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I'm going to keep this review as short as possible.

Dororo is a good show. It's really good. But it's not great. Something is missing and I can't seem to pinpoint it. Maybe it's the storytelling that's not as gripping as I expect. It started off really good, then lost it's way in the middle, kinda rebounded on the way near the end and stumbled unto the finish line.

Maybe the animation - which is kinda lacking - is keeping it from being great. Sure, some fights are good looking but it's a little bland compared to other heavy hitters from this season. It's serviceable but it's ... very forgettable.

The characters are great, and they're my favorite part of the show. Everyone seemed to be likable and had some story to tell no matter how little the part. The voice actors are on point and the music are really good. Especially the first OP - HOLYSH!T THAT OP WAS LIT!

Overall I still really enjoyed the show. 8/10

First of all, I have to mention that Beck Mongolian Chop Squad is one of my favorite shows of all time. With that out of the way, Carole & Tuesday is not far behind.

Set in a future where people live in Mars, we follow a couple of pretty miserable girls in very different situations. Music is dominated by AI generated crap and our girls are pretty set in their dreams of making music great again. Carole is our hard-working one-wheel skateboarding keyboardist who busks at bridges in her free time. Tuesday is the privileged one who is bored at home with her expensive Gibson ... acoustic so she decided to be a runaway. We also have a third AI hating singer named Angela. She's the child star who wants to transition into music. This sounds like a Philippine soap opera but I tell you, the show is so much more than that.

The animation is so spot on and pretty 'moving' for an anime without any action. Bones is quickly becoming one my favorite studio for consistently producing some amazingly animated shows. Scenes are rich and some are even pretty cinematic. The characters playing the instruments actually closely match the sound that's coming out of it. And that's damn impressive on it's own.

Now for the main attraction, the MUSIC. I did NOT expect the music to be all in ENGLISH! But damn, the songs are so nice! Nai Br.XX & Celeina Ann are a hell of a discovery. Both of this girls sound so good together and on their own! The opening and ending are both bops. The insert songs are just as good. Angela is not too shabby either. Plus we have a Victor Wooten-like character! That's a sure plus!

What's preventing me from giving it a perfect score is that the show is a bit dragging. If you don't have the patience then you might find it hard to give it your full attention. After the first couple episodes though, the show picks it up a bit and we are treated with moments of joy and heart. Watch it if you're able to! It's definitely a candidate for Best of the Season!

This might be one of the few positive reviews for this show. It might be because I used to be play varsity badminton in high school. Or I just enjoy a good satisfying anime. Either way, I really enjoyed this show a lot.

Now the storytelling is not the greatest. People complain a lot because after watching, they didn't learn shit about the game. But you know what, I don't need an episode or two to explain to me how to score a point in this game. It is about a child prodigy, Hanesaki, and the schools team captain, Aragaki. Hanesaki's talent is not god given ... either. She worked hard since she was young against her mother who is most likely the Michael Jordan of badminton with how the show presented her. Aragaki, is the hardworking captain who vows to improve her game after realizing she is miles behind Hanesaki. Yes, it doesn't have a deep plot but for what it is, it works for me. An anime for a sport I used to play competitively. 8/10

The visuals is where the show truly shines though. Slick looking animations and surprisingly realistic exchanges. The way the shuttlecock moves when hitting the racket. S. A. K. U. G. A. 10/10

Music is good too. Especially the ending song. Man I really love playing that on my drums. But aside from that, the sound editing is excellent as well. The sound of the volleys is sweet music to my ears. 9/10

The characters is where the show lacks tho, according to most of the reviews. But I will say that it is not as shallow as they say. Aragaki is well developed. You cannot help but root for her every damn time. Hanesaki, I hate. But that's not to say I hate her for no reason. She is someone I hate because the show gives you a reason to hate her. Saying more than that will spoil the show though. Erena, Connie, Riko, Kaoruko and Tachibana are decent supporting characters. The rest are forgettable but that's not the show's fault. This is not a team sport. You cannot have a match where all the players are highlighted. Or superpowered fantasy shounen where characters dress as colorful and dumb as they can to make you remember them. They are high school varsity players that wear the same uniform. What more do you ask? 8/10

Overall, I really enjoyed this show a lot. Plus it has a satisfying end. Which is always a win in my book. It might be my pick for AOTS. If you don't care for badminton, you may not enjoy this show than I did. But if you played badminton, then this might be one for you.

