Back to CurryxSake's Profile CurryxSake's Profile

It's cute and simple--and I like it.

Cider no You ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru is a cute love story about two insecure people who like using their phones as a medium of their hobbies. The main couple is charming and looks good in a chemistry and character design standpoint, and I just like how their relationship bloomed. The side characters are also fun, with their own personal backstories and stakes. Another strength of the film is its overall aesthetic. The colors pop and the designs stand out in a fun way. I also like the way the design also gives out clues to the audience about ... crucial points of the plot.

Of course, it's not the best romance film. The pacing isn't perfect and the characters aren't groundbreaking. However, it's charming and it's enough for Cider. I definitely love how the story ended. It takes a certain romance trope in a whole new level.

Overall, I recommend this film. It may not be the best, but you will sure have a fun time.

For a special advertised as the "conclusion to the series", it technically didn't conclude anything--at least in the way that I expected.

The first thing that stood out to me in a negative way was how it was presented. Although it was advertised as a 1 hour special, the first half was a recap and the second was original content. So essentially, I was only watching 25 minutes of original content--which amounts to a typical anime episode. Why didn't they do what Made in Abyss did with its final episode--ie actually make an hour's worth of original content to have as much time as needed ... to tie some loose ends? I don't know. Speaking of which, the second thing that stood out negatively was how it actually ended. I won't spoil, but the latter half of the series didn't actually provide closure to the cast or its story. Instead, it introduced new concepts and questions that unless the show is planning a second season it would probably never answer.

That being said, there are still some positive things to say about the special. For one, the recap half of the special was well executed. Compared to most recaps, this was concise and engaging. The second half was just as engaging. While it didn't necessarily end the series, it did clear up some important questions such as why did Koito committed suicide and what happens to those who were brought back to life since those things have consequences. The new concepts it introduced was genuinely interesting and even the most surprising of reveals still made sense in context of the world they live in. I really hope that they have a second season or film so that they can bring everything to a close once and for all.

Overall, the special wasn't exactly the best but nevertheless it didn't ruin my experience with the show as a whole. I still encourage you to watch it, at least the latter half of it.

SK∞ gives skateboarding the "Beyblade" treatment and I love it!

It's fun, it's hilarious, it's exciting, the plot takes skateboarding to its logical extreme in such a way that makes perfect sense. While the synopsis doesn't seem groundbreaking, its execution is worth talking about. The show clearly has a vivid imagination to the different kinds of people who skateboard and the types of place to skateboard. In this case, they give skateboarding the underground vibe where people all shapes and sizes compete and have fun in an abandoned mineshaft while usually keeping their anonymity. Each episode introduces high-stakes skateboarding competitions that could really hurt someone if ... it were done in real life, as well as the daily lives of the skaters that makes the world feel lived in and show that these people do have lives outside skateboarding--it's just that it's their most favorite thing to do. At first, I did have a minor nitpick about the antagonist's fate in the series since he did certain things that should've given him certain consequences but when I thought about it SK∞ is written in "Beyblade" logic where the sport really revolves the story and that it's not a serious story so I guess it wasn't a big deal.

Speaking of which, one of the cornerstones I believe to be SK∞'s success are its characters. Reki and Langa are a great main pair with different personalities and an awesome chemistry. I enjoy every moment they are on screen together because they bounce off each other. Furthermore, everyone else in the cast are great with distinct and likeable personalities--even the show's antagonist is very enjoyable. Despite these differences, they share a love for skateboarding. Just watching them hang out and have fun is very nice and funny.

The production is definitely amazing. The skateboarding is well-animated and exciting. The character and skateboard designs are distinct and reflective to the characters' personalities. The artwork overall is fantastic as it's not only beautiful, but also gives off that skateboard vibe--graffiti, graphics, popping colors, gangster, etc. The voice performances are great, and the OST is a banger--OP and ED included.

In conclusion, don't miss SK∞ because it's going to make your anime experience worthwhile to the infinity.

"Mairimashita! Iruma-kun" is very funny and enjoyable. Its synopsis seems generic at first, but this show pulls it off in the best way possible. The demon world is well made, it pokes fun at several shounen tropes in creative ways, and best of all it's hilarious. Its comedic moments land with great precision and impact. Of course, all this is possible due to how well written the characters are. The main cast is likeable with a good chemistry. Each of them has fun personalities which could be perceived as archetypal, but they pull off thanks to great voice acting and writing.

