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This show has many issues, mostly in its writing, but what matters is that it had soul - that it tried to make you feel something.

'Your Lie in April' would have benefited greatly had it exercised more moderation in things such as the abundant, mostly trite monologue of characters during key scenes, as well as its slow pace.

Despite these issues, I believe the show shines its brightest when monologues and any form of narration is kept to a minimum in favour of the visual representations in the musicians' performances - especially the very last performance, in which Kosei plays while lamenting on Kaori's worsening condition.

These ... scenes strike hardest because, unlike the nature of inner monologues, the visual cues and representations of the characters' emotional states don't spell everything out for you. The advantage of visual representation is its ability to convey certain feelings in an instant, with vigour, while also just providing an enjoyable spectacle.

The art is quite nice to look at and the animation is generally servicable, but I believe that 'Your Lie in April' would overall benefit with more subtlety and taste in its general writing - this is ranging from the admittedly overemotional nature of the character interactions, to the misplaced comedy that can detract from what is otherwise an emotional scene. Had the writers taken more care in this, I believe the show would be much better.


Overall - If you have some time to kill and are desperately trying to feel some semblance of emotion (like I am right now), I would suggest at least having a try with this show - just keep in mind of its melodramatic nature and occasionally jarring progression.

School Days is like watching a bunch of terrible people (with the exception of Kotonoha - God bless her soul) do retarded things and then get their asses handed to them for doing retarded and terrible things to one another - additionally, this applies heavily to the main character of this show, Matoko.

Nothing about this show is in any way well written - many of the characters are quite shallow, and not a lot of depth is put into them, and many of the twists and turns of the plot can be considered outrageous and out of place, especially towards the show's conclusion. Even the ... visuals (art, animation etc.) isn't anything to write home about (with the slight exception of episode 4 and the last episode, which for some reason had their visual direction improve in quality).

Though this may not be the case for all viewers, the only reason I enjoyed this was because of how terrible it was - it was terrible enough that I laughed at least once in every episode, in spite of the heavy atmosphere it would often try to convey. I'm not sure why, but it may be due to my sheer disconnection with the events of the story that I see everything from the outsider's view.

As Charlie Chaplin did say once, "life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot," and I can't think of a better example of anime than School Days.
Please note that in no way am I praising the craftsmanship and writing of this show - if you're a person that loves ironic viewings and watching anything for the shits and giggles, then I definitely reccomend this show for you, as you will indeed have a great time.

But for others who are seeking a genuinely good narrative, I would suggest to steer clear of this for now - unless the ancient memes about nice boats start to pique your curiosity.

Because of my experience, and many other people's experiences with Neon Genesis Evangelion, I find it difficult to write an objective review on this anime, simply because, well,

It's shit.

And despite this fact, I can't help but to love it with all of my heart, being the disgusting neck-bearded inbreed that I am. From the countless people I have met regarding this show, I have found that how much you like yourself is inversely proportionate to how much you'll like the show, including its concluding film 'The End of Evangelion'.

Alright, let's add some context to it.

Evangelion was the first of its kind, bridging the gap between ... shows made for children and late night shows made for obsessive otaku, and created something that a wide age group could appreciate, and most importantly, relate to. The subject matter concerned in this show is something I believe related not only to many Japanese people at the time, but just many introverted people in general, much like the director himself, Hideaki Anno.

Evangelion is praised most often for its role as a deconstruction of the mecha genre, but I want to talk about something beyond this aspect of the show. The show does start as a typical 'monster of the week', and despite the seemingly mundane nature of me mentioning this, I believe it is held up well by the subtle and masterful visual direction of Hideaki Anno (I'll be talking a lot about this guy btw). Many of his shots will always mean something in the long run, and everything ranging from the items shown in frame to even the camera angles are used to imply certain aspects of the characters and their motives. It strikes a good balance between substance and style, leaning a bit more towards style, and I feel that this aspect of direction holds up the show extremely well especially during the second half of the show, as forbidden truths are revealed and the characters' mental states are constantly challenged.

