Djengo's Blog

Anime Relations: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!, Tales of Zestiria the Cross, Boku dake ga Inai Machi, Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu, Drifters, Ajin, 3-gatsu no Lion, Kiznaiver, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, Boku no Hero Academia, Mob Psycho 100, Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen, Sakamoto desu ga?, Flip Flappers, Yuri!!! on Ice, 91 Days, Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Kibou-hen

Seeing all of these awards and lists flying around I thought I would make my own rankings based off all the anime I watched that aired in 2016. Be aware there might be some minor spoilers but nothing to major. I will also leave my MAL score after each anime entry. My ranking, my opinion. Feel free to make your own if you wish.

Best Winter 2016 Anime

1. Ajin - Unexpected I know but honestly the CGI style just fits and the story is great. Plus the show has one of the best villains this year. (9)

2. Grimgar - While the concept isn't original the way the show tries to take a realistic approach to the transported to a fantasy world genre definitely is. (8)

3. Konosuba - Similar to Grimgar this show innovates on the transported to a fantasy world genre in a pretty funny and troll way. I had a great time with it. (8)

4. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - A very rich and informative anime about a special form of Japanese theater. (8)


Best Spring 2016 Anime

1. ReZero - This show was just so much fun to watch. I always anticipated the next episode and it was never predictable. Disagree if you wish but characters with personal flaws like Subaru are way more interesting to watch than characters who are perfect. (10)

2. Boku no Hero Academia - Bones does it again. This show was so inspiring and got my blood pumping during major fights. Plus Ultra! (9)

3. Kiznaiver - Studio Trigger can take any show in turn the insanity up to 11. This anime explores the idea of have people being linked together so that they can feel each others pain. The results are quite interesting. (8)

4. Sakamoto Desu Ga? - I know I said earlier that flawed characters are way more interesting to watch than perfect characters but this show manages to make an exception to that. Sakamoto is so cool and swag in every scenario normal or crazy that it is just funny. (8)


Best Summer 2016 Anime

1. Mob Psycho 100 - This show has the same charm as One Punch Man with a much better story and more interesting ideas. The fights were great and the art and animation was beautiful. (9)

2. 91 Days - This is a classic Shakespearean style revenge story in a gangster anime form. This show is not quite as predictable as most people think it is and even if it was the way events unfold is well worth watching anyway. (9)

3. Tales of Zestiria the X - You can always count on Ufotable to make the best looking shows. This anime based of a rpg feels just like an rpg and it is a great nostalgic feeling. (8)

4. Danganronpa 3 - While this anime has a high barrier of entry requiring at least watching the first 2 games in the series and knowledge on the Ultra Despair Girls concept it was a great way to end off the Hopes Peak story line. Having 2 different anime in different timelines playing off of each other was a very clever presentation strategy. (8)


Best Fall 2016 Anime

1. 3gatsu no Lion - This anime surprised me so much. Rei is probably the most relatable anime character personality wise to myself. His struggles and happy moments hit me so close to home that I legit let some tears loose. Most feels I have had all year. (10)

2. Yuri on Ice - This show also surprised me. I don't care about ice skating at all and this show had characters and a story that made me care. This anime is bold and you can tell a lot of work went into it. To me it paid off. (9)

3. Flip Flappers - It would be a big mistake to overlook this show. This show is not only one of the most beautiful looking shows of the year but it also had the most blissful wonder. Every episode was a joy just to see where Cocona and Papika were going to end up and how they were going to overcome the challenges involved. (9)

4. Drifters - The Hellsing style is back. The most badass characters ever created in anime with a classic unique art style just for the comedy moments. No shortage of carnage either plus the way historical figures are divided in this show is so bold and interesting that another season of this show cannot come soon enough. (9)


Best Season of Anime

1. Fall - Just based on pure number of top tier shows plus the variety of those shows the last season of the year was definitely the best. 3gatsu no Lion for drama/slice of life, Yuri on Ice for sports, Flip Flappers for adventure, and Drifters for action. There is something for everyone in the Fall season.

