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Jul 7, 2024
When I first heard of AoT, it was on YouTube but I wasn't sure where exactly it started, whether it was a game, anime or manga first since there was a fan game at the time that was popular. I decided that the game was the source which didn't look all that good so I shrugged it off.
I learned more about it, like it being a manga first and my dad actually got the DVD, not realizing what it was. He thought that the plot just sounded cool, then he realized it was an anime but we got to see those opening minutes together, after
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that he sent it back. It wasn't until a friend introduced me to it (a while after the first season finished) that I actually engaged it. He showed me the Eren/Annie fight which is kind of a spoiler but it got me interested so I guess it did its job. In return, I showed him Legend of Korra so you decide if that was an even trade. I really enjoyed the first season but my next lesson was the long hiatus until season 2.
Season 2 finally came out and I originally watched the dub while it was still airing but I couldn't wait so I finished with the sub and I wasn't impressed other than a few scenes, it wasn't until S3 that I realized that S2 was mainly used for world building and it had a great payoff because S3 (both part 1 and 2) were some of the best in anime. I joined the hype at the right time and I can't say that there has been a hype train quite like it, it's a good base because it seems like every anime fan has watched it and until now, it was still going.
The thing about that is that season 3 fulfilled pretty much everything, we saw the basement, we staged a coup, we saw the backstory, we escaped the walls, but there were still pieces on the board, we just didn't know what the goal was. I review all parts of the season here so skip to whatever part you wish if you just wanna see that.
PART 1: The final season's first episode shows you that the anime still has new things to offer because we're introduced to brand new characters in a scene that barely resembles AoT. It takes you out of the place that we know and shows you a different side to it, which really builds the world and these new characters up as well as giving us a perspective to our supposed bad guys. It's bold to skip to that point but I can see why it should've been done. But as for music, overall, AoT has some of the best opening bopping themes, this is no exception, another win.
We learned relatively nothing about the Warhammer titan's host which is kind of a loss in a way but if there wasn't a reason to know, then there wasn't a reason to shove it in. Also, I thought they were gonna work on a cure. Is that still up for grabs?
If anything, this series has raised my tolerance for gore and violence as people get chopped up but each season, that tolerance is tested and it sets a new boundary. How it's outdone, I don't know. You think you've seen it all and then they slice a man from the feet up. That's not the only thing that's tested, it also makes you kind of wonder who's side you want to be on and what sides there even are to begin with because things get pretty divided but at the same time with completely new alliances taking the stage.
Even during, I'd ask "Who is the hero of this situation?" and the fact that it challenged that and made me ask it in the first place is something crazy after as much as we have built-up with these characters. I think it wanted to act as a war in that aspect. What happens when you become the very thing you were fighting? What if your friend is now your enemy? Sides get switched around so easily and it's jarring at first but I think the more it goes on, the more you start to get it.
I mentioned that I didn't like S2 but that was when it aired, it has been used in many episodes since then to give it a lot more relevancy and is done even more so here but I feel that the first part of this season is doing the same thing, they have the catalysts first and then show you its effects and why it happened. It promises and teases that they'll explain everything throughout but the fact that it's taking so long to get there, raises the bar and that bar is very difficult to reach, the basement was one thing but this is a make or break good finale, which is arguably more important. A big set up with some big things to make up for.
I understand that it's a revenge plot but there really could've been a better way. It's an idea but a final season thing? Re: Zero succeeded in tearing down its characters to rebuild them so maybe this can too. That first half is rough because stuff kind of happens and you aren't sure why because of the time skip. Going back to the time before the skip was certainly helpful, I'm just not sure if it should be where it is or at the start...anyway the first part gets the same score I gave Re:Zero S1, a 7, because it gets really good in those later episodes even if it makes you save your questions.
PART 2: I'm going to keep it an 8.
I mean, I gotta say, I remember asking myself "What is left?" when I started this season. They made it to the ocean, they went to the basement, now they're going to other lands but that was about it as far as I knew so I was really here for whatever they had in store but I sure didn't expect it to be this.
I guess this is what living in isolation does to a person, staying within the same walls all your life.
