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Nov 3, 2024
I think the show is still pretty fun. I like the world building and the happy-go-lucky style. Seeing geopolitics just work out is actually pretty wholesome, and there's a fair bit of effort put into developing the world's progression with Tempest's rapid ascension. It's honestly interesting.
However, it doesn't make full sense. It's not a show to take seriously ... because geopolitics is actually a super messy, convoluted, and difficult thing to tackle. Tensura does make an effort to make plot developments seem real, and it randomly/uncharacteristically has lines with meaningful messages to be learned from geopolitics. However, when things just work out perfectly in
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these kinds of scenarios, it's nice ... but not compelling.
Fights are too often more superficial than interesting; the prevalence of power scaling as a factor is why I see it this way. The animation usually looks pretty cool though. And the sound effects are always great. So not all is lost here.
The dynamics between the characters are often lighthearted and pleasing to watch. Although, I think the comedy is too repetitive. It's a mixed bag with how enjoyable the dialogue is.
There really is no area where Tensura will blow you away. And if this type of show is not your style, I imagine you'll get absorbed with one or two of the flaws I mentioned and drop it. But it can still be a good watch. And if you made it through the first two seasons and enjoyed them, I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 17, 2024
This is amazing. Truly. It is not just another show with one or two impressive moments.
It’s one that has developed many evocative characters with their own purpose and directly pitted those motivations ... their life ambitions ... against the need for their sacrifice in the battle to come. It has built my anticipation of the mysteries to be revealed only to completely surpass my expectations at the reveal. It reinforced themes so tragic and so reminiscent of the real world that it brings tears to my eyes. It swept me up on a roller coaster of emotions with the many twists and turns in a
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fated epic battle ... for which I had no idea what would happen. It has fantastic direction that recognizes all these strong elements in its story and knows exactly how to convey them onscreen. And with music that sends chills down your spine, or completely invigorates you … timed perfectly with dialogue to make you feel the same emotions as those in the story.
I … I just can’t even. It’s incredible. It is the definitive GOAT of climaxes in television. There is not a single show out there that has packed so much, so many incredible moments in 10 episodes: that’s 3 hours and 20 minutes of runtime not counting OPs and EDs. Just think about all those 3-hour movies nowadays that almost never justify the runtime. Compare how you feel watching those to this. Can you believe we really got something like this in entertainment? Will we ever get something else like it again?
… I write this in retrospective of my immense disappointment with the “final season” of Attack on Titan. Given what was achieved in season 3 part 2, the sequel to it would always disappoint in one way or another. Rewatching Attack on Titan up to this point after finishing the whole series has made me realize that … I was wrong to say Attack on Titan won’t be well remembered because of its ending. At the very least, I’ll remember this show for the rest of my life because of this climax.
Beyond just how amazing it is, the themes connected with me on a personal level, specifically because the view of the world presented in Attack on Titan matches my view of the world. I grew up a naïve person and remain that way at heart and act as such without even realizing it. I want to believe that things can work out if people are honest with one another and have that heart-to-heart … and that the world can be a better place if so. But the reality is, people often just won’t do it. And even if they do, one enemy to another, have that heart-to-heart, it’d be a miracle for things to just work out.
Now, instead of two people, one country is in conflict with another. Imagine the near-impossible difficulty in having a true heart-to-heart with another country … with all the complexities of diplomacy and politics … all the deep seated hatred from prior wars. And imagine realizing the suffering you would inflict upon others in war should diplomacy fail. It’s a world of hopelessness with a desperate struggle to hold on to optimism. And realize, this isn’t just Attack on Titan. It is the real world.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 5, 2023
Completely dissappointing.
This finale is a mess. The conflicting themes of freedom and destiny, which were incredibly interesting and had incredible potential, are now so muddled together by the inexplicable mechanics of the world that it doesn’t even make sense. The plot holes have been becoming more and more problematic ever since the end of Final Season Part 1, and now you just can’t ignore it.
