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I enjoyed this movie more than Your Name. Now, listen to what I have to say.

I won't spend time comparing the two beyond this, but in short, this movie is much more innovative than Your Name ever was.

Now then, why did I enjoy this movie so much? Here's what I have to say:

Story: 8
I won't recap the synopsis and just state my thoughts on the plot of Fireworks. Though simple, this film does not conform to the genre that it identifies itself as. In addition, this film portrays a somewhat more realistic tale outside of the time-traveling shenanigans. It is a tale of teenagers trying ... to rewrite fate and forge their own destiny. However, unlike most anime stories, nothing goes as planned for our protagonists. A cold and callous reality is presented which makes our characters decide if they embrace or defy it. Even they come to accept reality as a whole and know that their plans will most likely not come to fruition.
While the film is forced to reuse plot elements for the sake of time traveling, they make an effort to what anything that's not relevant and change how the audience views it the second time around.

Art: 8
This is easy. The backgrounds are gorgeous. I'd say that the fireworks shown in the film, despite being obviously computer animated, look better than real-life fireworks.
Now, the film does use CGI as a crutch in some cases, but outside of one or two scenarios, you'd have to look for it to be bothered. In addition, the hand-drawn animation rebels against the CGI scenery. Some odd shading choices also hinder the experience. Luckily, some dynamic shots make up for this. My favorite example is the 2 male leads opposing each other as the camera is positioned at the ground giving us a look at their stance as well as the twilight above.
Nevertheless, anyone watching will be blown away by the impressive visuals to be bothered by the shortcomings.

Sound: 10
Another easy one. The film features 3 major songs. The first of which manages to clearly portray the character's motivation and reluctance to accept her reality. Even if it isn't completely necessary.
The song that plays in the film's climatic ending is also outstanding. Not only is it entirely in English while sung by a Japanese singer, it is quite effective in portraying the inevitable, yet undesirable ending that is shrouded in uncertainty.
The final song, played during the credits is simply amazing.
The BGM is pretty good as well with a standout being the theme playing while the main group of boys going to school in the beginning.

Character: 7
This film thrives in the fact that the characters are shallow emotionally. That is completely okay since the characters are teenagers. They may have a crush at one point but change their mind at the tip of a hat. Every character expresses themselves in actions alone. We never need to know what they're thinking. In fact, aside from a brief opening monologue, we never once hear a character's thoughts which keeps us engaged consistently.

Enjoyment: 8
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. A big factor is how the ending makes you think. Very few anime movies promote a discussion, but this is not the case here. Some funny, albeit offbeat humor keeps your engagement if the film isn't moving the plot forward, which it does at a reasonable pace.

Overall: 9
Fireworks deconstructs the genre it fits into while reinventing a few romantic-genre cliches. While it does fall into a few tropes of it's own, they rarely affect the plot which is innovative and unique. It doesn't quite go the extra mile to perfect what it's trying to alter in the medium, the effort is monumental. Stimulating visuals and a colorful soundtrack is a delight to see for all. Overall, Fireworks is a film that will be undermined as a unconventional love story, it is something that anime as a medium should take a note of and use it as a lesson to create new and inventive stories to tell.

"Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it."

Not many studios can make a great movie on their first try, but Studio Ghibli did. While not Miyazaki's first movie, it's still a milestone in film history. Castle in the Sky is a simple, yet thorough tale of nature and how it contrasts with what us humans create to go alongside it.

Story: 7
Our story follows Sheeta, a mysterious girl who is being chased by the government and a band of pirates. In order to save herself, she jumps down from an airship and floats to the surface below where she is caught by Pazu, a young boy. ... Pazu helps Sheeta flee from her chasers while also searching for Laputa, a castle in the sky.

While simple by today's standards, it is very effective in storytelling. There's a plot put in place plus some backstory thrown in for world building. While the story as whole is relatively predictable and won't be shocking you much, it's very engaging and may even leave you feeling a bit sad in the end.

Art: 9
It's Studio Ghibli, of course it's great. It's no surprise that the art is great. The scenery is vivid. The character animations are fluid. Despite being an earlier work, it still holds up incredibly well today, even if it's a bit basic when compared to Ghibli's other work.

