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It’s misleading to call this the second season. At most it’s a part three. Very little changes compared to the first two “parts” (season 1 on Netflix). All the basics are the same, the actors, art, animation and the like are totally unchanged. It’s the same over the top organised chaos as the first season. There is something of note though.

Seeing as this “season” is many less episodes than the first I expected a cutback on the filler and more to the point story. This was not even remotely the case. I was very surprised to see that there was actually significantly MORE filler ... in this 12 episode season than the 25 episode first season. It was honestly kind of astonishing. In a way I was happy though, all this filler and the inconsistent content before and after the music further reinforced my point that there should have been an OVA series where these stories would go. Unfortunately we know that wasn’t the route they went with.

You might think I’m exaggerated about the filler but I’m not. Very little advanced the story in any way. Even the main arc of the season technically didn’t advance it at all. It was good to get some focus on Yor, and that arc was very enjoyable, but the rest of the season feels pointless. My memory isn’t doing me very well because I had a break during my watchtime but the ratio of filler to actual content might exceed 1:1.

In the end I lost patience with it. It isn’t complete at all as a season and was basically a waste of time. My rating doesn’t really reflect that because on the fundamentals it was identical to the first season and was kind of enjoyable, but the big “Not Recommended” is to be taken literally. Until a third season is out (as of now it’s not on Netflix) don’t bother with this intermediate “season.”

[This review encompasses both parts 1 and 2, or the total 25 episodes of S1 on Netflix]

I’ve talked for a while about how a unique or dynamic premise to a story is required to build a successful anime and this one is an excellent example of this in motion. It’s become a beloved piece of the modern anime sphere while doing nothing groundbreaking with any fundamentals. It’s just purely enjoyable and another “gem” that most should get around to watching at one point. Not a gem in the sense that it’s so good yet so unknown, but in the sense that it’s so popular because ... it is so good.

What do I mean when I say it doesn’t do anything innovative with its fundamentals—well for starters the art is very simple. Very simple indeed. It isn’t hard to look at, but is very much average, very standard. There is the quirk of characters having these long noses travelling most of their face, and also having big round eyes with tiny pupils, but it’s just an outgrowth of the art being so very average. It’s bland, but enjoyable. The characters are attractive to look at, that is unless you have the misfortune of being a side character, then you get some very rough treatment, for the most part. The voice actor casting for the main characters is excellent also, the actors are very talented and they fit their characters in tone, pitch and personality perfectly. Again with the side characters though, an unfortunate treatment. The music is great, but nothing you haven’t heard before if you’ve watched a few slice of life animes. The characters themselves are quite interesting personalities, this specific genre of anime could just be called “fanart bait,” but nonetheless their dynamics work well with each other. All three, Loid, Yor and Anya are iconic characters in recent anime history and that’s testament to their writing.

The story is where the unique premise comes in, the idea of a family of convenience all hiding their true nature, a story involving a spy, an assassin and a telepath directly or indirectly involved in a massive intelligence operation. Definitely something we haven’t heard before. The direction that the writers went in is definitely a lighter comedy and slice of life, which is what makes it so easy to recommend and so easy to succeed. Given this nature though, attempts by the writers to be serious and sentimental about serious concepts are not very successful and honestly difficult to get through. Lectures about war from writers who seem to get their understanding by watching drama movies are not pleasant.

Now when things are back in the comedy direction, the story itself can get a little over the top in illogicality. That is however par for the course and you can’t exactly hold it against them, you sort of just have to embrace it as a viewer. There is also the issue of Yuris relationship to Yor, which I personally would not have gone in such a direction with. A protective sibling, that’s great writing, but they didn’t need to make it out like he’s in love with her. Yor Forgers secret life as an assassin is much less explored compared to Loid’s spy life, and it becomes quite unbalanced. For all intensive purposes Yor is really just an ordinary wife. This is disappointing especially after the powercouple energy they displayed in the beginning. Spy X Family is honestly pretty funny when it isn’t trying too hard, which is most of the time, and the writing is pretty decent sometimes. For example using Nightfall and a conflict of jealousy to force a reckoning of romantic feelings between the triangle of Yor, Loid and Fiona is a great move and well done.

Throughout the show the question is posed whether the show must be 25 episodes. Funnily enough whether the show ought to be 2+ seasons is never in doubt, but indeed there is glaring filler in the first season. There is also inconsistent content before or after the openings and endings, which doesn’t exactly facilitate viewing, but also is just unnecessary for the regular show. What it would be perfect for however is an OVA series, which is something I think Spy X Family would benefit immensely from. It would remove some of the pacing issues in the first season by removing filler without deleting it, and would be a place for these little bits of content before and after the music. Unfortunately that’s not the route they went with and there will be a few instances where you find yourself watching the most obvious filler. The content of the filler itself is not actually that bad and doesn’t necessarily take away from your experience but it’s still unnecessary.

