- Last Online5 hours ago
- GenderMale
- Location505
- JoinedSep 7, 2021
Ode to MALentine A Summer Out of This World RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Dec 19, 2023
"Killer in Love" is a psychological drama about a dirty liar - a girl ruined by her family's expectations and people around her, and a pathetic fool - a boy who never could fit anywhere and fell victim to social pressure and manipulation. Both characters are looking for things they never really had - love and understanding. When these two people meet one day, the tragic story begins. And oh boy, the story really is tragic, especially when it comes to writing quality.
[Story - 4]
Even though there were moments I enjoyed, the storywriting was just poor. There were many questionable choices of mangaka. Those regarding
...
the story progression and Ryuuto's personality changes were most notable.
First of all, the series of random murders by the MC felt so irrational. As far as I understand the first two accidents, since it was purely self-defence - I don't think there was anything better to do in this situation - I completely don't get the next few (especially the one where he debates if he should kill his cousin). Good enough, the narrative could be constructed only based on the first stalker (and there was a chance after that the MC wouldn't even go to jail), but drama has to be created from something, so he becomes a serial murderer. I don't deny that something like that can happen, but it doesn't feel right. Readers can get a feeling the story progresses in a really odd, unnatural way after the first few chapters. On the good side, Ryuuto's sudden personality change can be a strong side of the manga since the storyline gets much more unpredictable and messed up, which is usually a great thing in psychological dramas.
The pacing of the story was horrible. Readers don't know if everything happens over a few hours, days, or maybe weeks. How come Ryuuto run away with Kokoa for 30+ chapters, but when he leaves her, he gets found immediately by the police? They have every possible evidence it was him since he wasn't careful with his murders. It should be just a matter of hours to track him down, considering how dangerous he was. Some of the elements in the plot were rushed. The main characters had little to no time to know each other, and all of sudden Ryuuto is so much in love with Kokoa that he can kill anyone for her. The chapter on Disneyland was sweet, and I wish they could have some more time for themselves in the later chapters as well. Unfortunately, the author decided to throw an encounter with another murderer right after that, so the readers don't even get to see more of these cute moments between the main characters. Everything seems to be very inconsistent - sometimes the story goes very fast, and sometimes it slows down completely.
Kokoa's stalkers/ex-boyfriends are also an aspect that wasn't well-executed. They all are either serial killers or just total scumbags, and their whole personality is being obsessed on her point. I know love makes people crazy, but this is some unreal extreme. I wasn't surprised seeing one "crazy stalker" of her, but it was getting only worse as the story progressed. In addition, all these people appear to be extremely insignificant to the plot, with the personality of a stone block, and just thrown there as meat for MC to kill.
The ending of this manga is the worst thing that could possibly happen. It's just a piece of nothing, leaving the reader with zero emotions and the feeling of wasted time. Everyone knew what would happen in the end, and yet it had to be so bland and emotionless. The ending can be called "open" since Kokoa gets yet another chance in life, and the viewer is left with the unanswered question of whether she will make good use of it.
[Art - 9]
I started reading this manga because of its excellent graphic style, and it did not disappoint. It's the strongest point of this title - with beautiful drawings of Kokoa and Ryuuto, decent fighting scenes and an excellent environment reproduction, it keeps the reader interested.
[Characters - 5]
Yoshizaki Kokoa - At first sight, her personality seems to be shallow. She's a typical "pretty girl" who is adored by all the guys in school because of her looks. As the plot progresses, readers learn much more about her personality, past experiences, and relationships, but until the end, she remains a slightly mysterious character. These traits make her a much more interesting than Ryuuto. As far as there's a lot of trauma and unpleasant feelings in her backstory, at the same time, it sounds plain, repeatable, and in some ways just insignificant compared to the main story where her boyfriends are serial murderers. In addition, nothing could excuse her actions in any way. This manga uses these backstories to try to make her appear less guilty. While Kokoa is mainly playing a victim, she also plays a major role in killing the people. After all, her stalkers were doing that for her sake, and the only thing they got in return was her fooling them around for her pleasure. While maybe not exactly intentional, she tried to victimise herself in every single situation. In the end, she was the cause of everything negative that happened. At the same time, most of the readers may identify with Kokoa's hardships. Who doesn't want to be loved? Who doesn't want to be appreciated? Who doesn't want to be heard and praised from time to time? These were the struggles of Kokoa that made her the way she was. Unfortunately, people may find it difficult to sympathise with her after reading 36 chapters of the manga.
