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- BirthdayOct 7, 1989
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- JoinedJan 20, 2008
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Dec 10, 2014
Let's get things straight - this series is amazingly good. I want you to have that in mind as you read on since I would like to write about all 3 seasons and not just this one - I would like to sum up my experiences with the entire package.
This whole adventure started when two men decided to share their dream (albeit for a different reason) and follow it through no matter what obstacles they face with their unwavering resolve. What followed was one of the best plot-driven stories I had the pleasure of enjoying.
Story
I should start by pointing out that for me there
...
are two things about the story that must succeed in order for the plot to be interesting. Number one - the story itself has to be interesting. Number two - the way it's presented must be interesting - this includes pacing.
And Bakuman does both in a superb manner. We have two men trying to create the best manga that ever existed - personally I was allways kind of interested in the process of manga creation and I admit even though I don't know how the market really works - the way it was presented here made me want to try and make a story myself (that is despite the fact that my drawings would horrify people...) - it's not easy and your goal isn't just laid in front of you - but it pays of if you mange to actually do it.
Now I believe the reason why pacing is so great is because it's so uneven. At times we will spend and entire episode with our characters thinking over one issue but then there are also episodes with 3 timeskips a few weeks each. This helps us focus on what's important at the moment.
Sometimes the focus is on micro - when they discuss what to change in a chapter of their work. Sometimes the focus is on macro - when we have multiple timeskips that show how their changes influence the popularity over a larger span of time. With this we can look at the story from two different perspectives and it's not boring.
Art
I don't think many people would argue but the art was really really good. Maybe not Makoto Shinkai good but still - right below that. Also please note that if it was made in a Makoto-like style I would probably rate it lower since the art is very fitting for the characters (I had a slight problem with the gag/parody animation but only a minor one) and it trully is a pleasure to the eyes.
Sound
It rarely happens but I actually enjoyed every single one of the openings and endings and the music in the series itself was were it was supposed to be. It wasn't something that would grip my heart but then again - this isn't a story about musicians. For the most part I'd say it did the job it was supposed to do.
Characters
Oh yes - this is the main reason I loved it so much. Characters for me are absolutely the best part of the series - it doesn't mean it's perfect of course.
So let us begin with our double protagonists - Takagi and Mashiro.
They are the driving point of the entire story obviously but for me what steals the show is the chemistry between them. You can really see how they try their best and how they support each other over the span of all three seasons.
There were moments where I thought "what he's doing is stupid" but then I reflected - maybe I wouldn't do it but Mashiro would - it's very fitting for his character.
If I were to choose my favourite however I'd pick Takagi - I loved his resolve. In every single season he did things that made me think "he's awesome". The only problem I had with him is I believe he should really pay more attention to his wife.
As for female protagonists - Kaya and Miho.
Miho was the weakest of all the characters in my opinion - I found the concept she thought of "not seeing each other" as being silly but I must admit it really was a sweet thing. Not to mention I can't even imagine how I would feel if I was working for something so hard for so many years - I believe that feeling would probably be worth all that wait. Probably. Yeah... probably. She had a weird feeling for me nonetheless but she grew on me and while I had a problem with her in the first and second season - I was totally fine with her in the third.
As for Kaya - I think she's my favourite character here. Partly because she's so invisible in the third season. It's allmost like the story wouldn't even change at all if you take her out of it. But it only makes her greater in my eyes since I couldn't wait when she shows up. Her emotions towards our male protagonists, her cheerful cheering (pardon me for that) and the dedication she puts into helping them makes every scene with her in it a real feast. I think the real strength of her character is also what we don't see - as her support for our mangaga duo is only seen on the surface as it would seem.
I won't write about every single character since it would take too long so I'll just try to summarize it real quick.
Most of the characters introduced were very enjoyable to watch and they all had their unique... "quirks". Nizuma seemed completely insane, Aoi and Fukuda focuse on her work, Hiramaru is incredibly lazy - and it goes on. What we get is a pretty wild mix of characters with different views on obtaining the same goal.
