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Jan 19, 2025
Zenshuu is an original anime from MAPPA about an animator who gets transported to the world of an anime and has to use her drawing skills to save the world.
Yes, on paper, this is an isekai. That might make you insta-leave, but this one is still worth a look. I do not care for the typical isekai flooding every season these days, but this show feels different enough. For one, when she arrives in this world, Natsuko is already familiar with it and knows this is an anime, having seen the show countless times as she was growing up. Her reaction is mostly nostalgia,
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but also amusement, from what she now recognizes as technical limitations and silly writing. She is not interested in becoming the protagonist, and her only motivation for now seems to be to stop her favorite characters from getting killed. Also, she gets no powers or skills other than her drawings that come to life (sometimes), which is a strange and interesting fit inside a fantasy adventure story.
The story seems to be structured like a "monster fight of the week" show, where the highlight is the animation spectacle, courtesy of Natsuko. Every creation of hers seems to be a reference to the anime greats, like a specific sequence, character or distinct animation style that left a mark in anime history. Every episode I am eager to see what they will come up with this time, and it is a lot of fun watching the artistry and the ridiculous action sequence that follows.
The quality of these "sakuga" moments are excellent, as expected from a MAPPA production. Of course, this show does not measure up to the best of their massive franchise adaptations, but it more than makes up for it with bright colors and creative little touches. The world seems to be a strange mix of Renaissance Europe and the Middle East, and many character designs are really goofy, like the bald, half-naked, buff mayor of the town with an eyepatch and a pink mustache. The animators to the show look like they are having fun flexing their creative muscles.
Unfortunately, the writing supporting the world and the characters in it is not too interesting. This could be excused by the fact that the show does not take itself too seriously, and the anime-within-the-anime is meant to be a little outdated and not very good. The side characters are rather stereotypical, in an old-timey adventure anime sort of way. We do get to see them interact and banter a lot, and I can easily see them growing on me later.
Natsuko is an endearing and interesting character already. It is refreshing to see that she has no patience for nonsense and just does what she wants, like a young superstar animator would. She does not seem that concerned about what is happening, but she will soon have to decide what she wants to do in this world. There are also hints that her single-minded pursuit of her dream has deprived her of many joys and experiences in life. There are many directions the writers can take her, and I hope she can tell an enjoyable personal story.
Zenshuu is ultimately a simple, breezy fantasy adventure, with a strange "animator" angle that allows for silly action sequences and fun homages to the medium of anime. The story and most of the characters could use some improvement, but they have a corny charm to them already. The art and animation are wonderful and never boring. This is the most promising and plain fun show of Winter 2025.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 16, 2025
Terminator Zero is typical "Netflix content," seemingly created for a single purpose: to fill a hole in the streaming platform's line-up, labeled "sci-fi," "anime" and "violent." Underneath its Terminator-brand skin and a nice coat of paint, there is a "product" that is simply going through the motions with unexciting action, incoherent and unsatisfying story, flat characters and only vaguely interesting ideas.
The story is, like every Terminator movie, a straightforward action thriller with some philosophical musings sprinkled in. This time around, we follow a scientist, locked in a room ruminating and agonizing for most of the runtime, and some kids and their guardians, on a
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dreary trek through abandoned buildings and empty streets. The story here just stumbles from event to event with no real sense of flow or build-up, with things happening seemingly because they are supposed to happen in a Terminator story. Of course there has to be a sequence at a police station. There is some shocking development around the half-way point, but it has surprisingly little impact on the characters and the overall story, which ends with a whimper and a tease for a sequel that will likely never come.
On a more positive note, Terminator Zero toys with some interesting concepts (which is more than I can say about the last two movies). Can you debate and negotiate with AI? What will you sacrifice to prevent a future that may not even come to pass? Frustratingly, the show does not really follow up on any of them. The third-act "moment of truth" has no weight because the drawn-out debate goes out the window and the scene heavily relies on a character that has no good reason to be there and has little meaningful to say about the issue at hand. The show also tries to expand the world of Terminator, setting it in Tokyo and introducing rudimentary humanoid robots, but these quickly become irrelevant or reduced to simple plot devices. Basically every introduced idea is either discarded or poorly integrated with the characters and the story.
