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Aug 26, 2023
Just like many Miyazaki works, Howl's Moving Castle is a beautiful and ambient movie. And that's as far as it goes. The 4 points I gave to it are purely for that reason - good visuals, good music. The rest, especially the story... Absolute. Mess.
I know it's not a good thing to compare the original work and its movie adaptation, but this particular case is an exception for me. If while watching you feel even for a moment that the characters/plot are confusing, the pace is hard to follow or any other story-related nuances are just somehow off - and you will definitely feel that
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- the sole reason is that the adaptation is horrible and this work was never meant to be made by Miyazaki.
The original book brought out the characters' imperfections and the story was heavily based on exploring them. Howl was a grown-up-child who liked fancy clothes and procrastinating. Sophie was an independent down-to-earth woman who would obviously have fights with him all the time. And this was the core of the story.
Don't worry, these are no spoilers for the movie because it COMPLETELY omits this important and exciting part, instead introducing a cutesy Disney-like love story with relationships between characters magically turning out great, and with 70% of the exciting plot completely cut out to the point you'd be surprised how fast everything was over. No character development or explanations of what's happening. The characters are stale and too obviously idealised.
Overall impression - boring and confusing, but pretty.
If you like cheesy magical love stories, this might be for you. But if you're looking for something well-written with hidden philosophies and deep meanings, just go read the book, this movie is completely bland.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jul 20, 2021
"Tenshi nanka janai" is one of the most pleasant and chill OVAs that I've ever seen. I can't say it's different from any other 90s school romance, but it's certainly not bad in any way.
Oblviously, you cannot fit much character development or plot in 30 minutes and there is absolutely no complexity except for the complex worryings of the main character. However, I got a strange feeling of comfort as I watched it. The plot is linear and easy to follow, I assume the creators cut out a lot of things from the manga, but it was done really carefully so none of the
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blank spaces bother you. The characters aren't overly dramatic which simply lets you enjoy the chill romcom.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 12, 2021
Considering the fact that this is but a short indie BL story, the manga is quite enjoyable. I personally liked the fact that a mental issue is addressed, but there are multiple warnings not to take the events of the manga as a realistic depiction of it. It really puts you at ease from the start, so you can enjoy reading without any uncomfortable feelings.
The plot is centred on a complicated relationship between two amusement park workers, one of which has multiple different personalities. If you take this condition as a metaphor, you might even enjoy it a self-search/self-recovery story.
The art is very smooth and
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refined, kind of makes you feel like you're experiencing a dream, so does the dynamic narrative style. The main character is a bit shallow, but does not go below the average level of BL protagonist. It is well compensated by a variety of well-thought personalities in his split-personality love interest, though.
All in all, although short, this yaoi is quite decent and easy to read. And well, since it's short, you can easily finish it even if it's boring and at least enjoy the art.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 10, 2021
[This contains some comparisons to season one]
Just like the first season, this anime has hypnotizing characters and super attractive aesthetics. Everything is fired up by implementing new characters in this season, too! However, there's a number of reasons why I rated season one 10/10, but am now giving this an 8/10.
First of all, the pace. Some might like it, some might not. The pace in this anime is noticeably waltzing. It goes slowly from one culmination to another, and sometimes you just find yourself bored and waiting for the next one. It isn't a big deal if you enjoy the characters' casual convos, but it
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becomes one if you prefer having favorites and waiting for them to appear. you know what im talking bout, right?
Another tiiiny problem would be the new supporting characters, actually. For some reason, they feel a bit shallow in this season. They are attractive, recognizable and quite understandable, but I kinda wanted to see some depth all the time, and never managed to, unfortunately. Moreover, the screentime for side characters is quite miserable and you forget them after some time.
