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Jul 14, 2024
I once saw an old interview with Hayao Miyazaki where he discussed the inspiration behind "Spirited Away." He mentioned that his primary goal was to create something that children would find enjoyable and fun. The main character, Chihiro, was modeled after the daughter of a friend—a cute, curious, and slightly mischievous girl who often grew impatient with adults. After the film's release, Miyazaki asked this girl if she liked it. She nodded, saying it was great. Miyazaki then said, "That approval from a kid was enough; winning the Oscar was secondary."
This resonates with me deeply. When I first watched "Spirited Away" at the age of
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7, my family owned just one anime DVD—this film. I would watch it repeatedly because it was the only Japanese animation we had at home. I must have seen it over 50 times. The expansive, imaginative world, unique characters, and fascinating creatures were astonishing to a young child like me and sparked my curiosity in ways I couldn't have imagined. This film was my introduction to the world of anime, and it remains a masterpiece in my eyes.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 3, 2024
"Kotarou wa Hitorigurashi" is about a 4-year-old kid living alone and interacting with his community. At first glance, it seems like an ordinary slice-of-life anime, but it actually delves into themes of domestic violence, broken families, and child neglect.
What's special about this work is that the author doesn't depict the domestic violence directly to shock the audience. Instead, the story hints at heartbreaking reasons behind the child's strange behaviors while living alone. This subtle approach is more challenging because the author needs a deep understanding of an abused child's psychology to create convincing plot points. Therefore, I think it's a remarkable piece.
Initially, I dropped the
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anime after the first episode, thinking it was just a funny slice-of-life show and it's not entertaining enough. But then I reconsidered, seeing its high ratings, and found out it discuss more on family issue themes, so I watched it all in one go. Overall, the anime is quite slow-paced. If you're looking for entertaining plots, this might not be for you. The animation isn't great either, possibly to stay true to the manga or due to budget constraints, resulting in odd character proportions and a lack of aesthetic appeal.
However, these minor flaws don't significantly impact the viewing experience. I still think it's worth watching, especially for adults about to start their own families. It's an anime that prompts deep reflection. An unfortunate childhood takes a lifetime to heal. In this story, Kotarou was lucky to have kind neighbors, but what about the kids in the real world who aren’t so lucky?
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 25, 2024
The third season was ruined from the moment a transfer student joined. This bitch kept asking Kumiko if she should give up competing, but clearly, she never thought of quitting. So why did she keep asking then? If she wanted to quit, she could have done it anytime. What was she trying to prove by asking these stupid questions multiple times? To show her kindness? Innocence? I don't get it. This kind of hypocritical personality is just disgusting. Imagine poor Kumiko having to listen to her bullshit for a whole year while holding back the anger not to slap this mayonnaise bitch deep inside. Despite
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being introduced in a jarringly unpleasant manner, they force a redemption arc at the end where Mayu recalls her experiences and opens up to Kumiko, trying to justify her twisted and contradictory character. This attempt to sugarcoat her character is cringe af.
Then in episode 12, there is a class vote on soli. The vote ended in a tie, and Reina cast the deciding vote. Knowing that which was Kumiko's play (which Reina admit it later), she heartlessly eliminated her own friend. So after all the times she told Kumiko she wanted to play together, when she have a chance to decide, and she chose this? Just so you know, the audience vote was split 50/50, meaning both were equally good. There wasn't a huge gap like it'd ruin the whole performance if Kumiko did the soli. Even if Reina had the slightest desire to play with Kumiko, she would have chosen lil Kumiko, but she didn't.
I don't understand why the Kyoto decided to hard push this so-called "aesthetics of regret" on this episode. Not sure what Kyoto trying to express. Are you aiming to show the harsh reality in the work? If we're really talking about realism, they should have lost during the Kansai competition already. Can Kumiko's motivational speech in the last minute save a team that's been collapsed in reality? Lol. And now you're trying to sell me this BS plot where Kumiko, even if she plays at the same level as another NPC competitor, has to be a loser just for your cringe harsh reality plot need? Taking away Kumiko's rightful achievements in the light novel to push a storyline about meritocratic regret is an extremely exaggerated, arrogant and lazy adaptation.
