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Sep 21, 2024
One of the most repetitive shows I've ever seen! It's the same shit over and over again! Every episode, Ryo is just protecting some woman or teenage girl. That's it. That's the show. It's too episodic. Every episode is the same shit. The music is good and the animation is decent. There are some funny moments, like Kaori being mistaken for a guy by other women. But Ryo is just doing the same thing every episode. Protecting some female character that is only in that one episode, who never appears again in a future episode. There's no development. It feels like the show isn't going
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anywhere or building up to anything. There is no end goal. After he succeeds in protecting a girl by the end of the episode, his job is done, and he protects a new client in the next episode. At least in another episodic comedy anime like Ranma 1/2, despite its mostly episodic nature, the episodic episodes actually feel very different from each other with different situations, so it doesn't feel like the same experience, and plus there are action arcs. With City Hunter, I feel like I'm wasting my time because the formula is the same every episode. It's the same situations every episode. Apart from the first few episodes, there are no episodes that feel different from the last. Just another boring and repetitive show that goes on for way too long and isn't telling a story at all. And there's no point wondering what the next episode will be about, as it's always the same thing. You're really better off watching something else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Nov 8, 2023
Oh Spy x Family. A show I expected to like... but didn't. One of the most unfunniest shows I've ever seen. It has a meandering story where nothing really happens and nothing really matters, especially in Part 2. I guess it's a combination of slice of life and action-comedy (even though it doesn't have a slice of life tag) with a simple plot where they're trying to stop a war and a spy named Loid had to quickly get someone to pretend to be his child then find someone to pretend to be his wife. Unfortunately, it's like I'm watching a children's cartoon. Like any
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show that revolves around a family is going to have a wide appeal. The first few episodes of the first part feel relevant to the main plot, but then after that, you get slice of life episodes. But then they'd also sometimes have action-oriented arcs that are about 3 episodes long, but then go back to episodic episodes that are usually slice of life episodes which sometimes involves moments between the pretend family members, and other times involves one of the Forgers and a supporting character. The espionage stuff is probably the reason why someone would want to watch the show for, as well as watching the Forgers convince others that they're an actual happy family. But this presents a problem where people who are watching this show for the action and spy stuff will feel alienated when going through the slice of life episodes. And people who like slice of life and don't like action will feel alienated when watching the action-oriented arcs when they want to see moments between the Forgers. It's kind of like Gintama and its episodic comedy episodes and its serious arcs. But the difference is SxF's action-oriented arcs still have comedy in them. Unlike Gintama's serious arcs, which don't. So if someone is watching this show just for the action and spy stuff, they're going to be doing a lot of waiting. Because I doubt it'll be like Katekyo Hitman Reborn, where (in the manga of KHR) it starts off as an episodic comedy (Daily Life arc), but then completely changes to an action series later where every episode matters and when an arc ends, a new arc begins straight away. Interestingly, the Daily Life arc is widely considered to be the worst part of Katekyo Hitman Reborn, and the series started to get good after it changed into an action series after the first action arc began. Wouldn't that also mean that the worst part of Spy x Family would also be the "Daily Life" slice of life comedy episodes? Yes, pretty much (especially the scenes that show Anya at school). The action-oriented arcs are the better part of the show. But it keeps going back to the slice of life episodes which lasts as long as the action-oriented arcs, which are no better than the episodes of the Daily Life arc in KHR. The slice of life parts of Spy x Family aren't as fun to watch as the action-oriented arcs. Honestly, Loid spying on people is probably the best part of the show. Anytime he's not spying and gathering intel, the show becomes a chore to watch.
From what I can tell, the main plot of stopping a war/getting close to Damian's father doesn't matter, at least in the second cour. That is not the reason to watch the show and is just a long-term thing, as the second cour is really just slice of life comedy stuff and Loid doing random spy missions. But because the main plot doesn't really matter, the show just feels like it doesn't go anywhere. The comedy can be amusing at first, but it gets very old, very fast. Jokes can be seen a mile away. We know Yor's cooking is shit after that gag the first time around, but that becomes a running gag. Her cooking never improves as far as I know, and I'm tired of this cliche where a woman is really bad at cooking. And then there's the slapstick comedy where Yor hits Loid, which also becomes a running gag. And I'm also tired of this cliche where a girl hits a guy, so that's already 2 running gags that this show has that are cliches in anime. And we know that Anya can't read or write, but that becomes a running gag, as if it's funny and not normal that a 4 or 5 year old hasn't learnt to do those things yet. At least the comedy isn't 90% Japanese cultural references like Gintama is, which is the only redeeming aspect of Spy x Family's humour. As for action, the characters aren't ever in any real danger because Loid and Yor are already too strong and experienced from the start, meaning they'll never struggle against the bad guys as the bad guys are always significantly weaker. Only Anya is the one who will be in actual danger.