Enjoyment
It goes without saying that I enjoyed this series tremendously but I can't convey all of that in just a few simple words. Even though there were moments I found less interesting - I still couldn't stop watching and I launched one episode after another. This is the pinacle example of the syndrom I call "I just started an episode and it's already end credits" where you get so completely absorbed by the story that you lose the sense of time.
I would like to trully recomment the entire series for everyone - you shall not be dissapointed!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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May 23, 2014
*Includes spoilers*
Ahhhh Toradora - what can I say about this series? I really must hold myself back or else I would be shouting already how aweseome it is and how you should go and watch it if you haven't already.
But let me tell you a tale of how I fell in love with this series.
I still remember the day (well 2 days in fact) that I watched it - it was around 5 years ago and I picked this series that someone told me was quite interesting.
So after I came from work I gave it a try - and I watched more than half
...
of it in one sitting. The only reason I didn't finish it outright was that I had to wake up early for work the next day.
So from that you can already tell I love it. But why? Well let's see:
Story - I was really satisfied with how the story went. I did have my expectations and they were reached well and beyond. A story about two people helping each other to get get the person they love. And while doing so they fall in love with each other. You might say it's not original - and I may agree. But the idea doesn't always have to be fresh and new - it's enough that the execution is proper - and for me it's flawless here.
Art - I'm not very good in judging art but apart from some stories that really focus on art as a means for ART (byosoku and the like) it's really good.
Sound - sufice to say I have included soundtrack (at least some of it) from this series to my regular playlists. I'm even writing this review while listening to "Lost My Pieces" so let it be the testimony to how I liked it.
Characters are a really REALLY strong point for me here. I liked allmost everyone (and that doesn't happen often). I liked how they interacted with each other and I liked how they looked after another. This is something I haven't seen before. When most anime would botch it with some silly excuse, Toradora would surprise me with incredibly mature and real-life version.
Taiga is a tsundere - and I hate tsundere... for the most part. This is one of the veeeeery few series when I actually enjoyed the tsundere part.
Ryuuji is the kind of guy you can depend on even if he makes mistakes sometimes.
Those are the mains, what about the supporting cast then? I enjoyed them just as much if not more. The way they act and advance the story is really unique given what I have seen in anime so far. I was very positively surprised the first time I saw it and even to this day I still think that many anime don't even get close to what Toradora did.
Enjoyement - I shouldn't even type anything in this section since I can't pinpoint what exactly I enjoyed. Why? Because it would be hard to find something I didn't. To be honest - this series is not perfect. But then again - I have never ever seen a series that would be perfect. This however is as close as it can get. Even if I didn't like something that happened - the anime would quickly show me something I enjoyed so much that I would quickly forget about what was it that I didn't like.
5 years have passed. And even after this immense ammount of time I can still find myself thinking about how awesome this series is. And watchint clips from it that I have saved on my disc.
I have watched quite a lot of anime since I started doing so 8 years ago. And after all this time when I was thinking back about the series that I have watched I new I need to lower some of the scores that I have given. But this one? I have given it a 10 when I first watched it and I would give it a 10 even now.
This truly is in my TOP 3 of the BEST anime I have ever seen and if you haven't seen it yet... what are you waiting for?
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 9, 2013
Rush rush rush rush rush rush rush rush rush rush rush rush rush...
Before we start I want you to acknowledge the following:
1)I like to break my reviews down into sections, rate and then follow-up with al ot of text explaining my reasoning begind it.
2)I am writing from a perspective of someone who knows the gmae this anime was based on very very well. I know the entire plot of the game, I know all side-qiest stuff you can do and I know all the endings.
3)I hate spoilers, I absolutely hate spoilers but in this case I'm afraid I cannot go without spoilers in order to
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express myself.
I cannot stress this enough - this is definetly NOT a good adaptation of the game. The main motif of the adaptation is - RUSH. But let's start at the beginning.
I accidentaly stumbled upon this anime and before I watched it I knew it was based on a game. I don't usually do this but this time I felt I'll pay my attention to the game before I shift it to the anime. And this was a blessing.
