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Sep 11, 2024
"Killing game? More like Killing the game."
Danganronpa: The Animation is an anime adaptation of the beloved game Trigger Happy Havoc, a murder mystery game that exploded in popularity. Personally, I absolutely loved it, and have played through all 3 games. Does the anime live up to the hype? I'll be rating this anime based on these factors: Story, Characters, Art, Sound, Efficacy, and Personal Enjoyment.
Story - 6
The anime does a fairly decent job of touching on the story's key points. It's never deviates from the plot, which is fine for something like this, but it makes the overall story
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feel empty. Danganronpa involved numerous moments of exploration and character interaction that helped to fill in holes in pacing and plot. This just feels like a start to finish marathon. It's serviceable, but that's about all.
Characters - 6
Similar to the story, the characters are only portrayed when they need to be portrayed. While many of the characters experience their most defining moments throughout the plot of the story, many also have fantastic interactions between big story moments or during the free time conversations. All of that additional depth is missing from this adaptation, so we get to see them only as the story intended. Coming from the game, they simply feel a bit empty.
Art - 8
Danganronpa has always stood out artistically. The way that the characters are drawn is fairly unique, and the usage of pink blood is an iconic staple. The executions are also phenomenal, which are thankfully pulled directly from the game. The anime uses a more "anime" style of the same art, resulting in something that is likely better suited for an adaptation. By no means do I think it's bad or ineffective. If anything, it's perfect for this medium. But are compliments for the art directed at the game or the anime?
Sound - 9
The music and sound in Danganronpa is always a banger. The OPs do a fairly great job of translating the music from the game into something that would suit an anime. Furthermore, most all of the sound effects are taken directly from the game, giving me small hints of serotonin when I think "Hey that's the sound/music from the game!" But again, are these strengths of the game or are they strengths of the anime?
Efficacy - 0
First and foremost, this anime is meant to be an adaptation. Frankly speaking, it just does NOT translate well, and I think that was doomed to happen. At its core, Danganronpa is an exploration driven murder mystery where any invested player will spend their time talking to everyone and pointing and clicking on everything. The anime doesn't have the time to do this. On the bright side, I did get some point and click fun: pointing and clicking on the 'X' button on my browser.
Personal Enjoyment - 0
Game adaptations typically have a lot to live up to, so I set my bar fairly low. I don't need something fantastic, just something that captures a bit of the magic of the game. Sadly, this adaptation does none of that. I felt none of the magic, none of the fun, none of the enjoyment I felt playing the game. I felt nothing but boredom.
Final thoughts
This isn't an adaptation. This is a glorified synopsis. There is no purpose to watching this anime unless you need a story refresher between games. Take this garbage off of your "To Watch" list, wishlist the game on Steam, and buy it when it's on sale. It's a fantastic game. This anime will kill any and all enjoyment you could ever have. You'll thank me later.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 11, 2024
"Reverse Harem? Is that something I can eat?"
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom is a bit of a misleading title. Hamefura, as it's called in shorthand, is more about the goofy misadventures of Catarina Claes and her Reverse Harem posse. I'll be rating this anime based on these factors: Story, Characters, Art, Sound, Efficacy, and Personal Enjoyment.
Story - 4
As I said, the title for this one is a bit misleading. Our protagonist, whom we never learn the real name of, has reincarnated into an otome game that she's played;however, the twist is that she has reincarnated
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as one of the game's primary antagonists, Catarina Claes. From her experience with the game, she is convinced that no matter what she does, Catarina will always have a bad ending. So surely the plot revolves around avoiding these "Doom Flags", right? Well, wrong. Our heroine overcomes this obstacle basically within the childhood prologue, gaining the admiration of everyone who was supposed to grow up to hate her. So where does the plot go from here? Well, nowhere really. It simply becomes a goofy romp through Catarina's life as she drags her reverse harem with her to wherever her whims take her. There is little to no tension until the final few episodes, and even that feels a bit forced.
