- Last Online1 hour ago
- JoinedJul 28, 2015
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
May 28, 2024
Snack Basue is entirely carried by the episodic dialogues that occur in Snack Basu, a Snack Bar in the outskirts of a random, unnamed city. Akemi and Basue are the proprietors of the place, and it's through their random interactions with customers that drive the entire show.
To put it bluntly, I think that the show would have functioned better as a podcast or drama CD. The effects of the visuals are close to none. Facial expressions are stiff, people are always standing still, and the overall animation style reeks of low budget adult swim shows that never got approved for any more. The visual medium
...
is not utilized a single bit, and imagining the scenes out as a radio show might have been the way to go.
You might be wondering whether or not the humor is fit for you. My favorite type of shows are gag to begin with, so the fact that they were still so dry and boring to me speaks volumes. It's not exactly over-the-top, but it's definitely not going for a realistic take either on the interactions that take place. It's sort of a middle ground where you can sort of imagine these conversations being somewhat real with a comedic embellishment, but that doesn't really make it that much more interesting or boring. None of the characters really stand out and the episodic nature of the show means that these short form episodes really need to stand out, which they don't. If you don't like the first 12 or so minutes of the first episode, you can basically drop the show. It's not going to get any better or worse going forward.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
May 28, 2024
It's amazing how we can go from Lord of The Rings, released in 1954, directly to shaping the tabletop RPGs that we know and love today. The archetype of the elf that we know and love today was inspired by such an old novel and eventually introduced to one of the earliest tabletop RPGs, Dungeons and Dragons in 1974. Later, this eventually spawned Record of Lodoss War, a Dungeons and Dragons campaign released by Group SNE as a published Dungeons & Dragons replay. This eventually became so popular in Japan that it became a franchise, spawning novels, anime adaptions, video games, and spinoffs.
Deedlit, a pale-haired
...
high elf from the spirit world is one of the main characters in the novel adaptations. Similar to Frieren, she embarks on an adventure to defeat adversaries alongside Parn, a blue-haired human hero. Get where I'm getting with this? Frieren and Himmel are inspired by this classic series that introduced high fantasy to Japan, yet they couldn't be more different from each other. Rather than say that this anime is a copy or reskin of Record of Lodoss War, it's more apt to say that it's a reinterpretation of the series and paying homage.
I think one thing that we can all agree on is that Frieren's success as a series stems from the oversaturation of generic fantasy novels and franchises in the market. I'm so sick of watching Isekais where the lonely, loser main character gets transported to another world and gets the most OP abilities, gets women to fall in love with him, and overall just a very generic wish-fulfillment power fantasy. Even the classic story of a hero defeating the demon king is so old-fashioned. Who wants to read about a hero who has plot armor wherever he goes?
While this show takes the same setting as any other fantasy show, it's much slower-paced, focused on character development, and is an exceptionally solid series.
And it starts with characters. Deedlit and Frieren might be both elves, but I think Frieren is much more "human." And that's the whole point of this show. To show Frieren's journey on how to understand humans organically. Frieren is a likable character because she fits the bill of a long-lived elf who's extremely strong due to their age and wisdom, but also still at the core, a human who has emotion. She didn't get killed in a car crash and had a goddess effortlessly give her OP abilities. She just trained for centuries. And even then, she's not particularly talented. She's lost to many humans who have trained much less than her. She's not arrogant, and she's down to earth. She's not the nicest person and usually is quite indifferent to many things, but she tries to help out when she can -- or when she notices. It's not that she's got a standout personality that makes her special, but rather the time and effort the show takes to characterize her, and it shows. Similarly, the other characters in this show are amazing. Fern's a disciple that Frieren begrudgingly got tricked into picking up, and is also a bit aloof and indifferent -- mirroring her master in a way, but brings a lot to the table since she's still just a teenage adolescent girl with emotions that she's trying to adapt to. Fern's immaturity at times only serves as a reminder of how incompetent Frieren can be when she's thousands of years older than Fern. Stark, on the other hand, was a character that I thought would be over-embellished comic relief, but I was pleasantly surprised when it was extremely toned down: not a single character in this show is heavily archetyped.