The game is SO MUCH better than the anime. But then what do you expect when you have a story that can only be told in 5 hours and someone shortens it to 2...
Truth be told I was hoping this anime would be a good adaptation of an awesome game. But I was dissapointed. To show you this I will make a little breakdown here:
Story - 9
Art- 8
Sound - 8
Character - 8
Enjotment - 5
Weird huh? Well, the story and characters are based on the game obviously hence the high scores but the enjoeyment from the anime is pretty low because I felt so BETRAYED watching this.
There is not enough time to build the connectionts between characters and every litle arc is just slightly touched upon leaving an unpleasant feeling.
You are basicaly bombarded with images and plot developments that simply make absolutely no sense because they are rushed beyond sense.
In the game you had an incredible and somewhat slow build up to what was to happen and it felt amazing - you felt violated by how it was shown. There is this aura of mystery, horror and shock. I felt shocked at some scenes in the game. What do we get in the anime instead? Scenes that are just spewed at you one after another making no sense whatsoever. And gore. Yeah, sensless gore. There were some gory scenes in the game too but all in good taste (if you can talk about "taste" in gore scenes *yuck*). But in the anime it's just gore - gore after gore hoping to shock you. Well news flash - if you only give us disgusting images we're gonna get disgusted obviously duh...
In the game it was handled so much better, one of the reasons is there were many endings.
But even here - if you adapt a game with multiple endings, PLEASE adapt the true ending. Why? Well the "true" ending is the one that teh creators of the game give the most attention to, most developement time and thought. Everything else is just... side-quests. And they went with said side-quests in teh anime. Even worse, they twisted them for their use. And with all the confusion steming from rushing every scene it creates a really unpleasant feel.
A "SHOCK" SCENE IS NOT EFFECTIVE IF IT HAS NO BUILD-UP TO BACK IT!
If you barely know the character, if you only saw him/her for 20 seconds you cannot feel connected to him/her. This is why it is necesary to give them some backtory at least. And while we're at it - all the flashbacks with backtstory of the characters that gave a lot of insight on them in the game guess what... not in the anime... Like at all. We don't know what the relations between the characters are yet we are expected to care for them - I call bullshit on that one.
Phew, I kinda went on a rant here, and my high ratings for the story and characters are almost excluseviley steming from my enjoyment of the game.
!!!!!!!URGENT!!!!!!!
So if I can give you any advice - don't watch the anime, play the game instead. And if you don't feel like playing/can't afford it/whatever, just watch/read a let's play. Believe me, you will have a lot better time than with this anime. A person that has no knowledge of the game and watches the anime will be so confused and so pissed of that it's not even worth it. And the story really deserves praise.
So to finish it up - Game>Anime
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 18, 2013
Chuunibyou was an anime that kept following me for like half a year. I was hyped when I was recommended this series but for many different reasons I wouldn't watch it. And it lasted for like 6 months before I finally decided to do it.
I will do my best to avoid spoilers but some things can only be explained with minor ones.
As allways let's start with the story - there is a guy who was into cosplaying and role-playing in his middle school and when he went to high school he wanted all of it to end - to leave his past behind him. But
...
can he really be able to do it when he meets a girl from his class that has the Chuunibyou syndome like he used to?
You can treat this as a romance or comedy, both is fine but for me it's a comedy with romance elements not the other way around. And there is also something it lacks in the romance department. I liked how the story was about Rika submerging in her delusional world and Yuuta trying to make her get a grasp on reality but at the same time understanding what it's like to be in that world. There are some really heartwarming scenes that get you excited and waiting for more, there is only one problem there - there is no followup. So it builds up pretty well and leaves you waiting for more... until you realize the story has already finished.
As for art I would give it a 9 - it's a common modern days art style which is good by itself but there are also some really nice scenes - i.e. a city scenery in the night being lit up by it's lights which looks nice but what you can really have some fun watching are the fight scenes in the delusional world. I find them to be pretty awesome, incredibly excesive but amazing to watch.
When it comes to characters I find it that I liked most of them.
