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Dec 6, 2020
The one big flaw this manga suffers from... is the romance.
As a sportsmanga it is pretty straight forward and cool. The author doesn't waste any time explaining the rules of the game and throws you right into it. It might be a tad intimidating if you never followed a baseball game before, but slowly you'll get accustomed to the positions and terms of the game. Which I actually enjoyed about Natsuzora and Run. The artstyle is dynamic in game scenes and those games can become really tense.
Another enjoyable thing is the MC: Chiaki is not bad at baseball, but he's also no prodigy. He's
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just a passionate guy living for the game. So there's a lot more leeway for the story and games to develop, instead of having everything depend on one single player. Which this manga manages in a lovely manner: It is all about the team. Even the sidecharacters have their own quirks and add something to the team.
So yes, as a sports manga Natsuzora and Run can be recommended. As a romance manga... well...
This might get a teeny tiny bit *spoilery*, so read at your own risk.
The "romance" takes up quite a big chunk of the story. But calling it "romance" might be exagerrated, because all there is, is a constant back and forth between the MC and the other person in question. The status quo shifts every other chapter into one of the two directions, and it feels like a bit of a waste having this nonsense going on for so long. There's not much to gain from it in terms of character development - it's more or less just there.
Yet, I still recommend Natsuzora and Run, and if it's just for the baseball action. The rest *can* be tolerated, since there's some lovely sidecharacters making up for that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 16, 2020
This manga is criminally cute and funny.
I enjoyed the Succubus-in-training idea a lot, which gave room for some hilarious (and steamy), as well as unexpected cute moments. The story isn't as deep as it could and relies heavily on both, the characters and it's generally lighthearted appeal, but the characters and their growing relationship are pretty lovely drawn most of the time. Only downside would be, that Yutaka has a bit too much on his plate as a character for my taste, and therefore the story follows one or two rather unnecessary sidepaths. On the other hand though, what in this story sounds like
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it would be realistic, anyways?
I'm a sucker for turned around expectations, so Succubus Tsukasas character felt pretty cute despite his "angry" appearance. Which wasn't written/drawn in a demeaning manner by the way, given how his struggles with his appearance compared to his charachter where portrayed.
The art is good, the pacing is okay, the humour is great. Just the ending felt a bit like it takes away something from the characters, beating a bush that wasn't necessary at all.
All in all though, it was a highly enjoyable read. Don't get fooled by that plain cover btw. If you need something quick to consume, read it. It made me laugh out loud a lot of times.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 13, 2020
Interesting concept, slightly sloppy execution.
Kataribe no List uses a wide collection of Brothers Grimm's fairytale collection "Kinder und Hausmärchen", such as Little Red Cap, Little Rose Briar and others. The twist? Those tales are connected to items, which grant their user a special power, similar to the premise of the tale. And so it happens, that our sleepyhead Akitsune Hiwatari crosses paths with a young girl called List, a collector of said items. And all of a sudden the world changes for Akitsune...
It's been quite a ride with this manga. Generally speaking, the story is fast paced and a rather quick and enjoyable read. The
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characters all have their own (cliched) personalities, which can be seen from the very beginning. Even though there isn't much character development on both sides (except for the MCs and one, two side characters), most of the the characters are fleshed out well enough right from the start to make them grow on you. This even goes for the bad guys. I couldn't help but feel slight sympathy towards them at times.
The problem with the manga though, is the execution and especially the narration and its pace towards the end. You can't help, but at times the narration feels elliptic and rushed in key moments, which is rather off putting. It gives off a feel of missing out on something important, something that explains some actions and motivations (of one key player in particular) a bit better, but there simply isn't anything. One or two additional chapters in the last volume to give room for explanations would've been sufficient. Therefore the climax still pulls off an emotional ride, but it could've been even more impactful if it wasn't as rushed as it is.
All in all it was a lovely and mostly light-hearted read for the time being, but the impression of it will probably fade after time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 25, 2017
What a piece of crap. Even Project Itoh's critically acclaimed novel wasn't perfect, but at least it delivered a semirealistic futuristic world with all its pros and cons of surveillance, nanomechanical warfare, etc. But this adaption is a failure in every aspect - whether or not you look at the trouble it went through during its production.
