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Paprika is a 2006 film from renowned director Satoshi Kon.

First thing first, i must state that this film totally dissapointed me. It was a dissapointment from Kon's career perspective and from the anime media perspective. As i had heard marvels about this film i couldn't be more excited, yet all that thrill faded rapidly away.

For the story, the concept is interesting and the initial presentation of characters and setting engaging, but as the plot advances on it gets simplier and simplier to the point of being just a mere story of good guys vs bad guys. Also, the plot is predictable a lot of ... the time so there is little to no thrill.

The visual part of the film is possible the best, as the animation itself is as good as it can get, what you should expect from a top tier production like this. The designs are similar to other Kon films, perhaps the colour palette is brightier than in his other works. The film exploit its resources trying to give life to the world of dreams with uneven results. Most of the times they look good, but i cannot leave behind the sensation that for a film of this scale it should have been a lot more wildier and exciting, all the oniric sequences are not especially original, not a single moment that leaves you breathless, and that is a shame accounting other works of the director. Saying that we can tackle other of the film problems: It relies too much on the visuals to enhance the narrative. Normally this shouldnt be a problem, moreover a strengthy feature, but as the story is pretty simple and the characters are just what meets the eye you get to the feeling that there should be more to fill that void. In other animes happen that the design and visuals tend to be symbolic without a true meaning, Evangelion for example, but in those cases those visual features set the mood and give identity to the show, even if what you see is there for the sake of itself. Paprika is not the case, here you get the impression of being fooled into think it is a visionary and intelectual work when it isnt.

The version i saw was dubbed in my language (spanish), for those with interest in it, i must say that it was quite alright, a correct dubbing exercise without special merits but without many flaws. The only complain is the usual heartless performance of the voice actors, but in spanish anime dubs this is common to happen so i really wouldnt give it a lot of attention. The Soundtrack and sound effects are good, the same as with visuals, what you might be expecting from a film like this.

Overall, Paprika is a well-intended film with good direction and production but is dragged down by a mediocre plot. Not just an mediocre plot but a plot developed in the way that it builds high expectations just to burst the bubble as minutes go by.
I personally consider this the worst film work by Satoshi Kon and a truly overrated piece of anime.

You wont die from seeing it, but it is just a little above average, dont expect any masterpiece

Semete, Ano Yuki no You ni, is a 2010 doujinshi by Fujimari.

This reading tells a short, conclusive young romance story. It is difficult diving into the plot without making spoilers, so we will get away with the very summary of MAL: "A bittersweet story of young love".

To say something, the story is not extremely thrilling but it manages to get you into it thanks to the relatable setting, adequate pace and themes of the story. One of those cases when you know you are reading something you might have already read or seen somewhere else but dont care because of the high quality ... of the material.

Design, composition and all related to the art are quite good. I am not really into the doujinshi scene so i dont know how this work should rank, but nevertheless is narratively profficient. Not really complex, with perhaps an excesive absence of backgrounds at times, but still appealing and pretty adequate considering the nature of the story.

To sum things up, this is a doujinshi that i am sure has gone sadly unnoticed, but it is totally worth reading. Asides from the objective factors mentioned above, it is extremely touching work that succeeds on generating emotions on the reader much better than a lot of other big, lengthier renowned works.

A clear case of quality over quantity, give it a try and you wont regret it

Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 is an 42 min. OVA from 1987 that delivers fast-paced over-the-top mecha action.

The story is quite simple yet effective, it doesnt challenge intelectually the viewer but it is still thrilling and keeps you looking at the screen until credit end titles pop up. However this might be the weakest point of MADOX-01, as, at least in my case, it leaves the sensation that five to ten minutes more of footage could have improved the overall result. A bit more of character development, exposition about the world in which the action takes place or whatever that could have enriched the storyline ... surely would be welcomed. In any case, it's just an appreciation, i am ok with the story for the most part. The main story concept is still pretty cool and badass and the characters are sympathetic even if a little bit typical, specially the villain.

The visuals and design are alright, the MADOX is pretty cool and the plot leave enough place to show off properly all the blaze and guns, the character design is nothing special yet not bad, mildly above average. Animation itself goes the same way, not the richest you'll see but actually good for a production of this scale, with cool chases and fights, explosions, city destruction and all that.

The sound is pretty much the same as with the visuals, correct for the most part. As i have seen a subbed version i wont really talk much about it, the seiyuus seem appropriate and deliver convincing performances.

As for the enjoyment, here is where Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 excells. Despite it small scale, recurrent setting and lack of depth, the fast pace where there is no window for a breath prevents from distracting and the coolness and 80's charm also do their work on making the viewer overlook the OVA flaws.

This isn't the definitive anime, it doesnt even come near to be a classic, but that is part of the play. You wont get a fond impression that will change you forever, instead when you stop the video at the end you will be think "yeah, that was pretty rad".

Give it a chance and you wont be dissapointed, just be sure to know what you are getting into

I"s is one of my favourite readings ever.

What in the beginning might look kind of typical or foreseeable comes in the end to be the ultimate shonen romance story.

If we were to talk more in detail:

The story is a clear 10.
As i have said before, it might be overlooked at the beginning but rapidly gains strength thanks to the right balance of comedy and drama.
The author uses almost every cliché of the genre but thanks to superb execution you dont get tired. When i say that i mean that it feels more like an epic adventure than the average slice-of-life romance you might ... be expecting when the story goes through all the topical happenings and situations, so where a mild laughter should go on there is great tension and sense of resolution, as if of a combat scenario in a battle manga were talking about.
Special mention to the conclusion, one of the most moving i have yet read.

All the characters are well-written and feel unique and different from each other. Again, even if they might initially look topical they all eventually get to show what they got. It is difficult not to feel related to most of them one time or another, specially the main protagonist.

The art is as good as it can get. Character design, movement, backgrounds, etc. an S-rank work.
I cant stop metioning all the ecchi scenes, magistrally executed without leaving any feeling of being just bait.

One should not judge a book by its cover, and I"s might be a clear case of that statement.
You get far more the you could expect, if you are looking for a light-hearted romance with some spicy moments you will get that, but you will also get an incredibly relatable humane story with great characterization that without a doubt will get a special place in your memories.

This is my first review so, please, forgive my naivety. I hope it will result useful for all of you