The whole thing with Ymir is interesting but it kind of reminds me a bit too much of Legend of Korra S2 (Hey, I brought this full circle!) and the whole thing with Eren being...well...to keep from spoiling, "what he is" or has sought to do is also a bit questionable, why exactly did he trust these other members of the corp but not his bestest friends? It just seems like a weird master plan if you think about it, how exactly did he plan on getting from point A to point B the way he did. I think it might've went a bit smoother if we had gotten some insight to his dad's notebooks and memories early on in the series, but I understand we had to make it to the basement first.
From a writing point of view, it would add a lot of payoff if there were moments in the series where it's like "ah, did he really mean his true intentions?" but I haven't seen any of those, it's not as satisfying if it comes out of nowhere, doesn't matter if he's a good actor or not, the audience needs to know things in order to see a story play out.
PART 3+4: Anyways, the season didn't stop there, it was kind of annoying to try to keep track of it all but now that it's over, maybe it isn't. Because the third and fourth part are kind of lobbed in as two episodes. With only 2 left, I usually don't hold out a lot of hope if I'm not vibing with it or have a lot of expectations still in mind because my questions are usually never answered to satisfaction but considering the 2 episodes were an hour a piece, there was still hope for all that.
It sort of showed its hand a little early with Hanji so the part with Levi didn't hit as hard at the end, they should've just included Sasha from that initial part. Part 3 isn't irrelevant but it takes a lot longer than it needs to, it's still working off of that episode schedule when it probably should've been set up more like a movie. Luckily Part 4 took that note and it felt like an entire piece.
I'll let my score for these two parts be for all the marbles and rank the season as a whole (why so many parts?) So I imagined it would be collecting the titans until Eren got them all and became the strongest to where he either destroyed the titans for all or got drunk with power and someone had to end it. That's a much simpler and stright forward idea and it's both different and the same as we got. He did collect the titans but only a few of them were needed and the caveat of the founding titan. This was probably done to have the more popular ones fight him, which I can't really blame. It also makes Eren look hasty considering he's only half mast, I just can't see what kind of power he would have had should he have gotten them all. Anyways.
I don't really like the way it ended up, I've seen a ton of people say this sort of thing but they don't want to dog on it because it's author's intention and all, I get it. But with everything I've already said, I was more or less led on to know where we were going to end up more or less but not knowing why rather than knowing why, just not knowing where we were going to end up. There are certain parts I liked but the last two parts were the weakest to me, making the final season amount to about a 6. I'll let those final two parts sit at that as well. I think that's what I made S2 and really, I liked S1 better, I liked S3 better, it only makes sense.
Was it a good series overall? It was a fun ride, I'm not sure how it's going to age given that it's not airing anymore and people no longer have to wonder what's next or when it's coming. But I guess that's sort of the point reflected in the series isn't it? Eren knew exactly what would happen even after his death. And introducing that he had clairvoyance is still just appalling to me but here we are. That ending gave me more Neon Genesis vibes than AoT but ok, I've rambled enough, time for bed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 28, 2024
I think this might be a special series.
It plays out similar to a mecha series which is understandable considering the creator worked on Macross and Transformers and is pretty much known for making mechas but if I pitched this series as that, you wouldn't be interested, would you?
If I pitched this as a magical girl series, you wouldn't either. So if I said it had an environmental message, you'd just cross it off the watchlist and move to the next one, right? Three strikes and you're out, just not your cup of tea. No, don't do that.
It was actually the start of the premise
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that got me to start it though, "Juna Ariyoshi is an ordinary Japanese schoolgirl, who possesses a childlike curiosity and a strong admiration toward nature. One day, while on a trip with her boyfriend, Tokio Oshima, Juna dies from a motorcycle accident." I thought it would be a little road trip journey type deal where the characters have to find themselves. And in a way, it is that but not at all how I expected.
The artistic values and animation are top notch, it's hard to believe this released in 2001 and I can't even imagine the budget it was given. That's actually what made me stay with that first episode because yeah, the plot was getting really weird but it was showing it in such a cool and unique way. The camera direction is on point, the music plays out right when it needs to. At times I could've mistaken it for a theatric release which is why it's so frustrating that it'sisn't an easy anime to find with a good quality. Even official stuff like Tubi only has it at 480p, so maybe the physical release is better but I wasn't shelling out as much as they were asking for it when it's just a plain dvd and not blu-ray or anything special. It definitely deserves a rerelease.
