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Jul 29, 2022
Mo Ri Shu Guang, or Dawn of the World, was a crippling disappointment. A disappointment of entirely my own doing - because I expected too much. I was excited to see a dystopian zombie donghua, adapting a story praised for its realism and detailed narrative. Unfortunately, Mo Ri Shu Guang fell short. What I had hoped for was a gritty apocalypse drama, what I got was a confusing amalgamation of seemingly random plot points. This adaptation could have been great - it really could have: the source was great, the producer is known to have been great, and the show itself has moments which truly
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are great - but instead it left me baffled, and ultimately unimpressed.
Granted, the only available English subs I could find weren’t of the highest quality, and I could feel a lot of meaning and nuance had been stifled in the translation process. My gratitude lies with those who did translate the series, but I can’t help but feel the plot was obscured by confusing and hard to follow subtitles.
Story - 3/10
An arguably realistic take on the ‘zombie apocalypse’ trope, the plot was obviously meant to be a gritty dystopia laced with high-stakes strategy, complex emotions and some exploration of science. In this regard, Dawn of the World fell short. It wasn’t the dark survival horror it appeared to set out to be, but that doesn’t mean it is entirely without merit.
There were moments along the storyline that intrigued me greatly, and character dynamics did layer nicely to create some effective conflict and tension - unfortunately, the series failed to capitalise off these, leaving an ultimately unsatisfying plot. What we experienced of the zombies was interesting, with their slow-moving, destructible nature meaning there was justifiable hope for the characters (too many stories of this type rely on the audience believing a group of perfectly normal human beings can overpower an indestructible hoard of zombies - something this show fortunately did not patronise the viewers with), but their raw strength in numbers allowed for convincing displays of strategy and satisfying action sequences.
The story was ultimately, however, extremely difficult to follow and strangely paced. Early in the series, there were unannounced flashbacks that left me feeling lost and confused, and throughout the anime we jumped between plot points rapid-fire, with little time for set up or explanation. The zombie phenomenon itself was entirely unexplained, and so there was a palpable absence of a goal (besides survival) or worldbuilding. I never thought I’d complain about there not being enough exposition in anime, but here we are. I found myself constantly losing interest in the plot, and it was hard to focus on the narrative - there were only sparks of the story that kept me going.
Granting Dawn of the World the benefit of the doubt, I am inclined to put the majority of this down to adaptational issues - and what was there of the plot was at least interesting enough to prompt me to check out the original novel (‘2013’) - a 73 chapter danmei (BL) with a much more positive response than this adaptation got. I am genuinely looking forward to reading that - which does say something about the potential this anime had. Unfortunately, it wasn’t followed through particularly well.
Art - 4/10
Definitely nothing special. A little disappointing since I have seen outstanding donghua with excellent art and animation that can easily rival the biggest Japanese studios - but Mo Ri Shu Guang is definitely not one of these. Art is mediocre, and animation appears clunky and of low quality at times.
Art as a whole is inoffensive, however, and around 80% of the time animation is pretty standard.
Sound - 5/10
Voice acting was definitely not the best I’ve heard from a donghua, but it was decent enough. Mostly solid, with some occasional inconsistency - it’s probably a glaring difference for those used only to JP voicing, but anyone with CN experience will find it pretty standard.
OST was unremarkable. Not bad enough to be glaringly obvious, but also not good enough for me to take any particular note.
I have to comment on the opening though. Honestly one of the best things about the series. The song was unique and a banger, and the opening sequence was well directed with an interesting art style. I will be listening to it regularly in future.
Character - 3/10
I feel there was definitely room for much greater character personality and development, which is likely present in the novel, but none of this made it to the adaptation. As a result, characters were primarily one-dimensional and forgettable - with even the main cast often appearing bland.
