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Sep 26, 2016
The 7 deadly sins seems like a ridiculous anime hell bent on filling the cliches of all shonen- and well, it is. It is filled with sexual references and over the top action, as well as the titular protagonist; the good guy; the savior; the good guy always winning. It takes no chances on itself whether it's the lack of diversity between similar protagonists or the limited to near zero real deaths of anyone they have invested screen time in & unlike HunterXHunter, it does not teach or develop what people refer to as a "power scale"- meaning that the strongest people are the strongest
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people because they are main characters. The show follows closely with that of major shonen before it, such as Naruto or Bleach. This method is successful however, and will be sure to give it a fan base as well as money but it does not leave much room for particular greatness.
Until this surprising gem that somehow molds itself into something just a bit different and unique, which manages to sit on top a pile of generic shounen, all filled with their busty female leads who are head over heels for the protagonist and like their unrequited love that could never be shown( a shonen is meant for young boys after all) they are often rather useless in ability. So then how could an anime that somehow checks off every box in the page of 'safe' be this good?
It's because it takes itself seriously. That may seem like a shock with the big bust of Elizabeth( your female lead) and the comedic perversion of Meliodas( your protagonist) but hear me out for. While the anime fits every box for shonen, it at least checked it off in a diamond fountain pen. The show's characters are developed and pop out whether in appearance, personality, costume or power( or some of all) Whether it is from the simple fact that the show is set up to mislead the viewer( as well as the characters in the anime) that the sins look very different than they truly do or the personalities that do so well to compliment their respective sins: Ban, the sin of greed thinks only for himself, tying not only to every day comedic relief to his past and ultimate goals. This does well with every sin( even those not shared by the same deadly sin group) which accents nearly everything in the show. From corner to corner, you find an anime that could not have been safer yet could not have been more different. Someone buying a turtle rather than a cat or a dog comes to mind. I can only see this example as true when I look at anime like Kill la kill which compares to me more that someone bought an anteater as a pet rather than a cat or dog.
You get a story with clarity; with defined goals; Princess recruits the sins to take back the corrupt kingdom. That's safe. That's shonen. Yet you somehow get twists, unprecedented turns, and by the end, you hardly end up on the same freeway( although, it still is a freeway).
This proves true with the characters just the same. You get your 5 or 6 major characters as well as your generic villain(s) and your few developed minor characters, each with obvious flaws and goals with just enough depth for real character development but not enough to leave us with something deep and resounding. An example I feel would work would be a character developing through their need to be the most powerful and a character developing between their need to feel like they're the most powerful. The latter leads into branches of why, how, when- which leads into other branches and other problems, goals and themes. The first one just says "I want to be strong", something akin to nearly every generic superhero villain we find in the movies. Yet, the characters created by the writing staff( or the manga artist I should say) focus deep on the simple mindsets and goals of each character giving us something more and certainly better than "I want to be strong".
This relates very well back to our story which again, was very simple from the start and although it branches little off in ways of the story changing( a story like House ( little to non changing story) to a show like Breaking bad( branches very far off by season 5) it delves deep into the story it does have, leaving us at least on a different, bumpier road than we started.
The road we end up on gives us real development between what we saw as enemies and friends, and does a great job at giving us those unseen twists we as viewers love.
The check marks have also been checked( though again with the same fancy pen) under the art and sound categories. The artwork is typical of a shounen- almost goofy and unrealistic but it is done well and animated well for the majority of the series, hardly letting us see those terrible animation sequences during fights. The sound plays well in what a shonen expects- a mix between upbeat pop and rock, and the in show soundtrack does well to either become compatible or happily forgetful.
If the story suffers from anything it is from the fact that it should have been named the (5 deadly sins) as that is pretty much the amount you will see( maybe 5 & a half) and truly only 4 of them are truly great characters. Though that is less to do with the manga and more to do with the anime adaption as the manga was developed fine and spaced properly given it did not have a frame of episodes to meet. In true but very appropriate nit-picking the show also suffers from sometimes generic uninspired fights that do well to show action and gore but not so well in showing something different. After all, if you are an actions show and have a lot of action, it seems important to not 1/4 of it be the same boring scenes you already showed. Finally, as far as characters, it suffers from the fact there are just too many, with some becoming important far too late, then presenting them as very important to either the characters or the plot, as well as showing them off as if we were supposed to care or know they were important all along. Though I will say that surprisingly they managed to do well with a few of these pop-ups which I find very hard to do.
All and all, it is that general sense of seriousness given to a safe shonen like this that are very appreciated and evident throughout, giving this show a powerful and entertaining watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 2, 2015
Natsume yuujinchou san, the third installment of the beloved series, brings the same lightheartedness and melancholy known throughout the series.
Like it's previous seasons, it is largely episodic minus a few two part episodes. The plot of this season also differs in area. Whereas the first season focused on Natsume coming to terms with youkai, the second season with him becoming rather fond of youkai, to now, the third installment, with him having to choose between youkai and humans: Who does he care about more?
