Back to vaporweeb's Profile vaporweeb's Profile

This is a boring anime, yes, BUT as someone who has been addicted to Arknights for the last 6 months it felt very cool to watch an anime adaptation. I've never been part of the source material for a video game anime before. I think. Anyways yeah if you really like playing Arknights I would recommend this, otherwise you can skip it. I hope new episodes are a little less serious and show us more of operations at Rhodes Island and the characters interacting in normal ways, I think that would be nice. The characters are here and it's not like they have no personality, ... but they could use a little more. The art style is a little depressing but in a cool way. The story in the game is kind of boring to me and I hoped the anime would be more engaging but it really wasn't, at least so far.

It's more Kakegurui, so if you like the show you will probably like this too. Not quite as good as the original, I think Yumeko is a stronger character than Mary, but at least Mary isn't a clone of Yumeko. I think Kakegurui XX's games were a little too convoluted for the show's good. The fun of the show is having really simple games but then the characters unravel the complex ways their opponents rig or cheat them in order to gain an edge. Twin definitely returns to more of this original feeling and the games themselves are easy to follow.

Side notes, the OP is ... excellent and the English dub is pretty good. I watched half subs half dubs and while the Japanese voices are better I prefer watching the English dub.

Overall I have no real complaints other than Twin is REALLY short. Worth watching!

So incredibly creative and fun, and at the perfect length at 12 episodes. People generally point to Shirobako as "the anime about making anime" but personally, Eizouken is more my speed.

Each episode brings in a new element of the creative process while also highlighting the character's contributions to the project in a way that makes it so satisfying to see it all come together and also see their improvement over the course of the show.

Also I really appreciate the inclusion of Sayaka's character on a personal level. I'm no good at traditional art forms like drawing or music but I still think of myself as ... an artist that's capable of contributing towards creative projects. Similarly, Sayaka can't animate or draw or compose music, but she plays a vital role in the group in addition to being a good friend.

So very tragic about the author's passing. The story leaves off just when you want more, but there are worse points it could have ended on.

I'm a huge fan of torture movies and stories about death games, so this really was perfect for me. It has those really methodical moments that I love from series like Kaiji, punctuated by horrifically creative scenes of torture, drawn to life in such a vivid way that you can't look away.

I'm very ADHD about reading in general, so it's hard to get me hooked on a manga, but this is one of those where I couldn't put it down ... until I was done after just the first chapter. If you're at all a fan of gambling/death game anime/manga or have a sickening curiosity about medieval torture then you absolutely should read this.

I'm in the minority here, but I think Kaiji 2: Ultimate Survivor is BETTER than the first season, Against All Rules. Although I enjoy each for different reasons.

In the second season, we see our titular protag start off in an even worse state than the first season: working in a slave labor camp underground, where his wages are less than a convenience store job above ground, yet the work is must more grueling and deadly.

// MILD SPOILERS //

Kaiji can barely keep himself out of debt from the allure of a cold beer on payday, much less from actually gambling. So when he does ... catch a break and make it out of the labor camp, back to the surface for a limited amount of days, in an attempt to gamble enough money to secure his (and his friend's) freedom, I felt that weight. When days would be wasted, when money was wasted, when he had to borrow from more and more people, putting more and more people at risk of going straight back down to hell if he lost, I FELT that, way more than I felt the risks from the first season. I can't really imagine losing a limb or even dying, but I can imagine what it'd be like to be worked tirelessly to an early grave, deprived of all worldly comforts until my last breath fills my lungs with dust.

The 4-5-6 dice game (the first half-ish of season 2) is PEAK Kaiji, imo (slightly better than the boss game of season 1) and yes, the second halfish of the season starts to wear thin with that damn "Bog," it was still enough to keep me entertained and rooting for Kaiji.

On top of that, the animation, music, and characters are a little sharper in season 2.

Overall, BOTH seasons of Kaiji are stupidly repetitive, but it's one of those animes if it clicks for you, it CLICKS. I just finished watching season 2 for the third time today. Moving on to Shiki now but I don't know sh*t about Mahjong, so we'll see...

For people that like horrifying, twisted, sadistic media, you'll know how valuable it is when you stumble across something that *actually* leaves an impression in you. Most "normal" people can pull up any "Top 10 Scariest Horror Movies" list and be frightened by 90% of them. But for the frequent flyer, your idea of horror is much more personal, and subsequently, difficult to find realized in the mind of an artist and made into something tangible.