All 3 main characters aren't that interesting either. Loid the spy in particular is a Gary Stu with no flaws whatsoever, so that makes him not relatable. He seems to think ahead and is a bit too clever and perceptive, figuring things out immediately, and ultimately no real struggle against the bad guys. But because he's supposed to be a spy, that is a given. He is good at everything. He's too good at what he does. And yet, he might perhaps be the funniest character in the show because of his deadpan delivery of whatever he says or is on his mind in certain moments and situations. Yor the assassin is just an airhead, but she's trying to be a good housewife for the fake family. Oh, and she also seems to have superhuman strength. She tends to do acrobatic moves that you expect her to do only during her assassination jobs, but no, she also does it whenever, where someone might see her, when she really shouldn't be doing it at all. And somehow, no one ever notices when she suddenly leaps away. I can't help but be annoyed with her taking risks like that. Anya gets excited about anything involving secrets and missions, and she makes faces for some reason. All I expect from her is her getting herself in trouble. And why does she talk in third person? And the show just feels very safe, doesn't take risks, and doesn't have any memorable moments. When was the last time Loid fired a gun in the show? He had a gun and fired it in the very first episode of the show, but he fired it at another gun which was on the floor. He's only pointed a gun at that guy in the first episode, and I don't recall him using a gun since.
After Anya gets enrolled to that school in the first cour of this show, there's just been some boring unimportant episodes where nothing noteworthy happens that is basically a waste of time and feels like filler, but it was in the manga, which makes it canon. But there are a couple of action-oriented standalone episodes and action-oriented arcs. As I'm currently writing this, MAL doesn't have the anime tagged with Slice of Life or School. Even though that is what 60% of the show seems to be: a mundane slice of life and Anya at school. I checked another website that is not exclusively an anime/manga website, and again, there is no slice of life tag for the show on that website. Just Action, Comedy and Spy Fiction. Besides, it's a bit too hectic to be a slice of life and it's working towards an end goal, which is something an actual slice of life doesn't really do. It's just a sitcom revolved around the life of the Forgers. A bit like The Simpsons. Probably popular the same reason The Simpsons is popular, except that Spy x Family is not as good as The Simpsons. Usagi Drop is a slice of life, as well as a childcare anime. Spy x Family is a comedy because it is constantly trying to be amusing, but slice of life fans still somehow find it a relaxing show to watch despite characters being loud. So basically, there's been no meaningful progress of Operation Strix. The plot has come to a halt, with episodes having no impact to the overall story. And this is where you have to stop expecting any progression whatsoever as it doesn't matter anymore. Because the rest of the show is all about the random episodic events and random spy missions. And the random events in the standalone episodes are the worst part of the show, for the same reason the Daily Life episodes of Katekyo Hitman Reborn was the worst part of the show.
The show is nice to look at, I guess. The character designs are quite good. The only good things I can say about the show. Wit Studio and Cloverworks. Kinda wish those 2 top-tier studios worked on something else instead of wasting their time and effort on this. Should've given to JC Staff or Toei Animation. A show like this doesn't really need to be done by a top-tier studio. The action scenes are pretty much what you expect when watching a spy series. But it can be too ridiculous at times, like Yor kicking a car really hard, which makes the driver lose control of it and crash. Yor obviously has superhuman strength and the audience is expected to just go along with it because it's a comedy and so it doesn't need to be realistic I guess. Remember, only Anya and the dog are the only ones who have some kind of ability, everyone else is supposed to be normal. I was expecting Spy x Family to be a bit more subtle and have limits to its comedy compared to other comedy anime and cartoons, but it's just another comedy anime where anything is possible it seems.
Most of the supporting characters are annoying. Seeing Anya in school is boring, even though the whole point of the school scenes is for Anya to get Stella Stars so Loid can get close to Damian's father at an event, which is part of the plot. Everything else that happens in the show is unimportant and irrelevant in the second cour, as those scenes don't advance the plot in any way, and that includes the random spy missions. Episode 12 has some Loid backstory though, and episode 13 actually moves the plot forward.
Like I get it, it's supposed to be a lighthearted show. But it's not that good of a show, especially since a lot of it feels like filler. It's like the show is specifically targeted at a much younger audience (just like the Yellow Submarine song from The Beatles' Revolver album, which would've been a perfect album if that song wasn't in it as it's clearly made for kids and therefore unable to enjoy it if you're older. I was expecting something more than what I got from an anime as revered as this. People who like this must be easily entertained, haven't seen many anime, or are slice of life fans who will keep telling you that the show is actually a slice of life (it's not) which would explain why nothing noteworthy happens in each episode and that you're watching the wrong show if you're watching it for the action, even though a slice of life shouldn't get this much attention, it's too hectic to be a SoL mostly because of characters being loud at times, and the fact that there are episodes with action in them, as well as having an episode that actually focuses on the main plot and so the SoL fans refuse to acknowledge the fact that most of the episodes have been a waste of time. It's not that funny of a comedy if you're over 12 years old. One Punch Man is another action-comedy show and it's better in every way: it's funny and it has an overarching story, so every episode matters. Childcare-wise, Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari is more entertaining and I enjoyed that more than SxF. If there is progress being made in Spy x Family, then it's extremely slowly. It feels like the story isn't going anywhere and not building up to anything. It's just Anya enjoying her school life getting Stella Stars, Loid sometimes doing other missions that are nothing to do with the main mission and Yor trying to be a better wife and mother. Also so far, it's only shown Loid's job and the people he works with, but nothing about Yor, who we only know is an assassin. The action-oriented arcs have all been spy-related so far, so there should be some assassin-related action-oriented arcs coming up soon, which involves just Yor and doesn't involve Loid, but I'm just speculating, though it'd make sense because it'd finally be Yor's turn to shine, but we know she's overpowered like Loid, so I expect there to be no tension in her arcs. I guess that doesn't matter since Yor as a character has nothing to do with the main plot, as her role is just to pretend to be Loid's wife and be a mother to Anya and that's it. Anya not only has the role of pretending to be Loid's kid, but also has to get Stella Stars which is important for Loid's mission. For an action-comedy, this has too many slice of life episodes. It really isn't much of an action show. It does feel more like a slice of life comedy if anything. You could skip these SoL episodes and wouldn't miss anything important. It's about whether or not you're okay with sitting through the SoL episodes to get to the action episodes, even though the SoL episodes aren't building up to the action episodes. Because those SoL episodes don't amount to anything. When the slice of life episodes appear, it's like I'm watching the Daily Life comedy episodes of Katekyo Hitman Reborn all over again, which almost everyone who has ever watched KHR will tell you that it's the worst part of that show. This show is just like Detective Conan, where it stretches its story and characters across huge spans of episodes, and I'm not a fan of that.
