Oh fuck, this series. Solo Leveling has always been an interesting case to me when it comes to looking at its advantages and disadvantages, and, uh… let’s just say that it’s interesting in many ways that turned it into a toilet water fiasco. You see, this show has been depicted as the basic bitch action series with not much to offer and based on my observation, that is for a compelling reason. To add more salt into the wound, however, this trainwreck suffers from far more problems than one meets the eye, all of which we will tackle the more we yap. This series is
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so flawed to the very core that it’s actually obliviously astounding. Solo Leveling can’t really get even some of the simple stuff remotely right.
In case you missed it by that point, the whole premise behind the series is pretty simple. The whole story starts with a man named Jin Woo who lives in a strange world full of powerful monsters and magic users. He then wakes up and ventures on his own journey to see where things are going. Unfortunately, for him, he has to face the strongest entities known to reality. He has to try hard to get all of his shit together in order to stand a chance. Add on that he may have a miserable life and that puts him into a lot of consequences. Despite all of this, he still stands up to them and eventually gets stronger. I’ll have to admit that I do like the idea behind this. Yes, what it offers may be kind of basic, but I still like the idea of someone getting their things together to counter their biggest obstacles. Heck, it can apply to anything. Even some of the most vanilla of action stories can have something like this and go quite well as long as the rules of keeping your storytelling is given at hand. Unfortunately, though, this will never apply to Solo Leveling, and S2 doesn’t change it up.
Despite the otherwise basic premise being actually a bit more thoughtful than one would say otherwise, any sort of potential is negated very hard. Of course, it’s not like we expect a lot of philosophical stuff or political discussions akin to that of LotGH, Gundam, or whatever involved (okay, there are actually political discussions involved but more on that). As we all know by now, the action is this show’s main nucleus and this is where we see a bigger picture here. A good action series for me is when there a consistent buildups paired with choreography involved within polished stakes, all while still having good direction as well as character writing just like any other type of story. Stuff like Fist of the North Star, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Gurren Lagann, for example, and for contrast, follow this criteria quite well, regardless of flaws. While Solo Leveling having a lot of action scenes isn’t remotely a bad thing by itself, the number of issues plaguing Solo Leveling is so glaring that the whole series has to pay not one but hundreds of heavy tolls. Yes, there are some break-time scenes, but those aren’t important enough to affect the story all that much. The whole aura farming gimmick wouldn’t really be enough to excuse this series.
For starters, this has some of the most blatantly obvious asspulls any piece of fiction could ever make. Despite Jin Woo starting pretty weak, he gets “some” powers, and surprise, surprise, he becomes the anime equivalent of a Nokia phone. Sure, him being an overpowered edgelord can look kind of cool but it gets stale really fast, especially when he’s just like that for the whole show. It doesn’t matter if you put in a mage, it doesn’t matter if you put in a summoner, it doesn’t matter if you put in an eldrich abomination, and it doesn’t matter if you put in a shitpost that cracks jokes about how a pebble can tank a nuclear explosion, Jin Woo will just one tap any and all of them into their bumfuck graves. The reason why this is so baffling comes down to one word, “indication”. We don’t really see how Jin Woo even becomes so overpowered in the first place, even by video game standards. The plot turns him into an indestructible brick just to move the plot forward. If he’s absurdly broken, then what’s the point of introducing him as a weakling? None of his struggles or hell, even his ideals (if there’s any) matter anymore if you just turn him into a brute-ass silent god.
Still on the topic of indication, I can’t express any further just how bad the world-building is. Again, the whole mysterious monsters and magic users thing is pretty badass. On top of them looking very cool, there’s lore to them that could spice the story further. Aside from their origins, their connections with the strange world are very enticing and could even show some sort of meaning. Not the most accurate guess explaining those things on their own but even then, let’s at least hope that they’re far more compelling than Jin Woo’s journey. Well, not really. Despite those things having any sort of potential, just like the Jin Woo adventure segment we talked about earlier, they were thrown into the dumpster for some reason. They’re cool-looking, sure, but there is no elaboration on how they’re formed in this place, let alone having any sort of relationship with the present terminus or how Jin Woo wanders around. Yeah, I know that what we’re set in is a game but just because the world is a game doesn’t mean we don’t need context as to how we end up here. So we’re just living in an MMORPG we wouldn’t give a flying damn about and every edgy pawn on sight is just Jin Woo’s everyday happy meal. Yeah, we have political discussions regarding the world, but again, they aren’t compelling enough to highlight anything. They’re just there to excuse something or make assumptions.
And all of the inconsistencies and asspulls are just in one virus, by the way. Do you wanna know what other virus we’re also conflicted with? Boredom. This shit is fucking boring. Just to chuck in another veggie into the milkshake, the one other glaring flaw is repetition. And I don’t just mean repetition, this goddamn show has the tendency to repeat the same stale-ass story format for the whole series. Other titles like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Sword Art Online (again, for contrast) are action series that suffer from poor writing, but at least they still entertain me with a lot of toys to play with, even if they don’t boost their story at any point. Do you know the whole “Jin Woo gets waked, punches a monster, and then gets OP as hell” kind of thing? Not only is that bad writing on its own, but this has been extrapolated in every single episode, and it’s outright dreadful to look at. We get it; Jin Woo is absolutely broken, and he flings his enemies into the trash can. You don’t really need to shove that right into our faces if you’re showing us what your series looks like. Notice how everything I rambled so far talks about the entire series as opposed to the second season itself, but to be honest, that’s actually true.
Season 2 as we’re still talking about right now is the same shit stain as its predicessor. It has a dreadful story formula: the protagonist being overpowered without any bit of context, the worldbuilding being shoved into the gutter, some talks involved but none of the topics remotely matter at all, no stakes, no change of pace. Oh, but don’t you worry! Season 2 actually gets a change of pace, heck, a dedicated episode, in fact! This episode shows Jin Woo showing “emotions” (more on that) towards his mother now that his mother has woken up from her coma. This sounds sweet, doesn’t it? Sure thing, until you, once again, take a look at the lack of context. The biggest issue here is that we really don’t see any chemistry between or background within the two. Yeah, they’re a part of the family, and they’re happy that they’re together again, but what about it? What is the relationship between Jin Woo and his mother like? Is the mother also an aura farmer or at least used to be one? What are their connections within the world? Better yet, how do they end up in said world? Do you wanna know the worst part? His family will soon be forgotten the moment the story moves to the next arc. So even though Solo Leveling finds itself “a bit more variety”, this whole dedicated episode was infinitely more funny than remotely emotional.
And for the cherry on top of the horseshit sunday, this whole series has the tendency to copy something from Hunter x Hunter. Now, let’s admit that most stories aren’t original themselves but learning from other things is absolutely fine as long as you still differ your properties from others. With Solo Leveling, though, not only does it take something from Hunter x Hunter, but it outright plagiarizes it. What I’m talking about is the Chimera Ant arc. Both HxH’s ant arc and SL’s ant arc are way too similar. Both arcs focus on expanding the biology of ants with their magic, and their key characters eligible for their premises are stronger variants that appear to be ultimate life forms. The only difference I see is that the Chimera Ant arc is actually solidly written. Even if it’s my least favorite Hunter x Hunter arc, it still connects with the overall story of HxH very well and greatly expands on what Nen powers are. It also has Meruem, arguably one of the best villains in the medium. By comparison, Solo Leveling’s bootleg ant arc is nothing but filler. Even if it’s related to the story, it’s just a nothing burger just for the protagonist could easily feast on. Pair this with the aforementioned issues and it just makes the experience even more blatantly painful. If you see my laptop play the whole show again while I refuse to take another look, just assume I’m watching hippopotamus documentaries on my phone.
Distraction is the key to preservation. Well gee, isn’t that a striking parallel?
So we rambled about how the story and directing suck donkey bananas. Is the character writing at least decent? NO. These sore losers can be summed up in two words: “budget mannequin”. They are complete nothing-dolls that are either cheap plot devices or just exist as backgrounds. Starting with the aura farmer himself, Sung Jin Woo. He’s just a power fantasy stick. That’s the best way to describe him. He has no personality, no backdrop, literally nothing about him. He’s the soulless Gary Stu that’s used to excuse the story’s OP MC fetish. I hate using the term “Gary Stu”, but again, that’s really true. At least Kirito from SAO has some hobbies, has a husband-to-mother relationship with Asuna, and can be quite dorky at times. Not that they make his character much better but there are some things to him. Convincing Jin Woo to find a much more convenient change of pace is like teaching a group of jellyfish how to build a LEGO figure.
As for the side characters… I mean, if you want to talk about any of them then sure. But once again, they’re just nothing to talk about. The shadow guys? Who cares about them when they’re moving JPEGs? The statue of god? He’s more memorable through memes with his funny edgy face. Jin A? Might as well see her appearance in pornography instead. Some edgy abominations, including a Meruem knock-off? Gone, reduced to killbinds. Hae in? Okay, I guess she’s probably the coolest character in the series, but even then, you degenerates already know what you have on your hands for her, given that she’s yet another living nothing burger. Every side character, despite having their own purposes, turns out to be useless because the show has a weird obsession with glazing on Jin Woo and his dull-ass “aura”. The character writing involved is less than worthless.
While Solo Leveling sucks dick and will always remain that way, there are some things we could compliment, even if they’re not enough to save this bottom of the barrel Webtoon series. The animation and character designs are really good. Even though they may not be the best, they’re at least pleasant to have. The same cannot be said with the music and voice acting, however, especially in the English version, where Kargalgan sounded like a 14-year-old trying to roleplay as a Star Wars villain. Both Ban Taito and Aleks Le for JP and EN respectively did great as Jin Woo though, so shoutouts to them.
Every single problem Solo Leveling has committed would have been avoided if it learned not to set its food in a mud puddle. The most glaring flaws throughout the series are so obvious, yet they’re replicated over and over, and over again. It doesn’t even succeed in popcorn entertainment. Trying to enjoy this series is like slowly watching paint dry. It has a change-of-pace episode that’s more unintentionally comedic. And worst of all, it attempted to copy something from another series and called it a day. To put it shortly, Solo Leveling S2 and Solo Leveling as a whole is OFFENSIVELY BLAND. There’s just NOTHING going for it.
