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Jun 20, 2023
The concept of a Mangaka, encompassing both exceptional artistic talent and exceptional writing, has always been a challenging feat to achieve. To possess one can already be considered lucky, but to excel at both is truly rare. While there have been exceptional Mangakas, Makoto Yukimura's Vinland Saga Season 2 unfortunately falls short of this mark.
Part 1: A Mockery of the Norse Culture
Vinland Saga Season 2 can only be described as a direct mockery of the source material that served as its inspiration. In contemporary Manga adaptations, one would expect a deeper exploration of the chosen setting. However, Vinland Saga neglects to incorporate any elements of
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Norse mythology and culture. The omission of such crucial aspects is a glaring flaw, especially considering the story's focus on pacifism. This deliberate exclusion undermines the depth of the narrative and showcases the shortcomings of Yukimura, who can merely copy the aesthetics at a superfiscial level but not the substance. In contrast, even mainstream series like Vikings (2013) contrasted the Old Norse religion with Christianity, sparking engaging debates on life, death, and the Viking way of life.
Part 2: Pretentious Defenses and One-Dimensional Redemption
The zealous defenders of Vinland Saga dismiss any criticism, hailing the show as "profound and insightful," while labeling dissenters as individuals who merely revel in mindless violence, incapable of grasping the show's depth. Such claims come across as pretentious and fail to acknowledge the audience's own preferences. Let's not forget that Season 1 primarily focused on action and violence. Moreover, the redemption aspect of the show proves disappointingly one-dimensional. The main character, Thorfinn, undergoes an abrupt transformation from an Uchiha Sasuke archetype to a Jesus Christ-like figure, leaving no room for nuanced character development. While it is common for shounen anime to embody a specific idea through the protagonist, Yukimura positions himself on the moral high ground by advocating 21st-century pacifism in the Viking era, all the while eliminating any other ideologies that could challenge his narrative.
Conclusion:
In my preliminary review, I maintained a rather comedic tone, but the praise bestowed upon Vinland Saga Season 2 seems excessive considering its actual merits. The talented artists who brought the animation to life deserve better material to showcase their skills. Ultimately, Vinland Saga Season 2 fails to meet expectations, leaving viewers longing for either a more thought-provoking plot or more action. Peace.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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May 9, 2023
If I had to describe Jigokuraku with one word, it would be "hollow."
Despite MAPPA's impressive animation* and decent soundtrack, Jigokuraku feels soulless. Even as a manga, it did not bring much novelty to the table. However, I was hoping for at least a bingeable run-of-the-mill shounen. I was even willing to overlook glaring plot holes that required turning off any reasoning modules in my brain, but the anime still fell short.
What baffles me the most is how the direction managed to mess up the pacing. The first six episodes might have been tolerable if they didn't consist mainly of meaningless dialogues and endless exposition. At
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this point I should note that I turned off the subtitles after episode 4. I was able to understand everything just fine, not thanks to my limited Japanese of course, but due to the dialogue either describing unimaginatively what is being shown or because it is repeated over and over. After watching Jigokuraku, I couldn't help but wonder: what is the attention span of MAPPA's target audience?
Lastly, I want to close the review with a sidenote about the animation direction, which I distinguish from the quality of animation*. While inner monologues and repetitive dialogues are common tropes of the genre, this anime illustrates precisely how much of a drag they can become. Every action sequence HAS to be interrupted by at least 20 seconds of thinking and planning, like a poorly-designed turn-based RPG. Sometimes, the interruption is even longer when a flashback from seven minutes ago is involved. Truly distasteful.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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May 5, 2023
Finding a good manhwa these days is like searching for a needle in a haystack. One can't help but wonder how it came to this. Practically every other manhwa features one of the following: a system, a returner/regressor, a cheat, or some combination thereof. It's almost unimaginable to stumble upon a setting where the world doesn't revolve around the protagonist.
