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“This just isn’t a cover anymore, we’re real friends now...”

The spy. An archetype explored an incalculable amount of times, spanning across all forms of media. Whether it’s the dark and methodical approach of a John la Carre’ novel, or the more mainstream and charismatic James Bond film, each entity produces something that ensnares the senses and transports you into the action. I’ve always been a fan of secret agents and spies in cinema, so it’s no question that this affinity would translate into other mediums such as anime. The 2016 release of Joker Game helped affirm this assumption by offering a unique mix of action, ... stealth and wit. Now, almost exactly one year later I was introduced to Princess Principal by a dear friend, an original anime directed by Masaki Tachibana (Barakamon, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0)... naturally I was intrigued. Through 12 episodes, PP dazzles with copious amounts of combat, deceit and supernatural elements. It may occasionally come across as muddled and has its fair share of negatives, but it doesn’t disappoint and may go down as one of the most overlooked anime of the year. Spoilers ahead.

From the beginning, PP may end up losing much of its target audience from the cast itself. Understandably I had trouble conceptualizing the idea of teenage moe girls acting as spies in 1800’s London (speaking Japanese no doubt), as it’s just not something I would list as believable. It's similar to the feeling I got from watching the dubbed version of Monster, as Tenma is a Japanese man living in Germany that just so happens to speak fluent English. What a total mindfuck. Aside from the acquired taste of the character models, the setting is quite immersive. The anime takes place in an alternative steampunk London, where weapons are rusty and mechanized, and airships rule the skies. In this parallel universe, a wall exists dividing the Albion Kingdom between the lavish capital and the dilapidated, unruly Commonwealth. This in itself pays homage to the Berlin wall, as in PP it can be difficult to discern which side is morally correct. Through the ensuing 12 episodes we follow the story of five female spies, from their relationships, to their loyalty to duty and underlying secrets.

One important point to note is that Princess Principal’s timeline can render the casual viewer confused. It’s not readily apparent that the anime’s story is told out of order. The writers seem to pen the script in a way that can come across as disjointed because of very minor details here or there that are easily missed. To better explain this, I’ve comprised a chronological ordering of each episode (stolen from MAL forums):

Episode 2 -> Case 1
Episode 3 -> Case 2
Episode 5 -> Case 7
Episode 4 -> Case 9
Episode 9 -> Case 11
Episode 1 -> Case 13
Episode 7 -> Case 16
Episode 6 -> Case 18
Episode 8 -> Case 20
Episode 10 -> Case 22
Episode 11 -> Case 23
Episode 12 -> Case 24 and beyond

When done right (which I wouldn’t necessarily say is the case here), non-linear narratives can be effective at showcasing certain qualities of a character or details to enhance the main story. Such is the case in Kurt Vonnegut’s Salughterhouse-Five or the cult classic Memento, one of my favorite films of all time. The main problem in PP is that the characters aren’t developed far enough to extract much from this method. What results is a plot that appears to jump around simply just to do so. I will say the aspect that benefitted the most from this was the relationship of Ange and the Princess, which for obvious spoiler reasons I won’t divulge any further on. Ideally, this method can also be used to better illustrate interactions between the main characters, and I believe that was the intent here. It just didn’t capitalize as well as it could have. An assumption by the writers is also made with regard to the gravity-altering Cavorite material used primarily by Ange throughout the anime. The only reason I even knew what it was, is because of an H.G. Wells novel (The First Men in the Moon) I read some years back. To someone unfamiliar with this sci-fi homage, the supernatural substance can appear as a gaping plot hole that’s never really filled.

Another point I feel necessary to address is the dramatic change of tone throughout the anime, both with the overall atmosphere and with the characters. From the first episode, I was captivated by the “cloak and dagger” approach the writers utilized with the spies. Ange as a main protagonist was ruthless and cold, sporting a succinct knack for taking out her foes. She also came across as a compulsive liar, assumingly normal for the trope of a spy. However, at certain points in the story her personality can shift from scene to scene and catch viewers off guard. It’s not extremely off-putting, but it’s there. While mostly well paced and envisioned, there are times where the writers spend an entire episode divulging a character’s backstory, and others only a few seconds of a flashback. Some episodes are actioned packed, like the first episode or the train episode while others serve to be endearing and relationship building like the laundromat anecdote. I think this change of tone, juxtaposed with the jumping timeline can make PP seem less cohesive than it really is. Overall it’s a smart show, and often has you sympathizing with the jobs these girls have to take.

The characters are the absolute best part of the anime. The squad’s unsung leader Ange is relentlessly devoted to duty, and relishes in the secrecy and importance of each mission. She is incredibly diverse with her emotions depending on who she’s addressing. Her relationship with the Princess is undoubtedly the focal point of the entire series, and her backstory is full of heartache and depression. She often quotes herself as being a former member of the fictitious “Black Lizard Planet”, in order to explain the reason for her peculiar behavior. Ange is an expert of her craft, and is the strongest and most consistent member of the group. The Princess has her fair share of secrets, and often plays the role of messenger or spokesperson for the group. In retrospect, I do wish more time had been given to fully expound upon her past, given the fact it plays such an important role in the show.

Dorothy, my favorite character of the entire series, is the oldest of the group and she’s often reminded of that fact. She also probably receives the most backstory, with the writers devoting almost an entire episode to her relationship with her father. She occasionally gets drunk or uses her body to help advance the situation (boobs=imperative to success as a spy), but also internalizes and many of the missions the girls partake in. She's like the mom of the group. Chise, the token Japanese ninja, is actually my least favorite character, though probably for selfish reasons . She undergoes a supreme transformation over the course of the anime and begins to learn the Western culture and the importance of friendship. Last but not least is Beatrice, the meek and often soft spoken friend of the Princess. Her demeanor is jittery, but her backstory (though short) is incredibly sad. Out of the entire main cast, I was impressed by the level of depth and detail put in place for each character.

If you told me that the same director as Barakamon and Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 also led Princess Principal, I’d be hard pressed to call you a liar. I guess this a concrete indicator of Tachibana’s ability as an anime director, and certainly one that deserves more work. The somber, ominous environment PP exudes, coupled with the uplifting comradery of the main cast crafts a definingly unique atmosphere all around. The art is well visioned, and although the female characters are younger, they are evenly proportioned and attractive. I can’t recall any slip ups with framing during the action heavy scenes and even the still, dialogue heavy moments never seemed to come across as stale. While it may not technically be the best animation, its consistency is something to applaud in today’s anime world, where series are being pumped out left and right. The cinematography is some of the best I've seen in a long time, despite focusing less on atmosphere than other equivalent specimens. The way some of the scenes are constructed, either through POV animation or still impact shots. It also has the benefit of omitting the “unfaithful to the source material” argument so many disgruntled manga fans hurl around with each new adaptation. It’s a refreshing artsyle, contradictory to most of the bright and colorful anime in today’s world.

If I can make one recommendation, it would be to watch Princess Principal with headphones on. The sound is purely exceptional. The balance of sound effects and their position through the speakers is perfect, and helps add to the realism during some of the missions undergone by the girls. The background music is also fitting of the time period, as nothing is saturated with electronic tones and no chipper techno beats flood your ears. The OP (despite that fugly logo) is one that grew on me, but now exists as one of my favorites for the season. The strong female vocals in conjunction with the smooth animation sequences is pleasing to the eye, and it’s one I don’t think I ended up skipping once. The ending is a strong contrast from the OP, but helps remind the viewers of the minor points of maturity these female characters lack. It’s playful and fun. There aren’t any stand out seiyuu performances in the anime, but certainly nothing hitting below the mark.

Overall, I would suggest not judging a book by its cover and jump into Princess Principal with no preconceived notions. It's certainly not what I expected, and although makes some mistakes it is a worthwhile watch. Compared to most of the shows out nowadays, the script is actually given some thought and the characters are developed substantially for their short screen time. I think the show would have benefited significantly if it was doubled in length or had a second season. This would give ample time to fix the timeline issue and also fully explore Ange and Princess’ relationship. The series is plenty exciting, whether with raw action sequences or suspenseful moments of stealth. This is an easy anime to recommend, so if you're looking for something new and exciting, or we're a fan of series like Joker Game I would give it a try. It certainly surprised me and many others, and I look forward to more developments from Tachibana in the future. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to check out some of my other reviews from the season!

Story-5
Art-6.5
Sound-8
Character-8
Enjoyment-7
Overall-6.85

Kakegurui- The Great Value Brand of Kaiji: Now with Chicks!

The dim, incandescent can light burns the back of your head from above. Your mouth is a desert, lips parched as you struggle to even swallow your own saliva. An irregular heart beat increases its oscillations, and your vision blurs as you attempt to read your own cards. You're a house pet, a term coined only for those drowning in the debt of the student council and this one hand of poker could either seal your fate for the rest of your life, or set you free of the shackles of your dues. Anger, guilt, nervousness ... and tension well up inside your brain, clouding any sense of strategy once present in your arsenal. The remaining cards are dealt, each one like a subsequent dagger being driven into the heart. Your fingers dig into the cheap felt table lining and begin to burn from the friction. As the last card approaches, thousands of scenarios race through your mind, and your opponents stoic appearance does nothing to ease the pressure. Will you survive? Will your reputation and existence be dismantled, succumbing to the hands of the tyrannical council?