Suzuki Ryuuto - Very dense MC with a personality of "I'll do whatever they tell me to do". He falls for Kokoa quickly, although he hesitates to admit it initially. Everything he does, he justifies with an argument that he's "doing it for her". He isn't in any way original or intriguing. My irritation with Ryuuto's behaviour was also one of the factors contributing to the low "story" score. There's nothing to his personality other than that he is socially awkward and shy but very kind and thoughtful in the direction of Kokoa. Readers can watch his slow degradation and transformation into a cold-blooded killer under Kokoa's influence. Most of the time, manga focuses more on telling the story of Kokoa than Ryuuto since even he admits that she's his whole life. Thus, he has no personality whatsoever. Ryuuto's choices became a point of my annoyance after a few episodes in, especially considering each of his choices is dictated by his love for Kokoa. I can understand that sometimes people can go really far for their loved ones, but here is an example of the absolute sacrifice of everything for the sake of one person. Furthermore, everyone around him suggests that he should be careful with Kokoa, or better that he would not interact with her at all. The first incident with a stalker should already give him some thought. It's the type of person who sees all the red flags and decides: "Yes, it's a great idea. I'll fix her". In cases like that, you want to storm into the world within the manga and punch the character right in his face. Overall, his character was also very bland and didn't leave a positive impression on me.
When it comes to side characters - they don't exist. As mentioned before Kokoa's stalkers/ex-boyfriends are there only to somehow progress the plot. Readers don't get to know about them anything at all. The chapter with Ryuuto's cousin gives some details about her and her relationship with MC, but it isn't enough to say it was a meaningful character for the plot. No one else plays a major role in this manga, so it's safe to say it's a story about Kokoa and Ryuuto only.
[Enjoyment - 6]
This manga is a typical page-turner. It's written in a way that absorbs readers from the start and fills them with excitement. I was very interested in each episode, and even after finishing it, I didn't have enough. The quality of the storywriting isn't the best, but this manga is one of these titles you want to read, even knowing its flaws. Unfortunately, besides questionable murders from the beginning, the ending is the weakest point of the whole manga, and it really affected my enjoyment, regarding this series. It doesn't provide any value or conclusion. When it comes to emotions, I felt nothing after finishing it. There was no satisfaction, no happiness, no sadness, just emptiness. Maybe I'm a sucker for happy romantic endings, but deep down, I was hoping for them to end together, but with each episode, there was less and less chance for that. I stopped caring about the main characters halfway through because of the previously mentioned annoying decisions and weird plot progression.
"W... Would it... Be better if I were dead?" - She asked.
Probably yes, but it certainly would be better if I never stumbled upon this manga.
Jokes aside, "Killer in Love" is a decent read if the reader is ready to turn a blind eye to a nonsensical plot and a disappointing ending. What I can guarantee is that this title definitely isn't boring. There's constant action and a few unexpected events, so anyone who likes to be surprised by the plot shouldn't be disappointed. Moreover, the art style is beautiful, so even looking at this manga is a pleasure.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jan 28, 2023
[This manga brings up very controversial and sensitive topics, such as incest. Please consider it, before reading this review]
I'm very well aware of how controversial the incest theme in either manga or anime is, so I'm not surprised by a relatively low score for this title. In this review, I'll try to focus on the story plot, how it is built, and how the character development is going, more than on the incest theme itself. There are a few sentences about it in the "enjoyment" section. Before starting, it's worth mentioning I thoroughly enjoyed the whole manga, whether counting the incest or not.
[Story -
...
6]
The plot itself is just fine. With a lot of potential for something better. There are some unnecessary time skips and notable plot holes, but it doesn't affect the story in a major way. This manga goes way faster when it comes to relationship progression than anyone would expect. Even though I don't doubt there's a possibility to fall in love with someone at the first sight, Hitomi seems to be way into Shin from the very beginning. It makes their relationship a bit forced by this "fate". The plot progression is okay, and the story is pretty cute after all. Focusing solely on the romance aspect, the dynamics between the two main characters are really good. It won't be weird to say that in some moments it's really heartwarming to see them together. There was a lot of unnecessary drama, especially in the last few chapters. Behaviour of some characters was unexplainable in many parts of the story. The indecisiveness of Hitomi about their relationship, and her change of plans, just for the sake of her dying mother (don't get me wrong, I probably can't sympathize with Hitomi enough, but I don't think it should be the reason to resign from your love) is at least weird, and honestly adds a lot of unnecessary drama to the story from nothing.
[Art - 9]
It's surprisingly beautiful. Especially Hitomi, which looks stunning. I love every single drawing of her in this manga. The environments look really good and give the proper mood to every scene. It's worth noticing there are times when some characters' faces are looking a bit weird.
[Characters - 7]
Shin is a pretty shy guy, that has visible problems with his self-confidence. There are many times at the beginning of the manga, where he's comparing himself to Hitomi, saying how much inferior he's compared to her, or that he has no chance to be in a relationship with her. In some parts of the manga, it's becoming pathetic, which makes Shin looks like an actual loser. It isn't beneficial to the story at all. It's rather annoying to see this type of pathetic MC getting with the prettiest girl in the town (a theme that is used way too often in romance anime/manga). Throughout their relationship, Shin is definitely becoming a much better character. Especially when it comes to his self-confidence. It looks like he's much more mature, when it comes to his relationship with Hitomi, near the end of the manga than he was before. It's probably the character with the best development in this story.
