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May 21, 2024
I can't say I recommend watching this movie as an introduction to Slam Dunk. Because I tried and got mixed results. That's not to say you can't enjoy this movie, in fact I enjoyed it a lot. What it does for 3D and sports action direction is something to be marveled. But the one issue is it's difficult to appreciate. And this movie deserves to be appreciated NOT just enjoyed.
To simply enjoy it feels like missing the heart of the chapters/episodes of drama and trauma, of build-up and expectation that are earned throughout these characters' life journeys. And so much of it is dedicated
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to that drama/trauma outside of the game compared to the game itself (the build-up and expectation part). And I struggled connect the pieces all the way. But also can't quite place the purpose of certain things like to structure of stopping the single match to have the entire backstory told piecemeal. Like who even knows if I'd find the flash-back-to-flash-forward style of storytelling more or less helpful after reading it all first?
So while I was under the impression that one could watch this as an introduction, this isn't a review so much as it is a cautionary tale. Perhaps others who have never read a page of Slam Dunk before got exactly what they wanted (and more?) but that should not be the expected outcome for everyone. And I do feel that having a super popular movie released years after the anime/manga is going to have the effect of garnering new attention from people like me who want to see what's up. So I hope this review is still "valid" in the minds of MAL readers.
Although I have to say I'm very interested in picking up the manga/anime now. So in a reverse intentional way "mission accomplished"? It will be interesting to see how manga/anime reads after experiencing this movie in full. It got engaged in the potential of the material which is something I couldn't have said had I never tried this movie out in the first place.
MAL requires me to give an overall rating which I feel uncomfortable doing since a re-watch seems to be in order after I fulfill my required reading (at least up to this point in the story). So this is an even split between how I feel now and how I think I'd feel after. Is that even okay? My actual score is blank so it's not like it will affect the aggregate score anyway :)
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 22, 2023
People truly loved Ranking of Kings season 1, maybe a bit of a surprise hit due to the relatively small following of the original source material, and I think a LOT of fans were hotly anticipating the continuation of this fantastic story. So I get the feeling that people feel a bit cheated in terms of what "The Treasure Chest of Courage" (or TCoC) brought. Clearly not "Season 2" but you can never be sure these days. "Filler" is such a dreaded word and not really a useful or even meaningful discussion point; well, quite frankly I'm just tired of using it as a critical
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narrative talking point. Because TCoC is more of an anthology, a backstory, a creator or larger contexts, a new secret adventure, and a warm embrace. And yes... some *actual* canon events (see episode 10). Which is ultimately why I still love TCoC.
Each new episode is its own thing. It lives up to its original series' tone, is a wellspring of incredible artistic talent, does right by its characters, and expands on what we already love. It just may not continue the main questline, but it gives me hope and fills me with patience for it to continue someday. Who knows what reasons for attempting this collection of stories happened? Studio Wit has always been an opportunity for young artists and experimental visual storytelling. Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to add certain scenes that didn't fit into the pacing of the original anime. Maybe they are waiting for other major projects to clear up until they could get back all the original artists/directors back for a full season. It almost doesn't matter because what TCoC offers, while not hotly desired, is still incredibly unique and a very interesting case study on dividing main-plot elements from side-plot elements that perhaps begs to be looked into for other studios.
But it's not all even; thems the breaks when it comes to anthologies as anyone who watched Star Wars Visions could tell you. So I'd like to talk about each episode/episode story and give my thoughts. And which ones are the most "required reading" for those only interested in the main story... you stick in the mud!
Episode 1
Kage's Errand - This one is very cute. It's Kage focused which is an extra plus for me. The forest is a really nice setting but I really like the twist of this one. The idea of the "Wild Goose Chase" bit into the reveal that it all ended up being a carefully constructed way to test Kage's kindness. It hides the twist until the very end very well.
The Price and The Money - No it's Boji's turn to be tested. I love how you can really see the interplay between Boji and Kage here coming up with the scheme and figuring out how to make things right in the end. It's a very simple "lesson learned" and everything works out no one needed to feel bad after all moment but it's nice to be reminded of this stage of Boji and Kage's moral growth. The Underworld town is also a very cool location and a great pitstop in the story to organically add an extra opportunity to learn.
