This is a review for the whole series, not just the latest season. I am also going to re-write this review once the anime is actually concluded.
I was absolutely planning to review this series anyway, most likely when it ended... but to be honest, I see so many reviews for this show that are driven entirely by petty emotions... examples being feeling a need to attack other shows because AoT happens to be their favorite and, on the other end of the spectrum, seemingly just being bitter and spiteful because other people love this anime so much. They aren't all like that, but there
...
are so many that I just wanted to add one more review that isn't motivated by one of those extremes. Obviously I've given this anime a very good score, and I'm not going to pretend I don't love it. But I'm not here to tell you your tastes are bad if you don't think it's the best anime ever... I'm not even here to tell you that I think it's the best anime ever. I don't. I think it has some strengths and some weaknesses, and though I personally found the positives to outweigh the negatives I'm still going to address everything in this review. So with that out of the way, I'll stop rambling and get to it.
In my opinion, the story of Attack on Titan is probably its greatest asset. You'll see a lot of people say that it's overrated, and that's fair- but as an amateur writer myself who's greatest passion is reading and watching stories unfold, I have to admit that I find the quality of the writing here to be pretty plain to see. This is one of those cases where the story seems to have been mapped out from the beginning, which almost always results in better storytelling for me. As the mysteries grow and pieces of the puzzle are eventually revealed, it's very satisfying to see little details fall into place, especially when earlier in the story those same details made you scratch your head in confusion. It may not be the most complex story out there, but it does have an intricacy that holds up better than one might expect under scrutiny.
For a while the story plays out as a "mystery box" that progressively demonstrates to the viewer that there is more to the story that meets the eye. When a story is structured in this way, it does put a certain degree of pressure on those answers to be satisfying when they are ultimately revealed. I do think that AoT executes this very well, but I also think that this may be a point of division among some viewers. I obviously have to tiptoe around spoilers here, but there are some BIG and game-changing reveals that come along and shake the story up quite a bit. For some, this will keep things fresh and exciting... for others, this may alter the DNA of a show that they preferred stay the way that it was. This is practically unavoidable when it comes to long-term storytelling that places so much emphasis on questions and mysteries, seeing as the viewer has a lot of time to theorize on what direction the story might take. If that story ends up being drastically different from what they were expecting- or even hoping- it can certainly be a disappointment.
However, all I can say is that if you are on board with the turns that AoT takes, there is some fantastic writing to be enjoyed. Not just in the plot, which is filled to the brim with intricate worldbuilding, developments that reframe everything that came before, blurred lines between right and wrong, and enough thematic irony to drown in... but also in the characters and their development. There are definitely some one-note characters, but there are a few characters that have some really interesting growth and exploration. If you like stories that will dive into a character's motivation whether they are the protagonist or the antagonist, there's a solid chance you will be happy with a lot of the characterization in this show.
I will say that it can take a while to see the depth of the writing here. I'm not saying the show is slow, far from it, but while the pacing kicks off pretty quickly it takes a while before you start to even get a sense of the full picture. Sure, there are some teases and questions that are raised from the start, but for a while they are hidden within a story that seems fairly straight-forward. I actually dropped the show deep into the first season years ago when I first started it. I didn't hate it or anything, I just felt like some of the promising elements were being side-stepped in favor of shocks and action. I can safely say that in hindsight, they were not. If I could say anything to someone watching the first season who is starting to feel like I did, it would be that the promise of added intrigue and development is not an empty one... and that the story absolutely grows as it progresses. Though to be fair, it can be hard to follow at times. Not just because of the story's mysterious nature, but also because there are times when I think there may have been a cleaner way to fill in some of the gaps, especially when it comes to alternating between flashbacks and present time. Though at least it can be said that this story doesn't bog itself down by holding the viewers hand and explaining everything. Overall, though, for me the story is so good that some of these issues seem small in comparison. Others disagree and that's valid, but in the end I think it's just a matter of whether or not the direction that AoT goes is up your ally or not. The biggest downside is that it can take a while to find out whether it is or not, but if you stick with it and find that you do like where things end up then you are in for a wild ride. And despite some of slight bit of controversy among the fandom in regards to just how good this anime actually is, clearly there are a LOT of people who love this story so I'd absolutely say it's worth a chance.
