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I have very conflicted feelings about SAO Alicization. This show has some aspects about it that I believe are really impressive. It is also a refreshing departure from the previous seasons of SAO. However, this show saddens and infuriates me because of its flaws. This show perfectly demonstrates that the creators of the SAO series have learned very little from their previous failures and mistakes. They repeatedly fall into the same traps and make the same mistakes they made in the first season of SAO. It saddens me greatly because there are a lot of good ideas, concepts, and opportunities in Alicization.

The Good Stuff: Alicization ... starts out impressively. It has an incredible setting to base its story off of. You immediately get thrown into the beautiful vistas, the new and likable characters, and the Taboo Index. (Basically the unwritten laws of this world that everyone must follow or be punished) It grabbed my attention and got me invested in the characters and setting. The music and art are both great. SAO has always had good music and this show is no different. The two new important characters, Alice and Eugeo, are both very solid. Eugeo in particular is even able to bring emotion and personality out of Kirito. He is a naïve, bright-eyed, and endearing individual who you want to see achieve his goal. Combining all of these strengths, Alicization has an excellent first four episodes that got me excited to explore the interesting world and laws that govern it. Episode 4 ends with Kirito and Eugeo leaving the town of Eugeo's origin in order to make it to the central city. I was so hyped for the journey. I couldn't wait to see the interesting locales while also seeing how this "Taboo Index" affected the citizens of this realm. However this leads to the first big mistake that Alicization made that they had already made before in Season one.

Same Old Song and Dance: Episode 5 begins with a huge time skip that completely skips the journey to the Central City. It completely squanders the huge opportunity that they had to explore the world and develop the setting and characters while also destroying the pacing of the show AGAIN! Just like the time skips in the first few episodes of SAO. "This may have been a huge mistake, but that doesn't mean the episodes after this will be bad." I told my self this, but I already knew that it was pretty much all downhill from here. There were many more disappointments to come.

It All Falls Apart: After episode 5, many mistakes are made that destroy the great setting and story they had built. This includes another disgusting sexual assault scene, more pointless harem pandering, and an absolutely atrocious ending. These mistakes that the first season of SAO also suffered from are the main reasons why this anime is so frustrating. They should have learned from their previous mistakes in order to create something truly amazing. Instead, they reinforce the flaws that the series of SAO has always had.

The Ending: The ending of Alicization is incredibly anti-climactic, insulting, and self-destructive. I can't say much without spoiling anything, but it screws up everything it tries to do while also insultingly screwing over a bunch of characters for little to no reason. It is baffling and unsatisfying, and it perfectly represents the rest of the anime.

Conclusions: Despite having an amazing opportunity to create something amazing with its interesting world and concept, Alicization repeatedly trips over itself in infuriating and familiar ways. However, despite all of the negative stuff I have said about it, their is still a lot off good that this show has to offer. If you enjoyed the previous SAO seasons you will most likely really enjoy Alicization. However if you haven't, I can't wholeheartedly recommend this to you in good conscience.

(This review is based on my personal enjoyment of the anime, not my opinion on how well it is made.)

H2O Footprints in the Sand is certainly a unique anime to say the least. I have never watched an anime that has left me angry, overjoyed, stressed, discontent, and confused all at the same time until now. The reason for this amalgamation of conflicting emotions is the absolute enigma of a story and the conflicting love hate relationship I have with the characters.

An Absolute Enigma:

The story of this show is so "off the walls", I probably wouldn't be able to spoil the story even if i ... wanted too. I swear there were several points in the anime where I felt like I had either missed something important, or I was straight up hallucinating. There are multiple times in the story where supernatural, crazy, world changing events will occur, and the anime will never explain them. Characters will make baffling decisions that may make you question whether they are morally sound. Every important character has a crazy backstory that would probably need a whole anime each to explain, develop, and explore. The village has a different set of beliefs than most others which causes more conflict and confusion. All of these moments congeal into a huge confusing mess. While this confusion did decrease my overall enjoyment of the show at times, it also kept me interested and forcefully dragged me along for the duration of the anime while being extremely amusing. But, after finishing the anime I am left discontent because this crazy story has an even crazier ending that fails to explain itself and fails to tie up loose ends. This is also the main reason why I disliked the anime as much as I did.