Our main male lead is likeable enough, you can really feel that he wants to leave his previous life behind him and become a "normal" high school guy and you root for him. His interactions with other characters is also something I really really enjoyed. There are some awkard moments sure but in general I must say it is one of the characters that I enjoyed the most out of many anime I have seen (except for 1 or 2 scenes towards the ending but no spoilers here). To be honest I actually wanted to watch him play his delusional role a lot more because it was just so great. My only hope is that he will play the role of Dark Flame Master more often in the second season.
Femal lead - Rikka, a girl who lives inside her delusions, owner od the Cursed Eye and in reality - just a girl who can't cope with reality so she runs away to the world of dreams. Let's be honest now we all faced situations we didn't want to remember right? So did she, only that she couldn't cope with it so much that she had to create her own world that would shield her. Also - she's hilarious, and cute too. There is only one moment where she made me pretty angry but I understood why she did it, I knew it was the right thing to do, yet I know she shouldn't have done it. I'm sure you'll realize what I mean once you watch it.
As for our supporting cast - I am still grinning now whenever I think about Kumin falling asleep everyplace possible (some impossible too) and Ishiski trying to confess his feelings over and over and failing miserably every single time. Dekomori and Shinka rivalry keeps me spinning too at least in the beginning. For the first half of the anime I really liked it but for the second, it somehow wasn't fun for me anymore (I mean mostly Dekomori here, Kumin and Ishiki are awesome the entire time).
To sum up - I had lots of fun watching this series and I'm really hyped for the second season, I'm pretty sure this time I won't let it hang for half a year before picking it up - more like watching it from day 0. It was a really enjoying story with lots of humour with just one capital offence that I will not forgive - what on earth is with a romance story where the characters never even kiss? I was waiting for this kiss the entire time... There was one really sweet scene when they hugged and I loved it all through. But come on - not even a kiss on the cheek.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 5, 2013
Steins Gate - the first time I heard there is a good anime with time travel concepts I thought to myself: "I have got to watch it... NOW!". Even though sceptical at the start I kepy at it and oh boy how happy am I that I did.
Story
In the beginning we meet our hero - Okabe Rintarou the Mad Scientist who is about to embark on an adventure full of laughter, sadness, hard work, and impossible odds. Will he succeed? You will have to find out yourself by watching this amazing series.
Now I have to admit I was afraid because most time-travel stories result in
...
our main characters causing the events that they were trying to avoid so I thought it might also be the case here. But to my hapiness this is not how the story goes.
The main premise is that our heroes have the ability to influence the flow of time - they can change events that cause massive differences in their timeline - if you've seen movie "The Butterfly Effect" then you know what I'm talking about. While they goof around with this "ability" they accidentaly uncover a sinister plot and decide to stop it. But while on this quest our main hero realizes the future he has created is not one he can accept.
The story has pretty much everything I would want from it. First it has an interesting concept, it has humour (often involving our Mad Scientist's escapades) it has friendship and romance. And what's most important it handles all of those in the most satisfying of ways. Every time an episode ends and you face the ending there is only one thought ringing in your head "I want to see more, I want to see how the story goes from this point" or "I can't believe it, I must know what comes next!". It probably makes this one of my number one cadidates for marathons since it hooks you up so hard you cannot let go untill you see the end.
Art & Sound
For some reason I really liked the art - granted it's not trying to be a visual marvel and bombard us with beautiful images like say "Byousoku" would but it is an art style very common to newly released anime (by that I mean 2006/7+) and it really does make you feel like enjoying what you see. The music fits right there as well allowing you to immerse in events happening before your eyes. Opening/ending-wise it really depends on your tastes. I would say the music is the weakest part of the show (and like I said I am very biased because of my musical tastes) but that is only and only because everything else is just so amazing.
Characters
My favourite section here - how could I not write with excitement about characters that made me think about them way after I have finished the series?
First we have Okabe - a guy I find hard not to like. He's funny - allways shouting nonsense about his Mad Science stuff, but also he has a more serious side that makes him overcome impossible odds if the situation requires it.