The season offers more insight into his grandmother, and continues the exploration of youkai, each one a marvelous story, every one
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only giving Nastume more development and growth as a person, and therefore to us, a character.
The Art and sound are still the same, as to say wonderful. The art is well drawn, and though not particularity amazing, it is, as always, memorable, especially when you consider the character designs, specifically the youkai. Natsume himself, though a memorable drawn character, looks fairly similar to many other anime characters, like the twins from Kimi to Boku. The youkai however, are for the most part memorable, though season 3 suffers from an entire memorable cast that made season 1 especially brilliant.
The animation is the same: Fluid and never dull, and though the season lacks a real sort of action, you can appreciate the animation when it does. Certainly nothing to be fanatic about, but not something to laugh at either.
The sound, as stated above, is continually amazing and heart warming. Many pieces throughout instill an emotion in your heart, and each one pieces together nicely with the particular event happening in the episode. Imagine a horror movie with suspenseful music. That's how you know it's suspenseful.
Again, characters here in the 3rd series are largely likable, and Natsume nor Madara never suffers. They even add some new ones, such as a particular villain who, like true nastume yuujinchou tradition, is never really violent violent. The show, after all, is more peaceful than anything. However unlike previous seasons, youkai introduced are either boring, unimportant or memorable, and I would say in my opinion, out of the 13 episodes, I can only bring up 5. The show also focuses less on Natsume's frieds, who you actually like because of their banter, comic relief, heart warming attitudes towards natsume & the friendship they provide to an otherwise lonely teen. Lonliness is less of a focus now, especially as the season develops. He becomes more caring towards his foster family and sees them now as cherished people, who he can accept as father and mother.
Overall, if you enjoyed the first two seasons, you will enjoy this one, but do understand that in no way shape or form will this be like the first season. Imagine a team that at the start won a championship, but the next 3 years they went from losing in the finals, to losing in the 3rd round, to losing in the second round, but every time, they made it to the finals.
Natsume yuujinchou san is still a good team, they just aren't great anymore.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 21, 2015
Zoku Natsume is an example of a sequel done right. Like the first season, this show has all of the aesthetically pleasing things you cherished. The tone is still light-hearted, and often peaceful and mellow. Many times throughout this season you will feel a sort of familiar peace, and even melancholy. Finishing the season will without a doubt, leave you lonely, which is certainly ironic, considering the entire season, and show for that matter, has the idea of loneliness, and even to an extent, romanticizes it.
The soft nature of the show goes together nicely with the soundtrack, which is just as good as the
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first, and for me, even better. The melody and transition sounds alone make my heart flutter, and it will be sure to raise some vague emotion within you. The musical pieces are truly wonderful, and though I shy away from the music type of Long Shot Party, it is symbolically meaningful and pairs nicely with the anime, as you will find with the ending as well.
The acting is suburb, especially that of Madara(Natsume's guardian cat/sensei), and of that of Natsume himself. Both lead the show in a wonderful voice cast, the two's banter and conversations unique and entertaining.
The only difference you will find with the two seasons is that the first was episodic, while this one verges on two-episode plot arcs, though only a couple. While the shows episodic arc plot remains largely intact, it is something that differs from the anime Mushishi, as it still involves the same characters, same setting(mostly) and a certain growth in Natsume we don't often see in episodic anime.
This season is a bit more upbeat, whereas the last one was more depressing, and certainly more lonely. This one shows a more positive natsume, a clear indication of his growth. Though he is surrounded by human friends and yokai friends, the theme of loneliness is still present, so much so that it wouldn't be amiss if the writers explored something new. Though to do so, might not work, and if something isn't broke..etc
There are few memorable episodes, but each one is enjoyable and rarely boring, and it will pick up momentum as the series goes on.
The character development, which is that mainly of Natsume is greatly woven throughout, and that of Reiko's background is scattered throughout, though there is more than enough questions left unanswered more than anything. While the side-characters remain good natured and lovable, there exists no real momentous change or development among them. They did however introduce a new female character, Taki, who is rather charming, and often makes good use of her screen time through humour with madara(who she finds cute) and her conversations, often deep ones, with Natsume.
As for Art, and animation, you may take what you will. The art work blends softness with clarity, and often gives way to something colorful, and for that, it is truly wonderful, and memorable. The art itself is nothing to brag about though, and while the animation is fluid it will not stand out to you, if you were to compare it to an anime known for its animation; this, will apply to the art as well. However, regardless, you will find no problems with what this show does with either, and you may even feel bias towards it, as I have.
The series, as it proved in the first season, never made Natsume out to be some strong character with the power to defeat all yokai. Though he gets a bit stronger, this can only be seen in his resolve, and though I am not generally a fan of main characters who have no real gifts, it seems to only work wonders for Natsume, who like the show, is compassionate, emotional, full of heart, and upbeat.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 23, 2015
I don't know how helpful this will be since i have so many thoughts jumbled around in my head after just finishing the UBW series so bare with me. Or don't.
