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Sep 28, 2024
A spoiled Cinderella is as entertaining as a female character whose fatal flaw of clumsiness only appears when convenient for the plot.
The first chapter introduces us to this spoiled Cinderella character, whose work ethic is majorly questionable with the other servants wherever she goes questioning said work ethic. She is, after all, untrained when she arrives at the royal palace, which in turn is a major source of irritation for the other maids, as is her flaky attitude towards working, instead preferring to make attempts at swooning a prince so she might find out about her past as a former noble. And like her clumsiness,
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which conveniently shows in time for one of the princes to sweep in, her ethnic work only appears when convenient for the plot, such as when she supposedly does double work once her friend at the palace is serving under another, an important guest, or when the plot brings up her DIY habit of making clothes from curtains.
DIY is a modern concept, or I should say it's a contemporary term for an old idea, with the actual term coming into use after mass production came into being, with the mass production of things such as clothes making someone capable of DIYing their clothes a unique individual during modern times, which the creator of this Manwha thinking this, in turn, makes their character unique, only it doesn't, not in time when everyone, including nobles are doing it themselves. The narrative appears unaware that even women in the noble class participated in handicrafts that any female noble is incapable of sewing.
The female noble in question is Sei-Ann's rival, a tomboy royal in a non-modern setting, because in this narrative all the royals are spoiled to the point of seeming never to have to wear clothes more than once, or at least when these clothes needed mending, they were easily tossed aside. Even in a memory, Sei-Ann is seen learning to use a sword prior to losing her memories, even if this is briefly. She's not ever seen to use them anywhere else in the narrative. Still, there's no getting around how the nobles/royalty don't act like nobles/royalty, such as Sei-Ann, who is supposed to be a servant actually getting away with physically hitting the royal princes which in turn only adds to the reasons why the maids don't like her, at least until she is a noble and that's their pay check.
Sei-Ann is simply that special, with an implication that she has more right to the throne than the three princes, but she even her sob story backstory is special, in that her mother was falsely accused of being a traitor to the crown. Why? Because the second queen, when she was a concubine, became jealous of the first queen because the first queen's son wouldn't be sent away -- according to rumors -- as well as the friendship that Sei-Ann's mother struck with the first queen, leaving the second queen distraught at having lost a friend, but it's impossible for Sei-Ann's mother to be a traitor because, a.) if her mother was a traitor, she would have been executed in front of the king and b.) there is a hidden contract where Sei-Ann's mother swears undying loyalty to the king, because -- it may tie to the fact Sei-Ann's mother has more right to the throne, though the reason given isn't.
It might tie back to the one female noble, her rival, being allowed to run around not acting like a lady when it suits her interests. This is also the character who is supposed to judge Sei-Ann's ability to act like a proper lady before she meets the king. This in turn goes back to putting modern concepts, such as DIY -- a term that, as I mentioned, came about because of mass production, in a non-modern setting without thinking of how these fit, all of which is to make Sei-Ann, by the end, the perfect princess (or I should say noble).
As for the princes, they don't develop beyond each of their set narrative purposes. The first is the crown prince who hid his identity because he wanted to run away only for this to be a non-issue later on, who hold a grudge against Sei-Ann's family because of what happened to his mother yet the series never addresses the fact holding a grudge against someone simply because of what their family did is wrong, although in this, nor does the canon establish that there is a multi-generation punishment in the society this takes place in. It's instead something unique to Sei-Ann's circumstances, and in the end everything goes in her favor, because she's in the end perfect and beyond reproach.
Yet narratively, she is still the girl at the beginning who refused to do a servant's work and thirsted after a prince to marry simply because she was told by the countess that she'd learn the truth to her past when she meets the prince, but she does little to endear herself outsiide of her friend group, which consists of the three princes, her maid friend and her rival for one of the prince's affection. In fact, she does things that should bring some form of punishment, perhaps not the punishment the teachers were to place on her, and yet she's spared from punishments frequently, unless of course she didn't do it and then conviently that plot device is there because it's being unjust to him.
Speaking of nobles getting away with things, it should be forewarned that the third prince isn't a love rival for Sei-Ann because a running gag is he doesn't have an interest in girls, his companions are two young boys
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 24, 2024
Note - I mark this as Not Recommended because I do actually believe "Most review readers will not like this", but the review is still aimed at drawing in those who might still like this particular Anime. There's also some mention of differences from Japan Sinks, the 1970s novel this Anime is adapted towards, but they're not spoilers for the work -- more of things I felt were important to know going into this.
