- Last Online1 hour ago
- GenderFemale
- BirthdayOct 16, 1996
- JoinedJan 15, 2016
Also Available at
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Jun 9, 2020
146 of 146 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
I've been going around in mental circles for a while, trying to figure out how I wanted to do this review... Because the thing is... This IS a good season. It was just-- by a wide margin-- not my favorite season.
There were a lot of things it did well that just weren't for me. But I kind of knew that would be true as soon as I saw the trailers for it when it first came out all those years ago. Everyone kept telling me I would get used to the art style. I still hate it. It looks fine on all the new
characters I haven't already seen drawn in a different style, but it looks awful on Ash and Team Rocket and all the old faces. And that may sound like a really insignificant, don't-judge-a-book-by-its-cover sort of complaint, but the art style can say a lot about a show. Especially when it's changing from season to season like Pokémon does. Sun and Moon's designs were a little goofier. In line with the season as a whole being a lot more lighthearted. And that's fine for a kids' show, and it could be perfectly enjoyable at times... (I liked all the characters. In fact, as a whole, I think this season has the most likable cast of characters of any Pokémon season I've watched. And the final episode was really heartfelt. Watching Kukui and Burnet hug him goodbye actually made me tear up a bit. Ash's mom has had some good moments over the years, but we've never really gotten to see Ash have a real family dynamic with anyone, and that aspect of it here was really great.) But Pokémon really hit its current peak with XY&Z for me. I loved that it got a little more serious. Anything toned down from that was going to be lesser in my eyes. Just a matter of preferences, I guess.
Storywise, it was just weaker overall in my eyes. It really brought me back to the early seasons of Pokémon, where we went so long in between gym battles that it barely felt like there was a story at all. The island trial episodes were cool... but they really didn't feel like they held any significance over anything, especially because you didn't even end up needing ANY sort of qualifications to enter the region's first Pokémon League.
The Ultra Guardians aspect of the story... watching these kids form their own sort of pseudo-Power Rangers team was cool. (I love me a good magical girl-esque transformation sequence.) But suffered from the same problem. Everything just felt so disjointed here. The Ultra Beasts could show up on a whim... whenever the writers ran through enough of their other episode ideas, I guess. They posed enough of an actual threat to the region that I feel like the kids could have at least been looking for some way to keep the portal closed... I just really needed an overarching story for this season, and never quite found it. Like, once we got into the story with Lillie's family and amnesia in season one, things got really good for a while. Gave me hope. And then it all kind of just fell apart again.
But ultimately... all the real complaints I have about this season... come down to me starting to believe that the writers and I must have very different opinions on what makes up the fundamentals of Ash as a character. Yes, he's easily excitable and has this unrivaled love for all things Pokémon... but I just can't see him ever being happy settling down in a place like Alola to go to school. Not even with great friends. Not even if the school offers new Pokémon-related experiences each class. It's just... not Ash. It felt too stagnant for him. I can't see the extremely spaced-out island trials scratching his competitive itch. At least when he's on the road, it feels like he's actively working towards the next challenge.
I guess it's fitting but... This whole 'journey' through Alola feels like a vacation for Ash. In general, it's just not the place for him. Everything's just a little TOO laid-back. As a whole, it didn't really feel like a region for a serious battler like Ash. And in general, it feels like the writers handicapped his battling skills a bit, especially as the series went on. Like, yes, Ash is known for being the guy who can get out of a tight spot with sheer willpower and crazy ideas... but sometimes it feels like the writers forget that he IS capable of actual type-based strategizing too.
There are a few exceptions throughout. Gladion and Kukui...(Hau could have been an example, but we barely see him.) Kiawe takes it seriously, and Lana also had a competitive edge, though the series (unfortunately) never seemed to take her as seriously as Ash and Kiawe. I don't think there's any better example than the few episodes where the class visits Kanto and Ash gets to really shine-- back in his element-- sparring with the gym leaders of old... while it quickly became clear that his new friends had really only understood battling in theory up to this point. Hell, Mallow doesn't have her moment where she realizes she shouldn't ever just give up mid-battle until the MIDDLE OF HER POKEMON LEAGUE MATCH... That whole League was a joke and actually really annoyed me, but... Deep breaths.
