Back to mathalaxryn's Profile mathalaxryn's Profile

Listen, I'm not here to tell you that reLIFE will blow your mind away.

This anime is somehow a mix of good quality already existing animes with no outstanding plus. It's definitely a winning recipe, but there's really nothing more to say about it.

The biggest flaw, in my opinion, is the lack of exploitation in the main story - the fact that a pill exists to bring your body back to 10 years earlier. I'm not saying the genre should've been sci-fi or thriller or supernatural, but it would've help to have a bit more knowledge about everything besides that pill.

The art and ... the sound are pretty great. The characters are, for the most part, very similar to what you'd get in other animes. In fact, if you've ever watched Kimi no Todoke, you'll find quite a lot of similarities between some of the characters, should it be the awkward but very clever girl or the hot student with good grades. The only big plus on this point is that the main character does learn a lot of stuff and that's pretty much the main thing.

Overall it's a anime worth watching. It's certainly not the anime of the season, but it's definitely a runner-up. There are some flaws, but it's pretty entertaining and nice to watch. :)

I'm one of those who haven't read the manga before watching the anime, so this review might not please you for this particular reason. I know most people who gave a negative feedback for this anime had read the manga before, so I'm just protecting myself here.

Story : 8/10

Deadman Wonderland has a very peculiar story, which is, as most people specified, very long, but due to the small amount of episode, very compressed. Fitting a story this big in only 12 episodes is a hard job and it wasn't entirely done well here.

The story takes you to a prison which is also an ... amusement park. The prisoners have to get points by entertaining people who visit the amusement park to get 'points' which are the prison's currency. Prisoners who are on the death row have huge necklace which slowly inject poison in their bodies, resulting in death after 72h. The antidote to this poison is found in special candies.

A special place of the prison, the G block, is reserved for prisoners who have special powers, the sin branches, which allow them to control their blood in various ways (similar to Kyokai no kanata, in a way). Those prisoners are nicknamed with bird species names and fight for the pleasure of wealthy people in matches where the loser has to face a penalty game, resulting in the loss of one of his or her body parts.

The story begins when the main character ends up in the prison after being falsely accused of killing all of his classmates. The person who killed his classmates is the source of all sin branches and infected him with it, giving him powers.

You follow the main character in his journey in the prison, meeting people, adapting to the harsh prison and fighting, of course.

Art: 8/10

The art didn't impress me, nor did it disappoint me. It's a style that is very versatile and the special effects were well done, in my opinion.

Sound : 9/10

The anime being a thriller, you have to feel some anxiety when you watch it and personally, the sound was what did it for me. The very exciting music and the special effects surrounding the deaths and battles was very, very well done.

Character : 7/10

The lowest point of my review. The characters are very, very, very stereotyped. There wasn't an episode I couldn't compare one of the characters to another one from another anime. The main character is your typical weakling that becomes stronger, such as Naruto. His friend, Shiro, resemble the very naive girl you might find when watching animes like Kobato or Elfen Lied. Some side characters were very typical too, ranging from the muscle-head that ends up being kind as hell and the traitor who ends up being an ally. The characters didn't impress me and most of them didn't have much development. The main character doesn't have the time to develop much in so little episodes and this is a bit disappointing.

Enjoyment : 9/10

Deadman Wonderland is full of surprises. Surprises that do not always get explaining or conclusion. For my part, this didn't bother me. I had a very good time watching the 12 episodes and couldn't take my eyes of the screen.

Overall : 8/10

If you start watching Deadman Wonderland with the hopes of having all your questions answered, you will be disappointed. It is true and I will not be denying it, this anime is incomplete. Many questions arise when you start watching it. Who, how, why, what ? Most of them won't get answered. You will be left with an ending that isn't disappointing in itself, but it leaves you to believe that there will be more, but there won't. It's over.

Some people get very angry with that and to be honest, I'm usually one of those people. For some reason however, maybe because the anime compensated in many other ways, I wasn't upset at all by the ending. I felt like the characters were left in a point where their story would continue and that I didn't have to know more, I didn't have to know if everyone would finally know the truth. I leave that behind and I leave it without regrets. I definitely recommend this anime for a boring evening, with a bowl of popcorn aside. Enjoy!

I'm probably going to get tons of negative comments about this, but for some reasons, Puella Magi Madoka Magica didn't live to the expectation I got while reading the reviews on MAL, or the other ones online.

EDIT : it's come to my attention that it would be important to precise that I was new to the Maho Shoujo genre, which might cause disagreement upon my review. It's understandable, really. I wrote this review with nothing to compare the anime to.