I love B-level disaster movies/series like Japan Sinks 2020, yet I suspect this does not hold true for most individuals. In contrast, A-level disaster movies/series are far more likely to be well-received,
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though even then, there is a specific group for which this genre will never appeal; the disaster genre is, after all, a genre that falls into the category of horror for certain people.
However, why are B-level disaster movies like Japan Sinks not received as well as the A-level ones, when they both follow the same formula of having a ton of death in the end and the endings often leaning towards a particular direction? The answer lies not in how much death occurs but instead in how death is handled. But one of the exciting things regarding Japan Sinks 2020 is that while the series itself is B-level, it is that the source material, from my understanding, is actually A-level; no, I haven't read the original or any of the previous adaptions, but I have done some research.
Based on what I've learned of the original and the other adaptations, which are all set in the 1970s, I can't consider Japan Sinks 2020 a good adaptation of the source material. True, taking an older work and presenting it in a modern setting can be an exciting take on a classic work, but doing this doesn't make the modern adaptation better, and sometimes, doing just this without thinking things through can lead to narrative problems. In this particular case, Japan Sinks 2020 attempts to capture the nuance of the original Japan Sinks, but fails to understand some critical things about the original.
For example, in the first episode, there is a discussion of the work of Tadokoro and Onodera's research and how the theory of Japan sinking is, in effect, debunked, and that is why the theory is held in disdain, while in the original, the research done by the two was held in disdain because Japan at the time of writing Japan Sinks (the original) was behind the times when it came to science, namely plate tectonics wasn't accepted in Japan during the 1970s, with Japan instead accepting a debunked science regarding geology.
Of course, from what I've researched regarding the original, another significant change is the lack of preparedness in the 2020 version, where as in the original, they were given 10 months to evacuate Japan. Of course, if Japan did have ten months to evacuate in 2020 as per the 1970s original, there wouldn't be a disaster movie at all, given how technology has improved since the 70s, yet to achieve this, the scientists are denounced for different reasons, because their work's been debunked, rather than the staunch rejection of their work debunking what was currently accepted as true -- and there is a difference.
Speaking of which, another thing the 2020 adaption does is decide to focus on brand new characters, sidelining the two scientists. This seems to be a trend, one I'm not fond of personally, though I do have to admit that the 2020 adaption does it better than some of the others I've seen, as while they take a background role, they are still important to the overall narrative. And the show did manage to keep some of the original themes through the mixed heritage of the children, and yet while the 2020 version does this well, things should have been kept there; instead, the show goes and stretches the theme out, making it thin, but the reasons for doing so is likely for diversity checkboxes.
Which, diversity isn't a bad thing - it can be good for the plot, which as I said, the children being of mixed ethnicity is actually integral to the plot and does keep one of the original themes intact, but on the other hand diversity shouldn't be put a done as simply a performative act as doing this actually devalues the representation, but I'm actually saying this as someone who isn't white, who is POC over here in the US.
One could argue this time stamps the work. Which, yes, the original is also time-stamped, yet regarding the original, the lack of acceptance of plate technology is actually integral to the plot, whereas the ways this work is time-stamped is less so, unless one considers that Japan Sinks 2020 is actually a direct response to the Fukushima earthquake of 2016, playing with the idea that the 2020 Olympics would bring a level of restored moral to the country, but this is also in vein with a few other works released after 2016 that attempted to boost morals of the general public, and yet...
Isn't it then a failure on the shows part to try and appeal to a global audience outside of Japan for the 2020 version?
Some of the blame I think should be placed on strict guidelines likely placed on the 2020 version of anything streamed on the streaming service "must have this in it", and yet this is I think proof of why these check-boxes are actually detrimental, that this particular piece shouldn't have been made for an American audience when it should have focused on being aimed at the Japanese audience thus being authentic to not only itself, but the original source material, but one of the draws towards Anime of the late is the focus on story over diversity check boxes, favoring diveristy that happens organically, which as I said, the show did well with the mixed-heritage children while missing majorly by overdoing it.
Noted here that this isn't an indictment of what is currently coming out of the steaming service, yet it is still a bit of a mess, but more of a reflection on how things were around 2020, what a lot of American entertainment pushed for without realizing what they doing, yet also pushing these standards I think unfairly on series made outside of America.