Spy X Family is so good because it is so accessible, you could really recommend it to just about anyone, and most anime viewers should get around to watching it. Between an 8 and 9 which is the general consensus of the community, I definitely lean towards 8. A 9 is definitely pushing it, despite how enjoyable the first season is. As I said earlier these characters are really iconic and most people should take the chance to get to know them and how they interact which is really the core of shows like these. Overall a lot is done well by this show and it indeed deserves the success it has. I’m looking forward to watching the second season and I think most people who watch the first will come back to finish it.

I never really watch action or fighting animes. I like to stick with romance and slice of life for the most part. However Evangelion has such a presence in the anime world that it’s almost required viewing. I never really knew much about it beside the references that you pick up from reels and other such media (and of course A Cruel Angels Thesis), but after finishing the series I now understand how it became so acclaimed. This review includes both the regular series and the movie (The End of Evangelion).

Usually I’m writing all kinds of things in my notes as I’m watching something, but ... as I’m watching this I found my pages to be mostly blank. Indeed for the overwhelming majority of episodes I had nothing to say. Because, I was captivated the whole time. Honestly I’ve never quite watched something with that kind of enticement. You are constantly invested and every second seems to mean something, but not in the fast-paced-constant-action kind of way, but something deeper and more impactful. It’s just so…interesting. It’s not just suspense that doesn’t let you look away. Evangelion is a totally unique experience, and that’s partially what’s so captivating, there’s nothing like it.

The art at this point is obviously outdated, but its imperfection, (and perfection) add a whole new layer to the show. Without the 90s art I feel it wouldn’t have such impact. It’s an integral part of the style and I think all viewers with agree with this. Something which is also quintessentially 90s is the sound. A Cruel Angels Thesis is probably the most well-known intro of all time and it’s categorically beloved and truly excellent. But I’m actually more interested in the sound during the episodes. It is just one of the aspects that Evangelion does so well, but it adds so much to the experience. The alerts, technological sounds, fighting sounds and even the ambience has something special about it. There’s so much attention to every little detail throughout the whole show and the sound seals it perfectly. I’ve said this a few times now but I’ve never seen another show do it like Evangelion did.

The sound also adds to how the show can be incredibly creepy, not in a horror way, but in a psychological way. Especially during the battle with the first angel and the few episodes after. Sound is used so well, but also lack of sound. When we follow Shinji in episode 3 (I think it was) and it’s so empty and quiet there’s something so piercing about it. The exceptional voice actors also really add to this when the Evas are damaged, the screaming triggers a kind of visceral reaction, that this is real pain and existential violence. Evangelion is not a horror show but it is definitely a psychological thriller, where “piercing” is definitely the right descriptor.

I have very few critiques, and the ones I do have are so miniscule. For example, the battles don’t feel as though they have appropriate aftermath. Tokyo-3 is ravaged frequently but it always comes back looking brand new right after, or mostly intact. This is the nature of the critiques that can really be leveled at Evangelion. Besides the nudity and sexual themes, obviously. It’s not something to watch with others, at least not those similar in gender and age.

Now the story can be very difficult to understand. The story itself reminds me actually of Girls Frontline, especially the Paradeus affair in its feeling. Such a niche reference but I find it to be equally accurate as it is niche. But ultimately, I feel as though the story is not supposed to be understood. I feel this especially after watching the End. First the regular series though. For the most-part the story is straightforward but near the end it can be difficult to piece together with “what is Adam” “what is the truth of the 2nd impact” “what exactly is Rei” “what is Ritsuko so depressed about” and so on, but you’re never totally in the dark, you have pieces of information to put together. You won’t be totally enlightened until you watch the movie though, where much is revealed, and much is destroyed.

The End and Evangelion can be understood as two totally separate stories or pieces of media based on the difference of their content. That’s what I’ve done at least. For me Shinjis story ended both ways. The movie is where I get the idea that the story is not supposed to be understood. In the regular series the visions of Shinji are representative of his mental trauma, but the movie feels like a psychological maze of his, you don’t know when you’re in his head or in reality or both. So many concepts are explored, so many questions are forced upon you about reality and humanity. The whole second half is comprised of existential questions and actions. The difficulty understanding what’s really occurring is part of the captivation. Funnily, the dishevelled words I’m writing here are emulating what happens during the second half, but I hope like in the movie, you can see through the confusion and extract the meaning which is not literal.

Irregardless of the profoundness of the End of Evangelion, the whole series is indeed profound, it’s immensely captivating. To just admire it as a creation, and not understand is enough, because as I say it’s not meant to be understood. Evangelion is the most unique anime I have ever watched and it is everywhere in the anime space this many years later for a reason. It is clear that this is the result of the utmost effort and passion from every party involved in its creation. We may say that those who wrote it have something wrong with them, but they produced something so important and brilliant, it is indeed deserving of its status as being required viewing for everyone in the anime community, at one point you must join in the collective experience of Evangelion.

