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Well, that was a semi-fun movie. It had a decent premise going for it but missed a ton of marks.
Review:

Story/Plot - 3 - It's premise is decent, albeit cliche. It was relatively interesting and had plenty of potential, however, I feel like it was wasted. The first problem being the way it was presented, and how the whole thing started off. Zoro just flat out betrays his crew at the beginning... that's bullshit! Especially considering how deeply he cares for his friends! Talk about awful character writing! I found it dumb how Zoro didn't get the slightest clue that Saga had ill intentions until the ... plot demanded him to do so. The way everything unfolded was really predictable and nothing interesting is done with the ideas the writers had in mind. My next issue is the pacing. It's just really inconsistent, and when the movie finally gets to the climax, it quickly jolts through it at lightning fast speeds! It doesn't build up to a satisfying climax and suspense becomes non-existent due to the poor execution. The other problem is how events just occurred for the convenience of the plot, and character actions and behavior were altered for the same reason but more on this later. The direction this movie takes is just awful! In the end it feels like it has no substance!

Characters - 2.5 - I love the One Piece cast, however, whoever was writing the script for this film completely fucked up the characterization! Their behavior and personalities are altered to 1-dimensional versions of themselves and only barely resemble the bare outline of their character. It's as if the writers were given brief descriptions of the characters that summarized them into simple, run down versions of themselves. Luffy may be dumb and reckless at times, but he's not a complete moron who puts both him and his friends in danger while being unaware of it! "Woah this is fun!" he says as both he and Usopp are in a life-threatening situation. Next are the movie characters. None of them really had a hint of personality, even Saga, the antagonist. I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of them or feel any kind of emotion. The only good thing I have to say here, is that it at least let some characters share the spotlight.

Visuals - 7.5 - One Piece movies always pull through in this aspect! If the story fails, at least there's cool animation! The final fight between Luffy and Saga was really well done and had very nice choreography coupled with flashy sakuga to compliment it! The art also has this nice, polished look to it. I do have some gripes with it though. My main one being the CGI used. There were attempts to create dynamic shots and fast, cool-looking camera panning, zooming and movements with it, but it ended up looking pretty jarring. This results in the characters looking like they aren't part of the environment and are just plastered on.

Sound - 4 - The usual stuff. Except the voice actors feel like they're trying too hard to fit into their roles, which is strange considering how long they've been doing it for. It's probably a consequence given birth from the script which gives the characters these awful lines that sound really forced and fail at giving life to the characters. Everyone sounds artificial and dead.

Overall: I didn't like this film. Bad writing, poor characterization and usage of the characters, it's just not a well executed film. Take a mediocre idea, and do nothing unique with it.

Final score: 3.83/10 Rounded to 4/10 for MAL score.

This was so worth it.

Story/Plot - 8.5 - What initially sounds like a dry, almost mundane premise on paper, actually turns out to be loads of fun when actually played out. It's simple. Nishikata is always being teased by Takagi, whom knows Nishikata from the inside out. He's always trying to make a comeback to her teasing but to no avail (most of the time), despite this, he vows to someday get her back. While this sounds like a formula that's bound to get repetitive and predictable, which admittedly it does feel like it does to a certain extent, there's always a new situation that ... the two characters are put in (with more emphasis on Nishikata of course) with new jokes and ways to tease to keep the series from ever becoming boring or repetitive. It's formulaic to a certain degree, but it makes sure to keep things fresh and flavorful. Think of Tom & Jerry, or more specifically, Coyote and the Road Runner. It follows a basic premise that the viewer can usually predict how an episode will play out, but manages to remain entertaining through the creative ideas that the creators come up with and the situations they put the characters through. That's Takagi-san. It's premise is unique but nothing groundbreaking, but that doesn't really matter since the execution of this simple premise and what is done with it is really good.


