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Apr 12, 2024
I was almost afraid this movie might not hold up on rewatch, being the kind of movie that works by catching you off guard and causing confusion while watching. Being one of my favorite movies, after watching, I'd put off rewatching it for those reasons. Luckily, after rewatching it now years later, I can definitely say it's held up to how much I liked it on the first watch. Perfect Blue is definitely a staple of its times, and you can really get a sense of that while watching.
Perfect Blue, which was Satoshi Kon's directorial debut, was originally intended to be an OVA. Just as
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they were nearing the end of production, the decision was made that it would have a theatrical release. So, the movie was made in a way that wasn't usually common for the big screen at the time; it was made to be watched and then forgotten. Because of that, we got a movie that was uncommon for its time in Japan, and it really helped break the boundaries of what films could be.
The story of Perfect Blue is amazing; it keeps you on the edge of your seat and always second-guessing what you've just seen. Even when you've reached the end of the film, you have so many things to think about. The way this film is made only elevates the story itself: abrupt cuts between scenes, shots lingering longer than they should be, little details in the background—all these work together to create a sense of unease when watching, where even on my second time watching, it hit me hard. Some of the scenes can be hard to watch, but I could never look away; it's really captivating in the sense that you don't want to miss anything.
The characters we get in this film are really well-written. We get Mima and the struggles she faces in switching from being an idol to an actress and the cost of those actions on her own wellbeing. Rumi, her manager, and her struggle to try and protect Mima from the industry while also struggling to stay true to what Mima wants. Then the stalker character, who is just so stereotypically creepy you can't help but have suspicions. All these characters work together with their personal quirks to really help build that sense of unease, and they all play their role perfectly.
My only gripe with the film was I wish it was a little longer. With the budget they had and the entire situation around its production, I can't blame them for it at all, but I think it for sure could have benefited. Even so, the short run time is a benefit in a way as it adds to the rushed feeling that you get while watching, and then bam, it's over, and you're just left to think about what you just watched. That said, they packed the runtime to the brim, and I think they did a great job making the most of what they got.
This is a really unique story, and while there have been films made after it that attempt to tackle the same themes, I think Perfect Blue succeeds in being the best. With a perfectly fitting art style, a well-put-together soundtrack, greatly written story and characters, and altogether elevated by the medium of animation, it's an easy recommendation to anyone who's a fan of the genre. If you're in search of a thought-provoking movie and can handle the feeling of unease, you will easily be captivated by the perfection that is Perfect Blue.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 10, 2024
This was a fine movie overall, but it never really engaged me. The plot setup itself is pretty boring, and the first bit of it is mostly a quick recap of certain events, which was nice to see some of the scenes reanimated but not really necessary. The main villain got some development towards the end, but it felt kind of hollow, and I didn't really care. The dialogue is pretty one-dimensional and plain, which also just makes it unable to engage me.
Besides that, there are some nice moments with Buggy, Hancock has a handful of nice scenes, and with the little bits of fight
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scenes we do get, there's some pretty good animation, so it was worth the watch for those reasons. With this movie done, I'm finally ready to start the time skip, so I couldn't be more excited.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 10, 2024
I believe this is my first sports anime I've watched, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. I'd say the focus is more on the characters and their connections with each other, with running track being the thing that connects them. All the characters get their respective screen time and development, and it's really nice to see them all grow alongside each other and become stronger.
The ending itself is really down-to-earth and realistic. I never thought they would win, but I was almost expecting them to because that's the kind of thing I could see happening. However, they kept it realistic, and it really
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elevates the achievements they made together.
The animation was never anything special, but I don't think it ever needed to be. It did everything it needed to do and delivered a good character-driven story.
Watched with subs
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 9, 2024
Coming off of Goodnight Punpun as my first Asano manga, I had high expectations. However, I also knew that this manga would be quite different from Punpun, so I went in prepared for that. I have to say, I really loved it.
The biggest draw of this manga is its characters, most notably its main duo, Ouran and Kadode. Asano succeeded in writing some of the best-written female leads I've read in a manga. While Ouran's ramblings can be incomprehensible at times, the characters are so lovable that even with the first half of the manga being mostly slice of life, I enjoyed it all the
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way through, maybe even more so than when it got into the overarching plot itself.
