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I honestly have no idea what I should say about this anime...
I guess I should start off by telling you, that you will either love it or hate it. (from looking at other reviews, there doesn't seem to be any in between)

Girls' Last Tour is in one word, dull. However in this case I don't believe that to be a bad thing. Our two main characters are travelling endlessly forward in a completely desolate and war-torn city, that's honestly about as dull as you can get and as a viewer you will feel that. In my opinion eliciting that feeling is what kept me invested ... in our main duo. I was able to empathize with how they were feeling and as such react similarly to how they did, when anything even remotely interesting happened.

The story is told in a sort of episodic format, with the forward march of our protagonists being the only overarching narrative. Each episode will have one or two little stories/themes which essentially boil down to food for thought. If you don't like sitting around contemplating ideas or rethinking points of view that you may have had, then this anime is not for you.

In the end I give this show a 9/10. The sound design along with the very grey color pallet, did a fantastic job in selling the atmosphere of an empty post apocalyptic world. The main thing holding me back from giving this a 10/10 is the ending (of which I won't say more) and the fact that I simply would like to have more episodes.

PS: If you want more context for my scores out of 10, please visit my profile.

I've always enjoyed stories that are grounded, stories that are able to make me relate to the characters. To make me care about their success as if it were my own.

I can't speak for every anime or manga fan when I say this, but I know that I've always dreamed about drawing my own manga and writing my own anime. Bakuman has allowed me to live out at least a little of those dreams.

Depicting the struggles, hardwork, and perseverance, that goes into creating manga. Bakuman is a fantastic, light hearted anime, about a couple of mangaka just trying to make their dreams a reality. Through ... its colourful cast of characters, good artwork, and overall strong story, Bakuman truly succeeded at making me care about the success of its characters.

The main duo, do a good job of representing the youthful optimism of middleschoolers. These two had me very invested in their story, making me feel almost as many emotions as they did, throughout the highs and lows of their aspiring careers as mangaka. However what truly elevates this story for me, are the myriad of other interesting and fleshed out side characters, that our main duo interact with during their journey. These characters range from young mad geniuses overflowing with talent, to older artists who still have yet to lose their passion for chasing their dreams.

If I had to give some criticism to this anime (which I do, this is in fact the point of a review) it would be that, this story could have benefited from being slightly more serious. Despite our cheerful and determined main characters, the show actually started with a rather bleak outlook, one which I would have liked to see stay. Honestly, despite showing lots of the hardwork that mangaka really have to do to survive, let alone standout within their field. The show actually holds back on some of the more serious aspects of the industry. I know part of the decision is because of the young age of our main characters, but still I can't help but wish they had been made maybe a little older, so that we could see some of the darker parts of being a mangaka.

I give this anime an 8/10. A solid and engaging story from start to finish. It truly had me on the edge of my seat at times and laughing my ass off at others. I would recommend this anime to anyone looking for a little bit of motivation in their lives and those who would simply like some good fun.

PS: If you want more context for my scores out of 10, please visit my profile.

Have you ever thought about the great mysteries of our universe? About what possibly lies just beyond humanities reach? If you've answered yes to either of these questions, than Kado might be an interesting and thought provoking series to watch.

Unfortunately the important word in the previous sentence is "might". Generally I try to describe the good in an anime, in the hopes of getting people to watch and form their own opinions. However in this case I think I should take the time to warn you in the hopes of saving you from disappointment.

Kado is a mostly good series. It has a strong cast ... of unique adult characters, splendid art and sound design, coupled with a fascinating "first contact" style sci-fi story. Most of this goes to shit by the end though. This show is an excellent example of a train-wreck. It takes its core sci-fi elements, philosophical questions, smart characters, and kills them all one by one.

I give this anime a 6/10. It kept me entertained throughout most of its run. It was thought provoking, gorgeous to look at, and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I wish it had stayed that way till the end, but what can you do.

PS: If you want more context for my scores out of 10, please visit my profile.
PPS: Although it is listed here on MyAnimeList as being 12 episodes. There are in fact 13, make sure you watch episode 0.

