Back to DylansTrashTaste's Profile DylansTrashTaste's Profile

I recently finished this donghua after leaving it on hold for over a year. And after finishing it I found that I put watching this show off for far too long!

All Saints Street is a very cozy found family donghua. The demon king, Neil (Nini) decides to move from hell to the human world since he’s interested in the culture. After coming to the apartment that his friend, Ira, told him he could live in, he discovers that the two other people living there are also supernatural beings. Lynn, the angel, and Abu, the mummy. Later on Vladimir, the werewolf, and Lily, another angel, also ... move into the apartment. The series follows the daily shenanigans the tenants of apartment 1031 face as they live their lives.

Story:
6/10
The story is pretty much non-existent, which goes for most slice of life comedies. The series is usually episodic, the episodes are each only 4 minutes so it’d be difficult to cram much plot into it (the Japanese version takes 6 4 minute episodes and combines them into one 24 minute episode, think the Netflix version of Saiki K.) The stories however, are always very silly and simple, but still charming. Most comedy anime struggle to actually be that funny to me, but the humor in this series always landed. The ending was such a sudden cliffhanger, it definitely made me want to immediately jump into season 2!

Art:
8/10
The art in this series is a major part of what initially made me want to watch it. The style pretty much sums up the whole series, simple and cute. It opts for this nice brown lineart rather than the harsh thin black lineart most anime goes with, it definitely helps the art look very soft. The color palette is also beautiful, it's very warm and cozy. The animation is also quite fluid at certain points, the opening is a great example of this. It’s wild that this type of animation is found in a web series, Hetallia could never.

Sound:
7/10
I’d like to preface this part of the review with this: I watched the Japanese dub! I don’t have any comments about the original Chinese version’s voice acting, this also means that the opening was slightly different for me (since they dubbed it for the Japanese version). Now that being said, Daiki Yamashita did an amazing job as Neil. His voice is absolutely perfect for the soft wholesome type of character. The other voice actors also did a good job, they were a joy to listen to. The opening is also very catchy, I love it!

Character:
7/10
This series has such a loveable cast of characters. Neil is the wholesome demon king, Ira is the vampire otaku, Abu is the silent mummy dude, Lynn is the stern angel, Lily is the angel who’s full of energy, and Vladimir is the overly-alert werewolf. They’re all so different and it makes their interactions with each other very enjoyable to watch. With a series like this they really have to rely entirely on having an entertaining cast of characters, since there isn’t much of a plot or goal, and this series definitely succeeds! My only complaint with the characters is that Abu got not nearly enough screen time, I’m hoping the next seasons flesh him out more.

Enjoyment:
7/10
Overall, this series is great if you just want a cozy comedy to turn your brain off to. I really enjoyed watching the characters just live their lives. I would highly recommend it to any slice of life or comedy fans! If you’re more into plot-driven serious series then you might not love this show, but I’d still give the first few episodes a watch just to see if you like it.

Overall rating:
7/10

I’ve never watched a series that so perfectly encapsulates the iyashikei genre. Everything about it is so warm and simple, I’m shocked that so few people bring up this series when discussing the slice of life genre. However, I think one of the main things that turns people away from this show is how it seems like a show made for shotacons at first glance, but trust me, it’s not that in the slightest!

Shounen Maid is a slice of life series about Komiya Chihiro, an 11 year-old boy whose mother passed away. But when he happens to run into his uncle who he had never ... before heard about, everything changes for him. Upon discovering how unkempt his uncle’s mansion is, he decides to become his maid in exchange for getting to live with him. Hence the title, “boy maid.”

The show’s plot is easygoing, and most of it is fairly episodic, though there are plot points that are introduced in certain episodes that continue throughout the show. The show is mostly comedic, however there are still a couple of moments that did a good job at being emotional, both the comedy and the emotion are handled well. I feel like this show also avoids an issue that many slice of life anime have where they end up being boring rather than simple, this show is simple while still being sincere and heartfelt.

The show’s art can also be described as simple. It’s not the most unique or memorable, but it’s cute and matches the show’s tone well. One of the things that does stand out is Madoka’s mansion, it’s very intricate and elegant, you can tell a lot of thought went into designing it. The character designs were also nice, I don’t have much to say about them, they match the characters well.

The voice acting also matched the characters well. Natsumi Fujiwara did an especially good job at voicing Chihiro. The soundtrack was nice, it has a very calm and warm feeling to it. The opening and ending are both good, they’re very upbeat and fun.