I don't think I have ever come across such a series that I had such conflicting views about, while still enjoying the entire season of UBW(This review is for both seasons). Also, I will be comparing this to the previous fate:zero & not at all with fate stay night, since everyone knows that's shit.
For starters, let's just get the good out of the way, the good that we can't argue about. Fight scenes
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are amazing and animated great, as is the animation all around. These things are expected after fate:zero and UBW delivers. As for sound, it fits the series well, though I cannot say I enjoy the openings or endings for any fate series, including this one but the soundtrack is pleasant and memorable to a degree and it certainly fits the show well.
Big fucking problems begin when it comes to characters. This is where my rant begins.
The biggest problems people seem to have is that our boy Emiya, the classic shounen dummy, is well, a classic shounen dummy. Not powerful, but has the will do it all. & so on & so on. His views are recycled through anime, and he's pretty annoying. That's all true & his ideals can be a bit repetitive and unoriginal, not at all like my nigga kiritsugu from fate zero. But i don't have a problem with him. It's so recycled that i know what to expect & so you can either bitch about him or just accept him like I did. He wasn't unbearable and though I can't say he changes too much, as far as mentality(because that's the whole point; sticking to his beliefs) he was an okay character. Rin, the female protag, can be seen as almost just as annoying with opposite yet just as recycled ideals, though unlike emiya, she develops some change but just barely . That's all fine and good. There are even characters that you think are going to be important, and they might have been in the VN, but in UBW? they disappear early on and you never hear from them again, despite scenes where those characters are clearly involved. I can't really say anything for spoiler's sake but you'll know when you see them.
MY biggest problem is the supporting characters. Nearly all are from the same school(a stupid coincidence) & none of them are particularly interesting.. Shinji is like a shit version of that serial killer guy from fate:zero, & illyasaviel is a huge let down, especially as in fate zero her mother had such a huge role with a personality and her role in the story barely serves a purpose, despite being let up from the beginning to be some kind of powerful badass. The truth is, she is boring and turns out to be a garbage character. Then there's the robotic like teacher, who I can't remember his name because that's how boring his character is. He was actually important yet so boring and thus, not memorable. Then there's kirei who was like a huge antagonist(if not THE antagonist) in fate zero with a personality and background. Here, he is little shown, still an asshole, and when he is shown during the end, is a huge let down in the story. A huge let down actually describes this whole show.
All, and I mean all, the servants were fucking stupid or way less cool. Saber went from being a cool badass with ideals, conflicts & a real personality, as well as character development to a boring cliche ecchi version of herself. Pretty sure emiya thought about fucking her several times as the animators got his face all red everytime she & him talked. They could be talking about soap and next thing you know, emiya's got a hard on for her. Archer(fate zero archer, gilgamesh) went from being a cool character with an interesting belief system, as well as being a cool villain, to being just a villain. He was an asshole completely & his schemes were stupid & he seemed like a less smart version of himself before. The berserk class was way less interesting than before, served little narrative, and barely had a real impact on the story, unlike the previous one did in fate zero. Lancer class; same story. Less interesting, no background or ideals, or real personality and served no purpose. Assassin? I still don't even get that whole story but it makes sense I don't, since the show never really gave him one. He's an even bigger waste of a character than assassin from the fate zero series but unlike that one, he serves less of a purpose and seems like he was only there to get in people's way at the writer's convenience. Caster character was, for some reason, made up to be such a big deal throughout the show, and in truth, was a big antagonist, but it's like, who the fuck was the chick in real life? never heard of her, & as a servant I never liked her. She had no real ideals or personality, other than that she was a bitch and for some reason, fucking hounded the protags for like 18 episodes or some shit. Then there was the rider character. Holy fuck. She had like 4 lines, one fight scene, and I don't even think they gave her a background, let alone revealed her actual name. Archer was the only servant who had any background, ideals, personality, etc & the reason for that, which I can't say, makes sense given the ending and truths that are revealed but because of that, is a huge copout.
The story itself was terribly paced, random and lacked a linear plot that even remotely made sense. Shit was way too rushed, not so much in the sense that they didn't have enough time, but rather that the writers made that time way too fast. Plots were happening at rates that didn't even make any sense and one minute something is important & the next it isn't. The result? A subpar ending.
Fuck, my thoughts are jumbled on this one.
At least in every episode, something happened. Like there was no wasted moments, and there was lots of action to keep you entertained. Honestly, this shit should be ranked in the 200's but whatever, 96 will have to do. I would suggest watching this, it's fair to good, but if you really want to enjoy this series without a bad taste in your mouth, watch this, then watch fate zero & you will have no bad taste. This sequel is terrible in comparison.
TL;DR version
Great action scenes with great animation and quality sound. Plot is rushed, messy and as a result, develops into a poorly treated story, saved only by your desire to finish the fate series and see what happens. The characters are terrible in comparison to fate zero, especially the servants, and as stand alone, they are poor, often given no background, a unique personality/ideals & can often seem recycled and bland, and a result, boring and unlikable.
