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The remake (re-adaptation?) of one of the most seminal stories in the genre does the source material justice

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Rurouni Kenshin made a lasting impact on both the world of manga and anime in the 90’s that still reverberates to this day. From its heartfelt, thoughtful, tragic yet charming and poignant portrayal of characters living in one of the most transformative and tumultuous periods in the history of Japan to its over the top yet effective action, Rurouni Kenshin has truly left the lasting impact on people around the globe, myself included. The original works are so sacred that ... the new adaptation was not even necessary, incomplete 90’s anime notwithstanding, but here we are and by the time the credits roll on the last episode of the season there is no doubt. The 2023 adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin proved itself as a confident and necessary work that does the original justice.

What’s especially commendable is how much attention is paid to the source material’s writing: the exploration of themes of redemption, atonement, guilt and trauma, the difficulty of having to carve a place in the new and unpredictable world while having to bear the burden of your troubled past. What always made Rurouni Kenshin shine is the attention to careful character study and exploration of difficult topics over the entertainment value that works in the shounen genre typically provide. The main character is one of the most unique, yet relatable, grounded and complex protagonists in the works of this kind. The way the story masterfully treats most of the villains like real human beings without denominating them as either good or evil calls to comparisons with Hajime no Ippo, another great manga/anime that made its mark with its considerate approach to properly developing the opponents of the main protagonist.

The only thing the new adaptation doesn’t do quite as well as the 90’s version is animation itself. 90’s anime is known for its gorgeous camera work, stunning scenery and muted yet stylish presentation that creates a perfect atmosphere surrounding the proceedings. In comparison, the new adaptation looks a bit too similar to most of the current anime and doesn’t offer much in terms of Color palette and flair. It’s confidently made and gets the job done but it feels uninspired. It made me reminisce about the gorgeous backdrops of the setting sun in the 90’s work.

Nevertheless, whether you’re a newcomer or a longtime fan, Rurouni kenshin 2023 is a must watch, especially if you like shounen anime that offers so much more than just flashy action with one liners. And with the 2nd season already announced there’s no excuse to skip this one.

2nd season of one of the most hype anime of 2020’s doesn’t hold back

Wow. What an insane showing. After the important backstory in the first part that delves deeper into the world of JJK and further fleshes out the character of Satoru Gojo (and some crucial antagonists), the season throws us into an insane, jaw dropping, relentless and shocking ride that is the Shibuya incident arc. With some of the most epic fights of truly cataclysmic proportions (that put the avengers to shame) coming one after the other, the season rarely leaves room to breathe, which sometimes works against the pacing of the show. ... compared to the first one, JJK season 2 is very much an ensemble piece that juggles a LOT of characters and events happening within the span of mere hours, and with that comes a caveat of leaving certain narrative threads and character’s fates hanging for several episodes at once, which can lead to plenty of confusion for the viewer.

Another sticking point is that the writing sometimes tries to be too smart for its own good and get ahead of the viewer with its overexposition instead of allowing the dialogue and events flow more naturally.

Nevertheless, these drawbacks aren’t enough to detract from what season 2 does right, and there is plenty that it does . From gorgeously staged battles that weave the narrative from one shocking plot twist to the next, to truly spectacular soundtrack and characters that offer a significant amount of depth. Jjk season 2 is a soaring triumph.

One of the stronger aspects of the season is the way it handles its main protagonist, Yuji Itadori. It goes against the typical shounen fashion by making him an essentially vulnerable weak link of the team, constantly putting him in situations from which he, most of the time, doesn’t come out as the winner. The story truly puts him through hell and tests him in ways that your average shounen heroes rarely do, which culminates in one of the most well rounded, satisfying arcs of the season


That’s not to say that other characters are left behind, on the contrary, the narrative confidently shifts focus from Yuji for most of the season to focus on its sprawling ensemble cast of heroes and villains. You’ll definitely come out of the season falling in love with characters old and new as many of them Get their own moment to shine. And credits to the writers for confidently killing or wiping out important characters from the playing field, at times the season even feels like the red wedding with its willingness to dispose of characters a lot of people would consider to be the mainstays until the very end of the story.