Wow…that was definitely…something. It’s been a day since I’ve finished Witchwatch and I still don’t really know what I think. It definitely only works for a certain type of person. For someone not into the constant pace, references and randomness it would be difficult to live through. For someone more into that sort of thing it might be pretty enjoyable. Overall I find my review of 7/10 to clash with my viewing experience of it. So, I’ll get into that.

As always I begin with the boring fundamental stuff. The art is definably average. I mean truly, truly average. Nothing at all stood out environmentally. ... The character art is generally good though. The faces and hair are done really well on the girls and most guys, the exception being Mirohito, whose face is constantly boring and simple. I’m being a bit harsh on the art, overall the faces are really nice to look at, which is good because the environmental art is so boring there’s nothing else to look at.

The voice actors are all nice to listen to and fitting of their characters.

The music is definitely notable. There are 6 pieces all altogether for the endings and the openings, and they’re all quite enjoyable. They’re for the most part in the modern “anime-opening rock” genre, but they have their own quirks to them. They’re played by some big names and the production team did really well on them. Overall the music is memorable, soulful and catchy.

Into the deeper stuff now. The note I found myself taking the most was something along the lines of “it feels like something is always happening” and “this is so random.” It feels a bit like Ranma 1/2 if you’ve ever seen that, where something is always going on, there’s very little rest. It’s one thing right into the next. Also similar to Ranma 1/2 is how the gimmick is used constantly. In that show it would be the gender swap, in this one it’s obviously Nico’s spells. It starts to get pretty boring I must say. The story doesn’t do well enough to justify their uses, and I’ll get to that but there’s more on this topic. So many times I asked “what am I watching right now.” The story and content of episodes can get incredibly random and come straight out of nowhere. It felt like the show didn’t know what it was, and just tried to be everything. But it’s more than just that, when I say random I mean random. There’s no reason whatsoever to make an anime inside of an anime and play that for a whole episode. Indeed, some of the filler plots are pretty good (like the otaku arcs), others are leaning on unwatchable (the embiggen arcs for example). It’s a gamble every time you hit play on a new episode. Smash hit or miss by a mile.

Because the story is so generally ridiculous I found myself watching just for Nico, much in the way you watch Dress Up Darling for Marin. At least that’s how I imagine it to be, I’ve never seen it. Unfortunately for me, the witch in “Witchwatch” takes up surprisingly less screen time than you would imagine she does. So what do I keep watching for then? Well mostly because I’ve already put in too much time to pull out. There’s other good things about the show though. For what they had to work with, not being able to vary clothes that much, the artists did a good job with character design. Morihito, Nico, mr warewolf and mr tengu are really recognizable, nice to look at characters, and their personalities fit together well. Notice I left one out. We don’t talk about that gross, obnoxious, entitled vampire. Yeah, when it comes to characters I’m quite xenophobic. Meaning I generally dont like new characters coming into the group, and if they do they’ve gotta be notably pleasant, and our vampire here certainly was not.

Then just some random gripes or comments I had along the way are as follows. I think it would be nice if they translated the Japanese text that’s shown on screen. A lot of times there’s comments online or something of the like that obviously play into a joke, but they aren’t translated and we don’t know what they say. Because of the amount of text on screen I understand it would be hard to fit that into subtitles, but maybe just a little bit of it being translated would be nice. Also story wise the whole thing of Morihito being bullied by all the other kids all the time completely failed to illicit any emotion from me. The only time I ever felt anything was with the letter, and that centred around Nico not Moi anyway. It’s just so repetitive these flashbacks. They also have like no effect on Moi today beside his general lack of emotion. There’s no reason to keep bringing it up. They should’ve focused on other memories from their childhood instead. Finally a final comment on the story. Like many have said, it’s incredibly unsatisfactory. Given what they had to work with character and setting wise, they could’ve made something great, and made this instead. Honestly the show might just be good for fan stories. Thanks for giving us the characters, we’ll take it from here.

It’s clearly an anime for anime watchers. There’s a bunch of references to other animes, the drawing process, the animating process, there’s the whole otaku storyline, references to animation and let’s not forget the entire separate anime they made inside of Witchwatch and then made you watch some 30 minutes of it. And it’s like I said, it takes a certain kind of person to like a show like this, which I think is the root of my rating it 7/10 when I didn’t particularly enjoy it. If you know what you like and what I described is it, then go ahead you’ll surely enjoy it. If you know what you like, or you don’t, and this sounds a bit off putting then don’t bother starting it. I probably would say “oh if you have a spot to fit it in, then sure watch it” but that doesn’t work when it’s a 25 episode commitment that’s heavily hit or miss. If you want a 20 something anime about magic, go watch Frieren. And if you want an anime about a cute girl trust me there’s many better options that don’t have you putting up with Witchwatches antics.

Animes like these never really have people jumping to recommend them to others, but in these little shows you can sometimes find something really quite decent and that’s what this is.