On top of this there was a massively underdeveloped ensemble of supporting characters, meaning confusion for the viewer as we attempt to juggle a multitude of people all introduced to us in a short space of time, with few discerning characteristics, and lacking any ability to capture audience attention or empathy. And yet each of these characters seem to provide some unique insight into the plot that remains inaccessible due to their benign presence, and lackluster development. In the end, the only characters I felt any real attachment to were Jue Ming - whose role as the ‘innocent child’ played heavily in emphasising the realism they were going for, and who was also the focal point of many ‘mystery’ elements the show presented - and Liu Yan - for his role as the protagonist.
And to address the one thing I’m sure a lot of people are curious about - the Boys Love tag. The show lacks any romance at all, let alone a queer one. Though to be perfectly honest, it's probably for the best - I doubt with the way the characters were handled in this adaptation it would have been a compelling one. While the source material is BL, and does include explicit MLM relationships, everything meaningful about it has been stripped from this adaptation - leaving an empty shell of a superficial relationship between the two male leads. Knowing the show’s danmei roots, it becomes painfully apparent that there was meant to be something more there - and its removal has left us without the depth the romantic relationship most likely brought. While I’m disappointed in this censorship in and of itself, the worst thing is that they couldn’t even cover the loss up with a meaningful friendship. Instead, it’s flat and artificial.
Enjoyment - 4/10
Like I said before, this show failed to capture my attention for the majority of the plot, the characters felt bland and under-developed, and the animation lacked ‘wow-factor’. Nonetheless, I found it a somewhat intriguing watch. While I cannot bring myself to recommend it, it’s not the worst thing I’ve seen by any means. I believe it set out to be a great series in its own right, but given the underwhelming nature of the majority of the anime’s aspects, it seems to have failed in this regard. However, as an advertisement for its source material (which, unlike a lot of series of this quality, I doubt it was intended to be), it has done a great job. Despite my disappointment whilst watching the adaptation, the root of that disappointment - the potential I saw in Dawn of the World - has encouraged me to check out its source.
As such, I am inclined to say that this series has its merits. It has just enough enjoyable aspects that I am disappointed in its execution, and I can say I am anxiously awaiting for the right time to sit down and give 2013 a read.
Overall - 4/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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May 30, 2020
Going into Fujimi 2-choume Koukyougakudan, my expectations were very low. I had seen the average score, as well as skimmed through the reviews, and I was expecting to have another atrocious yaoi on my hands. However, due to these preconceptions, I found myself looking at every aspect with a much more positive eye - many elements were much better than I had set myself up for, and I was actually pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, that does not mean that Fujimi is any kind of masterpiece.
Instead, it is a fairly standard yaoi anime, that picks on some pretty common themes we see in the genre. Something I've
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generally noted, is that BL anime has a bit of a curve when it comes to release date vs. quality, and in my personal experience, I have found anime released in the 90s and 2000s are considerably more positive, and stay away from a lot of cliches we see more recently. (For example: Kizuna vs Junjou Romantica, Haru wo Daite Ita vs Super Lovers). Luckily, we seem to be improving with works such as Given coming out in the past few years, and of course, there are exceptions to this massive generalisation. Fujimi is one of these.
Story - 2/10
The story was not amazing. It was fairly standard, and it provided an appropriate facilitation for tension and drama, but it didn't always make sense. There were a number of unannounced flashbacks, unexplained encounters and just generally moments that prompted nothing more than confusion. The ending failed to satisfy, and though I believe that was the point, it could have been executed more clearly. Looking at it through my rose-tinted goggles, however, I enjoyed the plot decently enough. It was intriguing enough to annoy me with its lack of follow-through, and whilst it may not have fully entered the realms of psychological, the atmosphere was definitely achieved.
There were a few scenes involving non-consensual romantic and sexual acts, and whilst it was handed somewhat poorly, it was not the worst out there. It is treated as a much darker act than scenes of dubious consent in more recent works are, but things still aren't really cleared up and/or talked about. There's an attempt in there for it to be a psychological entanglement, with sinister undertones, but it falls flat of successfully portraying it as truly reprehensible due almost entirely to its aftermath. It does get credit, however, for being unafraid to attach the label of rapist to one of its characters when that is indeed what he is.