As for the rest, this show is perfect. There's a new badass female character, which is really refreshing, esp until the middle of the show. The same exciting soundtracks are killing it, although the ending is kinda weird again. If the pace wasn't so slow and kinda sloppy this time, this would've also been a 10/10 for sure.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 29, 2021
Black Butler might not be something every single person can enjoy, but it sure is something everyone should at least peek at. This show is genuinely unique. It is true that some characters may come off as annoying or cliche, but the overall setting, the design, the chemistry, the mystery, the Victorian ambiance and the concept of the story are top notch. It has been several years since I'd first watched this and I am still so deeply attached to this style and so sad there aren't many works like this in the anime world. It doesn't really matter that there are yaoi implications and
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crazy characters, to be honest, because it's mostly what that era required in an anime. So, if you just try to be a little less serious about cliche stuff, this show is guaranteed to give you 10/10 enjoyment.
I should note, though, that the manga is much more enjoyable and makes much more sense. The way the story develops in this particular season is a bit misleading and even kinda uncomfortable, for me as a manga reader, at least. And even if I wasn't one, it's pretty obvious that the show makes some kind of a twist midway and the story becomes weird. So if you get serious about this franchise, you should really read the manga in order to understand what's going on and why, which is kinda troublesome.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 20, 2021
This anime is comfort itself. It is a light sketch, so gentle and honest that while I wasn't super-excited for the characters, I found myself unable to stop empathizing. It is so SO different from your usual yaoi or even shounen-ai anime. The most notable part of this is that there is no seme/uke division and it's a rare case of an actual healthy gay relationship, NOT FETISHIZED as an anime trope. The slight touch of appropriate wholesome gayness in comical and angsty situations made me experience faith in humanity again.
It's really easy to enjoy this, in just an hour you get a plentiful story,
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from the beginning until the end, very cozy and neatly drawn. However, although I haven't seen or read the original source, i could clearly see that it exists somewhere and can fill me in on much more details than I could notice in the movie. That would probably be its only (questionably) major drawback.
In general though, I am willing to give this not even a 9, but a 10/10 for it's extreme wholesomeness, comfort and rarity. I really wish there were more pieces like this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 11, 2021
As a devoted Black Butler fan, I have spent years waiting for something remotely aesthetically similar, and this is where I FINALLY found it. Imagine if Black Butler and Death Note had a perfect bishounen love child - this is what Moriarty the Patriot is. And it's one of those children that takes the best from both parents. Where Black Butler was historically inaccurate and kind of goofy, this anime is surprisingly thorough in its authenticity while also keeping the dreamy ambiance of 19th century England. While Light from Death Note goes overboard with his "justice" and lacks rationality despite being extremely clever, William Moriarty
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stays collected and true to his careful "justice plan" instead of thoughtlessly eliminating people. That, in return, gives this show a very elegant vibe and barely any reason to cringe, unlike most anime not set in Japan.
Story 9/10
This anime follows the theory of there being three Moriarty brothers instead of one James Moriarty, and while I'm not going to spoil anything, you should know that the story behind the brothers is extremely well-written and captivating, especially for something not being based on Conan Doyle books. That said, most of the plot still follows the original books as much as possible, while also taking time to explore the characters a bit differently. My favorite part is that instead of Sherlock's side, we get to the the mastermind's - Moriarty's - side, and how the perfect crime is organized, not solved. The story hasn't got boring a single time, so it's definitely worth watching just because of that!
Art 9/10
While not something I would call outstanding, the art is fairly good and clean. The landscapes are beautiful, just what you would want to see in a historical drama, and the whole anime is well-balanced visually. There is some good-looking color play - classically, some red flashing here and there with its usual meanings of fear, danger and power. Character design is really something, though! Especially of William Moriarty - angelic face with "Sebastian eyes"/"Kira eyes".
Sound 8/10
The soundtrack effectively helps you immerse in the story, although it is nothing beyond expectation. The opening is great and catchy and kinda epic, with the lyrics referencing the story and the whole vibe of the anime is conveyed really well. The ending song may come across as a bit unusual/unsuitable for this specific anime.