Hitomi, according to Shin is the prettiest girl he knows. Hitomi is undoubtedly a very pretty individual, which was confirmed many times when she went somewhere in public. This can hint that Hitomi isn't aware of her beauty, or rather doesn't want to show that she cares about it to Shin. She seems to be a very reasonable and considerate character at the beginning of the manga, but as the story progresses Hitomi becomes much more indecisive and anxious, which causes many problems in the growth of her relationship with Shin. Considering all the factors that could make her behave like that, it's understandable, but worth noticing, towards the end, it's rather an underdevelopment of the character, even if finally she made up her mind, regarding her love for Shin.
Kozue and Koutarou - If there's someone that didn't have enough screen time in this manga, it's definitely going to be Kozue. Even if viewers got to know her a bit better, thanks to the flashbacks, she's still a character with a lot of potential. She was left off with a really shallow personality, and in the end, killed by the author (to add some more drama, because why not). Besides most of the time, she was rather annoying, due to her objections to the relationship between Hitomi and Shin. Koutarou didn't have much screen time as well, but I wasn't interested in more of his backstory either. It's worth mentioning he surprisingly reacted extremely well, after he discovered the truth.
[Enjoyment - 9]
The rating of 9 already suggests I enjoyed this manga. I, in fact, enjoyed it a lot. Considering it's an incest love story, there's a feeling of guilt with it as well. The romance is done in a very good way and the story of forbidden love is really moving for some reason. This is probably the best incest story I've read (although I usually try to avoid incest themes). The love between the main characters is pure and heartwarming. I loved how the main characters were only interested in each other. No one else. No NTR, no hidden motives, just love. Either way, it's fiction, and in fiction, anything can happen. That's why people are choosing mediums such as manga or anime, right? Besides some unnecessary drama, I enjoyed nearly every episode of this manga. The ending is also pretty satisfying, considering how many worse possibilities to end this story arose.
"Domestic na Kanojo, but it's actually good" gets a solid 8.
Leaving the review with "Mixed feelings", as I don't factor the incest theme as negative in my rating.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Dec 25, 2022
The synopsis of "More than a married couple, but not lovers" suggests that this show probably won't be anything deep, but rather light, enjoyable, relaxing rom-com. For real - how can so ridiculous concepts like "marriage practical" be treated seriously? This premise, however, seems to be pretty original, comparing it to other similar shows. The closest matches are probably Nisekoi and Koi to Uso (forced marriage/pairing), but none of these shows treated this theme in this type of way.
[Story - 7]
I appreciate the original take when it comes to marriage practical theme. Even if it seems funny, or even stupid in the synopsis, it works
...
pretty well in the show at the end. It allows the anime to take the path, many rom-com viewers are seeking - "enemies to lovers". The show isn't boring at all, even after a few episodes, which is pretty common for this type of anime. Each episode consists of something either funny or exciting for the viewer. It's really enjoyable. As far as I like the whole concept of the show, I also dislike it at the same level. This approach to the story makes the relationship between characters a bit meaningless and forced. Let's be real - Jirou and Akari pairing is pretty exotic, and most likely would have really low chances, without this forced pairing. I much more like the shows, where the relationship goes naturally. There are also a lot of lewd scenes, and in some moments, the show looks like Ecchi. There are also unbearable for me, ambiguous scenes, between Shiori and Jirou. These are not only cringe-worthy but also really tiring to watch - especially when it is repeatable (holidays - beach and restaurant scenes). The chemistry between many characters is weird and forced at times. That seems to be a positive thing in some ways, to show the character development in later episodes.
[Art - 7]
The colours in the show are vivid, bright, and really saturated, making the atmosphere nicer, and the show more interesting. Most of the time colours are matched correctly, and the art looks really good. In some scenes, the hue is really aggressive, and it may appear oversaturated, which causes the opposite effect from the planned.
[Sound - 8]
Not much to mention there. Music doesn't play a major role in this show. The opening is just okay. Ending on the other hand is a masterpiece. I loved it from the first time I heard it!
[Characters - 6]
The characters are really generic. The first episode and the viewer can already think "I saw that somewhere already". And obviously, those characters are widely copied in many anime, but the first suggestion that comes to head? Nisekoi. The main character is madly in love with his childhood friend. He starts to spend much more time with the main heroine, that is totally not his type. As they know each other better, it seems they are clicking quite well. MC starts to realize his feelings for the main heroine. Nothing new. MC is surprisingly not bad, and in some ways likable. It's still far from the really good male MCs, but I didn't feel the cringe, by looking at his actions. It's a good exception from the usual boring, useless rom-com MC. Side characters? Zero development, zero significance to the story. Basically, everyone besides Akari, Shiori, and Jirou "is just there" and that's it. Their personality is almost non-existent. The only side character viewers are about to know a bit better is Tenjin, and it's still really a surface knowledge level (and maybe that is better?)