With riveting production, relentless pacing, shocking twists and banger presentation, Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 is a resounding success that’s sure to go down as one of the finest moments of this seminal shounen anime. Just don’t forget to watch Jujutsu kaisen 0 movie, it’s crucial for you to get the context for the proceedings.

A solid prequel movie with high entry bar for newcomers to the JJK universe.

With good writing that fleshes out a majority of the tv series’ supporting cast, interesting protagonist that stands on his own compared to Yuji while being just as fascinating, breathless pacing and awesome fight scenes, this prequel movie dives deeper into the inner workings of JJK in flashy manner. Don’t walk into this without watching the first season of the tv adaptation first. The story’s willingness to get straight to the point without spending time on JJK 101 works both in its favour and is its largest drawback. A delight for ... fans, a confusing, if entertaining spectacle for everyone else

Improved final third of the season fails to redeem an underwhelming story and characters that came before it.

With surface-level writing, an unlikable protagonist and unimpressive fight scenes, even the last few episodes which introduce some cool characters and potentially interesting storylines can’t make up for the extremely boring and unremarkable first 15 episodes that not only fail to develop the story and themes as anything more than the main character wishing to become the strongest person on the planet, But said character also behaves and treats everyone around him like an unlikable, rude brat with little redeeming qualities, and a couple of interesting supporting ... characters can’t salvage baki and his story. The finale also drops the ball on what little character development Baki has managed to accumulate over the course of the season.

The only truly good thing about this anime is the soundtrack, not the opening or ending, but the music itself. It brings nostalgic retro flavor and manages to somewhat elevate what little the story this anime had to offer

Hajime no Ippo, a masterful anime in the same genre that also came out near the same time as Baki does a far superior job of exploring similar themes with an actually great cast, pacing and thematical depth. Go watch that instead.

Don’t let the genre and the art style fool you: this anime goes beyond the expectations of what sports anime, or even anime in general can be. Hajime no Ippo is a resounding success, a genuine masterpiece

The brilliance of this show comes from the way it utilises a sport as brutal and macho as boxing to tell touching and often heartbreaking stories of people trying to do their best in life, to help their loved ones and help themselves through achievement of true strength. The power of the storytelling shines through in brilliant character study of its memorable cast, with charming and easily relatable ... protagonist Ippo at the center, his journey of going from a bullied kid to a confident powerhouse of boxing being a rollercoaster ride full of riveting moments.

Ippo is supported by a cast of wonderful characters who you won’t soon forget: the show goes a long way of making Ippo’s opponents and their stories, their personal struggles matter so much that you can’t help but root for them as well, with standouts like Eiji Date, Ichiro Miyata (who gets the honor of having one of the most tear jerking episodes dedicated to his complex journey), Alexander Volg Zangief and Takeshi Sendō. Another great character comes in the form of Genji Kamogawa, with his relationship with ippo evolving from a strict trainer to genuine father figure that ippo never really had in his life watching their trust and admiration for each other grow really pulls at the heartstrings and results in the best arc of the show.

The only downside to the cast are the trio of Ippo’s fellow boxers at the gym, who are mostly used for comedic relief and commentary on the fights, with their backstory not really offering anything original or profound, with Takamura especially not getting proper character development and being relegated to an unbeatable, arrogant senior of the group who loves to pull pranks on ippo.

That said, the comedy is well delivered as a palate cleanse for dramatic tension of the boxing fights and all the intense build up to them. And the fights, oh god, the fights! Make no mistake, even though this is a show about a serious and disciplined sport, it does a sublime job of delivering the main events in the typical flashy, exciting and tense shounen fashion, action fans won’t come out disappointed.

Even though the formulaic nature of the proceedings (study the opponent and learn their backstory- train for the match - defeat the opponent) starts to outstay its welcome a bit towards the end, the show nevertheless makes the most out of the formula with the exceptional writing and character study that constantly manages to be surprising, exciting, touching and heartbreaking.

Don’t sleep on this one, Hajime no ippo is a confident, riveting masterpiece that transcends the genre limitations to become something everyone can enjoy and resonate with, a true work of art.

Until the inevitable Steel Ball Run adaptation, this is the best jojo anime there is.

