Back to spoony848's Profile spoony848's Profile

Holy SHIT this show is slept on. I've seen like 2ish people discussing anything about it, and very little was beyond the animation. This is such a unique and amazingly written show, and I loved every second. I watched like 2 episodes over the course of a week then finished it all in one sitting, its just that good. Everything was soooo well done and well directed, I found myself gushing over all the small details in animation and direction constantly.

To start, we follow kiriko and maru, a strange pair who are seeking "heaven" in a post apocalyptic world, as we cut back occasionally to ... a "school" where we follow a set of children, usually performing miscellaneous tasks and interactions with each other, but that only works as a simple basis for which heavenly delusions jumps off of. Nearly everything that happens in any section of this show draws back to another section in one way or another, no story is without its connections. But, the main reason for that is through its very non-linear storytelling. Constantly jumping back and forth between places that seemingly have no connection, and rarely directly explaining anything. But, through dialogue and visual interaction, we can connect the dots. Similarly, the story is written and performed in such a way that the non-linear and complicated story can be followed up through constant foreshadowing that is almost immediately explained. Aside from random one off comments that have tie-ins later throughout the story. Even stories that seemingly have no connection to the main plot give the audience a piece of valuable information to work with. Honestly, this style of storytelling needs to be explored much more in anime, if not most media. Its a bit harder to follow, since nothing is directly explained, but it is so much more rewarding to connect those pieces yourself than having someone directly explain it to you. For example (spoilers), Around halfway through the show, there is a girl who is hooked up to a bunch of different machinery, keeping her alive. The doctor who is keeping her alive wants her to be killed by Maru, since he has no knowledge of killing man-eaters himself. However, the girl says she wants to see the sky "one last time" before her death. This ties in earlier to the character mimihime from this "school" that has a heavy reaction to seeing the sky for the first time, saying that "this ceiling is so high!" Amongst many other small details that tie into later and even earlier scenes between those two characters from the school. I find this a much much better way to tell a story than having one character infodump a bunch of shit which just tells you everything you need to know. Completely taking away from the execution of the idea and all of the fun of finding it out through small details (spoiler over). The weirdness of this show and story certainly drive people away, but I love it. Especially with how it both plays into and goes against common anime theming.

One central point in this show that seems to come up again and again is love, and its many forms. One of the main things with the "school" (spoilers) Is how they have the ideology that everything that these kids experience must be taught to them, however, there are scenes of some of the children kissing (specifically two girls), or even having sex. This specific showcase of love is more of a commentary on religious societies opting to teach children about sex and abstinence, and how they shouldn't be sexually curious. Which only leads to more sexual curiosity. The other form and showcase of love can be seen as almost more of a trans allegory. With the main character “kiriko” being a man in a woman's body, due to a brain transplant. This comes from how Maru is in love with Kiriko, and shows that feeling consistently throughout the show. Kiriko is normally adverse to these opinions, but comes to accept them over time. This kind of character progression is something that makes this show so good, as well. With characters coming to terms with themselves and their own feelings over time. Having a better understanding of deeper connections. Of course, since this is only season one, there is plenty more for these characters to develop. Only small chunks of improvement have been made. The only scene of “love” that really rubbed me the wrong way was when this character, dubbed “the king of the hotels” (i kinda forgot her name, I just remember what the called her after) sexually assaulted and almost rapes Maru, but this is written off as a joke, which just makes me feel uncomfortable with how this situation is treated. Especially when maru directly says that he wants nothing to do with it. I mean, even the people in the comments don't take it seriously, saying stuff like “Poor girl just wanted some pleasure” or “I'm sure many can relate to prioritizing boobs.” It's just gross.

The one thing i havent talked about, which is what really makes this show FEEL unique is its production. The animation is absolutely stellar, and consistently so. Such fluid and dynamic character acting and animation, its all VERY good. As well as having one of my favorite animators, Weilin Zhang, direct the OP. The direction changes consistently through the episodes, with different directors coming in and adding their own flavor to the show. The most stand out EP (whether it be for good or bad) being EP 10. With Kai Ikarashi from studio trigger being the director. Taking the show in a very loose and creative direction, sometimes utilizing stills instead of movement, and having very creative camera angle choices. As well as focusing on expressive, overanimated and off model character expressions. One thing that isn't talked about, though, is both the amazing background work and the amazing compositing throughout the show. With having pure dark really look like pure darkness, only showcasing light when needed. The color choices not giving the world a post-apocalyptic feel but more of a bright tone. As well as the occasional 3D model looking so clean its essentially unnoticeable. This just bleeds with “passion project” through every single second of it.