Overall, Spy x Family is nothing special. And nothing of interest happened in Spy x Family Part 2. It doesn't deserve the hype. It's bland and repetitive. There's no development, except for the very first episode, where Loid decided that a little girl's safety (Anya's safety) was more important than his mission. It's style over substance. It likes to revert back to the status quo after moments between characters. It starts off promising, but then goes downhill when you realise this is all what the show is going to be. Anya's mind-reading powers isn't a big deal. The characters will have internal monologues even when Anya's not around, so you already know what the characters are thinking without Anya having to be around people. And the problem with the action-oriented arcs is that they don't last long, and there's too many of those slice of life episodes which last as long as the action-oriented arcs. There's only so much interaction and bonding that the Forgers can do with each other before it becomes tiresome. It's underwhelming and full of cliches. I have mixed feelings with the first cour of the show but the way I see it is that the first cour is just the prologue, setting everything up, and the first few episodes had plot progression during that cour. But with the second cour, my patience starts wearing thin with the uneventful episodes because at this point, I'm expecting there to be a point to each episode, but it's just been wasting my time. The only episode that mattered in the second cour was the final episode. So arguably, the first 12 episodes of the second cour are all pointless episodes. The highlights of SxF Part 2 is we get to see a bit of Loid's past and a bit of Becky's past, and I guess that's it. They're really dragging the story out. The anime drags on and on and on.
I feel like people who are watching this for the action will be disappointed, even if there are those mini-action arcs in between the SoL episodes, they are almost not worth the wait because they will lack tension seeing that Loid and Yor are always going to be overpowered compared to their opponents, using acrobatic moves and such, and the action arcs don't have continuity with a previous or next action arc meaning that there was no point to it at the end. The bad guys are all generic. I like a lot of slice of life shows like Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon for example is one of my favs, but I don't like Spy x Family. Overrated, unfunny, predictable, episodic slice of life show with mediocre action arcs. And yeah, I'm aware that comedy is subjective. If you are looking for something exciting where every episode matters, don't watch this. This show gives you the false impression at the beginning that it's some exciting spy show, which it is not. When I started this, I wasn't expecting a slice of life show with some action here and there. There just seems to be a lack of urgency towards Loid's mission, which is supposed to be a big deal. If you think One Piece is slow, then Spy x Family is even slower, seeing that it technically does have a plot. Slice of life shows don't have an end goal, and will just stop whenever the author feels like ending it. Spy x Family is working towards an end goal, and that stops it from being a slice of life show IMO.
What is my problem with this show exactly? I guess that it's not much of a spy show, and I was expecting more spy stuff. The fact that it's all over the place and it failed to make me care about the characters. The fact that it has remained stagnant throughout. That it never made me laugh and the moments that are supposed to be funny just feel awkward, like when Yuri eating Yor's disgusting food and spitting it out immediately repeatedly. That it recycles the same jokes. That Loid isn't anywhere close to finding out that Yor is an assassin. That there's no stakes. That the writing isn't good. And was seeing Anya taking part in a dodgeball match really necessary? And my biggest issue with this show is that not only the plot moves slowly, but so do the character development and relationships. It adapts bonus stuff from the manga that should not even be in the TV anime. Maybe in an OVA instead. If it's just a silly show, then why does it get serious at certain parts? Is it too much to ask for some sort of plot progression? It takes too much of a break from the main plot. It doesn't try to advance the plot with each episode. The episodes in Part 2 have been very episodic, so I don't know if there's actual development of the characters when they revert back to how they were before. There's a moment that makes it look like that Anya is smiling more (after shopping with a friend for the first time in her life) and has fun when she's with Becky, so you expect that Anya would now be a character who is smiling a lot more, but no, it's just that one instance. It's a chill anime then? But then why does there have to be a moment where a boy is drowning and Anya has to save him? What is this show really about? Loid making an effort to meet with Damien's father as many times as he can, with the end goal being stopping a war? That's... it? So the only time something important happens in this show and progresses the story is when Loid is talking to Damien's father. Everything else is unimportant shit. An episodic comedy anime, but not a full-on episodic show like Detective Conan is, as SxF has action arcs here and there and a bit of plot here and there. And parenting stuff too. So I guess if one doesn't like the comedy in this anime, then there's nothing else to stick around for. The action scenes are nothing to write home about.
