This Review is meant for all seasons and contains no spoilers
It's not as easy to tell a good story then you might think, a tale that will have a lasting effect on you, and you come to appreciate more over time. That's what Fruits Basket is at the most basic level for me. It's a complete reboot of the original shoujo anime. Out of nowhere, we got this new adaptation with a bit more modernized look while retaining all the charm and flavor. What a surprise it brought when it blew so many's minds when it stole the heart of many as it left its
...
imprint on the anime community by cozily resting on the top spot. I hope it stays there. I have seen my fair share of anime, and I can confidently say Fruits Basket is among the few deserving. This incident also is what led me to take the dive. At the time, I couldn't predict that Fruits Basket would end up taking its spot in my favorites. It's been so long since the last time. I am unable to even recall it. I am stubborn, as you can tell, yet something in Fruits Basket finally won me over and showed me what marvel and precious treasure anime can be.
Fruit Basket is undoubtedly the embodiment of a Shoujo, the pinnacle. It retains most of the same quirks, but at the core, it's nothing like most typical Shoujo out there. The amount of Shoujo I liked, I can easily count on one hand. It's too few. Shoujo is known for its cheapness and stalling romance subplots without real meaning or value and until the last couple of episodes/chapters. This goes for adding unnecessary drama but never really getting to the point until pigs start flying. Let me tell you now that Fruits Basket is nothing like that. One of the potentially most significant dramas plot devices was solved effortlessly in a realistic and grounded manner without being milked into oblivion. This also led to the author, Natsuki creating opportunities to mislead us again and again. Creating a most twisty turny experience since it was hard to guess how things would transpire.
Sadly, many may not connect with Fruits Basket because the first season can be a grueling experience if you are not patient and don't like SOL elements. But, long story short, Fruits Basket is a precious gem for those who don't mind stories taking a long way if there is a satisfying payoff and a meaningful and valuable message waiting on the other end, changing your perception of what you thought was innocent and pure at first. As you'd expect, SOL is Fruits Basket bread and butter, much like any other Shoujo. We start with some wholesomeness, nothing but pleasantries, and a ton of cute moments topped with charming comedy. Then slowly but surely, the story perspective gets intenser and darker as we get a hint about our characters and their burden. Otherwise, Fruits Basket begins episodic, following the same formula of introducing someone, mostly zodiac members of the Soma family. Already from the getgo, it's clear the character is cleverly designed and written with attention to detail, holding some meaning.
The standard format starts with us being introduced to a quirky character with a heavy burden pressuring them. In the first episode, we see who they are as a person as they bounce around with our cast before concluding with an emotional episode. If you are not a fan of the episodic format, it might be a buzzkill, but I can assure you that you will be well rewarded if you are patient. One Piece taught me that. Natsuki is also pretty good at foreshadowing and leaving trails that will ultimately connect when the puzzle becomes clearer. It's incredible how well everything came full circle when we learned the secret and how it all came to be. There is no doubt in my mind that watching Fruits Basket on a second watch will give you a much more satisfying and valuable experience. It's that kind of tale. Playing the long game is usually a double-edged sword. Not many like to have to wait before seeing the story in its full glory. But Rome wasn't built in a day, same as how a great story, a really impactful one that will stay with you for a lifetime, cannot be told easily either. It's why stories of the ones that end up as dear treasures to me are those that are told over a longer period. Just like how you cannot get good at, say, soccer in one day. One can't expect to be genuinely emotional and charmed unless the author puts in the effort to make you feel that way. This is exactly why the first season works so well as the prologue to Fruits Basket.
At the forefront, we got our insanely lovable heroine Honda Tohru, who, in the most simpler terms, is like the sun, which shines her light on everyone by warming and comforting them in their time of need. But, she could also sadly be the reason most turns away from this gem. Tohru comes off as flawless in the first season, someone who cannot make mistakes, but please don't let that fool you. And if you are hesitant about the episodic formula for the first season, I am here to assure you there are more than enough things that make up for it. Among the biggest is the absolutely phenomenal cast of characters. For me, if the cast is solid, then I can still find enjoyment, but don't get me wrong. Fruits Basket has a wonderfully complex, personal, and relatable story to tell. It might not be apparent at first glance, but there's a reason why Fruits Basket is so loved. The cast is a big reason, no question asked, but the story is nothing to dismiss at all, nor is our female heroine Honda Thoru.
Tohru allows the characters to come to terms with their sad life, accept them, and nurture some confidence to keep going rather than give up. She's like a doctor giving free therapy to everyone who's down in the dumps, ready to give up everything. The characters issue tends to vary greatly. Common ones include loneliness, regret, curse, and many more. It's all sad and emotional, but it never really feels like the same thing. Tohru's overall focus in the first season is to be the bandage to the cast's darkness. We never really understood her as a person on a deeper level before much, much later. Not that I disliked her even once. She's so charming and so lovable it should be illegal. I don't usually rock with a joyous protagonist who can't do wrong and are always happy and cherry. But something about Tohru just works well despite her being clumsy and feeling so simple at first glance. Her voice alone makes me feel at peace. Honestly, it's more accurate to say she's an ideal mother, a taste of paradise. She's no doubt one of the best and most fleshed-out female protagonists out there. Plus, she's essential. Everyone needs a Honda Tohru in their life.
In any case, Fruits Basket has many life lessons to give, and you should listen up because many of them can hit close to home. The first season explores these issues and conveys to the audience how to best attend to them. Fruits Basket shows that pain is a part of who we are, we can forget it, but it will always come back to haunt us until we embrace it as a part of us and accept it happened, even if the memory is lingering over might be painful. Burying it is like removing a part of yourself, and removing a part of yourself is like denying yourself. In the simplest explanation, this is what Tohru is for the Zodiac members burdened with heavy darkness. She's the light causing it to balance out, so they won't be consumed by the negativity.
Yes, I really enjoyed how the latter half of Fruits Basket had some well-crafted backstories and character development despite the cast being relatively new to us. The author Takaya Natsuki knew what she was doing and quite well. There are only so many authors out there in this world with that talent. One that easily comes to mind is Eiichiro Oda of the immaculate and extremely massive One Piece. Both the backstory and how characters were fleshed out felt akin to Oda-sensei's touch with One Piece. Natsuki-sensei is not writing characters but real people with immediate flaws and quirky points unique to themselves, making it easier for us to grow attached. Natsuki doesn't limit herself either and keeps on pouring with the characters, yet somehow knows how to use the surroundings to flesh them out. I don't felt any character was wasted. There is a lot of things we can take from them into the real-life. This is also where the zodiac bond between the main members of the Soma family comes in. It's clear to me the zodiac bond and its curse are used as a catalyst to explore various parts of the characters and their bond with, say, parents, friends, lovers, etc.
Each of them has a reason for how the zodiac curse ties them down, acting as a mental chain, forcing them to carry a deep burden of both sadness and pain. We see this in how each of the Soma, even the most irrelevant, is haunted by a dark and sorrowful past they cannot break free from. Much like the bond between Zodiac members that ties them down. It's a constant reminder of the dark past they cannot escape no matter how much they struggle. In short, the bond is like a symbol of being stuck in the past. On another note, the side cast is reasonably well fleshed out. Tohru's wholesome friends are charming and bring so much enjoyment, benefit, and comedic relief to Fruits Basket. Yuki and Kyo are interesting as love interests and remarkable characters with tons of layers to them. I could go on a huge raving on how delightfully charming the cast is. There is nothing but praise here, as I cannot even come up with one glaring issue as to why not like them. There will always be some you prefer more over others, some you may come to hate, but more or less, by the end, you might find it surprising how many characters you like.
In the second season of Fruits Basket, there is a big change. One thing is because Tohru Honda is more than just a pretty and innocent face that melts our heart and makes it worth living to see that smile and hear that soothing voice. Before, it was not easy to attach emotions to our lovable heroine. She seemed so perfect, but in the sequel, we see how even Tohru got flaws and how the first season even foreshadowed it through the many characters that got fleshed out. It even gives meaning to what seemed like pure gag moments. It was actually subtle clues hinting at the deeper parts about Tohru. It's impressive how well Natsuki hid it in plain sight, but it only became visible when it was time. Tohru always had something eating at her from the inside this whole time, and it's clearly connected to a bond. A major theme in Fruits Basket. I hope everyone who reads this review can learn to appreciate Tohru more if you are still wavering about her and are concerned about starting Fruits Basket because you might not like Tohru. She's not that easy. Not to mention, if you hate Tohru, you are my enemy, and I beg of you to not talk to me. In any case, it's again so nice to see how similar Natsuki is to Oda in how they don't mind playing the long game because the payoff will be all worth it.
Another thing that makes the second season stand out more is how it depicts the influence of childhood and how much it impacts the person we become when we grow up. A child is the reflection of their parents in some form or the other. They are the ones who will guide their child into a respectable or a terrible person in society. When we first come into the world, we are enamored by our parents. We depend on them, respect them, love them, and do whatever we can to receive their attention and make them love us back. For some, this might not even change once you grow up, and Fruits Basket makes that painfully clear. One of the worst kinds of hell in life can come from our parents, but that's also where we can get a taste of paradise. If your parents shower you with much love, attention and are there to guide you. Be there for you, not condemn you, but correct you if you are mistaken in an orderly and mature fashion the child can learn from, that can become a dear memory, not a nightmare that haunts them for all time. This all depends on our parents and the things we learn from them. Fruits Basket shows this exceptionally well by exploring different issues between the character's bonds.
That's to say, if the parents are terrible, they blame everything on their child by slapping them with all their stress and worries. This will affect the child's live-in society later. I would like to show an example, but I don't want to make this review a spoiler only for a potential newcomer. So let me see if I can be vague as possible. Consider your upbringing was meant to make you a perfect human. No slouching laziness allowed. All about getting those perfect grades, talk in a calculated way, no real fun to be had. Really no free will but behaving based on how society and your parents want you to. You are literally a slave to the whims of the parents. You get strict discipline, it's tough, maybe even scary, but your parents pay attention to you and clearly care about you. Even if they only do it for themselves, but will a child notice this when they are young? One day, due to unforeseen circumstances, the parents decide to abandon you once you've reached their goal, there is no explanation, but suddenly you find yourself it is suffocating to be around them. They don't even bother wishing you a good night at night anymore or ask about how school was, even welcome you home. It's like they wiped you out from their memory.
This could become a haunted memory once we grow up and influence our stands and position in society negatively. The whole personality could be significantly affected. It brings sad memories and terrible expectations. You think the world would hate you if you were yourself. Hence, you pretend to be someone else, but that's not secure for success either, so you end up just keeping yourself alone, not interacting with the other kids. Since you are afraid if you cannot be someone they like. They will end up abandoning you, pouring salty on the past injury. Fruits Basket shows this concept outstandingly well. I have seen not one or that many anime so far that has accomplished so much and meaningful in, honestly, no that many episodes and feel this realistic. When it feels like the world is out to get out, we do so many things to run away from the world instead of facing it head-on and overcoming the pain. Among others, we create a so-called "bad guy," someone you don't like who you force to take on all your responsibilities so you can keep running from your own mistakes.
Maybe you seclude yourself from others, so you don't have to deal with pressure or even put on a fake mask to forget past scars. Fruit Basket shows us that people are not who they might seem at first glance. The most playful and gentle soul can be all kinds of broken on the inside, even if the exterior tells a different story. Even the harshest and vilest can be as innocent and pure as a baby but to cope with their pain. They bring pain to others to make themselves feel superior. They shame others so they can have a reminder those people are more miserable than I am. Something that lets them forget their own pain. Fruits Baskets shows us all too well how greedy, whimsical and imperfect we are as a lifeform, but that's exactly what makes us human in the first place. Let's say you are free from a destructive bond. You conquered your fears. You've grown up, gained experience, and matured. At that time, even the biggest bully, once you are younger and unaware, can seem like a joke, not even a bit threatening. Whether those bullies are the parents who use you to take their responsibility or even someone who controls your life with you having no say in the matter.
Wait a minute, what's all this philosophical talk you've been raving on and on for a decade. So I thought Fruits Basket was a romance? Is it not? It's far more than that. It has romance, and the way its executed is unique and honestly so charming. There is no unnecessary drama, every step has a purpose, and there is an actual main couple. We understand why it had to be them and not someone else. So if you are worried about the kiss not being shown or on some lewd handholding, put your worries to rest. We see the couple kiss, and we see it in its full glory without interruptions or cockblocking. That beautiful moment is not taken away from us as we stare into the sunset. So get that out of there. We don't do that here. Fruits Basket goes a step above and shows handholding. I know quite lewd, and it doesn't even bother to censor it, so you have nothing to worry about. Moreover, the main couple is not the only romance story arc here. There are several, and by the end, I didn't even realize it, but it's crazy how many couples we got on our hands. Above all, it makes sense. There is a reason for x and why to be together. They may heal each other scars and comfort each other, be relatable in some fashion, maybe even total opposites, and the list goes on. But In the end, they all complimented each other and were meant to be together.
