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Mahou Sensei Negima is easily my favorite story and franchise of all time in any medium, and for good reason. It's an incredible body of work that has been dismissed and misunderstood mostly due to bad anime adaptations and the slow harem-ish start. But it evolves to become a unique cross between an epic shonen adventure and a heartwarming story about bonding teenage girls, and a truly legendary series which operates at the scale of life.

Let's first discuss Negima's genre and its harem label. Yes, the series as a whole is interspersed with somewhat excessive amounts of fanservice, although never in a way that feels ... creepy (as compared to, say, DxD). And yes, the 10-year old MC becomes the object of a whole class of middle school girls' attraction. But although it contains all the plot elements of a harem, the spirit of the manga is much closer to that of something like Love Live, or K-On!. Romance as a whole is a lighthearted concept in this series, and spoiler - nothing *really* develops for Negi outside of platonic friendships or sisterly love. The core of the emotional load in Negima lies in the girl-to-girl relationships between the members of 3-A, and not at all in some creepy situation involving a 10 year old, as many potential readers have been misled to think. So yes, Negi is an ever-present force in this story, but his "relationships" with the girls are ultimately for sentimentality or comedic effect. If I had to give Negima my own labels, I would probably say something like adventure, fantasy, shonen, and comedy with a touch of slice-of-life.

With that out of the way, let's move on to what makes Negima good: the characters. Akamatsu manages to take an absolutely gargantuan cast - 30 girls right off the bat, then dozens more as the story progresses - and develop them all beautifully. By the end of the manga, a reader knows 40-50 some characters by heart and will care deeply for at least several of them. I've rarely seen characters more memorable than those of Negima, and definitely not in a cast of this size. Even the villains, Fate and Ialda, are unique and easy to sympathize with. When it comes to character design and development, Negima is by far the best manga I've ever read and a masterclass in the subject.

Akamatsu's art is *extremely* clean and easy to follow, especially in the action scenes. Explosions or magical spells that would have been a visual mess in other series are handled with absolute precision in Negima. The character designs are cool/cute as well. This work quite clearly contains the peak of Akamatsu's artistic abilities, and it's a treat to be able to flip through the pages on this one. His art style and designs seem to stabilize around the Kyoto - school festival arcs, so do read until then.

The story is where things seem to be a tad bit loose, although not to any significant extent. The school festival and magical world arcs are an absolutely crazy blast to read through. However, the plot is admittedly slow in the introduction up to the Kyoto arc, partly due to the larger portion of slice-of-life type chapters. I'd say that this is more of a deterrent than a flaw, however, as these chapters are retrospectively essential in fleshing out the cast and giving Negima the classic all-girls high school vibe. The ending is also potentially a disappointment, with a few minor questions simply being timeskipped, as the series got axed by publishing disputes. Personally, I still found it quite satisfying and poignant. I feel that it would be hard to top the adrenaline of the magical world arc anyways, and it avoids ending up yet another shonen that redundantly loops conflicts to no end. But if you're insistent on seeing the conclusion to the Negima story, Akamatsu wraps it up slightly in UQ Holder ch. 137-140.

Either way, Negima is a criminally underrated masterpiece of a manga which you should not miss out on. With an unmatched combination of memorable characters and dramatic plot resulting from its unique slice-of-life/action hybrid, the universe takes on a life of its own far beyond its pages and will stay with you after you finish the series. As long as you can keep an open mind through its opening fifth and take the fanservice with a grain of salt, you will be rewarded with an epic but undiscovered story on par with the modern classics of the generation.

This anime is simultaneously completely different from Negima and probably best for fans of Negima. For people unfamiliar with Negima, it is an all-around average shonen with traces from the harem source material and some strong 2000's vibes.