Barbarian Quest, on the other hand, defies this trend. It builds a medieval world that is so cohesive that some critics call it historical, despite the fact that it doesn't portray specific events and is clearly fictional. While it does borrow from various historical elements, such
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as the Roman Empire and religions like Christianity and Norse mythology, it combines them in a way that feels believable. What's even more remarkable is that it successfully cultivates an aura of mystery, prompting readers to question whether there's something metaphysical about this world and these religions. Do the gods actually exist, or are they merely figments of the imagination, created to provide purpose to life? The manhwa doesn't provide clear answers to these questions, instead letting readers ponder the implications based on the unfolding events. There's also a great deal of foreshadowing, which helps to create tension between the characters and propel the plot forward.
Comparing Barbarian Quest to other works, I would say that the themes it explores (that is up to chapter 61) are reminiscent of Vikings season 1 (2013). The contrast between Christianity and Norse gods is similarly explored in both works, along with the themes of war and the warrior's way of life. While some may draw similarities to Vinland Saga, I find that work to be rather shallow (at least in the manga and anime seasons 2+), and instead would liken Barbarian Quest more to Berserk's Golden Age, where metaphysical elements and the looming threat of disaster are also present.
Lastly, it wouldn't be fair to conclude this review without giving credit to the exceptional art. The phrase "every frame a painting" could not be more apt for this manhwa. While some readers criticize the lack of female characters (which is understandable, given the story's focus), it's worth noting that the female characters that are introduced, such as the witch doctor in chapters 39-42 (I still get goosebumps from chapter 42), are more nuanced compared to those in other manhwas.
In summary, if you're growing tired of reading manhwas with the same tired tropes, Barbarian Quest is a must-read. It's a masterpiece that manages to stay grounded in realism while hinting at something beyond our understanding.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 23, 2022
Mob Psycho did not need to have another season, whatever the anime had to say, it had already been said. At least that was what I believed. However, this season pleasantly surprised me. Instead of doubling down on the power fantasy aspect, the season focused on Mob's transition and development, a coming of age story if you'd like. Untill the final arc that is, where the whole point of the season collapsed upon itself, into a gigantic and massive meaningless black hole. These days, it does seem that writing a decent ending to a shounen anime is almost equivalent to achieving fusion ingnition.
First, let
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me scratch off the other aspects:
Animation and art are really good and creative, reached peak with UFO arc. Music absolutely a banger, Mob Psycho will never fail that aspect. When it comes to character development though, it goes from a 10 to a 3 fast, and I mean really fast. Let me point out why that is.
So in this season we get to see Mob through different lens, not just as the godlike esper which he is, but also as an average teenager, who has yet to find his purpose, his calling in life. Due to his introverted personality, Mob struggles with his interpersonal relationships and as he is getting more attention due to his powers, he is pushed to adapt, to develop. Despite being a little conceited, which leads to misunderstandings that serve as a well though comedic aspect, the integrity of his character is undeniable. We also see him making significant progress through the episodes, becoming more confident and outgoing. That is until we learn that ACTUALLY, he had been suppressing his feelings and "power" all along. An accident then serves as the trigger for the mandatory "power goes berserk" arc that any self-respecting shounen manga OWES to have.
Honestly, there are so many problems with that forced and out of the blue split personality disorder, that I could write a thesis. The most obvious one though, is that it TOTALLY negates the point of the season. Mob is not an average person that needs soul searching and to find his calling, he is an ATOMIC bomb ready to go off and he should be restricted in a basement somewhere. Even if that was the intention of the season from the beginning, which by the way was not, as the whole destruction of the city seems to go unnoticed after that, it would still make all the previous and wholesome episodes devoid of any meaning. The other big problem is of course, that this split was never properly set up. Yes, Mob does explode when he reaches 100%, but he is still him and he does not hide his powers in any way. In fact, in this season he had been more open and transparent than ever. Imagine trying to serve as comedic relief Mob beating the hell out of his acquaintances as he literally DESTROYS a whole city. Clueless.
Anyway, the last arc does leave a bad aftertaste, but if you can overlook that, then this season is definately worth watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 20, 2022
The Eminence in the Shadow is probably the biggest disappointment of this Fall season. It is really sad to see an anime failing to establish the genre it is supposed to be. As a manga, it has pioneered a new genre of comedy that other popular manhwas and manhuas have since then followed. In this setting, the protagonist thinks he is making random stuff up and everyone else is guilable for believing them, but they actually turn out to be true. In my opinion, it would be incorrect to classify this as an isekai anime, in a similar way that One Punch Man is not
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stricly a superhero anime. The main aspect should be the parody and the anime does a TERRIBLE job of conveying that.
