Bang Dream! is definitely different from K-On. The band aspects and the good music were in a way similar, but that’s the end of it. Bang Dream! shines on its own. The story is actually generic, its the usual plot that you see in any slice-of-life animes starring only high school girls. But what separates them from the bunch would be the characters and the progression of their story. The pacing was quite slow compared to the usual pacing of a slice-of-life high school girls anime, but very compact and solid as they were able to showcase everything. Their setting was also quite interesting. Yes,
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you don’t see much guys/men in the series, but the thought of having a studio cafe for girl bands sounds really BADASS. Even though it was unrealistic, it was still fun to watch it.
I do want to point out the use of episodic introduction/focused arcs of the lead characters. It is the usual trope that we see on SoL, but I am getting tired of it. It would have been great if they layered each of their arcs since the beginning, then slowly their arcs would unfold. Just like how they handled Saaya’s arc. That’s the ideal way of storytelling, showing subtle moments of her struggle and background in every episode to get that right Bang! (pun intended) at the exact episode where her arc is focused. That way the viewers watching would appreciate each member/lead character of the series.
Cuz I am talking about the some of the characters anyway, gonna start sharing my thoughts about them.
Like the story, the characters were generic but still, really likeable. The main character, Kasumi, is your typical genki MC. She’s noisy, sociable, friendly and optimistic. I’ll be honest, I’m not too fond of her. Out of all the main girls, she’s my least favorite. Still, her role in getting everyone together is quite vital and she is pretty much the foundation of their group. The moment she collapsed, everything else fall as well. Even though I’m not too fond of her, I do empathize and understand her struggles. Her development wasn’t that large, but dang, it resonates hard. Her struggles near the end reminded me alot of my own hardships. So seeing her stand up again, with the help of her bandmates/friends, was really heartwarming.
Now, for the other members of Poppin’ Party, my most favorite character would be Arisa. She’s the tsundere one, and she is very precious. After seeing her in the very first episode, I know there was something with her that was different. Not only that she is smart, she’s also innocent when it comes to friendship. Like I said, she’s precious. I also like that she’s pretty much the voice of reason in the group, and I totally get her. Oh! oh! Oh! Her friendship with Kasumi is so cute and precious. It’s very genuine. Though compared to the early episodes of the series, their display of friendship lessen. Still, you can easily tell that both of them cares for each other and are pretty much besties status. I am a bit disappointed though, her background wasn’t tackled much. It would be nice that she would get a proper arc in the next seasons. After all, I wanted to know more about her.
Saaya, the one who got the most development, she’s okay. Her first encounter with Kasumi was weird, but in a way, realistic. I like that she interacts well with Kasumi even though the latter is crazy. Like I said above, she got the ideal character arc, and that definitely helped us, viewers, know more about her and her struggles. Her struggles were really relatable and her confrontation scene with Kasumi was one of the best I had seen in awhile. (kudos to the writers!)
Rimi also got a decent amount of development. She’s really shy and timid, but I liked that she was able to overcome her fears and be able to shine like her own sister. She’s really cute too. Also, her being the bass player and the one composing their music….definitely a PLUS to me.
Lastly, Tae. She’s peculiar. Tae’s someone who loves music and in a way…kinda dumb. She resonates well with Kasumi and goes along well with the other members. I can’t really say much about her, cuz she’s forgettable and the least developed member of the group.
As a group, the lead characters play well with each other. Even though they are different in terms of personality, they still have the right amount of cohesiveness to make they group work.
I don’t much opinion about the other supporting characters. Most of them are there only cuz of the story, though I do wanna point out that there’s actually parents involve in this series. It makes this series more grounded and realistic.
Now, for the art and animation. Bruh, they actually used CG correctly. I had seen alot of failed attempts in using CG in idol animes. I always wished for it to improve. Seeing this series to have a decent CG, especially during the performances, it made the series more fun to watch and enjoyable. The character designs looked generic, but they are actually not bad. The overall art was pretty decent. Even the lighting and color scheme of the series wasn’t painful in the eyes. It was also consistent. Definitely alot better than I expected.
Of course, I won’t move on until I discuss its music.
Infairness, they actually have good music. They are fun and easy to listen to. I can’t really compare them to the awesome K-On discography, but Bang Dream!’s music are pretty decent. I’ll definitely check their music out.
Overall, Bang Dream! was what I expected it to be, a simple slice-of-life anime about girls getting into music and form a band. In some ways, this anime is quite similar to some of the idol animes out there and I am not complaining. Bang Dream! actually delivers. I had fun watching the series.
I would definitely recommend this to everyone who likes idol animes or the current plot-trend of slice-of-life, you guys would definitely like this series. If you are not part of that niche, I think you can still enjoy watching this one.
Anyway, that is all for now.
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Oct 22, 2018
BanG Dream!
