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Kira Kira is one of the many seasons of Precure and I decided to write this review in order to help you decide if you want to dive in or save your time. (This is a spoiler-free review)

Despite their animal appearance, this season’s theme is sweets. If you are unfamiliar with precure, the gist is that the first 10-15 episodes are typically character building and world building. The midway point is a turning point in the plot and the introduction of a new main character. The last 20-25 episodes advance the plot, round out the characters, redeem the villains, and solve the conflict. However this ... season falls short on many of these aspects.

Characters:
The good: The main 6 cures are the saving grace of this season. They each receive their own respective character episodes and go through challenges that lead to proper development. Previous seasons have shown favoritism however in Kira Kira they all have multiple chances to shine throughout the season. The character designs are also beautiful and very unique, especially for a precure season.
The bad: It is extremely common for villains in magical girl anime to be redeemed. However in Kira Kira, after the villains receive their well-deserved redemption, they are cast aside. Their character is barely explored any further and their goals and aspirations are never mentioned again (particularly in reference to Julio, the first villain). Kira Kira dedicates a lot of time getting you to love these characters but instead of being a moving experience, you’re left with a lot of questions, disappointment, and a longing for more.

The Plot:
Precure starts off slow however Kira Kira feels like a painful waiting game. Episode after episode went by without any clue as to who the main villain was and what his goal was. In fact, it isn’t revealed until episode 46ish that we find out anything about the villain’s past and his goals. The evil just feels like its for the fun of it and the ending battle feels like a breeze. In fact, its so over the top that you might even have a laugh or two. Sweets that someone spends time perfecting and creating for someone they love is full of powerful and wonderful feelings called Kira Kiraru but why are the villains trying to steal this power? What is the enemy’s ultimate goal? You will be asking this for 46 episodes and even then the answer is vague, confusing and lackluster. If you are here for story, you will end episode 48 with a giant question mark.

Combat:
I really wanted to talk about the combat in this season. Past Precure seasons have shown battles almost as intense as Dragon Ball Z. The girls typically beat the snot out of the enemy after getting thrown around like rag dolls themselves. Now I don’t think violence is necessarily essential but in Kira Kira, the girls simply wave their flashy wands and wrap their enemies up with cream and almost immediately the evil is defeated. There was no growth for their powers. They started off strong, they ended equally as strong. They were perfect super heroes from episode 1 until episode 49. The evil was never even as a real threat and it just felt mediocre. They didn’t experience despair for more than 5 minutes at a time, they never had consequences or loss due to their actions. They never have to do anything other than jump around and wiggle their arm back in forth in order to triumph over the evil. Not only was the entertainment aspect not there but who cares about a hero with plot armor so thick that the victory is basically wrapped up in a bow and hand delivered to them by their enemy?

Sound and Animation:
This season was aesthetically pleasing. As far as I can recall, there are about 4 off-model episodes out of 49 which is quite good for Toei. The animation is absolutely wonderful, the character’s movements are smooth and suit their personality. Their expressions are cute, comical and emotional when need be. The music in this season is absolutely stunning. The OST (including the vocal album) is enchanting, heart-warming and actually saves some of the more mediocre scenes. When something is supposed to be emotional in the plot but it falls short, the music desperately holds it together. The opening song is catchy, the first end song is meh and the second end song is very very enjoyable. The vocal album this season also felt like a lot more time had been dedicated to it.


Overall:
It wasn’t a terrible experience but it wasn’t the best one. I looked forward to watching the episodes but unfortunately the ending never came to fruition. I desperately try to give Precure the benefit of the doubt since it is a children’s show but that excuse can only go so far (especially since past precure seasons have pulled off amazing plot lines with amazing characters). If you are looking for a Precure season to watch I suggest Go! Princess Precure and Heartcatch to start off. If you are someone who follows Precure, we can only hope next season delivers.

I thought I'd review this sucker since I am fairly new to the series and do not have any nostalgia glasses on. So I'm pretty unbiased.

I have completed watching the entire original anime, end of the evangelion and first two rebuilds. Hope you did too. After being used to the entire set up of all of the previous works, this movie was kind of like a cold fish thrown at my face.

It is a very different environment, ambiance and mood. Change isn't always bad but in this case, it made this film much weaker than the first two rebuilds.

STORY: Let me just say ... that I am a blessed one to not have waited years for this movie to be released because it was a large let down story wise. Weak explanations for things that are extremely essential and plot holes left and right... and a new futuristic setting... just not feeling it. Rated: 4

ART: I rated this one a 7 because although the art is good, it is a tad bit inconsistent to the other rebuilds (this is most likely on purpose but I'd prefer them to be a uniform looking set) and to be honest the eyes look a little too far apart than for my personal liking.

SOUND: 10. The music is beautiful, it always is, not much else to say about that.

CHARACTER: I was extremely pleasantly surprised by the asuka and mari duo. Kaworu, even with a whole movie instead of a single episode, still struggles to stir up any emotion in me. Rei, why develop a character so richly and then skip back to square one towards the end of a series? And the characters that now work for misato... I could care less for. Rated: 6

ENJOYMENT: The famous Kaworu and Shinji pairing would make this a gold mine movie for those who enjoy the two together so if you're into that, then this one will definitely please you. I personally am pretty indifferent towards it and seeing as that was prominent part of the film I rate this a 7. Plus some of the plot points are just torturous and not the least enjoyable. Like wHAT is going on? Couldn't tell you.

Overall: I give this a 7. It was good. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't nearly as good as the anime, EOE and other rebuilds.

Let me start off by saying that this is an anime you can rewatch and rewatch and find something new in it every single time.

