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I feel this is important to mention: For the sake of context, I have not watched the original Spice & Wolf anime, or consumed any of the original source material. My opinion and perspective will be from a newbie's and comparison won't be made.

Spice & Wolf is nothing short of fantastic. It's a unique, heartfelt story full of climactic drama and insanely good world-building. Since the protagonist Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant, you get to travel this fantasy world through the unique lens of a merchant trying to make ends meet and profit by selling his wares. Holo the Wise Wolf is, of course, ... the unique hook of the show that will initially draw you in, and for good reason. The chemistry between her and Lawrence is incredible as the show's writing makes even the most mundane of conversations extremely engaging to draw you in on what they're talking about. Since Holo is a goddess that doesn't participate amongst normal human activities, she also serves as an excellent audience surrogate getting to not only learn about the world, but learn what it means to be a good merchant and knowing the ins and outs of the world's economy because of Lawrence's expertise. It makes the various scenes of explanations a lot more natural and real since Lawrence would need to explain this stuff to Holo since they're going to be travelling together for a long time.

The aforementioned economics aspect of the show really surprised me by how much I was engaged with learning about it. This is what leads to the great world building, because you end up with a very vivid picture of each town you visit by learning it's economy. You know how it functions, whether it's rich or poor, what the religious situation is there, and so on. I'd dare say it's genius how much they were able to cram world details in like that just from hearing Lawrence yap about it's economy and how he plans to profit from it. By the end of the season, you feel like you know this world like the back of your hand despite not visiting it yourself. It also has a great overall structure since the show begins in the southern regions, and the end goal is to escort Holo to the north to visit her hometown.

Now, I wanna circle back to Holo and Lawrence's relationship. I said before that it's amazing, and that's because of the writing and dialog. They bounce off each other absurdly well, and that makes you very invested into their blooming relationship and feelings for each other. At first, you might think that might be dumb for a merchant and a wolf goddess to be able to achieve that, but it's true. Holo is very prideful and stubborn at times, but Lawrence is calm and collected with a plethora of experience, so their constant back-and-forths are not only entertaining, but very endearing as well. They did a great job not making Holo unlikeable as well. She is stubborn and full of herself for, well, being a god and all. However, she knows when she is uneducated in a certain area, and does not make irrational decisions based on her own ego. She might be a little demanding of getting to eat some delicious food here and there, but she's very smart and observant; she knows when to let Lawrence take the reigns. I think it's hard to write a character like that and have them be THIS charming, but they nailed it.

One last thing I'd like to touch on is the more emotional/dramatic scenes. Some of these scenes are the highest highs of the show. Because of the aforementioned blooming relationship between Holo and Lawrence, you end up extremely invested into their feelings, and the more dramatic parts where something bad happens will make you tug at your heartstrings, waiting with baited breath to see them get through any trouble. I haven't felt so moved by an anime like this in some time, so I think these climactic moments really bring out the best in the show, and your eyes will be glued to the screen.

So all in all, I can absolutely recommend Spice & Wolf to practically anyone. It doesn't matter if you're not a fan of Fantasy or slower-paced shows, I believe the execution of everything it does will make you want to watch it from start to finish. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Wistoria has some excellent components that are greater than the sum of it's parts; in other words, it's nothing that special in spite of it's few great points.

If you've seen even a couple of shounen anime in the past, then chances are you'll know exactly how this show ticks and how it's gonna progress. The story and it's characters are nothing special and rather generic. You've seen these tropes before, and they don't really do anything to subvert expectations on that front. It's hard to really describe them any further in detail because most viewers simply have seen these multiple incarnations of these characters in ... other popular shows. I wouldn't go as far to say that they're completely one-dimensional, but let's say that there won't be any YouTube videos doing a deep deconstruction of them. All that being said, I don't believe that makes the story and characters bad per se, but you just gotta be okay with expecting your usual shounen affair when watching this, and for some people that's enough.

However, I'd rather touch on what I believe Wistoria did very well, which is the animation, world building, and action scenes. If you've heard anything about this anime, it's likely that this is it. The animation is nothing short of gorgeous, and it hardly feels like corners were cut with low-detail characters even off in the distance. It almost feels like every aspect of this show has sakuga even in non-action sequences. And well, the action sequences just speak for themselves. Very well choreographed and keep you on the edge of your seat. More importantly, it keeps up the pace not dragging out inner monologues for too long so it's consistently exciting until the very end of each battle. The premise of the main character Will being an extremely adept swordsman in a world of magic leads to some very interesting and unique battles where he uses his few magic gambits to assist in his swordplay thanks to his friends, such as using magic tools to gain the initiative or using a magically-charged sword to increase his power even more.