I always enjoyed the vibes of the farming villages and countryside when watching Inuyasha, but could you really make a whole 13 series anime about rice? Well here’s the little secret guys, it’s not really all about farming.

But okay to answer the question, can you make an anime about rice? Let’s start with the visuals. There isn’t much to complain about, the landscapes are generally beautiful, the characters less so, bur that’s ... because of the style of art, not really an issue with artist skill. I must say though, character design is very hit or miss. On the one hand you can get, say, a Yui or a Kamuhitsuki, while on the other hand you can get a Kinta, or some of the regular inhabitants of the capital city. Yeah, overall the characters are not the best to look at. The animation can be described as simply normal. They do water and crops pretty well, but it is a bit lacking when it comes to battle scenes, especially during the beginning.

Now while characters might be badly designed sometimes, that hails in comparison to how badly written some are. Well, I’m moreso talking about one specific character, that being of course Kinta. During the beginning of the show I questioned why they even included all these other characters. Everything focused on Sakuna, the rest didn’t contribute anything at all, they barely spoke and barely did well anything at all. But as it went on I wished for it to go back because Kinta was so unbearable. Now I understand that him acting this way is part of the story and just like everyone else he matures and grows as the show goes on, but for those episodes before we saw him lighten up, every time he was on screen I would despair. He was mean, bratty, contributed nothing but expected everything and so much more. It certainly didn’t help he is heinous looking, and has a voice to match his looks. Well his voice isn’t that bad, but it isn’t good either. Ultimately what I’m trying to say here is Kinta is so uniquely annoying as a character it took me out of the show for a while. As for the other characters, they get their time and I think they’re all fairly decent, with the notable one being Kokorowa, I thought she was a very nice and complicated figure who showed lots of complexity and growth.

Now Sakuna had 2 ways it could play out story-wise. It could be about the rice farm totally, the relationships between the characters, the hardships of agricultural life and watching Sakuna mature and step up to her role as goddess of the harvest. Then there is the way that it went. I suppose it would be pretty boring if it just focused on the farming life. I’m trying to avoid spoilers, so I’ll just say that by the last episodes of the show, rice has really nothing to do with the story at all. And I’m not saying this is bad, in fact I actually quite enjoyed the story. It wasn’t exactly hard-hitting or emotionally complex, but it was entertaining, and that’s what matters right?

The “oh, all our side characters are slowly developing into gods” part took me ont of it though. The reason I can say that and still mark my review as having no spoilers is because that part of the story has quite literally 0 bearing on anything else. It’s just kind of thrown in there for no good reason at all. A big theme of the show is suicidal empathy. Well, the creators probably wouldn’t say it that way. It’s displayed as essentially a good in the show. Sakuna and her crew really don’t seem to learn their lesson about it. “Oh but if we did x we would be no different than y!” They learn the hard way the results, and are forced to confront reality. It was annoying watching it play out, but it’s tolerable. And I must also say, the final episode was really great. It can get slow in the episodes building up to it, but it really stood out and proved its worth.

Now I don’t know if this is just me showing my cultural ignorance here, but based on the visuals and even storyline, one might expect the characters to be speaking Chinese instead of Japanese, just based on my experience with Chinese media. But they’re not and it is a distinctly Japanese show. Especially with the focus on demons.

So, would Sakuna: of rice and ruin be something I recommend first to someone? No, probably not, but thats because it really isn’t that kind of show. It’s humble and hidden away, something quick you watch in between bigger names, and are impressed at its performance. It’s an “if you have the time” anime, and it does its job pretty well. So go and enjoy the nice and decent scenes of growing rice, and everything else that comes with doing it on the isle of demons.

I love romance anime’s, I love slice of life anime’s, I love beautiful artwork and thus I really loved Blue Box. It makes much of its competition look like contemporary art in comparison. This is really the modern era’s ’Your Lie In April.’ Honestly there are a great deal of similarities. There’s not much higher praise than that.

Blue Box is actually a super quirky show, whatever you’re hoping for it’s likely got that and more. For example, I really liked how the athletic wear, devices and other items around the world look like how they do in real life. Drawing these things realistically, down ... to the UI of the apple clock app, really adds to the immersion. The translation, at least on Netflix, is very modern and consistent with how people of their age would probably be speaking, and this creates some funny moments when watching. That’s just a few, you will probably notice your own quirks with it.

I found myself consistently smiling while watching the show. It’s not all happy and light the whole time, but it’s just so wholesome and sunny that you find yourself smiling along. Although it may be wholesome to a fault (especially during the beginning). I’m not sure I would ever describe having a crush as being “great.” I would go with something more along the lines of “soul-crushing.” Maybe that’s just me.

