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May 31, 2019
Well.... I waited a long time before watching this as the whole 'isekai' angle wen't unnoticed. I tend to avoid supernatural heavy anime but when I realized it was an isekai I decided to give it another chance. Turns out the whole isekai angle is PAPER thin, not entirely unlike Shield Hero. The only purpose it seems to serve, for me at least, is to help me stomach what would otherwise be a horrifying and disgusting foray into the devaluing and mutilation of humanity for......science?
(I've watched up to season 3 now so this review will include sentiments from the other 2 seasons) Ainz is
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intersting as a character, the human stuck inside him is not. The whole 'stuck in a game' thing is so poorly realized or developed its a bit of a joke. You would completely forget if the 'human' in Ainz didn't give little asides about it now and then.
What you're left with is a bumbling person stuck inside a fascinating and wildly overpowered character (he's highly relatable on multiple levels also - probably why it works so well). The entire show rests on how interesting or not you find Ainz and his goals and interactions. Whenever he isn't the center of whats going on its intensely boring and confusing as very little is explained.
Overall its a bit of a mess but the premise and twist of Ainz being ultra powerful and figuring out what to do are enough to carry the season. Unfortunately it seems there is a really strong case of "the author has no idea what they are doing" going on here. New settings and characters are introduced with some kind of large scale involvement or importance implied only to never be referenced or seen again (including all seasons) and its really annoying; these scenes are some of the most interesting in the whole series and they regularly amount to nothing.
This author obviously had no clue where they were going with it and suddenly found themselves with something people wanted more of.
Its got a bit of "Hunter x Hunter" pacing/sub plot issues, a bit of "Slime" idealism and suspension of disbelief testing - just how many times can everything work out perfectly on accident?! and a serious case of no direction.
Lastly, the more I think about it, the more I realize just how poor nearly every element of its production and execution was, it really was very bad. CG was bad, animation was fine but very simple with LOTS of tricks to reduce the workload. Overall it was just sloppy and basic. In the end, Ainz is so unexpected and different, with so much possibility, that I found myself forgiving shortcomings left and right. Looking back, he is the only real thing worth watching for.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 27, 2019
I enjoyed the first SAO and the second, it was the first show I watched as episodes were released and it added a neat charm to it, it may have been the first 'trapped in a game' show I watched. The characters were interesting, there was plenty of real-life overlap and meaning and some real conflict and weight.
But this.......this is trash. There is literally no weight to anything. The only people I could imagine enjoying this would be those who live for Twitch streams or who treat video games as something more meaningful than life. ITS SO BORING. I really tried to give this
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one a chance but there is no plot, no weight, nothing really matters, the reactions and dialogue are all out of place, the characters are basically mentally insane and its still not enough to generate even the smallest speck of a plot or story.
A bunch of anime tropes get together and play a bland shooter with all the enthusiasm of drama students studying histrionics. Its also constantly giving shout outs to the first two SAO seasons which don't really add anything.
This show could have been interesting if it had been a way to do a summary or alternate look at SAO while being its own thing, but its absolutely pointless. The characters are as 1D as they can possibly get, no development, no plot, no reason to watch.
Sound is find, animation is alright, ending song is great, but its absolutely a waste of time. I really don't know who this is for. Socialist, Twitch addicts who will go to any length and suffer any drab situation to avoid facing any part of reality? I don't know. Its like the very last thing at the bottom of the very last barrel but its the only thing left between you and whatever you are trying to avoid so you enjoy a piece of trash with everything you have. I feel like this is the show that sits in that position, you have to be desperate to enjoy it because there is next to nothing to enjoy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Nov 16, 2018
Looking for some filler that won't mess with your feelings from that last show you really liked but will give you something to enjoy a bit? Jackpot!!!
This one and Net-Juu no Susume both looked similar on my list and I expected something similar out of both. However, Net-Juu was the show I wanted, it had heart, soul, a cutesy story and left a strong, fun, meaningful impression despite its content. Wotaku was about what I expected by the cover art, but I was still hoping for more.
The key with this one is enjoying it for what it is without reading to much into the
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reality of it. Or if you like to analyze and contemplate things deeply, then the key is to do the exact opposite, but be warned if this is the kind of life you seek, there is no profundity explored in this one, or rather, there is no profundity TO explore.
The empty philosophy of the show is pretty sad the more you think about it, so it will really depend on your relation to the characters and your closet-sort-of-otaku level. If you're really diving into deep support of anime and characters, finding your life's meaning in digital self indulgence and merchandise consumption, then this one will leave you feeling justified! Did that line make you happy? If not, you will feel about like you just did while watching this.