The final card slams down with a thunderous echo…

Gambling is a subject rare to take center stage in the realm of anime. Kaiji, Death Parade and Liar Game are some of the only examples I can think of in the medium, until studio MAPPA’s (Zankyou no Terror, Yuri!! On Ice) Kakegurui landed this season. From a viewer’s perspective, for the gambling to really have an impact on our senses the scenes must comprise a balance of suspense, mind games and creativity. Kaiji the Gambler, arguably the best example I can think of features a main character literally gambling for his life, in games that are either very intricate or require a large degree of mental fortitude to participate in. The result is white-knuckle tension that has your finger hovering over the skip button, ready to binge through the entire anime in one sitting. Kakegurui attempts to mimic Kaiji’s critical success with a different target audience by introducing better animation and a more familiar setting, high school. Because, you know, that makes sense.

There is a “well visioned” setup, with taboo setting of school in which students engage in lavish betting and gambling once the last bell rings for the day. We witness firsthand the daunting effects of losing in this school: you're deemed a “house pet” and everyone treats you accordingly. This wouldn't be quite as ridiculous if it weren't for the fact that kids are ridiculed and treated like shit in high school to begin with. In essence, this significantly dilutes any ounce of realism with regards to the stakes these students are playing for, and ultimately the entire premise from the beginning. The “upside” is that IF you are successful at gambling and start raking in the dough, your family is already rich as fuck so…. none of this betting really even matters to begin with. See my point? From its inception, Kakegurui’s narrative is faulted. The whole premise of the anime seems pointless in that if you win, you'll be rich and if you lose, you'll still be rich but get treated like that awkward kid who frequently gets stuffed into lockers. The student council seeks to rule the school with an iron fist, but I'm not sure what they actually do; except cheat to win, fly in fancy helicopters and wear terrifying androgynous masks.

Unassuming transfer student Yumeko Jabami looks to shake things up at this school by winning any and every gambling match she's in. Countless opponents fall victim to her innate ability to see through tricks and deftly play each person for a fool. This can be frustratingly similar to the No Game no Life effect, in which Sora and Shiro’s victory was assumed prior to them even starting the game. To top it off, Jabami seems to get off on the thought of risking “everything” on each of her matches. Each of her mental orgasms is brought to our attention in exhausting detail, as her eyes leer red and her legs tremble with excitement. The anime progresses almost episodically with a “rinse, repeat” effect. New characters are introduced, Jabami challenges them, a new game is played and Jabami emerges victorious yet again. This process repeats over and over and over again in a due loop merry-go-round. There’s no sense of doubt, no uncertainty built into the script. It’s a perpetual nightmare from a scripting perspective.

With Jabami at the helm, we as viewers never really experience her thoughts about anything. Neither her strategy, intuition or objective ever becomes clear and the games themselves often end up narrated by her foes. Long, overthought monologues about what they “think” she is planning through each and every move, which began to take a toll on my attention span since I knew the eventual outcome prior to each match taking place. And since a majority of the anime is spent “in game” and we don’t catch a glimpse of what Jabami is thinking, her characterization is thrown out the window. The rare occurrence of a line of dialogue from our “heroine” is spent devilishly coercing another one of her pawns to help her with a bet in the game. The main protagonist in the anime doesn’t even have fucking character development… it’s embarrassing.

Did I mention how edgy Kakegurui is? I was legitimately interested to see where the plot would unfold when I started the series, but my supposition quickly dissolved when I uncovered the anime’s true nature. It’s 2017, so I’m not sure what I expected, but the initial consensus was that I was at least intrigued. So a girl gets her jollies by gambling, who cares? But, when EVERY character acts as if they’re on the verge of insanity? Now we have an inherent problem. Not to mention the horrifically unattractive adrenaline slut who gets wet thinking about having her head blown off from a game of Russian Roulette. It’s a sex scene away from being a dumpster fire Sundance film about how fucking “raw and gritty” some teenager’s life is. Again, it’s the tactical diversion producers craft to steer the audience away from how dreadfully written a show can be, simply because it’s dark or shocking. I don’t always mind this level of scheming when the veil is at least entertaining. But in Kakegurui, you get the worst of both worlds: badly written and boring.

It would be a disservice to anime fans everywhere if I didn’t at least attempt to address the comparisons between Kaiji and Kakegurui. Kaiji as a protagonist is someone you can really root for. His awful luck is inviting, in a sympathetic manner. He basically starts from nothing, and risks his actual life for a chance at redemption. Jabami comes from out of nowhere, with no clear motive and little to no relatability. Kaiji’s gambling games are fewer, but are better explained and have a more intricate explanation. Kakegurui falters, partially due to a shorter run time, and that the games are changed so quickly that less attention is given to their development. It feels like the writers are more focused on getting through everything vice making an impact on what they introduce. Kaiji is primarily a male cast, making it harder to attract female viewers but ideal for a seinen genre. Kakegurui has more females than you can shake a stick at: loli’s, tsunderes and yanderes to boot. Hence my opening statement in the review. Lastly, as I mentioned previously, most of Kakegurui’s dialogue comes from the opposition, creating a wall between the viewer and the character appearing to be the main protagonist (Jabami). In Kaiji, this internalizing is shared between he and his adversaries. It creates an equilibrium that helps the viewer rationalize either end of the gamble.

I think it’d come off as redundant if I expounded any more about the characters in Kakegurui. Despite having significantly less screen time, Ryouta and Meari receive significantly more development than Jabami, inflating my unpopular opinion of her ten-fold. We do get some back story on a few minor characters, but nothing short of a plot device in order to propel the story forward. Possibly the most interesting character from the entire cast is Manyuda, who actually has a clearly defined motive, is cutthroat and calculating and doesn’t seem to break character as much to partake in edgy escapades. Oh yeah, and he’s the only member of the student council who actually gambled fairly, at least in his own game. If you’re looking for relatable or enticing characters, Kakegurui may not be the anime for you.

If there’s anything I learned from watching Kakegurui, it’s that facial expressions are apparently everything. In an environment where maintaining a “poker face” is often sought after, the animators in this anime decided to do the exact opposite and emblazon a crazy face on almost every character in the cast. It’s brilliant in some respects because it helps distract the viewer from the rest of the anime’s inadequacies by giving them a fresh dose of ADHD, but is entirely unnecessary. It does helps manifest some false suspense, only it ends up making some of the scenes more irritating. The rest of the animation is quite good, and the overall tone it sets for the show works well for the subject matter. The character models are attractive and proportional, and the flashier scenes with dialogue-heavy moments please the eye. One major blemish on the art side would be the complete lack of animation with the Jabami idol karaoke scene. It came across as complete laziness, with the still image of Jabami fading out into the completion of her song. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but it was jarring to say the least. To help make up for it, they at least added a completely random duet between her and Yumemi to close the episode.

I’ll be honest, I absolutely love the OP for the show. It’s a psychedelic, sexy acid trip with a risque’ jazz track narrating the visuals. If you look closely, it even tells a small story relating to the story progression of the anime itself. The ED on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired, sans the mystery of what’s underneath Jabami’s outer layer of clothing. The song isn’t even catchy, a quality I can at least cling to in an ED. The rest of the soundtrack existed to create false tension and accentuate the mood of its corresponding scenes, and I can’t recall it being necessarily bad. Voice acting in Kakegurui is one of its strong points, and I can only imagine how much fun the seiyuus had considering how edgy the series can be. The actors actually had a chance to break character and have a good time.

From an entertainment perspective, Kakegurui hits all the wickets. It has hot girls, great animation and an almost avant-garde approach to storytelling that could be incredibly appealing to young, impressionable audiences (aka, most of the anime community). This being said, I can’t be baffled by how well the show was received, even if I didn’t agree with it. This is the main purpose of a reviewer or critic, to point out enjoyment as well as flaws. I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t enjoy Kakegurui. But is it a good gambling anime? Hardly. It suffers from a severe lack of character development/relatability and has an edgy stigma about it I can’t shake. The previous negatives coupled with the unrealistic premise can create some harsh criticisms and overall disappointment. I’d recommend this to fans of shows like Re:Zero, No Game No Life or any other similar series, due in part to it being edgy and appealing to a certain audience. Thank you to all for reading this review, and be sure to check out the rest of my Summer 17 ones!

Story-2
Art-7
Sound-7.5
Character-3
Enjoyment-5
Overall-4.45

“Nobody dies a virgin...life fucks us all.”
-Kurt Cobain

We've all been there. Aimlessly meandering through our high school lives daydreaming about that fateful day we’ll finally lose our virginity. Thoughts of the opposite sex constantly flood our brains, in the form of unrealistic scenarios involving our crushes intoxicatingly succumbing to our supreme hotness. Naturally, high school is a perverted cesspool of teenage hormones, so more than likely you had your own clan of other clodhopping comrades to share phrases like “dude...tits” and “have you seen that chick’s online stream?” For some introverted, socially inept souls, whose virginity is as safe as a maximum security prison there ... are anime like Hajimete no Gal. A show that constantly reminds us how often the average male teenager thinks about sex, mostly in a sporadic and succinct manner. Unfortunately, after viewing all ten of its episodes, I can say I now know more than I ever cared to about the “average” Japanese teenager, ad nauseum. Join me as I explore how not to make an ecchi anime, in honest and excruciating detail.