2. Summer - It was a close call but with ReZero continuing into Summer and having its best moments during that time it adds to the very strong entries of Mob Psycho 100 and 91 Days.

3. Spring - Just a little lacking compared to Summer but still strong with the start of ReZero and Boku no Hero Academia showing it's muscle.

4. Winter - This season had a strong start but a lot of the shows in this season really flubbed their endings including Erased and Grimgar which turned them from potential 9s to 8s. The only anime to stand up for this season was Ajin but it was only the first half of the show. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu and Konosuba were really good shows but I didn't feel they were on the level of the shows I gave 9 scores to.

More to come at another time.

Anime Relations: One Punch Man, Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

The reason I am writing this blog entry is because I have been seeing a lot of people on the internet bashing and or putting down Re Zero with arguments that don't make any sense, don't offer any explanation, or are just completely false. It is safe to say that this post will contain SPOILERS up to episode 18! So if you have not watched it, go watch it for yourself before you read this blog. I personally love the show quite a bit but I don't want you to take my word or anyone else's word for it. Try it for yourself and come up with your own opinion on it. You have been warned SPOILERS are fair game.

Note: If you genuinely don't like Re Zero and or like any of the shows I take shots at in this blog that's ok. We all have our personal tastes in anime and mine is no better than anyone else's. This is just to get everything off my chest. A little stress relief if you will. If you agree or disagree with anything mentioned or enjoyed my little rant feel free to leave a comment.

(Popularity): Keep in mind that I know for the most part this show is popular and has great reception from most people but it is also the reason that I feel inclined to make this rant. I don't understand why people can hate a show just because it is popular and well received. I am not saying in anyway that popular shows are always good because there are plenty of examples of popular anime that are not amazing. However I get a strong impression that people don't understand how they should use popular or well received anime to their advantage. To me the popularity of an anime simply serves as a RECOMMENDATION to watch the show for myself to get a better chance at seeing a show I might enjoy. A show's popularity does NOT tell me that I am 100% going to love the show nor do I think that everyone else should think this way. If you are someone who does thinks this way than you will be disappointed if the show does not match your tastes. Re Zero is not the first anime to have this happen. Last year another popular show One Punch Man also had this exact same treatment. There were people who thought that they had to watch this show because it was the most hyped and it was the most popular but in doing so they completely ignore their tastes in anime and got burned by a show they didn't like as much as most other people. A lot of people after that proceeded to treat the show as if it were garbage and didn't deserve the praise it got simply because it didn't match their tastes or because they enjoy causing drama. Re Zero is now in the exact same position and I am now going to address point by point every complaint I have heard so far about the show and attempt to shoot them all down. Lets have some fun with this.

1. This show is another generic travel to another world light novel adaptation.

After shows like Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, Grimgar, Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon, and most recently Konosuba people have started to grow tired of anime in this genre and style which is understandable especially since Sword Art Online left a bad taste in people's mouths. However even though the premise itself might have grown old the directions that every story can take with it are seemingly endless and can result into some great shows. Lets take Konosuba for example an anime that takes the same tired premise we have seen a million times and uses it to crack jokes and make us laugh in each and every episode and to me this proves that even an anime in this tired premise can still be a great show. Re Zero takes this premise and goes in the opposite direction making a world that is neither fun nor a pushover where death and destruction could be around any corner. Grimgar is another anime that went down this route and even though I enjoyed the show it didn't reach as deep as it probably would have had to in order to be more successful. Re Zero makes use of a very well known game mechanic in order to give the viewer a much better idea of how much it would suck to live in this world respawns. In order to use this mechanic to prove their point the show uses basic human emotion and psychology in order to make sure that Subaru's respawns are not just a simple rebirth and that sometimes there are fates worse than death. This direction is more than enough to make the show interesting despite using the same scenario we have seen over and over again. I feel it is unreasonable to say that just because a show comes from a tired premise and comes from a more despised light novel source that it should be written off just like that before you even get to see what direction the show is taking.