The world building is nothing that'll leave you in awe, but I think it's well done regardless. Despite the whole magic school setting being pretty overdone at this point, the way the students gain credits, the leaders in charge, and the way magic shapes their world was interesting enough that it left me wanting to learn more. Unfortunately, I believe the first season of the anime barely even scratched the surface of the world, so there isn't a ton to sink yourself into. Regardless, what is there I felt was interesting enough to keep me engaged throughout it's 12 episode run.


Overall, I do ultimately feel mixed on whether I recommend this anime or not. It really comes down to how much of a shounen nut you are. As someone who isn't necessarily into the genre, I believe most people can admire the fantastic animation and action enough to be engaged to the end, but might not leave you wanting for a second season. If you're super into shounen though and don't mind it being more on the bland side for it's characters and story, I believe it's worth your time.

Ningen Fushin is by no means anything groundbreaking or special in the oversaturated Fantasy genre, but I think it knows what it wants to do, stays in it's lane, and does what it does well.

I personally enjoy this show's premise which is what makes it stand out primarily. A group of adventurers got screwed over by their respective guilds, and they all come together to form a guild of their own (The "Survivors") to make ends meet while carrying their personal baggage. Because of this, the relationship between the Survivors is rocky at first, but they slowly learn to trust each other and maybe even ... become friends by the end of it all. However, it's a slow process that doesn't happen all at once which makes it feel natural and more engaging. It's not like they become best buddies by the end of the season either, but you can still see the clear progress they've made through their various jobs; originally coming together only to survive, to covering each other's back during combat, to caring about each other's personal matters. I guess you can think of it like the character dynamics of Konosuba's main cast in a way, just with much less comedy and a more grounded take on this concept of misfits coming together. Like I said, this slow buildup is what makes the characters feel a lot more organic, and you wanna see their bond strengthen despite all the hardship they've gone through due to people taking advantage of them.

Speaking of the characters, the Survivors crew come from all walks of life as well. Nick who was taken in by a guildmaster as a kid then got fired from it, Tiana who was formerly being a prestigious mage, Curran was a dragon girl devoted to following who she thought would be the savior of the world, and Zem who was a priest falsely accused of sexual crimes by a little girl. All that is to say, in addition to the jobs the crew takes in the present, you also get multiple sections where the story decides to focus on the backstory of one of the Survivors and shed some more light on what fate befell them before the start of the show. It can sometimes interrupt the main story a bit too much and can feel segmented, but it lends more credence to each of the characters and shows that they still have trauma that is unresolved and is something they constantly think about. It's not like their betrayals are forgotten about when they come together, but instead they use those plot devices to strengthen the bond between the Survivors while also learning more about them. It's done quite well in my opinion.

So all in all, I do recommend Ningen Fushin if the main premise of this show sounds interesting to you. The main cast alone is what made me watch through the whole thing, even if other parts of the show were average or "fine" at best, like the animation and overall plotline. If you're particularly a fan of Fantasy, I think you'll like this show anyway, and for everyone else, I would say it's worth your time if the first few episodes catch your eye in any way.

I'm a late bloomer-- well, a VERY late bloomer to Lucky Star, but I feel like that means I can at least offer a perspective from the eyes of someone who doesn't have any nostalgic memories or value towards it. And you know what, despite that? I still thought Lucky Star was a fantastic experience that surpassed my expectations. There has been many a "Slice of Life" anime out there since this show first aired in 2007, but it seemingly feels like Kyoto Animation nailed giving me everything I wanted out of this genre from the get-go. I shouldn't be too surprised as some of ... their most beloved works of all time consist of Slice of Life anime such as Nichijou and Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, but Lucky Star is undoubtedly a progenitor and should serve as a blueprint for what other SoL should follow.

The strength of the characters is what I feel Lucky Star's biggest strength is. I mean, it kind of HAS to with such a simple and basic premise with no wacky hooks or antics to make it more exciting; despite that, they hard carry the show like it's nobody's business. Many scenes in this anime simply consist of Konata Izumi and her circle of friends/family simply going about their life and discussing various topics amongst themselves just to hang out with each other and pass the time. There are certain events that DO happen in the show, such as the gang going to Comiket or taking a field trip to Kyoto, but these merely serve to show off more aspects of the characters and how they go about things. The writing in particular is what I'd like to praise, because everyone is written extremely well to be somewhat realistic portrayals of a character archetype while keeping all their goofy quirks intact. Unlike some SoL or comedy anime out there, I feel that Lucky Star doesn't Flanderize the characters to where their entire personality is the typical tropes you come to expect. Instead, the show balances out their zaniness with them just being generally chill and friendly around each other while still taking jabs and calling each other out when they say something dumb or funny. It simply makes these groups of friends and their family members feel like actual people and oddly makes you more invested into them because of that.

