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Sep 28, 2018
Entertaining Comedy?✓ Men who can't help but get drunk and strip?✓ Awkward Virgin friends?✓ Misunderstandings?✓
Grand Blue is one of the funniest anime I have seen in a while. In a full on comedy anime, a plot is probably one of the least important aspects. To me, a comedy anime is all about the enjoyable characters and overall entertainment. And Grand Blue has all of those.
Like most comedy anime, it operates with a very basic story- a college freshman being all excited to have a great college life.
However, it doesn't go as planned when he's forced to join a "diving club", in which the members drink
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and strip more than dive (there still is diving I assure you). Yes, it's pretty ridiculous already, but it gets even better as the show progresses and more characters get introduced.
The characters are the life of any comedy anime. Without fun, fitting characters, a comedy anime just won't be the same. It doesn't matter to me if they seem slightly generic, as long as they show some personality and entertain.
Grand Blue has a good variety of different personalities which compliment each other perfectly to create hilarious exchanges. Whether it is a dumb, over the top MC, or an otaku "ikemen", or awkward virgin friends, or men (and women) who couldn't care less about getting drunk and stripping in public, Grand Blue has a good variety to keep the entertainment going.
The voice acting is also top notch, and paired with some incredible facial expressions, all the characters are funny in their own right. Honestly, the facial expressions are some of the most hilarious ones I've seen since Prison School.
There are many comedy anime out there which can have some funny episodes while the rest are a hit-and-miss. Grand Blue, however is very consistent in that regard. Honestly, comedy will always be a subjective genre. Grand Blue might not be for some, but those who enjoy a rather over-the-top comedy anime should definitely give this a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 26, 2018
Disclaimer: I will not be comparing this to the VN whatsoever, just the fact that it is a bit different in how it's layed out. It's to be expected though; trying to cram the enormous VN into a 23 episode anime was going to be impossible. Also I expect you to fully know what happened in the original Steins;Gate
****This is a Spoiler Free Review*****
It's finally back. The awe inspiring, sometimes dramatic, sometimes light-hearted, sometimes tear inducing rollercoaster of a series is back to take you on an another journey.
With a continuation of a plot from season 1's "sad ending", the depressing conflicts of Okabe
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Rintarou's emotions will once again have you engaged like no other. Can he change the outcome by reaching Steins;Gate? Will he return to the "mad scientist" we all know and love?
Like the previous adaptation, the sequel starts off rather slowly, however, we already see the differences, primarily in our main character. Whereas he was an exciting, funny, and overly dramatic character in season 1, he is now former shell of himself.
Depressed and conflicted over how he couldn't change the inevitable, we see that the "Okarin" we knew has changed. The change is well done in every aspect, from mannersims to voice acting to even the attire (white lab coat to black attire). To me, this was the focal point of the new adaptation: the inner conflicts of Okarin- whether to attempt to change the outcome once again or live life with the constant guilt of not being able to save Kurisu.
The story telling is generally well done. For the lovers of the original series- Fear not, for they have all the elements you loved about S;G in the sequel as well. This adaptation will still give you a false sense of hope only to yank it away from you with a twist, so no worries.
Also, one of the best things about Steins;Gate series is that they know how to incorporate both humour and light hearted moments with the dark and serious. Now, whether you like these mini "fanservice" moments or not are up to you. However, they don't really ruin the story.
As it is known for, the plot twists and the intense drama are all great, although maybe not as good as the original. The action scenes are sometimes pretty nonsensical, but thankfully Steins;Gate is not primarily about action. Like the original however, it gets dark and depressing real quick, with many episodes dedicated to drawing those feels out. As I've said, once it begins, it just keeps going and going.
Without spoiling, there are couple of plot holes and rushing here and there. It could just be an effect of trying to cram in too much in just a 2 cour, but they could've handled some plot points better for sure, because it can get confusing.
One thing I did think the White Fox handled well was adding much needed extra material to where the VN didn't. It is a small, but refreshing change.
The old characters are all lovable like before. Depressed Okarin is amazing and just made us want that comeback even more. Mayuri showed a lot more character and development here than in the original. Her emotions towards the changed Okarin is just simply heart wrenching. What surprised me however was Daru, and how he was a lot more serious and mature-like at some points(particularly from ep.16 and beyond). Suzuha is also as dynamic and serious as before.