Beautifully Terrible Characters:

The characters in H2O are quite unique because they are all partially developed with interesting backstories. But, I have two main issues with the characters that make me dislike them. The first issue is that they are all given an episode or two too develop. This leaves them very little time for their backstories to be explored and it makes it hard for me to understand why the characters act the way they do which factors in to the second issue I have. The characters do really awful things throughout the anime that sometimes make me downright hate them. Both of these issues turn these interesting and likable characters that you want to see be happy into characters that you loathe to see. It made it hard for me to enjoy some happy moments because part of me didn't want good things to happen to some of these characters. However, some characters are redeemed throughout the story because you find out why they act the way they do. This still isn't enough to remove the bitter distaste I have for some of the characters in this anime.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this to anyone who likes romantic dramas because it will either be an extremely interesting ride filled with twists and turns, or a fun little hate watch that you can laugh and discuss with friends. I know I have done my fair share of both already.

(This review is more about the enjoyment I got out of this anime (my opinion) than it is about critiquing the anime on how well it is made, meaning that even if an anime is poorly made, it could still earn a 10 and vice versa.)



Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo: 8/10


Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo is a very unique anime in my eyes. It may not be a revolutionary genre-defining anime, but it has a two very striking plot points and one major strength that inspired me to write this review.

The Camaraderie Between the Main Characters:
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The friendships between the main cast of characters is what really defines this show for me. Every time i see these characters interact I feel a great sense of joy. Whether it being them throwing a party, working together to achieve a common goal, or dealing with each others problems and feelings, they always bring out the best in each other. This is only possible because of how redeeming and relatable the characters are. Kanda and Nanami are both hard-working and stubborn individuals who almost mirror each other. They share their glorious successes and their crushing failures with each other while also using those experiences to thrive. Jin and Misaki are both seniors who guide the younger students of Sakura-sou with their charisma and kindness. They are kind of like an older brother or sister to Kanda, giving him advice, cheering him up, and causing some mischief. Ryuunosuke is a cold and calculated programmer who almost never leaves his room. He acts cold towards everyone, but he is constantly helping Kanda with his main goals and may be the kindest character in the anime. Finally there is Mashiro. Who is like the helpless little sister that everyone in the group protects and adores. When they all come together they create an electrifying group of friends that can connive their way into my heart.

The Amazing Ending (No Spoilers):

Talking about an ending without spoiling something can be difficult, so I will keep this vague and short. The ending to Sakura-sou in my eyes is amazing. It raised my rating of this anime from a 7 to and 8 just by itself, while also taking my two least favorite characters, Kanda and Misaki, and making them two of my more beloved characters in the show. It was a bittersweet masterpiece that I implore you to watch.

The Deadpan Romance:

When it comes to deadpan characters in anime, I really enjoy them. I believe that they contain a lot of potential for character growth and comedy. However, the romance between Kanda and the deadpan Mashiro is surprisingly my least favorite part of the entire anime. I believe that romance is my favorite genre of anime, so it pains me to say that i found the romance in this anime to be boring and stagnant. I can deal with slow moving relationships in anime as long as their is consistent progress being made in the relationship and the romance is enjoyable for both me and the characters in the relationship. But the romance in Sakura-sou fails at making me believe that Kanda truly loves and cherishes Mashiro. In fact, sometimes he acts quite coldly towards her due to Mashiro's "natural talent". Not only does this make the romance less enjoyable for me and the characters, it also reveals a major flaw in Kanda's perspective of Mashiro. I believe that every other romance briefly explored in the show would have been much more enjoyable to watch.

Final Thoughts:

Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo may not be the best or most well made anime ever, but it does have excellent characters, adorable moments, and an excellent ending. It may be slightly hurt by its lackluster romance in my eyes, but you may find the relationship between Kanda and Mashiro to be much more enjoyable then I did. Therefore, I highly recommend watching this anime especially if you are a fan of "slice of life" or "drama."