(Anime)
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Bang Dream! is definitely different from K-On. The band aspects and the good music were in a way similar, but that’s the end of it. Bang Dream! shines on its own. The story is actually generic, its the usual plot that you see in any slice-of-life animes starring only high school girls. But what separates them from the bunch would be the characters and the progression of their story. The pacing was quite slow compared to the usual pacing of a slice-of-life high school girls anime, but very compact and solid as they were able to showcase everything. Their setting was also quite interesting. Yes,
...
Oct 22, 2018
Ballroom e Youkoso
(Anime)
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It ended. One of my favorite animes this year just ended. Uuuwwwwaaaaa.
I’m sad. But at the same time, I’m also happy cuz I love how the series ended. And yeah, I know its an original ending. Still, it was written and supervised by the author itself, that’s why it was still so satisfying. I might say, its one of the best original ending I had ever seen. Maybe I’m kinda biased, but nah, so be it. I really really love this anime. I enjoyed watching this every week. From the story to the long necks, I appreciate them all. I do admit, it had some flaws here ... 
Oct 22, 2018
Asagao to Kase-san.
(Anime)
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Asagao to Kase-san OVA was really good. It didn’t disappoint. I could really tell that they adapted the source material really well. I’m so happy!
The OVA starts off around the time when Yamada & Kase were just started dating. You get to see their really really cute innocent & awkward moments together. But it’s not only happiness and rainbows, we get to see the struggles of the couple, especially on Yamada’s part, as Kase is quite popular in their school. If we compare this to the manga, they sure skipped alot of scenes and chapters. Still, the OVA feels compact and complete, like the scriptwriter ... 
Oct 22, 2018
I started watching this OVA without even knowing the premise, so my expectations for this one was quite low. From the first few minutes of the anime, I immediately thought that this one is a game adaptation. The atmosphere and the graphics gave it away. The 3D look of the airship reminds me alot of the video games I use to play when I was young. It was definitely nostalgic.
From the first 10 minutes of the anime, I wasn’t hooked at all. There was no world building, no explanation about WTF was going on. All I see was a guy in a failing airship, a ... 
Oct 22, 2018
Aozora Shoujo-tai
(Anime)
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This one..is a weird yet likeable. Even me, I don’t understand. All I know is that I really really like and enjoyed watching this odd ball short OVA series.
The main story focuses to the 801st Squadron, and the never-ending love triangle rivalry between the main heroines to the main protagonist. Each episode focuses on a specific plot, but its still telling the overarching narrative of the main story. You can pretty much tell this series is from the 90’s with the weird but passable comedy, its quite amusing and interesting watching it. It never made me laugh, but I did slap my forehead a couple ... 
Oct 22, 2018
Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm
(Anime)
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Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm is actually a ‘sports’ anime, or I consider it to be. It follows the main protagonist as she discovers how amazing and fun the sport, Flying Circus, was. Flying Circus is a sport about flying fast and hitting the back of the enemy to point. Its very intriguing and definitely interesting. The sport itself attracted me, that’s why I got into this series. The story follows like any other typical slice-of-life sports anime. Still, it was enjoyable. I do admit, there were some pacing issues on some episodes in the middle part of the series. There were some episodes
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Oct 22, 2018
Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara
(Anime)
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Food porn season 2!!! I recently finished this anime. I watched this cuz next season, the 3rd installment of this series will air, and this time, I’m planning on watching it weekly.
What I really like about this series was that the anime feels like its a shounen anime even though it doesn’t have any action sequences. It was that intense, every cooking competition was really intense and thrilling, I can’t even stop pressing the next button every time an episode ends. The art and animation were consistent all throughout the series. I really really loved the fact they parodied some of shounen famous anime scenes (like ... 
Oct 22, 2018
I had low expectations for this anime. Even though many people were in awe by this anime when this first aired, it seems the hype died down later on.
The premise was quite interesting but also confusing at the same time. I did get the gist later on. I do have problems with its pacing, but it was bearable cuz of the visuals. The gritty, dark and edgy animation turned off me at first, but I was able to adjust and liked it later on. It fits well with the theme and story of the anime. The anime is full of action, adventure, gore and even ... 
Oct 22, 2018
Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism
(Anime)
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An ecchi harem anime, where girls were wielding swords, and the guy had…invisible gun on his hands?!?! Sigh. It’s really absurd but it works.
The story went full circle at the very end, but it lacked impact. The suppose climax scenes didn’t give off enough thrill to make me appreciate it. At least I find the pacing good. The art and animation is on par with other animes, nothing new. The characters were meh. Even the main character was boring. There’s a bit of character development on some of the cast, but it didn’t save the anime. I did enjoy watching the all to common anime tropes ... 
Oct 22, 2018
I was expecting that this anime would suck, but it didn’t. It was able to make me finish the whole season, at least. The story isn’t that solid, even the pacing was all over the place. I won’t say that this anime is the best or bad, it’s at least watchable.
The art and animation was on par with other animes released last year. The action scenes were done poorly. The characters other than the main ones were boring and too 2D. It’s they were just place there. The main characters, Kuro and Mahiru had great character development, especially the latter. I also liked the development ... |