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Mar 30, 2025 Not Recommended Creative 
Oh fuck, this series. Solo Leveling has always been an interesting case to me when it comes to looking at its advantages and disadvantages, and, uh… let’s just say that it’s interesting in many ways that turned it into a toilet water fiasco. You see, this show has been depicted as the basic bitch action series with not much to offer and based on my observation, that is for a compelling reason. To add more salt into the wound, however, this trainwreck suffers from far more problems than one meets the eye, all of which we will tackle the more we yap. This series is
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Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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Mar 26, 2025 Mixed Feelings
[!] THIS REVIEW COMBINES BOTH HALFS OF PART 3 INTO ONE BECAUSE REVIEWING EACH INDIVIDUALLY IS POINTLESS [!]
Kujo Jotaro. He possesses a purple ghost—stunning revelation, I know. ‘ahem’ Stardust Crusaders is probably the most iconic JoJo part by a margin and might be the start of the franchise being one of the most iconic Shounen series ever. It introduces an ambitious yet impactful concept that’s unlike any other anime/manga series, and it has been a prevalent element ever since. Some viewers might have started it as their first part because of those things as well as the shitposting that still hold up to this day. Anyway, ... this was the one part I was interested in the most when it was announced. Parts 1 and 2 were already strong enough to catch and hold my attention, but Part 3 might be on a different level when it comes to major and unique gimmicks. But with all of this being said, how does this part hold up? To that, I answer, pretty nicely, actually. While there are major flaws, which we will tackle on, for the most part, it’s pretty good. This part begins after Joseph’s victory against the Pillarmen and their army of vampires, as well as a follow-up to Phantom Blood. Jotaro ended up in prison because his supposed evil spirit ended up hurting people. But Joseph and Holly, his grandfather and mother respectively, convince him with the important shit as well as that evil spirits are stands and while he tries to not give a damn, Avdol hurts him enough to make him accept it. Jotaro, Joseph, and Avdol are on a hunt on DIO, a version of Dio where he stole Jonathan’s body and faked his death, which led him to sleep in a coffin for 100 years. DIO haunts the Joestars with his influence so much that he even attempted to kill Holly by manipulating her stand. It’s for Jotaro and crew to travel to Egypt, which is where DIO hides in, as well befriending some other stand users to stand a chance against what evil comes in their way. If you ask me, this plot is straightforward. It’s about heroes fighting against evil in order to save someone they love and/or admire, or whatever, a story you see many times. But even with that, part 3 does a solid job at that. The central plot of the franchise is keeping the Joestar family protected while they learn valuable lessons that would motivate them to fight evil. It’s also worth noting that each part’s portrayal on it are pretty unique to one another, especially regarding personal struggles. Jonathan wants to be a true gentleman, but his occasional brattiness, as well as the presence of Dio, can get in his way. Joseph likes to be silly but can get out of hand at times in serious situations. Jotaro acts edgy but he’s (possibly) more of a dorky introvert when you know more about him. Alongside that major element, it also tackles the relationship between the Joestars and DIO nicely. DIO has been manipulating and using the family as his source of success, and it makes him more out of hand when his ego gets in the way. Despite all of this, he actually had a valuable respect for Jonathan because of how he overpowered him. That is why when his body gets disintegrated, he stole his body, which then affects the family in more ways than one. In turn, though, the Joestars also signal what DIO has up to his sleeves. Jonathan’s unique body, despite being stolen from DIO, virtually messages his descendants. Another thing this part excels at (like any other part, for that matter) is the occasional tomfoolery. JoJo is known for showing some of the most wack junk you can ever find in a Shounen, and part 3 is no exception. Joseph’s American accent, Polnareff’s fear of toilets, Kakyoin licking some cherries. There are a lot of jokes to find here, and I think they’re funny and don’t get in the way of the story’s progression. …mostly. The last aspect done well here is the power system and world-building in the form of stand powers. The stands are actually well-crafted as they have simple powers that are added with a variety of certain things based on a user’s strategy. Magician’s Red, for example, is based on the simplistic and classic pyrokenisis but is also stretched to track certain things. Not only that but the stands being based on Tarot cards is a genius move. The Hierophant stands for tradition and convention, and it fits well with Kakyoin’s formal behavior and Hierophant Green’s controlling skills (controlling someone isn’t really formal, but whatever). The Hermit reclaims one's individual authority and acts with integrity, and this fits well with Joseph’s leadership and vision on the future of the crusaders’ journey, as well as Hermit Purple’s tracking abilities. The Emperor is about fertility, creativity, and nurturing, and this reflects well on Hol Horse’s charisma and ricocheting effect of…well, The Emperor. There are more stand and tarot card relationships I could bring up as examples, but all in all, it’s done quite nicely. But like most other parts, I have to complain. The pacing leaves a bit to be desired. While there are elements this part tackles nicely, the exposition kinda holds it back. JoJo takes on a balance between conversations between characters and fights, with the latter being something we will tackle later. Parts 1 and 2 excel at the balance well, even if they’re not too amazing in that department. Part 3, not as much. Now, I still think it’s fine. There are buildups that show what will happen admirably. But the road to a climax for each major scenario feels a bit too long and can be stale at times. Speaking of stale, another problem to point out is the repetition. Again, not a bad thing by any means. It’s just that the plot feels a bit too formulaic. Let me clue you in. Jotaro and crew venture into their journey, see a bad guy, fight, put them into a mental breakdown (sometimes, I think), and beat them up like they’re the Wandering Trader. This has been repeated for most of this part. While not necessarily fully addressed, thankfully, this problem was countered in the battle in Egypt half by adding more variety, like the poker situation, Polnareff being possessed, etc. On the topic of variety, let's take a look at the fight scenes. From my personal view, JoJo is one of the few series, even for non-action standards, that greatly benefit from choreography for storytelling. The fight scenes are interesting because the stands are also used to represent what each user is capable of. Again, some examples include Star Platinum having super vision with fantastic potency and versatility within physical close-range combat on top of it, Hierophant Green shooting emeralds paired with manipulation, and Silver Chariot using his sword for not only striking but also stirring gas and plasma. The characters have a lot of strategies in their pockets, but while they do use them efficiently, there are moments where strategies aren’t used or other times, they are but aren’t really used properly in the narration. This falls into a similar case as the story progression where they’re held back by exposition and repetition, while the second half of the part counters that. I won’t list a lot of examples, but there are 2 fights that stood out. The first is the fight against elder D’Arby. This is a unique case, and might even be the most unique one here, because you aren’t exactly fighting him. You are playing against him in a game of blackjack. This one is far from the ordinary because he’s a cheater. Jotaro is the only opponent who would stand up to him in his game. Because D’Arby cheated, Jotaro had no choice but to use his stand for further speculation. Jotaro even had the balls to put his belongings at risk as HIS BETS, and that alone cornered D’Arby. Jotaro was smart enough to be aware of the entire blackjack. This shows and proves to us that Jotaro is not only a great fighter but also a clever strategist. Another standout fight is the clash against Vanilla Ice. Take what the average fights have, but make it pretty extreme. Avdol’s tracking powers don’t work on Cream, and because Cream is an indestructible void, he had to sacrifice himself to save Polnareff and Iggy. Both Polnareff and Iggy tried so hard to come up with more consistent strategies despite both of them being goofballs as well as bruting their way to victory. Of course, Iggy had to die because he went all out to expose Ice. Polnareff is the only one surviving in this situation and his rage successfully wiped Ice out of existence. This fight was great because not only does it have a lot of tension, but Vanilla Ice is a prime example of how threatening a villain-of-the-week foe can be in a lot of circumstances. There are arguments that the final fight also deserves to be part of the standouts, but let’s save that for our last. The characters are weird. This part’s take on the cast is more or less a mixed bag. First, our main cast consists of Jotaro, the main JoJo; Joseph, the mentor; Avdol, the mentor’s assistant; Kakyoin, the gamer; Polnareff, the French bread who hates toilets; and Iggy, the dog that plays with sand. I’m more mixed on Jotaro. He is more interesting than one meets the eye, though. He is edgy, but at heart, he is an introverted dork who still knows about combat and shit. He’s always aware that his family needs to be protected at all costs. But my problem with him is that he doesn’t get as much character development as intended, and generally, he doesn’t feel like a protagonist. Also, the way he treats his mother is annoying. I get that you’re not fond of your mother, but do you need to shove that right in our faces? Joseph is a good character, especially considering his role as a mentor, and while his humor overstayed its welcome despite still being funny, he remains consistent overall. Avdol, Kakyoin, and Iggy are characters that aren’t really as appealing. It is true that they have their own personalities and they have their own moments, but they’re criminally underused throughout the whole part, especially with Avdol, who was mostly part of the main cast just because of his stand power. And, of course, who would have guessed? Polnareff steals the whole show, and you know it. He’s the true protagonist of this part, and while that’s not partially what we asked for, he has the most development out of any character. His struggles and his wackiness, whether they serve as his weaknesses or he wants to goof around, are both well-created and relatable. Not to mention, he arguably has the most chemistry with any character out of the crusaders. The villains are decent and handle the villain-of-the-week formula well. They have their own narrative roles and they do have tactics on their behalf. However, with a lot of side villains, some are bound to be better or worse than others. Hol Horse is good because of his wacky yet debatably believable statement, as well as how he’s paired with J. Geil and then Boingo. Enyaba is a puppet and that’s about it. The D’Arby brothers are the best villains here because of their games serving as incredible changes of pace. I did mention that Vanilla Ice is a great example of being a terminator, but I’ll be honest: he’s mostly served to give Polnareff and Iggy more character. He is the biggest simp for DIO and the biggest simp in the whole series, and while that makes sense, it can get ridiculous at times. While the side villains are mixed, they’re still pretty nice to have in our character batch And who could have forget? The most important villain AND character. DIO. The mastermind who got called out for manipulating the Joestar family and then used his anger to demolish them. DIO is one of the most interesting characters due to his charisma and history with the Joestars. DIO is probably a changed villain, and while he still wishes to be on top of everyone, he actually spreads insightful wisdom towards anyone he