To be fair, I really liked Nao and that shy character and frankly I thought that was better than the entire rest of the story.
The characters are like really composed and pretty versions of those kids who seem a bit lost in fantasy worlds and who generally can't hold regular conversations. I think a lot of people here will have those they have trouble talking to for lack of skill, comfort, or common ground. However, anytime I've met people like this in real life, they were decidedly less amiable. If you tried to game with them they CRUSHED you mercilessly without regard, if you tried to talk to them they could ONLY talk about what they were extremely into at the moment. It seemed like these were the kinds of people the show tried to convey, but I've met them as adults and they aren't like this. At the same time, as a closet nerd for this and that I couldn't relate either. It expected too much of me: I couldn't both suspend my philosophy of life meaning while also trying to accept this fashionable 'otaku' representation as something legitimate.
Its one thing to be really into things, its another to be a composed adult, and still another to develop a life of real meaning. Sure they can all relate and intertwine, but the show has this unwritten vibe that a life devoid of meaning is somehow fine and normal. Like these characters NEVER wen't to sleep wondering what the meaning of their life was, if they were wasting their time, if it was all worth it. That whole reality is completely ejected, it just doesn't exist in this world, and thats pretty sad to watch. They never find meaning either, they just sort of team up to indulge their fancies and then thats supposed to be satisfying.
I guess my problem with this show is how non-self-aware it is. It really buys its own schtick. The interactions were fun and the show had many laughable moments but the authors apparent lack of understanding regarding why life has meaning and what is actually real and worth pursuing cast a dim tone on it. Naturally those who derive their entire identity and sense of worth from this kind of materialistic meandering might be breathing fire at this point, but thats just it. The void that they are trying to fill that yields the fire breathing upon challenging their worldview is what is missing from this show - I guess you could say its like its soul is gone. Its one thing to get passionate about being a nerd and to talk about the difficulties associating with 'normies' but thats a pretty 'small' plot.
Getting along with people who can't relate to your interests or world is difficult, for 12 episodes. I get it, I've experienced it, I still do, this is not the be-all and end-all of life's meaning. The fact that absolutely NOTHING else is ever explored leaves this one in an odd and highly forgettable, if mildly amusing spot. Compare this to something like Yuru Camp which is up to its eyeballs in heart and soul while exploring simple life events and it gives a clear picture of this shows value or lack thereof.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 16, 2018
GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!!!!!!!
Eesh, anyone else getting that "Hunter x Hunter veering too far into unnecessary and extraneous arcs that threaten to lose the show in obscurity" vibe on this one?
If you liked how Hunter x Hunter wen't on FOREVER with that horrid ant-garbage arc then you might really like this season. If, instead, you like it when a show builds on the previous season while introducing valuable minor arcs without losing sight of the main narrative, be prepared for annoyance!
Understand that this could very well be a case of too much time in-between seasons; I may need to start over entirely once
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season 4 is done to give this one a better shot. The same happened with Food Wars, by the time season 3 came out it was pretty hard to get into, but re-watching the series boosted my appreciation for it. However, I can't shake the feeling here that the awesome pacing and development of the first season was the pinnacle of this series. Everything since has been slower, smaller, and increasingly unsatisfying.
We are three seasons in and Deku still allows himself to be called Deku and get walked all over by Bakugo - something I've never understood throughout the entire show. At this point itss ruined my suspension of disbelief comptetely. Bakugo is a tool with a personality and motivation so tediously contrived that its just aggravating to suffer through. Looking for Midoriya and Uraraka to get anywhere? Forget it, obviously spending a million episodes on some sort-of-important test is what you should be interested in. Remember the overarching story and almost interesting villains that REALLY need some screen time to keep people caring? Apparently the writers didn't. Remember how the entire last season was some kind of diversion preparing for the next stage but was actually intense? Well this season you get a bunch of teens trying to get their 'drivers permits' by going through a tedious mash-up with other students that goes FAR too long and doesn't even have a heavy cost to failing. The entire season is uninteresting filler that expects you to take the UHA equivalent of sitting and writing a test that sort of matters REALLY SERIOUSLY. The next time you get stuck behind a student driver, start blasting the My Hero Academia OP and you've basically got season 3. Also is it just me or are the OP's getting significantly worse?
Of course, right at the end you get a tease of some actual story, what a waste. Its been done for months and I just can't bring myself to care about watching the last few episodes.
Art is fine but seems simpler than previous seasons, music and sound are on par with what you'd expect, the story is in transition so its hard to rate, the characters are at their blandest and hardly develop if at all, its just stretching my ability to care.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 16, 2018
Do you like anti-climactic shows and being really disappointed? Then is this the show for you!