The production is also pretty ... good. Animation pulls off the physical humor and the magic looks epic. OST is a banger with fun songs. The character designs are also cute and bring out the demon aesthetic. The overall artwork comes off to me as a storybook coming to life which is awesome.

"Mairimashita! Iruma-kun" shouldn't be missed.

WARNING: Minor Spoilers

The concept of Osamake is not bad; the execution is much worse.

First of, the story. The idea of a revenge romcom where the MC attempts to get back at a certain someone with the help of his childhood friend only for that childhood friend to manipulate him to keep him for herself isn't a bad one. While it could be seen as generic to the genre, solid writing and execution in animation, sound, and voice acting could make Osamake very entertaining. Masamune-kun's Revenge is an example of a ridiculous premise being entertaining with proper execution.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case for this show. ... In just four episodes, the characters went from revenge to melancholic backstory to confession to rejection to ending with an amnesiac childhood friend cliffhanger. The writing and direction made zero sense. It's as if the creators just put in what they see in popular romcoms but fail to really understand how and why those elements are effective. They don't seem to know how to make good chemistry or at least how to make a good harem. As a regular watcher of harem anime, I know that a good harem in an anime is one with different yet complementary personalities and character designs as well as relationships that makes shipping both enjoyable and reasonable in context with the story. This harem is weak at best. Furthermore, the comedic elements weren't funny which is a shame.

The characters are passable. I don't particularly hate them nor do I care about their relationships--which could be due to the poor pacing of the story's beats. The MC is somewhat likeable, but uninteresting. He vaguely reminds me of Kaniye from Amagi Brilliant Park without the charisma. His childhood friend is okay, but sometimes annoying. His first love was the typical stoic character. She's fine, I guess.

Production is average. I'm not a fan of the character designs and while the animation is okay that dance scene in episode three gave me nightmare fuel (seriously, who choreograph that number?). The background art is okay and the OST--OP and ED included weren't really special.

Overall, the first four episodes of Osamake compelled me to drop the show due to poorly written story beats, passable chemistry, weak comedy, and so on. To be honest, the first two episodes were alright but it went downhill from there.

This is hands-down my favorite anime from Winter 2021.

Surreal is the best word I can use to describe Wonder Egg Priority. Story beats go between the dream world and reality almost seamlessly. Character motivations would be foreshadowed before its reveal later on, and most of the time I have to rewatch episodes in order to piece together what I just watched. This show rarely uses expositions or explanations, rather it puts you immediately in the girls' shoes and let you figure out what's going on based on the implications.

Another thing I love about Wonder Egg Priority is its nuance. Centering on the everyday struggles ... of young girls, the show delves into serious topics such as mental health, bullying, anxiety, and self harm with the kind of respect and nuance I appreciated. It's not too edgy or too dark, but just right. The characters are well-written and compelling. Not only they hold their own, but their chemistry is very nice.

The only minor nitpick I have with this show is how it concluded. The final episode is a great episode; it's just that it hasn't completely resolve what the show has set up since the beginning. I think that's what the upcoming special is for and I hope it brings a satisfying conclusion to this show because it's amazing.

The artwork is gorgeous, with stunning character designs. The OST suits the atmosphere and the direction was especially well done.

Wonder Egg Priority is surreal, breathtaking, and nuanced with its story, writing, and characters. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

First impression-wise, this show wasn't so bad but not great either. After finishing however, I take back what I said. This show is a waste of time.

The story was generic and emotionally meaningless. It's one thing to be cliché--even clichés can be entertaining, but it's another thing to mess up those clichés and using a bare-bones plot. Whether it be its plot, characters, or its made-up sport, the anime fails to give me any reason to be emotionally invested. Until now, I do not see what makes Skate Leading so special as a sport. Why would figure skaters with already okay careers decide to shift ... there is beyond me. Story was barebones and some of the story beats were either unbearable or ridiculous. Scenes that were meant to be funny turned out annoying and scenes that were meant to be serious or heartwarming turned out hilarious.

The characters were below average of anime character tropes. In fact, I think they were below the bare minimum of character development. Most of them were between irritating to boring. The main character was annoyingly selfish. His rival was uninteresting. The MC's friend and coach-wannabe was incredibly petty. Every other team was unwatchable. I think the show also intended these characters to be handsome, but as far as I'm concerned they just look below average. I was so uninterested that I had to rewatch the final episode just to see who won because it passed my mind.

