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Jan 21, 2025
Dropping it after the third episode because it unmistakably signaled to be a trashy, deranged show.
I have no idea why it's still rated 7.3, while Bucchigiri (another silly ass Mappa original) only got 6.5.
The trailers released for this (apart from the latest ones) were very misleading and made me think of something meta and psychological like Look Back, but the first ep already had a very light and random tone that got progressively worse.
The premise is ridiculous and there's a constant need to throw lame, tired "comedy" all over each episode, which made me lose all respect and engagement with the possible "dramatic"
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developments that could happen.
Characters are shallow and dialogues dry, art is average and the colors are so saturated my eyes hurt and I need to turn down my screen brightness.
Plot has been in a loop for three episodes and there's a lot of chaotic events and transitions that don't fit together at all.
I don't understand this recent Mappa "tradition" of releasing an original anime that's self sabotaged and doesn't even try to be something good. Maybe it is an intentional parody of Look Back? Like Bucchigiri would be for Wind Breaker? Even so, it did not turn out well.
I think Bucchigiri was considerably better than this, but probably less people watched, or were icked by the "BL" vibes of it, while "nerdy girl in fantasy setting" is never gonna receive the hate of the majority of the anime community, obviously.
I assume someone might want to bear through a whole braindead ep just to know what the 40 seconds of hand-drawn animation will reference this time, but that's not worth it in my opinion.
Bucchigiri had fantastic background design, stylish looking characters, cool action and addicting OP and ED. I managed to watch six episodes before realizing its flaws, while with Zenshuu they're obvious and unbearable from ep 3.
I do not recommend this show, either watch a decent fantasy or some quality comedy, don't waste time on this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 17, 2025
TLDR
This show is like Attack on Titan. Edgy mc, lots of gore and no weird fanservice, can be recommended to your normie friends.
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I walked into this thinking it was gonna be the usual uber popular anime for guys that's 50% action 50% sausage fest littered with aberrant fetishes (imoutos, little girls, furries, you know the shows) but it wasn't, and that's probably why I could enjoy it so much. The most embarrassing scene is the nurses getting worked up about his sculpted abs, which makes for an interesting subversion of typical fan service. There was so little of it that the anime community complained about
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the brother-sister relationship being "too normal", go figure.
The first episode was atypical in that it ended on a cliffhanger, which feels like a slightly sneaky thing to do, since the audience will continue watching mostly just to see the settling of the crisis and not because they genuinely think the show looks interesting.
I was also surprised by the underdog meek guy harboring so much hatred and spitting insults to everyone before the pivotal moment happened. It was quite weird but also refreshing because not many "heroes" are shown having dark and mean emotions. This bottled up resentment comes up often and is probably supposed to depict an edgy and cold mc, but sometimes it felt childish and almost comical. The guy is a chill dude and usually acts/thinks normally though, so I never really disliked him.
There was a switch between two episodes that was unrealistic and ridiculous: dude rolls in a scrawny boy and emerges a tall, jacked gigachad that only speaks in baritone and makes even that dorky hoodie look like fashion. All in a matter of a few days spent doing rehab at a hospital, where he also got a haircut somehow.
Of course this also happened because he took advantage of the "game system" for recovery, and speaking of, I quite enjoyed the streamlined design of it (all written in great english) and the quests being complex and immersive.
Plot wise I did not like the overused "trope" that the more unassuming the dungeon looks the more it will turn out to be a hellhole full of psychopaths.
On the other side, I enjoyed the "business" arc where he and rich kid work and manage issues in an organic and gradual way.
If anything, events happened pretty fast, first season felt really like the story is barely accelerating from the starting line and makes me hope for more developments.
Storytelling is nothing great and there's some goofy handling here or there, but is good enough for casual watching when relaxing.
I forgot to mention the impressive quality of animation and production which was another factor that convinced me to keep on watching. Fight scenes were well choreographed and with an abundance of details (especially for the gore), but also great at depicting haunting atmospheres and menacing bosses.