The new characters are good, but not great, maybe a little generic. Maho, the "legal loli" as Daru would like to say, is very fun to watch in her interactions with Okarin and others. She is playful, emotional, but still strong willed. She was clearly the best of the new bunch. Amadeus is an AI version of Kurisu's memories before she came to Japan. It retains Kurisu's personalities, from her tsundereness to her playfulness. Dr. Leskinen, one of the developers of Amadeus, is a nice addition from America, with the absolute best pronunciation of "Rintaloh". Kagari (no spoilers), can be a little annoying at times, but is still an essential part to the story. Yuki also brought out more variety of emotions from Daru and Suzuha.
Honestly, I can't say too much of some of them without some heavy spoilers. Overall, the new characters aren't outstanding, but most of them do enhance the story and other characters in some way. Some, however, have very little presence unfortunately.
Regarding the characters, the voice acting is absolutely fantastic. In fact, I thought it was even better than the ones in the game. It was very dynamic, with intense emotions where necessary. Ep.16 will tell you just how good the VA is, but it was constantly amazing throughout.
The animation is ranging from decent to good, not great. The action scenes can get very clunky, and it can get a bit confusing at times. There were direction issues here and there especially with faster scenes. Honestly, it's a good thing that S;G is not primarily an action anime, because if there is one complaint I have with the anime series is that it's action scenes are rather ehh.. Otherwise I thought the rest were fine.
One thing I do love about the series in general is the dark tone/color it has throughout to accompany the darkness of the story. It just fits so well.
One other thing I have to mention is how good the music is. The opening and two endings are all amazing. Just go listen to the first ending, it to me, is one of the best ending themes ever (no bias). The instrumental osts are all great. Some of them are remixed from the original, while some are new, but they all accompany the scenes very well.
Overall, although not as good as the original (it is hard to reach that standard tbf), I thought that Steins;Gate 0 was still excellent. The humour, the raw emotions, the development, and the plot twists makes this a nice sequel. If you are a S;G fan, you will enjoy the sequel as well.
El Psy Congroo.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 25, 2017
Oh Fairy Tail, You could have been good, you had so, so much potential in you, but here you are, going out with barely a yelp.
Where did it go wrong Hiro? You had an immensly popular manga at your disposal to really give all your readers a satisfying manga to reread over and over again. You had the chance to make Fairy Tail something really, really great . But you wasted the opportunity. You have thrown it away by being stubborn to the end.
Of course, I'm not saying this out of no reason. There are a lot of good reasons as to why many readers,
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including me, were sooooo disappointed at how the manga turned out. However, there is one main reason that has been the biggest downfall to Fairy Tail, and that is the formula.
You see, Fairy Tail only ever has the same formula for every single one of its arcs. Meet Enemy, Fight, Get beaten up, .... activate Friendship power and win. That's it. That is the one and ONLY formula Hiro relies on to create each and every arcs. It's so ridiculous to the point that, in the later arcs, everyone could predict the outcome of the fight so easily. "Fairy Tail will win, Fairy Tail will not lose a single member because Natsu and co. will activate their bullshit asspull to overcome the enemy every single fight." This asspull was somehow most present in the damn FINAL ARC. Meet strong enemies, Fight but get pushed back a bit, then a random speech about family, friends, guild... then win. It's unbelievable how the "hyped" fights were all ended this way. This, this right here is what truly killed Fairy Tail.
There are other reasons as well. The characters were too linear and undeveloped throughout the entire story. Although some of them did seem to get development, particularly Gray, it got nullified towards the end of the story as they just became the same, dumb characters they once were. Almost all of them did have potential to become better to even great characters, but nearly all remained too same, and too much of an annoyance throughout the end.
The plot holes are also very much evident. I can't count the number of times a Fairy Tail guild member had an intense fight and just walked the injury off afterwards like nothing. Characters like Erza, Natsu, Gray... they should be out, they should have been unable to move so easily after the "intense" fights. But of course they are able to run around just minutes/chapters after.
Convenient plot devices like some bullshit returns and lame deux ex machinas did not help cover plot holes either. Oh, and did I mention that there are basically no deaths in the story? This should really have gone with the formula part I wrote, but the fact that almost every characters just come back alive or not die after "fatal" blows is infuriating. Hiro, you could have created some quite powerful moments through some deaths, all the while developing characters, but you chose to bring them back just a couple chapters later... sigh...