More than just plot holes though, the direction of the story that they justify isn’t even interesting. Eren’s character is pathetic. Why does he still need to be a somewhat nice and likable guy? The writer should have just let that
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go entirely. Let him be the villain that trashes the world out of hatred and a selfish desire for freedom. Let him purposefully kill his former comrades for the sake of his vision. That would have staying power. That could have made this series the definitive GOAT of anime, which we would talk about for decades to come (which also means it would make more money FYI). This nonsense where his destiny is set because he is an idiot is just stupid. The series is ruined, and I — as frustrating as it is — have to give the critics who always thought it was bad the white flag. This is no longer defendable.
The saving grace of this part is the adaptation, which makes it feel cool to watch. But the ending itself is still absolute trash, so I don’t really care how good the adaptation is.
Why? Just why? How the hell did anyone think this was good? Are the creators (mangaka, editors, producers, etc.) so blinded by the desire for a somewhat happy ending that they somehow thought this was what they should push? Or were they so set on keeping to a schedule that they were willing to forsake the quality of the story knowing it was ending anyway? “It’ll still make enough money, right?” If that is the case … f*** you. It is a guaranteed money maker that would have continued making good money for decades if you landed the ending. People will no longer be longtime fans … and won’t be buying merch for anywhere near as long now because of how much you f***ed this up. Just invest the time to do it right next time … please!
And if it’s the former scenario in which y’all just thought it was good … make a career change.
Quick note: referring to the people behind the manga, not the anime.
Just a final note: I was spoiled for much of the ending of this show and thought it would take away from my experience watching it when it finally released. I also got super upset with the delayed released schedule, which dragged all my hype through the mud. But I held out hope that maybe the execution of that ending would overwrite these negatives. Little did I know, what I was spoiled didn’t even matter to my experience in the slightest because of how stupid the writing is. Neither would any of the hype I had been met for the same reason. My time was wasted thinking about it. Just what the hell man? Don’t you creators care about the legacy of the series you produced for a decade? You know, the one nearly everyone loved and respected as among the best? The one that ballooned the popularity of anime worldwide? Why tarnish it like this?
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jan 20, 2022
I love the first episode of Blue Period. It has one of those hooks that resonates with you rather than intrigues you. You listen to this one line that comes at just the perfect time for the main character. It's the exact encouragement that you wish someone had given you when you first discovered a passion of your own and thought about pursuing it as more than just a passing hobby. It was at that point that I knew I would be sticking around for the whole season and likely beyond.
After that first episode, focus shifts to the struggles of pursuing art as a potential
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career ... starting with prep school for admission to university art programs (specifically the cheapest, yet most competitive university). I'm not at all equipped to judge the accuracy of how things go, but it certainly felt real. I was so invested in Yatora's success at this point that everything seemed interesting. I love the amount of detail given to the different aspects of painting: themes, compositions, techniques, materials, and creativity. I love how Yatora starts to learn these things -- one after another -- and struggles here and there to pick them up in ways that correspond to his character. As an example, his studious nature leaves Yatora with a narrow focus and less freedom to express himself … or have fun with the artwork, which results in uninteresting paintings. He eventually overcomes this by taking a step back and trying something new. But it isn’t long before he gets back into the high output studious work and hits another wall because of it. It’s a one-struggle-after-another type of situation, and it’s so endearing to see Yatora work through them all.
Putting Yatora aside, the side characters also have their own struggles to overcome. Ryuuji faces resistance from home for who they are and their choice to pursue art school (just because it's art school) and struggles with the art program they've chosen because it is more an inherited goal than a passion of their own. Kuwana has to face comparisons with her sister, who was so amazingly talented and got accepted as a first-time applicant (it isn't common), and other forms of self-mutilation. Yotasuke dislikes the restrictions that are placed on him in classroom and exam settings and also faces judgment from his mother for his lack of social skills. There are several more minor characters that have their own struggles. One girl that was in Yatora's class had attempted the admissions exam three times … and had a heartbreaking moment where she had to admit defeat. She had decided to go work for a bookstore instead. It's brutal to me because I always think about what if I had chosen a different path from the one I’m on. What if I chose to pursue something I was a much better fit for over a field where I can much more easily make a living? Well, this is the sad truth, it might not have worked out, and I’d be in a much worse situation for having tried. But it never had the chance to work out because I never even tried. I never took that leap. It makes me feel so much envy. I hate myself for not having the courage that these characters have … for not having faith in my own capabilities. And something about seeing these characters fight for their dreams just lights me up.