Sound: 8
The music in the opening sequence is incredible as well as the song for the credits. While the music in between isn't remarkably memorable, it does a good job nevertheless.

Character: 8
Every character is distinct and wonderfully characterized. Sheeta is far from a typical heroine as she plays just as, if not bigger part than, Pazu whom is the male protagonist. However, the true stars of the film is Captain Dola and her children. While they're still a rag-tag team of pirates, they are a family at heart and even caring toward the protagonists. You can't help but like them. As for the villain, Muska, he's a typical menacing count who wants world domination. Though stereotypical, his intentions are clear and justified on his part to an extent.

Enjoyment: 9
It's a charming film. The action scenes are well done, and it is significantly funnier than most of Ghibli's films. If you enjoy the other Ghibli films, you'll like this one without a doubt.

Overall: 8
Though simple in nature, this film set a precedent for future Ghibli. Most importantly, it set down a foundation for all future anime films. You won't be finding a super deep story with a gigantic emotional plot twist, here, but a funny and down-to-earth adventure film.

- zamandzoe's Anime Reviews: Season 2 ~ Review 1 -

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”

Normally, it would be acceptable for a studio's first film to be far from perfect. However, when you have people from the acclaimed Studio Ghibli working on your film, you're asking to be compared to them from the get go.

As much as I'd want to deny this claim, it seems that Miyazaki was the key to much of Ghibli's success.

Story: 6
On it's own, Mary and the Witch's Flower's story is flat. The pacing is all over the place, and any ... world building falls flat on it's face. By all means, it's "passable" but it's far from engaging. We are introduced to a "normal" world followed by a magical realm of sorts that exists inside it. Notably, we see a full tour of the school which would leave you to believe that it would be a key asset of this film's world.

But it's not. Following the tour of a well-crafted and inspired school, it is completely dropped from the story. Soon after that, we see a house in the middle of nowhere that once belonged to a witch from long ago. That witch happened to steal a valuable item from the school, but other than what is said at face value, we never get a deeper explanation about why that happened.

Those were only some of the story's problems. Honestly, a film could pass with a lackluster plot and still be pretty good, but that means that it would need to be good in every other aspect.

Art and Sound: 8
If there's one thing this film did get from Ghibli, it's the art style and the sound. Though basic in this day and age, the style works well and a few still shots make the world at least feel alive. The sound compliments this, and makes intense scenes feel like it matters... Even though the characters make it seem otherwise.

Characters: 5
This is where the film falls flat in every way. We are supposed to like Mary, the protagonist, but all she does is act like a brat in the beginning and magically redeems herself by the end. The film could've gone in an interesting direction with her telling a lie that changes the course of the plot, but it ignores this.

As for every other character, they hardly classify as one. No development is to be found, they only do the minimum that the film requires them to do.

Enjoyment: 6
Ultimately, this is subjective. For me, the pretty scenery and above average soundtrack was enough for me to remain interested. That may not apply to everyone. If you absolutely need an engaging plot, then you won't find it here. The same applies for the characters.

Overall: 6
Is this a bad movie? No. Is it a great movie? No. Should you watch it? Sure, why not?

If you want a reason to appreciate Ghibli, then watch this film. It will make you realize how magical they were.

Otherwise, this film is pretty generic and not that noteworthy. It plays everything safe and takes no risks. As such, it is clear that replicating Ghibli came first, while being original was second.

If you have the chance to watch it on a big screen (theater), then it's probably worth a watch. The animation is very good and so is the soundtrack.

A bit of hope.

I went into this anime with a bit of hope that it wasn't going to be as cliche as it looked.

I was mistaken. Terribly mistaken in fact.

Story: 5

I didn't have high hopes before watching this series. However, the first three episodes made me think that maybe this anime could turn the "little sister" anime trope on it's head. Would it portray a interesting and meaningful story about two siblings who don't see eye to eye? That's what I thought. Needless to say, it went downhill...

While the first three episodes were very good, like 8/10 good, they still kept a few of ... the cliches that this kind of genre often has. That should've have signaled what was to come. After the first three episodes, the show eventually stopped trying. It became less about a brother trying to help his little sister while still trying to consider her point of view into a big brother doing literally anything his sister asks. What makes it even worse? The ending throws all of it out of the window. Any remaining hope must have taken a flight to a foreign land and never returned. Literally.