Just to finish after my probable unhelpful rant, this show's characters are it's worst attribute and it's story nearly just as bad. No matter what your entertainment value is, was, or will be, if you do not want to be disappointed, I want to say do not watch this(assuming you have seen fate zero). But, if you wanted to find out how it ended like me, or if you heard good things like me, just give it a try. Reviews shouldn't be the thing that lets you watch something or not. Decide on your own why you didn't like the show. Reviews are pretty useless but I wanted to talk about the show, even if it's just for my own benefit. So, if you got any help from this rant, good. If not, do try and watch the show.
Or don't. squad.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 29, 2015
Soul eater is about three groups of students at some university(Shibusen) each group made up of two pairs, a weapon wielder & the weapons themselves.
I tried really hard to like this anime, so hard. The premise was so unique that i got 29 episodes in before i shut the whole thing down.
The show started off incredibly boring & basically just carried itself with humor that was barely funny at all. The jokes are always the same and they just reuse the same humor. If you take a real funny show like Gintama and compare the two, you'll understand what I'm saying. But obviously
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gintama is a parody & this is not. Too bad because the entire first half seems like a parody. The first half seems like a typical shounen with too many goofy aspects and over the top humor. I'm personally someone who likes more serious anime so honestly, I don't imagine it will put too many people off. The second half changes drastically into a serious anime with action, which is hard to adjust to because they're still fighting witches and they're still the same stupid characters. In fact the main characters, death the kid, black star, maka & their counterparts, the thompson sisters, tsubaki & soul are all stereotypical shounen characters.
While the art is unique and cool, as it follows a Halloween style of animation, I thought it was just way too goofy. Like the moon & sun had faces for goodsakes. It was like a super mario meets tim burton's jack skellington. I can't say I liked it. Furthermore, Black star was animated so poorly. He legit looked like a retard sometimes, and though every character has their own style and uniqueness, you just can't ignore the quality of the characters. Even soul looked like an idiot. But it's not that the animation is really poor, it's just the style and the way they were drawn, but for me & maybe for you, it comes off as poor.
The sound is certainly very good, as far as openings and ending go, and the background music gives off a good vibe and fits the situations well. As for voice acting, I found Maka's voice actor to be nasally & whiny. I hated her voice. Like hated it. I dreaded every time she talked. Then there was black star whose voice I hated even more. It was small, like kidlike, and nasally as well and sounded like the dumbed down version of naruto's voice actor(jun fukiyama...something like that) I really only stayed for Mamaru miyano who plays death the kid but I found that despite his excellent work that his voice just didn't fit a kid, though I can't say why they all look like kids since their at a university and have adult comprehension.
The characters were all unique that's for sure. Too bad they were all annoying as hell. Black star always went on about how big he was. Like literally "how big he was". Not like, I'm really strong or stronger than you but he always used the words big. That shit got really annoying. Other than getting slightly stronger, his loudness and stupidity was way too over the top. He was like the original naruto from 2004 or whenever the show started except with no character development or cool background. He's a retard I promise you. Soul always went on about being cool which was annoying as hell. It's like if naruto kept saying Believe it(datebayyo) but even the writers there knew when to call it quits. Here, he just keeps saying. Death the kid's symmetry, which he always talks about was probably the only funny part and he's legit the only character who ever changes and stops going on about symmetry all the fucking time. His weapons, the thompson twins, are so undeveloped it's hilarious. The one sister always laughs & i hate her because her laugh is annoying and almost always uncalled for. Maka always goes on about how weaks she is(hmm...sakura much?) & Tsubaki(black star's weapon) is rarely given a background but at least she isn't annoying. The adult characters are much more unique because they aren't stereotypical except really maka's father, the weapon of the shinigami. He's just a pervert. a strong pervert. like jiraya? Pretty sure this is just naruto with a different story.
While I can't say I enjoyed the anime too much, that largely stems from my standards. I'm actually not trying to dissuade anyone from watching this anime. I mean, if i had to tell someone to choose between say, fairy tail or soul eater, I'd say fairy tail and i think that's ranked lower(or higher i guess) so don't let my negativity keep you from watching this anime and giving it a try like i did. The whole point of a review, according to the dictionary, is to give a formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary. So, I'm just giving my opinion and you should try this anime out. It's a shounen so if you like shounen you'll probably like this one but as for me, I found its over the top goofyness and uninteresting characters too much to handle.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jul 29, 2015
Psycho pass the movie, as just a frame of reference, was better than the entire second season of Psycho pass. The movie flowed well, had a good plot & furthermore, and actually more importantly, is a good segway to lead into a season 3 of Psycho pass, which, if done like this movie, can probably rival the first season.
Story:
I will skip any synopsis as MAL already did that.
PSycho pass the movie does a pretty decent job of keeping a good flow. The plot is original as it can be & the action scenes, which are frequent, are brilliantly done and amazing. Regardless of
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what you think of the plot, you will never be bored with this movie as each frame is an integral one and there is no wasted dialogue nor scenes.
