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My man Eguchi notices all the slightly erotic moments. It's pretty poggers. 6/10, would read again. Wish the lecherous old man made more appearances. I hope everyone has the oppurtunity to enjoy this masterpiece in their lifetime. Much eroticism, many happy accidents, and a lot of moments where I felt very uncomfortable because this 13 year old was inspecting his teacher's 'oppai'.

Apparently this review isn't long enough. I hope Eguchi lives a good long life and continues to experience slight eroticism.

Slightly erotic. He doesn't miss a thing.
Slightly erotic. He doesn't miss a thing. Pretty cool.
Slightly erotic. He doesn't miss a thing. Pretty epic.
Slightly ... erotic. He doesn't miss a thing. Pretty rad.
Slightly erotic. He doesn't miss a thing. Pretty good.
Slightly erotic. He doesn't miss a thing. Pretty sick.
Slightly erotic. He doesn't miss a thing. Pretty fandabadosie.
Slightly erotic. He doesn't miss a thing. Pretty groovy.

Here I am, once again reviewing anime, but this time it’s a full 37 episode series. Which further proves that I have no life. That’s 15.5 hours of pure Light and darkness, see what I did there? Anyway, here’s my view on the beloved anime series Death Note.

I have been wanting to watch Death Note for a while now and I finally had the chance to do so, thanks to my favourite streaming service which isn’t illegal, Netflix. At first the first episode put me off of the series slightly so I left it for a while and then came back to it recently.

I feel ... like the reason I left it to begin with was that it almost seemed like complete mindless violence. It seemed insane that anyone would enjoy this or go as far as to say it was their favourite anime or even the best. Death Note is of course one of those anime which everyone has heard of. With its cultural relevance in mind and the fact that it is still a widely discussed anime today after being around for around 13 years, I sat down once again to watch Death Note.

And surprisingly I felt myself hooked. It was dark when it needed to be so and crazed and hectic at unexpected moments. 37 episodes is a long season but every episode always manages to build up toward something greater. And before long, I found myself enjoying it. I felt myself torn between two sides L and Light. The battle of intellect was intense and was very creative.

In terms of animation the show is certainly above the rest of the pack at its time, however, compared to more recent series it is incomparable, understandably. This can’t be held against it. This anime is loved for its story. Oh, and of course for its amazing soundtrack.

The plot, I found, almost ingenious and the train of thought which has stemmed from the manga has lead to a very cleverly put together series. There is shock and excitement in almost every episode and the story works surprisingly well. That being said, there is the occasional gap in plot or character left unaccounted for but overall the season flows rather well. The Near and Mello aspect near the end of the show is covered well and once again presents a pressing obstacle for our protagonist/antagonist. The way that Light Yagami can be viewed as both shows the depth this show can create. The detailed and excellently executed character development which almost every character in the show is able to experience gives another layer to the story and actions of said characters.

My only criticism is that there are a few things left unanswered at the end of the anime, which are answered in the manga, but still. This is an adaptation though and the viewer isn’t expected to have indulged in the manga as well although many had. For example, what happens to Misa and Mikami after the ending is an area which is left unknown. Or, why is what happens to L so insignificant and how is there just a replica of L in the form of Near to immediately take over. One other question the viewer asks would be the world’s reaction to what occurs at the end of the show. With the world crumbling to Kira’s knees what is the reaction when what happens in the ending.. happens.

In all honesty these are rather minor criticisms and I can’t flaw the show for missing out a few details as every show does. In summary, Death Note is a great show. It is more complex than your average anime and for me doesn’t even fit into a specific genre, it could be classified as horror, police or supernatural. It is difficult to describe an anime such as this one in a written review and I hope I have done it justice. There are certainly better shows, and Death Note is by no means a masterpiece, however, it is worth the watch and simply for the potato chip scene alone it is worthwhile.

As my first movie review on MAL I felt I’d do a movie very close to my heart. I’ve watched anime casually and hardcore at various intervals of my life and for some reason there’s always something that makes me come back to it. What is this thing that makes anime so special? This movie, Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name.) made me realise what that thing was.

I believe I saw the movie for the first time in 2018, a little over 2 years after its release. Of course I’d heard of its critical acclaim through other followers of the genre. The art was meant ... to be incredible, and the story far more developed than Makoto Shinkai’s other work like ‘The Garden of Words’ or ‘5 Centimetres Per Second’. These other works had been stunning, revolutionary and what they lacked in depth and story was more than compensated for by the quality of the animation. Certainly they were masterpieces of the Japanese animated movie scene yet they were not at the level which I could say was a complete package. I had long wanted a film with the beauty of these two previous works but with a story on par with that art.

