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Have you ever seen fight scenes so good that got you clenching your butts? Yeah, this is the opposite. The story seems decent enough even though I've never read the web novel, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for the animation quality and dialogue.

In case you missed the last sentence, the animation is bad. Not quality kinda bad, but lazy kinda bad. There was a close-up scene of about 10 warriors who look exactly the same. I mean, seriously? You can't even be bothered using the myriad of skins you have or at least tweak them a little? The facial expressions in some ... parts are so poor to the point that you have to rely on the conversation to guess the characters' emotions.

The fight scenes are by far the WORST thing about this dongman. Even Goku building his spirit bomb for 3 episodes looks more interesting than a short fight in this dongman. Apart from the training scenes, none of the fights were choreographed. Take a look at the fight scenes from Tunshi Xingkong(Swallowed Stars, written by the same author) or Wu Geng Ji(The Legend and The Hero) if you want some comparison. The quality of the animation is about the same, but the fight scenes in those two make this look like dog poo.

I swear, at least 20% of scenes are just the MC screaming "notice me senpai!" The dialogue about him wanting his father's love is so, so cringe. Ergh!

Having said all that, will I watch season 2? I just might, with the story being the saving grace. If the next 12 episodes are still bad, I'll probably ditch this and check out the web novel instead.

Tunshi Xingkong is a high-octane space drama packed with action. It's far from being perfect, but insanely fun to watch. This review is written after binging 143 episodes in just 2 to 3 days. I've decided to leave the review here instead of on the latest season since those who have yet to watch it are more likely to land on this page.

Animation Quality: 6/10
Animation quality reminds me of the Final Fantasy movies from 2000s, which is not the best if you compare it to current standards, but far from being unwatchable. Action scenes are particularly well made and choreographed, which is important because ... there's action in almost every single episode.

Romance: ?
Romance is close to non-existence. Female lead plays very little part in driving the story forward. Absolutely zero harem, which is the way I personally prefer. And since the story isn't romance-driven at all, I don't see the need for it to be rated.

Cultivation: 7/10
Cultivation system is pretty standard, but pacing for level-ups was a little off, and often clashes with the explanations provided in the story itself just because, you know, he's the MC. Enjoyable and plenty of fun nevertheless.

Sci-fi: 7/10
The would fail miserably in this department if they were to claim this to be hard science, but since this is a web novel with cultivation being more of the main theme, I'll only judge it based on how coherent the "science" is in the narrative universe, which in my opinion is pretty consistent, but feels more like fantasy wrapped under the skin of sci-fi.

Story: 9/10
The story is rather... shallow, like most web novels are. Having said that, it's insanely fun, enough so that it made me binged 143 episodes in just 2 days. Never at one point did I feel bored.

Characters: 7/10
Don't expect any complex character development or relationship, cause you won't find any. The lead characters are pleasant but one dimensional, which is what you would expect from a donghua full of fight scenes. The MC stays in character most of the time. He does make a few odd choices from time to time, like unnecessarily lying about some things, but overall he's pretty consistent throughout the show. "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome" is the ongoing theme of the entire show, and this is pretty much the only thing that the characters do, apart from some cheesy family time.

All in all, I think the author has done a pretty job in combining sci-fi and cultivation, so if you're into these two genres and some brainless action-packed space drama, definitely give it a go.

S2 is an absolute let down compared to the previous season. The characters are behaving like some unpolished NPC, acting and speaking in absurd manners. The jokes fall flat and the main characters appear so apathetic in certain scenes that made me question if I was watching Overlord.

There is a terrible lack of urgency in everything Makoto and his companions do since they're obviously overpowered in more than one way, so much so that it becomes too hard for the writer to create meaningful and believable conflicts perhaps? But that can't be it -- suspense and plot urgency can exist even in a story ... with an absurdly overpowered MC, and One Punch Man proves exactly that.

The fight scenes are one of the laziest and worst I've seen. I don't usually deduct points for terrible fight scenes, as I understand how tedious they are to illustrate, but dragging them out with cringeworthy emotions and dialogues makes them twice as bad as they already are.

Overall, it's not as big of a let down as Shield Hero S2 is, but compared to S1 which is a rare gem in this genre, S2 has become just another trashy Isekai anime.

THE GOOD:

Light-hearted isekai with minimum fanservice and no edgy or perverted/rapey teenagers. It's an easy watch with a really likeable and, finally, a more normal MC.