Episode 2
Beasts of the Wilderness - Speaking of great pitstops to organically add new side adventures, this may not be one of them. Time is of the essence as Boji and the Underworld army rush back home to battle Miranjo's forces. It could have probably taken an extra day, though we never see them travel any time other than daytime making it seem like the trip was a few hours. But the main problem is the story I think. Boji and Kage are markedly more naive than previously seen and the twist is funny but hardly resolves anything and renders the side adventure less worth the endeavor of telling it.
A Mysterious Desert - This was the episode that made the casual lax nature of the characters seem the most bizarre in light of where the story needs them to be. This episode is maybe the weirdest. It almost feels like we tripped into a Space Dandy episode. Well, it's very pretty at least.
Episode 3
Hiling's Old Friend - Remember Hilling's knight friend Ann? She never gets any explanation and sort of just shows up with her later. Well, I love her along with Hilling and this episode is great for introducing their history for the first time. The little quest the two of them and Dorshe go on is super fun and feels like a natural extension of the story we never got to see in the original show.
Daida and Magic - Precious! Getting to see more of the Prince brothers while they were young is the cherry on top of this episode. Short and sweet and you get to learn more about Daida's connection to his mother's magic and his brother's courage, which makes it heartbreaking knowing their temporary falling out upon growing up.
Episode 4
Immortality and the Three Brothers - One of the more "important" episodes. We already know some of this story from the original series, but if you want a detailed and more thorough backstory that catalogs the evil acts of Satin and the relationship of the former brothers more, then watch this episode. Especially considering where episode 10 ends, you may feel emotionally left out without getting more of this now!
Episode 5
The Law of the Underworld - A direct continuation of the previous episode follows an Underworld guard Fren. I like how this shows the relationships between guards and even the "bar trio" show up here again. It also expands on Ouken's cure mission. It feels far more like new material too.
A White Horse in Love - It's just more of the "Despa's White Horse is fat" joke. Breaking up the episode this way after a lot of interesting stuff with a joke that's partially repeated content? Well, it's still funny. I like the jokes here still but it's not a stretch to call this "padding".
The Gentle Soldier, Hokuro - We don't get too much Hokura. I like this character a fair bit. His inclusion in the story is small but he adds heart where it's needed. This is a small wholesome flashback story. It's simple and doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Episode 6
Bojji the King - We move to the end of Season 1 where Boji gets to be King (for only a bit) but this story helps show Boji's growth and his relationship with the townsfolk. I could have seen this in the actual show but it works better as a bonus here (pacing-wise). I could have seen this story placed closer to episode 10 to help build anticipation for TCoC's finale.
The Melancholy of King Daida - I was excited to get more from the "reformed" Miranjo since her ending didn't sit with me as great as the rest of the way the story wrapped up. There still seems like there's more to be done regarding Daida's relationship with her and the complexity of her "forgiveness arc". This is still more of a Daida story in the end. It's still a great one showing *his* growth, but well... maybe next time.
Episode 7
The Snake Charmer with the Crooked Smile - Big Four backstory <3 ! We get to learn more about the first time Bebin and Despa met. Also, we see more of Despa's ability in understanding weaknesses. Nothing here that couldn't have been assumed but fills in more of Bebin's past nonetheless.
The Big Four's Banquet - The Big Four have to kiss and make up. This story is great. I love the plan to appeal to the four's competitive nature to get them to work together. Seeing them all get humbled is as fun as the excitement from the arm-wrestling match. The way the team actually manages to get back in each other's good graces actually goes against Hokuro's expectations (since his plan fails at the end), but honestly, if his plan didn't fail I don't see where the path of them working together would have gone. It's a little finicky but they stick the landing.
Episode 8
Kage's Yearning - Kage and his mother's flashback story. It's sweat! We deepen our understanding of their time together as a family and we also see the first person that ever encouraged Kage before even Boji. I want to see that dude in the future!
A Great Mother - One of two stories that utilize an incredibly smooth cutout paper "puppet" animation style. Not sure how to describe it. This one's about King Bosse meeting his first wife. We know some of this story already but it's worth a watch for the change in visual style alone.