It shows where that budget went and where it bides its time to save it. The environmental messaging is extreme but it gives a raw point of view without shying away from it and tries to come up with a solution for coexistance. It's kind of like learning where your food comes from. Now I will warn you, it will get weird...like really weird. To the point where I'm not sure how they thought of this, put it into a series and everyone hopped on board and understood to make it happen. Makes me feel 5-brain by the time I'm finished with an episode and need a good while to ponder it and swallow its ideals.
Just to give an example, they show a birth, no, really, not even exaggerating that one. I learned afterwards that it was based on an Indian tale. It accomplishes a wholesome point of view that can really round out your perspective on life in a way. It's so close to being even better but I feel the Raaja are set as a mystery throughout the entire bit which makes a few of the characters come off as douchebags because they just whine and complain 'Why aren't you listening to me dunderhead, of course you develop the Raaja, the Raaja also develops you.' but to an average human being, they're not going to have any of this knowledge in the forefront of their minds.
When you expect fight sequences, it delivers but it winds itself down, trying to tell her not to fight, that isn't the solution and is somewhat the point of the anime, she has all these powers but what she chooses to use them on is violence when there are other solutions to the Raaja (monster) problem. So it's kind of annoying to have to wait until the last episode for that payoff which I think could've been done a little cleaner, maybe more of a struggle, like she wants to get along with them but they act so hostile. Or even make them represent the dark side of the world and how you can't just eradicate them, you have to take the good and the bad to have a whole world.
Cindi's character in particular has an interesting backstory but that's about it, if you subtract her from the story, I feel like it makes a little more sense as to why Juna would be so hesitant. I mean, nobody else would believe him so why should Juna? At the end, Juna realizes something that Cindi didn't know and if anything, I think her character should've at least followed that routine and made her a 'blind follower' that she has no idea why any of this is happening but she's doing what she's told anyway, would've made more sense as to the mystery element they try to incorporate too.
Other than that, an unforgettable anime that I've come to terms with and let swish around in my mind for a while before posting this. On that merit alone, I feel like I have to give it a 9. Would I watch it again? Probably not, I feel like that defeats the intent but I would be interested to introduce it to a friend and walk them through it...given that it's higher than 480p.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 28, 2024
To start, I got a lot of enjoyment out of this season and I usually do with this series even if I complain. I've started episodes and then finished them an hour and a half later so I'd have to set aside time to watch it. Why, you might ask, is because at every turning point I'd have to pause it and commentate because I just had so much to say about everything and how invested I was getting. I'd feel cringe, I'd feel mad, sad, happy, I'd get up and jump for joy or stomp in anger. I probably sound like a lunatic but
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it was fun and I can say that it had way more impact than S2 so if you saw that and thought negative, I think you might find some value in this one.
Ruka's not even a bad character, her being his girlfriend just makes things difficult because she gets cucked at every opportunity. "I'm just chasing dopamine is all." ((She doesn't actually say that))
They add a new girl, Yaemori, who's a drama addict and I'm not too sure how to feel about it. She's...interesting, I think? I mean she's got the outside appearance then the closet shut-in type personality talking about cosplay and gacha and blackmail and- she's unhinged- she's a Twitch streamer. "You're like a real life emoji." I gotta say that I like her dialogue though, she got the most laughs out of me, I'll totes give her that. (Oh, no, now I'm starting to talk like her!)
The NPCs (unnameds) are horrible though, anytime any girl does anything they just act like pervs. I mean, I get the idea that these girls are desirable but you couldn't have better dialogue than "Look at that one."? They're all scum.
As per usual, it's Kazuya that's the problem here but it's just to pad things out, he gets so many opportunities to do literally anything and still manages to flup it up. He needs to solve his own problems because it still feels like there's a long way before we even get to an actual relationship and we're already on S3.
