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I got extremely curious waiting for the final episode of the anime earlier this year and checked out the light novel.

I genuinely think there's a good story here, but it's substantially smudged by the plethora of cringey weebery. Let me list the most egregious examples here.

The main character, literally being a pig, is constantly commenting on the girls' looks in his head. Because the Yesma (the yellow haired girls) are capable of telepathy, they are hearing every word of the nonsense, and they're apparently 100% ok with this.

The main pig is so critical of himself that it hurts. He has zero confidence, ... calling himself a good-for-nothing four-eyed incel otaku at every step of the way. I think it's a defensive mechanism to put himself as low as possible so that the only place is to go up via the girls' compliments. One lesson to take away from this series is that any guy in the real world with such sense of self-worth will for sure stay celibate for life.

The author obsessively tries to portray the pig as an intelligent problem solver / detective. In the process, most other characters end up looking idiotic. It's typical otaku fantasy fulfillment gone horribly wrong. This is a side effect of the pig gimmick which does far more harm than good; otherwise the MC would have no role to play as the helpless swine.

But if I take several steps back, the overall story, which I consider to be the most important factor in evaluating a series, is pretty interesting. Better than the vast majority of the Isekai infestation these days. There are enjoyable twists and turns, as well as genuine character development. The final goal is more intriguing than most, too. It's not some generic "let's defeat the demon king" or "let's marry all the girls I meet on my journey" (surprisingly). If you can turn a blind eye to the cringe, it may be worthwhile.

If you're expecting fivehead level mind games, stop right there. Because of its appearance, Liar Liar gets compared to No Game No Life and Classroom of the Elite a lot. This is the last time it should be mentioned together with these two. I also have no idea why the title is identical to a famous movie. Seems like a big marketing mistake to me.

The main premise is interesting. A supposedly ordinary guy coincidentally defeats the "empress" (the red head) and must continue pretending to be some big shot to keep the lie going. Too bad that it totally butchers everything else. The sequence ... of events that leads to this setup is silly, too silly. It is something I would expect from a comedy that doesn't take itself seriously, not a psychological anime.

Then there are the ""games"". They either get skipped (cuts to the next scene where the MC has already won) or are simply terrible. They basically have no rules, so I wonder if they even qualify as games. The author can't be bothered to actually portray them and tries to get away with it with hacking and special abilities. The level of BS puts early Yugioh duel logs to shame. At least those were funny.

Only watch this one if you ran out of cute anime girls to stare at this season, because that's all it has to offer. I would imagine the light novel has not much more to offer either, except Konomi's illustrations. It's unfortunate because the premise and the character twist revealed at the beginning aren't that bad. Only if the writer put in the effort into the games!

Spy x Family is an entertaining show with mostly likable characters and an interesting plot.

Basic summary. The main character (a world-class spy with codename "Twilight") creates a false identity as a psychiatrist named Loid Forger in Ostania (basically East Germany) in order to approach a political target, Donovan, who supposedly wants to incite a war with Westalis (based on West Germany). However, Donovan only shows himself at a very specific venue exclusive to parents of students at Eden College, a prestigious K-12 school for rich kids. So he adopts a 5ish year old daughter (who happens to be a mind reader) named Anya and sets ... up a fake marriage with a ferocious female assassin named Yor Briar for the Eden entrance exam. This elaborate plan to keep this pretend family together for his espionage mission (dubbed Operation Strix) is the central plot.

I think the plot works remarkably well for a family anime, paving way to explore various family values. There is a lot of room for character development and comedy as well. The fact that Loid and Yor are hiding their true identities while Anya is secretly the only one that knows everything is interesting. The first season feels like just a beginning, but so far it is very promising.

I love almost every character. I'd say the only major character that I neither hate nor love is Yor. She doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose just yet, other than filling in that mother role by simply existing, but that may be because we're just too early in the story. There is one character that I dislike and that is Yor's little brother. He rarely shows himself though, so that's forgivable.

Overall: 9
Just good family comedy anime with tensions where needed. I had a blast throughout the entirety of the show.

I feel strange about this anime. It had a fantastic start. I think everyone will agree that episode 2 is legendary. But that is where it peaks. The first half is pretty great with few flaws, but everything started falling apart in the second half.

The character motivations are perplexing beyond belief. Miranjo and King Bosse are the biggest culprits, although there are many guilty parties here. I was waiting and waiting for a reveal. Something that would convince me that their actions have some rhyme or reason behind them. It never came. I felt like a dunce for thinking they might have. I absolutely hate ... these two characters in every way possible, and they definitely ruined the show for me. On the other hand, Kage and Bojji are fantastic. These guys (and maybe Hiling) kept me from giving this anime a 2.

The final several episodes felt like an absolute chore, all for an atrocious ending (other than the part that involves Kage and Bojji). I won't spoil it here but it made me want to vomit. If I had to pick an anime with the biggest difference in quality between the first and last 3~4 episodes, Ousama Ranking takes the cake. I understand that the manga is still ongoing but I'm making judgments on the anime as it stands.

