Back to chipi1016's Profile chipi1016's Profile

I don't understand the hate this is getting in this review section, but here I go to try and make this even.

First I'll say that I didn't think this was a masterpiece by any means, but it is good. The thing is, I wouldn't want to watch it again. It's something you watch once, survive through it, and never watch again. That doesn't mean it's bad! There is hope in the core of this anime's message.

We follow a family that is trying to survive in the midst of Japan's deadliest natural disaster [totally fictional]. As you ... might expect, not everyone is going to make it, and the deaths are treated as par for the course for such a devastating circumstance.

There are times when it is inconceivable that certain characters survive, especially given the realism of other deaths, but I get that the story is trying to tell us something and so it's good to just go along with it. Don't get too attached to any one character though because no one is really safe.

The art is classic Yuasa so ugly it's beautiful at times, so beautiful it's transcendent at others. The score is made to wring emotion out of you, but it's also there to give you hope, it is almost telling you not to give up hope even when the story is giving you nothing but pain.

The characters are the weakest point in this anime, but that doesn't mean they are bad. The story is not here to give you fleshed out backstories and motivations. Nevertherless, from what little they give you, you understand them and they do feel like individuals. I would have liked to get more characterization and to have a more personal human drama, but this is not that. It is a fable, told for the purpose of delivering a message.

That said, all in all this is a story about being proud of who you are without forgetting that we are all in this world together. It is a love letter to Japan but also a warning. And taken as that, I really really liked it.

Anime shorts have one job to do, give the viewer a burst of emotion, something that happens fast and is just as fleeting. Komatta Ji-san does this perfectly. The story is, of course, non-existant. It's not about a story, it's about a feeling. An old grandpa who is still in love with his wife and puts the moves on her every chance he gets. It's super cute! Of course, because it is a short I can only rate it a 6 0 since well there is no story, the art sometimes feels like they are just moving puppets around and ... the overall quality is a bit lackluster. Having said all that. this is worth a watch because the cute factor can't be denied, and it did manage to wring out a few chuckles out of me.

Overall I recommend this if you have couple of minutes on a busy day.

I wish I could tell you this is an amazing anime.

It's obvious this is a passion project, that this was an idea that was held dearly by those who worked on it, unfortunately passion and good ideas are not enough. Execution is the lion's share of why anything is good, and the execution of this anime is... honestly laughably bad.

Because it is an anime let's start by talking about the animation. I'm of the (perhaps controversial) belief that good animation can save an otherwise mediocre story. The reason's why are for another time, but suffice it to say that when ... I saw a preview for this anime I had high hopes because I already saw really interesting character designs and a unique art esthetic that pleased me. The character designs are still unique, I'll give this anime that, but the art is washed over by a haze that makes everything ten times less brilliant and takes the art from unique to drab in an instant. Don't believe me? Compare the art in the episodes to the outro visuals that are pulled from the episode itself (this started in later episodes) and you'll wish you had seen the anime that's been shown in the outro.

Ok, let's talk story. I needed to brace myself because this is just a mess. And it saddens me because I always try to root for anime originals. I wanted this to be indie, and grungy and tell a interesting story. I do feel it was trying to do all those things. It didn't succeed. The storytelling is so garbled that the viewer is left honestly confused for most of the runtime and this confusion is not the good "oooh I wonder if I'm going to get my questions answered" type of confusion, it's the "I honestly have no questions because I don't know what the f**k is going on!" type of confusion. One of many problems with this type of confusion (and the most prevalent in this anime) is that if the viewer is not really understanding what is happening and what is the stakes... then climaxes fail to impact, emotional moments have no payoff, and the story as a whole suffers.

The last episode is especially egregious. Without spoiling for anyone that still wants to see this dumpster fire, it manages to simultaneously have too little time and too much time! Yes that's right, the conflict gets resolved so fast and so easily you might blink and miss it, but you get like three different ending none of which feel like you needed or wanted. Also, anything that might have had a lasting impact gets rolled back so nothing mattered in the first place.

I'm not going to touch on music because it's honestly a shtick. It's not worth talking about.

I may be biased. As I watched this anime I got the feeling that the author was trying to come up with an anime based on lower spectrum autism, and having a child in the spectrum myself, I honestly loved it.

So hear me out on this autism metaphor. The premise of this show is that there are gifted people who cannot make memories of their own because they are unable to separate the emotional turmoil in their head. Once they are given the tools to do so, however, they unlock, what I can only call psychic powers.

So, even though ... it hit a soft spot for me, I have to be real. The execution of the story is a bit sloppy so that unless you are taking notes you might get lost. The animation is honestly holding this anime back. I also think, for a psychological drama, it has too many characters which means none get to fully shine.

I would still recommend this anime for people to watch. It has an original concept and that is something anime sorely needs.