Characters - 7
The characters in this anime are about as shallow as you'd expect from a cheap, harem otome game. Most of the characters are one note, with little to no personality that shines through in their character interactions. For two of the characters, their entire personality is "Loves the MC." Our shining star is certainly the aforementioned MC, Bakarina, who is blissfully ignorant of the affection of those around her. Her personality is infectious, even to the viewer, and her goofy reactions to the events around her are fun. Even so, her gluttony and obliviousness will eventually wear on your nerves a bit as the show relies on the same simple character interactions throughout its entirety. Don't expect any depth or growth, because you won't get any.
Art - 7
Nothing special, nothing bad. It's simple, but effective art with no standout moments. Par for the course with most comedy anime.
Sound - 7
The opening for this anime is a ton of fun, and most of the music and sound effects are fitting for the situations where they are used. With that said, there certainly isn't anything that stands out as particularly memorable. One of the dudes is a pianist and I remember nothing he played. It's serviceable, and that's about all I can say.
Efficacy - 8
At its core, Hamefura is a comedy anime above all else. To that end, it's quite effective. We really don't need a gripping story or dynamic characters if the entire point of the anime is to make us laugh. With that said, the jokes about her being hungry when everyone wants to win her affection are most certainly overdone, and it makes it feel as though there is a lot of unexplored potential. At first, every episode made me chuckle. By the end, I wasn't really laughing.
Personal Enjoyment - 8
From an objective standpoint, many of the characters are shallow and the comedy is repetitive. With that said, I found myself loving this anime. By no means is it the funniest thing I've seen, but I found myself having a good time until the end.
Final thoughts
Hamefura is a blatantly flawed anime that noticeably drops in quality as you continue watching. That's why if you want to get the most of it, you really have to be as oblivious to the problems with the anime as Bakarina is to the world around her. If she can be happy, you can be happy. Watch and have fun!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 11, 2024
Takeaway message - "Follow your dreams, and that effort will one day bear fruit"
Aki no Kanade is a simple movie at the short length of a single anime episode, leaving little room for development of its story or characters. But does it do those well? I'll be rating this anime based on these factors: Story, Characters, Art, Sound, Efficacy, and Personal Enjoyment.
Story - 5
The story is short, sweet, and to the point, which is about all that you can ask from what is basically a 24 minute movie; however, this makes any potential story beats feel barebones and unfulfilled. Introduce
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a potential romance? Do nothing with it. Introduce the character's doubts and resulting inner monologue? Provide closure almost immediately. Introduce stressed family dynamics? Simply make things better without any resolution. It tries to do too much in too little time, leaving the viewer almost entirely dissatisfied.
Characters - 7
There isn't a lot to say about the characters. They seem charming and fun for the most part, but we get little to no time with any of them. This is also considering that we're splitting the time between the past and present, where the characters have clearly changed between the time periods. There's so much potential for character dynamics and growth that there just wasn't enough time to explore. If I had more time with these characters, I'd probably love them.
Art - 7
The art in this anime is fairly traditional anime art, lacking any real individuality. I'd argue this isn't really a bad thing, as it looks fairly clean with arguably movie quality movements and line work. It's simple, but effective, making it just a bit above average.
Sound - 8
It's an anime about Taiko drums, so we naturally get quite a bit of drumming throughout. Aside from this, we get simple music that fits the rustic environment. There isn't much more you could ask for in a slice of life.
Efficacy - 8
This anime is tagged as a Slice of Life/Music anime, meaning that it should have a fairly strict focus on the characters and music within. It certainly spends its time doing just that, focusing on the main character's life and love for Taiko Drums. There isn't much else that goes on in the anime, so there isn't much more to say.
Personal Enjoyment - 6
I'm a bonafide Slice of Life enjoyer, and I could tell that this anime had the potential to hit everything that I want from a satisfying slice of life: romance, character growth, and a message that leaves the viewer with something more after watching. The key word here is potential, as we didn't get enough time to see it all come to fruition. For myself, it made the overall sense of satisfaction much lower.
Final thoughts
Do you see a common theme among my points here? Aki No Kanade had all the means to be a fantastic anime *series*. As something more akin to a short film or OVA, it doesn't accomplish what it needs to in the minuscule amount of time it has. If you read the synopsis, you've already gotten almost everything the anime has to offer. I'm not confident that I could recommend this to anyone unless they are content with a short and simple story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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