- Last OnlineNov 9, 7:33 AM
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- BirthdayJun 28, 1999
- LocationBuenos Aires, Argentina
- JoinedJan 11, 2019
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Nov 1, 2019
When the anime adaptation of Naka no Hito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] was announced, many thought it was a Danganronpa the Animation 2.0. However, they were right and wrong at the same time.
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Naka no Hito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] (The Ones Within for short) tells the story of Akatsuki Iride and seven other fellow gamers who are caught by a guy (who for some reason is covers his head with an alpaca one) and are forced to play different games or else will die... figuratively, because that's the first problem of the series. Although throughout the series, Paka (and the anime in general) tries to make us feel worried
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about the safety of the protagonists, it fails miserably. Because, although The Ones Within is supposed to be a game of life or death, there are few moments when the characters are really in danger. I mean, they are obviously in dangerous situations in almost every game, but none of these situations feels this way for the viewer too. Being a series that tries to mix mystery and comedy at the same time, it's not surprising that one of the genres intercepts in scenes that it shouldn't, and therefore the scene doesn't manage to create the atmosphere that it wanted (mostly, comic themes in scenes that try to be serious). Although I could give examples, I wanna try to use spoilers as few as possible.
On the other hand, another serious mistake made by the adaptation is to skip all content of the manga related to the context of the kidnapping (the goal of the game's existence, the actions of the participants' family after discovering their disappearance, Iride's past, etc.). Because of this, the anime became much simpler than the story really is, leaving in its adaptation only the games in which the characters participated and maintaining an episodic formula. Therefore, it's not surprising that the ending is unsatisfactory, leaving many loose ends for a second season that will probably never come (at the time I write this there is an OVA to be aired, but being an original story it doesn't change the anime's current state so much). However, not everything is mistakes in The Ones Within, only its structure.
Most of the characters, however, do work for their purpose. Each of the eight gamers is a specialist in a different genre of video games, but I won't touch on this subject because it's almost never important in the anime, with small exceptions. First we have Iride, who is the main character and the worst in the octet in terms of development. Throughout the anime, a mystery unfolds about Iride's past and his person, which never comes to anything. Although I understand that even the source (the manga) isn't over, I'm sure there are better ways to deal with a mystery of this kind that simply presenting it and hoping for people to read the manga to know the answer. Thanks to this, Iride has no evolution throughout the anime unlike the other participants. On the other hand, characters such as Onigasaki, Roromori, Oshigiri and Kudou do develop throughout history, which causes one as a spectator to become fond of them to a greater or lesser extent. Finally, we have characters like Karin, Aikawa and Paka himself, who are only "there" and maintain a static personality state during the course of the series.
However, aside from what I have said, I must admit that the series IS indeed enjoyable. If you put aside those problems with Iride or the characters that do not advance, each episode is entertaining. In fact, although I said that the fact that we cannot feel fear for the safety of the characters is a problem, it's also a plus point. By this I mean that, since we know that the characters always end up safe and sound, the viewer can relax and enjoy the show for its comic side.
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Although Naka no Hito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] failed to satisfy the expectations that the mystery tag entails, its charismatic cast and simple humor makes it a fun watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 31, 2019
Politically, socially and philosophically (if you want to call it that way), BEM fails to create the serious plot that it wanted.
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Remember, children. Showing vague social stereotypes isn't good if you're trying to make a serious criticism about it.
BEM takes place in Libra City, which is divided into Upper City (the city of the rich) and Outside (the city of the poor) through a bridge. The three protagonists meet on this bridge every night (and surprisingly no one ever discovers them there). The three Youkai Ningen save humans from different monsters, hoping that in the future they will become humans themselves. The plot doesn't sound
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THAT bad, right? Generic, yes, but bearable. However, it's worse than that.
As I said earlier, the trio thinks they will become humans after saving other humans. Although the idea sounds stupid, Bem himself admits it doesn't have much foundation, so I'll ignore it. I'm more interested in talking about that desire to become humans they have, which hardly develops in the course of the whole series. We know they want to be human, yes, but nothing deeper than that. Personal reasons? No. Moment when they decided to pursue that dream? Nah. Other ideas to get it? To hell with that, they want to be human and that's it. Obviously, the anime ended without resolving this issue and instead gave us a fight against a giant that came out of nowhere. Finally, as the cherry on top, we have an open ending that leaves many questions unanswered.