Episode 9
Miranjo and the Demon - The other story in said unique art style comes right here. Seeing more innocent Miranjo gets us back to really wanting her redemption arc to reach full completion. Just another pleasant showing from the artists all around.
The Prince and His Treasures - All these really nice/cute/sweet stories got lumped all together and I felt myself appreciating more moments with Boji right before the season 1 finale but could really start to feel the magic wearing off. Why the King Boji stories or the Unique Artstyle stories weren't matched with the same episode is kind of strange too.
Episode 10
Aaaaand we're back, where the plot purists get fed the good stuff. I'll admit I was very happy after the hiatus from tjhe more serious tone but we're fully onboard and kind of immediately addressing Ouken stuff. This is a great setup episode and proves that they're planning on making a Season 2 and it really leaves characters off in an interesting place. There's still so much going on in this world, it's getting more and more complex and kind of scary? (these Gods man...) Okay, maybe a bit of an anticlimax; usually characters are never too in danger/suffer consequences. But I'm sure we'll have opportunities to address that later as we keep building things up. It was still badass.
Not sure if this format for a review was the most helpful. it feels weird to give each story/episode a number grade but episodes 3, 4, half of 5, and 7 were my favorites. Maybe only episode 2 (or 8?) being the ones I felt the least excited for. Overall this "season" was an 8... maybe 8.5/10 but while maybe not an important addition it's an enjoyable addition to Ranking of Kings nonetheless.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 20, 2023
Sometimes the word for a show like this can be just one word. "Fine". Sometimes it's nice to have something fine. There are lots of wholesome romantic comedies that all feel the same and this one rose a bit above the chaff of the others. For me, it's the art style, the music, and the two leads' chemistry. But still, by the end, it runs its course like every other and maybe overstays its welcome. Oddly enough the delay in production gave me just enough time to want to return to it. Halfway through you think "can you get much else new from these characters?
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From these calm serene wholesome notes? I should jump back in and finish it then" The answer is "No and it wouldn't have made a difference", but I was still okay with that. Side note: it was difficult to compete with the more energetic and warmer (and better) Skip and Loafer so I had to revise my viewing order to not run out of steam. Ultimately my view (and probably my memory) of the show would not have changed much had I stopped at episode 6 last year. Simply stuffing my Tuesday with 23 more minutes of cute digestible fun just for the sake of watching won't help make the experience any more memorable or lasting or important. My hippocampus will probably discard the entire show's memory folder in 2-3 years. But some forms of media, some forms of entertainment are just going to embody that role.
I don't make reviews often (or hardly) so perhaps writing this piece is a way (a small way) to help keep this memory. So when I though "this is a 6, right? 6 is a passing grade" it made me think about my feelings on shows like these and the wider anime viewership's opinions and where we may differ. While others might find it more important or more foundational to their growing sense of appeal (heck I know this is gonna be many's first anime ever!) I get it. I get you. I'd take this over the dozens of harem types many of you vanilla lovers despise but I wouldn't want it to overtake or replace those shows either. Cause then we'd just have an oversaturation problem of a new nature. Really there could probably be less romance anime (or just less anime overall) to come out year after year. But there's nothing here to criticize really. No points to deduct for something the show does wrong, mostly. It's just difficult to not be desensitized to this or that trope or after a while too many show's with this type of clean pastel calming energy can start to feel like white noise. And then you just happen to want (or need) more (or sometimes less because life can get you overstimulated too). So for those reasons, this is obviously an imperfect opinion/review but I don't think anyone can really make one. Like most times you can say "This didn't work for me because of X decision" but here's a show that barely makes any really interesting or complicated or ambitious decisions so there's not much to say or dive into in terms of misteps or mishandlings. It just coasts on this very specific thing, this vibe that a lot of people like and you just need to know how much you want before you get off the ride. Because this show is a ride that feels like it's designed to go on forever. Even though the manga has an ending you feel the endlessness in each new series that arrives inspired directly by shows like this and continue to offer that same old vibe-based economy of enjoyment.
I think I've both ridden that ride and written this review for too long now so...
