- Last OnlineJun 24, 2024 9:34 PM
- GenderMale
- BirthdayMay 8, 1987
- JoinedApr 9, 2011
No friend yet.
Also Available at
twitch.tv/zerobudgetgamer
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jun 24, 2024
When I first picked up Astro Note, it felt like a cozy callback to 90's era anime, with a bizarre yet simple premise and an eclectic cast of characters. But the more I watched, the more that coziness stepped aside for the increasing bizarreness of the growing plot.
Sure, the show starts off with an alien girl taking up residence in a boarding house full of eccentric individuals, with the goal of finding the mystic McGuffin of her people the Wid that would legitimize her claim to the throne, all while the Evil Hubs try to thwart her, so it's not like we aren't starting
...
at a very 90's-era level of ridiculousness (and as an added bit of ridiculousness, Wid is meant to sound like Widow and Hub like Hubbie or Husband, which leads to all manner of misunderstandings throughout the show). However, as the show goes on, the main plot continues to grow more bizarre until it basically jumps the shark, IMHO.
However, the greater fun of the show comes not from the plot, but the characters and their development. I meant what I said when I called this cast eclectic, but the cast is one of the strongest elements of the show; as the show progresses, we get significant moments with each member of the house, learning more about them and seeing their struggles. Despite the show having a 90's feel, the characters all have a very modern depth to them, at least once you get to know them more.
So where does that leave the show? If you go in expecting a cozy little rom-com, this isn't for you. If you want a show that is full of the same randomness and charm as classic anime, however, then this might just be up your alley.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jun 20, 2024
If I hadn't read so many of the reviews here before writing my own, I never would have realized that this season was made by a different studio.
Then again, it has been 3 years since I last joined Nadeshiko, Rin and the rest of the Outdoor Activities Club on their relaxing camping activities and delicious foodie adventures, and I think I can be forgiven for not keeping up with all the goings on of anime studios.
But Studio Change aside, what are my thoughts on this season? Honestly, while I may have felt deep down that something had changed, nothing was so drastic that it
...
detracted from my love of this series. The various vistas of the campsites and other regions these girls explore are still beautifully detailed, as are the myriad delicacies they eat, whether it's from local food shops or their own camp grub concoctions. There wasn't a single episode of seasons 1 and 2 that didn't leave me feeling happy and healed by the end of it, and the same can be said of season 3.
That being said, though, it does feel like this season had a few more "arcs" than the previous seasons. Again, this could be due to my 3-year-old memory of the last season being foggy, but I could swear the past seasons were slightly more episodic, with a big arc/camping trip to round out each season. Here, we have two big camping trips that serve as the bulk of the season, with the more episodic bits coming at the start and end of the season. IMHO, though, I think that serves to the show's benefit in the long term, as the big camping trips lend themselves very well to binge watching.
While I can't say this new studio knocked it out of the park, based on other reviews, I can at least say that, to me, they've done a good enough job taking over the reins, and I hope if we get a fourth season that they'll get their chance to improve on every misgiving other reviewers have had.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 20, 2024
This show definitely had promise, but absolutely flubbed it on delivery:
"OK, The premise is your basic Isekai'd as a Non-Human - think So I'm a Spider or Reincarnated as a Sword - but this time we're a goblin."
OK, then, kinda basic monster, but I don't think it's been done yet.
"Oh, but the person who was isekai'd came from a world where he had the power to acquire the power of any creature he ate (even humans) and was presumably murdered because of it!"
...Okay, why not show that show instead? Sounds like a plenty good premise on its own.
...
"Oh, but he actually gets to keep his powers from his previous life, so any time he eats something in this fantasy world he gains all of their skills!"
...Wait, ANY time...? But shows like So I'm a Spider and whatnot already have a terrible time showcasing all the skills the protagonist acquires, how do you plan to solve that?
"Oh, we'll just have an announcer call each skill out in quick succession and then never address them again."
...Uh huh, and so he gets, like, one skill per new monster?
"No no, at minimum he'll get, like, 3 skills and sometimes it'll be more like 30."
Jeebus!
"Oh, and the plot is structured like a diary, where each day the protagonist will self-narrate the day's events..."
Huh, OK, an interesting way to go about i-
"...and every new day will have a Law-and-Order-esque black screen with an annoying chime, and each episode goes through at least 2-3 days"
......
Yeah, the show is horribly structured from the outset, though I really feel like that's more on the studio than it is the source material. IF you can get over all that, the plot itself isn't too bad; it's another Isekai where the Protagonist quickly grows stupid OP from the insane skills he acquires, and what's cool is he's not the only one. The show kind of tries to pull a Reincarnated as a Slime and have everyone the protagonist associates with get stronger basically by proxy of being around him, though they do seem to put in the work for it (if the anime actually took the time to show it). If that kind of show is to your liking, I'd say give it a try, but don't be surprised if the structure is a tad hard to swallow.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 20, 2024
When I first started Madome, I was rather unreceptive of it. It honestly felt like a mish-mash of various other fantasy anime from recent years.