Art - 5/10
Fairly standard late 90s work. The perception of that is dependant on the viewer.
However, I felt that there were specific animation sequences that really just shone. Considering that 90s BL doesn't have the best reputation for animation, I thought that Kei's conduction movements were beautifully done. They were extremely fluid and expressive, and were used very nicely to parallel some of the characters' darker actions in intertwined scenes. In fact, at times I was so impressed by how much it stood out as, well, decent, against the rest of the OVA, I wasn't really sure I was still watching the same anime.
I'm no expert on classical instrumentation, especially not violin, but everything seemed realistic and well animated. Like another reviewer said, time was clearly taken to ensure the movements of the characters reflected those of real life musicians.
Sound - 6/10
Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult for me to find a version of this OVA with decent sound quality. As a result, the one I personally settled on meant that sound was rather unclear. This is something I found rather disappointing - I even searched for about an hour to try and find a higher quality, tolerable version, but was unsuccessful - as I thought the voice acting was pretty solid, and the use of classical music was very well done.
It was always interesting to see how beautiful phrases of classical music were used to contrast and/or highlight the darker scenes of the anime, complimenting the more dramatic moments nicely. Though it often got to the point of feeling over-dramatic, it was still a nice touch, and felt like it really brought something interesting to the characters (well, for me, who was reading into everything in the hopes of finding the diamonds in the rough). It was a nice parallel to show the importance of music to their lives and actions, and having a beautiful piece of Wagner with some slightly unsettling undertones directly complimenting a rather disturbing scene with some rather hidden, perverted affection really worked.
Character - 3/10
So very typically yaoi. I was actually quite disappointed with how character was handled here, but because it's so conventional for the genre, it wasn't enough to push me away. Yuuki was alright as a protagonist, but there are so many questions the anime unintentionally raises about his narrative that it can't answer, that he becomes a bit of an annoyance. He very much fits the stereotype of the 'I'm not gay, but when this person of the same gender forces himself on me I just can't resist' character. All-in-all, the only unconventional 'uke' thing he does, is call his aggressor a rapist and ask him to stay the hell away. Of course, it's never that easy.
I actually found myself interested in Kei from a psychological perspective, and found it rather upsetting how little he was expanded on. There were some interesting statements made about his relationship with control (and to some extent perfectionism), especially made through parallels in the visuals - things could have gone in a very dark direction had he been developed better and I would have much preferred that to the 'rapist in love' thing he had going. A better interpretation of Kei could have walked in the footsteps of Iason Mink (Ai no Kusabi), but instead we get uncomfortable cringe, and a severe lack of viewer empathy for his feelings.
Also, the one woman who actually kind of matters is a bitch and is only there to cause drama and tension for the two male leads. Disappointing, but again, this is a BL anime from 1997.
Enjoyment - 6/10
Despite its shortcomings, I did quite enjoy this OVA. Going in with the very low expectations I did allowed me to be pleasantly surprised. I was really unpicking the symbolism in and craftsmanship of every scene, and it opened me up to a deeper enjoyment I no doubt would not have had going in blind, or with less of an open mind. I can't imagine enjoying it much at all without reading into it so much, and even doing so raised many more areas of missed potential and unanswered questions. However, since it is my mission to get through as many queer anime as possible, it wasn't the most horrible thing I've seen.
Overall - 4/10
It gets a four mostly because it was better than I was expecting. If you are a BL fan that doesn't mind watching cliched pieces, or else actually enjoys unpicking the symbolism within an anime's sound and animation, then this one may be for you. If you are looking for something more upbeat, wholesome, or good, this is not really something to consider.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 31, 2019
Bonjour♪Koiaji Pâtisserie is bad. It’s really not good. However, I did find myself enjoying it. It was a bit of a cutesy mindless reverse harem, that cheered me up when I was down, and didn’t require me to think too much. Unfortunately, that’s about all it’s got going for it.