Characters - 8.5 - The relationship between the main characters, Nishikata and Takagi is what makes or breaks this series for many viewers. If you don't like it, you're unlikely to enjoy the rest of it, but if you do like it, you're in for a good time, as you'll find the chemistry between the two to be quite adorable. Always trying to outsmart one another, but one always comes out on top, yet they keep going, or should I say, playing? Takagi-san is, while not a prodigy or a genius, is fiercely clever and extraordinarily masterful at her craft: Teasing Nishikata. She's always one step ahead, thinking outside the box, and coming up with creative ways to tease and outsmart Nishikata. Despite this, she is very charming and likeable. You may think that a character like this would feel inhuman, like a Mary Sue, but no, there are moments where she's caught off guard and it becomes apparent that she's still an ordinary girl who's just as human as everybody else. Nishikata, while he appears to be just your average kid, he isn't as shallow as one may think he is. Despite falling for Takagi's tricks again and again, he's shown himself to be adaptive and smart. He's always over-analyzing the situations Takagi puts him through, taking a cautious approach to executing his plans as opposed to doing it directly like Takagi, which ironically, is almost always the cause of his defeat. Nor Takagi or Nishikata have any malice between them; Takagi seems to be teasing him so much as a means to spend more time with him. Through all of this teasing, their relationship grows and they grow closer and closer to each other and develop into expressing their feelings for each other. This is seriously so damn cute.
Now, why all this praise and an 8.5? Unfortunately, the main couple are really the only selling point for the character department, all of the supporting cast stays undeveloped and buys into commonly used tropes and cliches. Mina, Sanae and Yukari are really just comedy relief characters that aren't really part of the main story since they don't affect it in any major way that I've seen thus far. They aren't part of the shenanigans of the main couple, but rather they live through their own, which isn't really all that interesting. But if you don't mind that, you're welcome to continue watching, I found the skits to be fun anyway.

Visuals - 7 - Standard anime visuals. This is a SoL show so there's no need for flashy animation or stunning art. Average art and animation is enough for a show like this. Therefore this doesn't really affect the final score. I do have to say, that the close-up shots are greatly appreciated, since Takagi has an extremely cute face.

Audio - 8 - Meets the bar as well, but does better than most other SoL. The voice acting is pretty good, with performances by Takahashi Rie and Kaji Yuuki that bring the characters to life and express the lines perfectly. From Nishikata's exaggerated gasps to Takagi's relaxed voice and laughs, it's overall pretty good! Not to mention the Opening song and SEVEN different ending themes!


Overall: I love this series. The 931 days are finally over. At last, I have completed the first season. I do not regret finishing the rest of this season, but I do regret not finishing it years ago.
O score: 8.25/10 | S score: 8.7/10 | Final score: 8.475/10, rounded to 8/10 for MAL score.

Gonna keep this review nice and short, like these specials. Overall, not much to say. These short specials range from 20 to 40 seconds long and don't really offer anything in terms of value except for the jokes, gags and punchlines. Think of these as bloopers if you will. Unless you're a big Higurashi fan (like me) and want to get the most of what you can get out of this franchise or you're a completionist, I really don't see any reason as to why you'd want to or feel the need to watch these shorts. They're hardly memorable and some jokes didn't really land ... for me personally. But hey, it's more Higurashi, and you're not losing too much of your time by watching this anyway. Don't expect too much out of this. The quality of the visuals and audio is the same as the main series with the same characters. It's alright. 6/10. I can't really rate this objectively so this entire review is mostly subjective.

This was just disappointing. I almost feel like giving it a 1.

Story/Plot - 0.9 - The writing in this story makes King's Game's narrative look good in comparison, and I'm not even joking. The plot offers some uniqueness. Badass samurais from the past are time traveled to the future to fight virus-infected humans that have been turned into monsters. It sounds cool, like something you'd fish out from the 80's or 90's. However, that coolness factor really dies off as the story turns into your typical post apocalyptic story about trying to find the cure in an unforgiving world. This would have been fine, as ... there was still a way to make the story interesting, but alas, the writers have the mental capacity of children. The plot elements introduced in the first episode: the samurais trying to figure out why and how they ended up in this crazy new world and the time travel aspect; they're all dropped for the sake of awful action sequences.
And you know, all that time spent on the action sequences and pointless backstories really start to show how vital it was at a certain point, since there is no more time to advance the story well, events are consequently wrapped up stupidly fast just to make some progress in the story, thus leaving everything rushed and without being properly fleshed out. Not to mention plot twists are then used for the sake of plot twists. This is seriously just god-awful writing all around. Characters are sacrificed for the plot's convenience, endless deus ex machinas, pointless deaths, horrible foreshadowing, dull, robotic dialogue... it's the worst.
I also really hate how hard the story tries to spoonfeed the audience everything like we're freaking babies. "Oh no! He died because a monster impaled him through the chest which caused him to die!" "Gibia don't like light, so we need to go somewhere where there is light or else they'll attack us!" And then there's crap like this!
"There's too many of them! They're too strong! How are we gonna beat them?"
"I know! Fight!"
"Hell yeah!"

