- Last OnlineYesterday, 6:47 PM
- LocationValencia
- JoinedApr 13, 2017
RSS Feeds
|
Jan 3, 2023
You know all those cute-girls-doing-cute-things the anime that float around every season?
Introducing.... Hot-Dudes-Doing-Hot-Things the anime!
Yes.
By the way the above is literally all you really need to know to decide if or not to watch this show.
No, there's not really any story. It was a rather random experience from episode to episode.
...
No, there's not really any characterization/character development. Just enjoy the hot guys doing hot things on the screen each episode with little to no relevance to the episode before it.
The visuals are ikemen, I guess. If they weren't, there would be nothing at all worth watching for anyone. The sound is ok.
Yes, this is the whole review.
No, I am not writing a full length one like I usually do for other shows.
Have a good day!
2/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Dec 29, 2022
True to the shoujo genre, the artstyle and overall visuals of this anime are very pretty, dialed up to 11 with the princess's frilly dresses and the endless bishounen characters with tall and slender builds that appeal to many of (Japan's) shoujo fanbase. Of course, being an animated work, the art will never measure up to the manga, and that's fine; I'm usually lenient with artwork not measuring up to still images in anime.
For other mostly superficial aspects of the show like sound, it was mostly okay. Nothing about the soundtrack stood out or was particularly grating, bar the constant senpai-you-to-death tier of high
...
pitched frailness in the main character's voice acting which got annoying after a while.
However, when it comes to what counts, this show fails on multiple levels.
Yes, I acknowledge that sex appeal sells and so do escape fantasies. However, I believe it is possible to have a bit of this without making a show 90% this and 10% substance.
Plotwise, given the interests of the main characters is to get together and be married in a royal setting, if there was any threat to that, the first 2-3 episodes were enough to clear up the misunderstanding about the female lead being a convenient stand-in fiancee. Yes, there is a girl who wants to be princess and Elianna is in the way. Yes, this is typical. I can forgive this tropey setup given the setting if it was just this. Problem is, throughout the show, the conflict is basically just mostly this on some kind of repeat -- some other noblewoman wants to be princess and does things and MC is too helpless to deal with it and just cries until her prince saves her.
Characterization-wise, the show tries to sell Elianna's booksmarts as some sort of strength and don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being knowledgeable. However, this is basically her only redeeming quality as a main character. As a main character, she has nearly no agency, is barely a heroine of her own story, and can be summed up as a Cinderella who had a loving and supportive family with a love of books. Throughout the near-loop tier repetition of plotting noble girls who get in her way, she exhibits nearly no growth of character and remains as frail and helpless from beginning to end. The prince and support cast is no better.
To sum this up [aka tldr]:
This show is the ultimate escape princess fantasy for women who want to live in a world where they are hot and rich, have a hot and rich and powerful boyfriend who is blindly loyal to them, be loved by literally everyone with any ability to influence their life and all the other good stuff. The only thing missing now is magic powers and sparkling fairy friends.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with liking this show. However, it would be a travesty to consider this an objectively good anime. 3/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Sep 23, 2022
Normally, I don't even bother to review isekai anime as most of them are copypastas with slight tweaks of each other. However, this one hits a new type of low.
With nothing sound- or graphics-wise to stand out, this one relies completely on its plot and characterization to shine and manages to tank both categories pretty hard. Characterization-wise, the MC's character development comes down to "Oh I realize I would've done better before I isekai'd if I had friends." Plot-wise, guy-isekai'd-into-world-and-saves-it is pretty much sums up the entire 12 episodes.
As for the reason I bothered to write this review: The new low this anime managed
...
to hit is making every action scene summarizable by "mahou tensou".
Why animate any fight? Just make it a wordgame. Least an isekai where the new world is just a forum board would be pretty hilarious.
2/10 (see rubric on my user page if you care about how this was broken down)
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 20, 2022
Why am I reviewing this...?