Another brief thing I want to bring up is the fanservice. Now, I don't mind a bit of fanservice at all, but Fairy Tail has fanservices all over the place, even in places they do not belong at all. Normal, everyday life will have some kind of fanservice and of course, the supposedly "toughest fight of their lives" will have some kind of fanservice. It really gets ridiculous and just makes light of any kind of situation, even though when the tone is supposed to be darker. *cough, Grand Magic Games, cough*
All right, so is there anything good? Anything?
First, there is the art which is very attractive to many people, including me. The character designs are pretty good, the background is nice and detailed, and overall, although a bit similar to One Piece, the art maintains a clean yet detailed complement to the series. Just unfortunate that the nice character designs didn't equal good characters in the end.
There was one particular arc that actually stood out in the midst of mediocre and bad arcs. And that was the 2nd to last (or 3rd to last if you count the Avatar arc) of the series. Without spoiling it too much, the Tartarus arc is without a doubt the best arc of the series. Contrary to just about every other arc, Tartarus actually has some emotion in it. Not only that, it brings some really surprising revelations the fans were asking for years, along with newer powerups for some characters. It still follows much of the same formula as the rest of the series, but there's no doubt that this was the arc I've enjoyed the most.
Chapterwise, The earlier chapters did give some entertainment and couple chapters midway through the story were pretty fun. Also, the last chapter turned out to be fairy good, at least better than the ending in bleach and Naruto.
That's it really. I was going to give this a higher score had the Final arc been as good as the Tartarus arc, but it was an epic failure, one of the worst in the series. I don't really recommend this series to anyone anymore, especially after the travesty that was the Final Arc. So please, if you want to save some time by not reading through something that will infuriate and disappoint you, please step away.
Actually, just go onto youtube and find the music scores for Fairy Tail. The music score is undeniably great, and most of them are worth listening to at least once. Which makes it even more shame as it was wasted on this.
Good job Hiro Mashima. Good job on throwing away a potentially great manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 30, 2016
Alderamin on the Sky isn't an overly impressive anime by all means, but it is enjoyable for what it is. It is a military, strategy themed anime which focuses on the cruel reality of war, politics, and how our MC, Ikta Solork, makes his legend by displaying his superb talents as a strategist.
The plot isn't original, but that isn't always a bad thing. Alderamin is mainly focused on the war between two neighboring empires Katjvarna and the Republic of Kioka, and the struggles of Ikta and his comrades fighting in the war. Besides the ongoing warfare between the two countries, there are also tension
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within the empire and other battles with various clans. The usage of strategies are pretty good and the battles are meaningful. Unfortunately, early on, Alderamin suffers from a slow start, taking around three episodes to really get going and not really explaining too much during that time. However, after a couple of episodes, Alderamin quickly grew on me. The first real battle scene they showed brought a lot of promise, and it brought a much needed darker tone to the story. One thing I would've liked explained earlier though, was this little things called spirits who help fight in battle. They are there, but aren't exposed enough until late in the show. To be really honest, I feel like the show could've done just fine without these little creatures.
These problems could've been fixed had there been more episodes. I always feel like 13 episodes or 1 cour isn't enough for many, especially action/war based anime to really accomplish their full potential in terms of storytelling, characters, and the overall depth. Most of the times, the story will be rushed, and in Alderamin's case, since it started of very slow, the anime suffered from pacing and development issues.
The animation is the standout point of the series for me. Although a bit inconsistent in pacing at times, Madhouse still impressed me in the end. The efforts they put in each episode in terms of the action is refreshing to see. In an anime like this, awesome battles need to make you feel excitement and hyped, and madhouse delivers just that. The battles are brutal and bloody. The character designs are pretty good and the animation as a whole was crisp.
The op and ed are great, but a part of me wishes that the soundtracks were more memorable. It is good for what it is; doesn't feel out of place or anything, but it could have been better and more impactful. The voice acting is pretty good for each characters and personalities. We could've used a little bit more emotion in their voice though.
One of my favorite aspects of the series is definitely the MC, Ikta Solork. He isn't like all those generic, hardworking MCs like other series. In fact he is lazy and doesn't hide his love for women. However, beneath that layer, you really get to know that he is very intelligent and caring for his comrades. He isn't afraid to take risks in battles and forming strategies. He manages to somehow be badass while having a lazy personality. Although he isn't the greatest character, he is a breath of fresh air from the overdone MC cliches. In a way he could be compared to Itami from the Gate series. Both are lazy and aren't exactly that "hero" type but their other personality shines in battles.
