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Jun 17, 2019
Story: 5
The progression is as basic as can be: Yumeko defeats a new person every week in preparation for the big baddie, the president. I can't say that there's much of a story here. We know that Yumeko gambles because it's her lifeblood, but as there's no real reason other than that, that means the idea of a 'story' falls flat. There is no story. There's only Yumeko and her gambling. As for the other characters, we do learn about their backstories, but there's only so much you can cover in 12 episodes. That said, it's worth noting that these 12 episodes only really exist
...
to establish the characters and the academy itself. In my opinion, the story gets MUCH better in Season 2. Still, it doesn't excuse the fact that there's not really much story to feast our eyes on in this first season.
ALSO, one major thing that really annoys me is the cheating. The games more or less revolve around the expectation that someone will always, always be cheating. So, it becomes less about gambling and more about "who can spot the cheat first?". It's true that cheating is a thing in gambling and I don't think it should be excluded entirely from the series, but EVERY SINGLE EPISODE? I wish they'd vary it up a bit more. It takes the excitement out of it a little since it's like "oh but Yumeko will probably expose their cheat and win anyway, right?" and of course, it's true. The formula of this show makes it predictable after a certain amount of episodes, which is disappointing. Of course, the original games in Kakegurui are still very intriguing to watch, but the cheating gets a little annoying. The explanations of the cheats can also be a little confusing at times.
Art: 7
I really love the art in this series. The opening is really different to what you'd typically expect to see, but I found it so visually appealing. One thing worth noting is that even despite having a cast which is mainly female, there's NOT that much fanservice. The most fanservice appears in the opening rather than the actual show, which was a nice surprise. The detail which goes into depicting the contrast between "normal" and "caught in the throes of gambling" facial expressions is also remarkable. Some have commented that they didn't like the contrast, but with this show, I think it's a case where you've gotta just sit back and let it grow on you. I can't fault the art, if I'm completely honest. One thing though... it really bugged me how Yumemi's eyes were star-shaped. Small thing, but I remember thinking "god I wish she had normal eyes". That's the only thing that really stands out to me, but otherwise, the art was nice. I liked the character designs and felt they suited their respective characters, so yeah!
Sound: 10
LOVE the soundtrack for this series. So much that I went to the trouble of going on Spotify and saving a soundtrack playlist for personal listening. The opening theme is really addictive to listen to and when you're at the height of whatever gamble Yumeko's taking part in, you won't be able to ignore the soundtrack. Anything less than 10 would be a crime. The voice actors were also AMAZING at their roles. It was remarkable just how Yumeko could go from sounding soft and sweet to cold and ruthless (especially when addressing Midari).
Character: 6
Suzui, the 'normal' boy in this academy, is my major gripe with this series. He's so boring that he might as well not be in the show. Seriously, I didn't understand the reason for his presence. If we'd learned more about him I might've been able to tolerate him being on my screen, but he's more or less a cardboard cutout. He's meant to contrast all of the gambling freaks in his school, but instead, he fades into the background.
To the people who have complained about not being able to relate to the characters... it IS worth noting that this show is called "Kakegurui" (Compulsive Gambler). So, I don't think we're MEANT to be able to relate to them. They're all freaks. We're not meant to be able to understand them. That's what makes it so fun. We never know what they're going to do.
That said, there's not much character development. They're more or less gambling vessels and nothing more. We don't learn about the characters through their backstories, but rather, we learn about them through their resolve and their ambitions. Mary Saotome is a great example of this. With Yumeko... she doesn't really seem to have any ambitions beyond gambling, so she falls a little flat. I like her and I like that they've hinted towards expanding on her character a little more, but as it stands, her character isn't really much to marvel about so far. I think they're dragging out Yumeko's family backstory a little bit, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Enjoyment: 7
Despite the negatives I've mentioned so far, I really did enjoy this series. I was pulled in by the premise--so much that I finished the entire season in one night-- and though I wouldn't class this as a gambling anime (if you're watching this for the gambling, you'll be disappointed) I still enjoyed it! The soundtrack was amazing, the art was riveting and there's always a new character to offer an exciting game for Yumeko (and the audience) to enjoy. There are no boring episodes. That much is true. The games feel fresh and the characters always bring something interesting to the table. The only thing is that I wish Yumeko would develop as the plot did. Her gambling skill doesn't seem to change, and that stagnancy becomes more apparent as you progress through the plot. However, the show seems to realise this and focuses on Yumeko's opponents just as much--or more--as they do on her.