I know that that was a lot of time spent on the story and characters, but that was always going to be the biggest focus of this review. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't talk about some of the other elements of this anime, so let's talk about some of the more 'surface level' stuff like the sound and animation. These days, if I were to say the words "AoT" and "controversy", the first thing that would probably come to most people's mind is "animation"... but I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself. Let me start by saying that, for the first three seasons, AoT has some of my favorite animation in anime. It's crisp, it has a distinct style, great design, and it just generally seems of high quality to me (though I will admit I am far from an animation connoisseur, and I am probably easier to please than some people out there). But the studio was changed for the fourth season, and you don't have to go too far into reviews or forums to see that some people are disappointed. As for myself: I can absolutely say that I preferred the animation of the previous seasons. However, I think the hate this new style gets is blown way out of proportion, and it's far from being bad. Some episodes are a little more jarring than others, but it never falls below being serviceable. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the writing and storytelling that AoT is currently exhibiting is so compelling that it's hard for me to worry much about a somewhat different animation style. I know not everyone agrees with me, but in the grand scheme of this show it really does seem insignificant. And let me say it again, it's not bad.
Finally, let's talk about the sound. The voice acting is top notch, I can think of several great performances throughout the show and cannot think of a single time where I felt that the voice acting was subpar. The voice of Eren in particular is just fantastic. I am referring to the original Japanese voices, I have not seen any of the dub so I can't comment on that. I'm not one to typically pay much attention to the sound effects/design unless it is weird or jarring, so I'll just say that AoT is fine in that department. However, it definitely excels when it comes to the OST. Honestly, this anime has one of my favorite scores out there. It never fails to enhance the episodes and effectively convey the emotion of the scene - whether it's light hearted fun, heartbreak, horror, or most of all, just an utterly epic aesthetic.
So yes, there are some aspects of this show that I'll rave about. That doesn't mean I think it's perfect, or that this HAS to be the greatest anime ever. It certainly isn't going to please everyone and there are very valid criticisms to make. As I've made clear, I still think it's an impressive show and I honestly expect it to end up being considered as one of the shonen greats alongside FMA:B and HxH(2011). I honestly wouldn't be surprised if, when the show is concluded and providing that the ending is satisfying, I end up changing my rating to a 10/10. To be clear, I don't think that means it's a perfect and flawless series. If that's what a 10/10 score meant, then there wouldn't be a single show that deserved that rating. A 10/10 just means that the show in question was special to the person who rated it. And I think it's equally ridiculous to be angry about people giving an anime a 10/10 as it is for people to give you shit if you don't think it's the greatest anime ever. There's got to be a rational middle ground somewhere, right?
Anyway, I like this show and if you are considering trying it yourself then I think you should give it a shot.
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Feb 15, 2021 Recommended Preliminary
(7/16 eps)
This is a review for the whole series, not just the latest season. I am also going to re-write this review once the anime is actually concluded.
I was absolutely planning to review this series anyway, most likely when it ended... but to be honest, I see so many reviews for this show that are driven entirely by petty emotions... examples being feeling a need to attack other shows because AoT happens to be their favorite and, on the other end of the spectrum, seemingly just being bitter and spiteful because other people love this anime so much. They aren't all like that, but there ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 5, 2017
Made in Abyss
(Anime)
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I came home from work last night to find my room mate starting up "Made in Abyss" for a mutual friend. I decided to give it a shot based on his strong recommendation, and we ended up staying up all night watching the whole thing. After spending all day at work thinking about this anime, I decided that I very much wanted to write a review for those interested in watching it- and also to organize my own thoughts about it.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT GO INTO ANY SPECIFIC PLOT DETAIL WHATSOEVER... THAT SAID, THIS REVIEW IS GEARED TOWARDS THOSE WHO WANT MORE INFO OF WHAT ... TO EXPECT AND IF IT IS SOMETHING THEY WILL APPRECIATE. FOR THAT REASON I DO GET PRETTY IN DEPTH ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE TONE AND OVERALL VIBE. Though I have rated this anime as a 10/10 and have a strong desire to talk about it, a review should objectively help an undecided person figure out if the anime is worth their time; and while my thoughts on the show are largely positive, I also feel that a decent portion of viewers will not be won over. My hope is to give a fair review that will simultaneously express what I loved about this show and show what others may not love, all without spoiling the experience for those who do choose to go on this journey. I have a lot to say so I'll jump right into it. I will go a bit deeper into the idea of who will appreciate the anime in general in the overall review at the bottom. STORY: 9/10 At its root "Made in Abyss" is about an adventure into an unknown world; and like many anime in