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Iron-Blooded Orphans has some of the best animations I've seen in a mecha anime. The animation is fluid, and there aren't any CGI mechas. However, Iron-Blooded Orphans isn't a perfect show. The soundtrack is unremarkable, characters other than Orga and Mikazuki aren't interesting, the dialogue is forgettable, and the villains are lame. I mean, one of the final antagonists had some interesting ideas on how he was going to change the world... it has something to do with kids.

Still, Iron-Blooded Orphans is a good show. If you like mecha fights and Orga and Mikazuki, then you're going to enjoy this anime. However, if you ... don't like Mechas or Orga and Mikazuki's stories, then you're probably going to hate this show.

Also, I was drawn to watching Iron-Blooded Orphans because I've seen 86 get called a 'copy' of Iron-Blooded Orphans. Yet, 86 and Iron-Blooded Orphans are nothing alike besides having kids in mechas being treated as less-than-human. 86 is more melodramatic than Iron-Blooded Orphans and is closer to Attack on Titan than Iron-Blooded Orphans. So, if you're expecting Iron-Blooded Orphans to be a mirror of 86 with characters crying and having many emotional moments, then you'll be disappointed. Although, it's still a great show.

At first glance, the premise of Midori Days may seem bizarre—a high school student with his right hand replaced by a girl—but don't let that put you off. It's actually one of the most underrated anime series out there. I was pleasantly surprised by how funny it is. The humor is right up there with Konosuba, which is saying something.

Moreover, Midori Days excels not only in humor but also in its character development. Seeing Seiji grow through his bond with Midori is really satisfying, and while, Midori Days' heartfelt moments might not be as impactful as other romantic comedies like Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War. Its ... humor surpasses that of any other romantic comedy I've seen, making it a more memorable watch.

Don't let its 7.23 rating dissuade you from watching this show—it's only 13 episodes long and feels like it should be rated much higher.

Blame is a niche series tailored for a specific audience that enjoys strange cyberpunk stories with ambiguous endings. There is little dialogue, and the plot is minimal—it’s essentially about walking around a labyrinth in a post-apocalyptic world, searching for something.

The true driving force of Blame is its architecture. The buildings and backgrounds on every page are astonishingly imaginative and showcase the mangaka's incredible skill. I can't even fathom creating such designs, let alone drawing them.

However, Blame has its issues. The action is often hard to follow. For instance, a character might be shooting one moment and falling several stories the next amidst a flurry of ... explosions. This sounds fine on paper, as gun battles and explosions are commonplace in action stories. Yet, it is difficult to discern the characters' positions relative to each other due to Blame's complex environments. The dark inking and scratchy art style also makes it challenging to visualize and understand the scenes.

Despite these issues, I wouldn’t call Blame a bad manga. Its high rating is largely due to its exceptional architecture and backgrounds. The intricate designs that the mangaka achieved in Blame are something 99% of people would find impossible to create and draw. However, if you're looking for a story-rich manga with deep character development, thought-provoking themes, and easy-to-follow action, Blame might not be for you.

I don't understand why others consider Baccano an underappreciated anime. Its non-linear storytelling is hard to follow. Having just finished the series, I find it difficult to remember much. I'm left scratching my head, wondering, 'Who are these characters, and what is happening?'

Moreover, the characters themselves are forgettable. I can't recall any of their names, and there are simply too many to keep track of. Nearly all of them are violent and goofy, which I found to be quite annoying, contrary to my expectations.

Perhaps my disappointment stems from expecting a serious tone, only to find a cartoonishly goofy show with fantasy superpowers. I believe it ... should be listed under comedy and fantasy genres, which would better reflect its nature.

Serial Experiments Lain is a good, if not great, anime. Its amazing opening and thought-provoking themes on identity, reality, technology, and loneliness are major highlights of the show. The anime's artwork, outside of its real-life imagery is also exceptional.

However, the show is inaccessible to a general audience due to its weirdness. The show starts talking about UFO conspiracy theories as if the viewer has knowledge of the subject. Then, it also questions the viewer with several confusing topics without answering them, such as "What is real and what is perceived?"

Additionally, much of the symbolism in Serial Experiments Lain is difficult to understand in real time. ... You have to think awhile to even understand what is happening. For instance, the opening's "Present Day, heh... Present Time! Hahahahahahaha!" seems random. Then, when you realize the laughter is part of the show's aesthetic to confuse the viewer, does it make sense. The narrator is laughing because you'll be confused by the show and that he's alive forever through the internet, a major theme of the show.

Overall, I give Serial Experiments Lain a solid 8/10. I felt the part where it introduces the conspiracy theories with real-life images felt lazy and cheap like the last two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'm also not giving it a higher score because it's difficult for anyone to understand in real time what much of the symbolism means. Like, "Why are there men in black?" "Why is there an alien?" "Why are there shadows and blood pools everywhere?" are some questions you'll have when watching the show. You'll be confused since I didn't understand it initially.

