animegirlism's Profile - Reviews

Last OnlineNov 12, 2023 10:56 AM
GenderFemale
BirthdayMar 18, 1998
LocationGradacac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
JoinedJun 26, 2014

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May 2, 2018

Violet Evergarden (Anime) add

Recommended

Plot and Story Line

If I were to explain Violet Evergarden in one sentence I would say that it is an emotional tale of a girl finding her purpose in life and peace withing her self. Still, one sentence is way to little to explain the depth of the story and actually demeaning considering the brilliance of this work.
Violet is firstly introduced to us lying in a hospital, heavily injured after her long battles in the Great War. For most of her life, Violet has only been a war-tool with one purpose only:

to kill the enemy. Now with the war coming to an end, the only ... remainder of her brutal past are her two mechanical hands. After a falling out with her new intended guardian family, Violet starts working at the CH Postal Service and soon enough decides to peruse a career as an "Auto Memory Doll"-amanuenses that transcribe people's thoughts and feelings into letters. By doing that, Violet interacts with many different people and so learns more about her emotions and what they actually mean.
I find it very hard right now to turn my thoughts on Violet Evergarden into words considering how much there actually is to it. The main story, with Violet in the center is an emotional tale of a war-torn personality who is trying to finally find peace from the anger and guilt haunting her. Finding it hard to forgive herself for what she has done in the past, Violet starts a journey that would teach her to live with her past and find new meaning in life.

It is Violet's emotions and character development that are in focus of this extremely moving story. What is driving the story? Three words. "I love you" were the last words of Major Gilbert to Violet in their final battle and now Violet is trying to find out what those words actually mean. I did cry. A lot. But you know what's interesting? I cried in every single episode of this anime. It wasn't always a sad scene, the whole anime was just extremely moving. The side stories in this anime contribute to that as well. While writing letters for others, Violet gets to know so many people and drastically influences their lives without any intention to do so.
The story of Violet Evergarden is in short a very emotional tale about forgiving yourself and learning to live with your past. It is, as I'd like to call it, a character-centered story. The plot on the whole might not be that interesting, and truth is that the story of Violet's and Major Gilbert's past is much more interesting, but the anime is trying to picture Violet's character development and puts a focus solely on her, without much happening in the story. But truth is, it gets pretty exciting from time to time, especially in the war flash backs and in the end of the anime.

Characters
One thing that I keep repeating in this section of my reviews is the development of the main character and how it affects the story of the whole anime. Violet undergoes a tremendous character development and it is because of it that we get such a brilliant, intriguing and moving story. In the beginning she is that destroyed person, that only knows to live by orders and nothing else yet in the end turns into a person who is able to influence the lives of so many other characters in the anime. In my opinion, it is her simple character and straightforwardness that makes people realize what is actually important in life. Violet's character was broken and torn apart by the horror of war. But episode by episode, Violet tries to put those peaces together and eventually finds peace.
When it comes to other characters in the story, the side characters, it is Major Gilbert who of course has in my opinion the biggest influence. He is is the only thing that Violet holds dear and the only person who doesn't think of Violet as a war-tool. His words are those that keep Violet alive, literary. He is definitely, next to Violet my favorite character, because he showed greatness by loving and taking care of Violet despite her past.

Animation and Style
Up until now, the anime which I consider had the best animation that I have ever seen was ufotable's Fate/ Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, but that has definitely changed after watching Violet Evergarden. As mentioned in the intro, just by seeing the teaser trailer like one ore even two years ago, I completely fell in love with this anime. The animation is magical, the style is gorgeous, the backgrounds are breathtaking and the character design is typically KyoAni. It has a bright and colorful scenery with a lot details.
The animation was definitely the best thing about this anime and I will definitely watch it again some time just because of it.

Conclusion
An intriguing and extremely moving story that portrays the struggle of a person with a war-torn personality trying to find peace and new meaning to her life. An amazing character development that makes you realize that the past should not defy who we are today. A breathtaking animation that you have hardly ever seen before. That is all Violet Evergarden and so much more at the same time. I wasn't actually planning on writing this review because I knew how hard it would be to describe a masterpiece like this one. In short, I cannot express how great the story of the Auto Memory Doll Violet Evergarden is. You just have to experience it on your own.

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Apr 30, 2018

Romeo x Juliet (Anime) add

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Plot & Story Line
First thing's first. The anime doesn't follow the exact story line of Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. There are not two influential families in (Neo) Verona, only one, which is the Montague family. They took over the rule over Neo Verona by slaughtering the whole ruling family, the family of Capulet, 14 years ago. One of the few survivors of that night was the true heir to the throne, Juliet Fiammata Asto Capulet who was later on hidden by loyalists in wish to, one day, overthrow the Montagues and take over the rule over Neo Verona.

