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There have been very few anime that were uneventful, slice of life-y, episodic and plotless, only focused on cute girls interacting with each other and on beautiful sceneries, that I watched through the end. Actually, so few there has been only one. And that's Aria.

Aria has managed to do the impossible for me, being all of the above and managing not to bore me to death. I don't even know how it did it to be quite honest. There's just something about it that induces a calming state and pleasing stimulus while one watches it. There's literally nothing special about it, not one thing that ... will drive you to say "hm i'm really curious about where this is going"..

And I guess that's the special thing about it.

A replica of Venice in a futuristic age on a colonized and transformed Mars, now an aquatic paradise, where people still send letters but on flying scooters and delta planes, and where some girls dedicate their lives into becoming professional gondoliers.

Now that may sound strange and ambiguous to the point where you have no idea where the anime is headed. But the point is, the anime is headed nowhere. It will throw you small and easily solvable tasks each episode where the protag has to fulfill a request or has to embark on her usual gondola training, and you get other girls with more or less the same personality that do the same thing. Everything is wholesome and cute and fluffy and you wouldn't find drama even if you looked for it. I don't even know what more is there to say about the characters or the story since there's not much to grasp onto.

Instead, I'll switch right to the art and soundtrack.

The art is pretty decent and average for its time.They cared a lot for the whole Venezia aspect of the city since they had all the details going on, and i really liked the scenic camera spans during the intro or the ending songs. It's a relaxing and beautiful ambient.

Soundtrack is a rich, orchestal music that fits the overall setting and it completes the whole calming vibe. To be honest the soundtrack for this anime positively surprised me.

I'm aware my review sounds a bit contrasting with my high (9) rating for this anime, but the way it managed to be uneventful without making me drop it is exactly why i liked it. Cute, no drama, relaxing. Sometimes you may find shows like this and you might not even know you need it.

What a lovely ride Little Witch Academia was. Trigger proved once again to be masters in art and animation, everything flows so smooth, the color palette is eye-catching and the art is gorgeous.

It was a dive straight to my childhood, i wish this would've been around during my pre teen years when i was obsessed with magic and fairies and witches, but nonetheless, i'm glad i've stumbled upon it.

Pleasant, entertaining and fun is how i'd describe this show. It's a pretty "lay back and enjoy the ride" kinda watch, with some moments that keep you on the edge of the seat. Everything is flashy and ... explosive and the character's actions (most often Akko's) are comically unconventional.

The story is probably its weakest trait, but given the childish and flashy nature of the show it's quite appropriate. It follows a bit of an episodic structure that make you feel like the plot is often casted aside, but at times it comes through and even "side stories" manage to contribute to it. Diana's dedicated episodes are especially important as they truly flesh out her character and motives, making her more likeable (although she never was the typical rich and favored snarky student which i appreciate wasn't the case). Akko didn't have much depth to her apart from behaving like your usual happy-go-lucky heroine. Her only reason of existing was a magic show she saw when she was little and that never shakes off of her no matter what happens. But again, i can't be too mad at this given the nature of the show. In this regard the same can be said about her sidechicks, Lotte and Sucy. They're one dimensional characters, that can be defined in one word each: Lotte the bookworm and Sucy the stoner. But they're cool.

(Rip Lotte's chance at getting some after the blonde dude asked her out and we never saw any of that again)

All of that aside, i thoroughly enjoyed the show with both flaws and merits (need to mention the soundtrack for it is perfect) to the point i finished both seasons in 2 days. As a final side note, i want to say i appreciated A LOT the lack of underage fanservice which seems to be granted in so many innocent and childish looking anime)

I regret not picking this up earlier. I tried reading it months ago, gave up on it. My initial thoughts were "Jesus Christ, this can't get any more clichè and generic." After a break, I once again tried to read it, but was stuck on the same thought. And finally, after another break, I picked it up a third time and.. well, I was very stupid for judging it from the earliest chapters.

I very much find isekais and "dungeon/player" based works boring. I actually cannot stand them. All predictable plots, bland OP characters, harem, etc etc. Stating this I'm here to explain why i think ... Solo Leveling is a golden piece of work amongst its kind.

The 10 rating is not to be compared to other incredible manga/manhwa out there, it's solely based on the genre this manhwa is going for, which is the overly done player trope.

Story: 9
You can predict the plot, to some extent. You can definitely predict when the MC is going to win the battle, which.. most of the time is indeed the case, but the elements that make the story flow are really interesting and of a grand scale. There is not once that you forget why the MC is doing this, or why he's doing that. There is no tiptoeing the plot. It is very plot-driven, and is as linear as it can get- again, to some extent, because there can be multiple objectives at a time for which the MC is making an action. You never feel that the manhwa has a bit lost its focus, it's clear that the author has a clear idea in mind and the raised questions from the beginning are never left hanging. I very much appreciate this. Of course, the manhwa is far from over (I'm at ch. 153) so there are still larger matters to unfold. You can say that the plot has been already done but it's executed in such a way pertaining to the characteristics of the manhwa's fictional world and its characters, that it personally just makes me feel very invested.

Art: 10
Simply excellent. Low reviews are bashing the art- how? It is objectively good. Very detailed, vibrant colors, body proportions and faces havent got a single flaw, the battle scenes are incredibly dynamic and i can feel the impact of every hit and power outburst. The art is the best thing in this manhwa, and it's one of the, if not the best, drawn manhwa i've read (action-wise). 100+ chapters in and i still pause on each panel to take in the satisfactory visuals.

Character: 7
While i personally find the characters entertaining, i can recognize their flaws.

MC: Sung Jinwoo.The almost immediate change of character is what characterises him the most, although his main values remain unaltered which is saving his mother, helping others, and becoming stronger. He is the definition of "badass" and of "prowess". His execution is flawless in everything. No detail escapes him. He also appears as arrogant which isn't necessarily a bad thing because with infinite power, arrogance is to be expected and is validated. He acts arrogantly but never rude. He's just aware that nothing and no one can touch him. With his family he's the same caring son/brother and will risk his life and leave everything behind not only to save his family but also his friends. One thing to be noted is that he doesn't get invincible right off the bat- there is a continuous progress of getting stronger, which results in aquiring skills, job titles, new levels, new shadows. He's by no doubt an interesting-to-watch character but his personality could be something more than a dude who always shows an immaculate face.

Side characters: The designs fits them all. Some hunters, while powerful, are also bussinesmen, and their black suits fit them very well. People are generally dressed casually, adapting to our modern world. I must say some faces are memorable like Cha Hae In, Thomas Andre, Lhu Zhigeng and the old man CEO of the Hunter's Association. Personality wise they're still entertaining and it's fascinating to see what each of their strength is (although very lacking in comparison to our OP Sung Jinwoo), but they're pretty much kissing his butt all the time. It's understandable, but i wish they had more personality.

Foes: Their designs are absolutely cool, very detailed and the non-human creatures have more personality than the side characters... maybe because most of them don't wet themselves at the sight of Jinwoo. The King Statue in the Cartenon temple is especially impressive in its depiction: it makes you feel little and insignificant compared to his stature and sheer enormity, and to top it all his expression is a hella scary one.

Entertainment: 10
It's obvious that despite these flaws i'm enthralled by every chapter, which is the first time to happen to me when it comes to this kind of genre.

Overall: 10
An action-packed, plot-driven manhwa, with badass and OP characters (besides our MC), just as badass foes, and amazing art to solidify it. I hope it only gets better from now onwards.