this vein, the story itself is relatively simple. There are very straightforward goals the main characters want to to achieve and the actions they take to do this are what keep the "adventure" going. However, where a simplistic story like this can excel, as I believe this one does, is in the "routes" it takes towards the destination, so to speak. And in those details, I found a surprising amount of depth in this plot. As this story progresses, it layers more and more intrigue and mystery over the story. It is always hard to rate this particular aspect of a story when you don't have answers to all of these questions yet, but what is teased in this season shows real promise for some cool developments in the future. And along with showing that there is much more depth to what we understood in the beginning, the events and developments remain strangely unexpected throughout. Without spoilers, if you watch this one all the way through I can all but guarantee that you will see some things you would NOT have expected. This brings me to what I think will be a more divisive aspect of the story: the conflict and the way the tone is affected by it. While initial impressions of the character designs may indicate otherwise, this is a very "adult" show and it does not pull any punches. Some viewers will certainly think some of this tension is a bit over the top and occasionally even being cheaply crafted to evoke specific emotions from those watching. At times I think there is at least some basis for that argument; this anime seems to really want to drive those darker moments home and make them stand out... and they certainly do. I confess that once or twice I wondered if it was for the sake of the story or just to get a reaction out of us watching. Ultimately, while I had those occasional thoughts at times, those moments that seemed a bit "in your face" always did add a significant dynamic to the characters and plot in the long run. It also added a sense of real danger to the adventure and made the brighter moments that much brighter. Therefore, I am not personally of the opinion that the tension is "cheap". Some people do feel that way though, and if so that stuff is hard to overlook- and especially if you don't like be taken out of your comfort zone by a sudden moment of intensity, I can see this kind of thing diminishing your enjoyment. To leave off on less controversial part of the story, I would be remiss not to mention the world-building, especially when such a big part of the story is a "journey" of sorts... and let me just say it is masterful. As you see more of the world you not only get feel for the fantastic nature it posses but also the strange realism it has- which makes you feel like you as the viewer are discovering a new world. If I had any complaints about this it would be that I would have loved even more of that discovery. ART: 10/10 How I feel about the art in this anime is very simple; it is breathtaking. When I first saw the character design, I sincerely did not expect for animation to be such a strong point in this show. The background and scenery, however, is some of my favorite imagery in any anime or animated media of any kind. As for that character design, though I didn't feel strongly about it at first, I was not off-put by the "cuteness" of the main characters to begin with. Because of this, I cannot speak for those who are off-put by this in their first impression (and I get it)... but I eventually went from "no strong feelings" to truly feeling that the character designs were perfect for the world surrounding them. But the animation truly goes above and beyond when it starts to cover new lands, characters, and themes. There are so many unique and interesting styles at play, and they weave together to capture perfectly what is going on both on the surface and also thematically what is going on much deeper. So many situations brought forth by the story allow the artists to go nuts stylistically, and the pay off is great. By the time I was deep into this anime, I felt like I was tapping directly into a very core part of the creator's sub-conscious; full of wonder, terror, and something truly personal. As corny as it sounds, art at it's best serves as filtered window into the artists soul, and the animation in "Made in Abyss" achieves this with unapologetic triumph. You may not always "enjoy" what you are seeing, but it was hard for me not to be constantly in awe of the talent and artistic expression behind it. SOUND: 10/10 The soundtrack for this anime does what it needs to do and more. I enjoyed the OP and ED well enough, for sure, but where this soundtrack truly shines is it's ability to create background music that compliments the scenes flawlessly. The OST effortlessly guides your feelings through every scenario thrown at you- the fighting, the moments of beauty, and even the haunting scenes of fear: all of it evokes emotion from the viewer almost compulsively. The voice acting is another major strength here. There are a couple of very "colorful" characters with voice actors that show extreme talent in bringing these unique people to life. And when the show needs the characters to show any deep emotion, boy do the actors deliver. I don't want to spoil any specific scenes in the anime, but there were a few where I just had to marvel at how much more impact and emotion is brought into a scene when the emotion is so real. CHARACTERS: 9/10 I've seen the sentiment that the characters are the weakest link in "Made in Abyss", and I can't exactly say that I don't understand this at all. However, I have a hard time calling it a "weak link"... some of them are insanely well done. Even characters that only appear in a few episodes have so much depth to them. There are certain characters who I could write an entire review about. However, I honestly think that the two main characters are the reason that anyone thinks that this is a weak point of the anime. That is not to say that they are not well developed and compelling themselves- far from it. I