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Great Pretender is a Wit Studio original that released in 2020. I've reviewed most of their anime pretty positively, except for that god awful Koi wa Ameagari no You ni so let's hope this one can stand with their series that aren't that.

Story:

We open with our hero, Edamura Makoto, carrying out some scams with his partner in con artistry, Kudou. After some shenanigans he takes up with Laurent, a con artist who only targets people who deserve it. From that point onwards, we follow the various capers that Laurent drags Makoto into. Such as targeting a pair of brothers who rig air races ... for money and don't seem to care who gets injured in the process.

Let's get into the big problem with the writing of this series. And it's all part of the final arc. Basically, this arc strives to redeem all the antagonists we've had throughout the series. No matter how horrible they've been demonstrated to be. No matter what they've done, including child trafficking, this arc tries to show that they're all human and capable of redemption.

To an extent, I can appreciate the sentiment behind this. Because, ultimately, even the worst human beings do have humanity and they have moments where they can be good to their friends and relatives. And it is important to acknowledge that an individual can't be defined solely by their worst traits. However, it's also important to be aware that some people are irredeemable pieces of shite who don't deserve forgiveness and people who buy and sell children are definitely on that list. Just like literal fascists and those people who feel the need to be arseholes to minimum wage workers for no good reason. And in trying so hard to demonstrate the humanity of these people, the series neglects to acknowledge the severity of their crimes.

Now, that final arc aside. This series is really strong. It's good at building up its scenarios, putting all the pieces in place for the groups' scams and showcasing how well they can overcome unexpected adversity. Which often involves a lot of clever thinking and showing how Laurent, or someone else in the group, anticipated the possible contingency. It's also very good at establishing personal connections betwixt members of the main cast and the most recent caper. Which they frequently use to showcase exactly why the target deserves to be scammed.

Characters:

The series does spend a lot of time showing where the characters come from, how they joined up with Laurent's group and why running cons for the greater good is important for them. Even with the antagonists, we see a lot of why they went down a dark path and what they've done to deserve being targeted. At least, outside of the last caper where the series just messes itself. There are also a lot of compelling dynamics amongst the main cast that get some solid development.

Art:

The character art is pretty solid. Maybe a little indistinct at times but still solid. The backgrounds have this weird, trippy look to them. Almost like Wit's staff watched Yellow Submarine for inspiration. Initially, I didn't know what to think about it but the aesthetic did grow on me as I watched through the anime.

Sound:

The performances are great. Kobayashi Chiaki, Fujiwara Natsumi, Sonozaki Mie, Suwabe Junichi and the rest of the cast give excellent performances. The music is also really good, even though they use Freddie Mercury's Great Pretender in a context it doesn't quite work in solely for the name. Aside from that, the music has a very spy thriller type of aesthetic that works really well with the tone of the series.

Ho-yay:

There are times where Laurent and Makoto's dynamic comes across as a bit homo-erotic but not many.

Areas of Improvement:

1. If you're going to redeem a villain, you need to put some effort into it. Not just have them make up with the protagonists off screen. Especially if they've done something truly heinous.
2. I know this is largely a more light-hearted series but they could still woman up enough to keep some of heir tragic elements instead of trying to undo them at the end.
3. Just because there's a song that shares the name of your fictional work, doesn't mean it actually suits your fictional work. Black Sabbath's Iron Man doesn't suit Marvel's character of the same name. Nor does Freddie Mercury's song fit this anime.

Final Thoughts:

This one is almost excellent. The problem is the last arc and its highly misguided attempt at redeeming everybody. Without that arc, this could be a 9/10 anime easily. With that arc and how much it absolutely fucks things up, this series is a 7/10. It's still good but it has the misfortune of ending on a very sour note. If you're a fan of protagonists who visit clever, karmic punishments on terrible people you'll likely enjoy the series overall but be disappointed by the last arc.

I've talked about Girls und Panzer as a franchise more than once. This time around we're looking at the OVA Kore ga Hontou no Anzio-sen desu! If the rest of the franchise thus far is anything to go by, this one should be good.

Story:

This one is set during the series proper. If you've seen it, you may recall that the Anzio Battle doesn't have a whole lot to it. The episode sets up the battle and then they show Ooarai's victory without showing anything that leads up to it. Well, this OVA seeks to rectify that by actually showing more of the lead ... up as well as the actual battle.

