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Yuru Camp, one of those shows that makes me really mad about my seldom being able to get into anything from the slice-of-life genre.

Because this show is absolutely perfect, and it really nails everything that it's committed to showing and excels in the areas that it’s supposed to. I have literally nothing to complain about. You can tell this series comes from a place of passion, both from the original mangaka, Afro, and the team behind the adaptation, voice actors, animators, etc... The quality never drops, and almost every episode has something unique to portray that I can’t say you could find anywhere else. ... The medium is also well utilized whenever any outdoor scene is featured, wonderfully capturing the essence of the cold air, comforting soundscape, and the beauty of nature, even the relatively mundane iterations of it.

Needless to say, if you’re into this kind of stuff, you’ll have a great time with Yuru Camp, and I know many of you already have.

7.5/10 is my very biased score, but I totally get people giving this one a 10/10.

Goblin Slayer huh? While I’m always up for giving shows a second chance (the movie doesn’t count), this season of TV proved once and for all that this show just isn’t the stuff.

When writing fantasy stories, I believe it’s of utmost importance not just to change one singular thing about the already existing formula. Multiple unique or interesting ideas/concepts need to be featured in your story in order to distinguish yourself from the exhaustive ocean of run-of-the-mill, lazily thrown-together fantasy shows that this medium boasts. Goblin Slayer, in my opinion, does absolutely not check any of the boxes here, but instead constantly and awkwardly ... falls back on the ONE selling factor that the show has: Goblin Slayer himself.

There is nothing special to the world presented in the series, none of the characters are ever intriguing, and the story never goes anywhere. I mean, the characters are even named “Elf”, “Lizardman”, or “Dwarf”, like Jesus Christ, this just makes it look like the author themself have no respect whatsoever for their own work. In short, the writing is an absolute mess, and it doesn’t really get any help from the team who produces the show, considering the uninspired art style, janky animation, non-existent directing, and forgettable music doesn’t do it any favors.

The one praise I can give the show is that you sometimes get presented with some pretty neat techniques that Goblin Slayer uses in his goblin slaying, as opposed to always resorting to his brute strength, which many other stories would’ve done. This actually somewhat elegantly conveys his expertise and experience in the field, but as soon as you start to take things seriously, “Cow Girl” shows up again and shatters whatever little immersion you had in the story up until that point. Like, am I supposed to take the show seriously, or is this one where you just enjoy the cool fights and move on? The action is extremely lackluster, so I sure don’t hope that’s the case.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I think that it’s really evident that this show still runs on the fumes that the first, “controversial” episode of season 1 produced, not delivering anything new for the consumer or content of value.

I’m not going to pretend like the plot of DieBuster isn’t complete and utter nonsense, but goddamnit I still love it. Just like GunBuster before it, this show embodies many of the qualities that made their respective eras of anime so unique and recognizable and turns them up to 11, making for an exceptionally enjoyable show if you’re into that kind of stuff.

Boasting the now iconic style of modern Gainax, DieBuster’s world is angular, stylish, energetic, and most importantly fun. The protagonist that is Nono exudes exactly the kind of charming stupidity you’d expect from the “lovable clutz”-stereotype, and she absolutely carries the show ... alongside its audiovisual presentation. And while I can’t say much about the rest of the cast of characters, their designs are kind of neat at least, much like all of the machines featured in the show, be that mechas, spaceships, etc…

If there’s one major thing that DieBuster lacks when compared to its predecessor, I think most would agree that it’d be the sometimes genuinely emotional moments. I’m not saying that it doesn’t try with scenes like this (oh it tries alright), but for me, they just don’t land. While I’m sure that some of the few who actually watched this show will disagree with me, the complete lack of groundedness, which most of the time is the show’s biggest strength, also renders me unable to get emotionally invested. It’s not impossible, but it’s goddamn hard to make stories like these and still have the audience take them seriously. Me, I’m fully content with the show just being a really, really dumb and fun time.

7.5 / 10, Gainax better pull their shit together and make Top wo Nerae 3.

I think I speak not only for myself when I say that Attack on Titan has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had following a show. What this series has managed to accomplish, not just within the anime industry, but in contemporary media as a whole is absolutely monumental. Seeing something like this come to an end will always, in one way or another, be emotional, be that in the form of sadness, joy, frustration, or a sense of fulfillment.

Having said that, just like when I initially read the manga, I came out after finishing this feeling incredibly torn on my thoughts ... regarding this ending. On the one hand, I find it painfully rushed, (mostly) emotionally disconnected, and overly ambitious in its thematic subtext. But on the other hand, I can’t help but feel the emotional weight of an entire decade-long title in those last, powerful moments with Mikasa beneath the tree.

It’s like I was given proper closure for one arc within the story, but not for the dozens of completely new ones introduced just a couple of episodes prior. Not only does a plethora of both old and new characters get any closing statements, but in the last few minutes of this show, it desperately tries to present ideas of life itself and illustrates the events of the story as just a small part of a larger tale. While I do enjoy these motifs in other works, they are absolutely not warranted here and shift the focus to underdeveloped themes rather than already set-up characters. And while I think it’s absolutely fitting that Eren dies and realizes his sins in the end, his final scene with Armin is a horrendous assassination of a character that’s been developed over the course of these episodes. It’s something I’d expect to happen in early Attack on Titan, something I personally thought the story had matured from at this point.