[Enjoyment - 9]
I won't lie, this show is one of those I really enjoyed while watching it. I'm aware of its flaws. And I agree it's nothing special. But I still really liked it. Even if it has some elements suggesting it's a generic rom-com, I find the whole show idea pretty innovative. It was something I didn't experience before when it comes to anime. I had a lot of laughs, smiles, and excitement throughout those 12 episodes. I even picked up the manga, as I was curious about what will happen next. "More than a married couple, but not lovers" is doing a lot of things wrong, as long as the brightening up my day, can be counted as a wrong thing.
Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman. isn't a masterpiece. But it also not trying to be one. It's a lighthearted romance, with a good dose of comedy, and a pretty original idea for a storyline. The show isn't for everyone for sure. However, if you're looking for a decent rom-com, with a fair amount of lewdness, a great amount of laughter, and some cute moments, look no further.
"More than a married couple, but not lovers" anime gets more than I was expecting, before starting this show - 8/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Oct 6, 2022
Engage Kiss is my favourite type of show. Not a really interesting synopsis, and has very mediocre ratings, turns out to be probably the biggest surprise of the season. Engage Kiss got its flaws, but definitely is rated way too low.
[Story - 7]
I can't tell I don't have objections about the storyline. The show is mixing too many themes at once, and sometimes it's hard to tell, what should you focus on more. Engage Kiss isn't a typical rom-com, as MAL suggests. There's much more action than comedy (fortunately), but when comedy is present, it doesn't help the show at all. Sometimes this comedy aspect
...
in Engage Kiss is fitted poorly, so it ruins any meaning and mood of the moment. There are few emotional scenes in the story. This was something that honestly couldn't have been better, and made me love this show, but because of unnecessary comedy, being put before or after mentioned scene, it's hard to take it seriously. It was something that annoyed me the most during this anime. Action, along with romance is the crucial element of this show, and is good. The fight scenes are presented really well, with a proper approach, and because of that whole anime isn't boring at all. There's a love triangle at the beginning of the story, to become a harem, after introducing Sharon. As far, as I got no issues with Kisara and Ayano since their competition made the anime much more interesting, the existence of Sharon is pretty much useless, and because of that Engage Kiss follows the path of every generic, mediocre rom-com harem. The theme of fights with demons is pretty common in anime, but here I have really little, to no issues with it. The story in the first episode reminded me of SAO. A few episodes later, it was rather Date A Live (defeated enemies become allies, and sometimes even a harem). Kisara is basically Yuno from Mirai Nikki, but much more likable. Even though Engage Kiss is a mix of many things one can imagine in the anime, it's still reasonable and doesn't lose overall sense, which is praiseworthy.
[Art - 9]
Engage Kiss can easily be a flagship product of A-1 Pictures in the art category. This studio is making amazing work, when it comes to visuals, and Engage Kiss is no exception. Characters are looking really good, colours are fitting perfectly, and environments are reproduced correctly. There are little to no flaws in visuals throughout the whole show.
[Sound - 8]
Really good job with the sound. Even though I didn't find the opening theme that catchy, the soundtrack fits really well. In more serious scenes, it keeps the mood pretty well. It also builds up tension properly. The sounds during the fight are good and so is the voice. Can't complain!
[Characters - 7]
It should be higher and could be a higher rating if the show didn't end up being a generic harem, as I mentioned in the story section. Even though I found introducing the crazy nun, quite bad, what can be said about Shuu's sister? I honestly don't know how to treat her character, cause it looks like she's also about to be part of the Shuu's harem. So basically another loli, so that Engage Kiss won't be much more different, than every harem, by an accident. End of the rant, let's examine the main characters.
Kisara is by far my favourite character in the series and the fact that I find Engage Kiss enjoyable. Viewers may see her as manipulative, controlling, and not worth the trust, but her real side can be seen at the moment she gives Shuu back all of his memories, even though it means losing her own. She also genuinely cares and loves MC. Kisara always wants the best for Shuu, even if it means, she'll lose out on it. Kisara also shows respect to Ayano in some situations, since she knows how much Ayano means to Shuu ("You are willing to embrace a woman you do not love, to get your objective. You even discard memories of the woman you love, so you can save her"). If viewers dive deeper into her character, it can be easily seen, Kisara is a very nice, helpful, and respectful girl, which makes her really likable. This respect is shown also for Ayano, even if she's her "enemy".
Ayano is another girl in Shuu's harem, or rather his ex-girlfriend. Her feeling, however, didn't change at all. She's still in love with her ex-boyfriend. Ayano is a pretty unlucky girl, since her boyfriend supposedly left her, because of the contract with a demon (Kisara). There's not much more about her backstory, other than that, Shuu was pretty irresponsible in many situations in the past. The whole thing with the harem wasn't her fault, but rather the immature behaviour of Shuu, but that's probably a topic for another discussion. Even though they broke up quite a while ago, Ayano still genuinely cares for him and tries to get him back. She's very stubborn, outgoing, and confident, which suits perfectly the role she has in her mother's business. Since her character is written on a really surface level there's not much more to be said.