Anyway. Sun and Moon was fun and cute and lighthearted and I DID enjoy a lot of it. I mean, Rowlet's the most adorable thing this franchise has ever created, so I have to give it points for that. It's just... not what I want Pokémon to be. We got to see it at its best in Kalos, and a story like this one just couldn't live up to my expectations after that. I know practically nothing about the next region... (I've literally only seen the starters and this sheep Pokémon and that's it.) But I'm hoping it picks back up again with the next season, and we get to see more of Ash as he was meant to be.
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Apr 24, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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1
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
As a whole, the Anohana movie is generally the type of anime movie I wouldn't bother with. A good half of it is dedicated just to recapping the anime. And the little story it shares of the Super Peace Busters getting together to remember their friend-- showcasing both that they have stayed together like they promised and that they're continuing to cope more healthily than they were in the series itself-- is a very feel-good little plot... It just feels a little unnecessary. (We even see a little more development from all the characters in regards to their various romances, but even those aren't brought
to any sort of definitive conclusion by this short addition to the story.)
So yes, as a whole, the Anohana movie is generally the type of anime movie I wouldn't bother with... But it did add one crucial thing to the overall story for me that made me really glad I did. Throughout the anime, although Menma never got on my nerves or anything, she did have that feel of being a little too perfect sometimes. And I could kind of rationalize it away as the writers purposely taking on her friends' perspectives. As sweet as she genuinely was, it's also pretty clear they've really idealized their memories of her since her untimely death.
The new flashback scenes of Menma and Jinta as children-- and more specifically how the group first came together-- added something that I felt the anime was really lacking. It showed that Menma had her own insecurities too. That this group of friends was the first place she'd ever truly felt seen and accepted, and that really adds to why her desire to see everything work out and make sure those bonds lasted was so strong. That's enough for me to say it was worth my time. It may have only added something small. But I think that something was pretty crucial.
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Feb 8, 2020
13 of 13 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
5 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
A little background: When I think of anime adapted from video games that fans of that original video game hate... Danganronpa is the first one that comes to mind. I first heard about it when the anime came out and thought the idea for the story sounded really interesting. Any time I would express that interest, however, there was always this tidal wave response from fans of the game that basically boiled down to, "Don't do it! It's a blight on the source material!" etc.
I like to think this is one of those times my procrastinating worked out in my favor, as I did
hold out and play the games first and only looked into this first season of the anime to get a feel for the later seasons. And I thought I knew why the anime was seen as disappointing...
For some reason, I got it in my head that it just wasn't complete. I saw that there were only 13 episodes and figured it only adapted up through the first or second class trial. (That's how much information was in those first two chapters of the game.) And that made sense. No one likes a story to be unfinished. It was actually kinda worse that the anime adaptation does go all the way through the story. Because it means just about everything is rushed to the point where it's not enjoyable anymore.
The mystery in particular is done a disservice to... Because it feels like the mystery element is taken out almost completely. With the exception of the last trial-- which was actually done pretty well-- the discovering of the evidence is practically skipped over via montage, without even explaining WHAT they've discovered until it's used in the class trial. And I'll admit that the game trials could stretch on a bit longer than they really needed to... sometimes going around in circles on the same point long after it felt like the characters should have caught on to what was going on. But the anime version tended to be the opposite of that. It felt almost... scripted. Like nothing really had to be explained in much detail at all. They all went into the trials understanding exactly how the evidence came together from the beginning, and anyone who missed a point was easily persuaded over to their way of thinking.
Likewise, we're barely given any time to really get to know the characters, so I have a hard time seeing any new viewers being really attached to the ones who die.