Characters 10/10
I shall reference Black Butler one last time to say it's like Black Butler, but less cringy. There is a lot of careful thought, the characters' behavior is quite mature for an anime - I shall even assume that someone who had never watched anime before could watch this and genuinely enjoy it. Despite the characters being significantly younger than the books describe, most are still designed following the books.
The characters of the Moriarty brothers are amazing - they are all distinct, and it's not like everything is set around William only, because it is their unity that makes "Moriarty" so impressive. The character of Sherlock is also intriguing, although a bit too childish, in my opinion.
All in all, despite some minor drawbacks, like less screen time for Moriarty as Sherlock appears, and the story going a bit hastily since there are only 11 episodes, the whole show itself is straight up incredible and it is very hard not to enjoy it. And what's important, this one won't trigger you if you are a fan of authentic settings and realistic behavior, but it still possesses the magic aura of Victorian era.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 23, 2020
Okay, so, unlike most people who watched this, I had not seen the Tatami Galaxy or anything at all by this director, so my opinion is only based on this particular movie and not the references I'd missed.
The first thing that grasped my whole attention is the characters. I don't know if any of them were featured anywhere previously, and I don't think it matters, because you can literally feel them just by looking at them once. I personally really liked the supporting characters and the kind of particular roles they were given in the story. Their image overall isn't that special, and the movie
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itself is partially focused on a cheesy romantic storyline, but the way this storyline is directed and realistically complicated on purpose is like a juicy red cherry on a pie - same goes for simple, tiny complications in each character.
The art is also quite peculiar. Barely any shade, but the shapes stay so clean and the details are so in place that you don't really feel like something's missing. The filmography is amazing. The camera angles are amazing. Strongly recommend this one for artsy people, esp. photographers, it would really help you with inspiration even if this type of plot isn't really your thing.
I assume you can get somewhat lost in the context of stories and dialogues, but for me it did not ruin the enjoyment at all. Although I would recommend watching this with someone who knows a thing or another about Japan to get the cultural references at least. And actually, you might get overwhelmed by the amount of references, and the same goes for the amount of the culmination points, which does make it a bit hard to perceive the timeline of the movie, but apart from that - it's clearly outstanding.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 27, 2020
THIS ANIME IS SO MEDIOCRE that you cannot call it bad, but it's really hard to say it's good either.
Everything about "Dance with Devils" is extremely predictable, which is why it's hard to enjoy it to the fullest. Seriously, I could tell what would happen in episodes 9 to 11 already after watching the 1st and 2nd episodes. There is some suspense, but it looks rather like a miserable attempt to create one. And it is not only the plot, but the characters too - not boring (mostly), but with plain, moderate personalities. They aren't original, so you could easily find a game or an
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anime with each of those personalities worked through much better than here.
The only thing that really stands out is the musical part. Although it stood out to me merely because it was utterly hilarious. As soon as you get into the plot, it is broken and crushed by some weird musical ballad. I doubt you would be able to take it seriously. But I shall admit that it looks like a good way to replace those cheesy manly phrases in every shoujo.
Another controversial point is the choice of voice actors. When the MC's brother was introduced, my jaw dropped because he sounded so out of place! The voices of male characters are somewhat low in general, so don't expect any real shota-like guys, no matter what you can see on the cover. By the way, the male characters were developed somewhat unbalanced, and were sketchy until the very end.
The main character is the one that surprised me in a good way. She's got her own will and actually gets the right to decide what to do with her life!!!! She isn't that interesting to watch nevertheless, but with the MC usually being the most problematic part for me in harems, this anime made me stay until the end because it wasn't annoying.
And that is it -- the strong point of this one is that despite the boring plot, the sketchy characters and the ridiculous sound, it didn't annoy me even a bit. You can watch it in a relaxed manner, getting some nostalgia over old cheesy otome games, and while it's definitely not a masterpiece, it's still some watchable material.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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