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- BirthdayOct 17, 1998
- LocationBudapest, Hungary
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Aug 30, 2017
"It felt as if watching Usain Bolt running a marathon"
The anime which had the potential to be a masterpiece of a shoujo anime in a short run, but instead tried to become too dragged out and everything just fell apart. Much like how Usain Bolt would start to slow down and stumble during such a long run.
|contains minor spoilers which are indicated beforehand|
|Story|
Orange could have been such a great story. It uses great story-telling mechanics to build up the story and give the characters the opportunity to evolve and grow. But instead of building off of the foundation it set for itself, it just walks
...
away from it.
Right from the beginning, we see how cleverly the creators of Orange slowly unveil the mysteries regarding the "future" and the letter. Initially, they have a great pace, and everything looks perfect for a good anime. We have a great mystery, with decent starting characters and a clear end-goal.
Unfortunately, after the initial setup, the anime just slows down ridiculously and tries to drag out everything and this just totally wrecks almost every aspect of this anime as they try to waste time. Let's look at those in a little bit more in detail.
The romance line just gets shattered, as they try to find at first irrational reasons and later on just straight up illogical reasons to drag out the way to the romance of Kakeru and Naho. The whole plot/story would only need one event to really happen to finally progress/finish, but they just keep on delaying it. In order to do so, they use multiple cliches, unneeded drama and conflicts which just become too plain and cringe after awhile. (SPOILER: Naho being unable to do literally anything on multiple occasions and being just so incredibly slow to help the plot develop)
To say something really positive, the anime uses very clever techniques to create opportunists. For example, the use of letter is brilliant. The way they use it really gives a chance to evolve the characters.(SPOILER: in the beginning it gives specific orders, after awhile it only says the goal and leaves the execution to Naho). It has great plot twists and has multiple huge reveals that can be shocking to the viewer as well as giving a chance to the side characters to shine (SPOILER: for example the reveal of multiple letters, and the very end twist). Not to mention a great use of time perspective shifting which really could have helped the anime in terms of expanding the depth of characters (which Orange didn't really utilize in the end...)
If only the story could have been condensed more, avoiding the unnecessary time wasting, then the story could have been intriguing, with a great story telling and amazing twists.
Story - 5
|Characters|
Most characters are quite one layered and basic stereotypes at the beginning, but that's absolutely fine for starters. The problem is, that most of them never really evolve into something more deep. The only good character was Suwa. Throughout his relationship with Naho, he really becomes someone else than what he started with, sharing great thoughts throughout the anime.
On the other hand, main characters like Naho, were just handled terribly. This mostly comes down to the issue that the creators wanted to waste time. This totally wrecked Naho's character. To begin with, she was already one of the densest of the densest, not to mention that it would be an understatement that she is shy. The Plot techniques used set her up to really get a character development (SPOLER in the beginning she relies on the letter, but later on she tries to become herself and pave her own path instead of being a "puppet"), but because that would solve the main plot problem, they just find excuses and leave her (SPOLER: she then fails and goes back to the letter and remains a "puppet"). Not to mention that she literally cannot do anything on her own and always relied on her friends and that didn't change at all, not even once. The last straw was when she actually became worse than the initial character (SPOILER: When she tells Kakeru to stay with her and abandon his granny, which was literally her telling him that she doesn't care about his feelings. Way worse than what she said in the other world).
Character Score - 6
|Art|
The art style is quite different than most other animes. It's a lot more clearer and the lineart is more visible and sharp. It all comes down to preferences, but it was actually quite refreshing to see this type of art. The animation overall for fairly smooth and consistent.
Art Score - 8
|Sound|
The voice acting was very good. It felt realistic, and i could feel the characters behind them. Each individual had their own speaking style which was a nice touch.
Sound Score - 7
|Overall Package|
All in all, this anime really could have been great if it didn't sacrifice characters, cliches and good moments only to get to that 13 episode number. Although in it's current form it's not easy to recommend it, but if we discard those useless parts earlier described, then we get one of the best shoujo anime. If you like some good and tense drama that really gets you on the edge of your seat, then this is for you.
Overall Score - 6 (but could very easily be 9 if you put up with the frustrating parts)
|Subjective review (rant)| (SPOILERS)
I was so frustrated with how they handled the romance, dramas and the main couple. Because i saw so many textbook usages of conflicts (in the beginning) and symbols (the letters or the hairpin). You will be able to read up in more details about the story-telling techniques in Orange.
