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TL/DR: Boring, and a waste of time.

I find it unfortunate, because the series started out as pretty entertaining... This season however, comes with good news and bad news.

The good news is, the most interesting part of the season happens probably more than 20 times...

The bad news is, that "most interesting thing" is a meeting...

I guess if "toxic productivity" is your thing, you might like this season... As for me though, I want my money back!

Unfortunately, the nature of this season doesn't leave me much left to critique, so sorry it's short, but this is where this review ends.

Have you ever seen an anime that seemed to change tone or genre abruptly? Have you ever seen an anime that wasn't well thought out, or felt like it didn't know what it was? Have you ever felt pent up and just needed to blow off some steam?

Yea, Ishuzoku Reviewers is nothing like any of that.

It starts light hearted, it ends light hearted, takes nothing too seriously, and it's a show that knows what it's about, and is committed to it's brand...

*And I respect that*

I'll grant that if the horni isn't your brand of enjoyment, or if you're predisposed to taking it too seriously, that ... might cost you some viewing pleasure.

But if you can release your inhibition, and be just as committed to enjoying the fun and jovial aspects of the series as the series is to laying it down, you're going to have a great time! The fact that the opening theme "Ikouze Paradise" slaps as hard as it does, is just gravy on top!

I first saw it around 3 years ago in response to Nux Taku's little expose, and to this day watching the show or listening to the music is a guaranteed to raise my mood.

First of all, Im a die hard fan of SAO... completely loved the series... but this little Extra thing here made me wish for 2 hours of my life back

The biggest problem was I felt like it spent 90 minutes reshowing me the whole series... if I wanted that, I have no problem going back and actually rewatching it.... I wont spoil, but the circumstances of the recap could have been done in the first 15 minutes or so, leaving the majority of the feature lenght for the little adventure they had at the end, and I would have appreciated that so much more

Ill give ... it some credit for bringing a few things out during that lengthy recap, but spending 90 minutes on stuff I already watched was less interesting than relearning your ABCs with Sesame Street -.-

Its not all bad tho, there is actually some Novelty, but its about the last 15 or 20 minutes, so go watch that, its much closer to what I expected from SAO, and if it was just that part I would have rated it much higher... but all in all, im very disappointed that it felt like such a waste

Sukitte Ii na yo really stood out to me, compared to other typical romance anime, it was just different and fresh, and a very welcomed thing to watch

Story 10
I particularly love how we see this poor, tortured [socially] girl whos been alone, and bullied, and has given up on having friends, or any kind of social life [consequently, the first few episodes were painful to watch, but it only adds to the value of the anime], but we get to see over the span of the episodes how things begin to look up for her.

Also, more often than not, when watching a romance anime, I ... almost automatically expect its a tsundere type story, but this time, we see a welcome change as this one is more of a Kuudere [bonus points!]...

Art 10
its not mind blowingly fantastic, but certainly nothing to complain about... and to me, art and sound scores dont affect final score, unless they render an anime unwatchable... and that hasnt happened yet

Sound 10
First off, the OP song... "Friendship ~「for Sukitte Ii na yo」" by Okazaki Ritsuko... absolutely fantastic, especially for this anime... normally we see up beat, happy songs to start an anime off, this one was slow and sweet and the lyrics were pretty simple but deep... I guess the best way to describe it is a harmonious oxymoronic piece of melodic poetry... [I chose those words very carefully, so take a moment to digest them :)]

~Also, unfortunately, Okazaki Ritsuko passed away quite young due to an unfortunate case of stomach cancer, and I would like to take this opportunity to pass along my condolences~

The rest of the OST is very pleasant to listen to, and is very fluid to the mood of whatever is happening... but one exception, the ED song, I found it a little off, and sometimes disrupting to the mood, but most of the time I skipped it anyway

Characters 10
In my opinion, the characters are a little extrapolated from typical roles, but still resemble a typical romance. Already mentioned, the Kuudere thing was nice, as was the lead guy who wasnt always perfect, and he caused some drama, and even made some audacious moves, but ultimately he treated her well, and did his best to make things better after he messed up... There were some characters that didnt really matter, but youd be hard pressed to get mad over that, after all, high school is full of things that dont matter, and no matter what story youre viewing, theres always an entire active world surrounding it

