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Sep 22, 2023
The thing about Jujutsu Kaiisen is that it's too convoluted for its good. The author adds unnecessary complications to drive the narrative forward—too many rules, rules that are incredibly inconsistent at worst or far-reaching at their best. What's the appeal, you may ask? It's obviously the action. People want to see characters ripping each other in halves in a cool, brutal, and deranged fashion. That's also where the edginess comes from. It is incredibly phony and on the surface, because the reasons for everything happening are extremely lackluster and one-dimensional. Some characters and moments are okay, but most of them are hollow and exist only
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so the fight can happen. This manga is very disappointing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Sep 10, 2023
What is Berserk? If you go to My Anime List, it is the most popular and the No. 1 ranked Manga of all time; beloved by all weebs and non-weebs ("normal" people, lol) alike; remembered for its unrelenting dedication to edginess and disregard for basic decency (that would, no doubt, anger Puritans) in its portrayal of everyone and everything. It is also nothing like anything I've ever read. The closest comparison I can think of would be the old CRPG games (Baldur's Gate or a new one like Pillars of Eternity). The characters would remind you of a "party" that players would form in these
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games, each member skilled differently--some with swords, others with knives; some stoic, others charismatic--each with their own compelling and unique storylines.
The world of Berserk is a medieval fantasy setting, but unlike Lord of the Rings, it is ultra-violent, tremendously horrific, and extremely dreadful (to live in). People in Berserk are hyper-real, creations based on someone's most pessimistic and nihilistic perspective on humanity. There lies an interesting dichotomy, a colorless contrast in the books that justifies my last remark: Two fathers, both lords of some kingdoms, both adorned with kind daughters, similar in a few more aspects but different in almost every other. One is established as one of the most evil men you can think of, but with a tragic background, explaining why he got to that evil and how insane his choices were, but all of them justifiable. The other seems to be a just, humble, and loyal king, who is old and wise and looks naive and frail, but in reality is none. The former sacrifices himself to save his daughter, perhaps doing the only good he has done in a long time. While the latter does the unthinkable, vile, and unforgivable sin against his daughter, something only the sick can think of. That is Berserk. It's not a rainbow full of color but rather the dull grey torrent that comes before it. 10/10. A masterpiece... so far.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 18, 2023
I didn't like Wicked City because it was nothing more than sleazy porn, a visual representation of someone's weird rape fetish, which had no point except to fulfill people's disgusting inner fantasies (hey, it's not harmful unless it hurts anyone). It had great visuals, creature designs, and decent action, but the over-the-top sexual exploitation of our main heroine did not gel well with me. Kawajiri would do it again in his more famous work Ninja Scroll, but that one at least seemed to be making a point out of it rather than simply trying to give people boners.
Demon City, fortunately, does not have that
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"special" hentai element that the weebs love, but, unfortunately, that's not the only thing it lacks. Kawajiri, intentionally or unintentionally, failed with the most basic element of filmmaking, the story. Demon City does not have one. It has template characters, the strong, brash, and grey yet overconfident main guy; his beautiful and caring love interest; the cool, mysterious, and overpowered side guy; the generic, evil, and one-note villain; and the McGuffin thing or person that the party has to save (the Jesus figure, father of our heroine, in this case). And if it were funny, witty, or smart it would've worked great as a satire, but again, it's none of those things except dreadfully boring.
They had edgy monster designs and concepts of fight scenes, but everything else around those, the characters and the plot, were rushed or made to act as mere carriers for those setpieces. It backfires, as not only does this lack of focus on those crucial aspects make the film dull, but it also deprives the viewers of superior engagement with those setpieces (more investment in characters = more stacks). This film feels like the skeleton for future Kawajiri works, it's nice to observe this stepping stone, but it's not fun to play with it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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May 25, 2023
While Tomie has a nuanced commentary, it is mainly bogged down by its absurd pacing and unbalanced length. There is some filler, beautiful and horrifying, but still filler in the story. Ito critiques both the pathetic men who cannot face Tomie's rejection and the society that incessantly idolizes her (for her beauty), burdening her with undeserved expectations. She is a curse, a monster, a virus that exists solely to multiply. This stripped-down portrayal of her character may irk some, particularly considering the scarcity of well-developed female characters in today's media. However stripped may it be, for the commentary, this portrayal is necessary. There are other
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women in the story who have more nuanced backgrounds but not Tomie--she is the vessel that needs to remain empty. What does she want? Why does she do it? These questions are not the focus of the story. What do they (men and society) want from her? And why do they always end up doing that (ending her)? These are the questions that Ito is more interested in. This can be viewed both as a failure and a success. It can be interpreted as misogynistic (with all the violence) or as a representation of misogynistic ideas and their consequences. And because it is a horror book, Tomie ends up being rather one note (a monster to be terrifying, needs to be mysterious and unsympathetic). However, this same note can become exhausting over time. One can still sympathize with Tomie, perhaps not with Tomie, the curse, but with Tomie, the woman.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 25, 2023
Gyo is Ito's wildest and weakest entry that I've read yet. It has a tinge of dark and silly humor (that I usually like) in it, but it fails to capitalize on the morbidity of it in the context of the story.
It is gory and it is dramatic, sometimes overly to say the least, which again feeds into the humor. But that is not enough to provide the terrifyingly satisfying experience that I've grown to expect from Ito's work. Or maybe, this time that wasn't the goal. Either way, it fell flat. It focuses a bit too much on explaining things rather than just
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letting them happen naturally.