The biggest issue with this OVA is the simple fact that it feels like it should have been part of the anime to begin with. Like, episode 7 should have ended with their prep talk and this should have been episode 8 rather than being a separate thing. Which does tie into one of the points I made about the original series when I reviewed it years ago, it needed to be longer.

On the positive side, this does add to the original anime. It gives you more details about the Anzio girls as well as showcasing a lot more about the strategies employed during the altercation. And they do all of it while being funnier than the old joke of building up a fight only to not actually show it. The ending in particular is very funny.

Characters:

The main cast is a delight, as always. The big thing this does that you didn't get before is give some characterization for the Anzio team. Which is pretty nice to see. The friendship with Caeser and Carpaccio is the big highlight since it's pretty adorable.

Art:

Like with every instalment of this franchise, the tank battle is amazing and the tanks themselves have a lot of detail put into them. The environments are really nice. And the characters do look good, in spite of certain groups of students that are designed to basically look identical for some reason.

Sound:

The vocal cast is great. I'll especially shout out Sendai Eri, Hayami Saori, Yoshioka Maya & Iguchi Yuka. The first three benefit from having an increased role while Miss Iguchi is just the best character. The music is solid as well. Which has been pretty consistent in the Girls und Panzer titles we've looked at.

Ho-yay:

Caeser & Carpaccio's relationship does come across as a bit Sapphic. Aside from that there are some cute interactions amongst the girls in general.

Areas of Improvement:

1. There's no reason for this to have been a separate OVA instead of a part of the series proper.
2. The series still begs for a smaller cast since there are so many characters who really don't do much.
3. If you're going to have a hundred characters, at least make them visually distinct.

Final Thoughts:

Ultimately, Kore ga Hontou no Anzio-sen desu! is a solid addition to the Girls und Panzer franchise that helps fill in some of the gaps from the series proper's overly condensed story-telling. For me, this is a solid 7/10 OVA. If you're someone who enjoys the franchise, you'll almost certainly like this piece of it as well.

isuru Asteroid is a Doga Kobo anime based off of a 4-koma manga. I've talked about Doga Kobo a few times before. They were behind Yuru Yuri, New Game, Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru & Sansha Sanyou. Just to name a few of their works I've personally reviewed. Most of them have been pretty solid. Let's hope this follows that trend and isn't another dumbbell dud.

Story:

Konohata Mira made a childhood promise with a "boy" to find an asteroid together and name it "Ao" after them. When she enters High school she tries to join the Astronomy club only to discover that it's been merged with ... the Geology club to form an Earth Sciences club. There she reunites with her childhood friend, Manaka Ao, who turns out to have been a girl. The anime follows the Earth Science club as well as the reignited relationship betwixt Mira & Ao.

The only real issue I have with this anime is that it spends too much time talking about specific details related to Earth sciences. It's kind of like Hoshikozu Telepath in that regard. Except they're telling you about core samples instead of bottle rocket mechanics. Don't get me wrong, I like science but I'm not all that interested in relearning basic details about astronomy & geology from an anime.

With that said, this anime is a delight. The humour is really good. The plot line is cutesy with a lot of fun moments. And has a surprisingly strong climax that leaves plenty of room for further content but still feels like a strong conclusion. It's also very good with its pacing. It always feels like there's good forward momentum without being overly hectic.

Characters:

The cast in this is highly endearing. Ao, Mira, Sakura, Ino, Monroe, Suzu, Nana & Chika. They're all great characters. They have a lot of strong interactions and interesting dynamics. The series does a great job of showcasing all of the main girls at various points and giving you insight into what their goals are. The only minor complaint I have is that they don't really have strong sibling relationships. There are three pairs of sisters in this and they don't really show any of them interacting all that much.

Art:

The art is pretty impressive. There's so much detail put into the stars, rocks, fossils and other objects that are relevant to the Earth sciences club. The character designs are a bit less detailed but they're still cute and memorable.

Sound:

Doga Kobo got a lot of talented actresses for this series. Yamaguchi Megumi, Takayanagi Tomoyo, Ueda Reina, Touyama Nao, Useka Sumire, Sashida Maria and the rest of the major cast are all really good. The music is very suited to the series. It's calm, relaxing and fun.

