Back to Strawberrycake48's Profile Strawberrycake48's Profile

When I started the early episodes one One Piece, honestly it was a bit of a chore (it took me 150 episodes to actually see the genius taking route in the series). The only reason I kept going was because of my curiosity- there had to be something that made this behemoth of a series so successful and enabled it to go on for so damn long!

And there definitely is, it's just a matter of whether the payoff is worth the extremely large investment, and whether you're willing to dive into an ongoing 750+ episode anime packed with not entirely original content that's ... already been done before, seen before and displayed with much more visually impressive and compact Shounen series like My Hero Academia, Nanatsu no Taizai & Magi.

Personally, I'd say yes it most definitely is, but not for the reasons you'd initially want or suspect.

Despite being a battle Shounen, the fights in One Piece are somewhat lacking in creativity and excitement. Which is ironic, because the world of the series is outrageous; many of the abilities outlandish and downright bizarre- I mean the protagonist is literally made of rubber.

But good lord, do not watch this series if you want insane fights and balls to the walls action because the anime does not bring it to the table...aside from maybe a few times. The animation plays a huge part in that though and honestly I'm torn on how to rate it- because sure, there are a lot of lazy parts & tons of still frames during fights, but the color palette is bold and the character designs are just zaney as hell. Most notably the antagonists who somehow manage to look equal parts ridiculous and intimidating; the charactarizaton is nothing to scoff at.

So I'll cut One Piece a little slack- it has been airing continuously for nearly my entire life span!

However menacing that statement seems, it also means that One Piece has over 800 named characters, all playing some role in their respective arcs. With such a large cast, it's impossible to not find hundreds of them endearing! The only problem being that they almost always never get enough spotlight because the plot of One Piece NEVER STOPS MOVING.
Love that new character? Don't get too attached because you probably won't see them again for another 300 episodes!

The main characters go from island to island to island to island, which makes sense because they're an infamous pirate crew with a thirst for adventure...but sometimes the story needs to just take a breather, and so do I.
So many things are going on with so many different characters in different places, that One Piece has developed this terrible habit of jumping about frequently, simultaneously making me want to both slow down & speed up the damn thing. Confusing, I know!

Despite this, with so many arcs, sub-plots and backstories, there's a lot of good content to sink your teeth into.
After all, One Piece isn't afraid to step away from its main characters unlike many other series of the same genre, and that's something I can't help but admire. We delve into the pasts, plans and aspirations of many side characters, as well as the history of the world of the series itself and whilst it may not always be done to a T, it does a damn good job trying.

Nobody is irrelevant in the story however small their role might seem. The true appeal of One Piece doesn't come from action or cool fights, but rather from affairs happening in the background or the possibility of exciting future events.

Really, watching One Piece is like watching somebody building a mansion from start to finish. It starts with such a basic concept, but before you know it you're tangled up in this huge web that never stops spinning, and One Piece is definitely one big web.

The characters are treated much the same way- simple, yet suddenly not. Now, One Piece is not an introspective series by any stretch of the imagination (just look at Luffy, the representative and heart of the story) but it is not one where characters are good or evil, black or white. Yes, some are more good than others and some innately more cruel...but most of the characters do good and do bad, and I think that makes them instantly more likable and relatable. The development of the characters might not be great, but the fact that they're greatly flawed makes up for that most (not all) of the time.

The world-building however, is consistently impressive. With it's own intricate political system and flourishing world, it's not difficult to find One Piece's setting astounding, and the amount of creative genius that's poured into it's fictituous world is nothing short of admirable.

One Piece isn't always great- some arcs flop, some go on too long, character gimmicks can be grating and half the main cast disappear for episodes on end, but when the series shines, it shines bright.

And to me, a series is pretty damn magical when you can roll with its flaws and still love the hell out of it. One Piece is a journey of numerous ups and downs where you can't have the good without the bad; individual taste dictates whether it's worth the investment.

Comedy. A notoriously difficult genre to approach, mainly because of its notoriety as a ridiculously subjective area. Sure, to an extent everything is subjective- whether an art style is appealing (also relevent with Osomatsu), whether something is "scary" and what "good" even is. But comedy is especially difficult. Making people cry with laughter is quite the task, and when you've directed an anime like Gintama- renowned for its comedic content- then the task becomes even more difficult because there are certain expectations. If comedy is intended to be the driving force- the "story" itself- then it better measure up or the entire thing will just ... flop.