Before I can continue to sing Blue Box’s praises let me get out my few criticisms that stop it from being granted 10/10. Firstly, in the beginning I found the voices annoying and hard to listen to. After like 5+ episodes I found them great, I don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote that down as a note, but I do distinctly remember being put off by them in the beginning. The animators partake in a massive pet peeve of mine, that being the drawing of legs and arms ridiculously skinny. It’s unappealing, unrealistic and immersion breaking. I’m never a fan of this. Sometimes appendages are drawn decently, but other times they look like sticks, I mean these people are supposed to be athletes but they look like they have eating disorders. As the show goes on the quality and detail of the art starts to waiver. They put immense effort into drawing every scene with the highest quality during the beginning few episodes, but this drops off and you start seeing time saving measures appear as time passes. Never could the art be described as bad, but it did disappoint me that was happening.
Finally my biggest complaint, that being about Ayame’s hair. It is absolutely atrocious. Luckily she doesn’t come in until late in the season and your eyes don’t have to be assaulted by its abhorrent shapes, nevertheless I want every second I spent looking at that purple calamity on her head back.

On to the many good parts now. The music is decent, some songs being notably better than others. They have a nostalgic feeling to them, perfectly matching the feel of the show for the most part. The characters are also great (mostly). There’s more depth to Chii, Taiki and Nina than you would expect, culminating in some emotional and profound dialogues. Ayame and Karen throw off the vibe, but they’re not enough for me to really go after. Maybe it would’ve been better if they’d been written differently, they’re just generally annoying or don’t fit the feel of the show. Kyo also deserves a few words, he’s a real underrated player, even if just a side character. We all need a friend like Kyo in our lives.

Finally the art. It’s very stylized, sharp and overall magnificent. It’s really funny, Chinatsu and Nina’s hair has so much going on constantly with the reflections and detail, meanwhile everyone else including Taiki is drawn so basically — they really make it clear that they know why we’re all here. The faces, especially the eyes can be drawn with great skill, or quite average skill, depending on the need of scene. This ties back what I wrote before, in the beginning everything is absolutely top tier almost all the time, then it starts to fall off and you those details start to fade away as, what I assume are time constraints, start closing in. The environmental detail is totally magnificent. Both in natural beauty and portrayal of buildings. The gym is so nice to look at, same with the neighbourhood, it’s all just so clean and realistic. But the nature scenes are truly outstanding, that beach scene may have been the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen. The expertise in animation and art required to make it look like THAT is just incredible. It’s so much more than wallpaper worthy. Maybe I’m glazing but I would probably frame a still shot from that scene. Artistically one of the best ever. If it had just kept that consistent level of detail it would easily be 10/10.

Blue Box did a lot to me, made me realise just how much I miss sports being among one of those things. Made me smile nearly every episode being another. There are some sad or emotional parts, but thats what makes the story. But like, it’s not like anybody dies you know?. That doesn’t count as a spoiler right? It’s truly a wonderful anime, wonderful from all its angles. I could really get lost in its skies for a long long time. So let’s hope I get the chance to, and make season two another great 25 episodes long!

I gave the regular series’ and specials 9/10. I really meant to give them all 10. When not taking more practical observations about art and animation into consideration, the entire series is a perfect 10/10. I’m using the movie as a stand-in rather for the entire series in the abstract. Looking at my profile will show I’m almost never critical of a show, and I admit it’s true, but this is one of only two anime’s that I’ve ever fully pursued, watched every single piece of its media in infatuation. A perfect of the genre.

Now this whole thing is going to be very long, but ... this is par for the course. If you feel as strongly as I do about this anime then you might enjoy my thoughts. I would indeed like to hear yours.

Beginning with the 2023 specials. We get 2 episodes of extra content occurring after the 2nd season. The first episode is just a fun day by the water, the kind of carefree comedy episodes we got in the first season. The second episode however focuses on Yotsuba. This is important for two reasons, one in the future and one in the past. In the 2 seasons, Yotsuba is notably the only sister who doesn’t get any kind of arc with Futaro. Throughout the whole thing she is just a bubbly friend. This was odd, and I pointed it out in my earlier reviews, not knowing what would come in the future. The episode gives us an entire Yotsuba arc, much as we got for Ichika and Nino, and shows us that actually Yotsuba has the most roots of all of them, her crush going back to when they first met in Kyoto. Again, it’s important going forward that we remember Yotsuba had absolutely nothing to do with Futaro during the regular seasons.

Then just a note about the 2024 specials as they’re less relevant to my “analysis”. I won’t spoil these ones, I’ll just say that I wish they were a bit more romantic. They’re certainly charming but we all knew a wedding was coming from the imagery in the very first opening of the very first episode of the entire show, so I might’ve expected a bit more “married couple activities” instead of what we got. For emotional impact it’s just fine to end your viewing at the end of the movie. The final scene of the special was ultimately a nice ending to the series.