And the animation is pretty rough all around. You know how people hold up still shots of characters caught in the background... or maybe mid-fight... And they look ridiculous or just really basic-- like rough sketches of themselves-- because it's only meant to be on-screen for like a second before they're on to the next action? That's usually how the characters look even when they're in proper focus. Generally, the more people in a shot, the worse they all looked. Without a doubt, the best-looking scenes in the anime (typically the executions) were the ones taken straight from the game. It's almost identical to the animated scenes in Ultra Despair Girls, actually. But what looked great in a video game... doesn't really hold up for a proper anime.
Which isn't to say it was all bad. I watched it dubbed and felt Funimation did a good job overall. (Voices are a big deal to me. So while it took a few episodes to get used to an almost-entirely recast cast... and some of them sounded just a little... hokey... the acting was fine in general. Even really good in places. And a lot of the dialogue was clever and evoked some genuine laughter from me. There were definitely some translation differences that rubbed me the wrong way-- like switching to using all their surnames-- but in general, kudos to the writers. And it was always a positive to hear the familiar game music used in show.
In the end, I rated it as 'Average,' but that swayed from one side to the other through the entire time spent watching this anime. The good points would make me consider whether it didn't deserve better... But then the bad points would return and I'd wonder whether it didn't deserve worse.
For someone who is absolutely not going to play the game... I'd say this adaptation is passable. It does get you all the information you need to understand the basics of what happened in the game. ...But the purpose of watching this season would be to understand the subsequent seasons... Which can't be fully appreciated without experiencing the second game in some fashion... which was never adapted into an anime-- subpar or otherwise. So...
Technically, the anime CAN stand alone... but it shouldn't. I guess what it boils down to... is that if I heard someone was going to get into Danganronpa… I'd never want this to be their ONLY introduction to the story.
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Jan 5, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
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1
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Another is one of those shows that I'd heard about a long while before I actually got around to watching it. And I guess... it did deliver on what those expectations promised. Another struck me as the sort of show that a lot of people saw and a lot of people remembered, but not a lot of people enjoyed really passionately or anything. People remember it primarily for the spectacle of the gory death scenes.
The thing is... the story it set up was actually very interesting. And I'm a little disappointed that the way it played out and concluded was kind of weak. It
was this interesting mix of actual supernatural occurrences combined with misinterpreted ordinary occurrences where you might expect the problems to be supernatural. What stood out most, early on, was how much I liked that Mei was actually (mostly) just an ordinary girl with a dark past. Most of her mystery boils down to family secrets and a notable lack of magic or ghosts or curses or whatnot. While there WAS a mystical element there, this particular point grounded the story a little, and I really liked that.
Despite the heavy-handed eeriness... (the constant creepy music, the way there doesn't seem to be a single building in this whole damn town with proper lighting...) the tone of this series actually had a lot of twists and turns. It starts out really dark and dreary, but then gets surprisingly lighthearted when Mei and Kouichi start to become friends. It was actually really uplifting. And when the effects of the curse really start to pick up, the students who are left form this little team trying to puzzle it out and find a way to stop it. And Another started to feel like it could be this almost cheesy friendship story.
And I honestly kind of wish they'd stuck to that route. When things really go downhill, it started to feel like the writers were more concerned with shock value than the overall success of their story. It didn't feel the least bit triumphant when they finally (sort of) deal with the curse.
All in all, they went a little overboard establishing the ominous atmosphere, it was hard to feel attached to most of the people who get killed off, and the end was kind of disappointing and didn't really feel complete. But they had all the elements here for a story that COULD have been really good.
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Jan 5, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
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2
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
D-Frag is the sort of show that comes to mind when I think of simple, dumb, fun humor. There really isn't a lot to this series... A 'delinquent' (whose gang is actually going around trying to keep the peace around the school) gets... blackmailed, basically into joining the Game Creation Club... where each member is their own brand of eccentric, very few games actually get created, and the least responsible member is actually the teacher advisor. Things are complicated ever so slightly when he learns there's a second game creation club in the school, in a rivalry of sorts with this one, trying to get
Kazama's new club shut down.