Hopefully, my review was able to help you make up your mind! Kakegurui-mashou~
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 20, 2018
Story: 8
Art: 7
Sound: 9
Character: 8
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 8
I'm writing this right after finishing the last episode, so I can assure you that it's all still fresh in my mind. I started this series after a recommendation from a friend. Originally, I only intended to watch the intro to get a feel for it before going to bed. I ended up watching the first two episodes before falling asleep. When I woke up, I watched the third. And then, when I got home, I binged my way through the rest of them. I don't make a habit of finishing series in the space of 24 hours, but
...
with this show... I don't know what it is. It's crude, we see a panty shot in the first thirty seconds (and that's not the worst of it) and the five male characters are perverts, but it's strangely entertaining. I'm not a fan of ecchi or anything of the sort, but it's the way that this show is able to use fanservice as its strength. Without the fanservice, it wouldn't be quite as hilarious as it is.
The fanservice appears to such an exorbitant amount that it's hilarious. Not to mention, with the exaggerated personalities of the characters, Prison School somehow manages to make it work. There's a guy who's obsessed with ants and coughs up blood due to canker sores, a guy who's obsessed with The Three Kingdoms and historical wars, a guy who's the literal dictionary definition of 'masochist', a guy that I don't even know how to CLASS and then there's our MC, Kiyoshi. The three main USC (Underground School Council) characters are quite a sight to behold too. There's Hana, the strange blonde with a pee fetish (honestly, I wasn't too much of a fan of those scenes) Meiko, the voluptuous sadist who could be said to be the strongest character in the entire series and Mari, the "crow user". All of these different characters put together, along with the addition of a few quirky others, makes for a strangely interesting show.
The story itself is what really intrigued me. With the amount of fanservice in this show, it's impossible to imagine that there could be a coherent plot behind it. However, Prison School does exactly that: it crafts an intricate plot while simultaneously employing the use of fanservice. If anything, I kind of grew immune to the fanservice after the first few episodes. In Prison School, the five boys are caught peeping and are therefore sentenced to a month in prison, hence the title 'Prison School'. The story revolves around them trying to escape, and in the midst, proving their innocence for the further crimes that they are accused of. Our history-obsessed guy, who I'll refer to as "yours truly" (honestly, I can't even remember his name. I only remember them calling him "filthy four-eyes" and the "yours truly guy" so I'll go with that) is the mastermind behind many of their plans and does many heroic things in order to save his comrades, such as defecating himself in a class full of girls and letting Kiyoshi stab him in the forehead with a fork. He even breaks his limited edition figures just to save everyone else from further punishment. While there isn't much 'character development' (I mean, the boys are just as perverted at the end as they were at the start) there's only twelve episodes so it would be fairly tough to squeeze in any character development. We get to see some interesting planning, unexpected plot progressions, some hilarious jokes and (if you're into it) fanservice. I can't really explain the story, even with it all fresh in my mind. It's something you have to watch for yourself to truly understand.
As for the art, it's surprisingly... detailed. I don't really have much to say about it. I really liked the visuals in the OP, though. I'll speak more about the OP in my next paragraph. The character designs are also suited to their characters; it's easy to differentiate between all the different characters. I didn't notice any problems with the art. In fact, one particular scene comes to mind where [slight spoiler] Meiko is holding a vibrating object in her hand and it's blurred so that the audience thinks that it's a sex toy, only to find out in the next episode that it's actually just a razor. [spoiler over.] I found that hilarious. The show was creative with its use of art in its own way, and I feel like I have to give it credit for that.
The sound was something I really enjoyed. The songs for both the OP and the ED are amazing. I loved both of them (although I love the OP just a little bit more) and I never skipped either of them while watching this show. The OP is incredibly catchy (I have it stuck in my head as I'm typing this) and the music also goes with the visuals given in the OP. They used the soundtrack effectively during the show itself, using it to show changes of mood and to alert the audience that something was about to go down. 9 might seem a little high, I know, but I'd have to say that the Prison School OP would make it into my top 5 (and if not that, then my top 10). It's an amazing OP, and that alone garners a score of 9. The voice actors did a really good job as well. Hana's VA did a commendable job as well, being able to sound gentle one minute and ravenous the next. She embodied Hana's temperamental mood perfectly. Not to mention, the VA for "yours truly" did a really good job as well. Also, one more thing, it was SO NICE not to have to hear the typical anime girl voice (you all know what I'm talking about) and there was actual variety in the female voices rather than every female character speaking with that same squeaky "K-K-Kiyoshi-kun?" voice complete with jiggling breasts and flushed cheeks. There was variety, and the VAs were very well suited to their roles. Because of the above reasons, I have no complaints about the sound whatsoever.