To get something off the board immediately, Hajimete no Gal is not a traditional harem anime. A harem, by definition implies that the women “share” one male, which is the opposite of what happens in this show. Here's what transpires in a nutshell:

1. Awkward, unassuming dude Junichi starts dating popular girl Yukane out of peer pressure to lose his virginity.
2. Multiple chicks adversarial of their blossoming relationship come out of the woodwork in attempts to thwart their bond.
3. Junichi realizes there’s more to relationships than sex (SPOILER ALERT)
4. Junichi’s friend is an overt pedophile that deserves to be locked away for the rest of eternity.

That's pretty much it. Hajimete gets off to a hobbling start in the way of story. If you came into a ten episode anime labeled in the ecchi genre, you're probably an idiot for fathoming anything other than repetitive, lecherous humor or a plethora of oppai characters. As the anime begins to unfold, the season of love has arrived. Spring, as I'm seeing in Japan apparently causes the entire student populace to transform into a bunch of blithering horndogs. Couples are formed left and right, so our main protagonist and his friends are desperate to find ANY girl willing to approach them without a ten foot pole. Doesn't sound like the most enticing setup for an anime if you ask me. What follows could be a decent series between two characters forging their love, but instead implodes on itself due to some dreadfully written characters and haphazard perversion played off as comedy.

One big point to speak to in Hajimete no Gal is the writing. The comedic elements are very hit and miss. I'll be honest, there was more than one scene in the anime I busted up laughing. Whether it's the far fetched “what-if” illusions Junichi encountered or a dude showing up in a Kirito costume in an effort to impress girls, all did not fall flat. But plenty of it did, and the fact that Studio NAZ tried to pass off a pedophilic character as funny is a disgrace to entertainment enthusiasts everywhere. Hey, at least his friends didn't condone his behavior… Also, there's this:

“All I want is a dope pussy to fuck.”
Yes, this is a real line from the show.

I can't imagine the budget was very large for this anime, considering there were still-animated screenshots with singing or music in the background on more than one occasion. To me, it came across as a lack of effort on the studio’s behalf. In addition, there were plenty of failed censorships (for an ecchi), and useless scenes thrown into the mix. And yes, before you ask… there is an obligatory summer episode. Tits galore! The series attempts to find a common ground between the plethora of “nothing ever happens” high school romance anime (Ao Haru Ride) and the quicker escalating lewd shows like Prison School or High School DXD. Unfortunately it's poorly visioned, so a majority of the time is devoted to introducing characters, rather than developing the existing ones. Even a few more episodes would've done the writing staff some favor.

Though exhaustingly bland overall, I have to give Hajimete some credit with how it handles the main character’s relationship with Yukane. What starts off as a dare from his friends, actually turns into something of substance. It's everyone else in the show that I can't stand. At first, Yukane appears to be a tsundere, a trope vital to the framework of any harem anime. However, as things progressed, I actually began to somewhat respect her and the way she handled Junichi, knowing his original intentions for their relationship. It ended up being the only speck of quality in a sea of genericism. From what I understand, the studio ended up leaving out many of the manga scenes involving their development, most likely to better craft a “cash grabbing” series vice one of any legitimacy. It's a shame considering how much better the anime probably could've been.

Nene, the only girl that presumably had feelings for Junichi from the anime’s inception, possesses almost every quality I hate in a character. An incessantly ear-piercing voice, a loli physique (minus her enormous breasts) and the fact that she just gets in the way in every scene she accompanies. Along with the iriitating Nene, tanned dominatrix Ranko fills the quota of yandere, while Yui fills that of a tsundere. And of course, they all have their reasons for trying to steal Junichi away from his new girlfriend, come hell or high water. Junichi’s unintentionally abstinent posse consists of a guy with glasses who constantly shouts bombastic phrases, a pedophile who’s drawn a map of every elementary schooler’s location in his neighborhood (literally, wtf?!) and another seemingly average blonde haired dude that does little to nothing in the entire anime. Honestly, these characters only existed to interject punchlines, waiting in the wings for their chance to drop a pointed one-liner. None of the other side characters seemed to matter at all, as they were plot devices if anything.

For the life of me I can't understand why any animator needs to draw breasts as big as the characters have here. This is especially disconcerting when they appear on a girl who resembles a 12-year-old. Like, we all know the 4 foot 9 chick with size HHH tits amirite? This isn’t hentai guys, let's at least try to invoke some realism here. Many of you would be quick to respond with, "well it IS anime…”. This is where I would beg to differ. To me, characters that are drawn closer to a realistic scale are much sexier in anime. If I wanted to look at someone with elephantitis, I'd watch TLC or go to the weird part of Youtube. Who even likes this shit? The rest of the animation, while subpar, isn't anything I'd say was detracting from the show… unless that is you count the karaoke scenes the animators were too unskilled or lazy to even draw. Or also the inconsistent character model drawings, most specifically in the mall scene when the girls are trying on clothes. Okay, so maybe the animation sucks too. One thing I wasn't sure whether or not was intentional was the censorship. I understand censoring tits or va-jay-jay's, but panty shots too? What gives?! This IS an ecchi right? Show us virgin plebs some goodies!

Hajimete no Gal’s music is exactly what you'd expect from a flashy ecchi show. The OP can't seem to even understand genre of music it is, with cringeworthy dubstep elements thrown in because, ya know it's what the kiddies are listening to nowadays. The ED is a stereotypical scene of a scantily clad Yukane being “cute”... I honestly couldn’t think of any other noteworthy songs in the entire OST, with many droning on like a knockoff DDR track. Cheeky, high pitched vocals with a dose of fast techno bass; the epitome of J-Pop. Voice acting isn't too shabby, and I actually thought Shintara Asanuma’s portrayal of Junichi was above average. Definitely not a soundtrack I’d condone downloading, though it certainly won’t make your ears bleed.

For as critically bad as it is, I did find some sense of enjoyment in Hajimete no Gal. Through its short run time it did have trouble juggling blatant sex themes with building a believable relationship between the two main characters. At least Junichi learned rather quickly that losing your virginity is not the only important thing out of a relationship. Some people my own age even struggle with that (you know who you are Dave!). I'd recommend this for someone looking for a change of pace, or a good time passer. It's not as hard-core of an ecchi as some anime, but it should scratch the edge of anyone looking for that genre. Until we meet again, thank you for reading!

Story-1
Art-3
Sound-4
Character-2
Enjoyment-2.5
Overall-2.3

Growing up, spur of the moment family gatherings were some of my most cherished memories. The thick, summer air is palpable. Echoes of children giggling and playing in the distance reach the ear, soothing your mind and your shoulders slink down as all sense of stress and worry fade into nothingness. There’s no distraction, no urgency, just an honest and accepting accompaniment by some of your favorite people in the world. Endearments are swapped by friends and family alike, and the atmosphere transforms more and more into one of constant comfortability. We all have those people in our lives whose presence brings up the entire ... group’s spirits, resulting in jovial and lighthearted conversation. It’s particular situations like this that we wish were able to be wrapped up nice and neat and placed on a shelf for eternity.

This is exactly the same feeling I get from watching Barakamon.

Released in one of anime’s densest years (2014), Barakamon broke the edgy, action-laden status quo of modern anime with a wholesome, endearing tale of a world-renowned calligrapher sent to rural Japan to do some soul-searching. Produced by up-and-coming Studio Kinema Citrus (Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Black Bullet), Barakamon has a unique charm that can only be explained by a first hand experience. It works the senses and warms the heart more than any anime I can remember, leaving the viewer with a completeness unrivaled in the medium. For someone who has been consistently disappointed by Slice-of-Life anime, I was initially guarded in my openness to the series. However, in the following paragraphs, I hope to instill the same fondness of the series I have unto my readers, and finally divulge the reasons why Barakamon is one of my Top 10 favorite anime of all time.

Barakamon at its core is a story of self-reflection and redemption. Seishuu Handa is an accomplished professional calligrapher, whose robotic method of artwork was both revered and criticized, depending on the individual. He always strives for perfection, but as a result is very self-deprecating and has a rather low sense of confidence. One instance of this criticism occurred on perhaps calligraphy’s biggest stage, the Eika Prize Award reception. Upon receiving an insult from the Director himself over the lack of originality in his work, Seishuu reactively hurls his fist at him, resulting in public shame and discredibility. In an effort to cool down, Seishuu relocates the rural Goto where he meets the village scamp Naru, and learns the true meaning of happiness while discovering his instinctual nature as a calligrapher.

