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Jan 25, 2025
Fate/EXTRA: Last Encore, is a mess of an anime, and I truly wish it wasn’t. From just a first glance, Last Encore is written by -the- Kinko Nasu and animated by SHAFT, this should’ve had all the star power to be a masterwork.
Nasu is undoubtedly a phenomenal writer, his ability for bombastic action, portrayal of the heroic ideal, and character subtlety have earned him much-deserved acclaim. Similarly, SHAFT has become instantly recognizable for Akiyuki Shinbo’s unique visual style and avant cinematography. Last Encore, an anime that is only 13 episodes, lacks enough time to build a world, nearly every character and their respective
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arcs are relegated to two episodes (per Master/Servant duo); each side character and antagonist turns into a blur. Akiyuki’s characteristic style appears only occasionally, most of the animation is generic, without any real heart, and most sequences in the anime seem rushed and low-budget. And having said all this there’s still an elephant in the room: gender-bending. Saber and Francis Drake are gender-bent characters, however, unlike Artoria Pendragon in stay night, this isn’t a nuanced take on the character; instead, Saber is gender-bent so she can contrast with Artoria’s design and personality, it’s cheap. And as for Francis, the show apparently needed a sexy pirate girl, to go breasting boobily around the battlefield, it’s simply exploitative.
However, the ending visuals which change every two episodes, are admittedly, absolutely beautiful. What stands out from this mess, is the excellent soundtrack, and a few exceptional characters. The new take on Hakuno Kishinami’s character is really interesting, and all the returning characters from previous iterations are great. Despite some of the cheap creative choices made, I believe that even just a longer runtime and higher budget would’ve made Last Encore into something great. It could’ve lived up to its calling, as both a compelling entry to the Fate/EXTRA narrative as well as a great new iteration for those who’ve already played Fate/EXTRA & CCC.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 25, 2025
If the problem with Fate/EXTRA: Last Encore was, that the show felt rushed and unpolished thanks to a low budget and a mere 13-episode runtime, then this latest iteration is a massive overcorrection, that is, Fate/Apocrypha is twice the runtime, and a visual masterpiece, but with none of the substance.
In its 25-episode run, Apocrypha presents several beautifully choreographed fight scenes, a stellar (but slightly repetitive) soundtrack, and fathers the femboy character archetype. However, most of the cast is forgettable, not due to lack of screen time, they’re poorly written. Not the least, Jeanne d’Arc, who by all means should be the heroine of our story,
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is sidelined by our protagonist as he (a man who was literally born yesterday) surpasses her in fighting ability and gallantry, while she falls hopelessly in love with him, it’s pitiful. The main antagonist’s identity, objective, and backstory are delivered so poorly that you can hardly piece together who and what he is. And Jack the Ripper boasts the most appalling character design of all time, not to mention their story arc is among the worst I’ve ever seen.
Don’t get me wrong, the writing isn’t all bad, some of the episodes are truly phenomenal and the same goes for certain characters, Kairi and Mordred are a perfect master/servant pairing, Achilles and Chiron are a great duo as well, Astolfo delivers some great humor, and Karna great monologues, but beyond that, the cast underwhelming at best - poor writing and blatant misogyny take what the show has going for it, and throw it all down the dumpster.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 6, 2024
I’ve some mixed feelings about Monster. It’s very good, that’s undeniable, so much so that I’d definitely buy it on Blu-ray (If only there was one). But I can’t honestly say it’s a “masterpiece”. The story is great, you’re on edge at all times, that’s an impressive feat for a 74-episode long run. But it’s not a piece of media that will change your life, there’s some moments that drag, silly plot holes, and the ending is a bit lackluster, but that’s really just me nitpicking. The main thing that holds Monster back, is the production. The animation is bland, painfully so, no visual in
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this show will impress you, it definitely takes away from the experience. And the Netflix subtitles suck! I mean they really, really suck. The translations are repetitive and lazy, there’s a number of grammatical errors, and it’s shameful. Not to mention, the episode titles aren’t translated!? It’s absurd, each episode has a clever name in Japanese, but the episodes are just labeled 1-74. Even when the Japanese characters pop up on screen, there’s no translation that comes with them, it’s just plain lazy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 28, 2024
Bunny Drop (2011) Is a soul-nourishing short slice-of-life story that beautifully captures fatherhood & family. From its animation straight out of a storybook, to its cute story and incredible characters, Bunny Drop is a fantastic entry into the anime medium (and void of the over-sexual, creepy, high school, incest, repetitive nonsense, that's plagued it since the late '90s). Bunny Drop excels in its short span (11 episodes) displaying the growing (and adorable) father-daughter bond between Daikichi and Rin, their chemistry is both adorable and hilarious but never zany, a common theme within the show is just how human everyone is, the humor here comes from
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a place of relatability rather than the absurdist humor typically associated with animanga. Each interaction between the characters feels natural, and there's much to learn here for both children and parents. The animation is beautiful, the first minute or so of each episode genuinely looks as if it's from a children's book, and while that crayon-like quality fades, the animation and art style preserve the feeling throughput. The soundtrack while nothing spectacular, suits the show well. And unlike many other slice-of-life (cough cough Kaguya-Sama) this series genuinely is a one-year snapshot that leaves the viewer wanting more.
Whether or not you've enjoyed anime at all, I'd recommend Bunny Drop, the show truly shines outside its medium and delivers an emotional and heartfelt story!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 18, 2024
Gurren Lagann the Movie: Childhood's End (2008) is an entertaining and novel recap of the first 13 episodes of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (2007). GLTMCE is an amazing showcase of animation ability, every scene within the film is stunning, and the animation sequences (while sometimes repetitive) are gorgeous. Scenes that didn't make sense in TTGL are removed and replaced with ones that better explain the lore of the series which is a welcome change. However this is all there is to GLTMCE, since the film covers 13 episodes worth of content in just over two hours the pacing feels off, and the viewer isn't able
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to connect to the characters or watch them interact and grow like they did in the original series. To add to this TTGL was always somewhat repetitive and this is further exacerbated by the condensed format which only focuses on those battle scenes that were the source of the repetitive nature.