Juliet would eventually find out ... the truth on her 14th birthday but even though she never knew what had happened to her family she tired to protect the people of Verona as the Red Whirlwind. She is basically a Red, European version of Zorro from the movie The Mask of Zorro (I guess we all know that one).
And there's also that part when she meets Romeo, the prince of Neo Verona, son of the man that murdered her family. But of course, they don't know that yet and fall madly in love. In addition to that, an ancient prophecy will also try to get in the way of their love but will they be able to actually 'defy the stars'? Now, in my opinion, the anime would have been truly amazing if it weren't for the prophecy/fantasy part and here's all why.

First of all, let's talk about the story in general. It was outstanding. The whole part about hiding Juliet until she is fourteen and then coming up with a plan to take over the throne was both intriguing and exciting. I just love what anime do to classics like this one. Gonzo Studios turned a romance tale into an action/fantasy drama that should definitely be seen. If only I had seen it before but I always though that the anime would be only about the romance.
Secondly, Juliet as the Red Whirlwind was amazing. A strong and fierce swordsman fighting for justice in her hometown. Not only is she accounting for most of the thrilling action in the anime but also building up a strong relationship to her people which would be of uttermost importance in the end of the anime. Her fight for justice is what is giving the people of Neo Verona hope that a better time will come and I was truly happy and excited to see how her destiny literary guides her all the time.

The romance was of course an indispensable part of the story and it was as cheesy as I expected it to be, but it was still nice. Their relationship might look like love at first sight but you can actually see how it develops trough the anime. It is not forced nor rushed and as cheesy as it might be I must admit that I enjoyed it for most of the time.
And now the part that I didn't like that much. As the anime progresses, a prophecy is slowly introduced to the viewers in a really intriguing way and I was definitely excited to see where it goes. But as it turned into a supernatural/fantasy I slowly lost interest. Not because it was bad, I love fantasy, but it just didn't fit into the whole story. It was too much and in my opinion the anime would have been ten times better if it stayed that way. A realistic setting of two families fighting for the throne and a young love in between was truly enough for Romeo x Juliet to be a masterpiece, but it was not.
Still, I cannot deny that the story is brilliant with or without the fantasy part and I'd really like to add that it is better than most of the anime stories I have seen recently.

Characters
I might not remember the Juliet from Shakespeare's play, it's been way too long since I read it but I definitely love the anime version of her. As I said in many of my posts, my favorite type of characters are those amazing, fierce, strong and independent female characters and Juliet definitely made it to the top. She is all that and still a sweet and caring person that is not afraid to take the lead when it comes to fighting for her people. Romeo's personality was just as great. Just a sweet, down-to-earth prince that is trying to change the way his father rules over Verona. He was a great support to Juliet and a well written character despite his somewhat cliche personality. Many of the side characters were equally as well presented in the anime and I'd like to mention three: Cordelia, who was a mother/older sister figure for Juliet. She was such a sweet character and a great support to Juliet in her hardest times. Tybalt is a mysterious character that joins the Capulets later in the show. It is his secretive personality and his history that make him stood out among the other characters And in the end, Romeo's father Laertes Montague. From the looks to his behavior, he was the perfect antagonist and scary as hell if I may add.

Animation and Style
It is really interesting to see how the design of anime animation evolves from let's say the 1990's over the 2000's and from the 2010's to now. Just by looking at the design, not the animation quality, you can predict what year an anime is approximately from. What I dislike about Romeo x Juliet is not the animation quality (it is 2007 so I cannot compare it to today's animation) but the dull colors in the anime. I have the feeling that the makers somehow decreased the saturation of the whole anime. Still, I must mention that there are many beautiful scenes and backgrounds in the anime that I loved especially the flower beds. The character design was also great so on the whole, the animation and style were actually pretty good.

Conclusion
The story of Romeo and Juliet has been told so many times but is seems that the world will never get enough of it. Tragic or not (no spoilers 😉), it is a story that gives people hope that love can defeat any evil. Romeo x Juliet is the same yet a completely different tale set in a fantasy version of Verona that is waiting for the return of the righteous heir of the throne, the daughter of Capulet. The story is so much more than a simple drama or romance. It is a story about freedom in every sense of this word that is both emotional and thrilling at the same time. I might not like the fantasy part about the prophecy, thinking that the story would have been better if it remained in a somewhat realistic setting, but it still far from not being good. It was amazing.
So, to all you having doubts that Romeo x Juliet is just a cheesy romance anime, it is. But it is at the same time so much more. Don't miss it, I am sure that you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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Sep 17, 2017