Before watching this show, you should be warned that the story is not at all like the Negima manga. Like many old adaptations, it starts similar but veers off in a completely different direction, resulting in the studio's completely new version of Negima. In the end, the only thing that is retained from Akamatsu's original are the characters. Note that the giant cast is crammed into a single ... season with less episodes than girls in the class. This is just an unfortunate issue of setting incompatibility, but it is handled quite well for what can be done, allowing the anime to stand on its own, albeit with a handful of unnecessary characters.

Regardless, Shaft manages to write a fun and compelling adventure story from the little source material they have, although a lot of it will be familiar if you have watched other anime from this time period. Although the season falters toward the end, it kicks off very strong, and manages to wrap up passably with a satisfying conclusion of its own (maybe even more so than the manga!).

Like all Negima anime, the soundtrack is very creative and really makes the universe feel expansive. The art, on the other hand, may need a little work. While it's certainly more lively and characteristic than that of the previous adaptation, the inconsistent artistic tone contributes to the weaker second half of the series, and like many 2000's anime, it is in desperate need of color-checking.

Shaft ups the bar on Xebec's original attempt at Negima, and it's clear that they care about this project, a trend that will continue to the same studio's anime final 5 year later. Yet, due to circumstances or otherwise, the end result is somewhat amateurish. While it's regrettable that Negima never got proper anime treatment, this series is quite fun to watch regardless, especially for dedicated fans of the Negima franchise.

Great Pretender is a great attempt at something bigger, but ultimately falls short of carrying it all the way through.

The story is a comedy split up into several disjoint arcs, resembling more of a slice-of-life than a linear adventure. That's all fine, except that the comedy isn't really fun to watch. There's a lot of forced energy and attempts at life on the screen, but none of it really comes through. It's the same case with the show's portrayal of "the West", which in its attempt to be funky ends up ever so slightly awkward.

The art, too. Big props to the art team for ... taking this beautiful adventurous pastel computerized style. It's refreshing at first and undoubtedly is backed by a lot of aesthetic inspiration. Unfortunately, it begins to get tiring to the eye around halfway through the season, and lacks the punch that bolder traditional colors can deliver.

The soundtrack is probably my favorite part of the show. The opening, in particular, is incredibly fun despite having no words. However, the show is also incredibly reliant on this 7 minute main theme, and as the season progresses, motifs from G.P. are overplayed to the point of comedy. A great soundtrack clashes with the weak sound design. It doesn't help that the voice acting doesn't hold up to modern standards (in my opinion).

The sheer love and effort that was visibly poured into this production is enough to keep it afloat as a passable show; there's nothing outstandingly *bad* about it. But it's nothing spectacular either, and expect to get bored a few times if you plan to binge.

Simply an extra episode in Made In Abyss' continued tonal confusion. Nothing particularly worthy of a film, as it has been copied almost verbatim from the manga. I'd describe it as a troublingly average watch, at best.

The writing for this arc is decent, but did it deserve a separate movie? I'd say no; Bondrewd is a cool (- the boring design), although somewhat generic villain, but he holds little significance in the overall story of MIA. He also has several flaws, including that we never get to see any hesitation or remorse in his actions, partly due to his mask. He's more of an ... universally unfeeling psychopath than the morally deep antichrist the show wants to present him as. The story itself is awkwardly paced and Prushka feels like a budget version of the previous season's star (Nanachi).

The art and sound continue this trend of unspectacularity. The production simply feels like another episode in the first season, which is what this really should have been. The art, in particular, is made necessarily boring by the bleak and flat setting, and does not attempt to make up for this with anything adventurous which deviates from the manga's panel choices.

Overall, this just feels like the studio stumbled across an arc of the story just barely self-complete enough to pull a coherent movie out of it, but not much else is done to make it worth the watch. It also suffers from the same problem I pointed out in my review for season 1: it consistently stands in the shadow of the opening episodes, leaving all central questions unanswered and failing to live up to the magic of the almighty Abyss that they want us to believe.