The action part of the overall package fares somewhat better. The action sequences are decently choreographed and thankfully do not lack for brutality. Some things do not make much sense (a human tackling a 400-pound hunk of metal cannot end well), but the bigger problem is that many of them feel strangely low-intensity. Good Terminator fights feel visceral, crunchy and unstoppable, but most fights in this show simply do not hit as hard; they feel awkward and floaty. There is one fight that feels a little different than usual, but it still feels derivative as it evokes Ghost in the Shell instead. It does not help that the action is bogged down by the constant questions of why this has to happen and why I should care about these people.
The characters we follow have no depth or personality. Scientist. Human from the future. Machine. Child. Everyone is at all times either stone-faced or distressed. Yes, Terminator has always been grim, but most of the movies remembered to crack a joke and add some character. The Terminator himself has no charisma, intimidating aura or an interesting gimmick here. Say what you will about Arnold (growing ever older), but there was a reason they kept wheeling him out in every movie; he has a distinct and likable presence. The human characters have unclear or uninteresting motivations, making odd and seemingly-random choices to move the plot forward. The children are the worst examples of this, as they constantly run off on a whim, make plot-critical discoveries by chance and act without understanding anything. It is difficult to care about them when I am not even sure if these people are human, in a way that I do not think was intentional.
The production quality is solid overall; this is Production I.G., after all. The visuals and sound are kept grounded to match the serious tone. The characters sometimes have stylistic, almost-neon colored outlines, which I like but some may find distracting. There is not much else notable that elevates the mediocre material, unfortunately.
Speaking of the technical aspects, the subtitles are a small point of irritation. The English subs often do not match the Japanese audio, to the point where subtitles appear when no one can be heard speaking. I assume the subs are matching the English dubs instead (which is probably how the original script was written by the American screenwriter), but the issue indicates a lack of care on Netflix’s part. Also, the English subs use far stronger language than is typical of an anime, so a timid Japanese babysitter dropping f-bombs frequently took me out of the show.
It is true that I am reviewing this as someone who has watched the Terminator movies and the TV series. I do love Terminator 2: Judgment Day (like a lot of people), but I would definitely not call myself a fan of the series. I still check them out because I believe that the core concept of Terminator still has some legs; fighting off and running away from a highly-advanced killing machine satisfies my action brain, while artificial intelligence and time travel tickle the sci-fi brain. The franchise is long overdue for expansion and re-interpretation, especially now as we are entering the age of AI. Even if the anime did none of these things, I would have at least appreciated an exciting, high-quality retread. The show tries to do a bit of both and manages neither of them particularly well. At the end of the day, I just cannot imagine that the creatives involved with this project, especially the writer, particularly cared.
The most charitable way to describe this would be an unremarkable sci-fi action anime that passes the time. However, there is very little excitement, cleverness or heart to be found here. As a Terminator show, it adds nothing to the franchise. If you want a sci-fi anime with robots, thought-provoking ideas, likable characters, an intriguing story and good production values, I would recommend Pluto instead (also on Netflix, incidentally). Terminator Zero is a plain waste of time and is destined to be forgotten in the vast Netflix trash heap.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Oct 2, 2024
Yes, Days with My Stepsister is nothing as wacky or trashy as the title may suggest. But no, this is not as heartfelt and thought-provoking as its first impression may suggest, either.
The best thing about the anime is the "vibes." This is a slow and talky show, driven by conversations and internal monologues taking place in every-day situations. "Directing" is what stands out here above any one aspect of the anime. The pastel-tone colors. The visual and audio flourishes, like the old film projector effect. The tempo of scenes and conversations. The wonderfully soothing music. All of these seem carefully put together to give
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the show a strong, distinct "feel." The style reminds me of Liz and the Blue Bird or even Shoushimin Series from the same season.
Unfortunately, unlike those two anime, the style is not quite backed up by the meat-and-potatoes of production. The animation is very sparse and stiff, the characters frequently go off-model or lose detail, and there are many cut-aways that conveniently avoid complex animation work. I have a feeling that the show could have been much more effective and enjoyable if it had more striking artwork and subtle details such as tiny changes in facial expression. The weakest link is the character art, which is extremely bland. Personally, it falls on the "irritatingly bland" side, rather than the "passably bland" side. It might be the eyes; these characters just look dead inside.