Sound design was also great, with innovative "background noises" like a muted laughter while a character was thinking. Soundtrack also well developed and very good at increasing the hype of fight scenes or the depth of dramatic moments.
OP and EP were sleek and inviting, especially ED.
Overall an enjoyable action/dark/supernatural show with great production and an interesting enough story that you could recommend to your normie friends without fear of being called a creep that drools over anime girls lol.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 5, 2025
Worth watching because the heartfelt moments were really good and always able to make my eyes water, but the plot handling was extremely slow and dialogues pretty poor.
At first I enjoyed getting soaked into the atmosphere, but by the end of the series I was watching at 1.5x speed and it was not even enough to get it on par with the rhythm of a normal anime.
At least half of any episode was filled with names repeated over and over, as if that would help make any more sense of them (Bora, Pluto, Abullah etc.). People never really had conversations, it was rather A
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saying X to B and B answering with something unrelated without any acknowledgement for A's words. Also many characters literally only had one line to say every time they showed up, like the old musician's "Robots are soulless machines!" and Tenma's "Only extreme emotions can wake up a robot from its endless simulation" yadda yadda.
Plot wise, I eye-rolled anytime one of the S-rank robots got killed by Pluto. Like guys, you know that thing is after you and it's really strong, so stay together and think of something, no? Two robots disappeared without realising, two tried to wrestle it alone because macho pride, and the other three got tricked in the cheesiest way. In the end we understand that maybe they weren't actually defeated, but rather gave up because they understood Pluto's motives, but still it was quite frustrating to see them go so helplessly.
I also did not like that we didn't have a character to hang on to, as literally all of them died, first Atom, then Gesicht... Before Atom's resurrection we were left with Epsilon, the bodyguard robot and the PTSD child, a very random choice for leads.
Very smoky developments and choppy pacing, with one ep ending on a cliffhanger making you think they solved everything, and the next ep beginning with a 17 minute flashback of a secondary character. We as audience know the ringleader since ep 5, but until the end of the last episode nobody is certain or even on the right way to find out, apart form the "greatest detective of all times" that gets killed way too easily.
The "Evil front" was not complex in a good way, but extremely convoluted and confusing with all those unneeded aliases.
On one side we had the Thracian president controlled by the teddy bear ai, and the Persian front was a whole genealogy of robots creating other robots without even knowing (Tenma created Goji, Abullah created Sahad, Goji substituted Abullah and created Bora, while Sahad was transferred into Pluto, or so I got it? And what about the cockroach man in a trench??). I can understand the attempt at making a slow deduction game of putting the pieces together, but it fell through at the end and just felt like a jumbled mess.
Amidst all of the slowness, repetition and lameness, I gotta say the animation was very good, and I really liked the realistic artstyle for facial expressions.
It's kind of weird how the aesthetics of this series is full of hardened middle aged blokes with receding hairlines, unibrows, deep wrinkles and impressive noses. It feels like a way to filter out horny teens looking for half naked girls and select a mature audience that is there for the plot and the philosophical implications.
There are indeed serious themes like war trauma, homicide, insanity, hate-crime, manipulation, etc. and emotional scenes are carried out solemnly and intensely.
But the logical and storytelling aspects are almost below those of run-of-the-mill isekais, with excessive exposition and unnecessary handholding through obvious passages, as if we were lobotomized apes, only to then plunge us in the darkness of some gigantic plotholes.
Yes, dear authors, we get it that Epsilon runs on solar power and is therefore weaker in the rain or at night, you said it four times already! Yes, we know that Atom lied to Helena even without her spelling it out, do you think we did not watch the previous episodes at all?! Why don't you elaborate more on the meaning of those ever-blooming tulips instead? What about that stone faced deity? And most importantly, who the heck did Braun 1589 kill and why?
The soundtrack was very good, played by a real orchestra and capable of being majestic or ominous in the perfect way. I especially love that deep, mechanical bass at the beginning of Pluto's theme. Duuun. Duuun.