Osomatsu-san is a funny little series because I'm still not sure whether it worked all that well comedically. I didn't drop it so I can say I found it entertaining, but I was never keeling over with laughter at any of its comedy. In fact, I found the shenanigans of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Hajime no Ippo- series that can have comedic undertones- to have much more hilaroty than Osomatsu-san.

So why did I watch until the end and why do I like the series so much, despite a lot of its comedy (the focal point) flying over my head? Honestly, it's because Osomatsu-san isn't so much funny as it is strange. Even as I'm writing this, I am still in  awe of its strangeness because I've never seen an anime quite like it. It made me curious and was honestly a bit of a shock, but being out of my comfort zone was both a pro and a con. It felt fresh and stylistic to an extent, but at the same time it didn't feel like the "anime" I've grown to know and love...and this segways in to the elephant in the room.

The art.

It's not for everyone...the typical anime watcher, and those like myself who are not fond of Western animation might find it difficult to get used to it. It's stylistic to the point that it has barely any typically "anime" characteristics aside from the decidely more "modern" anime-esque Idol segments of the series. I'd describe it as a mish mesh between South Park, Powerpuff Girls, Family Guy and maybe Astro Boy. Original? Definitely. But originality doesn't always equal good in my books. Kudos for having the guts to make such a bold choice though, and a great way to pay tribute to the late creator of "Osomatsu-kun", which this anime is a re-imagining of.

Anyway, enough of the art.
The main characters themselves- the virginal 20-something NEETs that are the Matsuno sextuplets are what make this anime really shine. How many anime do you know that have six brothers with the same face as the protagonists? Exactly. It's great and these guys' personalities play off of each other so well. In fact, their individual personalities are so well pronounced, that it doesn't even matter that they all look the same, and that's quite an achievement. These guys are all pretty awful, conceited and lazy- but lovable jerks.

The same can't be said about the rest of the cast though, who come off as much more contrived and annoying with their clearly outdated catchphrases and skits.

I get that they're trying to pay homage to the original creation, "Osomatsu-kun" , but the age can be really felt with these mickey mouse-ish  and gimmicky side characters. Iyami is one such character, who screams out "sheehhh!" everytime anything happens. And that's it. The extent of his comedy. Am I supposed to find that funny? I didn't. The main characters got an upgrade, but the side ones didn't and remain largely stuck in the Showa era of their predecessor.

See, the anime thrives when the Matsuno brothers interact with each other, or when they interact with the outside world...so when the anime steers away from that, it becomes stale and its gags don't translate well. However, most of the time the anime seems to understand that fact because what Osomatsu-san undoubtedly has is self-awareness; its fourth wall breaks are definitely entertaining...it also parodies everything which did make me laugh at times. Idol anime, Hana Yori Dango, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Attack on Titan and Kuroko no Basket to name a few. Nothing is safe. Not even Obama.

Sound-wise we have an all-star cast fronting the series (which is sure to draw in all the VA fanatics). Hiroshi Kamiya, Daisuke Ono, Yuuichi Nakamura, Jun Fukuyama and  Takahiro Sakurai are VAs many are familiar with and they do a stellar job here. They even sing the ED songs, which are both adorable and damn catchy. The OPs are pretty standard though, being somewhat less memorable although I guess that's a matter of taste.

Overall though, I really enjoyed Osomatsu-san, even when taking into consideration its flaws. There's a charm about it that's almost infectious, and I would definitely enjoy a sequel. It's the sort of anime that - if the cards are played well- can only improve as time goes on, and if popular enough I could easily see it working well as a long-running series. The ending felt far too abrupt and I wanted more content, because the possibilities really are endless with this one.

Mafia anime.
A sub-genre left largely untouched by anime studios, and I can probably count on one hand the amount of them that actually exist. Baccano would be the only one that comes to mind immediately, but let me tell you…91 Days and Baccano are nothing alike. For starters, Baccano is completely crazy and relentless; its action thrilling and its plot just as off the wall. 91 Days, on the other hand is an introspective drama piece at heart. It’s the story of a young man, Angelo, whose Mafioso family are murdered by the upper echelon to silence them since they know a little too much. ... Seven years later, he’s all grown up and ready to infiltrate the family responsible, biding his time to exact his vengeance.
It’s the story of Angelo’s revenge, and it’s packed with a surprising amount of symbolism, metaphors and psychological complexities-at its core, 91 Days is certainly very human.

