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May 12, 2021
Perfect tens are easy to dismiss, but I assure you I didn't go into this one expecting it to be so high.
I missed a lot of these Ghibli movies as a kid, so as an adult going back and checking them out, Totoro was one I knew only by its reputation as the movie with the big cat thing that people make merchandise of. I thought of him as a mascot character like Doraemon less than as a part of a film, and I assumed from the title that he would be a bigger part of the movie than he actually was. Luckily, the
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relationship with Totoro is much less an ET/Stich type of big-unique-animal relationship, and more a way to visualize the kids' budding relationship with nature and spirituality.
Totaro is by no means inappropriate for children, but it's a lot more slow and thoughtful than I initially gave it credit for. A lot of time is spent on establishing the house as a real place, details are gone over so carefully that you really sink into the immersive role of these two kids, exploring a new environment through the lens of whimsical innocence. The sound design in particular really stands out; it makes the world feel alive and rich, with sounds of bugs, rustling branches, flowing water, etc. It doesn't sound like much now, but it's beautiful to experience.
The primary source of tension in the story, which I won't spoil because I think it's worth going in blind, struck a nerve with me due to personal experience which won't necessarily carry over to other viewers. The tension created in the third act is really quite intense, even downright stressful. I respect it for knowing exactly how far to go with this, never going so far as to traumatize any young viewers, but not shying away from creating that pit in your stomach when you briefly consider the worst case scenario.
Even though I didn't grow up with Totoro, I find it so easy to relate to and so difficult to forget, that it almost feels like I did. It's a must-see for anyone interested in the Ghibli legacy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 11, 2021
I've never read the source material that spawned this little fan-project, nor do I know anything about these characters in their original context. You see, I'm a fake geek who only pretends to like manga so boys will like me.
Nyoro-n Churuya-San is extremely simple, and I find it odd how memorable it manages to be. Most of it is just remixes of the same joke where Churuya is dissapointed and makes a sad face; had it gone on any longer than it did, this could have gotten very old. Revisiting it, I still crack up each time. There's something very carefree and earnest about this
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cute little fan-art gag that's hard not to appreciate, and its brevity makes it all the more special.
It only takes a couple minutes to read, and is very worth revisting.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 2, 2021
Umaru-Chan is one of those comedy anime that revolves around a very simple light-novel-title premise which is then stretched into 12 episodes. This time the premise is straight-A student Umaru who acts perfect in public and then turns into a lazy child when she's home alone. It's totally made for hardworking high school or college kids to relate to, with the exception being that most of us don't come across as perfect by day, but as tired, caffeine-addicted drones who lose all work ethic the moment we get home.
The style gimmick of Umaru's physical transformation into this hamster-looking thing fits the show very well,
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and makes for a super-recognizable, simple character who looks great on merchandise. Umaru is transparently trying to be the Garfield of anime girls here, an infinitely marketable icon of sloth for the zoomer otaku to relate to.
It's enjoyable for an episode or two, but unfortunately, the show goes nowhere with this idea, unless you count vague incestual undertones with her creepy older brother. Had this been a series of three-minute shorts I might be praising it, but stretched out to about four hours of content you'll find your appreciation of Umaru-chan fading fast.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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May 2, 2021
For context, I'm not a big fan of slasher horror. I like conceptual horror fine, but random teenagers getting killed in nasty ways is not typically my jam if there isn't something interesting to back it up, like with Danganronpa for instance.
I saw this one with a few friends who were obsessed with it, and to its credit, it filled the bill serviceably. Corpse Party is decently animated, mercifully brief, and has enough of the squeamish gore, the type of stuff happening to eyes or vulnerable body parts that make you clutch yourself and squirm, to tide over any gaggle of bored teenagers looking for
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something mature and scary to get each other good and spooked up.
That said, without wishing to spoil the thematic core here is really nothing special, which means you don't leave the show with any lasting fear of universal problems represented via spooky slasher spirits. The lack of depth to the horror makes it feel a bit juvenile, and the interchangeably underdeveloped characters make it easy to lose your investment and root against them (or make a fun little drinking game around repetitive dialogue).
I'm not trying to ruin your fun if you like this, but let's just say anyone who isn't already super into it by the title and bloody preview images alone won't find much else to win them over.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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May 2, 2021
There's a good chance you already know what people dislike about this show, and you're just scrolling reviews at this point.