Overall an enjoyable series if you take it for what it is and not for what it tries to be.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 23, 2024
What is the point of producing an anime that looks like the fanart retracing of an already poor looking comic?
I was charmed by the first season's vibrant aesthetics, poetic BGM, and the arbitrary but somewhat fascinating worldbuilding, but season two made me realise how much animation quality was important for me to enjoy this series.
What we got now is something that looks like the cheapest, most generic run-of-the-mill isekai seasonal you could imagine, where (save a couple seconds in fight scenes) not even main characters deserve to have proper shadowing and detailing of their faces, and animation fluidity is something I myself could replicate using
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MS Paint.
Plot wise the time skip was also very jarring. We know the conclusion of S1 was dramatic and with lots of plot holes, but after a six-year timeskip I did not expect to bear through the shouting of an annoying new mc and a very slow plot pacing, with three episodes spent on a single uninteresting exam floor. An example of where a similar situation was instead well handled could be Oshi no Ko S2: the plot is excruciatingly slow so far, but I'm still watching and enjoying the show because production quality is through the roof, making even a super boring administrative quarrel suddenly interesting.
I did try to read the webtoon of ToG for the first chapters of S1 and S2, but got shivers at the quality of drawing. I know this series has a huge fanbase but I fail to understand how something with such immature aesthetics and meandering dialogues could become so popular. Again, a done right example of this could be Jujutsu Kaisen: I really don't get the hype and don't like how basic and messy the drawings are in the manga, but I did enjoy the anime a lot because that's a work of art of an adaptation, not just animation and production-wise, but also when it comes to make everything, from barebone scenes to cardboard characters, look and feel so much richer and sexier.
If you're going to make an anime when the source material is a full color comic and there already is a videogame adaptation, it better be something that stands out artistically in some way, otherwise what's the point in watching it?
A lot of people say the plot is gonna get good soon, but at this point I'm better off bracing myself and reading the comic because at least there won't be random cuts to the dialogues and sub scenes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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May 20, 2024
Let's start with the good.
- First ever instance of two popular western artists writing opening and ending score SPECIFICALLY for a japanese anime (and doing a damn good job at that)
- Weekly live streaming of new eps on twitter for everyone to watch FOR FREE
- Production I.G. getting the animation right when it comes to weapons and monsters
Now comes the bad.
- Slow and janky plot (5 eps to get past the entrance exam and random timeskips, like the three month period where Kafka was being a kaijuu on the run but casually managed to pass the written test he had been failing for a decade)
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Dull and derpy character design (don't wanna be a hater to the anime artist but why he gotta draw such goofy faces and gummy bodies, I still have ptsd from the latest seasons of Naruto Shippuden) with lifeless coloring and goofy military equipment
That said, I believe the biggest problem of this anime is the main character.
MC being a grown adult and still acting like a cringe middle schooler is frankly unwatchable. What makes the situation beyond incomprehensible is that the rich elite girl is somehow falling for him? I get it she knows he can be really strong (and she might have a thing for monsters..) but can't dude act normally in the day to day without insulting all the 30 somethings watching this? (I'm in my mid twenties but the second hand embarrassment is real).
This guy grew old with the idea that he absolutely has to be the lead superhero (and for a shallow and tropey reason imo), and now he's showing how pitiful he is at it. He only got a second chance because he randomly ingested that mutant mosquito and became OP, but he wasn't naturally strong or resilient like other shonen mcs. If there is something that he does well is monster analysis and strategy, so why not accept your expertise and cultivate it in the support backline like the computer girl? His stubbornness is not admirable, it's dumb and immature. His "heroic" deeds he can only perform with undeserved monster 'roids, while as a person he hasn't grown past eighth grade. Instead of inspiring his younger colleagues with his life experience he chooses to pass as the goofball to avoid sinking into self abatement and confidence issues. His whole character reinforces the age related insecurities the watcher might have and normalizes being a manchild as "comic relief", with the catchline "mc is in his thirties" being meaningless bait. Only thing dude thankfully hasn't done yet is being a creep with teenagers because it would have made me drop the show instantly.