Story - 1/10
Yeah... the story was awful. In fact, I’m not sure there really was one. The main character finds herself enrolled in a confectionery school on a scholarship (which is apparently a bad thing according to a couple of characters? I may just be ignorant, but I’m pretty sure no one gets bullied over a
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scholarship…). This is fair enough - cutesy, much reverse harem. The issue is, we get the unnecessary rule of ‘no illicit sexual relations with the teachers’ laid out, and heavily emphasised, and you suddenly realise exactly what this is going to be.
So yes, the majority of the plot is Sayuri hanging out with, and doing various date-type activities with her teacher(s) and/or one of her fellow classmates, in what feels like a super-fast compilation of filler episodes.
But then, right for the last few episodes, we get an actually kind of intriguing plot event. And it throws it away, completely. I thought the magical-boy style cooking sequences were bad enough before, but they just get more ridiculous, and the weird presentation of this mysterious event, whilst entertaining (for all the wrong reasons), completely destroys what could have been something actually good.
The pacing is also just really bad. I get it’s five minutes per episode - and this actually kind of works for some of the mindless cute fun-times we see - it just feels really off (especially when we encounter some potential in the plot). Makes me think, with a longer episode length (with fewer episodes in total), and some actual thought, it could have been pretty decent.
Art - 8/10
It’s a reverse harem, so I’m not surprised that character design was nice - but it really was, and the overall art was actually really pretty. It was enjoyable, nice to look at, and really fit the theme and atmosphere of the show. Definitely the best thing about Bonjour.
Sound - 4/10
The voice actors did really well. I may be slightly biased, since a couple of my favourites are in there, but I felt all the voice acting was solid, everyone fit their characters, and nothing felt out of place in this department.
The issue comes with the soundtrack, though. Music tended to be distracting, unfitting and just downright odd. There were some scenes I felt were really ruined by the sound in the background.
Character - 3/10
Okay, so for the most part, characters were what you would expect from a reverse harem. We have a super cute, ridiculously nice MC; iconic best friend; tsundere “tough guy”; strict but soft smart guy; boyish happy-go-lucky guy; cool, slightly mysterious guy and of course the bully-type rival.
I actually quite liked Sayuri. She wasn’t too annoying, predictable, but just sweet enough to be tolerable. The boys were so typical, they were fine - I liked them enough. But I was actually, surprisingly for me, not too happy with the whole teacher-student thing. Why? It was never addressed. Sayuri got in trouble for breaking the ‘illicit sexual relations with teachers’ rule (which is ridiculous, come on Ms. Headteacher, I know they’re your friends, but they’re also your employed teachers - enforce it on them too lady), but no one actually discussed anything about the implications of the fact that these are actually her teachers, or their ages or literally anything like that. I normally have no issue with teacher-student relationships in fiction, as long as we actually talk about it…
Another place characters were severely lacking was in development. You know it’s bad when the only character who changes, and develops, and you actually kind of root for is the bully.
Enjoyment - 7/10
Despite all its shortcomings, it was enjoyable. Pretty to look at, overall quite sweet, cute and mindless. And to be honest, it’s so bad, it’s hilarious.
Overall - 4/10
Yeah, from a critical perspective, it’s just bad. Enjoyable, but bad.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Feb 26, 2019
[NOTE: Before I get into this review I feel that it is imperative to note that I am of the target audience for this anime (young woman, previous player of the games, masochistic...), and so my overall enjoyment may differ from other viewers. However, I will try to keep this review as open and honest as possible.]
Diabolik Lovers is no doubt one of the most hated anime of the Reverse Harem genre, and it shows. With characters which seem to show little to no regard for the heroine's basic human rights, wants or needs, are unable to differentiate between romance and sexual harassment, and appear
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pretty much the furthest things possible from decent human beings, what could possibly redeem it in a genre where characters are meant to be lovable? To start, the fact that they are, of course, NOT human, and are in fact vampires of a noble bloodline, with complex backstories that influence their current behaviour, and genuinely no clue of how to treat a human being with care or consideration, something which the anime adaption fell significantly short of delivering.
