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This anime has a very simple but interesting premise. Humans vs Gods in a classic shonen tournament style.

Clearly inspired by anime such as Baki and Kengan Ashura it really sounds like it could be an amazing concept but doe's it deliver?

Story~

Like said there really isn't much to talk about and the story isn't really all that important other than setting up the reason for the tournament to begin with.

So it doe's it's job and sets the scene for what this sort of anime should focus on, the action and animation.

... Animation~

I say that but sadly this is where this anime really falls short which is immensely disappointing because it is where this sort of anime really needs to shine to work.

The fights themselves are incredibly lacking. For all the potential of using these all powerful gods there is very little creativity and even then the animation is very lacking to the point it often feels more like a slideshow, which may work in other anime but not for one that's entire basis is action.

It doe's have a few nice moments when the characters really do get into it but overall it is rather cheap.

However that isn't the only thing that drags the anime down.

Characters~

Now the characters are actually quite interesting.

The choices for Human fighters are interesting and honestly drew the attention for me over the Gods.

The issue is in order to set up these characters they had to do the classic flash back trope you'd be familiar with if you have watched anime such as Baki. Given there is no prior set up the only way to introduce the characters and their story is through flashbacks.

In itself this is a fine storytelling device but it felt very jarring here as especially for the Humans it took up a lot of the screentime, often interrupting the slow of the fights (at least what little flow the sorry animation allowed).

That said the flashbacks themselves are fine and really do help show the humans and their motivations and generally gets you to root for them.

Then of course we have the Gods which have their own epic lore already written for them so they should surely be impressive right?

Well no not really, while their personalities are fine they are honestly incredibly underwhelming when it comes to the actual fighting.

General Opinions~

This is because of the flaw with the general premise. Humans vs Gods, in itself this has it's issues. The Gods are almighty beings and the Humans are mortals.

The anime doe's have a device to help even the playing field but even so it still feels like the Gods are nerfed.

A large reason for this is that they simply don't use their iconic powers. Perhaps I missed a rules saying they couldn't use them as another mechanic to even the playing field but regardless it makes the Gods feel very bland.

The Humans are given rather interesting abilities while ironically the Gods are the ones who just feel lackluster. The techniques they use are incredibly unimaginative and generally just come off as 'well now I'll attack faster!' as the limit of their creativity.

Of course if the likes of Zeus just zapped a human with lighting it wouldn't be much of a fight but even so I feel the fights were very lazily written given the characters powers and abilities were already created for them.

I can't help but wish for what this anime could have been. I wish it was just Gods. A tournament setting of all the iconic Gods fighting it out, no holding back. If this was given to a studio who could animate action it would be one epic anime.

Sadly this is not what we get.

Summary~

Wasted potential that is held back by it's abysmal animation, uncreative fights and the basic premise of being Gods vs Humans which forces the Gods to fight like mortals rather than the true Gods they should really be.

Perhaps a little too heavily inspired by the likes of Baki which works because their character while monsters are still mortal.

I suppose I got my hopes up on this one.

The anime begins with your generic Isekei trope of mr protag being transported into a fantasy world, the trope this time being it was his whole class that got transported!

At first it looked like a generic Isekei but after the first couple of episodes it seems to give the impression that it may be a bit darker than initially suggested.

Mr protag ends up in a bleak situation where he has to eat monsters to survive. He soon becomes bitter and hateful all while he gets the generic power boosts you expect from these anime. These first ... few episodes intrigued me as to where he would go as a character and I had hoped this would be something a little darker like that of re:zero or shield hero.

But I write this review purely to warn you this is NOT what you will get. As soon as he escapes the dungeon he turns 180 into a super generic isekei.

He quickly meets tropey characters and the fan service begins, all of the early motivation for his character is lost as he builds his herem.

So just a heads up to anyone expecting anything more than your average Isekei.