All the other characters so far have stayed in the background and are quite forgettable (hair color is the main way to tell them apart). Shinomiya's character dynamic as tsundere is predictable and I'm afraid Ashiro will end up doing the same by the end of the season, falling for the MC for no reason (if she hasn't already).
The only character I do like is Hoshina. Looking like the underdog airhead but being the coolest person in the room, a good team leader and Ashiro's right hand man. Cracking manzai jokes one moment and dicing kaijuus the other. The different sides of his personality coexist harmoniously without the cringe contrast of poorly timed comedy as it happens in other parts of the show. Him teasing Kafka but then actually showing jealousy for Ashiro in episode 5 was my favourite funny scene so far.
All in all, this series had potential and good production value but it can't seem to take off and it is leaving me disappointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 29, 2024
I was iffy at first because the beginning had a lot of tropes, but now I'm glad I stayed so I could enjoy this wholesome, sweet story.
Animation was unfortunately on the lower end of quality, and I'm not a fan of the typical BL manga pointy noses and rectangular languid eyes, but sometimes there were sakuga and emotional expressions were well portrayed.
In the first episodes I was borderline fighting my despise with the premise that two seemingly hetero virgins got paired up with bi/homo-open guys, because it really felt like the plot was saying: "they're such losers that no woman would ever want them, so
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they have to become gay to try and get some crumbles of love and sex”. But I'm glad that things then took a serious turn and their "unexpected" love experience was not reduced or ridiculed in the least, but explored in a sincere and respectful way.
The daily work happenings and interactions with colleagues (especially in the first part) were for the most part boring or irritating (so much it almost made me quit halfway), although I appreciated the realism of workplace challenges and demands.
Most dialogues were surprisingly intelligent and realistic, developing sides and perspectives that are completely ignored in other similar works and expressing gradual but healthy and mature perspectives in each character.
I really appreciated that despite the stormy and eager flirting of the first part, the story focused strongly on feelings more than sensuality, and sex happened naturally and only when BOTH of them were completely invested and smitten (travelling 1000 km simply bc they missed each other, like wow). Very wholesome and different from the usual rapey shit trope where the top guy forces himself on the other bc he "can't control himself" and other out of pocket bullshit.
Plot was quite slow and with lots of side "quests" and characters, although the pacing was quite confusing: one episode they would reach a significant point in their relationship, the next everything had halted for what seemed like months (?) because they were both "too busy with work". Makes you wonder if storytelling is cheesy or if it's meant to represent the actual situation of working couples in Japan (*shivers). Also the breaking of communications in both couples at ep 10 was unrealistic and clearly wanted to conjure up a "cliffhanger" vibe for the final episodes, which was kinda cheap.
I was pretty unconvinced by the Tsuge - Minato coupling at first but in the end it managed to be an interesting dynamic with depth and tenderness.
Now the best part, the thing that saved the show, was the beautifully intimate atmosphere that happened every time Adachi and Kurosawa got close to each other. The looks, body language, voice acting, suspension of music, were all done so well I would start crying (or sweating..) whenever I least expected it. And those hugs, oh my god those hugs. One could think that's a simple and vanilla display of affection, but a hug can be a most intimate gesture, making both people feel vulnerable and connected (even when they can't read each other's mind). I screenshotted the hell out of those. I'm so thankful the author portrayed the characters' feelings in such a resonating way.
Also in love with Kurosawa as a character, looking like the lead but being so sensitive and vulnerable around Adachi, who was exploring his own feelings while trying to being open and honest even in the hard moments.
The ending was very wholesome and hopefully will spread an important message about inclusion. I admire the author for portraying homosexual love as complex and layered, but most importantly, as natural and normal as any other kind of love.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 28, 2024
People that dislike fanservice must NOT watch it lmao.
I mean, in a way it's interesting because it's like a meta commentary by the authors, saying: we deliberately don't put fanservice in the normal story but this is to show you we're very well capable of it.