Although the other main cast is on the generic side, one other character that deserves a mention is the main heroine Yatori. Although she herself could be classified as a generic female MC of any battle anime, it is her relationship with Ikta that makes her likable. Although she is the stronger fighter, you can tell that she still looks up to Ikta's talents and believes in him during when others might doubt his strategies. She isn't annoying nor thinks she is supreme to the MC in any way, which was refreshing to see at times.
Besides the two MCs, the other characters, besides Chamille are a bit underdeveloped. The unfortunate thing about this is that normally, if the characters were entertaining enough, I wouldn't have minded if the development happened later on in the series, but for Alderamin, the other characters aren't just interesting enough. One thing I did like is that the main cast all had a purpose for fighting in the war, whereas in many other anime, the purpose can be buried away without explanation. Also they are actually helpful. However, they certainly could've been written a bit better.
Overall, Alderamin on the Sky is an good show, but nothing outstanding. It starts slow but once the pace picks up, it becomes an entertaining show for what it is. The plot could have been better, the characters could have certainly be explored more, and it indeed stayed on the generic side of things at times, but the intense battle scenes and the fun personality of the MC kept me wanting for more. With the story not yet being finished, we are left with an open ending. Alderamin on the Sky is definitely a worthwhile show to pick up.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 30, 2016
Note: Before watching this please play through all three Danganronpa games (1, SDR2, and Another episode). Also you should watch the future arc episode with the despair arc in broadcast order. Watch future arc ep 1 then despair arc ep 1, and so forth and so on. Watching the two series in this order is very important as Despair arc develops some of the characters from the Future arc.
Danganronpa 3: Future arc is a sequel and essentially a finale to the Danganronpa series. Whereas the counterpart Despair arc is a prequel to the entire story, Future arc details the story after the Biggest, Most Awful,
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Most Tragic event in human history. It reintroduces the killing game shown in the DR series prior, except this time, in the real world, without any school rules. There are completely fresh batch of characters, some whom we eventually see fall.
Future arc centers around the main survivors of the events in DR1, along with the division leaders of the Future Foundation. The leaders themeselves had thought that they already caught the traitor, but little did they know they had already fallen into the real traitor's trap. To make the matters worse, this time the killings don't end in a class trial as it did in previous games. Instead, they have to find the traitor and kill him to end it once and for all.
The story is basically kill or be killed. Unlike Despair arc which starts off with a more light hearted tone that constantly evolves into a more brooding tone, Future arc starts off with a darker tone straight of the bat. The first couple of seconds of ep 1 essentially shows how the world has become since the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic event in human history. And throughout, the episodes are just constantly filled with tension as the characters try to somehow find a way to survive.
Future arc also manages to weave in characters from all three Danganronpa series. Whether it is a whole episode dedicated to them or if it's just a couple of moments, it is still fun to watch the rest of the other game's cast after their events.
A problem with this kind of a setting though is the pacing, which was noticeable in Future arc. One episode could be filled with new events while the next could be slightly disappointing and rushed. However, the still lingering mysteries about the traitor and the NG codes (the only "rules" in the killing game) kept me hooked throughout. One huge disappointment was the plot twists regarding the DR 1 characters. At first I thought, "this is really happening," but then after a couple of episodes and even in the Hope arc, the plot twist got ruined by playing it safe.
The animation is great and the action scenes are fun to watch. The art itself was also a good point from Future arc. Like the tone, the color schemes of Future arc constantly stays on the darker color, unlike Despair arc which slowly transitions from lighter to darker. Also to emphasize the impact of the killing game, the staff even decided to change the blood from pink to red. At first, I didn't know how to feel about this as the pink blood was a unique part of the danganronpa series, but it was understandable considering this was the finale and they had to really highlight the brutality of the final killing game.
One interesting aspect, like I mentioned, is that Despair arc events has great meaning in the Future arc. Knowing what happens in Despair arc comes in handy for the Future arc.
The opening song is great and the soundtracks are decent. However, being a guy who really pays attention to the OSTs, the ones in Future arc were slightly underwhelming. There is also an awesome cast of new voice actors who did great, alongside the voices we were already accustomed to.