Some moments come off kind of wrong when they shouldn't be. Like there's what's supposed to be an emotional moment in episode 33 (uh, 10 for this season) and it would be if it didn't seem like such a weird attempt on Kazuya's part, it's just cheesy. In real life, I don't see that being accepted and his responses would've done a lot more good than his actions and would've been accepted as bittersweet but he just doesn't make good responses. The only one I'll give him is in the last episode and really if you've seen it then you know because that was just about it for the episode, everything else was surrounding that moment and him getting so caught up in how that moment was received. That made the ending a little bit annoying but really that's the way 33 should've been, his actions just came across as tonedeaf to me and they make it out like it was heroic or something. Imagine if a doctor walking in at that point, what a shame, I don't care if it worked or not.
He did however have one good response that episode: He brings up the truth and I'm not gonna lie, he could've let her down easier about it but he's right (He's out of line but he's right) Anyway, the music is good, I forgot that I like hearing the little themes and actually started listening to a few of them off-screen, just wanted to point that out.
I'd like to see where the lies he and Chizuru tell come to bite them in the butt and he has to solve them without her help. I'd like this next season to focus on that and him learning when Chizuru is acting that way he's the only one that can tell and makes him seem special. That way he can truly know her, but that's just wishful thinking.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 13, 2023
I thought of a few ways this could go.
One,
The guy and best friend end up together.
Two,
Everyone tries pushing him back on the track of liking this girl because that's in the script, it's his destiny.
I'm going to leave those two options, those are just predictions, those may not even be what happens. But think about why I'd come to those conclusions. Let's work backwards.
Everyone knows this kid, Sajou has a crush on Natsukawa but when he suddenly gives it up, everyone is like "what gives?" I think this is kind of relatable in a way because I've gone through similar stuff, as have many
...
others I'm sure. (If you really want to know, I'll save it for the end so it's not invading my review) but there are times where he says just outlandish things to get to a point and try to push the plot.
So that's it, game over, he doesn't get the girl, so what's the point of the anime? Well, he sees what effects he's having on people. Some people feel responsible for this and feel guilty about teasing him. Natsukawa even has to jump over a hurdle because she was getting all this attention because of him, now it's suddenly gone and she's friendless, rumors start about both of them. That isn't to say that suddenly avoiding this girl is wrong because even Sajou is affected by this in more ways than one. For example, he has to learn WHY he was rejected, constantly commenting on his "level" and how he doesn't compare to how good looking the other boys are. How far does his restraint take him? If someone were to ask her out then how would he react?
When you put it in context like that, there's a ton of things they could do with this concept. It's just kind of bad that it teases all that stuff but they don't really dive into hardly any of it and instead try to make room for other characters that I just didn't care for during the second half. He makes it his business to try and support them and make them "better people" in his eyes, which is a bit misleading. It's so off track that in Episode 10 (yeah, almost over), it has to remind you of why we're even here-
The reason he even falls in love with Natsukawa in the first place is that he fell over and she reached her hand out to help him up. A stupid but sort of accurate thing of a young boy to think the world of, except in this context, we see it...at least three different times and each in a different context, they act like the nonchalant thing was a big dramatic deal that everyone just happened to make a core memory when it should've been a joke and they do that with everything. "Remember that time you grabbed Yuyu's hands a month ago? Well I'm afraid she may resent me for that." Like what world are you living in where this is the plot and this is the conflict?
I feel like he should've learned more about himself in those situations and bettering who he is by caring for these girls. It feels more like a shadow hand than a two-way relationship, retaining his status as "stalker" a little bit. Even the older sister, Kaede, is treated the same way and that's so dead obvious how that could give him growth potential. He's not learning anything, he's the teacher because they're never his problems to begin with. He doesn't try to think about "what went wrong" actually giving a reason to all the flashbacks to the beginning or why it was a bad idea to ask her to practically marry him after she helped him up one time. This messes with connection to any character because nobody is just viewed as a "friend" yet everybody is "just" that at the same time.
Now that I've further elaborated. Let's go back, or rather forward, do you see those outcomes I mentioned as likely? Have you thought up something new?
Well, I won't spoil it but I will say that it's not over yet. I know it's based on a LN series but I feel like the story could've been wrapped in one season and one of those endings could have been possible but it just seemed to drag it out to introduce more characters in the later episodes. Yet we're supposed to believe that there was some sort of resolution...that doesn't feel earned...because nobody learned anything. Some of the characters that just needed to be introduced now, didn't even end up doing anything or getting their problems resolved, doesn't make any sense.