The show is completely focused on the two main characters: what kind of people they are, how they tackle their day-to-day and how their feelings slowly develop. Both Yuuta and Saki have a calm and thoughtful personality but are emotionally closed-off. I suppose that makes them "realistic," but not necessarily interesting people. All of their interactions are very formal and straightforward. So many thank-you’s, sorry’s and that’s-okay’s. They outright tell each other what they are like and what they are thinking. Or they say nothing, and we get to hear their inner thoughts. We see so much of these characters and their dialogue is so measured, but it never feels like there is much going on behind their blank expressions and their words.
The supporting characters get even less depth. Some of them, like the cutesy popular girl, come across as "anime characters" and awkwardly clash with the more grounded main duo. Others are so overtly direct and almost clairvoyant that they feel like they only exist to clumsily push the story forward.
The story revolving around these characters is minimal and simple. Thanks to their personalities, the main characters mostly avoid forced drama and silly misunderstandings. At the same time, there are very few surprises or creative twists to the story. These characters go through pretty much what you would expect anyone in their situation would go through, when they have limited experience with love and a family member they feel attracted to. Any situation that does arise is quickly resolved in a predictable and sensible fashion. How do you break the news to your classmates that that girl in the other class is your sister now? Think of the most mundane option.
I have not mentioned the subject matter until this point, because the show does not seem to have a lot to say about it. Of course, it is not expected to do so, but after it sets itself up as a refreshing, thoughtful look at a sensitive topic, it is disappointing that it just never ventures beyond "but it’s bad." Maybe it is simply taking its sweet time, to be continued in the next season. Why might a step-sibling relationship be okay? Why not? How will their relationship affect their family and friends? After 12 episodes, it does not feel like the show dug deep into its most interesting aspect at all.
This is the most frustrating show that I have watched in the Summer 2024 season. It is a slow but not unpleasant watch experience, if you do not mind slow-paced shows. Its approach to the subject matter, solid direction and its atmosphere are all interesting and deserve attention. However, the show does not deliver on much else that matches those strong points. The characters are much too dull in terms of the visuals and the writing, and the story does not take any interesting turns or provide insightful commentary.
After the first episode had me hooked, I was left unmoved and unsatisfied by the time the credits rolled in the last episode. I could not stop thinking that I should like this more than I actually do. Now, a week later, the show is already fading from memory. In the end, Days with My Stepsister is a simple, slow, inoffensive character drama, and that may be enough for some. It is just a shame that it could not become much more than that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 30, 2024
"Do you know the meaning of the word 'bartender'? 'Bar' means a perch to rest on, and 'tender' means gentle. So 'bartender' means 'a gentle perch.'"
This is a line from the first episode that sets the premise and the tone of the show, romanticizing bartending as a sophisticated and almost therapeutic vocation. Except that I am pretty sure that is not where the word comes from. A bartender is the person who “tends” the bar, as in “taking care of,” similar to "tending to a patient." This may sound like a strange nitpick, but it encapsulates the show for me.
The show is at its most
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interesting when it “talks shop” and explores the many kinds of cocktails, flavor, technique and bartending philosophies. If this is enough for you, you will have a good time. But in almost all other areas the show is awkward and unsatisfying.
The writing in the bar scenes feels very simplistic for what is supposed to be a conversation between adults about refined tastes and hardships in life. Sasakura, the genius bartender and the main character, explains every single detail about what he is thinking, what he is doing and what he means by it. Nothing is left unsaid or ambiguous so that the customer (and the viewer) can contemplate and interpret. Sasakura speaks more through words rather than through his drinks, which I feel goes against the premise of the show. When he mixes in some trivia and some life lessons, he often comes across as preachy rather than sympathetic. The stories that the customers bring to the table are also straightforward, like a rough day at work or doubts about a career choice. There are no layers to peel back, unusual personalities, or particularly complicated circumstances.
These interactions may be more enjoyable if the characters are charismatic or likable, but that is not the case here. Sasakura is just a “cool guy,” always poker-faced, both at work and outside of work, and he rarely says or does anything that reveals anything about himself. It is revealed in the first episode that he has some eccentric sides to him, but those have not been brought up again. I think his character is intended to be an enigma of sorts, but at the moment he just comes across as dull. Other characters are completely flat and get one-word descriptions like “perfectionist” or “workaholic,” if they are lucky. There seems to be an overarching story about recruiting Sasakura to work at a newly-open bar, but there is not much to it, and little progress has been made.