Genocidal Organ fails to deliver a coherent storyline (and makes all the wrong choices through the way). It fails to replicate the detailed world building, Itoh is so well known for (compare with Harmony i.e.). It just scratches on the surface of the complex thoughts, this topic offers. The
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animation is a pain in the ass (it doesn't matter if Manglobe went bankrupt during the process, you pretty much can see were they had their hands on - the quality differs from the bullshit of the so called 'animation' studio Geno made), as well as the character design. There are tons of cheaper shows, that look so much better than this useless piece of junk. And it is not just because of the american characters, it didn't look good at all. Thanks to the crappy animation and production. There were plenty of scenes looking clumsy and awkard, were you couldn't tell that this is a movie from 2017.
Let alone the characters themselves without any personality... except for antagonist John Paul. Unfortunately, his shiny moments were too rare. Just like the nanomechanical warfare and surveillance systems, that helped build a world like only Itoh could have thought of. There were enough scenes showing how practical it can be, but little to less behind that facade. Which is a shame, especially regarding the way how it could have turned out, if the adaption followed its source material more truthfully AND considering the possibilities of anime.
I don't want to compare with the original novel that much, but this adaption lacks of a fluent and reasonable story. Most of the plotpoints doesn't seem to be connected at all; they are more like various stations, which the story needed to pass for its clumsy conclusion.
The only positive thing in here is the cruelty of war shown: childsoldiers vs modern warfare. In all its glory. There's no time to trivialize such things and that's the only strength, this movie shows. Unfortunately, these scenes are kept just like the whole essence behind the thematic: Shallow and irrelevant for the story or the plot, because Genocidal Organ doesn't give much about the complex nihilistic philosophy behind its pristine storytelling. What is freedom worth? Do you pay it from personal freedom or other countries, which can't keep up with the modern world of capitalism?
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Apr 16, 2017
I really need to get this off my chest right now, after finishing the series. My English ain't the best, but you should get the essence of it.
In despite of my rating, Yuri!!! on ICE offers plenty of points, which it can be criticized for. Many reviews already pointed them out and so will I. BUT do you remember the time, an anime REALLY got you hooked? Either by being emotional gripping, story- or characterwise? Or just think about the time back in the days, you fell in love with this form of art? Remember smiling like a little child, watching those frames flicker on
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TV? I do. I do remember exactly this kind of feeling, when I got into anime ~15 years ago. After watching plenty of anime over the years, there was none to reach that. Yeah, sure: There were great stories, great characters, great soundtracks, etc. For certain. But rarely one could recreate the magic moments, like the ones happening years ago. Besides Yuri!!! on ICE. A kind of generic sports anime. Yes, you read that right. It is generic, with a few variatons of already known patterns. But it managed to deliver its essence. And that's just what the magic (anime) is about.
Art/Animation:
MAPPA does a great job with astonishing skating routines. They are fluent and barely depend on work with stills. The dynamic in those is breathtaking and energizing, which leads to an euphoric watching experience (sic), where I couldn't sit still, but root for the various skaters. Even though, especially in the first three/four episodes, there are seemingly a few flubs regarding the animation of faces, which seemed a bit off at times. But I guess the blu-ray releases will polish them.
Apart from the skating, the animation/art is kept simple (minimalistic) and fits the comedic theme of the first episodes. Nothing to worry about, because it's enjoyable and lighthearted.
A nice addition were the storyboards of some routines, showing the meanings behind the interpretations. Simple kept as well, but you ge a grasp of the idea behind them. Nice!
Sound/VA:
P-E-R-F-E-C-T. The soundwork is great, the diverse soundtrack even better. As I am writing this, I am nodding to the "Theme of King JJ". The musical style reaches from classic themes à la Beethoven (Symphony nr. 9), to modern pianoworks (YURI on ICE) and different variations of classical themes like In Regards To Love ~Eros~ and ~Agape~ or just pumping themes like the Theme of King JJ, Anastis or Intoxicated.