Thus leads to day after day of one nonsensical competition after another, where nothing is ever really accomplished, but each little adventure allows Kazama to get a little closer to his clubmates. It was a lot of fun, made me laugh a lot, and could be a little sweet at times.
D-Frag just makes no effort to try and go above and beyond... in any aspect. The characters were likable enough, but no one was terribly deep. I liked the little moments Roka got where she talked about feeling a responsibility to her club, wanting to do right by them. She's never really fit in anywhere before, so that was a little moving. I really liked Chitose's loyalty to her best friend. And some of the other characters made me laugh just about every time they were on screen. So make no mistake: D-Frag was a good time.
But there are just so many places they COULD have taken this story, so it frustrates me that there was no attempt at a bigger plotline. There are so many things that could have been done with this club setting... The kids seem to care more about the fact that there are two game creation clubs than the teachers do. There was a little pressure in the beginning, as Kazama's group needed him as their last member or else they were going to be shut down... But once that requirement was fulfilled, nothing else was really asked of them. (And the love story doesn't really go anywhere.) Some sort of club challenge aside, they could have gone the friendship route. It's clear that what Takao really misses is Roka's friendship, not real club dominance. But nothing is really resolved between Takao and Roka either.
So yes, D-Frag was fun... but felt a little half-baked. It really wouldn't have been that hard to make it into something more.
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Jan 5, 2020
1 of 1 episodes seen
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5
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Generally speaking, I love Ghibli movies, but this one was kind of dull. Very heavy on the teen romance, very light on the magical elements. (And the theme song being a play on "Country Roads" was a little... odd.) Visually, it was beautiful. I just kept waiting for the story to go somewhere, and it didn't really. Not to mention it has one of the most abrupt endings I've ever seen in any story.
Which might sound a little harsh, because I did like the characters well enough. Seiji got off to a rough start, but I really liked him once they started developing his character.
I'm a big fan of stories about people who are really passionate about their craft. Shizuku felt very relatable too. I loved how that passion for writing took over her life by the mid-point. And I really felt that pressure-- how she's not even in high school yet but feels like if she doesn't have her life figured out by now, she's doomed for failure. (And the romance is very sweet, but a love story is never enough to stand alone for me.)
It felt like a very slice-of-life, glimpse into one tiny moment in a person's life, coming of age sort of story. I just wish it went somewhere. I would have even settled for it switching a bit more between Shizuku's real life and Shizuku mentally living out the story about the Baron she was writing. Neither of those stories really felt like they had enough substance to them. I kept waiting for some kind of concrete life lesson to be communicated. The credits started rolling, and I just had to stare for a few seconds like, "Really? That's it?"
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Aug 16, 2019
1 of 1 episodes seen
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1
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
This was the start of an interesting journey for me-- going back to rewatch the DBZ movies and try to properly analyze them for the first time.
I knew Dead Zone was an older movie-- I think I tend to forget in general just how long ago Dragon Ball first aired-- but for some reason, it didn't occur to me until I was watching it that how well it held up over time might factor into my enjoyment of it. I know the movies aren't exactly canon. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm not super well-versed in the timeline of when everything
first aired. But I figured Dead Zone would have had to take place before Raditz showed up, which would have made Goku and Piccolo teaming up a huge selling point. These days, it's kind of an afterthought that Piccolo was ever a villain. In that sense, Dead Zone definitely felt a little dated. It just didn't have the effect it was supposed to. And I personally, don't have much nostalgia for any of the DBZ movies. It was very familiar, so I'm sure I'd seen it sometime during my childhood... But it didn't have enough of an impact for me to really remember the way it first felt to see that truce.