The characters were all very loveable, which is good since slice of life shows have to rely on having a good cast of characters in order to be enjoyable, since the plot isn’t a big focus. Madoka’s relationship with Chihiro was very sweet, watching Chihiro slowly grow closer to him was very cute as well. A lot of people seem to mistake their relationship for being romantic, though I believe Madoka is just very affectionate with Chihiro because he cares about him. Keiichirou and Miyako were nice inclusions to the cast as well, Keiichirou had moments where he was shown to care about Chihiro too, though in a less extreme way than Madoka. Chihiro’s grandmother was a character I was expecting to be far more one-dimensional than she actually was. The scenes with her really made her a more sympathetic person.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series. It was very sweet and comforting, and I think if you enjoy the slice of life genre or series that focus on familial relationships, you'll enjoy this series too. Definitely don’t write this anime off like a lot of other people have!

Rating:

Story - 7/10
Art - 7/10
Sound - 7/10
Character - 8/10
Enjoyment - 8/10
Overall - 8/10

This is the first movie I watched during my Ghibli binge, and it did not disappoint! However, it seems that people either think this is one of Ghibli’s best works and that it changed the animation industry forever, or that the movie is a poorly written, preachy dumpster fire of a film with unlikable characters and a confusing plot. I don’t fully agree with either side though, and while I think this is a great film, there’s several flaws that I believe it possesses.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film that takes place 1,000 years after a great war that ... wiped out a majority of the population. The film follows a young girl named Nausicaä as she tries to bring peace to the valley and protect the environment as well as the creatures that live there.

Story:
6/10
The first 30 minutes of the movie really managed to invest me in the world that these characters are living in. I wanted to learn about why their world functions the way it does, what certain things mean, and background on how everything leads to the events of the film. But, the movie never expands on a lot of the very major things in the plot. I understand that sometimes it’s better to leave some parts of the story unexplained, as it creates more mystery, but here it just felt like they didn’t have enough time to explain certain things. Which is wild since I felt the movie was too long, but that’s probably because so many parts felt like boring filler. However, the parts of the story that the movie does expand on are beautifully told. This movie carries the same values that most Ghibli works do; strong messages of environmentalism and anti-war sentiments, and I believe the movie gets its themes across very well.

Art:
8/10
Despite this not technically being a Ghibli film, Nausicaä still has that signature Ghibli style. The animation techniques are outdated but still very interesting to watch, especially the way they made the Ohmu move. I also found the environments did a great job at capturing this feeling of isolation and barrenness. Nausicaä and Teto’s designs were the only ones that really stood out to me, Nausicaä’s outfits looked great and Teto looked adorable (I really want a plushy of him).

Sound:
9/10
The soundtrack for this movie was fantastic. It has that retro 80s’ synth, and it really makes this movie stand out as THE Ghibli sci-fi film. The voice acting was pretty good, I liked Nausicaä’s voice a lot (I’m talking about the English dub, I haven’t seen the original).

Character:
7/10
The issue with the characters in this movie is that none of them stood out to me besides Nausicaä (and I guess Teto). I loved Nausicaä’s character so much. I’ve seen other people say that her character feels like a mouth-piece for Miyazaki, though I don’t agree. I feel like in order for a character to be a mouth-piece, their ideals have to feel forced, as if they’re out of character every time they preach something. But Nausicaä’s beliefs feel very natural, since she’s a very strong-willed character. But while she’s strong-willed, she’s also a very docile pacifist. I think one of the best moments in the entire film is when Teto bites her, but she doesn’t do anything to stop him, and after a moment he realizes he has no reason to be afraid and licks her. This scene manages to perfectly show Nausicaä’s entire character. Now I wish I could adore the other characters as much as I adore Nausicaä. All of the other characters either don’t get enough screen time, or feel very one dimensional. The characters are yet another aspect of this film that go unexplored. The villain, Kushana, works as an intimidating big bad, but nothing more. Asbel is a character that we learn practically nothing about. And Lord Yupa was just the standard mentor character who, say it with me, we learn NOTHING about. It kind of baffles me that Kushana, Asbel, and Lord Yupa are all listed as main characters when I can’t tell you a single character trait for any of them. But Nausicaä carries the film, so I guess I shouldn’t expect the other characters to have the same amount of development.

Enjoyment:
7/10
Despite my grievances, I still really enjoyed this film, especially the first 30 minutes. I think this is a great Ghibli film, and I can understand why so many people love it, however I can also understand why people may hate it.

Rating:
7/10

(this review may have light spoilers, though I tried my best to avoid them!)