The main protagonist Shuu is a character about which I got mixed feelings. At the first sight, he seems to be pretty likable. After a while viewers can feel, he doesn't really care about other people's feelings. Yet, he uses a demon girl, only to reveal the truth about his family's death, and to find his lost sister. He also left Ayano, for the same purpose. But he's doing this all for his family? So he's justified? Well... Not really. At least in my eyes. His behavior can be seen as a little obsessive, and I know, it is hard to deal with losing your parents, or even your whole family. Unfortunately, it doesn't justify hurting other people. But hey, it is just a rom-com anime, and Ayano is pretty naive, so whatever. Besides that, Shu shows genuine respect for Miles (who is actually a pretty decently written character) and is motivated to fight every demon he encounters in Bayron City since his family died because of them a few years before. He seemed to have the best character development throughout the series.
Sharon is the most unnecessary character I could ever imagine. As far as she was a decent enemy, during her first appearance in the anime, her backstory, and behaviour toward MC are at least funny. Just another girl to the Shuu's harem, but this time it's a hot nun, with pretty crazy combat skills.
[Enjoyment - 9]
Even if the story got some smaller or bigger flaws, I still enjoyed Engage Kiss. There's much romance and much action. Sometimes, viewers were able to witness some more emotional scenes too. I loved Kisara's character. Ayano was really good too. I liked some supporting characters I didn't mention before as well. The story was interesting, and I genuinely wanted to know, what will happen next. Engage Kiss did not bad as a rom-com, but unfortunately, there are many signs, that it is just another harem anime, which are countless in the market already. I still call Engage Kiss pretty original, since it does many things better than other anime from this genre. This show wasn't far from being extraordinary.
Summing this all up. Yes, Engage Kiss is a mix of everything. This mix, however, is pretty tasty. There's a bit of everything here, so at the end of the day, everyone will find something for themselves. I wish more people would taste this title. Not only it is not popular, but it's also really underrated. What I can do, for now, is give an honest 8/10, so it will lift the rating just a little bit.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Sep 29, 2022
Purple is the colour of royalty, as well as the primary colour of the Yofukashi no Uta series. Let's see if naming the Call of the Night a royalty series isn't exaggerated.
[Story - 6]
The story is basically about the adventures of the MC during the night - his experience with the night and demons. One of them is especially interested in him, and thus viewers meet Nazuna. She will be Ko's partner in crime from now on. In the first episodes, there's not much tension, action, or anything in particular. Viewers can experience beautiful city views at night and know the characters a little bit
...
better. The plot is getting a little more interesting from the 7th episode, and in conclusion, the ending is pretty good. However, there are a lot of boring moments, that made me feel uninterested in the whole show. The comedy is there and is really good. Viewers got to experience a bit of action too but in rather a comical way. Romance is there, but it feels weird. I felt like the chemistry between the main characters is good, but something is off there. When it comes to exploring "the depths of the night" I think the effect is pretty decent.
[Art - 8]
Art was a flagship of the series and in many cases the main reason why one would like to watch this show. I absolutely love the visuals, when it comes to the city views, and overall environment in this anime. The color choice is also very good. The purple accents are fitting the night just right, and there's not much to complain about. My personal problem with the art in this series is a bit weird faces, and their expressions at times. I agree, the style is very original, but it's unappealing for me. Many times I was disappointed with what the Nazuna or Ko's face is looking like.
[Music - 9]
The opening and ending themes are really catchy. The music is really good throughout the whole show. I didn't spot any major issues with sound, or voiceover anywhere.
[Characters - 7]
The characters are decently written. Ko is a middle school student, that is bored with his normal, daily life, and decides to explore the city at night. Viewers are getting familiar with his past, in which Akira plays a pretty major role. That's how the show is giving the spotlight to another supporting character. Out of supporting characters, Akira has probably the most screen time. Viewers are able to know her a little bit more (maybe even more than Nazuna?) which is really good. When it comes to Nazuna, after the first episodes I really liked her character, but as the story progressed I found her behaviour a little bit controlling, and manipulative at times. Also, viewers aren't able to get to know her that well, since there's no backstory, and basically, Nazuna isn't revealing much of her life (besides being a vampire, cuddler, and gamer?)
[Enjoyment - 7]
Yofukashi no Uta is a pretty enjoyable show. The art is pleasing, colours are suited perfectly. The sound is good, not to mention a catchy opening. There are some flaws, such as a story without significant progress, throughout the few episodes, which makes it boring pretty fast. Shallow depiction of Nazuna's character, and overall her representation in the series.