I really tried to like this show, and even found the very first episode of the show amusing and exciting and thought I was going to be on board with this show, but a few episodes after that, I found myself uninterested in whatever was happening as the show has gotten stale. It's just so boring. Supposedly, the Cruise Adventure arc, which occurs later on, is twice the length of the Campbelldon Tennis arc, so the series does eventually get longer action arcs and maybe gets better? But as it stands now, I'm not very impressed with this show. And it doesn't change the fact that nearly all the episodes of the second cour in particular have been a waste of time, the plot didn't advance at all until the end of the second cour, and the show before that episode hasn't really been trying to tell a story. The series will again most likely go back to slice of life stuff for a while after the end of an action-oriented arc, and most things that happen are completely random and there'd be no change in the end. And I don't really care for the family moments after the first cour. In the end, Loid is just using Anya for his mission (even though there was a moment in the very first episode where he didn't want to involve a kid in this mission and was going to figure something out and rework the plan after Anya was put in danger, so he's not a complete bastard). And it's only really about them convincing everyone that they're an actual family, and the "parents" being there for Anya, while Loid balancing his secret life as a spy with his family life doesn't seem to be much of an issue for him, and Yor balancing her secret life as an assassin with her family life doesn't seem to be much of an issue for her either. I guess it's about them going from a fake family to eventually a family that feel like they're an actual family. But it's currently too much of a family-friendly show with no drama. Are we waiting for Yor to eventually discover that Loid is a spy and that Anya can read minds? Are we waiting for Loid to eventually discover that Yor is an assassin and Anya can read minds? Because there doesn't seem to be any suspicions of each other. There was a moment where Yor says that Anya said something which was exactly what she was thinking about to the point that it was like Anya read her mind, but Yor quickly dismissed that possibility. Another character also thought that Anya read his mind, but it wasn't a Forger, so who cares. People say this show is wholesome. So what? There are tons of wholesome anime. The novelty wore off long ago for me. Spy x Family has no story to tell. It's just trying to make you laugh with the same jokes and that's it. This already feels like something that will go on for a bit too long and will overstay its welcome. I was expecting things to actually happen in each episode, but it doesn't. It teases you with some plot in a certain episode. It's just Anya living with a cool mum and cool dad, but only she knows that one's an assassin and the other is a spy. I honestly don't recommend this to people who are looking for a story. You're not gonna get any from this show. A kid at Anya's school thinks that he has to go to a different school and loses his mind over that happening? I don't give a shit! This doesn't contribute anything to the story! Stop drip-feeding us the plot ffs! It's like the final episode of Part 2 is like "Oh, don't worry, we haven't forgotten that this show does actually have a plot." But then the plot is forgotten again in the next episode, because it's low priority it seems. So yeah, thanks for wasting my time SxF Part 2. You have episodes that make it seem like you're watching a filler episode, but find out it happened in the manga too, so it's technically not filler, even though it has no impact on the main plot. With Part 2, I can just tell that they're going to be milking this series and make it go on for as long as possible. I was bored while watching some of the episodes of Part 1, but I was bored while watching every episode of Part 2, except for the last episode of Part 2. Skip this boring anime if you want to watch a show that actually has plot progression every episode.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Aug 18, 2023
Trigun Stampede is a slap in the face to fans of the manga and the 1998 anime that went on to read the manga afterwards, who have been waiting for a full adaptation of the Trigun Maximum manga (the source material consists of the manga Trigun and its direct sequel manga Trigun Maximum). When a manga gets a second anime adaptation, it's usually because they plan to adapt the entire manga this time, and also following the manga closer. But with Stampede, it doesn't follow the manga at all (except for episode 2, which sort of adapts the first 4 chapters of the manga). And
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instead of being 2D digital ink and paint animation, it's 3DCGI with a low frame rate. Why bother bringing back Trigun, just to not follow the manga? Why make an original story when the manga is yet to receive a full adaptation? So now we have 2 Trigun anime that don't complete the story. And I (and I assume many Trigun fans) am not happy that they decided to do an original story instead of adapting the manga.
The original 1998 Trigun anime (which is a space western classic) had a filler ending that wrapped the story up prematurely, but adapted the Trigun manga and only 7 chapters out of the 102 chapters of the Trigun Maximum manga. A remake that goes beyond what the 1998 anime adapted would make sense, because it had a filler ending so it couldn't just continue where the last episode left off. But with Trigun Stampede (which is not really a space western), all hope is lost if we ever get to see the other 95 chapters of the Trigun Maximum manga ever getting adapted. Trigun Stampede is not the real story. Just another stupid re-imagining. We waited 25 years for a re-imagining? At least with the Rayearth OVA and Negima (2006), they were released shortly after their original canon counterparts. Other than most of episode 2, none of it is canon. There is no Roberto De Niro in the manga. He's just a filler character. Stampede's OP is crap compared to the 1998 OP. I did some research, and the creator of the manga, Yasuhiro Nightow, thought the 1998 anime was "really excellent", and considers any other anime that is made based on the manga as just a bonus. This is despite the fact that the 1998 anime is an incomplete adaptation. The sad thing is that the studio Orange has a history of faithfully adapting the source material, but in this case, they decided not to. They went for the derivative approach. Nightow let Orange change things too much.
