Back to WithinWhite's Profile WithinWhite's Profile

I found Gin no Saji an amazingly enjoyable anime, honestly speaking I haven't enjoyed a series so much in a long time. If you're looking for an anime that will lift your spirits with feels and a good laugh, you've come to the right place.

The best part of the anime, in my opinion, are the characters, more specifically, Hachiken. He isn't the lame main character you see in many series, he has personality. He brings up questions the students who are used to farm life wouldn't ever think about. He pays close attention to the people around him, is very empathetic, selfless and smart. ... However at the same time he's also a bit clumsy and naive, which makes him a very realistic character, so much so that I can actually really understand him.
Everyone there isl amazing though, not just the main character, there are barely any bland ones at all! Everyone has their weird side, but they're also all good at something, or just very sweet/funny in general. I find it impressive how realistic the anime is in a way that there is no perfect person there, everyone has flaws, and not the overly funny flaws, realistic, believable ones!

What may turn some people off is the 'cruelty' presented. As a warning, yes it does show the merciless beheading of chickens, slaughtering of pigs, the birth of a calf and hitting animals while driving. If you can't handle such things, then don't watch, however I feel it fits in with the story perfectly, farmers have to deal with such things as a part of daily life. The realism in the show is downright impressive, there is no such thing as the romanticized view people may have on livestock or farming.

Finally the art and sound. It's drawn pretty damn well if I may say so myself. The animation is very neatly done and pleasant to watch. The opening song is mediocre and the ending one quite happy-sounding. The background music in the episodes isn't very obvious, for me anyway, I didn't even pay attention to it and can't say what instruments were being used, it's just that invisible, blends in perfectly.

Should you watch it?
Yes, yes you should, it's good food for your feels.

Beck takes the life of a regular schoolboy, and turns it into something you'd see in movies, WITHOUT super powers, aliens, robots, or anything out of that sort. It is a very down to earth, enjoyable and pretty well made anime.

The story is nothing about the end of the world or becoming Hokage, it's about Koyuki finding his passion and place in life, which I find is something I can relate to a lot more than in most anime.

The focus is mainly on his emotions and struggles, you don't get to see it from other people's perspectives, which makes it all the better ... as you can pretty much imagine yourself in his shoes. The interaction with other people is quite realistic and not all that perfect. You get fights, falling out, misunderstandings, and all that shit that happens in real life.

Although the sound did irk me off at the start, you do get used to it. In fact, I think it amazing that the voice artists had to speak both English and Japanese, I wonder if they actually fluently speak it or if they just had to memorize the lines. Speaking of which, the English in the songs isn't great either, however, the songs themselves, are pretty likeable. I've downloaded a couple and listen to them from time to time!

The art isn't the best, but fits in well with the story. The colours aren't overly vibrant and don't demand your attention, which also adds to the realistic feel of the anime.

All in all, I would suggest you give it a try.
It starts of somewhat slowly, but you get into the mood after a while.

Personally, I really enjoyed it

Although the anime seems to be highly ranked and valued, I personally hated it. And I'm not being biased either just because it's popular, I've got my reasons for disliking it.

The idea, is fantastic, can't argue with that. Visually, the Diclonius (Diclonii?) are a great race, as the quality of the anime is quite good, although by far not the best.The gore is moderate and not off putting in the least.

What I found lacking, was character. The people involved came off as blunt and not responsive enough, especially the main character. In a lot of situations they just stood and stared. ... And that's not the only thing. Their feeling of love, fear, joy, everything is very VERY weakly expressed. There could have been better voice actors, even if the story didn't change (because I do understand that it's based off the manga)

Another thing, is the people themselves, they way they have developed due to their pasts. The author seems to have given them a specific trait, and they'd stick to it. Lucy's vengeance-seeking evil one, her cute 'Nyu' self, or even Nana's love for her father. It's very repetitive. Not much insight is given on the character's reasons for acting the way they do, or what they are feeling deep inside. There are no feelings of doubt, regret etc expressed.

Yes they have difficult pasts, but that's what develops a person. I don't want to watch an anime where there is no development. Elfen Lied needs more emotion. Because of the storyline, you can tell it's not all about gore, if it's focused on emotion, and the people making the anime should have done a better job setting up the choking mood that the story's meant to have.
I'm not saying that it was a bad anime, I'm saying it could have been a LOT better.

I probably should have written a review on the manga,
but I couldn't force myself to read it, sorry.