Re:Creators (Anime) add

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PLOT AND STORY LINE 📜
Can writers and artist actually be called creators? Has anyone ever considered them as creators of many different worlds just by turning their imagination into words of works of art? They create stories, create characters, their looks and personalities, so can we still say that they don't exists? Sounds more like philosophy to me than an anime setting, but that's exactly what made Re: Creators one of my favorites this year.
There are many things that turned Re: Creators into a masterpiece, but the most important one is undoubtedly the uniqueness of the story. Just as I thought that anime stories are ... slowly all becoming one and the same, Re: Creators showed that the industry has yet another ace up its sleeve. The setting and the whole 'Can creators be considered gods?' theme is so intriguing that it made me watch the first 20 episodes all in one go. I don't usually watch more than 15, but I guess I broke my personal record. The anime delivers a highly interesting and exciting story that keeps you on tenterhooks from the first to the last episode. Did I mention the roller coaster of emotions you feel while watching this show? No?
Re: Creators is a story where every single creation (the fiction character that came to the real world) has its own emotional side story. They carry the hardship and the scars of their world to the real one in hope to convince their creators to help them. Most of the side stories are heartbreaking and emotional tales, especially the one that follows our protagonist Souta Mizushino.
But enough with emotions, let's talk about the action. An anime that literary combined magic, fantasy, mecha, demons, knights etc cannot be bad when it comes to the action. As expected, the anime is full of exciting battles and amazing fight scenes, particularly in the last third of the show. Everyone is fighting in their own way, whether he or she is a knight, a magical girl or just an ordinary detective with a gun. I enjoyed the action to the fullest and I am sure that you will too.
In short, Re: Creators has a unique and extremely exciting story that has a deep, nearly philosophical core in the middle. Wrapped up with moving and intriguing side stories, as well as with amazing action, Re: Creators clearly shows that the anime industry still has some bright days ahead.

CHARACTERS 👩👦
Re: Creators is an anime that has many different characters where each and every one of them has a unique and distinct personality. As I mentioned before, one thing that makes all the characters come to life are their intriguing background stories. But what's more important and entertaining are the relationships between the 'creators' and their 'creations'. It was also really moving to see how the creators actually care for their creations, rooting and trying to protect them during fights, crying for them after they die etc. It is just interesting to see how their relationships grow and affect their personalities. We have definitely seen characters like these in other anime before, but it is the relationships between the characters that are really important here.

ANIMATION AND STYLE 💻
I'll just mention one thing-Episode 21. Just this Summer I've done a blog post, My Top 5 Most Beautiful Anime Moments and I actually considered editing the post and put the whole 21st episode somewhere in the top 3. It was breathtakingly beautiful, just as the rest of the anime. Candy for the eyes. Everything about the animation and the style is perfect, from the backgrounds to the character designs. I've loved it all.

CONCLUSION 📌
Not that I just enjoyed watching this anime, but it actually got me thinking about some trivial things like whether we can call some things non-existent just because they are a product of our imagination. They exist in our thought, doesn't it mean that they are real? But enough of that, the anime has other qualities that made it a true masterpiece. Intriguing stories, amazing characters and breathtaking animation are just the tip of the iceberg. Re: Creators is an anime with a huge 'Re: Watch ' factor and I highly recommend everyone to give it a try.

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Sep 10, 2017

Quanzhi Gaoshou (Anime) add

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Based on a Chinese web serial novel, Chinese producers, animated in a Chinese studio and all in Chinese dub. Can we still call it anime? I am not so sure about that but I stumbled upon this show on My Anime List and I decided to give it a try. I was about to give it up right in the first episode because of the annoying language but I am glad I didn't. Quanzhi Gaoshou aka. The King's Avatar turned out to be a great and entertaining anime that is definitely worth your time and here's all why:

Plot & Story Line 📜

Quanzhi Gaoshou aka, The ... King's Avatar follows Ye Xiu, a top-tier professional player in the multiplayer game Glory. In the world of Glory he is known for his amazing techniques and skill giving him the nickname "Battle God". After he is forced to retire and give up his gaming career, he finds work at a nearby internet cafe. After launching its tenth server, Ye starts the game anew with a new avatar: Lord Grim. Ten years of playing were easily noticed by the newbies and later on also by other pro players. Everyone is now interested in the player behind Lord Grim as he plays his way to the Glory's summit again.
I was rather skeptical in the beginning expecting another isekai themed anime, but man was I wrong. The story isn't exactly set in a fantasy/game world, but it rather moves from the real world to the game and back again. On one side, it follows the reality of the gamers, the pro-players, the different clubs and all about the gamer world. Then suddenly, when the main characters start their mission we're instantly teleported to that amazing fantasy world of Glory. Action loaded battles, amazing fights and entertaining game strategies are just the beginning of the journey that Lord Grim and his comrades take us on.
Still the core of the story remains Ye's struggle in the gamer world. Taking the forced resignation casually, he continues playing not out of spite, but because of his love towards Glory. He doesn't care that much about his revenge but enjoys making the other pro-players look bad in fights. I found that the most entertaining part of the show which unfortunately ends halfway. Will we have a second season and will we see Ye at the top again, I don't know. But I am definitely hoping for a second season soon.
In short, The King's Avatar is an exciting story that shows the best and the worst of both worlds. It takes you on a thrilling adventure both in game and reality. After its rush development in the beginning, the story does slow down somewhere in the second half which kinda chills the excitement you build up before. Gladly it didn't end like that but with an somehow epic seasonal finale.

Characters 👦👩

The characters in The King's Avatar weren't that special nor unique but still an interesting and diverse bunch of personalities. Our main character, Ye Xiu is a cool, simple minded and down-to-earth character, who doesn't enjoy the lime light that much. His career as a pro-player didn't revolve around fame and money but was solely devoted to playing Glory because he loves it. He is also an extremely clever individual always coming up with interesting strategies to complete his missions and quests. Another character I found quite interesting was his best friend/love interest Su Mucheng. She is know as the 1st Beauty of Glory and definitely deserves the title. On of the few female pro-players in Glory with exceptional skill and technique. She has a sweet and caring personality but becomes an unstoppable warrior in the game.

Animation & Style 💻

Literary candy for your eyes. It's been a while since I've seen such a great animation. The scenery, the backgrounds, the character design, the fight sequences, visual effects, everything was just breathtaking. I think animation was the one thing that kept me watching this anime when the language gets way too annoying. The King's Avatar proves how animation can blend out other little flaws such as plot holes, a bad plot twist, boring characters or even when the ONA is in Chinese.

Conclusion 📌

When I started watching this anime I though: Okay Lejla, you watcher Boruto: Naruto the Movie in Korean, you can also watch The King's Avatar in Chinese. It was a struggle but it was worth it. The anime pictures an exciting and interesting story full of adventure and action loaded fights. Though the characters could have been given a bit more personality but the animation definitely accounted for all the little flaws the anime had. It is one of the better anime from the Spring 2017 season and you should certainly give it a try.

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Aug 15, 2017

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (Anime) add

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Scrolling down the Shoujo genre on My Anime List, I stumbled upon a rather interesting show from 2012. The slice-of-life/shoujo/school anime promised a cute romance and good comedy in 13 episodes. Question is, did the anime actually hold on to the things it promised? "My Little Monster" is quite unusual for an anime title but as such, it clearly caught my attention.

PLOT AND STORY LINE 📜

Most of the shoujo anime we know involve one shy and socially awkward character on one, and a popular and outgoing character on the other side of the romance. But what happens if neither of the characters is socially ... awkward nor shy, but still don't have any friends because of their 'special' behavior? Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun gives the answer in a fresh anime atmosphere that really shows that the producers tried to make a different shoujo show.
In the middle of the story we have Mizutani Shizuku, a rather apathetic girl who cares about one thing only-her grades. But her cold nature would soon start to fade after she meets the violent troublemaker Yoshida Haru. Much to her surprise, there is a lot more to Haru than just his violent behavior, which she would eventually find out after the two become really close.
Even though Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun differs from other shoujo anime in terms of characters, other elements are still present. So, you get for example, not one, but two love triangles involving the main characters in only 13 episodes. Which brings us to the next point-the ROMANCE.

When it comes to that, it is like TNKK committed a serious crime in the shoujo world by putting a clear love confession right in the beginning. I know, shocking right? To think that a shoujo anime character would confess his/her feelings right in the beginning and so omit confusion and awkward moments between the two main characters, is absolutely barbaric (*meme material*). Kidding, even though one side of the romance is clear, the other one gets pretty confused not knowing what to do with the new feelings and so ruins all the potential the show actually had.
From there on, the show literary goes nowhere. The main story line gets all messed up, the romance part slowly fades as the main characters grow further apart and all that leads to a unfinished story that had the chance to hit it big. I don't know what happens in the manga later on, but they could've at least made a decent season finale. In this way we are literary left with nothing.
On thing that Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun did extremely good, is the comedy. Haru is an extremely funny character and all he does is just hilarious. So, you might not enjoy the story and the romance of the anime that much, but it is perfect if you just want to chill and have a good laugh.