There aren’t any shocking or overly-intellectual moments in Barakamon. Seishuu doesn’t transform into an unrecognizable version of his former self by the end of the anime. Nor do the writers subvert their own formula by erratically dousing the viewers with fanservice. Barakamon tells us its story simply through atmosphere and character interaction. There aren’t any convenient narrations or expositions of emotional text from characters to describe the feeling for a given scene. It allows us as viewers to take a step back and observe, rather than always trying to stay one step ahead of the story. Thematically speaking, everything is brought up very subtly. The anime also has little to actually do with calligraphy, but uses it as a vessel to help explain the magnitude of emotional growth Seishuu experiences through the series. Whether it’s a fishing competition, hospital visit or just lounging around with some of your favorite people, Barakamon shows us joy in the simple things. Sometimes taking the time to relax and enjoy the company of others can really help put the world into perspective.

Much like the subtlety of the show’s themes, the comedy sneaks up on you. It upholds some sense of purity in its presentation. There is no over-the-top gags here, no indecipherable cultural references and the slapstick comedy is realistic as opposed to exaggeratory (sans the ridiculously drawn Naru faces. My favorite moments were the mortified reactions by Seishuu when a various member of the cast would do something out of the ordinary. He was often left confused or awestruck with more commonplace actions from the locals. The result is that Barakamon helps bridge the gap between a city-minded viewer and a country-minded one by slapping the two cultural opposites together into one package. Subsequently, this adds relatability to its repertoire, something that a Slice-of-Life thrives on. The charming humor places the viewer right in the center of the story, as an observant fly on the wall.

As someone who grew up in a very urban area, I can relate on a certain level to the foreignness that Seishuu experiences when first arriving in Goto. He’s an introvert, relying on his narrowed skill to speak for him rather than actually doing it himself. Everything is upended when he’s ripped out of his shell and planted in a rural setting, where conversing socially is a regularity. His interaction with the cast throughout the rest of the series is a beaming indicator of his true personality. Seishuu is actually quite immature, making his conversations with Naru and her younger friends natural. Naru helps him to emerge from his closed-off nature by placing him in some rather precarious scenarios along the way, much to Seishuu’s immediate objections. Each heartwarming scene that passes only strengthens the sense of relatability in our protagonist.

Naru is quite possibly the glue that holds Barakamon together. Her mannerisms, disposition and interactions with Seishuu and the rest of the cast radiate with innocence and likability. The best part? She’s voiced by an actual child. Kinema Citrus really did their homework when it came to assembling the seiyuu’s for Barakamon. Not only does the high-pitched, airy voice add to the realism, it also sounds more soothing to the ear instead of a forced inflection put on by an adult. Naru and the rest of the cast of kids act their age in this anime, instead of presenting the facade of a 13 year old mature enough to rule the world as in most anime out there today. They easily cry when upset, and they find joy and contentment in some of the most trivial activities. Their personalities were extraordinarily refreshing to see, adding some legitimacy along the way. One aspect of the cast one may find less than stellar is the character development. There really aren’t any defining examples of it anywhere outside of Seishuu. Despite this negative, I can’t say that it actually deterred from the anime in any way.

While the animators won’t win any awards for outstanding achievement in art, I can say that the style fit Barakamon very well. Flourishes of bright hues calm the viewers into an almost lucid, dreamlike state. Colors are slightly washed out, leaving the characters and their interactions to become the focal point of the anime. Some of the more comedic scenes involving a various roulette of character faces were downright hilarious, and I give full marks for creativity in that department. The character models are attractive, and the children are cute, with their oversized heads and lanky appendages.

From a sound perspective, I have little to no complaints. The OP, “Rashisa” is lively and works to tell a story of its own, showing the pesky Naru infiltrating Seishuu’s house and causing her usually adorable mischief. If you ever get a chance to download the full version of this song, it includes the infamous scene of the Goto villagers calling Seishuu after he makes his way back to the city. Let’s just say, it made a few tears well up in my eyes… The ED is equally as fitting, and offers a fluid wrap up of each of Barakamon’s 12 episodes. When present, the background themes are jolly and catchy, sprucing up the accompanied scene. This is one of the few anime I actually downloaded the OST for, though whether for nostalgia or quality reasons I’m really not sure. Lastly, is the outstanding performance of Barakamon’s cast of voice actors. Suzuko Hara is unequivocally charming as Naru, and her performance should serve as a beacon for other producers to follow when casting child roles in anime. The same could be said for Rina Endou (Hina), as she’s enjoyed continued fitting roles, like the lovable Tsumugi from Amaama to Inazuma.

Enjoyment, as subjective as it may be, is the one factor that keeps anime fans coming back for more. This is the primary reason why I weight it heavier than any other category when scoring a review. Barakamon was chocked full of endearing moments, and had one of the most lighthearted, engrossing atmospheres I’ve ever experienced in an anime. It just hit home for me on so many levels. Couple this with the well-crafted cast and corresponding soundtrack, and this anime becomes an instant classic. I think many viewers or critics come into Barakamon with preconceived notions of what it should be, and may come away unfulfilled. This anime doesn’t do much, but what it does do is done so subtly, yet brilliantly that it’s hard to put into words. I recommend this series to fans of anime like Usagi Drop, the aforementioned Amaama to Inazuma, or those who want an engrossing, feel-good show without high stakes or overthought plotlines. Thank you to all who took the time to read this review, and be sure to check out some of my other work!

Story-8
Art-9
Sound-9
Characters-8
Enjoyment-10
Overall-9.0

Attack on Titan has an unfortunate truth surrounding it. Critics and fanboys surmise their opinions, incessantly hurling them at each other in hopes of smothering people into submission. One thing not present enough with this anime is a middle ground. In Season 2 we saw a surprising 12 episodes, a missing producer and a far different plot direction. The question is, did these things work for or against the franchise, and is it still the same old AoT that millions of viewers addictively engulfed several years ago? I feel it’s time to address the elephant in the room and provide a brutally honest review of ... the anime, and stop populating MAL with reviews embellished with buzzworthy absolutes like “the show is shit” or “arguably the best written series of all time”.

DISCLAIMER- This is a very honest review. You’ve been warned.

Right off the bat, the viewers are thrown into the second season with one of the worst transitions I can remember. I actually went back and watched the final episode of Season 1 followed by the first of Season 2 and was blown away by how disjointed it flows. So many unanswered questions (the walls, what exactly happened to Annie, how Eren feels about the whole thing) filled the air that I honestly couldn’t keep up with them all. It was a complete trainwreck. Possibly part of the issue is due to some changes in staffing regarding the anime, but it’s evident something went wrong. In this season, the viewers experience some short, but detailed backstory on Connie, Sasha, Ymir and others. Unfortunately, with the evident time pressure, it detracted largely from the story. The pacing is lethargic, often focusing on key battle scenes in order to create the facade that the plot is moving forward. It’s extremely hard to tell how much time is elapsing between various events, and as the final episode concluded, to have waited 4 years for what we got is embarrassing.

Possibly the most glaring inadequacy is the truncated 12 episodes this season. In an anime with such a large cast as this, it really isn't enough time to get the job done. For the sake of metaphoric comparisons I could equate Attack on Titan’s short run time to my own high school reunion. In essence you have two hours to talk to about 50 people, and before you know it you've relinquished a bulk of your time catching up with one or two people. This results in a speedy greeting for the remainder, or you possibly not talking to them at all. This is precisely what the writers were forced to do with much of the anime’s cast. Characters like Levi and Armin make mere cameos, and the season spends most of its time progressing a short amount of actual story. The plot also suffers, as events can’t be properly explained within the amount of time 12 episodes allots.

WARNING- SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH

The one aspect I can’t forgive from a writing perspective is how sloppy the Bertolt and Reiner reveal was. Similar to some complaints I had about Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, it seemed to come so far out of left field that it felt reactionary. I understand the manga already contained this part of the story, but the appearance in the anime seemed sporadic and unexplained. It’s one thing to leave your audience questioning and on suspense, but another to come off as contrived or “simply doing things because the manga had it here in the timeline”. I felt much more surprised at Ymir’s titan introduction since I completely forgot she even existed. She was made to be a one-off character in my eyes, but as she transformed, her relationship with Krista and ghostly appearances all started to click. Bertolt and Reiner just doesn’t make sense to me. Hopefully, this gets cleaned up in Season 3 but it would’ve been a lot more cohesive without as much perceived randomness.

OKAY, NO MORE SPOILERS! YOU’RE SAFE NOW!

The more Attack on Titan progresses, the bigger issues I develop for Eren. In the anime’s infancy I thought Eren could become more than the trope he seems to currently be fitting. Ah, the revenge-blinded hero that will do anything to stop his foes… I can’t say I’ve ever heard of this before! He’s transforming into an angstier version of Kirito. Instead of just being the best at everything he does, Eren often gets beat, whines about it, recovers and then Leroy Jenkins’ his way back into combat again. There’s no internal dilemmas, no monologues about how he’s feeling (sans one instance in this seasons when everyone’s getting attacked at the end), just a vanilla-scripted MC. At least Mikasa maintains some enigmatic qualities by not continuously shooting her mouth off with an angry case of tourettes.