Then there is the issue of the deaths, how they seem more for shock value, but the fact the family keeps taking pictures as if they're on vacation with very little to no purpose behind this action -- there is one point where I did find it held merit, but "spoilers" there, the deaths were often not well thought out, played on the stupidity of the characters, although here I do admit it is possible to find a three-foot Japanese yam three-feet underground, which anyone who decides to watch this will understand when they get to that point in the second episode and not think something as crazy as some going in not knowing that think it is, it's--
Well, narratively speaking, too many deaths are deaths that could have been avoided if not for the characters doing stupid things. This is a major thing that sets the B-level apart from the A-level disaster series/movies. It's not to say that A-level doesn't have characters who die from stupid reasons, but these characters aren't the main cast of characters, are side characters who the series presents going in as not being all there, and sometimes this causes the deaths of others as well, which because it was a death caused by someone outside of the group, caries far more weight than had it been caused by the person in the group who died.
In the end, as I said - the not recommended isn't because I don't think this series isn't worth it, but that going into this one should manage one expectations, have an understanding of what they're getting into.
Oh! Speaking of, I also wish to warn that the series utilizes rape for drama purposes. This is meant as a trigger warning and I'll leave it at that to prevent spoilers, but hopefully this will help others determine whether this series is for them or not, whether it is worth their time to pick up, because I think anybody looking for an A-level disaster series/movie that takes itself seriously will be disapointed, but anybody looking to laugh will be fine -- expect for maybe the rape for drama part, which I see being a turn off for many.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Sep 21, 2024
Does it make sense to trust a stranger who just tried to kill you? Does it make sense to consider an enemy the stranger who just saved you from them? Logic says this makes no sense at all, yet for some reason the adults in Revisions are that incompetent, but this in turn is a non-spoiler example of how the show isn't thought out in the slightest. And sure, perhaps one can explain Mr. Muta's actions away as a very corrupt man looking out for his self-interest, but this only adds more questions on top of the ones already asked, such as how did such
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a person, corrupt as he is, becoming the leader of Shibuya in the first place, or why any of the adults would accept his decisions without ever questioning them.
And this is where the plot falls apart -- well, that, and how annoying Daisuke is for most of the series.
Why bring up this example, though? If the plot falls apart, that means there must be something about the series that works, and if Daisuke is annoying for most of the series, he must go through character growth at some point, right? The time travel element, the one introduced at the beginning involving Daisuke's kidnapping, does work, with certain things being explained, and Daisuke does, in fact, go through character growth.
One major problem with the show is that Daisuke's character growth doesn't come until the last couple of episodes, meaning the viewer will spend 5/6ths of their time waiting for that to happen, which may not be worth their time. The second major problem is the story—to advance the plot outside of those time-traveling elements where Milo goes back in time to save Daisuke, the adults must act with incompetence for the plot to even work. The non-spoiler I brought up, that is in fact a major diver behind many of the events that unfold in this particular series and in turn is a major weakness of the series because the narrative ended up forced in too many places.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Sep 21, 2024
Promotional material that fails at the job it set out to do.
While I did enjoy the ending of Ingress, I can not recommend this particular series. Promotional material that fails is an apt description for this specific series, as the Anime does manage to end well, pulling everything together in the final half or final third. For starters, like many other game adaptions, the series starts plagued by the usual problems others of their kind face, with the first part of two-thirds being filled with an info dump on the viewer for the sake of world-building, rather than letting the world build naturally around the
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characters.
Which, sometimes game adaptions can't get away from this, needing to explain at least some of the world settings so that the show is understandable, and as the ending isn't the type of ending that can be understood without this world, it can't be recommended that viewers who dislike this kind of thing skip over the info dump parts. Whether this could be resolved by changing up the narrative slightly is questionable, given there is that time that game adaptions can't get away from this - yet is the small amount of time with the ending that pulls everything together worth the viewer's time?
However, one of the primary motivations behind game adaptions is to promote the source material. At the same time, I enjoyed the resolution of the anime, but I can't say that the anime left me wanting to buy the product, let alone play the game. Mind you, not many series truly convince the viewer to buy the game, what with the way word building is often info dumped or how game mechanics are explained away when they don't need to be, but at least they don't result in the viewer being turned off of the product.
With this series, once things got going, I found myself left turned off by the product, the game being sold, for the simple reason that the game is presented in a manner that is too close to reality; in universe for the Anime, the game is a cover-up created for what is really going on, which leaves a rather sour note. Or more of it led to a weird feeling.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Sep 16, 2024
A mystery lover's delight--
This particular series is short and sweet, combining mystery and books -- in this case, the setting of a library and also a person who restores books together, while adding a unique twist from the amateur detective solving the mysteries a unique quirk for solving the mysteries, but add in an overarching plot that ties everything together in the end, this particular series will make for a quick read for quite a few mystery lovers out there.