I first found this anime by coming across the opening by chance and thinking 'this looks interesting', so I decided to give it a go. And I am glad I did, this anime was a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

In a nutshell, well it is a touching but strange anime about a world where Humans, Tanuki and Tengu live. It mainly follows from the perspective of the Tanuki and their way of life as they try and live peacefully in human society, sometimes causing mischief, and sometimes trying to avoid being boiled in a hot pot. Although the first impression you may get would be that it ... is overly a silly little anime, and this isn't exactly wrong as the anime is odd, if you take the time to sit through it you will find it to be a very sweet story as you learn more about the characters, their stories, and the world they live in.

The Story

The story, as mentioned is a odd one. In a world where Humans, Tanuki and Tengu live, the Tanuki, Yasaburou just wishes to live a fun and fulfilling life with nothing to tie him down. The story follows him and his family and friends as they live their everyday life. But perhaps Yasaburou got a bit more 'fun life' that he had planned for, as he has to deal with many trials, from silly squabbles with his cousins to serious problems such as avoiding becoming a meal for the "Friday Fellows", a group of Humans who eat a Tenuki hot pot each year. The story itself is strange but really not overly complicated.

8

The Characters

The characters are all very interesting in their own ways. Yasaburou who inherited the 'idiot blood' and his father the legendary Souichirou. His fellow 'idiot' brothers Yashirou, Yajirou and Yaichirou all with their own unique 'idiotic' personalities. His proud and stubborn Tenguu mentor Akadama-sensei and the mysterious Human turned Tengu, Benton. All the characters are well developed and are in my opinion what make the anime really shine.

9

The Animation and Sound

Both the animation and sound are excellent. The animation really expresses some of the beautiful settings of the anime well. The soundtrack is laid back and relaxing fitting the feel of the anime perfectly.

9

Overall

Overall I really enjoyed this anime, for all its silliness, it was a sit back and relax anime which was sweet and very very touching. It is a very refreshing change from a lot of the action filled anime you see taking all the popularity of late.

Overall I would give this a solid 9/10.

But for my own personal enjoyment I would give it a 10/10.

I hope for another season some time in the future :).

Uchuu Kyoudai, Space Brothers.. Where to begin.

The basic premise of the anime is simple. It tells of two brothers who had dreams of becoming astronauts as children. Whereas the younger brother has already made it, the older brother put aside his dream, thinking it unrealistic and only after some trouble at his work place and some encouragement from friends and family does he finally take his first steps to catching his little brother with the thoughts 'the older brother should always be one step ahead of the younger brother'. The anime follows the older brother Mutta as he sets out to try and become a ... astronaut alongside his little brother, as he meets interesting characters and faces many challenges along the way.


There are many anime that are considered 'slice of life'. But most of these are silly or just overly dramatic. Uchuu Kyoudai is the one anime I can actually call 'slice of life' as although it is dramatic, it is never overly done, and I could actually imagine this story having been true.

So an anime that is 'realistic' and follows somebody trying to work towards one of the hardest life goals a person could have, as they go through trials, interviews, success and failure. I can't imagine anyone who could say 'I enjoy work interviews', so surely an anime that has a focus on perhaps the biggest 'job interview' a person could have, without resorting to silly humour and jokes would be boring?

Well I thought that would be the case, and only picked up this anime on a whim as it sounded interesting.

However... boring is the last word I would use to describe this anime. It has been going on for over 50 episodes as I write this review, and I can honestly say I have never found it boring.. this anime is easily the biggest surprise of any I have watched, as by all logic I should find this sort of thing boring, as I usually tend to get bored by anything that does not have a lot of action or comedy to it.

So why do I enjoy this anime so much? It is hard to say really, but It has to bey all down to the writing. The story is written incredible well as are the characters. And the art and sound is also done brilliantly.

The basic story is simple, but is written in such a way that it grips you and makes you eager to know what is going to happen. Sometimes it may seem predictable, sometimes it is predictable but sometimes it may completely surprise you.

The characters are also somewhat 'simple'. Again this anime is rather realistic, as are its characters, so the characters do not really have any eccentric personality's, although some are perhaps a little strange. But that does not make them dull, the characters do not need to be silly or dramatic, they are well written, likeable and are very well developed.