However, the story suffers in two major ways: The first is that despite it being original(as you would expect) it's not terribly unique or fascinating. It's pretty much easy to follow and you can almost sense what the ending will be like. It's certainly not entirely predictable but's not challenging in any way, which leads me to the second part: It's not a movie meant to challenge your mind in anyway. Psycho pass the first season was very psychological and even in the second season, there existed these questions of right and wrong, law & order, justice, etc, albeit less interesting than the first season and less intriguing. The movie does nothing of the sort, at least, nothing that hasn't already been made clear. Which again, leads to the first negative aspect of the story. It's not unique. No unique story, no unique elements. Try and think of this movie as something similar to a fast & furious movie or a seth rogan movie. Entertaining, but not entirely bright or especially good.
Art: 10/10 would bang
The art in the movie is incredible. INCREDIBLE. incredible(one more time for shits & giggles). The budget must have been more than whatever Donald trump spends to keep his fake hair on his head each month because there is not a dull frame. In fact, sometimes, the background is even better animated than the characters! Obviously, each character is animated perfectly but most surprisingly, so is every frame as i mentioned. The art in the back, from the cityscapes to the ruins are incredibly well done, near as perfect that you could want. The action scenes are amazingly well done as well & probably the most impressive about the art. Things you will notice for sure is the background, the way the character's hair sways in the wind, and the fight scenes.
Sound:
I gave it an 8. Could be a 7 honestly. I'll tell you why. English. English, english, english. Never thought I'd hate hearing my own language so much. Terrible pronunciation throughout, and entirely unneeded. It's not like the country in question is America or Australia. It's fucking south east asia. Obviously English is more common than Thai or Vietnamese and maybe even easier to learn but it's unneeded and bad & there's heavy dialogue in english, even from people such as Kogami & Akane. For that, it gets a 7.
However: I give it an 8 because any movie that does that, is really trying. That is something new and I appreciate that. To me, it reminds me of watching a film with subtitles, aka, a foriegn film, which despite me having to read and listen to Danish or something, The movie is so good. Or if a movie hires actors who can speak another language or have them learn it. But most big budget films don't & instead, I'm reminded of movies such as the boy in the striped pajamas where no one speaks german & instead has English accents which is confusing as fuck. So kudos to them for at least incorporating some culture.
As for subs, Voice actors do a great job as usual & the music is as expected, especially that one, and you know it when you hear it, when the fight is about to happen or shit just got real in the story. Background music, which includes aforementioned "shit hits the fan sound/song", is good and ranges from memorable to ok but it never does the show injustice once. Great job all around.
Character:
I gave it a 7. I've heard people say that this movie tried hard to have more villains like Makashima. There is literally no one like him. In fact the only person like Makashima is Makashima, who makes a cameo(I'll get to that in a bit). The villains introduced serve one purpose: To die. You can tell it from the beginning. It's a movie. Not a season. There are not memorable and pretty dull and are there only to antagonize the story and give it a conflict. There is no point mentioning names, and again, each is pretty standard and boring. Though, that being said, the mercenaries are cool, as like fighters and stuff but the leader is given unnecessary dialogue to make him seem smart. When he's clearly expendable as fuck.
Here, let me explain about reoccurring characters. For one, the supporting characters play no role, except for Ginoza, who for some reason does not wear glasses anymore and has a different hairstyle, so at first I didn't even know it was him. He got a lot better looking. Anyway, some of them, like that red Haired guy from season two(sho) & the sadistic black haired guy(Togane) don't even have dialogue at all. Maybe Togane has 1 line & even Kunizuka(the kind of lesbian enforcer from season 1 & 2), has like 3 lines. In fact, the most important person, as far as dialogue, and actually, at all as a supporting character, is karanomori. Saiga says a few things that aren't really important, other than to fill screen time for Akane to mull over his words. And finally, that stupid bitch partner of Akane's is back too, being a bitch and pretty much disagreeing with everything Akane says and does even though she doesn't know shit that stupid whore piece of...
Sorry. Anyway, as for main characters.
Akane is actually more likable. Wow. First season I hated her stupid black & white ideals and her happy go luckly bullshit. Season two she dulled down but she was still too happy and her ideals still kind of black & white. Now, though her ideals haven't changed, she seems to directly oppose the sibyl system now, especially by the ending and pretty much dictates what the sibyl system should and can do. She also seems more closed off personally and serious, which I like more, and her character has developed well from s1. She has even taken up fighting. So kudos to the staff at Psycho pass for making her more likable.
Kogami: Yes he is back. Finally. And as you can imagine, he's still a bad ass motherfucker who doesn't take any names. He hasn't changed much but it's cool to see him play a role outside of his enforcer one back in s1 & therefore is integral to the story. His sense of justice is still strong and unwavering and the new thoughts & feelings we learn from him are great because 1, they help his character develop and 2. he becomes more likable. Which is pretty hard.