either recruits or manipulates as his henchmen and even towards anyone else, even those who dare to oppose him. While he is more interesting than his part 1 counterpart, he’s not really as fleshed-out as a character. The reason why Dio Brando is such a good character and villain is that not only is he a massive threat for the entirety of part 1, but he also has a very endearing relationship with Jonathan, and he both puts him into malice while still respecting him. By comparison, DIO kinda does fuck all when he’s supposed to be on his buildup and even when he reached his peak, he was more of a final boss than a fully engaged villain. And that leads us to the finale of part 3, where the remaining crusaders go all out when they see DIO. They think of strategies, but DIO’s stand, The World (or Za Warudo), was just too strong for them, and he’s effective at using time stop. Notice how I said “effect”, but more on that. When DIO finally confronts Jotaro, their fight begins. Surprisingly for DIO, Jotaro is the only one who has learned about DIO’s power, but there are limits, so he has to use his escape tool wisely. Although DIO is stronger, he technically doesn’t use his power as efficiently as intended, but the reason for that is because Jonathan’s body still contains some good, so it’s used to hold DIO back. Although that is excusable, the dynamics between Jotaro and DIO barely are. While their beef is strong, their chemistry is a bit more on the weaker side. That is because both weren’t really that expressive towards each other despite being on the biggest conflict they can find themselves in. For this reason, the dynamics between DIO and Joseph were more personal than this one. And you want to know what becomes a bit more idiotic? The moment when DIO finally got his hands on Joseph’s blood. He becomes higher than a turtle that ate a huge-ass jellyfish for breakfast, and his signature time stop is more durable. DIO may not be that great of a character, but my problem with the fight doesn’t come from DIO himself. Nah, it comes from how Jotaro stole time stop. The issue here is that his rage is weak and was more of an excuse to end the part (this situation was done better in the OVA). Either that or there was no indication as to how Jotaro even does it in the first place. To be honest, the latter is a clearer answer here. Either way, how Jotaro beats DIO in that fashion is a pretty stupid asspull, probably even more bullshit than part 2 Joseph defeating ultimate Kars. This is why I think the final battle, while reasonably iconic, isn’t particularly that strong. It has its highs, but it is watered down by an asspull. It’s kinda saved by the celebration being bittersweet. Alright, let’s yap about the visuals and sounds. Both the character and the stand designs in the manga are among the most iconic designs in every Shounen, and while I obviously don’t judge something based on iconicity, they’re actually iconic for very good reasons. They match their powers and personalities well while looking really pleasing on top of it. While the anime kinda does this, it’s ruined by the fact that the shading looks pretty ugly. The art style of parts 1 and 2 is very pleasing and just as good as their manga counterparts, while this one is a downgrade because of that. The animation looks a bit too choppy, but it doesn’t look terrible. The music, sound design, and voice acting, on the other hand, are all equally legendary. They’re unique, and they reflect on a scenario just as well. And those are my thoughts on part 3. You can weigh the pros and cons as much as you like, but I’d put it on the same level as part 1. Both are equally problematic but still equally decent, nonetheless. It is the most iconic part throughout the whole franchise, and I greatly respect its influence. The stands, especially are special with how much variety they bring into the story. But generally speaking, it’s held back by exposition and repetition, as well as the arguably underwhelming finale. But it still has its moments that are still strong to carry this part and impactful enough to justify the 6/10 rating.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 18, 2025
Kara no Kyoukai Movie 8: Shuushou
(Anime)
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Ever since the start of Kara no Kyoukai, it was a tale of Shiki being trapped in various figurative forms of prison with the help of Mikiya’s pacifistic investigation. We’ve been through 7 chapters solving murder incidents and puzzles made of black magic. After that twisted journey, not only did we abolish the invasion of the magus unleashed by Araya but we finally gave Shiki the freedom she wanted despite her failure we see in Chapter 7. This chapter is where we meet her light. This is the final chapter of this series. …but also the most complicated and/or controversial one at that and I’d
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imagine it would be very difficult for me to piece my thoughts on it together. Despite being the last chapter, this is the biggest hit-or-miss Kara no Kyoukai has offered. On one hand, it does wrap everything up as it’s the introduction of Void, the third personality of Shiki which is unleashed after slaughtering every evil that is sighted around her surroundings. But on the other hand, the story presentation is very complicated.
You either like or hate it depending on your personal view, whether you’re a fan of the Kara no Kyoukai series or not. For me, personally, I wasn’t so sure how I would feel about it and that is before I get into it. Based on the summary of it, I was kind of expecting that it would be this series’ infodump saved for the end. But after taking a closer look at it, I’m starting to like it a lot more. In fact, this might arguably be the best chapter this series has ever created right after Chapter 7. There’s a lot of personality and soul put together in this quote-unquote “epilogue” than one meets the eye. Hell, contrary to what others would say, this isn’t really an epilogue all things considered. It’s more of a true ending since Shiki doesn’t really show her full happiness until she disintegrates every evil she sees on sight. If you start Chapter 2 through a chronological watch order of the series, the snowy road right from the start was where Shiki and Mikiya met for the first time. Since then, Mikiya studied the beauty and mystery of Shiki while Shiki herself studied the faults and twists the world had. Their results have been fulfilled regardless of their mistakes throughout and here, this is where they reunite on the same road we see right from the start. From here, they start talking about the philosophies and connections between the surrealistic reality and Shiki’s existence. Like I said, this is really hard for me to talk about. Despite its short runtime, there are a lot of things to pay attention to. This movie shows how Shiki ventures throughout the world and how she studies every single mystery and ideal involved. Not to mention, all of this also relates to the relationship between Shiki and Mikiya. Their relationship, for the most part, was very non-linear. They are love couples but they also point out their characteristics, all while they find out figurative patterns in what scenario they’re in. After some rethinking, I think I finally found my personal answers. Part of why this is a brilliant addition to Kara no Kyoukai comes down to recapping not only the features and flaws of the magic invading the series but also the personal details of Shiki. This does a fantastic job of recognizing the philosophical identity of the series by having Shiki explain and visualize every encounter she met when she ventured around. She points out how the black magic caused by Araya swarmed around with visceral questions as well as putting her in various tests regarding her characteristics and abilities. Alongside those things, she herself is an enigmatic figure in the sense that she learned a lot about developing her personality to begin with. Based on my observation throughout the whole series, she’s probably the most skilled in that department for better or worse. The reason that is is how hesitant she can be when it comes to developing magic. The fact that Shiki had issues when she learned all of this was what caught Araya’s attention in the first place and this perfectly communicated with his tragic and twisted past and ideals. If you think about it, Shiki viewed death as something valuable while Araya is the opposite. Void was actually created prior to this chapter but because of the black magic surrounding the world, it remained hidden until everything was cleansed. Speaking of, let’s talk about Void. The reason why Void was created in the first place is because it represents what Shiki really aims for: personal happiness. It embodies what Shiki wants throughout her entire life. This part is handled extremely well because not only does saving this element for the very last makes so much sense but it gives off a very bittersweet and cathartic impression of how Shiki was holding her light back until she achieved her freedom. It also conveys the dynamics between Shiki and Mikiya greatly, especially when considering the fact that Mikiya was studying what Shiki was capable of. And that’s it. I don’t think there’s much for me to say about it since it’s half an hour. Honestly, say what you want about this chapter. The animation may have dipped slightly compared to the first 7 chapters but at that point, I don’t care. This isn’t an epilogue but more of an ending and what a phenomenal ending it is. It quietly yet poetically celebrates the freedom of Shiki and Mikiya and represents their conclusions very well. It may not be the most exciting thing ever but I don’t think it has to be. What matters more is how it handles its context and again, that context is truly right on the spot. So in my opinion, not only is it a fantastic ending but it’s arguably the best ending in the entire industry.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 17, 2025 Recommended Spoiler
It’s about time… Shiki has reached her final destination in the form of the continuation of Murder Speculation. We have been traveling around through lots of mysteries and absurd scenarios from 6 chapters at this point. We’ve been speculating both the murder cases and the reasonings, the manifestation of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, tracking down the 2 culprits who happened to be victims, hunting down the true culprit himself who has a tragic vision, and even regaining memories. But one of these things still has yet to be continued. The speculation of murder hasn’t been completed yet and we’re still finding the answers,
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so where on earth do we find those? That, my friend, is where Chapter 7 arrives for. While Chapter 5 is the conclusion of the Magus conflict (at least specific to this series), Chapter 7 is the conclusion of Shiki going through hell while risking a major value in order to reach her light. In my opinion, this is easily Kara no Kyoukai’s best chapter. …but why is that? Is it because of hype? Is it because of the music? Is it because it’s simply the last destination? Well, it’s time we dig a hole…
