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Feb 22, 2024
In short: A terrible adaptation, but not altogether unenjoyable film.
My opinion might be different if I hadn't put down the manga, wiped the tears from my face, and picked up the remote to watch this movie. If I hadn't read the manga, I probably would have a more lukewarm opinion about this film and not bothered to write a review at all. That being said, part of what makes an anime film good is how successfully it adapts the source material, which it did not. Characters were cut, entire plot points left out, and Touno's mommy issues were never even mentioned!
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The reason why the film lacks the same impact the manga has is because it didn't take any care to develop the characters. The film lacked thematic impact and the motivations of the characters were muddy at best. Had I not read the manga, I would be so confused as to WHY Touno and Hanashiro did what they did because the film's explanation wasn't satisfactory. Just go read the manga or light novel.
That being said, the production quality is good. The animation, voice acting, and music are all great. If the writer's had taken fewer liberties, this would have been a 10/10. I wanted to like it more. It's not a bad film, just a disappointment, and I'm sure for people who are less of a weeb than I am, they would enjoy it just fine.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 16, 2023
The Great Pretender is an excellent Netflix anime that's a different flavor of Black Lagoon. Instead of gun fights in the seediest of settings, you find the psychological thrill of pulling one over on the wealthiest people that really deserve it.
Characters: 10/10
The characters are all very solid and well fleshed out, even though, by nature, they are hard to read because they're skilled scammers. They all have backstories given that help us understand how they've entered the scamming world. Like Black Lagoon, none of these characters are objectively good people, but I find it refreshing that this anime doesn't take any efforts
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to wax preachy about it like Black Lagoon does.
Art: 10/10
The animation is phenomenal, namely the coloring. The color palettes are vibrant and bring life to every single frame. The action is done well. I was incredibly impressed
Story: 9/10
The story is broken into four arcs--the second season being one entire arc. Each arc contains one scam in a different location, followed by a break in between. My only complaint is that the passage of time is difficult to mark and that the after the second arc some of the twists become a bit predictable, but other than that I found each scam fun and thrilling. Some people will have complaints about the last few episodes, but I liked them well enough.
Enjoyment overall: 10/10
I liked this anime and wished I watched it sooner (I had seen it sitting on Netflix for a long time and was curious about it). I would say my favorite arc was the second because it was before I had learned how to predict the plot and I liked those antagonists the best and it's before I started disliking Laurent too much. I would definitely recommend.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 5, 2022
Look. I know it's 2022. I know it's been a minute since this manga has been published. I'm late on the bandwagon. But I recently discovered this manga and love it so much so I'm reviewing it now, when it's not even relevant anymore. Hopefully it helps someone out there.
Story: 10
While the plot isn't anything particularly special, I think HOW the story is told is much more unique. I'm a shoujo lover and a Yuki Midorikawa fan, and out of all I've read, Akaku Saku Koe seems to capture how people ACTUALLY experience love. Kokubu's love is shy,
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maybe a bit awkward, definitely not glamorous, but grows into something beautiful. Kokubu and Karashima are so cute, they remind me of me when I had my awkward crushes in high school. It feels realistic in a good way, and that's why I love it.
Art: 4
The greatest downfall of this manga. I would have given this manga a 10/10 if it weren't for the art. However, this was also Midorikawa's debut manga, and we'll also factor in it was drawn in a different era. But I still find the art endearing and it didn't hamper my enjoyment after I got used to it after the first chapter.
Character: 10
The characters are great and well developed! I specifically like how Kokubu, our female lead, is the driving romantic force. It's refreshing. Not all strong leads have to fight or be badass. Kokubu has a quiet, compassionate strength, a will to accomplish her goals, and little fear. Karashima, on the other hand, is a fighter, though he would really prefer to not be, especially with the moral dilemma of his voice. He struggles with his relationship with Kokubu, especially given his voice.