But in general, it was still perfectly enjoyable. Maybe a little mindlessly enjoyable, but I don't exactly look to the DBZ movies in search of something thought-provoking. I'm here for a handful of scenes of these characters getting to just live their peacetime lives-- before it all goes to hell--, maybe a little crude humor, and a few good fights. And sometimes, that's enough.
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Mar 14, 2019
1 of 1 episodes seen
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4
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
4 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
I did not care for this one. The only thing saving this movie from being scored even lower is the beautiful visuals, (well, some of the CG was a little iffy, but I have soft spot for this Pokémon season's animation in general) so I'll try to keep this brief.
I wasn't really a fan of the way we're just thrown into the plot... the way Hoopa literally grabs our heroes out of their daily lives and plops them down into this plotline. It felt intrusive, and I wish they'd found a better way to tie this movie's story into something the gang was already working
towards. And Hoopa was obnoxious in both forms. That's kind of a tough handicap to overcome, given how much of the movie revolves around and is driven by him.
But mostly, the very idea just felt distinctly... cash-grabby. I can practically see the dollar signs (yen symbols?) that must have been in the creators' eyes when the idea of a movie that would bring together legendary Pokémon from across a whole bunch of seasons was first proposed. It's kind of funny, because I just watched Bonds Beyond Time-- the Yu-Gi-Oh movie that brings the first three main protagonists together-- and they're kind of based on that same sentiment... But it didn't bother me so much there, where each of the characters actually had their own place in the story. Here, the legendaries are popping up just to be notable cameos. I'm glad I can check this one off my list, but it just... wasn't for me.
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Mar 13, 2019
180 of 180 episodes seen
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1
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
Getting through GX has been quite the journey for me… Of the first three seasons—which are the ones I associate with my childhood—GX was the only one I never got into. And in the past I would have said it was because I didn’t like the Duel Academy premise or because Jaden was annoying… Or basically, I just latched onto all the most popular reasons to hate this season. Even when I decided to go back through Yu-Gi-Oh the way I had with Pokemon, I seriously considered just skipping this one… but at the end of it all, I’m really glad I didn’t.
From the
beginning, GX had its ups and downs, but I was surprised by how much potential I saw right off the bat. The one that caught me most off-guard was Jaden himself. I was prepared to just… tolerate him all the way through, but you know what? Jaden Yuki is not the god-awful character I often see him made out to be. It’s all about context. Early on, GX’s story is mostly about the school itself. Along the same lines of shows like Baka and Test or Assassination Classroom, Duel Academy values grades above all else, and those who get placed in the lowest-scoring dorm (like Jaden) are treated like dirt. Jaden, who’s unflappably cheerful and couldn’t care less about his grades or schoolwork, is completely unfazed by this and inadvertently manages to empower many of his other classmates as he continues to succeed despite his position in their little Duel Academy society.
Unfortunately, this also leads us into one of this show’s flaws… GX had a problem with focus as a whole. The longer this series went on, the less meaning the different dorms held. So, though we see characters making disparaging comments about being a Slifer Red almost all the way to the end, it stops feeling relevant pretty early on. But it did succeed in giving me an appreciation of Jaden. He wouldn’t become a truly interesting character until year three, and he may not be the best protagonist ever created, but he was designed to be the perfect hero for these particular circumstances. And his carefree attitude started to feel like a breath of fresh air amongst his group of more serious friends.
Most of Jaden’s friends were all hindered by the same thing: they were set up to be likable characters that the series itself never spent enough time on. Honestly, I could go on and on about the potential almost every single one of them had. I loved the direction they took with Chazz. He was introduced as the new edgy, rival character, but the showrunners acknowledged very early on that no one was going to replace Seto Kaiba. (In the same way that Yugi and Jaden have very little in common past their main character charisma. I never got the impression that GX was trying to replace the original; perhaps the strongest thing it had going for it was that it was committed to being its own thing.) Chazz falls from grace very early into things and when he finds himself again, he returns as this goofy, over-the-top, complete joke of a character… but people embrace him for it, and I loved that. Even though he’s mostly pushed out of the spotlight later by some of the other characters.