On another note, Fruits Basket is so pleasant to the eye. It is back up by a solid and mostly consistent production value. It was vibrant and popping with the life and energy emanating from the good old days from the early 20s0s. Even the background is so unbelievably stunning. It does a firm job of capturing the emotions and setting the mood. I can see the comedy may be feeling off in what should be serious moments, but this was more prominent in the first season and is not a big issue in the sequels. The comedy is perfectly encapsulated through the visuals and art, and voice acting. Seriously, it's on another level. Never have I heard so much emotion in a single line or reaction. It's so amazing how passionate the voice acting crew is about their characters. They literally become them. It was immaculate. Whether it be Tohru's angelic and soothing voice, Kyo's rash and explosiveness, Yuki's cool and calm collectedness, Shigure's mature playfulness, Hatori's mature and chillness. Or say, Hanajima's sarcastic and absolutely satisfying voice complemented with Arisa's upbeat energy. I loved it all. I could write a book about how incredible the voice acting alone was. But hopefully, I got my feelings across. Then there is the absolutely breathtaking soundtrack, yet another huge blessing to my ears. Enhancing the emotions when it's playing.
Above all, there are only top-notch tier OP and ED that more or less do a solid job of capturing the various essence of Fruits Basket. I would like to talk a bit more in-depth into them because it's genuinely a marvel. The first opening alone gives you a sense of nostalgia. I have not seen Fruits Basket before now and still felt the same. It's like a gentle hand reaching out to embrace you. A quality ballade that's telling you to welcome back to Fruits Basket. I won't go through them all, but each opening and ending makes me feel something different. Another case is the third opening which captures Fruits Basket so incredibly well with its upbeatness and cheery vibes, making you automatically bop your head to its catchiness. In any case, each opening is really unique in what it symbolizes, how it sounds like. No, I don't dislike any of them, but I prefer more than others as expected. Overall, however, there is nothing but quality here. As for the ED, they are all so soothing, healing to the soul, peaceful and chill and are especially nice to have once you get to the more dramatic and intense parts of Fruits Basket.
One thing I want to note is if you don't like Shoujo, please don't fret about trying out Fruits Basket. It might honestly surprise you with its rather complex narrative that's both philosophical and grounded in reality, a phenomenal cast, a fantastic soundtrack, impeccable voice acting, and a really consistent production value. To summarize, Fruits Basket is about how one person not conveying their thoughts and emotion the right can influence so much—either positively or negatively and is the cornerstone for what becomes of the person. It influences who you are, who you become, even what you become in both body and soul. It's crazy how many things went wrong due to the wrong interpretation of others' intentions, feelings, emotions, wishes, actions, words, and behavior. But the way it was laid out was beautiful beyond words because it called connected back to the starting point, which made all these things happen in the first place. This was the cast's own bond, their relationship with their close ones, family, friends, or lovers alike. It's linked to a bond that's either strong as steel and unbreakable. Suffocating and dreadful like a poison that slowly kills you from the inside. Terrifying and painful like a nightmare you want to get away from and forget at all cost. All these were the catalyst that nurtures the absurdly many painful and sad scenarios our cast found themselves in, and it's one of the core essences that makes up Fruits Basket. I am not ready to say goodbye, but as we well know, nothing lasts forever, and all good things must come to an end.
All (2169)FriendsIpreferEcchitanis01soupsuacelindapearlZeroghostxtitanCandangzArtimesGamerwildhoodKajo_Senpai69DarkShards
Also Available at
MTK97
My Discord: KayiZokuOtaku#1231(feel free to add me ^^) Anilist: https://anilist.co/user/KayiZokuOtaku/ RSS Feeds |
Jun 30, 2021
Fruits Basket 1st Season
(Anime)
add
Recommended
This Review is meant for all seasons and contains no spoilers
It's not as easy to tell a good story then you might think, a tale that will have a lasting effect on you, and you come to appreciate more over time. That's what Fruits Basket is at the most basic level for me. It's a complete reboot of the original shoujo anime. Out of nowhere, we got this new adaptation with a bit more modernized look while retaining all the charm and flavor. What a surprise it brought when it blew so many's minds when it stole the heart of many as it left its ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Informative
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all 
Mar 18, 2021
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou
(Anime)
add
Recommended
If you stumbled upon this article because you're curious about Higurashi and think you can start from here. This is the place for you. Don't worry. I won't include any spoilers at all. Now let me tell you, this is not a remake, a reboot, a spin-off, or any of that. It's a bonafide sequel. Whoever told you otherwise is a liar and should be ashamed of themselves. When it comes to the haters. Are there what seems to be what you call plotholes, or simply that things don't make sense? What did you expect? If you have watched the prequel and not wandered into
...
Gou just cause, you'd know these things. I want to say I am honestly disappointed in those who dare call themselves fans of the visual novel. Did you even realize that Gou is by far the most consistent Higurashi to date that follows the style of the visual novel to the teeth and Ryukishi's writing? It's answering questions that only true fans are aware of from the prequel, expanding on topics hinted at in Higurashi, all the while establishing a proper connection to Umineko and even the newly WTC (When They Cry) visual novel Ciconia. On top of all that, while building upon the finer details from previous Higurashi. It's giving us a new story that still manages to retain the mysterious and other aspects we love from Higurashi. In other words, if you are a Ryukishi07 enthusiast. It doesn't get any better than this.
I have seen all kinds of nonsensical reasons to justify the hate. If you are talking about production being a hit or miss or other inconsistencies. I get where you're coming from, even if I don't entirely agree, but having seen all of Higurashi, followed by Gou. All this should have at least told you from a writing point of view that Ryukishi's the kind of writer that likes to confuzzle the audience, make them feel utterly lost, give them a reason to use the mind. Hence leave enough evidence and clues to give them a crack at solving the puzzle pieces. The WTC franchise has always been the kind of story where you have to go through the entire story to genuinely appreciate it because it's designed that way. We only got parts of the pages in the book, but many are still missing, though it will be filled by Sotsu when it rolls around 2021 07/07. Bless you, for that reference, Ryukishi07. Higurashi Gou is first and foremost a sequel. In which case, it means we got five seasons of Higurashi (Rei and Sotsu included). I cannot even begin to express my happiness at the thought of that. Ryukishi is known to write his story in a way where each work influences the other, making the experience richer and even savourier. Hence, reading another work from WTC might give you a completely new perception of what Higurashi as a whole is about. It might make things even easier to follow or hard, depending on how you take it. Regardless, if you're done with Higurashi, I highly suggest checking out Umineko's visual novel or the manga (not the awful anime adaptation). Another masterpiece by the hands of Ryukishi. It'll definitely clear your mind and give you a completely new comprehension. Let me throw this out there the "origin of miracles" and the "origin of certainty." If you've read Umineko already, then you should know what I am hinting at here. I won't include direct spoilers as I want everyone the joy of figuring it out for themselves. After all, part of the fun about any entries of WTC (When They Cry) is being able to predict and theorize to your heart's content. Oh, not to mention witnessing how completely off the mark you are when your ideas fall flat as Ryukishi sneers at you. I will admit it was not cool of Ryukishi to introduce Gou as a remake or a reboot. That even the newcomers can watch it. Considering it spoils major chunks of Higurashi in the second episode. In contrast, in the first episode, things are not as clear. Sadly, not everyone knows that Ryukishi is a major troll that lies as naturally as he breathes. But you have to be lying to me if you said nothing felt off by the second episode. It's true Higurashi is meant to give you a sense of feeling lost, things not making sense, but Gou took that to another level. If you watched it without having seen previous installments, you could tell it was clearly not friendly to newcomers even for a bit, suggesting it might've been a sequel, which it happened to be. There's no denying the new art's more lighthearted than the previous Higurashi, which might ruin the atmospheric tone for some. In my case, I love it. Why? Because it's the most faithful style to the visual novel, we've received yet. I adore the good old art-style from the Deen adaptation, too, but when it comes to expressions and comedy, it hits far stronger with this new style. The characters have never been so expressive without looking all messy and off-modeled, which is a recurring issue in the Deen version. Even voice-acting has been absolutely top-notch and cleaner, as you would expect with upgraded software and hardware. No, the production and direction are not perfect, but would you seriously call it terrible? Not even close. I have nothing but praise for Akio Watanabe's gorgeous and rich art-style and Keiichiro Kawaguchi's strong direction, which never made me wonder if I was watching anything but Higurashi. One specific episode was a genuine masterpiece, from the direction to the voice acting, to the shot composition, to the way the colors were used to emphasize the severity of the situation. Oh, let's not forget about the gore and the sound effects, which make you so uncomfortable that you have to turn away or cover your eyes. It was gruesome, but it also illustrated the unstable mind of a certain someone. And Most of the few animation inconsistencies here and there can easily be fixed in the BD release. Studio Passione didn't even shy away from gore by giving us an early release of few uncensored episodes. Sadly, haters somehow found a way to insult it even that, failing to notice how good the effects, the tone, and brutality were. Trust me, this was gore without any limitations whatsoever. I was cringing like mad, had to even cover my eyes since it was truly a visceral spectacle. Don't get me wrong here. I loved it, even if it made me hold onto my gut as my life counted on it. Gou also got a manga adaptation that was released at the same time as the anime. It includes more details that anime cut out. The art-style of Tomose Akase is absolutely gorgeous, as is the execution of the tone and paneling. Think of the manga as a supplementary to the anime. It's amazing so far. Chapter comes out on a bi-monthly basis. Did you know Higurashi has always been more of a mystery than a horror story, but not many seem to not understand that? Sure, the first part clearly had lots of jumpscares and other terrifying moments that made you jump out of your seat. But Higurashi always has been a circle of tragedies with a big dash of mystery to make you feel lost, question things, and so on. The unfamiliarity of Hinamizawa and the things going on there had us under the influence of paranoia. But at the end of the road, we got our answers, and we knew where and how to connect the dots. In Gou's case, it's trying to sell itself even more as a tragedy than horror. That might be why you don't feel as frightened, but you're straight out lying if you said you're not feeling lost either. An example of this is the iconic main theme of Higurashi. The original version has a more scary and paranoid vibe, while the Gou version sounds sad and emanates a feeling of loss and suffering. In other words, tragedy. Hopefully, you see the point I am trying to make here. Gou is a completely new take on our beloved Higurashi without losing key elements of the prequel. On another note, the soundtrack in Higurashi Gou is phenomenal and nails its relevant themes Gou is trying to showcase. We had Asaka on the opening, blessing us with a bopper track. Ayane returned again with more striking and beautiful tunes. Mind you, both songs include heavy symbolism, foreshadowing, context. Even the dialogue is super important. You can tell Ryukishi was there with Passion supporting them and instructing them as clearly, his fingerprints are everywhere. Yes, I loved Higurashi Gou as if it was not obvious already, plus evidently, I am biased with it, but that's fine. I am not forcing you to take things I am writing her for granted. If I can offer you a new perspective and give you some value, then that's enough for me. I don't like seeing one of my favorite writers being insulted when haters aren't even able to provide logical reasoning to support their rant. So here I will state who Higurashi and WTC franchise as a whole is truly meant for. Are you on the lookout for a puzzle that might seem hazy not make sense at first, but gradually as the pieces get revealed, it falls in places? Do you love the idea of been giving the room to theorize and predict events? Then there you go. It's also worth noting, you need to patient, have your brain on at all times, be open-minded, able to think outside of the box. Higurashi is not meant for your average watcher or reader. What's so good about Higurashi? It's the fact Ryukishi utilizes details from his enormous WTC collection to build upon and expand the story further. Plus, he somehow makes things always connect when it seems impossible and does a wonderful job of explaining it. He writes the works to also gives out a very meaningful and emotional message that is relevant in the current day and even the past. If you are curious about more of those takes, I suggest reading my first Higurashi review, which also includes no spoilers and delves into characters, among other things. You can find it on my Anilist. I mainly wanted this review to show you why Gou was always meant to be a thing, should you watch it and dispel some of the hate it's been received by others. In any case, Higurashi Gou is my favorite anime of the 2021 Spring season, and with Sotsu right around the corner. This new installment of Higurashi most likely will be my AOTY of 2021. My hats off to Ryukishi-sensei and the entirety staff off Passione. They killed it. If you have not already started Higurashi. I highly recommend it. Whether it be the superior visual novel, solid manga adaptation, or the a-okay but not even close to terrible anime. Sure, it's low-cost, but Deen nailed the atmospheric tone, even if many details from the manga and especially the visual novel got cut out. It's completely worth your time and a good way to dip your toes into WTC verse, even if it's not the best way and definite way to experience Higurashi. I didn't include any spoilers since Gou is so fragile that slipping some can ruin it completely. I want everyone to watch Higurashi and the second part of Higurashi, starting with Gou, ending with Sotsu. As blind as possible, you don't want to ruin this unique gem's once-in-a-lifetime experience. By the subtext, hints, even the writing, it's clear a lot of time and effort went into writing Gou. If you go ahead and reread Higurashi, you could see that it was even planned. It should be noted, my score encompasses my enjoyment and the faith I have in Ryukishi when everything is complete, that's why it's already so high. Despite so, I also had moments where I was not entirely on board and failed to understand things in Gou, but in the last two arcs, I was completely absorbed into the story. I should've expected as much since I was lost during the very first Higurashi. Still, I was addicted the deeper I went into it. It tells me on a new rewatch, I will be able to appreciate it far more since now some key things do make sense. We know whodunnit, whydunnit, howdunnit, but clearly, there is a lot more story to tell. We have some of the keys to grasp certain details and comprehend them, even if the puzzle got holes left to fill. That's what makes Ryukishi such a brilliant writer since you know it's all intentional. There are hints of the events of Gou in the prequel even before it was a thing. You'd most likely only realize it first now since your perception will once again increase, alongside your passion for WTC. After all, this franchise is the kind of story that revisiting would be much more rewarding than the first time. Plus, reading other WTC works will again influence your feelings about other products from the WTC franchise. At last, I want you to know Higurashi Gou (karma) is playing out like Kai because it answers parts of the questions but leaves the rest for a sequel. You might be confused about what's going on, but this will clearly be answered in Sotsu. All your worries will be laid to rest. The anime adaptation of Kai had two answers arc, so does Gou. But like prequel Higurashi, we might have eight arcs in total. Four of which are questions and the remeaning being the answers. In other words, Sotsu is the answer to all our questions. Plus, it will be the graduation, the ultimate closure to the whole Higurashi franchise. It's been going for over 20+ years, but Ryukishi can finally complete the whole puzzle at last. This is again hinting at Higurashi Gou always being planned. Don't even get me started on how Gou might be the segue into the events of Ciconia. If my words were able to pique your curiosity even slightly, take this chance to dip your toes in WTC, starting with Higurashi. Welcome to Hinamiazwa.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Mar 12, 2021 Not Recommended
I've finally done it. I watched Monster. But my feelings are mixed, leaning more toward the negative side over the positive. Hear me out before you start bashing, getting angrily drawn to the dislike button. I can see where Monster is getting all its fame and prestige. However, are we going to ignore the inconsistencies and other glaring issues it has? I am not about to sugarcoat my feelings whatsoever. If you can't handle any criticism. Then, turn away at once before getting all negative for merely sharing my true opinion and wasting both of our time and mental capacity on unnecessaries. Where do
...