Going into the movie I didn’t know what to expect. It was massively long, and as I found out, indeed filled to the brim. I had gotten some unfortunate mini spoilers that led my mind to draw the correct conclusion immediately as to what would happen. I just didn’t know HOW it would happen. And indeed it took a long, winding and scenic route to get there. We get to see a more mature side of the characters as they grow into their last year of highschool. The bickering between them was resolved though there is still a tame tension in the air about what’s happening with Futaro, all of them (EXCEPT YOTSUBA) having confessed to him, and all of them simply moving on with life. Now we’re introduced to our main focus. Futaro analyzes his situation and makes the decision that he must choose one of them. Which one however? He tells them he needs time to deliberate. His choice will be made the final night of the cultural fair, and this is our setup. We’re given a look inside his head as he considers his future with each one, going through a scenario of the final night with them. They’re maybe ~10 minutes long each? They’re nice and romantic for the most part. The outlier is Itsuki, who’s does not end with a kiss like the others, and who’s entire premise is…….rather odd and nonsensical. The focus for some reason was not on her relationship to Futaro, though this will be expanded as I go on. If you didn't have the unfortunate experience of spoilers, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell which one Futaro would really choose. The depictions, aside from Itsuki’s, were faithfully done.

Now in case you read through the rest of this and for some reason expect me not to spoil everything, stop reading now. Futaro makes his decision, and on the last day of the fair, he chases after Yotsuba until he can confess all his feelings for her. Yes, the invisible girl from the first two seasons is now the star of the 5.

If not for the specials we never would have known the extent of Yotsuba’s feelings for Futaro. However, we never get a glimpse of his feelings for her, or anyone for that matter. Aside from his frustrations with some of them, I guess. We know that he understood his romantic situation via his reading of the romance book, so he saw them as potential wives, but we never knew his preference. He tells us “that’s when I knew she was special” when reminiscing on the moment one of them kissed him at the bell during their vacation, but they were conveniently all dressed as Itsuki at the time so we never knew who she was. The ending of the regular series was just as enigmatic. The practical reason for this is probably so that we the audience can fill in our own story. Of the 5 options we get to choose who we love most. I believe this is also the reason they included the 5 different options playing out in the movie. Sure these take place in Uesugi’s head, but in ours, this is what really happened with our favorite girl.

So what did I, the audience member believe? Well as I wrote in my other review, to me, Itsuki looked like their leader. She had the fanciest design, the stood in the middle for the promotional material, and ontop of that, she was also the prettiest in the way they drew her. I believed it would be main character x main character. But I started to realize as time went on that she was actually quite far out of the picture. In the series her and Futaro were either enemies, or reluctant friends. Her aim was generally to keep her family stable, not to chase Futaro. This is also in her portrayal throughout the movie. Her story on the “night of choosing” was as I said earlier, odd, and far from romantic. In the end she never even kissed him unlike the other four. Her relationship to Futaro is that of a student, or friend whom he helps achieve her goals, though it is a part of Itsuki’s personality to be independent. She studied alone in her room during the regular seasons as well. Overall she is disconnected from the rest, so we can remove her from the picture. (Personally, I wish they made her much different, seeing as she is indeed the prettiest, but oh well).

Nino seemed to me simply too far in personality to be compatible with Futaro. Her feelings might have been the strongest, but I don’t believe they were necessarily the most genuine or authentic. On a writing level they seemed a bit artificial, she starts off detesting him because he is seemingly splitting their group apart, but then she’s ready to step over her sisters if it means getting to be with him. I suppose this is possible. Though there is a charm to how he drags her along sometimes, and how she drags him around sometimes, but overall I don’t see a future in them.

Ichika or Miku were my bets. It seemed to favour one of them at any given time. Miku and Futaro’s shared interest as well as the goodwill between them seeing as she is the only one who treated him decently in the beginning offer a decent argument. She has also had the longest known crush on him of the five. She also has plenty of cute interactions with him, usually in the form of funny bickering that could be more accurately be described as flirting. Ichika’s maturity and comfort that she gives Futaro also sets her up to be a contender. She is one of very few short haired characters I’ve ever come to like, she’s very well written and had she been the one, I would have no complaints. I believe they’re very compatible.

Now never did I actually imagine it would be Yotsuba. To me they seemed too far apart. Her personality of high energy, physical activity, always being social and always doing something, ontop of being very lacking in her academic astuteness, seemed alienating to anything Futaro might like. She never had much interaction with him throughout the whole story. She merely facilitated her sisters’ blossoming relationships with him. We come to understand this was painful for her as she has had a crush on him for years prior, but never once did she really show it. We got a slight glimpse when she brought him to the playground, but nowhere else. It can be said that all of the sisters would be cute with Futaro, including Yotauba, but I just couldn’t see them together. That is, until I was made to by the writers, and indeed they’re a good couple, but I never considered it until then.

Now I believe this to be a calculated decision by the writers. Rather than alienate one large group, say, the Miku fans (she seems to be the most popular character) but uplift the Ichika fans by choosing her, they would try to alienate the largest possible group so that they all come together in consensus that the decision was incorrect. Yes, I couldn’t fathom that there really was a large group of true Yotsuba enjoyers. Not that she’s a bad character, I just never found her truly appealing. By bringing together everyone else in agreement that the wrong decision was made, they could avoid large conflict as the two sides would be coming together in goodwill against something.