Of all things to scratch that itch for me, it's Euphoria.

I love the death game genre, and when I heard the synopsis for Euphoria, I was all in. I ... was expecting a more sexual, anime version of "Hostel" and that's sort of what Euphoria delivered, but not at all how I expected.

What's great about Euphoria is it first gives the people what they came for, in as coldly executed of fashion as possible. But then, it mixes it up, and gives you way more than you bargained for. All I'll say on that is there's a reason a lot of p0rn sites only have the first 4 episodes up.

Compared to the game, the hentai adaptation just doesn't compare. But to say that I don't think it's a valuable companion piece, or at least somewhat enjoyable standing by itself, would be a lie.

I would start with the game and then give this hentai version a shot. If you're not willing to play the game but ARE interested in the story, the hentai isn't a bad substitute.

If you're anything like me, the world of Euphoria will seep into your skull, and your brain will churn over it's oddities and complexities for months.

(note: I may be conflating my impressions with my experience with the visual novel, so this review may be somewhat tainted)

Saw the title of this show and thought I'd watch an episode for a joke. Okay that wasn't so bad, might as well watch the next episode. Obviously I never stopped until I finished it.

What should have been a total throwaway show ended up being one of the best brainless slice of lifes I've seen in awhile.

The characters are a little flat and yes very predictable, but they also have some genuine moments that make you care about them (you can't help but feel bad for MC many times)

The thing I like the most about this show is- as someone who enjoys a good ... cringe, the MC gets himself (and his rental girlfriend) into all the juicy, awkward situations you could hope for from a show with the premise of Rent-A-Girlfriend.

Ultimately, this isn't the next banner moment for slice of life anime, but it does remind me a lot of the turn-your-brain-off-but-still-legitimately-enjoyable slice of lifes that I watched a lot more of in the early 2000s.

Basically, if you read the synopsis and want to see what kind of awkward situations arise from it, you're going to be pleased with Rent-A-Girlfriend.

Absolutely stunning, and quietly horrifying. The slow pacing and the intricate facial details really make this horror series seep under your skin and fast! Near the 40 chapter mark I was gasping audibly at every chapter's new twist and horrifying revelation.

The full page spreads leave you absolutely breathless. The drawing style is sparse at times and dense at others, which really hit home the mood the artist was going for in each panel.

This is top tier manga horror that I think you'll love if the subjects of manipulation and moral decay are in your wheelhouse.

I recommend reading this alongside your favorite horror movie ... soundtrack, as long as it's not from a chase scene.

The concept is awesome, the anime is just okay. Scenes go on for way too long and the animation is very dull.

But what I really love about this series is how dumb everything is. Usually in afterlife/altlife contracts with supernatural beings shows (Madoka Magica, Sword Art, etc) the rules and world are all very polished and reliable. In Gantz, they are not.

You don't get a badass weapon, you get this stupid gun that has mixed results, a shitty range, and has a delay between pulling the trigger and something actually happening. You get armor, but it breaks just when you need it most. The game ... is supposed to delete your existing self in favor of your copy, but sometimes that doesn't work and now you have a clone living your life. Gantz is supposed to teleport you back to the room when you complete the mission, but it often just takes its time doing so, costing lives as people bleed out waiting to be repaired.

That sums up what Gantz is all about. People are shitty, aliens are horrific, and the game played between them is poorly run and utterly pointless. Hell, Gantz can't even spell correctly.

Overall I really love this concept and how unapologetically brutal and horrifying this series is, but the anime has a very weak execution.

I've never been a big fan of the repetitive formula of the Pokemon anime series, but I have to admit I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Pokemon: The Origin. In some ways, The Origin is more of what I would like to have seen from the original anime; legitimately useful tips and tons of cheeky references to the game series. And while the original anime was aimed at kids, Pokemon: The Origin sets its sights squarely on the older crowd that enjoyed catching them all in their youth (which is evident by how much more violent The Origin is than the original cartoon!)

At ... the end of the day, Pokemon: The Origin is balls-to-bones Pokemon fan-service and nostalgia button-pressing with its numbingly predictable cast and plot, although I'm pretty sure that was the point.

Pokemon: The Origin is a satisfying watch for anyone who enjoyed Pokemon games in their childhood and even makes a nice connection between Red and Green versions and the upcoming X and Y versions in the last battle of the last episode.