Even though Call of the Night isn't a perfect show, I still recommend checking this series. I'm also eager to read manga, which appears to be better than anime itself.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Sep 26, 2022
There are only a few shows that make me feel the thrill, and genuine impatience when waiting for a new episode. The Classroom of the Elite is one of them.
After a rather mediocre first season, with an unnecessary amount of fanservice and a bit too slow-paced action, 2nd season started really strong. The story isn't that repetitive anymore. There's significantly more action than before. The story is getting straight to the point.
[Story - 8]
With the new season, we get to know better few characters, such as Karuizawa and Kushida. Especially interesting, and important for the first few episodes is Karuizawa's story plot. Like with Kushida,
...
we get to know a bit of her backstory, and what is driving her, when making certain decisions. Ayanokouji is gaining more allies, or I should say tools, that are helping him reach his goals. While gaining "tools", also his enemies counter is going up, but they, apparently, can't even compete with MC at any point, in literally anything, which makes the story quite predictive. As mentioned above, the story is paced faster, than it used to be in the first season. It's a good change since some viewers could find the first season boring. There are no unnecessary beach arcs, or pool arcs, which in my opinion were done ridiculously in the first season, and turned "psychological" anime into ecchi comedy. The show is slightly less focused on points/currency things, which is good, since viewers are usually not really eager to analyze all those numbers floating on the screen, and sometimes this can become overwhelming.
[Art - 7]
Art is really a disappointment in this season. As far as I liked it in the first one, here we got a visible downhill. The animation feels weird at times, and colours are not as vibrant and detailed as before.
[Sound - 9]
Not much to complain about. Opening deserves special attention - it is absolutely great.
[Characters - 9]
Ayanokouji has to be one of my favourite anime characters of all time. His whole appearance, actions, behaviour - everything adds up perfectly, creating the MC that viewers really want to see. His personality is something that makes people love this anime so much. He's smart, good at sports, and martial arts (piano and calligraphy too). During the show, viewers can acknowledge his thinking process, and how he is constantly analyzing his surroundings. Ayanokouji's character is basically the powerhouse of the whole series since I can't think of any other character being that interesting in this anime. He may be seen as an overpowered character though, and that point alone discards any mystery in this show since viewers are already used to the scheme where MC is always in a winning position.
Horikita was the main heroine of the first season, and the thing is supposedly the same now. However Karuizawa is getting much more screen time, and the overall focus of the show is more on her than Horikita. Her character isn't getting developed really well, since she's still doing similar mistakes, as in the first season, and basically is only a tool for Ayanokouji. Viewers may have mixed feelings about her. Personality-wise she acts like a tsundere, but at the same time, she doesn't appear to be one. She's kind of inconsistent with how she feels, and it makes her cold, and blunt.
Karuizawa seems to have a much higher impact on the plot than anyone could expect after the first season. The first episodes already suggest that the action will be now more focused on her. Viewers get to know her personality, and past better. She's starting to play a more important role, in the whole of Ayanokouji's plan. Her character development is noticeable. She's way more confident and determined to reach her goals, with Ayanokouji's help.
Kushida after playing a significant role in the first season, now getting revealed to be a traitor to the whole D class. Viewers get to know her dark personality since she shows it to Ayanokouji and Horikita. This side of Kushida can rarely be seen in the anime since she's still playing an innocent, helpful girl in front of others.
[Enjoyment - 9]
Personally, I really liked the 2nd season of COTE. The story finally picked up some pace, and as a viewer, I'm impatiently waiting for new episodes. The biggest downsides were probably poor animation, and my personal remark about the Ayanokouji character - as far as I understand the whole show is based on how perfect and infallible the MC is, it often feels unnatural. Dialogues, and interactions of Ayankouji with others, on the other hand, are just hilarious. I absolutely love his cold responses, without any sign of emotion. It really makes up his whole appearance and personality.
The Classroom of the Elite season 2 didn't disappoint me. I'm really glad I discovered this series recently since this show is really worth a watch. Very good plot, as well as characters. Decent art and sound. COTE 2nd season gets deserved 8 out of 10 from me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jul 22, 2022
While searching for some casual romance anime, I encountered 3D Kanojo: Real Girl. The synopsis was intriguing, so I decided to try it. And it was somewhat worth it?