Then there is Kurisu - a tsundere type. And let me admit I have been angered out of my mind by some tsunderes out there. But guess what - it didn't happen here. I allmost don't want to say a single thing to let you guys experience how can a tsundere-type can be done well. So well in fact that sometimes I even refrain myself from calling her one.
Next comes up Mayuri - a "cute" type of character. She seems to allways be happy, oblivious to all the evil in the world. And she fulfills that role really well, after all - tuturuu~ has been ringing in my head for quite a while.
Last but not least - Hashida. A friend of Okabe and an otaku who is just the perfect friend to our MC. He is a true Otaku with all that comes with it but he will not hesitate to come to his friends aid when need be.
Enjoyment
It goes without saying that when I give anime a 10 - I enjoyed it a lot. And of course I felt so satisfied with every episode I could write a poem. And when the series was over I kept thinking about it non-stop for another week. Thats how big of an impression it leaves in you.
There is only one thing that I would wish for - if they made more anime as enjoyable as this one, world would be a better place.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Nov 4, 2013
Ahhh Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo - an anime with the most confusing title ever conceived, or perhaps - the most misleading?
I have tried my best to avoid any spoilers however there are some unavoidable informations about the story - probably up to the first 3 or 4 episodes (but you'd still have to watch at least that to figure for yourself if the story interests you right?).
This is a first rewiev I have ever written so I might not be good at writing them, but it doesn't matter - as long as I'm able to give you my reasons and at least one person
...
finds it useful - then it was well worth it.
Let's get down to business shall we?
Story
As I mentioned - this anime has probably the most misleading title ever and when you first see it you think - "wow, that's probably another stupid harem comedy series based on guys seeing each girls' pants and getin' into ecchi situations and getting punished for it". And when you start to watch it - this is impression only intensifies as the very beggining concentrates on just that. However you quickly realize that this anime is not about that at all.
In the first moment I actually felt that the early episodes very rushed and I wondered why would they do that? Why would they not focus on their weird relaionship and showcase more of the embarasing situations they probably get in? Ah that's because - it's not what this anime is about. It is not a stupid harem ecchi comedy show - their somewhat weird relationship is there for a reason and is not a reason itself. Other series would just introduce us to the guy and girl and let us laugh at them for another 12 or so episodes.
If so, then what is this anime about? Is it a romance? A drama? A comedy after all? Well it's a little bit of all of those - and more. The leading motif of the series is hard work. Gambatte is probably the most often used word here - and not without reason. You will very soon find out that this anime is first and foremost about victory and defeat. The live out their everyday lives and try their best to achieve victory, but of course you cannot win outright - it requires a lot of effort.
Art & Sound
I decided to put them both here because I don't think much needs to be said - it's a relatively new anime and the art is good. Not extravagant like let's say Kill la Kill but it's pretty standard. And since I like this kind of visuals - I give it an 8. Same for sound - I didn't really enjoy the music that much but it also didn't bother me so I guess it's on equal note and there were no voice actors that would annoy me - I think they fit pretty well so same as art - an 8.
Characters
I could just say one thing here and be done with it - I love the characters. But I wouldn't be myself if I didn't elaborate on that.
First and foremost I'll say this - there is not even a single character that I didn't like. And that is really something considering I get irritated by some really easily - this time however that was not the case. Every character has a thing that makes me want to see more of that character. Every character has also a second side of himself - you think you know everything about them? Well then you're up for a surprise. Every time an episode comes to an end I already can't wait to see my favourite characters in the next one. And at least for me - that is simply amazing.
Enjoyment
I cannot write much about my enjoyment here because if I tried to I would only end up repeating my self over and over again. And over again. And again. I started watching this series in the evening and couldn't let go marathoning one episode after another untill it was very late in night and I had no choice but to go to sleep unless I wouldn't be able to go to work in the morning. And you know what? I still regret I didn't stay up and watch the entire series in one sitting.
Overall
A series I expected to be just a silly harem comedy good for laughs turned out to be a real adventure that would teach about victory and defeat, following your own dreams and not getting discouraged along the way and finally - finding someone to share them with.
This series has become one of my all-time favourites and I'm truly grateful I found it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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