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Jul 8, 2018
I just want to start this with a disclaimer that this review was written after one viewing. I feel like FLCL is the sort of show that requires two or three viewings minimum to fully digest, so consider this tentative:
While (in my current opinion) Progressive didn't outshine the original FLCL I still feel as though it was a decent successor. I respect that the team behind it decided to create something different rather than just re-skinning Naota's story.
Progressive definitely has some interesting characters and relationships, but I feel like some of them are a little bit understated/one note. Fuyumi was easily the best character
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that the show has to offer. Like the original Prog thematically focuses on abandonment/loss (with a lot more focus on loss then in the original) and I appreciate the approach that was taken to writing its protagonist. The message that I walked away with after one viewing is that it isn't healthy to cost through life waiting for somebody else who isn't willing to give you their time, and that growing up means learning to live life for yourself.
I was a tiny bit concerned that Haruko was going to feel like more of a "main character" within FLCL's new installments, and while Progressive did explore her character a bit more than the original (namely toward the end) I feel like she comes across more as a connecting through-line between the original, progressive and alternative. It never felt like this was her story. I'm not quite sure how I feel about her lack of growth after the events of episode 6, but for now I'm going to give the production team the benefit of the doubt and hope that they plan to resolve this in Alternitive .
However, I feel like there was a lack of focus that definitely impacted my enjoyment of this season. Whereas FLCL classic was a very grounded and personal story with the backdrop of an intergalactic war, Progressive had a lot more of a concentrated overarching narrative that heavily focused on the world's lore set up by season one. In my opinion this is where the show sort of derails a bit. I feel like not enough focus was given to the coming-of-age aspect. Hidomi's story was great, but I feel like some of her friends should have been expanded on more than they were.
****Note: In this paragraph I talk about FLCL Prog's use of references to the original. read at your own risk****
My other big gripe with this season is how it sort of uses nostalgic callbacks in really boring ways. The thing that stood out to me the most was the treatment of Masurao– the son of Amarao from season one. I could not for the life of me describe his personality if I had to, but the final episode revealed his relationship to Amarao by referencing his father's trademark eyebrows. In the original this was a design element that had a bit of nuance behind it. It was meant as a visual metaphor for Amarao's insecurity and need to overcompensate for his shortcomings, which was easily his most prominent personality trait. Here it just felt like an empty reference, and while I appreciate it to a degree (I'm being pandered to after all) I can't help but feel as though this show dropped the ball when incorporating certain nostalgic elements. The Iconic song "I think I can" was used multiple times throughout the show in scenes where it did not belong. I feel like using it as a generic "VS Haruko" theme completely misses the significance that it had in the original. It played during the scene where Naota's character arc finally resolved and seeing it misused here was pretty disappointing. Canti was the one exception. I didn't mind his presence, in fact I LOVED seeing him again. Certain other songs were re-recorded and used. There was even an episode that was straight up named after "Fool On the Planet", and while part of me appreciates this part of me wishes that new songs had been used for these scenes instead. FLCL classic was so reminiscent of its time that it has an inherent sense of nostalgia to it, and I feel like Prog should have done the same thing. I'm really like this season trying to have its own identity, but I feel as though using references like this detracts from that.
Was it good? Yeah. Is it worth your time? Of course. But would I say that it's necessary? Not particularly.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 4, 2016
Nichijou is by far the best comedy anime i've ever seen in my entire life. I'll try to keep this short, but here's why I think that this show is incredible, to the point where I legitimately wouldn't change anything about it if given the chance.
First things first, Nichijou is a comedy first and foremost. While there is a bit of a slowly paced overarching storyline regarding the relationship between the two main groups of characters' (Mio/Mai/Yuko and Nano/Hakase/Sakamoto) the series priority is to tell jokes. One thing that I think really makes Nichijou stand out is its sense of continuity, which combined with
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the series wide variety of humor creates a show full of running jokes that create a foundation and then build off of it. The comedy is layered in a way where a lot of jokes function both as their own payoffs and buildup to other jokes in later episodes. The voice acting and animation really bring Nichijou's over-the-top sense of humor to life. Earlier episodes consist of a number of small segments, while later episodes seem to contain more long-form scenes (which makes sense, as the two factions of main characters meet each other in the second half of the show)
I also really enjoyed the series ending. Nichijou ended at the perfect time in my opinion. It gave closure to the main story points. Nano's character arc is complete, the main characters have become close friends, and Mio's determined to still do her best to ask out her crush. There are some things that didn't receive closure, but it really isn't that big of a deal. Nichijou, as a comedy , was never really supposed to be a story driven show. The comedy reaches a nice climax and the main characters' relationships receive closure, which is what's important.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 30, 2016
Every year there's always that one show that everyone talks about and praises to no end. You know, series like Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan, and Sword Art Online. One Punch Man is 2015's hit seasonal, and I have to say that based on the 12 episodes that are currently out (i've heard talk of a second season, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it) it honestly doesn't deserve all the praise that it's received
OPM's characters are pretty bland. Most of them have one or two character traits that are really exaggerated. This might sound like an inherent flaw, but i'll
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give OPM the benefit of the doubt. This show is supposed to be an action/comedy, and neither of those genres really require super detailed characters. That being said, There were only a few characters that I thought were likable, namely Saitama and Mumen Rider. A majority of the characters were really bland and didn't have anything to them besides a cool design or ability.
Now as I said earlier, One Punch Man is SUPPOSED to be an Action/comedy. However, it really exists in this weird limbo between being a satire of shounen anime and just being another generic shounen. The comedy doesn't work because the show takes itself way too seriously, but at the same time Saitama's ability to kill basically anything in one hit keeps One Punch Man from working as a shounen. There's no real tension in fights. Saitama always wins in the exact same way. As far as comedy goes, there are basically two types of jokes in One Punch man: Saitama behaving apathetically toward common shounen tropes, and Saitama killing seemingly overpowered enemies with one attack. This show is about six hours long. As you'd imagine, these jokes get old pretty quickly. As you'd expect from madhouse, the action sequences are really well animated, but as you'd expect from a show about a guy who can kill anything with one punch, the most impressive scenes are usually the ones where the main character is absent.
to sum things up:
PROS:
-High production value
-Action scenes are well animated
-Some earlier episodes are kinda funny
CONS:
-Jokes are repetitive and usually executed poorly
-Characters are bland
-Tone is inconsistant/doesn't fit the show's premise
-"One Punch" gimmick is thrown out in the last episode
Overall, all One Punch Man has to offer is a couple of decent jokes and some well-animated action scenes. I'd give it somewhere from a 5.5 to a 6 out of 10. I wouldn't say that it's a terrible show, but lets face it. If any studio besides madhouse had produced this series, it'd be the literal definition of average.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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