In tandem with the strong character writing, another genius move I feel Lucky Star does is subtly flesh out and give their characters more depth through their aforementioned "normal conversations". The girls often discuss extremely mundane and ordinary topics like how they think certain food should be eaten, or how someone might be afraid of the dentist. Some viewers might be bored by this and get lost in the shuffle, but if you pay attention to what they're saying, it reveals more things about their character; more importantly, certain things they talk about are often brought up or referenced again in some way. There are multiple "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" lines where a character may nonchalantly say something happened to them or they did something, only to see that innocuous line referenced again in a later episode by the character actually doing or thinking said thing. For example, Konata mentions very early on in one episode that she started working part-time at a Cosplay Cafe, and much much later in the show, you finally head there and see Konata working. It's a lot of little stuff like that that adds up to allow you to learn a lot about how the cast thinks and feels about many things while the show keeps it's quick pace up with lots of jokes and having more room to squeeze in more scenes like this.


So because of the strength of it's characters and their writing, I feel Lucky Star just, "understood the assignment" for lack of a better term. It knows the strengths of it's premise, and plays to them in all the right ways to make you want to infectiously listen in on every little conversation the characters hold, while making them all fun and amusing in their own special ways. It's no wonder why Lucky Star is as revered as it is, and I think if you have even a passing interest in slice of life anime, you should watch this.

Yuru Yuri is one of those shows I was curious about, wondering why it was so popular. I decided to give it a go, and I can't really understand why so many people like it so much.

My biggest issue is two things: The characters are incredibly bland and annoying, and it's not very funny... At least to me.



Honestly, it was difficult finding any of the characters likeable. The only two I enjoyed throughout the whole run were Kyoko and Akarin. Everyone else is basically a walking stereotype like Ayano, Yui, or Chitose. Ayano is your textbook tsundere and really loves Kyoko for no real good ... reason. Sakurakou and Himawari are just there for the breast jokes. Chitose only exists to impliment some yuri fanservice... Do you see what I'm getting at here? Everyone feels like they're simply pawns to make an unfunny and predictable joke. It was so one-note and by the book that I had a hard time laughing at anything.

I really disliked Chinatsu in particular because she ended up being so unlikeable. A very stuck-up and pretentious girl who's only defining trait is hating Kyoko and being madly in love with Yui. I'm not exaggerating when I say that's what happens when the show tries focusing on her, one of those two things happen. Or maybe both. There also was a part in episode 11 that made me dislike her even more, but I won't spoil it. Nothing about her is a good character to me, and the show would have been much better if she wasn't part of the main cast.




Now for the jokes, which unfortunately don't land well most of the time. Like I said earlier, a lot of the comedy stems from the characters which are all very stereotypical so you can see what's coming a mile away. What's worse is that they like to really hammer in the same jokes over and over across the entire season. Was Chitose getting a nosebeleed and fantasizing about Ayano and Kyoko being together not funny the first time? Well too bad, because it's going to happen many, many other times! You can really tell what's going to come up just because it all is painfully predictable. There were a few times were they threw curveballs and made me laugh, but it was very few and far between. There's one joke in particular which just felt way too mean spirited, which is Akarin barely having any screen time despite being the supposed protagonist. It's a cute funny joke at first, but overtime it just ends up being kinda hard to watch because it feels like the world is against her and nothing goes her way. There are even times where she doesn't appear for an entire episode just because of a short gag in the beginning. Maybe I'm looking too deep into it, but I really didn't find that funny and just became grating after a while.


So overall, I really wanted to like Yuru Yuri, but just ended up really bored and wanting it to be over near the end. The characters did absolutely no favors as they made the show very bland and predictable, and hardly any of the jokes landed for me.

Nozaki-kun is a show that lives and dies by it's comedy. It doesn't take itself seriously at all, and uses all of it's characters for being the butt of some kind of joke in relation to the manga that Nozaki is making. This, I feel, is a double-edged sword for the show as a whole.

Don't mistake this as a romance anime, as it's more of a slice-of-life and romance is often parodied rather than taken seriously. Nozaki is a man who's writing a manga, and is helped by many of his friends who contribute to the manga. The thing I thought was clever about the ... Nozaki-kun was that Nozaki himself would often refer to his friends and surroundings in real life to continue making his manga. He tries solving all his problems by making someone do something ridiculous; as it's clear he's fixated on nothing but his story of Suzuki and Mamiko. There are issues with this, however...

All the characters themselves are pretty likeable, but they sometimes feel a little one-note at times because every character has a joke that is more than likely to be played concerning them. Jokes with Nozaki will probably be something involving getting someone to do or say something he wants his characters to be like in the manga, or it will look like he's doing something for one reason, but is actually for manga reference, you get the idea. Chiyo has a crush on Nozaki, so there will be scenarios where she thinks Nozaki is doing something for her out of love, but is actually for the manga. Hori will probably beat up Kashima for doing something wrong, and so on and so forth. Having static characters isn't a bad thing mind you, but it sometimes felt like the characters were just props used for making a joke instead of actual characters, which was somewhat disappointing. This isn't too much of a downside though, since most of the characters are pretty good in their own right and I didn't dislike any of them.