Characters - 1.7 - The characterization in this show is just sad. I'm honestly baffled by how lazy the writers were. The way the viewers get to know anything about the characters, is by them literally being interviewed and talking about themselves directly to the camera (the viewers). Wow... just wow. They literally have to say out loud what they like and go on expositions about their backstories to give the viewers a clue on how these characters are like. You know, there's a famous quote: "Show, don't tell." It's a really good quote to live by, especially if you're a writer... the writers of this story did the EXACT FUCKING OPPOSITE.
Sensui and Kenroku are extremely bland and boring characters. They're based off the stereotypical samurai and ninja templates with nothing new added on to them. They don't have their own personalities and come off as lazily written in the end. All the other characters do this but to a much more grave degree. They just fit their stereotypes and that's it.
Kathleen is the worst offender when it comes to this. She is the lead female character and that is it. That is literally it. She has nothing unique that defines her and she just feels like she's there for no reason than to just be a damsel in distress or cause unnecessary problems. She can't fight, she doesn't bring any interesting discussion or dialogue, she isn't even entertaining... so what's her purpose?
Now, the backstories are appreciated to an extent, as they do allow the audience to get to know the characters better and flesh them out. Okay, that's good... but unfortunately, there just isn't enough time. Too much of it is spent on bad action sequences, and a lot of these characters kick the bucket anyway. It's impossible to become emotionally attached to these pieces of cardboard.

Visuals - 1.5 - I generally don't really care about visuals in anime. Mediocre art and animation can be easily made up with good writing. And when the visuals are good, they are greatly appreciated. However, there's a limit to what's tolerable. Gibiate's visuals are blasphemous. First off you've got this chaotic mix of different styles blended together horribly, then you've got the elephant in the room: the CGI monsters, and then you have the appalling animation.
The character designs resemble that of 90's anime, which I found to be cool, as each one stands out from one another. However, in the end their designs end up being forgettable. The art is really inconsistent at times, as characters are lazily drawn and look ugly on half of the frames. It looks really unimpressive. The CGI monsters not only look like shit, but they feel completely out of place and ruin the immersion. The animation is so lazy oh my God. Stills are used so frequently I swear that if I took a shot for every time a still was used I'd be dead by the third episode. The movements are really clunky and stiff, the attacks have no impact or weight behind them, it's everything you want to avoid in an action anime. Even MHA had better fight choreography- and that one was actually well animated!

Audio - 3 - Okay, the OST was alright at times. The opening music sounds really good, but it really shouldn't be used for an opening. And that's it, that's the only good song. The voice acting was the worst I've ever heard in this medium, too.

Overall: This is easily the worst anime of 2020 by a landslide. It upsets me how poorly executed this anime turned out to be. Every aspect of it is bad. I couldn't even ironically have fun with it, it's just so boring and all the bullshit isn't ridiculous enough to make me laugh.
O Score: 1.775/10
S Score: 2/10
Final Score: 1.8875/10 rounded to 2/10 for MAL score.

Hey all! Merry Christmas everyone! Today on this lovely holiday I have taken it upon myself to review an anime that has something to do with Christmas, so here it is!

Story/Plot - 6 - It feels like your typical shoujo story, and surprisingly, despite Christmas being in the title, the story doesn't really have anything to do with Christmas, as it doesn't use it as the foundation or main driving force for its narrative but rather something extra for the plotline. It's more so centered around romance, like your typical shoujo. However, what's interesting here is that even if it is themed as being a ... romance story, it actually doesn't really dive deeply into it nor does it bide in it. I mean, Fujioka and Seiko become an established couple before the halfway point, so the romance can't go anywhere from there at that point. It feels more like the romance theme and the love triangle is used as a device to explore Mizuki's character, which I find clever, which brings me to the next section.
Characters - 6 - This is where things get pretty good, but it's also where my thoughts are rather conflicted. First of all, the character development was very well done and neatly balanced despite the short time span. The use of characterization through clever... how should I say this? Symbolism? Well, anyways, this is something very noteworthy of this anime. Mizuki is often characterized and represented through things such as snow, or should I say, winter; or in this anime's case, perhaps even Christmas. This is where my main gripes begin though. Mizuki, in my opinion, is an awfully unlikable character. Whatever sympathy for her that the story tried to make the audience feel throughout this OVA, especially nearing the end, fell flat for me. Mizuki's reasoning for her actions and her personality is explained, and she is aware of how unlikable she is, however that doesn't make her character more likeable. She's almost a complete brat up until the end. Other than that, the other characters are nothing to write home about. Fujioka has a nice semi-detailed personality so that's nice as well.
Visuals - 5 - Very standard shoujo-styled art from its era. The animation is also average and sometimes lacking in some parts. However, good animation isn't needed for a story such as this one, for it can convey and execute everything it needs to without high quality animation.
Audio - 7 - The voice acting was pretty good! Especially Mizuki's voice actress, she did a really good job! The music set the tone for the scenes pretty well, and I found it to be good.

