!!! CAREFUL SOME SPOILERS !!!
Vanguard OverDress is a reboot/relaunch of the long running Cardfight Vanguard franchise and now that its first cour has run its course I can safely say I can see where they’re going while also having no idea who this series is for.
Story:
The story starts with Yuyu, a young teen who is a bit of a pushover who gets introduced to the world of Vanguard and joins a team that meets up in an abandoned amusement park near his town. On the surface its about how Yuyu grows more confident and learns to stand up for himself with the advice and help
...
of his new friends and Vanguard but I am not 100% sure if that is actually what the story is about.
That is largely due the structure and pacing of the story. The first episode introduces us to most of the main characters and while it doesn’t tell us a lot about the cardgame, the amazing animation symbolizing the fight is breathtaking and draws you in. The subsequent episodes continue the narrative, yes, but in the way that they happen chronologically but the events never affecting the story or characters in the long term. The episodes include highlights such as “Megumi thinks Danji is gay for Yuyu”, “Danji wrestles a real life Japanese wrestler” and “Yuyu is sick and sleeps over at Danji’s”. Most of them reveal minor details about the characters and their relationships but overall feel more like time fillers than anything.
It’s only halfway through the series where the story finally starts to show itself but it is promptly dropped for a while before being picked up again and rushed through in the last three episodes. Perhaps because the series spend half of its runtime not having a story at all, the stakes for the climax are only set in episode 10 with the story completely losing its grounded tone of just a bunch of friends hanging out and playing cardgames and instead jumping headfirst into the overly serious and dramatic tone of its contemporaries which is jarring for a series that so far tried to be about anything except cardgames.
Which is another point that bothers me about OverDress: It is not about Vanguard. It doesn’t even really involve Vanguard. Yes, the game is the reason why Yuyu joins the group but beyond that it has little to do with the actual happenings of the story, they could be playing Bop-It instead for all the impact it had on the story. The characters don’t establish what’s fun about the game or even what they personally like about it, instead just repeating that it’s fun like a broken record with the viewer having no idea why it would be. The series seems to be so disinterested in the cardgame itself that the first half omits entire sections of a fight or even has episodes where you don’t see a Vanguard field at all. The second half is better about it and sometimes even shows whole cardfights with no cuts but because the viewer is never told the rules about it will probably leave many who didn’t watch the previous seasons or play the game themselves confused.
There are many factors that could have let to the, in my opinion, lackluster story structure from the director being new to series directing and Vanguard in general to the attempts at being a “serious” anime going a bit too far to the series being planned with 24 episodes and being paced as such despite the split. Whatever those reasons are, I don’t find the story particularly engaging and having to wait 10 episodes for something resembling a plot to appear is a big ask. 4/10
Art:
One of the upsides of this anime. There is a reason Clamp has stood the test of time and their character designs are appealing and probably the best part. That’s not to say that Kinema Citrus is slacking off because the rare moments during cardfights where the feeling actually fighting is illustrated with gorgeously animated sequences of the units physically fighting each other. Outside of these scenes the animation is standard but by no means bad with occasionally surreal directing giving some sequences (mostly cardfights) a dream like feeling to them.
Speaking of directing though, the composition and directing the actual cardfights is notably weak, the first half in particular. Besides just skipping phases and sections of the fights, cards sometimes just appear out of nowhere between frames, characters get damaged as the plot demands, the strategies used are flat and uninteresting etc etc. The last part could be in part because the rebooted game the anime is based around very simple as of the time of writing but even though some of the characters’ decks have built in counters to other decks that is hardly utilized within the series. There is one active attempt at a counter made as far as I remember but besides that most fights boil down to the characters brute forcing their way to victory and drawing the exact card they need at the right time.
Overall the actual art, animation and direction is fine to good but if you’re a fan of the cardgame and are hoping for fun and exciting fans, you might be disappointed. Because it’s such a niche thing to be bothered about though, I won’t weigh it too much in my score. 8/10
Sound:
It’s good. I’m not sure what else to say really cause that’s what it is.
