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May 11, 2024
Very late to the party but I needed to express my disappointment with this show. While Yubisaki to Renren is beautifully animated, has gorgeous music and sound, and generally is anime eye-candy in a sea of low-quality seasonals, the shallowness of the story itself was atrocious. As somebody who began watching with high hopes, this show truly fell below expectations.
TLDR: Enjoyable anime with great art & animation, but if you're here for any character depth, plot depth, or relationship/romantic depth, this is not for you. Emphasis on depth.
We follow Yuki, a cute & adorable university student who is written with no personality. Just because she
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is sheltered, probably in part due to her hearing disability, does not mean she should be written with NO personality. Her whole story arc is meeting a hot guy on a train who is wildly different than her (i.e. travels the world and speaks a ton of languages) and her whole world changes from there. In itself, not a bad setup, but in execution it falls short. She is cute and you sympathize with her wanting to expand her world, but she shouldn't have been written as such a naïve character in the first place. She is an adult who attends university and has access to the internet in this day and age. She is allowed to go out on her own--nobody is preventing her from gaining new experiences to the point where she doesn't even know some basic things about travelling. Her parents happily send her outside, and yet she's written as if she has zero knowledge of the outside world. In essence, she is treated like a child and not an adult. It's a flaw in the story & writing, not the anime itself.
One of my biggest issues with this series is that it is a romance series that cannot portray romance for the life of it. Basically none of the couples have chemistry and/or personalities as individuals. Yuki falls in love with Itsuomi upon first meeting him and barely having spoken to him. Of course, "love at first sight" isn't uncommon in shows but please give me a reason to understand what she likes about him so much because I don't get it. They also normalize Itsuomi being touchy with her too easily, which is uncomfortable. The two barely interact before they begin dating, which does not convince me as a viewer that I should invest myself emotionally in their relationship. Where is the build-up? Just because he's hot and she's cute and the author wants them to get together doesn't mean the audience is convinced if the romantic progression is not there. Kyouya and Rin ACTUALLY have no chemistry--all we know is she thinks he's hot/cool (again) and he isn't looking for anything... until he might be? Between Shin & Emma, they at least had a backstory to help viewers understand where both of them are coming from. We are shown a tiny sliver of Emma's personality besides being bubbly and SUPER obsessed with Itsuomi despite him clearly avoiding her advances.
Finally, the matter of Oushi. He is rude and constantly crosses boundaries. He will not confront his own feelings even if it kills him. Although he is considerate of Yuki, he refuses to let her be her own person and have her own life. He's controlling and tries to make decisions for her, and yet somehow we are supposed to sympathize with him just because he has had a crush on her since childhood. What?
In essence, I know I raked this anime's characters and romance through the mud, but that's not to say I wasn't rooting for this show. There were many parts of it that I enjoyed, enough for me to rate it a 6/10. However, every anime watcher is looking for something different and this show isn't meant for those who want character-driven shows. They are shallow and simply follow the author's will without the author putting in the effort to convince the readers as such. Enjoy the show!
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 29, 2024
Dayu (or Big Storm) is a rather unheard of Chinese donghua that just came into Canadian theatres for some reason, but after stumbling upon it on MAL a month ago I figured I'd check it out. It's a creative piece of media with stunning visuals, interesting worldbuilding, great voice acting, and an incomprehensible storyline. Nonetheless, it's a captivating and charming movie that reflects the unique Chinese donghua industry as it continues to grow, and while I wouldn't outright recommend it, I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching it either.
Story (4/10)
The story of Dayu is extremely hard to follow, especially for those who don't already know the
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language. It tells the story of an orphan boy, Mantou, and his adoptive guardian who are seeking out a mythical ship (called the Big Black Boat?) which was said to house monsters after some catastrophe back in the day that drove out a tribe of nocturnal people and their creatures or something of the sort. They had many treasures aboard the boat and Mantou's guardian, who's somewhat of a dad to him, is looking for it. Along the way, there are different parties who have different motivations and backstories who all contribute to the unraveling of the mystery.