All it does is show that Kumiko and Reina's three-year friendship and performance chemistry mean nothing compared to a NPC. Also I don't know about others, but before the results were announced, I honestly felt the second performance was better. So, what was Reina's criteria for not choosing Kumiko? Or is it just obvious that this is some forced BS plot? or to make the audience felt again the same old melodramatic plot already repeated in the first season? In this last season? Really? Do you have something new?
And the utterly useless and incompetent teacher. When the club faces internal pressure before Kansai competition, you as an adult, don't step up to say a word, pushing everything onto Kumiko and letting the club fend for itself. Kumiko has to shoulder everything on her own, and then there's Reina, only makes things worse in managing the club with zero EQ. It's funny when facing a controversial situation, Reina would always speak up for her beloved teacher, trust him and simp brainlessly, but when came to when both player are equally good, she has zero trust, zero sense that her music bestie, who has been training together with her all the time, can perform better than a NPC in the final. Reina what are you smoking in this season?
At the very least, if Kyoto Animation really wanted to emphasize the performance gap and meritocratic ideology, and have Kumiko realize she's still not as good as Mayu, they could have had the teacher choose Mayu directly in the first place. Isn't he a music expert can make decision? The way he dumped this mess on the students, making them vote to handle it, made him look like a awful teacher. Anyhow, it would have been much better than holding this ridiculous mass voting, resulting in a tie and then Kumiko losing for no reason. This is an insult.
In the last Kansai competition, Taki chose Mayu over Kumiko because he was certain Mayu's skills were superior, which made sense and was reasonable. However, this time it's different. When both are of the same level, if Taki were wise enough, he would decisively choose Kumiko to avoid affecting team morale. In big competitions, especially finals, morale is more important than that 0.01 point. Not to say having a mass vote and putting a controversial result's pressure on the team member before final.
Obviously, Hanada created this scenario just so there would be a plot where Reina could prove she remains as the "special one" by eliminating her friend in this way, nothing more. Poor Kumiko... Kyoto really did you dirty there. And I believe a lot of people will start waving the "deep and meaningful realism" flag, convincing themselves and everyone else to swallow this bullshit too, as happens with most melodramatic anime.
After eliminating Kumiko, Reina didn't even offer any comfort on the spot. Instead, she ran up the mountain real quick like it's the best time for exercise. Then start reminisced about not betraying vows to justify this ugly plot. And then Kumiko, despite being sad, still had to climb the stupid mountain way up tired like a dog just to comfort Reina, telling her it's okay. Is this a joke? Kumiko I thought was bout to beat the hell out of this fake bestie? Then they both cried together with the most beautiful animation I've seen this year, making it look like a beautifully wrapped piece of chocolate that turns out to be a pile of shit when you actually taste it. What weed did Hanada smoke to write such a disgusting storyline, or am I too old for this shit?
This final season, with only 13 episodes and no movie to wrap it up, feels overly focused on the team's internal conflicts and character clashes. Instead, if Hanada had concentrated more on the music and its meaning, like in "Liz and the Blue Bird", how they explains the notes, what does Liz and Blue Bird mean in each music section, and their emotions behind it. It would have felt more like a true music anime. Exploring how chapters of spring, summer, autumn, and winter in music should conveys emotions or how solos should blend together to be consider top-notch or the technical differences between Kitauji and the top teams would have provided more meaningful narrative, or whatever that just purely related real music.
Yes, the third season excels in animation and voice acting, but the contrived conflicts created just to spark drama are repetitive and stale. This narrative technique might have felt fresh in the first two seasons, but using it again in the final season feels redundant. This season spent 12 episodes just watching everyone argue, cry, and make up like a opera soap. Also just because Reina previously vow to Kumiko, it means that this season Kumiko must be the sacrificial lamb for that promise to supposedly achieve so called character development and a climactic moment.