Obviously, the most important part of Danganronpa series are its characters. When I was going through each DR series for the first time, I always wondered if I would get attached to the characters. The same was for the Future arc. Unfortunately, It's safe to say I like some of the characters, but not more than I wanted to. Maybe because the anime was just a 12 episode series and not an entire Visual novel, but it was harder for me to get attached to the characters. Some of them died too quickly, granted it was to showcase the brutality of the killing game but still. Some of them started out just plain annoying, although one certain character did get more fleshed out than the most. In the latter episodes, a lot more characters get fleshed out a bit more, which was nice to see. . We got backgrounds and more personalities: whether interesting or annoying. However, it was still minimal, so I honestly did not care for most of them. One of the characters got more depth than most of any other characters in other DR series even. Anyways, although the new characters do show interesting traits and personalities, it was rather hard to get attached to most of them quickly. It was only after a couple more episodes that I got somewhat attached to more characters.
After 11 episodes, I have to say that the developments of some characters are pretty awesome to see. For example (SPOILER: Juzo), was one character I thought I would never like, but in the end he became the most developed and also became my favorite from the new cast.
As for the original DR1 cast, they were pretty much the same. Kyouko being the smart detective trying to find out the traitor, Hagakure being Hagakure, and Naegi being that typical "not let anyone die" MC. One thing I liked from the original cast was Asahina, whom you could clearly see matured and developed after the killing game in DR1.
Although their are clear flaws in both pacing and early characterization wise, Future arc still is a pretty decent watch. As with the DR games, it is always so stressful for the new episode to come out because you don't know who might die. The mystery of the traitor is not obvious and make you think of all the possibilities. One of the biggest downsides, however, is the underwhelming ending. Character wise, although it startes out in a weak manner, gets better as episodes progress, though it is heavily limited. Although both Despair arc and Future arc are disappointing in many aspects, both are still a decent watch for dangaronpa fans.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Sep 30, 2016
First things first. You need the play the two DR games (DR 1, SDR2) to fully understand and enjoy the two DR3 anime. If you were a fan of the first installment of the Danganronpa anime, you'll love the games, so please, if you haven't so already, turn around and play those two games (or watch a walkthrough) for the best viewing possible. DR: Another Episode is also mandatory especially for Future arc. Also be sure to watch both Future and Despair arc in broadcast order (i.e. watch future arc ep 1 then watch despair arc ep 1, and so on). There are parts where
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the story and characters might overlap, so be sure to watch it like that for better understanding.
DR3: Despair arc is essentially a prologue to the DR story. It centers around the 77th class of the Hope's Peak acadmey, who btw are the main cast of the 2nd game: SDR2. The setting, once so happy and carefree, turns into one of the darkest points in their history: a prologue to the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic event in human history. As the title and premise says, don't expect a happy ending to this. Although it starts off like your typical slice of life school anime, there is a brooding tone that constantly evolves as the episodes contiunously progress, awaiting to become a monster that destroys the students daily lives with despair. This tone starts as lighthearted then transitions into a darker mood, eventually becoming something outright disturbing. Suddenly, the happy, slice of life school setting is no more, instead it becomes violent, bloody and despair-inducing.
One thing I liked is that they didn't linger or focus too much into the events the game already touched to an extent, like the Twilight Syndrome case. Just showing things in Hajime's point of view, and that was the better thing to do for the series.
One thing I would've liked was to see the 78th class just a bit more than a cameo, like their original interactions with Junko, but with the anime being just 1 cour, it's understandable that they had to leave that out.
A disappointing isssue was that he pacing is a noticeably off. I feel like 11 episodes for the 77th class wasn't enough in the end. If it could have gotten a little bit more time, and cut a little bit more of the fanservice, I think the whole tragedy and the aftermaths could have been done better.
(SPOILERS: For example, the scene of "her" death and the 77 class turning into despair could have used an in-between scene. Maybe one that goes more in-depth of how the class fully submitted to Junko. The skip between the death scene and the finale was too sudden, considering the two were a couple months apart.)
The animation of the characters are really fun to watch as a fan. Just seeing all those characters I loved so much from the 2nd game animated is just so exciting. I felt that one good touch was that as episodes progress and tends to get darker, the art itself progresses to a more darker mood along with the story. Even the opening changes during the middle, to a much more darker color. It was a very nice touch to have, considering what was coming.
The OP/ED is pretty good, and the soundtracks were decent, although it could've been better. One thing I did like is how they used some game soundtracks for good nostalgia. The voice acting is fantastic as usual though, just like the games. The voices fit so well with the characters, which always helps the experience.