There is one obvious criticism to make though: the adaptation itself is a bit weak. I find myself wishing that a more established studio could have taken this on. The animations look a bit unnatural and lack fluidity. And sometimes the perspective in the framing or the characters' faces just looks off. At the same time though, I very much appreciate the voice acting and the OST, so the anime still has some merits. The writing is also strong enough to carry a show with low-to-mid production values. Don’t sit on this one just because of the ‘meh’ animation.
So, what more is there to say really. It’s a really good show, one that I feel is a little underappreciated based on the MAL ratings (I normally rate lower than the MAL consensus). I’m a bit conflicted as to whether I should eventually try the manga or hope for a second season, but regardless, I want to stick with it for the long haul (as I said in the beginning). I’m hoping you all will give it a shot if you haven’t already. Thanks for reading.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 14, 2021
Fate/Zero is the best battle royale anime by a long shot. The interesting world and its magic system, the tactical depth in its fights, the strategic approaches to its battle royale setup, the brutality of the war, the interesting and emotionally resonate characters, the amazing animation, and that trademark Ufotable moment that absolutely blows you away. Looking back on it, there is so much packed into this 24-episode series that it baffles me.
This will encompass my perspective of both seasons btw.
The depth of the world of Fate goes well beyond the confines of this show but still manages to avoid being overbearing in establishing
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itself without leaving anything necessary out of the picture. All of the special powers and magic used are interesting in how they work and often in how they are used. Kiritsugu’s Time alter spells are a good example. In his fight with El-Melloi he casts a reality marble (think of it like a barrier separating the outside world from Kiritsugu’s body) and accelerates the flow of time within it so that he can move faster. The reason why this works is the flow of time outside the barrier remains the same, so walking within the accelerated reality marble appears to be speed-walking outside the reality marble. It may be more complicated than some care for, but I certainly appreciated it. As for interesting uses, Kiritsugu can also slow time within the reality marble, which allowed him to slow his heartbeat and avoid detection from probes. Superspeed is cool, but the specific use here is much more interesting and showcases that magic can be used quite creatively.
I love the fights in this show. The animation in every one of them is amazing ... whether it be the CG effects for the supernatural powers or the 2D animation for character movements. And on top of that quality animation, a select few fights put lots of focus on the tactical decisions made by the combatants: Saber vs. Lancer, Kiritsugu vs. El-Melloi, and Kiritsugu vs. Kirei. The specific moments of tactical decision making that stand out the most to me are Saber’s choice to remove her armor for greater speed, Lancer’s clever concealment of his noble phantasm, and Kiritsugu’s awareness of the tactical advantage he possesses over El-Melloi. It's something I can appreciate so much considering that fights in anime typically devolve into just attack after attack with whoever is supposed to be stronger winning. Battles just feel like actual battles in Fate/Zero.
And then there is the element of strategy. Most of the participants do not just aimlessly target other participants. Some choose to target others in line with their ideals or motives and in a straight-forward fashion … while others are selective to varying degrees based on their own cost benefit analysis and take a more subversive approach. The secret alliance b/w Tohsaka, the Observer from the Church, and Kirei is a good example of meticulous strategy. However, one thing you’ll notice is that they somewhat put aside their goals in the Holy Grail War to deal with Caster. This was b/c of their moral obligations to eliminate him. Conversely, Kiritsugu, having a more open-ended but still strategic approach, chose to mostly ignore the call to eliminate Caster having felt no moral obligation to do so. The level of depth in tactics and strategy this show goes to and how it mixes with character ideals and motivations would make LoGH fans proud lol.