We also have the individual stories of each character, which don't lead to anything interesting, to be honest.
I will focus on the three Youkai Ningen, Sonia Summers, Roddy and Daryl, and then I will make a brief summary of what I think of the rest I haven't named. First we have Bem, the leader of the trio and the poorest, since he has almost no personality. Unlike Bela and Belo, Bem's life revolves around becoming human. However, because he isn't the only one who fights against the monsters that lurk the city, he practically doesn't possess any trait that individualizes him from his companions. Although we could consider his interactions with Sonia as a distinctive, Bela and Bem also have contact with humans (and, let me tell you, the interactions between Bem and Sonia aren't memoriable at all). On the other hand we have Bela, a Youkai Ningen who attends school to feel more human and interact with them. Believe me, every episode focused on her was a torment. Due to her naive nature, harsh attitude and avenger complex, it's difficult to get attached to her. And let's not talk about her relationship with Roddy, which was only a tease for 12 episodes. In the end, we have Belo, the youngest of the trio, who hasn't yet passed his edgy stage and makes comments abut humans's nature as deep as a pot of mayonnaise. Don't get me wrong, Belo is my favorite out of the three, but his structure as a character is just as poor as that of his partners. Belo doesn't want to become human as much as the other two, resigning himself that this will never happen. However, this doesn't justify his bitter personality or his choice in enviroments (he wanders on Outside, while Bela studies in Upper Town, but we never have a clue as to why the younger of the two chose to settle there). Considering that his personality doesn't develop into something different in the course of the entire series, there isn't much to talk about him (although it isn't as if the other characters had any development either). But hey! If you thought this sounded painful, I regret to tell you that these three static monsters were even better treated compared to the secondary characters: Sonia, Roddy and Daryl. The reason why I put these three together is because the three play the same role: being flat and one-dimensional characters that serve so that the three protagonists can rely on them. Because c'mon, Sonia's "goody two-shoes" personality, Roddy's crush, and Daryl's unreal revenge, only served to give Bem, Bela and Belo more material to participate with. That's why it's not surprising that they made Sonia adopt a little girl (with whom the writers didn't know what to do) at the last moment, that Roddy got set aside without a clossure of his own, and that Daryl got easily forgiven by Belo and then became the head of an organization that controls Libra City, even though he's 13 years old. I'm not even going to talk about the Mysterious Lady, since we'd barely met her in one of the last episodes and then she already portrait herself as the main villain. And not to mention Agent Joel Woods who literally had no reason to exist, the ridiculously racist Helmut Felt, the stagnant and generic Dr. Recycle, Bela's friends that on the last episode turned out to be bitches, or the cartoony villains, God. The only characters I would save would be Belo's three friends, because although they had no development either, at least they were kinda sympathetic.
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To be honest, this series can be entertaining if you like to sit down and not think much about what happens. However, if you are interested in well-developed characters and a promising plot, BEM will leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 31, 2019
This anime has the potential to be the worst Mahou Shoujo that ever existed, bravo!
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1. Originality: 6
Okay, yeah. The description did sound original, within the framework of Mahou Shoujo of course.
The Mahou Shoujo genre is increasingly repetitive, that's why even magical girls fighting against terrorists sounded more interesting than it was. However, the more the episodes progressed, the more I questioned myself whether this was really a Mahou Shoujo or a hentai of terrorists. Don't get me wrong, I know that there are transformations and magical powers like in any MS, but most of the times that the subject is touched it's so... ridiculous. I
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will develop it in more depth in the Story Development part.
2. Story Development: 3.5
I will summarize how bad the development is by saying that I think that in each episode I could recognize a different fetish.
If it helps you, this anime is 50% fanservice, 35% cringe and 15% action and scenes with meaning. Although I will comment later on the characters, it is impressive how blands they all are during the development of those twelve episodes. The action scenes are decent, but often exaggerated to show the Magical Five more badass than they really are (I'm talking about you, Rapture). And obviously, we should not forget about the fact that most of them have tits bigger than Nozomi's head (We couldn't do it even if we wanted to, the tits are in the center of the screen most of the time).