Don't get me wrong; this film is decent as an extra episode in the first season of MIA, but don't expect it to blow you out of the park as anime movies have done in the past. It's almost like the animators couldn't figure out where to cut episodes in this arc and stitched them all together instead. So, if you want to keep watching Made in Abyss after season 1, by all means, go at it.

Gurren Lagann is what anime is made for. Ridiculous scenarios, punchy action, dramatic narratives, and giant wacky mechas all come together to make one of the most fun anime series out there.

Over the course of an incredibly concise 27 episodes, the story takes a lonely, humble nobody in the underground and carries him into an explosive intergalactic war. And if that wasn't enough to cover, we also get to witness three charismatic and memorable characters overcome their insecurities and mature in their love lives. It's one of those densely-packed series that won't let you fall asleep, and amazingly entertaining binge material. Bonus: it's one season ... that takes a story from its beginning to its conclusion, without any sequel/prequel BS. It stands complete on its own, and that alone is an admirable feat.

Of course, the technical side of things holds up flawlessly to this spectacle, especially in the last few episodes of the season. The mechas are just so goddamn fun to watch, even if I'm not the kid that they may have been intended for. And the music (+ Kamina's voice) is able to maintain this energy throughout.

Why isn't Gurren Lagann a masterpiece, then? Well, to start off, the second half is a bit of a slog; to find out that we're back where we started right after defeating the final boss is a bit discouraging. Of course, it's an incredibly common trope in this kind of series, but somehow the whiplash is stronger in this one. It may be because of the noticeable tone shift that comes with the time skip. Also, this anime never really dives as deep in one spot as it could, even during Kamina's epic monologues. As a result, the whole series is a bit of a blur and not as memorable in the long run. Finally, I can't say I'm sure about the continued relevance of this series - lots of things about it feel quite old, starting with the studio's treatment of Yoko's visuals.

Either way, Gurren Lagann still ends with an absolute blast of a finale, and remains an unrivaled action extravaganza years and years later. It may not leave you with the deepest moral awakening that you've ever experienced watching an anime, but for a TV show that aims to entertain, it more than does its job. Easily one of the best anime series of the 2000's, and a must-watch.

Beautiful stuff! A bit disturbing, but a definite must-watch, especially if you like edgy stuff. This anime is one of those shows that will have the viewer flipping between creeped out and in tears over and over. Overall, it pulls off the edgy act quite well.

To first discuss the technical aspects, the art and music is good, but not excellent. I'm not entirely sure about the art; it's definitely not bad, but I can't help but feel that there was just so much more that could have been done to capture the creepiness of the Abyss. It just lacks a bit of character, I guess. ... Kevin Penkin comes out with great compositions as always, but the sound mixing feels a little awkward. Hanezeve Caradhina is one of the most weirdly beautiful scores in recent anime (although, again, poorly mixed), so extra points for this theme that sings the spirit of the Abyss.

Now to talk about the contents. The most poignant and well paced part of the story takes place up in the city. It's just a beautifully well-constructed setting: an orphanage in a flourishing city surrounding and embodiment of the uncanny itself. Unfortunately, the pacing is almost immediately thrown off as Reg and Riko descend into the pit. The whole act is slightly underwhelming; it turns out that the Abyss is not as scary as it is supposed to be. It's almost like a weaker version of the walls in Attack on Titan.

The whole bit with Ozen is slow and weirdly written, but fear is reestablished as the duo approaches the Fourth layer and meets Nanachi and Mitty. (No spoilers, but this maintaining of fear might continue to be a problem in the sequel movie). However, this part of the season is awkwardly written in a different aspect; Reg and Riko are thrown off very much to the side. (Reg doesn't have much of a character to begin with, so it sucks that Riko is absent for this long in the story) By the last episode, Nanachi is left as the most memorable character in the cast.

I don't really know how to feel about this show. The anime earns its score for the first part in the city alone, which as I've said, feels like one of the most poignant setups to an adventure that I've seen. But this is all just setup, and the slow second half makes it very clear that we won't get answers to any of the central questions for a long, long, time. Even as the season ends, it feels as though the duo are just beginning their adventure. I would easily recommend the first season of Made in Abyss to just about anyone, but I'm not sure that I want to keep following it to its distant conclusion.