I even begin? Everyone has probably heard that Monster is known for being criminally slow-paced. They were not lying, even for someone like me who can binge show easily. Monster was the first time I felt exhausted at times and honestly even bored. This was not a smooth sailing watch. I barely enjoyed parts of it but was mostly bored out of my mind. Why did I still watch it? I guess I got lost in the hype shared by many in the community. I decided to read manga alongside the anime. It went by much faster, but I still felt like I mostly wasted my time here. Monster usually has a slow part where it introduces characters. This can go on for a few episodes after that comes to the climax with the juicy and explosive bits. But for me, it didn't feel evenly lined and came off as inconsistent. When an exciting and climactic moment is about to go down, suddenly we cut to a new arc, character, or a completely new situation.
It just doesn't work for me and makes me lose my grasp of things. Author is jumping all over the place, trying to take pieces of the puzzle here and there, forcefully making them connect roundabout manner without being clear about the direction. It can come off as sloppy and not satisfying if you don't understand Uraswa's intention. This is not about having a high IQ. It's simple to put it into words. Moster is honestly messy. Whenever they are talking about some topics. It just starts out of nowhere and ends somewhere else. When it comes to character interactions, they meet and hit off like friends when this was their first conversation. But this is not the case all the time but enough to be a problem for me. Monster's biggest issue thus is the pacing in the form of character and story. It's not flawless, the closure was janky, made no sense, and most of the story was rehashed and repeated the same formula. Tenma runs away after being suspected of being involved in a murder. Comes across people he knows, fight starts, Tenma comes to a gunpoint against someone after his life. Tenma decides to be the good and merciful one, does not shoot, and runs away. And then we repeat that formula till we are at the last stages of Monster. This where the story picks up its pace and tries to conclude the jumbled mess it already is. I don't like it one bit. All things considered, what is Monster? It's a psychological mystery horror-thriller about a serial killer who is charismatic enough to make others around him kill for him or even commit suicide. Johan's words are like poison that, like a virus, festers into your mind slowly over time. By uses of sweet-talking, Johan manipulates the victim's past or uses a significant weakness of theirs. He speaks to them in a way that instills negativity as they slowly drown in the darkness of the abyss. By doing so, Johan can now make the victim do all of his biddings - anything really. Johan is literally the embodiment of a monster. A manifestation of all the bitterness, darkness, all other disgusting shit that slowly plays around with the victim for his own benefit. Before, he ultimately devours them piece by piece to the point their name or identity gets stolen from them. Johan might use them in his game or perhaps become the victim and spread his venom and influence further. This convoluted story is about many characters and their own issues, insecurities, and stories to tell, dissect, and assess. But nothing is easy with Monster. It's left up to the viewers to interpret whatever the hell is happening on the screen or as a whole. Monster won't feed you the answers, but it will give you an idea of what it's trying to do. The rest is up to you to decipher as you see fit. This is why there are many ways to explain Monster's story and values, as there is no pure and right way. Dr. Tenma is a world-known and one of the best surgeons in the world and a victim who gets thrown into Johan's game. All killings done by the real culprit are blamed on the doctor. Now he embarks on a journey to kill the frightening thing he saved as his good nature of doctor willed him to do. On the journey, he learns about humanity, the good and bad, what it means to have an identity, and much more. Monster tackles many themes, others such as racism and perseverance to do what must be done, the equality of human life, and how everyone weights the same regardless of the nation and ethnicity, and so forth. But Dr. Tenma could not know the nature of the person he saved would cause multiple tragedies in the future. Nina is the sister of Johan. She is also thrown into the looming carnage and tragedy that Johan creates and spreads. Nina has to deal with her own dark past as she tries to stop her brother by unveiling the grim, terrifying past hidden in multiple layers of thick cloth. Monster tells you that human beings are fickle lifeforms that are easy to manipulate if you know which buttons to press. Someone who has only known carnage and blood, grief only needs this and that push. Or anyone who is an empty husk without identity. They don't know what's right or wrong since they didn't have the pleasure of being brought forth by their parents or good guardians. So inside the emptiness, you can fill it with your toxic waste and tell them the wrong things are right and so forth. To the point, they break and fall into total darkness. But those who did get brought up by their parents and have a solid guard protecting their mind from all the dark and nasty. And are only filled with good and had more or less a joyous life filled with love, and even during times of darkness, you had someone to lean on and get comforted by. These are the ones whose guard will be much tougher to pierce. Since they have a foundation for their identity, which will not be easy to devour and steal. No. You will need a much darker and drastic measure to crack them open and manipulate them to your own will. I have to say it Dr. Tenma is such a dull lead who changed way too fast. We didn't get to see the process. He just became obsessed chasing after Johan after their first meeting for whatever reason. It felt wonky. I know he feels responsible since, as a doctor, if he hadn't saved him. None of the tragedy would be set in motion, but it just doesn't feel natural for me. As such as sad as it may be, I just don't like Dr. Tenma. He was so boring. The execution of his character needed more practical fleshing out. Johan got potential, but he's barely in the story. We only see him whenever the writer feels it's convenient to give him screentime. It felt like he was used as bait to keep the audience in check and to make them avoid dropping this tedious and torturous tale. One ridiculous way to describe Monster is that it was jumpy, never stayed in one place. It was glitchy, like it skipped over vital information or events to drive you into mad confusion before delicately explaining things by connecting them to breadcrumbs, which were hidden in plain sight but were always there. You just didn't realize it before the author - Urasawa wanted you to. Regardless, I felt the execution on that point didn't deliver either. Before the reveal, it was so tedious and dull. Take Higurashi as an example. It did a solid job of leaving hints for a bigger and grander picture. Monster didn't feel like that at all. When it comes to Monster's production, despite being from the very early 2000s, it looks good. The animation and art-style are decent and conveys emotions and facial expressions well. It didn't feel cheap. Madhouse invested their time well and clearly was passionate. The way the facial expressions depict certain emotions is worthy of praise and very realistic. This is the first time I felt I was watching a live-action show instead of a pure anime. Monster shine is the stunning voice acting and the soundtrack, which complements the eerie, mystery, disturbing atmosphere of the show. After having read and watched Monster, can I recommend it? Honestly, there are far better stories out there that really nail their themes. Monster's anti-climatic and nonsensical conclusion felt so silly that I had to pause the episode for a moment. I was pondering, it's this how it ends? I was so disappointed. If you want to check out Monster, then go ahead, but I would recommend the manga, despite anime having good production for its time. Well, the anime was choring tho, and the pacing is incredibly slow either way, but the manga goes by faster. If you want me to be real with you, I don't recommend Monster at all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Oct 19, 2020 Recommended
I've always wished for a story that paints school life in a more realistic take. Everything from all the hurdles you'll go through, such as adapting from zero to making friends, forming groups. Experiencing love-life, the sweetness it brings, and the bitterness it might lead to, and the list goes on. You-Zitsu (Classroom of the Elite) is just that. However, there is one big exception: our main protagonist is surrounded by waifus from every corner. That being said, it is not a harem by any means, but it does get a tinge of elements for it. Nevertheless, sweet and sugar is just what sells best
...
and looks good on paper. Seeing a lovely female on the cover is a strong tactic to bait the audience, and it works so damn well. It caught me after all and many of my fellow readers, I am sure. But I ended up staying for far more than that. It's not only for the intensity, valuable, and rewarding psychological warfare but for mystery and intricate puzzles. All the resulting elements it brings to the table makes me shake to the core with excitement. It's been a roller-coaster of an emotional ride, making me laugh and cry, feel pain, get enraged, and so much more.