Unfortunately, not much is going on in the art and animation department, either. The cocktails themselves look nice, but the rest of the art is very bland; the bars look mostly flat and featureless. Characters are not very expressive and barely move, and most scenes unfold with characters sitting still and flapping their mouths. I understand that this show is a drama where people sit down and have drinks, but it does not look like the director is trying to do anything creative here at all.
I have not read the manga or seen the original anime adaptation, but I knew that they were well-regarded, and this show has not met my expectations so far. Going back to the “bartender” quote, I feel similarly about the show itself; it feels mildly pleasant but does not hold up to a closer look. This show is just not doing anything nearly as interesting or “elegant” as the subject matter itself, which makes the little annoyances all the more glaring. If you simply want to see great-looking cocktails, or if you want a calm, relaxing show to chill out to, you may enjoy this show. If you are looking for anything beyond that, I really doubt this show will deliver.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 29, 2024
This show is a hidden gem of the Spring 2024 season. In a countryside town, humans and fantastic creatures of Japanese folklore happen to be living next door to each other. It is so simple but feels so warm and sincere. Watching this show fills me with a gentle happiness, similar to how I felt watching Natsume’s Book of Friends and My Neighbor Totoro, and makes me want to tell as many people as I can about it.
The premise is simple but fascinating. The townspeople are a part of each others’ daily lives, to the point of going to school together or holding neighborhood barbecues.
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There are lots of fun little details that pique my curiosity, and some are really strange and creative.
The story focuses on the characters, how they go through their daily lives and work through their problems. Even the youkai characters feel wonderfully human and “normal.” A house cat suddenly turns into a youkai one day and has to figure out what he’s going to do with his new life. A human girl lost her father under mysterious circumstances and does not know how to process it. They are not exactly complex characters, but they all feel genuine and well-realized.
I love the fact that they are all just decent folk. Despite their differences, the characters are willing to hang out together, hear each other out, and extend a helping hand. The show thankfully keeps the characters grounded and avoids veering into saccharine or over-dramatic territory.
That is not to say that the youkai live basically the same as humans. While they wear sweaters and hold down jobs, they have their own difficulties they live with. There is a touch of danger, mystery and wonder to the show, since not all spiritual elements are benevolent or even understandable to humans.
This somewhat unassuming show is further elevated by the beautiful art and good production value. The background and the sound design lovingly depict nature and life in the countryside, and some scenes, with the lighting and the colors, are breathtaking. I love the character designs, which match the simple beauty of the show; the same goes to the music, the OP and ED, and the voice acting.
The more I talk about this show, the more I feel like I am detracting from how wonderful and refreshing this show is. I highly recommend giving this a try if you are open to watching simple but well-drawn characters doing their best. I would also recommend this if you have even a passing interest in Japanese folklore or Japanese countryside life. This show completely captured my heart from the first few minutes, and I really wish we get more anime like this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 8, 2024
If you are looking for a medical show, this is not it. If you are looking for a period drama/romance, this is not it. If you are looking for a villainess/reincarnation story, this is not it either. This show squanders its many ingredients and shows no signs of life throughout.
There are not many medical anime shows out there (to my knowledge), so I was really excited for this one. Unfortunately, the medical aspect is seriously lacking. I am not a medical professional so I cannot comment on realism, but I can say that the medical problems and solutions feel very simplistic. Elise makes some observations,
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rattles off medical terminology like she is reading off of Wikipedia, identifies the condition, proceeds to administer treatment, and then the patient is fine. The whole process is very “A to B to C”, like a detective finding a bloody knife on a corpse, taking fingerprints from the knife, and then arresting the culprit by matching those prints. It may be true that all the details are indeed accurate, but they make for dull viewing.
Elise is 100% correct in her diagnoses right off the bat and 100% successful with her treatment; there are absolutely no uncertainties, complications or mistakes. Even a genius doctor like Elise should not be able to see and predict everything, unless she has the all-seeing eye (like in Parallel World Pharmacy), and it would have been satisfying (and expected of a doctor) to see her adapt to unexpected developments and even learn new things. There are no other doctors that provide much help or insight, either; Elise does it all herself. Everything is neatly wrapped up in a matter of minutes, and there is no real challenge or tension. I cannot shake the feeling that very little thought was given to how doctors actually work and what they go through; what is important is that Elise healed them, and that is it.
