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Yet again we are met with the curse of bad Junji Ito adaptations. And it started off so good, too. So dissapointing, honestly.

Story: 8/10
Let's be honest, Junji Ito is a good storyteller. Yeah, Uzumaki is absurd, and a lot of things happen simultaneously without too much of an explanation. But that's exactly the point. There are so many different paranormal phenomena happening at once, without much connecting them, but somehow the story feels complete. It doesn't feel disjointed in the slightest, maybe because of the sheer amount of those disconnected paranormal events. It's just good. And yet, the anime managed to butcher it somewhat, mostly ... with the jack in the box story line.

Art: first episode 9/10, the last three episodes 4/10
God, it started off so well. The 3D animation meshed so well with the 2D, giving things a slightly uncanny feel rotoscope animation has. The first episode was great in that regard, especially the facial expressions. Also, the choice of staying in black and white was definitely a good one.
But then, things crumbled. Awful 3D models with barely any 2D, especially the running cycles. Characters sticking out from the background like sore thumbs, and at the end even just still pngs cut out from the manga. It's disheartening to see that the whole budget went into the first episode and nothing else. Also, I'm fairly sure some of the later backgrounds were done with AI. Yikes.

Sound: 8/10
I was kinda dissapointed we didn't get a proper opening, but the music itself is very nice and fits the mood pretty well. The voice acting is fairly good as well, though I do think some of the characters' voices weren't the best fit. Close enough, though.

At the end of the day, this was dissapointing. So many years in the making, and all we got is one good episode and then just slop. Maybe one day someone will actualy make a good adaptation of one of Junji Ito's works. I'll be on the lookout until then.

This is not a good manga. Revenge flics can be good or cathartic, but this? This manga is low key guro. It starts off okay, but at the end of the day it's absolutely not worth the investment.

Story
Premise: 6.5/10
Kid gets bullied, his whole life is ruined, so he's out for revenge. It's simple, but it can work very well. Just... not here.

Execution: 4/10
It starts of well enough, the protagonist getting stronger and smarter to overcome his adversaries, eventually only leaving the mastermind behind all of his misery. And that's where the story starts to fall off the wagon.
For some reason, the antagonist, a literal ... child, is a sadistic genius with fully just an adult's mind. He doesn't act like a kid at all. And if the story starts with bullying, it should focus on their age, because kids can be ruthless. But not this ruthless.

Characters: 4.5/10
The protagonist, for the most part, is fine as a character. There's clear trauma and resentment in him, and his anger is fully justified. He grows, and the memories of what happened grow with him like a parasite. And yeah, that's what happens.

But the antagonist? Absolutely the worst part of the story. I would compare him to Dio from JoJo: he's unnaturally evil for the sake of being evil. However, even Dio had a backstory that kinda justified him acting like he did. Here though? We get nothing. We know absolutely nothing about Kyou except for the fact that he wants to see how Uruma will act and react to all the horrible shit that is happening to him. And to me, that's not a satisfactory motivation.

Art: 5/10
Some of the action pannels are very dynamic, and I love that. The artstyle is... unique. It's not the nicest to look at, to be fully honest. But it stands out, that's for sure.

Overall, yeah, not worth the time. However, I'm already this far in, and I won't rest until I get to see the ending to this trainwreck of a story.

Going into this I knew the name, but I never heard what the anime is actually about, so I went fully blind. And honestly, this was the best surprise of my life. Especially since this is an original work, not based on any previously existing media.

Story
Premise: 7/10
After death, souls go into a purgatory of sorts, where they are judged based on their life and personality. The purgatory setting isn't a new idea, however the execution of it here is very original, what with the slow coming back of the memories and the games.

Execution: 9/10
I was fully prepared for Death Parade to be just a bunch ... of different stories pulled together without a bigger narrative, and that would be totally fine, because the few episodical stories that we get are brilliant. They showcase the complexity of each and every person, their goals, their struggles, their relationships with other people. However, there is a bigger plot happening towards the end, which expands on the universe, the rules and how they're being broken and just how hard it is to objectively judge somebody.