Like I've said in above paragraphs, I liked the variety of characters that the show had to offer, and for that I gave the rating of 8. Some might disagree with this rating, but it's my personal opinion. The female characters in particular were fairly interesting to watch (my personal favourite is Chiyo, since she's such a loyal and adorable character. It really got me how she was willing to face expulsion just to defend Kiyoshi, and it really established her as an important character in the show).
I rated my enjoyment a 9 due to the fact that I couldn't stop laughing at all the random parts that came up. Sometimes there were panty shots that were so UNNECESSARY that I couldn't help but start laughing, and to be honest, I think that's what the show wanted. It kind of makes fun of itself, and a show that can make fun of itself is a show that has the potential to succeed. Prison School doesn't try to take itself seriously (which is a mistake that many other anime shows have made) but it instead pokes fun at itself and exaggerates itself to the max, therefore making the viewing experience even more enjoyable. Even the speech patterns of some characters were funny, like the Chairman. On the last word of every sentence, they make his facial expression more intense and have him pause before he speaks. I don't know why, but it made me laugh. (Oh, the Chairman really is a great character. I'm not going to say everything he does here, but he's actually hilarious.)
I'm not going to lie, there were some bits that made me uncomfortable. The Hana and Kiyoshi scenes made me cringe a bit. To sum it up for those who haven't watched, Hana tries to force Kiyoshi to pee in front of her on more than one occasion, forces him to undress and then gets mad at him for peeing on her/getting a boner/being resistant. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that their scenes were nearly always cut short by someone interrupting, the 'Enjoyment' score would be even lower than 9. It was probably meant to be funny that Hana wanted to see Kiyoshi pee, but I really couldn't find it funny. It made me so uncomfortable to watch them on screen together. Plus, I just hated Hana as a character in general. I wish she'd gotten less screen time. This didn't dampen my viewing experience too much, although it prevented me from giving my enjoyment a perfect 10. (I personally wish they'd left the 'pee fetish' out of the show, but maybe people enjoy that? I don't know. I didn't.) I also wasn't too much of a a fan of Andre (the masochist). He seemed like a really insignificant character compared to the other four boys. The other four left an impression on me, but Andre... I only remember him as the most perverted guy in the group. As far as I'm concerned, he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. They could've gotten rid of Andre completely and I wouldn't have noticed. Even the CROWS played a bigger part in the show than he did and the crows can't even speak, for God's sake. Perhaps he'll get a bigger role in Season 2 if there ever is one, but until proven otherwise, his character's redundant.
Either way, considering that this was all done in twelve episodes, Prison School did an outstanding job. It didn't feel rushed at any stage--in fact, Prison School sets its own pace and it WORKS--and if anything, twelve episodes was perfect for this little season. (Then again, I wouldn't complain if they decided to release more episodes.) If you're trying to decide whether to watch this or not, just go and watch the first episode right now. When it comes to 'Prison School', it's either a hit or miss. If you're fairly new to anime, I don't think I'd recommend Prison School (mainly because some of the stuff and angles depicted are the kind that you'd only see in hentai) but if you've been watching anime for a while, then go ahead and take a dive into the world of Prison School. You won't regret it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 18, 2018
Story: 1
Art: 10
Sound: 5
Character: 1
Enjoyment: 3
Overall: 4
Now, if you're trying to decide whether you should watch this show or not, I'll tell you something: "I only swim free".
That's the whole series.
...
To class this as a 'sports' or 'comedy' anime would be blasphemy. I can tell you now, there are probably FUNERALS that are funnier than this piece of shit anime. All they do is whine and bitch and then there's the running gag of Haru stripping his clothes off whenever someone mentions the word "pool". IT'S NOT FUNNY. It wasn't funny the first time, nor was it funny the 103th time. And if this show DOES manage to come up with a funny moment, they'll milk it to the point that it's no longer funny. The only funny moment I can think of is one scene where Haru's trying on swimming shorts that look identical and Nagisa's like "I don't see the difference". I remember having a genuine chuckle when I saw that scene. I'm going to stress one point though, THIS DOES NOT MAKE IT COMEDY. honestly, what even is this anime? It's just muscular guys taking off their shirts and bitching about things and-- sorry, excuse me. Time to say some positive things.
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Sorry, I've got nothing nice to say. (Well, there's the art which I gave a ten. It's a shitty series, but the art is 12/10. Kyoto Animation never disappoints.)
