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May 3, 2023
***Non-spoiler section
I think griddyweeb's review summed it up very well (though I gave a Mixed Feelings rating instead). To the point where I don't feel I need to say anything more really (though I will anyway). Go read that review, sort by new to find it (as of April '24).
This show was an enjoyable watch, to be fair, but reflecting on it afterward I became more negative on it and realized that it was pretty misleading to the viewer about what it is/its motivations. If you're thinking about skipping this show, that wouldn't be a bad choice at all. It has its positives, but
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there are plenty of shows out there worth your time that are more honest with you.
***Spoilers:
The title of this anime might make you think that it's sketchy fantasy bait for lonely/stunted men.
And you would be right... more or less. It's not as bad about that as it could have been, and even makes you think better of it while watching it. But upon reflection I realized that it was a sketchy anime after all, in its own way, and should be considered such.
Begrudgingly, I do kind of like this show -- it is surprisingly watchable, with a good flow between the episodes. I enjoyed it along the way, more than I do most anime lately, honestly. However, "begrudgingly" because I did come to feel in the end that this show is not-so-respectable indulgent fantasy. I didn't quite realize that until later in the show, after some unnecessary scenes that were red flags (anime gonna anime I guess) and the ending scene leaving a bad aftertaste for me.
Regarding the ending, it all but confirms that the two leads get together a couple years later after she graduates. While I kind of didn't mind this at first, upon reflection, this ending changed my feelings about the show from overall positive to mixed. While the time skip makes the age gap more palatable, it feels like the show is trying to morally rationalize itself. Them getting together takes a lot of coolness away from the "good guy" main character taking the moral high road throughout the show, since now I see him more as a self-insert for the writer/audience to experience a morally excused schoolgirl fantasy.
A much better ending would have been if the two leads didn't end up together, but rather became like close family to each other for the rest of their lives. Perhaps that ending wouldn't satisfy indulgent fantasies, maybe would've frustrated many viewers, but it'd be a more classy ending and would challenge the audience to sacrifice indulgence for meaning and maturity (for an audience who probably needs that). That would've made the show so much better that I almost want to write a whole new story for that ending myself. But this show was never meant to be that kind of story, I suppose.
Sure, this anime has positives and could've been far more indecent, I just think it should be recognized as the indulgent fantasy that it is, no more no less. How you feel about it being that is up to you, just good to know beforehand.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 23, 2017
I've been distantly aware of Spice & Wolf for years and years, so I figured it being Thanksgiving would be a good time to watch it.
This show has likable protagonists and very good dub voices in my opinion. The OP and ED songs are quality as well, and the soundtrack is sprinkled with music fitting of the setting.
The dialogue was overall good too, I enjoyed the banter between the protagonists. It may just be me, though, but the dialogue felt a little confusing at parts. It was more plot-driven than I expected; I was expecting more slice-and-life. Not that plot is a bad thing,
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but I think it would have benefited more from the latter. Maybe the manga is more like that? The show seems a bit cobbled together at parts yet it does have intelligence at its core, so it gives me the sense that the manga is likely more well-'Craft'ed. :P
It's still a reasonably solid, fair anime. I'm semi-interested in reading the manga. I may have expected more out of Spice & Wolf but it's one of those shows I could see growing on me bit by bit over time. 6.7/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Oct 23, 2017
This is a pretty big stinker. The shameless ecchi gets annoying after a while, though sometimes the shamelessness itself was amusing. There were a couple funny moments that made me laugh. It also seems to be aware enough to know that it's a stupid show; that doesn't *not* make it stupid, but at least that's something. Voice acting in the English dub is respectable. The animation and character design aren't bad. It's very goofy yet not that funny. And if you're not laughing or in it for the ecchi then you've got nothing left here.
I think this would've been a way more interesting anime
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if the monster part of the girls was their heads instead of their legs. Just picture it. Now that would've been something.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Oct 8, 2017
I didn't have much hopes for this going in because the cover art looks very cliche. What ended up happening was my expectations were realized in some areas but I was pleasantly surprised in others.
First, the concept of the show is cool. Unlocking magical devices unique to each person is interesting and I think the plot had a solid basis. There were a few strings of episodes that had me invested. However there were some episodes where I was less invested, and the plot is a messy one which didn't help matters. Poorly explained character motivations.
So while the plot is half-baked, the area I was
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pleasantly surprised in was the production value. The art style is standard but the animation was above average and, particularly, the music was the standout element from this show. I kind of want to say you can just listen to the OST on YouTube and skip the show, but it's not so bad as for me to say "avoid at all costs" because I could see some people liking Guilty Crown. Otherwise it's just a middle-of-the-road show for me with one of the better soundtracks out there as its strong point.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Sep 13, 2017
Providing a glimpse of the many ways that people hurt and find healing, Bartender is a very relaxed, thoughtful, and classy anime that you might want to watch between the myriad of action anime out there. If you want an anime that is very much what it seems, this a great choice. Some of its plot hooked me more than other parts but I could see how someone could enjoy any of them.
One criticism is that this anime is a bit information heavy. It goes into detail about a drink's history each episode, and while I found that somewhat interesting, it could be more
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information to absorb than I cared to. I also think I would've preferred if the characters' stories unraveled throughout the series rather than episodically so I could be more invested. Maybe not. I may rewatch it sometime and see if I can appreciate their backstories better.
Bartender is an outpost to stop by, to watch something a little different before you move on to the next show. I don't think it will be a stand out show to me in the long run, but it is special in that it changed a real life perspective of mine: it gave me the appreciation of bartending as a noble profession.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Sep 9, 2017
I highly enjoyed the first season of AoT -- I felt it started stronger than it finished but it was still quite good.