think that this first part of the story just has a heavy focus on the will of these two characters and what is driving them, and that is a pretty straightforward element throughout. Not shallow by any means, and there is certainly plenty of character development for both- but this seems like it will be a moderately long story and I feel like a lot of the larger growth for them is still to come. One other minor critique I have in regards to those characters is that occasionally in the early parts of the anime I felt like relationship of the characters could have had more foundation, and that instead of showing why the characters felt the way they did the show just seemed to state it and move on. As I said, this was minor and not a consistent feeling, and also much less of an "issue" in the second half of the season. This makes me wonder if the source material gives a bit more insight into these relationships. At any rate, these are very minor issues. While there is certainly more room for depth in the future for a couple of characters, I don't want to give the impression that I find the show to be lacking in that area overall- I absolutely don't feel that way. Even very strong material can have room for improvement, especially when a story like this one is just getting started. ENJOYMENT: 10/10 This was a very easy rating for me; I was transfixed throughout my entire viewing of this show. It was a very rewarding binge, as the story was smooth and did not at all feel "episodic" in nature. As you go deeper and deeper into the world presented, it really feels like a naturally expanding story rather than a show constantly trying to top the episode before it. Between that flow to the story, the animation and the world it all takes place in, there was not at any point a dull moment... for better or for worse. OVERALL: 10/10 This was a masterpiece in my mind, and I felt like the anime was a 10/10 before I had even finished it. Once we were well into the middle of the anime, there was an observation I made to my room mate: "This show basically had a free pass on the plot", I told him, "with this animation and world-building the plot could go nowhere and I would still enjoy this immensely; instead, it's giving me all of that plus a story that is really making me think". That statement still sums up how I feel. That is a big point I want to stress to those considering whether this anime is one to invest their time in... this is not a "eat popcorn and zone out" show. This anime may feature characters adventuring into a fantasy world, but this show will require far more out of the viewer than the typical "fantasy/adventure" genre that is so common these days. While there are many parallels and shows commonly compared to "Made in Abyss" (I frequently see Hunter X Hunter 2011, Madoka Magica, and Shinsekai Yori), one that I'd mention is "Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku". If you are familiar with it, you will understand a bit better what I mean when I say that this is not a "light watch". The two anime are vastly different from one another in terms of style, vibe and most other factors, but both exist to challenge the viewer. Even if you don't think the show is done well, it is a wild ride in and of itself. It is definitely the type of show that will get insane out of nowhere and resonate with the viewer long after. In my experience that tends to make a show much more of a hit-or-miss... In a simple action anime or maybe a comedy, there can be so many factors that are sub-par but one can still enjoy it for what it is. But when a story strives for deeper meaning behind everything else, if that particular "depth" doesn't resonate with the viewer it is a bit harder to enjoy the rest of it. If you are often let down by an anime that wants to get very deep and sometimes very dark, there is a huge chance you may experience that same feeling with "Made in Abyss". This is also not for anyone who is unwilling to have an open mind and experience something "challenging". That is not to say you have to be very "intelligent" or be some insanely deep thinker to appreciate this anime... that's not the case. This kind of thing just isn't everyone's idea of entertainment. There is nothing wrong with a person having their own preference of what type of anime they like. I certainly wouldn't blame someone who just isn't looking for anything really heavy. And that's what this show is- heavy. However, if you are like me and usually respond well to a anime that takes a lot of risks and isn't afraid to go down it's own crazy path, I cannot stress enough how much I recommend you give this one a shot. Especially if you are a big fan of any of the anime I mentioned by name earlier, there is a big chance you are in for a treat. Even if it doesn't become an instant favorite like it did for me, if you are at all interested by what I'm describing you should try it out: you don't have to be crazy about it to appreciate how unique it is (and the sick animation) My personal impression of this anime after watching it, however, is that while it is generally rated very highly there are several very polarizing aspects to it. In these cases there is always going to be those who disagree with everything I've said. Even so, I hope I've provided enough insight in this review to help at least a few of you decide if this one is for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 8, 2016
Mob Psycho 100
(Anime)
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Now here is an anime that I really, really enjoyed. As I'm sure you are already aware, Mob Psycho 100's source material shares the same creator as the infamous One Punch Man... and if you enjoyed OPM I feel very confident you will like this one as well. As for me... I think I prefer Mob Psycho. I think the concept, while not as inherently comedic as OPM, goes a little bit deeper and has more of an interest factor. However, my task here is to write a review for Mob Psycho itself, and not necessarily compare it to its "anime
...