After some research, this isn't even a good adaptation and adapts 4/8 (so far) light novels and in the words of what I've read about them "It doesn’t skip anything too important, but what it does skip amounts to a lot more nuanced characters and a better experience." So it jumps around in placement but the structure stays relatively the same but the characters have more depth, which is kind of what I expected. The ending is also an anime original. Which might sound good but it doesn't seem any better so far.
Let me explain the personal part:
When I was in 7th grade there was this girl who transferred in, I liked her, easy enough. My friend apparently did too because he said that he was going to try and ask her out at this basketball game. I begged my parents to go so I could beat him to it but they wouldn't let me. Friend didn't turn out doing this but whatever, I kept my crush, he didn't.
Cycle over to 8th grade and my friends would tease me about it and call her and ask her stupid questions (in front of me). There was a bunch of other drama surrounding her and I eventually decided it was best to cut it off, if I didn't admit that I liked her, nobody would tease me about it. Feelings faded away, I had no draw anymore as I moved to high school.
A lot of the lessons they tease of adolescence, I went through and I feel are relatable so it's just all the more shame why it didn't go through with them (or could be saving them for a later date) but it's officially gained then lost a fan before it could get there because I'm not continuing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Sep 24, 2023
Monsters Inc. 2: Who Closes The Forgotten Doors?
This guy turns into a chair hoping Suzume will sit or step on him.
It all seems familiar for some reason like I've seen the same idea with the cats before. I looked it up to see if that in its own right was a Japanese myth but I found more lore regarding the keystones than anything. It's at least an interesting concept and keeps you guessing with its weirdness.
As far as Shinkai films, it wasn't nearly as good as Weathering or Your Name imo. I don't care to see another natural disaster flick of his because it's
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becoming a pattern, I see he's not the only Japanese director and for good reason as far as how natural disasters have affected their lives, this one is fine, I just don't care to see it again so soon, that's all.
I'm not sure how I feel as far as its structure because it's one movie for the first half and another for the second and neither are all that bad, I understand what it tries to do and I think it does some stuff well and others not so much. But it kind of messed with the pacing a little bit. But hey, McDonalds is back? The old Shinkai staple. One of the thoughts I had during this was what if everyone just kind of dropped what they were doing to help her, even if they don't know why and that's kind of why she has that moment at the end, it'd be awful convenient and cheesy and it's fine enough the way it is but I just felt like the whole connection to the people thing could've used something of an added touch.
Maybe make it so that Suzume actually has a reason to run away and that's why her aunt freaks out, show why her life is so bad and mundane that she'd wanna go out and explore and adventure rather than just doing it for a guy and she's bored. And while I like the confrontation scene in the rain, I think it could've been more of a resolution had there been some actual feelings between them beforehand rather than seeing them separate up to that point.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 16, 2023
I wasn't going to make a review for this because it was obvious that it was going to be good continuing off the last two seasons and I had made reviews for those two already so what else is there to say?
Well I realized something. First off, it's been years since I've seen S2, and S3 has been out but it wasn't dubbed right away because of the pandemic. Well they caught up and now so have I and the dub really was worth it. I'm sure the sub voices are great but something about those English voices really gets me, especially Mashima. (I know,
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I mention it every time)
The main thing I wanted to point out is that despite being a card game, which might seem kind of dull in concept, they always keep it interesting, not just visually but musically and contextually too. I never would've thought of some of the things they come up with for this season but it'd make me stop and go "huh, that really does make sense." like a chiropractor joining the game. Could you imagine the range he has with having to use his hands all day between gentle and rough.
There were definitely episodes where I felt like "Eh, not that excited." Because there'd be two side characters but then during the match, they'd give me a reason to care and then I'd get invested. Harata was just the teacher but this season made me root for him. Shinobu was just being used to make Chihaya better and give her a goal, this season made me invested in her with or without Chihaya involved.
I feel like my opinion has changed on characters too because Chihaya's personality was pretty much just karuta and now they're trying to give her more depth, which I like but it's slow sailing. When I started this series, Arata was my favorite because I liked the relationship with his grandpa and I felt that his friendship with the others was admirable, a bit of a nerdy underdog who started a trend. But now, I'm not quite as interested in him because he seems like someone who just shows up to bring about some change in the plot, he's really kind of rude at times in this season. So the kid, I related with but as a teen, not so much.