This is where Kimi No Na Wa comes in. With high, high expectations and a yearning for a meaningful story from someone I considered a great director. And it did not disappoint.

I can’t convey through words how truly incredible this movie was in the truest sense of the word. The movie is excellent and is built on through humour, and unexpected twists and turns. In terms of emotion this movie is certainly one of the few films which I have cried over. It’s a medley of imagination which Makoto Shinkai has been withholding from us for all these years. In this movie it seems he really found himself, although he says that he feels the movie is unfinished.

When talking about this director one thing immediately springs to mind, the quality of animation in his work. His movies in my opinions are some of the most beautiful pieces of art in the anime scene. Compared to ‘The Garden of Words’, Kimi No Na Wa does not quite have the same level of beauty but it is certainly a beautiful movie. The mountain and city landscapes contrast perfectly and lead to ample opportunities for the movie to showcase its extraordinary landscapes. The art in this case rather than being the centre of attention is more of a light addition to the story rather than the dominant, overbearing force it has been in previous works. It works together with the story to create what I would currently call one of the best Japanese animated films ever. The box office statistics agree.

The story follows two teenagers who unexpectedly in their dreams switch bodies and live in each others bodies during that time. They find a way to communicate and all sorts of hilarious scenes occur. I won’t spoil the later plot for you, but it’s definitely what you’d call an ‘emotional roller coaster’.

In conclusion Kimi No Na Wa is what I would define as a masterpiece. Makoto Shinkai has reached the zenith of his career by creating what can only be described as a masterpiece and a cumulation of many people’s efforts. The art, the story, the genuine connection the movie creates between you and the protagonists is something unrivalled in most other anime movies I have seen, like ‘5 Centimetres Per Second’. This is without a doubt one of my favourite anime movies to date.

Where do I even start with this show? From probably my favourite opening track of all-time, ‘Hikaru Nara’ to one of the most tragic love stories in anime. Once again this is an anime where I did cry and this anime had me shattered for weeks after I had actually finished it.

This is a beautiful anime. The artwork and abstract scenes which a ‘musical anime’ gives the artists the opportunity to form are endless. This is due to the fact that ones views on what emotion a musical composition is entire your own. Coming from a musician, and a violinist at that, this show ... may portray music in a very exaggerated manner but the core elements apply to what music is in the real world. Music can move people to the two extremes of joy and sadness. This anime manages to not only show the characters within the show being affected by music but the music itself manages to affect me. This just goes to credit the anime’s choice of music which our main character Arima Kousei plays.

Initially the series seems rather light, almost happy. Other than the fact that our protagonist’s dead mother haunts him. The colour scheme and animation almost leads to the conclusion that Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso is a a romantic comedy, the story even lends itself to this to begin with. Yet as the plot thickens we find ourselves within a tragedy in the making. I say tragedy but it’s more than that, it’s a story of healing the deep wounds which Kousei has suffered from, but also learning the value of loss.

The way that comic relief is masterfully blended into this heart-wrenching, gripping tale makes the show very watchable, yet emotional all the same. ‘Did I reach you?’ remains my favourite quote from any anime to this day. These four words are so powerful and meaningful (in context) that they perfectly sum up what Kousei has been unwittingly been trying to do for the entire series. His deep rooted love for Kaori.

In conclusion, this show deserves the popularity it has managed to garner over the past five years. It places strongly as one of my favourite anime. It is how the different characters develop that make this anime such a great show. Every character, except maybe Watari, has emotional scenes where they are able to show themselves to the viewer and develop. This creates a real bond between audience and character as we see them at their most vulnerable point.

I gave this series a 10, yes. And although I believe that there is no such thing as the 'perfect anime', this show deserves that rating. It's beautiful, the character's are compelling, and although the show may be slightly slow to start, after a few episodes the story truly flourishes.

What makes Tsuki ga Kirei so great is just how wholesome it is. Even though I didn't grow up in Japan, and I certainly missed references to specific cultural events/nuances (which simply don't exist in Western culture), I still felt a strong connection and dare I say, relate-ability emanating from the characters. I don't know ... what it was, maybe it was the amazing animation, the stunning sound track, the great side-characters, but the atmosphere which the show created was one of such warmth I couldn't help but enjoy it thoroughly.

I watched Tsuki ga Kirei in one night. A feat which I sincerely regret. Take your time and enjoy the show, don't just sit up to 2am and watch this anime on your phone. This show deserves to be enjoyed. It's an experience, an immersion.

The series made me feel so many emotions, joy, sadness, anger. Every episode had me feeling something so different, and so strong. Don't just dismiss this as a generic middle-school slice of life. feel. did an incredible job on this show and it deserves more recognition.

I think there's one word which describes this show perfectly - 懐かしい (Natsukashii)