Imo, this kind of twisted character development is extremely shallow because it implies that no matter how hard Kumiko tries, it's pointless, as it is dictated by the superficial realism melodramatic plot. It's forced by the plot and does not develop naturally. They use this clichéd aesthetic of regret to say that Kumiko has grown after going through all this, forcing her to become a saint who completes everyone else, except herself.
The final episode, Episode 13, came out today, and Kyoto decided to end it by constantly switching between various scenes, trying to wrap everything up. It felt like the work of a stressed college dude rushing a last-minute slideshow for his professor, with most of the material grabbed from the internet. There was no tension of a finale at all. We don't even know who the competitors are, nor do we have any clue how they got the gold, same with why Kumiko was eliminated from soli.
The final display of each team member's face and their name for 0.1 seconds was hilarious. Bruh these teammates became NPC the whole season known because you Kyoto spent all the fcking time on opera soap dramas earlier. If you had spent a little more time on real team training and focused on exploring music in the plot, we wouldn't be so unfamiliar with them. It's too late to fix this, better just let these NPC rest in peace, stop insulting them like this lol.
This last season is definitely overrated at this point. If I were to seriously rate it, I'd give it a max 4 or 5, no more. But I do understand people who've followed it to the third season, most likely wouldn't want to give it a low rating since we came so far, so I'll just give it a 1/10 to balance out hype by the loyal fan base. Thank you for reading.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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Jun 19, 2024
This is a story set in a medieval , featuring lords, prisons, nobles, and orphanages. These seemingly unrelated elements are fatefully intertwined, kicking off the nightmare for the girls in the story. While most people find such manga plots hard to stomach and accept, it's worth remembering that medieval history was like this—war was the norm at that time, and there was no talk of human rights or moral standards.
I give it only a 6 because it gets boring in the latter half. The one chapter that really hit me hard was the one where the father and daughter reunite at the most fucked up
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place. Readers know things could have gone in a much more disgusting and twisted direction, but thankfully the author showed mercy and gave them a "better ending."
And of course...this manga is definitely not for anyone under 16. Stay healthy for your pure soul.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 16, 2024
"Sonny Boy" is about a bunch of high school students who end up in another dimension and randomly get superpowers. They start exploring this new world to find out what's going on.
If you watch it as a stream-of-consciousness, philosophical anime, it's really impressive. Its strength is in its multi-layered, ambiguous imagery, which allows every viewer to interpret it in their own way. That's a sign of a great work. It also captures the essence of youth perfectly—it's raw, fleeting, and restless, using allegories and imagery without being shallow or pretentious.
The show reflect psychological sketch of students about to enter the real world. The superpowers symbolize
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their real-world strengths, and the changing virtual world represents the various career paths after graduation. The series also discusses big themes like avoiding responsibility, the meaning of effort, living in the present, and dealing with the past—things we all face in life.
But if you watch it just for the plot, it might seem pretty ordinary. The pacing is slow, and many important details are only briefly shown. If you're not paying close attention, you might miss them. So, as a regular plot-driven anime, it's just average.
My advice for watching this show is not to get hung up on the logic or the story. Don't worry about understanding everything. Instead, let the themes and messages resonate with your own emotions and experiences. I believe you'll have a unique viewing experience, especially if you're about to graduate, because this show feels like it’s made just for you!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 16, 2024
"Hinamatsuri" is about a yakuza guy who suddenly finds a superpowered girl in his home one day and ends up adopting her as his daughter. The whole vibe of the anime is super chill and funny, packed with Japanese humor, illogical randomness, and tons of witty banter.
The side characters in this show are really well-developed, so you won't get that "too much main character focus turning everyone else into NPCs" problem. Their interactions are also pretty hilarious.
There isn't a strong main plotline, probably because it only has 13 episodes. I've heard the manga has a lot of important story arcs that didn't make it into
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the anime, which might leave some people feeling like the show is a bit disjointed. But honestly, it doesn't ruin the viewing experience. Just treat it like a slice-of-life anime and enjoy the ride.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 11, 2024
Yui Hirasawa is honestly one of the best-crafted moe characters in anime. Usually, when creating a naturally airheaded and cute girl, it’s easy to make her come off as just plain dumb instead of endearing. But Naoko Yamada and her team nailed the small details that make Yui feel like a genuinely innocent child living her best life.