I waited to see the final episode to write this review. The potential that this series had was ultimately pulled back by some dumb editor that thought adding a dirt cloud filter would make the 'classic' look they're aiming for look more believable. With that said, it still did not dragged the overall enjoyment I had with the show.

With a strong story arc and character designs for a grounded anime, I could say that this is my pick for underrated anime of the season. Again, ignoring that dumb filter, the art was good. It serves it's purpose and character designs was memorable enough to make ... me wanna cosplay a few of the characters. Sword fights are short, but speaking under a realistic perspective, a sword fight really won't last long more than a few exchanges. I appreciate the lack of obvious CGI too. The lack of blood after chopping limbs off are a bit of a disappointment though.

I was not a fan of the opening and ending music at first but it eventually grew on me. Sound editing was great though. You can feel the tension specially in the later episodes when things got real, real quick.

Characters are developed enough for you to care when lives are in danger. Our main man Jinzaburou got some backstory in a few flashbacks. Exiles never got that luxury but the way they've been written made me care about them. Nagamine, Hitari, Amushi, Tatsu and hell even Shiraishi, all had moments however short they may be (like Tatsu).

I really enjoyed the show. Best episode was episode 11. I hope when they release this officially, they'll removed that damn filter. I could easily give this a 9 if not for that damn filter. Still recommend. 8/10

Cell's at Work at it's core is an educational Saturday morning show. Made to be more entertaining than usual with cute and colorful characters. It is fun and has a good unique premise.

I wanted to wait until the whole season is over but given the episodic nature of the show, what I think of the show right now will most likely be the same as it is when it is done.

Overall, the show is really enjoyable. Cute characters like the Platelets will be all over anime conventions for years to come. Red and White Blood Cells will be represented plentifully too. But I feel ... like the art is kind of meh. Nothing exceptional but it works as it is.

The sound is nothing too special as well. It works but nothing memorable comes out of it.

What makes the show flowing are the characters though. Pun intended. Our main red blood cell (AE3803) is clumsy but I can't find a way to hate it. White Blood Cell U-1146 is the show's main badass along with the other supporting immune cells like the Killer T, Eosinophil, and Macrophage.

I can't say the same for the villains as they are all, to put it bluntly, kind of shit. An exception might be Cancel Cell but so far he's just in an episode and a half. I hope he does show up to be the main villain at the finale or someone more interesting that what we have been given so far.

If you're still on the fence about this show, my review is not really glowing but I would very much recommend it. It is really enjoyable. Not amazing but it does what it aims to be perfectly.

Now this one is quick to capture your attention! As early as episode 3, I was already finding myself holding back tears. This is how a slice of life adventure show should feel like!

The premise is simple, four young girls embark on an adventure to Antarctica. Each one with different motivations. The writing is what makes it is so enjoyable though. Each episode feels fresh and the dialogue is great.

The art is great and the music is nothing short of exceptional! Madhouse has done a phenomenal job on the show. Environmental backgrounds are rendered with so much quality. The soundtrack hits you precisely when ... it is needed to be.

Aside from our four main girls, the show also introduces us to a team of adult adventurers that have great characterization as well. Most of our main and supporting characters are well developed and are likable in their own way.