Motives and personalities are established for a majority of the characters with each of them having an alure: Irisveil’s charm and tragic fate, Archer’s absurd ego, Caster’s hilariously mad demeanor (yes, I found him funny to watch), Waver’s desire for recognition, Rider’s hearty ambition, Lancer’s desperation for loyalty of any kind, and Saber’s pure idealism. But the two standouts for me are obviously Kotomine Kirei and Emiya Kiritsugu.
Kirei is of interest initially because of his lack of drive and fulfillment. He follows the path set before him by others with no idea what path he should decide to pursue on his own. The reason why I think of him as a standout is because of the hidden desire brought out via his interactions with Archer. “Do exactly as you like. That is the true meaning of pleasure. Pleasure leads to joy. And joy will lead you to happiness. Your path is now clear Kirei. So clear, there can be no room left to doubt.” This desire in tandem with his primrose upbringing was the perfect way to setup a complicated character like Kirei, and Archer was the perfect way to break him down.
Kiritsugu is of interest because of the obvious contradiction between his goals and the means with which he seeks to achieve them. This contradiction culminates in a gruesome climax that lays bare the difference between two types of heroes: one filled with pride and the other devoid of it. The two-episode backstory that shows how Kiritsugu came to be more than justifies this extreme with some of the most intense and emotional moments in the show. “Kerry, what kind of person do want to be when you grow up?” It’s gut wrenching. And the cruelty forced upon Kiritsugu in the ending just tears your freaking stomach open.
The last thing I want to make note of is the end of episode 15, Golden Light. If you’ve seen episode 19 of Demon Slayer, you know Ufotable can craft the most amazing moments imaginable in anime. The Golden Light that Saber’s sword brought forth is one such moment. The lines from King Arthur’s legend; the beautiful and intensifying soundtrack; the growing glow around the sword; and all of it climaxing timed with Saber’s passionate battle cry. It brings tears to my eyes just to write about it. Moments like this don’t come often in anime, so if you somehow have not seen Fate/Zero… please go do so. It is amazing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 12, 2021
I don't think Legend of the Galactic Heroes is a masterpiece. There are an abundance of problems in the show that are noticeable from the get-go: the pacing of the dialogue is usually way too fast; the tactics used in space battles often come across as too glorified for how creative they actually seem to be; the logic behind what makes certain plot points possible sometimes just isn't in the show at all, which leaves me feeling like "okay, I guess"; ... the old style of character designs kind of look jank lol (maybe that's just me, idk). But, with how expansive the world is
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and the level of detail put into its history, characters, and politics ... I was so immersed that I can still say I loved the show despite these flaws.
This is THE show for political junkies. There is so much politics, and in just about every single plot point: Assassinations, individual ambitions of wealth and power, religious cults, civil wars, Democracy vs. Autocracy, honor, corruption, the morality of sacrificing the few, public sentiments, and probably more that I forgot about. It's all politics and how it dictates the course of history throughout the galaxy. If you think about our reality in the same way (like I do); it's just the perfect plotline. Although notably, most people don't think that much about the world, and certainly do not want to think that much about a fictional world either lol. In that way, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the most demanding show I've ever watched. But it is totally worth it.
What is even more outstanding is how the motivation and personalities of every major character is factored into all the political maneuvering throughout the show. Whoever wrote this story definitely prepared his or her ideas in advance. Just about every major event involving the main characters are justified by our built-up perspective of those characters, which allow us the ability to believe in the world and the events that take place in it. In other words, it's made to immerse us, to suspend our disbelief at the many historic events that occur within the few years of this story's timeline. It's something that's typically difficult for a normal story but so much more so for a story with such a large scale. I don't think I've come across a story that has done this better than Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but that's just my opinion.
In terms of visuals, direction, and other superficial elements, the show could obviously be better.
I did find the space battles to be interesting. Dogfights were great, and the exploding ships were awesome. However, the way the lasers fired from the cruisers were animated looked as if the animators were looking for corners to cut.
Character animations were sometimes off-looking as well. I'm recalling one specifically awkward looking walking animation when Reinhard and others were exiting his cruiser. It looked like they panned a walking-in-place animation rather than actually animating it across the page, which is not ideal. But that's just one example I thought of in the moment.