Ho-yay:

There's a lot. The relationship with Ao and Mira is one of those that's very clearly meant to be read as romantic without the show ever outright saying it is. Sakura & Monroe end up living together and there's just a lot of flirting in general. Suzu is also very blatantly into women. She basically drools over ever girl in the Earth science club.

Areas of Improvement:

1. We could use less time spent explaining the science.
2. We could use more sisterly bonds.
3. I would like this to be longer so we could get more development for some of the less focused relationships.

Final Thoughts:

If you're looking for a cute slice of life series that's calming and mentally soothing, this is a pretty good choice. If you're interested in introducing basic Earth sciences to a young teenager, this would admittedly make a decent tool. As much as I've given it shit for its overly long explanations. If you appreciate slice of life series with heavy les-yay that doesn't quite cross into being canon, this is up there. My rating is going to be an 8/10.

Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei is a Diomedea anime based off of a light novel by Karasu Piero with art by Kisaragi Yuri. I've looked at Diomedea's work a few times. They were behind Akuma no Riddle, Shinryaku Ika Musume & Dai Mahou Touge. They haven't let me down yet. So I'm very interested in this one.

Story:

We open with the eccentric Princess, Anisphia Wynn Palletia, fighting monsters to claim their materials. Turns out she's building revolutionary technology to allow ordinary people to make use of magic. The nobles are not happy with this given that their society is built on ... the upper class hoarding that power for themselves. It isn't long before she crashes a party and rescues her brother's former fiancé, Euphyllia Magenta, after he's publicly denounced and broken things off with her. This sets off a series of events where Anis & Euphie build their relationship while being caught in a web of schemes and political plots.

The only real criticism I have for the series' writing is that the ending feels a bit rushed. Like it needed an extra episode to more properly flesh out a lot of elements.

That aside, this is a fantastic story. The struggles the girls encounter are compelling and tackled in a nuanced way. The development of the relationship betwixt Anis & Euphie is amazing and adorable. The world building is phenomenal. They do a great job of showing how the world works and why people in power feel threatened by Anis and her research. They're also able to cleverly work in explanations for things like how magic works while making it feel very natural to the situation. The series also has some great comedic moments and it balances them beautifully with the more serious moments. So many anime have failed in that regard by having comedic moments that are way too goofy and/or serious moments that are far too grim and gritty but there's a good balance here.

Characters:

What I like about the major characters in this is that they all have complex motivations, flaws and strengths. Their relationship dynamics are also interesting. Even the important side characters like Ilia, Tilty & Lainie have just enough back story to give them that level of depth. The antagonists also have very clear reasoning behind what they're doing even without it making them sympathetic or likeable. One thing that does bother me a little is that one of the antagonists gets off far too easily and basically has his actions forgiven and excused by the narrative. Yes, he gets consequences but he's also granted a lot of forgiveness by the major protagonists in spite of doing very little to earn it.

Art:

The backgrounds, magical creatures, character designs and action sequences all look fantastic. The anime has a strong flow and sequencing that really work. Even when it comes to the romantic tension betwixt our leads, the art puts in the work to sell it very strongly.

Sound:

They got a phenomenal cast for this. Senbongi Sayaka, Iwami Manaka, Kakuma Ai & Sasahara Yuu in particular. But there's no one in the cast who doesn't do a great job. The music is perfectly composed as well. Full credit to Hyuuga Moe. She killed it.

Ho-yay:

There's a lot. Even ignoring all the amazingly cute moments with Anis & Euphie, they also have some side stuff with Ilia & Lainie. Though they only get one big moment.

Areas of Improvement:

1. They needed a little more time to properly wrap things up. I believe making it a thirteen episode series would have done it justice.
2. It is slightly infuriating when the aforementioned antagonist gets the kiddie gloves treatment in spite of having done some truly horrible things.
3. The anime could use more cute les-yay moments. Particularly with Ilia & Lainie.

Final Thoughts:

Diomedea absolutely killed it with this one. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is the best anime I've seen from them. And that's not for a lack of competition. Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei is just that good. I'm giving it an enthusiastic 9/10.

Akuma no Riddle is an anime I talked about a long time ago. Turns out, they have a one episode special that takes place after the main story. So, let's have a look and see if it adds anything.