Story : 7/10

I was in my horror anime phase when Madoka came to me in a suggested anime list. For this only point, the ... anime deserves a strong 10. The ambiance is creepy and a lot more will be said on the Art/Sound points. However, since this is really about the story, I might want to explain why the anime deserve a 7 from my part. I really, really felt like the story was way (way, way, way) too much for the small amount of episodes. Madoka brings you to an universe that had a lot of potential : magic. Dealing with magic in an anime is pretty much opening every possible door and I felt like only a few were opened. Sure, the witches were present to doom this world and make fall in despair and agony, but there are some details that weren't clear, that didn't satisfy my curiosity of always knowing more. I'm like that, so it's pretty much a personal overview.

Art : 8/10

Ok, very good art, BUT, only on the scary side. The characters were well drawn, but pretty much all over the same height, same kind of face, same kind of clothes. HOWEVER, the witches art, everything that is inside them is completely insane. It's a crazy universe, at one time very creepy and awfully ugly. This, along with the sound effects I will talk about, makes watching Madoka worthwhile.

Sound : 10/10

Incredible. The music, the sound effects, everything. You say magic, you get magic. Sounds are well done, incredibly accurate for the ambiance of the anime. This deserves a strong 10, or even 11 if I could.

Character : 6/10

This is where I lost it. I understand how people might have seen the friendship, the bonds and especially the struggle of the characters, trying to save the world knowing they were doomed to begin with, but I didn't see it quite this way. In my opinion, Homura is the only character that deserve an higher note than 6. Madoka is the classic main character who does the impossible at the very end to save it, while Mami is the strong and confident character that guides the other on the right path. Sayaka is the weak-hearthed but strong-willed character who wants to help but can't and Kyoko is the classic vilain-not-so-vilain character. Again, I understand how people could have seen the over view of the characters, the bonds they shared, but I'm analyzing them on a personal point of view and on an individual basis.

Enjoyment : 6/10

For my part, everything was really rushed in. For some animes, this method works, they're made to be fast (I'm thinking of Btooom! or Elfen Lied, for example). However, Madoka, in my humble opinion, deserved way more episodes than that (I know there were movies, but please bare with me, I'm rating the anime). I watched it really fast and I think that it just went by, nothing really had the time to amaze me, even the 'so massive' plot twist of the end.

Overall : 7/10

Madoka Magica is a nice anime. It has some fairly good points, it is creepy and it gets you in an hollow mood. Pretty much what you'd be looking for if you were seeking something similar to Higurashi no Naku Koro, which, in a way, shares many similarities (young girls, normal ambiance mixed with very creepy and scary stuff). I would recommend Madoka Magica, but with caution. I know it is considered as a masterpiece by many users on here, but for me, it was only a good anime with amazing music and sounds, but way too short for it's potential.

As always, critics are welcomed, but only if you motive them for a reason different than '' I liked it, your review is bad, you suck ''. Thanks for reading!

Regret. What does this word tell you ? What does it bring back, what kind of memories ? Anohana gets right to the center of this fearful and how horrible emotion.

Story : 9/10

Anohana has a very peculiar story, which is a mix between slice of life and supernatural. Jintan, the main character, is the only person who can see the ghost of Menma, a friend he lost when he was younger. Slowly, you learn about how Jintan and Menma were members of a group of friends, a group of had separated since a long time. As the anime goes, you get to meet ... everyone of this group and how and why Menma came back. A pretty nice story, in my opinion, with a few lacks, especially surrounding the whole 'wish' of Menma.

Art : 8/10

I don't have much to see on here. The art of Anohana is great. It is nice, clear and well done. It isn't amazing, the colors won't make you fall out of your chair, but you will enjoy it pretty nicely.

Sound : 10/10

Secret Base, by Machida Norihiko, is what really makes Anohana one of the best anime I've had the chance to watch. The song is sweet, soft and it tells us about many things that were part of the anime. It is on my Iphone, on my computer, on my Ipod, everywhere I can listen to it, I will. Plus, you also get a lot of nice sound effets, in the forests or simply the sound of summer, which said like this sound a bit stupid, but really adds to the atmosphere of the anime.

Character : 10/10

I would put a 100/10 if I could. Regret could be the most pertinent word to use here. Is it my fault ? Was I the one who killed her ? The struggle of those questions can push people to do things that you wouldn't deem them capable of doing. A struggle shared by 5 friends, a struggle that affected them all deeply. What did Menma had that made them so sad, that changed them so much ? Why can't they forget her ? All of those questions find answers in the anime and those answers are worth waiting for.

Enjoyment : 10/10

All good things come to an end (not the Nelly Furtado song, though). Anohana is a really deep and touching anime, you don't really 'enjoy' watching it. It really rips your heart and make you feel emotions you probably don't want to feel. It brings back all kind of memories, could they be sad or happy. It brings back your childhood and the people you lost, the fun you had and that you can't feel anymore. It makes you think about the past, in a certain nostalgic atmosphere.