An absolute masterclass in balancing all the narrative and visual elements, Part 4 manages to bring out its distinct slice of life flavor while also staying true to the essence of Jojo. Araki goes ham with the new approach to the artstyle, world building and character writing making this part, in many ways, a creative peak for the series

With a great cast supported by the best antagonist in the series, diamond is unbreakable is an unrelenting joyride of cool fights, hilarious and deft writing and visual splendor, an obligatory ... watch.

Mashle has an extremely intriguing premise that easily sets it apart from other anime: a comedy shounen parodying Harry Potter that has a gym junkie for a protagonist? Sounds great on paper. That said, the execution falls short of the potential, and Mashle ultimately stumbles in trying to balance its tone and storytelling.

It has to be said that this anime is comedy/parody first and everything else second. Yet while mostly funny (though far from a laugh riot), its surface-level lore never manages to grab one’s attention in a meaningful way, and its attempts at serious storytelling fall on deaf ears as these moments become jarring ... distractions with little to no emotional impact. The first 8 episodes mostly commit to being a comedy but the latter half suddenly shifts the tone towards dramatic and it never quite works. The poor-to- average choreography of the fights also doesn’t help. Couple that with a sudden ending with no real stopgap and the first season can’t really be called a good anime

Mashle is not bad either, it’s a mostly fun ride when it commits to not taking itself seriously, but is hindered when it loses sight of its identity. Still, the potential is not fully wasted and season 2 at least promises to deliver.

Oshi no Ko is another great work from the author of Kaguya-sama that often manages to reach the high-quality writing and storytelling of the letter while delivering a completely different tone and developing a much more serious and complex identity.

Its masterpiece of a first episode manages to set an insanely high bar for what comes after and delivers a knockout feeling of suspense, but that becomes one of the issues of the show: it manipulates the viewer on the priorities of the story: what starts as the male lead’s quest for answers quickly develops into a deep exploration of highs and hellish lows of ... the entertainment industry and the toll it takes on its colorful and morally ambiguous cast of characters, while the major plot point of the premiere quickly retreats into a background storyline that barely develops over the course of this first season.

Overall, the uneven and jarring pacing may leave some with the sense of boredom, which is a shame, because the themes the show is actually interested in exploring are delivered with sublime writing (with one masterful episode in particular being a rollercoaster ride of emotions with tragic and poignant themes and commentary on modern society) and character development with Kana Arima as a standout character whose emotional journey is the most fascinating arc of the season.

Don’t let the uneven pacing deter you, the high quality of its story and characters definitely makes Oshi no Ko a must watch

This part is pretty beloved among Jojo fans, but it’s the perfect example of style over substance.

Sure, it’s the most gorgeous and stylish part in the series, and the first opening is the best one among all jojo parts, full stop. That said, Giorno is the blandest, least interesting protagonist aside from Jonathan, and the latter at least only had 9 episodes worth of storytelling. Yet the writing never once managed to make giorno cool, interesting, charming or relatable. A classic case of personality void.

This issue could’ve been alleviated with a strong supporting cast and a typically great jojo villain, but those are almost ... nowhere to be seen here as well. Aside from Guido Mista and Bruno (who’s should’ve been the real protagonist of the story btw), no one manages to make an impact or cause some genuine excitement. Characters leave the story mid-narrative with absolutely non-sensical setups for their exit. Absolutely meaningless deaths that make you feel nothing. And the villain, while having a fascinating backstory, has too little screen time and has the same lack of charisma as giorno to leave any kind of positive impression, the worst jojo villain, by far. At least some minor bad guys manage to entertain with their crazy stands and well-thought out duels. The lack of consistency in the writing just brings down everything else.

Overall, even a weak jojo part is a cut above a lot of anime out there, but this one, while gorgeous and occasionally fun, is definitely overrated and overhyped, And deserves to be considered the 2nd worst jojo part.

What a way to drop the ball on an otherwise consistently good anime

Sure, not a single season has managed to reach the heights of season 1, but at least 2-4 were a really fun time with occasional greatness sprinkled in. Season 4 would’ve served as a perfectly fine ending to the whole show and they could’ve just written in some unresolved plot lines like Erina’s mother into it.

Instead they had to go and come up with this dumpster fire of a final that’s really made a mockery of everything that made Food Wars so good. Shockingly awful, just watch seasons 1-4 and pretend the ... last one never happened