Characters: 10/10
This is probably the first time where I liked every single character appearing in a work. Even the supporting cast gets some depth put into them.
The main characters are great. Decim is so charming in his want to learn and become a better arbiter, and his development at the end is phenomenal.
I fully expected Nona to just be an overbearing boss character, but she's far from that, trying to rework a soulless system and make the judging process more accurate.

Art and Sound: 9/10
The art is pretty unique, and the character design is great, with a small exception of Oculus. But beside him, the characters are so memorable and I really like the iris design of the arbiters.
The opening is iconic, though I wasn't convinced at first, but it quickly grew on me. It's so cheerful and energetic, a contrast to the more serious theme of the whole show. The ending was okay, too.

I can see how the rating for this series is so high, and I'm really glad to have watched this anime. I won't lie, I did cry at the end. And that means something.

This is THE most shounen shounen series I have ever read, and honestly? It's brilliant.

Story
Premise: 8/10
Huge bugs infested the world and only the Mushibugyou can stop them from killing everyone. Stupid? A little. Simple? Hell yeah. Good? For sure.

Execution: 9/10
The story is great. It starts off fairly shallow, the main character wanting to save people from monster-like insects, you know, basic hero shit. However, as the story goes, a larger narrative starts to present itself. The enemies get stronger, but so do the good guys. There are epic, dramatic battles to the death, insane weapons, great character backstories and connections. The story is ... incredibly heartwarming, but it can get just as sad as well, so there is really something for everybody to enjoy.
And the fights, oh the fights! It's arguably the strongest point in Mushibugyou, each one being completely enthralling. If you're going to read this manga, do it for the fight scenes.

Characters: 7.5/10
The main character, tho a very basic anime protagonist, being a determined, strong, and somewhat dense guy is very likeable. He's kind, he's helpful, he's a trully lawful good character, and he grows as the series progresses.
Every character in this manga gets a backstory that really shapes them into what they are, what they struggle with, any grudges they might hold. No character feels two-dimensional, each and every one having their story told at some point. And that includes the antagonists as well.

Art: 9/10
The artstyle is so, so unique and charming. The character designs are amazing, especially some of the later ones. The bugs, the humans, their clothing, they are all so unforgettable.

Am I biased in this review? Yes, I might be. But there is a reason for this dumb shounen being in my favorites, and I think it deserves a try.

This manga is a lot to take in. It's confusing, it's convoluted, and sometimes it feels like it was running in circles, and maybe I'm just too stupid for it.

Story
Premise: 7/10
Main character's mother is abusive and controlling, which leads to her (and/or the son) to lose control. It's simple, until it's not.

Execution: 5.5/10
The first 60 or so chapters are extremely well written. The characters have depth, and you can understand their motives for the most part. But later on is where the constant back and forth starts of "did she do it? did she not do it?" and it's just frustrating, it makes you question ... everything you know to the point of making you lose your mind.

Art: 9/10
This is the only redeeming quality for me. The art is incredible, easily recognizable and it sticks in your mind long after you read the story.

Am I just too dumb for this? I don't think I'll ever finish this series because of how infuriating it gets after a certain point.

Honestly? This part kind of sucks. I haven't yet watched the next parts, but compared to the first two Stardust Crusaders is a stinker.

Story
Premise: 7/10
A group of people with superpowers go to fight The Bad Guy to save the main character's mother. It's simple, but it works, at least for the most part.

Execution: 5.5/10
The strongest points are the beginning and the ending. The middle feels bloated, what with how many enemy stand users the main characters have to defeat. The first season is worse when it comes to the pacing, every episode introducing a new enemy. Some of them have interesting abilities that you won't ... forget, but most of them are just straight up bad and so forgettable. They feel more like stepping stones and less like actual challenges.

The jokes: 3/10
A lot of the characters in this part are reduced to comedic relief at least a few times. The comedy is cheap and it's hard to even call it comedy. The jokes don't land, instead pulling the characters down, making them act nonsensically just for the sake of a laugh.