The most important part of the despair arc (and the rest of the danganronpa series in general) are without a doubt the characters. If I didn't care for the characters, I would never have felt anything for them and thus I probably wouldn't have cared what happened to them. Now, since the most of the cast were fleshed out pretty well in SDR2, it wasn't that hard to make me like them from the get go. However, one thing I would've liked to see is just making the cast even stronger. I know that Chiaki, Hinata, and Nagito are indeed the important characters, but I also would've liked those without too much game time from SDR2 to get a bit more exposure and development, like Teruteru and Mahiru to an extent. What I'm glad though, is the screen time the Ultimate Imposter got. Anyways, even if some characters are not getting the desirable screen time, they are still enjoyable to watch. This is also an important reason to play the games before watching this. You just get to know the characters better and smile as they are finally interacting cheerfully without being forced to kill each other. And of course, feel a lot more sadness when they are forced to go through "that process". However, one thing that I am really glad Despair arc managed was Mukuro and Junko getting a bit more depth, as well as Mitarai.
One thing I didn't really like though, was how it put focus on the future arc characters for a couple of episodes, halting potential DR0 scenes and even halting the depth of the characters and their downfall. It's a shame that the despair process did not go as I imagined thanks to this, as I would've preferred the "despairification" process to be on a more personal level. Having more than 11 episodes would have helped.
As a huge fan of the danganronpa series, I feel both love and disappointment with the DR 3. On one hand, I loved seeing the characters I loved so much animated, interacting with each other. Even the first two episodes which were basically fan service was enjoyable to watch. Although honestly, they could have made the slice-of-life moments shorter just so we could've had more plot development earlier on. And on the other hand there were pacing issues, like I've mentioned. Also, the despair arc is also a big 'what could have been'. What if they would have personalized the despairification process? I think that would have been a better way to showcase and further the depth of both the characters and how they became "despair". Nonetheless, I had this huge smile while watching the first couple of episodes, only for it to turn to sadness and eventually into complete anxiousness as I knew what would eventually happen to the cast. It could have been much better, in fact, after rewatchign the series a couple of times, I just feel disappointed in how the revelation of how the 77th class turned into despair. It's still a fine watch.
Give the entire series (games + anime) a try! It's definitely worth your time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 30, 2016
Shokugeki no Souma returns after an extremely successful 1st season... and it is just as entertaining as the previous edition.
Shokugeki no Souma has been one of my favorite series for some time. Why? It's because it so damn entertaining. Where it might lack in the story, it makes it up for its consistent entertainment found in every single episode. That's not to say the story is bad however, as I find it quite fun and solid. Don't like ecchi? Well, as much as others like to say it, the show isn't ALL about those ridiculous 'foodgasms'. It also involves a good amount of emotions,
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fun 'battle'(cooking) scenes, and decent amount of development. In fact, I'd honestly like it just as much without the foodgasm scenes. The amount of effort and detail they put into the food and cooking is enough to make even the viewers craving for the food. And all things considered, this is how you do a proper cooking anime, making viewers hungry for more and more.
The animation in the 2nd season is just as amazing as the first. Although having a slightly rushed first episode, it manages to pick back up the original pace without too much dragging and rushing. he fast-paced cooking scenes are animated so fluidly and the whole show is just an eye-catcher in terms of the characters and the food.
Unfortunately, it does get rushed a bit in the later episodes again, but not too much. This kind of problem could have been fixed if the anime was 2 cour but unfortunately it isn't.
Like the first season, the music is one of my favorite aspect of the anime adaptation. Along with the animation, it just adds so much more to the scenes, especially the cooking scenes. Also really liked the fact that they still kept a couple of great osts from the first season as well. OP/ED are worth checking out as well, although I still prefer the 1st season ones.
The voice acting is great, but nothing too amazing i'd say. Each VA's fit their roles well, and big props to the VA's who had to do the foodgasms, because they sell it hilariously well.
Moving on, the characters look like your typical shounen stereotypes. However, the thing that makes me actually like these characters are that every single character are just entertaining to watch, as in no annoying characters whatsoever imo. The character interactions are great, and it does have a good amount of developments throughout the story. They have a bit of depth in them, and all of them are just really likable. For me, the best part of the series is the protagonist, Yukihira Souma. He is such a smooth MC: not annoying, boring or anything of that matter. He's the one that brings all the comedy, entertainment and the intensity of the show together. At times he's just straight up ridiculous and silly, but he also has this serious/badass side, and that's when you know shit is about to go down. Overall, the characters might seem like shounen cliches, but the cast makes it up for being very entertaining.