The dialogue was often too rushed like I mentioned before, but I think the voice acting was normally pretty good. I got attached to the character voices just fine and had trouble watching the remake because of it.
I think the classical music was a good choice for the style of show, and I'm glad the sound effects in the space battles aren't too over the top either.
It's good overall. There's nothing too obtrusive to complain about, but again, it certainly could have been better. Don't obsess over it too much like I appear to be lol.
And, I guess the last thing to mention is the military tactics and strategy. I very much appreciated the level of depth that the writer appears to have put into the militant factors of the story. Do I think the tactics and strategies themselves were interesting though? Yes, most of the time, but for some reason, I’m hesitant to say I’d loved it like I did everything else. It’s definitely a plus point though.
So yeah, the story was just too good of a fit for me personally. There is no way I wouldn't love this show. Hopefully, I was able to give you an idea of whether this show would be a good fit for you as well by explaining what I thought about it. Thanks for reading!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 30, 2021
Why did I enjoy 'That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime' as much as I did? I'd like to say the writing was special in some form or another, and it is in some ways ... but not in a way that's really impactful. The actual reason why I enjoyed it -- and likely the same for you if you watched it -- was the happy-go-lucky feeling in the presentation and how fully committed it was.
Stylistically, the show is near perfect. It fully embraces the silliness of it's premise through Rimuru's voice and slime expressions, the OST and sound design, and the writing.
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There are plenty of funny and lighthearted concepts built in to the scenarios of the story, and it's so god dang wholesome. One moment that came to mind was when Rimuru got to taste some food for the first time since becoming a slime. It's a pretty insignificant moment, but you can't tell me you didn't enjoy it when he went "mmMMAIII." Like dang man, I wish I could feel that good about eating food lol.
While the show does have some serious story beats that come with the development of it's world, I never found that it was clashing with the fun lighthearted moments. One downside is that you basically always know how things will turn out whenever the main cast is involved. The author wants to preserve that lighthearted vibe and a nice ending is the best way to do it, but the action that comes with the seriousness is enjoyable nonetheless. It gives further insight into the supernatural elements of the world annnnnnd ... it's ... pretty freaking cool. That moment when Rimuru is spamming Flash Step or something to dodge Chaos Eater, MMMM! I love it. The studio nailed the sound design and animation for that scene.
Just to spit out some downsides real quick, don't be expecting some big character revelations or interesting decisions. Characters are simple and stay true to form 100%. I don't know if this show could even pull off something like that while remaining lighthearted.
There are some scenes with CG that stand out in a bad way; it's whatever.
The loli fanservice in Milim's character design is kind of offputting. Well, to me, it is anyway. If you like that kind of thing, sure, why not?
And, fights aren't fully logical in a few instances. Like if you find yourself asking "why aren't they doing something?" or something along those lines, just move past it. Trust me. It's only detrimental if you let it be.
Another thing to mention is the pacing, which could either be an upside or a downside. It's pretty fast. The two cour season covers two years in the world while omitting some contents of the light novels, some of which is covered in the second season. I haven't read the light novels, so I couldn't tell you how much else was left out or how important that stuff is. If you're wanting the story to be more complete maybe you'd prefer to read the light novels. But, if you like fast paced stories b/c they get to the point or don't want to compromise on the visuals you'll probably prefer the anime. I do think the last story arc would have benefitted from some more time, so I could get attached to the kids of Freedom Academy. But, I still enjoyed it, so I don't obsess over that. Maybe it'd better with slower pacing, maybe it wouldn't. I don't know.
So yeah, this show is a pretty fun watch. It makes me feel good and happy and shows off some cool fantasy stuff. I wish there were more shows that did this as well as Slime does. Give it a try if it sounds like your thing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 25, 2021
What was the point?
The Promised Neverland was setup in its first season as one of the cruelest settings you could find in anime. So, as you can imagine, there would be lots of big consequences throughout the story, right? Well ... no. There are literally only two consequences of note in this story, and they are both in the first season. This second season had none.