If there is one thing the producer got right, it’s the action. Attack on Titan features some of the best choreographed fight scenes in anime, and Season 2 dials up the gore to 11. The emotions of the characters in battle are raw and realistic, with each spurt of adrenaline properly conveyed to the viewer. However, by saying this I also acknowledge how much the series is lacking in almost every other facet. It’s becoming that flashy toy kids play with for 5 minutes until they realize it only does about one thing. There’s no thinking involved, the foreshadowing is haphazard or non-existent, and it’s really unfortunate to see. With the budget this franchise has, it could easily hold the same uniform public praise as a show like Game of Thrones. The animation, story and characters COULD ALL BE EXCELLENT. But alas, we are left with luke-warm excitement and thoughts of how it could be better.

I hope I’m not the only one that noticed the cringeworthy CGI involving the colossal titan during the 5th or 6th episode. Certainly an example of CG done wrong. However, while omitting this error, the anime’s art style seems relatively intact. The color palette still consists of opaque shades of brown, gray and green, with special attention given to character expressions and action scenes. The shots of a parade of Survey Corps members stampeding on horseback, or the ominous backdrop of roaming titans still launches AoT into a league of its own in the art direction category. Action scenes are fluid and suspenseful, and the gore is still as ubiquitous as the first season. I can only hope that as the series continues and media technology advances, the art directors stay true to their roots in this series, because a style that so accurately emulates its subject matter can be hard to come by.

The music is epic once again. Linked Horizon returns to delight us with their fanfarish ballad to open the anime. “Sasageyo, sasageyo!” The remaining OST is fitting and seeks to emphasize the emotion present within its corresponding scene. Though, I will admit that I didn’t get the same sense of urgency or fear the background music portrayed during some of the more chaotic instances in Season 1. Nothing extremely offputting, but noticeable nonetheless. AoT’s seiyuus continue to impress with their grit and raw, emotional talent. Yuki Kaji’s resounding screams as Eren are evidence of his talent, and Hiroshi Kamiya is always smug and serious as Levi. I can only imagine how much fun the actors had when making this series, in terms of being able to use their full abilities.

With any anime, my level of enjoyment is the most important factor when determining whether or not I’d recommend something. For the bulk of AoT fans, the second season will “partially” fill the void that the last 4 years since the anime’s debut has left. For some of you, possibly the more analytical types, the flaws begin to pile up. An extremely short runtime, half-assed character development and transition issues from the first season all work against AoT in this installment. Personally I enjoy the series, the world it exists in and the action, but Studio Wit is going to have to give the next season a much better effort if it wants to ensure its fans stay hungry for more, and have a more consistent adaptation schedule. Delaying one of the most popular anime in history for the trainwreck (pun intended) Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress in 2016 isn’t a good place to start. AoT always gets my blood pumping with its suspense and enthralling fight scenes, but can it keep the consistency? Hopefully Season 2 is not a precursor for things to come...

Story-3
Characters-4
Art-8
Sound-10
Enjoyment-7
Overall-6.0

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past century, it’s no secret how perverse the Japanese culture can be sometimes, mainly in the medium of anime. Writers and producers litter their animations with heavily endowed females, ecchi harems bordering on hentai and lewd jokes about a ten-year-old’s panties. Anime like High School DXD and Masou Gakuen HXH continue to push the boundary of what is acceptable to show to its viewers, and I’ve been partly responsible at times myself of indulging in this trashy, sexual fanservice. However, with A-1 Studio’s 2017 release of Eromanga Sensei, I’ve officially hit a tipping point in my ... opinions of what is right and wrong. The series exhausts every effort to forcefully suggest an “incestuous” relationship between a teenager and his stepsister. What results is one of the most disgusting, tasteless works of fiction ever produced. It's a show that’s harrowing to my own morality, and whose influence could degrade the already thinning strand of legitimacy the anime industry has left.

As soon as Eromanga Sensei begins, evidence of the writer’s true intentions come to light. Masamune, our main protagonist, lives with his mother, and Sagiri, the blushing lolli, lives with her father. Magically the pair’s parents become romantically involved and eventually make the decision to live together. Thus, their dramatic introduction begins, leading to the intended incest theme. Sagiri appears from behind her father’s back, timid and radiating with a brilliant light of angelic proportions. Masamune locks eyes with her and is immediately overcome with romantic intentions. It’s naturally what every 13 year old does when meeting their preteen stepsister for the first time...amirite? Apparently the manga’s writer Tsukasa Fushimi had a previous work in which he tried to force the ACTUAL brother and sister to be in a relationship, only to have the idea not get greenlighted for obvious ethical reasons. Hell, I guess even some of Japan has a moral conscience.

Fast-forward a few years to the devastating yet convenient turn of events in which the two parents perish in an undetailed car accident and Masamune and Sagiri are forced to live with each other. Naturally Sagiri locks herself in her room, forcing her “brother” to answer to her every beck and call. Masamune is an aspiring manga author who works with an anonymous erotic manga artist in hopes of someday hitting it big in the industry. However, while anxiously viewing one of his masked partner’s live streams, Masamune accidentally discovers that Eromanga-Sensei’s true identity is that of his own sister Sagiri...

THE PLOT THICKENS.

The rest of the anime is rather generic from a plot perspective. Sagiri and Masamune are secretly attracted to each other, however neither of them admit their infatuation due to a plethora of awkward misunderstandings. More female characters enter the fray, further clouding Masamune’s perception of love, and at the end of it all we as viewers are left with nothing more than a shell of a stereotypical romantic comedy. There’s just one catch. It isn’t the overall plot structure that bothers me about Eromanga Sensei. It isn’t the apparent reality that every teenager in Japan is a manga author. It isn’t even the vanilla or recycled characters omnipresent in seemingly every facet of the series. What incessantly infuriates me about this anime is the shameless amount of forced sexual topics and fanservice shoved down my throat around every turn. I’m not by any stretch of the imagination an ecchi fan, but at least most of them have the decency to shy away from the taboo of lolita porn. Scattered shots of some rather private scenes involving Sagiri or other pre-teen girls, either blatant or subtle leave a disgusting taste in my mouth. Added to this are countless suggestive panty shots, only fueling the stigma many already possess related to the anime industry. Not to mention the mention the random expletive from a twelve year old about liking penises. Is the industry even trying anymore?

All of the fanservice aside, the aspect of Eromanga Sensei I found most unnerving is the suggested incestuous relationship between Masamune and Sagiri. Countless anime before it have alluded to or even explored the romantic sibling complex (Koi Kaze, OreImo, No Game No Life), but Fushimi’s methods in Eromanga are so sloppy and pathetic it’s embarrassing. There is no “relationship” between the two main characters. It’s as if they are actors dropped into an improv scene with pre-assigned roles. “Oh, this is when I’m supposed to blush when he says something!” or “Oh, I better internal monologue about my sister now”. It all reeks of contrivance and agenda. At least OreImo seemed more realistic in its relationship development. And when are we going to draw the line with what is acceptable to release in an anime? Shock value scenes with large breasts and convenient erotic shots are desensitizing and generally understood to be exaggeratory. However, showcasing more personal themes like incest to such an impressional target audience can actually have long-lasting effects with their ability to discern what is moral and acceptable.

SPOILER ALERT- It’s not normal to want to have sex with your brother or sister.

I digress.

Fushimi’s creation of Masamune was flawed in how he appears to just “exist” without really creating much opportunity for relatability. The feelings for his sister are never really internalized or matured, but instead seem to exist from the moment he meets her. For the rest of the anime, viewers are now transfixed on what taboo thought or emotion Masamune will have for Sagiri and couldn’t care less about him as a person. His manga author career serves as nothing more than a vessel to exploit his relationship and complicate things as more loli’s are introduced. It’s cringeworthy characterization at best. In essence, Masamune is just a plot device for the underlying themes of the show. Well done sir, you created one of the most boring characters in anime history.

Sagiri is the most forgivable character in Eromanga Sensei. She’s young, so in a way, she has an excuse for acting the way she does in terms of isolationism when her father passes away. Her interpretation of what an acceptable relationship is could also be skewed due to her young age, which is why she has strange feelings for her brother. Unfortunately, this does far less than make her an interesting character. At times, she can be really frustrating because of how irrational her behavior can be and it doesn’t help her build a strong likability case. Elf is cute, annoying, and is the tsundere trope in a nutshell. Another plot device with pre-installed emotions and perogatives. The rest of the cast does far from marvel, consisting of a gaggle of uninspired and forgettable personalities. Character development does little to nothing in justifying the existence of such a tasteless anime.

Animation wise, Eromanga is what you would expect from an anime in 2017. Flashy, bright hues accompany each scene, with a plethora of cutesy blushing character models to boot. Each character was constructed with individuality in mind, so their appearance is unique and eye-catching. It’s a shame more couldn’t have been done in the art department to overshadow the supreme lack of depth in the characters themselves. And as attractive as the models looked, it wasn’t enough to salvage the eventual trainwreck bestowed upon them by Fushimi’s writing.

The music in Eromanga Sensei was playful and fun, ad nauseum. Whether it was the seemingly innocent and bubbly OP, or the adorable ED sequence of Sagiri dancing in front of a laundry machine, the cute factor was never dialed down from 11. The rest of the OST fit in well with the scenes as much as I hate to say it, I really can’t fault the sound designers here. Voice acting was also believable and well cast.