An interesting twist to the medical aspect is the setting, which looks like 19th century Europe. I was curious about how Elise, who has knowledge centuries ahead of the times, would deal with the outdated science and culture. The show does almost nothing with this, except having other characters marvel at Elise’s knowledge. To my (untrained) eyes, most of the facilities, tools, and practices look basically the same as the modern-day ones, and Elise never has any real difficulty producing results or convincing others. I expected some doctors to not even understand what she is talking about, but that is never the case. Also, Elise never really makes an effort to hide how she knows so much, and everyone just accepts it and moves on. The patriarchal nature of the field of medicine at the time is very weakly hinted at but is not a factor in Elise’s career. There are so many missed opportunities to create some interesting challenges for Elise.
This shallowness extends to the broader, non-technical aspects of a doctor’s work. The biggest pet peeve of mine is when Elise promises her patients that “she will save them,” on more than one occasion. Elise, a seasoned veteran from the modern day, should know better than to say something like this, but I can chalk that up to dramatic flourish. However, the show still does not really dig into so many other topics in this field that are ripe for drama, such as her relationship with co-workers, her relationship with patients, educating people and bringing about change, tackling ethical dilemmas, how she handles the stress, exhaustion and responsibility, and more.
The show does not even do a good job of characterizing Elise outside of her medical skills. On top of being a medical genius who can do no wrong, she has no character traits other than how kind and hard-working she is and... how much she likes sweets. She has no character flaws or weaknesses to speak of, and she is constantly validated and praised by everyone around her. The main love interest does not have a personality either, which makes the romance side of things a non-starter. During most of their stock-standard interactions, Elise is barely even aware of him. Other characters get little to no characterization and have almost no impact on Elise’s journey; they either stand around in awe of her talents or feebly try to hold her back before they are steamrolled or are won over. The show also tackles palace politics, centered around Elise’s status as a noblewoman and the prince’s fiancée, but these developments turn out nonsensical and only a mild inconvenience in the face of Elise’s overwhelming genius and kindness.
The double-reincarnation setup in the beginning is interesting, but Elise draws so little from her modern-day life that it seems like the only reason for this setup is to impart medical skills on the main character in what otherwise would have been a simple “re-do” story. Also, Elise’s “villainous” past is the source of her desire to help sick people as a form of penance, but this is somewhat unconvincing when her exact crimes are left very vague and have almost no repercussions on the present anyway.
The closest comparison to Elise that I can think of is Sei from The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (also voiced by Yui Ishikawa). Sei received criticism for being an overpowered, bland character, but she at least had a desire to learn, the pressure to grow into her role, and a shy demeanor. Elise is a vaguely likable lead, but her complete lack of personality or quirks fails to make the character very engaging or sympathetic.
Yui Ishikawa and the other voice actors simply do not have much to work with here. The music, visuals, animation and direction are barely passable and do little to elevate the lifeless storyline and wooden characters.
There are so many things to talk about in this review, yet there is so little to be said about each of those things. Elise is a doctor, but she is so good at fixing everything so quickly that she might as well have been a magical healer. Elise is a “villainess” reincarnated from the modern day, but that ends up such a minor detail that she might as well have been simply an extremely gifted doctor from 19th century Europe. Elise is too bland a character, surrounded by non-characters and non-threats, to develop any sort of romance, drama or intrigue effectively.
This show has been a major disappointment, and the more I think about it, the harder it is to come up with any redeeming qualities. The most positive thing I can say about the show is that it is good-natured and inoffensive. It also deserves some recognition for tackling the topic of medicine in the first place, which I would like to see more of. If you are starving for anything medical/healing-related, you may get some enjoyment out of this. If you’ve completely run out of wholesome, female-led romance/dramas to watch, this may pass the time. Otherwise, this one is an easy skip.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Feb 8, 2024
This show is decent historical fiction in the vein of Golden Kamuy, with a really interesting setting and a sprawling plot. It is just threatening to buckle under the weight of its own ambition and weak production value. While it is not a show for everyone, I am shocked at how few people are even throwing a glance at it as it is airing (Winter 2024).