Okay well, there is only 1 other review as of the time I'm writing this and I do feel strongly about this show even though the rating itself is rather mixed.
So the shallow stuff out of the way: this show was made in 1985. Let me repeat: NINETEEN EIGHTY-FIVE. Graphically, comparing this show to anything contemporary to the time of writing this review would be unfair, ye? So I'm going to compare it with other shows from around this time: Macross, Gundam, etc. Graphically, this show is ok. It's in fact got its own charm for what it is and actually
...
a little reminiscent of disney cartoons. Yes, graphically, this show will remind you of disney... A LOT.
A stern warning on the graphics: This show takes place on the start of World War 2. If you are sensitive to controversial symbolism, the symbols used by a good deal of the villains might put you off. I will note that the whole goal of pretty much all of the protagonists is to resist them though.
Sound wise, this aspect does not stand out either. It's rather forgettable unless you like the style of music offered here (classical, the more bland kind, not the kind with dramatized flairs). Alpenrose is pretty much the only track that is worth noting but keep in mind how many times this tune plays throughout the show. It's not likely you will sing it or want to listen to it after the show's over though.
Now the plot and characters...
I'm going to start by noting that there is something charming about the main couple. Jeudi and Lundi (or Judy and Randi, depending on who's subbing it) are cute together. This is also all there is to them. This show has a lot of tropes precisely because it is old. The characters do not really grow either, they basically get chased their whole screentime.
However, as simple/cliche as they are, they DO have their charm. This is further enhanced by the side characters, some of whom evolve their morals, others realize their feelings. Some never really grow but there are enough that do that all the story arcs have some sort of charm to them to keep you watching.
The main issue in the story is that, the main couple being chased/hunted by various villains is also more or less all there is to the story. The staff totally did try to spice this up and add more depth and complexity; this is obvious given how the show could have ended on episode 11 or 12 but dragged on all the way to 20. However, given the chase-run nature of the premise, the story is basically stuck having to tell everything in separate arcs, some of which do not really have enough depth on their own to be interesting.
That said, the show did more or less wrap up all its loose ends and if you can overlook the potentially offensive symbolism from the villains, this show has the charm of your typical disney princess movie.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 21, 2022
Ah, the raid event in a gacha game made into a movie because the franchise behind it happens to be rich...
Hip, hip, HORRAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!
Ok really now though...
Normally, I review anime with no background knowledge of the source material since I treat every anime I watch as a standalone work of art. Here, I'll be discarding what I know beforehand. There are many problems with this movie for those who are watching without having played the game before hand.
First off, plotwise, there is effectly no plot. The backdrop given is effectively just, the Incineration of Humanity is happening, so go forth, child go kill the tentacle army
...
to save humanity. You want story? It's split into 9 segments, the Fuyuki Prologue, the Seven Singularities where only 2 of them are animated, and this... uh...last-fight thingy is this title right here. Why are all these figures appearing? Who even are they? Who cares. Who knows. They don't speak except for Jeanne and a little bit of Nero. And Gilgamesh is only here to say one line, not do anything at all. Why? Why the hell not. They are simply an army of Deus-Ex-Machina that appear. The buildup or explanation? Well, you won't get it in this movie because that costs screentime and the previous two anime installations won't tell you either because that'd be spoilers. Gudao (a.k.a. Fujimaru Ritsuka) gets his ass saved. Be happy.
Story: 1/5
Second, characters wise, believe me, it is nigh impossible to get attached to the cast in this movie from watching this movie. The main character is your generic self insert bland male in a harem setting. Mash's characterization got rushed pretty badly here to the point where even her most important scene is executed unemotionally and then flipped around into yet another Deus-Ex-Machina so as to nullify whatever build up they did with her character. The rest of the cast are just literally command room tech support and one dude suddenly talking and then vaporizing and then nothing immediately happening. There are no explanations for any of this or what Ars Nova is even supposed to do or why Goetia is totally freaked out over his master using it.