I keep finding myself holding back tears throughout the show. Fortunately, they don't force you to cry. The writing doesn't trap you in extended sobbing scenes. But when it hits you, man it hits hard. And the moment our characters finally saw the Aurora, was amazingly done. And the fact that we don't even need a second season to answer our questions, is by far the best thing about this one. This is a complete show, start to finish. Grade A writing all around. 10/10

Okay, I dropped this show after 4 episodes so this review will just cover those.

Violet Evergarden, the highly acclaimed show from KyotoAni, is painfully frustrating to watch. The supporting characters have more depth than our main girl, the emotionless Violet.

The common unspoken rule of watching 3 episodes to get a feel of what the show is about, simply did not work for me here. After watching the third episode, I felt like there is no relatability to the main character. I forced myself to watch the fourth episode, and it has brought nothing but more frustration.

Everytime Violet does anything, I wanted to punch ... the screen. I get that she has very little (or maybe none at all) human logic or emotion, but for any viewer to have some kind of connection or emotional attachment to the title character is critical in making us watch more. And Violet just has nothing on that matter. I don't want to watch 9 episodes to see 1 good episode near the finale. I want to watch the whole thing and have something each time to enjoy.

This critically praised show maybe is just not for me. I'm glad people liked it, and I feel sorry to leave a low score for your beloved anime.

Land of the Lustrous is a story about gems fighting against moving statues (that appear out of the sky) to prevent them from being turned into jewelry.

Wow, that sounded bad huh? Except it sure is not! We follow Phos, the youngest and weakest amongst the gems that inhabit the planet in this story about survival and chemistry, literally and figuratively.

First of all, the visuals in this show is top notch! And being CGI, it sure did not distract me from what is going in the screen. I mostly despise CGI because they look like video game cut scenes to me. But this one is ... a first. And is a good example of how a CGI anime should be done. It also helps to show the characters properly, them being gems and all that.

The music was great too. That scene when Dia runs back home after learning something important about snails highlighted the art and sound of the show. You know that scene!

Aside from our MC Phos, we have a plethora of characters and almost all of them have sufficient development that it is impossible not to find one to relate with. Bort, the diamond-class expert combatant. Cinnabar, the recluse nights watch (not related to Jon Snow). Dia, the sweet jewel and Bort's partner. Rutile, the proficient medic. Yellow Diamond, the oldest and the fastest. Antarcticite, the winter soldier (no metal arm tho). Heck, even Padparadscha, who only shows up for about 20 seconds, is interesting as hell!

I truly enjoyed this show a lot. More than Made in Abyss, which was an amazing show as well! I am not going to read the manga because I am so looking forward to the next season and I want to watch it without any more knowledge that what the show has given me.

Highly recommended. Some say that this show is kind of a drag but the show went by quickly to me. Very well paced and each episode gave us something new.

Made in Abyss is a story about a young girl's adventure to find her mother into the bottom of the Abyss - a huge hole in the middle of the city of Orth.

The anime is a GREAT watch throughout but after the finale, it left me more questions than answers which is what I hate most about anything. The lore is extremely interesting. The creatures, the levels of the abyss and the myth of the abyss itself is nicely portrayed. The lead characters are well developed even the supporting characters like Leader, Ozen and Marulk are deep enough that you care for them in the ... little screen time they have.

The music is great! And surprisingly not written by a Japanese. The visuals are excellent and almost looks like a movie production. Most notably the lush and beautifully drawn environment inside the abyss. All the layers of the abyss have their own unique look. The animation are great too. If you are looking for epic fight scenes tho, you'll be disappointed. Most of the action are of Riku and Reg trying to escape the creatures.

Each episode feel like standalone arcs and they were written concisely. The Ozen story was haunting and the Nanachi/Mitty story was heartbreaking. Really. Just the thought of Mitty makes me sad.

Overall, I enjoyed this show a lot. But it is not as epic as the hype that it was being given. The upcoming second season feels like it would definitely be epic though, so I am really looking forward to that. And a video game adaptation will be definitely be on my radar as well if that happens.