Which brings me to another point - one thing that I have seen in Evangelion that I have never seen in any other show is the emotional rawness that had been poured into the show. During production, and long before it, Hideaki Anno suffered through clinical depression, and this aspect of stress and almost ruthless self-reflection showed through as the show progressed. I feel that it isn't too far fetched to say that Shinji, the main character, is somewhat of an extension or reflection of Mr. Anno's self-image.
For me, this was a huge plus, as it created additional meaning as something that related to the creator's struggles, but I also acknowledge that this can be a drawback for many viewers as Shinji is quite a self-loathing character (aka a whining bitch). Though this aspect of the show does interfere with other important parts of the story (which I will talk about later), I couldn't help but to admire this raw honesty and how painfully relatable it can all be at times.

I believe that his honesty is also what gave the many tragic moments of the show the impact they needed. Hideaki Anno surely knew 'crazy', and he knew how to implement it well. The show does gradually become more violent as the stakes get higher, but this violence isn't 24/7, occurring only between more calmer parts of the story - but when violence does occur, it is brutal, grotesque, and presents the animalistic nature of humanity in general.
I think the effectiveness of this violence can be futher explained through other seemingly 'violent' or 'edgy' shows, such as 'Elfen Lied' or 'Mirai Nikki'. Courtesy of what Demolition D (Youtube Anime Reviewer) mentions in his Evangelion analyses, the violence in shows like Elfen Lied and friends are, despite the gore and the blood, tryhard and heavy-handed. The violence in these shows are there only for shock-value and a poor attempt at catering to an older audience. It doesn't help that the characters in these shows are written with more shallow motivations. Evangelion's violence on the other hand has meaning, and there are implications for the characters' motivations and psychological well-being for every incident that occurs.

Finally, the characters - I believe this is where the show shines, and is also why it is so often praised as the mech genre deconstruction. The main characters of this show resemble at first the typical tropes of the generic series - a timid pacifist boy, a silent 'kuudere' girl, and a loud rowdy 'tsundere' girl. Of course, because this is Hideaki Anno, these tropes are twisted, and he inserts implications behind these characters' actions, effectively highlighting how unnatural these kinds of people really are. It's like Anno is making a statement towards the otaku with this aspect of the show - that for a girl to act according to these ideals, they would have to be mentally fucked in the head. Each of the characters in the show have deep seeded traumas that drive them at a subconscious level, and I found it extremely interesting to see how these characters would deal with each obstacle that got thrown at them.

The show isn't without its flaws though, and as I mentioned before with Hideaki Anno's depression and deteriorating state of mind at the production's making, the show does suffer from it, mainly the plot itself. The plot as whole is a mess, especially during the second half. Many points can be difficult to understand, and in addition with the very stylistic way of directing, some sequences can be especially confusing to digest. Evangelion is one of those shows that become more clearer with every rewatch, and with every rewatch you do, you may always find something new. So with this in mind, I can't say that it is for everyone, especially those who are just looking for a good ol' time.

I believe though that the concluding movie of this show 'End of Evangelion' clears some doubts about certain points of the show and, though an utter mindfuck at first, neatly wraps up many of the threads that were left hanging out in the open at the shows controversial final 2 episodes.

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I don't feel it would be wrong to describe Evangelion as a masterpiece, along with the inclusion of the ending movie 'End of Evangelion', which I also definitely recommend after the show, as I feel that it gives the entire story good closure. In fact, I feel that without End of Evangelion, the show wouldn't have the praise that it does today.

Evangelion is a mess, it's confusing, and it can be scary, so it's kind of like sex in the dark - even though you don't know what's happening, you can't help but to enjoy it (at least, some of you). Though it carries its flaws, I don't think you can deny that it is a very important show, and that you'd be doing yourself a disservice by tossing it to the side.