If you're a huge fan of TTGL or this film is playing in theaters near you then it is definitely worth checking out. But if you haven't seen TTGL yet, or aren't a huge fan then there's no purpose in watching this film.
*Dub or sub* In this case it's best to go with the sub, the dub is pretty standard: mostly flat in its delivery and the screaming during fights can be pretty cringeworthy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 18, 2024
FLCL (2000) is the fooliest cooliest anime to date, unlike any other. FLCL is bizarre and defiant in every regard from its animation, to artwork, even its story. This defiance and unpredictability is what makes FLCL such a gem: there's nothing like it. The animation is incredible, everything is smooth and fast-paced, but FLCL does as it does and deviates from just anime and incorporates manga, CGI, and cartoon animation together beautifully. Yet this abstract anime which bends and twists to its creator's whims is an incredible coming-of-age story. In its captivating and mysterious story full of zany humor and pop culture references the viewer
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watches as Naota not only grows as a character but matures as a person as well. Each character is wonderfully written and their interactions with one another are amazing.
I absolutely recommend you watch FLCL, it's truly a unique and interesting piece of media that's still as relevant as ever more than two decades after its release!
*Dub or sub* In this case both! Unlike most anime where the sub is more indicative of the creator's vision the FLCL dub was made in collaboration with Gainax and was planned and executed with incredible detail, the dub is most definitely bizarre in how far it deviates from what dubbed viewers are used to hearing, but that's exactly what makes it so amazing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 18, 2024
The End of Evangelion (1997) is the crowning jewel that ends the story of Neon Genisis Evangelion (1995). Split into two 45-minute episodes (episodes 25' & 26') which supplement the ending of NGE (episodes 25 & 26). TEOE is gorgeous, the animation quality exceeds that of NGE, and the psychedelic art, watercolors, crayon drawings, and live-action frames/sequences are fascinating not to mention beautiful. But much like NGE, TEOE manages to usurp its art with an incredible story. The disgust, sickness, inhumanity, and despair present in the film are palpable as our characters face their greatest challenge yet. It truly feels like everything that has happened
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in NGE has been to set up this environment, push these characters to this point, and bring about the events in episode 26'. The film takes a deep exploration of the human soul and psyche: posing questions to the characters and to the viewers themselves: why do we live? why do we keep on living? what does it mean to be human? to love? The philosophy found in TEOE and its confrontation with the wish of non-existence is nothing short of beautiful. The film brings an emotional end to NGE and leaves its viewer with one last spark of hope: "Any place can become paradise as long as you have the will to live".
If you didn't like NGE there's almost no chance you'll enjoy TEOE (trash taste can't be changed). But if you liked NGE there's no doubt this film is for you: it's a masterpiece much like the series was, but delivers something more polished and well-rounded as a piece of media, and delivers a conclusive ending to the series.
*Dub or sub* Much like NGE both are solid, the only piece of insight here is that the original dub (only available on the DVDs or the Collector's Edition Blu-ray) replaces the VA for Hyuga and his voice acting is awful, so keep that in mind, other than that blip the original dub is incredible.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 17, 2024
Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) is a true masterpiece of anime, its gorgeous artwork, masterful animation, and stellar story create an iconic and inspiring work that stays relevant even three decades after its debut. The artwork in NGE is remarkable, with the iconic style and quality of 90's anime but diverging from the mecha genre: the Evangelion look nothing like the mechas of the era, and the Christian imagery (while not actually linked to the story) is beautiful nonetheless. The animation feels fresh and vibrant: the Evangelion move with wild beastlike motion, unlike any other mechas. But the true achievement of NGE is its story. The
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first half (13 episodes) of NGE follows Shinji's journey to become an EVA pilot while also living life as a schoolboy. Here the story is more typical of mecha and shonen: self-doubt, the call of the hero, epic fights, and zany humor, it's incredibly entertaining. The dialogue is phenomenal: the characters feel strikingly human: bantering with one another and reacting to the drastic conditions of their world accordingly, and their chemistry is perfect: every scene where characters have conversation is incredibly engaging and feels "real". The second half of the series: (11 episodes) takes a darker tone, as the mysteries that have lingered within the story thus far slowly begin to be answered and NERV faces more and more dire situations our characters become more trouble, we learn about them deeper, and the humor which once filled the show begins to be replaced with more awkward silence and dread. While tragic, this part of the show is undeniably "human" and incredibly beautiful in its exploration of our characters This leads to the finale: (2 episodes) which is essentially replaced by the complementary ending to NGE: The End of Evangelion (1997).
I absolutely recommend you watch NGE (I'm most definitely biased) but hey! It's a real period piece, an iconic anime, an incredibly influential piece of media, and a masterpiece for all the reasons I've tried to (briefly) list above!
*Dub or Sub* Both! As with all anime, the sub is more accurate to the vision of the director, but NGE has a solid dub on Netflix/Amazon Prime. Between the original ADV dub and the Netflix redub, the ADV dub is the fan favorite and when it excels it's truly incredible, however, it does have some low points that are pretty blaring (the first few episodes are kinda rough, and Toji and Kaji genuinely sound bad) but the Netflix dub does hurt some iconic scenes with questionable re-scripts. Ultimately watch whatever you can get your hands on: the original dub & sub are only available on the old DVDs and current Collector's Edition Blu-ray.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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