To begin, the movie's pacing was weird. Every time it seemed like we would get into some action, it would end really quickly and go back to the characters loitering around. Many of the workings of the monsters was also not explained, and not in a way that was satisfying like in soft world building, but in a way that left the audience more confused than curious. Even when the action finally happened, the climax felt unsatisfying and unexplained. Ultimately, there didn't seem to be an end goal for the movie, which made it end off on a confusing note. The story is characterized by loose motivations and attempts at mystery that worked against it rather than to enhance it, as I believe it could have been a brilliant tale if they structured & paced it better and made character motivations clearer.
Art (10/10)
The art and animation of the movie was S T U N N I N G
The colours were insanely beautiful and fit perfectly into the sequences, and it melded a mix of hand drawn, animated, and CGI together seamlessly. The art is also reminiscent of children's drawings--heavily stylized characters, but the buildings and scenery were very much the opposite and drawn to perfection. Visually alone, it's a stunner of a movie that stands out more than any anime movie I've seen in a while.
Sound (9/10)
The music of the movie blew me away too. It was never too much nor too little, but just enough to complement the scenes. The voice acting was stellar as well, which surprised me. It was very natural, like humans talking, but still with enough drama to make the dialogue interesting. The characters often have big reactions and these are all voiced in a way that's convincing and not annoying.
Character (6/10)
I wish they gave me a reason to care about the characters beyond the main duo. Their dynamic was interesting, with an interesting backstory and it was clear that the writers worked on their bond the most out of any in the movie. The other characters however, were lacking. I enjoyed that most characters were given a distinct personality, but beyond that their motives were unclear. What did they truly want? How would they act upon these motives? How are they connected with the happenings of the Boat and the history surrounding the monster takeover? The characters are mostly surface-level and do little to connect the audience to them.
Enjoyment (7/10)
While I bashed on the story and characters a decent amount, the movie itself was pretty fun to watch overall (besides the obvious confusion the entirety of the runtime). The movie has a decent sense of humour and makes good use of it, and isn't afraid to have its characters do weird things that are entirely human. The art brings the movie together, and the mystery is interesting enough until it eventually flops, though it did have potential. The two main characters have enough chemistry to drive the movie forward, however as their interactions decrease over the runtime it loses its appeal as well. But as far as enjoyment goes, following Mantou along on his journey was a fun way to spend around 2 hours of my day.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 6, 2023
My Happy Marriage is a romance that tries to do more than it can, while not doing either exactly well at the same time. However, that's not to say that there aren't things about it that I really enjoy. If you're just looking for a wholesome slow-burn and want to see a poorly-treated MC get justice for the way she was treated, you'd probably enjoy this series and that's fine!
The characters are mostly pretty flat, with one or two words that can be used to describe each of them. None of them seem all that layered. The MC is sad and depressed and scared to
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break out of her shell once presented with the opportunity to because of her past; that's a starting point to her character arc that just doesn't seem to be built upon at all. It seems like there could be much more to her personality instead of having her premise as a sad, abused character be all that defines her. The male lead seems extremely wary at first, but does a huge 180 that did not have too much justified build-up or reason. Other characters are mean just for the sake of being mean, have a vague unjustifiable reason for being rude, or accept the MC almost immediately with no other reason than "she's different than the other ones!" which is again, unjustified. There is one character so far however, Koji, that I do genuinely take interest to, and I hope he does not end up falling into a love triangle with the two main leads. I do, in general, like the two main leads and they do seem to compliment each other well. The male lead could have been the stereotypically cold-hearted man who slowly warms up because of a woman, but he turns out to just be a nice guy in general which is a nice change.
The art of the show is beautiful, and so is the soundtrack. The latter especially I was not expecting from this show, but it adds to the story quite a lot. However, the animation seems rather choppy and doesn't do the characters justice in showing their emotions.