Of the few comments I did read, they were all supportive of Yotsuba, but I’m still skeptical as to what the community actually thinks. You can always reach out to me and tell me your opinion, I value hearing it. Still I couldn’t really believe it. To me, it took the writing of the Kyoto backstory to justify her as the bride. That was the purpose of its inclusion, its existence which I criticized in previous reviews. I admit it’s emotionally moving knowing Yotsuba held back all her feelings for so long and in the face of such difficult situations with her sisters, but it still didn’t make them compatible.

Regardless, they’re still a beautiful couple, and mark a beautiful ending to a beautiful anime. One which will stick with me for the future. Above is my analysis as best as I can remember my thoughts from the time of watching. Quintessential Quintuplets did make me think a lot in comparison to other shows I watched, and it also made me feel a lot. It’s truly a great. And ultimately, Futaro ends up with whichever girl you believe he should have. My only regret is that I will never be able to experience this for the first time again.

It’s still goonerbait but not even close to the worst you can get out of anime. Overall season 2 did not feel like season 1. Different doesn’t necessarily mean worse though. Review marked as spoilers for good reason, don’t read unless you’ve already watched or don’t care to watch it.

The art style was changed from the original in this second season and improved dramatically. I wrote in my review of season 1 that the art was deceptive, you imagine the show to have this great art but in reality it was very simple and lacking in detail. In season two shading (especially of the hair) ... was greatly increased, there’s more detail and personality in the characters, everything is less flat, the artists did a great job. There’s still some issues though, like legs being drawn ridiculously skinny and unrealistic which throws off the proportions for no apparent reason. Also, near the end of the show background characters started appearing as white outlines. I took this as a sign that time constraints were starting to push on the animators and they didn’t have time to fully draw background characters as they had done in earlier episodes.

Music and sound-wise it’s just as good as the first season. I don’t know if I mentioned this in my last review but I’ll certainly mention it now, the casting did an incredible job with the voice actors. They were definitely destined to play their roles. Everyone’s voice fits so excellently with their characters. Voice acting doesn’t usually jump out at me unless in extreme cases so congratulations to the actors.

Some things unfortunately remain from the first season, like Futaro’s bizarre and off putting facial expressions, if you need an example, go to where Nino confesses to him and presses him in the kitchen. They could’ve done a better job….But some things did indeed change. For example, they removed quintuplet trivia! I died when I realised there wasn’t any more content after the ending of each episode. But this crucial and hugely impactful decision acts as a clear marker of where the show evolved from a comedy with romantic aspects to a romance with comedic aspects. In this romantic battle it’s as I said before, you end up rooting for all of them. That’s at least my experience, maybe you have a favorite. Either way, the writing for the characters and their thoughts and plans and personalities, it’s all really good for an anime of this type. The only outlier is Yotsuba, it’s weird how she’s really just ignored and is completely left out of the competition for Futaro. Admittedly, it is hard to imagine Yotsuba in love. Another part of the story I thought was lacklustre is the focus on backstory. It was always better without it. Why do we need to know about this trip to Kyoto? What does this add at all? It’s actually a better a story to have Futaro first meet them at school and the tutor job. And same with the “our family was actually broke until one day we got super rich” thing. It’s actually a better and more fitting story to have them all be sheltered rich girls who are then exposed to Futaro’s lifestyle. It doesn’t ruin anything, just kind of wastes your time.

Now moving on to the ending, which requires its own paragraph. I imagined it would surely be a struggle for the writers to end it, and indeed it is the case. Everything points to Miku getting Futaro in the final episode, but ultimately all she does is make UP with her sisters instead of making OUT with Futaro……Then, at the end of the episode we see the scene at the family trip, someone runs and hugs Futaro at the bell. It LOOKS like Itsuki. But remember, all the sisters dressed like Itsuki at the resort because of the grandfather. So, it might have been another sister. Then, we see Futaro’s dialogue about how “this is when he knew she was special” but who?? The final episode focused all on Miku. Then we just jump to Itsuki right at the end? And of all the girls, Itsuki’s relationship with Futaro actually got very little detail. Ichika, Miku and Nino all got lots of time with him, Itsuki much less. You get what I’m saying here right? It dedicates all this time to Miku, then at the last second switches to who is MAYBE Itsuki at the wedding. Because he marries one girl, and if we took where the end of the regular episode gave us, everyone would assume that would be Miku. The ending doesn’t ruin the story, just as long as it’s explained later. Hopefully the movie clears this all up, and if it’s anything like what’s come before it then it will be excellent.

