Back to SamuraiOfStone's Profile SamuraiOfStone's Profile

To be completely quick on my review: An overly artistic endeavor that falls short due to it lacking proper flow whatsoever.

For further explanation: Context isn't needed for these types things, as often short films are meant to be viewed through the lens of your own interpretation, but without any distinct form of storytelling, this particular piece falls short of providing anything past pretentious imagery and lackluster quality.

Then ending attempts to bring the imagery to a better sense of understanding, but ends up feeling rather convoluted due to the open ended nature of the piece.

Not particularly bad, but simply lacking any real ... substance.

Akiba's Trip is based "loosely" off of the video game series of the same name, as in it shares the same concept, but no characters, story, etc.

It's admittedly a train wreck. The characters are all extremely one note stereotypes, the story is messy and constantly throwing itself around in crazy places.

I don't understand who this was for. For the fans of the games, it was a letdown to have it bear hardly any resemblance at all.

For fresh viewers who hadn't heard of the game franchise prior, they should be disappointed by its shallow fanservice, constant misdirection, and mediocre characterization.

At least some of the visual ... effects are decent.

The story continues, and boy, does it pick up.

Season 2 of Oregairu is sort of like the side of the first season that you didn't want to see, in all of the right ways.

It's more hard-hitting. It's more dramatic.

Some could argue it''s a bit too melodramatic, but I believe that is exactly what it needed to be. Teenagers are melodramatic and inconsistent in their emotions, and the portrayal of high schoolers in this is spot on (from my experience).

You have the fake people, the goofballs, the stone cold ice queens...

But most importantly, you have the insecure ones that are tied to lying to themselves through ... self-deprecation and through dismissing others.

This season does an excellent job of showcasing the dramatic self indulgent thoughts of depression and anxiety, as well as the curses and drawbacks of being a "fake" person.

Once again, a marvelous character piece that excels in dissecting the minds of the youth in a progressive, eerily realistic way.

You will never find another slice of life drama as grounded and hard hitting as this one. The characters are beautifully orchestrated to paint pictures of adolescence and insecurities so commonly ignored by other series.

This series isn't afraid to step on your toes and make you feel ashamed or upset. It is a wonderful self reflector if you're someone who deals with a mentality of a loner or an outcast.

It full realizes both sides of arguments, and validates and invalidates all it should in aforementioned arguments.

The series itself may feel self-deprecating at times, due to our almost "unreliable" narrator, Hachiman Hikigaya.

At first seen as a ... misunderstood outcast to society, progression paints a completely different picture that I won't spoil.

It's a fantastic piece that isn't afraid to look any particular way.

Note: This is a review for all of Boku no Hero Academia. The reason I chose this season to review was because in my opinion, this is overall the weakest entry in the series.

Like several mainstream anime, My Hero Academia has serious problems that are overlooked by the majority of its viewers who are blindsided by its "creative style" and "exciting cast of characters".

As a long time reader and watcher of the series, I've grown to be hurt more and more by the unfortunate mediocrity this show likes to consistently stoop to.

Every time something relatively game changing or hype is in place, it's ... either used for plot convenience to make the main character look good/become more powerful, or it's outright done horribly.

My Hero Academia bathes in its own mediocrity and excels in nothing aside from your extremely generic shonen fare. There's justifiable reason it has been dubbed "Naruto 2" or whatever.

People see something that isn't there. They praise characters that are only used once in a blue moon to push the plot along or to garner unwarranted hype by said characters fans. And even then, easily 90% of the characters are one note tropes, or bland pieces of cardboard cut out to specifically cater to the lowest common denominator.

It's gravely unfortunate that stellar, unique series such as Dr. Stone or The Promised Neverland are typically sidelined in favor for this 50% abysmal, 50% average at best series.

It's appalling that a premise like Dr. Stone's has never been a concept explored in mainstream media. It's a genius concept, and the execution is fantastic in both the manga and the anime.