Oh man, this one is hard to write about and I can easily understand the low 7's score. However, I'm a sucker for anime featuring photography anything so maybe my disappointment was more severe than other's. Depending on the characters you like, you will love it or ... probably not hate it but be very annoyed by it.
On the one hand, this show literally inspired me to get serious about my future again and get moving on my various graduate university applications; it has that kind of somber feel
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to it. I also like how mopey it is. On the other hand the delayed gratification and constant miscommunication or stalled communication = plot gets REALLY old.
Not only that but the authors really push for development in a few characters, while completely ignoring others, only to pull the rug out and force the ending they wanted. Its almost like they incorrectly predicted which way their writing would lean viewers and what they would think of the characters. The logical force of the show is broken several times and its just really off-putting. Like, if your having a deep conversation with someone that you've been anticipating for months only to have them kill it off with a completely unrelated and random set of dialogue with no resolution. In the end its hard to see any of the characters as charming or relatable since they all come across as narcissistic and self serving, save one.
I didn't get the ending I wanted and a good many others didn't either. SORT OF SPOILERS - - -
It makes the main characters look like terrible people and the warm, sparkling, fuzzy depiction of the ending left me completely empty - I really could care less about the 'two' by then. MORE SORT OF SPOILERS - - - - I mean does anyone actually like Mio/Natsume? She's awful, completely self absorbed, manipulative, troubles everyone by relentlessly procrastinating to give important information, she's just a brat! She the classic controlling and insecure character and I can't stand her, however, the author seems to really think she is actually charming and the character people will enjoy watching. Then they introduce a character that is leagues better than the entire anime can support and, well, if it wasn't for that character I wouldn't like it as much as I did or dislike it as much as I did.
In the end its a weird, slow ride that tries to mess with you and then delivers you the food you didn't order and expects a standing ovation.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 9, 2018
Its been a good long while since an anime has absolutely captivated my attention as thoroughly as Darling in the Franxx and something needs to be said against the random people bashing it. The art is dated, the characters are plucked straight out of A1's 2011-2013 roster, the animation is a huge step toward past methods and I just don't care. The story is wildly artistic, deeply poetic, simple in virtue and resolve, mature to the point of seinen and EXACTLY what I've been looking for.
In a sea of mediocre endings, anti-climactic romance, attempts to break convention and expectations, and unbelievably beautiful productions that
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leave that tiny bit to be desired, along comes the golden age assault of Franxx. Somehow by using the nostalgia of our favorites from the near past, familiar if dated animation, and simple, well crafted storytelling, Franxx is like a slap in the face of modern anime, reaching forward from 2012 (It easily would have garnered an 8-9 if released then). The problem? Fickle people who have become familiar with convention and addicted to novelty - the plague of western media. The solution? WATCH IT! And remember what it felt like to be blown away by story telling you didn't recognize and a world where everything didn't need to end in tragedy for some kind of shock value.
Right from the get-go I was pretty annoyed at it, it seemed like most of the characters were copy-pasted directly out of Anohana and Kill la Kill. They didn't even try for the most part as even the characters personalities are similar, and Hiro might as well actually be Jinta. This is forgiven as the show moves on, however, and the characters come deeply into their own more and more as it progresses. As many others have stated, the first 6 episodes are in a different place than they normally would be in a typical show, and its on purpose. The trade is that you have to watch a good deal more before any development happens or before anything begins to make sense. To drop this show at 6 episodes is to miss out on one of the best anime in recent memory. And yeah the fanservice sets the completely wrong mood to start.
Yes, the characters can be a bit thin (at first), but they are based on strong and relatable ideas and the combination of them is near irresistible. Its likely why other shows featuring similar character 'loadouts' grab our attention so well, everyone can relate somewhere and the interactions are reasonable and very human. The show dives so deep as it progresses and I can't recall a single cheap move that didn't redeem itself or turn out good in the end.
If you want a tragedy where everything goes wrong watch Akame ga Kill and get it over with. This kind of storytelling is why I like anime, its virtuous, idealistic, cares deeply about the emotional experience and connection of the viewer and dives into deep philosophical and psychological territory without capping itself or becoming pretentious.
Its about as fine a line a production can walk, and the simple but strong characters may have been a necessity to walk it. Each one is far more an archetype than a trope and each resembles some sect of humanity more than some Japanese idiosyncrasy. The simple purity of the characters desires and motives moved me to highly relatable and intense emotional experiences several times, no anime has ever done that to me before and I've seen my fair share.