As I descend from my soapbox, I’ll leave you with this. Eromanga Sensei is not a “quality” anime. It may be disguised with endearing female characters and a relationship portrayed as innocent or normal, but when you brush off the surface you’ll find nothing more than a lewd and often inappropriately centered series. I wouldn’t even recommend it to someone that I know would like it, because at some point the spread of immoral content has to stop. Fans of shows like this are what gives the anime industry a negative light in mainstream media. Maybe when we start to take the medium serious and stop promoting crap like this, more skilled writers and producers will be drawn to it. Honestly, I’m embarrassed as an anime fan that a show like Eromanga Sensei even exists. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to check out my other reviews!

Story- 1
Characters- 1
Art- 7
Sound- 3
Enjoyment-1
Overall- 1.8

“Winning is about trampling over corpses… It's not something beautiful. It's brutal. If you want to make it to the top- Steel yourselves.”

I'll admit I may be one of the only sports fans who doesn't care for baseball. Knowing this, the mention of a baseball-centered anime “One Outs” did anything but grab my attention. However, through many friend recommendations and some quoted similarities to the suspenseful Kaiji series, I was ultimately drawn to it. Does it live up to its ranking inside the top 150 rated anime on all of MAL, or does it drown in its own hype?

The first thing I noticed about One ... Outs is that it was produced by Madhouse, one of my all time favorite anime studios. The 2000’s were some of their best years, so it's unfortunate but understandable that shows like this and RAINBOW were overlooked by the masses. We are introduced to the series with a description of the prestige regarding one of Japan’s greatest baseball players, Hiromichi Kojima. While training for the upcoming season, Kojima uncovers an underground gambling game infamously labeled “One Outs”, betting a single pitcher against a respective batter. It is here that Kojima meets the smug-faced Tokuchi Toua and his illustrious baseball career is transformed forever.

I wouldn't say there's much there as far as story is concerned. There's more or less 4 mini-excerpts involving Tokuchi’s introduction, and 3 game series between the Lycaon’s (Tokuchi’s team) and other teams in the Japanese minor league. In each of the mini-arcs, Tokuchi’s mental prowess is showcased as he seeks to outwit the opposing team almost entirely by himself. There's one catch though. As a pitcher, Tokuchi is bound to a secretive contract developed by the owner of the Lycaons. Each out he gets earns him 5 million yen, while each run scored while he's on the mound costs him 50. Is his intellect and swagger enough to keep him afloat? With all the sinister tactics and tricks up his opponent’s sleeves, One Outs lets a simple sport like baseball transcend into a chess match between the minds.

Tokuchi as a protagonist is undeniably refreshing, as he breaks the mold in almost every way possible. He's cutthroat, appears to not give a shit 90% of the time and is leagues above his competition in intelligence. The best part is the stark level of confidence he displays at every waking turn. Effortlessly outsmarting his foes into a stupor of shame and disbelief. He's living by the catchphrase of the anime: “Nobody wins but I!” Tokuchi’s focus on winning isn't always overtly expressed. I can't begin to mention the amount of times where he appeared lackadaisical, while the whole time plotting the enemy’s demise. For fans of Kaiji’s character, Tokuchi is almost a polar opposite archetype. To be honest, the two anime are almost completely different in terms of their approach to winning, but both somehow achieve a similar level of suspense that keeps you constantly pressing the button for the next episode.

As outlandish and unpredictable as Tokuchi’s schemes sometimes appeared, I never had the thought “there’s no way that would work!” Every strategy fabricated in the anime has a sense of plausibility in it. Unfortunately, the repeated successes Tokuchi reaped only highlighted how dumb everyone else on his team was. There were countless instances where Tokuchi even exploited it by not coming forward with his plan and instead called everyone an idiot. It's like the writers were saying, “look at dumb the Lycaon’s are, but look at how smart Tokuchi is!” I mean, even the blind mouse finds the cheese every once in awhile. At least toward the end of the series, Kojima and even the catcher Ideguchi began to sign on to Tokuchi’s way of thinking. I would argue that almost every other character on the show is irrelevant because of how character driven the anime appears to be. Tokuchi Toua makes or breaks the anime.

The only disappointing factor for me in One Outs was the lack of “high stakes” mind games. Unlike Kaiji where literally every game is life and death, this anime only encompassed a few series of baseball games during the regular season. Even the curveballs (pun intended) the owner tries to throw our protagonist’s way are easily thwarted without any real sense of urgency on his behalf. I would've rather seen the mind games take place in the playoffs or for a more “life-threatening” cause. In the end, the sheer amount of aha! moments and badass Tokuchi escapades made One Outs quite worthwhile.

The animation isn't the most flashy thing you'll see out of Madhouse, but given it’s almost 10 years old at this point, it holds up decent enough. The character models aren't my favorite, but the artists did a fine job making each one distinguishable enough from the next, given this is a sports anime where there's a large cast and plenty of room to blend some faces together. The action animation was also quite detailed. Whether through the illustration of the American runner Johnson’s spellbinding speed, or the dark moments when Tokuchi was dissecting his opponent’s brain, I was entertained by the animation throughout.

The OP isn't one to remember. Nothing like the soothing, grainy cliche 2000’s rock singer voice against the backdrop of our main protagonist shirtless and posing for the camera. Lol, wtf? I prefer when either the song matches the ambience or the theme of the show, and not some mishmash of genres just to appease certain demographics. At least that hair raising Deadman Wonderland OP actually tied into the anime somewhat. The ED is much more fitting, though nothing noteworthy enough to play through each episode. The background music is simplistic but effective. I actually liked the flow of the music into each scene as well. Masoto Hagiwara has a brilliant performance as Tokuchi, cementing him as one of my personal favorite voice actors.

As mentioned before, I thoroughly enjoyed One Outs, and I would rank it up as a pleasant surprise in the medium. It's certainly not talked about as much as it should be, given its similarities to Kaiji and the fact that it's a sports anime. However, unlike other sports anime such as Haikyuu or Ping Pong, One Outs focuses almost solely on one character. If you don't care for Tokuchi’s arrogance or conceited nature, One Outs may not be the anime for you. If you like a main protagonist out of the norm, and an intellectual game of tricks and twists, then I give it the fullest of recommendations. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to check out my other reviews!

OVERALL- 7.5

Knights, clerics, elves, dwarves and dragons occupy some of our biggest inner-nerd imaginations. Some of my fondest memories were playing old school dungeon-crawler video games on the PC, and interacting with this type of fantasy lore. Lord of the Rings, Willow and the Chronicles of Narnia all come to mind when reminiscing of some of my favorite fictional fantasies, and there’s plenty of anime out there that scratch the itch. Legendary anime studio Madhouse attempted to tackle Record of Lodoss War in the early 90’s, a time when fantasy novels and movies were undoubtedly on the rise. It has a palpable Dungeons and Dragons feel, ... and is nostalgic of those all-nighters with friends, chugging our Mountain Dews and munching on Doritos while rolling the 20-sided die one more time. Unfortunately Lodoss is plagued with a sense of “generic” that’ll have you thirsting for more depth… which’ll sadly never come. Coupled with some of the most inconsistent English voice acting I’ve ever heard, it’ll be an anime you’ll probably forget soon after watching it.

My biggest complaint about Lodoss is that it wasn’t given the proper amount of episodes to expand its story properly. It has such an engrossing atmosphere and massive worldbuilding potential that is squandered terribly due to a lack of time investment. What we’re left with is a marginalized “good vs. evil” approach, thinning the cast of characters to generic protagonists and antagonists. A series with this much imagination needs the proper nurturing to ensure success, and 26 episodes would’ve given it more of a fighting chance. On top of that, they decided to drop the viewers into the middle of what is chronologically after the 5th episode… only leading to the confusion. I don’t know if different mediums of media were trying this reverse storytelling at the time, but it was entirely unnecessary and only confused the hell out of me, and I’m assuming a lot of other people.

You follow Parn (yep, sounds like porn) and his stereotypical group of fellow travelers (a cleric, wizard, elf, dwarf and thief) as they seek to prevent the destruction of the planet by baddies that want to control the universe. Sound intriguing? Well, I can assure you that this is the Dynasty Warriors button masher of plots. Considering the source material is actually written to emulate a D&D experience, the dungeon master must’ve been rather disappointing. The main character transforms from useless fodder to going toe for toe with the most powerful foe on Lodoss (which has definitely never happened in an anime before), all in the course of like 5 episodes. There's a loose backstory referencing his father and restoring his family’s honor, but it’s unconvincing at best. Generic quotes like “I'll get you!” and “you're no match for me!” resonate from his vocabulary on occasion, and you sense there isn't much there are on his intellectual level. Parn’s childhood friend Etoh, the with perhaps the worst English voice actor of all time, accompanies him as a sworn companion.

Deedlit, a high elf and Parn’s hinted love interest, is a princess that randomly decides to join the adventure. Given the fact that she’s actually of royalty, she naturally drops everything to answer the underlying question of what is happening to her people. And honestly, the rest of the main pack is irrelevant. A gaggle of genericized fantasy tropes, which doesn’t create the best selling point. The most interesting character in the entire series is Ashram, a knight who seeks the highest power, but has some serious self-identification and reflecting to do in the process. He’s initially perceived as a villain, but can actually draw some empathy and understanding as the series elapses.