First off, I've never seen or read a romance development that felt more realistic than You-Zitsu. Mind you; it's not the core genre either. Love simply doesn't come out of nowhere. It's not the typical boy fall in love with a girl just because he is cool or she is cute. No. Hell, feelings of love itself don't even exist at first. At some point in the story, there comes a situation that gets the two parties together for whatever reason it might be. But at this point, they will only be acquainted, might really come to hate or loathe each other, but they are aware of each other's existence at the very least. Then one step at a time, they grow closer as they experience all kinds of difficulties and through interacting with each other. At last, this goes on to deliver one of the most impressive, complex, charming, and realistic paintings of romance I have ever come across in fiction. You-Zitsu does this and much else with brilliance and a clear sense of direction. Everything is cohesive and fits together, there are times I have been confused, but things always make sense when we get it explained. True, characters seem generic and one-dimensional at the surface, but that's a tool You-Zitsu uses to explore them deeply. And to show how humans are swift and flexible species that are excellent at hiding their true self or bury secrets deep in the heart. Every one of the characters you see before you is not their entire being. Anyone of them has an underlying core, one of which can have a tragic background of being bullied, suffering at the hands of abuse, or manipulation. Perhaps a close friend of someone committed suicide, which can be the fundamental reason that shapes a person to be who they are now. Maybe someone has done something they regret in the past but are unable to move on. Some might reject the notion by using a false facade to hide the scars they bear. Others may use drastic measures to ensure the secret they don't wanna share won't get out in the world at all costs, no matter the means. If you're trickier, then perhaps climb the social ladder and protect yourself by using others to shield or hide your vulnerabilities and drown your sorrows as close to the bottom as possible. It's also one of the most realistic take-ups on character, issues, and experience as a whole. The setting takes place in Advanced Nurturing High School. A special education facility that's purpose is to nurture students who will have the county's future rest on their shoulders. Unlike most schools, it has a unique and very odd system for regulations and administration. For one, classes range from A-D, and you'll only benefit from it if you graduate from class A or do you? Not to mention, this school is a place where the class either rise together or fall as one. There is no in-between. A student's behavior will affect the whole class, so they must tread cautiously to avoid it, or expulsions might be thrown at them to put them in place. Classes compete against each other with class points. On top, it has an interesting money system. Students can buy anything from daily necessities to video games and other stuff directly from the campus's own shopping center. It has many places for entertainment, such as cinema and karaoke. Even the exams in this school are unconventional and something you won't see anywhere with abnormal changing rules. Every new exam is a new challenge with its own rules and logic. If it got loopholes that don't break the rules or if the school doesn't find out, you're free to use them at your own risk. It's that kind of school. The exams these students have to take are genuinely excruciating and challenging. Simply, a single person attending or not can be the line between heaven and hell. It's also worth noting before a student gets thrown into class A-D. Everyone is evaluated based on their academic ability, intelligence, decision making, psychical ability, and cooperativeness. If class A consists of the top-notch students that excel in some of these areas, then obviously class D would be where the failures and defects are but is that really true? What if someone cheated the system to get placed where they wanted? What if they didn't go all out during the evaluation and interview process willingly? How does the school deal with them? I leave it to your imagination. However, all things considered. What is You-Zitsu really about? It's about self-acceptance and maturity. We follow the journey of the dull loner Ayankokouji Kiyotaka who likes to spend time alone rather than with others. But that's only on the surface-level. Kiyotaka is actually extremely intelligent and quick on his feet. My boi literally went out of his way to score 50% on every one of his tests just cause—what a mad lad. He has an incredible psychological level. He can calmly deduce how the person feels without any issues and almost always hit the right points. Kiytoka got an eccentric and odd view of the world and society. He understands the text-book version behind every or most common intention and feeling that exists. Still, his unable to accurately comprehend how to feel and act in certain situations. Kiyotaka wants to live a normal and average life. Hence he hides his ability from others. That's his only goal as he enrolls in Advanced Nurturing High School at first. Kiyotaka is one of the core reasons You-Zitsu was so damn fun for me. His inner-monologing, his views on different situations, and those witty and exciting mind games are what makes You-Zitsu a blast. His seemingly simple and complex take on everyday situations is charming to read and gave me many fresh and different perspectives. His growth throughout the first part of You-Zitsu is so damn satisfying and worthwhile. He is such an extremely well-written protagonist. This is the story that started with him looking at humans as tools he uses until they served their purpose. Kiytotaka's mentality and the unique way he has been brought up make him unable to have genuine feelings. But slowly, as he gathers more sense through interactions. Any form of experience he is able to witness slowly goes from the notion of perceiving human as a mere book that will teach this and that to something more authentic. He ends up finding something he unconsciously ends up longing for. You-Zitsu is a thrilling journey about humanizing Kiytoaka from this emotionless and expressionless guy to someone who can ease into society and express genuine emotions. Did I forget to mention that You-Zitsu has an incredible illustrator? Not only are the volume cover always eye-catching. Shunsaku Tomose's art-work is seriously stunning, especially those detailed colored illustrations he makes. I know what you are after, and I am here to confirm that waifus are voluptuously well-drawn. Many got plump and savory thighs and a drop-dead gorgeous design. Expect to see all kinds of variations of them. Ranging from an adorable big-brained smug queen with some insanely addictive facial expressions. A two-faced thot with some brain damage and serious issues she has to work out. One charming ice-cold princess that grows warmer as we progress. A waifu that spreads burst of sunshine wherever she threads and a got a very energetic and lively personality: a gyaru that is ineffably adorable and an absolute cinnamon roll. She got the right amount of tsundere and sweet with a refreshing and realistic nature. We even got one of those shy cuties that ooze of pure must protect energy. Did I mention we got an explosive tomboy tsundere with one hell of an impressive kick and sharp tongue? The list goes on. Do you need any other reason to read You-Zitsu, then it's for the female that is not only candy for the eyes but well-written, fleshed out, and developed. No one feels like a cheap imitation of the other, and they all got clear and distinct quirks. I won't lie. That's partly the reason I picked up You-Zitsu but is sure shattered my expectations, as noted before. That's not even counting the amount of well-written and executed male characters. I didn't expect to like some of them as much as I do. Even though Kiyotaka is clearly the biggest star of the show, I like that he is so relaxed and floats along without a care in the world, even if that is not his real personality. I have to confess—a story where the person hides his ability and intelligence. I didn't take it could be this damn engrossing and compelling. We also got the typical idiot trio that is perverted and eats at your life span at a rapid rate. Gosh, the stupid things they do makes my head hurt. Well, not all of them are bad, and some of them grow, starting to take things seriously and not as a mere joke. While others only get played like a fiddle and, in the end, become a goner as they should. Good riddance. Then we got a fellow who cares not about the class or anything and lives life at his own tune. He is the embodiment of not giving an eff whatsoever and showcases how to enjoy life to the fullest. You got that generic and overused guy who is at the forefront of the class's popularity. Everyone comes to him to ask for advice and questions—someone who essentially takes the leader's role in the class. Mind you, that's just on the surface as most of these students have big flaws about them that put them in class D alongside a more complex underlayer. This is not exclusive to this one class either, but it might take form differently for others. If we are talking about the so-called bad guys, there is an evident competition to get to the top among the class or guard it against others. Moreover, each respective class got its own hierarchy and ways to regulate the classroom. Some might use violence, brutality, lies, and other more forceful means. One other example is by being conservative and defensive. Still, there might exist a party that might rely on offense, not holds anything back. There's the option of being united and by being positive and rely on one another. Who knows, there might be a certain someone out there who views their colleagues as chess pieces, tools, or pawn that only is there to serve the purpose for them and nothing else. As a result, You-Zitsu got incredibly entertaining and complex class with different views and ideas, and methods for reaching the top. The author Shougo Kinugasa is seriously no question asked one of the most ingenious writers I have come across. This is a masterpiece. But I want to note that You-Zitsu is a very slow-paced ride. I would urge you to read at least four volumes before deciding otherwise. That's when I really got hooked and couldn't stop reading. This was a very well-paced light novel, but it felt a bit abrupt when jumping to places at times. It was not to the extent of being a glaring issue but worth noting for future readers. It was not an issue for me at all. Shougo clearly got better at writing and explaining, and the pacing felt even better. As of this moment, You-Zitsu is split into two parts depicting the first year and the second year. The latter is only getting started, but so much excitement has already been built up events foreshadowed, so it's gonna be a banger, no doubt. It also seems like the excellent waifus design with a complex personality will keep on piling. And you know what, I so damn wholeheartedly welcome it. Let's say you are an Anime or a Manga fan. What should you go with, you ask? Manga has not got the best art. It cuts stuff out and burns through content fast. Kiyotaka, shown to be expressionless, is very expressive and emotional instead. It ruins his character and the experience of You-Zitsu. Then there's the anime, which is lackluster and feels more like an advertisement for the light novel, not to mention, the director was biased and gave all the spotlight to his waifu. When in actual fact, many other females should've had a moment to shine. On top, the art-syle is quite inconsistent, it looks good at times, but more often than not, it's derpy. If you want the finer details and true depiction as the author intended. The light novel is the way to go. But anime is a nice way to introduce you to the world, even if it barely touches the tip of the iceberg. On the other hand, the manga is entertaining and good fanservice if you want to visually see how things look. To put it in a nutshell, You-Zitsu is about the students' everyday school-life as they mature into adulthood. I can almost guarantee you might end up falling in love if you really give it a chance. Don't rush it. Just read it at your own pace. The translations that are out are pretty good, making it smooth to read and easy to visualize as you burn through the content. I didn't feel it was overwhelming or grew dull. I was reading one volume after the other quite effortlessly and having a big blast about it. This is easily no question asked, taking a spot in my favorite, and it got my absolute seal of approval.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Sep 24, 2020 Recommended
This review is meant for all three seasons!!
When it comes to most RomCom's out there, they usually have the same generic-cliche trope. The girl liking the boy for no reason, just for plot and drama, instead of focusing on the relationship and real life. Our faces end up get shoved with unnecessary fanservice, not natural just for flashing some delicate parts. Sure, we can't deny we like to see some racy elements now and then. But it's only eye-candy with no relation to the story, nor does it add any nuance to the cast. No, it only serves as a way to ruin the flow ... of the storytelling, if anything. This is frequently dished out in most RomCom to keep the viewers interested, but for the wrong reasons. I don't mind fanservice but make it has some purpose if you're gonna flaunt it like that in our faces regularly. Or try to not flex it almost all the damn time. If it's not useless and forced fanservice, it's creating drama by letting the characters move based on set decisions. This means acting in the way the situations tells you to over feeling genuine. Not to mention, you can't forget pouring on the waifus to attract more audience. But instead of fleshing them out, they get used for the same thing repeatedly with the typical set of personalities but nothing more. Such as being a tsundere, a shy girl, onee-san type, perhaps even an imouto type. Why not? It just adds more content to deal with you're not going to go anywhere with or is even not remotely contributing to characters. Either it gets stale quickly or goes to plant the seeds for the show's ruin since nothing gets solved, and everything ends up becoming a mess. That's where Oregairu comes in, one of the best RomCom out there and for clear and feasible reasons. Not only does Oregairu avoid most of the issues the romance genre tends to have. The one with forced-fanservice, not letting the character develop beyond their pre-established traits. It has excellent use of dialogue that's sharp-witty and is very refreshing. If you know about Monogatari by the brilliant Nisiosin. In that case, you can see the similarities in Oregairu with how the characters speak to each other. It's intriguing and striking, with a big dash of maturity. It does not waste much of its dialogue. It got tons of nuance in there and depth that can mean a lot more than you might give it credit for. Instead of giving us dialogue, that's easy to interpret. Oregairu does things straightforward but does not convey the words directly but with a sense of vagueness. Like saying "I love you" or something similar gets across by using the environment, the characters' traits, emotions, or a personal link to a moment or thing, they could have from the past. It's hard to really put it into words, so I hope you understood the gist of what I am trying to get across. Majority of the mature audience will get more out of Oregairu. Teens are more likely to enjoy it for its delightful comedy and quirky-dorky characters. But someone who has experienced life over many years is more liable to see the true appeal of Oregairu and appreciate it. As the dialogue for someone too young could be overwhelming and complicated. It's not like you will perceive every word perfectly, but it will make you comprehend things more easily. Even adults could have problems, and that's a given. Oregairu is written as such. I had to watch scenes, even an episode, several times to make sure I understood it, but the dialogue is damn entertaining. So I didn't mind that. There are, as a result, various ways to interpret the conversations. Among the many reasons, Oregairu is the only RomCom. I have seen to this day. I would label a gem without feeling dubious about it. It's not flawless, but it's the closest thing to perfection I have found in the RomCom genre. Let's talk briefly about our cast—Hikigaya Hachiman, our male protagonist, a bit of an oddball but in a good way. Hachiman is an isolated boy who tends to like spending time alone over being with others. He is pragmatic to a fault and gets as such worried over the most minor things. Hachiman sees the world in a very quirky but fascinating way through his trademark dead-fish eyes. One of the things he says is that he believes "youth" itself is just an illusion created by hypocrites, for hypocrites." Suffices to say he is a unique one but, at the same, totally relatable on a personal level. Oregairu doesn't just show us the exterior, but even the inner workings of our characters' minds and how they think. Hachiman's inner monologuing is one of the wittiest things you will ever encounter, both valuable and engaging. It's filled with enthusiasm. How he thinks about others, situations, and so forth gives you different perspectives to chew on. Not only does this in an ingenious way, flesh him out, but it shows how similar we are to Hachiman deep down where no one can read or hear what we are thinking. He is written in a way to not make you cheer him on because you can love him, hate him, or completely feel neutral. It just makes sense. Hachiman is someone that reflects back your inner feelings and viewpoints. Issues that are common amongst many teens and adults even. Things like how does it truly feel being alone? What happens when you try to open up to people? Why are you afraid to talk with others. Why are you secluding yourself from others in the first place? What is your trauma and scars of the past, the reason you act in such a way? These and more everyday issues are answered through Hachiman's interactions and views on the world and its people. Making his development so damn fantastic. It's executed extraordinarily well. Hachiman is, no doubt, one of my all-time favorite characters. So many characters in Oregairu that have affected each other in either a negative or positive way. That is to say, the side cast also influences the more crucial characters. Nothing much feels wasted with Oregairu's writing or execution. Yukino and Yui are a prime example of how you do two characters with trope we've seen before stunningly. Yukino is on the surface your everyday serious and passionate about her studies kind of girl. She's intelligent and got that cool beauty vibe going. But a reminder, that's just on the surface on the inside. She has all kinds of problems she must overcome. That's not even counting her situation with family, which is a delicate topic that might spoil major parts about her character. So gonna stop here. Then there is Yui, who is your everyday innocent, bubbly kind of girl. She is so easy to talk with and overflows of charm and is always so positive that she spreads a burst of sunshine and happiness wherever she treads. That's not even considering her iconic way to greet someone—Yahallo. Which gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside and is so damn adorable top it all off. Again, that's if we look at the surface. As we progress, we see how vulnerable weak-willed our adorable cinnamon truly is. At last, there's Iroha, she is another compelling and loved character in Oregairu. She is the very bold, decisive sort of girl. Who loves to reject Hachiman over and over for strangest reasons. But It never seems to get old. Because she throws a banger rapping number whenever she does her thing. On top, the rejections seem to get mellower from going to "Nah, impossible" to "Try again next time." Implying Iroha is gradually growing feelings for Hachiman and slowly starting to open herself up. It goes to show the dialogue can have valuable information without you knowing. So, it's highly recommended to rewatch Oregairu to appreciate it all the more. Iroha is cheeky, very endearing, and foxy and is just as much fun as the other love interests. Everyone is unique and complicated. It's hard to explain the characters are merely a few sentences. You really must dig deep for that. Despite my previous points, I wanna discuss one more character, which gives you an idea of how imouto or little sisters should be portrayed. It's normal for imouto anime to be ecchi and not be a good role model for how a sibling pair acts in reality. There are many innuendoes, which often