CHARACTERS 👦👩

Just as it happens in a lot of the other shoujo anime, most of the characters in Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun have superficial personality and a minimum of (or even non) character development. Just the two mains, Shizuku and Haru had more depth in their personalities and some detail in character, but the rest is just...meh. Asako was the annoying side-kick, Kenji the pitiful side-kick, Yuuzan (Haru's brother)who was about to put some drama in the anime but nothing actually happened in the end, and there was Sasahara, who literary showes up every here and there but doesn't actually contribute to the story. I was also annoyed by Shizuku so I won't be talking about her, but I did love Haru. As said, he is a hilarious character that contributed the most to the comedy factor of the anime. He also doesn't get any character development but I like him just the way he is.

ANIMATION AND STYLE 🎨💻

In short, the animation was quite satisfactory and enjoyable to watch but it was the style of the anime that made it look this good. Especially the detail in the character design like hair and eyes and the backgrounds were so amazingly done. I certainly loved it and thumbs up for that.

CONCLUSION 📌

Despite having the potential to be an amazing anime different form other shoujo shows, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun remains an average show whose story literary goes nowhere. No story development also means no development for many of the superficial characters. Still, TNKK had an ace up its sleeve and it was the main character of the anime-Haru. He was the reason I actually liked the show and the reason why most of us might actually enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend it, but it is still a fine anime that won't be a waste of your time if you actually gave it a shot.

www.worldofanimegirl.blogspot.com

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Aug 13, 2017

Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis (Anime) add

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Imagine having just a card game as source material for an action, adventure, fantasy anime you have to make. MAPPA studios took that challenge and turned a battle card game with no more source material than some conceptual artwork and with as much plot as a cardboard game can have, into a really good anime that even had potential for a masterpiece. I am talking about the 2014 anime, Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis, also known as Rage of Bahamut and here is the review to it. Enjoy!

PLOT AND STORY LINE
Shingeki no Bahamut is set in an alternative version of medieval France in a world where ... every possible fantasy creature exists. The story sets off with an old tale about the ancient dragon Bahamut that brought about destruction to the land of Mistarcia two thousand years ago. Only by working together, the gods and demons were able to save the world, sealing the dragon away and creating a key to keep him imprisoned forever. They key was split into two halves, one being kept by each deity, but the long lasting peace would again be threatened after one of the halves gets stolen. In a world that is about to face new danger we meet our two protagonists-the bounty hunters Favaro and Kaisar who, in terms of personality, couldn't be more different. The bounty haunting life that they knew would soon be over after Favaro accidently meets a mysterious woman that goes by the name Amira.
Now, the story itself sounds promising and is really intriguing but for some reason I found it rather boring in the beginning. It is in the second half where the anime finally drew my full attention to the story. The second half puts all the pieces together and you finally understand what is going on. Moreover, new plot twists and surprises are just the beginning of the excitement as the anime slowly moves towards its huge finale. Amazing battles, emotional background stories and character side stories are just some of the elements that turned Shingeki no Bahamut into a really good anime in the end. And when it comes to the first half, I would have probably dropped the anime if it weren't for that one story element-the relationship between Favaro and Kaiser.
Even though the story does have its ups and downs, it is the two protagonists that actually keep your attention, especially in the beginning. The story element of two characters that hate each other, yet are obliged to work together, never gets old and in case of Shigeki no Bahamut it definitely contributes to its entertainment factor. The way their contradictory personalities interact keeps the anime amusing and always open for new surprises. What's more, an interesting background story about Favaro and Kaiser is woven into the main story as it reveals the true reason for their everlasting fight and hatred.
In short, you might find the story of Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis hard to follow in the beginning, but I promise you an entertaining and slightly emotional story full of action and amazing fights later on.

CHARACTERS
If there is one thing that Shingeki no Bahamut did without a single flaw, then it is the characters. The character design is so remarkable and unique, and even though I am not a huge fan of the style I have to praise MAPPA for their outstanding work. But the thing that was even better than that was the fact that each character actually had a distinctive personality.
The personalities of the main characters are of course the most noticeable ones, especially when it comes to Favaro and Kaiser. Favaro is a carefree bounty hunter that finds the purpose in life in three things alone: money, women and wine. Lies and scams are part of his everyday life whereas his life-moto would be his father's quote: „Which way is the wind blowing? To tomorrow! “. Kaiser, on the other hand, is a very serious and mature young man that also lives the life of a bounty hunter. Noble by birth, Kaiser was once a knight and so he still behaves, all according to the codex of knighthood. Amira, the leading female is a naive, sweet and rather childish young girl that is not truly aware of her powers. She was definitely one of my favorites form the show and it was her character design on the anime cover that drew my attention to Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis in first place.