Enjoyment... its a 9... but its a 10 too
Sometimes its not the feelings the story causes that matter, but the intensity of the feelings, and I think thats one area anime in general shines its brightest. here we see feels at the beginning... I almost thought this anime was going to be in the [Ano Hana/Clannad] category of sadness, but it did a 180 and had a very heartwarming finish. I would love more of this story to be manifested into a sequel season, but I have doubts about its fruition [just a feeling], however we do have a live action film to look forward to later this year

Overall 9
A masterpiece for its class... I give it 100%, only thing is there are anime that go beyond [waaay beyond] expectation, and while Sukitte Ii na yo is totally fantastic, its just not mind blowing

Recommended for fans of Romance, School life, Shoujo, and lower mid range drama

Bokura ga Ita - We were [there]

To be honest, I dont really understand how the title applies to the story, but despite that I think this anime lands somewhere in my favorite 10

Story 9/10
There are a whole mess of cookie cutter school life romance anime out there, but this one being older, im inclined to give it more points for originality... as you might read from any summary out there, its your basic, two classmates fall in love and we get to watch it happen and we also get to watch the ups and downs of their relationship... ups and downs meaning, there is some ... drama to keep things fresh and entertaining, tho im not a complete fan of ALL the drama, I certainly enjoyed watching

Art 6/10
If I had to describe the artwork in one word, I would probably choose "simple". I mean, given enough time and resources, I could probably produce something at the same level... but even tho it was perhaps low budget, I also think its simplicity adds a certain charm that other anime dont have. I think sometimes we can get so caught up in wanting state of the art graphics quality, we let it affect how we enjoy the anime. its just not the case here... if you give the simple art a chance, you might find you enjoy the anime as much as I do... or maybe not, I understand that drama isnt for everyone, but then again, if you like school romances, you are probably used to it

Sound 10/10
Again, this is a low budget anime, but I particularly like the music... especially Kimi Dake wo, the OP song... its a good tune, the lyrics and the melody fit very well I think, and it genuinely made me look forward to watching episode after episode. No comment on the ED song... I dont remember it

Characters 8/10
We all know teenagers will make some bad choices, its just a natural part of the age group, and its reflected well in this anime. that said, there are times we see characters trying to improve upon these mistakes, and in some ways we see a very realistic struggle taking place... we learn about some of these struggles from the past, and we watch some develop and as a result, we see some drama that made some of the middle episodes a chore for me, but I stuck it out and it was well worth it in the end. some of these drama details arent exactly realistic according to average western culture, but having *some* understanding of japanese beliefs, Im able to buy into some of these details more easily

Enjoyment 10/10
despite the "construction in the middle of this road trip" I quite enjoyed where things ended up... it was left a bit open ended, maybe in hopes they could have funds to produce another season, maybe to be addressed in the live action movie [which I havent seen], or maybe just to leave things to the viewers imagination, I have no way of knowing, but I assumed it was the imagination gig, and I was very content with the ending

Overall 8/10
Most probably, this anime isnt for everyone, some people want action, some dont care for school life, and frankly, some people just like to complain about stuff... but if you like romance and you like school life, this anime is well worth giving a fair shot, and above all, just try to enjoy whatever you decide to watch ^.^ thats the most important thing in my opinion

Story 10, Art 10, Sound 10, Characters 8, Enjoyment 8, and Overall, its a 7

Im a little rusty, its been a little while since ive seen it, but Ill give you what I can out of memory, and some notes I have...

Story 10
I love the basic synopsis of a guy having a thing for a girl, leaving his home for a good while, only to come back and have to start back from scratch, while shes ready to pick up where they left off... I guess I like it so much because I can relate to it, thanks to similar things happening in my own ... live, but even despite that, I think its a good basic plot for an anime

Art 10
Typical well budgeted anime, good picture... doesnt qualify for "state of the art" but its right there, and I cant see any reason to knock it down... to me, the art and sound dont really carry any value for the final score anyway...

Sound 10
Pretty much all I can remember is the OP and ED music [again... no effect on the final score]... I love the OP... its very fun to listen to, and I do like to hear it every now and again... the ED song made me want to pour bleach in my ear... no reason other than I just didnt like it... there is a character voice issue I had, but I decided to address that in the next section

Characters 8
Voice issue - I promise, no hate to the seiyuu, I just happen to hate this particular trope... the character Aoi Oribe has voice characteristics that sound like moe went to a super saiyan level... its about as whimsical as elmo and ive never heard a real person talk that way, even in Japan... now that thats out of the way, the rest of the characters are decent... I feel theyre pretty typical, but theyre decent, and I have very few complaints about the rest of them... I feel that this bit of emo stuff wasnt really necessary, but its not out of the realm of possibility, and some of the reasoning behind it was a little overdramatic, tho some people really are overdramatic, and in worse ways, so Ill buy it, it just wasnt my cup of tea...

