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Dec 23, 2016
Yuri!!! on Ice is not amazing unless you're a 14 year old yaoi fangirl. Or if you're Canadian.
It's a fun comedy mixed with sports anime made for women by women and there's no need to think it's anything more because it isn't.
Story? What story? Yuri Katsuki's anxiety problems and homoerotic relationship with Victor? Because that's all you're getting. The plot progresses with the figure skating competition which sadly gets boring when the same formula for showing the skating and characters is had. It also doesn't help when there's only 12 episodes to flesh out such a huge cast of characters.
The character design
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is vast and diverse and the better aspects of the show thanks to Kubo Mitsurou's beautiful artwork but the animation tends to be stiff and the skating scenes which should be the most eye opening and exciting are boring and even embarrassing. You have to give them credit for never backing out and fully animating everything though. All the budget seemed to be wasted on the first episode so that left the rest of the show to be horribly looking and repetitive skating scenes where the only redeeming thing is the music. In the later episodes many backgrounds are unfinished but the scenery is nonetheless beautiful and the attention to detail on particular tourist spots is worthy of praise.
Next to the character design the other good thing about this show was the music, from the catchy OP to the unique songs used by each skater in their programs. It has everything and you'll find yourself wanting to listen to them again, even JJ's narcissistic theme song.
Now here's something not so good: the characters. The cast is huge and underdeveloped because the anime only has 12 episodes, which left even the main three to be cheap fanservice. The main two characters are Yuri Katsuki, a Japanese skater and his coach Victor Nikiforov who just so happen to also be the main couple of the series. The other main character, if you could call him that, is the rival and the Russian Yuri. Do these characters ever change and develop beyond what they are from the beginning? No, instead they sell what they are, a homoerotic love triangle made for fujoshi. Victor especially is grating since he seems to just be a bishounen character with no development or personality whatsoever beyond being perfect and beautiful. Some characters are unique and memorable like the Swiss skater and Miyano Mamoru's character JJ but they only serve as being jokes and space for the competition. The few female characters that appear are very good and what you'll find in any decent josei anime, since this is what Yuri!!! on Ice essentially is. It is refreshing to see a sports anime dealing with adults instead of high school kids for once and the overall cast is very fun and entertaining.
The comedy is cheap and boring, it's all fanservice for the lowest consumer, like the equivalent of panty shots and accidental boob groping in an ecchi anime. Just watch the first episode and decide for yourself if a beautiful Russian man appearing naked with a full shot of his ass is fanservice or not.
In my opinion the worst part comes from how popular it has gotten and people praising it for having a gay couple. To me it's nothing different that what you will find in a common BL anime. It's not groundbreaking when they are constantly taking back whatever progress in their relationship is made; instead of outright stating "WE'RE GAY" it's ambiguous to the end in the most unsatisfying way that only fujobait can be. It is also not the first "mainstream" anime to have a gay relationship especially when it was obviously made for fujoshi. In a way Yuri!!! on Ice tries to balance itself between being completely yaoi for the otaku that will support it and waste money on it and the other mainstream audience that watched it for the skating, and for that it's obvious they held back even though they're supposed to be an established couple. For a show that deals with finding love and doing your best we see none of that when the main character can never hold the end of his deal in neither his skating career or his relationship with Victor.
Overall, it's a fun show to watch if you need a laugh but nobody should pretend it's anything more or that it's groundbreaking. It's not that deep.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 30, 2016
From the creators of Deadman Wonderland comes Edgy Gory Avengers Against FNAF Characters with Added BL. In other words, Smokin' Parade. And maybe Suicide Squad.
First of all, this is nothing like Deadman Wonderland. It is completely different aside from the art style. If you've read a summary, it's about a boy who joins an organization against these things called "Spiders."
As of now the manga has six chapters and the plot is basically: "Let's go around doing missions and killing Spiders." with some black comedy and every chance to add gore scenes and uncomfortable, crazed faces to make the reader uncomfortable. Heck, the first chapter
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is basically shock value 101.
Artwork is great if you're a fan of this mangaka. I don't particularly enjoy how the panels are and how everyone always makes inhuman poses when they are fighting, etc and half of the time I don't know what is actualy happening. Why they take every chance a character appears to make an outlandish, edgy face while showing off how cool and fucked up they are, who knows, but coming from Deadman Wonderland I expected this. Like I said, Suicide Squad.
The characters are outlandish and unrealistic. Very little backstory is given of them. The protagonist is stale, a goody-two-shoes and seemingly weak right now but will turn awesome some day. I don't have to read any more chapters to know this. Go Ganta 0.2
You're probably wondering why I mentioned BL, well there seems to be some strange relationship between the leader of the organization and the MC, and there's a member who is obsessed with the leader and jealous of the MC for getting so much attention from his boss(crush). Also look at those covers, need I say more?
There's also some strange steam punk going on even if its set in Modern Japan. And the scientific aspect of everything that is even supposed to be happening on what the Spiders are but that dwells into spoilers.
I don't believe Smokin' Parade will get better, as of now it just stands as a typical, gory action packed manga with no sense of direction in the plot and a lot of scenes of blood and limbs used for shock value. Also fan service, can't forget that.