This season is one I could go on and on about (I haven’t even gotten into the technical aspects of it), and I’m sure my stance on the ending will fluctuate dramatically during this time of acceptance of the fact that the show is finally over. But honestly, I don’t feel the need to ramble more about a title as giant as Attack on Titan. None of you will read this and have your minds changed (which is a good thing), so make sure to form your own opinion and don’t jump on any stupid bandwagon that might already exist on the internet.

All I can say is “Thank you Attack on Titan, not only for being one of the cornerstones of my introduction to the medium but also for being an almost constant pillar of quality throughout these years that few shows in the industry can match.”

This review is for people who are already fans of the show, wondering if the novels are worth reading. And the short answer to that question is a resounding "YES"! They are very much worth your time, even coming from someone like me, who usually doesn’t read books otherwise.

On certain days, ‘The Monogatari Series’ might just be my favorite anime, and holding something in that high of regard often comes with you wanting to find out more about the work. The natural progression for me was to read the novels, which not only made me once again realize why I love this story so ... much but also surprised me with how different the experience was from watching the show. It really is one of those works that completely lives and dies by the medium it’s presented in, be that in the form of a book or an animated show, and that is without changing a single setting, character, or story beat.

And the story really is adapted to an absolute tea in the show, you’re not missing anything by sticking to the anime, and that’s in part due to the fact that everything that’s exclusive to the novels just wouldn’t work in a visual medium. Many of the jokes and “written visuals” in these books are simply unadaptable, a fact that the show compensates for by having jokes and visual cues that wouldn’t work in a written medium. It’s an amazing relationship that can only be understood by experiencing both incarnations of the series, which is why I highly recommend, for any fan of either version of the work, to consume the two of them. In both cases, they are stories that fully utilize the medium they are presented in in order to create wholly unique experiences that no other piece of media has ever replicated.

If nothing else, these novels give a lot of insight into what an amazing time NISIOISIN has writing these books. It's evident that his mind works in a completely different way than most humans, which lends itself great to creating stories like this one. It kind of just warms your heart a bit.

Joining the surprisingly short list of shows that would’ve benefitted a lot from being longer, ‘Top wo Nerae GunBuster’ still manages to do so much in its mere 6 episodes that in my experience most shows fail to accomplish at all.

Granted, this might be one of my most biased takes, because most of my enjoyment of this show comes from how overwhelmingly 80s it is. And that’s not to say that it’d be a bad show otherwise, just that a lot of the charm found here is a direct effect of the period in which it was made. It’s almost like a time capsule ... in a sort of way, concentrating what characterizes 80’s anime into one cliché-ridden story.

Every element of GunBuster is just good, not great, but good. And that’s absolutely enough when it’s presented in the way that it is. The world-building has plenty of neat stuff but is never really explored thoroughly, the characters are well-defined but somewhat underdeveloped, and the plot is… well, not really that important. Yet, despite this, the show still manages to have an impactful death of a character, multiple really emotional moments, and a great goddamn ending. And best of all, it’s a pre-2000s mecha, so you already know it’s hype as hell.

If there’s one aspect of the show that I’d actually say is outstanding, it’d be the visuals. Not only is it the era’s signature style perfected (80s anime just hits differently), but the shot composition is just fantastic. It really does feel like a movie sometimes with how the scale of the battles are represented and how good the overall quality of the animation is. Hideaki Anno’s ability to actually make large-scale destruction feel impactful is also on full display here. And on the topic of Anno, it's also a great deal of fun seeing some of the ideas that 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' would eventually inherit from this.

Combine all of this with a great soundtrack and you get a show that just makes you happy, and as long as that’s the case, I’ll excuse many flaws before I start to dislike the work.

Let me preface this review by saying that I do not dislike this show because I find Rudeus disgusting or pedophilic (annoying though, he ain't getting away with that one) as some seem to do. I just find the series kind of uninteresting, irritating, tonally confused, and it commits the sin of constantly wasting good setups.

This is a show that I’ve given so many chances, despite it being an isekai, a genre I’m generally not that fond of. But every single time I tried I’ve been severely disappointed by a title that has garnered an immense amount of love in recent years. Don’t get ... me wrong, It’s great that Mushoku Tensei gets the attention that it does. I think it’s wonderful that this young and promising studio gets recognition and publicity, increasing its possibilities for future, more ambitious projects.

And that is about the one praise I can give this show, the animation. It really is a breath of fresh air having an anime of this genre presented in a style as clean as this, instead of the regular overly saturated, cluttered, and generic visuals you usually expect. Studio Bind is consistently able to almost trick me into enjoying this series, but every time the show is about to actually elicit some sort of emotion in me, I’m immediately presented with either a horny joke, a tiresome cliché, or a reminder of why I absolutely despise Rudeus. And of course, a story can be good even with an unlikable protagonist, I like EVA for god’s sake, but Rudy’s antics really prevent me from taking anything he does or thinks seriously.