ANIMATION AND STYLE
Just as I said before, one of the greatest things about the anime is definitely its style. Both the setting and character design are amazing and more importantly distinctive among other anime. One thing I did have a problem with was the animation. All in all, it was not bad, but it lacked in contrast. The heaven scenes were too bright, the demon scenes were to dark and in some parts you just couldn't clearly see what was going on. The quality of the animation was mediocre in my opinion, but I have to say that it was still enjoyable to watch.

CONCLUSION
Even though Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis is solely based on a battle card game, the anime had potential to turn into a masterpiece. Unfortunately, it didn't come to that. The lack of excitement in the beginning and the flaws in the animation made the anime less enjoyable but it is nevertheless a really good anime that is worth your time. What saves the anime is definitely its intriguing historical-fantasy setting and the quality of the characters. Simply put, Shingeki no Bahamut might not be a masterpiece but it still deserves to be part of the completed section on your anime list.

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Aug 5, 2017

Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin (Anime) add

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"Laziness is the mother of human progress."
-Ikta Solork

PLOT AND STORY LINE 📜

I seriously expected another average military, action story about teenagers that we have seen so many times before in anime like: God Eter, Owari no Seraph, Balck Bullet, Schwarzesmarken etc. But as I said in the beginning, I was positively surprised by the story that was both intriguing and entertaining.
First of all, it is a very simple story. The plot revolves around Ikta Solork, a lazy yet very clever womanizer that detests war above anything else. But after his country, the Katjvarna Empire, attacks the Republic of Kioka, his world is thrown into chaos ... as he becomes obligated to join the war as one of the officials. Soon enough, his comrades would realize Ikta's intellect and talent as a leader, never imagining that he would actually be the hero that everyone needed.
Now that I think more about it, the story it self is definitely nothing special, but it was still good. The first reason for that was definitely the main character who contributed the most to the entertainment factor. It was his wit and his war tactics that made the anime so interesting to watch.
In addition to that, each, let's say, story arc is somehow connected to Ikta's past. So the side stories are also vital parts that drive the plot into an intriguing and in many parts really emotional story that keeps your attention until the very end. And it is then where we stumble upon a real problem. Don't misunderstand, the end of the anime was definitely its highlight and the most exciting part, but the fact that it ended with an enormous cliffhanger is the real problem here. The part of the story that we see in the anime is just the tip of the iceberg, whereas everything that's coming after that is the real thing.
The anime was nothing more than an introduction to the setting and the characters in the show. I haven't read any spoilers on the story that follows the anime, but I think that it will definitely evolve into an even greater story than before.
Lastly, there is one more thing that I actually want to tackle in this review and it is the relationship between Ikta and his best friend and the female lead of the show, Igsem Yatorishino, or just Yatori. The whole anime might be about the war between the Katjavarna Empire and Republic of Kioka but its very core is without any doubt the friendship of Ikta and Yatori. The anime begins with the two and each event in the end ties back to them. I haven't read any spoilers on the novel so far but I am certain that the story will end in a very emotional finale that will involve their friendship.
On the whole, the story might not sound like much, but it is without any doubt intriguing, exciting, entertaining and emotional until the very end. I got actually so interested in the story that I am planning on reading the novel, if I find a decent English translation that is.

CHARACTERS 👦👩

Just as I mention before, Ikta Solork is the main reason why I found this show so good. His character represents a very complex personality of someone that looks like a careless, happy-go-lucky person on the outside, but is actually very well aware of his surroundings and extremely clever. Ikta is a womanizer but is also someone that would sacrifice him self for the ones closest to him. Also he is one of the wittiest anime characters I've seen, amusing us trough out the whole show. When it comes to the other characters, I must say that they mostly have some superficial personalities without much involvement in the story. The only exception there would be Yatori. Her character has been given more detail in the personality and is so a vital part of the story. Still, when it comes to my overall opinion on the characters I wasn't disappointed, especially because I didn't expect much to begin with.

ANIMATION AND STYLE 💻🎨

The story and the characters could have been a bit better, but the animation was on point. Well, as expected from a Madhouse anime, right? I also liked the character design and the design of the very setting: the ancient country look, the way they dressed, the different regions/tribes etc. The only thing that kinda bothered me where the lips. I don't know why, but all the characters had strange lips that always stood so out. I can't say exactly what was wrong, but it was definitely strange. If you watched the anime and actually noticed that, let me know.