The story, and characters, so oh boi, we start from cons again. The story isn't necessarily that bad when we look at the overall outcome, but some things in this show were so idiotic and nonsensical, that I couldn't enjoy the show fully. First off, our main character is pictured as a total dumbass, with zero social skills, only watching anime, going to school, and is being known for being the mockery in his school. And of
...
course, it is possible to encounter this type of people, but picturing this type of people in the anime is just harmful. MC goes through literal hell, just because he's an "anime fan" and a pretty shy and quiet guy. I refuse to believe that anywhere in this world, someone can have that much trouble in school just because of that, as our MC. But what is even worse in this anime, it is actually constantly hinting, that people being interested in anime, and not having girlfriends are just plain losers, and overall totally different people than those "normal" ones (anime creator being self-conscious?), this fact alone, making me think about lowering the score to 6, or even 5 overall. Some facts in the storyline don't make any sense, and of course, the most repeatable scheme ever - pretty, popular (not that much actually) girl, falling in love with a literal social loser and showing that in reality, maybe he's not that bad as everyone thinks (who would've guessed, huh?) Pretty nice, but so unreal (yeah, yeah it is anime, I know), and whole thing in the show looked really forced for some reason. Iroha herself looks like she's having quite a lot of trouble with understanding her personality, and feelings, which makes her make some weird(?) decisions, sometimes to unhealthy, to the storyline, extent. Other characters like Itou, or Takanashi are annoying. Itou is another socially awkward guy, being friends only with our MC, giving him the most useless hints, and tips when it comes to his relationship with Iroha. Then he's falling for the Ayado, and overall he's used as a filler in the storyline. Takanashi, on the other hand, is a super popular, handsome guy who, at our first encounter seems to be a villain, by making pretty shit things to MC, just to after a few episodes change absolutely, to Mr. Nice Guy, and act like nothing ever happened. And okay, okay, everyone deserves a second chance, but you know what? I don't believe in this type of miracle. Ayado? Classic character, to make the main girl jealous, and in this show, it's made so bad, I don't want to even talk about it. Ishino is actually a pretty enjoyable character. At least in a comedy way. Probably the best one in my opinion. Story progress overall is going pretty slow. The whole atmosphere of the show is kind of melancholic, kind of sad at times. Overall, the plot actually going somewhere, but nothing is really resolved in season 1, so season 2 is a must to understand the whole story (I'm starting it right after).
Art and sound are good. I was surprised I actually liked the style of drawing in this one, as at the beginning it seemed bad, but I got used to it, and it's decent, but of course not something amazing. I was focusing on sound in this one, and it was enjoyable. It was going well with the overall atmosphere, and what was going on on the screen, so I'm giving it a pretty high score.
The enjoyment of watching this anime was good. The story is progressing slowly, but putting aside those flaws, I mentioned earlier, it's a pretty enjoyable experience, if you're looking for some light, not really investing rom-com. I think the biggest potential waster, was making MC a total loser. I understand it's a typical procedure, to pair a great-looking girl, with a socially awkward bitchless guy, but this anime is doing it in an unhealthy way, really. I was thinking if the anime really deserves a rating of 7, as I was more inclined to 5 maybe 6, but I was actually pleased while watching this for some reason. It had a good balance between some light drama, romance, and comedy. It wasn't really investing (and that was what I was looking for) and had decent visuals, so because of that, I rated enjoyment way higher.
I'm going to watch season 2 right after writing this review. Looking at ratings, it should be much better, so my hopes are pretty high.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jul 19, 2022
It's really hard to tell what are my thoughts after watching this anime. The best would be mixed feelings. In some ways, I have to admit this show is quite enjoyable, on the other hand, however, some things were implemented so poorly, it was completely wasting the whole watching experience.
Firstly, the recommendations for this show are a bit misleading. It is indeed similar to Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry, but the plot is completely different (way worse), and later it's going into a much different side than Rakudai. If you're going to watch it only to experience something similar to Rakudai, there's no point. The show
...
isn't written as well as Rakudai. The only similarities are characters, and the "concept of fights".
The plot is going nowhere. At the beginning of the show, my hopes were high (even though the MAL rating isn't really appealing), as the plot was going pretty well. Unfortunately, after a few episodes, everything is hinting to the viewer, that it is going to be another generic, harem anime, with no surprises whatsoever. Firstly, let's focus on the relationship between Julis and Ayato. This one is actually the most disappointing, unfortunately. Julis character is written pretty okay (although as generic as possible) - An alienated princess, that doesn't even allow people to talk to her, apparently falls into really good relations, with the new student - our main protagonist. Their whole relationship, at first seemed rushed and forced as hell. They literally, nearly confess their love to each other in episodes 4 or 5(?) But apparently, later on, nothing progresses. Even better, throughout the show, new female characters are introduced, and the majority of them develop romantic feelings for Ayato. This leads to pretty generic, open-ended harem anime, which we saw already a thousand times. From then, the plot lays down on some fights in the arena, mixed with Ayato's harem moments. Surprisingly, the story isn't as obvious as it seems, which made me pretty excited for the next episodes, while watching this show.
Characters aren't written really well, especially MC. It's your generic, boring male protagonist, that can have every girl he wants, just by staring at her. He's a really dull character, with no personality, making many scenes pretty painful to watch. Julis on the other hand, even though written the most generic as possible, is a pretty enjoyable character. She's one of those tsundere girls, however, she's not as annoying, and unpleasant, as you would expect. Other girls introduced a bit later in the anime, such as Kirin and Saya are just another generic harem girls, trying to bring as much attention of MC, as possible. And their reasoning behind participation in this "festival", is nearly almost the same. They have to help their families/friends (by taking the duels to the death?), by raising a significant amount of money (how sweet isn't it?), which is pretty cheesy if you ask me.