THE BAD:

Really cheap fight and war scenes. Actually, just really low budget in general. While I really like how the heroes are all so pleasant and get along for a change, none of the side characters or antagonists are even close to being memorable. The story needs a lot more depth and characters a lot more development.

I gave it an 8 when it really should've been a 7 in my books, because... maybe I'm just getting old and really ... sick of the edgy and rapey trope. I'd like to see characters behaving more like normal humans and The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic really shines in this department. I'll be watching the next season.

This story is the peak of deus ex machina(a.k.a Random BS Go!!!) if I've ever seen one. Almost every conflict and problem is resolved by introducing a new element or character instead of with wit and determination. None of the characters hold any weight in the grand scheme of things. You just know that some new BS plot armor will save the day no matter what.

The world-building is a huge mess that lacks any consistency and logic. Again, new elements and characters keep getting conveniently introduced and immediately dropped/killed off once they're no longer useful to the plot. Even the leveling in the game ... system is a unsalvageable mess. I mean, gathering stories to gain power is a truly unique concept, but...

I'm a sucker for the "game-like" and OP MC trope but this is just not it. I had planned to keep reading the manhwa till I'm caught up with the latest chapter then continue reading the novel but I don't think I can make it that far.

Edit: OK so I lied. I went on to read the novel, thinking that it should be better than the manhwa (novels are always better, right? Right??), and I actually made it to 60% before finally giving up. It really didn't get better... In fact, the Random-BS-Go got even more random, and the BS grew to ES (Elephant S). Entities from the whole universe b*tching on social media all day long bla bla bla, lack of "Probability" bla bla bla, swinging gianormous and micro stories in each other's faces bla bla bla. Rinse and repeat. Maybe it's just lost in translation? I'm not sure. But one thing for sure is that I've given it my best shot and it's just not for me.

I should warn you first that this is going to be quite a rant... Seeing as season 4 of this series has received a score of 8.05/10 at the point of writing this, I think I'm finally ready to admit that I'm too old to enjoy majority of the anime produced these days, which is a shame because I always thought I'd enjoy watching them forever; especially the ones in time travel and isekai genre. A mediocre run-of-the-mill series like Overlord getting a high score like this would only mean that new shows using the same format would continue to be churned out endlessly for ... a long time to come.

I get the appeal to the brainless power fantasy trope, I really do. As a matter of fact I really enjoy those that are decently written, but Overlord is unfortunately not one of them.

The characters have zero depth to them and their goals and motivation that drive their actions make zero sense. The dialogues are bad, the flow of story horrendous, the plot all over the place, and the jokes aren't even close to being funny.

I get that Ainz is supposed to be a cruel Undead ruler who has lost his humanity but shows benevolence from time to time, but at least commit to the archetype properly? The way he behaves is literally schizophrenic. It doesn't seem like the writer has a clue on how to write such a character. His one and only goal is "happiness"? For real? When his emotions perpetually gets nullified? That whole spiel on happiness might as well have been a copy pasta from r/Iam14AndThisIsDeep. It made me cringe really hard.

He claims that he wants to create heaven on earth for all creatures and be respected as a just ruler but chooses to wipe out an entire kingdom a few days later because he is too afraid to say no to his underlings and wants to make them "happy"? WTF is this shit, is he an idiot? And how do they justify such a questionable decision? By getting Prince Zanac to be the voice of reason so that he can spout his nonsense about "happiness" of course.

Every single joke revolves around the cliche of Ainz not knowing most things but has to act as if he does. He doesn't have a clue on what to do, makes no plan for tomorrow (which he constantly brings up in his inner monologue), and everything that works out is either due to some deus ex machina or him simply overpowering his opponents. He along with Ainz Inc. basically just constantly make up some simple plans that will never go wrong because otherwise they could just simply brute force through the whole thing.

And don't get me started on the side characters (particularly those from the guilds) apart from those in Ainz Inc. in this season. If they're not fighting Ainz, planning something of significance, or protecting the citizens of the kingdom, why the hell were they even in the damn story? So that we can watch them dramatically injure one of their own in order to escape before Ainz Inc. arrives?

The story would have been a hundred times better if they had focused on Mr Gundam and the Dragon Playuh instead. Show us someone who could actually be of some threat to Ainz and his crew, and show us the actual steps he takes to outsmart them instead of relying on his luck and powers for once.

There are no shortages of new shows and movies these days but the lack of talent in the writing department is really showing.

