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(SPOILER-FREE; sub version of anime)

I would divide the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom into two groups, based on their answer to one simple question:

“What do you think about Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL?”

The first group will tell you how ZEXAL is the worst series of them all, with stupid characters, stupid plot lines and terrible hair. How there are dueling tomato farmers and dueling dogs and dueling aliens and that it doesn’t make any sense.
And the other, a bit smaller group… will just start crying.

If it wasn’t apparent given the score ZEXAL got from me… I belong to that second group. I literally needed some time to calm down before sitting ... down to write this review, because it’s been more than 25 days since I finished watching ZEXAL Second and I’m still not over it.


But let’s start from the beginning.
Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL is children card game anime about children playing card game, which is not called Yu-Gi-Oh but still Duel Monsters. It’s got cheerful art full of pretty colors that will melt your heart and make you feel at ease, while allowing you to just switch of your brain and enjoy watching little anime kids fighting for friendship… until shit goes down and the feels come.

MAL divides ZEXAL as two seasons - ZEXAL and ZEXAL Second. The first season was most of the time pretty mediocre, with awesome finale and pretty awful conclusion (don’t wanna give any spoilers here, right?). It the first season there are your dueling tomato farmers and dueling dogs and meh card designs. I myself wasn’t most of the time sure what exactly am I watching and I remember getting all triggered over construction machine cards and tomato cards and such.
And then with the start of the second season came realization, that the first season made me quite attached to most of the main cast. And let me tell you - the second season was an emotional roller coaster almost for its entire duration. I laughed, I (mostly) cried, I wanted to just go watch something else - but I couldn’t. Because those characters, those characters that you just grew to love while watching the first season, they got into so much shit and drama that you just can’t stop watching, even though they (altogether with you) suffer so, so much.

Story - 10/10
The story of the second season actually makes sense. It’s nerve wracking, action packed and sometimes mind blowing. And the point, when the gears just come together and you finally see the whole big picture, is so, so good… There was only one point when the story made me really angry… but afterwards it just made sense, so no hard feelings.
The story of the second season revolve around aliens. Yeah, dueling aliens, I know… but seriously, it. makes. sense. It takes time until the point in the plot, but it really makes sense. And it’s amazing.

Characters - 8/10
All of the important characters have believable personalities, good and bad traits, own goals and such a good, good, character development. There are no only good and only bad characters in the important part of the cast. Furthemore, ZEXAL’s got one of the best villain characters I’ve seen in anything up to date. And I hated the guts of that guy.
Other characters…. are lacking. Kotori is your typical not-dueling protagonist’s cheerleader (seriously, she duels only in zexal-related video games) and the rest of Yuuma’s classmate group is… kinda stupid tbh? But nobody cares about them so…
Some of the characters resemble our old Duel Monsters pals, but hey, every Yu-Gi-Oh needs its own Kaiba with long-ass coat and dragon deck, right?

Soundtrack – 10/10
I’m not a music expert, but damn, it was so. good.

Art – 9/10
Okay, okay, fine. Yuuma’s hair ARE terrible. But it’s Yu-Gi-Oh, what did you expect?
And as I said, ZEXAL is pretty and colorful. So yeah, even the drama and feels are pretty and colorful. What’s better than a colorful despair, right? (I’m not crying)

DISCLAIMER: I “thank” AWC’s Random Challenge for making me watch this… and honestly thank my friend who suffered together with me.

Also, there are a few spoilers ahead.

There are shounen-ai anime. There are bad shounen-ai anime (which are, let’s be honest, almost all of them). And then there is Loveless, a cacophony of things that just shouldn’t exist.

Yeah, of course, there is this really deep plot about Ritsuka being Loveless and the other guy being Beloved…. lol, nope, there’s not. Let’s be honest, this anime is about a little boy being wooed by a grown up, adult man. I’m not even kidding.
But let’s start from ... the beginning. I’m presenting to you 5 reasons why Loveless is a bad thing and every “fujoshi” or whoever who enjoys this is either a 13 years old OR just a sick person:

1) Ears
One of the main aspects of Loveless are cat ears and tail. Cute, right? What’s better than a little boy with cat ears and fluffy tail. …I’ll tell you what. How about a little boy with cat ears and fluffy tail… without attaching to it some weird “plot” device? Quotes because it’s not related to the plot at all. Let’s say I’m writing a story and I want a cute cat boy in it. How do I justify it? Maybe I’ll just add cat ears to everyone? Ooor I could make this world full of animal-hybrids? No, I’ve got it! IF THE PERSON HAS CAT EARS. THEN IT MEANS. THAT THEY’RE A VIRGIN! YES, GENIUS!
…..I get it, it’s probably part of some Japanese weird thing or something. We know Japanese. They are… pretty special in some aspects. But how exactly is okay to just let show off someone’s privacy? It’s everyone’s own choice how to handle their virginity and yes, if someone still has their “cat ears” in 23 it’s completely okay!