I'm going to address the cameo of Makashima. He is so unneeded. I dislike psycho pass 2 & this movie using him so many times as references. All because he was so great and every other villain sucks & every problem has to come back to him. They talk about him way too much. Just leave him alone. The cameo actually pisses me off because, one, he's a fucking hallucination of Kougami's, who for no reason is hallucinating him so it's not even believable for him to be there & two, because Psycho pass will do anything to talk about him & this time they just had the balls to draw him & animate him. The dialogue he has between Kougami isn't even important & considering it's a figment of his mind, doesn't even matter because it's already shit Kogami knows. It's not new information. Psycho pass will never be able to recreate a character like Makashima because Makashima is arguably one the greatest villains of all time.
Enjoyment: 9/10
None of the problems or concerns mention took any precedence over enjoying this movie. Though it takes 45 minutes for Kougami to even speak, it is a great movie worth two hours of your day. It sets up as a perfect transition to season 3, though is most certainly a stand alone movie, and in no way leaves a cliff hanger.
For those that found that too long, i will give a quick recap of pros & cons.
Pros:
-Great animation, as perfect as can be, including characters & backgrouns & fight scenes.
- Fight scenes. That is all.
-Solid, easy to follow plot.
-entertaining.
-Character development from Akane & Kogami.
Cons:
-Not a very unique or challenging plot.
-Supporting characters pretty much useless and left with no dialogue.
-Villains forgettable and bland.
As you can see, pros outweigh cons, go & watch it.
As shia Labueff would say, JUST DO IT
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 26, 2015
Everything problem in this entire anime stems from one simple fact: Too few episodes.
If this series were a 23 or 24 episode anime, actually hell, even a 16 episode series, this anime would be at least somewhere in the 200's on MAL & a definite better anime.
However, just to say before I continue, You should watch this series. It's incredibly entertaining and fascinating regardless of what i say or what anyone else says, because I'm going to be objective but i enjoyed this anime 10/10 so you shouldn't let anything anyone, including me, writes dissuade you. This anime is well worth it.
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Anyway
The story suffers, not because the plot is weak but because it's too short. Many parts of the anime are too packed into one, especially the ending which is basically set up in the most retarded way possible. I wish i could write more than that, it almost feels like a disfavor not to, but anything else would be too close to spoilers but in a simple sentence, which is the best i can do & will allow: The ending sucks.
However, despite the story's incredibly jam fucking packed ridiculousness, It has great, and i mean GREAT, action scenes. Some are short due to length(again, this is already like the 4th problem due to 12 episode slot) & it is rather well portrayed, at least in the sense it's only 12 episodes. It certainly starts off well anyway.
In summary: Story not so great, it's okay, mah mah desu yanno?because 12 episodes.
Art: Art is fantastic. 100% great animation, no bad quality episodes(better not be with 12 fucking episodes) & the fight scenes are incredibly well animated.
Summary: Art good. Episode length not in effect. Wow.
Sound: Sound is pretty subjective but since most people are morons, I'm going to go ahead & say that the sound is amazing. It's nowhere near my favorite but at the very least, objectively, it's a 8/10. I gave it a 10/10 cause i loved it but still, it's great. Opening is a great song with a vivid animation which fits well with the show. Background music & OST good, not amazing but ranged from good to really good and always portrays scenes well, in fact in some scenes, the background music & OST does a fantastic job & you'll know when. AS for ending, I never watch the endings cause that's fucking pointless but it was okay. Nothing to download illegally. Also, I don't know if voice acting matters for sound? Some reviewers do it & that seems stupid because i dont think that has really anything to do with the sound MAL is referring to but in case I'm wrong, it was great. I mean, unless you're fluent in Japanese, are Japanese, or have lived there & either A or B apply to you, you will never be able to tell truly good foreign voice acting. But not to brag, but i am entirely fluent in Japanese, he he he, due to my major, that I can honestly say the voice acting is suberb, especially by Mamoryu miyano (you may remember him from Death note as Light, so yea, pretty fucking good).
AS for dub, I don't watch dub cause I'm not an uncultured lazy american.
Summary: Sound good, dub is for suckers.
Characters: Oooooooo, characters. Too many of them for such a short series. Way too many. which is funny. Cause there's like 13. Again, this is entirely due to length of series. Some characters undergo change, have opinions, feelings, (maybe like 4 or 5) etc etc but even then, their backgrounds are sporadic and few and far between, and when they do come in, they seem entirely out of place, almost like the writers were too lazy & shoved them in into a tiny opening. Then there's character you think will be important and they should be, but the 12 episode thing really fucks with them and then they're hardly given screen time. Like Kaneki(main boy) best friend. At first you're like, this nigga is about to be important. Then it's like "You seen that orange haired bitch?) & then the complete reverse is true but only in the sense they add characters way too late that are now incredibly important. Each of which is given no backstory at all. Basically, you only ever give a fuck about a few characters & that's just on their personalities and roles in the story. Not because they're great characters. If anything, the character department of Tokyo ghoul is the worst part and is a good reason it's ranked in the 400's.
Summary: Character's rarely given background info, thus, most suck and are either useless, become useless, or are now suddenly useful. Thanks 12 episodes. Who the fuck is in charge of these episode lengths anyway?