What I mean when I ask the question "What was the point?" is why would you go to the trouble to make such an obviously cruel world only to always have everything work out okay? It is unfathomable to
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me for both logical and narrative reasonings. This idealist message that the writer is pushing through Emma completely falls flat for that reason, not to mention the one-year gap in her character development.
The pacing in this story is atrocious. Why did the writer think it was okay to just skip a whole year and put the characters in a completely different situation after the gap? What the heck happened during that time? Was this just so they could conclude the story sooner? That just doesn't work man. This story was not setup as one that could be concluded in two one-cour seasons, so don't force it. Take ... your ... time. If you want the story to feel natural, you cannot rush to the conclusion.
So many things fell out of place at the end of this season:
- Isabella's sudden decision came out of nowhere; it was way too convenient for what the show was going for ... especially with the logic that explains why she could make that decision. Also, they're trained to use guns? Huh? I don't see why that would be necessary.
- Sonju apparently just forgot his reason for helping the escapees ... okay.
- Did they ever find the cure for that fatal disease? I didn't see any mention of it, so I'm assuming the writer just forgot that was something they needed to wrap up. Idk, maybe I missed it lol. I was more focused on how pissed I was after all.
- Then they have the audacity to show what is basically a PowerPoint for the rest of the story. Wth, did y'all see that picture with a demon dragon? What?! You're just going to show me a picture of that? Common man. And then there was the Emma x Mujika tease, oh my god. Straight up, I was laughing. How can you just show all of this stuff as if it is just extra? This is part of the story man! Don't just skim over it lol. Apparently, the conclusion was so obvious that it wasn’t worth making another season for XD.
How did basically everything go wrong? This was one of the best shows of 2019. All the pieces were there for an amazing story. I just don't understand. The Promised Neverland basically turned into a wannabe Attack on Titan and failed miserably. I kid you not. I am so disappointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 5, 2021
THERE WILL BE SOME SPOILERS, fyi.
I'll be honest, I went into this season with a very specific expectation of the show: Subaru needs to change more on a fundamental level. The reason why I have this expectation is because ... I hate Subaru. I can't understand his attitude in success given the many failures he went through. I'm mentioning this upfront purely because I don't think many people that were watching this show had this expectation. So when you see me criticize the show for stuff you don't care about, you'll understand why I was in a mood to criticize.
None of the big moments
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hit me in this second part. I literally found myself hating all of them. I already listed the main reason above, but beyond that, I think there is a bit of a formula here with the big moments. You'll notice that the soundtrack in the emotional moments is the same as it was in just about every other emotional moment in the series (not doing itself any favors there). You'll also notice that the big moments also tend to just be Subaru or someone else declaring that they are in the right and whoever they are talking to is in the wrong, and then that person resists and the back and forth ensues. And every time, the 'favored' side comes out on top: Subaru's side. It was getting progressively more annoying each time this happened when the intended effect was clearly the opposite. It was also a bit greedy for the writer to have this many back-to-back "big" moments. They don't feel earned a lot of the time.
Going off that, I couldn't help but feel the dialogue is always too much. Like I know this series is meant to be dialogue heavy, but common man. Even during the fights, the focus is still entirely on the dialogue. What? Why is there this much dialogue in a freaking physical fight? Stop talking already. If you're gonna focus so much on the talking, don't even have a fight; just have a debate.
Stylistically speaking, I don't like having always drawn-out dialogue. Sometimes, you just need to cut to the chase, ya’ know? Even the Sanctuary backstory -- in the moment when Ryuzu sacrifices herself -- I felt was too oversaturated with dialogue. The moment is ruined when you spend so much time on it because it feels completely unnatural. I really wanted to like this moment man. It's one of the only parts of the story without Subaru in it. I didn't really mind this style of writing at first, but it really started to grind on me the more and more I had to deal with it.