Opening and endings are performed by Roselia and Argonavis from Bushiroad’s “BanG Dream!” franchise and while I have no interest in it I have to admit that the songs that have been used in Vanguard so far are absolute bangers. (heheh)
I don’t believe the actual OST has been released but from what I heard in the series it gets the job done. It’s appropriately silly, serious and soothing when it needs to be but it never quite stands out on it’s own. It might not stick in your mind but its perfectly serviceable. 8/10
Characters:
Oh boy let’s get into this.
Overall the characters are fine, serviceable, largely inoffensive but they are also kind of boring in a way.
Let’s start with the main protagonist Yuyu. He is mostly a pushover and is mostly dragged around by others, most notably his family and Danji with not a lot of moments where he shows any agency. While the story tells us he becomes more confident as a result of his new hobby and friends, it is not shown very often with Yuyu still being pushed around by the end of the series, if not to the degree as the first episode. He does become more outspoken when it concerns Vanguard with him standing up for his friends in the second to last episode and being less of a nervous wreck but he doesn’t change a whole lot.
Next is Megumi who I guess you could call the POV character next to Yuyu. She is probably the character we know the most about in the series with several episodes either dedicated to her background or at least tying into it. Despite having so much focus though she doesn’t seem to have a lot of stuff going on for her. She certainly has personality, being friendly if stubborn and often jumping to conclusions but beyond being friends with Yuyu and having an obvious crush on Danji she hasn’t really contributed to the story a lot. Unlike Yuyu there is no clear character arc for her so far and she doesn’t change by the end of the series except for maybe being a bit less clingy towards Danji. It’s possible that there is more planned for her in the second half but as it stands not a lot going on.
Next is Danji, the arguable deuteragonist of the series. Danji is one of the older guys in the group and the leader of their Vanguard team and while he kinda stupid is a very self-assured and confident person. Despite being an overall friendly guy we don’t know a whole lot about him, only that he is friends with Megumi’s older brother, lives in a dump of a place and does odd jobs around town. It’s implied he has a dark troubled past, sometimes disappearing for days on end and meeting mysterious people behind the scenes. On paper he seems like an interesting character, a good contrast to the shy and introverted Yuyu but the way he’s executed is a bit of a problem. His antics and odd jobs while intended to be humorous often come across as plain weird at best and grinding the story to a literal halt at worst.
It doesn’t help that the series seems to try really hard to ship Danji with Yuyu with the two of them often blushing around each other and Danji often acting like he’s courting Yuyu and even impressing and meeting his family out of nowhere to “get to know them if they’re going to spend more time together from now on”. Need I remind you that Yuyu is 15 years old and Danji, while we don’t know how old he is exactly, is confirmed to be an adult man. Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s around 19 like Tohya and Zakusa, it’s still kinda weird and I prefer if the series just stopped doing gay jokes about them.
Last is Tohya. Oh? You didn’t know Tohya was a main character? Well I don’t think the writers did either because despite featuring quite heavily in the opening and appearing at the end of episode 1, Tohya only features in 4 of the 12 episodes, getting properly introduced in episode 6 to the disappear until episode 10.
To be fair, we do learn quite a lot about him when he’s actually onscreen, he is an academic prodigy with his whole life laid out before him and many expectations put on him by his family and teachers with Vanguard being his only outlet to have fun. He is obviously conflicted about his love for the game and his obligations to his family and he is the only character who I actually buy liking the game. His only goal is to win against Danji once and then quit playing but after losing to Yuyu becomes obsessed with wining to the point of, let me check my notes… becoming an antagonist with no regard for the human cost.
Yeah, it kinda comes out of the blue with only minor scenes in previous episodes implying that anything is going on with him at all. It’s heavily hinted he is being manipulated by the true antagonists and by the end of the series Danji beats some sense into him but there is not a lot of resolution for his arc whatever it was about. Don’t get too obsessed with winning? Don’t take the game too seriously? But all the other characters take it seriously too, some even acting like someone died because their banner gets burned so what degree of seriousness is good and what is bad? I have no idea what his arc was about but either way it wasn’t good.