Overall: I think this OVA is good. It's lacking in a few areas but pretty well done in others. If you're looking for something Christmas-themed to watch that isn't overly preachy like the massive amount of mediocre to jarringly bad specials or films released in the west, this is something you may or may not consider watching. I personally recommend it if you're tired of that crap and just want to watch something that feels like it had actual effort put into it. O score: 6/10 | S score: 6/10 | Final Score: 6/10 (woah O_O wtf).

That was a lovely watch! I honestly wasn't expecting this much enjoyment from an OVA I decided to watch on a whim!
-Review-
Story/Plot - 6 - The idea for this anime is pretty cool, a reverse isekai about taking heroes from another world back to Earth and re-integrate them back into society and everyday life. This gives me the notion that these heroes used to be regular humans from Earth so now they're being helped to return to everyday life after being heroes. However, this OVA feels a lot more centered around Kougyoku and helping her accept and adapt to the world she now lives in, ... which although cliché, isn't necessarily a bad thing; but it isn't exactly what the synopsis and main premise of this anime is about, which can be a bit of a let down for some. Fortunately, the writing remains intact and makes the most out of the plot we are actually given. I found it to be pretty well done, although the pacing at first is rather fast.
Characters - 7 - For a short 27-minute OVA, it makes the most out of its characters. Instead of going really in detail about each character's past or exploring them deeply, the viewers are given very subtle information about them. This actually works very effectively, and the viewers know basically what the character's backstories and roles were without going on about each one for too long. Like when two of them are building sand castles, it briefly mentions what the two of them like and used to be, and it works well; this also gives each one a certain charm to them. One interesting thing I noticed while watching this OVA, was that the characters analyze themselves. For example, when Alice compares Uro with Kougyoku. It gives them just a little extra depth. Of course, we still don't know everything about these characters, seeing how they aren't explored much aside from Kougyoku, so don't expect any serious character development... aside from Kougyoku. Character interactions seem to also be the main way of addressing characterization, which I am a pretty big sucker for. They build off of each other and that's really cool!
Visuals - 8 - This being a single episode OVA, the animators had more budget and time to work with. The art, while not the best and slightly inconsistent at times (though that may be due to the style) has a pretty cool art style to it. It's good. What really shines here is the animation. The characters may have been drawn with this simple not so detailed design to put further emphasis on the animation, that being said, the animation is very fluid and looks really good. They even went the extra mile with the body language and highly expressive movements! Very nice!
Audio - 6 - I found the voice acting to be pretty good. Uro's voice sounded really nice, he didn't sound that much like your average male anime lead and had this nice laid-back tone. That's a definite plus for me. Aside from that, everything else is your standard anime audio.

Overall: I actually really liked this OVA! It's pretty nice! It manages to accomplish many things even with such a short time frame. If you want to watch something unique and don't have anything else to do, watch this! It's actually good!
O score: 6.75/10 | S score: 8.2/10 | Final score: 7.475/10 Rounded to 7/10 for MAL score! (God just add decimal ratings already).

Review:
(Story-N/A) Plot - 4 - I am unsure whether or not this is just a non-canon OVA, a canon side story, or a direct continuation of the series. I'm going with the second option. No story here, just a plot about Masato getting amnesia... and then developing feelings towards his mother...? And Mamako sees nothing wrong with this and doesn't even tell him she's his mother... and instead feels happy when he tells her he loves her...? If the main series didn't already prove my notion that Mamako actually wants to be in an Oedipus incestuous relationship with her own son, then this is the ... final nail in the coffin. Other than that, this is just the fanservice episode, so don't expect much.
Characters - N/A (3) Same characters, just at the beach. We learned something rather concerning about Mamako though...
Visuals - 5 Same art style and quality of animation. It spikes slightly at the end however. The fanservice wasn't all that great in my opinion, but was still satisfactory.
Audio - 4.5 Pretty much the same.

Overall: This was alright. For a fanservice episode, it's pretty decent, and it didn't focus on the fanservice as much as I thought it would. It gets the narrative scoring off easy because this is a special episode.
O score: 4.1/10 | S score: 7/10 | Final score: 5.55/10 rounded to 6/10 for MAL score.

