- Last OnlineFeb 16, 10:15 PM
- GenderNon-Binary
- BirthdaySep 10, 1998
- LocationEast Coast USA
- JoinedNov 11, 2016
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Mar 3, 2021
I was disappointed with this movie. I'm seriously sick to death of these SOL anime drama films with a magic/sci-fi element that use gooey, flashy animation to make you feel like you're watching something well written. i feel like they're being mass produced since Your Name came out, which I thought was alright, but nothing worth heralding it as on par with something put out by Ghibli. Masaaki Yuasa is hit or miss for me, but this one felt especially soulless.
writing is usually never his strong suit imo. the characters in this film weren't fleshed out beyond each of them getting one or two defining
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character tropes and that's about it. character development is not shown, instead his idea of character development is someone says "Falling in love is for idiots!" for most of the movie and then in the last 5 minutes says "NOT falling in love is for idiots!". masaaki yuasa needs to stop seeing his characters as devices to move his plot forward to the next flashy animated sequence. the themes are not carefully conveyed so much as they are beaten into your skull and then in case that wasn't enough they just explain it to you. and usually he has interesting animation to back up his films at least, but this film wasn't even all that visually memorable. sometimes the characters' movements are animated in awkward ways, the character designs are as forgettable as it gets, and the palette is just brightly colored with nothing all that stand out about it. you'd think that the animation would look better at the very least considering that this had a film budget.
i've seen 9 of Masaaki Yuasa's works at this point and this is the worst one i've watched by far.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Feb 25, 2021
Gonna try to make this as spoiler-free as possible!
After finishing Zombie Land Saga, I'm pretty disappointed. What had potential to be a fun, well-paced chaotic comedy show parodying the idol genre completely did a 180 and ended up turning into the shows it was trying to parody in the first place. The beginning of this show had me pretty hooked, which hasn't really happened for me with many shows from the last couple of years, and I was really excited to see where it was going. In early high school I was a pretty big fan of the idol genre, especially Love Live, and the
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way that this show made silly jokes about idol tropes was really entertaining, especially because they aren't really taking themselves seriously. I really liked that they weren't trying too hard to throw in "inspirational" moments because there's only so many times you can watch an idol MC give an impassioned speech about doing your best and still feel effected by it. It felt like a breath of fresh air that this show put the comedy at the forefront, but sadly, by the halfway point, Zombie Land Saga falls right into the same tired idol clichés that it's poking fun at other shows for having.
The first couple of concerts are really funny and manage to throw off your expectations, putting more thought into comedic moments and trying to flip idol tropes on their head. The first half of this show is about attempting to get their idol group off the ground by taking odd jobs, doing street performances, rap battles, and local commercials. This was when I was really enjoying the show the most. The jokes were hitting pretty well for me with some laugh out loud moments, and the energy felt like a faster paced chaotic comedy. Tatsumi may have been grating for some people but I honestly thought he was hilarious and that his VA did such a good job. I don't know why you would even want to watch the dub for this when you could watch the original seiyuu scream in awkward english. The girls worked off each other well and it was okay that they were the same idol archetypes that we see all the time because it still felt like a parody. Plus, Tae Yamada. It was around when the individual girls started getting their own episodes & the group started gaining popularity that I felt like it started to fall off and lean too heavily into idol melodrama and by the last couple of episodes it feels like there is no comedy to be found really. Just crying angsty idol girls. Pretty much becoming a cookie cutter idol show aside, this show sets you up to not take anything too seriously and then by the end expects you to be invested wholeheartedly in the overdramatic and extremely predictable idol plot. What a let down.
The music was nothing to write home about, both the ost and the idol music. In the first episode they really had me thinking that they were going to be a metal idol group before I realized that they were just going to be singing generic idol songs, which was kind of disappointing. Like, zombie idols that sing metal but are also cute? They had the potential to reach both the idol crowd and people that are into metal or dark comedy. I think that's my biggest problem with the show, that this anime had so much potential to be a zany idol comedy with interesting elements that made it unique, and instead of delivering it just fell flat, like they ran out of jokes to tell and just decided to cop out and write a boring safe idol drama.