Trigun Stampede is a massive disappointment to me, as a fan of the original Trigun anime. Another soulless 3DCGI abomination, where characters' movements are like a robot's. It's just some parallel universe bullshit that has characters from Trigun in it, but it has nothing to do with Trigun. And instead of getting a faithful adaptation with updated 2D animation, we get this. I didn't like anything about it. I don't like how they messed with the plot and characters. It's just so different from the Trigun I know, and the manga's story is better. Nobody knows the characters better than the original author himself. Vash is such a memorable character in the 1998 anime and manga, but I just can't say the same about the Trigun Stampede version of Vash. I guess a lot of people would be happy just to get more Trigun? To experience the story and the characters that they already love in a different way, though I don't really understand it because I don't like it when they mess with the plot and characters, since there should only be one story and the story are the events that actually happened in the manga first. But if you've never experienced Trigun, then I recommend to watch the 1998 anime or read the manga. Those are the actual story. The 1998 anime, while not a perfect adaptation, was made when the manga was still ongoing and stays true to the manga by not altering things, and only adds things that weren't in the manga without ruining the story, so it's impressive how it turned out with such a small amount of chapters available at the time. Trigun Stampede is not the actual story as it alters a lot of stuff. It was also made after the manga ended, but they decided to ignore the manga's story. It's nothing more than fan-fiction. It took too many liberties. If you like Stampede, but don't like the 1998 anime, then you're not really a Trigun fan if you prefer the butchered adaptation (and you'll obviously won't like the manga source material either). Because the 1998 anime is more in the spirit of the manga with a Wild West feel to it, and Vash in the 1998 anime is just like the Vash in the manga. The Badland Rumbles movie is also not canon, but at least it's in the spirit of the 1998 anime, and the characters act like they ought to.
Hopefully Trigun Stampede fades into obscurity in the future, and the 1998 anime remains the go-to Trigun anime. I'm still hoping for a full adaptation of Trigun Maximum someday. "There is no Tsukihime anime" they say? Well, there is no Trigun Stampede anime. Trigun has only one TV anime and it aired back in 1998 and there hasn't been any more Trigun anime since. Such a shame. Would be cool if they brought back Trigun.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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Jun 21, 2023
Princess Resurrection is one those shows that is a complete waste of time. An episodic monster-of-the-week show that goes nowhere, with no sense of progression after each episode. Just some random shit that happens in an episode, and forgotten in the next, never to be mentioned again. At least with JoJo Part 3 and onwards, even with a monster-of-the-week format, it's still building up to something with each episode, but Princess Resurrection isn't building up to something, so there's no real plot until the last couple of episodes.
It has comedy, but it's not really trying to be funny most of the time, and you can
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tell that it's that type of show where comedy is not its main focus. There are no interesting characters and they don't develop. The first episode made the show look promising, and I've been waiting for the plot to kick in ever since, but it never did, eventually realising that it's one of those episodic shows that is a downgrade compared to the ones with an overarching plot that we are so used to when watching anime. So there's no urge to watch the next episode, since the episodes will never end on a cliffhanger. I guess the episodes feel different enough from each other, unlike City Hunter, where every episode feels the same, so I'll give it that. The only good things I can say about this show is Liliane's design is cool with her gothic clothing and the OP is decent. Otherwise, you're better off just watching the first 2 or 3 episodes of the show, then skipping to the last 2 episodes of the show. Trust me, you won't miss anything important. But seriously, don't waste your time with an anime with no deep plot or storytelling to get invested in. Watch something else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Nov 22, 2022
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, to me, is where JoJo really begins. It's where the thing that JJBA is best known for finally makes its debut. The entity known as a Stand. Any character that has a Stand is called a Stand User. Stands continue to be a thing in the Parts after Part 3. While Hamon pretty much becomes irrelevant.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1 and 2 had continuous storylines, however, with Part 3, the show turns to a Monster of the Week format. If you're only interested in the main story, you are probably better off watching the earlier 2000 and 1993
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OVA adaptations (in that order), as those show the most important and exciting events from the manga, and the story ends quicker. This 2014 remake, the second adaptation of the Stardust Crusaders manga, you'll get the full story and you'll get to know the characters more and see everything they went through, but a lot of the episodes are unimportant, as a villain appears and is defeated at the end of that same episode.
Set in the late 1980s, the main protagonist this time is Jotaro Kujo. Joseph Joestar from Part 2 is also one of the main characters in this Part. Stardust Crusaders is mainly about Jotaro trying to save his mother's life, so he and others journey to Egypt (from Japan) to find the main antagonist and defeat him, with obstacles (the enemy Stand Users) in their way. Like the first 2 Parts, we see how our heroes try to outwit their formidable enemies.
The animation is decent. The music's great. It has funny, over-the-top moments. The fights are intense. Obviously, the Stands are what makes this show unique and stand out. However, if you're only interested in the story, you might feel that the show drags on or is slow-paced. I also don't like that little girl character who tags along with the main characters. She's useless and annoying.
If you enjoyed Part 1 and 2 (which are both in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)), then Part 3 rewards you for your patience, as you finally get to see Stands. And if you liked Joseph Joestar in Battle Tendency, you get to see even more of him in Stardust Crusaders. It's also a longer ride than the first 2 Parts, as the Egypt arc continues the story of Stardust Crusaders, which is where all the shocks and twists are.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Oct 16, 2022
Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san (or Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs) is To Love-Ru 2.0. If To Love-Ru coming to an end left a hole in your heart, Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san should fill that hole.
If you haven't seen or read To Love-Ru and don't know what I'm talking about, simply put, To Love-Ru is an ecchi-harem rom-com, and Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san is similar to it. If you enjoy ecchi anime like To Love-Ru (specifically To Love-Ru Darkness), then you'll definitely like Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san.
Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san doesn't have much of a story. The protagonist Kogarashi Fuyuzora is a powerful psychic who moves into Yuragi Inn, which
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is full of girls who are not just some normal girl. For example, one's a ghost, and one's a ninja etc. However, there is one normal human girl who does not live in Yuragi Inn, but gets as much screentime as the rest of the characters. There are dramatic moments here and there, but it's mostly about character interactions and sexy situations. Fortunately, there is a lot of female nudity in this. The main attraction to the show are the hot girls.
The character designs are appealing. It has a lot of sexy scenes that actually show the girls' nipples. The animation is fine, the music is fine, the voice acting is fine. The comedic moments are funny.
All in all, Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san is a show that every ecchi fan needs to watch. It's almost as good as To Love-Ru Darkness.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 18, 2022
Gabriel DropOut is a comedy anime about 2 angel girls and 2 demon girls who are living life among the humans. We have Gabriel, an angel girl who was initially a really nice and sweet girl, who turned into a lazy slob after discovering gaming. Then there's her best friend Vignette, who despite being a demon girl, is a really nice and sweet girl. Then there's Raphiel, an angel girl who is a sadist. And finally we have Satania, a demon girl who acts like a chuunibyou and is by far the most entertaining character of the show. So as you can see, it's about
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2 angels who don't act like angels, 1 demon who doesn't act like a demon, and 1 demon who sort of does actually act like how she's supposed to.
No real story here. It's mainly just those 4 girls and their interactions, as well as showing them doing stuff at school and outside of school, with some situations occurring. Gabriel and Raphiel tend to pick on Satania a lot. Even though you might get annoyed seeing Satania get deceived by Raphiel (who seems untouchable), there's a moment where Satania finds out Raphiel's weakness and uses it against her, and it is the most satisfying moment in the anime.
The art is okay. The girls are cute. The animation is consistent. The OP is catchy. The voice actors did a great job. Since the show doesn't really go anywhere (although there is some drama in the final episode), the humour is the reason to watch this. If you don't find it funny or amusing in the first episode, then you are better off dropping it. Because it just means it's not your type of humour.
I had a lot of fun watching this and I can't really think of any flaws or moments I disliked. Don't be turned off by the all-female cast, as this is not your average CGDCT slice-of-life show. It's unique and I can't really think of anything else like it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 1, 2022
Have you seen Mad Max 2 and loved it? Well, this is the show for you.
Hokuto no Ken is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name. The manga has sold over 100 million copies and I don't think this series deserves to be this successful. The fact that the manga managed to sell over 100 million copies is honestly shocking to me, because I don't think this series is good at all.
The creator of Hokuto no Ken (or Fist of the North Star) clearly took inspiration from Mad Max 2 when he made this. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the main protagonist
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is Kenshiro (or Ken), who acts like Bruce Lee when he fights, and he might be the most boring protagonist I've ever seen in an anime. He has no personality whatsoever.
My main problem with Hokuto no Ken is that the fights are too one-sided. Ken always easily wins against the bad guys, without any struggle. Ken is too overpowered! He is always one-shotting the enemies. This makes the fights boring and predictable, with no stakes. You can't even call it a fight, since Ken never struggles against the bad guys. The anime also censors the gore, which sucks. The animation is pretty bad, with constant still frames and the same animation being re-used a lot. For example, whenever Ken is getting pumped up and his clothes rip apart, or showing a silhouette of a guy's head exploding after being attacked by Ken, it's the same animation being used from when it happened the first time.
Another issue I have is that the first 20 episodes is about Kenshiro saving a damsel in distress, which is such an annoying cliche.
The bad guys are a bunch of dumbasses. They'd know who Kenshiro is when they encounter him. That he is a powerful guy. This means not to fuck with him, right? If they value their lives, the logical thing to do would be to run away from him, right? Not to them! Despite knowing that the guy they encounter is Ken, they still attack him afterwards anyway, throwing their lives away.
The show feels like a product of its time. Because it certainly hasn't aged well. Saint Seiya would air a couple of years later, while Hokuto no Ken was still on air, and I think it's a much better anime than Hokuto no Ken and also aged better too. I think it's safe to say that Toei put more budget, time and effort into Saint Seiya than they did with Hokuto no Ken. If you're a fan of Mad Max 2, then you might like this. Otherwise, Hokuto no Ken is not worth your time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 16, 2015
Ah, One Piece. The anime adaptation of the best selling manga in the world. I used to like this show when I first started watching it, but sadly I don't feel the same way about it anymore.
So One Piece is a battle shounen anime, which follows the adventures of one Monkey D. Luffy, who aspires to be the King of the Pirates. He is the captain of the Strawhat Pirates, a crew consisting of both men and women, who all play an important role that helps keep the crew going, and they all have their own goals.
Luffy is our typical, dumb shounen hero, who is
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a glutton, grins a lot, and is happy-go-lucky. He is a rubber man, whom can stretch parts of his body, gaining this ability after eating one of these "Devil Fruits" when he was younger. The rest of the Strawhat Pirates all have unique personalities, with their own quirks, and you're likely to find a favourite among them. Although, some of them can be annoying sometimes.
The art style is something you'll either love or hate. It can be either appealing or unappealing to look at. In my case, I don't have a problem with it, and that there are worse-looking anime than One Piece. It's quite cartoony, and has a distinctive look to it. It's certainly a colourful anime throughout the series, with the exception of Thriller Bark, which is like a halloween-themed arc with dark colours being used instead of the usual bright and vibrant. The designs of the Strawhat Pirates look fine, both pre-timeskip and post-timeskip, but I do prefer Nami's sexier look she gets after the time-skip. But the show also has some of the ugliest-looking supporting characters you will find in an anime.