There is also a controversial account of Houma and Gyakuza in episode 18. I know a lot of people will accuse me of "looking too deep into it," but I immediately recognized the similarities to the uber-nationalist narrative of the Japanese colonization of Korea. I'm not sure why the writer even put this part in. It serves no purpose other than making a cheap attempt at making you feel bad for Miranjo, which fails miserably.

Had I written this review after the first 3 episodes, it would have easily been a 9 or a 10. Thank goodness that I waited until the end (or not, since I wish I dropped the show sooner). There are some good moments. However, I saw myself enjoying it less and less as I kept going. I'd say go no further than... hm... Hiling's flashbacks with Bojji. Surely stop right after Bojji's training with Despa. Once you get to the part about underworld criminals, that's where I would implore you to spend your time doing something more productive, like staring at a wall or playing with a fidget spinner.

I came across Sakurada Reset when I was searching for a superpower anime that doesn't revolve around physical fights. If you're into that kind of stuff, give this one a go.

Story: 9/10
Truly a clever story involving people with supernatural powers. The main selling point is the time traveling ability, which is executed in its own unique style. However, it does have a very slow and confusing start. It starts picking up and culminates in an amazing conflict between the MC and the antagonist near the end. Also, there is a lot of philosophical conversations that you may not care for.

Art: 8/10
Pretty good.

Sound: 6/10
Nothing too memorable ... except the first opening?

Character: 6/10
Some characters are outstanding; others not so much. My least favorite by far is unfortunately the female lead, Haruki. She feels like a robot whose controller is in Kei's (the male lead) hands for at least 95% of the show. I honestly don't think I've seen a more passive, uninteresting individual in all of fiction. There is some character development with her but it's difficult to relate. Kei and Soma, however, are great. Especially Soma.

Enjoyment: 7/10
Although the story is fantastic, the enjoyment factor takes some serious hits due to the bland direction unfitting for an anime adaption. I feel as if I'm watching a novel rather than an animated show, if that makes sense. For example, there are no special effects when someone uses a special ability, so it's hard to tell whenever actually uses one. The voice acting is lethargic, like detached kids reading aloud a mundane textbook. The overall enjoyment factor is good but the anime takes no advantage of the medium, instead relying on the source material .

Overall: 7/10
Although I have not read the books, I suspect that Sakurada Reset is an excellent light novel series that got a somewhat mediocre anime adaptation. The plot is fantastic, but at times I wish I were consuming it in its text form instead.

== spoilers about Soma for ranting purposes ==
My least favorite part of the anime, as I have said, is Haruki. She is extremely boring. She might as well be just a red button Kei presses whenever he wants to reset. Soma, on the other hand, is an interesting, expressive, and worlds ahead of Haruki overall. I felt really bad when Soma got rejected by Kei four separate times in favor of Haruki, after all she's done for him. Soma sacrificed so much and she gets nothing in return. *sigh* The only main gripe I had with the story in general.

The title roughly translates to "Know when to give up!" The manga follows around a filmmaker named Ichimatsu who still cannot get over his ex-girlfriend, Hiyori. His best film featured her during their dating days. He was and still is madly in love with her, but one day she dumped him and disappeared. Fastforward to now when Hiyori suddenly appears in front of Ichimatsu again with an absurd request. She wants his baby, without most of the usual implications. No fatherhood or even intercourse. She just wants the seeds... This time, Ichimatsu is determined to make Hiyori want him as a partner again.

Story: 9/10
The manga ... is unlike I have ever seen. Hiyori's motivation is actually to get revenge on her psycho mother, the main antagonist. The manga has elements of mystery, thriller, and romance all blended in a great package. It is still ongoing, but from what I have read so far, it has an addicting story.

Characters: 10/10
The absolute best part of this manga is the crazy characters. There is maybe 1 normal character in the whole manga (a girl named Noriko, who unfortunately has feelings for Ichimatsu). The rest of them? All nuts in their own ways. Sometimes their actions are so illogical that you may find them frustrating, but I found this to be the biggest hook of the series.

Art: 7/10
It seems a bit strange at first (especially the long eyelashes) but you will get used to it. Hiyori is pretty enough.

Enjoyment: 8/10
The series is very enjoyable but there are a lot of moments in which I just want to slap the MC. The title is perfect. He just does not know when to give up. Actually, the title applies to a bunch of the characters. At other times, I want to slap the main girl for being such a manipulative little you-know-what. These factors both enhance and diminish the enjoyment, but that is the identity of this manga.

Overall: 9/10
It has a unique story and an unusual setup for both romance and revenge. If you are getting tired of formulaic plots for these two popular themes, do check this one out.