Now, I don’t want this review to turn into a constant, direct comparison of the source material, but I feel it is necessary to bring it up often when explaining the psychology of Diabolik Lovers, its characters, and its audience.
Story - 3/10
It is no secret to anyone who watches this that the story is just not there. We initially have very little clue as to why the heroine is suddenly thrust into this dangerous, reverse-harem-typical setting bar “dad told me to do it”, and the show’s later attempts at weaving in subtle hints, or attempting to drop full-on dramatic plot bombs, just aren’t up to standard. It also attempts to follow, yet again, the genre-typical ‘every boy gets an episode’ structure, which sometimes works in the plot’s favour, and very often doesn't. This case is one of the latter. It’s a true disappointment to see the characters that had their own detailed story-line and iconic moments in the source material reduced to some edgy flashbacks and cringy sexual harassment, played off as normal behaviour as opposed to a psychological assault.
The anime attempts to amalgamate the main plot (that was originally covered in 6+ character routes) into 3 or 4 episodes at the end. You can see where that’s going. If you like any other aspects, the second season attempts to salvage what we lost in plot satisfaction here, so...there’s that.
Art - 5/10
Character art is pretty most of the time, which is no surprise for a bishounen reverse harem. There are a few derpy moments, but you get a laugh out of it. Background work is mostly nice, however animation is inconsistent.
Sound - 9/10
In my mind, probably the most redeeming factor. The VA cast is solid, and played their roles almost as fabulously as in the games, Rie Suegara was an excellent addition as Yui (excluding her awkward borderline moans when the character runs). The opening is nice, kind of addictive, and sets the tone pretty perfectly.
But the OST. My god, the OST. The game had some nice BGM, but I swear Yuki Hayashi is a deity. Every piece of music was gorgeous, and, for the most part, truly set the tone of each scene. The music actually captures the menacing undertone to the anime, and each character, and brings at least one aspect of this show to life in a way that does the source material proud.
Character - 6/10
Now, here is where my being the target audience, and a fan of the games, really comes to light.
I know the characters, and I’m going to be honest, I already loved them before the anime. I knew each of their backstories, how each of them will grow in the future, hell, I even know who’s favourite brother is who and who is the only one that actually likes their father. For me, characters and their relationships is what drives this anime, and I can see that for a newcomer it is a flat mess that will concern and confuse them. No character is given enough ‘love’ (for lack of a better term), and we don’t get to see who they really are - which honestly upsets me.
However, if I come at it from an anime exclusive view - if you are, indeed, the right strand of the target audience, you’ll love them. If you are everyone else in the world population, you will hate them. Simple as. This is a cast of sadistic, manipulative assholes, who have no respect for humanity and appear nothing but shallow. The show attempts to tap into what could make them human, attempts to show their development, and it’s personal how you think they did. (Spoiler, nowhere near what the games achieve). You’ll know whether you can tolerate that or not.
And there’s Yui. Some love her, some hate her.
Enjoyment - 8/10
Despite everything, I enjoyed this trainwreck. It’s my guilty pleasure, and it’s a quick watch, so there’s that. It could actually be pretty damn decent, if you remove the whole IDEA of romance from it, and regard it purely as a psychological mindfuck. It’s a poor, poor adaptation of a good horror otome game (note the tags on Wikipedia), but it’s a good one for laughs. Or a drinking game.
Overall - 6/10
tl;dr - It’s okay if you’re the intended target audience, bad if you’re a fan of the game, and horrible if you’re neither. It’s excellent guilty pleasure material, pretty to look at, wonderful to listen to, and it’s already won two seasons and an ova. I guess, give it a shot if you want to see vampires that are seriously inhumane?
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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