The art in this is beautiful and quirky, with so many amazing two-page spreads and all the wonderful title cards. The actual story itself is unlike anything I've read before. It takes a situation straight out of a sci-fi story and humanizes it in a way that is so raw and real that it's easy to make comparisons and think, "yeah, this would definitely happen in real life." It handles the complex emotions of humans themselves when faced with things beyond our control and many more really big political topics in a way that was really refreshing to see. In a way, it looks at humans as the villains, which isn't something that's never been done, but I've not seen it done like this.
My only gripe with this manga is the ending. Once the "time travel" twist was revealed, I was uneasy about the whole thing. Turning Ouran into someone special and not just an ordinary girl was an interesting direction, but as it panned out and finished, I actually was okay with it. It never heavily impacted the character we know while also giving more insight into her as a person. However, my issue mostly stems from the final volume. The mothership has blown up, and things just seem to be falling apart from a writing standpoint. There are glimpses of trying to tie things together in the end and little hints at what might have happened to the group of characters we love, but in the end, it once again resorts to a time travel plot. While I said I was okay with how the first one worked out, I don't think it did this time. Yes, we get a conclusion and a "happy ending," but in the end, we're seeing the happy ending for another timeline. These are not the characters we spent our time with, and it felt hollow with only a small hint of what became of the original timeline.
In the end, I really enjoyed the manga, and it does a lot of things really well. It was an absolute joy to read. I only wish the ending was handled differently. Still, it's one of my new favorite mangas, and I can't wait to read more of Asano's works.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 9, 2024
As a 25th-anniversary project for Studio Bones, I was somewhat expecting this to be pretty good, at least in regards to storytelling and characters. Animation I can cut slack on, for they were making this one independently. But even from the first episode, I could tell it wasn't going to be good. I kept hoping the next episode would explain something or shift perspectives in a way that would make what they'd be doing so far make sense, but that moment never came.
The way the story and world are explained in this anime is just too much of a struggle to follow, and I don't
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believe it's bad comprehension on my part; it's just poorly written. All the aspects of a story set in a Cyberpunk world are there, and it has the pieces to make something good, but the way it assembles them just ends up being messy and incoherent. I really wanted to enjoy this, but in the end, I was just glad it was over.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Mar 27, 2024
Once again, not the kind of anime I would usually watch, but to get my seasonal count above where I wanted, this was added to the list. And where to start? I'll be rating this in the context of it being an ecchi and judging it based on those standards. While I've only seen a couple of ecchi anime besides this, I think this one is pretty peak.
The plot, while nothing amazing, does its job in progressing the characters in what I feel is a more character-based anime. The characters themselves are all enjoyable, in my opinion. All of their dynamics work great together and
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are fun to watch. There are the ecchi scenes which it's always building up to each episode, but they always take the time for each character to make them an actual fleshed-out person and not just a pretty thing to look at with lots of general slice-of-life moments that are actually enjoyable to watch.
While the art style and animation are nothing special, I enjoyed the colorful palette and the smoothness of how everything looked. I have heard they were unable to adapt the manga as well in that regard as it made great use of shading, but I don't think it's too big of a detractor.
Then there's the ecchi content itself, which was pretty good for what it was. Always some crazy scenario that I never think they'll be able to one-up, and then they do it anyway. In most cases, I hear they even improved on the original scenes from the manga and made them even more ecchi. If you're watching this anime, you know what you're getting into, and I'll just say they did their job.