But, honestly. Free! is a series which gets overhyped by countless fujoshi and fangirls when it's really nothing that special. As far as I'm concerned, it's the only swimming anime out there, but it feels more like swimming's an 'accessory'. For sport anime fans out there, I'll use a comparison. Kuroko no Basket suffers from not enough character development outside of the court. Haikyuu is an all-rounder -- we get character development on AND off the court. And then, we have Free. You get convoluted attempts at developing the characters outside of the pool, and there IS some character development skills-wise. But, it's not quite enough to make me love the series. I kept watching, hoping that they'd expand on this foundation they'd built. I was incredibly intrigued by the opening, my breath was taken away by the art, but I was let down more and more as I went through the whole series. I've said this like twice already, but ALL THE CHARACTERS DO IS BITCH. This anime gets way too tied up with all these friendships and problems that aren't really problems (to give you an example, there's a whole arc dedicated to a character deciding to run away from home when his parents tell him that he's not allowed to swim anymore. Yup. He RUNS AWAY. Packs his bags and leaves, just because his parents wanted him to quit the swim club and improve his grades). This is meant to be a swimming anime, but we barely get to witness the magic of swimming. Not to mention, the actual swimming scenes... they're kind of boring? Don't get me wrong. The art is amazing. But, the actual swimming... I don't know. I was expecting more, I guess?
As for the sound, I have nothing to say about it. It wasn't memorable.
Okay, okay. On a serious note, this anime DOES do some things well. I said earlier on that there were some attempts at character development. There's a certain arc where two characters travel to a different country (keeping it vague so as not to give spoilers) and in this country, we actually get to see some character development. Those episodes weren't too bad, actually. I quite enjoyed those. (That's in Season 2.) Oh, yeah. They also have English-speaking characters in there, and much to my surprise, I didn't hear the 'engrish' I'm so accustomed to hearing in anime. The VAs they used for the characters were actually English speakers! (Or at least, they sounded like English speakers.) It's a little detail, but I liked that. Actually, now that I think of it, some of the rare moments I liked about this anime were all in Season 2. So, I guess all I can say is that this is a rare occurrence where the second season is actually BETTER than the first. This season was ass, but the second season redeems itself SLIGHTLY. And heavy emphasis on SLIGHTLY. Free! is not a masterpiece by any means. It's far from being a masterpiece. And while the characters are sweet, they're not what you'd call memorable. Too many people gas up this anime and call it the best thing ever, the "gayest show ever" (Honestly, I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't ship anyone on the show?? I just saw them all as really close friends. And no, I'm not a 'yaoi hater'. I have so many favourite pairings in anime like Haikyuu! and KnB, but for some reason, I just didn't really find any couples worth shipping in this show?? idk) and of course, there's the people who dub it as "fanservice".
Now, I don't think this show is fanservice. Granted, Kou has a very prominent muscle fetish, but I don't think this show can be classed as 'fanservice'. It's about swimming (or at least, it is when they're not bitching and whining) so of course they're going to take their shirts off to swim. If you're so prudish that you can't stand the idea of muscular men taking their shirts off to get in the pool, then it's not that you can't stand fanservice. You've got something wrong with you. I mean, in my experience, the muscles were kind of just... there? I didn't care about the muscles, lol.
To conclude, I'll make like Haru and tell you one thing:
"I only swim free (because I get no character development whatsoever and basically act as an emotionless bobblehead who serves to do nothing but make Rin an angsty little teen who spends years working towards trying to beat me only for me to not give two shits because, you guessed it, I ONLY SWIM FREE)".
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 18, 2018
Story: 3
Art: 7
Sound: 5
Character: 6
Enjoyment: 5
Overall: 6
*Slight spoilers, but they're important to know if you're going into the series*
This show was alright, I suppose. It started off pretty amusing (I liked how the three boys were talking to each other while passing the ball at the end of the episode. OR was it the start? It's been so long since I watched this lol) and I was interested by Sakamoto's premise. He's the coolest boy in the school, so jealous people want to make him look un-cool.
...
aannnd that's the whole twelve episodes.
(spoiler: these jealous people usually end up going gay for Sakamoto)
Although, there is a pretty interesting character who Sakamoto helps, named Kubota. He gets quite a bit of character development, since he goes from being bullied to getting a job at McDonalds and getting Sakamoto as a new friend. There's also an interesting episode where Sakamoto goes out of his way to help Kubota with a hair-related situation (I'd go into more detail but that would be spoilers) and I really found myself loving Kubota as a character. Without him, the character rating would've gone down significantly. I've noticed that not many of the reviews here mention him, so I thought I'd give him a special mention. Kubota's not perfect like Sakamoto, so it's kind of refreshing to have a character like him on screen.