cousin".
If I'm going to be honest, I saw this very page for Mob Psycho 100 before it aired, and while the synopsis was interesting to me I didn't much care for the animation style that the cover picture showed. Even in the first episode, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it. As the show went on, I found that the only reason I felt this way was that the animation was "different"... and even if it would never grow on me, I have to respect it when an anime sticks truly to its own style. These days, animation quality is better than it ever has been, but styles seem to blend together in a "cookie-cutter" way that tends to make a lot of modern anime look "alike". Mob Psycho 100 does not look like anything else. Now that I've found an overly complicated way of telling you that it is "unique", I'd like to add that it DID grow on me... a lot. By the end of this season, I LOVED the animation. The intro itself is one of my all-time favorites for this reason. And the music... Wow, when it starts to hit the fan in this series, the music gets seriously awesome. Unlike many other shows, I can specifically recall certain soundtrack pieces to mind in a very positive way. The music seriously adds a lot to this show, and this is something that is always really enjoyable to witness in a good anime. What else can I say, the music is pretty epic here. Now, for a comedic anime, the plot is actually somewhat "serious". The majority of the humor comes from the characters rather than the situations they find themselves in. Sometimes, the situations can actually get kind of dark and serious, and this was something I found myself enjoying quite a bit. The story revolves heavily around the complex conflict within Mob, and the outside forces of the later story serve more to provoke this specific theme than anything in this first season. I will say that every element the plot brought up from the first episode to the last episode remained very interesting to me... but the real story here is the characters and their relationships. And I really loved the characters in this anime. As I said earlier, they provide most of the comedy in this show (and some of it had me seriously cracking up), but they also remain deep enough as characters that you can feel for them; you also learn to recognize each of their individual strengths and weaknesses, not in terms of power but in terms of personality, and this is something that always strongly appeals to me in watching a story in any medium. At this point, you may notice that I haven't really said anything negative about this anime yet. There is a reason for this... I'm really hard-pressed to think of anything. When I try to critique something, I feel it is important to explain both what people may like and DISLIKE about it... but I'm actually having a hard time with doing this right now. I think the decisive factors to make someone dislike this anime would come down to something stylistic, in that the show's tone and even visual style just might not appeal to everyone. And of course, everyone is different and of course there are people out there who don't like this anime for their own personally valid reasons. This is my review though, and I guess I'm here to tell you that there isn't anything I disliked about this anime. Honestly, it came very close to being a full 10/10 for me... and I think the only thing holding it back from that is the simple fact that I'd like to see it go a bit further. Apparently there is enough material for another season, though, and if we get one and the show continues to ramp up the way it has been, it really could achieve that perfect rating from me. I really loved and enjoyed this show thoroughly, and not only would I love another season but I am seriously motivated to try out the source material. Try this anime if you like the concept of ESP or general sci-fi/supernatural anime, and expect a funny comedy with a lot of actual emotion and serious tones to go along with it. Also a good watch for people who like characters they can get attached to... not to mention some good action with some very stylistic fights. I highly recommend this one; it's a standard 12 episode season, and it's worth your time to give it a 3 episode trial to see if you end up liking it as much as I did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 7, 2016 Recommended
Haven't done too many reviews here, but I think I'll try and get into the habit of doing so; to be honest I enjoy it quite a bit, and if it helps anyone out there decide to watch something they might be interested in all the better. So, let's get to it... 91 Days!