If you enjoy manga with a cast of characters in an organization of morally ambiguous heroes who are wacky and fucked up and seeing the development of a boring MC who is typical of this type of genre this is the manga for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 30, 2016
Loveless is not a shounen-ai. It is not BL. It is not yaoi.
I mean this in the aspect of the genre, where thousands of manga that resemble each other and are very typical and romantic exist. This is why I mean Loveless isn't a shounen-ai. You could argue that there is romance, but I would say that there isn't if we're going by the relationship of the two main characters. A relationship of a twelve year old and a twenty year old. Their relationship is not easy, it is complicated and developing. The only reason this is considered shounen-ai is because they are both
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male. It is categorized as a shounen-ai so I'll still refer it to one, but it truly isn't.
Most people know this manga, and the reason it became so popular, from the cat ears that show people are virgins. That is completely secondary to the plot apart from making certain characters look cute.
Loveless holds a special place in my heart as one of the first "shounen-ai" manga I ever read. I went from gushing over Ritsuka and Soubi's relationship until the manga got to complicated. I was young.
I decided to re-read it, fully. I couldn't put it down. Loveless pulls you in and leaves you wanting more. Imagine how hard it is to be so focused on the story and it being on hiatus. The pain is real.
Loveless is a mystery. It focuses on Ritsuka and how he grows up, his relationship with Soubi, as he looks the reason of his existence. Years ago the manga was about Ritsuka searching for his brother's killer, and that has definitely change.
Loveless focuses on relationships, that is the main aspect of the plot. There's all types, from romantic, platonic and abusive ones. It is a story that deals with child abuse, rape, murder and identity in intricate manners without being explicit. Everything is implied but nothing is shown, and it works beautifully since we are essentially seeing the point of view of Ritsuka.
The art style is beautiful and one of my favorites.
I believe everyone should at least give it a try even for fear of it having no ending.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 30, 2016
I've been wanting to do a review of this anime ever since I watched it years ago. My memory might be a flaky but I think I remember enough.
As there are many reviews for this anime I want to focus on its aspect with the manga and why it disappoints me so much.
Loveless isn't your typical shounen-ai, it never was. Imagine my disappointment when I watched this 12 episode anime of an on going manga I love, the disappointment coming from the fact that Loveless was turned into one of those really bad, cheap shounen-ai/yaoi anime. And this is what sells, girls who
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enjoy watching boys kiss without an actual story. But Loveless isn't two boys kissing, it's a complex physiological story intertwine with mystery and the anime went completely passed that.
The artwork and animation is fine since this is from the person who made the designs for Gundam 00.
If your a fan you've probably watched it. Is it good? It's fun to watch if you're interested in the gay aspect of it but it does not do the manga justice at all. Overall, I truly wish one day this amazing manga receives an adaptation that does it justice.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 30, 2016
THIS REVIEW INCLUDES SPOILERS:
Tenshi ni Narumon! is not what I expected, and it's not what you expect if you only watch the first 13 episodes. A typical romance comedy anime about "girl meets boy" and that is what you get, a cute MC who wants to become an angel for her beloved mixed with love triangles, shenanigans, flamboyant villains getting in the way. That's what it seems like really.
It's not that. Tenshi ni Narumon! is an Utena-type anime. Without spoilers it's hard to explain, but it's not what you expect. It turns physiological very fast thanks to characters who aren't the protagonist, Noelle. It reuses
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scenes which could be a product of a tight budget but it works somehow.
Of course the anime isn't perfect and leaves much to be desired, unanswered questions and motives, etc. But it does excel in its strange way since it answers the question: Who wants to become an angel? Since the start you believe Noelle is the girl who wants to become an angel, she spends the first episodes doing everything possible to do it. But the twist comes when it isn't her. Or it is her but just a part of her.
The twist comes from the fact that "I'm gonna be an angel!" is not referring to Noelle, but to her mentor, a character who only appears in the last seconds of the anime. Mikael is the true star of the show and it's present in how he changes in Episode 13 upwards when his lover and mentor, Raphael visits him. Mikael was a boy always seen smiling and calm who wants to help Noelle become an angel. Boy, does he change. He turns out to do anything to want to be angel, and the only thing he can do to become one is force Noelle even when she wants to stop trying for fear of hurting her family. The best aspects of the show truly come with the interactions between Mikael and Rapahel and Eros and Silky. While Noelle is happy, her other parts of the angel soul are sad, crazed and desperate. Mikael would do anything to become an angel, and Silky would do anything to not become one. It seems the only one who didn't know they were all part of the same soul was Noelle.
There are many characters that seem like comedy relief (Noelle's family) and including the most prevalent villain: Muse. Of course, your enjoyment of the show depends if you are fine with this characters, I was because they are exactly what makes this anime special, the characters. If you've watched Utena you know that there is a certain character who seems to be only there for strange comedy relief and to be a "villain who always fails" and Tenshi ni Narumon! is no different.
Still, the ending was disappointing. Huge build up only to find Silky disappears without a trace and everything is perfect and good. Many unanswered questions but then again, this was an anime made for enjoyment and not to over analyze. Though I would love to over analyze the complicated character of Mikael.
This anime is about family, about being careful of what you wish for, of love in all its forms, of selfish desires that could hurt other people, what it means to be an "angel".
It's a very cute, fun, entertaining but also strangely dark, physiological anime that deals with a variety of themes in each episode. Don't let the art fool you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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