HOWEVER, there's a bit of creepiness with Kubota's mother having a really big crush on Sakamoto (there's even one episode where Kubota's mom dresses up as Kubota just so she can get close to Sakamoto... that episode was really creepy) which ruined the series a lot for me, if I'm honest. The anime would've been a LOT better without the whole 'my-friend's-mother-is-a-predator' vibe it had going on. Without it, my enjoyment could've been a potential 7, but it dampened my liking of the series significantly. It was basically normalising paedophilia, so I really couldn't get on board with those episodes... (and before anyone says that's 'normal' in anime, maybe it is. Depends on the type you watch. But I watched this anime for 'slice of life', not ecchi or whatever genre I can expect it to pop up in.)
As you may have noticed, I only watched eleven episodes out of twelve. And to be sincerely honest with you, I don't even remember what happened in the eleventh episode. If I saw a synopsis, it would probably jog my memory, but as of now, I don't really remember that episode being 'memorable'. This series isn't BAD, but it's just not interesting enough that I feel like it's worth watching to the end. I lost interest and read some posts about the last episode so that I would know what had happened without having to watch it.
As for the art, I didn't notice anything wrong. Character designs are diverse and the animation seemed pretty good. I also liked the OP (and of course, Swagamoto's fantastic sparkles whenever he does something cool). There's not really much I have to say about it.
The sound wasn't too memorable. Honestly, I can't even remember how the OP sounded. I remember the imagery for the OP, I remember how the OP played out, I just can't remember the actual song they had for the OP. So, you can see why the art is rated higher than the sound. I gave the sound a 5 since I remember the VAs were fairly good, I thought they suited their characters quite well.
So, if you're trying to figure out whether to watch this series or not, it all depends on what you like. If you're coming from something like Nichijou, you'll most likely be disappointed. (If you haven't watched Nichijou, I suggest you watch that rather than Sakamoto Desu Ga. Nichijou is far more superior compared to this.) If you're a regular in the 'slice of life' genre, give it a watch. You'll like it. Or if you're predominately a fan of sports anime like I am, it honestly depends on your tastes at the end of the day.
This is by no means a bad anime, not at all. It's more or less due to the fact that I watched "Sakamoto Desu Ga?" alongside Nichijou, which I thought to be a lot superior compared to this anime. I was watching Nichijou a lot quicker than I was this anime, since it was honestly so BORING compared to Nichijou. That's probably why I never properly finished this anime.
If you're going in with high standards, you'll find yourself a little lacking in excitement. But if you're just looking for something lighthearted or something to give you a quick laugh, go ahead and give Sakamoto Desu Ga a watch. The first episode was enough to get me watching almost the entire thing, if that makes you more inclined to watch it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 17, 2018
Story: 10
Art: 10
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10
Now, I know what you're thinking. How can an anime about some kid playing some archaic board game for 75 episodes (76 if you count the New Year's Special episode) be worth watching?
If you've been watching anime for as long as I have, you'll know that anime can make nearly anything interesting. It just so happens that Go is exceptionally interesting when placed into the world of anime. (Since the anime's so good, I'm betting that the manga's pretty dang fantastic too. I'll definitely buy a few volumes in the future.)
...
Now, the story. We have the main story: Hikaru working to catch up to Touya, while Touya's working towards who he THINKS is Hikaru but is really Sai. And then, we've got all these little side-stories with all the other characters. The thing about this series is that it doesn't forget about these side-stories. We get to see how they end, and we even get to see what happens BEYOND these stories. I know this description doesn't do it justice, but Hikaru no Go does an exceptionally outstanding job at crafting a world with many stories which the watcher can follow with ease. The anime never loses sight of its main goal, and we are often reminded of this main goal. We as the watchers anticipate this, and the anime really does make us wait for it. Hikaru and Touya, destined rivals. Touya wants to know Hikaru's true strength, while Hikaru wants to catch up to Touya. The second I started this show, I was intrigued. I'll admit, I lost interest after a while since I didn't understand Go, didn't understand all the terms like "komoku", "hoshi" and "tsuke" and I found Hikaru pretty annoying as a protagonist at first. So, after a while of not watching, I watched the New Year's Special episode to refresh myself on what had happened, and from there, I was completely hooked. I watched the show everyday, looked forward to watching it whenever I got home and spent more time than I'd like to admit fangirling over every little scene. Take it from me, the story is amazing. The anime never loses sight of the stories, and the stories are bound to have you hanging off your seat. There's dozens of exciting little scenes in these 75 episodes, and you'll enjoy every single last one of them!