Just to be positive for a moment, I did really like Emilia's backstory in the witch's trial and thought it was pretty cool and interesting from a world building perspective. The mysteries of the world are part of the reason why I stuck with the show this long. Although, I didn't at all care for the exchanges between Emilia and Echidna. Pretty one note: Echidna hates Emilia, and Emilia brushes it off. Again, I don't understand why the dialogue is so ill-conceived so much of the time. The point to the dialogue fails to land on me, the viewer, when it's written this way. But, moving beyond that ... Pandora is really interesting in both her powers and her demeanor. I also found myself interested in the Archbishop of Greed, which I didn't at all think was possible given my initial thoughts on him from the beginning of season 2. I also love Betelgeuse's part of the story; it was cool to see how the guy became a madman. And I also liked Emilia as a kid in the backstory. It was really good. Gotta give the show credit where credit is due, the world is interesting and there are *some* good character interactions.
Aside from that backstory, I must admit I had a hard time taking in anything else that gave us some foundation for the events of the story. I didn't really care for Roswal's motivation, Beatrice's ... solitude? (can't remember well what her deal was), Garfiel's parental issues, or even the creation of the Sanctuary really. It was all kind of lost on me given my current mood with the show and how it was presented to me. This has nothing to do with whether the characters are well-conceived or any inconsistencies in the world or story; I just couldn't take it in.
Back to the "point" of the dialogue though ... what is the point? What is the goal of this show? Well, from my perspective, it seems as if the point of this show is to justify not just the existence or the right to live, but the success of someone like Natsuki Subaru. "That is why you fail." The goal of this show is no longer to change Subaru as it was in part of the first season. At the point of the show where I dropped it, Subaru is basically the same guy he was before the season started. Somehow the dude is still wearing his lame-a** track suit, and that is intentional much like the endurance of his character. The writer wants Subaru to stay the same despite the fact that he is worthless, which can be reinforced by quoting characters in the show if you really want to protest that "fact". He is completely inept in the situations he finds himself and other basic areas of human function and he has an unappealing childlike personality. On top of that, he still acts like a bigshot despite recognizing both of those flaws of himself. Why? Why do you not feel like a piece of s***? Why do you accept success like you completely deserve it? You do not deserve it man. You do not. The reason for your success is because you have limitless attempts. The reason why others admire you is because they only know the you that has succeeded. So why are you so f***ing puffed up?
Look, all I am asking for is a bit of humility. And the writer clearly does not want to truly give Subaru that humility. He wants Subaru to get the girl that is way out of his league (yes, she still is), to save everyone, and to be the hero ... all by being the way he is. It is wish fulfilment. Subaru is not a man that deserves that level of success, and I'm kind of pissed that the writer isn't trying to make him into the type of man that does and is instead justifying Subaru remaining the way he is. The way everything and everyone around Subaru is reacting to his actions in this part of the story goes completely against the way I think they should in terms of narrative ... and sometimes in terms of logic (meaning that the writer is forcing it). But again, that's based on my expectation of the show. If you do not have that expectation you probably won't care about that rant I just had.
Overall, I was pretty appalled at the direction of Subaru's character development and the style of writing. I could not get over these two things the entire time I was watching the second part of the second season. So, I ended up hating it. There are lots of good stuff in this show, but it just is not enough to keep me going man. I am done with it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 3, 2020
Land of the Lustrous is one of the most stylistic fantasy shows I’ve seen, which helps it overcome obvious plot holes in the premise and other logical issues in presentation, and is elevated further by the development of the main character.
In terms of aesthetics, Land of the Lustrous is amazing. Character designs look gorgeous with the variety of different gemstones and hairstyles that represents the individuality in each character. The same can be said for the environment. Most every scene emphasizes the beauty in the environment. The light shining in through the windows, the winds passing through the grass in the fields, the clouds up
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in the sky, the color distinctions during a sunset, the glistening reflections off the sea horizon – you can tell how much effort went into those backgrounds.
And of course, the animation; the 3D animation perfectly suits the gemstone aesthetic in character designs, but it is also better suited to show lighthearted character interactions with expressive body language. An example would be in the second episode when Phos has their shoulders shrugged up (the possessive noun I chose is correct in case you were wondering) and is swerving their stature back and forth, which emphasizes Phos’ struggle to say something. It is a simple and uneventful moment, yet the animators went with a more complex body language because it was more expressive. If this moment were animated in 2D, the animators would no doubt keep it as simple as possible and preserve their resources, specifically time, for the more important scenes. Maybe it is because of that standard practice that I became appreciative of those inconsequential moments. The only weak-point I’ve found in the 3D animation for this show is in the lip animations, which kind of look awkward at times but not enough to be detrimental.