Besides the main characters most of the supporting cast is very one note and gimmicky. Tomari is a cop but also likes to pretend she’s a wrestling announcer during cardfights. Zakusa is an artist but also kind of feral. Yuyu’s family is absolutely terrible. They work and don’t become too grating but they also clash against the more serious last few episodes.
Overall the characters have potential but they range from not having a lot going on to dear god what were they thinking. 4/10
Enjoyment:
Not fun. That might be because I’m a fan of the cardgame and as I already noted Vanguard doesn’t really play much of a part or even appear much in this series but I didn’t have a lot of fun, no.
Even ignoring the lack of cardfights and focusing just on story and characters I can’t say I enjoyed the experience. While I find Yuyu cute and enjoy characters like Megumi, Tomari and Tohya, I really couldn’t stand Danji and his antics. Considering a lot of the show being about Danji however I couldn’t enjoy large parts of it by proxy. The episodes I liked the most were the ones where he just didn’t appear or play a big role but those tended to not drive the plot forward so it was a bit of a double edged sword. 3/10
Overall:
For my overall score, I have to take a step back for a second. I’m obviously biased in my opinion. I got into Vanguard in 2015 right in the Vanguard G era which I argue is overall the best Cardgame anime of all time (I don’t take criticism 5Ds fans). I enjoy the fights, the nitty gritty strategising, the deck building and figuring out ways to counter an opponent with the tools available. I’m really into Vanguard the cardgame and not just Vanguard the anime which makes it obvious I wouldn’t like a show that didn’t focus on it.
Still, I don’t think my opinion should be dismissed because of it. If you’ve read this far and think I’m someone who’s just salty that a show they liked changed then you’ve obviously not actually absorbed the things I’ve written. While I am a Vanguard fan, I’m an anime and fan of stories first and I think I’ve made my case elaborating the problems I have with this show.
I don’t know who this show is even for, really. Vanguard fans will be put off by the first 5 episodes seemingly not caring about the game while new viewers are probably put off by the later episodes focusing on a game that was never explained to them. If you remove the cardgame aspect of the show though the show has nothing to stand out while still leaving a lackluster story with poor pacing and characters that are likeable but not remarkable.
And that’s the most I can really say about this series overall. Not remarkable. There is nothing here you can’t get in other better shows. If you want to watch a show about a shy character learning to become more confident with the power of friendship then you can choose any of the coming of age anime out there. If you want an actual cardgame anime, you also have your pick though I reiterate that Vanguard G is the best one out there.
If you want both of those? Well, maybe try watching the original Vanguard or even the 2018 reboot. You will have a much better time than with this show. 4/10
Jul 5, 2021
Cardfight!! Vanguard: overDress
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
!!! CAREFUL SOME SPOILERS !!!
Vanguard OverDress is a reboot/relaunch of the long running Cardfight Vanguard franchise and now that its first cour has run its course I can safely say I can see where they’re going while also having no idea who this series is for. Story: The story starts with Yuyu, a young teen who is a bit of a pushover who gets introduced to the world of Vanguard and joins a team that meets up in an abandoned amusement park near his town. On the surface its about how Yuyu grows more confident and learns to stand up for himself with the advice and help ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Feb 28, 2021
Cardfight!! Vanguard Gaiden: If
(Anime)
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Oh IF, what a ride you are.