6/10 :)
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 21, 2023
This show feels like someone tried to disassemble FLCL, Dead Leaves, and Kill La Kill and build some sort of hulking irreverent Frankenstein's Monster with its parts. It's glued together with surprisingly good yet unrefined animation; the most fun you'll have with this show is looking at it right up until you're bombarded with the occasional nonsensical visual soup. The story is harder to follow than a cheetah in the desert and the characters are a real Sophie's choice. It has all of Hiroyuki Imaishi's signature immaturity, but any of his wit or social commentary has been sanded down flat.
The OP is cool, I
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guess. No, it truly is, that's not an understatement. However, going from the opening sequence to the actual show is kind of similar to watching a cool mobile game ad and then... playing said mobile game. Not false advertising so to speak, just wish they took anything from the direction/tone/style of the OP as inspiration for what the anime could be like. Because they were on to SOMETHING there. 3 episodes in and it's unclear if this story, characters or setting is onto ANYTHING. Aside from deep cultural/historical cuts that are flying above my head here. Even if that were so my interest as a viewer in trying to dissect context or meaning from this show is NOT being ushered by any easy discoveries that the writers are giving back as compensation for everything else being so dense.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Oct 24, 2021
This movie is so fucking boring dude. Even the worst resident evil cutscene never made me sleep this hard.
I hate when a game studio makes movies based on their franchise and chose a setting for their movie that is the least conducive possible for the franchise's strengths to be taken advantage of. It's like all the most uninteresting in-between-game Wikipedia trivia rolled into one plot that you end up reading like Cliff Notes in order to understand the context behind that secret ending of the franchise's spin-off game. Only less important.
It's the same for the Paul W.S. Anderson movies but... as bad as those
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movies supposedly are, they couldn't possibly be this unentertaining, right?
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jun 3, 2019
This is very cheesy and mellow-dramatic. People have been dealing with new tech out-dating old tech for centuries it's not something that's particularly unique to electricity or oil. Not to say there's nothing particularly interesting about the history of electric technology itself but based on the dramatic implications that this short film's narrative, which it definitely does not earn implies, it's very bare-bones surface-level take is supposed to suffice.
As a result of the shallow narrative that doesn't get explored any more than some broad strokes emotional levels (of which we have about 10 minutes of screen time to soak in) the story feels woefully
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underwhelming.
It doesn't feel particularly like movie about love, ancestry, devotion, the passage of time, the real, the supernatural, anything really. Rather it feels like an outline that could have one day been turned into something more cohesive. Even when I've seen these ideas explored better in movies with x4 times the budget, length, and aesthetic sense it still takes quite a lot for me to meaningfully distinguish them in my mind.
Will probably forget about this one after a few days.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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May 12, 2019
The song is remarkable but the visuals generic, flat and boring. As music VIDEOS go it deserves better. The OP this song comes from (Domestic Kanojo) while not fantastic either is way more visually interesting; it's rather unfortunate that the OP doesn't portray the entire song. This is not a music review site it's an ANIME site so I'm not sure if you expected for me to judge it on the basis of the music alone when the entire point of this video seems to be the creation of visuals that complement the song. Well it at the very least "moves" to the music in
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a consistent and logical audio-visual way but none of it interests or "moves" me in return. It just doesn't work on that merit.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jul 30, 2017
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Think Food Wars by way of No Game No Life or Kaiji and that should give you an idea of the kind of show Kakegurui is. But does it capitalize on the what’s good about the show’s that influenced it? Back to that in a second, let’s talk about what the show does well first. The first episode starts off strong with gorgeous looking expressive and detailed character designs with thoughtful animation flourishes. Yuri on Ice’s Saya Yamamoto animated the OP with sex appeal, style and is one of the best this season and much of that style translates into the show
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proper. The studio seems to understand the source material well, being very unsubtle about how insane and twisted this show is; preferring to highlight and accentuate this insanity as opposed to pretending it doesn’t exist. There is a lot of sexuality bubbling beneath the surface, unflinchingly proud to have its fan service and unlike Food Wars the fan service is a bit more thematically warranted.
