HOLY FU...

Character (10/10) : While reading the manga previous to watching the anime, I really did not like the characters and the character development phases. Each character had a troupe personality, and were relatively cringe to read. Though the anime surprised me, it changed the characters personality into something that was either funny, exciting, or just generally interesting. The character development was outstanding, and at some parts were really emotional and touching.

Enjoyment (9/10) : Although I loved the show, and think it's a masterpiece, I just don't really have a deep connection with it. Sure each week i'd be eager and stay up till 12am to watch the latest episode air, but I just don't have the same attachment to the anime as I do with some of my other favorite shows. That being said, everything was done to perfection in my opinion, and there is just one small aspect which I have overlooked which might've made this show not as good as it can be.

Overall (10/10)
WATCH IT, HOLY CRAP THIS IS THE BEST SHOW THIS SEASON