Every single character in this show is good, even the side characters that don't get too much screen time. This is apparent in the First Class Mage qualifications arc where you're introduced to many aspiring mages, and throughout a mere 10 or so episodes, you get to know so many new characters that aren't at all generic. Despite the short screen time, each character has a personality that isn't simple. Characters that seem to be bloodthirsty and cruel turn out not to be. Characters that look simpleminded think more than you'd expect. Overall, the experience of watching other mages work together and fight each other usually ends up with some antagonistic group or no sort of investment into these characters, but just merely through good character development and pacing, this show manages to create very solid fight scenes and buildup.
That's the thing: there's no drama. This show does not polarize. Usually, when a show is generic, it doesn't attract anyone. However, this is an exception. Everything in this show is exceptionally done at a fundamental level. The pacing is perfect. The characters feel alive. The missions, circumstances, people, and environments that Frieren and her party encounter are dynamic and vibrant. The only way I could see you not appreciating the show is if you have a problem with some of the fundamentals of the show, such as the genre, setting, or main characters. Because simply, the show doesn't introduce too many variables. The story is a MacGuffin, and the coming of age is beautifully done.
Finally, let's bring up the actual art. It's amazing. I love it. I hate how Madhouse can output complete garbage like Overlord Season 4, but they have the talent to be making shows like these. The storyboarding is great. When people talk, they interact with the environment. The pacing is incredible. The dialogue and combat flow seamlessly, and the worldbuilding is done through good narration and cuts perspective. The sound design is equally impressive. The OST is reminiscent of LOTR and is like a trip down memory lane since such classical music, wind instruments, and arrangements remind me of the classic Dungeons and dragons campaign. It reminds me of music that would be played in the period this show is set in, which is medieval fantasy. I love the voice acting. No one is screaming in high pitches. Frieren and Fern speak calmly, in a normal voice. Their interactions don't seem fake, and that's so hard to do. I would say that combat is the most normal thing about the show, it's about the other aspects that truly bring it together to make for such an amazing show.
But yes, because it's not a polarising type of show, I can't say it enraptured me to the point of no return. But it's a show with nearly no mistakes. Just amazing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Apr 28, 2024
Witch Hat Atelier is like the demon slayer version of Shoujo manga. I know it's technically Seinen, but that's just what I think.
First off, let's start with the showstopper. The art. It's phenomenal. I probably haven't seen any storyboarding and art so well drawn. If Yusuke Murata, who draws OPM is highly technical, then Witch Hat Atelier's art is more creative and still has highly elaborate design and technical skills.
However, what else does the manga have to offer? Ultimately, it follows the same formula that shounen mangas do, which is to introduce a character with "dangerous abilities," one that needs to be
...
monitored by the "good guys," and ultimately is left alive because of "reasons." Finally, Coco, the main character will go on to encounter dangerous incidents revolving around the bad and good guys. It's the Sukuna of JJK. It's Nezuko in Demon Slayer.
So if the story is generic as all hell can be, how about the characters? I think Coco is a decent--kind of mediocre--main character, and so are the side characters. Qifrey, Agatto, Tetia, and the other apprentice mages are decent enough, but the enemies are just so poorly written. The antagonists are so "mysteriously edgy" and they do things in such an inefficient manner so that Coco can develop alongside the story that it's ridiculous. Custas was the character that pushed me to drop the manga. He's such a shallow antagonist-type character that only serves as character development and a foil to Coco. If this is how the manga decides to progress story and worldbuild, count me out. It's lazy, not good writing, and it shows a lack of creativity to the story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Apr 15, 2024
Maomao would put Detective Conan to shame for how swiftly she solves cases with little to no information. Imagine being an armchair detective that can solve cases with only two or three pieces of fragmentary information and always being right. She's straight up a Mary Sue through and through.
This show is basically Koukyuu no Karasu but executed at a much higher level. Not that it matters that much. It still suffers from the same host of problems in which the main character is constantly being led around in mystery-of-the-week cases where it consequently gets neatly wrapped up after effortlessly "investigating" for a few moments
...
before coming to a conclusion that is always correct.