TDLR, The character writing is non-linear and fantastic, with pieces of the story being given in small chunks. And the animation is one of a kind, truly outshining even some of the best with its consistency.

Bocchi the rock is a good show. and that's about the extent of my opinion on it.

I thought the characters were good, the writing was fine, and the execution of what they had was amazing. However, I cant stand the format. I've never really cared for "cute girls doing cute things" shows at all, so even when the messages were poignant, I just wasn't invested because I didn't care about any of the leadup. I don't like the "4-koma" format for jokes either, and its very obvious that this is an adaptation of a 4-koma manga because nearly every scene is set up as ... "joke-punchline, joke-punchline, repeat until meaningful moment." kind of thing. The jokes weren't all that funny to me, however the delivery of them was really really good. I loved all the little visual gags they had going on, its probably my second favorite part of the show, and I wish more shows would dive into goofy, visual gag stuff like this. At least when its appropriate. My favorite part of this show, and specifically why I watched it in the first place, was the animation. Its utterly stellar. whether it be a completely one off scene or a major plot-point for the characters, its always amazing. Honestly, the most consistent character animation I've seen in a show (overall, as in throughout the whole show, not just one really good scene). Its also cool how they sometimes rotoscope and make it look very obvious for a visual gag, and when they rotoscope them playing in band its extremely hard to distinguish between them, and actually tell if its proper character animation or rotoscoping.

I think its ironic I care very little for Bocchi the rock's content, since i am practically the primary audience. awkward, socially introverted and a musician (specifically guitar, like bocchi). Pretty much everyone I've seen who has similar experiences to bocchi likes the show a lot, but i cant say the same for myself.

Also, the absolute worst part of this show is the compositing in one off scenes. its usually fine during the stage performances. but its abhorrent sometimes. It seems to be primarily because 90% of the backgrounds are just photoscans of real places, but come ON. its not that hard to add a shadow layer in after effects or color correct so they actually look like they are placed into the scene and not just slapped ontop of it. (last episode when they are in the guitar shop is pretty good example. it literally looks they are on a poorly comped greenscreen for the entire duration of it.) It really reminds me of OG anime where they didn't have easy access to compositing so all the realistic backgrounds never fit with the unrealistic characters ontop of them.

I honestly don't think I can write a review that truly does this show justice. I've kept up with it for so long, and no matter how many other shows I watch, mob remains my personal favorite. I've loved every season that has come out, and I cant even say I'm sad its ended. Since every piece flows so well together into a cohesive whole that there is no need to elongate it. So I feel summarizing what I gained from watching mob fits best here.

Mob psycho represents personal growth, self improvement and the importance of self love better than I've ever seen it ... done. Every character in mob psycho represents a normal persons struggles. sometimes its acceptance, sometimes its power tripping, each character, each villain, and each arc is handled with this in mind. And all of them have one common goal, to grow past this. a lot of the characters are easier pegs to knock down. as their struggles are simple, and simply showing them a different viewpoint (or, sometimes, using overwhelming power) teaches them their faults. This isnt the case for the main character, mob. His struggles are not only common, but much more difficult to overcome. He utilizes his powers to help and save others from their own struggles, but cant do it for himself. Therefore, each person he helps gives him a new piece of his own puzzle, that eventually fills out a whole. With dimple (first time), he learned to not be so trusting of shady people, and gained some resilience. While mob put his massive, god-like ego in check. After Teru, he accepted using his powers in order to help others. Using them to fight evil people, Rather than only using them on ghosts. (This is reiterated in the last arc, with some changes). And Regien constantly keeps mob grounded through all of this. Such as his involvement in the last arc of season 1, where he taught mob that running away is OK.