I had high hopes for Alexis. She was shaping up to be a strong female character, something not exactly in abundance in my childhood shows. I liked that it was her skill that set her apart from their classmates—rather than something shallow like her beauty. She does develop a one-sided crush on Jaden, but it never completely takes over her character like you see so often in shows that are aimed more towards boys. And the mystery with her brother gave her and interesting purpose and kind of drives the plot in the beginning. Unfortunately, more than any other character, Alexis really fades into the background as the series goes on. (I really liked the role she played with the tag-team duel near the end, but it felt overwritten, almost, as Jaden learns pretty much exactly the same lesson—again—from his duel with Yugi.)
Of all the characters in the original little troupe, Syrus is the only one I never really warmed up to, and I think it’s because he’s the only one who doesn’t really have that lack-of-screen-time excuse. Syrus’s early development did catch my attention—his insecurities and relationship with his brother gave him just as much potential as everyone else. But it takes so long for Syrus to grow… And there’s really no excuse for it, because he gets several episodes devoted specifically to overcoming those insecurities… but there’s no follow-through. The next episode, he goes back to being exactly the same person he was before, excessive self-doubt perfectly intact. By the time he finally starts standing on his own mid-season three, it just felt too little, too late. Endearing me to him at that point just wasn’t in the cards.
In case it’s not already apparent, it was the characters that really drew me in to GX. The first two seasons’ plots were kind of hit or miss for me. I think season one did some interesting things—especially the twist they threw in with Banner—but kind of dropped the ball with the whole missing kids plot, which was the most interesting thing about it. Season two’s story… just wasn’t for me. It felt kind of filler-y. (Though, if there’s one thing, story wise, that I really liked about season two, it was the way Jaden’s deck had to evolve to combat what he was up against. Oddly enough, that’s something I haven’t seen too often in this franchise.) But if it did have one thing going for it, it was the season that brought in one of my favorite characters.
I love Aster. After the turn Chazz’s character took, Aster was the rival we could take seriously. And I love the way he parallels Jaden. They both have hero-themed decks, and Aster clearly views himself as The Good Guy. So, because he starts out on the side of the villains, it was clear that he was going to get a redemption of some sort, but it happened a lot sooner than I was expecting. Aster starts distancing himself from the people he’s working with almost immediately when he starts to suspect their goals may not be so pure. And that’s something I really respect. He may be a (loveable) snarky little asshole, but he’s not too caught up in his own edginess. And there’s a sweet (if extremely brief) character development moment where he goes from constantly distancing himself from others to being willing to sacrifice himself for the people he now considers to be his friends. That one aspect is very blink-and-you-miss-it, but in general, Aster was one of the few characters who felt fully developed by the show’s end.
But season three was where GX really started to shine. It starts out by introducing us to four More characters, all of whom are interesting in their own ways. Most notably, of course, is Jesse, who quickly becomes Jaden’s new best friend as they bond over their shared ability to see duel monster spirits. (Another plot point that had kind of been building up to this moment.) You might be thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot of characters!” (And I didn’t even stop to talk about Bastion, Hassleberry, Atticus, or Zane.) There was a moment where I just had to stop the episode—paused on a scene where Jaden’s friends were all gathered together looking for him—and count how many people were on screen. (And there were, like, nine of them.) And it kind of blew me away. I’m not sure I can name another show with that many characters making up our hero’s team. (Maybe Digimon 02, during the few scenes where the older team was there to help out the new kids.)