I will admit this show would have KILLED it about 4-6 years ago. The animation and storytelling seemed a bit like a relic, but I didn't mind, especially as it progressed. Its exactly what I needed and had been looking for, and if some dated visuals are what it takes, then fine.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 8, 2016
READ FIRST: This anime is by the same director and studio that made Attack on Titan. If you loved AOT, and HAVE NOT seen much anime besides this, you will likely really enjoy Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.
If, like me, Attack on Titan was the crossover you needed to branch East to West and you have since seen piles of anime with each subsequent show raising the bar of what you thought was "good", then read on.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is a very particular kind of bad. Its not unlike what happens in the U.S. whenever Michael Bay touches something: a
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story that almost forces its audience into stupidity in order to accept it. Interestingly, the anime history of director Tetsurō Araki features some of my most disliked and heavily criticized pieces. An astounding amount of anime I personally dislike for being "too Western" in its writing and directing fall under this directors scope.
Attack on Titan, as mentioned, was one of the first anime that really sucked me in, particularly because it was so unlike most other anime. I have now come to see this as a mostly bad and aggravating thing, something of a Western/Shakespearean tinge on writing that I wish to escape. This kind of writing has four essential elements: 1. unnatural or forced tragedy for tragedy's sake 2. plots that advance strictly due to a lack of communication or "if only he/she would listen" cliche's and 3. stories written around scenes/images/characters. 4. A belief that media should portray "reality" (i.e. directors idea of reality) which is usually gritty, gut-wrenching, and "realistic" (versus noble, virtuous, or portraying characters and the world in an idealistic way = almost all other anime)
Spoilers ahead (tried to keep them minima/vague):
Kabaneri is rife with all of these Western downfalls. I thought, at one point, that if the author had been 14 and American this show would have been much more acceptable; but no, not the case. The amount of forced, ex machina tragedy is offensive to the viewer because it demands them to be stupid; it is utterly unbelievable and ham-fisted. Next, a significant amount of the plot happens because of miscommunication and people not believing or listening to obviously critical information. Third, after finishing this show, its hard not to think that the author simply had a drawing of Ikoma and decided to build an lazy story for the character that would let the author gush all his chunibyo out; cool but completely ambiguous fight scenes, an mc transformation, superpower and bandages, steam-punk crap, a cape for some reason, hair changing color to represent upgrade, a power that threatens to overcome the character/must be unleashed, etc. etc. etc. Its all here. Lastly, the unnecessarily gut-wrenching awfulness of the villain where terrible things happen just so that the author, somewhere, can look an go "haha, see how horrified they are!? Yeah, nice!!".
Lets not discard the technical squabbles either (it should be noted, I think this show would have benefitted greatly from 24 episodes). Right off the bat, Ikoma becomes the cliche-est of cliche main characters in a sequence so non-sensical and laughable that I could hardly understand it. Nothing about what he does in the first episode makes any sense, and when he starts stapling steam-punk crap to himself for no reason, its pretty hard to take seriously. Almost no backstory is given at all for the Kabane or why anything is the way it is. Lets look at some questions right off the top:
1. What are the Kabane's actual abilities? Are they slow or fast? In one scene they are your classic zombie and can be easily slowed down with limb or head damage. In the next scene they are all but invincible, can run at superhuman speed, and can throw themselves so hard they can break through steel armor plating. Are they intelligent? Why can some fight and others cant? Why is it that any time a horde of them appears in the tens of thousands, the mc's only have to kill about 20 for everyone to be fine? What is the virus? Are the humans trapped inside still alive somehow? The existence of the Kabaneri would lead one to believe so, in which case they really are killing people still (not to mention what is learned at the end about the different "serums").
2. What are the Kabane? Where did they come from? Is it some dumb T-Virus kind of thing? Why do they attack humans? How, on earth, do their hearts become like steel or coated with steel or whatever? Why does this happen? I'm pretty sure it takes highly advanced steel to stop a bullet, the body has a minimal amount of iron in it, but even if all the body's metals were concentrated, I have a hard time believing it would form anything close to a bullet proof barrier around the heart.
3. What are the Kabaneri's actual abilities? In one scene Ikoma can destroy everything and everyone and take almost unlimited damage, much more-so with Mumei. In the next scene a few punches from some guy (along with Mr. Plot ex Machina) renders him completely useless. Is he strong or not? Is he fast or not? Mumei seems to be able to jump hundreds of feet and land from any height without damage - how does physical contact or impact from a person hurt them at all? Additionally, does Ikoma's gun only work up close? It seems like it can also work from a distance, so why does he never use it at a distance when it would literally solve everything? Why does he only become weak when having literally any of his previously seen abilities would change everything? (Bad writing being the elephant in the room here)
3. What on earth is Biba's plan? Get revenge by killing everyone? Where is he going to go afterward? What people does he intend to live with? Did he really not have the firepower to get revenge without 'scorching the earth'? His plan makes no sense.