91 Days is set in prohibition era United States, and revolves around three main crime stories. Mob themes are not something I have seen a lot of in anime, and I'd have to say that overall I liked what I saw here. Is it the anime-world's masterpiece version of ... The Godfather? Not really, but still something I'm glad I took the time on. The fact that it is just another 12-episode series with one conclusive story to tell is just another reason why it may well be worth it for you. The animation was about the quality I'd expect and want from any modern quality anime; no real qualms with it at any point. What it was very strong at was using the animation to create the tone and style for this type of story. It had a great balance of an "anime" type feel while providing that "mafia style" you would hope for in this kind of story. It's not something I can put a specific finger on, just felt it was worth mentioning that the animation here complemented the style very well. And while I can't particularly call to mind any specific melody of the soundtrack, I do feel that the music does very much the same thing in regards for setting a tone (I will say that I absolutely love the intro and outro music). As for the plot, it was pretty straightforward; a mafia themed revenge story. Think something similar to "The Count of Monte Cristo" while being set in the world of organized crime. The way the families and conflicts are set up is complex enough to work for what it is, though the general direction of the story is fairly standard and A-Z. That's not to say there are no twists and turns to keep the story fresh, just that in terms of the way the story progresses didn't necessarily feel like it was breaking any new ground. However, with any revenge based story like this, a story is based on the merits of its characters. I can safely say that this anime deserves a solid score on that front. The characters definitely feel individual in the world of this anime and each have their own place- most of them getting sufficient development (more on this a bit later). While I would generally say the characters are a strong point for this show, it's worth mentioning I did have some personal issues. A bit later on, I will vaguely say that I felt some of the motivation/decisions of the main character felt a bit uneven... and though they can easily be explained by their given psychological state, it still felt a little off to me. Enough to notice and say that it's off, but not enough to really deter my enjoyment of what was going on. I really enjoyed this anime, but it honestly had potential for me to enjoy it a little more; I mean this as both a compliment and a critique, if that makes sense. I think the divisive line here that kept this from being a nine out of ten was the length. Now, I wouldn't necessarily say that 91 Days feels "rushed" at any point... I think the argument could potentially be made, but I myself didn't really feel that way. However, I think this anime would have benefited from being a bit longer. The characters are developed well enough, but that and especially the relationships between them feel like they could've used a lot more room to grow. It obviously isn't the kind of story that really needs to be told in long, separate arcs like a lot of anime out there likes to do, so essentially this is the one story you get. And for a good one like this, I feel like we could've been given a bit more. I'd say the safe bet would've been a 20-25 episode run, but if they could have found ways to keep the story fresh and interesting I think the time spent with these characters and the setting could have benefited a lot from maybe even a 50 episode length. Overall, the fact that it's short isn't necessarily a bad thing; I'd even say it makes it more accessible for people with less time to be able to watch a good series in its entirety. That said, it is my personal opinion that with more time, the characters would have been much more sympathetic, the conflicts a bit more epic, and most of all the ending would be more cathartic (and I do think it has a good ending). This pretty much sums up my feelings here, any real problems I had were mentioned above. Everything else was enjoyable... and while it falls short of being in a list of my all-time favorites, this is a solid show that I think is worth your time. Especially if you have any interest in the organized crime genre.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 13, 2014
Hunter x Hunter (2011)
(Anime)
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I've been meaning to write a review for this show, but in truth it's hard to word how I feel about HXH. It's very special, I think, and is one of those anime that is worthy of a 10/10 rating for me even while not being perfect. People say this show is under-rated, but this simply isn't the case anymore. If you go look at the first page of reviews, they're practically all 10/10's. Now that the show's over, I expect there to be a tidal wave of nay-sayers who pick up on the small flaws this show does have
...
and begin the "this show is OVERRATED" train. Before we get that sea of 8's, 7's and below, I want to make it clear why this show is worthy of such a high rating. My greatest fear for this show is that the hype for this show that exists now will cause a lot of people to start tearing it apart in these reviews, trying to prove it's not as good as people think it is. Whether or it is, the fact remains that it will always be a 10/10 to me and a lot of other people and there ARE reasons. Put simply, this show IS worth your time.