Overall :10/10

Anohana is a masterpiece, to my point of view. I could understand if someone was to disagree with this, but my opinion is strong and it will not change. Anohana brought me sadness but it brought me something that I never really had watching an anime : memories. It brought back so much from my past and made me feel things I hadn't felt in a while. I went to see the movie, I even got the poster and the letters. I cried and cried and I could cry again if I were to watch it another time. Really, I think that I found the anime that will truly be in my heart forever, seems like it was playing hide-and-seek until then. ;)

Cardcaptor Sakura, even when I didn't know back then, was the first touch I had with CLAMP. After being somehow disappointed by Chobits, I decided to start Kobato. Here's my review of this anime that will warm you heart.

Story : 9/10

The story of Kobato is pretty simple. We don't know much at first, but it seems that Kobato has to heal broken hearts to realize her wish. Broken hearts, as we and Kobato understand, can be hard to understand and especially to heal. The first 5-6 episodes are completely devoted to this understanding of how the 'konpeito' works. I will tell more about ... the story on the characters review.

Art: 10/10

This was my biggest fear, as what really turned me off on Chobits was the art, which didn't please me. Kobato was a complete opposite. Characters are overly cute, of course, so you should be aware of that. Hair that almost touches the ground, clothes that are almost surreal, Kobato can't really be considered as a normal japanese girl, but that's because she is not. The art is really, really good and the scenery is amazing.

Sound : 8/10

The voice of Kobato is really, really nice. She has this kind of way to sing that really warms you up. However, she only sings one song in the entire anime, which is a bit disappointing. The song is really cute, really well written and representative of the anime. Overall, you can't really say that the sound was bad on Kobato, it was just non-diversified.

Character : 10/10

This is where the good part comes. For the first 5-6 episodes, you might be disappointed and think that this is what the entire anime will be : an episodical anime following the type of Natsume Yuujinchu or even Jigoku Shoujo, where the main character pretty much stays the same all over the anime. However, when Kobato reaches to her kindergarten school, all of this goes away. The character development is amazing. Kobato really grows and learns and it's so nice to see her understand, to feel her joy and sadness, to watch her realize how much this world has to offer. She really is an amazing character and in her own way she also changes everyone she meets.

Enjoyment : 10/10

I'm having goosebumps as I'm typing this review. Kobato really touched me and I would recommend it to anyone who's looking for a really soft anime, but well written and really, really full of surprises. The ending of the anime will not disappoint you, that I can assure.

Overall : 10/10

Kobato is the second anime to deserve a 10 from my part. This anime was pure gold. I learned to love Kobato and her naivety, but also wanted to protect her and see her understand the world she lived in, and she did. It was such a joy to see her grow so much and to watch her heal people, live and laugh, to see her change the people she met and to see them slowly starting to love her, to miss her. You can't skip Kobato, because it really is worth it.

Story : 7/10

Btooom! takes you to a world that has been seen before in the world of anime, would it be from Sword Art Online or Mirai Nikki. It is really a mix of both and shares the same type of action/thriller feeling. Not much is said about how the Btooom! game works, however, which is one of the lacking points, in my opinion. One character can say that that's 'how it worked' in the game, but never will the user really see what was indeed the way to play, except for the first 2 minutes of the show.

Art : 8/10

Btooom! really has an ... amazing scenery, but since it's on a deserted island, you get to see pretty much the same things over and over again. The characters are well drawn and the gore part of the anime is really well done (saying 'decomposed' should ring a bell here).

Sound : 10/10

There is not much to say here. The explosions sounds are real, genuine and clearly well thought. The voices of the character all share their own personalities.

Character : 6/10

Not much is impressive on this point on Btooom! The characters are plain, going from the classic-huge-cleavage-almost-got-raped-blond-girl to the guy-that-has-a-plan, we don't see much that is very well thought. Needless to say, the character development is pretty much absent.

Enjoyment : 7/10

With only 12 episodes, it is hard not to enjoy Btooom!. The story goes fast and keeps you on a track for all twelve episodes. It is indeed pretty horrible to end on such an horrible note, however, with many questions left unanswered, which explains my grade on this category.

Overall : 7/10

Btooom! has it's good points, nobody can deny it. The plot is twisted and some of the images are pretty horrible to watch, so you should be warned. It's easy to go through all twelve episodes in a day or two, so you don't have to plan ahead. Just start it when you feel like spending a nice time with a pretty nice story and some nice thrill, but don't expect much conclusion, because you won't get any!