The early Meiji period setting is one of the most exciting times in Japanese history and the best thing this show has going for it (it is in the title, after all). A civil war has just ended. A
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new government has been established, but its authority is still in doubt. Modernization continues at a relentless pace, and many people feel left behind. Western colonial powers are fighting for control of Japan. Crime and corruption flourish. I find all of this fascinating, and it's easy to see why this is a popular setting for period action dramas (Rurouni Kenshin, Like A Dragon: Isshin!, The Last Samurai, etc.).
We get to see a good variety of characters with many different backgrounds and (hidden) motivations. Even the main character is a rickshaw puller making ends meet while hiding his past as a samurai of a fallen clan. The characters are (mostly) grounded and have realistic goals; no cute anime girls or a kid with a sword and a dream. The show still has fun with outlandish character designs, like the one-eyed swordsman with long silver hair and dual katanas. Some characters fare less well; several women share a simple "geisha in kimono" look and are difficult to tell apart (just take a look at their thumbnails in the "Characters" section here on MAL).
Unfortunately, these characters, while interesting in concept, are closer to cardboard cut-outs than actual people. They are almost always either in the thick of action or "talking business", and they don't get a lot of time to show off their personalities and emotions. We do learn about the main character a bit more, namely his personal quest, his can-do attitude, and his good old-fashioned sense of duty and justice. Some viewers may find him uninteresting, but I think he's fairly charming and a good lead for this type of story.
The actual story itself is, as of Episode 4, something of an ambitious mess. In addition to the large cast, there are simply too many factions, shifting allegiances and plot developments to keep track of. Every episode just feels packed to the brim (this show does not have an OP and still runs a full 28 minutes). I am not sure if the Japanese audience finds these story points familiar, but other viewers might have a hard time if they do not know much about the history. I have read only a little about this period before, and I think I am just barely keeping up.
It's tough to say whether the show will tell a coherent overarching story. At the moment the show seems content to throw characters into cool situations and introduce new ideas. We get to see stuff like one-man yakuza raids, an assassin that uses hallucinogenic gas, and a mixed martial arts tournament. The show does not cut loose into full insanity and comedy, however (like Golden Kamuy does), leaving the show feeling a little safe and dull. This is all decent fun, but I am hoping the slowly-building conspiracies and conflicts pay off in future episodes.
The production quality is not the best, but I get the impression that the studio is doing the best they can with very limited resources. The animation in character interactions and fights is not exactly smooth, but creative and expressive in places that counts. There are some shots that are visually striking, thanks to impactful camera angles and lighting. Overall, the production is doing a decent job of supporting the story and the atmosphere, even if it just does not have the level of polish that would turn heads.
It has been a solid start so far, but with an uncertain future. Like Golden Kamuy, it has a fascinating setting, cool characters, an action-packed story, and even inconsistent production quality. If you really enjoy historical fiction or are interested in the time period, you should definitely give this show a try. If you can enjoy a dizzying plot with interesting ideas, and can overlook some thin character work and roughness in quality, you may enjoy this show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 5, 2024
Hikari no Ou tries to be a unique, more thoughtful kind of fantasy, but sadly it is much too shabby and dry to recommend.
Its biggest problem is the animation; constantly breaking the art, moving as little as possible, making odd artistic choices, and often making scenes more confusing. Action sequences suffer the most, with characters suddenly looking like MS Paint drawings and awkwardly floating around. Characters go off-model all the time, even in quieter moments. The 3D CG, while sparingly used, looks very outdated and jarring. Painterly illustrations sometimes take over the screen, but often in seemingly random moments. The list goes on.
Unorthodox, "low-quality" animation
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can pay off, like in Tatami Galaxy and Mononoke for example. However, the animation here just does not feel like there is any consistency or artistic intent behind it, and it feels more like they are trying to cut corners and cover up mistakes (unsuccessfully). Interestingly, the OP is much better and shows the potential of this style of art and animation; the show itself often does not meet this bar. The end of Episode 2 would be a good point to decide for yourself whether you can enjoy (or tolerate) how the show looks and moves.
The overall art style really works, however, and feels unique next to its 2023 peers. The character designs, the backgrounds and the subdued color palette all come together to create an almost dream-like and mythical atmosphere (I like that it reminded me of Mushi-shi). The music also feels different and adds a lot to the contemplative and mysterious tone.