Each track offers not just different skating routines, but also a glimpse of the diverse personalities und cultural backgrounds from the performing skaters themselves.
It is a great soundcollection and composed tracks under the supervision of Taro Umebayashi.
The VA is great. With veteran seiyu Suwabe, you just can't go wrong. Even newcomer Toyonoga as Yuri does a magnificent job, from being that insecure skater turning into a self-confident winning-type. Even the casting of the sidecharacters can't be complained, offering a couple of A-class VAs.
Characters:
Kudos to Mappa for choosing such a wide range of nationalities. Even though some seem to be a little bit stereotype, it is still great to see different cultures in competition against each other, without loosing too much of their unique behaviours in the process. The audience still learns a decent amount of personal background of each skater, without being reduced to a mere sidecharacter. Each of them offers a unique charisma (positive or negative) on- and offside the brink, which makes it difficult to not cheer for them during the competitions. And seeing them giving all their best is really impressive (yes, even Christophe has this special appeal *sigh*).
What's even better is- concerning this as a representative of the ganbatte-subgenre - that YoI knows exactly where the strengths of the characters lay. Even though you are supposed to root for Yuri, since he's the MC with all the sympathies for him, I felt sympathies for almost everyone. Victor being the cool and dominant MC with a bunch of gold medals under his chest, Yuri, being a wrecked character from the start up to his rise and Yurio, that little brat... having his very own struggles. Still, I caught myself being most impressed by Yurios performances on the ice, regardless of his shown personality. There wasn't anyone, who you couldn't like.
Story:
Okay. As I wrote before, this is a generic sports anime, with little adjustments. Yuri, being in the position of an already established skating figure, it's not your typical rise to fame story in those terms. Still, it's all about becoming better and more strong minded and - of course: winning. And this is, where Yuri!!! on ICE sinks it's teeth into: It focuses on the hardships of every sports: Being down after a grave defeat, losing your passion for something you loved more than anything else and realizing exactly that.
I really appreciated the effort, the show put into showing these kind of struggles, without degrading Yuri as a loser, who just needs to train more to reach his goals. Other reviews claim, that this is a mental illness he's suffering from, but I don't think so. If you loose your motivation, passion, whatever you call it, you cannot win. It's not just about the sportive skills, it's about that very mindset as well. And the relationship between Yuri and his coach Victor shows exactly this.
Yes, you can totally see an agressive "in your face" approach of a man x man relationship here, with Victor being the impulsive part. But I don't see it JUST as that. This relationship is always in movement, and refers imo pretty much to the musical themes of ~Eros~ & ~Agape~. The clue? You cannot fix these motives to Yuri and Victor, since they represent both motives within their personalities. And that's the interesting thing, which attracts me to them as an audience member. You can criticize Yuri!!! on ICE for being inconsequent in terms of actually showing specific moments, sure. I do so, too. But instead, I want to focus on the subtle moments as well. There's no need to talk much between them, there are plenty of subtle(!) actions, that don't focus on these"in your face" actions. They stand on the very same eye level, which shines in specific dialogues. You get what they are feeling (for each other), which ultimately cuminates in the ice skating.
-And that is, what makes YoI so amazing and magical.-
Overall production/tl;dr:
Despite the well known framework plot of sports competitions, Yuri!!! on ICE delivers a magnificent attempt in combining breathtaking sportsanimations with complex relationships. The lovely characterportraits can be seen in different ways and it's up to you, how you want to interpret it. There are certainly a couple of ways.
Even though the ending felt a little bit rushed, I enjoyed every single second of this anime. With a perfect art-, soundtrack- and charactermix, it just gripped my heart and let me feel the flow of the show and cheer for the hard working ice skaters.
This is what anime is about and this show showed me again, that there is no need to be perfect in every instance- as long as it packs YOU as the audience and lets you forget about everything else. And if it's just for a 25 minute episode. It simply showed me, with all it's honesty, how great anime can be.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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