The first season, but with a touch of Death Note: turned a slow yet complex mind game between Subaru and Roswaal. Although it may appeal to a different audience, it initially seems a fair trade-off to make. But when the complex becomes convoluted and logic begins to fade, it does have me very slightly worried.

Unless I state otherwise, assume everything I said about the first season applies here as well: the art and especially sound are absolutely top-tier, and the characters continue to be treated well in a way that makes each and one of them memorable. Over all else, the immaculate storytelling technique continues ... to hold anything thrown at the plot very tightly together.

Now for the criticisms. (Note: I still think the series is very good as a whole. I'm digging deep to point each of these out.) From the get-go, the trials seem like a weirdly contrived plot device to force character development in our MCs. A whole episode is wasted as Subaru resolves his isekai background in the most generic way possible. I get that this whole season is loosely about the concept of family, but it still feels forced and out of place. The narrator's constant reminders to us about a comatose character also feels just as forced, though I appreciate that the studio is trying to keep Rem best girl alive through the long arc to come.

In general, repetitive settings and situations like the Trials and the Witch's Graveyard make this whole season just a bit of a drag to get through. Frankly, it's extremely hard to recall the sequence of events with any accuracy even right after finishing the episodes, and there's no question that this whole arc could have been a lot more concise and clear at many points.

The next part is the biggest red flag of this season for me. Lore is sacrificed heavily for dramatic effect. For instance, non-Subaru characters seem to develop heavily over the course of Subaru's lives and have their behavior changed for the sake of the plot. Furthermore, the viewer is left confused as Subaru dies to wake up in a snowstorm that wasn't there before, or in a sudden confrontation with the Witch, et cetera, only to wake up normally in his next life. Flashy, vague, and theorist-appeasing "foreshadowings" are thrown around to the point of meaninglessness. All this leaves us with more questions than answers. My earnest hope is that everything will be resolved in the seasons to come, but it is hard to keep faith when so many great lore-heavy series have been completely derailed by this exact scenario (recent Webtoons, Dice and The Gamer come to mind). I don't want to make any calls too early, though, so I'll continue watching with an open mind.

K-On!!. K-On! with another exclamation mark, and for good reason. It's just that much better. I can't recommend this show enough, and here's why.

I won't repeat everything I've written in my K-On! review, since many of the points, especially the good ones, still ring true in this sequel. This season's art, in particular, is absolutely outstanding. It looks amazing, the colors are lively, and the animation is great fun to watch.

The story and pacing, which I criticized a bit in the first season, has come back much, much, improved. The anime feels good to watch, and everything feels paced correctly. Not much to say other ... than that it's good!

The gags have also returned better than ever, and seems to have settled in a healthier, less repetitive spot as compared to the first season (haha, being lazy funny and totally not frustrating to watch!) Needless to say, each episode gave me a couple good laughs and had me smiling all the way through.

More than anything, though, this season really shines thanks to a couple magical scenes which manage to capture the very essence of its slice-of-life roots. Two that immediately come to mind are the night at the school trip and the band's dinner with Christina. It just makes the characters all feel so much more like people and grounds the happy vibes in something closer to reality.

Given all that's so amazing about it, it pains me to say that, unfortunately, this season isn't perfect. The soundtrack, including both opening and ending songs, actually feels like a step down from the mediocrity that was the first seasons'. Especially since the anime is literally about music, I can't help but feel a little taken out of it when some unfitting sentimental soundscape begins to play over a mundane cutesy scene.