The second season is more emotional, and more blunt with mobs shifts in mood and shifts in personality. At the start, he is already more upfront with himself and others, helping Emi retrieve her book that she ripped up. Only because he believes this is the right thing to do (he doesn't learn anything here, but rather showcases his changes from his original character.) The first major arc, the Mogami arc, teaches mob that violence is usable when necessary. And that he should be more assertive. He immediately becomes much more confrontational. Now directly questioning regien, which creates a beautiful arc that showcases regiens true character, and mobs true feelings about him. both of these characters feel extremely realistic and representative of real people. Regien being a deadbeat that can't find his own footing in the real world, but he still chases the idea that he can make it on his own. even if no one thinks he can. And mob being a frustrated middle schooler that can't seem to find his direction. But these characters work symbiotically with their issues. Mob shows regien that he can make it as whatever he wants to be,keeps him grounded. While still acting as a personal support for him. and regien gives mob his massive amount of personal life advice that mob utilizes on a daily basis. Acting not only as mobs moral support, but almost like his cheerleader too. Constantly wishing the best for him. Which is why mobs words of “i've always known, you were a genuinely good guy” feel so impactful at the end of his arc. The final arc of this season showcases everything mob has learned up until now. Violence is sometimes necessary, but getting carried away is even worse. He shows that everyone is their own main character, which, although corny in most places, works so magnificently here. Because we have seen all of the growth mob went through to the point where he can say that with full honesty.

The Third and final season, this one, brings many characters to a head. Dimple being the first, with his arc showing that throughout all of his ego trips, all of his ramblings about wanting to take over mobs body and utilize it for his own gain, that all he wanted truly was a friend. Which doesnt feel out of place at all, since he never actually enacted anything he set out to do prior. Like taking over mobs body or manipulating him, but instead he helped him and reigen out whenever they needed it. All he wanted was to fit in. Afterwards, he protects mob from the monster he created, now knowing mobs struggle with such massive amounts of power. And he leaves mob with 2 of my favorite lines from the show “you're a real man, you’ll be something big someday.” and “And then walk with your own two legs.” The first being more obvious, as it's representative of his love and care for his friend. Which has been built up to since his first introduction. And the second being less obvious, but indicative of mobs path from here on out.
“Walk with your own two legs,” meaning that he now must move past the friends he rests upon to keep him in check, and move in his own direction. On a much more personal journey. This is again, reiterated at the finale. But there's more to the finale than regiens final message. As mob fights his way through everyone around him who tries to stop him. The first being Teru, who has now grown strong enough to become an equal to mob, in terms of personality. He even claims himself to be mobs one true rival, which is very true. Noting how he uses his powers to save as many people around him as possible. Instead of saving himself, or even fighting mob. (at the end at least) The second being Toichiro and his son. These two essentially reconcile their differences completely as father and son, Toichiro now running away with Sho. Instead of fighting against him. And Third being with the body improvement club/ritsu. All of them showcasing their love for mob and their admiration to help. All of this being direct byproducts of what mob taught them directly. The finale being with reigen telling mob that he never had psychic powers. Which shocks shigeo to his core. however, this doesn't come as a surprise to mob. Instead, he accepts both regiens speech and his powers. Now being one whole person. Instead of two distinct, fighting personalities.

There is so much more that can be said about mob psycho than what i summarized here. As I really just wanted to get the most impactful stuff (to me) down on paper, so others can understand where I'm coming from in saying that this is one of the best shows I've ever seen. Of course, everything I said is amplified by its pacing, art direction, animation, music, voice acting, and so on. All of which being some of the best ever, and the animation being THE best ever. This is truly a one of a kind show. A true masterpiece of our time.

This movie is weird. there is some pretty normal stuff, some really good stuff, and some absolutely jarring content that makes me believe the writers of this movie are sociopaths that do not understand empathy, and only retain it from observation. heavy spoilers from here on out.

The normal, par for the course part is the beginning of the movie. I've seen a handful of disaster movies, and most of them start with a family going about there lives as a way to get the audience acclimated to them. it does a pretty good job of this, as i like most of their characters fine. the ... only bad or annoying part about this segment is 1. the voice acting can be normal or sound like 3 kids shouting across the room into a 20$ condenser. and 2. Some scenes drag out for way too long (a reoccurring theme) like with the old man and the fish, in how he just sat there and waited for them to start crying until he decided to turn his brain on and process the event that happened 1 minute ago.