I was looking forward to the second season, but it felt lacking most of the time. Some plot twists were interesting, but could've been executed better. I didn't remember half the characters from the first season (to my own fault), so some of their interactions left me feel a bit out of the loop. There were a few engaging scenes, particularly the fight sequences, and I'm a fan of the art style as ever. Hype intro song.
Overall the main issue is that I
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just felt very little attachment to anything going on in the story; characters had iffy motives that I couldn't really sympathize with. It wasn't quite the "pageturner" that the first season was. Wasn't worth the wait. :P Though I'm still invested enough to watch the eventual Season 3, you could say I wasn't a GIANT fan of season 2. :P
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jun 6, 2017
I was recommended Assassination Classroom after asking people for anime similar to Naruto's Chuunin Exam arc. The arc where taking a difficult written exam becomes really big drama-fueled mind games and students use creative methods to cheat on it, I've always felt that was a really underrated part of the show.
I feel Assassination Classroom is largely only similar to that on paper. This is mostly a comedy and while there is some test-driven drama, it's not very common, so I don't feel it was an accurate recommendation.
However, it wasn't a completely terrible show. Though I found the comedy hit-and-miss, there were moments where I laughed,
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as well as a few other moments I enjoyed. There were a couple particularly likable characters as well.
For me personally, though, the laughs weren't frequent enough and the plot too thin for me to score this very high. Despite its bizarre concept it's a pretty mediocre anime and left me feeling neither here nor there, which can be categorized as a waste of time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jun 5, 2017
Well that was something.
Texhnolyze immersed me instantly with its cool "show, not tell" atmosphere/vibe. Sure not much character development happened in the early episodes but I was fine with that because it was only the first act, so I enjoyed it for what it was.
Despite saying I liked "show don't tell," as the series progressed and the stakes were raised I wish they told us just a little more, like why some characters behaved certain ways.
I feel like I'm missing a few plot points... I think it's great that this show doesn't fully explain everything, but I need just a little more to be
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able to piece stuff together.
I do like parts of it and ideas they were going for, but the show didn't make enough sense and felt like a weird fever dream that gets worse further into the night. Though I guess that also ties into why I partially liked it.
I both liked Texhnolyze and I didn't and it's a very difficult show to rate. At least it showed a side of humanity we don't always see, that's why I like sci-fi. So, it's refreshing in that regard and there is just something about it that I do like. Maybe I'll grow to like it more the longer it resides in my brain. It's definitely a show that leaves an impression, which is a good quality in itself. Unlike many other shows that I score "low", I could see myself rewatching this and maybe even introducing it to someone else just to see what they think. It's not perfect but at least it's different.
Update (08/17): Texhnolyze is an anime that stays with you. It's a heavy story that brings about emotion when I think back to it. I'm still not sure how much I "like" it, but I think I've grown to appreciate it more over time. It's an interesting exhibition of mankind that you will rarely see elsewhere.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 18, 2017
*Reading this review will make you notice bad things about the movie. So if you haven't seen it yet, don't read this.
Your Name is like that one SpongeBob episode where he's wearing inflatable muscles that look impressive, but when he tries to actually lift weights his arms pop off his shoulders. Your Name looks great visually, but as far as plot goes, its arms pop off.
It's also a good-hearted Film with wonderful art.
If you're looking to zone out to something on a rainy Sunday afternoon and can easily emotionally connect with movies, Your Name may be a good pick. It has some really great
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background art to take in, a few funny scenes, and has sincerity to it.
However, I did score this a 4/10. Being fairly boring aside, its main problem is that it does not make sense. Its leaps of logic took me out of the movie, including: confusing scene order, a peabrained "romance" storyline, and contradictory/unexplained plot devices. Makoto Shinkai is clearly skilled in art and cinematography, but here, the storytelling is not very much that. I feel like the movie rides on its charm and visuals, hoping that's enough for you to not notice its poor writing. To be fair, the strategy worked for most of its audience.
The characters are likable (I liked Mitsuha the most), but you don't get to know them well. Not enough for them to be of much impact. My favorite stories are character-driven, and this isn't. But Miyazaki characters are the same way, yet those movies are pretty good. I did feel a tinge of emotion for these characters, but I hardly knew them and their story wasn't told well, so it wasn't much.
I can see why people like Your Name, it has its moments and is visually outstanding. Most people like the movie, maybe you do as well. Maybe I'll like it more someday when I'm less critical, since I did like parts of it.
Still, the more I think about the movie, the more I believe that its plot was only about 70% properly finished. What it tried to deliver needed another 45 minutes of character and plot development, because much of it makes no sense and feels cut off from itself, like an incomplete sentence. Maybe Shinkai knows this more than anyone and ran out of time by a large measure.
A good-spirited movie with fantastic visuals, enjoyable humor, and a disjointed narrative.
Might I add this: when you encounter someone who dislikes something popular that you enjoyed yourself, you can see them as someone to resent and oppose, or you can see them as someone who wasn't allowed to enjoy something everyone else did. A boat you may be in sooner or later.
TL;DR: Your Lame XD
4/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Apr 10, 2017
Random train station fluff. There were flickers of quality once in a while.
I think it is a good pick if you're a young adolescent and you get excited by dumb fan service. I was once that, it is only a part of growth. I think 12 y.o. me would've been A-OK with this anime, and not for the story (there is no story).
If you're anyone else -- eh. It's almost watchable, but there's no real reason to hop on board. Unless you're just in the mood to watch generic anime stuff happen on a train station, I wouldn't choo choo choose Rail Wars for
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you, one might say.
It might benefit from the 4 A.M. Technique, where you watch a show that doesn't require thinking at 4 A.M. and somehow enjoy it more due to your delirious state. So, maybe try that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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