All in all, the story could have ended after the first three episodes, and I would have enjoyed it a fair amount.

Art: 6

As this series came out in 2010, it resembles a 2000's anime much more than a more recent series. Nevertheless, it's bland and lacks creativity. All of the characters look stiff and literally every female character has a blush. Always. Literally.

Sound: 5

Once again, bland. The opening and ending didn't stick with me. Normally, I'll watch the opening to a series for every episode, but if I did that with this one, I'd feel like I was wasting my time. Same thing for the ending.

Character: 3

As much as I'd like to rant about this, I'll keep it short.

Kirino - For the first half of the series, she was tolerable. After that, however, she became ridiculous. I get what the creator was going for, but there's a difference between "little sister who's ungrateful and needy" and "tsundere". In this case, both were thrown together and it was called a day.

Kyousuke - The only "good" thing about this series. At the very least, he's somewhat funny and is easy to sympathize with due to the absurd things he's put through. Even if you don't like his character, he is involved in a few funny gags.

Kirino's two friends are mostly harmless. Her modeling friend is decent, albeit one-note. Manami is easily the worst. She serves little to no purpose, is even more irritating than the little sister, and is only used when the show has to fill time.

In conclusion, the characters completely deplete this show of any chance at redeeming itself.

Enjoyment: 5

Like I said, I really liked the first few episodes. After that, I only watched it since I was trying to fill my "completed" section on my anime list. Otherwise, I would have dropped it. To be fair, every episode probably has one or maybe two funny gags, but that's pushing it. The show also attempts fan service, but fails every single time.

Overall: 5

In order to like this series, you have to be of a rare kind. To bother watching it in the first place, you have to be desperate. At best, it's a distraction. I'd say that you could watch the first three episodes, leave, and be satisfied. Everything else just ruins an already questionable basis.

It seems that modern anime and manga completely forget that romance can exist outside of the typical "high school romance" formula. As mainstream as this formula is, it is not the only to succeed in telling a romance story.

Karakai Jouzo no Takagi-san understands this completely. It's a lighthearted romance story between two middle school students. A girl named Takagi likes to tease the boy she sits next to in class for the fun of it. Meanwhile, the boy, named Nishikata, tries to get back at her everyday but fails endlessly. Though simple, the formula this manga manages to portray interesting scenarios with a few ... twist and turns along the way.

Story: 8

Generally, the manga focuses various independent scenarios that have minimal connections to each other. However, a few overarching chapters are thrown in and show progression from chapter to chapter. Most of the time, these chapters aren't always one after another meaning that the "story" isn't told in order.
In most cases, this would lead to a disjointed and imperfect plot, but it works well here. If the "important" chapters were told in order, the manga would be unbalanced resulting in a lopsided distribution of development.
As for the chapters themselves, nothing is ever taken too seriously. We get to see a boy and a girl go back and forth with the girl always prevailing. While this is predictable, you'll never know how Takagi will deceive Nishikata. Even then, there are a few curveballs that change up the formula, albeit temporarily.

Art: 9

The art of Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san is generally well-polished and distinct. The environments are pretty standard, while the character designs are unique, yet very effective.
Takagi-san's wide array of facial expressions are enough to fool Nishikata and us as well. However, even with her smugness, we can always tell that her intents are never malicious. If this wasn't the case, it would hurt the manga severely.
As for Nishikata, his facial expressions display his overconfidence and dread when needed. You can truly feel when he has his hopes high and tell when he's contemplating his next move.
I'd like to note that in the first few chapters, the art is a bit rough around the edges, but only compared to later chapters when the author had a sense of the manga. You won't be bothered by it in your first reading, but if you were to look back at the first dozen chapters or so, you'll notice a bit of a difference.
Nevertheless, the artwork does a fantastic at amplifying the humor and satire of any given situation.