2) People’s view of Shinonome
… This should perhaps be 1.5, because it’s mainly a continuation of the first point. I myself really disliked Ritsuka’s teacher, but that was because of her character (or… “character” :’)). Shinonome, as a 23 years old teacher who still has her ears, is often a target of remarks about her it. Seme-san… sorry, Soubi, refers to her as “childish” despite her being older then him. And why is that? Try to guess…
I’ll say it again… IT’S OKAY TO BE VIRGIN IN 23! SHE COULD BE AN ASEXUAL OR SOMETHING! OR SHE’S SAVING HERSELF FOR THE ONE TRUE LOVE! OR I DON’T KNOW! JUST LET HER BE!

3) The psychologist
Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely okay to have a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Everyone has their problems and problems exist to be solved. But what’s not okay is… a grown ass psychologist woman with… a weird crush on her patient?? Who is a 12 years old boy?? What even was that?! What was the point?! Was it there just for the fangirls to have someone to hate on, or what?! Psychologists are supposed to be profesionals and this is casting a really bad light on this important profession.

4) Ritsuka the Sex Bomb
Yes, I mean that Ritsuka. That 12 years old little boy who should go play football (…soccer? ‘murica?) or computer games or something. There were just a few characters who DIDN’T want to get the D… or ass… or I don’t know. I have to remind you, that he is 12 years old. Twelve years old.

5) Soubi
There he is, the awesome Seme-san, who actually has more than 1,000 Member Favorites on MAL (just… why). He’s a 20 years old art student (let’s say it again: TWENTY years old). His favorite hobbies include fondling Ritsuka, kissing Ritsuka, stalking Ritsuka, breaking into Ritsuka’s room through the window and, finally, offering Ritsuka to “take his ears away”. And we all know what’s that a metaphor for.
Also, he’s a masochist who wants Shota-kun to punish him. RIP in pieces.

BONUS ROUND) The Relationship
Just to say it again for those in the back rows. The main plot of the story is twenty years old guy being lovey dovey with a twelve years old boy. Soubi’s maybe not a pedophile by psychiatric terminology (I’ll suppose that Ritsuka is already in puberty…) but, you know… I hope that I don’t have to say how much of not okay it is.

Yeah, that would be it. The author was either smoking something when writing this or just has some really big issues. The plot, aside the gays™, was non-existent and most of the characters were really, really creepy. And not the good kind of creepy.

But this is a review, so I should say also something nice. Uhm… the canon lesbian ship was a nice surprise? But, well, it’s Japan. Name one canon lesbian ship in anime that doesn’t have a nice, mostly healthy relationship. Seriously, if the author can write a cute lesbian pair why not also write a cute gay pair? It’s not that hard.

"...Are you really gonna watch an anime about a BREAD??" - a friend who's pretty much done with me

Yes, I've watched an anime about a bread, but it actually felt like watching a life lesson. If this is some child's childhood then I'm so, so happy for them.
Kogepan may be an anime about a burnt bread, but it's full of deep themes like friendship, old age and being different. Which is... something I didn't really expect. And it hit me right in the kokoro.

Anyway, the art is well sitting for this type of show and the same goes for the sound. I will probably ... watch it again... once or twice. Or more.
...Whoever you are, you should go watch it.

Woooow, my first review will be for a gay OVA :') Why the hell not.

(there is, like, one minor SPOILER ahead)

When it comes to shounen-ai, it's supposed to be pretty easy to make it enjoyable for the targeted group. You know, just mix two guys, a bag of stereotypes, sexual tension and you have a shounen-ai anime/manga. ...But then there am I, who will probably shit all over this anime/manga, even though I love LGBT+ stuff.

But let's take it from the start.

Story - 5/10; Characters - 3/10
If you are looking for a good plot, good characters and good story pacing... do NOT watch this ... OVA. It's so cliche that I wanted to slam my head against the table. There are, like, two moments when I was actually really moved by the story, but the rest? No, thanks. Characters are pretty much dumb, their relationship is improving in an unrealistic pace and the fact, that the merman was actually stalking the boy from the early age despite the merman not? aging?? is gross. Points up for not making it about that stupid seme/uke dynamic, but that's pretty much it. (...It was still much better than "Kono Danshi, Sekika ni Nayandemasu.")

...On the other hand.

Art - 10/10 !!!
Seriously, if the characters would stay silent the whole OVA I would probably rate the whole anime 10/10, because... those... VISUALS! No, really! If you want to watch this anime from the artistic perspective, go ahead! You will not regret it! I mean it, just switch off the sound and enjoy that beautiful, beautiful art and animation. It was orgasmic. (...May I even use the word "orgasmic" in a review?)
I don't know how else to describe it, everyone should experience it on their own. I was in awe over that art the whole OVA.

Overall - 5/10
The story... and characters... why...