Enjoyment 8
I did overall enjoy the anime... its not really my first choice recommendation, but if you need something to watch, it might keep you entertained... I know in this review, I complain a fair bit about the drama, but there are good points to it too, Im just hoping not to spoil... I did enjoy the level of romance in this anime... its there, but its not totally in your face...

Overall 7
I call it a 7, because I do feel something is missing, but I just dont know how to manifest it into words... again, it has been a little while since ive seen it, so theres a good chance ill update or rewrite this review... but all in all, I think it is worth seeing, but maybe theres something else on your view list you might enjoy better seeing first

First off... I really cant grade Clannad, and Clannad Afterstory apart, because they just go hand in hand... and while I cant say its totally perfect like the score I gave it, I dont think a masterpeice HAS to be perfect [Side note: sometimes imperfections add to the character]

Story 10/10
First point about the story is, this whole "multiple realities" theme comes up many times throughout the whole anime... its reflected at the beginning, the end, and in the OVAs and everywhere in between. That said, the story "teases" or leads on to the audience how those realities might have developed, or what course of ... action might have happened in those realities, which I think is fantastic... the theme is so intertwined with the story, Im always thinking of new ways that I can see "oh yea, theres that theme again" and I think its just genius, and a feature that qualifies this story to be "a masterpiece"

Art 10/10
Pretty much exactly what you expect for 10/10... sharp, fluid, and detailed... maybe not "state of the art" by todays standards, but there is nothing I can think of that even hints at "eye sore alert"

Sound 10/10
the various themes used throughout the episodes are simple, but very fitting and pleasant to the ears... I kinda imagine if Hikarizaka High School were real, perhaps an animation after school group could have written and produced the music... I love Megumeru [Clannad OP], Toki wo Kizamu Uta [Clannad AS OP], and Dango Daikazoku especially [Clannad ED] and I have to push a manly tear back every time I hear these songs... [Dango especially lol]... Clannad AS ED was a slip up tho... no minus points for it, but I did think it was obnoxious for the heavy themes of the anime, especially because the after story was significantly heavier than the first season

Characters 10/10
Perfect... first off... this show definitely needs a comic relief... thank you for filling that role, Sunohara Youhei! Other characters also filled their role perfectly, and again, goes back to the theme of alternate realities, and the different paths Tomoya, Nagisa, and even some the other characters could have taken, and again here, its so intertwined into the story, im always noticing new ones... here there are two minor slip ups, but im really just nit picking, I felt the Introduction to the Fujibayashi sisters was a tad clumsy and a little forced, and the reappearances of Fuuko turned out to be more of an interruption than a comic relief, but I never felt it was over used or anything, so again, no points taken... being more of a dramatic series, Characters do tend to carry some baggage, but for the show, its highly welcomed, and even causes some good character develpment, one might even say you can see a character or two leave some arrogant teen attitudes behind, and take steps toward becoming a good, level headed adult... something I found magical to watch

Enjoyment 11/10
Its been my absolute favorite anime ever since I watched it the first time... The pace is fairly slow at first, however the magnitude of theme, feels, hoping for the best for the characters, and feelings you experience are well worth it, and wether one actually likes it or not, it really is one everyone should see once... and I certainly encourage considering it as such, if you havent seen it already... I cant say "oh, every episode is overflowing with fun" because its just not that type of anime... the drama is heavy [dont worry, its not the "two high school cheerleaders competing for football team captain" type drama, if you want that, I direct you more in the direction of School Days, or Kimi ga Nozomu Eien]... but this drama is heart touching, and the things you see will probably stay with you a long time, if not the rest of your life

Overall 10/10
Just to sum things up, ive never regretted, nor will I ever regret watching this anime... This is really something to me, that Ive never seen the western media that Ive been accustomed to 90% of my life be able to touch, and I cant think of a better word to describe it, than masterpiece ^_^

Woah! where to begin with this one XDDD

I have feelings all over the place for this anime, I guess ill just jump in...

