Jun 14, 2024
This show is definitely something. It has a lot of redeeming qualities as well as ones that can harm the plot and overall progression of the story. I have not read Naoki Urusawa's other works so i went in blind to what he is capable of as a writer.
To start, the story delves into deep themes such as morality and what can lead someone to lose said morality. Kenzo Tenma is the perfect protagonist who truly portrays an objectively ''good'' person who always tries to do the right thing until it backfires on him so that leads him to question everything he stands for while
...
his boundaries are being pushed of what he is truly capable of. The characters he meets throughout his journey present different moral questions and I can really appreciate that since this anime is trying something different.
Next, the pacing. One of the weakest points of this show is the pacing which leads me to believe that this story was not meant to be adapted and is one of those works that should've stayed as a manga. The overall story takes leaps and dives throughout It's duration which can throw people off from willing to continue watching. The amount of truly useless and abundant flashbacks in this show as well as focusing on irrelevant characters really hurts the pacing of this show. The amount of characters this show wants you to remember let alone care about is absurd. What's most annoying about the number of flashbacks is how this show still leaves you with many questions due to how vague the writing can be. So don't expect all yours questions to be answered by the end, as the ending is open ended in an already vague show.
At last, Johan. I believe this antagonist has influenced many characters in animanga. His sheer presence or in a way the lack of it is truly menacing and you can feel it. The way he executes his plans is always interesting but never mind blowing in my opinion. That's where my praise ends for him though because i believe he is a very overrated character. People compare him to the likes of Askeladd and Griffith and i don't get it. His motivations are very nonsensical and he's constantly fluctuating between goals. He's just a vagabond causing mayhem without any true purpose it seems. His motivations remain vague as everyone has different interpretations of what his goal was in the end but i think i have understood it but this type of writing is annoying because when you aren't completely sure what his true goal was it makes you feel like you are missing a key point to understand the essence of the story.
In the end i believe that this show has its place in this community and will continue to be referenced and revered by many. Naoki Urusawa has definitely made something unique that could not be replicated to this extent but only time will tell.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