As mentioned, this is the continuation of where we left off in chapter 2. Shiki has faced dozens of gauntlets at this point and even Araya isn’t as much of a difficulty spike to her. What will be, however, is a virtual hint to the murder case questions and this is where she finally reaches her limit. The story of this chapter starts off with Shiki chilling in her apartment while Mikiya gives her soda. However, a new string of murders has lured in and that string is a very long one at that. Funnily enough, those murders aren’t really caused by Shiki. She may have caused a handful due to her unstable personality, but that is nothing compared to the mass streak run by the final culprit we aren’t aware of until now. Who could that be? But while we’re at it, Shiki has gained a final objective and that is to not kill a single person. That final objective will calculate the results of how far Shiki has come with learning what life and death mean in multiple ways. To me, saving the answers for the last gauntlet stage was a great idea because the previous gauntlets put Shiki to the test, especially because of how strategic she was in fighting against her opponents. Anyway, as for how the movie itself started, it’s surprisingly very strong. Shiki has defeated Araya and his arsenal, so how come she still feels like she’s in prison? She and Mikiya still have to take the murder cases from Chapter 2 into account and here, they’ve been extrapolated. The newest addition to the crimes is the enhanced cannabis created by Araya which is believed to be hella more potent than marijuana. Because these cannabis are now given to certain victims, it’s even more difficult for both Shiki and Mikiya to deal with these cases. The reason why this start is really good is due to how much depth and care they put into the interactions between Shiki and Mikiya. Even though they’re couples that love each other, they also point out their surroundings as well as being aware. Shiki has studied the philosophies of life and death and she still shows mad violence regardless of what kind of enemy she sees. Mikiya, on the other hand, wants people who enter their hell phases to go back to normal so that things won’t be hectic. This truly adds to Shiki’s final test very well. Let’s also not forget that her other objective is to keep Mikiya alive. It’s not the best thing out there but there’s a lot of heart found here. But this series’ best chapter? Where did that come from? Well, it’s time we enter this next part. After Shiki has dealt with multiple drugged servants sent by the culprit which damages her goal progression all while Mikiya is on the investigation of a strange mess, she has finally confronted the culprit himself. That murderer is none other than Shirazumi Lio, the guy who Shiki rejected a few years ago due to his incompetence and he was Araya’s first victim. Every other victim alongside Araya is a small scratch, but Lio is a whole different beast. Lio wouldn’t hesitate to kill literally anyone he sees but wasn’t so sure if he could kill Shiki (and/or even Mikiya in that case) due to his relationship. However, Lio also manipulated Shiki into thinking she would be the real killer after he took a look at Shiki’s unstableness in the past. Lio is a strange character because of how weird he acts with his obsession towards Shiki which explains why he looks like her but I think he’s a genuinely compelling final antagonist in the sense that he’s a perfect puzzle for Shiki. He will still force Shiki to enter his own delusions. Shiki is still pissed at him for his disgusting actions but will nonetheless try to remain relatively tame on him for the sake of her final goal. If you pay attention to the post-credits sequence in Chapter 6, there was this one scene where Lio broke down crying after being rejected to the point where he performed cannibalism on a bully for him to show more violence and Araya sees him as an apex predator which made Lio his depraved puppet. Another thing that makes him a great villain is how he pretends to be a spirit of male SHIKI. Because male SHIKI died in exchange for giving Shiki her powers, Lio trolled her into thinking the male personality is caged inside him (although at least from what I see). This puzzled Shiki so hard that she didn’t know if she should take him seriously or not. By that, what I’m referring to is if she even thinks he deserves death or not. Lio is not only a brutal killer but he’s also a liar and even though he’s not amazing at lying, he still finds ways to get away with shit. Hell, he even used most of his advantages against Mikiya. He didn’t try to kill Mikiya, though (...for now). He calmly spreads rumors before losing his sanity after being pointed out multiple times. While watching the scenes of Lio talking to Mikiya, one detail I truly appreciate is how good he is at mimicking male SHIKI as a whole. Despite the male personality being unstable, there’s still a lot of good involved. Unfortunately for Lio, it won’t last for long because Mikiya needed to find a solution. Lio has been regarded as either a flat or unnecessary character but I disagree with that, he’s great because of those things. This transition is amazing because, after all that investigation, Shiki and Mikiya face massive challenges that would corner them for eternity. Even if they’re smart enough to find their solutions, it seems impossible and that’s all because of Lio. Despite being Araya’s victim, all he wants is to have people view him as extraordinarily competent. Touko stated that there’s no cure for Lio due to Araya’s complex and potent black magic. And this only gets even better from here. In Shiki’s second confrontation against Lio, this is where she reaches her dead end. Lio is a massive obstacle that will take ages to move aside without hesitation, but oddly enough, her other obstacle is Mikiya himself. But that’s because he warned her about that one rule. This is even harder for her when considering the fact that Lio has gone too far with all the nasty stuff he caused to Shiki. Sure, there are scenes that are difficult to watch but even then, this sequence greatly conveys the flaws of Shiki when she tries to overcome challenges. She has a hard time valuing herself when she takes this test. Nothing’s more difficult than keeping an insane victim alive. Of course, Mikiya isn’t free from Lio either. As mentioned, Mikiya wanted victims to turn normal, and to turn Lio normal is like taming a cat by feeding it with dog food. But as always, Mikiya had the balls to do so. His entire philosophy is that victims aren’t really fully on their faults and still can be forgiven. This may sound silly but I always adore Mikiya with how he spreads it. His progression may look like he makes dumb decisions but in truth, they add life to the story as he’s one of the few things that perfectly contrasts with Araya's tragic yet twisted influence throughout. And this is one of the reasons why Shiki has always been a compelling character throughout the entire series. Of course, he still points out flaws like a true human being and this is where he hits the road for the worse. When Mikiya continues to point out how monstrous Lio is, Lio got insanely pissed that it injured Mikiya’s left eye. Oh, and Lio’s uncontrollable rage perfectly shows how massively unstable he is. ‘ahem’ After that, he shows Shiki that Mikiya is “dead” and this is where Shiki has had enough. After struggling with her final objective, Mikiya has always been protecting her with everything he has, and with him supposedly “gone”, Shiki had to sacrifice her progress of completing her final objective, that being to value how many people she kills, in exchange for cleansing the growing evil, and that leads us to such a formidable conclusion. Shiki definitely forgives Fujino and Kirie because of how much suffering they’ve gone through but for Lio? Despite being trapped in the same hell, he’s going to be sent to a worse one because of what he did to Mikiya. The only real cure for him… is EXTERMINATION… After giving Lio a brutal beatdown, Shiki finally wins… but also loses… She wins because evil in the place she lives in is no more but she also loses because she broke the one rule that would evaluate her perplexing journey. By process, she indirectly failed her late male personality. Shiki has never been this sad in her entire life. Mikiya wakes up after being heavily injured and slowly slithers his way if Shiki and Lio are okay. Luckily for Shiki, she’s alive. But unluckily, he had to look down on her because she failed to complete the last objective. Despite this, both still have their happy ending because they’re back to seeing a beautiful light. This ending, even though we still have yet to see the real ending in the next chapter, is just really heartwarming and compelling simply because it shows how flawed Shiki and Mikiya are with their strategies and ideologies while still overcoming their challenges until the end of their destination. All of their progression has led up to this moment and what a fantastic result it is… Shiki has always been one of my favorite protagonists ever, even right from the start. She’s an anti-hero who builds and spreads her philosophies the more she ventures into her adventure while also overcoming the biggest of obstacles with both her characterization and the amount of tension involved. Even if her philosophies appear to be the bare minimum, she always finds clever ways to conflict with both the ignorance of the world and Araya’s influence. And that’s ignoring her amazing chemistry with not just Mikiya, but with most characters throughout, although her relationship with Mikiya is definitely the biggest seller here. Her entire characterization, development, and catharsis in every chapter (except 6 but she’s still really good in there) have always spoken the word ‘brilliant’ from left to right but Chapter 7 is truly her magnum opus. This takes all of her development and writing and adds a phenomenal conflict to fully reflect her advantages and disadvantages. Not only is she a divine character but she also perfectly reflects TYPE-MOON/Nasu as a writer in general. We can’t forget about Mikiya either. He’s also one of my favorite characters in the entire TYPE-MOON franchise. Even if he couldn’t fight back, he’s such a complex and endearing character because his detective skills truly make him look like he solves a lot of puzzles while also spreading his wisdom of how fighting isn’t the only way to face evil. Like Shiki, his ideals aren’t really the brightest but he’s still smart enough to lay a finger on a villain’s influence/ideal without causing a bit of physical harm, even if it would cost him his life which is what we see with him getting injured by Lio. Oh, and speaking of Lio, I know he is an arrogant dick but despite that, he’s still who I fully admire as a character and one I empathize with how much suffering he goes through. Yes, he is a weirdo with how much murdering, stalking, and other shit he caused but even then, it’s not like that he grows to be a doomsday device. All he wants is to be complimented. In my opinion, he is the best of Araya’s victims as a character with how much contrast he puts on Shiki and Mikiya. Before we close this review, let’s talk about other things. The animation and spectacle are only always getting better the more we progress through each chapter. The fight between Shiki and Lio in two rounds, while not as impactful as Shiki vs Araya, is still massively impactful. As far as character designing is taken into account, Lio looking like discount Shiki is a genius move as it perfectly reflects his lust for her. The voice acting… Don’t get me started on that part… SakaMaaya and Hoshi Soichiro really went all out voicing their respectable characters with the sheer amount of personality and reflection put together. "...And so, the part of me that still holds the old Lio Shirazumi quiets and fades. I'm sorry, Kokuto. It looks like the part of me you believed in has now finally disappeared." I can’t praise this chapter enough. This easily cements Kara no Kyoukai as my favorite TYPE-MOON series ever. Not only did we come full circle with how Shiki and Mikiya met together alongside started their journey but the amount of writing, directing, and character writing are just pieced together amazing. I think this was the moment I really fell in love with figurative storytelling in any industry and honestly, maybe even TYPE-MOON as a whole. While admittedly, it is confusing, there’s just no denying that the psychology, themes, and so on are thought out really well. To this day, I can’t think of anything made by the franchise I personally like better than this one (and Kara no Kyoukai as a whole). Hell, throwing in the entire anime film industry, it’s still among the best. For me, it’s only just beaten out by Liz and the Blue Bird and Revue Starlight’s movie sequel. But even then, it’s extremely close. I’m sure there are more points I have missed while talking about this chapter but all I can say is that I want to Nasu for writing Kara no Kyoukai…
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 1, 2025 Mixed Feelings Spoiler
TYPE-MOON has made quite a lot of polarizing titles regardless of time. But nothing is ever as polarizing as Kara no Kyoukai’s 6th chapter. Now, I’m just going to say this right off the bat Kara no Kyoukai as a whole is one of those anime series I’ve been admittedly defensive towards. While it is hard to get into, the writing and direction still shouldn’t be underestimated. The series doesn’t try to take itself seriously while still becoming one of the deepest and most impactful series ever. But if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that this chapter is the weakest of
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them all. It doesn’t hold the same impact as all the other installations do. But… does it actually deserve the slander it gets? Well, enough of this introduction and let’s begin yapping.
