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Jul 27, 2020
I'll try to limit the amount of spoilers in this review, so everything I mention is basically what you'll find in a blurb for this show. This show's been one of the most hyped anime this season, and I gotta say, it's a bit disappointing how much this anime falls short of my expectations. While the animation can be impressive in some of the fighting sequences in this shows, it fails to compensate for the sloppy storytelling in this anime adaption. A lot of people are going on about how good this anime is, but it's obvious they're mainly talking about the animation and are
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overlooking glaringly obvious flaws. I haven't read the webtoon, but I'll probably give it a try if it's any better than the story in the anime. Let me know if it is.
(STORY & CHARACTERS) Like I mentioned earlier, the story is just not very good, and that's my biggest gripe with this show. Usually, I can power through an anime with mediocre writing, but I just couldn't go past episode 4. The show starts with a martial arts tournament high school students are entering in order to have their wishes granted should they win, and we get to learn some of the wishes from our main protagonists—Jin Mori, Dan Hwai, and Yoo Mira. Our trio's personalities seem distinct enough, but their backgrounds are just all a bit cliche. We have the goofy martial arts enthusiast, the young swordsman trying to reignite their dying swordstyle/dojo, and the boy who want to the save their dying friend's life. We've seen it all before, but that wasn't enough for me to drop the show just yet. We start to move away from the tournament and into the lives of our trio, and the story is just nonsensical and way too fast. I get the main point of the show is fighting, but don't focus solely on that at the expense of the storytelling. It's just leads to laughably bad writing which has been the case in this anime.
(ANIMATION & SOUNDTRACK) The best part of this show is its smooth animation and upbeat soundtrack. This anime has an appealing art style that keeps me interested unlike most of the anime being pumped out each season. While it's not the most unique art style, it's definitely not mediocre. Each character design is unique, making it easy to distinguish characters from one another. The fight scenes, as expected, are where the animation stands out the most for me. The fighting choreography is pretty well-done and you can see that each hit has some clear weight when striking characters or the even the environment. It's clear whoever animated the fighting scenes, knows something about martial arts or consulted someone who does. Unfortunately, there are some frames where the animation seems sloppy when contrasted with the well-drawn ones, but is hidden in the fast pace of the fighting sequences. It's clear they passed some of these frames as it grants more fluidity in the movement of the characters, but I feel like more care could have been taken in these scenes when your story already sucks. While the soundtrack does not quite match the quality of the animation, it's interesting enough.
(WRAP UP) Basically, if you're just into an anime with lots of fighting, you'll probably like this show if you just turn your brain off However, if you're hoping for a compelling story, you won't enjoy this show. I know people keep saying that the story is deep and gets more interesting as the show/webtoon goes on, but I honestly don't care at this point. From what I've seen so far, I don't think this anime adaption is for me. The pacing of this show seems way too fast or maybe the webtoon is just this sloppy. Regardless, I'm done.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 29, 2019
Gotta say, after completing this anime, you've gotta be questionably mad to drop this show. This anime definitely goes onto my list of one of my top anime ever. While I won't spoil the plot of this anime in this review, I will assume that you have at least read a blurb for this anime. If you are completely blind to this series and don't even want to know the premise, I'll caution you to avoid this review. Kimetsu no Yaiba is a shounen anime that explores a world set in Taisho era Japan festering with demons that antagonize humanity and the eponymous demon slayers
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who deal with them. Our protagonist is Tanjiro Kamido, a young boy who finds himself introduced to the demon slaying life after being faced with tragedy. Accompanying him is his younger sister, Nezuko Kamido, who is gravely affected by the tragedy when she is transformed into a demon. Following this, the two begin a journey in order to find a cure to reverse Nezuko's transformation. Now, I know the premise is a bit mediocre but this anime makes up for it with its interesting characters and captivating animation.
(STORY & CHARACTERS) While the background for the siblings isn't quite unique, their personalities are compelling enough to keep me invested in them. Tanjiro is is our brave, and empathetic protagonist that is willing to combat the fearsome demons, but is also capable of showing compassion for his enemies. Fortunately, Tanjiro's compassion doesn't extend quite as far as most shonen protagonists', so it isn't grating. Meanwhile, Nezuko's condition relegates her to a mute character, but this anime still finds a way to keep her interesting with her demonstrative face in addition to the expressive voice acting (in the sub at least). The primary villain, while still an enigma, is still compelling and intimidating based on the few scenes we're given. As with any anime, the two main characters encounter and befriend allies that manage to remain distinct from one another, yet still a bit unoriginal if I have to be honest. Despite this, I've found myself quickly enjoying them as well.