Character: 10

A character doesn't need deep motivations and constant development to be great.
Much like it's premise, the characters are simple, yet charming in countless ways.
Nishikata is a bit dense and overconfident at times, but he is more aware than he lets on. He spends more time questioning his actions than he does simply trying to figure out Takagi's schemes. This makes him a likable character that you want to root for. He always takes into consideration how an action will affect him and how others view him, which is the exact thought process of a middle school student. Even if he could outsmart Takagi by underhanded tactics, he knows when to let go of something. Granted, even when he has a reasonable chance of gaining the upperhand, he still messes it up. But this is why many readers will resonate with him. With that and his constant motivation to improve (to no avail), we can't help but laugh not only with him, but at him (while still feeling sympathetic).

As for Takagi, she is the real star of the show (or manga in this case). She's obviously the most emotionally mature of the two of them, but she's never seen as stuck-up or cocky. Even if she does constantly tease Nishikata, she always gives him a fair chance to win (that he never seems to take, or know how to take for that matter). Usually, the end result of Nishikata's humiliation is brought about by his choices and not hers. Nevertheless, she legitimately cares for him and wouldn't put him in any serious danger. With that being said, the most important part of her character is how un-malicious she is. She could easily become a generic tsundere, but she is more than that. Nevertheless, her various schemes never fail to be funny. In addition, every situation she puts Nishikata in is completely realistic. It's exactly what you'd see between two middle school students who wouldn't admit that they want to be around each other, but feel that way anyways.

While the side characters aren't worth mentioning, they often provide another perspective on Takagi and Nishikata's relationship.

Enjoyment: 10

No matter who you are, you will enjoy Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san for what it is. Everybody can relate with Nishikata and will find Takagi's trickery funny. Even more so, everybody will find it endlessly heartwarming and is very nostalgic for anybody who is no longer in school. Every chapter offers a new scenario that puts a twist on a formula that could become repetitive, but doesn't.

Overall: 9

Overall, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san is pure-hearted fun that everybody will enjoy. Even if you're an edgy teenager, or a middle-aged parent, you will fall in love with these characters and the various scenarios they get themselves in. The art is distinct and displays every situation fantastically. This is undoubtedly a must-read for any manga fan, or anybody who wants to see an illustrated version of a middle school relationship.

Overall, I give this manga:

10 Smug Takagis + 1 Clueless Nishikata/10 (which translates to a 9/10)

It takes a lot for any form of entertainment to truly influence creators worldwide. 'Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro' has done that. Having influenced everything from anime itself to Disney, this movie is a marvel of it's medium. What makes it better is that it accomplished so much for it's time period (having been released in 1979). While Hayao Miyazaki's other films about castles are much more recognized, this film is arguably the best of the bunch.

Story: 8
Lupin III, having just robbed a casino of it's cash (that is counterfeit), is now heading to the country of Cagliostro to find the source of ... the goat bills, while also attempting to save a princess from the clutches of an evil count.

While fairly standard compared to the more 'intricate' plots we often see in anime today, it was rather fresh for it's time. You could clearly map out what will happen in the movie early on, but never what actions the characters will take on their way there. In other words, the path to the finale is anything but a straight one. There are many twists and turns to be found, but none of them feel forced, resulting in everything flowing naturally.

Art: 10
Speaking of flowing naturally, the animation of this film is one of the best I've ever seen. The various amounts of scenery contained within this film legitimately look like actual pieces of artwork you'd see in a museum.

In addition, the action scenes are paced and animated beautifully. Notably, the car chase in the beginning (which has become infamous for how well-crafted it is). We get to see every second of the action and it never seems like parts were chopped out and rearranged. If you want to see some of the best action scenes in anime, then watch this.

Sound: 9
What makes the action scenes such a delight to watch (other than the fluidity of the animation)? That would be the soundtrack that accompanies it. It feels as if each track was crafted for a specific scene and wasn't just slapped on to fill a quota. If the action stops, then the music comes to a halt and only resumes when the action flares up again. It helps even more that the opening theme is just as great. It displays the serenity of the opening perfectly.

Character: 8
This film serves as a source of character development for Lupin. He is portrayed as a thief, but a caring one at that. While he could easily ignore the count's devious actions, he goes out of his way to save the princess first. This isn't something you'd see him always do in the original series.
As for every character, the count and princess are relatively one-note, but serve their purpose well. Every other side character doesn't actually get enough screen time for actual development.