I was inclined to rate it 7-ish but I feel like it deserves an 8 or 9 for being able to somewhat pull off such an ambitious concept of a story. I went in blind possessing only the knowledge of the theme being Time Travel and was expecting a crossover of Thriller and Sci-fi like Erased, but it turned out to be Fantasy/Sci-fi instead, which I assumed was going to flop hard after the first 2 episodes. But the truth is it ain't half bad.

Characters: 9/10
ML is a level-headed and realistic character instead of the usual edgelords. FL is also extremely cute and ... likeable in a very realistic way. The first episode had me thinking that it was going to be another trashy anime packed with fanservice. I'm glad I was wrong. There are also no moments in the story where I find myself wishing that the characters possess the IQ of at least an average person, which rarely happens trust me. I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 because I feel the motive of the antagonist lacking and not fleshed out enough.

Story: 8/10
Let's face it, there is not a single time travel fiction that doesn't fall victim to paradoxes. Summertime Render is no exception naturally, but it's good enough in the sense that it isn't riddled with obvious flaws and deus ex machina. The flow of the story is logical enough in its universe. The fact that they managed to pull it off even with fantasy thrown in the mix is in itself praiseworthy. The pacing is great and consistent.

Animation: 10/10
Feast for the eyes. Absolutely beautiful and character design is on point.

Sound: 8/10
OPs and EDs are great, but a little lacking in between. Not enough to complain about though.

I wouldn't call it a must-watch but it's no doubt top class entertainment. A solid 8/10 from me. It's a shame that not a lot of people have heard of it.

Can an anime series without fan service and an edgy and overpowered MC score a perfect 10? YES. Look no further, this is the one.

The jokes are actually funny without being sleazy, the characters are very likeable, and the plot wholesome without being boring. It gives us what we want and in just the right amount. And yes, thank you, and I mean it, for giving us an MC who is not OP or sleazy or edgy for once. Thank you.

I'm just so sick of shounen anime targeting horny teenagers for viewership. I mean, fan service is great and all, but if ecchi ... is the only thing a series could offer then I might as well just watch some hentai.

I had been looking forward to a dark and gripping mystery since episode two but was deeply disapppointed. Perfect Insider has so much wasted potential due to two big issues: lacklustre character development and trying to be too many things at once. Let's talk about the former first.

I know this is an adaptation of a novel but since I haven't read any of it my review will be based purely on the anime itself. First of all, I couldn't help thinking throughout the whole show how much better it would be if they had just gotten rid of Nishinosono. Her only purpose is to contrast ... the main character, who finds it a need, for some reason, to blatantly remind us all the time. Other than that she's just an empty shell for him to verbalize his worldviews and philosophies to.

Secondly, how can the protaganist's character be so much more underdeveloped than the antangonist and his sidekick? There is no backstory and premise that leads to him being who he is now. No one cares about his worldview if no one can relate to him. Dialogues are but means to an end, with the end being the viewers being able to connect to the characters. They have failed terribly in this aspect and poured all their efforts in the means. And other than being freakishly smart, Magata happens to be a self-justified psycho too? Care to work on her innerworld a little more and make us understand how she became who she is? It appears that whoever wrote her (for the anime at least) can't seem to figure out how to shape her character properly.

Now let's talk about trying to be too many things at once.

Expectations generally vary greatly between fans of different genres. While it isn't uncommon for geners to crossover, it requires much finesse to weave them together. The Perfect Insider lacks it unfortunately. If you try to become everything to everyone, then you will accomplish being nothing to anyone. I give it a score of 1 for romance, 6 for mystery, and 5 for literature. If they has just dropped any of the 3 mentioned above, the whole show would be greatly more enjoyable:

- Drop the romance and get rid of Nishinosono. Focus more on the character development of Saikawa and Magata.
- Drop the literature and the floating head syndrome and work more on the mystery and character development.
- Drop the mystery and focus more on the romance and literature AND, once again, character develpoment.

Anyway, end of rant. 6 out of 10 for me.

Please do not compare this with Berserk. This is at most a 6/10 manga filled with clichés, plot holes, and one dimensional characters. The story certainly has potential, but the lack of depth in every aspect has killed it almost entirely. The world is poorly structured, the storytelling all over the place, and the outfit is silly. Even the sex doesn't make sense. The whole thing just feels like a shounen artist trying too hard to create an adult manga. The characters are so flat and shallow that I simply do not care one bit about them at all. Got so bored that I simply ... stopped reading.