And yes, everything does end up tying together in the end. Some of course may find it predictible, but there is always the question I thiink
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among mystery readers about whether the mystery is predictable because the myystery is one where anybody can predict, or whether it is predictable because the mystery reader is that well read, and this I believe falls into the latter.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 16, 2024
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this series if the writer left things at a one-shot.
Then, the series progresses into revealing an age-gap romance, something there is no warning for. Nor am I talking about an age gap where she's in high school and he's in college, but the kind where I feel even worse for her dad than I did in the first chapter as his daughter is thirsting after an older man. At the same time, he's worried about being retrenched and unable to provide for his family.
And I sympathized with the protagonist in the first chapter because having to pick a school based
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on the one that allows you to have a job. However, I do believe some private schools do make exceptions to the no-jobs rules depending on the student's family situation, such as them helping to care for their elderly parents, which her father is an older man - it seemed in the first chapter this wasn't the choice for her, either because the school didn't allow it, or she was as she said, dealing with the fact her father was suffering for not being able to pay for the schooling.
Then, the second chapter happens, and her friends from middle school are stopping by for plot reasons, the reasons being to have her school friends act jealous about her being able to have a job and not have to join a club despite this not precisely being something a lot of kids would be envious of, while the fact her friends noted they would have attended the same school as her if they'd only known things would be different while she has a bawl fest about how they're getting to wear the cute uniform she wanted to wear and she's stuck wearing a different uniform and--
Honestly, I majorly lost sympathy for the protagonist at that point simply because even with her circumstances being what they were, she doesn't have a firm grip on reality. This, in turn, gives a different meaning to using books to escape reality than it does in just the first chapter because it feels like it is headed from a healthy coping mechanism to an unhealthy one.
So, knowing the above may make others uncomfortable, and also knowing this is shojo and not josei, I've got to lean towards not recommending this one. If it were josei I'd have to side with mixed feelings.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Aug 7, 2024
Dear King feels like a love letter to Studio Ghibli. One of the first things those interested in this particular Anime title notice is that it utilizes a style very similar to the one used by Studio Ghibli. The story, despite the high rating, is also very family-oriented, but the Studio Ghibli movie that Dear King first and foremost reminded me of as I watched the movie wasn't Princess Mononoke but Grave of the Fireflies.
The movie does, after all, cover the effects of war following a man who lost his wife and son before becoming a soldier in a war that led to him being
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a worker down in the mines. This leads to him meeting Luna, whom he adopts as his daughter. Nor is the movie afraid to get nitty-gritty when it comes to the details, being very detail-orientated regarding what is going on and building up the two clashing cultures within the movie. Of course, certain elements seem trivial to certain viewers, such as the second prince's encounter with Van as a young soldier. Yet, in the end, these things are actually important to the narrative, with these small details woven into the plot that set up the ending in a way that makes sense.
Suppose there were two things that might turn viewers off. In that case, it may be the narrative point of view, that the narrator of the story is the doctor, as well as the fact we're still coming off the ramifications of the illness that actually delayed the release of this movie to the point delaying the movie until things died down makes sense, also resulting in the movie coming across as attempting to say something about what was going on despite not having been meant to do so in the first place, having been adapted from a novel by the same name.
Back to the movie feeling like a love letter to Studio Ghibli. This will of course make the movie of interest to fans of Studio Ghibli, but I think there is a chance that fans will also see elements from one of their favorite Ghibli movie in Dear King. Some of this is intentional, while some comes from the source material, but perhaps making the movie into a love letter to Studio Ghibli, which is in part known for it's adaptions of classic works makes sense in a work one might actually expect to be picked up by Studio Ghibli for adaption.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 6, 2024
--suicide--
I think the reason behind both of my choices from the "You Should Read This Manga 2024" list lies with me wanting to know how this topic ended up being handled, and in the end, I definitely feel more comfortable recommending this one over the other entry.
Now, this isn't to say the reason I recommend this is because this series lacks any uncomfortable messages regarding the topic of suicide because there are undoubtedly uncomfortable messages in this particular Manga series, but a major difference between this and the other series I picked out lies with intentional messages versus unintentional ones, with all of the uncomfortable
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messages in this particular Manga being intentional.