This series starts with a new incident appearing after the death of Araya Souren. Kokutou Azaka is now the main focus here. While she was technically a main character in almost every other chapter, she wasn’t necessarily as focused as the others until we got to Ch.6. Azaka studies in an apprentice academy alongside Shiki where she can perform her magic. While they’re at it, though, they’re also on an investigation. Another strange mystery lures in and is trying to lure the main characters into a bad situation. These consist of fairies and they’re not the ones you would normally think of. Perhaps this has to have a connection with the previous magus dealt before. Right off the gate, this is a far more important addition to the series than what others may realize. Sure, this type of story may look off at first but it adds to what makes Kara no Kyoukai in general special in the first place. Each installation has an entirely unique plot line to itself and all of them are special thanks to how they connect their major gimmicks to the central storyboarding of the series. So again, what is actually something good about this? Chapter 6 serves as a nice bridge between chapters 5 and 7. Since 5 is the story’s climax and 7 is Shiki’s climax, chapter 6 is a nice buildup to the series’ finale. This trilogy had two main priorities and one of them was exploring the dark magic lurking around in the series. Chapter 5 concludes that part since the magus league was the central antagonist that further spread the puzzles since Mahoyo (‘ahem’ chronologically speaking). The other is Shiki and her personal relationship with both the overall atmosphere and her challenges. While this chapter technically doesn’t have much of that, it still provides a nice continuation of how Shiki has an impactful relationship with the chapter-specific key characters, and that brings us to this chapter’s main focus, Azaka. As much as I love Kara no Kyoukai’s character writing, Azaka was pretty bland and was more of a plot device overall, so it’s nice to see her getting the spotlight she deserves after being easily replaceable by any of the major characters involved. Azaka serves as a unique replica of what Mikiya normally does throughout the series’ narrative which makes sense since both of them are siblings. Azaka’s motivation here alongside Shiki is to find out the culprit behind the school they’re studying in and regain their memories that are stolen. Again, this is quite relevant to the central plot when you consider that Shiki can be clueless sometimes. But sadly, like all of you, it’s time I complain about this chapter. For starters, the exposition could be better. This chapter spent a bit too much time on buildup proportional to this chapter’s length so there’s barely any tension involved. That’s not to say long buildups are bad, I do in fact like them. Buildups in every other chapter in this series are also long but those also get straight to something like drama or action to spruce their stories up. This one felt a bit too much of a slice of life than what it intended to be. Another problem is that the mystery elements aren’t particularly great. On the surface, the fairies are actually well-made. As mentioned, they play a very important role in the series and they’re connected quite well. One neat detail for example is how Shiki also wants to regain her memories because she mentions herself in chapter 5 that she was a murderer when that’s not really the case for her anymore now that chapter 4 concludes that. But again, compared to every other chapter, they aren’t necessarily used as much. They’re potentially portrayed as gimmicks when this chapter has other things that aren’t really as important. Yeah, they’re important and interesting, but what else is there to these things? They’re mostly (or virtually) used in the later portions where we see Azaka’s final climax which is nice but they could have been applied in other portions as well. Still, though, they’re nice to have in the entire series. They could be complimented more if they’re used more. Now for characters which might probably be the weakest aspect. First things first, we have Shiki the protagonist and the stoic girl who studies death, and Azaka the sister of Mikiya who is the main detective. Let’s cut to the chase. This movie is absolutely carried by Shiki. To be fair, she has been stealing the spotlight in every single installation, albeit for good reasons, but every other chapter still has a lot of compelling characters to themselves whereas chapter 6 only has one. Now, this is definitely the weakest rendition of Shiki’s character development but she’s still pretty great. She has most of the charm in her other appearances and such. As for this chapter’s focused character, Azaka… yeah, we have a lot of talk about here. Azaka being the main character here is a good thing because she gets more important aspects she should have gotten ages ago and we get to see more interactions with Shiki and for the most part, those interactions are pretty good. However, that’s also a problem. She’s still the same annoying tsundere she was in all of her other appearances so unless you’re able to stomach her annoying moments, good luck with that. On top of that, though, her relationship with Mikiya is quite off. That’s not to say that siblings loving each other is bad but this relationship is rendered as romantic which is out of place. Add on that she’s still the weakest main character in the whole series and I think she falls short. Still, though, she’s an alright character regardless. I see her as Kara no Kyoukai’s replica of Tsukihime’s Tohno Akiha, both being passable main characters but annoying and not much to offer. Kurogiri Satsuki, the chapter’s focused villain, sucks, though. It’s nice to see another twist villain around but compared to someone like Araya Souren, he’s absolutely irrelevant. Oh, and Ouji Misaya is there, I guess. Before we end here, the animation like every other chapter is amazing. The movements still remain to be very consistent and over-the-top. The action still looks clean as ever, even if the fight itself isn’t necessarily one of my favorites. The music is outstanding. In fact, it’s probably my favorite OST in this series alongside chapters 1 and 7. The voice acting, while not as good as the others, still has their charms nailed very well. Not a big fan of Fujimura Ayumi as Azaka but she’s decent nonetheless. So while I do unironically like this chapter, I can fully understand why it’s poorly received even amongst fans of this series. It really has a lot of interesting ideas going for but they aren’t used as properly as they should have been, the exposition is quite off, and the key character of this chapter could have picked up much more development. It’s mostly seen as a stepping stone to chapter 7. But honestly, I was expecting worse. Yes, what they offered is problematic but I won’t lie to you all, I think this was more amusing than frustrating. Now, it’s still Kara no Kyoukai’s worst chapter but it’s not really one of TYPE-MOON’s worst. Compared to the real failures like DEEN/Stay Night or Fate/Apocrypha, the plot still remains pretty consistent and there’s still a handful of character development to be found. So while it could be a lot better with just a few tweaks, it’s still above average.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 12, 2024
Bocchi the Rock!
(Anime)
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Recommended
If there’s a series that drastically changed my perspective on slice-of-life forever then my vote would go to Bocchi the Rock. This series managed to shatter my expectations so hard when I first got into it. To put it in perspective, it takes all of the aspects most other SoL anime have and puts them to newfound heights. That isn’t to trash on the others, it would obviously be unfair if that’s the case, but BTR is on a completely different level for me. From the storytelling, directing, music, and character writing, there’s just so much gold and diamond to be found in the mines.
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Not only does it massively stand out from SoLs/CGDCTs, but it also hits the point where it’s my personal favorite anime of all time.
The series starts with Gotoh Hitori (will be shortened to “Bocchi” from here) who rarely has any friends and lacks communication abilities. She plays a guitar and has wanted to join a band since her middle school years. But again, she doesn’t communicate as much so she practices guitar by herself. Eventually, though, she uploaded videos of her being a guitarist as well as joining Kessoku Band right after. This series already has a rocky start since it sets up its story. We already see how Bocchi is written throughout the story. She has been a loner despite how skilled she can be at playing her guitar. She tries to make new friends but the problem is that her communication skills are flawed, even now with the help of Nijika, Ryo, and Kita. BTR surely had a very strong start and it’s only getting stronger from here. How the entire story is built may look relatively simplistic at first glance and while that still may be the case, in this respect, everything about it is very comprehensive and profound despite how short its runtime can be. Contrary to popular belief, BTR isn’t really about relatability. No, no, no, whoever says it misses out the whole point. While the whole relatability aspect is indeed important and plays well in the show (even if I could personally barely relate to any of the characters), the main messages of this series are both the complicated nature of communication and how friendship can be healthy regardless of troubles. Communication is both explained and portrayed very well for a few reasons. Bocchi is an introvert and in this respect, she has trouble trying to make friends properly. Even with the success she gains, she’s still kind of unstable and for the most part, she will tend to have quite some trouble. This isn’t the most accurate display by any means but it still shows us how communication is difficult well. Communicating with people, especially when making friends, is relatively hard. You still need to practice how you talk and how you manipulate your body expressions. The best part about this is even though Bocchi will not be perfect at talking to people, she still slowly improves over time with the help of Kessoku Band. As for the friendship aspect, it’s also amazing. In fact, it intertwines with the “communication is hard” element super well. Looking back at how Bocchi slowly gains confidence because of Kessoku Band, the reason for that is how dedicated the members are. Not just with music (which we will go over later) but also with how they develop communication all together. We have two introverts and two extroverts, the former being Bocchi and Ryo and the latter being Nijika and Kita. Nijika and Kita (although mainly Nijika) wanted to help Bocchi and Ryo with talking to people but those two still have their own weaknesses. Again, Bocchi still has trouble with communicating while Ryo prefers to be a loner. Either way, those two are still learning how to find improvements. Despite this, Nijika wouldn’t dare to punish them. This aspect is equally as well-explored because Kessoku Band members are friends with each other and they point out their highs and lows. The series doesn’t take any of it seriously because neither of them would find their meaning if they stuck with one mindset. It isn’t just amazing, but also narratively healthy in that regard. So how do these two elements succeed in all of those processes? The answer is direction. The direction is the sole reason why the story keeps on getting stronger. We already talked about how the communication aspect and the friendship aspect are presented excellently. The direction of the series goes through the other important aspects just as greatly. We also see how Kessoku Band was made in the first place. Kessoku Band’s name may be a pun but its entire existence has both a compelling history and presence. Nijika is the founder and she designed the whole band because not only does she want to show people she makes friends with how communication can be answered depending on your personal success but also to show what music means to people. The exploration of the band is fantastic because of its history, its legacy, and how its members communicate with each other. The band isn’t the only amazing part of the direction, though. We also see how other characters approach both their lives and their purposes very nicely. Some examples include how Seika (and even her adult friends) monitor over Kessoku Band. The comedy also plays a very crucial part in the show. Now, I should admit that the humor is arguably the weakest part but that doesn’t really mean it falls short. Not even one bit. Hear me out, the comedy isn’t always reliant on being relatable and is presented in a way that even extroverted people can understand and laugh at. The humor here shows how introverts have a hard time talking to other people properly. Some examples include how the moment Bocchi shows her meme expressions, which also shows that she would have trouble trying to talk normally. This doesn’t seem too great at first. When I first watched it, even I was confused with how the humor was constructed. But looking again at how it goes, there’s a lot of value to it. The point about BTR’s comedy is that it actually shows how making failed attempts (or struggling ones) can be genuinely funny and once again, this is handled very well without too much trouble or any bit of offense ‘ahem’ at least imho. Comedy is always subjective, even in comedic stories, but BTR manages to make its humor a crucial element in the best ways possible. Lastly, we can’t forget about music. Music in slice-of-life anime (at least ones whose themes focus on musical bands) is weird. Some use music to its high potential, others rarely gave a shit about it. But BTR not only gave the music aspect a chance but is also dedicated to investing in the tracks, mainly the performances. The music performed by our main band is entertaining and heartwarming, but most importantly, it narrates one of the story’s main points to newfound heights. The music is proof that the Kessoku Band members are very dedicated to one of their main objectives. Even if they’re not perfect at making music, they still show so much heart and so much passion. The performances are a result of how the Kessoku Band members care about each other, share their sweet moments with each other, and how they point out their individual skills. It’s also proof that music in general is more than a piece of entertainment. Music can also be something like a comfort zone or a lesson. Now, for characters, starting with Bocchi the introverted guitarist, Nijika the extroverted drummer and leader, Ryo the introverted bassist, and Kita the extroverted singer and guitarist. Bocchi is an excellent protagonist. She’s a very valuable example of how introverts have trouble while still finding a bit of improvement. She’s shy and clumsy, and yet, she’s still skilled at playing a guitar. What makes her a compelling main character is how she learns from her main friends. Even though she’s still on her introverted side, she slowly gained confidence by having loads of fun and enticing communication. Hell, not just with the main cast but also the side cast, especially Seika, PA, Kikuri, and her family. That being said, she’s actually my least favorite of the 4 main girls. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still well-written. She has great characterization, development, and chemistry with any character. After all, she deserves to be named after her own series. It’s just that we have even better characters coming right up. Speaking of, Nijika is extremely compelling. Her energy, her dedication, and how she designs her band alone already make her very profound. But again, there’s far more to her character. Her interactions with Kessoku Band as a whole are amazing. Showing them how band members are always determined with their skills based on their individual instrument choices no matter what trouble gets in their way is both cathartic and inspirational. Her relationship with Seika also adds to her character greatly as they want to help each other but also point out whether things are going nicely for them or not. Sure, it can also be comedic but most of the time, it still narrates Nijika’s development well. A similar case can be said with Kita. Although not as compelling as Nijika, she’s still a fantastic character for similar reasons. Fantastic chemistry, fantastic development, and fantastic catharsis. Not much needed to say here honestly. But if there’s one character I adore the most, that would be Ryo for me. Ryo is by far the biggest standout out of the 4 main girls for a few but massive reasons. For starters, she actually has a dark history with how she was with a band prior to moving to Kessoku Band. She wanted to perform more and more with that band but ended up leaving due to creative differences with her former members. She’s now a loner and she chose that, even after gaining confidence from the other Kessoku Band members. What makes her such a brilliantly written and developed character is her relationship with the cast. She can act goofy but it adds to her character and how she occasionally needs it for her personal progression. The best part about her is that she has two perspectives. She shows how selfish she can be at times, even if admits it, and how she observes and analyzes the pure creativity of a band. Ryo is sarcastic but she’s also wise and reserving with both her personal knowledge and chemistry with any character, and that’s why she’s the best character in the whole series. We can’t forget about the side characters. Even those people have a lot to show and add to the main cast very well without being close to plot devices. You have Serika, PA-san, Kikuri, Bocchi’s family, and many more. They’re one of the reasons why the character writing is very strong and why the main cast has such profound development and catharsis. Serika is a great example of this. As mentioned, she monitors Kessoku Band and has a complicated but also very believable relationship with Nijika. My personal favorite side character, though, is Kikuri. Kikuri is hilarious in how she approaches the band members and the adults that monitor said band. Sure, it can be awkward but it still gives me good laughs. But also, that makes her greatly written, even for a side character, because of her personal knowledge of a band and she’s an OG bassist. The animation is surprisingly solid for the most part. Not groundbreaking or anything but it was straight to the point. The movements when the main girls perform a band are very nice, to say it, albeit heavy-handed at times. The character designs are criminally underrated. The school, even though it still requires you to wear the exact and intended uniforms, gives you the freedom to have the extra choice of clothing, giving any character more personality and recognizability with both their silhouettes and how they wear something that matches their interests. Bonus points for the extra worldbuilding. The music that isn’t connected to the performances is just as great. Each track conveys each sequence very nicely. The same can be said with the sound design which is also well done. It’s no wonder why some of the most iconic scenes around Bocchi losing her shit became beloved memes. Lastly, the voice acting is amazing as each voice actor nails each of their character’s characteristics and sequences amazingly. Some of my personal favorite performances include Hasegawa Ikumi as Kita, Mizuno Saku as Ryo, and Senbongi Sayaka as Kikuri. All voice performances are equally great, though. Say what you will about this series but after these talks, I can proudly say that Bocchi the Rock ruined anime for me. Not just slice of life or CGDCT but in general. It’s the jack-of-all-trades and master-of-all, a combination you rarely see in the industry. It’s filled with cohesive passion with how it directs its storytelling, comedy, and character-writing. Even if one of those is the weakest, that being the show’s humor, every aspect is equally nailed so brilliantly. I don’t know what else I could say, it’s just amazing in every sense of pattern. That said, BTR isn’t for everyone. Even with everything I say, you will still find this show awkward depending on your perspective. But as to how I personally view it, there’s no way I would absolutely let go of this unforgettable masterpiece. Not even close.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 6, 2024
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby
(Anime)
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One of the better Gacha adaptations in my opinion is Uma Musume. Technically, it’s not a Gacha adaptation since the anime came first before the game but I supposed the anime is used as a potential buildup for said game. Uma Musume is very interesting for surprisingly a lot of reasons. From the looks of how the series designs its characters; it’s another animal girl show in the modern years. Like, you have girls that have horse parts, mainly the ears and the tail. But don’t be fooled about that part, it has an interesting history where it’s based on real times. With that in
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our heads, how does the show tackle its ideas? Well, only one way to find out.
The premise behind this series is intriguing. It’s about horse girls who work as both students and idols and race during horse race events, as well as win in order to appear as icons. The school they study in is called Tracen Academy which is located in Tokyo. The main horse girl we’re following here is Special Week. Her goal is to be a top horse girl in order to spread her popularity and promise her mother. Something interesting to note here is that this is based on the history of Japanese horse racing from 1998 to 1999. The horse girls are based on Japanese horses, looking at both their silhouette and their color schemes, and certain of them based on this season’s choices appear as they’re also based on their IRL counterparts’ histories. This is interesting because of how this show presents its own take on horse-racing history. The horse girls are students on certain things they’re assigned to and they’re idols while they’re still based on their IRL horses and therefore, racing each other in order to reach their spotlights. How well does this show tackle these things? To that, I answer, very well surprisingly. Sure, it’s quirky and comedic but the first season of Uma is both competent and relatively philosophical with its own ideas. Uma Musume shows the tension of racing. The horse girls will try their damn best to keep on getting stronger until the day they enter a competition. There are two different types of racing events. One is normal racing which, while it still results in who will appear on top of the leaderboards, is still a testament to how strong a horse girl can get. The other is grand racing which will serve as something like an assessment of how skilled and competent you are in a race. You need to work hard if you want to appear on top. If you lose, you need to wait for weeks or even months until another grand race will happen. These races are executed well because not only are they fun but they also show both the fighting spirit and knowledge of each horse girl. Not only that but it also wants you to prove how worthy you are at racing. Even if you lose, you can still work harder. Another aspect that has been done well is the worldbuilding. The direction of this season is consistent. It shows us the buildups of events and what a character will do in there. The touring in Tracen Academy is very endearing, to say the least. We actually see what the academy looks like and how each location serves its purpose. We have the main building, cafeteria, library, training rooms, you name it. While they seem basic from initial looks, we actually see certain character buildups before they perform the big stuff like racing each other, allowing for consistent character writing which we’ll get into later. The years in the school are kind of confusing but then again, every character doesn’t really have a confirmed age (and we’re not counting the ages of IRL horses here) so that’s kind of a whatever. The racing places look sick and I don’t think I would touch on that more since I already tackled the racing aspect. Not just those but we also tour around other places where we see our favorite horse girls do what they like to do in their casual times. There’s one major flaw to this, however, and that is how this show uses comedy. That isn’t to say that comedy in this series is bad or even run-of-the-mill. The comedy here is actually very good. There are jokes that are handled well. My personal favorite of the bunch is Rudolf cracking up dad puns for a living. It’s just that Uma uses it a little too much for how philosophical its storytelling is. It’s not overwhelming per se but somewhat half of the time, comedy is this show’s secondary tool whenever the story sometimes runs out of ideas. While it doesn’t hold the series back, it’s still a relatively big problem we need to address. Another problem is, surprisingly, the racing. Going back to that aspect, there’s something a little wrong. Again, the racing in this series is handled well. It’s just that there isn’t a lot of strategy to be found. There is almost little involved which is still okay since a lot of the horse girls can have the same type of strategy depending on their individual pros and cons. So while the racing is still engaging and directed nicely, it can be a little repetitive at times. Also, the idol aspect is a somewhat important addition to the series and sadly, it’s not utilized to its full potential. There are some idol performances and they’re great but for the most part, it’s treated as fanservice. Then again, though, Uma Musume as a whole is about showing the ideals and messages of how complex and enticing racing can be so I guess this aspect doesn’t matter as much. Let’s talk about characters which might be the weakest aspect of this season but that doesn’t matter since it’s still solid. We’ll start with our main horse girl, Special Week, who’s determined and wishes to appear on top of the leaderboards. Spe is a good protagonist and better written than people would like to admit. She shows how dedicated she is to her journey, she has good chemistry with certain characters, and she’s a great introduction to how competent the series is with its cast. She also does the "protag who knows nothing about the world" trope done right. Just one problem, though. Her obsession with Suzuka is kinda annoying and this is shown in most of the middle portions of the show. Speaking of, Silence Suzuka, Spe’s racing mate, is also a good main character for similar reasons, although she’s a little better written than Spe could ever be. The side characters are decent. You have Teio, you have Rudolf, you have McQueen, and so on. They fulfill their characteristics well but the best side character here is Gold Ship. In fact, she’s arguably the best part of the show. She’s quirky, she’s wacky, and yet, she’s very dedicated. Even if she’s written as a side character, she’s more developed than any other character in this season because of how much fun this season had with her. Shoutouts to the duo of Vodka and Daiwa too. Those two characters are also very endearing with a very good chemistry with one another. Now then, what about the animation? The animation for the most part is well done. It’s not groundbreaking but it’s straight to the point with how it conveys the action of racing. The character designs, even for this series’ standards, are criminally overlooked. The aesthetics lean towards a great blend of simplicity, style, and how they fit well with each character. The music is also underrated. Each track nicely matches with each sequence. And who can forget about the voice acting? Most of the voice acting is great, with the best one being Gold Ship’s energy. And those are my thoughts on Uma Musume season 1. I’m sure there are more aspects I can talk about but I elected to discuss the ones that are the most important. The first season is overlooked. It has more things about its story that aren’t just cute horse girls thingy. It shows the complexity of racing, it has great worldbuilding, and it shows respect for its characters. The only problems are that it can tone down comedy just a bit, it would have opened more variety of how the horse girls race, mainly picking up more strategies, and it could use more on the idol aspect. But alas, the first season is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll talk about season 2 at another time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 30, 2024 Recommended Spoiler
Kara no Kyoukai chapter 5, here we fucking go. Paradox Paradigm might be the most critically acclaimed of the series’ chapters/movies but also arguably the most divisive. It’s a movie that combines plot twists, symbolism, dialogue, and choreography very well but its own combination is so complicated that you wouldn’t really know if it’s good or not. In a way, I really wouldn’t blame you for that. This movie, even to this day, is confusing (albeit intentionally). It creates a handle of symbolism that isn’t written or designed literally. It will mess with you if you try to understand it literally. But generally speaking, this
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whole movie, despite how serious it can be, wasn’t meant to be serious to begin with. As I keep needing to say this, it’s figurative. And it’s not just figurative, it’s arguably one of the best figurative stories ever created. With how it’s written and directed, there’s so much charm to be found.