The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, otherwise known as Genshiken. I am honestly not entirely sure how to go about describing this anime without simply referring you to the title.

In a short summary Genshiken is a show about otakus and the various forms of media that different otakus often specialize themselves in. We have our mecha experts, our cosplayers, our lovers of doujinshi, and our gamers. At the heart of this show however we have two main characters. One, a non-otaku who is part of Genshiken only to be with her otaku boyfriend, and the other, a young otaku who is only ... now developing his interest in our modern visual culture.

I think Genshiken is a rather average slice of life show, what differentiates it from others in the genre is the fact that it follows otakus in a college age setting. Beyond the choice of setting, the show boasts a very strong lineup of characters, that are all unique, interesting, and most importantly, feel like real people. Unfortunately the show falls a little flat in my opinion because of the lack of a true main character with an actual goal. The two main characters I mentioned earlier,despite progressing as characters, don't really do much. None of the cast really does much...at all. The show in this sense feels kind of pointless even by slice of life standards. Not much really changes apart from the attitudes of some of the characters and a strengthening of the friendships within the Genshiken club.

If you are looking for something to help you relax and unwind for an evening or a lazy afternoon, then Genshiken is a solid choice. It has fun, relatable characters, solid sound design that does its job of accentuating the relaxing atmosphere that the show provides, and a pleasant story that doesn't require you to tire yourself out trying to understand anything.

I gave this show a 6 out of 10. I had some good laughs while watching it and I think the show succeeded at what it was trying to do.

PS: If you want more context for my scores out of 10, please visit my profile.

I honestly have no recollection of how I found this anime or why I started it, but I can say with certainty that I am very glad I did.

Dantalian no Shoka is one of my all time favorite anime. Don't let that line fool you however, this is by no means a masterpiece. It is simply a show that for some reason, resonated deeply with me.

It has a fairly interesting story concept in the form of a mystical, mysterious, magical girl, who happens to be the personification of an ancient mystical archive. Each episode of the show is its own story, following our ... main characters as they solve mysteries and recover phantom books.

The stories told in each individual episode are exciting, fun, and engaging. These qualities are backed up by solid animation, good artwork, excellent music, and a very strong dynamic between our main characters. It is this dynamic that will keep the stories interesting, and I would suggest that if you don't enjoy the main duo's dynamic, you should probably drop the show.

In the end I gave this anime a 9/10 mainly because of the sheer enjoyment I got out of it. The atmosphere created in the show, brought about by the time period chosen for the storytelling and accentuated by the excellent music, is what kept me engrossed in this show and the stories it had to tell me.

I highly recommend this anime if you are a fan of short mysteries brought to you in an episodic format.

PS: If you want more context for my scores out of 10, please visit my profile.

There's something truly enjoyable about shows that have an idea and really flesh it out as much as they can.

Made in Abyss does a fantastic job of building upon its core concept by adding more and more information about its world for the viewers to consume. From start to finish it presents us with great ideas, backed up by wonderful artwork and fantastic musical choices. Every new layer in the depths of the abyss brings with it, fresh scenery, monsters, and obstacles. This constant influx of new things will keep you coming back for more and luckily for us, there's a season 2 on ... the way.

The show is not entirely without fault however.

-The start may be a little slow for some people
-Certain decisions made by the main characters can be a little infuriating
-Sometimes the switch from dark & serious to cheerful & childish is a bit rough

I personally found the premise to be interesting enough to keep me around despite the slow start. In defense of the dumb decisions, the characters are children...curious, positive, cheerful, children. It is not out of the realm of possibilities for a 12 year old to make dumb decisions. The switches from serious to playful are in my opinion a little rushed from time to time. I would rather they let us sit in despair and agony for a bit longer before bringing back the youthful positivity our characters give us.

At the end of the day though, this show is a strong 9/10 for me. Beautiful artwork, good music, strong characters, and an engaging story, all set in a beautifully crafted world. Not much more you could ask for in a fantasy anime, I'll be eagerly awaiting the second season.

PS: If you want more context for my scores out of 10, please visit my profile.