Right off the bat, Vanguard Gaiden IF is not everyone's cup of tea. I personally think your enjoyment of it really depends on if you are a fan of the Vanguard series in general and how much you liked the first 4 seasons in particular. It's full of callbacks and interesting "What If?" scenarios so if you're not into that this series might not be for you. Story: Absolutely batshit insane and a rollercoaster and I loved every second of it. The plot gets kickstarted when Kouji Ibuki, a former villain from the main series, gets send into the future ... to stop himself from committing a terrible mistake. Everyone who watched Vanguard G or the end of the Shinemon Arc will recognize that this is about putting a deck into Chrono Shindo's, the G protagonist's, shoelocker which would inevitably kickstart his love for the card game. He unexpectedly runs into Emi Sendou, the little sister of Vanguard’s main protagonist Aichi, who not only turns out to be a magical girl, she also seems to be on a journey to fix time distortions which Ibuki’s “terrible mistake” falls into. To his shock the monsters she fights can’t be beaten by playing a children’s card game and he gets the shit beaten out of him. Emi and her friend Shuka beat up his imposter and his real future self to do his duty of delivering the deck. From there the plot gets pretty wacky. Ibuki and former side character Suiko get sent to parallel worlds along with Emi and Shuka to solve the distortions in them. There is a monster possessing a human who always turns out to be some kind of Vanguard monster. Ibuki gets his ass beaten for trying to solve everyone by playing Vanguard. The girls save the day, they go home, rinse repeat. The first few episodes are very fun, each distortion sillier than the last and putting hilarious spins on well established characters from the main series. I think your amusement with these jokes will depend on how well you know the characters and dynamics in the main universe but I think they can work well on their own. At a later point in the series things get more serious, the distortions are less silly and the gap between the alternate and main universe are less funny and more tragic. Whether you like that shift will depend on you but for me, it was very fun to watch it all unravel and top itself with every new week. 8/10 Art: Probably the weakest part of the series. What can I say, this series as been running nearly continuously for almost ten years now and it kinda shows. Animation is limited, keyframes are sloppy and sometimes the characters look like you accidentality stopped at an inbetween frame even though you can see their mouths move while they talk. Sometimes you get some shots that look really, really good but you can tell that this show didn’t get a big budget or time, even if it still looks decent enough that it doesn’t burn your eyes. 4/10 Sound: Background music is a nice mix of new tracks to fit with the new magical girl theme and callbacks to songs from both the original and the V series. Opening and endings are also good, with the opening and first ending fitting the silly and fun tone of the beginning of the series and the second ending fitting the more serious and dramatic shift. A personal highpoint for me is the voice acting. Each voice actor in the alternate universes gives a stunning performance to fit the changes their characters had compared to the main universe and it works out so well. One spoiler character really threw me off by how different they sounded, it was jarring and unsettling and I commend the voice actor for being able to pull it off. Bravo! 7/10 Character: Very fun. With a lot of characters returning from the main series, if you liked the cast from the other Vanguard shows then you will like them here but a special mention should go for the original AU characters. Emi, as the magical girl protagonist, is sympathetic and fun to watch which came as a surprise to me since she played such a small role in the main series. Her motivation to save her brother and her growth as a person over the course of the series is very entertaining and a definite high point in the series. The other three main characters, Shuka, Suiko and Ibuki all get their own character arcs which felt very satisfying to me, especially for Ibuki who lacked a major redemption arc in the V series compared to his original counterpart. Side character and later spoiler characters also get decent motivations and development, some getting more than others but I think it works in the kind of series this is. Overall very enjoyable. 7/10 Enjoyment: If you can’t tell already, I really liked this series. The characters are fun, the way they’re twisted is fun, the scenarios are fun. The shift into a more serious tone is a bit unexpected but the hints had been there all along so I don’t find it jarring and enjoyed the ride as it went along. Some of the elements are very much ridiculous and silly but if you watch Vanguard that kind of becomes part of the package and you get used to it. I enjoyed the callbacks, I enjoyed the call forwards. I enjoyed Ibuki getting his ass handed to him every week. I enjoyed Suiko being confused with a 20-something year old. I enjoyed Emi’s and Shuka’s banter. I enjoyed the totally sudden magical girl transformations into Vanguard units. I also enjoyed seeing my favourite unit badly animated several times in this series. Watching this with my friend was an absolute joy. 9/10 Overall: I want to reiterate that I know this series is not for everyone. You need a very high tolerance for bullshit, a good memory about things that happened in Vanguard, especially the original series, to enjoy the callbacks and the ability to go with the sudden shifts in the story. This is very much a series that is for Vanguard fans that love the characters in the anime and is basically a love letter to the Vanguard animes until now. It takes the silliest, craziest and most dramatic moments in the series and mixes it all together into a wild stew of weird and you either love that or hate that. I for my part can’t recommend it enough to anyone who loves the Vanguard anime and wants a ride down Nostalgia lane. Anyone else should probably take a second to think about it. 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 16, 2016
Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season
(Anime)
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Recommended
Boy oh boy, it's that time of the year where anime seasons end left and right and it's time to write up some reviews.