is offensive to the point it's laughably bad and unrealistic. It doesn't feel sincere and might, at times, feel forced. Komachi is a prime example of how an imouto relationship in fiction should be more like. The banter between her and Hachiman always fills me with so much joy and is hilarious. It's wholesome, pleasant, charming, and stuffed with tons of witty and astute remarks that one never gets bored out of. Komachi and Hachiman have the kind of relationship where they can be endearing toward one another or be savage and roaste each other. Komachi's sassiness is so damn endearing and is put in a single line just incredibly funny and engaging. It's kind of like how real siblings are at the core. They do love each other, but more than that, they enjoy teasing, making fun, and pranking one another without letting up. I find their relationship so adorable, wholesome, even a bit unique and amusing, but not excessive or offensive in the slightest. It's true most times you put on a different identity for your friends, the teachers, parents, relatives, on the internet, and even your siblings. To go from someone shy and afraid to speak out plainly to become a person who doesn't care about saying whatever is on his mind. This just makes this excellent quote by Hachiman resonate with me so profoundly: "We all have our own personal images that's dictated by others, one that's always off the mark. We wish to remain faithful to ourselves, but who gets to decide who we are as a people? When our image never goes hand-in-hand with reality, where can we find something genuine? Where can we find ourselves?". That's another thing to look forward to in Oregairu. And that's outstanding amounts of sharp and intense dialogue that can really make you think. The following quote essentially tells me we have a different mask for everyone dictated based on their being. If someone is more soft-spoken, you are careful to not overwhelm them with a coarser language. But if someone uses a rougher language and writing style, you tend to match, so you are on the same wavelength. There can be many reasons, but one that comes to mind is to not give wrong impressions. Now looking at everything discussed, there is one more thing that makes the characters of Oregairu stand out more than many others. And that's "flaws." I don't mean those who come out nowhere but the ones that have always been there somehow. If you use the idea of "show and tell," than Oregairu is definitely more of the former. You'd have to read between the lines and comprehend the hazy but informative dialogue as you see fit. That gives you more options to think around, and it provides you a chance to play detective and crack the code by not giving you straight answers. What makes sense to you? How would you explain the character's actions or even Oregairu from a more metaphorical perspective? Calling it even a highly advanced RomCom does not constitute much justice. I have my take on it, but others might differ. The following just made sense to me. Oregairu encapsulates the pain of moving forward and to continue living through both the good and the bad. The pain you experience by protecting others, only by hurting yourself in the process. Nobody can comprehend the pain of your own struggles and worries, even if you clearly tell it to someone. The pain of being genuine, it's the cold-hard true. Often, the truth hurts more than you could imagine. That's life in a nutshell, and Oregairu gets that across stunningly well. Life is pain. But it's harder to live a life that's becoming and worthwhile than just dying. Pain is what we started Oregairu with, and that's where we went. Not everyone got all their wishes fulfilled, and it was painful to see these other best girls lose. But that's life. Oregairu makes you commend and admire everyone who goes on with their life. At the same time, their pain bears over their shoulders, responsibilities, and other conflicts. This is literally an everyday thing for us humans, even if it's unique for everyone. Whether it be work, school, homework to do, bills to pay, financial needs, time-constraint, or other actualities. The fact is we are all tacking and handling our pain daily to make sure it hurts less and less. As a result, we are all slaves in our own life. Looking at it like that, we are totally so damn awesome not to go nuts and keep to our routines. Even if we stray more times than we are willing to admit and waste it by procrastination or other matters that should not be prioritized. Pain is also there to remind us that joy and fun should be savored properly, not taken for granted. About the art-style of Oregairu, it's improved in every way since the first season. At the time, the visuals where wonky, and the art was only decent at best. It still didn't nail the atmosphere of Oregairu across the board. We got a far more polished and refined version when the sequel came out. Everyone looked so much more expressive. Not to mention, the background looked absolutely stunning and harmonized so fittingly with the mood of the given situation. Season two accentuates Hachiman's eye on "Deadeyes" more vividly, and the whole cast looks mature for one. But there is a cute feeling to the style. Season one did have a slightly more lighthearted vibe, so the first style worked, but it's good. It was changed for the later parts since everything is so different and challenging. We are far away from simpler times. I want to lightly touch upon the sound for Oregairu. It got many top-notch openings and ending songs that exude nostalgia and emotions. Opening from the first season to the last was sung by Nagi Yanagi, and her tunes were never disappointed. There is no bad opening song or ending songs in Oregairu. Ending are sung usually by both the lovely Yui and Yukino's angelic voice actresses, which is another blessing to your ears. That's not even counting how many incredible insert songs we got. Crazy how much I have discussed Oregairu, but barely touched upon the romance topic and how it's handled. But I can assure you it's beautifully depicted and tastefully grown over time. None of the females starts out liking Hachiman from the getgo. We did have some shaky parts in the final season, but for me, the conclusion made it worthwhile. Not to mention, a love confession did happen in Oregairu-style, and it's one of the most satisfying and adorable things I have seen. It carried so much weight and value since both parties expressed far many words than a simple "I love You" ever could. It's no doubt my favorite love confession, and I wonder if anything will ever beat it for me. Everything to the atmosphere, setting, dialogue, and background was simply flawless. Closing it off with a beautiful song made the impact far more incredible and sincerer. I've discussed Oregairu strengths in great detail. Here comes the time to touch upon its flaws, what could've been better, and what needed work. I am not a light novel reader as of yet, so this is my anime-only viewpoint. Oregairu for me, is more than solid and it's concluded. You can't say about many RomCom nowadays since they seem to always draw the short end and get hanging after one horrible or barley decent cour. Sadly the last season did have some inconsistencies and segments that didn't mesh or flow naturally. Above all, it was heavily rushed, but it didn't ruin the story entirely and its direction. From an adaptation standpoint, season two was the strongest. Despite also being rushed, it felt well-balanced all-around. Season one was great as well. I didn't feel like things moved too fast or otherwise. Season three is where most got problems for being a bit inconsistent and moving things too quickly. All said and done, there were many solid episodes, the best one being the 11 and 12th arguably. I am surely biased when it comes to Oregairu, but I don't see any point in not praising it to such high heavens. It was such a perfect ending that gave us a proper resolution to the romance and the relationship. I wanna note that Oregairu got a strong side cast when it comes to interactions, but they are not very fleshed out. They only get brought to our attention to progress the main story forward; otherwise, we often don't hear from them. I am gonna confess there's many characters I personally would adore to have a more prominent role. I got such a sweet spot for Yumiko Miura for one. She is such a cute tsundere that got more to her than meets the eye. Saki Kawasaki was supposed to be another love interest for Hachiman. Yet, she never felt a part of the game, and only got some moments here and there. Haruno and Hayama was fascinating but their ending left some tings to be desired. While many others just ended up taking space for literally nothing in the end. Oregairu is one of the few RomCom's out there, after which a rewatch might offer a more powerful but incredibly rewarding effect. No way you can get everything at first glance since the dialogue is high-level. Not to mention, not giving straight answers and using exact words mean they could have several interpretations. Various answers could be the correct one. Just make sense of your logic, and you can get possibly away with your explanation of the situation. Oregairu truly is an incredible story with an intense and rich set of characters. No one should miss it out for anything. It gets a big fat must watch from me. If you're bored of the generic and cliche RomCom with the same elements repeated over and over. Give Oregairu a shot, since it's more than likely you will end up loving it like many others. Most who don't like it are those who have not seen or read it. I've said it many times. But Oregairu is not so easy and has many layers to talk about. At times it can be a quality comedy. Other times, you might find yourself dealing with politics and internal school issues. Our primary setting is in a service club that helps out students with any request they might ask. This serves as another way to flesh out our cast and give us an interesting perspective on things we might've thought about but never revealed in the open. Oregairu cast is reflective of their issues and worries. They are always evolving meticulously. Oregairu is a damn fantastic RomCom. A masterpiece I loved with all my heart, and I recommend to everyone with every single fiber of my being.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
May 21, 2020
Perfect Blue
(Anime)
add
Recommended
This review will contain spoilers!!
Well, that's an experience I am sure to not forget any time soon or ever actually. I got around to watching Perfect Blue and suffice to say it was unique experiencing. I honestly thought I was following it to somewhat a teeth, but sheesh, my mind is all kinds of messed up now. Before I knew it got all kinds of weird, trippier, and much more confusing, harder to follow. But I had fun, and it was exhilarating top if all off. I won't pretend like I got everything the movie depicted since that might end in a big oof moment. ... So I will only explain things I feel most comfortable with. And who knows If I somehow stumble into the zone. I might just keep the beat going and pour on all kinds of fancy words that just make sense to me, at least. No, but really, Perfect Blue movie took my whole poor damn brain and threw it on the ground multiple times before picking it up and throwing it against a brick wall. Perfect Blue is a psychological-thriller written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi and directed by Satoshi Kon. To absolutely incredible individuals. Sadly, Satoshi passed away a long time ago, leaving us only with his few collections of masterpieces that left a massive print on this world. Satoshi's name will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace. The story is about Mima, a pop idol who quit her career to act. Now she fights to come to terms with her new life and self as she gradually becomes disconnected from reality. Mima was forced into it by the society and surroundings and was not able to make her own decision. Simply cause real life doesn't work like that for famous people. I can honestly see this happening in real life. That might be one of the many reasons why so many actors and actresses get a case of depression. So the movie definitely hit harder beside my brain feeling like it got slowly disintegrated over time. It was a realistic depiction of life in many ways. Because those famous people don't get to make their own decisions without feeling threatened or scared. So, if Mima tried to just reject this offer to become an actress, it might end up harming her because there are people like that out there. Who knows what kind of shit storm the dirtbag who look so shady would get her into if she simply didn't follow along with the script? Mima is doing everything according to someone else wills to not cause any negative commotion for others. But By doing so, she is completely neglecting her own damn feelings and dismissing them lightly. Over time Mima grows anxious and gets sad, confused, to the point that she is unable to separate her dream from reality anymore. Mima wanted to do things her way but was unable to without feeling afraid. The people around causing her to do these things know she is suffering but won't help. They only care about their sorry butt and uses Mima simply as a property to flourish their own business. She gets so damn out of touch with everything she goes down a shady path of modeling, where the purpose is, you guessed she is to show how her womanly qualities and rack in that cash. I wonder if she went there to perhaps create a new identity and not let the past come back to haunt her again? Whatever the case, that one scene during an acting session was absolutely disturbing and beyond eerie and creepy. I've never been so terrified of animated figures. Those facial expressions, to every slightest detail, made the experience much more uncomfortable. Oh, yeah, there was nudity alright and lots of it. Enough to make other anime or movies feel tame in comparison. It was dipping its toes in the hentai realm just lightly. As I was saying before, those faces are nightmare fuel. Seriously, I am not gonna get a wink of sleep at night ever again and probably see those facial expressions for all time. There's also plenty amount of gore, not the kind you can go through without flinching. Nah, that was some real shit with disgusting sound effects, and the blood looked genuine. That one stab through the eyes had me go on pure cringe session, although I went back to watch it again since I rarely see that kind of depiction of violence in anime. It was mesmerizing on top of being as brutal as all hell. Honestly, this whole movie held my attention from the start to the end, no doubt. There are many ways to interpret Perfect Blue. For me, it's somewhere along the lines of losing your cherished identity and coming to terms with your new life. While at the same time fighting back the previous you that now haunts you. But before I get into all that. I want to say that Perfect Blue nailed the mood. During the elevator part for one, when Angel of love (I can't get it out of my head, please send help) started playing. It was creepy such a song begun echoing slowly in the background before it came closer. Then when the elevator opened, all went blank for a moment, and you get this awful scene of the guy brutally killed with his eyes pulled out of his sockets. It sent a mad chill down my spine. I watched the whole movie in complete darkness. I regretted every minute when the movie started to ramp up, not turning the light on. It's also one the few times I have seen in an anime where the smallest movement can tell you so much about a character. I knew Rumi was shady from the beginning. Her eyes and subtle behavior of her was just so ominous from the getgo. So we knew Mima is confused and can't tell apart a dream from reality. Satoshi makes sure that the viewers feel like a complete dodo brain by putting you into Mima's shoes and dragging you along for a brain aching ride. Mima ends up creating a personality reflecting her pop-idol self to show how much she hates her current life. She is starting to doubt, and those feelings took form as her idol self. Mima is more or less having a fight with herself, failing to accept reality and just move on. While the illusion occupying two other people. For one Me-mania just wants to keep Mima for himself for selfish desires. Gosh, that face of his is so disgusting and gives me mad chills. Seeing him smile gives me almost a heart attack. That scene with him when he was trying to do the nasty with Mima when his voice was revealed. It was genuinely more terrifying. That whole scene had me at the edge of my seat, and I was scared for Mima's life. Every movement, plus the sound effect, felt precise and packed with weightiness and value to nail that scene absolutely. As I am writing this review, my opinions for Perfect Blue are starting to change. So I honestly appreciate it much more now than I did at the start of this article. Rumi's character is simply delusional and is trying to steal that identity of Mima that lingers in the air without a host. Satoshi clearly depicts a situation where Mima's previous identities come back to haunt her in real-time. Rumi is a former idol and might just want to go back to her peak days, where she doesn't look like a pig. I think I get that Mima saving Rumi from Truck-kun is essentially she beating her old self and finally moving on. Mima is not confused anymore. She knows she is the one and only Mima. So Rumi was kind of life a stepping-stone for Mima to accept growth and maturity. That's why she was so thankful, despite the shit she went through previously. Btw, how that pig almost died cause of something so idiotic is damn hilarious. What a joke. There was another thing that made this movie experience so much more, and that was the oustanding soundtrack. I always turned my volume up, especially those tunes, when everything is about to turn trippy or upside-down, came on. It was always chilling and made me keep up my guards for any kind of surprises if it may throw at me. Yet I still almost fell off my chair when Me-mania suddenly closed the distance between him and Mima. As for the art-style, I already touched upon it. But it's unique and honestly gorgeous and so full of depth if that makes sense. It's one of the few more realistic depictions of art-style I have come across in anime. The way Satoshi Kon uses all those other events to confuse the shit out of you is merely ingenious as well. I lost count all the times I believed the acting scenes where the reality or other matters. Mima is not the only one losing things during her run, but me too. My brain honestly feels like goo and is fried up. But I loved watching Perfect Blue, it had tons of symbolic themes. I caught only a few. I honestly don't know if I even got them right to begin with. I wanna throw some praise for the absolutely stunning voice acting, especially Mima. It's like I have an angel inside of my head speaking. Seriously, I love that soft, hesitant voice of hers, which is so quite refined and has many subtle details to truly nail Mima's character. Also, Mima was such a fun character to follow. I adore her quite a lot, and she is a pleasing sight for some sore eyes. Best girl, anyone? Overall, I recommend this masterpiece, directed by Satoshi Kon and written by the equal alike genius Yoshikazu Takeuchi to everyone. You have to watch it at one point. It's truly a work of art, and I can see myself rewatching it a lot in the future. Well, something tells me if I went back and saw it now. My interpretation would be so different. Yes, there are honestly many ways to describe what the hell just went down. This review/analysis, I guess, is solely what made the most sense to me. Perfect Blue is one of the few anime that comes closest to perfection I have so far, but it's not without flaws. It can be quite hard-to-follow, and many things in the movies will have you second-guessing never be able to come to a decision. I loved it tho. The way Satoshi Kon put us into Mima's shoes or how the editing was done to really make us confuzzled over what the hell we just saw is so refreshing. I have not seen many shows that make my brain feels empty, but I guess after this, you bet I will change that and watch more trippy acid shit that has a purpose and value. I can honestly see why Perfect Blue is so highly praised by many. I am here to tell you it truly deserves every bit of it. This is a movie not even lasting two hours, but each watch will give you new things to chew on. A brilliantly well-crafted eerie and in-depth study of character that shows how easy it is to manipulate the human mind, and how fickle and delicate we are as beings. Just a step in the wrong direction can make you feel genuinely lost and beyond help.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
May 17, 2020
Kimetsu no Yaiba
(Manga)
add
Not Recommended
This review will contain spoilers!!
