Back to sirtimtim's Profile sirtimtim's Profile

I understand the core appeal of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works as well as other isekai and shounen. This show provides a feeling of escapism where constantly as a viewer you want to be in this world.

The main character Emiya, Shirou is written as idealistic for a reason. Many viewers yearn to be like him. Somebody courageous and pitiable. Most people want to be pitied due to the attention it gives that is why they want to take Emiya's place. Emiya is also a hero. The other characters also feed into this escapism. Characters such as Saber, Rin, Archer, Rider, Caster, Illya etc. are ... written fetishistic. This means that most will find at least one character that they will find appealing. The writing and dialogue isn't bad at conveying emotions, however, many things are explicitly stated. The show becomes frequently preachy with the exchanges of the characters. Everyone seems to preach there ideals during a battle like that is the focus.

The sakuga for this show is really well done. Battle scenes are gripping and filled with hype. Even in idle scenes characters in the background move around.

The sound is what is expected of such an anime however it still accomplishes the goal of fitting the atmosphere. This isn't really something to listen to on your own time, but it is serviceable in the show.

The 12 episodes have been good. The climax of the show left me on the edge and I want to continue watching this series.

Humans are disgusting. Violence, gore, sex all of these acts are portrayed in Nekojiru-sou. The whole concept of a soul isn't viewed through the eyes of a romantic or optimism. Rather the person with the soul is the one that commits horrific acts.

Story:
The story takes backstage. At its core a cat is trying to save the soul of his little sister. The cat goes on a journey showing various forms of entertainment. This entertainment includes tasting different foods while torturing animals, viewing violent magic tricks, etc. The entertainment that the young cat shows are all savage acts. However what brings the older sister's soul back ... is the beauty of a single flower. This theme goes against all of the violence previously done. The theme instead, being to love nature and see the beauty in it.

Art:
The art serves its purpose. The art often changes style to juxtapose different moments. This causes violence to become more apparent.

Sound:
The music is very good. It manages to show hints of mystery and creepiness. Since conversation is barely present, the music takes center stage. In this 30 minute OVA there are 19 tracks.

Character:
This is at the forefront of the show. The characters include the cats, animals, and even God. Often times the characters are portrayed causing harm simply to accomplish minimal tasks. God plays around with time to fulfill his hunger. The cats beat a pig to hurry him up. The most interesting character is the older sister. The older sister is devoid of a soul. The younger brother displays compassion by attempting to bring her back, even through the means he chooses.

Enjoyment/Overall:
The frequent changes in scenery and the actions occurring in the scenes allow this to never become boring. A lot happens in this OVA. Even if not everything is connected through the thread of a cohesive narrative structure that is not what interests me about this OVA. At its core it is about how the message is presented. This is recommended for anyone who simply wants to think through the lens of someone else.

Utsu Musume Sayuri is regarded as confusing, weird, meta. But Utsu Musume Sayuri does have its messages and there is enjoyment to be had.
The core theme is subtle but it is existent and there is purpose to it. This isn't simply bad to be bad. At the core of Utsu Musume Sayuri are expectations set by family. The person married into a family is seen as half eaten, showing the parasitical nature of such relationships.
The family asks the daughter to "strike" which is an analogy to having a sexual relationship as shown by the nude other character. This scene is shown in an ... extremely disgusting manner to show that this is a disgusting act yet Sauyuri acts it out with glee because of her family encouraging her to do so. In the end the mother is content because Sayuri acted in such a manner. The director is questioning responsibilities set by parents.
The reason this anime is bad however is because of poor animation, barely any plot to think about. Also the message isn't all that deep; it is a really common message. Utsu Musume Sayuri just doesn't do anything new. It can make you chuckle a bit simply because it is weird, but that doesn't make it good. However Utsu Musume Sayuri isn't horrible, it isn't the worst of anime. Utsu Musume Sayuri is short enough, subtle enough, and not full of itself enough to allow the watcher to have some thought and that is respectable.

Story: 6
Art: 4
Character: 5
Enjoyment: 5
Overall: 6
Touhou Sangetsusei: Eastern and Little Nature Deity is a rather short manga. The background arts are not that special. The characters do look better than in the games, but the art isn't all that great either. However this show does complete its role in expanding on the lore. Rather than explaining an origin story; Through dialogue and character interaction it explains specifics. The information present isn't necessary to understanding the world. In fact, the information might seem useless, but it still serves a purpose. It is extra world building, nothing dramatic.
The center of this world building ... lies the powers of the fairies. The magic system and everything is really softly described. The existence is only stated. People who enjoy "hard magic" and like concrete stories will probably not have a good time with it.
The merits of this manga lie in the culture of this story. The fairies, the references to Japanese lore such as Bakenekos, puns, and the way these are integrated to the world of Touhou.
It isn't quite funny but as an exploration of culture and humor that involves references to that culture it can be quite fascinating. I spent more time searching topics up than reading this manga.