The art. Some may disagree with me giving it a 10, but the animators pay so much detail to the way everything is animated. I personally love the art style; I love everything about it. From Sai's lips to the way their HAIR is even animated to move, it's clear to tell that careful thought was put into it all. It's not just still. We see movement. Cherry blossoms falling, curtains blowing and of course, the scenes where they're playing Go. Even if you're an absolute Go novice like me, you can appreciate the level of work that goes into the animation. I also love the character designs, since they suit the characters so well. Sai wears traditional clothing typical of the Heian era, while Hikaru dresses up all boyish. And then Touya wears suits, alluding to his serious nature. This anime puts so much thought into everything, and it even shines through in their artistic choices. Not to mention, you can even see how the characters age as the series go on. We see the characters grow over time, whether it be in their abilities or in their facial features, and the way the art captures that growth is simply exceptional.
The sound. Now, this is where I'll mention my first negative. I wasn't a fan of the third OP near the end of the series (around the ~60 episode mark I think) and I found myself skipping it, but as for the other two, I liked them a lot. The EDs were good as well, quite befitting for the series. Now, what I love about this series is how it uses sound within the series. I LOVE the soundtrack. Absolutely love it. There's a certain song they play during intense scenes, and I always found myself bopping my shoulders to it whenever it came on. With quite a few anime, the soundtrack blends into the background, but this soundtrack demands to be heard. It demands for you to notice it, it TELLS you what to expect. This anime is a perfect example of how soundtracks should be used to enhance the viewing experience. It shouldn't just be in the background. It should ENHANCE, and that's exactly what Hikaru no Go does. It does an exemplary job with the sound.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Now, when I say Hikaru no Go does an astounding job at developing its cast of characters, IT DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB. Kuwabara-sensei is such a lovely old man, and then you've got the less-likable characters who eventually grow to become quite interesting and likable. Hikaru goes from being an irritating brat to being a slightly more mature person who doesn't spend his time yelling and crowing about every little thing. We get to see how the people around Hikaru influence him, and how they help him to become stronger. We'd be here all day if I told you about all the character development that went on, but trust me. This show does character development perfectly.
As you can tell, I enjoyed this show immensely. I will most likely rewatch it again once I've watched enough anime to forget about how much I enjoyed this (so, it might be a very long while before that happens) but I hope that this review influences someone to go online and search up "hikaru no go ep 1". If that's you, I sincerely hope that you enjoy it! Know one thing: it'll be one of the best things you ever do.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 14, 2018
Story: 10
Art: 10
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 10
(I'd rate it higher if I could.)
(This is a spoiler-free review! I talk about the characters, but I don't reveal any spoilers about any of the plotlines.)
Jojo is a MUST-WATCH for any anime fan out there. Dare I say, you shouldn't call yourself a true anime fan if you haven't watched Jojo. There's a reason this show gets so much attention. It's bizarre, the art style is unique and this show does everything right. Plot, antagonists, keeping things interesting... you will NEVER get bored while watching Jojo. There's four parts (Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is
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Unbreakable). I can promise you, each part is full of excitement, plot twists and hilarious little jokes. Not to mention, Jojo always drops in lots of interesting facts. For example, DiU taught me that if you insert more than 10cc of air into someone's veins, it can kill them. Also, fish have single circulatory systems!
The thing that's unique about Jojo is that the protagonist changes with every part. It can seem weird to adjust to at first (I know it was for me) but it's what makes Jojo the masterpiece it is. Not to mention, Araki's art style changes with every part as well (contrast DiU to Phantom Blood for example, you'll definitely notice a difference) and the posing is 12/10. Some great memes have spawned from this series, and I can tell you, this series is even GREATER. Also, speaking of art, the art style can also take some time to adjust to. I remember watching the first few episodes and thinking "what, these are teenagers? why the hell are they so muscular" and I wasn't the biggest fan of the art style, but I can tell you now, the art style fits Jojo PERFECTLY. Plus, the outfits that the characters wear are quite imaginative. I really like Rohan's outfits (he's in DiU) and I love all the little details that go into creating the characters.
I'm not going to lie to you. Jojo has plotholes. But, Jojo can get away with it. It's so goddamned awesome that you can't help but think "it's just another symptom of Araki's greatness". There are great characters and not-so-great characters, and this is where I'm going to start getting a bit critical.
DIO, one of the main antagonists on Jojo. Many people consider him to be a well fleshed-out antagonist, but I disagree here. Sure, his father was a bit of an ass, but it doesn't exactly justify his character. He does crappy things to people for the sake of it and then the fans yell "what a great character! such a good antagonist!!" I personally feel like more could've been done with DIO's character, rather than making him a mindless villain. I don't watch Jojo for character development (although we do get quite a bit of it) but it would've been nice to see just how far DIO's character could've been taken. This is remedied in DiU, where we get the antagonist 'Kira Yoshikage'. Personally, I like him a lot more than I did DIO, since I was always excited to see him on screen. DIO's basically just meme material (za warudo!! wry!! MUDA MUDA MUDA!!) while Yoshikage's a character with real ambitions and an interesting plotline.