I will be completely honest, I did not like Mawaru Penguindrum the first time through watching it. I had no knowledge on the concept or that this was supposed to be an anime interpreted and thought through. I love shows and movies that make you think and put the puzzle pieces together and watching the second time was extremely more enjoyable than the first time. So even if you do not like it the first time, PLEASE try and rewatch it ... another time around after reading some other's interpretations and making some of your own.

Although there are still so SO many questions I have unanswered, this is something I can think about and rack my brain for long periods of time. It's very rewarding when you begin to piece everything together and you begin to understand something that you didn't before.

The message of the story is really what makes this anime deserving of the word "Masterpiece." It is so powerful and applicable to anyone anywhere and in any situation and can be applied all throughout time and for decades to come. It shows you how each individual matters and is of value. It talks about reality and how you can't ignore it but you can still live happily, even if you make mistakes and sometimes choose the wrong path. It is extremely beautiful and so many lessons and ideas can be pulled from it that you won't learn in school academically and aren't presented in most modern day television and movies.

EDIT** I changed my character rating from 9 to 10 because I now I understand many many things that I didn't when I first wrote this review.

Please give this a try and then when you are done, take a little and then retry because the second time around makes it worth it.

I want to start off by saying, even if you have read some bad reviews and are turned off, I strongly encourage you to at least give Sword Art Online a try. It does have its flaws but just because those imperfections are there doesn't mean you can't sit back and enjoy it, which many end up doing and which you might. Many enjoy it for the entertainment rather than for a strong message or strong plot. So I say at least watch the first three episodes before deciding whether to drop or not.

Okay going into the review.

Story: The concept is cool. Trapped in ... a game with the possibility of death. Who wouldn't be anxious, worried and completely terrified? It's fun to think about and is what immediately grabs much of the audience. We do end up drifting away from this and getting lost in a romance, which I do have a problem with and will talk more about in the character portion. 8/10.

Art: The art is crisp and modern, the scenery is beautiful and the fight scenes are superb. 10/10

Sound: Kirito's voice actor is probably one of the top two best voice actors I have ever heard. The sounds he makes when he fights and the noises he makes when he cries... just... wow A+. Also, the OSTs are beautiful and heartfelt and the opening and end songs are very enjoyable. 10/10

Character: Here is where I find the majority of the problem in my opinion (although, the plot straying into a romance is part of the problem as well). There are three episodes where Kirito has a story with three different girls. Episode 3 with Sachi, Episode 4 with Silica and Episode 7 with Liz. Episode 3, contrary to what other reviewers say, is my favorite episode and I think it truly stresses the situation of being trapped in a death game. These three girls I feel like are 100% more realistic than Asuna is and Asuna is the main female protagonist who appears in MANY of the episodes while the other girls only get ONE episode. Asuna to me is an extremely flat character. She is perfect in every way. She is your strong female character who is incredibly fast with her sword. She's beautiful and her character development is one minute she's sharp but she immediately softens in like one episode. The problem I have is that Asuna is not real. She has absolutely no flaws. Kirito and her fall in love almost instantly, literally in one episode they go from partners to lovers. And she actually becomes a damsel in distress. There is no smooth transition of her changing, she just automatically loves Kirito and is automatically this perfect girl for him. All she is is fanservice and her and Kirito's love seems very artificial and spontaneous. I much rather have had Sachi, Silica and Liz alongside Kirito than Asuna. I even love Suguha (Kirito's "sister") more than Asuna because she is realistic, she goes through things that many of us have, she is pained, she is troubled, she feels real and she feels sincere while Asuna is an unrelatable blank slate. Because I enjoyed all the characters except Asuna 7/10

Enjoyment: I enjoyed this so much. I was hype every week to watch a new episode, I was cheering, I was crying, I was happy and I was angry. The drama is great and the fights get you pumped. Even the flaws made it enjoyable because overall I had a great time yelling at my computer screen. 10/10

Overall: 8/10



*~ I have read some chapters of the light novel and I can already say that the light novel discusses the features of the game more in-depth than the anime does. The anime tried to fit two volumes of the light novels into one season, so this is probably why the romance is highlighted more because they just couldn't fit everything in. I suggest reading the light novels if you are more interested in the gaming aspect.

Let me just start off by saying that I read this before watching the anime which isn't what a lot of people did (since the anime came first before the manga) so my heart lies with the manga rather than the anime (though I do love both)

There are some scenes (minor things, nothing too big) that were added into the manga that aren't in the anime that REALLY makes me wish that everyone would take the time to read this, even if they have already seen the anime. I think they just add this little touch that makes things so much more powerful, especially ... towards the end of the manga, like the very last chapter is just, it really leaves off and wraps the story up into a pretty little package compared to the anime ending.

This manga is the most beautiful thing. The art is INCREDIBLE and it never wavers throughout the entire 12 chapters. The facial expressions are really I think what makes this so special. The facial expressions that the characters make when they are in pain and are suffering are so much more powerful than they are in the anime, they really bring a whole new level of emotion to the story of Madoka and without them I feel like maybe I wouldn't have felt as strongly about the story and as strongly for the characters as I do now.

If you have not watched the anime yet, I actually really suggest reading this before because they are different enough to the point where the story is not a boring repeat as some anime/manga adaptions are. They have different art styles and the action scenes sometimes in the manga may seem a little hard to understand (you are still able to get the general gist of everything don't worry!), so the anime I think clears up any confusion after reading.

I love the anime and the manga and in no way is this review intended to bash or criticize the anime in any way, really, I enjoy both of them so much.

The manga is beautiful. I wish everyone could take the time and just read through these 12 chapters, because it is worth it.