They really don’t make them like this anymore. Or at least that’s what I feel like. I watched the first few episodes of this many years ago and for a reason I can’t remember dropped it. Likely because the site I was watching it on got taken down. Damn government. But ever since it came to Netflix I’ve been waiting for the chance to finish it. It was excellent and I’m honestly rushing through writing this review just so I can start watching the 2nd season.

Okay, starting with the basics. The visuals are actually fairly deceiving. They’re not as good as you remember (or ... you expect). Infact, in many scenes it’s very basic. Low detail faces, odd proportions etc. I say this is surprising because when you think of Quintessential Quintuplets you think of high quality artwork, the visuals in the music are excellent, and there’s many shots during important moments that look great (and appealing). It takes away slightly from the atmosphere when the art is drawn simply. That’s one of my only critiques. If there was a consistent high quality art effort it would improve the show instead of switching between high effort and low effort.

Anime intro music is definitely its own genre and QQ’s music fits perfectly in it. No complaints at all, it’s lovely to listen to. Maybe a bit low energy but it went straight into the playlist. As for music during the actual anime, it’s not noteworthy enough to mention, I’ve honestly forgotten it all. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it means it’s set up the atmosphere of a specific scene to entrance you, and isn’t egregious enough you make note of it to criticise.

Now onto proper analysis. Futaro is a difficult character to understand. Many of his actions and trains of thought are difficult to understand. As in “who the hell thinks this way, what is he doing??” kind of thing. He certainly doesn’t act in a way that any of us would if presented with an identical situation. You’ll have to watch to understand. That being said, Futaro acting in this way can be fascinating, especially watching situations unfold because of his choice of words or actions. Not necessarily a bad thing to not have him swooning over the girls constantly and trying to win them over in that way.

Quintessential Quintuplets is very fun to watch. Especially as it progresses (the first few episodes can be a bit hard to pay attention to). There’s always something happening. Something comical, emotional, complex, personal — but always something. There’s very little boring minutes throughout the show. The writers did an excellent job creating the characters and building their interactions. Many would say they’re actually very simple, just personifications of the various anime personality types. You have your loud and outgoing one (Yotsuba), your nerdy quiet one (Miku) etc so that everyone has something they like. And yes this is the case, but they interact in complex ways and they also expose you to some of the deeper processes behind their actions so that in the end you’re actually rooting for all of them. I personally couldn’t choose a favorite. Though, the writers did. Itsuki is supposed to be the face of the quintuplets but almost no time is dedicated to her at all when compared to Ichika and Miku. Nino is given less attention though still more than itsuki, and let’s not talk about Yotsuba. Story-wise she has no importance. It would have been nice to see each girl get the proper attention she deserves. Hopefully this is remedied in the 2nd season, without sidelining Miku and Ichika for it.

It’s one of those shows you just don’t want to end. Whilst it might be goonerbait extroardinaire which you probably shouldn’t watch with your mother, it’s also a lot more than that. Fun is definitely the right word to describe it. It is truly fun to watch. Also a piece of anime history. A big name in the romance and slice of life scene and for good reason.

In an attempt to reduce the amount of “confusing🤨” reactions I keep getting, I’ve decided to stop rambling constantly and make this one extremely simple.

If you are interested in the premise of Cells at Work but find the original too childish, then you will definitely like Cells at Work Code Black. Comparing the two is a bit like comparing Japan in the 90’s to Japan today.

The art style is different and would say better than the original show, however in the grand scheme of anime it’s rather normal and not of note. An interesting shading method is also used in Code Black, consisting ... of a bunch of vertical black lines. It’s pretty neat and can add some drama to the look of the art. The music isnt great but isn’t hard to listen to.

Code Black is also in TV format (though I’m not sure what kind of channels would be airing a show like that), however it’s more natural than the regular Cells at Work, and there’s more of a larger general story. Instead of having ~2 separate stories per episode, Code Black’s episodes each tell one whole story, which all ultimately contribute to a broader narrative that advances throughout the plot.

Even though tragedy is a constant throughout the show, they still do a decent job of being able to generate emotion towards the events occurring. However, sometimes it feels a bit empty and the dramatic effect of a certain bad thing occurring is less intense than it should be portrayed. I propose that this is because in some scenes there aren’t many cells around to give their collective reaction.

Sometimes medicine/antibiotics feel like cheating. The body has exhausted all possibilities, everything is over, and then an antibiotic comes in and saves the day, but I guess this is ultimately realistic. Sometimes it makes it a bit boring though, knowing there’s a magic solution that will come in eventually. Even though there’s constant tragedy, the show does have a positive spin/narrative though so I guess this fits.

Personally I think it would have been good writing to have the body die during the cardiac arrest and have the show end there, however the ending they did go with sets up a second season very well and I can’t complain.

Finally, even though we don’t all say it, we’re all thinking some romance between red blood cell and white blood cell would be pretty cool😉

So, it can all be summarised by my second sentence. “ If you are interested in the premise of Cells at Work but find the original too childish, then you will definitely like Cells at Work Code Black.”