Studio Nexus has instead opted to depict Cid as a Lelouch/Overlord character. The two weakest aspects of the manga, in my opinion, isekai and harem, are at the forefront even from the first episode. The anime takes itself too seriously and as a result none of the jokes really land. In Studio Nexus defence, they are probably basing this adaptation to the novel that the manga was based on, but evidently that does not translate well onto the screen.
The saddest thing is that everything else is okay. The animation is good, the fighting scenes and the slime suit look decent and the pacing is okay, considering this season will have 20 episodes. It is really early to judge the anime but my expectations for the rest of the season are set on a very low standard.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 1, 2021
This anime was recommended to me as one of the top crime-mystery anime, and unfortunately due to my high expectations (part of that is the 8.81 mynimelist score), I was disappointed. First of all, let me declare that I am NOT a FURRY fan. If anything, I usually avoid them, but for the sake of the good narrative I choose to watch this one. Odd Taxi has definitely some redeemable qualities such as character design, the unique animation style and the detail of worldbuilding, but personally I think it fails to deliver in the main aspect of a crime-mystery anime, that is the story. Lets
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go then.
Story (6/10):
The anime starts introducing us to the MC, a walrus taxis driver named Odokawa. Due to his eccentric personality, his curious nature and his luck, Odokawa is entangled with multiple events, that connect him to various people, or animals, and events of this world, putting an end to his prior peaceful life. Now, even though some of the stories do a good job to introduce the side characters and their personalities, the anime fails to convey a placeable story in the border of lawlessness. Half baked, over simplistic and sometimes childish, while at other times a tire to sit through (example Monke...) they fail to immerse the viewer in the lawlessness of this city. The pacing is to slow and even during the somewhat intense moments (a chase for example), it fails to induce any adrenaline. But what's even worse for me are the minor plot holes in an anime of this genre. To keep it sort, I'll only reference a scene ***Very minor spoiler***: the MC is about to die and is saved by an acquaintance that was randomly close by, in literally the middle of nowhere.
Character Development (8/10):
The majority of the characters are well designed and have unique personalities. Strangely the furry aspect, seems to help refining them even more. Personally I really like the madness and the exaggeration of some characters like Tanaka or rapper, it gave that Tarantino feeling.
Animation and Sound (9/10):
Great job by the animators delivering a very unique and tasteful animation style. The often abstract and pixelated backgrounds in contrast to the well defined characters is brilliant. Unique but enjoyable soundtrack and sound editing that helps the immersion to this peculiar world
Overall (7/10):
Even though some harsh words have been said, or written, this is a watchable anime and occasionally enjoyable anime, especially if you keep in mind that the ending justifies a lot of the aspects of the story. However, the slow pacing and the somewhat lackluster side stories may deter a lot of people not particularly fan of furry anime from actually getting there.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 11, 2021
In contrast to the rating and my expectations based on the anime, this movie touches the limit of utter disappointment. With classic elements of a tearjerker drama that tries too hard so sell a sad story and with shounen based, insta op type of development to assist the plot, this movie deviates too far from the beauty of the anime.
Plot: The plot can be easily guessed given the information one had from the anime, and it literally requires no imagination to guess how the event will play out 20 minutes in to the film. The comedic relief for such a try hard tearjerker story
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is none existent at best, given that the scenes where Regu has a boner approach the realm of pedophilia instead (considering all the protagonists have the appearance of 10 year old's). This direction is further strengthened by the very clear depiction of the operating chair scenes and it is something that the production should reflect upon. When it comes to the ending, in my opinion, it actually voids the whole purpose of the movie. Not only does it not provide any closure, but also fails to cultivate the feeling of justice, eluding a proper catharsis to the story.
In conclusion, you can easily skip the movie, and just read a 5 min summary to keep up with future content.
Characters: Literally the only character that has any development is Bondrewd. Bondrewd fits perfectly the role of the antagonist, and his screen time carries the whole movie. There is very little to say about the rest of the characters.
Animation: The animation is very nice and the quality is on par with sutdios like MAPPA.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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