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Ok I'm here to write a short, concise review as someone who is experienced in all sorts of manga, manhwa, manhua, etc.

(There will be a TL;DR at the end of the review if you aren't bothered to read it.)

I went into Kubera with minimal expectations, as I would go into any other series. And, honestly, after the first season, I believed that the series had potential. Having been introduced to some of the best characters in the series (Kubera, Gandharva, Shess, etc.), the story was starting to take shape... until Currygom decided to give them close to 0 screentime during the whole of season 2 ... and focus on the characters that I couldn't give less shits about.

Plot-wise, there are so many plot holes in this story that it gave me trypophobia. There is no consistent narrative and there are so many main characters that the story keeps on going on tangents, and, even now (360 chapters into the series), I am unaware of what the plot is. There is no clear indication of where the series is going.

The art is ok for a webtoon. Seen better, but also seen worse. Nothing too epic tho.

Character-wise, some characters I genuinely liked, as I mentioned before. Too bad Currygom doesn't give them any screen time. Had any of the characters I mentioned before got more screen time, the series would have improved drastically. Also, some characters have no character development. One certain character repeated the same thing eight times and still has had minimal development.

Oh yeah, some characters just change their personality out of nowhere. One chapter they'll be crying and saying they're sorry and the next chapter they're beheading people and dabbing on the haters like nothing happened.

Enjoyment: it's ok. There was one point in season 2 when I genuinely felt like the story was going great: a lot of the good characters were getting screen time; the main characters were developing nicely and the story was moving along at a decent pace. Too bad Currygom decided to mess that up to.

Overall, I think Kubera is a series that had a lot of potential but squandered it. To be fair to the author, season 3 is looking like a major improvement. Currygom seems to have addressed the lack of screen time for the good characters, the lack of character development and the jumbled story. If this carries on, I see myself bumping up the series to a 7, nothing more however. Despite the improvements, I don't think the series is worth investing time into. There are way better series out there that you can read instead.

TL;DR: Good characters not getting enough screen time, little character development, jumbled plot without end goal, but season 3 is a major improvement. Overall, not worth investing time into.

"What took a very long time to build takes moments to destroy. But you can always start over."

Uchuu Kyoudai is a touching story about two brothers, who aspire to become astronauts and reach the moon as children. Now, years later, older brother Mutta (33) traces his younger brother's footsteps in an attempt to fulfil their seemingly idle dream.

STORY:

While at first, one may think this anime to be simply about two brothers going to space and doing space stuff, I assure you that it is much more than that. Space Brothers portrays the hardships of life in a very realistic and relatable manner whilst also exploring ... the concepts of determination and dreams, teaching the viewer important lessons that can be applied even in the real world.

The protagonist of the series is Mutta, the older brother, who— plagued, though inspired, by his younger brother's overshadowing achievements— struggles to cope with the harsh procedure of becoming an astronaut and fulfilling his promise with his younger brother Hibito. Despite his goofy appearance and comedic demeanour, we quickly learn that Mutta is more than he seems, and he often appears to be used as author surrogate at several points of the story.

Whilst the story is primarily centred around Mutta, the younger Hibito also plays a major role throughout the show as the deuteragonist of the series. Similar to his older brother, Hibito's careless personality and childish behaviour are often contrasted by his abilities and determination that make him the driving force of the show; his influence on Mutta is evidently significant as a method of moving the show forward and is the initial factor that gives life to the show.

Mutta's and Hibito's characterisation is essential in depicting the difficulty of achieving one's dreams and sustaining that dream, whilst also helping to convey what I deem to be the moral of the story: the painfully realistic fact that not everybody is able to achieve their dreams, but, even so, it is never too late to try again.


ART:

Uchuu Kyoudai's art is not the flashiest of art styles and, at several points, the show appears to have slacked or perhaps been low on budget, though this is unnoticeable to most people and does not affect the performance of the anime. Overall, I believe the art to be decent, though what really stands out is the precision with which some real life places have been illustrated, such as the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. Personally, I perceive the show to be one that focuses on the plot and character development, rather than an extravagant art style, an idea that I believe to be axiomatic with the development of the series.


SOUND:

Similar to the art, the show does not heavily rely on flashy soundtracks, but the music in Uchuu Kyoudai is very fitting and beautiful nonetheless. My personal favourite soundtrack of the series, 'Wasureteita Akogare', is a great example of music that strengthens and aids the building of a mood through its appropriate use, unlike some soundtracks in other anime that are used incorrectly and force an emotion upon the viewer.

Likewise, the openings are fitting of the series, and most are comical and enjoyable to watch.

Regardless of this, the most significant aspect of sound in an anime is the voice acting, which is greatly implemented in the show. Whilst many may not be familiar with most or any of the voice acting cast, the show does not fail to deliver when it comes to bringing the characters to life, making any viewer love the realistic intonation and likeable voices of the characters.


CHARACTER:

As mentioned previously, Space Brothers is a show that revolves around character development and its truly masterful plot. Every character has a lot of thought put into them and none of the characters that are significant to the story are left undeveloped.

Many of the characters presented have a considerable amount of impact on the story line and some of the characters that may appear insignificant at first are still mentioned and developed in later arcs. When assembled, the 'puzzle' of characters comes together beautifully to build the story.

Another way in which the show shines when utilising characters is by often presenting the thoughts and experiences of different characters from their perspective, along with their hardships. This gives the audience an insight into the dreams and emotions of various characters, which has a major impact on the reality presented throughout the series; it gives a voice to the smaller characters, rather than filtering their behaviour through the main character's perception of them.


ENJOYMENT:

Space Brothers is definitely an enjoyable series. A wonderful plot is presented alongside a massive load of comedic content, making it a delight to watch whether you're looking for great comedy or a heartwarming story. Both of these aspects are greatly executed throughout the show, making it enjoyable to a wider audience.


OVERALL:

An amazing story that teaches the viewer real-life lessons and immerses the audience into its overwhelmingly inspiring story. Sheer brilliance.