Subjective Score - Want to give it a 9 but have to settle with a 5
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 28, 2017
"More than what meets the eye"
After reading the synopsis, I was quite hesitant to start Barakamon. I thought for sure i wouldn't find something like a calligraphy focused anime interesting. Boy i was wrong, i definitely could not have been more wrong.
|Objective Review|
|Story/Plot|
Calligraphy, something that seems a bit boring at first. However, Barakamon makes you realize the meaning and depth behind it. It shows off the passion and emotions behind such works. The anime progresses at a great pace, maintaining the interest of the viewers.
The focus is evenly distributed to all aspects of the anime. We get a deep look at calligraphy, the characters,
...
the village. Barakamon really keeps things fresh and varied until the very end.
The story as a whole is very solid. The main story line nothing outstanding (finding the lost inspiration), but since it's so well worked out, it gives a solid foundation for the anime. It has a beginning, a great development, and a spectacular finish. A beautifully arched story-line that doesn't lose focus of what it wants.
Story Score - 9
|Slice of life|
What can i say, even I who has the emotions of a small rock at the bottom of the ocean got inspired by this heart warming story of a lost man trying to find his path and personal touch in his life and career. A great message supported by pillar morals like friends, family and listening to your heart. What keeps it outstanding from other animes, is how it connects all these messages to calligraphy. The two really work well together.
|Comedy|
I was honestly not expecting too much comedy, but it was a very pleasant surprise. All the jokes and fun times were natural, nothing forced. It all came so naturally, nothing of the usual cliches. Barakamon utilized the forms of comedy to perfection, varying situational, environmental and verbal jokes. It really complemented the laid-back and relaxed ambiance of the anime.
|Characters|
Wonderful character choices. It's all natural. None of them are forced characters, they are rather someone who you can encounter easily in real life. There are no extreme characters, yet they are still so unique and different. As far as character development goes, we shouldn't look at the individual characters, but rather how they evolve as a big family. Obviously, the main characters get their fair share of character development, but it's really the community that grabs the attention of the viewer.
Character Score - 9
|Art|
Being a somewhat art related anime, the visuals do deliver as expected. I was pleasantly surprised by how consistent it was.
Art Score - 8
|Sound|
The voice acting was super fun and cute. They really out-did themselves this time. The soundtracks go well with the scenes and the opening was especially nice for me.
Sound Score - 7
|The whole package|
As i have already mentioned, this anime is much more than what meets the eye. If you want to run away from the stressful city life like Seishuu Handa did, and just relax, get inspiration, warm up you heart or perhaps just to get a good laugh, then this anime is surely for you.
Overall score - 9
|Subjective Review| (SPOILER alert)
Boy oh boy. First of all, i loved all of their characters so much. Fun, laid back and cute. Just the right people for me. But what really got me is when Handa went back to Tokyo and had a talk with his mom about going back to the village. The fact that he found someplace that he can call home, was just sooo emotional for me. that was For me, who never really got to know a place which i could call home, this really made become a crybaby for at least 20 mins. When he opened the box sent to him, well that totally killed me. I don't thihnk i have ever cried this hard and felt this happy for a fictional character. Due to this, the anime gets a unquestionable 11.
Subjective Score - 11/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 28, 2017
The anime for people who are passionate about flying and sports. The anime, which has a great main concept/story line, but tries to strive for a little bit too much.
|Objective Review|
|Story/Plot|
The anime starts out well, sets up the scene well for the characters and the sci-fi sport called "Flying Circus". The story progresses at a good pace, making it easy to keep up, yet keeping it interesting enough. However, as the series go on, the anime tries to reach too high. As a result, there will be a lot of plot lines that are not properly developed or finished. For example, the anime sets up
...
Hinata as one of the main characters with his trauma, but instead pushes him into the background into a supporting role. The supposedly romance story line is also left there hanging. There are a couple of signs of it, but it just never really happens or even starts to develop. Overall, it just seems like the main sports/tournament story line is very well put together, meanwhile all the other ones were ignored and unfinished in the end.
Plot Score - 6
|Sports|
As this anime is focused all around Flying Circus, it's quite important to see what the anime can bring to the sports lovers. The fantasy sports at it's core is fairly simple, but it still has plenty of depth. There are a fair amount of moves/tricks you can utilize, though it would have been nice to see more. As for strategies goes, it's a little bit lacking. It mostly just deciding whether to race or battle. In the end Inui does show some actual strategy, but it still feels a bit lacking. The rules also have some holes, like why not just skip to the third buoy instead of stopping to intercept. But all in all, the sports is fairly easy to pick up, not to mention it's a very flashy sports meaning it's good to watch. It just lacks a little bit of depth.