Enjoyment: 9
This is literally a joy-ride of a film. It's incredibly fast-paced and knows the exact amount of attention each aspect should get. Even for those who are already familiar with Lupin III, there are still moments to be found that'll appeal to them. What comedy it does have is funny, but doesn't draw you away from the movie too much, which is a good thing in this case. In general, this movie is enjoyable, no matter your perspective on it.

Overall: 9
"Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro" is a joy for Lupin III fans, and a fresh take on anime for anybody else. You don't need prior knowledge to understand the themes that this movie conveys. It's a must-watch for anybody who wants to see the basis for many of the anime of today.

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."
- Robert A. Heinlein

Take that quote, put it in anime form, and crank the "stupidity" up to 100. Then multiply that with the most fun you've had in a long time. That's how Aho-Girl was created (literally, the title is exactly what it is).

Many have written this anime off because of the countless number of memes and clips you've seen of it on the internet make it seem like a joke. None of them have given it a fair chance. They don't know what they're missing out on.

Story: 7
Once upon a time, ... humanity was cursed by the gods and suffered a terrible fate. That fate was Hanabatake Yoshiko. She and her intricate tactics to overthrow humanity were bound to reign down on the mere mortals below in due time. Thus, it was up to Akutsu Akuru, humanity's knight in shining armor, to put a stop to this.

You see, that was the dramatic version. In reality, this show is simply about a girl's stupidity and what kind of situations it puts herself and others in. While there is no overarching plot of speak of (except one man's struggle to stop her terror), each episode contains a few small, generally self-contained stories, that provide a stage for all the wacky antics we see our characters get themselves into.

Art: 8
At first glance, the artwork and animation are quite basic. However, as the series progresses and the situations become more wild, the art becomes more distinct and expressive. If a character is mad, they look furious. If a character is shocked, they look distraught. The animation conveys every action and emotion with such fluidity and precision.
In addition, there a few segments where the animators either change the style of the show completely, or change the kind of animation itself. At one point, a segment turns into a manga-like high-speed chase scene on a highway. Another time, it transforms into a shounen-like battle scene. In general, you're always in for a treat, even if there are a few noticeable mistakes and mishaps sprinkled throughout.
Also, the opening for every episode changes. For a show that you'd think would have a low-budget, this is quite unique and deserves praise.

Sound: 8
Every time music plays, it fits the scene it accompanies well. In addition, the opening and ending themes are nice to listen. As for the opening in particular, it displays the show's playful and upbeat nature perfectly.

Character: 8
I'll go ahead and say this now, there is very minimal character development to be found. Yet, the show dances around this roadblock with grace. Each character has great chemistry with every other character they interact with. The characters are what sold this anime to me. Every funny moment is because of the characters. While the characters could technically be defined as one-note, each individual personality is so strong that you won't care in the end.

Enjoyment: 10
I'd be lying if this wasn't one of the funniest anime I've seen. The anime is bold in nature and constantly strives to defy one's expectations of what comes next. Every trope that it could possibly be subjected to, is turned on it's head. Every episode was like a roller coaster, except the ride only ever went down when it was finished.

Overall: 8
This anime is not meant to be judged critically. By those standards, the show is quite poor. However, if you are willing to turn off your brain for 12 minutes at a time, you will love this anime for what it is. If you legitimately give it a chance, you won't be disappointed.

It's an anime about love, alcohol, and a relationship that every weeb wishes they could get. That's about it.

Story: 7
Woman experiences life's daily struggles. Guy makes an alcoholic drink. Woman drinks said alcohol. Then comes... Love? Bliss? Glee? I'm sure it's one of those. While every episode typically follows this formula, because of the short length and small variables within each episode, you won't feel like it gets old. Other than that, there isn't a story. Normally, that would get points taken off, but this is one of the few anime that doesn't require an overarching plot.
However, they did give two episodes dedicated to ... the backstory of our main characters. In all honesty, they could have done much less.

Art: 7
It's clear that there was a budget here, even if it was small. There isn't much "animation" to speak of, but the artwork itself is vibrant and keeps your attention. You can see that there were a few cut corners, but you'd have to look for them to actually notice. Overall, there is at least some effort put into the art.

Sound: 6
I don't think that an anime about a woman getting drunk actually needs a soundtrack. Clearly, the creators knew this as other than a few sound effects, there isn't any distinct music. Luckily, the voice acting is good, and the ending theme is, while odd for this series, is relatively catchy.