If you are easily triggered. Then please turn away from this review since I will not be holding anything back at all. I've said my piece about the first season of Demon Slayer anime. It was rough around the edges but land and sea above the awful of a mess known as the manga depiction. No hard feelings to anyone who enjoyed this crap. I mean, I was one of you as well for a very short period. Then I woke up and saw that Demon Slayer is not the least bit deserving of all the hype and fame it's getting ... from a writing standpoint. After reading blindingly, ignoring my own feelings and letting the viewpoints of another affect my judgments and way of thinking. Just utterly throwing my own feelings in a circle of a pile of confusion, not trying to understand my genuine beliefs. I was able to come to terms with my actual views once I shut everything else out. I am not mad at the author, and quite happy they are selling millions on their work. But I can't say the same about the community. I am disappointed even if I do understand why Demon Slayer blew up as it did. We enjoy what we enjoy, and everyone is different. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Not to mention, it helped the manga community get more readers and prestige, and that's a big plus, no doubt. That anime adaptation from Ufotable was a blessing and with it trending like mad everywhere. Curious newcomers, countless other individuals in the anime community, ate that shit up like it was cake. It's no doubt hard to differentiate the taste when you've not eaten or, in this case, read or watched something genuinely worth your attention because it's simply great. I am willing to bet any numbers of shounen such as Black Clover, which is like far better than Demon Slayer and deserves some actual attention. If that shit got a proper adaptation putting a strong emphasis on the production value and even making sure the experience in the anime flows smoothly like running river. It would totally blow up and sell like hotcakes. That goes for shit like Fairy Tail as well. Black Clover for one possesses most of the same elements as Demon Slayer. But the execution is far clearer and much more concise and decisive. At least it was when I read it. I need to get back on that. I will throw this out there. Noelle is a greatly written character with flaws and everything nice. She is properly written tsundere to boot. For me, that's a big fat cherry on top. Asta feels real and is not void of emotions or a sense of danger and all that. The reason I think Demon Slayer doesn't deserve any of the fame it's getting from a writing standpoint - it's a mess with no lick of direction, genuineness in it's established themes and character drama. The impact feels so lackluster, and the deaths don't even affect my emotions a bit. It's so dull to read, and the pacing has no sense of balance or satisfaction. The cuts to events feel forced, half-assed. It's merely just damn random and is not running in paths without needless hindrances or broken roads. Even after all that, there's so much more I want to say and get off my chest. I would admit that Demon Slayer had the potential and elements to turn out as a decent shounen. If the author was not in a hurry or Weekly Shounen Jump didn't rush them to finish the story. I don't know if they were forced or not, but it has already happened many times. I don't want to open that can of utter worms, but it's obvious which shounen I am referencing, among others. As for Demon Slayer, nothing about the story interested me whatsoever. Most of the characters were just happened to be a means to an end. But it had a good cast of characters with distinct enough personalities. Shinobu was like such a best girl, and for me, it is far more interesting than Kanao. She had this simple sense of complexity by putting on a facade behind her face when she is actually angry about lots of things. It's such a shame she was killed before her character's potential got fully utilized. Kanao is adorable and charming, but unlike Shinobu, which at least got somewhat fleshed out, Kanao's change was jarring and didn't sit well with me. At least it seems like Tanjiro and her got together. So that's good and gave me at least some sense of comfort. But they seriously did my girl Shinobu so damn nasty. Inousuke was by far the only interesting character out of the main trio. But just like more or less anyone else, his growth was sloppy and not well executed. I wanna say that each of the Hashiras deserved more build-up than they got. Sadly, we only got something resembling a jittery backstory, and many were interesting, no doubt. Still, you could see that the author was in a rush to get back to the action. I think my favorite has to be Iguro's, which was seriously messed up. The way they tore his mouth to match that nightmare was a bit awkward and just a bit too much? But I definitely wanted him to bath in happiness after going through that tragic and scarring event. Also, that snake lady is damn nightmare-fuel. In just that one panel, she was much scarier than Muzan. I am not getting a wink of sleep tonight. I actually felt the chemistry between Iguro and Mitsuri. Sadly, once again, their relationship was not as sufficiently fleshed out or built-up like I wanted it to be. But it was by far my favorite ship. So unlike most characters. I felt their death but then that ending happened and my suffering was for nothing. So let's talk about the big bad of Demon Slayer. Muzan so insufferable as a villain, and I cared little how the whole fight with him went. It was going places way too quickly. I didn't get enough time to absorb how much of a threat Muzan was since he was zig-zagging around places chopping up demon slayers left and right. But it didn't carry any weight or impact. It was obviously forced down upon us to make us feel frightened of Muzan. But I was like okay all the time. I have said it before that death is a pretty severe double-edged sword that can bite you in the back if one doesn't know how to use it well. This story throws that at us literally all the times like it's a tool to make the vibe heavy and tell you that the stakes are high. Anyone can drop dead, but it's pointless if you know it's going to happen, and when you barely have an emotional bond with the cast, it's not going to affect you. Plus, once it's used and the character dies. We don't get time to process what just happened before we simply start moving to other things. It doesn't help either Muzan feels just like a joke with many loose screws in his already small brain. "I am like a natural disaster, so you shouldn't care if someone died" or something like that. I was seriously laughing out loud when those words came out of that freak's mouth. That's just a taste, so prepare to get your brain-cells eaten by Muzan stupidity. If you decide to read it. To make Muzan truly scary, the author should've given him common sense and some level of intelligence. Simply, flaunting your powers around will only work for so long. Just for like the first time, when you know nothing about said individual. This goes for many things. But in this case, a villain's appearance is not the only thing matters to make you respect or admire them. There are ideals, personality, and of course, flaws, and more. Not to the point, it's all over the place. Those things need to bounce off well with each other and not straight out devour each other. What the hell happened to my boi Azaka? He was the best and the most entertaining villain in Demon Slayer. Too bad the guy's name, I don't even remember killed him, and I couldn't care less about him. Since he was just in that one arc and hardly felt well-established. We'll see how the anime does his introduction and all that. I already hear the angry mob consisting of the Demon Slayer out there. Azaka was the best among all the demons and had the biggest amount of potential. I would've liked to see him be replaced with Tanjiro as a main, to be honest. Now Muzan death scene was the most hilarious shit I have seen ever. There was a meme of how Muzan turned into a baby. I completely burst out in laughter. That shit was honestly GOLD. Then when he was such a manipulative jerk trying to control Tanjiro but it didn't work. So Muzan resorted to begging him and probably crying inside. That was good entertainment. We've waited a long time for Nezuko to turn to human, but man was that whole scene so bland and like whatever. I didn't feel any emotions coming out from that panel at all. Can we talk about how Giyuu and Tanjiro basically became the best bros? Still, it was never established with security or ingenuity in mind? It came from the left-field, just like most of the directions in this story. Finally, I want to just say that regardless of all the death scenes that came from literally nowhere. Simply reincarnating them makes the situation much worse than it already is. Yes, those who died are not really alive, but calling it simply reincarnation and coincidence is not the best thing to say. It makes the already shaky story filled to the brim with all kinds of issues just crumble to utter pieces. Let's not get started on how Tanjiro time and time again. Became stronger without any clues that didn't feel wishy-washy, besides the obvious things like his hair and that mark on his head. The power system is really simple but effective and might be awkwardly written, but it does the job. That said, many of the characters' execution and how they went from zero-to-hundred was cheap and ineffective. I realized I have been simply focused on the character aspect, but the world-building was not there either. We don't even know many if any of the locations name. It all just seems so damn insignificant. One more thing I want to bring up is the author, Koyoharu, who uses tell and show at the same time. Most annoyingly, so it makes reading through Demon Slayer boring and lame. Since we already are seeing much of the things that are happening in the drawings, so we don't need to go all bananas about the details. Just a light touch be more than enough. I don't like drawing most of the time, either. The action is rough, and I can't properly see what's happening. I mentioned already that emotions don't get conveyed properly through facial expressions or behavior most of the time. There are rare occasions when we get some good eye-candy with details in the background and character art. It's not in the slightest the best artwork I have seen. But the author can draw once they put their mind to it. So I wonder if the author truly enjoyed writing Demon Slayer? I sadly didn't enjoy it as much as I thought initially. It was all over the place, no sense of anything, and that final chapter was terrible. It simply focused on a new batch of characters and went nowhere with that. I would've liked to see some silver of world-building with how the world became after the demons were killed with details. Maybe see the public reaction to the events and properly tie all the damn loose ends. Being how the characters went from this to that and so forth. Btw, I think Nezoku lost something when she returned back to human. Did she seriously marry Zenitsu? Overall, Demon Slayer is probably the worst shounen I have read in recent memories, if not ever so far. I enjoyed bits and pieces of the beginning. It had the potential to become slightly more. If only the author wasn't set by being satisfied by mere cheap thrills that last barley a few moments.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Apr 22, 2020
Kami no Tou
(Anime)
add
Recommended Preliminary
(4/13 eps)
My impressions so far as an avid webtoon reader.