Story 5/10
This is definitely an anime where the "plot" is in the boobs, not so much the story line[s]... and thats about it, pretty much the synopsis will tell you everthing you need to know

Art 10/10
its a visual pleasure, everything is crisp, fluid, and detailed... everything that makes for good graphics... too bad art carries little weight in scoring tho because take the anime Bokura ga Ita for instance... it had graphics I probably could have done myself given enough time and ... the right tools, but I enjoyed that story far more...

Sound 10/10
Fantastic... I generally love the sound tracks to most anime, and I still like to listen to the OP music... too bad it only carries as much weight as the art lol

Characters 5/10
For the most part, just shallow... I guess the whole Hentai theme kinda makes it that way... Amatsume Akira was my favorite, probably because I found her most attractive in attitude... she was least depressing and most upbeat ... Haruka and Sora both tie for least favorite... I know they are probably out there, and sometimes the idea is entertaining in other anime... but theres no way I can take a *serious* incestual relationship seriously... I just cant imagine it

Enjoyment 6/10
6 is pretty low for me... it wasnt all bad... but I feel the hentai-ness was not necessary, but I wasnt annoyed really until the Sora arc...

Overall 5/10
No more comments really... the art levels dont really count for much in this one... Pretty much I just recommend this anime if you wanna do some fapping because it seems like that was the intended audience lol

Just throwing My two cents in about SAO, and ill try to be as fair as possible... [and beware, there are a simple spoiler or two]

Seen the whole thing, a few times now, most of us know how the anime works [Video game, trapped, beat the bosses yada yada yada] so lets find out what I think...

to be honest, I hate being forced to choose number ratings, I feel like it makes my quantify my bias but it is what it is, and im actually going to start by writing my thought on the Enjoyment category

Enjoyment 10/10
I loved SAO, and its still one of my ... favorites... but just like most people out there, I hated the second arc, and I [obviously] didnt reflect that in the score... For the simple reason that Suguha was a problem, incestually invading Asuna's territory, Sugou was a complete bastard [hated the guy, but I loved to hate him, if you know what I mean] and Asuna being stripped of all her power in the second arc, it was a failure... and I was hoping things would turn out better when she escaped her cage... Arc1 enjoyment was much better, I found the boss fights thrilling, and the music enjoyable and fitting... Pacing issues... I didnt really care, things seemed to flow smoothly enough for the most part... tho I think a little more transition from the first boss to the black cat guild would have proved more satisfying

Story 8/10
Entertaining story... it made me genuinely hope one day that I could experience wearing a nerve gear and actually play a game in such a fashion... and with swords too, how cool. I definitely enjoyed watching the frontliners progress through the levels, watching them make plans, mal-intentioned guilds getting in the way, solving mysteries etc... The little romance side story was also nice to watch... a little break from the action, and watching kirito and asuna enjoy themselves was definitely a welcome part of the show... [Second Arc] scored really low... battles werent interesting, objectives werent getting accomplished [not that there were many objectives in the second arc] and it overall felt like watching someones road trip from home garage, to grammas house 1500 miles away with maybe an encounter or two with an angry rapist truck driver [sugou]... tho, I loved watching him get what he deserved...

Art 10/10
Fantastic... if you havent seen it yet, just go watch the preview or half the first episode or something, youll see it too

Sound 10/10
Good quality, the music rocked, and fit the theme of the show very well, and I still like to listen to some of the music even when im not watching the show...

Characters 10/10
Suguha should have played less of a role... she can keep her incestness and her pet Recon too -.- but again... thats second arc stuff... First arc saw characters be scared for their lives, acts of bravery, and many triumphs and failures ... thats good points in my book

Overall - I hate to say 6 but... its a 6
First arc alone scores a perfect 10 in my opinion, and since thats what I enjoyed thats what I usually rate it as... however in a true overall rating, the second arc weighs it down... there were moments I enjoyed in the second arc, such as any beating sugou got, and kirito fighting his way to the top of the tree [and doing it to save asuna at that] but all in all it was flat...

Other notes
If anything, I think the second arc was unnecessarily long to "say what needed to be said" and probably would have benefitted a lot if it were just 3-5 episodes... just shortening it still would leave things to be fixed, but even if it were just abridged, I think it would have gone over a lot better