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Look, I also like walking chairs. I love unexpected jazz outbursts, and yes, you can always wake me up for another stubborn and strong female protagonist. Having said that: Suzume no Tojimari is a disappointing mess.

One of the major flaws of the film was its lack of narrative coherence. While the protagonist follows clear landmarks throughout Japan, the plot meandered without any sense of direction. On top of that, we have poorly developed characters that lack any real depth or complexity. Why are these people so (un)involved in all of this? Only Shinkai seems to know - but he won't show us.

It's true, Suzume no ... Tojimari has its moments of visual splendour but - unlike Kimi no Na Wa - the movie fails to deliver a compelling narrative. Because of this, sitting through its 2-and-a-half-hour runtime (!) becomes a ridiculous chore that never manages to properly round up.

I, for one, love a good slice of life episode in my Steins;Gate. Sure, 0 had some horrible filler but once this cast is properly lined up for some mundanity, beautiful interactions can occur. Bittersweet Intermedio brings us a great combination of low-stake whimsicalness and touching conclusions. While the premise is simple - the girls make chocolate for people they appreciate - the pay-off goes deep, as each girl gives her chocolate to persons they are closely connected with. Instead of this being fan-service heavy, the episode focusses on the creative process of making chocolate and builds up to conclusions that make sense to those ... who've watched the previous two seasons.

My enthusiasm isn't wildly shared though. I find many reviews on MAL to be tainted by a dislike for 0. To some, this OVA symbolises what they perceived as an empty, shallow follow-up of the fantastical first season. Personally, I perceived 0 as a great alternative story to the milestone that was Steins;Gate, and this little, cute OVA is nothing but a sweet reminder that amidst all the drama, action, complexity, and despair we can - and should - still find some time to goof around.

Nisemonogatari is an often horny, mostly self-aware fever dream. It continuously plays with open, repetitive environments, disjointed dialogue, semi-supportive text, and anime tropes we have all come to love or hate. While I advise watching previous entries in the Monogatari universe first, people unfamiliar with Koyomi's companions and adventures can still derive value from these 11 episodes.

To me, the most significant appeal of this series is its inconsistency. Where most anime gives us easy-to-summarize characters and some form of development, Nisemonogatari avoids most of this. The result is a cast that simultaneously feels familiar and estranged. We see the same dynamic in its environments, consisting ... of incredibly stylized but mundane elements (streetlights, mailboxes, fences, roads) arranged in impossible or insensible ways. Story-wise, as you might expect, this does not differ. While there is a mainline to follow, Nisemonogatari often skips past it to focus on interpersonal relationships or stream-of-thought monologues, only to bring it back into focus when we least expect it.

I like Nisemonogatari. I think people should watch it. I think it's funny, I think it's bright, I think it's beautifully stylized, and I think it's hella lewd. Give it a go.
I said, with a posed look.

This OVA is such a fantastic round-up of the masterpiece that is Steins;Gate.
While the original series is rather bleak, this OVA brings a wholesomeness that I've been craving to see throughout the original 24 episodes. That is not to say this series needed this OVA, rather, it is a heart-warming extra to an already beautifully moving experience.

Like a nurturing kiss on a roughed-up cheek, Oukoubakko no Poriomania uses its run-time to comfort those who have been with Okabe and his crew throughout their exhaustive story. And I'm grateful for it. Of course, Steins;Gate's original episodes leave some room for a more thorough exploration of its ... thematics but to demand this of an OVA that is clearly meant to provide a positive emotional chug feels unfair. Therefore, I'd say that this OVA is for those who'd like to spend a bit more time with this colourful cast, without having the rug pulled out from under them once more.

I like the Zero Escape games. Sure, their thematics are poorly explored - if at all, their characters are painfully one-dimensional, and graphically it's nothing to write home about. Still, there's an addictive "Who's done it?" quality to the series that always kept me engaged. This ONA, made for promotional purposes, aims to spark interest in VLR without spoiling its overall narrative. Sadly, it is difficult to say for whom this ONA is meant. Those who have already played the game, will not find any new content. Others will be introduced to a handful of names and faces but with little understanding of their importance. ... The game's rules are explained but feel arbitrary when not seen in action, and the consequences of losing fall flat due to a lack of reliability with the cast or an understanding of its interwovenness.

In short: it fails to intrigue, inform, or entertain. If anything, it confuses.
It won't hurt you to sit through its 12 minutes though.

After finishing Persona 5 on my Playstation 4, I found it really hard to say goodbye to the Phantom Thieves. Because of this, I continued my journey through Persona 5 Strikers, Persona Q2 and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. It wasn't enough. I read the three Mementos Mission mangas, kept returning to the game's fantastic OST, and watched nearly every "hot take" video essay on YouTube. Eventually, I ended up watching this OVA. While it did not take my heart, it did help me move on to different forms of entertainment.

Now, the above is not to say that I did not enjoy The Day Breakers. ... It is a pleasant, little snack before (or after) one dives into the full main course that is Persona 5. It introduces its beloved cast in a way that aims to spark curiosity in those who are still to play the game, and a sense of familiarity in those who've already done so. While not too remarkably animated - besides one particular fight scene - it does present its viewers with a solid story featuring "rotten adults" and teens, struggling to find their way amidst societal woes.

I would suggest this OVA to anyone that, like me, finds it hard to say goodbye to Leblanc's coffee and Shoji Meguro's astonishing tunes. People that are curious to jump into the 200-hour frenzy that is Persona 5 might also be attracted to this short introduction. In case you have little affinity with Persona ór are in need of a deep, complex storyline and matching visuals: look elsewhere.