The animation is ass. Not gonna lie. Produced by the infamous Toei Animation, the animation is average and just looks outdated compared to other long-running anime that aired (or is airing) around the same time. It's just disappointing and I know it could look better if another studio had done it, or if Toei put more budget into it like in the films. Along with this, the fights (which are mindless) just look unimpressive and are dull compared to the fights in other battle shounen anime like Naruto and Bleach, and it also uses a lot of still frames. There are also no fluid animation for the most important fights that happen in each arc. It's just the same average animation they use for every episode. They never treat the viewers with flashy animation. Not even in the climax of an arc. Barely any of the fights are memorable, they don't have strategy, and the choreography for the fights just suck. I've never been impressed with a single fight in One Piece. So the only things you can really look forward to are some plot twists.
The sound effects are somewhat annoying. I personally hate the sound effect of a heart beating. It sounds gross and it doesn't sound anything like a heartbeat. The music is a mixed bag. It's upbeat most of the times, which goes well with the theme of the show. The first opening sounds amazing, and still is the best opening out of all the openings the show has had, but other openings, like the second one, are just painful to listen to. The main characters have their own theme music, which I always liked the idea of in anime in general, and they fit with the characters.
The pacing is fine from episodes 2 to 301 (episode 1 was slow-paced), but it becomes permanently slow-paced starting from episode 302. Most of the filler episodes are surprisingly decent. Though in latter episodes, there are almost no filler episodes to speak of, which results in snail-pacing for the canon episodes. I think the anime should've taken a break for a year or two at that point so the manga chapters could pile up, or they could've made more filler arcs so the canon episodes would have better pacing.
There are some things that have always annoyed me while watching this show, other than the fights. There is a lot of crying in it, from both main and supporting characters. Not only that, but they make these ugly, exaggerated expressions on their faces when they cry. It's probably a staple of the show, but it feels like they went way overboard with the tears, and it got irritating the more I watched the show and hear them wailing. They cry so easily. Accompanying this is the constant melodrama. Hate that shit. It tries too hard to make the viewers cry. The characters tend to overreact to danger in an anime where nobody dies in it.
Yes. There are a lack of deaths in this anime. Basically, for the most part, nobody dies in this show (outside of flashbacks). Like nobody. In an action show about pirates, where characters have been put into situations which would've resulted in certain death time and time again. This got noticeable the more I watched it, and this may be my biggest gripe with this series. It just feels strange that a show like this to not have any deaths for hundreds of episodes. Like I wasn't expecting any characters to die within the first 100 episodes or anything, but the lack of deaths started bothering me after a while. I also didn't expect any of the main characters to kill people or die themselves (because of plot armour which is reasonable since they are main characters). Although, I remember a moment when Zoro attacked with intention to kill these two bad guys, and was surprised that they lived? Like wtf? He was actually trying to kill them? Okay, so Roronoa Zoro is also known as Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, which means he has killed people before. But after he debuts, we never see him kill anyone, but he's the only person in Luffy's crew who we know that has killed people before. But damn, does it take a long-ass time for the first actual death to take place in the show. For the first 400 episodes, all the tragic moments are in flashbacks or end up being fake-outs if it's in present time.
I don't mind lack of deaths in an action anime that has a realistic setting (Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi, for example, which is more focused on martial arts and delinquents as the bad guys, so you're not expecting anyone to really die in a show like that as there's no intent to kill). But One Piece has a fantasy setting and the villains have intent to kill. And honestly it's unacceptable to me for an action/fantasy anime like this have virtually no deaths. Where's the tension? And it's a shame because there are characters in this show who are irredeemable pieces of shit that need to die, but you know they won't, and that will leave a lot of us unsatisfied. What also irks me are the moments where the show makes it look like somebody has died, but later on you find out that they didn't. In fact, there's a moment in an episode where this specific supporting character should've died because what he was doing meant that he had zero chance of surviving, yet he lived. He was no longer relevant in the story after that moment, so why not kill him off? It is one of the most bullshit moments I've ever seen in an anime, it ruined their sacrifice, and it made the character less memorable and less heroic. The show has more fake-out deaths than actual deaths.
After realising how rare deaths are in this show, I just roll my eyes whenever a character, in a non-flashback scene, says that they're going to kill or decapitate another character. We never have to worry about any character because they're just going to be fine in the end every single time. And speaking of flashbacks, why do most of the characters have to have overly tragic backstories? I get it! They had it rough! Stop making me feel sorry for everyone!
Another thing is that the villains aren't really memorable. Dragon Ball Z has Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu, and they're more memorable than any villain in One Piece. The villains in One Piece tend to have they're own unique laughs too, but it just sounds silly. I also think that shows like Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho has more interesting villains than One Piece.
I also don't really like the humour; it's just childish and involves slapstick and retorting. Things like Zoro getting lost all the time as a running gag. In other words, it's mostly unfunny, at least to me. Humour is subjective after all. And I just don't like the general tone of the series. You often see these minor, nameless characters commentating by screaming their lines to whatever is going on in front of them in a silly way in dramatic moments, and it's pretty annoying. Would've been better if it didn't have that at all. And the anime in general is a bit too goofy at times compared to other battle shounens, even if it is a comedy. I think Fairy Tail does it better when it comes to comedy in a battle shounen.