This movie’s plot is relatively unique compared to the others. The 5th chapter of KnK starts with a boy named Enjou Tomoe (not to have his looks confused with Emiya Shirou) who has nightmares about his personal fears in the past, all of which are repeated and narrated by a magus named Araya Souren. Enjou gets bullied by certain kids until Shiki comes into play and Shiki thinks it would be a good idea to invite Enjou into her apartment. Both of them talk about how their relationships would go and what kind of mysteries they discovered in their personal lives. Meanwhile, Araya and another magus, Cornelius Alba, are plotting in their mysterious hotel, which Enjou used to live in when he was parentless in his teenage years, about how death should be viewed and portrayed. Kara no Kyoukai has an interesting and endearing start because we’re only in for a few minutes and we already see a perspective of Enjou’s life and past, instead of reserving it for the last parts. That backstory of Enjou isn’t fully fleshed out just yet but we’ll get to that later. From here, we encounter this film’s first symbol, that being personal fear. Enjou fears that his mistakes will be repeated today. Simply put, this is portrayed because Enjou as a human being is very flawed, even if he really isn’t on the bad side. He never learns about his responsibilities and he wants to be free from consequences. This, however, is far from the truth for him because Araya knows this. Araya has studied and pointed out the highlights and flaws of I believe every single human being. This eventually gave Enjou repeating nightmares about said flaws. Enjou will truly need more than heavy thinking to escape from this kind of curse. This is one of the best beginnings in any series because we initially see a perspective of how a character would be portrayed for the rest of the movie. This beginning gives a lot of substantial characterization to Enjou and thus, succeeds at making him a character we would truly sympathize (or empathize with if any) from the start despite how awkward he can be at certain times. All of this progression is to allow him to explore what he has done before and how he can overcome the problems he causes that turn him into one of Araya’s victims. Another thing this movie really succeeds in is how it explores the concept of paradoxes. I didn’t mention this until now but paradoxes in this movie are mysterious magic that holds certain secrets and how they toy with them. They hold a handful of symbolism such as the one we talked about before. These symbols also contain death, imagination, knowledge, and so on. The paradoxes coincide with the symbols very well because one of the selling points of Paradox Paradigm is how it uses confusion and the spirals use that advantage to play as a perfect foil to the protagonists. Symbols aren’t the only things the paradoxes hold. They also contain certain analyses of a specific human being and how they point out your strengths and weaknesses as well as puppets that will fool you completely. The paradoxes will lure you in if you dare to learn about them and use your memory to fight against your soul. They will punish you if you don’t recognize their very complex patterns. Araya designed all of this so that he could progress toward his goal of cementing the concept of death with his own vision further. They’re used as some sort of puzzle to challenge said protagonists and this is handled excellently, regardless of how heavy dialogue is involved or not. Going back to symbolism, fear isn’t the only symbol that’s handled very well. We also have relationships, fatigue, observance, etc. Those symbols explore the challenges of Shiki and Enjou enticingly as well as consistently exploring worldbuilding. Notice how the hotel we talked about is mysterious, hence the lack of a parking lot for a very big building. That’s where the black magic came from. Again, those are used to weaponize against the two protagonists by having them progress all the way until they realize that they’re analyzed and then trapped, especially Shiki who temporarily became Araya’s puppet. However, the best symbol in my opinion is contrary. It’s a symbol that shows a clash between Shiki and Araya. This symbol is especially amazing because it shows and narrates how much Shiki has gone through analyzing death with her own philosophies, those being how it’s a nature of responsibility whereas Araya’s philosophy is that death is pointless. Both of them, are trying to fight over what is more reasonable. They’re a very interesting yin and yang. And speaking of yin and yang, this movie’s overall portrayal is absolutely amazing. As mentioned, Shiki and Araya are trying to clash with each other so they can reach if they’re able to establish what death is. This whole death argument and battle isn’t the only thing about the movie’s portrayal of twisted balance. Enjou virtually fights alongside Shiki against Araya because he wants to prove that he still has the mind, heart, and soul of a human being despite the fact that he’s no longer human. Enjou figures this out by gaining help from Mikiya, whom he suddenly encounters, but chooses him because Mikiya has been with Shiki since the beginning. Mikiya empathizes with Enjou by pointing out that even though you failed, there’s still a way. In Enjou’s former house, we get to see a complete backstory of Enjou and his irresponsibilities and he knows what causes him to be puzzled. Enjou finds his answers and this weakens Araya by addressing what he has done. Remember how the paradoxes are black magic? This can actually be fought against by acknowledging and addressing your problems. This is a great twist because Enjou finally learns what it means to start from scratch. Araya tries to establish his philosophies which are actually well-written but his biggest mistake is overriding why humans are flawed without realizing that humans still try. By extension, this also freed Shiki. Heck, even Touko knew this since she knew Araya and his feats very well. After all, she also analyzes the people involved in a certain yet major chaotic event. The story of this movie has always been brilliantly told simply because it finds its way to present a figurative story. It takes the idea of confusion and surprisingly uses it as a valuable advantage. We see how both Shiki and Enjou (although mainly him) fight against their own nightmares. They actually have a great relationship which we will go over in a bit and they help each other figure out where their nightmares come from. They finally meet their culprit, Araya, and with that, both of them try to fight Araya not only with their strengths but with Enjou’s growth mindset as well. Even though this isn’t very realistic, you can solve puzzles made from black magic by observing the surroundings you’ve faced and acknowledging where you went right and/or wrong. This is what Kara no Kyoukai did and it’s not only beautiful but also heartwarming. The whole exploring and then solving with strategy thing and how it’s portrayed here is one of the best plot twists of all time. Now enough of that, let’s move to characters. Starting with Shiki, the protagonist and the stoic girl who studies death, Mikiya, the reserving detective and Shiki’s boyfriend, Touko, the main magus and therapist, and Enjou, the feared puppet. Shiki, as always, is a very compelling character despite her screen time in this movie. She still shows her philosophies very well, even though they’re not direct, and she still develops her relationships with the cast. She’s also a fantastic match for the yin-yang clash alongside Araya and thus, one of the best parts for the story’s climax. Mikiya and Touko are very good characters too. Mikiya being the professional empathizer and Touko being arguably the best character for this story’s worldbuilding as she explores and coincides with her relationships with the other mages. But you all know who made this chapter-exclusive story. Enjou. Enjou is this story’s highlight. In a way, he narrates the extended concepts of fear, relationship, observance, and contrary. He’s the boy with an inferior complex who wants help from others so he can explore what and where he went wrong. The reason why Enjou is such as fantastic character is his personal struggle. He tries to fight against his repeated flaws and nightmares by developing complex relationships with Shiki and then Mikiya. From the start, he’s some sort of wimp. But as the movie goes on, he not only learns about his highs and lows but with the help of those two characters mentioned, but he also proves that even if you fail, you can still try again and think about where you want to start and then tackle with. His death is the best thing that could happen in this movie because by proving the statement of human improvement, he also virtually weakens Araya for how he’s in the wrong and frees Shiki for his relationship with her. Araya, the central villain of Kara no Kyoukai, is also an amazing villain. He toyed with Enjou, Shiki, and other characters he has conflicts with by using his own ideals and storytelling magic. Araya is compelling because even though Enjou was more on the right, he still has a point. He tried to state how death isn’t something that shouldn’t happen and how the human race is flawed. Personally, he’s especially an interesting character in how he conflicts with Touko since both of them are dedicated mages who have known each other for a long. Also, even though he didn’t interact with Shiki as much, their clashing with each other is still interesting because again, they twistedly resemble a fight between the yin and the yang. Alba sucked, though. His only highlight is his beef with Touko and even that isn’t enough to compensate for his ignorance and incompetence, especially as a magus. Even though this doesn’t apply to the overall quality, we still can’t forget about the amazing spectacles. Knowing from Ufotable and their passion for animating TYPE-MOON content, we never expect less. The movements are both over-the-top and balanced. Not only that but they also animate some of the best choreography of any TYPE-MOON series. Character designs are also amazing. Striking a perfect combination of simplicity, elaboration, and style. The music in this is just legendary. Each track perfectly blends well with each frame and sequence while giving a lot of heart to the themes. Lastly, the voice acting also deserves special mention for being dynamic. Enjou’s voice might be my favorite role from Kakihara Tetsuya of all time. And… that’s it. I don’t know what else I could say here. Kara no Kyoukai is just fantastic. It knows how to present figurative storytelling, it knows how to direct its chapter-exclusive ideas, and it knows how to flesh out most of its characters (keyword, “most”). Chapter 5 pretty much proves that and with some of the best conflicts and some of the best twists, it stays a special place in my heart. Even though it’s not necessarily my favorite chapter, it’s still up there for being a visceral masterpiece.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 25, 2024 Recommended
JoJo part 2 is one hell of a ride. Whether you take this part seriously or not, there’s no denying that this is very fun to sit through. The craziness as well as how it fiddles with exploration in the best ways possible is what makes this part unique. Not only that but it further extends the variety of the franchise’s writing since part 1. While part 1 is a good introduction to the franchise and is far better than what people give credit for, part 2 is on a different level with how it extends the charms part 1 has.