The production was passible if not terrible. Considering that this is a sports anime, the animation sometimes felt stiff whenever the characters are skating or even stretching. It was clear to be me that the show was avoiding to animate the skating leading performances because the camera would shift to the audience commenting how amazing their technical skills are. Almost every time. This was a problem because not only this fails to let me see how amazing and endearing these skaters were, but these performances covered a significant chunk of the show and I found it annoying that the show decided to just tell how great they are instead of showing how great they are. It's such a shame. While the character designs were fine, I noticed that their faces seem to be design's main priority because the body looked stiff and uninteresting. Maybe it's because I watched Yuri on Ice and Free that I began noticing how far someone go in drawing the face and body in great detail.

The OST was forgettable. The opening wasn't impressive musically and visually.

Skate-Leading Stars was a waste of time. If you want a modern decent ice skating anime, there's Yuri on Ice.

I-CHU is mediocre. It is not the worst, but it's definitely below average. Although it gave me a positive first impression, it steadily declined with each episode. For a story about students training to become idols, none of those students were likeable or memorable in any way. They often stick to archetypes and the way the show handles their screen time made it even harder to know them better outside of their "idol gimmick". The show couldn't even express their struggles in a way that makes me remotely care about them. The only idol group who I remember the most fondly was ReBeserk. Maybe it's ... their MCing or eccentric personalities, but every time they talk I was entertained. Even though they're not the main characters and they don't talk as much, I felt more attached to them than the main four groups. There's not much to comment about the Producer and President of the ICHU school other than they are typical adult characters in an idol anime.

This leads to another issue--their soundtrack which was almost nonexistent. The show tends to skim through their songs which made me struggle to see why they deserve to be idols. The songs that were able to come through weren't great either. The finale didn't even give me an impression outside of "meh". To me, the OST is important for an idol anime as it's a reflection to who these characters are. Even though they won't sing as much, as long as that one song was catchy and memorable that's fine.

Production-wise, ICHU is okay. The character designs are nice. The artwork can be pretty at the best moments. Animation can feel stiff at times, but it's fine overall. In fact, it gotten good in the finale.

Overall, ICHU was mediocre but inoffensive. Although it is okay to watch, if you're looking for a good idol anime to watch there are better choices than this.

Season two isn't a perfect adaptation. The pacing was quite rushed, there wasn't as much action or drama than I thought for a story like this, and I think the show could've taken advantage of the "original anime" angle a little bit more. That being said, it's still an enjoyable season.

The characters were still likeable, the story beats more or less made sense. There were original moments that weren't in the manga that were fun and exciting. I loved how the show was able to give a sense of atmosphere and was still somehow entertaining despite not having much action. I admit that I was ... a little underwhelmed with the ending since it brought up a very compelling concept, but with what it is it's still pretty nice especially with how it integrated Isabella's lullaby.

It's great production-wise, with some minor errors. The OST was great and the art was beautiful to look at.

Season two isn't a perfect adaptation, but it's nonetheless an enjoyable one. If you wanted to read all the arcs and lore, I suggest you read the manga but the anime is definitely a decent watch and shouldn't be missed. I think that at the end of the day it ended in a positive note.

I've always known that anime or any piece of media has the power to thug into the heartstrings of the viewer whether it be to make them laugh or rage over what's to come. They can also make the viewer sad in the tough moments, the best ones could make someone moved to tears. That being said, Anohana was the first anime to ever make me cry.

This show has many layers. At a first glance, Anohana is a supernatural tale about Jintaro being the only person who could see Menma--his childhood friend who passed away in an accident many years ago. Peel another layer, it's ... a high school drama about a group of friends who drifted apart after Menma's death as her newfound presence driven them to end this cycle of grief. Peel more layers and it's a story about overcoming inner demons. It goes on and on.

Anohana is an engaging drama. Despite its supernatural elements, the story feels grounded and relatable. The pacing is well done, hitting the emotional moments when it counts. The climax in particular is the best build up ever. These characters feel like real people who's going through a lot. In relation to the characters, they are a great assemble. They have different personalities that started of as an archetype of some kind, only to find out that there's more to them if you decided to peel another layer. Each of them is going through something in relation to the tragedy. Each of them acted in accordance to certain agendas, and it just feels great to watch.

The production side is also great. The animation and art suit the tone of Anohana. The OST is a good complement, especially the OP and ED.

Anohana is a great drama that I wholeheartedly recommend.