Let’s get back to some of those other similarities because it’s hard to think of other shows like Kaiji and No Game No Life while watching this and I can’t help but enjoy those shows more for a few simple reasons. First is the protagonist or in Kakegurui’s case the “protagonist?”. You see, these kinds of shows really benefit from an unexpected hero with new smart ideas that will revolutionize their world and help change the corrupted status quo. As high schools go, Hyakkaou Private Academy is a nightmare where actual professors both were allowed to and thought it was a good idea to make gambling the curriculum of the school. I mean there are still regular classes but that barely matters when your success is determined by how much money you make through being a corrupt lying cheating jackass. Yumeko seemed to discover about this school’s gambling scene by accident so it’s understood that other students wouldn’t have come to this school because of the gambling which begs the question “why would they stay after realizing how messed up everything is?”.
Teachers have no presence in the show and everything is just run by a student council, which is not uncommon (in fantasy high school anime) but they probably couldn’t figure out a way to make any of this work while having teachers at this school and not have a logical reason why everyone couldn’t be arrested. Students practically become slaves (“livestock” as they call it in the show) to the whims of the elite. If we ever saw what society outside this school would look like, I would expect to see desolation and despair on the same scale as Dangan Ronpa. Even if that were the next level twist everything else is far too normal for that argument to have any legs.
Compare that to Tootsuki, an elite high school where cooking is everything and also integrated into school grades and school life in a way that makes sense. People are super strict about cooking in a way that’s unfair but can be argued as “tough love” and part of the system’s rigorous curriculum to make sure the best of the best can only remain in the school. A bit ridiculous but not distracting from the reality of the show’s own situation. Or when Kill La Kill drove it’s clear “fascist school” idea home, it’s hyperbole reflected the tone, imagery, and story on every level, helped by it feeling far more fictional and otherworldly. Kakegurui is planted too far in reality to make that play as effectively.
In many a show about psychological warfare, there’s this thing called the Xanatos Gambit that’s used as a sort of tool to ensure that the main hero can never lose because they can’t for the narrative of the story to work (plot armor so to speak). Light from Death Note uses it, Lelouch from Code Geass uses it, and Sora from No Game No Life uses it constantly. This Gambit so to speak ensures that the main character has secured a plan for victory every step of the way. Even if he/she loses he/she still wins because of something that has been planned for every foreseeable calculated probability. This takes some of the tension out of moments where it is all but ensured the audience knows the main character will succeed. All these characters find some exciting way to deceive the audience into how successful they will really be. In Light and Lelouch’s case, it’s never guaranteed that their plans have to go their way because they’re not true heroes. There are chinks in the plot armor and not everything has to go their way to keep things interesting. Then there’s Sora who always stakes his victory on absolutely everything so if he were to fail then the story would be over (at least in the anime I haven’t read the light novels). Now it’s no longer a matter of if they win but how.
As far as Yumeko’s concerned, the how and why is effective the first time but on repeating matches feels like the same clever trick over and over again just with a different coat of paint. It wasn’t until the fifth episode that everything from the introduction of the villain to the formula of the match to the match’s aftermath felt no longer felt predictable and the episode ended feeling like I saw something new. By the time cheating is common and all parties that are involved are assumed to be cheating the game of bluffs becomes more interesting. In addition to the normal rules, one must predict how their opponent may break them. Unfortunately, these tricks only work by blindsiding the viewer. The set ups for the bluffs happen off screen and you never get to feel involved.
Going back, remember when I was talking about the main character needing to revolutionize their world and help change the corrupted status quo was important to this kind of story? In the case of heroic characters, they are taught by reasonable down to earth people or knowing what it’s like to be the best but still have respect for the little guy they are relatable and easy to root for despite their character flaws. These shows capitalize on the feeling of dragging scum of the earth characters down from their high horse and having the protagonist impart a crucial lesson about what makes them the better person and deserving of such victory. Yumeko has none of this. She is as sadistic as the rest of her opponents and shows absolutely zero sympathy towards the down trodden, failing to separate her from the evils she’s up against. At first she’s shown with this cute innocent façade that crumbles as soon as it’s revealed she’s a hard core gambler. After her first and second match, it’s clear as day that Yumeko is untethered to sanity.
