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I was thoroughly impressed with this one. Id personally put it up with the ranks of the Castlevania animated series in terms of quality. The animation is beautiful. While there are some times where it could look a little jank, most of the fights in it look stellar. Madhouse wasnt sleeping through this one. All the character designs are great. It has really solid pacing and it never feels boring. Its obviously not perfect though. This story doesnt really adhere to the whole show dont tell thing. I think Donovan is a great character. But there are many scenes where Hsien Ko and her sister ... and literally just talking about his characterand the philosophy of why he does things. In that sense the writing tends to be really awkward. It presents really good themes and concepts to the viewer, but a lot of those themes are just spoken through hefty monologues by certain characters. Honestly that is my only problem with this one, but it is a big one depending who you are. If you are a fan of the franchise its absolutely worth watching.

Serial Experiments Lain is a science fiction horror about a little girl named Lain becoming fixated on the world of the wired. This watch isnt for everyone but I very much enjoyed it. It deals with a lot of interesting topics regarding the internet and how people are becoming more connected. Just when you expect to understand whats going on, just when you can maybe predict whats going to happen, it always throws a curveball in the puzzle. Its a show that pretty much requires your full attention to understand it. Im sure if I watch it again I will be able to uncover more ... about the story. Its a very nonlinear story that doesnt have a traditional story structure. I can understand why people wouldnt like that, but im really into it. It also has incredible visuals and sound design. There are a lot of eerie background noises and the art does a good job showcasing a world that feels dreamlike and not quite realistic. Lain herself is a really interesting protagonist and like everything else in the show shes unpredictable, and the ending of her arc really surprised me. Id say watch this if you are into straight sci fi. But if you are expecting a linear story thats easy to follow, then you might want to stay away.

I don't know what to say about this. I love this franchise so much. The manga and the first anime were the things that got me into Japanese animation. Hell, I'd even go as far to say it's the first time I've seen animation used for more serious storytelling. It had a big impact on me growing up, and I've seen both iterations of the series too many times. While I'd say watch the first anime before this one, if you wanna watch only one, go with brotherhood. Brotherhood has incredible animation, perfect pacing, a well woven story and great characters. However, the adaptation isn't ... perfect. I don't like how brotherhood handles it's humor. It's not so much it cuts over a serious moment, it's more like it disrupts the story a little too much to do a gag that usually doesn't land. This isn't a problem for the first anime or the manga. I also found the first season to be pretty rough at adapting the stuff that was told in the first anime. It went by stuff too quickly and didn't handle things as elegantly as the first anime did, but it picks the hell up in the later seasons where it's telling newer stuff. Honestly those are my only two gripes and I dont think they ruin my overall enjoyment of the adaptation. It's one hell of a ride and I think anyone with an interest in anime should give this a shot.

(I'd recommend reading my brotherhood review first). I know it's common to rag on this one, and yeah I totally get it. It has filler, it's slower paced than brotherhood, it doesn't have as good of animation, but I still love this adaptation. Its a more grounded version of the story and I always loved that. The sad moments of the series hit really hard here. The relationship between the elrics is so well fleshed out, and I really like the alternate versions of scar and the homunculi. They are great villains with great motives that give the later anime only stuff a personal ... feel. I really think this one is worth watching before brotherhood, a more somber take on the story with a great realization of this world. I think for something that had to be different from the manga they did a great job. However, it has it's issues, and I'm gonna talk about spoilers. This version of hoennhiem really fell flat, he's introduced at the last minute and is really underrused. His backstory is interesting, but it comes out of nowhere unlike his backstory in the manga. In fact the climax and the twist I have problems with. Everything in the final episodes just comes out of nowhere, and the series doesnt do anything to set it up. A good story should feel like all of it's pieces fit together, but this one doesnt. I don't think it ruins this series, and I think it's certainly an interesting take on the gate of truth. But I really wish they set this stuff up earlier, it would've done so much to justify it. This one isn't gonna be for everyone, I really enjoy it, but I'd say check this out, and if you aren't getting into it, then move on to brotherhood.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. I'm a pretty big fan of the games, 3 being one of my all time favorite games. So there is a lot of fun to be had as a fan seeing Dante going through these villain of the week stories. They do a good job subtly fleshing out his character, and there are some really cool concepts in play here. But the execution is just really flat. The animation is very bogstandard and rigid, which is a shame being in the hands madhouse. The main cast is as fun as ever but a lot of ... the side characters are really one note and even annoying. There are a few too many episodes that are boring. I can't help but feel disappointed, as I really enjoy this universe, but they do little to spice it up. I'd say if you wanna get into the series and experience a good story, just play Devil May Cry 3. Fans might get a kick out of some of the episodes but otherwise, it's pretty flat.