Both seasons of Shokugeki no Souma are a great, entertaining watch for anyone. Unfortunately, since it's only 13 episodes, some contents from the manga are indeed skipped, and the pacing is a bit inconsistent at times. But even without the skipped parts, the story is still tied well together. Some of you might not like it if you aren't that into the concept of foodgasms but it's still worth the watch purely for the entertainment it effortlessly brings on the table.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 29, 2016
This is the 24 minute finale episode to the entire Danganronpa 3 series.
It was a pretty good finale, but had some disappointing aspects just like the main anime.
The best part of the entire episode was definitely the DR 2 characters getting back to action once again. They're just so fun to watch, as always. I loved seeing the DR 2 cast interact with the DR 1 cast, in a less serious atmosphere this time around.
The animation and sound were about the same from the DR 3 series, and it's really fun seeing DR 2 characters in the Future arc setting. The soundtracks were good
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but I was a bit disappointed some of the osts from the games weren't used, especially the intro theme.
You know what, although there were a bit more issues with the anime than what I would've liked, just seeing the DR 2 cast back again and interact with the DR 1 cast made this episode great for me, even if "SPOILER" I didn't really like Kyouko being alive again. Thought it would've made much more impact at the end if she stayed dead. It kinda feels like Kodaka pulled out at the last second, and it somewhat made the NG codes and Bandai's death look cheap. But I'm sure some of her fans are happy.
It's a short, yet packed finale. The anime indeed made some questionable decisions throughout, but nonetheless managed to wrap up many things from both the games and the rest of the DR 3 anime nicely.
Finally, I thank you, Kodaka, and every other staff involved with the series, for bringing us the Danganronpa series to our home.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Sep 19, 2016
I'm pretty sure some of you are thinking that Re: Zero is another overhyped anime that isn't nowhere near the hype it deserves. Well, let me just say it now: Re: zero deserves all of that hype and score, or at least most of it. It is an exceptional anime, composed of many different kinds of elements that elevates the anime even further. The entertainment (and despair) it manages to give every single episode is astounding, and paired with great characters and great animation and music, makes this anime truly a must watch for any anime fan.
You probably have already seen this kind of a
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premise before. The main character living in a normal world, suddenly gets dragged into a completely different world. And also time travel. It is not the most unique premise by any means, but time travelling as a genre has been one of the more difficult ones to work with. In anime, time travel might not make sense, create gigantic plot holes, and can potentially halt any kind of character development. Unfortunately, Re:Zero does have some small plot holes regarding time traveling, but that's to be expected since the story is not yet completed. However, Re:Zero still brilliantly manages to weave in the time travelling aspect of it so that it still manages to be entertaining and bring a good development.
I also feel like that this anime is a great example of how to make every single episodes. It doesn't drag, nor feel boring. Each and every episode is just so fun and makes you want to watch more and more of it. Another awesome thing to point out is that, Re:zero sometimes likes to omit openings and endings in some episodes, giving it even more minutes to work with, which was awesome to see, as one thing I feel like most anime need more of is time. (This is not saying the openings and endings are bad in any way.).
One unfortunate thing about this anime however, is the fact that the adaptation isn't close to finishing yet, so we are left with a lot of unanswered questions. Lot of things like the essence of how Subaru is able to go back to a certain checkpoint or the fate of the bowel hunter is still unclear.
The animation is also fantastic. It doesn't have clunky movements nor uncomfortable lighting. The fight scenes are great to watch, but the best parts for me were those lighting touches in the background which contrasted well with whatever the scene given. Sometimes light, sometimes dark, it just affects the mood of the scene so well. Some episodes, the animation is done so brilliantly that some scenes almost feels like a movie.
The sound section is great as well.. The soundtracks are really nice to listen to, the standouts being the ones with choir, and they accompany the scenes really well, especially in episode 15. It isn't a standout of the anime, but it is definitely worth noting, as it manages to stay consistent throughout the episodes. The voice acting in Re:Zero is amazing. The seiyuus, especially Kobayashi Yuusuke (Subaru), bring out some amazing emotions from the characters, which obviously is a must have in a despair-inducing anime like Re:Zero. Also, who can forget Yoshitsugu Matsuoga's unbelivable performance on Beteleguese? The voices aren't annoying, the soundtracks are great, and the OP/ED are one of the best of the season. It is just a really solid aspect in the show.