The good is the nuke scene and the scene right after it. super well animated for its time and in general, I personally like the animation with nuke climbing upwards, sparking lightning. a horrific but very well animated scene. I also really like the fact that the whole sequence had no music, and was just sound effects. The scene directly after this sequence, with gen walking around the wasteland is weird. he just doesn't perceive anything at all for some reason? like, his friend died, he processes this information, and then walks away like its a daily occurrence. he sees these zombie creatures walking around with melting skin, and runs into some corpses, but relatively ignores them beyond a 5-6 second scene of *shock* and nothing else. The scene where he sees his family though, and tries his hardest to save them alongside his mother is really well done, everything here works. especially when they cant be saved and the mother essentially goes insane. it felt like a very well thought out and well choreographed scene. however, every single scene after this (the rest of the movie) is completely inane.

I swear, the rest of this movie was written by a sociopath. literally the scene right after his family died both him and his mother generally ignore it beyond some sad feelings and focus on the next matter, the childbirth. of course, the piles of corpses around them and the people drowning in the river aren't anything out of the norm, as they treat them like they aren't even there. now i can somewhat understand an argument for gen not understanding because hes a child, but the mother is fully grown. She just doesn't care at all about what happened, she has already moved on from her entire family dying like 4 minutes ago. even the scene with the child birth is viewed as all happy and upbeat, as if what just happen or what is currently happening isnt real. the movie continues like this, with gen and his mom paying no head to the wasteland around them. there are random sequences of character progression throughout that happen over the course of 3 seconds, like a mother holding gens moms child and switching from murderer to kindhearted within 2 whole seconds (why couldn't they have drawn out THAT scene). or another dude whos a complete asshole for no reason. and you would think that being irradiated and decaying would change his mind about the world, but no. gen and his newfound brother slapping him does. again, over the course of 3 seconds. then the baby dies, and ONLY NOW do gen and his mom feel even an OUNCE of empathy. not when their family died infront of them, not when they gave irradiated water to people and killed them on the spot, but when their baby, born in toxic water and living in a wasteland, dies. also gen gets leukemia after watching some guy die from it immediately and just overcomes it, somehow. (idk, the power of family saved him or something.)

anyways, this movie is weird. if you want a realistic portrayal of a nuclear holocaust, watch threads (after the first 40 minutes) and if you want a cool nuke scene, watch that clip on yt. its the same quality.

MAN it hurts to do this, but I feel like I have to because of how lackluster the second half of the show was. sure, a 7/10 isnt bad by any standards, but compared to how phenomenal the first half of the show was, it just feels like someone spit in the face of what this show was supposed to be.

Ranking of kings started off as one of the most promising shows I've ever watched. literally every episode was jam packed with character progression, intrigue, development and dynamic a dynamic shifting of story elements. every single second was a joy to watch. With amazing ... animation that seemed to almost skyrocket in some episodes (primarily episode 7, which also seemed to have the same director come back for episode 21). I always felt like this show had the potential to be an easy 8-9/10. even though the story isnt brand new, and the characters aren't entirely either, I still felt like the execution of these things was so spot on. Which is also why I don't like using "Cliché" or "basic" as terms to negatively describe a show. as a great writer can make use of any cliché or basic plot and turn it into something amazing.

However, the second half of the show saw a sharp decline in animation and direction quality, which was apparent right away. alongside this, the pacing of the episodes was now cut in half, and the amount we learned about characters and backstories was as well. which paralleled the first half with only reviling bits and pieces of characters and character elements, so you aren't given everything in a massive exposition dump. but instead understanding things and shifting your opinion of characters constantly. and of course the end of the show was just...odd. Miranjo, instead of being punished for her crimes that she committed, or even having the parallel of her character turning out exactly like the people who tormented her, she just gets resurrected and her sins abolished completely. Daida...marries her? for some reason? Ouken doesn't get his immortality reversed and just gets thrown in a lake. for no apparent reason besides the guy he "killed" wanted to get even with him. and then the very end where kage just leaves boji doesn't really make any sense either. like sure, its sweet and whatever but its just wierd overall. plus the fact that the dialogue kinda went down the drain. With characters acting exactly like the clichés they originally were straying from, as well as just directly stating their character progression points. Plus some other stuff that all just leaves a massive stain on this once phenomenal show.