What is Battle Tendency? It’s ... the part that comes after Phantom Blood. Since the death of Jonathan Joestar and the supposed “defeat” of Dio Brando, Erina is now a Joestar and took good care of Lisa Lisa and George Joestar II, both of which eventually took good care of Joseph Joestar until George died which eventually led to Lisa Lisa leaving the family while Erina takes care of Joseph. Speedwagon now owns a company and his goal is to explore the Pillar Men, the inventors of the stone masks. Joseph is kind of left unaware until he faces his first opponent which makes him discover the Pillar Men the same way as the Speedwagon Foundation. This part, again, is more substantial compared to part 1 because whereas part 1 portrays the stone mask as a cursed and mysterious decoration, part 2 finally shows us the answer about how the stone masks are made. That’s not the only thing that makes part 2 special, though, it also works more on worldbuilding. Going from New York to Mexico to Italy, all while finding clues and battling unique foes in each location adds more to the franchise’s adventure aspect. We get to see how Joseph likes to fool around and still does but also needs to progress from place to place to solve each problem alongside his sidekicks. It gives the progression more life with how it presents how we go and execute each scenario from point A to point B. Even if it’s a battle Shounen, it excels at mystery-solving. Notice how Joseph has Hamon arguably not as potent as Jonathan’s yet is more substantial at fighting with finding more strategy. Not just utilizing Hamon uniquely but also finding the available resources to make up for a lack of strong punch. While some tactics can be off-putting, and I will get to that, it makes for great fight scenes, both in style and in substance. Another thing the series does a good job at is how it still further extends the Joestar bloodline. How it portrays the bloodline is actually tragic. George II was a great soldier who fought in a war and was married to Lisa Lisa. Both of them were a loving husband and a loving wife respectively to each other, despite Lisa Lisa training hard to master Hamon. Eventually, however, George II was slaughtered by the last zombie made by Dio and Lisa Lisa had no choice but to risk and kill that zombie which temporarily turned her into a wanted person. She was forced to abandon Joseph so as to not give him a weird reputation. Can you imagine how tragic it is? Lisa Lisa wants to be a loving mother yet faces so many consequences that she needs to leave her son to have him protected. Again, there are some problems that I’ll get into but nonetheless, this portrayal is beautiful. The same probably cannot be said for the Zeppeli bloodline, however. It’s nice that there’s more extension to it, especially with a good backstory, but it felt rather underutilized and we only get to see some substantial moments of it. It’s understandable that the Zeppeli bloodline needs to end right here but give us more of it. There’s no way it was intentionally treated as some sort of plot device for something. It’s kind of disrespectful. Now, the characters. Starting with Joseph, the second JoJo, and a professional trickster, Caesar, the bubble-making avenger, and Lisa Lisa, the mentor and mother of Joseph. Joseph is a very good character. Not only he is fun to watch, but he’s also a genius when it comes to finding a strategy. He isn’t your typical protagonist who relies solely on powers. He finds other ways in order to win a fight. His chemistry with any character, especially Caesar, also makes him substantial. Just one problem, however. Some of his tricks are absurd and can considered to be asspull. Some examples include the grenade trick and countering Kars in the final fight. Now of course, JoJo is a series that isn’t taken seriously but even for that standard, those tricks can be too ridiculous for their own good. Nonetheless, Joseph is still pretty great. Caesar, he’s alright. His chemistry with Joseph is the best part about his character but other than that, he’s lacking. He does show his history with his family and how he sets his things but neither of those aren’t explored fully. He also can be a little hypocritical for the wrong reasons. Lisa Lisa is a disappointing character. It’s nice that she has a dark history with the Joestar bloodline with how many consequences she faces and how she contributes as a main mentor but in the later parts of the story, she almost becomes a damsel in distress. She showed little with what she’s capable of which is sad. The side characters are probably the best part of the cast as they showed more character than the main sidekicks, especially Stroheim, despite his history and troublesome actions. But the Pillar Men are the weakest parts of the cast. Satana is there, even though he introduced us to the concept of the Pillar Men. Wamuu is an exception, though, as he’s an honorable warrior who fights fair and square. While he doesn’t have that much characterization, he’s still a good villain. Esidisi is just annoying. He’s way too expressive with his emotions and doesn’t do much at all. Kars is pretty okay. He has a great backstory but he doesn’t hold the same charm as Dio. Half of the time, he’s almost a Gary Stu. Kars seeks more power and he doesn’t have any unique features for that. Now, the last main part I want to talk about is the finale of Battle Tendency. It’s relatively weak. Sure, seeing Kars turn into the ultimate lifeform looks hella awesome but that’s more of a spectacular display than an actual part of a story. The plane fight, while great on paper, is nothing too much to talk about. It makes sense that Joseph has to run away from Kars but there aren’t many special contrasts for the two of them to clash with each other besides finding a way to hit a mark nicely. It gets worse when they launch themselves from a volcano, though. How in the world did Joseph manage to brute force Kars out of the Earth? Even for this series’ standards, it doesn’t make any sense, unless you consider the Red Stone as a hyperreactive and unstabled source of energy. The art, just like part 1, has aged well. It gives more detail and expression to both the environment and the cast. Fashion choices are even better here. Battle Tendency is just fun in a lot of ways. It’s crazy yet it’s enjoyable enough to not be annoying to watch… for the most part… Both the story and the worldbuilding are great and the characters are charming. But if we’re being honest, this part is far from a masterpiece. Even if it intentionally isn’t serious, there are some inconsistencies that tend to be a flip-off. Some characters are underdeveloped and some strategies could at least be elaborated a little more. But until then, if part 1 isn’t good enough then part 2 is a well-deserved step up.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 25, 2024 Mixed Feelings
Let’s talk about JoJo’s first part. Phantom Blood is definitely the simplest of all JoJo parts in terms of how the story is built but also one of the most complicated when it comes to how we view how it goes. Now, it’s clear why it’s the first thing that JoJo has ever created and therefore, the simplest. It reminds you of the simple, classic tales you learned or heard about before, most notably in this case, vampire stories. I, myself, like vampire stories, I think they’re fun but at the same time, though, it can get a little stale with writing whenever they tend
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to run out of ideas. JoJo part 1 is similar to that but with a bit of unique magic injected into it. This has been regarded as JoJo’s weakest part and while I do understand that assessment and agree that it’s flawed, I don’t think it’s bad or even mediocre either.
Now, what’s the story of Phantom Blood? As the first installment of the franchise, Phantom Blood slowly introduces quite a lot of interesting features, surprisingly enough. It’s about two men in the United Kingdom who go by the name of Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando respectively. Both Jonathan and Dio possess the same determination yet are polar opposites of one another. They have a very complicated, competitive, and hateful relationship with each other. While they’re at it, both of them equally explore the stone mask, a mysterious artifact that will turn you into a vampire and once discovered by an Aztec tribe. The stone mask may look like a simple doomsday item at first but it holds a lot of questions that need to be answered. How does the mask affect you? Will it be carried any longer in the future? Or hell, shall it be destroyed for the better? That’s where we talk about the story in practice. The story, while simple, is a little hard to think about. The first few parts of Phantom Blood are surprisingly solid. Sure, those may be that bizarre contrary to what the title says but they slowly build up well. From there, we see both Jonathan’s and Dio’s introductions and how they interact with one another. Jonathan represents courage, heroism, and honesty while Dio represents selfishness, dominance, and lies. Even if they’re introduced as children from the start, the story tackles their personal symbolism nicely as they treat them as brothers who fight over who will be on the hills or below. It’s also nice how they keep the stone mask a secret for a little while. Portraying it as a decoration until both Jonathan and Dio fight each other in a mansion and afterward, Dio’sbit of blood after his defeat suddenly activates the mask. The slow build-up of how both Jonathan and Dio discover the mask on their own as now adults is also pretty good. Again, we still see how the story develops on how the two represent. After Jonathan finds out what Dio is plotting, Dio has no choice but to reject his humanity. Dio figures out the true potential of the stone mask embraces the greater evil and, by extension, kills Jonathan’s father. Jonathan lost nearly everything but he still avenges his ruined family. This is the best part of the story personally because not only did we see a major cycle of two people interacting with each other, finding out mysteries, and starting a major clash but also the consequences Jonathan has to face, whether it’s his fault or not. Despite his beef with Dio, he wants him to know better even with his gentlemanly acts. Their contrasts with each other only motivate them more and more. This, however, is slightly bumped down with the introduction of Hamon. Hamon is a power that is channeled after practicing outdoor martial arts. It comes with a variety of moves depending on how anyone who learns it fights. Hamon is actually a cool power system but since it was utilized, the story from here doesn’t necessarily have the same charm it has before. Now, it still extends the compare and contrast between the two main characters but we’re going slowly from here. A vampire that creates a zombie army is sick as hell, even if it’s not the most unique type, but with the focus on zombies, it becomes your everyday battle Shounen. That being said, the story still holds potential but aside from the penultimate battle between Jonathan and Dio which is the most interesting part of the Hamon arc, it can feel a little too stiff for its own good. I mentioned before how this part resembles a lot of the classic and simple vampire stories. The use of Hamon pretty much proves that. Thankfully, though, the final clash with Jonathan and Dio where both of them indirectly embrace each other at the end despite their characteristics while Jonathan successfully saves Erina is the saving grace. Now, for characters. Starting with the main cast consists of Jonathan, the first JoJo and a gentleman, Dio, the main villain, and an invincible vampire, and Will A. Zeppeli, the man who first showed us Hamon and is Jonathan’s mentor and companion. Jonathan is kind of an endearing protagonist, contrary to what one would say. His will to be a gentleman and motivation to protect both the world and his future family not only is pleasing but also add to his character. Sadly, however, he can also come off as quite bland. He’s a very honest and honored person with a few silly moments of him being a dork, especially before the time skip, but that’s much about what he could offer. He’s still a solid character but he could have done more with his development, especially as the JoJo of this part. The main villain of this series is, funnily enough, the true protagonist. Dio pretty much carries the whole series. He’s the villain that started it all. What really makes him special is how he gets away with things as long as he wants to reach what he wants. He has a tragic backstory where he lives with a poor and foul family and he admits what went wrong with both his life and his doings and yet, he doesn’t care because he wants to be known better. Even after becoming a vampire, he’s a great villain because of how his evilness is portrayed. Not only that but even though he wants to lower Jonathan (although he respects him more as the story goes on), he also uses him as a tool because Jonathan shows some kindness to him. He’s a despicable and loathsome character done right in my books. Will A. Zeppeli is a little disappointing. He may introduce the concept of Hamon and is a helpful sidekick to Jonathan but he could have developed more. He could have explored more about the future of his family. A similar case can be said with the side characters. They help Jonathan but that’s about it. Yes, Speedwagon is one of the most important characters in the franchise as he’s the future of the later JoJo parts, mainly with his legacy, but aside from that and the memes, he still comes off as a little flat. Nonetheless, he’s still decent overall and the best side character in this part. The art surprisingly aged well. Even though some of the body proportions tend to look off, the art is very unique and differs from a lot of anime/manga art styles. It gives more detail and expression to both the environment and the cast. Fashion choices are good too, although I’m not a fan of Dio’s second vampire outfit. And that does it. Phantom Blood has its flaws but it still shows more heart than you would like to admit. It can be slow despite being the shortest part but it’s still a good introduction to the franchise. The story and characters could have done better but they still manage to show their own unique charms. The whole part isn’t too great or anything but even then, it still should not be skipped all things considered.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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