There is an overarching subplot regarding supernaturals in the story; however, it is used quite poorly. It is not at all mentioned in the very first episode which is supposed to set the scene for the rest of the series, but is instead introduced jarringly somewhere during the second episode. While it adds a bit of mystery to the story and some reasoning to character motivations, it has generally been poorly used as a plot device that has so far barely added anything to the world building, characters, and instead seems a little out of place. It may be that the story's pacing is just too slow, but it does not seem like it is adding to/reinforcing the story in a positive way. Its lack of integration with the romance (the leading portion of the story so far, although it is very slow) makes it a weak aspect of the series thus far. However, I look forward to seeing what kind of role it will play from here on out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 1, 2022
Obey Me! is definitely a short anime series meant to be primarily enjoyed by those who are into the Obey Me! games already. It does a good job promoting the game too, however, for people who haven't played or heard of the game before. 6/10 overall, 7/10 for enjoyment :)
For context, Obey Me! is an otome game (dating sim for girls) where you more or less try to romance the seven different devil boys who are also the main characters of the anime. So it's pretty obvious as to why players would enjoy this anime since they can see a bit more into the lives
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of the characters and the shenanigans they go through.
From the perspective of someone who hasn't played the game before, the anime has its fair share of funny and heartwarming moments depending on what sort of humour you're into. The worldbuilding is pretty easy to grasp even if you don't understand why or where things are taking place. Memorizing each of the 7 brothers can be slightly confusing, but that's not necessary to enjoy the anime.
Since it's mostly for promotion, there isn't much of a story at all. In the same vein, there's also a lack of character depth (not to say there isn't ANY) as the series is composed of episodic skits more or less. There was enough shown about the characters to be able to differentiate them, and by the end I even had a favourite of sorts. However, the art and sound are done surprisingly well for a promotional anime and it makes it easier to consume the series, perhaps even encouraging you to go check out the game afterwards.
All in all, if you want a quick watch that comes with a few laughs and nice art, this is a great way to pass around an hour of your time. But don't go into it expecting anything more than that, or you could find yourself disappointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 21, 2021
SPOILER-FREE review, based on episodes 1-5!
Overall (9/10)
From the first episode of Shiguang Daili Ren (LINK CICK), there has been something special about it. It balances its gorgeous art, voice acting, soundtrack, and interesting premise with well-built characters and engaging storytelling. Shiguang Daili Ren stands out from the crowd and moves the Chinese donghua market forward. First we got Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), then we got Tian Guan Ci Fu (Heavent's Official Blessing), and now, it seem like it's Shiguang Daili Ren's time to shine.
Story (9/10)
The premise is quite straightforward. Three young adults run a photography shop, and sometimes they get
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special clients who want to alter something in their past in one way or another. Lu Guang has the power to help Cheng Xiaoshi enter these photos and helps him achieve the client's goals while not altering the present timeline. That is, until the present will inevitably be changed for the sake of plot. Though simple, it's captivating. Each individual story involving separate clients also has their specialties, with emotional impact involved in every episode. You really get to connect with these characters that you'll likely only see in two episodes at most. So far, many of these stories have centered around the everyday lives of those with humble beginnings in the countryside. In any case, by the 5th episode, the main plot has begun to move forward, involving the main characters in the present timeline more. Every episodes brings about a sense of nostalgia and empathy for the stories and characters; it never gets boring.
Art (10/10)
With a light, watercolor-esque feeling, the art is truly exceptional. It uses realistic coloring and rather gritty-yet-clean line art, almost like fine chalk. The animation is also exceptional. In any case, it's absolutely beautiful.
Sound (8/10)
The OP and ED go hard, a mix of Chinese and English rap/pop. The OST on the other hand is pretty standard, but it works perfectly well.
Character (9/10)
Each character has their own past, though the three main characters' pasts and backstories are yet to be discovered. Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, through the small snippets we have been shown, seem to have intriguing pasts and personalities that aren't based on any clichés, making them very natural and relatable. Thanks to their realistic personalities and a between their partner dynamic, it gives for a very enjoyable watch. As of episode 5 actually, surprisingly, the supporting cast may be the star of the show! Every client is a unique and charming character in their own right.
Enjoyment (10/10)
My eyes are glued to the screen when watching Shiguang Daili Ren. Of course, there are imperfections to this donghua for sure, but there is never a dull moment in this show despite the "normalcy" in its characters and visuals in comparison to the many low-budget, low-quality animes we've been seeing as the anime market becomes oversaturated. It's a breath of fresh air, and I am excited and proud to see more Chinese donghua make their way into the mainstream!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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