I really wish ranking of kings carried out with its original direction, writing, animation, everything. but it hurts so bad to see it fall like this.

OK, the things I liked first

The production here is truly next level, easily the best produced trigger anime overall. you can tell they really came into their form here with how everything functions. from the CG implemented backgrounds, visual effects and newer CG composites, it all feels well balanced and properly placed (the animation isn't their peak, but the production is). The voice acting is great, both sub and dub, plus they got Giancarlo Esposito to voice a character for the dub, which is why I decided to watch that over the sub this time. the music is amazing, pulling straight from the cyberpunk soundtrack, ... which makes it feel substantially different compared to other anime in that respect. and the fact that the intro is a Franz Ferdinand song. The character design is amazing as always with trigger, but I feel like they really stepped it up with the harsh lighting this time. The R+ rating with trigger just works wonders for their imagination. Watching the action scenes be as gory as possible was just a breath of fresh air for me, in terms of anime. I really hope they get more leeway to do this kind of stuff again. And lastly, the backgrounds are amazing, As always.

So, even though the production on every front is phenomenal, where does it falter?
The writing. for a good chunk of time, you (or at least I) have no clue what the fuck is happening. things just wiz by and you are just supposed to roll with it, and this is especially hard because they use 30 different made up slang words every sentence that you just have to pick up on, eventually. characters are introduced, and are elaborated upon for an entire episode until their death. how am I supposed to care about a character that died when I knew them for a full 3 episodes? most of the characters are shallow and serve virtually no purpose other than for David to care that they died, and for him to use that as a motivator. Lucy is...weird. I don't really know what I'm supposed to think? She's introduced as this mystery chick who David ultimately falls for, but the second he shows up at her house she just manipulates him so they can get his tech? and the only reason he lived is because he just happens to be able to use said tech better than anyone? Like, am I even supposed to like her? eventually she falls so madly in love with David for virtually no reason other than he said he would take her to the moon with him. Like, I expected a bit more to their relationship than a simple shared conversation, considering they are just so in love with each other. I mean, they literally become insuperable in ONE EPISODE. And I know the show is supposed to be fast, but can I at least be given enough time to give a shit? or at least make sense of it? and I wish Lucy's obsession with David was elaborated upon at all. because everything I just listed is everything the show gives you. and then, to add to the "am I even supposed to like her?" pile, we find out that she expunged his data from the registry so a, and kills every single person who tries to get close to it. And apparently (at least according to faraday), she intended for maim to die? just because? so she's so obsessed to the point that she becomes a psychopathic murderer just to have him all to herself. so much so that her actions inadvertently become a point of his anguish (which she never even considers, despite David saying "I'm doing this for maim" over and over again). and I wouldn't have a problem with any of this if she was seen as a bad person for it. like, actually facing repercussions for her actions. But no, she is the only one who lives and David sees her as the pinnacle of his life forever, into the afterlife. I guess she is facing repercussion by by being sad that she's the only one left alive, though. And David follows a similar path in terms of his character progression, too. Such as the fact that anything he did wrong was completely expunged and ignored in the last 2 episodes. Even the “Cyber psycho” thing that was supposed to kill him, instead just doesn't happen. Rebecca is fine because she doesn't really do anything wrong, she just kinda shoots stuff and that's her whole character. but its fun and the show knows it supposed to be stupid fun and doesn't take it seriously, so its fine. On that note, all of the action scenes are awesome, and I love when the story feels like it's just building them up sometimes. Especially the car chase in the last episode.

All in all it was a fun watch. if the story was more of a focal point more often i would have disliked it more, but it wasn't so I didn't. So I'll keep it at a 7 for now just because I enjoyed it pretty thoroughly (until I fully reflect and drop it to a 6, or something). And, lastly, I have to say that Hiroyuki Imaishi is easily the horniest director out of any anime directors. And I knew this, but it was just reinforced by the fact that there were boobs on screen at any possible chance. I mean, even David and Lucy were just permanently naked in their home, just because Imashi needed more boob screen time (not that I'm complaining, just observing).