Bungou Stray Dogs 2 picks up right where season 1 left us after a weird final episode that was half filler and half plot. I was actually really hyped for this season, having read the manga and knowing what was to come. Did it live up to my hype? Yes. No. Kinda. Hear me out on this. Warning: Slight spoilers for season 1 but I am assuming you finished it if you think about watching this season anyway. Story: With the way the season is structured ... I would like to say that despite the description of the season, Bungou Stray Dogs 2 is not completely a sequel to Bungou Stray Dogs season 1. It is part a prequel and a sequel, with the first four episodes being about Dazai and his friend Osadaku four years prior to the series while everything after that takes place after season 1. I make that distinction because story wise those two parts are very different beasts. Being based on the second light novel, the first four episodes show Dazai when he was still in the mafia. He and Odasaku try to find their mutual friend Ango who went missing. It’s part mystery, part thriller, part action and it’s every bit intriguing. The story of that short arc is told really well, with every episode filled with twist that felt so tight that I had to take a nap each time I finished one. I learnt later that the Odasaku arc is a fan favourite and it shows with how beautifully it’s translated into animation. The downside of that arc is though that since it takes up four episodes, the rest of the series has to suffer for it. Right after the mini-arc ends the story picks up where season 1 left off: the Guild is right at the Agency’s doorstep and a three way war on it’s way. It’s a fantastic setting worthy of cool fights and character development but it falls short. A lot of things happen in this arc, from characters being introduced to dynamics of some of the established characters changing but with the little time they had it felt very rushed which not only made the plot and characters feel a lot less substantial but also created a few plot holes that the viewer had to guess to fill out. It doesn’t help that it sometimes feels the director threw pacing out of the window in favour of pretty stylistic shots. I will go into it later but they leave a lot of blank space where the characters don’t really do anything. It messed up the pacing a lot, making you pause instead feeling natural to the progression of the story. All in all, the mini arc in the beginning is great but is sadly pulled down by the actual plot of the season. Which isn’t terrible by any means just… not that great. 7/10 Art: Okay, the for what the story lacks it makes up in artistry and I really mean that. The character models are fantastic, the shots of Yokohama gorgerous and the animation as top notch as season 1. Colours and style are used to emphasize characters and their actions to beautiful effect. It’s an overall solid looking anime which is a feast to the eye. Except for those artistic shots I mentioned. Don’t get me wrong, they are gorgerous and pretty to look at but their placement just feels… off. You can see it best in the opening and ending where right after strong and beautiful shots the animation just… stops and turns slow. Where there could be movement or progression like the music implies we instead have static images with subtle movement. It’s not exciting or engaging it’s just there to be pretty and be there. And that’s a problem that occurs a lot outside of the Odasaku arc. It makes the animation, while pretty, lack impact and feel anti-climatic. I can’t say if it’s due to the directing or art design but it’s not good and definitely a minus. 8/10 Sound: Try as I might, I can’t find any flaws with the soundtrack. It’s great music used to great effect in the series. The opening and ending especially are gorgerous and I listen to them all the time. Again, that is only for the Odasaku arc though. The rest of the season, while still great, misses a lot of the beats, pun not intended, that the mini arc had. The blend in of the ending at the end of episodes stands out especially, feeling a bit off at times, as if it set in just a bit too early. The set in of the opening also feels a bit off sometimes as well as if the producers didn’t quite know where to place it themselves. It’s not a game breaker and the usage of the rest of the soundtrack is still good but it does earn a bit of a minues. 8/10 Characters: Oh boy, again I have to draw a clear line between the Odasaku arc and the rest of the series. Because of it’s focus on two characters, four if you count Ango and the villain, each character is given enough attention to know who they are, what their motivation and what their role in the story is. Each of their actions has an impact and all of them get their ending, whether we like how their ending is or not. We might not know a lot of those characters besides Dazai and hell we don’t even know that much about Dazai either now that I think about it, but we know enough. Enough to care about them and worry about their dreams and aspirations. The main series on the other hand gets the short end of the stick. A lot of characters are introduced and each of them have interesting abilities and personalities on their own but the anime just doesn’t have the time to introduce them properly. Yes, they do get introductions but they are very rushed and don’t quite