Enjoyment: 10/10 would bang. Also, many aspects of Tokyo ghoul are left unexplained. Because 12 episodes. (getting the theme here folks?). Many questions are raised, such as "Wtf is the CCG?" "Why do ghoul parts make humans ghouls?"(yea, that's technically a spolier but it's in the first episode & you'd have to be retarded to not know that judging by, hmm, synopsis by MAL, hearsay by people comparing it to Parasyte & the fucking opening) or "Why and where are their wards?" and finally "Where in the world is carmen santiago?"
Overall
All kidding aside, why did hitler kill himself? Because the jews sent him a gas bill.
Okay, last joke. Sorry. Anyway, I would watch this show. Well i have. So You should watch this show. It's great fun & it's short(really, haven't said that before) so knock it off in 2 days like i did. Or in 1 & save the rest for masturbating.
P.S Fuck you to all my haters who gunna say this wasn't helpful. This shit was helpful as fuck. Fuck you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 19, 2015
I had put off Code Geass for such a long time despite hearing many good things about it. To me, that whole mecha thing always feels like a ripoff of Gundam. In addition, i had heard from a few friends that "it's like death note" or "it's death note with robots" & while this comparison is an easy conclusion, when you get down to it, they're pretty different but that's obvious considering their different stores.
Anyway, the STORY;
Great story. One of the best i have ever come across. It's not especially unique but entirely entertaining and well thought out, never rushed & always keeping
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you on the edge. It's fairly unpredictable or at least, not a cliche story. The story progresses well with each episode, and has a perfect blend of comedy, action, psychology, idealism & so on & so on. Only problem I had was that after each episode,(or many) instead of leaving off directly with what had just happened at the end of the previous episode, it takes you to some unknown point in the future and so sometimes, it can be confusing as i was. There were a few times i asked myself what the fuck was going on but it was brief so maybe it is worth mentioning. There are lots of tiny sub plots and interesting developments that all relate to the overall story scheme and so in short, there is no objective fault with the story.
Art:
I hate clamps art style. So if you don't like it then you can't really do anything about it. I never liked it but the anime is so good it doesn't matter at all. Their skinny lanky bodies put me off but it's not animated badly, it's just a style so i rated it a 7/10 just because i dislike the style, but overall, great animation, especially with the mecha robot suit things(they have names but there's too many to count to list) & they give special attention to the main character and so his artwork from facial features, movements, etc is especially great.
sound:
Again, if you don't like the opening/ending or music than what can you do?
I liked the first opening by FLOW, as I like the band FLOW & it seemed appropriate. The other two, i didn't like at all, nor did i like any of the ending & the sound for this show isn't particularly great anyway. It's definitely not memorable except for maybe the first opening and none of the background music was especially memorable or outstanding, probably average to ok at best. But none of it hinders the anime nor does it ever feel out of place. If you pay attention to the sound the entire time, you'll probably come to the conclusion that "It's okay" & that "They could have done better".
Characters:
There a shitload of characters, and though so many are one dimensional & unchanging, they are there for a decent amount of episodes, and serve some function. The main character, Lelouch, is so fantastically presented and dealt with that despite his choices, which let's be honest, in the very general term of the word, "Bad". But existentially, no right or wrong blah blah blah . The mindset he has, the choices he makes, his ideals, his life, his family, his opinions, they are all very real and unlike death note's Light(as the two animes are compared) he is much more likable. The other characters such as Suzuku and Euphemia and C.C all have great development as well, though suzuku's ideals are cliche as fuck which made me dislike him most of the time but eventually, through developments in the story, he becomes much more understandable at the least. Euphemia is cliche in many regards but really, that whole cliche thing isn't too bad because regardless, there are people who think like that(you'll know exactly what when you watch the anime) & code geass gives every character a fresh look & so their ideals are the only things truly cliche, not so much the characters themselves. Each have a decent unique story & past. C.C is very unique but mostly because her story & past are only ever briefly touched upon & never really explained which i imagine will be in the next season. Some characters appear out of nowhere which is confusing & are seemingly very important but again, i probably have to wait until next season. Overall, great characters, and even the minor ones are fresh, as is their story.
Enjoyment & conclusion:
As with anything it comes down to your own satisfaction. I loved this anime and have found no objective faults, and only subjective faults i have are with the artwork. It is a great anime with a fresh new plot, great unique characters and an amazing story that always makes you want to watch the next episode. There is no real right & wrong and the show presents it as such with characters on all sides with pasts, opinions, family, loved ones, etc.
I high recommend this anime & to any of the people who click, "i did not find this helpful" I can't possibly understand why so fuck you in advance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 23, 2014
Kurushitsuji 3: Book of circus(Black Butler 3) is a continuation of about halfway through the first season of Kurushitsuji. It follows the manga and is a rather important piece in the main character's life(Ciel phantomhive) as it explored and identifies some main points of his past.