The gist of my review is this: Give this a shot!

I was very skeptical of the premise of this show. Firstly, is YET ANOTHER Nobunaga show? Second, the shtick is that they are dogs? thirdly, comedy is very hit or miss for translations.. leaning toward the miss in most cases. But, after one episode, I was left with a huge smile on my face and I was really surprised how much I enjoyed watching this show.

First, it's not another Nobunaga show. I mean, it is, but not really. It never takes the Nobunaga thing seriously. It's the ... butt of countless jokes and in all honesty most of them land really well even if you know nothing of Nobunaga.

Second, yes, the shtick is dogs, but they really do a great job at delivering on the cute and funny.

Thirdly, well.. like I said in the first and second points: It's funny.

It might not be Anime of the year: the animation is middling at best and there is no real story progression, it's just "Hey these warlords are now dogs, isn't that funny?" and it is!

I'll start by saying that I reasonably enjoyed this anime. What I'll write next might make it seem like it's not worth your while, but that's not necessarily true. It's a show that will have a particular audience and if that's you, great.

The first few episodes did the job of grabbing my attention with interesting characters and dynamics. For the rest of the series, I felt switched and baited. I might have enjoyed it more if I had not expected something different from the first few episodes.

This show is about a girl who uses logical (if far fetched) arguments to ... change people's mind. That's it. There's a bit with a guy, that's not honestly not important as of this season. There's an antagonist, that also doesn't matter yet, you get the gist of their backstory and nothing more. There's a slow SLOW fight with absolutely no hype... if that's your cup of tea.

It is interesting to see the logical gymnasitcs the protagonist takes, but if watching a girl at a laptop is not your idea of a bomb anime, maybe this is a skip?

As for me, I powered through it all and ended up enjoying it a little bit, enough that I would watch a season two if it gets it, but wouldn't cry if it doesn't get it.

I came in to this series expecting nothing. What I got was a thoughtful story about love and loss and starting over in life. It was beautiful without a hint of the cliche that infects most shounen ai stories. It is a slow burn, though. That just means that the story takes it's time, making sure we are fully invested before it reveals major plot points. Overall, the fact that the band is just (if not more) integral to the story than the relationship is, perhaps, why the romance works so well. In order for any romantic feelings to ... feel earned you have to have a couple who have lives, goals, and expectations outside of each other. We get that here. All in all Given is an anime that most dudes are going to pass by because "I'm not into that gay stuff" and to them I say, "well, you are missing out"

If you are a Free watcher because of half-naked bishonen talking to other bishonen as if they are in a romantic relationship, this will still be your jam.

For everyone else, this season is definitely not as good as previous installments of the show. At one point I had to ask myself if the story had just gotten too bloated with characters. Why is more than half the season so focused on Ikuya when the resolution of his arc does nothing to further Haru's swimming? Did Free forget who the main character of the story is? Honestly could have skipped the ... Ikuya stuff and just done the whole season on the last 3 episodes.

I'm I going to stop watching Free? No, partly because I'm here for the half-naked bishonen too, but partly because I hope the next installment refocuses on Haru and progresses his story.

So there are three groups of people who will watch this series: the kind that will drop it immediately for the overused gore and sex, the kind that will watch it because of the gore and sex, and the kind that will look past the gore and sex to the real story that's being presented. If you are in the third group, congratulations, you will come out of this experience better for your time spent in this series.

So lets address the sex and gore. Is it necessary? Yes and no. I do admit that most of it is there for ... shock value and edge appeal. I'm not so naive as to think those things are not needed to make a series popular and that the overall success of any anime comes from said popularity. But, I do think that there is merit to the depravity shown. Its NOT there just for edge. The core message revolves around the idea that no one is immune to excess, vice and depravity. That you don't have to be a saint in order to be good. Is there a version of this where there isn't a pair of breasts in your face every 90 secs and still delivers that message? Sure, but I understood the point of it all, meaning it wasn't pointless.

The thing about this anime is that it has some simple concepts at its core, but where it really shines is in execution. No character is predictable or boring. No action is without motivation, and the audience understands the complex morality of the situation at all times. I'm also super impressed by how it managed to buck anime tropes without being subversive for the sake of being subversive. I liked that the power of love is not a win-it-all solution to the problems at hand, because, in all honesty, in war, no one really ever wins.

If you like Kuroko and have watched the 3rd season then I feel (like other reviewers) that this is a must watch. It really does a lot to round out the story and give a lot of closure to the Generation of Miracles as well as to Taiga. It's kinda getting a present wrapped and topped with a cute bow. I would watch it 10 more times and have a happy smile on my face every time.

There's nothing ground breaking here, though, so don't expect great action sequences or even outstanding animation. This is purely a special dedicated to giving the ... fans the closure they deserve. Good on the team for knowing that we needed this.