Characterization: 1/5
Oh and... in case anyone is wondering if the sound or art might give a +1 bonus point carry for this movie's score...
No.
Final score: 2/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 26, 2021
"how to sexually bully the hottest girl in school: randomly chopping limbs off hot girls" the anime.
If your time is precious, the above line about sums up the show for you.
Technically, there is some sort of loose premise in the background that explains why boys and girls are supposed to pair up as Pandoras and Limiters. However, the plot is very, very straight forward of just fighting monsters that chop up girls AND this plot only really exists in the background and is by no means anything intricate. Most of the show is some really unamusing (and at times cringe) bullying of one shy girl
...
with a history of sexual abuse at home. The first season does not tell the whole story and spends way more time than necessary focusing on all sorts of ways to bully one chick.
No themes, no exploration of any novel ideas. No thinking involved.
Also, the characters don't really change at all. There is hardly illustration of the main character's inner minds. This thing would have done well if it had sex scenes so it could have been a good hentai but unfortunately, by trying to sell itself as a legitimate narrative with ecchi elements, it really barked up the wrong tree.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 20, 2021
This review (probably) contains spoilers.
Neon Genesis Evangelion.
This name has been, for two and a half decades, engraved deeply into the culture of anime. It's theme song is iconic, the voice actors and actresses of its cast are, today, famous, some even celebrated, and undoubtedly, the show has had a huge impact in the anime industry, especially the mecha genre where it has become iconic.
In some ways, this recognition is deserved. Out of the nigh (or above) 1000 titles I have personally seen, Evangelion stands as one of the most depressing (by atmosphere) titles out there. It also has a certain level of abstractness
...
which can be extrapolated as artistic arrangement by the staff. It is one of the few works to earn the 9th point on my rating rubric, and to date, there really isn't another work like it in feel (the closest being RahXephon).
All of this praise is not to say that the show is flawless and without points to critique. In fact, one of the most notable problems with the show is its plot, if it can still be called so.
The story presents itself on the stage of a globally devastated earth after a catastrophic event called the Second Impact has taken place in Antarctica. Gigantic beings called "Angels" come regularly to the city where the series takes place and the three main pilots are to fight this off.
At this point, the premise is fine and good. Once past the first or second episode which gives a taste of the depressing and mopey feel throughout the show, the series is not really that different from the majority of mecha anime out there. The show does enter a long phase of mostly monster-of-the-week mixed with what can effectively be described as a slice-of-life of Shinji's puberty cringe. When it becomes obvious that there are more clandestine operations and intentions in the backdrop, the story even seems to get more interesting.
What starts to earn the audience's ire is when the supposed "plot" hits what could be considered the climax -- when all the character's issues are running at their highest: Asuka can't pilot her Eva because Shinji's successes so far have triggered her own insecurity and Shinji just failed to prevent the crippling of his friend for life/killed someone he believed to be his friend. Rather than resolving each of these and the other side character's subplots/issues, the show goes into an abstract soliloquy for each major character round-robin.
On one hand, these soliloquys greatly spell out each major character's internal thoughts. Their id, ego and superegos become explicitly exposed to the audience. Everything bothering the character, their hopes or dreams, their psychological needs, and their individual decisionmaking is shown in great detail through this soliloquy where the characters exchange dialogue with what seems to be their perceived version of the people in their lives. For this, I do award this show with a full score for characterization.
However, these dialogues by no means conclude the series' plot in any way. So what has happened to humanity now that the Human Instrumentality Project is in place? The actualization and merge of souls of mankind into one entity is effectively the equivalent predecessor to Charles Zi Britannia's Ragnarök, which, while the concept facilitates next-level interpersonal communication and thus forever eliminates interpersonal conflicts, does so by eliminating the concept of the individual, which in turn does not necessarily mean a happy ending for anyone or even humanity itself. In fact, that would be a form a stagnation of mankind and a sort of dead end.