Characters: 6/10
Oh god, the characters. From best to worst, I'll put them like this: Kakyoin>Avdol>Jotaro>Joseph>Polnareff>Iggy. At least half of the group behaves so, so inconsistently and illogically.
Kakyoin is the most reasonable and stable character, followed by Avdol, but at Jotaro we start having issues.
He is THE main character, and as a protagonist he's bad. His personality isn't that bad, to be honest, but he's good at everything he does. This 17 yo high schooler defeats adult people who have so much more experience than him with (most of the time) just sheer strength. As the episodes go he gets stronger, and stronger, and stronger without even trying. He's also a master strategist for some reason. He is near perfect in that regard, which just makes you think why even include five other characters in his team when he could basically do everything alone.
Joseph is... there, I guess. He was a great protagonist in part two, and here his character is just boiled down to "old man acting senile".
Iggy. What can I say about Iggy? His characterization boils down to the last three episodes he appears in, before that he's just a bratty dog that can hardly be called part of the team.
Dio is evil for the sake of being evil. There, I said it. I don't like him.

Art: 6.5/10
It's distinct, that's for sure. But if you look closely it's not that great. The stand designs are okay for the most part, and I don't mind the designs of the main cast. But some of these enemy stand users look... questionable.

Sound: 7/10
The first opening is okay, the second one not so much, and the endings are meh. However the voice actors put their whole body into this stupid series, alleviating the score a lot.

This part is dumb, really dumb, and has its fair share of flaws, but it still made me like these characters. Not nearly as much as the first two parts, tho. It's definitely the bottom of the list when it comes to JoJo.

It's been a full decade since this anime aired, and I must say that it holds up incredibly well. It's not perfect, no series is, but it's definitely up there when it comes to the story, art and sound design.

Story
Premise: 7/10
The basic idea of a parasitic organism inhabiting a human, coexisting within them and being used as a means to fight with other similar creatures has definitely been done a few times, and it's still explored to this day. At the time it probably seemed a lot newer, and I must say that I really enjoy the idea itself.

Execution: 8/10
Although the premise is fairly simple, ... the actual story is what drives it to be as good as it is. There is quite a lot of different plot points, but the amount doesn't feel overbearing. They are intertwined fairly well with each other, none of them left unexplained at the end, and every one feeling like an important part pulling the story together. With a slight exception to the romance, however.

The romance part: 4/10
A lot of series like this one include some romance, and I have to say I'm tired of it. Especially since it's not really done that well. The characters have next to nothing in common with each other, and the base of their relationship is basically "girl likes boy, boy likes girl" just because. Their conversations feel so incredibly empty, they aren't shown to talk about anything that would actually validate their attraction towards each other, no shared hobbies, no shared opinions, nothing. They go out because they're opposite genders, and that's it. The story could've really been told without any of that.

Characters: 7/10
I would rate them a lot higher if not for the romantic interest, but that aside, we have some very good characters in this series. The main character isn't overpowered, there are drawbacks to his abilities, which is honestly refreshing to see. He has his flaws as well, not just being a perfect being that is good at everything. He's strong, but his opponents are stronger. He's smart, but his opponents are smarter. However, he uses what he has to his advantage, and if he knows he won't win a battle, he runs from it, instead of stupidly throwing himself to die and hoping something will save him.
The antagonists are very well written. Throughout the episodes we can see these simple parasitic beasts going on pure instinct, but as the series progresses, they grow smarter and stronger, posing a real challenge to the main character.

Art: 9/10
The artstyle is very unique. It's nice to look at and it differentiates itself from any other works made at the time, you can instantly tell it's Kiseijuu and not something else.

Sound: 9/10
The sound design is great. The dubstep is kinda cheesy by today's standards, but it does fit. The opening is iconic, and the ending, which is the Achilles heel of most shows, is actually pretty nice. The voice actors did an amazing job as well.

All in all, Kiseijuu is a great anime to watch. It might not be in my top favorites, but it is up there. I grew attached to the characters, the story excited me, and at the end of the day I will remember this experience fondly.