Story:

We open with the girls on a yacht heading for a school trip. When Nio takes the opportunity to crash the boat and start a little game. Each girl has a golden badge, save for Haru who has a red one. It's up to Azuma to protect her girlfriend's badge while the other girls try to take it to have a wish granted. They lose ... if they have their golden badges taken and whoever's holding Haru's badge when the sun sets wins. All the girls get into the game, save for Chitaru & Hitsugi who immediately exchange badges to go off and flirt as their wishes came true when they found each other.

The big issue with this as a follow up to the series proper is that there are a lot of things that happened at the conclusion of that series that don't really get addressed in terms of how they were resolved. Chitaru & Hitsugi running around all lovey dovey being a big one. Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely adorable and there is something compelling about a tall, strong girl having a relationship with a petite girl but I'm very curious about how they went from where they were as of the main series finale to where they are here.
This episode is also a great deal more light-hearted than the main series. The main conflict is just kind of silly and it's very obvious that most of the girls are just playing around. Which I'm a bit mixed on. While it can be helpful to wind down the action with a bit of a more light-hearted moment, it's also a bit weird aesthetically.

One major factor this does have going for it is that it's incredibly cute. Especially the Chitaru/ Hitsugi scenes. The special loves to cut to the pair of them just being very flirty.

Characters:

The characters are very much the same as they are in the series proper except with their darker traits played up more for laughs than used seriously. One thing I appreciate is that Haru is willing to lose the game since she's not actually in danger and she'd rather play in the loser's area but she keeps going for her girlfriend's sake. As Azuma is taking the whole thing far too seriously. The major characters do come across as highly endearing too.

Art:

The big issue with the art is that it delves too deeply into mindless fan-service. There are multiple scenes of the girls stripping each other. Even putting those scenes aside, they all spend the entire thing in their swimsuits. Which basically makes this the beach episode. If they hadn't kind of had it already with the whole buddy breathing episode. And, in all fairness, the series proper was also fond of fan-service. This just takes it a little further.

Sound:

The voice acting remains a very strong aspect of the series. And the music is still really good.

Ho-yay:

There's a lot. This is one of those anime where there just doesn't seem to be any straight characters. Even though Chitaru & Hitsugi get the bulk of the cutesy moments.

Final Thoughts:

This special is decent enough. It provides you with some extra fluff and some funny moments. With that being said, it's not a brilliant ending to the series. It doesn't add anything of substance. But if you just want some cute yuri moments, you'll be pretty happy with it. I'm giving it a 6/10.

Hoshikozu Telepath was a late 2023 anime from Studio Gokumi based off of a manga by Ookuma Rasuko. I have reviewed some Gokumi anime before: Yuuki Yuuna wa Yusha de Aru, Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san, A-Channel and the god awful Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge. Let's hope this is more like the other stuff I've reviewed of theirs and not that one.

Story:

Konohoshi Umika is an incredibly awkward girl who doesn't fit in with people in general. I relate. She dreams about going into space and meeting aliens who will understand her. I still relate. Her life is turned upside down when a strange girl arrives ... at her school and declares herself to be an alien. Umika is immediately drawn to her. Can't relate to that one but I wish I could. The story involves their budding friendship, which quickly starts growing into more and their quest to build a rocket to take them both into space. Naturally, they start small with various forms of miniature rockets. Fortunately for them, they make some friends who can help them along.
My only real issue with the story is that it stops dead in its tracks multiple times to explain the specifics of building model rockets. It really takes you out of the narrative when Raimon or Kei just starts going into ultra specific details about model rockets. I'm sure someone will argue that "it's educational" but that doesn't make it narratively cohesive. All those PSAs that used to get added to the end of American cartoons were educational too but they were still the worst part.

On the positive side, the anime is insanely cute. I appreciate the fact that its sci-fi elements are toned down to make it more relatable, including having the girls start small and do something within the realm of possibility for High School girls. Though I can get fully behind a more zany, over the top comedy there is something to be said for the more toned down, relatable approach. Most of the jokes are also really good. It also provides a solid sense of hardships and the girls going through a steep learning curve. They don't just become masters through a short montage or have some uncanny knack for building rockets. There's also a great little theme of finding a place to belong that we see all our main characters engage with to varying degrees.

Characters:

The thing I adore about the cast of characters is that they all have complexity, realistic motivations and character flaws. While I maintain that comedic characters don't necessarily need those attributes, it is nice to see ones who have them.