So is the ending trying to say that the characters are suffering so much that it is better if the world just ended and all the problems people go through should just become irrelevant?
Perhaps.
Yet, whatever the case, this is one of the parts that splits the viewers. There will be those whose mental health conditions will incline them to argue that indeed, that is the ideal solution. Yet, the split exists because there are also many whose mental health is sound enough that they will say that this solves nothing and just adds a brand new problem into the mix where nothing at all is solved.
Further complaints about the show lie in its presentation of its themes. While indeed, this show has themes and can be summarized as a growing up story of sorts, the themes in this show are mostly just dialogue in the last two episodes and some episode titles. Whereas some shows juxtapose events as a way of exploring different faces of an issue or idea, Evangelion is mostly depression in the form of unearned tragedy for various members of its cast without really any exploring. Sure, the theme of puberty troubles and the general idea of being insecure is prevalent, and the individual insecurity problems of Asuka and Shinji are shown, but two cases hardly qualify as an exploration. As such it would not be inaccurate to say that the work is the writer's scream of anguish to voice his complaints over (his personal) life's woes and the overall work, somewhat like an artist splattering paint on a canvas in vague shapes, leaving everyone to examine and try to make sense of the subsequent mess of colors.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 15, 2021
As of the time of writing this review, the craze in the anime scene is isekai. As of the time of this title's release date, (one of) the craze(s) was the success of massive genre defining titles like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptors -- the mahou shoujo genre.
This anime original is pretty much exactly a cashgrab akin to today's filler isekai titles that get an anime adaptation. The show's episode and plot structure is episodic with little to no continuity between one episode and the next. The show is effectively a computer virus take on the battle-mahou-shoujo with the same ditzy heroine tropes and other
...
90s comedy tropes. There is virtually little to no backstory or even plot besides transforming every episode to fight monster-of-the-episode about 50+ times.
Characterization-wise, there are pretty much nothing but caricatures of the memorable characters of genre.
I suppose a child of maybe age 12 or lower may enjoy this anime but for the most part, this show offers nothing that another title of the same genre cannot offer. Moreover it's take on the year 2020's scene of computers is pretty inaccurate (not that the low score had anything to do with this, for more details, see my profile page for the exact rating criteria) and for anyone watching as of the time of this review, you will have a good cringe at what the anime's idea of a computer or advanced AI/technology is.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 30, 2021
Vivy -- Fluorite Eye's Song
There are many aspects of this show that are great, even spectacular. The art is fantastically handled, some of its higher budget scenes/stills are beautifully drawn. The sound can easily rival the likes found in Macross, a franchise famous in Japan for decades for its music, with the opening song easily a top hit. To top it off, the action scenes are masterfully handled and choreographed.
Looking purely at its superficials, Vivy is easily a masterpiece even given the already glittery scene of anime at its time of release.
If this much is all that matters, stop here. The rest of this
...
review critiques the story, characters and intended messages/thematic exploration as expressed by the show in its presentation and may contain spoilers.
So, where to begin...
Amongst anime, there are only a handful of titles that handle the topic of ever advancing AI and their impact and interactions with human society. While these titles are rare, Vivy is not a first to tackle this topic and there are definitely a few meaningful older titles that can be named: Chobits, Plastic Memories, amongst others.
In Vivy's specific case, the scenario being prominently shown is that of an impending "war" between humanity and the AI that they have created. I put "war" in quotes because the supposed "war" is really more akin to a massive, global scale terrorist attack and not really the traditional idea of a war.
Now, the premise, or "topic" of the anime itself is of great interest. When handled well, it could be the cementing element in a show that can mark that title as a masterpiece for years, and varying how actual AI development in real life ensues, even decades. It is certainly a topic with a great deal of room to explore, and ever so much possibility to bring about an eye-opening tale that enlightens its audience.