(ANIMATION & SOUNDTRACK) The best part of this anime for me has to be its interesting animation and mesmerizing soundtrack. This anime has quite a distinct art style that will definitely make it one to remember especially when compared to the other anime series that have been introduced this year. Each character design is unique, making it easy to distinguish characters from one another. The fight scenes are where the animation stands out the most for me. The art compliments the fighting style of each characters as it makes use of bold lines and attractive colors, somewhat reminiscent of Japanese ukiyo-ye. The music fits well with each environment we are introduced to in this anime and has yet to disappoint.
If you're into action anime with a bold, sword-wielding protagonist, you'll probably like this anime. If you're looking for a well-animated series with an memorable moments, you'll probably like this anime as well. Anyone may find this anime enjoyable as long as they remain patient. You may find the first two episodes a bit slow (I didn't, but apparently some people did), but I recommend you try to continue. You likely won't regret it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 24, 2018
Man, was this anime a ride or what? I previously wrote my review on this series when I reached the midpoint of the anime but I thought I'd update you guys since my opinion's changed a bit. Hinamatsuri is an anime that primarily follows the titular character, Hina—a psychic girl that finds herself living with a wealthy yakuza member, Nitta, after mysteriously appearing in his house one night. While the premise is a bit unoriginal, it still has a few interesting moments.
This series is considered to be a comedy, but I find some of the jokes failing to land. Don't get me wrong, I find
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myself laughing a bit at a joke or two each episode, but I just don't find most of them particularly funny. The beginning started off flat, but it got a bit wackier and it doesn't take itself too seriously, which I liked. However, when it has its emotional moments, that was when the series shines as it really reels you in. The series lacks a extended storyline but the story-of-the-week theme is at least interesting and you don't get bored by the short stories too often. What I'm not fond of is the implementation of a supernatural element to the anime, but the failure to address it. The series is about a psychic girl literally appearing out of nowhere, and the deurotagonist doesn't even address it after the first episode. What's up with that? Other than that, the story is OK but nothing spectacular.
When we start off the series, the main characters are a bit generic and we knew little to nothing about them. Hina was more-or-less just an apathetic girl who finds herself confused yet intrigued by the human customs (how original), and Nitta was kind of just the caretaker meant to be the comedic relief. After a bit, we saw Hina grow into a more empathetic character but she still retains her apathetic attitude which I've grown to actually like. Nitta, on the other hand, is still lacking in the personality department but he's a lot more tolerable then he was before. While Hina and Nitta are supposed to be the stars of the show, I find myself particularly drawn to the supporting character, Anzu, another psychic girl who mysteriously appears through unknown circumstances. While Hina was lucky to be picked up and pampered by Nitta, Anzu is raised by a homeless community and learns to be humble and resourceful. Anzu has a lot more depth and growth than our main character, and I always find myself looking forward to her story more than I do Hina's. Unfortunately, the series is about Hina and not Anzu. The rest of the supporting characters are also not too bad. We even get a few episodes dedicated to them, which I surprisingly liked!
The animation is pretty good as well. While this anime is mean to be a comedy, there were a few action scenes and the animation looked smooth! The colors were nice and it fits the comedic tone of the series very well. The character designs are also pretty good. None of the main characters look alike, so you won't be confused by who's who. That's a plus for me! The soundtrack is your generic anime OST, so there's not much to talk about in regard to that. The opening originally seemed like another cliche anime opening but it's gotten catchy.
While I wouldn't put this series on my top list for this season, it's still pretty good. As I said before, the series lacks an extended storyline but the story-of-the-week theme is at least interesting. I wouldn't say that this series is quite binge-worthy, but it's fun to watch when you're bored. Check it out if you have the time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 26, 2018
Now I have to say, I don't typically watch anime dramas, but I had to give it a chance after hearing so many people raving over this anime, and boy was it worth it! Violet Evergarden follows the story of a former soldier who lost her arms following the climax of a war she seems to have repressed. Seemingly left without a purpose after losing her commander, our titular character, Violet Evergarden, takes on the job of a Auto Memory Doll, a sort of writer-for-hire, in an attempt to better understand human emotions and, more importantly, what it means to love after being confessed to
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by the aforementioned commander.