This show does have a wide array of interesting characters though. You have the gentleman Johnathan, the jokester Joseph, the stoic Jotaro, the eccentric Speedwagon, the "wants to live a quiet life" Kira Yoshikage, the childish Polnareff and the list goes on. There's such a wide array of characters that you're bound to find someone who captures your heart. For me, that character was Joseph (in fact, he's so popular that he made it in Part 2, 3 AND 4) but I've got a lot of other close favourites. The only slight negative is that in some parts *cough* Stardust Crusaders *cough* the "protagonist" doesn't really feel like the protagonist. I feel like the show can sometimes lose track due to the large cast of characters, but I really didn't mind this since most, if not, all of the characters usually have something interesting to offer. If you're someone who likes MC-centric shows, then this might irritate you, but I thought it was nice that the show focused on other characters who weren't necessarily the protagonist. In the case of Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro is quite a reserved character, so if the show had focused on him more rather than the people around him, I feel like it wouldn't have been as great as it was. It was a choice which paid off, at least in my opinion.
Also, something that Jojo's well-known for is its 'mistreatment' of animals. Dogs are often depicted getting their heads chopped off, or camels sliced in half, or dogs getting kicked, or dogs bleeding, or dogs being killed, or... yeah, you get the point. (There's even a compilation of Jojo dog deaths on Youtube in case you're interested.) Araki has said that when a character hurts a dog, it's meant to show that they're a bad character. If you feel a ways about seeing dogs get killed, maybe think twice before you go into this series. (I'm mentioning this point since I recall seeing a very 'colourful' review on Crunchyroll from a dog-loving vegan who was far from impressed by Dio's choice to kick a dog in the first episode.)
Furthermore, the sound on Jojo is exceptional, to say the least. Their ED for Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency (otherwise classed as 'Season 1'), "Roundabout" by the British rock band YES, is amazing. In fact, I've got all of the Jojo openings downloaded on my laptop because I love them all so much. "Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town" (DiU OP) is one of my all-time favourites. I absolutely love it. However, the best opening in the whole of Jojo is their first one, "Sono Chi no Sadame". Especially the version with the SFX. It's all timed so that it matches the music, and you can tell that a LOT of thought went into the way that it was crafted. I've never once skipped a Jojo opening. NEVER. I even sit through the endings. When it comes to Jojo, you have to appreciate every second of it. Thanks to this show, I've gotten into some really good music. I'm now the proud owner of a selection of YES albums, along with an acquired taste for Dio (no points for guessing how I got into that band, haha) and Queen.
I'm not going to fangirl and tell you that this series is the most flawless thing to hit Planet Earth and that Hirohiko Araki can do no wrong (then again, I feel like this is what this review's doing). I'm not saying that. When I got to Stardust Crusaders, I was really tempted to drop the show because I didn't like the new protagonist, Jotaro. After the masterpiece that was Battle Tendency, I wasn't sure whether I'd enjoy Stardust Crusaders. I left the show for about a month before picking it up again, and I ended up enjoying Stardust Crusaders quite a lot. Of course, Battle Tendency will always hold a special place in my heart, but Stardust Crusaders was quite the ride. It was hilarious, frustrating and bizarre (well, duh) all in one. Jojo is a show that you don't 'binge', at least if you want to appreciate it in its entirety. I spent about three months working my way through this series. It became routine for me to come home and watch an episode or two of Jojo. It was the highlight of my day. I'd come home, make a snack and spend 40~ minutes laughing at my laptop screen. On special days, I'd watch ten episodes in one day. Jojo's a long train ride, and by the time you get off, you'll be thinking about the day you can hop back on once again. It's a ride you'll never forget.
So, what are you waiting for? Stop reading this and go watch the first episode!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 10, 2017
Story - 10
Art - 9
Sound - 7 (No worries, it wasn't bad! It didn't stand out or anything, it was all just as normal.)
Character - 10
Enjoyment - 10
This OVA was pure class. I love EVERYTHING about it, especially the ending when Ukai yells at all of them to go home. In the space of twenty-something minutes, we get character development between Kenma and Lev, although that's to be expected of Haikyuu. A class OVA from a class anime.