Perhaps that’s to do with the direction the series took, maybe a direct contrast to the expectations many (myself included) might’ve had at the start. When you think about a revenge story involving mafia, you might think of thrilling action sequences (which is a good thing because the animation is not the best thing here), gore, an intense climax and some epic one liners; and ultimately, what you get out of 91 Days depends on what you expect to get from 91 Days.

The promotional poster is misleading; If you’re looking for the anime version of The Godfather or Scarface, then you’ll likely be disappointed and I would not recommend this series to you any time after the first 3 or so episodes. However, if you’re looking for a human study full of ambiguity and philosophical themes revolving around questioning the meaning of revenge and how people go on living, then I’d recommend this to you. I was shocked by how nihilistic the series became by the end and it’s a route I was not expecting 91 Days to take.
Because of this, I initially didn’t think the opening theme fit the whole “mafia revenge” story well at all…I’d honestly not expected TK (the vocalist of Tokyo Ghoul’s opening “Unravel”) to be the choice of artist, although the further into the series you get, the more you see why TK’s “Signal” was chosen. It’s a reflective, sombre song, much like the anime itself.
I for one was pleasantly surprised…although I can understand why not everyone would be.

Now, without spoiling too much, I will say that the kill count in this anime is ridiculously high although that’s partially to be expected. The story does revolve around the prohibition, mafia and revenge and all of those things flag death. I advise not getting too attached to any characters, although to be fair the only ones a viewer might like are the two main characters, Angelo and Nero since they’re the only ones that really get any development (or maybe I’m wrong). It would’ve been nice to let a few more side characters have the limelight because they had great potential, but I guess the plot didn’t necessarily call for it with the limited number of episodes. That leads me to a high point of 91 Days, the complex yet implicit relationship between Angelo and one of the objects of his revenge, Nero. There is a sense of comradery and friendship between the two, and it’s so natural and subtle that it’s completely refreshing.

Time and time again in anime are we force fed concepts of “Nakama” and friendship speeches where characters pour their hearts out to one another to almost justify or consolidate their friendship to the audience.
Well 91 Days isn’t like that, and it’s the genuine nature of Nero and Angelo’s relationship that makes the whole thing quite tragic. There’s no cheesy epiphany of “oh, I suddenly can’t kill you now because you’re my bro” thing going on here, and both characters foil one another perfectly. Nothing ever feels contrived or cheapened by these characters and their interactions.

However, clearly the most controversial thing here was the ending. An ending can make or break a series, especially when it’s a shorter one like 91 Days and just let me forewarn that this is a very open ended and ambiguous ending. So if you don’t like some serious food for thought and the idea of just “not knowing”, then you should probably give this one a miss…it’s ending is quite similar in nature to that of Monster (albeit much less of a mind screw).

Honestly, I can’t help but feel that this anime is criminally underrated, I found it to be one of the best from 2016, but there are probably many here on MAL that would disagree with me on that sentiment.

SPOILER ALERT- you have been warned!!

Y'know if there's anyone out there that hasn't actually seen this yet...I think I might've been the last one.



I don't write reviews at all and this will be my very first, however with something as popular as this, I felt inclined to review it due to the mix of emotions I have about it.

So then, there are two Shounen anime viewed in ridiculously high regard. One is Hunter x Hunter (2011) and the other is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, both of which are remakes of much older and incomplete series. Now Hunter x Hunter (2011) is one of my favourite ... anime of all time and since I was looking for a well regarded Shounen to fill that void, I decided upon this one since it has been recommended to me ever since it started airing. I thought, “why not? If it’s anything like HxH then I’ll be happy to watch it”. Naturally then, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood had a lot to live up to for me regarded as a modern classic, seen as the best Shounen ever created (even better than HxH) and even as the pinnacle of anime.