There's definitely a lot going for it. For one, I think Maomao is a charming character. The whole "bland looking" definitely doesn't really come through as she's essentially depicted as beautiful as everyone else, and that's apparently when she's wearing makeup that masks her beauty. Cringe. Whatever, she's a fun main character, but having her be perfect in essentially everything just ruins her character.
Side characters, honestly haven't even watched enough to care but they seem to have as much effort put into them as screen time allows, which is not much at all.
Art and animation are quite nice too. Backgrounds, colors, facial expressions, they're all obviously a few notches above an average production. Even the voice acting for Maomao is done brilliantly by my favorite VA, Aoi Yuuki, so it's all a bit of a shame that the entire show gets dragged down by such preventable problems.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Apr 14, 2024
Is this what a random Japanese author thinks kingdom politics to be? I'm surprised that the show goes all out for romance while also attempting to put its hand in pretend politics.
It's just utter cringe. It's just mockery. What's even the point of the male lead being a king? Of course there's no moral decisions to be made, executions done, or any sort of administrative work or any factions at all. It's literally just a random king/palace melodrama sometimes but nothing serious. This setting is just so asinine. The theme is romance, so the atmosphere is always lighthearted. People get forgiven for their crimes, nothing
...
seriously bad happens, and it's all shoujo pink-vision goggles the entire way throughout the show. There's no tension! There's no decision to be made. It's just random fun kingdom melodrama with Sari and Leonheart or whatever.
I won't even talk about the romance or characters. They're all two-bit mediocre garbage, but what really gets me is the absolutely trashy setting and worldbuilding that it tries to establish. It truly is playing house in the royal palace.
Like Jesus Christ, a random love interest comes in for a love triangle just so it can insert drama into the story. Was there a point to this? I hate this so much.
I didn't even get to the part where there's discrimination against humans or whatever but I'm sure there's an entire boring arc about beast people that don't want to go to war vs humans and beast people that want to instigate war. God I hate this show.
If you like a turn your brain off show about the middling romance with some random beast furry theme for no reason and a girl that "has no common sense," "is pitiably cute," and "kind and empathetic," this is surely the show for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Apr 13, 2024
Is there anything good about this show? Other than good animation, what can be said positively about it? It's just straight up garbage. First off is the whole flashback and pilot episode that we get. Yes, I understand that the show is kind of just going through the motions, but that doesn't make it any more bearable how predictably garbage and boring everything is. What's the point of fabricating a backstory for a main character when it's the most soulless and generic backstory ever? Shocking I know, but I kind of figured what was going to happen for the next 15 minutes in the first
...
minute. How crazy, right?
Of course, this is permissible if the show delivers on what it tries to create: comedy. Is this show funny? Absolutely not. Our main character Akira Tendou "lacking common sense" isn't funny. Just because someone does some random crap doesn't make it funny. It's just cringe. Him confessing to his crush when she's zombified as a bucket list isn't cute, funny, or relatable. It just...happened. Why? What was the purpose? To show him that he's unhinged?
But...we just had a flashback arc that completely contradicts his character. He doesn't quit the company because he doesn't want his coworkers to pick up his work when he's gone. He doesn't want to become homeless so he keeps his job. And he's too weak-willed to just quit and look for another. In fact, he needs a damn zombie apocalypse for him to "become free." You know you could basically just walk out the damn door and quit your job if you wanted that to happen. It just doesn't make sense. Not only is his backstory boring, generic, and garbage, it also just doesn't fit with his character profile later on. But somehow, we're supposed to believe that Akira Tendou is a cool guy that is unhinged, lacks common sense, and "funny." Yeah....no.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Apr 13, 2024
How many horror anime are even out there? Rarely is there any actual horror anime that gets released, and when they do, it's not particularly executed on a high level. Higurashi? Both adaptations are pretty mid and the source material...meh. Corpse party? Just edgy shock value. I'm basically out of any other ideas.
And no, "horror" anime doesn't count. Horror evokes fear. Dread. Stuff like Mieroku-chan, Tokyo Ghoul, etc doesn't even count. They might be good shows, but it's more supernatural than horror.