And I kid you not, maybe two episodes later, the show suddenly gives us more of a backstory for Jaden. You want to talk about things that really blew me away… I was prepared for Jaden to be this carefree, happy-go-lucky kid from start to finish with that easygoing attitude being his greatest strength. (In a very Davis-like way, speaking of 02.) And then suddenly we’re given this story of how Jaden’s parents never had time for him and a… problem with one his card spirits made it so that he didn’t have any real friends either. And so you just know that all this—going on these crazy adventures with a huge group of friends—has got to be everything he’s ever wanted. Which was a really poignant realization… that then came back and hit me like a truck when it all started falling apart around him.
Season three was really good in general and got really dark. I know it’s hardly unique to Yu-Gi-Oh GX, but I love that storytelling twist where the hero has to accept his flaws or inner darkness as a part of himself, rather than overcome them completely. So that moved me too. Jaden grows more during the second half of season three than in all of the two and a half seasons leading up to it. I mean, I liked all the new characters introduced, Zane and Aster really shined in this season, it’s where Syrus finally comes into his own, I liked the story it told… The whole thing was just a great ride.
Season four… had its ups and downs. It was a chance to come down from all the horror of season three and wrap things up. I think the episodes devoted to getting the kids ready for graduation were really good. Throughout, I wasn’t generally as fond of the episodes that were just about their everyday school lives. (Original Duel Monsters had entire filler arcs, but I could get into those more easily than this style of individual, more inconsequential filler episodes.) But these episodes felt meaningful and focused more on individual characters, many of whom had been neglected for most of the series. The actual evil they faced felt a little… overdone, given that it really just boils down to the kids being afraid to go out into the real world and having to find that courage. I think what disappointed me most, though, was that it really doesn’t explore how Jaden’s changed since the big event at the end of season three and barely touches on his new connection with Yubel. I mean, it’s a change that’s really clear just looking at him, but I would have liked to see a little more self-reflection there. And I feel like the big lesson that final evil teaches them could have easily been worked into the character episodes. I did like the way GX wrapped up, though. Jaden’s new goal for himself also felt like a good representation of GX trying to stand on its own, apart from the original.
I feel like I need to take a step back and just breathe, trying to wrap this up in any coherent way. The thing is, my reaction to season three tends to make it seem, even to myself, like I enjoyed GX more than I actually did. And don’t get me wrong, it did get really good for a while there. And I was really invested in most of their (inadequately explored) characters. But then I have to remember that the first two seasons were really hard to get into most of the time. (We’re talking, like, 100-120 episodes before it was gripping enough for me to want to start binge-watching episodes whenever I had a spare moment.) And most of the things I loved about those characters were… well, inadequately explored. At the end of it all, I am really glad I didn’t just skip right to 5Ds like I was seriously considering. GX was very different from what I’d been expecting, but most of those surprises were pleasant. And I’m walking away from this experience with fond memories.
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Mar 10, 2019
2 of 16 chapters read
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1
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Preliminary
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| Overall |
3 |
| Story |
5 |
| Art |
7 |
| Character |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
1 |
I don't write many preliminary reviews, because I'm always really hesitant to read them myself. So I encourage everyone to take this with a grain of salt, but sometimes I just feel the need to justify why I dropped a series.
I'm generally pretty fond of ghost stories and supernatural plotlines. So when I found myself wandering around the bookstore, caught up on all the other manga I was currently reading, Ghost Diary looked like a good fit to fill that hole in my life. It became clear very quickly, though, that it's just... not for me.
I'll admit it: I only read the first
two chapters. It quickly became clear to me that the premise of the story was the only thing it had going for it. A lot of characters are introduced early on, and I didn't find a single endearing thing about any of them. And Chloe was annoying practically from the first page she was introduced. I just... couldn't imagine willingly sitting through two and a half more volumes with Chloe as a major part of the story. Characters are the most important part of a story for me, so this is a hard handicap to recover from. (Not to mention the incest-y vibes between the main protagonist and his sister. Which is something I've gotten kind of used to seeing, here in the anime realm, but just... isn't for me.) So a lot of my critiques come down to personal preferences, but yeah. I didn't get through the first volume.
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