Still, if you're a fan of the idol genre, you may be into this one. I would be lying if I said that this show didn't have some heart, so I wouldn't say avoid it entirely, but if you get to the midway point and are just waiting to see if it gets funny again, you'll probably be just as disappointed by the ending as I was.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 26, 2020
Gunslinger Girl is an anime about cute girls with guns. that much is definitely true. as of right now, the Cute Girls With Big Guns genre is pretty saturated with content, although i'll admit i've never been a huge fan of shows that fall under this category because i feel that they tend to be overly edgy without the smart writing to back it up. the typical "cute girls doing fucked up things" trope is done to death at this point in anime, but Gunslinger Girl manages to stand apart from many of them, and this isn't just because it's older than most of the
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anime in the genre (having come out in 2003). Gunslinger Girl is a well-paced, well-developed drama that is not afraid to explore challenging themes about morality, what makes us human, and nature vs nurture.
i'm a huge sucker for dramas, but my expectations for them are pretty high- for me to really get engrossed, i need high stakes situations, characters that are well-developed enough to make me feel strongly for their dilemmas, and an atmosphere that supports the theme and tone well. in Gunslinger Girl, young kids with no other options are signed off as government property by their guardians and undergo a medical procedure which turns them into cyborg killing machines. many of the reviews for this show complain about a lack of action and focus on the missions that the girls are assigned, but i think that what really sold this anime for me was the fact that Gunslinger Girl doesn't spend a lot of screen time just showing action- in fact, the missions themselves are often barely explained. instead, Gunslinger Girl is structured episodically, with a focus on each girl's relationship with their "handlers", their peers, and themselves. Gunslinger Girl gives the viewer enough time to understand each of the girl's motivations and backstory before showing you the impact that working for the Italian government is having on their mental and physical wellbeing.
initially, i was a bit wary of each girl having a handler, but thankfully the relationships between the girls and the men training them never feel predatory. instead, they add to the tension and overall themes of the show, serving as another way for the writers to explore themes about the role of a child in their parent's life and the fragility of children that want nothing more than to be loved.
for those who are frustrated with the inconsistent action and missions, there is a sequel series to this one called Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino, and I've heard that it improves upon this aspect of the show, although i was not too bothered by it. i plan on watching that one next. if you're a fan of dramas with darker, more high-stakes character dilemmas and sci-fi undertones, i would absolutely recommend Gunslinger Girl. this show really impressed me, and although there are definitely slower moments, it's worth a watch to follow each girl's story and character development.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 26, 2020
i decided to rewatch Chobits in a quarantine-induced anime binge, mainly because it was one of the first manga that i ever read, and eventually one of my first anime series that wasn't just Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, or One Piece on 4kids. mostly curious to see how it held up, i started the series with pretty lax expectations. i remembered loving it when i was like 11, but does that really say anything about a show's quality? despite knowing it wasn't going to be the best anime i've ever seen, i finished the series confused and kind of annoyed. i honestly wasn't expecting it to be
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as bad as it ended up being.
the first half of the show is pretty okay as far as romance-y slice of life anime goes- if a gross, ugly man wooing a cuter-than-life robot with literally 2 braincells is your thing. the most intriguing part of the show is the small bits of lore surrounding persocoms and their role in society, and the drama exploring human relationships with their persocoms. i think that Chobits is the most entertaining when it is exploring this theme through other characters, and the occasional cutesy, slice of life sequences are pretty comfy. chi is pretty adorable despite her flaws, and i especially loved Sumomo. also, the opening is great. unfortunately, this is about all of the good i can say about this show.
i'll be honest, one of the most annoying things about Chobits hands down was Hideki's character. Hideki's behavior got on my nerves instantly, and i honestly cant understand how anyone is supposed to root for him. he acts like a complete moron all the time, and isn't even cute or thoughtful to balance that out. i can get behind a good, kind-hearted idiot, but Hideki is pretty gross- he spends the majority of the show sexually frustrated because he wants to fuck his computer, and interacts with Chi in a pretty predatory way. because Chi is a reformatted computer with no language software or memories, she acts as if she has the brain of a toddler, and it makes for some uncomfortable scenes where Hideki is pretty much just getting off on Chi not knowing anything about sexuality or what porn is. Chi is absolutely adorable, but has next to no personality, and although i thought she was endearing, she barely gets any character development outside of her feelings for Hideki. having the main couple be a total pervert and a robot sex doll with Born Yesterday Syndrome and no personality makes for a weird relationship dynamic, and i found myself liking all of the side characters 10x better than i liked Hideki. the best moments of the show are the moments that feature other characters- drama between minoru and yuzuki, as well as ueda and yumi, explores the themes better in one or two episodes than Hideki and Chi do throughout the entirety of the show.
the ending of Chobits is a total mess and feels so thrown together. midway through the series, they start packing in plot to try and wrap the show up by episode 26, and the last episode is so confusing and stupid that it made me regret deciding to go ahead and finish it up. originally, i wanted to give this series a 5, as it was stupid, but had its moments. after seeing the last episode, i decided to knock it down to a 4. i can't say that i recommend this show to anyone, even if you're really into romance or slice of life. the romance is the only part that i could understand being remotely into, but even that is done badly. there are so many other great romances out there that you could occupy your time with instead. the comedic moments land sometimes, but it's not worth trekking through 26 episodes for a couple jokes that barely elicit a chuckle. i don't understand why the score for this show is as high as it is on here.