I am sorry, but this is gonna be a very stan moment for me. That's still cutting it short. This is literally my damn One Piece of the webtoon world, and my passion for Oda-sensei masterpiece work knows no bound. So I am about to burst from utter excitement as my body is unable to contain. I can't believe my favorite webtoon of all time is getting that much-needed and deserved anime treatment. This will be my first impressions as an avid webtoon reader who has experienced Tower of God inside and out, top to bottom, and ... so forth. I am not going to deny this might be very bias-y, but hear me out on this one. You should not be sleeping on ToG. If God forbid, the anime flops. You should pick up the webtoon, and most of you, I can confidently say won't regret it. If you are looking for a highly complex epic fantasy tale that only gets better, polished, and more fleshed out as it goes on. Then I can without mulling wholeheartedly recommend Tower of God for you. It starts out very simple and straightforward. But most stories start out that way and gradually gets more engrossing and compelling as elements of the story get revealed over time. I can see many not liking, Bam, who is one of the many main characters. It's understandable but entirely explainable for why he seems to emotionless, naive. Bam had only Rachel when he was stuck inside that dark and gloomy cave and only knows what she thought him and nothing else. She is the light who took him out of the darkness. Bam, as a result, is not aware of the outside world, the emotions a person feels. What's right and wrong and so forth. It's all the effects of being enclosed from the outside world for who knows how long. Bam does get a ton of development as he climbs the tower, but just like us, the audience who are unaware of the wonders of this mysterious place. Together with Bam, we will slowly discover new things and see this boy grow from this naive little boy into adulthood and get a ton of growth along the way. Did I forget to mention, it's a great thing he is flawed? It makes him feel more genuine, and all those heartwrenching, bittersweet victories and losses will make a much more significant impact on you. Tower of God is not a story that will give Bam every damn thing on a silver platter. Sure, it seems that way now, but then again. You always have to give some big weapons to the main character to throw the world out of balance and plant the seeds for an extraordinary tale. It won't last, Bam will suffer both losses and victories, and SIU-sensei is not one to shy away from tragedies and scandals. This story is not your typical shounen, and if I could make some sense. I would say it's a mix of both shounen and seinen. SIU-sensei is not afraid to play around with many other demographics, and most of all, your feelings. This tells you that ToG will have all kinds of dark and gritty directions. Not everything will be rainbow and sunshine. There will be all kinds of nasty business and people in the world, like an organization that does human trafficking or manipulate the public to their own tune and so forth. So don't drop the story if Bam is your problem as they are many other things you should be on the lookout for. Even while Bam slowly develops and experience all kinds of emotions climbing the tower. There is a huge cast following behind who get their own set of story and growth segments. Above everything else, there is this incredibly complex and ever-expanding world you can witness bloom into such a huge spectacle. Inside the tower there is also a unique and advanced power called Shinshoo. This is literally the heart and spirit of the tower and can be used for literally anything you can think about. More will get revealed as we climb the tower, but like most stories, there will always be some even bigger mystery of the world, which will be kept under wraps untill much-much later. In One Piece, one of those is devil fruits or the titan's origin in Attack on Titan to give an example. When it comes to the anime adaptation so far from the episodes that have been released. It's been a truly outstanding ride for me, at least. I am not the first person to admit I have a bias. Being a webtoon reader and all. But honestly, Telecom is doing more than enough to make more people notice the wonderous of Tower of God and SIU-sensei incredibly brilliant mind. Let's talk about production value, which is quite solid and very unique. Telecom is paying homage to the author's original artistic art-style but managed to add their own flavors to truly make the experience more fulfilling in the anime. In the webtoon, the art-style is one of the few things that might turn you away from the story. It's not the best and is very rough around the edges and so forth. But you can tell SIU-sensei is putting in his best amount of effort with each panel. Why do I know and say that? It's obvious because the art-style improves at a rapid rate and gets incredible-looking. If you have read Solo Leveling, then you know how gorgeous that it's one the most gorgeous art-style out there, colored top to bottom. The author knows how to create fight scenes where you can smoothly imagine how the events play out. The same goes for SIU-sensei. I swear some of the depictions of the action is out of this world, and it feels so natural when the scenes are playing seamlessly in my mind. That's right, Tower of God has seriously one of the best art-work periods and the biggest cherry on the top is the fact it's colored. I can't forget mentioning that SIU-sensei consistently at one point weekly gives out chapters with over 100+ pages of rich and tasty content. This has become the norm. Many even say it's only a matter of time before ToG standard for the page count for a chapter becomes 200. This just goes to show how SIU-sensei imagination runs wild all the time, and he can't stop pouring out new ideas left and right. One of the best authors for sure. I got a bit sidetracked, so let's touch upon the animation for the anime. It's honestly has a touch quirky and uniqueness to it, and you won't see these kinds of visuals everwhere. Among others, in the fourth episode, the way some scenes where animated just felt so fresh and the love was pouring out from each and every single frame. If you have seen the fourth episode, you should know the way that weapon was moving was funny and very exciting at the same time. How about the comedic moments with a flexible art-style to get a bigger laugh out of you and make sure you are enjoying yourself? Of course, all these elements are subjective, but you must be blind if you call this poor in terms of production value. Telecom is seriously pulling out all stops and doing a great amount of justice to the source. There is more to an adaptation than just giving out 1:1 story, panel by panel. If they went that route, it could turn into a huge problem since ToG, as stated before, is rich in content and dialogue. So inevitably, there will be things that will be cut out to make places for materials that are necessary at that time. This is not a bad thing either if you know what to do like Telecom has shown so far. Too much could overwhelm the anime onlies and make them lost track of what's happening. And we want none of that so Telecom did a solid by doing these changes for better or worse. Some of the details won't be more prominent before many episodes down the road or seasons later. So there is more than enough time to hint at those elements and close down the plot-holes before they even have a chance to become a noticeable problem. As far as anime adaptation with only 13-episodes. I think Telecom is doing the best they can do with what they have, and you can tell by the deep passion they have put here. They seem to care about every type of fan in this story. They are catering to not only the anime onlies but also webtoon readers and giving them a more fruitful experience by adding some original content and making it work damn well. We can't forget about the simply amazing soundtrack composition of Kevin Perkins, which an absolute blessing to the ears. It's so unique, and it has all the right tunes to make it fit perfectly with Tower of God's deep atmosphere. I seriously love his work so much, and it's an honor to have him with us for one of my favorite stories ever told. Then there are all those absolute top-notch voice actors and actress alike who adds even more spice to everything. I don't think I have found one VA's so far out of place, and everyone seems to be more or less a perfect fit for their own respective characters. On top of all that, the background always looks so utterly stunning and artistic. Suffices to say, studio Telecom is doing an incredible job so far all-around. But my brain hurts trying to comprehend what people find terrible from this adaptation in the production value area. Some just want things to nitpick on that's, to be frank silly beyond belief. I want each and every one of you who are going to judge a show based on the first few episodes. When it has literally not even begun, think a moment to realize all those other stories which start out slow but become more with each passing chapter or episode. Tower of God is a classic fantasy tale that never stops growing. I have implied before, it has tons of variables and not just one goal. It's not only driven by its cast of character but the world, politics, and so much more. Much of the story is hidden in mystery, and you will have to guess and predict the story and see if the conclusion you come to makes sense with what's already been established. For me, I personally love to predict and theorize, one of the reasons I love One Piece so much, which has a ton of lore, lots of myth, histories, and a limitless world you can speculate about without getting bored. That's why if you feel the same, you might enjoy Tower of God. It's an incredibly fun and massive emotional rollercoaster of a ride that never feels the same and is always evolving into much bigger and greater things.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Mar 21, 2020
Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu
(Anime)
add
Recommended
This review contains a spoiler!
The first I first watched Parasyte a very long time ago, I was not in the right place for judgment or appreciation. I was still wet behind the ears and didn't understand the full picture of what Parasyte is trying to convey to us. To the noobie me, it was a full-on action anime with a war between humans and this sentinel organism from outer space. I did understand it was trying to tell more, but I was unable to put it into words and feel a sense of security in what I am saying. But rewatching once again, made me ... realize Parasyte is whole more than meets the eye. It's a story that relies heavily on the philosophical aspect to tell both a deep and complex story. It asks questions that would make your brain hurts under normal circumstances. You know, things like what are humans, and what does it mean to be one? Who are the real devils, the parasites or the humans? When is it right to take another life? What really is right and wrong? These are some of the core questions that are brought up through our journey in Parasyte. It throws one into a deep state of thinking. It makes you whack your brain to a point to see an actual logical, satisfying, and fair answer can come to mind. Even if it does not, since of course, it's a rather heavy topic that not mere words and deep thought can give your resolution to. In Parasyte, we see such examples on display both with the actions of humans and the parasites themself. It explores these erudite issues in-depth and shows it to you in a way you can understand both sides, the parasites, and the humans. We see both of their evil and likewise the kind side that shooks you to your very core with emotions. Parasyte first stars Shinichi, who is just your average boy who doesn't excel at anything. He is rather timid, shy, and easily scared of bugs. One day by pure coincidence, he gets attacked by a snake-like alien creature who tries to take over his head but ultimately fails. But Shinichi loses his right hand to the snake, and the arm is no longer his own. Parasyte uses both Shinichi and his companion Migi to explore all of the questions I've mentioned above and so much more. Migi starts out with somewhat a bland personality, lacking any emotions, empathy, and is only focused on his own survival. Still, since Shinichi is bounded to his life, they both must learn to live together. As Shinichi and Migi overcome multitudes of precarious situations, close life-death calls, they start to develop a bond of friendship. At one point, Migi saves Shinichi from a certain death situation sacrificing 30% of his own being. When that happens, Shinichi slowly starts to lose his humanity. He can't even mourn for his losses and becomes emotionless unable to exhibit any kind of feelings. This is the result of Migi becoming a part of him. Since Migi already lacks those kinds of emotions, so it starts to affect Shinichi. The Migi, which is part of his heart anyway since the Migi on his hands, is beginning to develop an understanding of things and a sense of humanity. While Shinichi loses his own as his mother is killed and so is driven by vengeance and anger to the point, it affects him negatively. Shinichi's path to ruin as he slowly loses himself is executed so brilliantly, and you learn to really understand him. He also knows both sides, the parasites and the humans, and where both are coming from. This was only possible through going hell and back and experiencing, witnessing many sides of the parasites and the humans. When it comes to deep questions, Parasyte brings up. There is one in particular that never ceases to make me into a sobbing mess. I am talking about Reiko's growth going from a parasite to a human and then finally into a mother. That scene where she is getting gunned down as she walks to Shinichi as she is protecting her child is absolutely beautiful and very meaningful. Who are the real devils, humans or the parasites? In my case, this goes to the humans since they were fully aware of the child and still gunned Reiko down without batting an eye. It's such an awful, tragedic moment, but it runs deep with symbolism, and it makes it so much more impactful when you realize that's the moment Shinichi comes back from the abyss. It's where he finally regains his humanity again and can mourn for his mother. That whole scene doesn't only show the supposed enemies can be gentle too, but it also adds much-deserved respect to every mother out there. For those reasons alone, I have no qualms in saying I consider that episode, especially a masterpiece. Another proof of where the humans are the bad guys are during when they intervened in the conference building. At first, they used a sensible approach to differentiate humans from parasites. Before shit went to hell, and they gunned down anyone who was in their vicinity. It didn't matter if they were humans or not. They just wanted to completely destroy the parasites off the face of the earth without a damn trace. That's, of course, the logical course of actions, and I am not saying the humans are wrong to think that way. I am just saying surely there could be a different way? Just like humans, the parasites also have both the bad and the good guys when they get to mature to that level. The best example we saw by far was Reiko, Migi and of course Joe. Parasyte is honestly naive and children-like. They don't know what's right from wrong, like Migi said. They are just now coming into life and are just now tasting all forms of situations, emotions, actions, consequences, and so forth. Compared to humans, they are terrifyingly strong children who can easily kill you. I hope anyone gets what I am implying with this reasoning. It took Reiko a while before she became a genuinely good person. We remember how she had that funny time where she was going around laughing in a crazy voice? Now that's comedy gold. Just think if you saw a human with teeth of a head running around laughing in that kind of voice? Yeah, now that I think about it would be terrifying. She first realized these sensations when that dorky investigator slipped and fell in the restaurant. Afterward, she went on a lecture on the human psyche and experimented on her own time. Before she gradually changed for the better and started to care about the child to the point, she sacrificed her own life, when she could easily escape. It's no doubt that Reiko was powerful and could easily come out of that situation unscratched. Just like how, when a child is born first, don't know what's right or wrong. They learn that from their parents or through experience or realizing that there are consequences for their actions. For instance, when a child calls you some words, you rather not say. It's not untill much later when they are older that they realize how awful it is what they are saying. How much it hurts their parents and the people around them and so forth. There are many examples, but this should hopefully get the point across. So what does it mean to be humans? For me, that's to be happy, depressed, sad, angry. To