The thing is, this ain't fanservice, it's straight up hentai. Meaning not only excessive but even bad looking (the anime aesthetics and animation style are objectively not really fit for that kind of visuals in my opinion).
I was flabbergasted and I'm really thankful this is separate from the series I know and love, which does feature spicy innuendos
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but in a tasteful and funny way.
The only thing I personally enjoyed about this episode was Shirogane desperately trying to remain virtuous and not admit his lowly desires like Ishigami lol.
The second part with the "Masterchef challenge" was ok but I never really laughed, probably also bc I was still jaded about the previous part.
Altogether a small, weird treat for the fans, but not worth watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 9, 2024
Disappointing show that has an explosive first episode and then falls into blandness, free vulgarity and lack of direction, with mid animation and a core side character that was introduced only after 8 episodes of being plastered all over the OP.
The whole theme of overwork and burakku kaisha is probably an unintentional meta ironic remark on the state of the anime studio, which had to go on hiatus for many weeks because of delays in the production.
The final arc had an undeveloped and clicheed antagonist and some infuriatingly random poop-sex jokes, which I've come to realize are the established way to signal the writers are
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grasping at straws and contentedly gave up on trying to make a good work.
I'd say don't even watch the first episode bc it will make you want to continue and it will NOT be worth it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 9, 2024
Kusuriya no Hitorigoto is a beautiful, well produced series, but content wise it's like a punch in your face showing everything wrong with the patriarchy.
Jinshi falls in love with MaoMao exactly bc she's the only woman that is literate, can think for herself and doesn't want to be passive with men, which makes her feel more like a man of equal status and not a pleasure toy as all the other women are.
The series knows how to grab people's hearts and does it well. I cried many times because of how heartfelt some scenes regarding maternity were (the two emperor wives losing their children even
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though they were trying their best as mothers) and the antics between the characters were entertaining and addicting.
However I couldn't help cringing every time I saw a man pay for having sex with a woman or for buying her as wife number 2 or 3. Even the most poignant female characters cannot escape their fate of being treated as high-end sexual objects, that exist only to serve and please men and whose dignity mostly lies in being able to accept the future that was decided for them without wavering to the voice of a fickle sentiment called "self agency".
It's like watching beautiful paradise birds in an aviary. You like them, you want to protect them, find them endearing, observing how each has their own personality and interesting interactions with the others is a pastime you'd never get tired of. But you never once doubt that they are your possession and you could easily move them, sell them or kill them if you had to. As MaoMao tries to tell Jinshi, it's not about whether he wants it or likes it, the fact that he as a man has overwhelming power over women's lives is something he can't deny and that will likely not ever change in their society.
Honestly I don't know why so many people seem unbothered by the poor condition of women in the story or are able to overlook it in favour of the quality of production, as this clashes quite a lot with the contemporary feminist and equality views that are trying to emerge in recent years and make the anime feel like an anachronistic backlash of conservative fantasies.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 4, 2023
This show was overhyped because it's produced by Mappa, but apart from the normally decent animation, story is bland and characters blander. It's starts out like a documentary on medieval execution methods and continues into at least a couple disenbowelments per episode. With all this bloodshed one would expect some emotion, and yet. The beginning with Gabimaru's "mistery" and backstory was interesting but then they had to throw in all these forgettable characters. I swear all of them could die right this instant (and they do) and I wouldn't bat an eye. The only scene I liked was the wild young girl eating snakes with
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his granpa, go figure. Many times I have the feeling some scenes of the manga have been cut out or dealt with sloppily. And I haven't even read the manga. The plot is too slow, the characters are just uttering commonplace, and there's not a definite vibe that the show wants to set on or flesh out properly. Is it battle royale? nah, too plain. Is it action? Eh. Is it romance? Sure not. Is it horror? Please. Is it.. just gore? Probably.
So many elements thrown in the bucket, that in the end nothing prevails. Truly reflecting of the mc's personality, Gabimaru the Hollow.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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