I feel like this manga is very underrated souly for the character development later in the story. its first half if fun and light hearted, very normal and cliché, but acts as a baseboard for the latter half. Usually when a romance author tries to add in a deeper story element it falls flat on its face because they generally don't know how to write characters beyond romcom. but here it feels so expertly done. As it elaborates on familial matters, taking a deeper look into the families of the main character, but also having deeper plot points on multiple side characters. it doesn't feel ... like it was shoehorned into the story, it feels natural, like there was a progression to this point. and the execution is so good its hard not to like it. It even has one of my favorite scenes ever when (Spoilers) Later in the story, the MC finally meets his dad who the story was building up to, and he just acts like a normal guy, and they have a perfectly normal conversation. But at the end, as he's about to leave, he suckerpunches his dad and slams the door, never speaking to him again. At this point in the story too, we see that Reina, instead of solving his problems (Which is usually how these stories go), she acts more as a support for him. As her presence alone is enough to give him the strength to actually face these things.

Overall, very underrated in the Romcom genre, 8/10

I thought the show was good. like, overall, just a good show to watch. but i never thought it would be 9 to even a 10. its just a good romance/comedy slice of life show.

like, the characters are great, the art is good (Animation is pretty average), the music is amazing, the comedy is great, but the story is average. I think this show is certainly better than other if not most romance anime, but that isnt a very high bar to clear. Romance is kind of known for being cliché ridden with lackluster characters and lackluster story. its not the best thing in the ... world, nor is slice of life as a whole. So having a show with well written characters and a story at all makes it leagues above already.

IDK, I just don't understand why so many people view this as the second coming of Christ when it comes to anime. Its funny, and has good characters, but it doesn't do a lot. at most is just very entertaining to watch. although i feel like, for something to constitute as a 10, it would have to go way beyond the benchmark in some way, making itself stand out substantially and be so well written that you either cant find a flaw or you overlook the few it has.

I feel like there is a good portion of intrigue here, with how deep the rabbithole goes for the story, but the main problem is its presentation. Characters will just describe the entire tension point of the story before it even happens and I'm supposed to act like i didn't see it coming. And the way they present it too is substantially more annoying. explaining every segment of the story and what's happening as if I'm not even watching the show and I'm having them give me a full plot synopsis every time. the handholding completely ruins the fun of trying to understand what you ... are watching, making your own sense of the story and the characters. rather than having them explain every single thing every single time.

most of the characters are pretty bad too. all of them are a single cliché and completely adhere to said cliché for the duration of their character's screen time. rinse and repeat this with every scene. they have little depth or character beyond this cliche. but that cant be said for EVERY character, like joker, whos actually interesting. but this can be said for most. because even if they undergo some sort of "awakening" and "realize their purpose" (or something along those lines) their character remains the same. they just fight better than they did before.

plus, the concept of subtilty is near non existent. with characters cracking jokes at the worst times, (literally the whole last arc of this season, where people are dying left and right but half of the characters act like nothing is happening) or just holding them for too long.

despite my negative gripes with the show, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. maybe I'm just a sucker for good animation and sound design. And the dialogue isn't ALWAYS bad, it can be good sometimes (for example, the arc with joker and beni, the shortest of them all. which had perfect pacing, dialogue and character development. actually felt like I was watching a competent show until we went to the next arc.) but it usually is pretty mediocre. And, obviously, the comedy isn't my thing. the fanservice isn't something I have a huge issue with because after a while it just becomes white noise and I block it out, despite it being completely stupid never the less. But that can be said about half of the characters in the show.

my final consensus is "definition MID Shonen material." (low 6, high 5)

I remember watching a gigguk video on this a while ago, and how its entertaining by continuing to get worse and worse. and I have to say he was right. I started watching it somewhat entertained, but because of the super erratic pacing it just got dumber and dumber. But it was so entertaining I just kept watching. Until about after ep 7 or so, or whenever he starts going steady with Hina. then it became a hate watch for me.

like, seriously? this chick was involved in an affair, said she loved the guy, left him because her family doesn't like it, then falls in ... love with her student/brother like a month after? how immature and weak willed can someone be? Rui is easily the best character in the show but id honestly just wish she fell in love with someone else, because come on. This guy is a complete piece of shit and always has been since she knew him. how can she not see that?

anyways, it was awful. i enjoyed every second of it until I didn't. please watch this if you have nothing better to do with your time.