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Haikyuu!! To The Top part 2 showcases yet another important side of sports competitions, and that is the psychological aspect

The match vs Inarizaki really emphasises how the volleyball court is but one small part of the arena's massive playing field
The psychological influence that can come from beyond the court is nothing short of mindblowing

One thing that could be a bit of a hit or miss is the many flashback scenes
Personally i think they were executed to perfection, giving a nice insight of the characters past without breaking the pace of the games

Aside from the main event of Karasuno vs Inarizaki, we also get a couple ... eps dedicated to Nekoma, finally seeing one of their official matches in detail and getting to know the players style and personality a lot better

Haikyuu!! To The Top once again takes a calmer start as s2 did, giving both us and team Karasuno some much needed time to catch our breath after the adrenaline overloading match vs Shiratorizawa

This time the calming pace serves to focus on the more introspective side of the characters
The maturing thought process is not only shown as the great evolution it is however, we also get to learn alongside the characters the fine line between introspection and overthinking

The one thing i wasn't a big fan of this season was the change in animation style, i much prefered the aesthetic of previous seasons and felt they ... had a certain fluidity to them this season seemed to be lacking in, so i was a lil worried it wouldn't be able to pull off the intensity of the matches

Thankfully with the start of the Spring Tournament i was proven wrong, well sorta...
The matches don't have the intensity of the first 3 seasons, they have a different kind of intensity
The introspective nature of this season's tone made way for observing the more analytical side of playing volleyball, a side that compliments the current animation style a lot better than the ultra-hype we were used to so far
If we were watching previous season's matches from a spectator's point of view, this time round we're watching matches unfold from on the court, almost as if we're getting the same slow motion sensation the players feel

To me great animation can never shoulder the weight of bad writing, but great writing can definitely do so with bad animation
Unfortunately... Majo to Yajuu's writing is nowhere near good enough to compensate for the eyesore that are it's visuals

The mysterious and twisted premise that comes off as quite intriguing at first glance is quickly proven to be a flatline with a couple of spikes of gore here and there and little to no plot progression or character developement in sight
The way characters interact with eachother and react to the situations they're in also look more unnatural than silicon... you know what

And now onto the ... most dreadded part of this anime... the animation
I am definitely becoming a lot less spoilt after watching this, cuz Majo to Yajuu's animation is so bad it makes the likes of Tokyo Revengers and Jujutsu Kaisen s2 look like Ghibli
This is the stiffest, flattest, most inconsistent animation i have ever seen
Characters are better described as mannequins in need of oiling than actual people, and mannequins is not only a perfect fit for the unexpressively wooden movements, but also for the eyes, calling them lifeless is an understatement, in fact, most of the times they aren't even looking in the right direction! The eyes are blank and focusing on nothingness
With countless scenes that look like they're missing frames and movements that very visibly break lines, this would've needed writing on the level of (insert your idea of top-tier writing here) to barely keep it on life support

Hayao Miyazaki's movies are known for their beauty, but also for their dark undertones that clash with Ghibli's etherial aesthetic, this is something that's always drawn me to his movies. His latest entry however, is the perfect combination of cuteness and trauma... and that is not a compliment

Clashing opposites can make for incredibly interesting and unique stories, but there is such a thing as too much
From adorably fluffy man eating parakeets to desolving mothers, The Boy And The Heron has no shortage of nightmare inducing sequences sandwiched between kawaii innocence, a constant loop of 180° whiplash you don't want to bring your kids to watch ... unless they're die hard horror junkies

I know the topic of humans getting eaten by other creatures has been tackeld in his other movies, such as Spirited Away, i just feel these types of themes were a lot better executed in his older works

Another theme i loathed the way it was presented here is that of bonding with and accepting a step-parent, but i won't go into detaild spoiler territory, i'll just say it felt unnatural at best, toxic at worst

The only reason this isn't getting a lower score from me is the wonderful visuals, but even there, i am noticing flaws that were unimmaginable in previous Ghibli movies, from scenes that look noticebly automated to the slight use of CGI, the latter i am extreamly surprised Miyazaki approved given his previous takes on the animation method
These slightly off details in no way make the production value bad, but given the extreamly high standerds Ghibli has always presented even the smallest of flaws can leave you a little stunned

An entire season not only with the volleyball court as it's soul setting, but also dedicated to 1 single match
Keeping hold of the intensity for 10 whole episodes what would on avarage last roughly 2 hours is no easy feat, and Haikyuu s3 accomplishes this to perfection