Sports Score - 7
|Sci-fi|
Even though in the beginning we don't know too much about the Grav-Shoes, in the latter part of the series we learn a lot more about them. It really gives more options for the anime to expand the sports. One of the reasons why the sports aspect of the anime doesn't become too boring at the end.
|Characters|
The characters are mostly cute and nice, but nothing particularly outstanding. The drama part of the anime is nothing too serious, it's just mostly rivalry which is used nicely to develop the characters and their relationships. It's a nice touch that they use multiple forms of rivalries for different couples, there are couples where it's just a friendly/mutual connection where others might be more tense. However, the way they set up Hinata and Kagami, it only seemed right to see them a little bit more (especially Hinata with his trauma). This, unfortunately, is almost completely forgotten and it's almost like the creators totally forgot about their existence.
Character Score - 8(for the MCs) - 4(for the rest) - 5 overall
|Art|
The art is just spectacular. The drawing is clear and the shading is very fine and soft. The overall style also complements the anime with it's bright happy ambiance. The animation throughout the series is pretty consistent and the effects smooth in with the rest of the animation greatly.
Art Score - 9
|Sound|
The sounds are also quite outstanding. While the voice acting and music is fairly good, it's the sound effects that really made this anime/sport enjoyable to watch. They are clear, crisp and really do give off a feeling of speed.
Sound Score - 8
|The whole package|
As a whole, the Flying Circus is a very easy to watch sport with spectacular audio-visual experience. The sport mechanics itself are nothing too special, but they do the job. If you want to just relax and watch some fantasy sports, then this is for you. Just make sure you don't expect nothing else other than a good tournament "documentary". If you expect to see good comedy, romance, support characters, drama then you will probably get disappointed.
All in all, if i had to put it into words, the anime has a great core, but the shell surrounding it is very fragile and has holes in it. For what it's supposed to be, it does the job very well, but it strives for more and then just flops.
Overall Score - 6.5(if you look at what it's supposed to be then 7.5)
|Subjective review| (SPOILER alert)
My relationship with this anime was like a love&hate relationship. While i enjoyed the tournament, i wanted to see Hinata and Kagami fly and compete so bad. And when they teased it at the end of episode 10 i was so hyped. And then they just skipped it... We only saw both of them fly for like 10 seconds in the whole series. I felt for Misaki (couldn't care less for Asuka)
and was kinda disappointed by how they finished her story line. But yes, wasn't so bad but i definitely was frustrated with quite some parts personally.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 27, 2017
If you have ever fantasized about what would happen if suddenly you became the guardian of 3 little girls out of nowhere, then this might just be your anime.
|Objective Review|
|Story/Plot|
The overall story is very well organised and presented throughout the whole series. The core idea is presented and developed at a great pace, maintaining variety. While the main idea might not seem too interesting at first, Papa still makes it exciting. Papa puts the characters to great use to make sure the flood of problems stay fresh and varied. Though there are a couple of flaws here and there (see at Characters). The anime
...
ending is not particularly great, but it can be forgiven if you watch the OVA and specials which give it a proper ending.
Score - 7 (9 with OVA and specials)
|Comedy|
Expect to see some minor comedy in the anime. Nothing too spectacular, it's just there to spice things up. However, the jokes can become repetitive and boring after awhile since they use the same concept and ideas for jokes.
|Characters|
The characters are the most integral part of Papa and it succeeds to deliver. Almost all of the main characters are great, none of them are shallow characters. They all have deep/multi-layered personalities and they made them feel real, making it easy to like them all.
The supporting characters on the other hand are very-very supporting characters. Most of them are just one of the basic stereotypes and don't really show anything beyond those.
As the series go, the main characters build deep bonds and their character develop into more depth. My only concern was the lack of attention for Miu both in terms of connections and character development. The same goes for the support characters.
Score - 8
|Art|
The art is one of the best ones. Not really because it's beautiful in art terms, but because it complements the story and ambiance so well. It's bright, heart warming and cute. It really helps you ease into the mood of this anime.
Score - 9
|Sounds|
The voice acting was pretty good in my opinion. There was character to them, i could feel the emotions behind them. As far as the music goes, i think it was good, but nothing outstanding. However, it still goes well with the heart warming charm of Papa.
Score - 7
|The whole package|
As i have already implied, the audio-visuals just work so greatly together and Papa really has a great ambiance to it, which i can only recommend. All in all, if you would like to see how a "newly-born" family bonds over while overcoming all hurdles, melting hearts with how cute and lovely it is, then this anime is for you.
Overall Score - 8
|Subjective part|
For me, who always wanted to have a loving family environment, where i felt comfortable, this anime was just incredibly heart warming for me. It really meant a lot for me, and seeing the family bond over all the issues was just an unimaginable dream for me. Not to mention the characters... They were all extremely lovable and i could really put myself into their shoes. Personally speaking i'm still disappointed by the lack of Miu content but oh well. But because of all these, the anime will always have a place in my heart and i will give it a
Subjective Overall Score - 10 (9 because of Miu)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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