Umika has extreme social anxiety and starts out only being comfortable with Yuu and her own relatives but we start to see her gradually putting an effort into socialising and the group of people she can talk to expands. Yuu has a much more extroverted outlook but that covers up a loneliness and sense of loss over not remembering who she is or where she came from. Haruno has a dream of helping others achieve their goals but in working with the others she starts to discover ambitions of her own. Raimon is obsessed with tinkering and feels isolated because no one can keep up with her so she pushes people away but Umika and the others may just be able to understand her.

It's worth noting that these four also work very strongly together for comedic purposes. Their dynamics provide all kinds of possibilities for strong gags. They're also just downright adorable.

Where the anime falters a bit is with the minor characters. Most of them are perfectly fine. They serve the function they need to and feel real enough. Then we have characters like the teacher or the little sister who just feel under-utilized. The situation will beg for them to do something more substantial than they end up doing.

Art:

I really love the character designs. The differently coloured highlights a lot of the girls have in their hair is really striking and the general designs are basically weaponised cuteness. They also go into great detail to make the various types of model rockets super accurate. The backgrounds are very good too.

Sound:

The cast is excellent. Funato Yurie, Fukagawa Seria, Aoki Shiki & Nagamuta Moe all have amazing performances. The music is great. Sakai Asuka did a phenomenal job.

Ho-yay:

There's a lot. All four of the major girls, Umika, Yuu, Haruno & Raimon have a level of les-yay that would make a polyamorous relationship amongst them believable. And it's ceaselessly adorable. Even the fact that they touch foreheads in multiple affectionate scenes like they adopted Jeremiah Rossa is cute. The les-yay is strong betwixt Umika & Yuu. They have so many exceptionally cute moments.

Areas of Improvement:

1. We don't need long explanations of model rockets. Yes, they make it clear that you did your research but they also aren't very entertaining.
2. The series really needs to do more with the bigger supporting characters. Even just a few extra lines to help flesh them out.
3. More cute Sapphic moments would work a treat since they are one of the strongest aspects of the series.

Final Thoughts:

Hoshikozu Telepath stands alongside Gokumi's best work, Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san. It's an excellent series with some minor issues. My rating is going to be a 9/10.

I talked about a comedic anime called Shinryaku Ika Musume a very long time ago. It's been over a decade at this point when you factor in the fact that it was a repost of an older review when I first put that one on Wordpress. And even that repost is almost a decade old. At the time, it was the only thing I'd seen from Diomedea. It's since been joined by Akuma no Riddle & Dai Mahou Touge. So, the studio has a strong track record. In any case, the comedy was enjoyable and we're revisiting the series with a look at the 3 ... episode OVA.

Story:

The OVA is set up with one episode containing a variety of shorter episodes. The episodes deal with Ika Musume, the Aizawa family and the various eccentrics they encountered in the main series. They test the world's second worst video game system after the CD-I, watch Gorou get embarrassed by his mum, try to prevent Chizuru from being mistaken for an alien and more.

The issue with this series lies in the format. They want every short to be around the same length. As a consequence, there are some shorts that feel like they don't really take full advantage of the comedic possibilities, like Chizuru being suspected of being an alien, while others, Ika Musume trying to throw out a message in a bottle, drag on a bit. There are also definitely episodes that are better than others. None of them are bad but some are just okay while others are fantastic.

On the positive side, the comedy does largely work. There are a lot of good episode ideas in here and they're executed well in spite of some of them being too short or dragging a bit. It manages to be consistently entertaining.

Characters:

The cast isn't particularly complex. However, they don't need to be. I've gone over this with comedies many times but comedic characters need to have strong comedic potential and play off of each other well. Which the characters in this generally do. Though there is a question of why we need three scientists when they quite literally all have the same function and personality. The characters also don't get the kind of development they got in the first series. They're pretty stagnant.

Art:

The art style is cute and vibrant. The animation flows well. The characters still largely have similar faces with different hair. I can't really fault the OVA for keeping that feature since it was also in the original series. It's just kind of lazy design.

Sound:

There are a lot of skilled actors in this. Kanemoto Hisako, Tanaka Rie, Fujimura Ayumi, Itou Kanae and more. Their performances are pretty solid. The music is upbeat and fun.

Ho-yay:

There's a bit. The OVA doesn't really feature Ika Musume's seeming crush on Nagisa nor does it have many homo-erotic moments betwixt Ika and Eiko. It does feature Sanae's very blatant interest in Ika. It also has the same issue as the original where it seems to be largely present because the writer finds it funny.

