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I'm not entirely sure what it is that kept me watching Jinsei for 9 episodes, because I don't remember finishing an episode and thinking "Yeah, that was pretty good". This is a majoritively negative review.


Story; 6/10

For some reason that I can't recall being explained, this high school has two different newspaper clubs. Our main characters are in the Second and run a life advice column. But oh darn it, they can't ever agree on anything because they're all ridiculously opposite to one another. In comes Yuuki Akamatsu, the new member tasked with getting this club's shit together.
An /okay/ sounding story on the surface, Jinsei had ... its moments.
An episode generally has someone write to the club with their problem, the girls can't decide on an answer, so they go do something and pull an answer out of their asses by the 20th minute.


Art; 7/10

I'm no expert, but I can't say Jinsei is bad looking. Quite the opposite, really. The show is colorful and pretty nicely animated.


Sound; 6/10

Again, not really confident to say a lot about sound. The OP is catchy enough and has managed to get stuck in my head as I write this. Upbeat and generally matches the tone of the show. I didn't really like the ED, though.


Character; 5/10

I feel like this is where Jinsei needed to sell itself. With plots only lasting an episode or two, the characters need to be likeable. For the most part, they're okay. Just okay.
More or less archetypes on legs, the Second Newspaper Club really aren't anything special to me. Ikumi Suzuki the tomboy sports player, Rino Endou - a nerdy, tsundere Homura Akemi, and Fumi Kujou, the boobs.
The other member, Yuuki Akamatsu, is so far into the "normal guy" territory that there's just nothing noteable about him other than his mandatory love interest in Rino. Which, surprisingly, is the enjoyable aspect of the show.
No real development in any of the characters over the episodes I watched other than the relatonship between Yuuki and Rino edging closer to the 'dating' zone.


Enjoyment; 6/10

As I said in the beginning, Jinsei does have its moments. Over the episodes I managed to sit through I found myself both laughing out loud and taking a break half way to do something else because I could not keep watching.
Jinsei is nothing if not mediocre. I'd say watch this if shitty humor and the occasional cheap bit of fanservice is your thing. Otherwise, go watch something else.

Alright, let's give this another go! - Updated review. One slight tiny spoiler after the end of Story.

Story: 7

Akuma no Riddle is set in Myoujou Academy, an academy that teaches grade school through to university. In said Academy, specifically Year 10, is the Black Class. In this year's Black Class, 12 assassins face off in a competition to eliminate the 1 target among them, Haru Ichinose. The winner is given anything she desires, and failures are simply expelled. A pretty neat sounding concept, right?
After finishing the series, the only thing that springs to mind when reviewing the story is 'wasted potential'. Akuma no Riddle could ... have done so much more, but instead decided to follow a repetitive structure for over half of it's short span and suddenly dump a whole load of 'what the fuck is going on' in the last moments. I feel the issue with the story is either that the show was not long enough for what the writers wanted to do, or they took too long trying to do it. My biggest problem with AnR is that everything is just so convenient and just so happens to work out, but despite the issues it's not so bad the show is un-watchable.

[SPOILER] It all went downhill after "Let me show you my true form!" [/SPOILER]



Art: 7

I'm no expert with art, but AnR is visually pleasing. Nothing spectacular, but it's far from dull.


Sound: 7

Quite honestly one of my favourite OPs so far. It really fits the show and I found I never skipped it. One thing in particular I loved was how every episode had a different ED. I can't say I loved all of the songs themselves, but it's new (to me, at least) and added a little extra. The idea of using a new ED was to 'fit' it to the assassin that the episode had focused on. For example, episode 5 is Haruki's ED.
The OST as a whole is nothing memorable, but it works nicely.


Character: 7

This is where AnR had the most potential. Did it live up to it? Just about. Don't get me wrong, I found all the girls like-able, and I had favourites, but the only one I ended up caring for was Haruki. Almost every one of the assassins has their time in the spotlight to show their personality, motives and backstories. However, once they had this moment, they were gone.
The main focus of AnR is the relationship between Tokaku Azuma and Haru Ichinose. Tokaku vows to become Haru's guardian, which explains the Shoujo Ai. Tokaku is, unfortunately, one of the most boring protagonists I've ever come across. Tokaku is a frown on legs carrying a load of wasted potential on her shoulders. Haru, on the other hand, is so optimistic and cheery I want to leap through the screen and take her down myself. Haru's redemption, however, lies in her development. Watching her turn from a smiling bag of rainbows to a ballsy heroine that could finally hold her own was one of the best things about the show.
Special shoutout to the homeroom teacher Mizorogi for being blissfully unaware and still trying to keep the class together.

Enjoyment: 8

Despite its issues, I enjoyed Akuma no Riddle very much. I'm a sucker for survival games and a female cast, so I was drawn to this immediately. Did I expect differently? Yes. Am I disappointed? Only slightly. Would I watch this again? In a heartbeat.

Thank you for reading! Feedback is always appreciated.