The art and sound are pretty good. I don't have high expectations in this aspect usually, nor I'm not an expert in it. It looks pretty pleasing to me, especially when we talk about the fights. Fighting scenes are done properly, and I was watching them with excitement. The soundtrack was also good. It built the tension properly, and during the fighting scenes, it was implemented properly too.
I don't know how to classify the Asterisk. It wasn't really unpleasant experience to watch it, but also I didn't necessarily like it. The show was doing all things wrong compared to Rakudai in my opinion, but I shouldn't focus on comparing these two anime. I also think I raised my rating a bit when I thought about the Asterisk as a whole. It isn't a top-tier anime, nay it isn't even a good anime. I watched it purely because of boredom, and it wasn't a bad experience. Overall enjoyment was decent. There was a bit of unknown in the overall story, MC wasn't so overpowered as in much similar anime, art was good. I think something between 6 and 7 is a fair rating for this show.
When it comes to thinking about watching the 2nd season of the Asterisk, I'm still uncertain. I'm kind of invested in the story already, but I'm also aware there's no season 3. If 2nd season is actually better (as indicates MAL rating), then I would be pretty mad, I won't know the ending.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Apr 24, 2022
[Very early review, after first 3 episodes, to be updated]
I've recently started a Date A Live series, so I was really happy, when I found out, that the 4th season is currently airing. After watching the first three episodes of a new season, I have really high hopes about the show, as the story is looking significantly better, than in the previous seasons.
There are new characters already at the beginning of the new season. The plot seems interesting. I was a bit confused after season 3 ending, but anime creators always seem to find a good continuation of the story (even though I consider season
...
3 the most absurd out of all seasons). There is much more action than in seasons 1 and 2. The story is now much more action-focused than before. The story is being build-up really well, and I'm really looking forward to the next episodes.
There is a new style in art, compared to previous seasons. Change is really significant, so there is no way to miss that. It is a really pleasing, modern style, which brings up a "refreshing touch" to the anime. I am pretty sure many people will like the new art, however, I am still really tied to the old-school type, which was really good in previous seasons already.
The sound is great as in every Date A Live season. There is no exception. One of the best anime when it comes to sound and a high level of it is being held throughout the whole series. I am really satisfied with how the creators handled the music, which perfectly fitting to each scene.
When it comes to characters I've never been a fan of an open harem anime, but these characters are so adorable! Absolutely greatly written, makes you attached to them, almost instantly after revealing their personality, during the story. There are a lot of characters to love in Date A Live, viewers should not be disappointed.
Overall enjoyment at the beginning of the new season is really high! I got even higher expectations now, as I see much potential in the 4th season of the anime. I am really glad, that the story is being continued, while it is not being really boring, as many animes, especially harem ones, tend to be, after a few seasons.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jan 28, 2022
The title and image cover looked really pleasing, and as I really enjoyed really similar (from cover) animes like "Kimi no na wa" or "Hello World" I decided to give a try this movie, even though reviews were really harsh.
And sadly they happened to be true.
Nothing adds to the story and overall, so I will divide the story into 3 parts: beginning, middle of the movie, and end. The beginning doesn't necessarily feel bad. The art is decent, the overall introduction to the story is okay. At this point, I thought it will be another enjoyable show. I don't know what happened to this movie
...
in its middle. It's either beyond my understanding of the anime, or it is one of the worst plots I've ever seen. Everything that happens is really weird. The vibe is completely off, you just don't feel enjoyment watching this for some reason. The ending appeared to be pretty okay, but turned out bad, without any emotions - the characters are just bland. The whole story feels rushed, without any sense, the viewer can hardly know what's going on with the whole story, everything is just not right there.
Art and sound are just a hit and miss every time. Art feels really good at the beginning (kind of reminds you of Kimi no na wa and other great shows), but during the movie, you can tell it's just a cheap copy. There are moments when you say "dude this art is just awful" and there are moments when it feels really nice. I can't tell why it is like that.
Characters? They are just existing. Their expressions and emotions are so off. Everyone in this movie looks dead inside (as well as me when I'm watching this). They kill the overall vibe, which is already not good.
So from what I understood, the whole moral of the story is something like "live to the fullest, don't be afraid doing things in life, because you never know when will be your last day" or something like that. I feel it's not a bad idea for the movie, but the execution in Kimi wa Kanata was painfully bad. Everything in the movie feels like it would do a good show overall, but apparently, it didn't work out - a really weird feeling.
If you are still wondering, should you watch this movie, you probably shouldn't, but if you want to waste over 90 minutes on watching this then go on. I can't recommend this show, I really wish it would have been done better. It just lacks many things, I can't even explain how complex is the problem of this show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