The strange and expansive world is the most interesting thing about the show. This is a harsh world where humanity is still struggling after a mysterious disaster. There is a form of society resembling Industrial-era Japan (a little like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress), but most people are desperately scraping by, while powerful, mysterious forces are vying for control. The show is packed with thoughtful worldbuilding that encompasses technology, economy, social classes, races, customs, beliefs, and more. However, there is just so much of it, right up to the final episode, and much of it is delivered in an unengaging manner, through narration and characters flapping their mouths.
The characters are very toned down and believable people, but it is difficult to care about them. Basically every character is just focused on their goals and stoically pressing on. This may be as expected in a post-apocalyptic world, but they do not reveal much of their personalities and motivations that we can connect with. One of the two main characters is entirely pushed along by circumstance, without much to say about it. Many supporting characters remain a mystery, and not in a way that leaves us intrigued; we just don't have much to go on.
The story mainly acts as a vehicle to journey across the world. While it is fascinating to gradually discover this world alongside the characters, the story is not much of an emotional one, other than characters bonding through their shared struggles. In 10 episodes, it feels like the show has only now finished setting the stage. The season ends in the middle of a build-up, and while it does provide a future direction, its meaning is left unclear.
So what are we left with? We have a unique art style that is constantly brought down by sloppy animation. We have an interesting and detailed world that is dumped on us with no interesting story and characters to populate it and hold our attention. Yes, this is an original, understated, more adult-oriented fantasy anime (the kind I was looking forward to). If you are absolutely dying for one of those, if you are generally unaffected by animation quality, and if you value worldbuilding above all else, you may enjoy this show. Otherwise, I suggest you look elsewhere and avoid the disappointment and irritation I have felt watching this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Nov 26, 2022
Kingdom Season 1 is a big disappointment. The show is a historical epic about wars and heroes, but it does not dig into the setting deeply. It is closer to an action adventure show about a kid fighting strong opponents, but follows a simplistic, obnoxious protagonist that barely develops. On top of these, the poor production quality hampers the excitement and the storytelling.
I had a somewhat high expectations for Kingdom:
- I had heard the manga described as one of the great historical epics, mentioned in the same breath as Vinland Saga. I had not read either, but I was absolutely blown away by Season 1
...
of Vinland Saga.
- I was very interested in its setting, the warring states period of ancient China, since I enjoyed reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
- Kingdom Season 4 was airing at the time and holding one of the highest MAL user ratings of that season.
I appreciated how Kingdom S1 takes great care in depicting warfare. I enjoyed the build-up to a battle, when generals discuss strategy and foot soldiers prepare themselves. Once the battle starts, the show frequently explains strategies and the thinking behind them. On the ground, characters are constantly figuring out how to carry out orders without dying, and the emotions go through highs and lows along with the flow of battle.
However, the show is severely lacking on the visuals side to really deliver the full impact of the battles, and it hurts especially in 2022. While the use of CGI allows sweeping camera shots and huge melees, the extremely stiff and simplistic animation fails to make them convincing or exciting. One-on-one fights are not much better; the characters simply swing their weapons at each other really hard. It does not help that the environment design and background art often looked completely flat and uninspired.
Some of the hand-drawn animation does look more pleasing and expressive, and I wish the show had more of it. Also, the character designs manage to be a lot of fun. The characters have simple, distinct personalities with a variety of backgrounds and motivations, and their looks clearly communicate them and make the cast memorable. This brings us to the biggest problem I have with the show...
The main character, Xin, is very annoying and uninteresting. He is a country kid, the simple-minded and brash type, always excited to battle, with boundless ambition and confidence, and most importantly, LOUD. He has no other memorable personality traits or quirks to him, and he is given little motivation beyond "I'm gonna be the very best". He does not develop much through the season, because he is very rarely seriously challenged in his beliefs or suffers failure. On the battlefield, he displays superhuman strength and agility from the very beginning, which is never really explained. He is consistently rewarded for these personality traits and his martial prowess. This style of writing, combined with stiff CGI models, makes it hard to understand or sympathize with Xin.