have the impact they deserve. Even the established characters don’t get away because even they get shafted to the side to instead rush the story along. Things that should have huge impacts on the motivations and relationships of characters leave a lot of things out or clumsily execute them to the point that it feels like none of it matters. It’s a real shame because even in the moments when it’s supposed to be their time to shine, the characters need to take a backseat to the pacing which means that less time is spent on them as characters and more on their fighting which is over in minutes. It really hurts me to do this because I love these characters but I can’t really overlook the rushed nature of it all. 5/10 Enjoyment: It might not sound that way with the way I gripe on this series, but I do truly enjoy it. I enjoy watching characters based on authors duke it out out with their superpowers. I enjoy watching the characters struggle against their morals and adversaries. I really enjoy all these various characters with various powers coming together and see what would happen. Despite all the pacing and character development issues it has, I truly enjoy this series because I enjoy the characters. 7/10 Overall: 7/10 I really love Bungou Stray Dogs. It’s a fascinating concept and this series does well to build on what season 1 created. It has flaws, many, many flaws, but it’s still really good. The Odasaku arc almost makes up for the pacing issues in the rest of the series but only almost. If you can stomach bad pacing but great characters that sadly don’t get the attention they deserve but with great animation and visuals, then this is definitely worth a watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 16, 2016
Luck & Logic
(Anime)
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Not Recommended
Okay, I don't usually write reviews but this show has personally offended me in a way so I'll just give it a shot.
Luck & Logic is an anime produced to promote a card game made by Bushiroad. Not that you would know that since this anime is not the way to promote anything because it's not interesting in the least. Story: The basic story is very simple in itself. New Foreigner appears, team shows up and beats them up. Rinse and repeat. The first few episode also sprinkle some character focused episodes for our main girls (the Logicalists not the Goddesses but I get to that later) ... and in the end there is a big bad Foreigner they have to fight but that's it. Once you get what the hell they're saying then it's really easy to follow and the setting itself is pretty interesting. It's how it's presented where the problem lies. Starting with the fact that the show doesn't explain a damn thing. Having a first episode not explaining every detail is fine, it's to build suspense and make the viewer want to find out more about the show and characters. But throwing around words like Foreigners and Logic Cards around with literally no explanation doesn't create suspense, it just confuses people. Then you get an exposition dump in the second episode after which you are bound to forget some things unless you binge watch the entire show. And the pacing and structure only go downhill from there. So to sum up, simple plot, interesting setting that's not set up well and pacing problems. All in all it's not horrible but it's definitely not good. 5 out of 10. Art: Surprisingly enough it's not bad. The animation is nothing outstanding, no scenes that will blow you out of the water, but it's decent and nothing to sneeze at. The character designs are nice and pretty for the most part and I particularly like the use of 3D animation. I know a lot of people get upset when they use 3D models in anime but I personally didn't have anything against it, especially when it's for dancing or fighting sequences. The models are nicely made, fit well into the style of the show and the animation itself has enough energy to work well. Say what you will about 3D animation but animating a model to move in a way that feels like there's some real tension and energy in it is hard and I applaud the team for pulling it off so well. Sure, the fights themselves are not exciting in any way but hey, good animation is good animation and I take what I get. 8 out of 10. Sound: Again, surprisingly good. The soundtrack fits the story, for whatever it's worth, well and is good enough to stand on it's own. It's a mix of ochestral and electronic tracks that give the show an epic and futuristic flair even if the show itself is not. I even found myself listening to the ending and opening a lot to get myself pumped up and motivated for tasks. 