Although it is a fairly 'serious' anime, it has humour as well, a light humour that fits the characters perfectly, and allows the story to flow well without it getting silly or overly serious.

The excellent writing of both story and characters with excellent animation and sound. This anime is one of the best I have ever watched and I am very glad I took the whim to watch it. If you are unsure about watching this sort of anime, you should try watching the first few episodes and just see if you get sucked in, you may be presently surprised.

This movie wasn't exactly what I expected.

In a nutshell, the movie is a slow paced slice of life film of a boy who after a tough childhood is forced to venture out into the world and find his place.

A story that has been done many times before, sometimes done very well and some times not so much. This movie is for me a bit of both.

The main character Budori, I found to be a bit lacking and bland. He shows little emotion and fails to stand out much at all. He is a hard worker and willingly accepts any work he is given without complaint. ... Although given his situation, it is understandable. But for a main character, even in this sort of story, is rather dull. Half of his dialogue pretty much boils down to him just saying 'yes, sir.'.

The story itself is nice and is the sort of thing that has been seen many times before and will be seen again. However I felt it could have been executed a little better. I found the transitions betweens stages in his life a little lacking, as if he just accepted each part of his life, while forgetting his past. Especially when it comes to his family.

My main problem with the story, is at least for me it is a bit confusing. But this may also be what people will enjoy the most. The film is very open and leaves a lot to your imagination to be interpreted how you will. If you enjoy movies that leave open questions of what something is or what happened, whether something is literal or a metaphor, you will probably enjoy this. However if you are more like me, who likes solid answers and everything to be summed up perfectly in a nice bow (although I usually miss the point anyway ;O) , you may not find this type of story telling quite to your liking. But that isn't to say you won't enjoy it.

However I think by fat the strongest part of the story is the animation and the soundtrack. It is beautiful throughout and I would almost say to watch it just for the animation.

So overall a nice, beautifully animated, enjoyable, some what slow, but not boring movie, which generally makes you really think about what is happening in rather than just telling a detailed story.

Not outstanding, but certainly worth a watch.

This will be my first 'review'. So I hope this is somewhat helpful.

This may not be the most famous movie of the Studio Ghibli collection, however Kiki's Delivery Service is a brilliant film in it's own right and in my opinion is often over shadowed and under appreciated because of its more famous cousins such as Spirited Away.

Kiki's Delivery Service has a very simple storyline. Based off a book of the same name. Following the life of the young witch Kiki and her cat Jijii, we follow her adventures as she goes out into the world to make a life for herself as a ... witch in the modern world where witches are not as commonly known as they once were, with her only real witches skill being her ability to fly on a broom. This as the title suggests brings her to create a delivery service in which she uses her flying skills to help people deliver various things.

The book for the most part just followed her various adventures on her deliveries from start to finish with no real focus on any particular character other than Kiki and Jiji, however the film adaptation has taken a few of these adventures and expanded upon them, as well as developed the characters associated with these to create a slightly deeper and more enjoyable film.

And well that is about it, we simply see how she struggles to find a place in a new town and make a life for herself and follow as she struggles through various situations and problems, meeting friends along the way. Very simple compared to many other Studio Ghibli titles but this is not a bad thing.

I feel the appeal of this movie is its simplicity and its just overall feel. Kiki's Delivery Service is a very light hearted movie that will make you smile throughout.

The art as always with Studio Ghibli is fantastic as is the music and sound and the characters are appealing and well developed. I think this movie is a good example of showing that you don't need the most complex story for something to be enjoyable.

I have watched both the subtitled Japanese and English dubbed versions and both are well done. Disney for the most part have done well with the dubbing, although there is some controversy to some edits from the original to the dub, which I won't go into. However I feel they do not really effect the overall story and personally prefer the way the dub comes across in the end.

So if you like a story that is light hearted and sweet with a simple but effective story I would highly recommend this movie. If you however want a movie with a more deep or complex story then perhaps try else ware.