I originally started this series back in 2021 since a youtuber I watched at the time said he liked it. I got to the 7th episode, but dropped it afterwards because I have a terrible attention span. But recently I thought I’d finish it since I was only a few episodes away from the end and it was pretty good!

The Quintessential Quintuplets is about Fuutarou, a high school boy whose life revolves solely around studying, who’s tasked with tutoring the 5 girls who are hopeless when it comes to school. Oh, and ... did I mention they’re well… quintuplets?

Story:
7/10
The story is more interesting than the typical harem setup, since there’s an actual goal being worked towards (that goal being getting the quintuplets to actually graduate). The quintuplets one-by-one slowly start actually finding reason to study, and end up getting closer to Fuutarou as they do so. The main issue I could see people having with the plot is that the conflict tends to heavily revolve around misunderstandings. Usually, Fuutarou will end up in a position that seems suggestive with one of the girls, or will lie to multiple of the girls and end up having to find a way to keep the lie going. I personally don’t mind the misunderstanding trope, but if you hate it chances are you’ll hate the conflict in this anime.

Art:
7/10
The art’s pretty nice. The lineart is done in a lighter color which makes the art look softer, rather than the harsh black lineart most anime go for. I also like the quintuplets designs, they all have the same face (besides the slight differences in their eye shapes) but their different hair makes them all recognizable. The lighting in certain scenes, particularly the one where Ichika and Fuutarou are by the fire, is very pretty. Besides all that, the art isn’t a big stand-out for me.

Sound:
7/10
Both the opening and ending theme for this series were good, especially the ending. The voice acting in the Japanese version was good, the voices for the girls are one of the things that makes them recognizable. Like the art however, the sound design isn't one of the main draws of this show.

Character:
8/10
I really enjoyed all 5 of the quintuplets! I’ll go through my thoughts on each of them, in order of how much I like them;

Ichika - Ichika was my personal favorite, though I’ve seen she seems to be the least favorite amongst the fandom, so I’m worried the second season might ruin her somehow. She’s the oneesan character, both literally and in personality. She’s the most mature, and puts her sisters’ feelings above hers. She’s also very hardworking, as she cares a lot about her job as an actor. Overall, I really enjoyed how much she cared about her sisters and her moments with Fuutarou.

Nino - Nino is the obligatory tsundere of the show. She does everything she can to try and get Fuutarou fired from being their tutor, however her efforts unfortunately never work out. I originally hated her, which makes sense since I’m usually not the biggest tsundere fan, however as the series progressed I found myself enjoying her more and more. She’s just very entertaining in my opinion, and I liked how it’s shown that deep down she wants the best for her sisters.

Itsuki - Itsuki is kind of like Nino as she also experiences some tsundere tendencies, but definitely not to the same extent. She’s the one that cares about her studies the most out of all of them, but she insists on not having any help from Fuutarou, and is very stubborn. She loves food and is teased by the other characters for her weight (which I wasn’t the biggest fan of but oh well). She also seems to have a knack for disguising herself as her sisters, since she does it 3 times. I initially found her annoying, but she slowly grew on me in the same way Nino did. I enjoyed her relationship with Fuutarou a lot, as she starts to like him more towards the end.

Yotsuba - I felt the same way about Yotsuba at the beginning of the series as I did at the end of the series; she’s cute. She’s very bubbly and outgoing, but also a bit of an airhead. She’s the token deredere of the sisters. She’s also more athletic than her sisters, and also is immediately kind to Fuutarou, while the other girls slowly warm up to him.

Miku - Miku was my favorite when I watched the first half of the show in 2021, however she’s since fallen down to my least favorite. She’s the dandere of the quintuplets, as she’s very quiet and pretty shy. She also loves Japanese warlords, but she’s very insecure about her interest in them. She also is the character who most explicitly says that she’s in love with Fuutarou, and she isn’t going to back down, even if her sisters love him. I still like her, but my interest in her faded as she started to get more invested in Fuutarou for whatever reason.

Fuutarou is more interesting than a lot of other harem protagonists, but he was definitely the character I cared the least about. I found myself more interested in the girls' relationships with each other, rather than any relationship they had with Fuutarou. I did think he had some nice moments with the girls though, and I thought his relationship with his sister was very sweet.

Enjoyment:
7/10
I had fun watching this show, and I was surprised with how much I liked the characters. I’d definitely recommend this show to anyone who wants to watch a harem anime with a distinct cast of characters, and I look forward to watching the second season!

Rating:
7/10