While that made me ship Arata and Chihaya, Mashima was a very close second and now, while I feel Hanano is a new and growing option as well, I think Mashima is my favorite now and I kind of find myself relating to him more and more. So he's the opposite of Arata, I didn't relate to him as a kid but as a teen, he really made an impression on me.
I originally wanted to say that there's a lot of stuff that happens that we've been waiting for but I feel like it starts out that way and slowly starts to get side-tracked, almost like we're not making as much progress as I thought and it could easily go on for season after season. Obviously, I imagine this has to do with the manga, but I expected some sort of finality or payoff, not for the series as a whole but maybe a running rivalry or a new status or defining feature to this season that changes it from the one previous. I'm fine with more of the same but, that's about it, it builds.
In fact, I felt that I had a pretty concrete vision for how this was all going to be laid out until the last few episodes (I think around 20) then I really actually started disliking it, I didn't like what it was doing or how it was doing it but I had one saving grace, much like many a Star Wars' series, wait for the final episode. But the same thing always happens and it doesn't make up for what amounted to the whole series. It's just such a weird way to end, like it's trying to explore some things but not others? No idea, not much can be said about it until I see what's next, I hear it was rushed from what the manga had for those chapters. But if it truly goes the whole way and adapts the manga, we'd still have around 2 more seasons or something and the manga just ended last year so I hope that we actually get those. Especially considering it took like 6 years to get an S3 and it's already been three since this one.
As far as sports anime, this is officially the one I've stuck with the longest and enjoyed the most (I don't think I count March Comes in Like A Lion). I even watched the Queen's Gambit and thought "Yeah, poor man's Chihaya." this is a good anime. I might as well rank the three while I'm at it, even though it's been a while but I'll break it down as to why.
1 > 2
This is because 2 had the task of introducing all these new characters and while they all hit and they did a splendid job especially considering how many of them there were, I just didn't find them as endearing as the main cast or anything. I acknowledged their purpose in the story and all but I think some of the 2nd season was spent refreshing to both introduce and help the old characters notice new things about their old game through that.
In a way, this gives Season 3 the edge because it takes those characters and amplifies them enough to make them interesting enough to have screen time on their own without Mashima, Arata or Chihaya on screen with them. That and it doesn't have to introduce as many new characters itself, it can just focus back on tournaments and stuff.
She could certainly win a Squid Game, that's for sure.
2 > 3
This leaves 3 in last place and technically that makes it worse as the seasons go on but that doesn't mean it's not still a solid anime worth watching (especially since the MAL scores say the opposite of what I just did) Really, it was that ending that changed everything, or else, I would've put it above S2, other than a few key parts, I see this being a sandwich season. Maybe if it actually went one episode over and started showing what was in store rather than setting the pieces where they are, but ya'know.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 7, 2023
I literally knew nothing about this anime but I saw it in the recently updated list and thought it’d be funny to just jump on it and give it a try and I was kind of impressed. I don’t normally like explaining stuff that I went in not knowing anything about but I figure if I don’t win you over then you won’t be interested so here’s a little something.
This show features a dad, someone who's already gone through what we're used to with anime, but has lived basically a normal boring life. This is the part where you say everything's changed now or he
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grew tired of it. But the real case is that he's in a strange set of circumstances that keep stacking onto each other where one crime leads to another. Is he in the right or is he in the wrong? Even he doesn't know but he sure feels guilt over it.
When I watched 91 Days, it was more Mafia type dealings and winning over the prospects but with this one, it keeps the same storyline and goal through and through allowing for more opportunities for a more mysterious approach with the gang being yakuza instead, which is a lot more entertaining in my playbook.
But part of what made this anime for me is the relationship between Tetsuo and his wife, they don't ham up the life that he's fighting for but there are small moments where you realize "hey, this might be worth it.", she's just as much a part of this anime as he is.