I still enjoyed it. I laughed at certain bits, which I think was the intentional/expected outcome. After all, I always appreciate a good fart joke, lol. It's fine, check it out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 9, 2022
Shinji is one of the most frustrating protagonists ever. Maybe because he is exceptionally unrelatable (to me) or because I, consciously or subconsciously, loathe and bury the part in me that does relate to him deep inside. And that, coincidently, aligns with some of the themes of the series. Another thing that I didn't like was how Anno decided to tell what he wanted--the dialogue came off as preachy, especially towards the end. I'd admit that it was not as apparent in the movie as it was in the finale of the series, but the lectures were still there. It felt like a one-sided conversation
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(a monologue) when it could've been so much more.
I didn't love it, but I respect it. It sure feels like something very close and personal (for Anno). Maybe I'll give the whole thing another try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 19, 2022
After watching a couple of Miyazakiesqe films this month, I wondered what they inherently lacked that left me feeling so disappointed. And today, after watching Porco Rosso, I can confidently answer that it was almost everything in every aspect.
Miyazaki’s worlds are full of life and atmosphere, and Hisaishi's music plays an essential role in giving them an identity. They have a partnership, an unbreakable and indispensable one. The other films did not have a soul, their scores were generic, and their worlds felt shallow.
Porco (or Marco) is such a memorable character. Of course, he has a striking and unique character design. He is a Pig!
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And not any ordinary talking pig, but the porkiest and the most badass talking pig you can find. He is also a remarkable pilot. Every character in this movie has a personality that the other films seriously lacked.
The comedy works, the drama is emotional, and the action is well animated—it is a complete package. Depth-wise, it is not Miyazaki’s best fantasy world, but it does successfully evokes pure wonderment and leaves a map and a mark on the audience’s minds. He also does not serve everything on a platter and leaves a lot to think about for later.
I have nothing against Patema Inverted or Children Who Chase Lost Voices. They are fine films with solid art styles and animation. But what they lack for me is a soul and an identity, movies with clever and highly conceptual premises but poor execution. Porco Rosso, on the other hand, is perfectly executed and highly recommended for everyone.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 5, 2022
This movie is just a weird hentai with occasional bits of story sprinkled here and there, and calling this a story is a stretch. It has good art design and somewhat decent animation. I can see some inspiration from John Carpenter's The Thing in body horror, but it was nowhere near as effective. I can't believe this is the same guy who made Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust--so disappointing. Well, everyone has to start somewhere, and Kawajiri began here, I guess. So, don't watch it unless you are into this kind of stuff (and by "stuff," I mean demon/monster hentai).
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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May 3, 2022
I did not want to write this review, but I am so disappointed that now I have to. Makoto Shinkai is fucking overrated. He has made one good movie: Your Name (2016). Everything else he made is shit, a good-looking turd, but still a piece of turd. His art style is eye-pleasing, I won't deny that, but his stories are so dull and messy that I can't even imagine that he is the same guy who wrote Your Name.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices (CWCLV, dumb title) is, in my opinion (and in many others), an attempt to create and capture the charm of a Miyazaki
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film. There are direct and indirect parallels between this movie and Howl's Moving Castle or Princess Mononoke. Aspects like the look of the characters, the world design, and the themes seem derivative of (but not as good) Ghibli films. The music is boring. The characters are one-dimensional. The fantasy backdrop is unfinished and shallow. Everything is so dull and unoriginal, non-sensically messy and pretentious—it's an absolute disappointment.
SPOILERS AHEAD (If anyone cares)
Asuna (the protagonist) does nothing in this movie except be a damsel in distress and the complete opposite of her initial setup character. She was there because of circumstances. The movie tried to make a big deal out of this, but the answer was always plain and simple: She was, literally, dragged in there and the story. What was the lesson? To forgive someone who literally tried to kill you and your friend and put their wife's soul inside you? I thought they were going to be filling the roles of father and daughter in each other's lives. But after that ending, I don't want him anywhere remotely close to her. If only they did not ham-fisted unnecessary characters in their story and instead spent that time fleshing out the essential ones.
I know that it's not meant to be realistic. But come on, use that fucking gun, at least on those shadow crawler thingies. And this is not the only nitpick that annoyed me. There are a lot of other moments where they don't pay any attention to the details, which takes me out of an already sloppily written and bland movie. The dialogue is unnecessarily philosophical—Like you are a child, why are you talking like this? And if you are talking like this, why are you so dumb regarding everything else?
At least Shinkai tried to do something different in this one, and that's as far as my praise goes. It's so annoying because I know that he is talented, but he has put himself into a corner by writing the same type of stories again and again, especially with Your Name and Weathering With You. I want him to make something new and original, more thought out with better world-building and atmosphere and better multi-dimensional characters, as he did in Your Name. Let's see what he does with his new one. This tho is--Not Recommended.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 8, 2021
Your Name is the only Shinkai film that I like. I adore that film, it had good characters, good relationships, and a refreshing fantastical charm, and unfortunately, all of his other films fail to deliver on any of those. The only positive thing going on with this film is its art style and animation, but that too sometimes feels clunky and underutilized. Some of the shots are just bad on a camera placement level. The editing is also meh. Let us see and absorb some of these frames and not cut away so quickly.
I liked the idea and concept of the story -- the sci-fi
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element is interesting. But it is underdeveloped and rushed. Everything else, the character works, and the relationships are just plot devices. Characters are shallow, especially Sawatari. She seems to be in the story to dream and do nothing else. I didn't even feel the trio's bond and friendship. If you want us to care for them, then pls develop some chemistry. There was a bit of chemistry between the boys, but it was kind of tropey.
Mikito Shinkai has certainly matured as a storyteller. This movie did showcase his grander-than-life ideas mixed in with the slice-of-life drama. But I could feel that he needed more runtime to explore those ideas. Overall, it's a bad movie. Would've given it a 5, but some parts really annoyed me, maybe because I was actually excited before watching the movie.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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