However, despite the bold choice of topic, Vivy was not really anything so lofty. It's visuals are great and there will probably be no denying this for at least a few years to come. However, when it comes to exploration of its themes and topics, it didn't really do so hot.
To begin, the very basis of exploring a topic or theme entails that as many perspectives and options are considered and covered. Think of it as a sort of simulation of "what if this happened?" and then try to cover the reasons for why this would happen and the options and viewpoints of the many different people that are affected.
In Vivy, there is an impending "war" between AI and humans, and while one could easily see why some humans would want to coexist with AI (their usefulness, cheaper labor for corporations, etc), the opposite is pretty much left untouched. A terrorist organization exists to specifically stir up hate for AI but why? Did the AIs steal their jobs and left them homeless? They sure don't look that way but if that was the case, say so? Yet the anime never touched upon it. Did an AI steal someone's love interest so the hate stems from emotionally traumatic envy? Well, we can't know. It's not said. It isn't explored.
In the first place, why are AI like Vivy even made? R&D costs money and anyone whose head isn't in the clouds knows this. What economic advantages did the sponsors of such a research and development endeavor see and seek when they funded the creation of an AI that would be self aware and be human-like on the inside? We, as humans, may be driven to reproduce by natural instincts but we are certainly not driven by natural instincts to make AI with a will of its own to potentially defy us with one day. Why not just seek to emulate the functions they are made for, minimize labor costs across all economic fronts and have a surplus society where humans can just live how they want without worrying for food or housing?
None of the above questions are addressed.
Instead, what we have, is a show that is effectively, "Hey, there's an impending war between humans and AI, here's your first mission: do X." "Okay, mission X done? Do mission Y." "Oh by the way there is a viewpoint that doesn't think humans should exists at all, they are the real enemy." But, again, why??????
So, with a bucketload of questions raised but not answered, addressed, or explored, a relatively simple plot of "save the world from chaotic robots" and not a whole lot of artistry to the storytelling techniques used, the story's half of the score deserves two points off.
Moving onto the characterization, the show focuses heavily on its AI characters who actually live long enough throughout the timespan covered by the show, such as Vivy and Matsumoto. Of the humans that get shown, they are simple enough and get enough characterization for side characters of a 13-episode show. The issue is, the AI characters are somewhat cheating the characterization rubric by being... well... not human. It's effectively a cop-out.
On one hand, they aren't human so they aren't subject to the same standards of believability as a normal (biologically) "human" character (elves, dwarfs etc count too). Afterall, the starting basis of reasoning for biological creatures is that they worry about survival and reproduction whereas an AI's basis of reasoning revolves around whatever purpose their creators gave them. On the other, it's not like it would be ethical of me as a reviewer to just shrug that off and pass them with arbitrarily full or half marks.
Still, based on what they are supposed to be, Vivy and Matsumoto, amongst others like Ophelia are supposed to be machines. They behave according to the AI installed/operating in their circuitry but are effectively computers. Some of the things I did expect is better computational prowess for combat situations compared to humans. This is indeed shown to be the case in most of the scenarios where the enemy are a band of humans. However, one inconsistency is the action scenes involving AI vs AI. Watch a computer play chess against another computer and it should be obvious that the opponent AIs in some scenes don't really seem like AI at all in terms of their abilities and are more on par with normal humans. Now we can argue specs if we want to, but one would think if AI are employed for combat scenarios, they shouldn't be too low spec.
Other inconsistencies are as already discussed above, why do AI have a "heart"? But let's assume that there was an explanation. Well, for beings that should have a "heart", they certainly do seem very monotone in their behavior. One would think constant interaction with humans would give them a bit more lively of a personality. The only one that passed this was alter-ego Diva. It also took an awfully long time for Vivy to write a song of her own volition whereas those with a "heart" generally have no problems expressing themselves of their own volition.
Now, I won't dock points off characterization for stuff that's more or less a story/premise/thematic issue, but I believe it would be fair to take off two here, one for each fault noted.