Character: 7
There are only 2 characters worth mentioning, Chisato (otherwise known as Chi-chan), the wife, and Sora, the husband.
Chi-chan is a alcohol loving, and caring wife. However, they didn't just leave it at that. It is clearly defined that she is self-conscious about her drinking habits. Frankly, it's not much, but it's all she needed.
Sora is the caring husband. While he loves making all kinds of food and exotic drinks, he loves his wife even more. Even if he is pre-occupied with something else, he always finds time to treat his wife with his drinks.
You could compare the characters here to almost any other anime and see that there isn't too much development here, but it gets the job done.

Enjoyment: 7
You see a woman become drunk and then proceed to become adorable. Do we have to ask for more?

Overall: 7
While I don't think anybody on this site falls under the demographic this anime was aiming for, even I found some enjoyment out of it. While I don't think I would've watched it normally, because of the lack of other things to watch this fall, I resorted to this. Honestly, I don't regret it. Even if it is lackluster in some aspects, the creators cared enough to realize that this show deserved effort to be put into it. Thus, they did.

If you have nothing else to watch, then give this a try.

SAO. You love it. Or you hate it. Then there's me who... "Tolerates" it to an extent. The first half of season 1 was decent enough for what it was. The second half was the worst thing since... Well, anything. Season 2 was an improvement, and finally achieved the right to be called "tolerable" or dare I say decent. Now there's a movie. How does it hold up? Does it rise above everything else the series has to offer? Well, that just depends on how you look at it.

Story: 6
I won't go to deep into details, but just know that it falls somewhere between "decently ... innovative" and "intolerably bad." It's good enough. To be fair, this film does do a good amount of things that haven't been done in the main series, but ultimately plays safe in the end. An example would be Kirito himself. He still doesn't have much that would qualify as a "personality" (keep trying though, maybe the writers will grant you that in the future) but isn't actually overpowered in this movie's central game: Ordinal Scale. In the beginning, he's on par with any generic nameless character in the background. Honestly, that aspect is entertaining. Sadly, that doesn't last. I won't spoil much, but he suddenly becomes a top player of the game sooner than he should have. It doesn't help that his "training montage" is literally a montage (which is what it shouldn't be). What should've been an arc became a few minutes of a good concept that was poorly executed (just like the series as a whole). Normally, this would fall under the 'Character' category, but it harms the plot in such a significant way that it is better said here.
Did I mention it was predictable? Well, it is.
All in all, the plot is barely passable even if the flaws are glaringly obviously even while watching the movie itself.

Art: 8
With this being a movie, the budget is quite bigger when compared to the anime series. Thankfully, it definitely shows. The environments are lively and vibrant. In addition, the battles (namely the finale) are animated beautifully. Everything is great, except...
The characters. In this movie, there are a number of times when the character's faces (notably Kirito and Asuna) look a bit off. This may be my own taste, but it bothered me. Luckily, while in battle, the faces look fine. I'm sure there's a reason behind it, but it's distracting. Oddly enough, I never found a problem like this in the main series.
All in all, I was more than satisfied with the animation.

Sound: 7
If there's one thing SAO has done consistently, it's that it has a great soundtrack. Luckily, this movie does not falter in that department. The various songs that play during the battles blend in with the scenes perfectly, despite not being standouts on their own. Unquestionably, the best song is "Catch the Moment" which plays during the credits. It's quite a shame that it isn't featured within the film itself and is saved for the credits instead. Nevertheless, the soundtrack lives up to the standards of SAO.

Character: 5
I wouldn't say that this film suffers from its characters as much as the main series does, but there are a few flaws.
On one hand, Kirito isn't a horrible protagonist this time around. While he won't be winning any awards for "best protagonist", he's a step up from anything we've seen from him before. Sadly, the writers don't use him to his full potential (as mentioned earlier).
Asuna is probably the weakest part of this film. She's essentially used as a plot device and motivation for Kirito for the mid to late parts of the film. That wouldn't have been so bad if other characters like Klein received the same attention. Then it would have felt like something was truly at stake that's not a single person.
Side note: Yui is still featured too often for my liking. This disappoints me.
In general, the characters hold the film back just like they do with the main series.