3. Characters: 3.5
Oh, boy. This poor, small quintet is so interesting ... in the bad way, obviously.
From now on, I will need to spoil irremediably.
Let's start with Asuka, which had PSTD at the beginning of the show. Oh, this could develop well, right? Oh, wrong. Because Asuka's PSTD disappears, ironically, with more violence. Surprisingly, she is the most sane of the gang. Then we have Kurumi who is, for me, the worst of the Magical Five. His personality and story seem as if they were taken out of a bad fanfic of Wattpad of 2012, when it was fashionable to be edgy. That, and her attempt to be yandere in 2019, is really embarrassing. On the other hand are Mia and Tamara, who are not so different from each other so I'll put them together to save me time. Both of them belong to the army, more or less, and they like to shoot things and so on. The only thing that distinguishes them is that Tamara has a fetish with "tender and adorable" things, and Mia's unique personality is based on her revolvers. And finally, and obviously less important although the show tries to make you think otherwise, Lau Pei-pei. Pei only appears in the last episode, and we only discovered that while the other girls have returned to fight with the Disas and that kind of stuff, she became an Asian Paris Hilton who is also a hit man. Oh, and obviously she's also a bit of a nymphomaniac, like most women in the whole series. The funny thing is that although Pei-pei has not done anything in all these episodes, we still have her in the last scene of the season (or series, rather) with the others, in an attempt to message us something like: "These are the heroines you've seen during all these episodes! Yes, even Pei-pei."
4. Enjoyment: 5
I wrote so much in the previous point, that I will be brief here: this series is hard to enjoy, and if you are looking for something serious and with good characters, then go your way. Still, I will give it 5 points for the fact that at least I finished it.
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This show should not only win the title of the biggest disappointment of the season, but also the worst anime of it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 30, 2019
If what you are looking for is an anime with an interesting cast and you don't mind a somewhat predictable development for its genre, this is for you.
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1. Originality: 8
Personally, I consider that any sports anime that moves away from the overexploited baseball, basketball and soccer already acquires a higher level of originality.
However, the idea that the show tries to capture (to recognize cheerleading as a current sport) is something that I consider quite new. That, and the fact that cheerleading is not really a sport for men normally.
That's why, although the story is inspired by a team of cheerleaders of real life, I can't
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help feeling that Cheer Danshi!! is a sports anime with one of the most original plots that I have seen in this genre in a while. However, of course some things in its development look somewhat generic, so I can't allow a 10.
2. Story Development: 8
Although it seems impossible to develop a good sports anime in 12 episodes, Cheer Danshi!! is the exception.
Fortunately, this is an anime that could be said to have almost no filler. Each episode, although it may seem a filler episode at the beginning, ends up showing how important it is in the main plot and in the development of its characters. In addition, I have to rescue how all sixteen members of Breakers receive development or, at least, a background story that allows us to empathize with them and keeps them away from being simple extras.
3. Characters: 9
Its diverse cast, and the different points of view on why to be in the group, makes you get interested in the characters both inside and outside the training for the routines.
If there is something that managed to get my attention as the episodes progressed, it's how the new personalities that were adhered to the team affected it as a whole both positively and negatively. Although at the beginning our seven original members may seem a bit simple, we can recognize their peculiarities later when we meet the other nine members and their varied personalities.
4. Enjoyment: 10
Although it's a little obvious at this point, I think it's worth emphasizing again that I really enjoyed this show in its entirety.
If there is something to highlight about this show as the "most enjoyable thing" that it has, it has to be the characters and their development not only as a team but as people. Obviously, watching them strive to follow their new dream is exciting, but it's even more so to see them strive to improve in their personal lives.
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I decided to watch Cheer Danshi!! thinking it would be bad, and that I could laugh at it. Obviously, I didn't expected to come across a catching story and interesting characters who you want to know more about after every episode.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 28, 2019
Anyone remember Generator Rex from Cartoon Network? Well, this is the anime version with less monsters and more Rex's.
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1. Originality: 7
As I said, the show looks pretty much like a pre-existing American one, but that doesn't mean that it's bad.