So far this is most likely the season that'll be enjoyed the most by any sports lover as it has the highest focus on the match itself, but this is definitely not only for the fans of sports, the hype, passion, and character connections built up over the past 2 seasons make this match an immersive binge worthy experience ... even for those that sports is not the main appeal to them

The intense focus on the match still leaves just enough time to dedicate to fun and full of developement character interactions
We're finally introduced to the mysterious colossal team Shiratorizawa, their late full reveal to the show does not in any way hinder their time to shine alongside our beloved Karasuno

The first half of this season takes a bit of a break from the near constant matches, favoring to show more of what life's like off the court and slowing down to a calmer pace
This change in format gives the series a chance for some more detailed character developement that would likely get lost in the break-neck pace of the volleyball court setting

The slower pace does not in any way break the intensity built up in season 1 and of what's to come next
When game time comes round once again with the preliminaries of the Spring Tournament it brings back with it all that glittering ... awe from s1 amplified even more by bringing to the matches some of the storytelling style elements of the first half of this season
A combination that'll leave you with your eyes sparkling just like a dog when he sees food (you'll get the refference after watching Haykyuu s2 ;)

If you're looking for a sports anime that's so much more than just it's genre then definitely don't miss out on Haikyuu!!

This really is an anime that can be enjoyed weather you're a fan of volleyball or not
The character interactions are both hilarious and full of developement, managing to keep the pace flowing and riveting even with the vast majority of the show taking place on the volleyball court

Side characters are also well developed despite their short amount of screentime, giving a good sense of their personalities and how they'd react to different situations

The passion each player shows for volleyball is awe inducing, so hey, ... who knows, even if you're not that into the sport, you might just be walking out of this with a new passion of your own

What a sweet trip down memory lane

A sequel to some of the earliest Precure seasons is not something i was ever expecting to get, and yet here we are, watching not only Nozomi and friends of Precure 5, but also Mai and Saki of Splash Star, all grown up with jobs, responsibilities, relationships, and drinks... why is watching your fav childhood characters getting drunk so freaking hilarious??

Although the writing can be a little cringe at times, and the villain is probably the worst out of all Precure seasons i've seen so far, including character design for the Shadows (they could've at least spared us the ... CGI), it's nothing childhood ruining

The time we get to spend with the Precure and some expected, and unexpected, cameos is something that'll bring that childlike awe to your eyes, but i can't shake off that feeling that this went all too fast

I do wish we'd got a full leangth 50 ep. Precure season for this, and a couple more cameos

Fun, thrilling, and a little insane
Well what else can you expect from Lupin the 3rd?

But this movie is especially a treat for any fan of Cat's Eye
Though it doesn't quite have the charm of the OG 1980s series, it does have it's own appeal, focusing on some aspects of the story the OG skipped on

While the OG is unbeatable in it's humor and it's heist scenes with enough gadgets to rival James Bond, i always felt like there was something missing, as painting after painting was stolen back, there wasn't really any time given to the meanings behind the paintings save for the simple fact ... they were painted by the Cat's Eye's father, which although is a compelling reason for their cat burglaries, it doesn't get that strong an emotional responce after being repeated for 70+ episodes

Something this movie on the other hand does impeccably well, giving us details about the paintings in question that are sure to shed some tears

Character interactions are top notch, i don't want to spoil too much about how Lupin and Cat's Eye get on, but i will say, the tag team Toshio + Zenigata is an absolute blast!

My only small pet peeve is... they got the eye colors wrong! Rui's the one with blue eyes not Hitomi!

Anime Theme Roulette 🎰 Review 1 🎰 Adult Cast
Well it seems the first entry in the Theme Roulette One Outs, is out!

Admitedly some of the concepts introduced in the show are quite interesting, how one can use psychology to predict and influence the reaction of baseball batters is a good example

Unfortunately these psychological elements are explored very scarcely, leaving room to a sleep inducing script, made only worse by the near constant narration

The writing can only be described as a mass of complicated words put together to form phrases that lack any complexity
As for the characters, Tokuchi is very interesting when he dives into his ... psychological analysis to get what he wants, but like i mentioned before these psychological showcasings are few and far between, and without them, Tokuchi's depth of character is greatly reduced as instead of the quick thinking stratagist he truely is he comes off as an arrogant Gary-stu

Quite ironic, won at the roulette theme for Adult Cast, and this doesn't seem to me like it was written by a mature adult