Areas of Improvement:

1. The OVA would definitely benefit from having fewer shorts and having more extensive explorations of the comedic possibilities within a given scenario. They could literally drop the weakest short from each episode and turn out a better product.
2. If you're going to have Sapphic representation, at least give the character more to her personality than just mindlessly pursuing the girl she likes.
3. There are several characters who would definitely benefit from a bit more depth. Solely because the jokes they're used for are obvious.

Final Thoughts:

This OVA is worth watching if you enjoyed the Ika Musume series proper. That being stated, it really doesn't add much. It's more of the same. It has the same strengths as the series proper and the same flaws. I'm giving it a 7/10 since I did mostly enjoy the comedy and found it quite endearing but it's not brilliant.

At this point I've reviewed quite a few instalments in the Nanoha franchise. Including the first film and the A's series. Thus far, it's been a very strong franchise and I hope we're ending this year's film festival week on a high note with this.

Story:

We open with Hayate taking the bus while holding a chained up book in her lap. She' get's wheeling herself home in her chair when a sleeping truck driver nearly rams into her only for her to be saved by a mysterious light. Meanwhile, Nanoha is beyond excited for Fate's upcoming return. They're enjoying their reunion when we learn ... that mages and magical creatures alike have been attacked and had their linker cores drained. These events are quickly linked with the Book of Darkness incident that cost Captain Lindy her husband years ago.

The narrative of this film is really well put together. They set up the story with Hayate and her knights in a way that makes them and their cause come across as misguided but highly sympathetic. The film does a fantastic job of showcasing the knights' desperation and building up on that as they approach the climax. The sequence where Fate comes face to face with her past trauma is brilliant. The NanoFate scenes where they're very blatantly in the early stages of falling in love are adorable. The climax itself is incredible. It has high stakes, a grand scope and some very powerful moments. Then we have the ending which has some excellently handled bittersweet elements.

Characters:

This franchise has always had really strong casts and this film is no different. Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, The knights, Lindy, the members of the time-space bureau, Arf, Suzuka, Alisa they're all great characters. A big part of the casts' strength comes from the inter-personal relationships and how the characters interact with one another. And it's not just the les-yay fuelled interactions that are superb. Seeing Suzuka befriend Hayate, Nanoha try to understand Vita, Liny assume a motherly role for Fate & watching Fate and Signum come to mutual respect are all very compelling relationship dynamics.

Art:

The film looks incredible. The characters have the best versions of their designs. The action sequences are really excellent. The backgrounds are vibrant. The one issue I have is with the transformation sequences. Which have been a continuing issue with this franchise. They're very weirdly fan-servicey. Keep in mind, these characters are around nine or ten years old. And we have shots showing off their bare butts and chests. Who exactly are these shots for?

Sound:

The acting is fantastic. This franchise has always had an amazing vocal cast. Tamura Yukari, Mizuki Nana, Ueda Kana, Sanada Asami, Kuwatani Natsuko, Shimizu Kaori, Yuzuki Ryouka and the rest all reprise their roles flawlessly. The music is another aspect that the franchise always does really well and gets handled perfectly in this film.

Ho-yay:

There's a lot. We get the obvious romantic tension betwixt Nanoha and Fate. There's also a lot of it with Hayate and Vita. In addition to that, Arf gets really blushy around Captain Lindy. Methinks she wants the two of them to be Fate's mums together.

Areas of Improvement:

1. The transformation sequences desperately need reworked.
2. I'm not joking. No transformation sequence involving a little girl should involve nudity.
3. For the one action sequence that Lindy was directly involved in it would have been cool to see more of her directly using her magic and getting involved since it's not really something we've seen from the franchise.

Final Thoughts:

Honestly, most of the elements in this film are so well-handled and genuinely fantastic that I'm tempted to hand out a perfect score. The one thing that's stopping me from doing that is the weird and creepy fan-service involved in the transformation sequences. Due to that, I'm going to give it a 9/10. It's absolutely worth watching. I would just suggest skipping through the transformation sequences.

Doubutsu Tonarigumi is a propaganda film from the early days of World War II. Personally, I've always found this type of thing kind of interesting whether it's blatantly racist American comics or my own country scapegoating Jews for everything. In spite of the fact that Jewish people did nothing wrong. Let's see what some old-fashioned Japanese propaganda looks like.

