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Oct 31, 2019
First off: I really think this show will be the best this season. From deep characters to an enrapturing story, this original has it all.
STORY: 9
The story of Stars Align is centered around a middle school boy named Katsuragi Maki. He moves schools and gets convinced by his friend to join the school's failing soft tennis club because of his athletic ability, despite never playing soft tennis before. From there, it seems like it will become a generic sports/drama, but there is a darker side to the story which reveals itself after the ending of the first episode, and the show starts touching on conflicts
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many people are afraid to talk about. On the outside, Katsuragi is a normal student who is part of the soft tennis club, but on the inside, he is a helpless boy, trapped by the trauma of his past.
ART: 7
The art style of this show is decent. The animation and drawing are perfectly fine, yet nothing especially stands out. However, I really enjoy the character design. The bright backgrounds are also very nice-looking, and the OP is animated very well. The ED is also very funny, with rotoscoped dance moves that *cough* "may have" been stolen without the creators' permission *cough*... nonetheless, I enjoyed it.
SOUND: 8
Speaking of OPs and EDs, I really enjoy the sound of this show. The OP and ED are both very good, and the OST is also enjoyable to listen to. The sound design is also decent, and listening to this show is very satisfying with good stereo headphones. The voice acting is also very good, as they hired very capable and established voice actors.
CHARACTER: 9
One of the best aspects of this show is the characters. 8bit was able to craft a variety of interesting characters, from the assertive Katsuragai and Shinjou to the shy Taiyou and Mitsue. The character development is incredible. Each character in the cast has their own unique quirks and troubles. From questioning their own identities, having family troubles, being antisocial, and more, many of the characters are relatable and much of the show is spent developing these characters. I guarantee most of you (regardless of sexuality, race, or situation) reading this review will be able to connect with at least one of the characters in this show. The amount of care put into crafting these characters is apparent, and as I mentioned before, the character designs are amazing.
ENJOYMENT: 10
I really enjoy watching this show. The rollercoaster of emotions I go through in one episode leaves me thinking about it for a while after I watch it. From the rebuilding of the soft tennis club to the darker themes present, I can honestly say that so far I have enjoyed every minute of Stars Align.
OVERALL: 9
As I mentioned before, I really do think this will be the best show of the season. Stars Align is the show I look forward to most the whole week. The combination of the deep story and the amazing character development makes me want to recommend this to everyone. Give this show a try, and make sure you watch the post ED scenes. I promise you you won't regret it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 4, 2019
Hmm. My impressions of Ultraman are mixed. The show is definitely good enough so that I will watch a second season, though it has many, many faults.
STORY: 5/10
The story: your typical shounen story. Shinjirou's father was Ultraman, and... ta-dah! Now he has to take over in his place due to a new threat. The story is about his journey to becoming the reliable, admirable Ultraman that everybody needs. Although it is a typical shounen story, I feel that the show tries to do a bit much with it. There are plot twists, backstories, and other little tricks and gimmicks that try and make this series
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seem different, though they come off as... well, little tricks and gimmicks. I cannot say much without spoiling, though. I will say that the final arc, though necessary for the main story, seems very out of place and came off as an unnecessary way to end the series with an exciting scene. The events that happen in this scene and many other scenes also seem kind of forced and it felt like there were many things our hero and his "friends" could have done to get out of some bad situations. The romance/society side of the story was okay at best as well. Coming into this series, I was really looking forward to Shinjirou's outside life as a regular high school teenager, though this series does not do a good job with it. There is a whole sub-plot (and really a whole episode) dedicated to this, though it is extremely cheesy and cliché and not really satisfying, though it is one of the best parts of the show in my opinion. I felt kind of let down and was looking forward to the end of this arc. Although my favorite shows are usually shounen, and especially shows that have a character with a secret that they must keep, I feel that this series did not do a good job creating a strong main and side stories.
ART: 7/10
To be honest, I did not mind the CG animation that this series has. If anything, it is one of the series' strong suit. People complaining about it either 1) do not have eyes, or 2) are 2D waifu elitists. The animation was actually very good, although it does kind of look like one 5-hour long video game cutscene. Movements all seemed natural and smooth. The fight scenes were animated pretty well, especially toward the end. At times, when Shinjirou was in his Ultraman suit, it seemed like the show was live-action. Although some fight scenes did seem a bit cheesy, it did kind of remind me of the live-action Ultraman show that I've seen snippets of. I don't know if that was what the animators were going for, but whatever. The art in this show is pretty good and the animation was smooth, though some fight scenes seemed a bit cheesy.
SOUND: 7/10
The sound was definitely the strongest aspect of the show. The orchestral OST during fight scenes is good and the ending theme by OLDCODEX is also really good. I watched the show with earbuds and the sound quality and placement were all good. I can't find anything wrong with it, though it isn't outstanding by any means.
CHARACTER: 3/10
The characters are definitely the worst part of the show. The characters did not seem well designed to me. I couldn't seem to get close or relate to any of the characters. The best-designed character and most likable in this show is definitely Rena, but I cannot say much without spoiling the show. Though this kind of relates back to the story, I feel like Shinjirou could have been made better through more information and scenes about Shinjirou's life outside of being Ultraman. This would make all the characters', not just Shinjirou, more interesting, relatable, and closer. One of the characters later into the show, Seiji Hokuto, is a prime example of bad character design. The best way I can say this without spoiling the series is when he is first introduced, he is framed to be unliked by the viewer, but then the show seems to want us to like him towards the end just because of a pretty lame backstory that is revealed later on in the series. The characters in this show are the weakest part of this series due to badly designed characters and bad backstories.
ENJOYMENT: 6/10
The best way I can describe the enjoyment of this show is "addicting." I felt that this show is extremely addicting. It hooks you in and makes you want to watch more. As I said, if a second season comes out, I will probably watch it. However, this does not mean the series is good. The story and characters really aren't that good, as described above. It is like I only enjoyed the show while I was watching it, then afterward felt kind of let down.
OVERALL: 5/10
To wrap this review up, Ultraman is a show that is pretty good, but not great. It has many faults, though it is an addicting show. The best parts about this show are the art and the sound, though those are not the biggest factors in how good a show is. These are the story and characters, which are not this series' forté. Overall, I recommend this show to big shounen fans, especially fans who like hidden powers.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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