8 out of 10. Characters: Oh, the characters. So much potential which was wasted. I personally really like the cast. You got Yukine the hardworking leader, Chloe the hotheaded fighter, Mana the quiet mysterious one, Yukari the clumsy newbie, Veronica the strict commander and Olga who is... well, you will find out eventually. They all sound like cookie cutter anime stereotypes and to be fair, they kind of are, but each of them get decent enough development in their own character focused episode that I forgive them for that. They each get their motivations and back story explained and while there isn't really any character development going on it works well enough for a short series that I allow it. It all starts to fall apart with our main protagonist Yoshi and how all the other characters relate to him. Or more like revolve around him because that's really all that's happening. Without taking too much away, almost every character focused episode ends with Yoshi swooping in and solving all their problems by doing or saying something inspirational. Which in itself is bad enough but then there's the fact that Yoshi is so boringly bland. His motivations don't go beyond "save everyone", his personality is written inconsistent and he doesn't really do much besides react to situations the way it requires him to. Take any male protagonist from any slice of life or harem show and you would have yourself a more interesting main character than Yoshi. The first episode sets him up okay as a worrywart who wants nothing more than to protect the people around him even at the cost of his own life but by the next episode he is suddenly acting cold and hostile? Maybe it's change of circumstances but he keeps switching between different personality traits so fast I doubt he was written with a clear character in mind. And the Godesses I said I would get into? God, what's there to get into when they are side lined so hard you wonder if they are even still on the team. Valkyrie probably gets the worst of it, being introduced as Chloe's calm and rational partner to balance out her spunky recklessness and never being allowed to develop beyond that. Venus and Artemis are not much better, one acting as a supporting friend and the other as a mother figure to their partners Yukine and Mana but never allowed to have their own arcs or feelings explored. The only one who gets to develop at all is Athena and even she gets the short end of the stick. She gets a decent amount of screen time and actually gets to interact with others without her partner but she is still only defined by her kind heart and love for Yoshi. Which is not bad if Yoshi was a good character and their relationship was actually explored but as you can guess it's not. The high point of the characters is really Olga Breakchild who is by far my favorite character. Without spoiling, he's the only one who doesn't seem to worship the floor Yoshi walks on and actually stands up to him from time to time and it's wonderful. His arc, in contrast to the others, actually gets a set up and decent pay off which doesn't save the show in the character department but at least helps it a bit. Side characters are given one note personality traits but I found them alright, especially Yoshi's family which were entertaining enough in their own right to actually make me interested in them. All in all, nice supporting cast, sidelining of supposed main characters, Olga Breakchild and an incredibly bland main protagonist. 4 out of 10. Enjoyment: Seeing as I had harped on forever about how I dislike the story and the characters, I think it comes to little surprise that I didn't particularly enjoy this anime. And it wasn't for the sake of not trying either, I came into this show not expecting anything amazing but at least something that I could watch in a season where not much interested me but I didn't even get that. The setting was interesting enough but the way it was written and presented just made it feel dragged out and sluggish. Hell, even the action felt uneccessarily strechted out to the point where it felt boring. How the hell do you make action boring? Luck & Logic managed it somehow and made every episode feel longer than it actually was. Really makes you wonder how a show can be so boring it seems to warp space-time itself. Besides Olga and some interesting character interactions I really didn't get much enjoyment out of this. And my burning hatred of Yoshi but that's just me. 3 out of 10. Overall: If you actually managed to read everything to this point I congratulate you. I know I get get pretty long winded about stuff like this and anyone who manages to read through anything I write is a hero in my eyes. Now, after 15+ paragraphs of me talking about this show, what do I think about it overall? Surprisingly enough, I don't find it horrible? Like, yeah, the story is weak and the characters, mainly Yoshi, are even weaker but overall it's pretty harmless. The music and art are nice and even if the episodes make you feel like your brain's leaking out it's not bad to just sit back and shut off your thoughts for a while and just let a show wash over you. The main reason why I was so personally offended by the show was probably because I'm a huge fan of Bushiroad, especially their card games. And I know they can make good card game animes! Okay, as far as I can see, they have one good card game anime but that one is pretty darn good. And seeing them make such a bland show just kind of hurts my heart. I don't know how much say they have on the writing and characters but I like to believe they could have done better. That's not to say that it's a good show. It's still boring and superficial at best. Even considering that this was just made to promote the card game it leaves a lot to be desired and doesn't even explain the card game aspect of it. At best it's a standard show with an interesting setting at worst it's a boring show that doesn't try to step out of it's bounds. 4 out of 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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