if you were interested in this series because of the persocom aspect and want a show with interesting themes on morality regarding human-robot hybrids, check out Gunslinger Girl. there's no romance or slice of life, but it has something interesting to say about what makes someone a human, with well-developed characters and writing that far surpasses what this show has to offer.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 5, 2020
aoi hana surprised me with more mature themes than you'd normally find in a wlw (woman loving woman) romance, and strong characters with interesting, relatable dilemmas. despite loving the genre, it's not often that you watch a yuri anime where characters not only acknowledge their coming of age journey into their sexuality, but also acknowledge that coming out of the closet is not an easy thing to do, and approach this topic with maturity. aoi hana managed to defy my expectations and actually didn't end up being the best friends to lovers yuri cliche that i originally thought it would be, while also respecting the
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characters and not allowing anything to feel fetishy or overly sexual.
spoiler warning, ofc:
i think that one of the reasons i really loved this show is because the plot was so different than i thought it would be. rather than just simply being a romance, aoi hana is an anime about coming into your sexuality, and tackles this topic both from the perspective of Fumi, a young lesbian that has only experienced unrequited loves with various women in her life, and the girl that she has a crush on and eventually dates for much of the series, Sugimoto. Sugimoto and Fumi are both interesting, well-developed queer characters, and their relationship- despite it not working out at the end- teaches them both a great deal about themselves. Sugimoto is a masculine-presenting bisexual woman, which was honestly very refreshing to see, especially as the phrases "bisexuality", "lesbian", and "coming out" are actually used throughout the show, making it more rooted in reality. fumi's coming out scene with akira, as well as akira's response to this, was one of my favorite moments in the show, and it makes me happy that other lgbt people have a show like this with realistic gay characters to relate to.
wanted to rate this an 8, but bumped it down to a 7 because despite akira being one of the two main characters, she barely gets any character development, much less a character arc. i found her a bit more likable than fumi (although that scene at the end where fumi tells sugimoto straight up what a bitch she's being was so satisfying to watch), but because she never really got the screen time to feel like she had her own conflicts going on, it feels more like she just revolves around Fumi. even at the end when fumi realizes that akira was the first woman she ever loved, it felt more like a sidenote thrown in at the end, and honestly, i think i prefer them as being childhood friends that love and support one another. maybe if they had gotten more than 11 episodes to really flesh everything out, it wouldn't have been just thrown in. i wouldn't say that i hated the ending by any stretch though, if im being honest it just made me want to read the manga for more.
overall, definitely recommend if you're LGBT and want to watch a yuri romance that doesn't just feel like it takes place in Yuritown, JP. the character dilemmas feel rooted in reality, and this makes it especially relatable if you identify as queer yourself.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 27, 2020
i really wanted to like kaiba. the art style is really incredible, and the world starts out interesting, but the further into it i got, the more problems i had with it. despite being a fan of masaki yuasa, i always get frustrated while watching shows that he directs because i dont think that writing strong characters or honestly, strong plots, is his strong suit. i had the same problems with this that i had with devilman crybaby, especially regarding character. most of the characters he writes are not developed very well or are just plain uninteresting, and just exist as vehicles to move the
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plot from point a to point b. devilman crybaby was a bit better, plot-wise it was very interesting, but that was because it had a fantastic source material to work with. imo his script writing just isn't great.
i was also incredibly disappointed with the world building in this series, especially for a sci-fi show. during the first 2 episodes, i was really intrigued by their society, and for the first half, they did a pretty decent job of world building. despite being more episodic than i thought it would be, the animation stayed consistently good, and concept of being able to climb into another character's memory was enough to keep me into it. but honestly after the midway point of the series, i was kinda bored by it, and the ending turned into a standard we have to save the world plot, and by that point i was not at all invested anymore. it's a shame too, because this anime really does look fantastic. the technology is cool, the creatures are interesting and well designed, and the society they live in has so much potential.
if kaiba wasn't rated so highly on here, i think id be less disappointed, but it's been on my list forever and i was very excited to watch it. i honestly think that it's a bit overrated based on all the reviews and forum posts i've read. i understand people being into this show and enjoying it, but overall, i thought it was just okay.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 11, 2020
i have to say, i was pleasantly surprised by beastars. if i'm being really honest, even a bit floored. i watched the first episode because so many people were raving about it, but i didn't have high expectations going in. after the first two episodes, i was sucked in, and i blew through the entire show in a day. this show is very well directed and well written, and one of the only anime i've watched that i thought actually used a 3d style to their advantage. i'm sure there are others but i don't think i've been this impressed by 3D dominant art styles
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in anime.
beastars is very well written, and its strength is in its characters. legosi, hana, and louis are all well developed, constantly changing, and the way that their society functions adds good tension, making the drama very compelling. this show was a lot darker than i thought it would be, but it made it just high stakes enough for me to really feel sucked into their conflicts, something that i find pretty important when i'm watching a drama.
if you like drama, especially psychological dramas, i'd recommend this show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 26, 2018
There’s only one anime that managed to get my blood boiling more than Sword Art Online, and that anime is Eromanga Sensei. Going into it, I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to be anything revolutionary, but I didn’t expect it to be nothing but bad writing, cliched, beaten to death scenarios, and above all else, the overwhelming feeling of being disgustingly predatory. I’ve never been one to turn down good fanservice; if anything, I encourage it (as long as it’s done well), and I don’t think I’ve ever been this uncomfortable watching a fanservice show. Showing me the panties of some 16 year
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old high school girl? Okay, gross, but whatever. But 12 year olds? Where do we draw the line with this shit?