It was hilarious too. All the scenes with Karasuno were just hilarious and Lev's such a lovely character. It's impossible NOT to smile when he's on screen, shouting
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about how he wants to be the ace. The characters are all just as perfect as usual, the animation's on point as always and as always, there's a lot of comedy. The great thing about this OVA (and Haikyuu in general) is that the comedy isn't forced. It's so natural that you can't help but replay scenes so you can just keep laughing at them. (The scene where they're playing the game on Tanaka's little techy gizmo is pretty amusing. I'll admit, I watched that scene like three times in a row.)
Overall, I give this a 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 10, 2017
Story - 1
Art - 5
Sound - 3
Character - 4
Enjoyment - 3
First of all, all of the people trying to justify Kanou raping Ayase are trash. No exceptions. Rape is rape. It doesn't matter if Kanou's paying Ayase, if Kanou takes him against his will, HE'S TRASH. You can't look at this OVA through rose-coloured lenses and be like 'oh, but Kanou loves him so it's okay'. It really isn't.
Moving onto the OVA itself, the plot is non-existent. So, Kanou becomes obsessed with a college student, just because he gave him an umbrella on a rainy day. WHAT THE FUCK. And from there, it's rape, rape,
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Ayase forgiving his cousin and the other guy who rapes him (like WHY?) It literally makes no sense for Ayase to be so forgiving considering what the poor thing's been through! Oh, to continue, there's some more rape, rape in front of a mirror! some tapes, more rape, family members being assholes, rape, and to conclude... to be honest with you, I've had to lock a lot of these memories away in fear that they might cripple my mind. It's stunning just how BAD this was. It showed up in my recommended after I found myself listening to the Boku no Pico opening (I actually kind of like the opening) and I really don't know why and I wish it hadn't but it had.
The only thing that stopped me from rating the Character section 1 rather than a 4 was the okuma, who provided some pretty decent comic relief. Also, it's out of sympathy for Ayase.
The sound really isn't that memorable. The OP was decent; I don't remember there being an ED but that could just be my memory. Idk.
The art is ridiculous, honestly. Kanou has these big ass shoulders and a large unrealistic body and then a tiny little head... the fuck? and then Ayase has these abnormally large eyes and it's so obvious that they're designed to look like stereotypical seme and uke. I have to admit, the animation wasn't too bad, but these body proportions... boi... *tips fedora*
I don't know why I watched this, if I'm honest. Watching Boku no Pico would've been a better use of my time than watching this trash.
Overall: 3
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 10, 2017
Story - 4
Art/Animation - 8
Sound - 4
Character - 4
Enjoyment - 4
Overall - 4
It's a nice anime, something to watch when you're waiting for the next episode of some other anime to come out. It's nothing special, though. There is character development, but it's not really significant. Although this is meant to be about swimming, the anime gets too tied up with all sorts of friendships and problems that aren't really problems, and I feel like that takes away from the magic of swimming.
The animation is stunning, and the soundtrack is pretty nice. But I feel like this anime gets way too overhyped when it
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really isn't anything that special. I found myself quite bored while watching this, although I watched both seasons in the hope that it would start to pull me in. I just... I wasn't that entertained. For example, there's Haru with his "I only swim free" and it kind of just gets annoying after a while? and then how he always wears his swimming shorts underneath his clothes. It didn't really amuse me. I just... I was bored. However, there IS one scene in particular where Haru is trying on swimming shorts that look identical and Nagisa's like "I don't see the difference". That was pretty funny.
That aside, this anime does have some pretty good moments. I wouldn't rush to watch it though. The characters are sweet, but they're not memorable. Like, this isn't an anime I would dub "iconic" or "monumental". It's nice. That's it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Dec 10, 2017
Story - 3
Art/Animation - 1 (the animation is ridiculously bad)
Sound - 3 (the VAs sound like they're just making random noises half of the time, honestly. And the MC's so whiny.)
Character - 1
Enjoyment - 2
Overall - 1
The premise of this anime is quite intriguing -- internet addicts are placed into a camp which is meant to prevent them from accessing the internet. The title itself, 'Evil or Live' was also something that made me want to watch it (you know, since evil backwards is live). However, the first episode was a bit of a disappointment. I watched on, hoping that it might get better, but
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it only gets worse. There's one scene in particular where the MC tries to have sex with a girl he likes (she doesn't like him though) only for her to throw up in his mouth. This anime is awkward, disjointed and the plot is all over the place. There're weird ecchi scenes that take away from the atmosphere (although there's not much atmosphere in the first place) and the MC's one of the biggest wimps ever. He's unlikable, pretty trashy and he has no qualities which redeem him. The only character that's worth watching is Shin (some guy who decides that he'll use the MC as his 'toy') but even then, it's not enough to save this trainwreck of a show.
It really is a shame.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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