4. By the end I was wishing Kaneki from Tokyou Ghoul would just show up and kill everyone. Given the amount of 'sharing' happening regarding the Kabaneri and ghouls, it would be more believable that Kaneki existed in this world than the story we are left with.
5. Where is anyone getting any of their resources for everything??? And how do any of their weapons work? Why is the steel of the Kabane's heart stronger than other steel? How on earth can it be forged into the human's weapons. That would require removing its strength, using tools strong enough to shape the still strong (but weakened/annealed) steel, then the knowledge and skill to re-forge it!!!!!!!!!! If Ikoma could do all of that in an instant, then he could have also determined what the composition of the steel was and how to make it. Of course, its probably made from some kind of magical-asteroid steel - which, again, somehow is special but also found in the body. You can see how quickly it all becomes ridiculous, and not in the fun, over-the-top way. There was an idea here, and the laziest possible story was created to meet all the requirements of the idea so it could happen.
I'll stop here for now, there is so, so much left that could be ripped up (hardly touched on the characters). A main point is this, AoT had a certain charm because the author worked with an friend in engineering to make his mechanisms as believable as possible; It's very clear this author didn't, and it really, really shows. In fact, one of the few reasons I found AoT's tragedy and drama acceptable at all was because of the attention to detail and believability of it; despite its Western tendencies for annoying writing, it pulled something interesting off. This show is a classic example of "less than the sum of its parts", a sort of anti-gestalt. It needs to be picked apart, it needs to be chided, and it needs a lot of it; directors and authors like this need to know when their work is lazy and dumb. Otherwise, it becomes popular and sells well because its pretty or has tons of hype and the directors & authors think people want more. Otherwise, we get Michael Bay's all over the place and the director/writer-kabane start to swarm, seeking to feed of the wallets of consumers drawn in by hype and shiny things.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 4, 2016
Mini-review: "Erased" seems to me to be a story that grew beyond the skill of its writers & directors. The initial episodes drew me in with art and sound production far beyond the norm. Character's emotions were beautifully rendered and the subtle sound design delivered points of emotion well. The characters themselves were also incredible. The dance of emotion and tension between Kayo and Satoru, for example, hit a level of realism and profundity few anime ever hope to. However, at the height of this development, things took a lazy turn.
I've heard the manga takes a different direction but I cannot comment there since
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I haven't read it. All I can say is that it seemed very much like the writers/directors/etc. had a very clear way they wanted the story to end. The logical force of the narrative was going somewhere completely different, but they decided to shoe-horn their ideas in anyway. I was conflicted with this one as the general story and even characters themselves seemed to be done a disservice.
Still, I highly recommend giving this one a go; the art is beautiful, the voice acting is sublime, and the character development is fantastic. The twists and turns of the story will hit each viewer differently; personally, they took away from my enjoyment as the series closed. I feel this one will hit everyone a little differently.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 27, 2015
TL;DR - A touching, if occasionally confused, story filled with your basic tropes and buckets of run-of-the-mill fan-service complete with entirely unbelievable reactions. The outrageous plot got me interested, the character development kept me watching. The art and sound are both good but this series really shines in its cuteness and humor. The pervert jokes never really get old. It's too bad that the transitions between the humor, bizarre story arc, and surprisingly heartfelt moments are often jarring. There was some missed potential here that almost earned it a 7 but overall it was highly enjoyable as a funny and heart-warming slice of very bizarre
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life.
Tsukiko's "expressions" were likely the cutest and simultaneously funniest parts for me, if I ever watch it again it will be because of her.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 2, 2015
Some increased schizophrenic pacing and frustrating storytelling lead to an experience that is slightly less satisfying than the first season. Another one of those seasons where an additional third could completely redeem and change my opinion of the second. The suspense in this season was almost unbearable but awesome at the same time. A few story elements that were main arcs in the first seemed to get blown over in this season which was a bit disappointing. With all of that said this anime is still very good and really delivers on the action and suspense front. I also found myself really getting into the
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rhythm and tone of the readers and the game overall, it was a really engaging experience. The characters develop well but I would have liked to see them go just a bit further. I will likely dig up the manga on this one, I think this series would be much better had I read the manga first.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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