This anime tries hard to be funny, but it isn't. None of its gags land, instead coming across as annoying. Specifically, the running gags, such as:

* The Binkan the Salaryman gag
* The Kim Jong-il and North Korea gag
* The use of real-life images of animals and Sakura depicted as a white guy gag (The white guy's face is Thomas Romain, known for creating Code Lyoko)
* The "pipiru piru piru pipiru pi" chant gag

Furthermore, the plot of this show is nonsensical and remains unresolved by the end of the second OVA, leaving lingering questions about its bizarre storyline. Nevertheless, if you have a weird sense of ... humor, there's potential for enjoyment. It's not a snoozefest, but it's not a good anime, either.

Kakegurui is a high school comedy anime disguised as a gambling anime. Filled with eccentric and psychotic characters, one notable aspect is how the show sexualizes its characters, depicting them experiencing intense pleasure akin to orgasms during gambling moments. Even the show's outro doesn't shy away from this boldness, featuring closeups of the main character's ass and boobs, which seem to be for comedic effect. In essence, Kakegurui is more akin to Prison School's unrealistic premise than a gambling anime with high stakes.

However, Kakegurui is nowhere near as funny as Prison School, and worse yet, its gambling aspects have zero stakes. The main character, Yumeko, ... is overpowered and wins almost every gambling match, practically making the stakes zero. Yumeko only ever loses if they want to lose. Overpowered characters and winning with asspulls are entertaining in other anime, but in Kakegurui, it's lame because the story is too repetitive. They never add in slice-of-life, school, or romance-centered episodes. Every single episode is a gambling match. By the second season, the story starts getting too repetitive and predictable.

Still, even with Kakegurui's flaws, I did enjoy the first season of Kakegurui - enough so - that I gave it an 8. I say it's worth checking out, but expect the story to get repetitive. Also, the second season is worse because they stop showing Ryouta and instead introduce bland, one-note characters, which is why I'm giving this "Mixed Feelings," even though the first season is an 8.

Pet Shop of Horrors is an episodic OVA series, with each story being reminiscent and likely inspired by Aesop's Fables. I came into the show thinking it would be generic vintage trash, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good each episode was. Episode one is decent but a bit unbelievable. Two and three are the best, and four is the worst but still solid.

The only real problem with the show, in my opinion, is its four-episode runtime leaves plot points unanswered, which are supposedly only answered in the manga. Despite this, I still enjoyed the anime, and haven't personally read the manga. However, there ... are a few other problems, such as the dated animation and Detective Leon's English dub voice actor being mediocre. Still, I didn't see them as a massive problem.

Overall, I recommend Pet Shop of Horrors. If you come into it expecting a collection of enjoyable short stories, you'll enjoy it. However, if you're expecting an anime that resolves all its plot points in a four-episode series, you won't like this anime.

Shinsekai Yori is a slow-burn anime with a decent payoff by the end of the series. However, for some reason, I find myself unable to rate the series any higher than a 7, and upon further assessment, there are some faults in Shinsekai Yori. Foremost, its characters are lacking, and I didn't connect to any of them. Some argue that the show is more about telling themes and ideas. Yet, bland characters can be unengaging to viewers such as myself and make you ask, "Why should I care about the outcome of this story?"

Moreover, I found the animation wasn't the best out there. In one ... of the first few episodes, there are scenes with still images, which destroy the suspense. Then, in the second half of the show, they implemented poor-looking CGI. The CGI submarine stands out as looking awful. The action isn't good either, and there's not much.

In all, I don't have that too many complaints about Shinsekai Yori. It's not a bad show by any means, but I did find it boring, which isn't a legitimate criticism but rather a personal preference. Maybe if I initially knew this would be a slow-paced show, I would have liked it more. However, I also did find it boring because it repeats themes I've already seen in other anime - for example. Shiki.

I recommend watching this show only if you've bought into the world and characters in the first few episodes. Otherwise, you should drop the show.

Texhnolyze presents a slow and dark journey through a dystopian world. The first episode sets a tone of bleakness and confusion, alienating most viewers with its sparse dialogue, slow pacing, and dated animation (only available in 480p). However, the following episode has much more dialogue and the pacing does eventually gain momentum several episodes later.

One surprising aspect of Texhnolyze is its influences from Western culture. Drawing inspiration from sources such as Christianity, the Bible, Friedrich Nietzsche, Plato, and Edward Hopper's paintings. Additionally, parallels with Ghost in the Shell are evident, as both explore the darker implications of technological advancement and share similar aesthetics.

Still, even though ... Texhnolyze is reasonably well-written, I can't recommend this anime. It's the slowest anime I've ever seen even when it does pick up momentum, and I never cared for any of the characters. With people mentioning how depressing this anime can get. I was expecting to feel the same way I did with the End of Evangelion. Yet, I never felt any despair or emotional connection at all.

Some fans of Texhnolyze claim that criticizing the slow pacing of the anime isn't a valid criticism. However, if the slow pacing of a show takes away the engagement of the viewer, then it is a valid criticism, which this show does. Compare Texhnolyze to similar anime, Serial Experiments Lain and Angel's Egg, and it's much longer and has horrible video quality in comparison. My criticism is not based on "I think this anime is slow because I find it personally boring." Rather Texhnolyze is legitimately too slow narratively. There's a reason it never got a true Blu-ray release or is widely available.

I'd only recommend this anime to people who like the Silent Hill-esque atmosphere. Or for those who like analyzing shows and feeling like geniuses for understanding the show's philosophy.