The soundtrack is outstanding; I cannot count how many times I was entranced in the quiet scenes because the soundtrack drew me into it. In one scene where Phos is just crawling through the snow trying to keep up with Antarc absolutely nothing eventful is happening: little-to-no dialogue, no action, just the sound effects for the snow and the soundtrack. And yet, I was absorbed with it. I’m not trying to say that the scene is incredible or anything, quite the opposite. I chose this one as an example because it is a very plain scene that just moves the show along, but the music manages to carry it. Without the music, I would probably be bored looking at nothing happening for over a minute. You will hear the specific track from that scene multiple times over throughout the series, but it never seems to overstay its welcome. It starts with calm and gentle sounds for the quiet and uneventful moments and will strategically increase in intensity for a moment of awe when the show wants your attention. It is formulaic, but it works incredibly well. Also, the Asian instrumental style of music is quite unique compared to what you would find in most other shows and seems to be tailored to the world, which likely has some inspiration from Buddhism (not that I’m knowledgeable enough of Buddhism to say for certain). I’m sure both factors contributed to how impactful the music was for me and would not have been as much of a standout otherwise.
I love the character interactions in this show. They are so expressive, and not in the typical bombastic way that I’ve come to expect from anime. They are natural, both in dialogue and in movement. I found myself having fun just listening to lighthearted conversations even when there was little of consequence in them. The voice acting and the animation easily carry these moments. However, there are still a few weak points in the dialogue that come from the writing. Particularly in the beginning, the dialogue is often undercut by exposition inserts that break the natural feeling, which doesn’t make for a good first impression and is the reason why I dropped the show before giving it a second chance. It isn’t horrible, but it is something you’ll have to overlook for at least the first episode.
Now for the world, which seems to prioritize style over consistency and logic. Normally, I would not like a show if it ignores logic in the world building. But, for some reason, I did not find myself really caring despite how obvious the flaws were. The most obvious is that gemstones are moving as flexibly as a person. Hardness is often used to describe a character’s strength and fighting potential but is completely ignored when it comes to movement lol. Just don’t worry about it I suppose. There are other minor flaws here and there in presentation that throw logic out the window. In one scene, Phos is running so fast that they cannot control when they stop, which is understandable given their body’s state at the time, but for some reason they must run instead of walk? Huh? Idk, but who cares? I guess these types of flaws are not notable enough to be detrimental to the show … likely because they were too minor or because of the stylistic elements that the flaws allowed for. And besides, there are other merits to be found in the world besides how everything looks.
Like in many other fantasy narratives, there are elements of mystery in the world, which are highlighted at a few points throughout the show. I can’t really say what the mystery is without spoilers, but I can say it relates to the world’s history and likely the origins of the gemstone lifeforms and the Lunarians. It becomes a major plot point toward the show’s end and will likely be the focus in a second season if we ever get one (fingers crossed).
Lastly, I want to talk about characters, specifically the main character, Phosphophyllite. Phos is a very lively but whimsically irresponsible character … befitting of the fact that they are the youngest in the group (even though they’re 300 lol). The first episode establishes their connection with Cinncibar, who feels useless and unwelcome among the others … much like Phos, albeit for a completely different reason. Phos empathizes and then promises to find a role for Cinnci better than their current one. This is labelled the main motive driving the plot, but Phos is swayed off that path many different ways throughout the story by a number of influences. Phos wants to be able to fight the Lunarians; they want to test their abilities; they want to help a newfound friend and live up to the memory of a lost friend; and finally, they want to find the truth that is hidden from them. Phos is as complex as the many things that influence them, and it is a joy to see their development throughout the series.
That’s it. Thanks for reading! This is actually my second review for this series btw. I felt the first one undercut how both the positive and negative aspects affected my enjoyment of the show, so hopefully I got everything across this time and I hope it helps you out as well!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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