Kingdom S1 spends an overwhelming majority of its time with Xin, so the other characters are not given much time to shine. Zheng is introduced as "the other half" of the story (as seen in the poster), and he offers a very different type of story and point-of-view from Xin's. However, his story almost completely takes a back seat to Xin's later in the season. We do spend a lot of time with one particular side character, exploring his personality, motivations, and battles. He becomes a stand-out in the show for me, and even has some impact on Xin as a character, but he comes late in the season.
The show misses out on exploring other storylines by focusing so heavily on Xin. With a large cast entangled in power struggles and wars, the show could have explored palace intrigue, statecraft, diplomacy and espionage, and even everyday lives of the commoners and the nobles, etc. While the show touches upon some of these briefly, it does not follow up on them; for example, a powerful figure is introduced as the de facto ruler of the country and a dangerous rival, only to disappear from the story shortly afterwards. The later seasons supposedly expand on what has been set up, but I am struggling to have faith in the series.
Despite my many complaints and general dissatisfaction, I have sat through all 38 episodes of the season. A part of me just wanted to be able to say I finished it (and leave a review), but another part of me wanted to see it improve and realize its potential. The show does steadily get more interesting as the season progresses, but the earlier parts are much too clunky, and the later improvements are not significant enough. Kingdom has announced a Season 5 at the time of writing, so I may come to enjoy Kingdom more in subsequent seasons. However, after these disappointing 38 episodes, I will not be bringing myself to watch Season 2, at least for a long while.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Oct 22, 2022
Before we begin, let's get this out of the way:
- This show is a "re-release" of the "Berserk: The Golden Age Arc" movie trilogy from 2012-2013. It's basically the movies, re-edited to TV format.
- The show advertised some improvements made to the original movies, including some CGI clean-up and added scenes.
- The show does NOT claim to "re-make" the movie trilogy or "re-adapt" the Golden Age arc of the Berserk manga.
Is the show worth a watch or not? I'm leaning towards "no", but due to its complicated history, it depends on where you're coming from.
- If you have never experienced Berserk in any form,
...
I cannot really recommend this show.
What you get is a decent dark fantasy tale featuring brutal medieval warfare and character drama. The story so far feels extremely rushed and somewhat disjointed. The characters, however, are given some opportunities to bounce off each other and develop. The action sequences are fairly exciting, with some CGI animation that are a little dated in places. The art, music, and voice acting are all great, if not eye-poppingly gorgeous like some other recent theatrical releases.
This would be fine enough, if the manga was not so much more effective, beautifully written and illustrated. You may be tired of hearing this everywhere, but: I STRONGLY recommend just reading the manga. I can count the manga I have read so far on one hand, but I am so glad to have read Berserk before watching an adaptation.
If you absolutely do not read manga, or cannot find a way to read Berserk, and if you are just looking for a mildly entertaining dark fantasy action show, this show will deliver well enough. Otherwise, skip this; you only get one chance to experience Berserk for the first time.
- If you have read the manga but have not watched the movies (just like me!), know that this show has been a mediocre adaptation so far, but not terrible.
The main problem is that the show has had to omit large parts of the story and rush whatever is left, which results in characters and story moments not hitting as hard as they could. However, the show does not make changes that take the story in a different (worse) direction, so this show is mostly "faithful" to the source material and feels consistent in its themes and tone. The show also takes the time to do justice to some of the dramatic and quieter moments.
The biggest complaint about the movie trilogy that I have often heard is the wonky CGI animation, and I have to say, it is only mildly distracting and not as bad as I feared. The battlefield sequences do get a lot of mileage out of it, with sweeping camera moves and large-scale melees, but the nameless background characters tend to look and move unnaturally. However, the named characters are much more convincing, thanks to some detailed animation and pretty interesting choreography. The show knows to fall back to hand-drawn animation during dramatic scenes and gives characters expressiveness and subtlety.
Berserk does deserve and can support a much better adaptation that can even count as one of the greats. As long as you recognize that this show is not it, you will enjoy aspects of it (like I am planning to).
- If you have watched the movie trilogy, I doubt you will react to this show differently.
Note that I have not seen the movies, so I cannot say for certain. From what I've seen online so far, there does not seem to be much to the show that differentiates it from the movies. If you enjoyed the movies, you are watching more or less the same thing, just in 25-minute chunks, and with very minor improvements. Do read around if you want to know more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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