Overall enjoyment: 10
Love it. It's great. I've reread this short little manga several times. I initially read it while my plane was delayed in an airport, and I'm pretty sure everyone saw me crying. Anyway, I wish more people knew about this man, so go pick it up today!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 3, 2022
A truly unique horror/supernatural manga with fascinating and mysterious characters. This was a lucky find find for me, and a great read! It's one of my favorite mangas I've read so far.
Story:
In the beginning it's fairly episodic, but as the manga progresses the characters and plotlines introduced in the beginning are woven together to create longer arcs. The general storyline is that Owner runs an inn to lure in humans (and other beings) to steal their secrets. However, I'm not sure of Owner's motive yet, but I love the mystery. The manga legitimately gives me the spooks sometimes. It's
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not violent, but more supernatural horror that leaves you with a creepy feeling, and I often would think about some of the more disturbing panels throughout my day.
Art:
I would love to give whichever assistant does all the heavy inking a kiss. All the panels are very dark to give an impression of nighttime, and it seems like the characters and shapes are portrayed by negative space. It's very interesting and unique. I stumbled across this manga in an interest stack grouped on good art.
Characters:
What I love about the main characters (at least the main three working at the inn) is that not a single one of them are good people, but they are all well-written, multi-faceted, and in-depth. I have seen so many authors try to pull off 'wicked' protagonists and the characters were always so shallow and/or annoying. But Owner, Spider, and Butterfly all know exactly what they're doing, they're good at it, and have no qualms about stealing secrets. My only complaint is that we still don't understand Owner's motivation for stealing secrets, but the manga isn't completed so that could still be down the road.
Enjoyment/Overall:
I read this over spooky season to give myself a few chills and this manga delivered. The only thing that might have effected my enjoyment was some of the nudity, but I feel like it contributed to, or at least explained, the plot, so I wasn't bothered much by it (the nudity is infrequent). There was also one graphic feeding scene that frankly made me feel very uncomfortable. However, I would recommend. It's an undiscovered gem of a manga but I think reading it will give you a new experience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 12, 2022
It's cute, but a scene-for-scene ripoff of Hotarubi no Mori e, except with a tree motif rather than a yokai motif. Kon no Ki Konoha is alright, but it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth that it's wholly unoriginal. I'm not being nitpicky, there are nearly 1:1 correlations, and this story was published five years after Hotarubi no Mori e. That being said, the art is decent, and it's a sweet and tragic story. A solid one shot that leaves an emotional punch. But go read Hotarubi no Mori e because it does everything this manga does, except better,
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and the characters are more likeable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 2, 2022
I read the manga before I watched the anime, but I will try to give try to give this an unbiased review despite the fact that I prefer the manga.
This anime version, to my memory, is mostly a copy/paste of the manga in terms of loyalty to the plot, though it somehow falters to adapt it to a screenplay that isn't awkward. I don't understand how most of the details from the manga can be included, but the tension (sexual and otherwise) is totally lost. I was bored while watching this, which is not what I should be feeling while I'm watching
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an action anime. I think the uninspired musical score contributed to this. If the score had been more driven, it would have added tension. If I hadn't read the manga first, I would have dropped the anime during the second episode because the pacing is slow and lacks the same driving force.
The animation was good, the voice acting was great (I watched in dub), and I liked how the anime took liberties to make Jim a more involved and less offensive character (in the manga he is called only by Indian-kun, which I dislike). There are several cool fight scenes that I wish they could make last longer because those were the best parts, but each fight only lasted maybe 30 seconds. I feel like they could have milked those scenes more. The characters are enjoyable and dynamic, and ultimately that's why I stayed.
Overall, I found the anime on the disappointing side, but I still watched the entire thing. I think it's worth trying at least the first three episodes to see if you would like it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 20, 2022
I felt the need to write this review even though I didn't finish the series (I read ~50 chapters, or a third of the series). I started and stopped this series so many times because it was difficult for me to justify continuing.
Story:
Typical shonen. The best that can be said is that the whole island itself is very original. The plot is too simple, and that is its downfall. If the plot was more complex I think there would have been more room for the characters to be interesting.