Still, the show is a good scorer overall. The perfect choreography, stills, and music definitely bumps the score up. While I initially gave this show a tentative 8/10 while watching, the final score comes out to a respectable 7/10.
Story: 6 - Characterization: 6 - Art: 10 - Sound: 9
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 26, 2021
Ah, 86...
For the season this was released in, I must say, this is one of the three highest quality shows for its season. A minor part of the reason for this should be apparent at a glance of its first episode - sleek visuals, outstanding sound by a top tier composer, expertly directed action - this show most certainly sets itself up as a target of hype.
However, I cannot criticize a show merely by its hype; that's not really the truth and this show most certainly has its flaws. Let's get to it.
86 is an adapted work. Its original storyline was presented as a
...
novel rather than for a theatric screen and the problems that arise from this combination are apparent from start to finish. Despite a captivating premise on the side of characterization, the anime fails to properly present the worldbuilding that is needed for analytical viewers to accept some very glaring issues: the blatant incompetency of a national army being the biggest issue.
The situational setup for the show is relatively simple at a glance: you have a country that is at war and they decided to institutionally segregate its citizenry by race, stripping non-Alba citizens of their basic human rights, forcing them into internment camps and manning "unmmaned" war machinery. Also, the enemy is a bunch of drones too that are set to expire in the next 2 years, tl;dr = the war is over in 2 years.
This bit so far is all well and good but the issues arise for viewers when it is revealed a few episodes in that the last bit is a false premise. At which point, the analytical viewers start asking: "so... how did a professional army fail to realize this bit for years on end? Why did the frontline 'processors' who knew this not report it to any 'handler' before the start of the story? If they did report it, why did no prior "handler" pass the message up higher in the chain of command???" With none of these even remotely answered within the anime, the suspension of disbelief kind of breaks.
Now, supposedly there are answers for things like this somewhere not in the anime, but an anime is a work of art by itself. As such, the anime should be able to stand on its own. Without explanations for stuff in the background, there are gonna be points that gotta be deducted. In this case, this is especially so since the show is 11 episodes long and could easily have gotten an extra episode or two of screentime to help present the worldbuilding.
A second but more minor criticism is that while it is appreciated that this story has themes (namely, racism), it merely presents them but fails to fully explore the issue. A good presentation (and exploration) is to play out all sides - both that of the discriminators and the victims and maybe the bystanders. We see the victims, we hear from bystanders but the show does not show the motives, origins, or even viewpoints of the original discriminators. This is in contrast to other mecha shows (for example, Gundam Seed and Code Geass) where the issue is fully explored on all sides and from multiple viewpoints. As such, as an analyst, I am somewhat forced to see this as an attempt by the show (and source) to seem sophisticated, but really only achieving the effect of giving out a politically correct message.
Other than worldbuilding and that second minor issue, the plot is somewhat solid, if a bit unpolished (and definitely unfinished).
Next we look at the characterization side of the show. Compared to its worldbuilding aspects, this bit is much more solid due to the high focus on the human conflicts both internal and social. It's high concentration on the two main characters illustrate character growth throughout the show and there are many moments of dramatic tension, suspense and warmth - all while being a story of (tl;dr) two people flirting over discord voice comms.
A point to note, however is that the show does not really spend enough time on its side characters. While it was cute that the pet dog (robot) got an episode to itself for characterization, the rest of the 86-side characters feel like flat cardboard and most of them do indeed just die without anything memorable to engrave themselves into the memories of the audience. As for those who survive until the end, they only collectively get some montages and don't really have enough to make them particularly likeable or memorable. Granted, all but one do have scenes dedicated to them throughout but until someone watches the show two to three times, all but one of those scenes fail to be particularly noticeable.
Overall, the show is still solid. It is worth a watch and probably arguably the best watch so far this recent season.
Story: 7 - Characterization: 9 - Art: 10 - Sound: 10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
