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Before we get started, I know what you're thinking. 8? You're giving this absolute cliche an 8 out of 10? Yes. Yes I am. I'll also have you know that I dropped both "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" and "Overlord"! *horrified, distant shrieking*

Here's why:

Kenja no Mago knows what it is— an unoriginal story filled with one-dimensional characters told through average animation, sound, etc. That being said, it does an unexpectedly great job of not annoying me. Our hero Shin is a bit dense, but not excessively so. It has its uncomfortable, ecchi moments (looking at you, bidet scene), but it's no Hajimete ... no Gal. It even briefly features gore and horror elements, but its overall tone is lighthearted. You'll get one scene setting up for a serious crisis, immediately followed by a PowerPoint transition with sparkly SFX into the next scene. Hell, the OP is straight out of a slice of life, yet the ED is edgy shonen all the way.

"So then it's all over the place! What's it trying to be?"

That's exactly right! It's all over the place, it's awkward, and it's stupid as hell, but it's really, truly fun to watch. If you're looking for the perfect isekai that breaks the mold, run away and never look back.
But where Re:Creators, Slime, and Overlord tried something new and lost my attention, Kenja no Mago is the definition of generic and I'm loving every second of it.

It's a guilty pleasure show. Just kick back, grab some popcorn, and don't think too hard. Maybe take a drink every time someone says how goddamn amazing Shin is.

Watching Utsu Musume Sayuri was an excruciating, exhausting experience. I thought it would be funny to watch something so notoriously bad, but I was horribly mistaken. Nothing positive could ever come from forcing oneself to endure this short film. It's almost thought provoking in that I can't help but question the creator's mental health.

What is the anime about?
– I honestly couldn't tell you. I've seen the terms "coming of age," "family," and "surrealism" tossed around, but those imply artistic value. I refuse continue thinking about "what the author intended." It's a bad joke.

What is there to lose in watching this?
– Several painfully long minutes ... of your time
– Your sanity

What is there to gain?
– Depression/ thoughts of suicide
– A cynical worldview
– Stomach ulcers

I don't normally write reviews, but this went so far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I only watched it because I came upon it randomly for the 2016 Anime Watching challenge, but I couldn't be happier.

Story: 10
As a college student, I can find few things more important to my wellbeing than instant ramen, yet I know almost nothing about it. Nissin has graced me with a more important lesson than my professors could ever teach.

Art: 10
The simplicity of modern art meets a lesson in history. The juxtaposition of these themes creates a perfect setting for the story of Momofuku Ando.

Sound: 10
Audible ... orgasm. I'm left speechless by the sound. Everything else is really just made to complement the audio; I can think of no better way to deliver the story than through JRap.

Character: 10
To be fair, Ando is a bit of a Gary Stu. But his character is so unbelievably likable that I can't complain. Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear aprons.

Enjoyment: 10
Why are you still here? Go watch it. Now. To say I enjoyed it would be disrespectful to say the least. I've become enlightened. It was my privilege to experience the masterpiece that is Samurai Noodles: The Originator.

I'd like to preface with a few things:

—This is my first review.
—I'm usually not very critical of anime or TV/movies in general.
—I'm a lifetime Dragon Ball fan, so this review is somewhat relative to the franchise as a whole.

—Light SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW.

Positives:

... — The art was beautiful eye candy, and I loved seeing classic themes like the uniforms of Frieza's men remastered. At the same time, our main cast had some of their wardrobe revamped, and I thought this was a refreshing change.

—There was a lot of action, which some people felt was lacking in Battle of the Gods. Though I personally liked the balance in its prequel, Fukkatsu no F definitely delivered the action that we all know and love DBZ for. Fights were well-choreographed and it was nice to see certain characters back in action.

—Like its predecessor, DBZRF had the whole theater laughing. Though the movie had more action in general, it still kept a decent balance and had plenty of funny moments.

—Though I enjoyed Battle of the Gods more and I will now proceed to bash this movie, it was comparatively amazing. DBZ isn't known for having great movies, or rather it's notorious for having terrible ones. But Fukkatsu no F is an exception that trumps what we've seen in the past, and it was 100% worth the watch.



Negatives:

—The movie was a bit overhyped.
Battle of the Gods was such an adventure to me that its high quality caught me completely off guard. Perhaps because I heard DBZRF was even better, I was disappointed when it finally came. I rewatched the former right before watching the latter, and Battle of the Gods just struck me as more effective comically, dramatically, and nostalgically than its sequel.

—Goku has attitude problems for the sake of plot.
I feel like Goku's personality was compromised and exaggerated. While he has always had the problem of being too trusting, and this has put him, his friends, and the planet in danger (as Whis summarized rather accurately); this stemmed more from his love of battle than from cockiness. Although he has developed some arrogance with the progression of the story (pronounced, for example, in the Buu saga), he has always swallowed his pride when he needed to. In Battle of the Gods, Beerus even acknowledged this when Goku accepted the power of those around him to achieve the SSJG form (his pride would have him avoid this "cheap" power up). That they make Goku seem like such an asshole, therefore, was a big negative for me.

—Frieza is OP for the sake of plot.
While Goku was mentally weakened for plot, Frieza was physically buffed to the point of absurdity. I can accept that Frieza could make a formidable foe when empowered with dragon balls, tech, etc, but for him to literally reach godlike power simply by training for a few months... it's insulting. Going into this movie, I assumed Frieza would get his power through a wish; as the movie progressed, I saw this wasn't the case. As Sorbet bragged about all the new technology Frieza's army had acquired, I assumed it would play a large role in his training; to my knowledge, it didn't. Literally until the credits began to roll, I thought Frieza would increase his power through some cheap trick. A deal with Beerus? Namek? ANYTHING? Nothing. Just a little willpower.

—Frieza isn't OP enough.
Even with his unbelievable power increase, Frieza never felt like a real threat to me. Watching Battle of the Gods, I never knew what would happen next. Even with the SSJG power, Goku couldn't match Beerus's power. However, Goku has little trouble dealing with the big bad guy this time around. In fact, (LARGE SPOILER ALERT) Sorbet is the one to stop him (really?). Meanwhile, Vegeta's chilling unscathed a few hundred feet away. Clearly Frieza doesn't pose much of a threat. JUST IN CASE, Beerus and Whis are there too. By the end of the movie, I was honestly still waiting for a bigger complication. The odds were just too stacked against him for me to feel like we were in any danger. Though I have yet to start DB Super, the whole movie felt to me like an introduction to the new series.

—Jaco the Galactic Fuckboy
Okay, sorry. That was too harsh. But they blatantly advertise Akira Toriyama's "Jaco the Galactic Patrolman" with this hyperextended cameo. To be fair, they do a good job of it and Jaco serves as good comic relief. However, the little snot steals the spotlight and I felt a little betrayed. Coupled with the poor quality of DBS, this gives me the unshakeable feeling that the Dragon Ball franchise is selling out.


Overall, it was a great movie despite its faults, but because of them I was a little underwhelmed. Still I give it a 9/10.

Feedback is welcome, so tell me how to improve! ^_^