To start, we have sorcerers as evil magic-users who have to sacrifice lives in order to power their magic, except no they don't because our protagonist Zagan is never seen needing to do any sacrificing to use his magic. But, Zagan's still a Sorcerer, and supposedly one of the stronger ones, so he'll still attend a deceased sorcerer's estate auction to try to get some OTHER sorcerer's sacrificial goodies. As soon as he sees the silver-haired
...
elf girl Nephelia as one of the items for auction, though, he immediately pulls a Mahoutsukai no Yome and buys her up on the spot. Then, the remaining plot is straight out of last season's Ikenaikyo, with Zagan choosing to live with Nephy and have the two basically learn how to socialize with each other, with Zagan being horrendously inept at social interaction, and Nephy being almost blindingly pure.
It all felt very basic - and I still feel that to an extent - but I will admit that the plot gets more palatable the farther in you go and more characters are introduced. It even introduces some interesting worldbuilding and potential plot elements like alternative magics, Demons and Dragons and whatnot, but sadly being only a single-cour (12-episode) season it really doesn't dive into these elements enough to give a full payout. It really feels like this show is either banking on a second season - which at the time of writing I can't find confirmation for - or at least for the show to be interesting enough on its own to guide viewers to the source material.
While I certainly would watch a second season if it were to air, I'm sadly not invested enough in what was given to want to pursue other media. Your mileage may vary, but I say go into it knowing that, if you've been keeping up with a lot of fantasy anime these past few years, you'll likely see a lot of familiar vibes here.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 20, 2024
I feel like this show will have greatly mixed feelings depending on the viewer's relationship with their grandparents.
Jiisan Baasan Wakagaeru is a show about an old couple who own and maintain an apple orchard. They've lived long lives, raised a healthy family, and in their golden years a similarly golden apple grows on one of their trees. Curious, the two pluck the apple and eat it, only to wake up the next morning and find that they've been rejuvenated, with bodies reminiscent of their 20's but their decades of life experience still with them.
While I half-expected our elderly couple to suddenly try to
...
live a youthful life to better match their new bodies, the two actually just continue living the life they have, attending elderly activities to the shock of their fellow former geriatrics, to hosting their grandkids and family, who are equally as shocked at their strange fortune.
The show has great moments of comedy in it, and our grandparents Ine and Shouzou have some amazing moments together, but again, I feel like how you enjoy them and this show will depend on your own relationships with your grandparents. For me, I was largely raised by my grandparents when I was young, and late last year I actually lost my grandmother, so the episode where Ine discovers through the Apple's Magic - an hourglass that, through their dreams, both shows their remaining time and allows them to switch between their young and original bodies via flipping the hourglass - that her life is coming to an end, I could feel my own heart collapsing in on itself. I was later brought to tears in that same episode when Shouzou offered some of his own sand to both extend Ine's and essentially ensure they would die together.
So, yes, this show will hit very differently depending on your own family relationships and how much you see your own grandparents within Ine and Shouzou. At its core, though, the show is incredibly wholesome, very funny, and definitely worth a watch regardless. And, if you made it this far, make sure to tell your grandparents you love them, because you never know how much sand is left in their hourglasses.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 20, 2024
I'm not a big fan of alcohol, and as such have never been barhopping before in my life. But, if every bar were like the ones shown in this show, I'd be very tempted to give it a shot, pun intended.
Bartender: Kami no Glass is actually a reboot of an anime by the same name, but minus the subtitle. I never got to watch the original series, so I can't say how it holds up comparatively, but the benefit of this knowledge is, if this show piques your interest, you can always go and watch both to get that comparative experience!
For me, though,
...
one season is plenty, and what we got was definitely enjoyable. Most episodes are one-and-done, with our protagonist Sasakura Ryuu manning the Bar Edenhall and meeting his customer of the week. There, he hears the customer's woes, then prepares them a cocktail perfect for the situation, but not without doling out a little (at times somewhat pretentious-feeling) trivia about the cocktail he's making. In addition to the episodic nature of the patrons, there is also an overarching plot of a hotel owner and his staff doggedly trying to recruit Ryuu to his hotel, as well as an underlying plot regarding Ryuu's history as a bartender and the source of his humility, but I won't spoil it and simply say that the story handles itself well and comes to a satisfying conclusion.
But I do want to hang on that word a bit: pretentious. Again, I don't know how actual, real-world bartenders act, nor am I familiar with the nuances of various cocktails and the flavor profiles that go into them. That being said, while I love Ryuu's style of bartending, doing everything he can to make sure his patrons are as satisfied as they can be, it does feel a tad odd to be doling out trivia about the drinks he makes and not only expect the recipient to understand the nuance of it all, but to also automatically find every drink he makes to hit the spot just right.
So, yes, the show IS a tad pretentious, in my opinion. But does that detract from the quality of the show? No; the audience needs the patrons to understand the nuance and significance of each cocktail, and more importantly to believe they are every bit as tasty as said patrons describe. The pretense serves to hold the storytelling up and give it the vibe it's looking for, of a bar and bartender who will not only hear out your woes, but help you pull yourself back up and greet the next day stronger than you did before!
So, if you're a fan of the art of bartending or cocktail mixing, or just want a cozy show to warm your soul and whet your thirst, this show is definitely a great one to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