In addition to being a relatively generic series, Lodoss is littered with bits of randomness along the way. Although the “potential” romantic relationship between Parn and Deedlit never actually develops, there are plenty of awkward exchanges or long stares that force the viewer into thinking there’s something there. I’m just not buying it, there’s almost no chemistry between the two. Not to mention the interest fellow traveler Shiris (the girl with the berserker friend) has in Parn…. something that's awkwardly left by the wayside. There's also the evil witch Carla, with perhaps the most unassuming name in anime villainy existence, and another dark elf that sporadically falls for Ashram along the way. The more I get frustrated with the lack of finesse in writing, the more I realize what the anime was modeled after: a D&D quest. Speaking from experience, the element of randomness doesn’t even scratch the surface of the ridiculous stuff me and my friends used to come up with when we played. So…. I guess there’s that.

Sometimes I don’t consider it fair to criticize animation from the 90’s or earlier, because it’s merely a sign of the times. In Lodoss’ case, the art style isn’t necessarily my cup of tea but it’s consistent with the art out at the time in terms of quality. From what I remember reading, the studio actually utilized a sizable budget in order to get exactly what they were looking for in terms of emulating various fantasy elements and characters. Some of the fight scenes are actually quite fluid as well, something that earlier anime had issues with. No choppiness or quality drop during the heavier action sequences, something I can really appreciate. Especially when you consider the issues modern day anime have with frame drops and inconsistent animation, likely without any legitimate excuse.

Did I mention how bad the voice acting is? Central Park Media, a NYC based company took the reigns dubbing Lodoss. It was clear they had no idea what they were doing. Some acting is decent, but others are absolutely atrocious. It’s almost as though when the producers signed off on it they were doing more of a “screw it”, knowing they’d be out of a job anyway. If you’re a fan of dubs due to convenience, I strongly suggest you watch the Japanese version or avoid it altogether. It’s THAT bad. Performances like this employs hopefulness for my future seiyuu career… I digress.

The rest of the music is slightly unfitting, but about what I expect from an early 90’s series. Anime was largely in a learning period, starkly evident by the slow female ballads present in their OPs. For a show so focused on action and fantasy elements, the OP just...doesn’t work. As a standalone track it’s quite present, reminiscent of “Fly Me to the Moon” from NGE, but not an anime fit. The background tracks depict the genre much better. They’re full of orchestral life, and build crescendos left and right.

As much as I disliked certain aspects of Lodoss, I enjoyed it overall. However, one must understand that most of my enjoyment comes from a mix of nostalgia and relatability. I was a HUGE nerd in my high school days, so Lodoss speaks to me in some ways other anime cannot. On the other hand, it’s leaps and bounds from being “good” by any normal definition. Perhaps I would’ve enjoyed it more if I had watched the Japanese dub vice the English, but a generic plot, short run time and forced romance all work to cripple Lodoss, dooming it from the start. I would recommend this series to fans of other fantasy anime or earlier shows, or those just looking for something different. As always, thanks for reading!

For as long as human history goes on, the past will continue to accumulate. History isn’t just records of the past. It’s also proof that civilization has continued to advance to the present. Our present civilization is the result of our past.” -Yang Wenli

You know that really good friend of yours that moved away because their dad got a better job in umpteesquat town? That’s how I feel right now. After finishing the Lord and Savior of anime itself, it’s as though a legitimate part of me was ripped out in front of my eyes. I don’t know how many times I attempted to start ... this review, and stopped due to the inability to get my full thoughts on paper. Legend of the Galactic Heroes is not just an anime, it transcends every genre it’s defined by. It’s more than science fiction, more than a political drama and its intellectual weight dwarfs other shows like Serial Experiments Lain, Paranoia Agent and Neon Genesis Evangelion combined. It showcases two of the most dynamic characters in fictional history with Yang and Reinhard, and its pacing exists as a subliminal crescendo, all up to the final episode… possibly the greatest episode of all. As so many have said before me, Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the pinnacle of entertainment as we know it.

NOTE: I will attempt to keep this review as spoiler free as possible. To those who want to discuss the show in more depth, feel free to PM me!

At its beginning, LotGH appears to be a classic good versus evil epic. The revered, yet unassuming historian Yang Wenli is everything you want a main protagonist to be: likable, reserved and highly intelligent. Meanwhile Reinhard von Lohengramm, the “Blonde Brat” as he’s referred to by his adversaries, is a military minded genius who will stop at nothing to become the greatest leader in all the galaxy. However, these stereotypes are easily debunked as more of the character’s backstories and motives are explored, launching the series into a tangled web of empathy and thoughts of making “Team Yang” or “Team Reinhard” shirts to wear while debating with your fellow weeaboo friends about who’s better. Yoshiki Tanaka’s crafting of these characters was on par with some of the greatest authors of our time. And for Studio Artland to actually adapt the novels as well as they did, speaks volumes for the anime industry of the 80’s and 90’s as a whole.

The worldbuilding in LotGH is magnificent. There are some other anime that have attempted to tackle politics in a fictional setting (Planetes, Code Geass), but the way they’re handled here is as effortless as you could get. Rather than take 5 minutes to internal monologue about why things are the way they are (like in more present day anime), LotGH SHOWS you what makes the world tick through character interactions and atmospheric scenery. It’s really a shame how dumbed down anime has become over the years, when studios feel the need to pander to the lowest common denominator. You truly feel like a fly on the wall, seemingly dropped into the middle of this 150 year space war between the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Association. The dialogue is often loquacious, but purposeful, and the script contains some of the greatest quotes I’ve ever encountered in books, movies or any artistic media.

It is true that certain parts of LotGH can seem dry or slow. In a time when anime viewers are endlessly barraged with a slew of exaggerated action scenes and fanservice, our attention span has greatly diminished into that of a goldfish, myself included. This is a necessary evil given the approach to its subject matter. Countless similar series have handled massive battles and politics with a sense of urgency or raucous melodrama. LotGH takes a more realistic approach to the conduct of war, and I had some serious respect for that. With a genre that can be so mindless, the production staff and writers actually went the extra mile to make character’s actions believable and intriguing. However, it’s only natural with an anime of this size that there are some less interesting moments. Monster has some boring episodes, Hunter X Hunter has some too. That’s not to say any of it is “filler” by standard definition… just less action or weighty scenarios than other episodes. Despite this potential opinion, the pacing remains flawless for such a robust series. Over the entire course of its 110 episode run, I couldn’t think of a single “bad” segment. Even if I didn’t understand the episode or character interaction at the time, nothing in LotGH is without meaning.

With an enormous and diverse cast rivaling the acclaimed Game of Thrones, there is someone for any personality type to grow attached to. Yang, Reinhard, Kircheis, Reuenthal, Oberstein, Dusty, Julian, Schonkopf, Mittermeyer will become household names. Each have their own passions, desires, morals and motives, crafting a remarkable synergy amongst them. And similarly to the aforementioned series, no one is safe in LotGH. Many manly tears were shed over the course of the series, a tribute to the mastery of character development exhibited by the writers and Tanaka himself. It has been said that this is actually the largest cast of characters in anime history, but even with that said I never seemed to get confused of which character was which as I have in other smaller series (Joker Game etc). So many of the characters receive development that it's hard to say which of them were actually “main” characters. They all seemed to play an integral part to the over arcing story. Not since Monster have I grown so attached to side characters (bless you Wolfgang Grimmer!) that I often ached for more of their screentime.

As mentioned in the worldbuilding paragraph, the atmosphere and themes are basically tangible entities. Everything feels so authentic that it’s hard to believe the entire galaxy was conceived by mere pen and paper. Aside from the major players in the galactic space conquest (Empire/FPA), there are few rogue or radical organizations around to further stir the pot. Evangelical religion is covered through the existence of the Terraist church, and the Dominion of Fezzan exists as a relatively neutral region facilitating trade between the two main foes. Pseudo-terrorism is present through the display of the Patriotic Knight Corp’s power and there also exists a royal lineage in which Reinhard plans to disrupt. With the sheer number of players and moving parts in LotGH’s setting, it made predicting the next plot twist nearly impossible. Freedom, peace, corruption, loyalty, betrayal and justice all come to a head in the series at some point, leaving a pondering point at the end of almost any episode’s conclusion.

Something I also learned from watching this is how much more involved I become in an anime when the majority of the cast is older. Over the years we've grown accustomed to 14 or 15-year-olds doing fantastic things: solving world issues, competing at the highest level in combat and having the intellect of a worldly Sage. While all of this only seeks to pander to the target audience, I feel that having older characters adds credibility to the plot the other anime just can't bolster. Furthering this opinion is the realization that even strategic masterminds like Reinhard and Yang can make mistakes. The length of LotGH gives the writers the freedom to fully explore both the successes and failures of the two protagonists. In doing so, the viewers uncover an even larger piece of their characterization, another strength of the series.