When she goes into her savage mode this is supposed to be satisfying to the audience. It is in a way that her opponent’s own savagery was merely boastful and largely ineffective compared to her own. This is effective for a hot second but her wild demon-eyed craziness overstays this feeling and makes her out to be as demonic as her enemies. She makes her ambition clear from the start how she wants to rule over the school and reign supreme. She doesn’t want to tear down the student council, she wants to replace it with the same thing but with her at the top. In a way, Yumeko gets to be slightly more modest in her deviant tendencies over the villains by not trotting upon the less powerful and sometimes even granting others liberation. Her way of doing so isn’t so much by rescuing them from the evils they’re bond to but rather convincing them to break away from their chains and embrace self-aggrandizement themselves. It borders on manipulation but in the end their life is better off at the expense of those less deserving so that is something. The gap between hero and villain is widened by virtue of comparing a lesser evil to a greater one but the line is often too blurred to tell the difference.
After her third match and first loss her resolve remains unshaken despite the actual danger she’s in seemingly absent of any emotional weakness. Although by reveling in the humiliation she manages to take away her victor’s power over her which is only satisfying because of how simple and cartoonish I found that power-hold to be in the first place. This demonstrates the commitment to downplay perceived danger in order to create more grandiose stakes later down the line. Still this isn’t the most relatable approach and I can’t find it in myself to want to route for this kind of person. I’m not sure if the show sees her as a hero like Kaiji or Sora or an anti-hero like Light and Lelouch. For some reason, whenever she’s not gambling the show likes to treat her like the cute innocent girl she was from the beginning even though the audience clearly knows she’s not. None of her emotions can ever be trusted as genuine, which is disconcerting for surrounding characters that continue to interact with her as if she might be normal.
One such character is Ryouta, a fellow classmate and clear audience surrogate. His surprise and utter disbelief at Yumeko’s actions accurately summates the audience’s initial reaction. Much like myself, he wants to be the voice of reason in her clearly unstable gambling-complex lifestyle. However, after each match (incidentally the point where Yumeko’s personality gets reset at the beginning of each episode) he becomes friendly with her in a way that makes it seem like Yumeko’s personality disorder didn’t exist the day prior. I don’t think Ryouta ever learned about sociopathic tendencies or schizophrenics. All this may very well change as I’m sure manga readers would be aware. But as far as Yumeko’s story arc so far, it goes nowhere fast. Ryouta is more likely to become a more independent individual in the future and should the story focus more on him and his growth as a competent member of the team the more interested I’ll be.
Also, after the first episode, the audience instantly knows the type of stake-raising competition anime this is going to be. Ryouta didn’t get the memo and acts all surprised when Yumeko unsurprisingly resumes her role as local crazy gambling lady challenging her next victim, which if it wasn’t obvious yet she destroys her because of course she does. Despite her opponent being on the student council, we’re two episodes in and she’s yet to be challenged. She loses the next match in the third episode because of dumb luck but not before realizing her opponents trick and utterly winning the psychological warfare portion of the match. The fact that she can win the “game” but lose the match because of this luck factor doesn’t instill much confidence. How will they continue to handle these losses while continuing to make the victories feel deserved; something Kaiji and No Game No Life has no problem doing because luck is either of little importance or a variable that can be magically manipulated. She takes her loss in stride because when you’re the protagonist of this type of story what do you have to fear? I guess her and I are on the same wavelength in that regard, it would be worse if the show pretended she was actually in trouble. Also, did I mention she’s a sociopath?
Something that appears copiously in Kakegurui is what I’d prescribe as “ugly face” because “ahegao” just isn’t descriptive enough. This is where an unlikeable character’s face is drawn contorted and warped with a curled upper lip, twisted nose, and overly wrinkled eyes. All in order to really draw home how much pleasure they gain in their domineering behavior. This is used constantly in the show to great effect often highlighting their sexual deviance but I just don’t think I’m a fan of the effect and it’s used a bit too often. For this to work, a character acts and is drawn in a way that is cute and pleasant, but then it is revealed to merely be a façade by the animators/illustrators showing the character’s “true” face as perverse and twisted and how extreme the gap serves to accentuate the depth of said façade. This is merely a groan-able offense, as I said earlier I think this attitude fits the style and tone of the show… BUT, when every character in the school has merely the same façade this visual stunt feels exhausting and with each overuse, the effect is more ineffective than the last.