After all, horror is the fear of the unknown and being unable to fight back. The aforementioned shows do feature supernatural anomalies, but
...
there are defined methods of fighting back and the show is the clash between humans and the supernatural. Think of stuff like xxxHolic, Ghost Hunt, or even Toire no Hanako-san. Sure, there might be ghosts and supernatural involved, but when the characters have abilities to easily kill them, it's not horror, is it?
So it's safe to say that while Dark Gathering features some of that supernatural flair where characters are fighting and killing ghosts and spirits, it also embraces the horror aspect and tries to evoke fear in the readers and viewers. And it's clever about it too, expressing the contrasting themes of horror and a bit of shounen through characters.
Yayoi embodies the battle-shounen aspect of the show. She has methods of restraining, controlling, and killing spirits and ghosts. While she faces fear and ghosts with unbelievable abilities, she doesn't falter despite life-threatening circumstances. She makes use of ghosts she previously captured to challenge higher-level ones.
It's because this show still embraces that horror, fear, and helplessness against the unknown that the show stands out and in fact, tries something new. Keitaro and Eiko embody the theme of fear. While Yayoi is out there fighting the enemy, Keitaro and Eiko are for the most part, completely helpless against the supernatural, They have to confront enemies that can kill or permanently cripple them in mere moments while having to devise a way to deal with them or get out alive. Rather than capturing or killing, surviving seems to be the most compelling objective. And it's definitely what makes the show that good. Yayoi is a character that isn't supposed to feel too much fear or have too much weakness, but by introducing characters that are quite helpless, you can certainly experience the horror they experience firsthand through their perspectives.
Speaking of the horror encounters, it is reminiscent of something like Jojo's Bizzare Adventure when it comes to abilities. Each ghost has abilities, a unique nature, and different strengths similar to what a Stand would have. Only by dealing with strong enemy abilities with knowledge, wits, and speed will you be victorious. It is possible to overthrow or beat opponents with seemingly invincible abilities with the right strategy.
Combined with the horror aspect in the form of Eiko and Keitaro freaking out with every encounter, it does pay homage to the horror genre while still maintaining that battle-shounen vibe that it tries to hone in on.
And it's a damn good thing that it did. While this show is a bit spooky at points and there are creepy things that happen, the animation just isn't there. The soundtrack is nice at times, but the choreography and storyboarding are just not meant to evoke too much horror. The problem with horror in animation is how much time it takes to perfect. You need tons of detail, pacing, storyboarding, the right ambiance, and sound quality to achieve an effective horror show. This takes a lot of money, time, and creativity. With something like Demon Slayer, you can kind of just throw money and the product will be good since it's just hyper-detailed fights. What about animating horror? It's pretty damn hard. Games like Ao Oni which have animated graphics have you control the character so it evokes a sense of horror much more easily than just a show. And live-action shows are even easier. You just hyper-realistically CGI scary things and put it in the dark chasing someone and you're already halfway done. So, Dark Gathering makes do with what it can and I applaud for it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Feb 12, 2024
I usually don't give reviews out to series I have already reviewed earlier, especially since my opinion hasn't changed too much. But, for this anime, I certainly think it's time to make an overall impression.
I'd say that the anime starts out relatively strong with season 1. Even then, the time travel mechanic was super suspect. It's never abused the way it should be by people that have any actual semblance of a brain, and things that should have been caught onto with time traveling to the future does not get explained until the event happens in the present.
However, and I said this in season
...
1, but if you frame the show in a way that just has Takemitchy be a normal shounen protagonist without powers, the show becomes a braindead, but fun show about high school hoodlums fighting it out against each other. In a way, I appreciate this over shows with superpowers, because the fact that there is nonstop fighting makes a lot of sense when you put it in the context of aggressive gangs fighting over each other.
I'd also like to point out how even an average adaptation like this one can really make the show shine. I read the manga, and I have to say that it was extremely boring. Despite being the same material, the anime brings out something that the manga did not. And it's not like I'm going to be gushing over the animation. In fact, most fights are really short, unsatisfactory, or slideshows. Even so, it's average. Maybe below average. The voice acting is good, no complaints there. Storyboarding, choreography are very standard and mimic the manga, and yet the drama that unfolds on the screen is much better than the manga. I mean, the manga was so boring I actually forgot what happened, so watching it in the anime again felt like watching it for the first time.