Enjoyment: 7
Though flawed in more ways than one, it was entertaining enough. I don't think it warrants a second viewing, but considering that I only watched it because I had nothing else to watch, I was satisfied with my time.

Overall: 6
Yeah, it's flawed. Yeah, it's predictable. But compared to what SAO normally shows off, there's a clear sign that effort was put into this. If you're solely a fan of SAO, then you'll like it a lot. If you're a fan of SAO and other anime, then you'll enjoy it but notice the flaws. If you never liked SAO to begin with, then this may not be for you and would ultimately be better if you ignored it completely.

6/10.


Side Note: I was going to compliment this movie for restraining itself (to an extent) when it came to fanservice... But the DVD/Blu-Ray release with an "alternate" scene did not help it.

Whenever I here somebody say that Pokemon isn't a 'real' anime (which is blatantly incorrect alone), it bothers me. Clearly, they haven't seen Pokemon XY&Z. Honestly, this saga of Pokemon does 'anime' things a lot better than some other anime.

Story: 8

The XY series has been noted for it's story. While I never though much of it, XY&Z blows everything the entire series of Pokemon has ever had out of the water. There's things like pacing and story arcs!

Unlike previous series which jumped around the entire region at random, XY&Z takes its time when going among the Kalos region. You can clearly define the path ... that Ash and the gang are taking and it never feels like they come to a complete halt for a few episodes.

The two highlights are the 'Kalos League' and 'Team Flare' arc. While not perfect, the Kalos League arc does its job better than most people give it credit for. It knows what we want to see. It didn't bother showing Ash battling random people, but his actual rivals instead. Every win and loss Ash takes feels justified, even during the league.

As for the 'Team Flare' arc, it does an even better job. Again, unlike previous series and movies, Ash is not the sole 'hero'. Multiple characters play a key role in the arc and each is done well. In fact, Ash could be considered one of the least important aspects of the arc. Instead, his allies, rivals, and even 'enemies' play bigger roles. In the grand scheme of Pokemon, it's a welcome change of pace.

Art: 8

When it comes to the animation, Pokemon XY&Z has outdone itself again. In short, the highlights of the series are the battle scenes. When compared to other big anime in the industry, Pokemon was certainly a hidden gem. There is not one battle that is 'boring' or 'bad.'

The biggest change is the fact that there are no more static backgrounds. During the battle scenes, the entire world around the battle is shown. You'll hardly ever see a blur that would indicate a budget cut.

When not showing a battle scene, the animation remains solid as well. However, some animations are reused, and some art in a certain filler episode is downright sloppy.

Sound: 8

Again, the soundtrack is better than anything the series has had before. The opening theme is probably one of the best openings I've EVER seen.

Though it may seem as a cheap way to shove the opening theme into the show itself, whenever the opening is used during a battle, it only makes it 10 times better. They even made a remixed version to keep things from getting boring.

There are actually several ending themes, all of which are great in their own right. One of the best would be Clemont's personal song which is 'Brilliantly."

Character: 7

I'll briefly cover each main character.

Ash - Believe it or not, he actually gets a better development arc then you'd see from most anime protagonists. However, he still doesn't have a 'personalty' to speak of though.

Serena - Bleh. Somehow Serena has even less character than Ash. She may as well be a female clone of him for the first half of the series, and then a character that only serves the purpose of fulfilling 'Amourshipping'.

Bonnie - Better than Max from Advanced Generation. She gets even more development than Ash which is nice to see.

Clemont - A truly great character. It's a shame we don't see more of him. However, he has one great scene during the 'Team Flare' arc.

Team Rocket Trio - Probably the best characters. The way they are portrayed in the 'Team Flare' arc is great.

Alain - Hit or miss. Either you like him or you hate him. He was good in the Mega Evolution specials, but now he's just an monotone edgelord.

Sawyer - Underrated. Probably Ash's best rival.

Enjoyment: 8

I loved this series. The battle scenes are what really made it for me. When Pokemon has better storytelling than most anime these days, you know it's good.

Overall: 8

If you haven't watched it, you should. Though you must watch the (slightly less exciting) XY series, it's worth it. Both series are great and are levels better than some of the trash we see from modern anime.