I want to note that while I write about these issues, the length that I discuss them isn’t equivalent to the amount trouble they cause. They’re more or less bumps in the road to an otherwise good show, I just have a lot to say about it. Using gambling as an outlet to explore sexuality is concerning but also darkly humorous. I find the show's commitment to its insanity somewhat admirable even if I wish it went a bit further in its efforts or didn’t use it in substitute for better character writing. However, these characters are far from having no appeal. Each villain’s quirk is a tragic vice that flirts with power fantasies: control, fear, humiliation, adrenaline all ways to domineer themselves over their subjects and fuel their senses of sick superiority. The concept of self-destruction to gain self-gratification goes on in full force, which is both a great allusion to gambling as it is lust.
In the end, I don’t feel like the show will take much of my nuisances into account and alter course towards something I’d be a bit happier with. However, there are still enough enjoyable moments to keep me attached. Studio Mappa’s animation style has a lot of visual hooks as well as interesting shot composition and editing. The excellent jazzy OP, rich in detail and meaning, made me want to come back to the show once a week despite my gripes but may just have been the shows strongest aspect anyway.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 14, 2017
Space Dandy is nuts. It's eccentricity shrouds the show's more deep and layered meaning which most viewers would honestly miss. I'd be lying if I didn't say the insane and trippy narratives of each episode didn't often go over my head as well. Generally, I understood the main thrust of each story and the feelings the evoke. However, when it comes to the more philosophical and existential concepts it would take someone far more studied than me to truly and fully appreciate it. Studio Bones (and of course Watanabe Shinichiro) does a magnificent job with the character designs and animation. The color pallet, expressiveness, and
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occasional mixture of different art styles all blend together to create something wonderfully pleasing and unique in an ocean of samey looking anime.
Despite it being about a group of Alien Bounty Hunters constantly looking for their next hit job. Space Dandy is really just a blank slate to test out a bunch of different ideas of multiple styles and genres. Space Dandy is anything but the same experience over and over again. As for it's consistency? Well your mileage may vary.
Aside from the first few episodes, there is no real big continuous plot and each episode starts independent of the rest, allowing the show to be enjoyed in any episode order. Starting from the ground up at the beginning of each episode ignores any life altering/universe changing event that may have happened previously, preventing the show from every feeling like progress is happening. Characters don't really get to grow and they're largely the same every episode but this is hardly an issue because the show never promised to go for a lengthy plot-driven narrative in the first place. The characters are largely driven by very simplistic goals (love, money, a care-free life), which allows whatever twisted scenarios for them to get caught up in to be the true main character of the show. Our heroes, if you even want to call them that, are pretty vain and how they get through, deal with, or fail each episode's weekly obstacle is the source of the show's fun. Dandy's persistence and insistence is admirable even if he gets in trouble for it. I found his struggles unrelatable but not unrealistic, where is how I relate to most of the characters and find it amusing that the show isn't eager to always let them win in the end.
It's worth the watch if anything just to see how far the lunacy can get dialed up. Any fans of Cowboy Bebop may not appreciate it's more cartoony turn. However, the show is very reminiscent of Bebop episodes that took a more bizarre wacky interpretation, but all the time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 5, 2017
Nothing about this feels like it should have been an anime. In fact it may have been better as live action considering the animation is minimal, color pallet is drab, and character design pretty generic. I understand not every anime has to be about heroes and destiny, mechs and magic, aliens and demons, time travel and parallel dimensions... BUT they should be a little more interesting than some completely average high school character (with seemingly nothing going on) besides not knowing what to do with his life (so then like every high school character ever). In a show where characters appearing "normal" seems to be
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the unique twist instead of appearing super eccentric, kawaii, or "anime-y", no one feels particularly relate-able or interesting or funny. Like the forgot to infuse the characters with well... "character". I found myself bored and un-charmed all the way through desperately waiting for something, anything to happen but it never came. If it sounds like I don't enjoy slice of life, high school comedy/romance shows you're dead wrong. Shows like Orange get what this show feels like it wish it could do. Where other high school shows with a twist like Angel Beats I feel does a disservice to the show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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