To wrap it all up, K-On!! was built to make people smile, from good laughs to heartwarming scenes and just all-around good vibes. It's a much-needed blast of positivity without being obnoxiously up in your face about it. It manages to be novel and refreshing in many ways as well, including its all-girl cast, non-fixation on the male-female relationship, and the blast of a character that is Sawa-chan-sensei. Despite the few flaws it does have, it manages to improve in almost every way from the already fun first season to produce a true comedy slice-of-life classic. Do watch this show, especially if you're looking for a lighthearted story to remedy your boredom.

Just it tries to be, K-On! is a fun, lighthearted watch. The art, story, and characters are full of color in every which direction. Unfortunately, no one was there to tie them all together.

Without question, the strongest point of this series is its artwork. Despite it being over 10 years old, the animation is lively and vibrant beyond compare, and singlehandedly breathes life into the season's cutesy and carefree atmosphere. Some of the facial expressions are somewhat awkward at times, but I otherwise have no reservations about singing praise for K-On!'s visuals.

The rest of the show's components are quite mediocre; nothing is done poorly, but ... there is nothing creative or new, either. Despite the series' namesake in music, the soundtrack is painfully average, with only its ending being a weird simultaneous standout and sore thumb among the cutesy tracks (Fuwa fuwa...) The characters are cute and likable but not memorable by any means.

Don't get me wrong: it's still a very enjoyable show to this point. But as we begin to read into the story, the weaknesses begin to show. Normally, I wouldn't judge a day-to-day slice of life too harshly on this criteria, but the difference is that K-On! *does* try to hold on to a linear narrative - and its attempt at doing so needs so much improvement. Any time a plot point spans multiple episodes (the recruiting Azusa "arc"!) the story becomes dragged down by repetitive humor, with unresolved tensions becoming sources of anxiety in an otherwise carefree show. I pull up K-On! with the expectation of turning off my brain and winding down, not to get frustrated at kids who I know will never seriously confront a problem. In general, this season just feels incredibly disorganized, and is confused on whether it is working toward a narrative climax or completely discrete slice of life. Though it has many elements of the former, I saw a lot of melodramatic potential in the themes of musicality, being in a band, and playing concerts, simply being pushed to the side or forgotten about.

Though I think it's not a bad anime, per se, I would hesitate to actively recommend this show to most people unless you're somewhat bored, you're a musician (the references are quite fun), or you're looking for a brain-number (in a good way, though). I will admit the refreshing happy-go-luckiness was quite therapeutic when my head was in a darker place. Really, regarding any of these aspects, though, you're actually looking the second season: everything that K-On! has but almost universally better and more refined. I would say it's not a bad idea to watch this season if only to have context for K-On!!, but one could also argue that it's not entirely necessary seeing that the story doesn't take any massive strides in these 13 episodes.

Either way, final verdict? Lots of potential, disappointingly underserved by organization. However, situationally still worth a watch, and definitely do check out the second season regardless. 6/10.

A memorable anime, and for good reason! It's a watch worth your time and I would not hesitate to recommend it, especially to fellow classical musicians out there.

The story is quite straightforward, but good nonetheless. It's not the most well-told in terms of pacing, conciseness, and other elements of storytelling, but it gets the job done. The first thing everyone tells me about this anime is how they cried on the last episode, if that's any indication. It also happens to be one of the few anime that truly stands up to, and even improves on, its source material, although that may be obvious due ... to its music-based story.

The art is cleanly done and never falters in quality, though some of the shots could have been framed better. What's more important is the soundtrack. The studio definitely got off easy since they just had to pick and choose music already established by the sieve of time, but it does not change the fact that each and every piece shines brightly in this anime. It really brought out the magic in pieces like Sleeping Beauty, for example; despite being nonessential to the story itself, it encapsulates so well the thrill of playing chamber music and the raw connection it opens between people. Of course, the openings and endings are safe but great as well.

That being said, it's probably not something I'd sit down to watch again, though it is all-around well-done. It's best experienced as the fleeting slice of life that it is, having too little substance to milk anything more out of it. But don't get me wrong, you should still watch Shigatsu. Though small in scope, it works cohesively and stands on its own as a piece of art.