Story: 9 This is an interesting aspect of the show to rate. If this makes sense, HXH is not very original, but it is extremely unique. It has a way of taking very common storylines/themes (fighting tournaments, super-human battles, aura-based abilities/leveling up aspects) and while sticking to the typical guns with them in a lot of ways the show provides a unique spin on them. A big way it does this is with the characters, which definitely fit certain archetypes but have a depth and emotional connection strong enough to make any used plot line feel fresh and new. A lot of the "fighting aspects" are different from other shounen, in that they don't end up stretched out over several episodes and quite often evolve into more of a "strategic stand-off" than an all out physical fight to see who can kick more ass. At it's core, the show is simply about Gon trying to find his father. The story itself is nothing new (even if well executed), but the twist, turns, character development and eventual scale make this story a solid 9 for me. Art: 8 I see a lot of praise for the art here, and while it is certainly not undeserved the art has never been my favorite part of this show. The character designs all work (with maybe some Chimera Ant exceptions) and it definitely doesn't have the feeling that they were cheap with the animation. However, although there are some really beautiful scenes that have some amazing imagery to accompany them, the animation didn't typically go above and beyond enough to put it on such a high pedestal. Definitely not a show where you'll typically hate the art though, so rest easy there. Sound: 8 Again, I feel similarly on the sound as I do with the art. Really nothing bad here, either; in fact, the music accompanies the show extremely well and at times it adds a whole lot to a scene. The intro has grown on me quite a bit, although I feel like you either like it or you don't and it won't take you too long to decide. Honestly, I might have gone with a 9 here if the in-show music didn't get a LITTLE repetitive at times (particularly in earlier arcs). As with the art though,the sound is solid and will typically only add to your enjoyment of the show. Character: 10 This is one of the major elements of the show that I feel bring it to a 10. If you are bothered by the trope of an over-powered character, you may find this show either really annoying or a huge breath of fresh air. The characters are constantly growing more and more powerful, and as the time goes by some ridiculously strong characters are introduced. However, at least with the main characters, they do not just start off awesome as in some shows. There is a huge learning curve for the main characters, and you are really able to see them grow in terms of ability and character. And especially as it progresses, the show is pretty good about keeping morality pretty gray, not forgetting that even the most interesting of protagonists must have flaws and vices to make them real. Even when it brings in a bunch of new characters with a lot of focus late in the game, by the end of their arc you will be able to see them in a whole new light. What can I say, the character development in HXH is TIGHT. If you're looking for a journey where you will really care about the characters and the changes they go through, this is definitely a show for you. Enjoyment: 10 This. This is what makes the show a 10 for me. You can nit-pick over details and tiny flaws all day. At the end of the day, I seriously enjoyed all 148 episodes of this show, and I typically am more fond of shorter ones (usually don't go above 25). I'm not sure I've ever seen a show I could binge in such a hardcore way. Everything from laughs, to thrills, to the eventual change in tone. You know, where you have to stop and try to figure out when this stopped being a light-hearted (if violent) show about powerful 12 year-olds and when it became a dark thriller that has you on the edge of your seat. There are definitely some strong feels here too, particularly later on. All I can say in this category is that it's hard to think of may shows I've genuinely enjoyed this much, anime or otherwise. Overall: 10 My opinion is obviously very high for this show, and I'm definitely not the only one. I'm writing this review for one reason alone: to recommend this show as fairly as I can. Though my vote is a 10/10, it is certainly not the only valid rating for this show. I think it all depends on what makes or breaks a show for you. My main goal is to break it down in a way that will give you an idea of it's the show for you or not. PROS: Excellent character depth, thrilling plot, long journey with great payoff, a whole lot of heart, light-hearted enough to keep you invested in the characters and not weighed down by the intensity (sometimes) but dark enough at times to fully contrast this and remind you that this is NOT a show for children, and a LOT of interesting people, places, creatures, and powers. CONS: There are so many characters that sometimes you may go a long time without seeing one of your favorites, the show is very long- while some people are addicted enough not to notice, it's still over100 (which isn't too bad for shounen like this but still), and in some of the longer arcs (looking at you, Chimera Ant) seem to stretch a bit at the middle. End of the day, this is something special and it deserves the time to give it a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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