Art:
The art is technically alright, but the fanservice is gross.
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Oftentimes there will be random titties. Everyone in the scene will be fully clothed and there will still be titties. I hope you're comfortable with a lot of nudity if you're reading this manga. I wouldn't be as bothered with the nudity if there were at least a reason for it. The paneling is subpar because there were times where I legitimately didn't know what was going on. But otherwise, the art was pretty standard. I did enjoy the hellish design of the island's environment, though.
Character:
Literally all of them are boring. I felt nothing when a character died. The only thing that was compelling for me is when Gabimaru talked about his wife.
Enjoyment/Overall:
Besides what I listed above, there were two other things that were really hampering my enjoyment of the manga. First, how would actual Taoists feel about the antagonists using sex as a powerup to boost their tao? Second, why so many titties? I've read plenty of manga so I know every manga has a certain amount of bullshit, but I literally felt myself being objectified as I read this. Anyway, I really wanted to like this manga. I wanted to finish it, but I couldn't because it was too mediocre and creepy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jun 9, 2022
You could literally not pay me to shut up about this manga. I love it so much! It's my most favorite one out there for so many reasons. I give it a ten across the board!
Story:
Outstanding. It is such a unique premise, a little WTF at times, but if you're a seasoned manga fan then you can probably handle it. The world building and fantasy elements are spectacularly though out for an immersive experience. The story starts very innocent but grows darker and returns hopeful. The base themes are never forgotten and the pacing is good.
Art:
Omg the
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art is so good. The texture in the background makes it look like brushstrokes on a canvas. I can't explain it unless you actually look at the panels, but the art style is very magical, yet somewhat sinister. I think it's really cool how each character has a somewhat unique thymia.
Character:
Every character is fleshed out and dynamic. We get to see many back stories and you really grow to understand each of them. There are a lot of different cultures and races which is awesome.
Enjoyment:
Very re-readable and enjoyable. My only complaint is that the vocabulary can be difficult to keep track of since they use a lot of Greek words and rarely offer contextual clues.
Overall: My favorite manga I've read so far. Would definitely recommend! Give it a try if you're looking for something different! Give the anime a try, too!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 8, 2022
Story:
Wacky, but enjoyable. The plot doesn't hold up if you think about it too hard, but the uniqueness of it is refreshing. The blend of history and myth is interesting.
Characters:
The characters are what makes this story stand out. Tenka is the charismatic and self-sacrificing older brother, Soramaru is the angsty middle child (enough said), and Chuutarou is the innocent youngest child. In my opinion, what the manga had to say about brotherhood was more interesting than the whole orochi thing.
Art:
The art is great! What stood out to me is how the Kumos all actually looked like brothers without appearing identical.
Overall:
Enjoyable,
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underrated, but perhaps a little forgettable
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 8, 2022
The story of Kara no Kioku is written by the singer Eve. Many of the characters come from his music videos, so if you are familiar with those, it is a delight to read. I really do like this manga, but it's not perfect by far, so I have both negative and positive things to say about it. We'll get the bad things out of the way first so we can focus on the good!
It is obvious that this manga was made specifically so the fans begging Eve to make an anime could have something to satisfy them. This isn't a
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bad thing, but shoving as many music video characters in and then immediately forgetting about them is confusing. There are also pacing and plot problems, which I'm assuming exist because Eve--bless his heart--is not a writer. However, the story is still enjoyable and I do look forward to each chapter. What I dislike is waiting a month (maybe two) for a chapter that is sixteen pages, and for very little plot progression to occur.
Okay, I think I have all the criticism out of my system. What I love most are the characters. All of them are dynamic and lovable. Rei is quiet and anxious (relatable), and Tobi is the cool, powerful, and mysterious one you can't help crushing on. The art is good and lends sort of gritty quality to the dark story. The story is legitimately exciting and has me wondering what will happen next.
Overall, it's a fun story that I would recommend but it's tainted by the fact that I know this story could have be done better by someone with more writing experience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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