Overall, the main characters are the strongest aspect of One Piece, and is the biggest reason why I try to continue to watch the anime. I admit it's fun to see the Strawhat crew's adventures. It's a pretty silly show, not taking itself seriously at all. I guess people like the show for the worldbuilding too. However, the abundance of melodrama might be a turn-off for some people. The arcs are also formulaic for the most part, so it gets repetitive too. There's 2 retrieval arcs too, meaning Oda recycled something he already did in the story when he decided to do a second retrieval arc. There shouldn't be more than 1 retrieval arc, even if it is a different character they're trying to retrieve! And even if One Piece seems to be largely its own thing with its own original characters, Oda still decided to have a character called Blackbeard (or Marshall D. Teach) in it, and it's obviously based on the real life pirate Blackbeard (real name being Edward Teach), and I am disappointed with Oda for doing that instead of making all the characters fictional. I also think the character Bellamy is based on the real-life pirate Samuel Bellamy, and Kuma Bartholomew is based on the real-life pirate Bartholomew Roberts. Well, if you have a lot of time on your hands, and like adventure, then consider checking this show out. But if you're looking for a battle shounen with spectacular fights, then I suggest you look elsewhere. The fights in One Piece are crap. Don't listen to anyone that says that the fights in One Piece are "epic" or "fun" or "cool as fuck" because the fights are the complete opposite of those things. They probably never watched Dragon Ball Z or Naruto or Yu Yu Hakusho or newer shows like Jujutsu Kaisen where the fights in those anime are actually good and will give you goosebumps. If someone thinks One Piece fights are better than Naruto's or Jujutsu Kaisen's, then they are a blind fanboy or they must be joking or not being serious. Because I cannot understand how anyone would prefer One Piece's shitty fights over Naruto's jaw-dropping fights. One Piece doesn't have 1 single fight that is good. So I myself grew tired of watching One Piece after the Thriller Bark saga. The show peaks in the Marineford arc, and there's little reason to continue watching this show after the timeskip. In fact, the first arc after the timeskip is one of the worst and most boring arcs I've ever seen, and I just wanted that arc to end as soon as possible. Honestly, I think the early episodes of One Piece, the East Blue Saga, are the best episodes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Aug 26, 2014
Nisekoi is a romantic-comedy anime adaptation of a Weekly Shonen Jump manga of the same name. I admit I was reluctant to watch this because I'm not usually into the romance genre, but I'm glad I watched this to the end.
The story is pretty straightforward. The main character, Raku Ichijou, is a teenage student and is part of a Yakuza family. He carries around a lock, from a promise he made with a girl a decade ago, who holds a key to the lock. However, he's unsure (and doesn't remember) who exactly this girl was. He currently has a crush on a deredere, but then
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suddenly a tsundere enters his life, and under some circumstance, he has to pretend to be in a relationship with her. The anime eventually becomes a harem, with more -deres entering Ichijou's life.
The pacing of the anime is fine, and it has no filler episodes. The humour is where the anime truly shines. It's amusing to watch Ichijou and Chitoge Kirisaki arguing with each other, and throwing insults. However, the anime does have its serious/dramatic moments, but nothing that'd make you depressed or anything. Even though the anime has some predictable twists, the story is overall executed well.
The ending doesn't wrap things up. Even though it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, the anime looks open to have a second season. The final episode, though unique, just felt like another episode of Nisekoi.
The anime was produced by SHAFT, so if you enjoyed other avant-garde anime produced by SHAFT, like Bakemonogatari and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, then you should enjoy the artstyle of Nisekoi's. Basically, studio SHAFT anime use bizarre artstyles with the anime they produce, and this anime is no exception.
SHAFT really brought the anime to life, and I cannot imagine how generic this anime would've looked if another studio had produced it. The quality of the animation stays consistent throughout. Because it's studio SHAFT, the backgrounds look like wallpaper, and other stuff looks like it had been cut out from sugar paper.
The characters have nice designs, and there's a lot of blushing from the main characters throughout the anime. I feel that the female leads' clothing look too similar to each others, but they're school uniforms and a lot of anime consists of characters wearing school uniforms, therefore having similar appearances.
The voice-acting is superb. Nao Touyama in particular gives an excellent performance as Kirisaki, and fits the role perfectly. The background music is minimal and isn't distracting, and suitable music is played at the right moments. A lot of usage of the accordion. The openings and endings are your typical upbeat J-pop. The first opening is quite memorable.
The male lead is shown to be caring and thoughtful, but tends to hold a grudge. I wouldn't call him a dumb harem protagonist. The female characters reinforce their -dere stereotypes. Typical for gag anime, there's a lot of shouting and silly-looking facial expressions from the characters, which I find funny. There is some character development here and there. The supporting cast appear when they need to. The tsundere (Chitoge Kirisaki) is the character I'd remember the most from Nisekoi in the future.
I think people who like harem anime will enjoy this the most, because of the cute girls in it and a particular episode that has sexual fanservice in it. I mostly enjoyed it because of the comedy. For people who have never watched an anime before, this works well as a gateway anime. But like most anime set in high school, it's more of an otaku anime, and will never be a mainstream one.
The series will be memorable because of Chitoge Kirisaki. The artstyle made it unique, and I had fun watching it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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