The show focuses primarily on the rebuilding of humanity once everyone is turned into stone. Every episode features the main character, Senkuu, creating something from past civilization to progress humanity once more.

In addition to the fun, D.I.Y. style of making things, the science and logic behind it all, and the in-universe appeal of said creations, the show excels in both character in humor as well.

Particularly the main character is noteworthy for being one ... of the few notable protagonists to be the most entertaining aspect of the series itself.

The show is extremely unconventional as far as Shonen Jump goes, and opts in to showcase science and world building (literally) with little to no battling. This, in my opinion, is a good thing. Not that battle shonen is bad (I'm quite fond of it myself), but having something truly original being mainstream like this is exhilarating.

Give this show a chance. I'm ten billion percent sure that the majority of you will absolutely love it.

It's unfortunate that "Watamote", the classic ongoing manga series about a young girl struggling with her awkward social issues had such a below average anime adaptation.

The manga itself is a fun, lighthearted comedy that pokes fun at adolescence and the awkward intricacies of growing up. It deals with a socially inept girl named Tomoko Kuroki going through school and growing up as an unpopular, "cringe" teenager.

The anime, however, is a soulless cringe-fest with none of the charm of the manga. The characters are portrayed so flatly, and instead of being subtly effective at portraying awkward, clumsy, or inept social behavior, it relies on in-your-face ... cringe that's difficult to watch.

It's a shame that this anime shares the same name of the much, much superior manga counterpart.

Note: There is no nostalgia bias here, as I had only seen this series for the first time back in 2016, with little to no knowledge of the series up to that point.

Yoshihiro Togashi is a writer that I have nothing but insurmountable respect for. His two biggest manga series "Hunter X Hunter" and "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" are by far two of the three greatest long running shonens I've ever experienced.

The way Togashi manages to balance world building, intense battles, character growth and development, and top notch comedy is beyond me. He manages to knock it out of the park with these two ... series time and time again.

And while the final arc in this series was rushed and sloppy due to the publishers and Togashi having opposing/conflicting views on how to run the series, it still isn't terrible. Average at worst.

But you have to give this guy credit. He absolutely nails shonen writing and in my opinion is the prime example of how "typical shonen garb" doesn't apply to all of the mainstream series.

While objectively not as amazing a spectacle as Hunter X Hunter, I'll always prefer Yuu Yuu Hakusho and have a special place in my heart for it.

There is a lot to be said about "The Promised Neverland". It subverts traditional shonen expectations in favor of experimental horror and suspense. It's a wonderful breath of fresh air, and a welcome addition to the Shonen Jump lineup.

It does a wonderful job of building itself up and progressing its plotline while simultaneously developing the cast of characters into memorable and lovable pieces of work.

Specifically the main three characters. Those three make up one of the strongest shonen trios in history.

Give it a go if you're looking for something that changes up the modern mainstream formula of shonen anime, or if you're a ... fan of horror/thrillers.

The Haruhi Susumiya series has been a big name in the anime community since the anime premiered way back in 2006. It managed to find a large audience and influence otaku culture in a massive way, and the impact it left is still highly noticeable.

I personally find the manga above the anime, but beneath the original light novels, and let me explain why.

Firstly, unlike the anime, we didn't have to wait 3 years just to get 8 episodes of the same exact gimmick. Fans of the series know exactly what I'm talking about, and I won't say any more for the sake of spoilers. ... This so called "8 episode gimmick" only lasts a few chapters and doesn't overstay its welcome.

Secondly, the manga is a complete experience unlike the anime adaptation, which only adapted about half of the released material.

Though the main reasons the novels are above the manga in my eyes are due to the inconsistent art of the manga, and the benefit of better characterization through the medium of a novel.

However, if you love either manga or the Haruhi series, and you haven't picked this one up yet, do yourself a favor and give it a whirl. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Sasaki best girl.