love or hate someone. It's a connection like family or experience pain from an injury, stress from school-life not treating you well, and to put simply to live. It's more or less our entire being, the yin, and yang. This could also be said for the concept of life itself. Of course, people might have some different viewpoints, but here you have at least my. Regardless of the things I have explained about, Parasyte tries to explore and show. There is more it adds beliefs to, like how fragile the humans are because of emotions and concern. But to cut to the chase, for me, that's an advantage since it means we can be flexible when it comes to feelings, and that once again makes us human and really alive. No humans are the same either, because of the concept of empathy and the broad topic of personality to mention some. As you can see, Parasyte has really made me question a lot of things, and thus it's been a genuine pleasure to experience it once again. It was on a whim, but I couldn't be happier to see all these things I couldn't see before and actually put words to the ideas it's trying to show and tell us. Parasyte is arguably one of the few stories that I would say has the qualities of a masterpiece. It would not be wrong to call it that either since it has more than enough proved itself. Sadly, Parasyte is not without flaws. First off, what was the point of Kana besides making Shinichi realize he can't feel emotions? And also, add fuel to the fire to make sure Shinichi gets thrown even further into the deep abyss? When his mom died, he only experienced anger and longed for vengeance and ultimately lost himself when he was forced to kill his own mother in appearance, wearing the mask of the devil. It was not before Kana's death he got the time to realize he is not crying, even a lick. Anyway, for me, Kana was honestly a waste of potential. Sure, she is lovely and a sight for sore eyes. No doubt, my best girl of Parasyte. Still, you can't deny she set up for her own death and was way over her head. That said, it does not make the death any less impactful. I cried when Kana died, and I am still salty about how they handled her story. I saw potential in how Shinichi and Kana's relationship could grow since both had an understanding of the unknown in some way. Plus, Shinichi felt more secure about telling Kana of his secret friend than Satomi, who was all over the place. When I first time saw Parasyte, I didn't even care about Satomi, and I was all about Kana, and honestly still am. But I can also understand where Satomi is coming from now. Regardless of what Shinichi went through, she had no idea. That was honestly her fault and our main male, who felt insecure about telling her the truth. There where multiple times where her behavior changed at the drop of a hat, from wanting to know to not wanting to know Shinichi's predicament. On top of that, there is that thing with the whole romance side plot. It was not as fleshed out as I liked, and it moved way too fast for my liking. In fact, Parasyte might be one of the best shows I have seen. But I won't deny the pacing did feel awkwardly timed at certain moments throughout the course. In other words, some things felt appropriately paced and executed like Shinichi's path to doom, before liberation and maturity. On the other end, there was not as much Shinichi and Migi interactions as one would like. It felt slightly thin and I would love to have seen it more of that. Now, don't get me wrong I still love the relationship between those two. Migi is easily one of the best friends anyone could ask for, no doubt. I just want to tell you all my feelings on both the good and the not so good sides. Then there is the final villain, Gotoh, who started out with a rather complex, deep, frightening personality. Someone you wanted to learn more about. Then regressed back to a state of one-dimensional, boring, and mediocre villain who tried to kill Shinichi for being bested by a human. Now Reiko was a great example of how to write a villain character and then truly make you fall in love with her. Although, in the end, she became a good person. No, I am not trying to excuse her wrong decisions in the past. I am looking at the result and not the path she took to get from A to B. In that way, Gotoh also had the potential for greater things. It would make more sense to actually live up to her creator's values and beliefs in some way. Now Reiko learned to value human connection, understand what's right and wrong. What it means to be human. What it means to be a mother. So how about Gotoh instead of going that path could try to better the life of his kinds and indeed seem like a caring leader who wants a better future for his brethren? That would honestly make for a better story than what we ended up getting. It would put emphasis on what Parasyte is trying to showcase and deliver a more satisfying conclusion. This is just a basic scope of my idea, and I have more to go on, but it should tell you more than enough to know where I am coming from. That may be what they were going for actually, now that I think about. But, the author decided to sadly cut the story short, so that story direction didn't get across as profoundly as the other themes of Parasyte. Not to mention, the ending left more to be desired. I would love to have seen how the parasites stopped hunting humans for food and went on to fully live amongst the humans without spilling an unnecessary drop of blood anymore. We still don't even know the full origin of them either, but that's probably intentional. Since the philosophical and character-driven aspect is the heart of Parasyte. The parasites are among others, just there to prove a point and to explore, assess, and justify the elaborate questions. Let's discuss shortly the production of Parasyte, which is as you would expect from Madhouse top-notch. The animation is damn fluid, and the action scenes are depicted with the utmost intensity and emotions. It makes the experience even better with that gorgeous, and absolutely masterpiece of a soundtrack, which blesses our ears and the show to a greater height. All of the action scenes are so amazingly choreographed, are fast-paced, and gives you an adrenaline rush of excitement. Not to mention, those with dialogue. To put it into perspective, that beautiful last episode of Reiko was breathtakingly executed and direction. As a result of the passion, the staff put into the scenes as they worked rigorously, probably to the point of exhaustion to make sure to deliver an ultimate experience and burst of emotions. Art-style is beautifully drawn, and Madhouse can genuinely convey any forms of emotions without a hiccup to the viewers. There is also a ton of gore, and Parasyte is not for the faint of heart. Expect to see dismembered bodies, intestines in full view. It's very violent, bloody and is not afraid to show some horrifying and scary sights. Lastly, I just wanna say the OP is very catchy, addicting, and immensely bop inducing. While the ED is so soothing, beautiful, and it gives you a sense of comfort as the episodes come to an end. Overall, I would like to say that Parasyte definitely is one of the few shows I can consider having the qualities of a masterpiece and not feel as insecure about it. It asks tons of difficult questions and adds support for them by showing and telling. Shinichi is a great example of how a real person might change in attitude as they experience hardships and more. Plus, he goes to show us how fickle, fragile, and even flexible the human race is who can change for the better or worse if given the time. I would honestly say Parasyte, for me, falls in the category of must-watch at one point in your life. It's truly a very memorable, meaningful, thought-provoking, exciting, heart-crushing, and a liberating journey you can't miss out on, or you'll be doing yourself a disservice. I highly suggest Parasyte to everyone and can't recommend it enough.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all 
Dec 29, 2019
Vinland Saga
(Anime)
add
Recommended
Vinland Saga is most definitely one of a kind story and one that really puts your intelligence to the test. It's one of the few I consider a masterpiece, but it might be easier to see those qualities more cleary if you have read the manga. For now, let's discuss the anime, where studio Wit pulled out all the stops and served an incredibly amount of justice and created a fantastic adaptation. I would go as far as to even call it "perfect." I can imagine that even the manga readers would not have a problem with such a massive statement. It took everyone by
...
storm when it first hit the screens and blew all the expectations out of the water for many. It's no doubt that Vinland Saga is an anime that will keep close to everyone's heart, and it's a prime example of a beautiful adaptation that exceeds the source material. Of course, let's not forget about Attack on Titan, which is another anime done by Wit studio and breathtakingly exceeds the manga in many ways.
I have to say this first Vinland Saga is among the most challenging stories to properly describe. There are multiple plot threads, and character that plays a massive role you have to take into account, and it's hard to connect everything together through words. But I'll try my best. I could start off by saying it's an intense and complex character study heavily focused on both Thorfinn and Askeladd. The story starts out simple and straightforward. Vinland Saga could take any number of directions. It's basically a slice of life of this nice and wholesome family in Island, who lives their day to the fullest. That is until one of the most influential and powerful viking groups come knocking to take their pal back with them to war. Our supposed main Thors was in the past, one of the strongest viking warriors to ever live. Until one day he up and left and built a wonderful family, and didn't want anything to do with iron and blood any more. But because of an iron rule, he is pulled back to the one thing he now hates, and ultimately dies at the hands of pirates. His son Thorfinn, who had a sense of adventure and was this naive innocent guy previously. Now is set on killing Askeladd, the guy who more or less set up his dad to get killed cowardly. That's the story in a nutshell if you just look at the outer layer and not deeper into things. But not at all, there is so much more than meets the eye here. Vinland Saga is intricate, deep, and very philosophical, and there are multiple plot threads to take into account, as I have stated earlier. There are so many episodes that ask a tricky question, and we had many brilliantly executed episodes that showcase the brutality in this period and are trying to convey something profound and heavy to the audience. Our character is trying to either reach one of those things or stay stuck in the past with wars and pillaging, raping. The story is set in the 10-11th century when the vikings ran wild everywhere. And nations were conspiring to take over other lands by the use of warfare and death till one side achieves their goal entirely. At this time, the previous residents would have forcefully been slaved to work, killed. Maybe even raped since there was no proper system at place to take care of such disgusting acts back then. I feel like Vinland Saga is trying to show us the dirty side of the world. While at the same time building to a better tomorrow through actions of the character. I think it's a realistic depiction of life, acceptance, and of course, growth. It's a story that makes much more sense the further you dive, to put into perspective. Vinland Saga is a massive puzzle piece, and while the first season answered some question through actions and subtlety, not everything might be fully clear to some, So you might not know the full picture, as you first thought. Not to mention, this whole first season is merely a big prologue. It's about 50 chapters worth of content, the anime adapted, and yes, it sounds crazy. But that's actually the truth, believe or not. Character is one of the key pillars of Vinland Saga, as you can see. They all feel real and important to the overall narrative. But there is one that stands above everyone. Askeladd is such a person, and without going into too many spoilers. He is easily one of the best-written antagonists you will ever see. There are so many things I could throw at you for hating him, but I have tried, and I can't help but appreciate him. Some might succeed, but I have a hard time believing you will hate him till the end. Yes, it's hard to hate such a savage cunning, witty and manipulative mad lad who has so freaking much personality and is an extremely well-written character. I could see Thorfinn not hitting off that well with many. He might come off as annoying at times since his dedication to revenge is extreme, and he might come off as linear and easy to a lot of people. It's not until toward the end, you see his potential of complexity, and once a season two arrives, it will be shown to everyone in full detail. Vinland Saga art-style, it's no doubt a piece of art and is stunning. I can't help but be mesmerized by the beauty and amount of details studio Wit puts into this adaptation. I also can't tell you the number of times I had to stop and take a screenshot of a stunning background since I just loved how bright and vividly it was depicted. Wit didn't fail to nail the mood, and each shot represents the vibe perfectly and elevates the emotions further. That goes for the character details too, which looks and feels so real. The expressions are distinctive, and the level of detail is just as crazy as the background. There is gore here to, so heads and limbs flying are not wholly censored. As for the visuals, the movements don't come off as stiff and feel fluid and dynamic. When it comes to the action scenes, it's nothing short of top-notch either. It will have your eyes glued to the screen, and you might even find yourself replaying a couple of scenes, because of just how immersive and impacting it feels. It was undoubtedly a blessing to have Wit studio adapt Vinland Saga, and they made it an unforgettable, fulfilling and an exhilarating experience without question. Let's also add some love to the soundtrack, which nails every given setting and atmosphere to a teeth. Wit is fully able to utilize art, animation, and soundtrack together to create a sense of balance between them and really nail the emotions and scenery with the gorgeous background. I don't cry easily, and Vinland Saga made me shed tons of waterfall to the point my eyes almost got dry. As for the opening and ending song, every single track is the art of beauty and delightful to listen to. I honestly don't hate any of the tracks and was easily absorbed into the music and visuals. And both endings are beautiful and hits strong and are packed with emotions and lots of symbolism like the openings. Suffice to say, Wit Studio made Makoto cry tears of joy to see his masterwork handled so delicately and with so much care and passion. What's negative about Vinland Saga? I am trying to wrap my brain around it, but I didn't see a thing I felt irked me to no end. There were short moments here and there where the art-style looked scruffy, but it was barely enough to cause a huge commotion. It's totally understandable Wit would have few mishaps here and there. Since they have been adapting with the utmost care and heart since the beginning. So all the animators must have felt exhausted by the end of an episode. It's more surprising they were able to deliver this kind of quality for a whole season. I have really nothing terrible to say about Vinland Saga. It's a solid adaptation in my eyes all around, and you would have to be really picky to find something terrible with it if you ask me. Maybe I could throw out the CGI was not the most pleasant whenever it was in use, but I hardly noticed, so it was never a problem for me personally. Overall I highly recommend Vinland Saga, but I will say this too, it's sadly not for everyone. The more mature audience will enjoy it more, and it's a slow burner, so not everyone will fully appreciate it. It's also important to be aware of that Vinland Saga is profoundly character, philosophical, and historical driven story. So certainly not something you see every day and unquestionably one of a kind story. The best way to know for sure if you will enjoy it or not is to see the first few episodes and see what you think for yourself. Also, the story relies on your brain and Wit, and your interpretation might be different from many. It's not something you can fully grasp in the first watch easily. Anyway, we have more than enough content for a sequel, so let's cross our fingers in anticipation as we wait for one. The ending hints at one. I will say this much: its gonna be another unique experience compared to the first part. This was easily one of the best anime of 2019, if not the best, and I urge anyone to give it a shot at some point in your life. Vinland saga might be a story that will stay you with for a lifetime, and it's an incredibly written one at that.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all |