I do think it’s interesting, however, that in this season we get to know Nanahoshi better, a character I believe would’ve made a much more compelling main character to follow. She’s probably the one reason I’ll continue visiting this series, because honestly, the premise of a character actually wanting to get back to the real world, viewing the “isekai world” as nothing more than a temporary fantasy, is way more intriguing to me than someone who immediately accepts it as their new reality upon arriving in it. Who knows, maybe she’ll have some effect on Rudeus’ way of relating to his new life in the future, I don’t think I’d be alone in finding that pretty interesting. As it stands right now, I’ve yet to understand what people like so much about this show that’s so much better than any other isekai or just regular fantasy series. Maybe I’m totally missing something, so I’m genuinely curious.

On the topic of great shows that never got a second season: Houseki no Kuni, one of the most unique and interesting stories the medium has offered in recent years.

A great deal of my enjoyment of the show comes from the fact that it’s actually pretty suspenseful, a quality that, in my opinion, is often missing from shows that should have it. Encounters with the antagonists are designed in such a way that you aren’t necessarily scared of any main characters “dying”, but more so how they’re affected by the consequences of failing. I found myself exceedingly worried about what would be taken from ... Phos every single time a Lunarian appeared around her because the show repeatedly proves, in multiple ways, that she isn’t immune to the effects of a lost battle at all.

And Phos’ development really is the emotional core of the story. Both the physical and psychological change she undergoes in just 12 episodes is a wonderfully crafted double-edged sword. Following a battle, you’re always excited for what new abilities she’ll gain, but you’re also equally concerned about which part of her psyche will be lost indefinitely at the same time. She’s an interesting character inhabiting an interesting world that both you and her want to know more about, which is a great way of instilling viewer engagement.

On the technical side of things, Houseki no Kuni also delivers. Studio Orange’s signature style of CG animation is put to the best use possible here, adapting this story in a way that might not be entirely perfect, but still makes me unable to imagine it being animated in any other fashion. And even though this style of 3D animation is often used for swooping, large-scale imagery, at the cost of adequate emotional expression, Studio Orange manages to render their characters with facial animation that rivals, sometimes exceeding that of traditionally animated shows.

Fujisawa’s score is also great, no surprise there.

Overall, it's a unique story with unique characters, unique designs, and a unique setting that doesn't get lost in all of its uniqueness and still manages to be emotionally resonating. It's brimming with creativity that's apparent in every aspect of the show, everything from how the gemstones' different qualities are represented by their respective characters, to how the main conflict constantly evolves and how that affects everyone's place in the story.

9 / 10, can't wait to read the manga, I'm tired of waiting for season 2.

Managed to catch this one on the big screen for a rewatch, and boy is it refreshing to watch a movie about movies that actually tells a story about the emotions elicited by movies, as opposed to just the fame/glamour/drama of starring in them. It just kind of manages to recontextualize every piece of media I've consumed up until this point, in a positive way of course.

A reserved color palette that manages to be as interesting and unique as those of Satoshi Kon's other, more vibrant works.
An unsurprisingly outstanding score by Susumu Hirazawa.
A complete trust in the audience to just accept the film ... for what it's trying to say, rather than focusing too much on the plot.
It's a masterpiece folks, probably my favorite of Kon's short but impressive lineup.

9,5 / 10, You left us way too soon Kon-san, you knew the art form better than any of us.

There’s definitely stuff to like here, but my general thoughts on basically every aspect of this show is that they’re kinda half-baked.

For example, I really like the premise. It’s an easy setup to get into and a fantastic opportunity for interesting world-building, scenery, and intrigue. However, I feel like this is not capitalized on fully and the show suffers from it quite a bit. Everything’s just “fine” (a strong word, yes), instead of “great” as it could’ve been. Most of these potentially good parts of the show come across as unimaginative and give off the vibe that the author didn’t dare to experiment with ... his ideas, a flaw that’s further expressed by one of MAPPA’s most uninspired animation styles to date. The fire is neat, but that's about it in terms of visuals.

Another thing I wish I could like more about the show is the concept and visuals of plants integrated into humans/other animals. I have a real soft spot for any story that glorifies nature and its brutal honesty towards life, as well as its relationship with mankind. But this is, once again, not developed to the extent that it should’ve been since it comes more across as just “plants growing on people” rather than something that actually affects the story. While on this topic though, I must mention that I do quite enjoy how sex is implemented into the show and its themes. I feel like we need more interesting takes on one of the most humane acts possible in our stories, and this one does it pretty well… Instead of just using it for fanservice as most other titles would’ve.

I will also give props to the writing of the female characters, who, when compared to the rest of shounen women, really stand out because of their agency in the story, and their lack of over-sexualization. The male ones, however, are all characters that we’ve kind of seen before.

5.5 / 10, shounen down to its least common denominators, although with some interesting stuff from time to time.