This is honestly one of the more obscure things I've watched inside of this medium, and one I find rather difficult to rate.
Review:
Story/Plot - 7 - There are 4 stories inside of this 40 minute OVA. Each one has a different girl that the main character, Bukida falls in love with, kind of like a multi-heroine romance anime, although it doesn't really do so well in that respect. The plots for all of these are fairly similar, each one using the same formula. Bukida falls in love with a random girl he encounters, he basically stalks them and becomes obsessed with them, he does some ... weird magic thing, and then the girls try to set themselves free from it. It is repetitive, but each story offers something unique, especially the 4th story, where the girl falls in love with Bukida instead of the opposite happening. Simple, but interesting and pretty good execution overall.
Characters - 5 - You won't get much out of any of them except for Bukida, but even then his character isn't explored very deeply. Bukida is a supernatural forever alone kid that no one likes, because of his looks and strange demeanor. Aside from knowing that he's infatuated with the idea of being eternal partners with and being loved, we also know his motivation for doing so: To fill the void in his empty heart, literally. The time frame of this OVA is very limited so there's no chance for any character development or time to take an in depth look at them and figure out their personalities.
Visuals - 8 - The art helps this anime out a lot. It has a distinct style and sets its creepy tone and strange atmosphere fairly well. The art also allows for the characters to be very expressive, making it easier for their feelings to be conveyed to the audience. The animation isn't anything to really take note of, it's your standard anime animation quality.
Audio - 6.6 - Nothing really memorable in the soundtrack, although the ending theme stood out to me as very nice. The sounds were pretty eerie and the voice acting was pretty good, especially Bukida's, whose voice sounds like Usopp's from One Piece (might be the same VA). Nothing really special though.

Overall: This ended up being a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. It has a special level of quality to it and does its job decently well at being a horror anime. If you're a fan of classic Japanese horror, then give this OVA a try, you might enjoy it!
O score: 6.65/10 | S score: 8/10 | Final score: 7.325/10, rounded to 7/10 for MAL score.

Review:
Story/Plot - 7 The story is told through different perspectives, much like the Golgo 13: The Professional movie. It's less straightforward, and has another character with her own story going on- or should I say, has the main story revolving more around her as opposed to Duke. Duke is hired to kill her because she wants to assassinate Robert Hardy, but a bunch of other things are thrown into the mix making the story more complex.
Characters - 7 I found Sonia to be quite the interesting character. She has a clear goal and motivation, and she is given a proper background, so we know ... a lot about her; although I don't think she served very well as an antagonist, seeing how she doesn't really pose a threat and feels more like a protagonist throughout the story. I also thought that Robert's speech he gave at the end and him displaying his emotions and how much he still cares about his loved ones was pretty heartwarming.
Visuals - 7.6 Pretty good looking overall. The action was great as always, except there aren't any super stylistic animation choices like the first film. Like the first film, there's some gory violence thrown in.
Audio - 6 Nothing too special here.

Overall: I enjoyed it. It's nice seeing Duke back in action and kicking ass once again. O score: 6.92/10 S score: 7/10 Final score: 6.96/10 Rounded to 7/10 for MAL score.

Review:
Story/Plot - 7 The Golgo 13 film offers a simple yet entertaining story with a plot that unfolds very nicely. Duke Togou is a legendary assassin who kills Robert Dawson, the son of a very wealthy man named Leonard Dawson. Leonard now seeks revenge and is filled with a burning desire to have Duke dead at all costs. Simple, but it has details that make it interesting and make it work very well. The pacing is also really fast, a lot happens within a short time span, yet the film never feels rushed.
Characters - 7 I'm going to be frank here. Duke Togou is a ... tad bit boring as a character, and we know nothing about him. No background, no motivation, hell, we don't even know basic things like what his likes and dislikes are. And according to some people, the manga doesn't give us this information either. However, there's something about him that gives him this certain edge. Despite the lack of information, he's still badass. Maybe it's his cool, stoic nature?
I think that the driving factor in terms of characters in this film actually resides in the main antagonist, Leonard Dawson. His blind rage over the death of his son overrides everything that is important to him and his wrath pushes him to traverse into heinousness and make desperate attempts to kill Duke that are both morally and legally wrong. Even he comes to realize this. I personally think of him as one of the better antagonists in anime.
Visuals - 9 The film truly shines in this regard. Apart from looking fantastic, the visuals are some of the most innovative you'll ever come across in the medium. There are a ton of techniques and ideas used here, such as the first implementation of CGI ever used in anime (I think), the postcard technique where animation transitions into stills, and the staggering number of things they do with the lighting. The film came off as rather experimental.
Audio: 7.5 The music in this film is really damn good and does a great job at setting the mood and atmosphere while standing out (although there are a few scenes that don't mix very well); with its soundtrack comprising of rock, pop, and jazz, it stands out as unique.

Overall: This is a very fun and entertaining action film with some of the coolest and cutting-edge visuals you'll ever find. Simple plot, but filled with tons of awesome stuff and excellent execution!
O Score: 7.25/10
S Score: 9/10
Final Score: 8.125/10 rounded to 8/10 for MAL score.