Overall, this shows the power of even just having a mediocre adaptation can make a series watchable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Feb 5, 2024
Reading the synopsis, I thought this show would be a misunderstanding comedy.
I got scammed. You'd think that appointing a weak vampire who can't drink blood as a general that has to fight in war, deal with rebels who want to overthrow her, and command armies would be fun to watch. Terakomari, the protagonist would have to jump through hoops and manage her troops stringently in order to survive. In many cases, she will have to pretend she's smarter than she is, stronger than she is, and more ruthless than anybody else. All while being a hikikomori that wants nothing more than to lounge in bed.
But
...
no, that's not how it works. And it boils down to the premise itself. Terakomari was born in a noble family, where her father's in a powerful position in the Mulnite Empire. Through a simple misunderstanding, her father beseeches the Queen to grant her the title of general. The problem is the lack of desperation in this story. I get that it's a comedy, but isn't it comical that Terakomari's in a pretty good spot? She's rich, her family is in power, and her back's not really against the wall. She even gets a convenient, loyal, and somewhat powerful maid that does her bidding.
To top off the dumb premise, you have the fact that nobody can die, as they revive under the magical powers of a "dark core" that each kingdom possesses. So, what's the point of war? It's answered by the story itself: it's for entertainment purposes. You're basically just given the easiest circumstances in the world. Suddenly, fighting as a commander is more like playing a real time strategy game rather than actual war. Again, Terakomari is in a contract because she doesn't want to die, and she has to fight in order to survive. Yet...she can't fucking die. You get why this story sucks? There's some discourse and an "evil organization" that wants to kill people for good, but honestly, trying to inject some cringe boring edgy organization into a failing comedic plot just won't cut it for me.
Finally, and the most cringe thing in the story (SPOILER WARNING EP 4). Unfortunately, the spoiler is truly a dealbreaker, so I had to include it.
she's just an OP vampire that can kill anything anyways, she's not even weak. What's the point of this show? It's just a generic power fantasy story at that point. It doesn't help that all the jokes are extremely unfunny, and most of them hinge on Terakomari being teased, acting cute, embarrassed, or otherwise being sexualized like crazy.
Compared to something like Tearmoon Kingdom, where it's also a young, cute princess that needs to do things for her survival, the directions both shows go are completely divergent. Tearmoon Kingdom sticks with the misunderstanding premise, the protagonist is weak, and there are some real stakes at hand.
Overall, don't come into this show with comedy in mind, nevermind comedic misunderstandings. It's a typical power fantasy type show with some melodrama and politics mixed in.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Feb 4, 2024
The show is just garbage even on the foundations it stands upon. First of all is just the premise itself. Charlotte gets framed for her crimes and she lives as a live-in maid in return for Allen sheltering her from arrest. This is just such a cringe wish-fulfillment story from the get-go, but the most embarrassing thing is that there isn't even a semblance of Charlotte wanting revenge, wanting to clear her crimes up, and to be honest, Charlotte doesn't even have a personality in the first place. In fact, you could have removed everything about Charlotte being framed as a criminal and just have
...
her start off as Allen hiring her and the show would have remained a carbon copy. When Charlotte gets imprisoned and taken away by guards, she doesn't even sound indignant. It's like she was caught eating someone else's dessert and was trying to defend herself rather than being framed for heinous crimes. She sounds and looked barely concerned. This summarizes Charlotte perfectly, as she possesses no shred of emotion or personality and is only a device for Allen to enact the rom-com scenarios with.
For Allen himself, he's "good" but "bad guy." He's called a demon lord, but he's actually nice, doesn't kill, and it makes you wonder why he's even called a demon lord. I didn't get far enough to know and I don't really care for that matter. He has chuunibyou haircut that would get him bullied at school and similarly has a cringe personality only meant for shitty rom-com scenarios to be acted out easier.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