Story: This is series has two parts. The first part (volumes 1-3) is what you would expect from the title: man finds a demon child and raises her. It's very heart warming; I had a smile on the entire time. The second part (volumes 4-5) does a near 180 and goes into the histories of the characters and the age gap romance between the two leads. The story pretty much ends with volume 5, as the subsequent volumes don't progress the story in any meaningful way.

Art: Illustrations are very good. Nothing much to say here. One thing to note is that the illustrator was changed ... after volume 1 for some reason.

Character: Generic but in a good way. Not bad at all, but nothing mind blowing either. I think it works for a story like this.

Overall: The overall plot is very similar to the manga Usagi Drop. Whether you'll like this series will depend a lot on your personal tastes (especially the 2nd part). Decide for yourself whether you think you'll like it or not.

A little summary of what I think of SAO in general. Somewhat liked the first 7 or so eps of season 1,but hated rest of season 1 and the entirety of season 2. I had very little expectation going into Alicization but I decided to give it a chance after reading that it was the best arc. I will definitely agree that it is the best SAO arc by far.

Story: 8/10. Much, much better than the previous arcs. That said, there still are writing issues, most of which stem from the author's tendency to portray Kirito as the overpowered, perfect harem master. Thankfully ... this time, there is a second protagonist, Eugeo to save the day. More on this later.

Another big improvement over the previous arcs is the stakes. After the first arc, it was really hard to care about anything going on because in the end, this is about some kids playing a stupid video game. This time, however, I cared. The virtual AI's have feelings, hopes, and dreams just like real humans do. Even though the setting is a virtual world, the anime does an excellent job of making it feel real in an organic way.

Art: 6/10. It could have been great, but it's meh. The character designs look good, but that's where the pros end. There are frequent animation errors and serious blips in the presentation (especially pronounced during some action sequences). If you liked the Light Novel style illustrations, you won't find it here by the way; the art style is quite different.

Sound: 9/10. Great.

Character: 9/10. Huge improvement. Eugeo is well written. He actually has flaws and believable motivations. He develops as a character throughout the story. I also liked the way they wrote Alice, the main girl of this arc. She's not just caught and imprisoned in a cage sucking her thumb like Asuna did in arc 2, nor is she useless/boring like all the other heroines. Moreover, the main villain is WORLDS ahead of Kayaba or the other villains whose names I didn't bother to remember. The extra characters felt fresh and intriguing as well, which is a first for the series. The only cons come from it being... SAO. Kirito is still boring and previous girls (Asuna included) are useless.

Enjoyment: 10/10. Because of the massively improved writing and characters, in addition to the plethora episodes the animators have to work with, I enjoyed the anime immensely. I hope this continues into future cours.

To sum it up, if you absolutely hated all of SAO, this probably won't interest you. But if you saw potential in the early episodes of SAO, I would recommend this series. It's what SAO should have been from the beginning.

I finally got around to finishing the series after forgetting about it for years.

Story: The story revolves around Maria and Kazuki and their battle of wits against box owners. Vol 1-6 each contains mystery stories that setup the characters and the world. Vol 7 ends the series with a crazy bang. I think vol 1-2 are the most mediocre ones. They're good, but not 10/10 good. Vol 3-4 are better, and vol 5-7 will not allow you to put the book down. I took a break from the series after vol 2, and I'm very glad I finished the rest. That said, the text ... and lore are kind of confusing at times, so you need to pay a lot of attention to details.

Character: Amazing. It's easy for side characters to be forgotten in a boy meets girl plot, but most of the characters have interesting histories, traits, and developments.

Enjoyment: If you're into brainy fights and mysteries, you will get a lot of enjoyment out of this.

Would highly recommend to any LN fan.

Unfortunately, the anime is only 6 episodes long, which means that it's extremely difficult to understand what is going on for half the show if you haven't read the novel. The setting is Japan at war with certain "enemies." The anime's viewpoint is a restricted 3rd person just behind the MC's back, which doesn't help resolve the viewers' cluelessness.

Story: Boy meets girl. Nothing fresh in 2019, but it's as impactful as ever.

Art: Excellent for 2005.

Sound: Great soundtrack, especially the op.

Character: By far the biggest flaw imo. First, all but 3 characters feel irrelevant to the anime (main guy, main gal, and ... Enomoto); that is, no one except these 3 serves any purpose. The club president feels out of place and retires quickly; Asaba's friends and family get way too much dialogue/screentime for their nonexistent significance. Asaba is pretty bland until maybe the last couple episodes. I loved Iriya and Enomoto's characters, though.

Enjoyment: 80% of the anime deserves a 5 due to the 6 ep time crunch but I'm giving it a 7 because when it becomes enjoyable, it really becomes enjoyable.

Overall, I'd say give this anime a try if you want a boy meets girl anime with the feels (like Plastic Memories, Saikano, Voice of the Stars, Hanbun no Tsuki, etc.). It's short so it an be binge'd easily.