Now the most important part in any anime: the characters. First thing is, I see a LOT of hate for Subaru. Granted he isn't strong and is sometimes frustrating to watch, but I personally don't think he's that bad of a character. We see him struggle, fight against the seemingly impossible, and eventually develop as the series goes on. He might not be the most pleasing MC to watch at first, but I feel like this is what Re:Zero is all about: Natsuki Subaru's development. You first see a guy, cocky and arrogant, who runs into hopeless despair, so useless, yet trying to do everything by himself, transform into a guy who willingly seeks help from others to save Emilia and many others from the horrible fate awaiting them.
There are also a lot of other diverse characters in the show. Rem, for example, is easily the most likable character in the show. Her strong willed determination and great fighting prowess is a shining light to Subaru in many ways. We also have Emilia, Suabru's love interest and a half elf trying to ascend the throne although being discriminated by others for being too similar to a witch. The relationship between her and Subaru, although at times cliche, develops throughout the series, along with Subaru's personality.
One thing I like about Re:Zero is that it literally has everything in terms of characters: Struggling MC, powerful woman beside the MC, maids, lolis, traps, knights, psychos... everything.
To sum it up, Re:Zero is definitely a must watch show from the year of 2016. Its intensity, suspense, plot twists, and development makes the hype completely justifiable imo. The awesome fights and dramatic cliffhangers all add to the anime. Though the story itself is might not yet completed, the questions might still remiain, these unanswered questions only further serve as a good reason to watch the next season of this great anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 4, 2016
Any anime fan would be familiar with the works of Maeda Jun, after all he created two of the most popular "tearjerkers" in all of anime: Angel Beats! and Clannad. That being said, there was a lot of hype surrounding Charlotte on whether if it would follow the footsteps of the aforementioned animes and even stand amongst them in popularity. Admittedly the premise did make it seem like it did have a good potential to do so. Even the first episodes made the anime look promising.
However it fell apart from there. Like many anime, it suffered from pacing and plot issues
I'm not going to say
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Angel Beats or Clannad was perfect, they too suffered issues with pacing as well, but to say both were far superior works would be an understatement. The beginning episode of Charlotte was an interesting story about our protagonist Yuu and his devilsh sort of personality and showing off what his power was. It actually gave me a lot of hope and anticipation for the rest to come. But the little bit of hope in me got smashed to pieces once the thing got rolling.
I won't lie. The only thing I was really hoping for was just a nicely paced show with a bit of laugh and some emotion. Did I get any of that when I was done watching? No, none at all. The jokes were corny, the development in characters was nonexistent, and not once did I feel a single bit of emotion like I got from Clannad: AS. In fact, even the biggest "emotional" scene in Charlotte was completely ruined by an unnecessary asspull and whatever emotion we were supposed to feel was well... gone. Simply, the plot holes ruined the anime as a whole. The story didn't seem connected, characters randomly showed up without any real explanation and the build up to the finale was absolutely disastrous. I have said in the past that Angel Beats! was rushed, but it was nothing compared to the god-awful pacing and the plot holes Charlotte contained. In the end NOTHING made sense. Oh and don't even get me started on the romance. The straight up forced romantic relationship between the two lead characters was cringeworthy, to say the least. No explanation, no development, no real chemistry and we are just given a love story without any developing feelings between the two beforehand.
The characters, man the characters were almost as bad as the plot itself. We have Yuu, and to be perfectly honest, I liked him in the first episode. He showed personality, he wasn't original, but it was something to get the show going. Then the next few episodes come out, and whatever personality he had is completely gone. Gone. Just like that. The devilish, mischievous personality he once had is now treated as a non-factor throughout the rest of the series, reducing him to a bland, tripe character.
The other characters are barely worth mentioning either. Barely showing personalities, and no development whatsoever, they are even worse than our protagonist. The show didn't explore these characters enough, and some, like I said just showed up through random backstories and added nothing to the story except more plot holes. The fact that the characters were simply nonexistent just hurt whatever emotional scene they tried to pull off. Without good characters, the plot simply cannot get going. This is why I think the characters are the most important part of any show. Good characters can get even the worst of plots watchable. Sadly, it was not the case for Charlotte.
The art as you might have expected, is great. The art/animation is probably the only saving grace of the anime. But then again, one could even sasy that the great art/animation was wasted in this show. The soundtracks weren't memorable, but the voice acting was pretty good at least.
In conclusion, Charlotte was yet another anime that failed to fully capitalize on its potential. Its another one of those "could have been good" anime. The pretty art might fool some people, but in the end, what we got was an absolute mess of an anime. Terrible plot, rushed pacing, cringeworthy romance, and nonexistent characters ruined what could have been good.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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