CONCLUSION 📌

The best way to watch an anime is not to expect a masterpiece. I really thought that Nejimaki Seirei Senki would be another average military anime, but I was positively surprised with an intriguing and exciting story, interesting and amusing characters and a great animation. This anime might not be a masterpiece but it certainly deserves another season (which will probably never come).

Now if you would excuse me, there is a light novel that I want to read (more reviews on http://worldofanimegirl.blogspot.ba/search/label/Reviews)

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Jul 15, 2017

Kotonoha no Niwa (Anime) add

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Emotional, moving and beautiful are three words that best describe the masterpieces of Makoto Shinikai, the producer of movie that I am reviewing today: Kotonoha no Niwa (The Garden of Words). Kimo no Na wa, or Your Name, is without any doubt among the greatest anime movies ever made but when it comes to the beauty of a movie (its animation and scenery), I think that Kotonoha no Niwa is better. I talked about the beauty of the movie in my last post: My Top 5 Most Beautiful Anime Moments and thought that it definitely deserves a review.

PLOT AND STORY LINE

The story follows high ...

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Jul 9, 2017

Mahou Sensou (Anime) add

Mixed Feelings

Can somebody please remind me to never watch a Madhouse anime ever again. I am grateful to Madhouse for producing many good anime, but can they please finish the anime in a second season instead of leaving us at an enormous cliffhanger every time at the end of the first one. Now I have one more anime on my completed list without knowing how it actually ends and it doesn't even have a manga, just a light novel, and to be honest the anime is not worth reading it. And here's all why:

PLOT AND STORY LINE 📜
When I saw this anime and read the ... synopsis I knew that I shouldn't expect much of it. It is just another, average fantasy and magic anime, with a mainly shallow story and characters, a poor romance, predictable events, annoying shoujo and fan-service elements and an even more irritating brother-complex story in the beginning. Still, the show manages to pull it self together and actually improve in the second half, but just a little bit. Here's what happens...

It all starts when our protagonist Takeshi Nanase stumbles upon an unconscious girl, Aiba Mui that after waking up casts magic and accidentally turns Takeshi also into a magician. He then realizes that the world he lives in is far more different from what he actually thought. What has always been one world is now revealed to be divided into two: the one he used to live in and the one destroyed in the First Magic War. Now with new powers, Takeshi and his two friends (also turned accidentally into magicians) Isoshima and Ida are trying hard to fit in into the new world by training hard and overcoming new obstacles. Also in their way, one of the magic communities called the Ghost Trailers that are using their powers to gain superiority in both worlds. As magicians, Takeshi and his friends are trying to stop the Trailers in order to maintain peace and prevent the beginning of the Second Magic War.

As I said, the anime isn't any good, at least in the beginning but it does start to get a little better after the 6th or 7th episode. The first half is revolves around Aiba chasing after her brother who doesn't remember who he actually is and some pretty annoying shoujo drama involving a love triangle between the main characters. I really don't know how I didn't drop this mess of a shallow plot and story line full of plot holes, but I didn't. And true I can't say that it became much better, but it does get a far more interesting story, I mean it gets an actual story that makes sense.

It reminded me of an anime that is probably better known to you than Mahou Sensou. It is Charlotte. They both start with a non-sense and mostly boring story that is not leading us anywhere, but it then turns into something that might even be worth watching. Mahou Sensou becomes an emotional, moving and somewhere intriguing story about the destiny of two brothers. Secrets are uncovered, everything starts to tie together and Takeshi realizes that it wasn't just an accident that brought him to the magic world.
And just as the anime introduced this new, fresh story, some amazing fights and new hints on what this anime is really about, it ends. Mahou Sensou ends with an enormous cliffhanger and I am pretty sure the makers are not planning on making another season. What's funny, even the author of the novel Mahou Sensou, Hisashi Suzuki hates the anime and thinks that it wasn't a good idea in first place.

CHARACTERS 👩👦

Oh my, so many shallow, useless and annoying characters. All the characters are so simplistic and we have seen personalities like these in so many other anime. The two main characters, being Takeshi and his brother Gekkou are the only ones that kinda stand out with their personalities, but they're still nothing special or unique. The only unique thing that the makers did in the anime is that the useless side-kick is not a girl but a boy, Takeshi's best friend Ida. The female leads of the show, Mui and Isoshima were both pretty annoying and useless picturing the average teenage girl that only has one thing on her mind-love. Isoshima does get a character development later and actually becomes a more vital part of the story. I guess we'd have seen more if the anime actually had a second season. Bute yeah...