The idea of users using mechanical arms to fight each other doesn't sound new, it's even like a mini mecha. But that's why I consider that it's not a complete copy or something totally unoriginal, because the mecha genre is already saturated enough, so small changes like this are quite remarkable.
2. Story Development: 7.5
Obviously, you can't expect much from an OVA in this category.
That's why the
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development of the story is quite acceptable, because it does not leave many "loose ends", it develops as much as it can in those 30 minutes it has. Obviously many questions remain standing anyway, questions that could be answered more clearly in a series format.
3. Characters: 6
The problem with the characters of Mecha-ude is that at the same time that each one represents a known stereotype, the series itself doesn't have enough time to develop them and make them stand out from it.
Hikaru is the typical hero by accident, the one who at first didn't want anything to do with the plot, but decides to join anyway once he notices his help is necessary. Aki is the tsundere that only stayed with the protagonist due to external issues, but after he saved her she begins to see him with different eyes. And Kagami is that villain who takes as his main goal to defeat the protagonist, even though it has nothing to do with the plan of his bosses.
However, if we ignore that, the dynamic between the characters is fluid and the feelings of certain characters towards others don't feel forced.
4. Enjoyment: 7.5
You enjoy as much as you can in a 30-minute format.
It is difficult to enjoy an OVA when you know that it's very likely that there will be unfinished things or that the development is poor, that's why Mecha-ude is okay. Being a simple OVA with a not so complex story, you can enjoy the story without feeling that you are losing some context.
Obviously, this is something important when it comes to watching an OVA, nobody likes complicated OVAs.
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Mecha-ude is an OVA that is worth seeing. That type of OVA that sustain itself alone in its 30 minutes, from which you get enough, because you didn't expect anything of it from the beginning.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 28, 2019
Can a person with superpowers overcome the ordinary human? Mob Psycho 100 develops its message well, but leaves everything else aside.
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1. Originality: 8
Although the topic of super powers has already been used a lot, becoming something that is mostly a second place subject in many series, Mob Psycho 100 has a different point of view about it (and at the same time, one that has been seen already).
In the universe of Kageyama Shigeo, our protagonist, people with psychic powers are common and at the same time extraordinary, like those people who can roll their tongues in the form of a three. And in fact, that
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silly example represents quite well the message that the series wants to convey about superpowers throughout the story: in a world where superpowers exist, having them is just another peculiarity as any other, and people with superpowers are not really better than nobody out there. In fact, blindly trusting in your superpowers is the worst mistake you could ever make.
2. Story Development: 6
I know what you're thinking, "Wait, if this series conveys such a profound message, how can its development be so regular?" Well, it's the last episodes' fault basically. From an objective point of view, the story has some "errors", or I'd rather say, problems.
The most annoying thing about the story is that its development takes you towards a great finale, to then crash against a big disappointment, in the style of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.
I will continue talking about this in the Characters section, which is where it corresponds.
3. Characters: 6.5
I think you've already noticed who interfered with this note remarkably.
Reigen is undoubtedly a seesaw as a character, something not very good if this continues until the last episodes. Although his analytical and cheating behavior has helped Mob at times, we can never forget that his behavior towards him is based mostly on one of utilization. Their relationship literally began when the "lost Mob" found the office of the "wise Reigen", which decided to take advantage of the situation of the innocent little one and began a new situation of advantage over him. Because c'mon, that situation only favors Reigen in whatever way you see it. Even Ekubo, to a greater or lesser extent, has been more direct with his wishes about Mob.
To be honest, ignoring the various bugs that the characters have makes the experience better. That and Teru, Teru is a good character in its entirety.
4. Enjoyment: 9.5
I know, my scores don't make sense, right? Well, let me explain.
Although the story has some errors, and is not perfect in any way, it is quite good as a whole. Yes, the "final battle" sucks, but the few battles we did see were pretty good. Yes, most of the characters take advantage of Mob or treat him in a way he doesn't deserve, but that's why seeing the majority evolve in the end is even more refreshing. Yes, the ending was a disappointment compared to what could have been, but that only shows how good the episodes prior to this are.
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So yes, Mob Psycho 100 could have been much better, but that doesn't mean it isn't an enjoyable watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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