As you continue watching more and more, the jokes often end up rather predictable, and it starts grating on you. That's the main problem I had with Nozaki-kun. As the show is completely centered around comedy, jokes that fall flat that you can see coming a mile away make it much less funny as a whole. This doesn't happen all the time though. The show does at least make efforts to make different settings and scenarios for each episode so it doesn't end up feeling too samey, and the jokes that do hit really hit. I can tell that they were making an effort with each step taken, but those times where everything was happening as expected was quite disappointing, even if the comedic timing was on point.

Basically, I did end up laughing at many of the jokes the show threw at me, and had some downright hilarious and clever scenes, but the problem with the samey jokes and minuscule characterization did sometimes creep up on me and put a detriment on my enjoyment. Despite that, Nozaki-kun was a pretty enjoyable and hilarious show in it's own right, and I firmly believe there's room for potential for a season 2 if one was to exist.

[Mild spoilers ahead, be wary.]

First review. Let's see how this goes.

So, this show is basically if SAO and Konosuba had a baby, and the end result is a painfully mediocre harem anime. You know the plot, the main character Touya dies accidentally to God and offers him a second chance at life being born in another world and he chooses to keep his smartphone in that world. On top of that, he also receives a significant boost to all of his senses/abilities which basically makes him ridiculously OP. I have a number of problems with the show, but let's start with the object that's the ... gimmick of the whole show... The smartphone.

Throughout the entire show, the smartphone has had little to no practical use in the story. It's the one thing that makes this show different from any other Isekai anime, and the smartphone is completely null and void because Touya is a literal god. I won't spoil anything specific, but he can basically solve any problem the show throws at him with the lift of a finger; It's completely effortless and his plans work every time without fail because of his vast array of skills. That means every conflict in the show doesn't feel like there's any weight to it, even though the show tries to make you care and think that they might have a problem, because nothing can touch Touya and the problem is solved in a matter of minutes. It makes a lot of sequences feel empty and vapid with no substance to it. The smartphone being useless inherently presents us with these two problems: The one unique thing in the show being near pointless, and Touya having absurd Kirito-like power. It's not interesting and it's not compelling.

Speaking of Kirito-like power, I must emphasize this point about Touya as well. Once again, I won't spoil anything, but there are multiple times in the show where he's able to effortlessly do things that would normally be incredibly difficult for any other person to do... Time and time again. Yes, it makes sense in the context of the story since God boosted his powers but that does not excuse making him a flimsy and boring character.

Another big problem I have is that the pacing of the show feels rushed. The pacing is just rapid and leaves no room for you to immerse yourself in the scenery or even care about what's going on. It feels like the bare minimum is done for each scene and them immediately moves on to the next one. It's unfortunate, but it's like the show could care less about what's going on and is just going down the list of things that need to happen to move the story along. Little substance makes it very boring.

The tone of the show is actually something that I kinda liked. The whole feel of Smartphone feels very warm and friendly. For the characters, it's a casual little adventure while traveling across the land discovering new things. While that's all well and good, the aforementioned problem of the non-existent conflict along with mediocre writing don't make the show necessarily funny or enjoyable. I see the potential here, but it doesn't really hit it's mark.

Now for the characters. Most of them aren't very unique or interesting, but all the girls are at least fair and fit their role. Once again, it's Touya who brings it all down since he's a Gary Stu. However, I won't harp on him much more since you already know the problems with him. The girls unfortunately get little to no background or character, and that's a shame because unlike Touya, I feel they have the potential to be interesting and varied with their character. The show sadly doesn't like to add any depth to them, because they're introduced to Touya and they're instantly part of the harem with little insight on who they are and what their motives are. Their history, interests, choice of weaponry, personality... Absolutely none of it is explored so they too end up feeling hollow and fall in love with Touya for no good reason (Besides Yumina which is explained but it still feels a tad cheap).

The art is fine, for the most part. I really like the design of the girls in particular, but they were the only ones that really stood out. Everything else feels incredibly basic for a Fantasy world. Typical villages, kings, castles, fields, giant dragons, etc etc. You've seen it all before; nothing is unique but it's at least serviceable. Action scenes aren't very good, though.

Overall, I feel smartphone had some potential to be a good show, but had to go the SAO route and make an OP main character which automatically gets rid of any conflict or tension the show offers, along with a pace that moves way too quickly and you're given no time to care about any of the characters, nor do they get any depth because of it. You know a show is bad when the best part halfway through is a fanservice scene that's been teased since the beginning.