Another piece of the anime that some may find offputting is the dated artstyle. Considering it’s almost 30 years old now, I can cut the flak and give it the benefit of the doubt. Honestly, I have a much bigger problem with modern anime that have sloppy animation because it’s what many studios pride themselves on nowadays. LotGH is not meant to be laden with captivating animation, it’s meant to engage its viewers on a more mental level. I personally see this as a strength of sorts, since it becomes a less distracting portion of the anime. I can concentrate more on the situations and motives behind the characters, and less about the accuracy of a certain explosion. At the end of the day, we all like to be entertained, and LotGH is certainly not “badly” animated. It’s just showing its age in 2017. Some of you may even grow attached to the artstyle due to the more realistic character models.

The soundtrack is exceptional. Though certainly not for everyone, the classical backdrop accompanied the space opera well. After all, there’s nothing better than watching an enormous battleship go down in flames to the tune of a little Bach. That’s some magical stuff. Due to the unoriginal score, it allowed the tracks to be evenly used and distributed throughout the episodes, creating a score that rarely ever duplicates itself. I recently downloaded the OST in order to help me study for school, since there’s rarely any vocals… and I’ve heard classical music helps you retain information better :D The OP’s and ED’s all emphasized the ebb and flow of the series, though I’ll admit I often skipped them because I was so focused on the anime itself. Over 300 seiyuu’s took part in the 110 episode epic, and the quality is readily apparent. Ryo Horikawa’s role of Reinhard is second only to his portrayal of Vegeta, and the veteran Norio Wakamoto (Cell, Nichijou’s narrator) did an excellent job voicing Reuenthal.

So if you haven’t figured it out by now, I absolutely loved LotGH. With an outstanding cast, a meticulous script and some of the best thematic exploration you’ll ever see in entertainment, there aren’t many anime that could fill its shoes. I highly recommend (as it was to me) that you watch two of the three prequels (My Conquest is the Sea of Stars and Overture to a New War) before digesting this behemoth. They expound upon Yang and Reinhard’s backstories more, and offer a better interpretation of their rise to fame in the galaxy war. The third prequel, Golden Wings wasn’t produced by Artland and Madhouse, and thus should be avoided at all costs. There’s also a few other spin-offs to enjoy after finishing the main series in which I will watch after my current memory of the series begins to lapse.

The biggest problem of the entire series? Easy, when it’s over. As well executed as the ending is in LotGH, it’s a tough act to follow. There are few anime I’ve heard no one complain about, and this is certainly one of them. Those who actually give it the chance it deserves will leave as a withered heap of their previous self. The series had such an impact on me that I considering quitting anime altogether after I finished it. I thought, there can’t be anything better than that eh? (until I remembered I haven’t seen FMA yet…) I would seriously recommend LotGH to anyone. Tell your anime friends, your parents, your mailman and even your grandparents about it. Take the time and watch it, but please don’t watch it until you have 100+ anime under your belt. I say this both to put things in the industry in perspective, and to help you appreciate its greatness more. If the first meal you ate was filet mignon, and it was the only one left on the planet, there wouldn’t be a passion for eating good food anymore. For now, I’ll attempt to march on and allow LotGH to serve as a constant reminder of how great this medium can be, and how much more that can still be done. Anime is a special thing that we tend to take for granted from time to time, which is really a shame. Maybe if more series with the quality and depth of this ever come around again, the mainstream media will begin to take anime seriously.

After all, Legend of the Galactic Heroes proves there’s got to be more to anime than cat ears, J-Pop and waifu pillows… amirite?

Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll to watch this and thanks to all for reading!

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid- Making Anime Fun Again

Remember when anime was pure, unadulterated fun? Racing home as if on a quest to save a dying loved one, plopping your giddy ass on the sofa and turning on your favorite after-school cartoon? Nowadays, myself included, people get ignorantly pretentious and critical when it comes to anime… most likely due to the accessibility of other’s opinions on the internet (you’re guilty MAL!). But what happened to the days when you could share a bond with another over some good, old fashioned Chinese cartoons? God forbid you meet some dragon t-shirted, fedora wearing pleb that only cares for ... mainstream shounen... whilst peddling Magic Cards out of his mom's basement. Sometimes even I fall into an over-analytical stupor and forget what makes anime so damn entrancing and fun to watch.

The undeniably successful Studio KyoAni’s 2017 release of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is a breath of fresh air in a barrage of unoriginality and criticality. It’s endearing, cute, charming and hilarious, and most of all is that it doesn’t rely on “2deep4u” plot lines or edgy characters to become a hit. It’s an anime that breathes nostalgia for me, crafting a diverse, likable cast that has one character for everyone to enjoy and although ramps down, never gets stale. Of course Kobayashi isn’t perfect, but moreso perfectly imperfect. Accompanied by an outstanding script and stunning, extravagant visuals, KyoAni smashes the target of a true feel-good anime, leaving self-proclaimed pundits with little ground left to criticize.

When it comes to story, sometimes simple is best. Nothing in Dragon Maid seems contrived, but moreso plays out like a situational comedy. The story is straightforward:

-A shut-in girl (Kobayashi) gets drunk and accidentally makes a deal with a dragon concealing herself under the masquerade of graciously endowed maid. (Tohru)

-Tohru and Kobayashi take in an adorable loli dragon, Kanna.

-The three of them (and some of Tohru’s mythical adversaries) live out the seasons in an episodic, heartwarming anime that’ll be sure to make you smile.

The writing in Dragon Maid is the pillar of the entire anime. As previously mentioned, the simple structure of everything helps add to the endearing, carefree atmosphere that the show contains. Whether it’s a scene about cooking or a candid beach/Christmas episode, the script is constructed in the most efficient manner possible. There is an array of characters from Tohru’s mysterious homeland deriving from mythology. There’s Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of learning and self-reflection, as well as the Norse referenced Fafnir, who was cursed and turned into a dragon. Seeing these fictional personalities personified and placed into ordinary scenarios like playing video games… most specifically the scene where Fafnir was playing the Dark Souls-esque dungeon crawler.

The comedy is often slapstick or quick-witted, emphasizing the quirky nature of Tohru and her friends. Jokes are subtly slipped into scenes without being corny or abundant, and there more than a few historical and pop culture references thrown in to liven things up as well. It reminds me of a less overblown version of Nichijou (thank you KyoAni!). Above all other aspects of the writing, Dragon Maid has a unique tendency to make me feel just, comfortable. Whether it was the family bond that Kobayashi, Tohru and Kanna emulated or the cozy scenes where they just wanted to sit around and watch tv, I truly felt at home with these “peculiar” characters. I certainly didn’t expect such a simple show to hit my nostalgia buttons.

As with any show, there were some aspects I didn’t care for, or that could’ve been done better. There was a lingering yuri theme present between Kobayashi and Tohru that acrobatically teetered between friendship and something more. I’m not sure if I’m the only one that noticed this, but I can’t say it was entirely necessary. Echoing this opinion was the relationship between Quetzalcoatl and her “master”. Fanservice is one thing, but her intrusive nature and suggestive sexuality was starkly convergent to the atmosphere present in the rest of the show. Lastly, the charm of Dragon Maid can tend to wear off over the length of the show, so I’d recommend watching the anime in stages to prevent this.

Kobayashi is a 9-5’er; a twenty-something introvert who takes out her aggressions from her job over a beer or twelve at night. She’s what most of us in that age bracket don’t care to admit that we are. Tohru is a self-proclaimed servant, attempting to erase her past and start a more peaceful life on Earth. Tohru and Kobayashi both developed significantly throughout the series, and played off each other very well. Most importantly is that the writers did this without making it the focus of the anime. Kanna is truly the cutest thing in existence, and everyone knows it… and Fafnir’s deep hatred for the human race slowly dissolved the more time he spent around them. The slow addition of side characters, and their mythological influence was reminiscent of The Devil is a Part Timer, only done significantly better.

KyoAni nailed it again when it came to animation. Colors are vibrant and lively, with Tohru’s eyes set ablaze with a mix of red and orange hues. Although not “technically” superior to shows like Hyouka, Dragon Maid’s art style takes on a life of its own. The character models are all so original and inviting, and the action scenes were a joy to watch. More similarities were present with Nichijou, especially Kobayashi’s “dead fish” eyes, and the sporadic expressions on various character’s faces. Beautiful work for sure.

The OP is one of the most jolly, alluring OPs I’ve ever come across, both due to the upbeat music and flawless animation. It tells its own story, one of innocent fun and excitement. I definitely put it on my phone already :P The ED is just as good, and acts as the punctuation at the end of each episode. I don’t always listen to the ED all the way through, but I made an exception for this anime. I also enjoyed hearing the variety of tracks in the OST… with its overall cheeky tones and beats. The voice acting is superb, especially considering most of the cast is relatively unknown. Some of the better performances coming from Kobayashi and Tohru themselves.

I enjoyed the hell out of this anime. The simplicity, coupled with the characters and overall coziness make a show I won't soon forget. I prefaced my review with a paragraph discounting criticality for a reason. Go into Dragon Maid to relax and have fun, nothing else. It's not intellectually stimulating, there's no abstract symbolism and there's no unnecessary ecchi moments. Enjoy it for what it is. I'd recommend this to fans of other heartwarming shows like Barakamon or Usagi drop, or fellow KyoAni-ites. They really surprised a lot of people with this show, and I'm certainly happy that I watched it. Thanks for reading!