Is this what we’ve come to? Eating up the most bland, badly written, and pandery piece of shit that we can find all for a couple of cute girls- who are, by the way, DISGUSTINGLY underage? Like, I’m talking creepy upshirt shots for no reason at all aside from “Wow, don’t you want to fuck this 12 year old?” Loli jokes were funny for a little bit I guess, but when we’re at a point as a community where lewding girls that literally look straight outta the womb is a really funny joke, yeah fuck that.
Story: 1/10
I honestly can’t believe how much this show is banking on the success of Oreimo. But, unlike Oreimo, this show feels totally and completely hollow. While Oreimo definitely had its flaws, it had consistent and- for the most part- well written characters. This anime is nothing but an excuse to animate some young girls with their panties out and sell as many dakimakuras and figures of Elf and Sagiri as they possibly can. Every calculated joke screams “Turn me into a reaction gif!! Make me this seasons Big Meme!!” and it's honestly just exhausting.
Starting out this show, it’s made clear right off the bat that both Masamune and Sagiri want to fuck each other and, even though it’s presented as a harem, Sagiri and Masamune are going to end up together. What follows is 12 episodes of this anime jerking us back and forth through stupid misunderstandings meant to fill this anime out with as much fanservice-y bulk as they can. All for a final episode that wraps up absolutely nothing and attempts to provide absolutely no closure, instead leaving me feeling like the show actually spat in my face. This show is all around badly written, sometimes changing character’s personalities and motivations for no reason except to move the plot along to the next part (which is always just another excuse for fanservice), especially during the beach trip arc. And worst of all, with such a generic, fanservice-centered plot, this show is a chore to watch. It’s just so bland. Everything that you could possibly want out of this show has been done before in better, way less predatory ways.
Animation: 4/10
While I do think that Eromanga looks alright, for a show centered around how sexy and cute their loli characters are, I found myself thinking constantly that the characters were badly designed. Maybe it’s because I’m not a pedophile looking to watch an anime about 12 year olds with my dick in my hand, but even Sagiri, who was animated by someone whose entire job was to make her look cutesy, was not attractive. Elf, who wears poofy lolita dresses and elf ears, (and is very obviously supposed to be the Kuroneko of this show) looks stupid, and I don’t remember ever thinking while watching this show that she was cute. The majority of the smoother animation was used for creepy upshirt shots of Sagiri drawing or high detailed shots- down to the BABY FAT ON HER BODY- of her changing into a sexy outfit for her brother. When I tell people about how disgusted I am by the fanservice in this show, I show them the very beginning of episode 5, because that’s all you need to see to know that this show is just trying to cash in on pedophiles who use the excuse that “Well, it’s just fiction!” to justify their behavior. Being into 12 year old girls with baby fat still on their body, and animating long scenes of her rolling around on her bed like a toddler with cutesy mobile music that sounds like it was recorded on a toy piano after sexualizing her is downright gross. It does nothing but normalize wanting to fuck underage girls. I’m not trying to be preachy, but when is enough enough? When do we realize that the anime community harbors pedophiles and normalizes wanting to have sex with literal children? There is a huge problem with pedophilia in Japan, and shows like this, that make and sell sexy merch of their extremely underage characters, just normalize and send the message that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to fuck 10 year olds. And anime studios that see the success that this show brought them and all the money that they got from it’s creation? It just makes other anime studios think that loli fanservice is what we want now, and it’s just gross. Give me some huge honking Babonkers any day, but leave the underdeveloped babies out of it. It’s just super gross. I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Sound 3/10
Not much to say about this. Nothing to write home about here.
Overall Enjoyment 1/10
Do yourself a favor and skip this show. I guess if you want to watch a boring Oreimo clone with predatory fanservice and shitty plot, have at it, but if you’re looking for anything with just a bit of substance, this is a show to avoid. If you like watching train wrecks and then bitching about how shitty they are, hey, maybe you’ll get something out of this one, but I promise that it’s not worth watching the whole show. Instead, go watch Koi Kaze, a tragic romance anime with incestuous themes that actually has interesting things to say about how society views incestual relationships and well written characters to make you 10x more invested than this show ever could.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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