It was an enjoyable anime but let's point out a few faults. The animation looks rigged at times like when they’re running. He comes up with a lot of hypotheticals where his excuse is “I read a lot of mystery books” but if I heard this kind of stuff as carefully planned as him, I’d definitely take it the wrong way. The dialogue can sometimes seem sketchy or unrealistic in that regard. I'd definitely at least try it and if not read the manga because for a spur of the moment random watch, it won me over.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 28, 2023
Romantic Killer isn't exactly edgy to where two killers are in love or something. It's more just a girl, Anzu, who's too reluctant to be in love. This on its own isn't a very interesting premise but if we flashback to my last review (Spy X Family)
"I was reading Inso's Law at the same time as this and between the two, I was getting such a huge serotonin boost."
Inso's Law is a comic about a girl who gets transported into an otome comic/the comic changes her reality, this show does the same thing just with a dating sim. It has a nice head on its
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shoulders with good personality and enthusiastic design (I mean, Anzu wears Crocs, this is already the best anime) but mixed messaging where they make it out to be that it's this girl's purpose to fall in love and that it's for the good of Japan's dwindling population.
But her three desires are also taken. Chocolate, cats and video games. An interesting line-up and works well with the formula in her own growth, choosing to fall in love for truth rather than for material possessions such as those.
The Ikumen (boys) have about the personalities you'd expect "I hate women trying to get my number all the time, sigh, the problems of a hot guy is torture." but they take their time to flesh out each guy a little before introducing another. It can be dumb but it's dumb fun. I think this is one of the most attractive elements, not only is it funny and well caught up to speed in the modern day, but it actually gives character-centric episodes sometimes. Trawuma. I actually mistyped that but it fits all the same. Each has their own benefits.
Saki is probably my favorite in that aspect because she's just her best friend, it's nice to see side characters actually cared for every now and then. It dares the question of a season 2 at the end and to be honest, I'm all for it. We've got the main introductions ut of the way and it's gone beyond so I think it's ripe to only get better.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 18, 2023
I was reading Inso's Law at the same time as this and between the two, I was getting such a huge serotonin boost.
I knew that it got really popular but that wasn't enough to get me interested. I started seeing gifs and thought "Oh a cool comedy series" but I don't normally like straight comedy series, I like involved storylines. And surprise surprise, this isn't just a comedy, it's got a pretty good story to go along with it, with an action comedy sort of thing.
I saw Trash Taste talking about it and how it was masterfully cast and does the manga justice and even
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that it engulfed the entire top MAL anime list for a time. All I can really say is that I understand the people who don't want to buy into the hype but I was pleasantly surprised and enthralled by what I got so hear me out, give it a shot.
The characters are great, they all got their own layering. At first I wasn't too sure about the supernatural elements they introduced with Anya but seeing them put into play, I can understand and makes it seem like a better anime because of it.
I don't really want to spoil anything about the story or arcs but I will say a few things about the characters.
I expected the dynamic between Yor and Loid to be a sort of "rivalry" similar to Love is War, since one is an assassin and one is a spy and then Anya would be the comic relief to break the seriousness but that's not the case. Yor is actually pretty laid back, she's only super serious when she's in assassin mode and I think really that was the best decision because she isn't as cold for the sake of being cold, she's more like a happy go lucky kind of cold almost like she doesn't know any better. That ends up easing some of the tension on Loid because he too is learning how to be a father, just in a different way.
All three help each other in some way, I do however feel that while we get moments focused solely on each character, Loid is the "main", it feels like everything that is done is for his cause. That isn't to say that the other characters are any less, it just seems to lean a little more in one direction than another. What is Yor's goal? What is Anya's goal? It's all to help Loid and find love at the end and they have great chemistry but maybe needs a little more to make its other characters bloom on their own.
My main complaint is that they sometimes get sidetracked, so the goal will be about Anya's school and then we're introduced to Yor's brother which I'm fine with but the problem is that we're constantly getting reminded of the goal "Ah yes, that's right! Anya needs to get stars in order to join the elite." even in the last episode to which I ask, who is watching the last episode that doesn't know what's going on? It just gets annoying and I know this isn't the only anime guilty of it by a long shot but I just don't see the constant need to remind in this day and age when it's only the first season.
So, what I decided to do was to wait until the second part to post my thoughts and boy was it fast tracked to come out, Anya was becoming what Baby Yoda is to Disney, even more reason to quality check. And to top it off, they doubled down by introducing a dog in the first episode. As gimmicky as it sounds, I still found it quite wholesome.