2. This is a harem show.

No as far as I can tell from actually watching the show it is not a harem show. Are there a lot of female characters in this show? Yes. Is the main character a male? Yes. However having just these two things does not a harem make. A harem show as I understand it also requires almost all the female characters to have some sort of affection towards the main character. As of episode 18 the only two female characters in this show who have any sort of affection towards Subaru is Emilia and Rem. Every other female character simply find him to be an interesting person or couldn't care less about him. So this anime involves a love triangle at best and even then we still don't really know how Emilia actually feels about Subaru only that he is obsessed with her. If you want examples of shows that are actually harem shows I would point you to Sword Art Online, Kore wa Zombie desu ka, and Strike the Blood. All three of these shows have more than two female characters that have affectionate feelings toward the main male character at some point during their run time.

3. This show is edgy.

I don't think this show is edgy at all. It is dark and brutal I will give you that but so is Berserk one of the most beloved anime of all time. I think one of the main components of a show that is edgy is a main character that is always serious, acts like a badass, and can do no wrong. Subaru when we first meet him is heroic but also kind of a goof ball. Perhaps he might come off as edgy at first but it isn't too much longer when you realize he is just a kid who got sent to a fantasy world with no idea what he was getting into. I will cover this in another point because it has to do with the psychological aspect of the show but my point is Subaru talks a big game but does not actually have any meaningful strength nor the knowledge to be able to survive in this world. If he did not have the ability to respawn we wouldn't have a show that went past the first episode. We also come to find out much later that he has an unhealthy obsession for Emilia to the point where after after everything he had been through he snaps at Emilia saying that she essentially owes him more than she could ever repay him. This side of Subaru doesn't come out till act 3 but it shows you how much of a flawed character he really is and he is no badass either. For shows that I would consider to be edgy take a look at Sword Art Online and Divine Gate. Wait, hold on this isn't the first time I have mentioned Sword Art Online. In fact it's the third time I have mentioned it. I might as well go ahead and move on to my next point.

4. This anime is just another Sword Art Online.

Read parts 1-3 to see why this is completely false and that the only things these two shows actually have in common is the traveling to a fantasy/game world aspect, they came from visual novels, the main character is a male, and most of the supporting cast are female. Aside from those 4 similarities these shows are completely different. O wait I have one more similarity Kirito's voice actor is in both shows but his role as Betelgeuse in Re Zero is so much better because he is an insane villain with amazing insight instead of an edgy harem boy who can do no wrong.

5. This show is not psychological because it doesn't do ...

Psychological - of, affecting, or arising the mind; related to the mental and emotional state of a person (Dictionary.com). There you go here is the definition of psychological. Now that we all know what the word actually means let me explain why Re Zero is a psychological anime though if you actually watched it I shouldn't even have to explain this point. This show has been about the mental and emotional state of Subaru the main character throughout the entire show up to this point. The show opts to show you these mental and emotional states rather than just spell it out to up until episode 18. Subaru's sadness at seeing Rem, a person he cared about, about to kill him in episode 7, Subaru's struggle to commit suicide until finding the resolve to do so also in episode 7, Subaru's arrogant and selfish snap towards Emilia in episode 13, Subaru's hatred and desire to destroy Betelgeuse in episode 15, and of course Subaru's desire to quit and new mental resolve from zero in episode 18. Even at the beginning of the show with Subaru's big bark but no bite attitude was all part of his mental state. Not to mention the many times he struggles to accept death. Now that I've stated some examples you can probably find more psychological aspects to Subaru throughout the entire show. Also if you couldn't catch those moments that prove this show is psychological the show literally spells it out to everyone in episode 18 with the godlike dialog exchange between Subaru and Rem.

6. This show has no character development.

Now you should have just got done reading part 5 of my little rant then you know that this point is also completely false. The entire show has been about Subaru's character development and his changes in mental and emotional states leading up to the brilliant episode 18 from which it all comes full circle and he can finally start from zero. Rem as well who used to be a shy and selfish character when we first get to know her becomes one of the most selfless characters I have ever seen thanks to Subaru showing her the way and becoming her hero. Perhaps people just forget the previous episodes they had watched before the more recent ones or the just decide to ignore everything but this show has a lot of character development.