ANIMATION AND STYLE 💻🎨

I hoped that they would at least do the animation good but this was horrible. I thought the whole time that my laptop charger was defect and that the laptop automatically decreased the brightness after it stops charging. But no, it was the animation of the anime that dimmed the brightness from time to time. In addition to that, I was looking forward to good fight sequences because I love magic action, but instead I got horribly animated fights that looked like a bad flip-chart movie. The animation style was also nothing special and pretty disappointing on the whole.

CONCLUSION 📋📌
Magic/ School anime having a mainstream plot, a boring story line, shallow characters and average animation should definitely have their own name. I suggest something like Mainstream Magical and Magical Warfare would definitely be their first representative. It is pretty obvious that I don't want to recommend this anime to anyone so you better go watch other anime. And if you really want to watch an anime with a school/magic setting, then go watch Tokyo Ravens or Charlotte, because everything is better than Mahou Sensou. Trust me.

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Jun 21, 2017

Orange (Anime) add

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You can't just take two anime and mix them somehow together to create a complete different one. I hope the makers of this anime kept that in mind because it looks to me like they put Clannad: Afterstory and Ao Haru Ride (Blue Spring Ride) into one anime and the result was one of the highlights of the Summer 2016 season-Orange.

PLOT & STORY LINE 📜

To explain what I wanted to say in the intro, this anime looks like the makers took the characters along with the Romance and School life from Ao Haru Ride, but the emotions and Sci-Fi element from Clannad. It is not ... as childish as Ao Haru Ride, it is has a more serious topic, but it doesn't give you an emotional breakdown like the one Afterstory gives. Picture it like this, if anime could evolve, Orange would be kinda in the middle of the evolution from Ao Haru Ride to Clannad. Still, Orange is a completely different story that happens to be emotional, thrilling and exciting at the same time. Let's see what it is all about.

On her first day of second year high school, our protagonist Naho receives a strange letter addressed to her. The strange thing about it is that the letter is from herself-10 years in the future! Naho is of course skeptical at first, but after the letter describes events that really happen she realizes that the letter really is written by her 26-year-old-self.
The letter points out all the regrets that she'll make in the future and that she wants her younger self to fix those. Also one important part of the letter involves the new transfer student Kakeru. She must be especially careful when making decisions that involve him, as Kakeru is not a part of her future. Having the letter, Naho has now the power to protect Kakeru before she regrets it once more.

The story is set in the usual school setting but it still involves complex character personalities and intriguing side stories. It actually pictures the true hardship of a high-school student whose mind is everything but just books and classes. Those teenage problems might seem small to the outside world, but in our small world things like a broken heart or a small regret about not listening to our parents can destroy us. Orange is an anime that pictures all that and the extend to witch it changes us and our future. It shows, how every single detail, no matter how small actually contributes to shaping our life.

In addition to that, the story of Orange is extremely exciting and always so unpredictable. You actually know one future, but the thing you're thinking about the whole time is how the happenings in the present will actually change it. Also, you get a cute romance, filled with everyday drama and emotional background story with, as I think, anyone can relate.
In short, Orange is an anime that pictures the true hardship of every high school student's life but without exaggerating. Its goal from the beginning is to convey one important message, which is: "You are never alone".

CHARACTERS 👦👩
I can't remember an anime that put more detail into characters than this one. Characters in other anime mostly have those superficial personalities, but the ones in Orange are detailed, original and extremely involving. Also, the anime makes it easy to actually display each personality so we really get to know them. My favorite character was definitely Suwa. He is an extremely caring and down-to-earth guy (even though he is extremely popular) who is always putting someone else before him self. He is nice, sweet and also extremely funny. The male lead, Kakeru, has the most complex personality of all which is mainly the result of the events that take place in the anime. Naho, is somehow like Suwa, extremely caring but much more emotional. On the whole, the makers of the anime put a lot of effort in creating good characters for the show and you can clearly see that.

ANIMATION & STYLE 💻
I just love everything about this anime including the character design. Some of them like Naho, Kakeru and Chino do look like characters from Ao Haru Ride, especially Naho that looks exactly like Futaba and Kakeru looking like Kou. About the animation, it was breathtaking, especially some backgrounds and scenarios like the one after which Orange got its name. It is amazing how the whole anime actually connects to that one beautiful moment bringing together both, the past and the present.

CONCLUSION 📌
Orange is an extremely emotional and exciting anime that follows a really interesting story about friends and life. The anime conveys a simple yet extremely important message in a way that no other anime could. Through beautiful animation and characters that everyone can relate to, it makes you ride an emotional roller-coaster and make you feel like you're also part of their story. Once more, the anime is exciting, interesting, funny, moving and above all beautiful. A true masterpiece in all its aspects that definitely deserves to be part of your list on MAL.

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