I can also state without going into spoilers what makes those messages uncomfortable, and that lies with this particular Manga diving into the impact an individual's actions can have on another individual with what makes the message uncomfortable being that we all should be more aware of how we treat others.
Of course, the series is also likely to hit home more for those who know certain things about the Japanese school system, in particular certain pressures the students face, some that are similar to how they are here in the West and others that are certainly unique experiences for the Japanese school system. For example, here in the United States high school students move from one class to another, those in the class varying while in Japan the teachers move from one class to another with the students staying the same.
If there was one issue, the ending. Without going into spoilers, I do feel the ending will have mixed feelings from readers, but then, I think that has more to do with the subject matter and the message being sent than anything.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 6, 2024
I've majorly mixed feelings about recommending this one, feelings that lean towards actually not recommending the Manga. On one side, I'm quite understanding why this particular series ended up recommended for the "You Should Read This Manga 2024" list, which is, in turn, why I ended up reading this one in the first place. Whoever recommended it for the unique art and story wasn't lying, and for that, I must admit I did enjoy those aspects of the series.
On the same side, I can see this series appealing to anyone looking for characters whose sexual orientation isn't heterosexual.
The problem is -- ugh.
I can't get past
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this thought in my head that if a non-heterosexual teenager approached me asking for a series that involved non-heterosexual characters, this wouldn't be it. And yes, I know this series is Seinen, but that doesn't preclude teens from picking this up. The reason why I wouldn't recommend it for a non-heterosexual teenager is the same reason I wouldn't recommend this for a non-heterosexual adult I knew to have mental health issues, particularly if the mental health issues regarding their sexual orientation, such as having family reject them for their sexuality.
We are, after all, talking here about a series that dives into the topic of suicide, something thankfully alluded at in the summary here on MAL, so those going into the series are undoubtedly well-informed of the fact the Manga delves into the topic, but on the flip side there is absolutely no warning regarding the other part, of what the characters sexuality is, and alarm bells kept going off in my head regarding the message being sent, but by this I don't mean the endgame message which I do consider a positive message, but instead some of the unintentional messaging going on in here.
For example, how am I, the reader, supposed to interpret what is meant by soulmate at the end, given what we learn about the actual soulmate and why they're soulmates? What am I to think of the ambiguity of the main character's sexuality, given I felt the main character's feelings towards their dead friend could be interpreted as romantic rather than platonic? And what kind of message does that send, her going on a journey to meet her friend, as the summary suggests? What about the fact that her friend died is either non-existent or so obscure that I blinked and missed it, leaving even more questions that, as much as I'd love to recommend this, I've also found myself super conscious of who I'd recommend this to.
This, in turn, is the reason behind writing the review -- I think those picking up the series should be at least somewhat aware of before picking up this series that they may pick up on some narrative messages the original creator didn't intend to may make readers uncomfortable, which in turn may be a turn off for some, but for others may be what they need to enjoy this particular series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 4, 2024
Pokemon follows Ash, sometimes to the detriment of the franchise. In this, there are definitely fans of the series who are looking for something following a different format, at the very least a series that doesn't involve Ash, the never-aging Pokemon trainer from yesteryear, not because there is any lack of love for the franchise or Ash, but simply because there is a want for something new. This, of course, can mean a series within the franchise that doesn't follow the never-aging Pokemon trainer, but there's also something to breaking away from the formula of not following another trainer on the journey to become one
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of the greatest.
Pokemon Concierge is in the latter when it comes to breaking the formula in that it doesn't just follow Ash; it follows nobody wanting to become a trainer and instead takes a more slice-of-life direction. Of course, in saying this, going in this direction in breaking the formula, this particular addition to the franchise is slice-of-life with no battles. There is a calm to it, a mellowness, but the episodes are also on the shorter length, making the series something that's definitely meant for relaxation purposes, not so much turning off ones brain, but more of sitting back and enjoying the day-to-day slice-of-life antics that happen at the resort.
Which, yes - slice-of-life isn't everyone's cup-of-tea, I admit, but to say, "Oh, I've mixed feelings about recommending this because someone doesn't like slice-of-life" really isn't fair to the series, as a slice-of-life series isn't meant for those who don't like slice-of-life, but anybody reading the review should be aware of whether they like the sub-genre or not. And for those who do like the sub-genre, this was certainly a pleasant series, one that I'd even argue would appeal to those who aren't fans of Pokemon because it fits the genre so well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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