As someone also not fond of episodic anime, I have to say that this series really knows how to give the audience a unique story every episode that almost always manages to make us, or at least me, wonder what's going to happen next. While the anime typically follows the episodic theme, there is an underlying plot that really comes to a head in the anime. This is definitely one of those series that'll have you binge-watching the series if you aren't too careful.
The characters for this anime are all unique and almost always manages to make me connect with the characters. I can only think of maybe two instances where I couldn't really connect or sympathize with the minor characters of an episode. Other than those few instances, the characters were very well-written and some even left me wishing to see more of them. As for our main character, Violet is quite the interesting case. She starts off as a character incapable of exhibiting empathy and really understanding the emotions of others. However, as she assumes the role of an Auto Memory Doll and really connect with the customers she is assigned to, she begins to better understand the emotions of others as required for her job. Eventually, when Violet is forced to confront her past and recall previous events leading to her amputation, we witness out protagonist hit her lowest point and really express her vulnerability. Violet is just really one of the most realistic characters I've seen in recent anime and I really appreciate the detail taken in portraying a character like her.
The animation is absolutely gorgeous. While the art style isn't really unique, the backgrounds are really breathtaking and the characters aren't too similar in appearance. What I like the most is the detail given to the metal prosthetics Violet reveals every episode. I know some people aren't fond of the constant attention given to Violet's arms, but I really like the CGI-animation given to her arms as it looks just amazing. The soundtrack is also pretty good. It's not generic, and it always fits the mood of the story at each given moment. It's not too memorable but I remember really liking some of the background themes.
The series ended with a card mentioning future project, but I'm really hoping there won't be another season to this anime as I feel like the series ended perfectly, and I fear it might be ruined with an additional season. Overall, I give this series a (9/10); the reason why I can't give this season a perfect score is because of maybe two episodes I wasn't too interested in. Those episodes were also the ones containing the characters I couldn't really connect with. I won't reveal those episodes because I don't want to sway the opinions of others. However, I will say that this anime is definitely something worth giving a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 4, 2018
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
Houseki no Kuni (Eng: Land of the Lustrous) is a series that takes place in a world where our main characters, based on a variety of jewels/gems, are fighting angel-like enemies known as the Moon People who pursue the gems simply for collective purposes. The story follow Phosphophyllite, commonly referred as Phos, a fragile yet lustrous Jewel that hopes to be as strong as their peers so they can fight off their enemies as well.
It's a unique anime with its own lore and a well written protagonist. While the main character has great character development, I feel like some of the other characters
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are a bit underdeveloped. That being said, I feel like most of the characters all have their own unique quirks and characterization that makes them a bit more appealing than your generic anime. I just wish we got a little bit more from them, and not just the main character. I also like the fact that the series addresses the fact that these are gems and not humans, so they use gender-neutral pronouns like they/them.
As for the animation, I think it might be one of the best computer-generated (CGI) anime I've seen. It has an interesting mix of hand-drawn backgrounds and 3D characters that just works really well. Some people get turned away when they hear of a 3D anime but it's really not that bad. The colors are bright and just really fit the tone of the story. The soundtrack is amazing as well. The songs aren't those generic, overused ones you hear in most anime; instead, it's more classical and it fits the tone of the anime well.
Now, I'm gonna get this out of the way since this is probably my biggest gripe with this anime. The general plot is simple yet very compelling; HOWEVER, there's no clearly-defined goal in the series. There's some major arcs, but we don't really know the purpose of anything that's really going on in the series. They hint a bit at some major points of the story like: Where did the Moon People come from? What happened to all the living creatures in the world? What's the connection between [redacted] and the Moon People? However, you get nothing more than unanswered questions that are hardly addressed again. I feel like this anime focused so much on world-building and the development of Phos (which they did a great job at doing) that they completely forgot that they didn't really have a central plot for the first season. They had a bit of a plot in the beginning, but I feel like it was just scrapped or completely forgotten (which they ironically kind of addressed towards the end). From what I've heard, the manga is finally addressing the main points I referred to, so I suppose the ending was just setting itself up for the possible second season. Hopefully, we get more of a plot next season.
Overall, this is probably one of the best NEW anime to premiere this year. It's only 12 episodes, so it's not too long. Definitely check it out if you have the chance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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