On the music front, I really vibe with “Fuwa Fuwa Time” and “Touched by an Angel.” The rest of the songs are kind of meh to me, maybe because the characters spent more time drinking tea than actually practicing. By the time they graduated, they didn’t have many
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standout performances, which is kind of a bummer, but oh well, it’s part of their charm.
I gave this anime a solid 9/10, but funny things is, when it first came out, I dropped it after one episode of season one. Fourteen years later, I decided to pick it up again and finally made it to episode two, then this season two. Back then, I was all about plot-heavy, deep-thinking anime and just couldn’t appreciate slice-of-life shows. I guess there’s no “best” anime, just what fits your mood at the time.
Lastly, for those who watched it ages ago, do you still remember that dream Yui had where Mugi took off her eyebrows and they were pickles or something, and then she and Yui ate them and said they were good? XDD
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 8, 2024
Naoki Urasawa's big three thrillers: 20th Century Boys, Monster, and Pluto. Compared to these, Billy Bat is more of a niche thriller, but it has its loyal fanbase, especially since it's set during the Cold War era.
Let's start with the good stuff: Billy Bat has a ton of settings, tons of information, a non-linear narrative, loads of characters and their backgrounds, and of course, Naoki Urasawa's signature use of foreshadowing, all of which make this work stand out.
Now for the bad: reading it can be exhausting. You have to remember a lot, and sometimes you forget earlier plot points. The pacing can drag at times,
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making you feel impatient, and only the desire to uncover the truth keeps you going. But when you finally reach the end, you might feel like the so-called "truth" isn't that great. You'll probably think, "That's it?" and then feel a wave of dissatisfaction. This is a common issue with Urasawa Naoki's works. Finishing one of his stories often feels like the music is building up to a peak but then suddenly cuts off at a weird way, leaving you feeling a bit lost and let down. It feels like a weak ending ruins the whole thing.
But after calming down and reflecting on the whole reading experience, you'll realize that even though the ending was meh, the storytelling, narrative techniques, and foreshadowing were actually brilliant. So overall, I'd give it an 8 out of 10, but don't expect too much from the foreshadowing payoffs.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 7, 2024
I see a lot of people bashing this show for having bad music, no main storyline, etc. But I think they just don't realize that this is a slice of life anime.
This anime doesn't have a lot of intense emotional storylines or high-pressure training for competitions. Even though it's music-themed, they spend way more time drinking tea than practicing or performing. It's such a lazy anime, but that's exactly why I love it—playing around like kids, engaging with music without any pressure.
Considering this anime came out in 2009, nearly 15 years ago, I think its animation was top-notch for its time. Sure, there were some
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animation issues later on, but overall, it was really pleasant to watch. It's the perfect cute anime for adults dealing with a lot of stress, to relax at home with a cup of coffee after work.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 1, 2024
I started reading this manga without high expectations, but it turned out to be better than I imagined. The interesting monster and world settings show how much effort the author put into it. The cute art style details the monsters' organs, habits, and suitable ecosystems, reflecting the author's dedication.
A common flaw in food-themed slice-of-life manga is that the plot can become dull, causing readers to quickly lose interest. However, the author of Dungeon Meshi skillfully integrates elements of adventure, dungeons, demons, and mysteries, keeping the plot engaging while focusing on monster cuisine.
Moreover, the author is very restrained, knowing that the manga's main focus is not
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on suspense and action. When the plot could become darker and scarier, the author adds some humorous scenes and dialogue to lighten the mood, reminding you that it's a comedy food manga.
The ending is quite standard, tying up the plot well and addressing the characters' futures without major mistakes. However, readers might feel the ending lacks the freshness and excitement of the beginning, as the early chapters constantly introduced new settings and information.
Overall, I enjoyed it a lot and highly recommend it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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