The popularity has obviously died down with it not even piercing the top 50 anymore and nobody seems to be talking about it. Had they actually waited and gave fans something to think about and look forward to, a nice detachment to remember what it was like without it, then I think it might've done better. It also doesn't help that so many other anime have gotten almost just as popular since then from Chainsaw Man to Attack on Titan's return to Bleach's return, not that those are really a comparison in terms of genre but it just goes to show what sort of phase anime is going through.
My favorite moments are from part 1 but part 2 is still of good quality, there are a lot of great jokes and moments and story progressions that I think are worth seeing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 25, 2023
It's a love triangle thing where the main, Shinichiro, can't cry and is cursed by only being able to get a hard-on if he cries or watches a girl cry except it seems he can't catch anybody else crying. He meets this girl Noe and she reveals that she has two cocks, one black and one white, so he gives her a used tissue box and in return she gives him a tiny bottle that she asks him to fill up. One of the cocks is killed so she starts dumping seed from the other one in his locker.
All the women that he's interested in
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seem to have someone or something else in mind. His mom wants a piece of that action but in the process, she's cockblocking him from another one of his girls, Hiromi, that happens to also live with him. So he's rude to them so that maybe he can make himself cry. That doesn't work so Noe feeds him hot dogs and tells him that 'wieners aren't red' before licking his face. He tells her to leave him alone so she takes his belt off.
Relationships start forming but none of them are happy with each other, wishing that they were with someone else, despite that person usually being a good person, just someone they're uninterested in. The music builds, letting for tension, like you think someone's going to crack and slap someone at any given moment when it's not necessarily something they did wrong.
Anyways! One of the girls finally starts to cry, leaving Shinichiro stunned, he kind of just stands still for the rest of the episode because this is the girl he's dreamed for but he's going to have to commit incest if he dates her. Two of the characters actually end up happy despite this but that still leaves a few more. Two more than he's no longer interested in meaning two more that are left to cry (kinda ironic, maybe he planned that), and two that are in the thicket of this whole thing because they're all focused on Shinichiro, thus the true tragedy begins.
Hiromi has become a burden for everyone yet not one of the reasons is her own fault, she was forced into each position...I'm not sure the child servant even has a name, he gets my most pity.
What happens when Shinichiro's happiness is tested? Who's going to be the one to rip the band-aid off when he figures out that he isn't related to the girl? The tragedy is true feelings and who you're going to hurt to realize them and who will listen to acknowledge them. Can you be happy with a decision that somebody else made for you?
The mom gave up her incest but now Noe's brother knows that it's an option so he wants in on the action. She's pushed into a corner, nowhere and no one to turn to. But what is a tragedy if you can't cry from it? "They're beautiful. Your tears." Noe learns where Shinichiro gets his hard-on from, tears were hard to come by and now they're a well sought after item, how can she make him happy if she can't cry for him? Everyone seems to have the faucet turned on now, which means fair game and the two have to fight each other for who gets to collect their tears. Living vicariously through another is a dangerous game. We get a chance to explore many of the outcomes and by the final few episodes, it seems like none will keep anyone from hurting so how can you make this a happy ending, despite all of this?
Well, Shinichiro picks the girl that spreads her legs.
But yeah, that's what this series is like, it's really goofy for a good bit of it but in an entertaining way to where you're not attached but it's stupid enough to like, but it finds ways to intertwine legitimately good stuff. As much as I'd hate to say it or compare it to anything, when I saw Sing Yesterday For Me, I thought the overall premise of the show just couldn't be done in a meaningful manner with the way it was delivered but this show sort of takes some of those elements and gives them purpose, using them in a more appropriate way. I didn't feel like this one was about leading someone on or unfaithfulness, it was more about truth and how just because you get along, doesn't mean you're the "right" match. And as I said, being nice doesn't automatically mean you'll succeed with love (but it certainly doesn't hurt). If you can live without a person then can you still love them?
Don't get me wrong, I may have given it a 6 but that's from a more objective standpoint, I really enjoyed it, and recommend it, it's dumb fun. And some of these lessons are really unique that I haven't seen done (let alone done well) in my book it's probably an 8.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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