Story:

The film is basically a series of snippets about the importance of having an organised neighbourhood association. They can pass on flyers, spread awareness of over-priced black markets trying to profit off of scarcity, put out fires, chase away pushy salesmen and shelter together in ... the event of a bombing.

This is a lot more mild and tame compared to a lot of the WWII propaganda pieces I've seen. Which makes it significantly less problematic to look back at but it also makes it less interesting. When I look at a comic of Superman using racial slurs while fighting very questionably drawn Japanese soldiers, it's awful but also morbidly fascinating. The same is true for a lot of those old propaganda pieces. But this one is just cloying and boring. The big message seems to be "make your neighbourhood better by snitching."

Characters:

The members of the neighbourhood association are basically indistinguishable from one another. There's not even enough personality amongst them to be called archetypical.

Art:

For 1941, the animation isn't all that bad. It definitely doesn't hold up by any means. The animation is awkward and choppy. The characters look pretty shite too. The best you can say about it is that it doesn't include a bunch of egregiously offensive designs. Which may seem like it should go without saying but it is a WWII propaganda piece.

Sound:

This sounds its age. The mixing is badly done. The voice acting is very stilted. And I'm sure part of that is just how bad sound recordings were back then.

Ho-yay:

None here. Partly because of when it was made and partly because the characters are beyond paper-thin.

Final Thoughts:

It's pretty rubbish. Maybe in the early 1940s this looked and sounded impressive. But that doesn't alter the basic fact that there's nothing of substance here. It doesn't even have the decency to be a PSA/ propaganda work that's so outrageous and absurd that it's kind of fascinating. My rating is going to be a 3/10. I wouldn't bother tracking it down unless you're really curious about WWII propaganda to the point where even the boring ones are of interest.

I've talked about the Precure franchise many times. Fresh Precure being the most recent series I reviewed and one of the best. So, this film festival week we're going to look at the film based off of that series. Omocha no Kuni wa Himitsu ga Ippai!? It came out in 2009 while the series was still airing. Is it a good addition? Let's check it out.

Story:

We open with the girls planning to have three nights worth of pajama parties. Unbeknownst to them, toys are disappearing around the city while they're playing around. Naturally, when they find out they assume it's Labyrinth only to find ... out that they have nothing to do with it. That's when Love's old stuffed rabbit, Usapyon, emerges from the closet to tell them that the trouble originates from the kingdom of toys and a being called Toymajin.

The big issue with the film is that the twists are all way too obvious. I understand that the Precure franchise is intended for a young audience but there's a point where things are so obvious that you're actively insulting that audience. And this doesn't quite cross that point but it comes very close.

On the positive side, the film does have a strong sense of fun to it. The antagonist also has a legitimate grievance which does make things more interesting. I also appreciate the overall message of appreciating what you have. I also like the way each of our main protagonists has her own challenge to overcome. It's kind of reminiscent of the X-men story where they get taken to different challenges in Arcade's Murder World.

Characters:

Our main cast are as endearing as ever and all four of them get a chance to showcase the personality aspects that make them such. The two major characters who get added in for the sake of the film are Usapyon & Toymajin. Usapyon is quite a likable character. Toymajin is more compelling than the antagonists we usually get in Precure films since he actually has a genuine complaint unlike, say, the antagonist of the Gogo film.

Art:

The artwork and animation are really good. It looks very much like the series. The only real issue would be the length of time spent on the stock footage scenes. The film doesn't condense or combine the transformation sequences. So, we get to see all four one after the other with their full lengths.

Sound:

The acting is really good. Oki Kanae, Komatsu Yuka, Nakagawa Akiko & Kitamura Eri are all really strong in their roles. The film adds Sakamoto Chika and Tsuru Hiromi who are both solid in their roles. The film uses the same music as the series proper and it's still fantastic.

Ho-yay:

The girls in this continue to read as a polyamorous lesbian grouping. There's about as much les-yay in the film as there is in a standard episode after Cure Passion joins the roster.

Areas of Improvement:

Combining the transformation sequences would have allowed for extra time for more important content.

The film would have benefited from being less obvious with its plot line.

I would have liked to see more of the girls just interacting with each other.

Final Thoughts:

This film is pretty enjoyable. If you're a fan of Fresh Precure, you'll most likely enjoy it. It's basically a long, stand alone episode. I'm going to give it an 8/10.