The story, with the exception of the first episode(which is there to reintroduce the characters) is well thought out and since it is directly from the manga, any qualms with the story will come down to weather or not you like the manga or think that that arc was particularly good or bad. The plot is basically this: A
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traveling circus, known as Noah's ark circus, comes to London. However, they are notorious for leaving behind missing children in every place they have visited so the Queen tasks Ciel with finding out if there are any truths to the rumors and if so, end the circus once and for all. The plot in general is well done given its series length of ten episodes, which you may or may not like. Objectively, it seems that ten episodes was a bit to short to truly capture everything but from what i have read from the Manga, it was "word for word" and therefore, done perfectly. (Though the end will leave you wanting more, and basically leaving you with the statement: "I feel like there should be more")
The art is well, if not slightly better than the first series, and I can't think of a single bad frame.
As for the sound, the opening and ending really fit the series well, and though I can't say I enjoyed the ending, I actually do like the opening(& have even downloaded the song to my phone). Along with the original OST used for black butler, they have added some new medley, which is good and fits the series well, specifically the times it is used.
The characters are mostly ok, and we get some great development in Ciel's character. The antagonists of the series are ok as well, and rather interesting as well, given their personalities conflict with their duty; the things they must do. There are a few characters that are not really developed enough, and despite their importance, seem almost disposable. (Though whether this was done on purpose or if it was just like the manga i cannot say). The only qualm I have(If you can call it that) is the misleading opening, which identifies the reapers(along with a new one). Though they are in the series, with Will being the most prominent, their role is rather ambiguous(Specifically will's) and they don't contribute at all to the series other than for an amusing couple of scenes.
It all comes down to if you enjoy Black butler(Which I do; & I am a straight male). The series was much better than the second season in story and enjoyment and only falls short of the first(Due to the fact the first season has many arcs and more episodes while book of circus had 10 episodes and 1 arc).
As a footnote, I understand its appeal and sort of directness at female audiences, but the show, just like all the seasons, have complicated ideals, emotions and some interesting personal philosophies. Of course, the humour and relationships(like the one Grell has for Sebastian) are a bit over the top, I still find it a rather enjoyable series, and found Book of Circus to be a favorite arc of mine. (And if you don't like it, I Imagine there will be many more seasons to come)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 17, 2014
Psycho pass 2 receives a lot of negative reviews and though some may be too critical, they are based in truth. Like the first season, it follows akane and her duties as inspector of squad 1. The problems i find that arise within the second season are uninteresting characters, an unlikely plot and what feels like to me, as a rather stalled continuation of this beloved series of mine.
Firstly, Kogami is NOT in this season and though extremely disappointing to me and many others, makes sense, especially when you consider the plot of the show is not destroying the sibyl system(which would make
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sense for kogami to be there). Though we miss kogami, the show's problems have nothing to do with his absense, we just think it does cause we love him so much. The plot itself involves a new threat, in the guise of a mysterious man named Kamui, who poses similar threats of undermining the sibyl system much like Shogo makishima did.
However, psycho pass 2 relies heavily on this type of character. Kamui(in a unique way) is like Shogi(in the sense the sibyl system does not read him) and though the two do not share any of the same philosophy, they are the same antagonist, the only difference was that Shogo was well rounded and understandable and well liked where as Kamui, like many of the new characters, are not very well rounded and do not have the same sort of "pizzaz" as the characters from season 1. Other characters are added, such as Mika, a new inspector who poses an interesting personality conflict with Akane yet comes off as rather pretentious and annoying and by the 4th or 5th episode you wish she would just shut the fuck up instead of constantly posing as a hindrance to akane. Also, two enforcers are added, Sho, a introverted enforcer, who though is likable and clearly a good person, is not well rounded and has almost no back story(spare a rather forced set of dialogue by a character that has nothing to do with him) The other is a rather generic and unique Kogami(in the sense he is a badass detective like kogami but unique that he shares almost no characters traits with kogami) Unlike Kogami as well, who developed over the series, Sakuya does not develop at all. Chalk it up to 11 episodes or bad writing but that's the case. Akane herself seems rather boring and dull at times but for the most part, is the same person from season 1( so either you liked her or you didn't) Gino is still around but the interesting character from season 1 has almost no purpose as an enforcer other than to just be around and i think that we miss his importance from season 1. We are again introduced to Joji, who i feel becomes much more important and a rather important character though at the same time, the plot does not call for him at all & was probably only added for the element of having a new character(or one that can be further explored, which he is).
The plot, like the characters, suffers. In 11 episodes it serves to do little to deviate itself from the main plot of the first season, which was to bring the sibyl system down. However, unlike the first season, it starts off rather complicated and all over the place but does a good job of tying everything together, though it could have done a much better starting off. It also misses that cast of antagonists who added drama and tension to the show as well as progressed the plot. Instead, the other antagonist(and there is arguably only 1 more) is hardly an antagonist while the others are flat characters with no likability at all.
However, all that being said, if you liked the first season, you will like this one. It still has a rather interesting plot, at least one interesting enough that it's hard to predict what will happen and who will do what. The sound and art is just as good as the first one and do not let Kogami's absence throw you off too much because the second season in now way ends the possibilities of the show, and along with the movie soon to come, i predict another season or two, a season with Kogami.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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