Yes, the "animation" is exactly the level of quality you get from youtube readings of webcomics, where one or two people just dub themselves reading somebody else's comic and artificially slide the character stills around. I'd compare it to animanga, but it's more like something you'd throw together in google slides.
What it did for me, and probably a lot of other people was introduce me to a very pleasant story and a hilarious character, as well as give him a great voice that I can
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now read his lines in. The voice acting here is the real attraction, and it does add some credibility to the yakuza tropes being parodied. Is that worth watching these short comics stretched out to multi-minute long sketches? Well, probably not for most people. At times it does feel like watching someone read the comic as slowly as possible. I don't take it as a grave insult on the series like a lot of the fans seem to, but I also wouldn't call it an anime adaptation so much as a manga dub, or manga reading. It'd be right at home on YouTube, but on Netflix it seems a little out its depth.
Regardless of that quality, the source manga is great, and that comedy carries through fine here. If you don't have access to the manga, this is a servicable, if inferior, way to enjoy the story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 16, 2021
There's some decent directing here, and Eva fans will probably at least enjoy themselves, but it's impossible to enjoy these movies without comparing them to their source material, and these are generally just clumsier. This installment was marketed as telling the story of "after" the big event that ends the original series, except that big event never *really* happens at all; it's just a confusing, drawn-out apocalypse.
The main selling point of this one, the revisiting of Kaworu, is extremely disappointing. Because of the short run time, most of the romance we've been waiting to see is just exchanging exposition and lore dumps. If you
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were hoping a modern retelling of Kaworu's story might be more explicitly queer, you're out of luck because the relationship is now predicated mostly on an exchange of information. Shinji's internal conflict has been quieted to make way for musings about overcomplicated lore that does little for the story.
The rest of the cast is absent or unable to shine for most of the movie, so fans hoping to see badass Asuka with her cool new eyepatch won't have much in the way of character. There's an abundance of loud, bombastic fight scenes which tend to happen in the background of recreated character moments from the original series. At times it feels like watching a very old play at the theatre, while children with lightsaber toys run around behind the main cast fighting.
It's worth watching for morbid curiosity's sake or to appreciate the nice shots and a few good scenes, but anyone new to the series will be confused, and veterans will be frustrated with the butchering of once loved elements.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Apr 16, 2021
Dr Stone is a mixed bag, but what it does well justifies slogging through what it does poorly (though if you're impatient, there's no shame in finding a fan guide on which parts to skip).
The core appeal of the show is very formulaic and easy to grasp. This genius character who has been isekaid into a stone-age setting will spend an episode recreating modern conveniences with extremely basic tools. Fires, pulley systems, medicine, that kind of thing. It's treated like a semi-educational segment, with pop-ups on-screen and intermissions that encourage the viewer to try crafting some of this stuff on their own (except the bomb,
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which has a warning that the instructions, while accurate, are dangerous).
The take-away from this is that after an episode you'll find yourself walking around your home drinking/eating something or using some tool, and you'll stop and appreciate how cool it is that humanity has come far enough for you to have [cool thing]. The philosophy of the show is all about building humans up and appreciating every inch of progress we make, and it really puts you in a good mood. When Dr. Stone is doing this, it's extremely fun. The plot takes a backseat to the core theme of human progress, and storytelling is usually secondary to showing off cool and revolutionary inventions.
The downside comes in midway through the first season, though I won't spoil plot details. The protagonist, an egomaniacal genius, begins getting ego-stroke moments that are very standard isekai fair. Female characters all are pointlessly sexualized in uncomfortable ways, and the power fantasy starts to build up a childish scenario onto which the horny, power-hungry viewer can project themselves. This is particularly frustrating for this show because it means I can't recommend it for kids, even though it would otherwise be a stellar pick.
The shonen elements creep into Dr Stone more the longer it runs on, pushing characters into scenarios they have to fight their way out of rather than just taking their time step-by-step making technology. One arc, in particular, is very stock shonen (you'll know it when it starts) and I would recommend just skipping it entirely because shonen simply isn't what the show does well. There's a fan-edit to be made that could definitely solve these problems one day. I can at least say that it gets mostly back on track, and you certainly won't be left with a bad taste in your mouth by the finale.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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