On that I'd have to disagree, but all in all it is a good, solid series that has universal appeal, even outside of the anime community. Although perhaps I set my expectations a little too high; add to this the fact that I've never entertained the original 2003 anime or the manga, and you've got one very tough customer.

Firstly, the animation and music score are consistently above average and deserve praise; the first opening theme “Again” by Yui, the third opening theme “Golden Time Lover” by Sukima Switch and the first ending theme “Uso” by SID were the visual and musical standouts for me.

Edward and Alphonse also make a really great pair of main characters given their contrasting personalities; I was surprised to not find myself constantly annoyed by the teenage protagonist and deuteragonist of a Shounen anime since that’s usually the case (sadly). The lack of randomly placed fan service, along with diverse character designs and badass female characters were also plus points for me. They definitely added to the more mature themes of life, death, reincarnation and what it means to be human and sin. Rarely did FMAB feel like a Shounen anime, but only after you reflect upon its message do you realize this.

Additionally, by the end, you really do feel a sense of fulfilment when things go right for the Elric brothers; it was so rewarding to see Alphonse get his body back in particular since he’d been struggling for so long without it. Though, despite popular opinion that the anime is nearby perfect, I thought there were quite a few problems when it came to story presentation and characters in particular...although that's just me. For starters, the only relationships that feel “real” and have depth are that of Ed & Al and Mustang & Hawkeye- it’s a good job though, because those are some of the most important in the story.

I honestly didn't connect with the main cast all that much however, & despite not disliking them I didn't particularly care for them either though I can't put my finger on why. The animation was beautiful, as was the underlying message/moral and music, but it just felt like something was missing. As if there was no real heart in the adaptation & more so just an intrinsic need to plough through the material. Character deaths weren't as impactful as they should've been, and despite having so many episodes there were still a lot of things that I would've liked to have seen from the series.

More development for the homunculi, more information about the origins of alchemy itself, definitely more story covering the situation in Xing (that could’ve had a whole damn arc), Trisha and Hohenheim’s relationship, as well as his journey since he was such an important character. How did he meet and fall in love with her? What about his travels throughout his four hundred plus years of life? It’s all just left to the viewers’ imagination, and whilst I don’t particularly like being spoon fed everything, it just feels like a bit of lazy writing and lack of imagination to me. Take Hughes for example, he is a huge motivation to Mustang both in life and in death, but it never truly feels like he is. It’s like the series wanted to wring emotion out of me when he died, but the author didn’t know how to do so in a remarkable and impactful way, so it came off as a little contrived. If we got more depth and time with certain events and characters, then perhaps the series would’ve elicited more emotion out of me because god knows the potential was there.

Such things, whilst not exactly necessary to the overarching plotline, are what create those emotional connections, plant those roots and glue the relationships and characters together. And that’s what I feel was missing from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. There were a huge set of colourful and interesting side characters (as well as possible subplots) that never got the spotlight they deserved. Take Greed, Lust, Ling, Olivier, Hughes, Izumi and Kimblee in particular, who are just ploughed through and shoved back into their respective boxes after their initial introductions (only to be brought out now and again). We don’t get time to connect with anything all that much because of how fast paced the story is…things happened- big things- but it never feels like they did. Things never have as much presence as they should, and there are moments where the story feels painstakingly slow and uneventful, despite so many things going on.

The series never gave more than what was absolutely necessary and whilst that could be seen as a positive, for me it felt like a bit of the good ol’ wasted potential. The plot was well crafted, and the ideas were great, but at the end of the final episode there was no “wow! That was amazing”, it was more like “well that was nice”.
Sure there was a happy end, but by the time I reached the finish line I realized I hadn’t learned anything about the main characters that I hadn’t known from the very beginning.

Despite their eventful journey and all of the things they learned and lost, I can’t say there was really many changes within them, and whilst that’s not particularly a bad thing, it just made the outcome and conclusion a little underwhelming for me. At least it got an ending though, which is more than I can say for a lot of other Shounen anime; the problem here is that I think it ended too soon as opposed to being dragged out like many other series’ of the same breadth.

In conclusion, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a very good anime that’ll stick with me, but it’s definitely not the best and is by no means as close to the perfection people suggest. There were some standout moments though, especially when it came to Van Hohemheim, and I may or may not feel inclined to throw it into my favourites one day.