Overall, I surprisingly really enjoyed my time watching this anime. Although it's way outside the confines of what I'd usually watch, I will be eagerly awaiting season 2.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 23, 2024
This one really surprised me, I'd been hearing it was pretty good so I decided to add it to the list of seasonal anime I'd be watching and its turned out to be what I'm sure is a standout for this year. To start Maomao herself is a really greatly written main character. She has many sides to her and they all jive with each other so well and culminate in one of the best female protagonists I've seen in an anime. While the overarching plot has been nothing extreme the way its presented and takes you through it keeps you captivated and gasping at
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every twist and turn. It always had me on the edge of my seat eagerly awaiting the next episode. Having another anime with 24 episodes running alongside Frieren was a delight and not something we get too often and it was really a joy getting to watch this every week and I can't wait for season 2.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 23, 2024
While I'm definitely not the target audience for this I was trying to watch more seasonal anime and as a big fan of A Silent Voice I decided to give this a go. There were a lot of things done well in this but also a lot done in what seemed very basic fan pandering way. Some of the characters, mostly main boy Itsuomi, are just too perfect, says all the right things and garners all the right reactions, I get why but it just made it harder to get invested in. I think the sign language aspect is done pretty well, its nicely incorporate
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but never seems too overbearing. Overall I did enjoy it while watching when I let myself but its not something that I would watch again.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 22, 2024
This feels like the start of the new standard for a lot of anime movies. Good setup, good inclusion of the main cast, a good villain, and a big fight to cap it all off. Animation is solid, and you can notice the extra movie budget being used in some of the fights. Even if this is filler, it's worth the watch for some of the outfits the cast gets in this; absolutely dripping.
The plot was alright, handling the usual blueprint and featuring some decent side characters for the movie. Bringing in a villain unused in the original canon was nice and was a good
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way to retain the tie to the main series. While the final fight isn't an insane spectacle, it's a really cool moment.
All in all, it's on the higher end of the OP movies so far, and I believe they maintain this quality from here on out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 22, 2024
"Tearful goodbyes aren't our style. After all, it would be embarrassing when we met again."
Watching the credits begin to roll on the final episode was a surreal feeling, knowing this journey I'd been taken on was over (until season 2), and now it is time for reflection. Where to begin? From beginning to end, this has been a great anime, and I would say it has the potential to become one of the greats if future seasons can maintain this quality.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End begins at a point where most shows have already ended. The big evil is gone, the heroes have returned home, and
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many years have passed; it is now a time of peace. Yet here we find ourselves with the main character, Frieren, an elf who has been alive for a countless number of years, coming back to meet the group of heroes she traveled with many decades ago, yet to her, it feels like yesterday. What follows in the remaining episodes is another journey but one of a different kind, one of self-realization, one of learning to cherish time, because even though things feel like they will last forever, they never do.
To begin with, one of my favorite aspects of this anime is its vibe. It's so chill and wholesome, and it's not afraid to stop and smell the flowers. With the main theme being time itself, this anime really drives home that fact and doesn't rush things for the sake of it. It spends time on the little moments, and that really helps it feel fleshed out. I have seen some people complain about this very thing, and to that, I can only say to watch something else, because while the second half of the season does ramp up, that will still continue to be a core theme of this anime, and rightfully so.
The characters in this anime are simple but effective. Frieren herself has a lot of depth to her that we've only seen the surface of, and seeing her start to reflect on her past while learning to treasure her present is something really amazing to see. She also is just everything you could want all in one: funny, cute, yet when she needs to be, an otherworldly force of raw power, and I can't wait to see how her character progresses throughout the series. Then there are the other main characters, Fern and Stark. Fern is a cool head in a tense situation but also a good form of comic relief. Her dynamic with Frieren is one for the books and leads to some great moments. Stark is the muscle, yet also a lot of times the stepping stool. His dynamic with Fern is awesome, and I can't wait to see how they end up. I can't end without mentioning Übel; she's crazy, please give me more.
The animation in this anime is some of the best I've seen, and it came very unexpectedly. The scenery and day-to-day animation in this are really beautiful and have some wonderful scenes. It's never too much but it's also never too simple, always maximizing its effectiveness. Then there are the fight scenes in this anime, and they pack a serious punch. While there's not a ton of combat, when there is, they don't hold back, and one fight in particular left me in awe. It was really nice to see the passion the staff had, and you could really tell they were invested in what they were making.
All in all, this was definitely a standout anime and not something we get too often. It feels like one of those anime that will go down as a classic. I can't help but draw some comparisons to The Lord of the Rings, another fantasy series that also takes its time in almost the same way and in doing so elevates itself to new heights. I can't wait for season 2 (and I might not, debating starting the manga), but I can only hope for the best, and I'm sure they will deliver.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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