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Apr 25, 2023
The trailer for this series REALLY got me hyped, but after 4 episodes, I have not been able to find a reason to want to keep watching. There's nothing unique about Hell's Paradise, it's pretty much your run-of-the-mill survival story, but with prisoners fighting monsters, and some of the monster designs look SICK. At first, this sounds like a genuinely interesting plot structure, until you realize the success of a survival story depends on the audience wanting to see the characters make it through (or making someone so detestable the audience WANTS to see them die). After 4 episodes, we hardly know anything about any
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of the prisoners, not enough to make them likable or hateable (except for Gantetsusai, he's dope I guess). The only person we know anything about is our MC, Gabimaru. And the first 3 episodes already established that there is no way he is going to struggle with any of his ordeals. He's just too powerful, so there's no real tension. This would be more forgivable if the action scenes were spectacular, which they aren't. It's brutal, sure, lots of disembowelments and throats being ripped out, but no real choreography or fluidity of animation, which is what I'm looking for in action. The art is pretty, I do like Gabimaru's motivations, and Gantetsusai is kinda cool, but those aren't enough to keep me around.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 26, 2022
It’s not hard to see why this show is so popular. One of the main premises consists of people nerding out over their hobbies deemed too weird or nerdy by the general population. That’s something I guarantee most people feel at some point in their life, and it always feels good to have those feelings validated, to know we’re not weird just for liking something a little different. Dress Up Darling absolutely shines during these moments, where the author seems to be speaking directly to his audience, saying things like, “It’s okay to be yourself,” and “Take pride in your hobbies.” There were a couple
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moments where, to me, he said, “I understand what you’re going through.” I absolutely love when a show can make me feel that way, primarily because it’s become exceedingly rare. Other areas of the series are a breath of fresh air. It’s so nice to not see the same old romance cliches rehashed time and time again, and it’s easy to care about the main couple. There was so much care, effort, and love put into the show and it’s absolutely worth watching. My biggest complaint involves spoiling the ending details to episode 3, so SPOILERS.
I think the end of episode 3 would have been the perfect opportunity for Gojo to prioritize himself rather than completing the outfit for Kitagawa. Gojo should have realized that he just didn’t have enough time to finish the outfit, decided instead to postpone its completion, and talk to Kitagawa about debuting at a different convention. This conveys the message that “It’s okay to prioritize yourself” which is a far healthier message to his target audience (severely depressed people ashamed of the hobbies they enjoy), as opposed to “power through regardless of the consequences.” The author could still have written Kitagawa’s response the same too, they didn’t need to change anything else. Perhaps it has to do more with Japanese customs, but regardless I think it’s a missed opportunity. Additionally, it does feel like there are some excessively slow moments where nothing really happens, and the fan service gets a little excessive sometimes.
Despite this, I really enjoyed the show. The main couple is adorable, the animation and art direction are splendid, and it’s actually hilarious. The author has a fantastically weird sense of humor that had me busting up laughing multiple times, I honestly was not expecting good humor from a show like this. And perhaps my favorite aspect of the show, it’s an absolute blast seeing people be incredibly passionate about their hobbies.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 13, 2022
When I give this show a 10/10, by no means am I saying it is a flawless, unmatched work of art. I feel like a "perfect 10" show isn't something that makes no errors, but one that succeeds, beyond expectations, everything it sets out to do. Kawai-sou does that for me. It is my all time favorite slice-of-life/romance.
I'd also consider it a comedy, and while it's not my favorite comedy, it is really, REALLY damn funny. Shirosaki's masochism, Sumiko's iron-fist over the tenants, and the dynamic between Mayumi and Sayaka are hilarious. They bounce off each other so well, that if they're not making
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you laugh, there's a good chance you're cracking a smile.
Others have commented on the presentation, which I agree is stunning, as well as the romance, which is perfectly paced. One reason why I have an issue with so many romance anime is that they either have a hard time getting the romance to progress, or simply choose not to in order to pad out run time. It's frustrating seeing two people stay in the exact same rut for 20 episodes (only for all the development to happen at the end, or for the author to choose the harem route). That doesn't happen here.
This leads me to the characters. Usa strikes that perfect MC balance imo. He's not a super human giga-Chad, but he's not some spineless coward either. I'd say he reminds me a lot of how I was in high school, but he actually tries to progress his relationship with the girl he's interested in. Additionally, there's never that feeling that Usa will always succeed in what he tries to do, which make his efforts so much more immersive to watch. I related HARD to Usa, so I desperately wanted to see his efforts pay off.
At first glance, Ritsu seems like your standard ice princess type character, but that couldn't be more wrong. She starts out incredibly shy, but as she opens up, you begin to see what makes her laugh, what pisses her off, and you truly get a sense of who she is as a character. It's a lot of fun seeing her develop.
Lastly I want to mention Shirosaki. I previously mentioned his "masochism," and some of you may have thought, "Oh I bet he's just a one trick pony then." Nope :) While his masochism is a running gag, what's more surprising is seeing how well he interacts with his community. I won't go into spoiler territory, but he is a reliable member of the hostel that's there for people when they need him.
Some may not find high school romance palatable, there are some one note character's here and there, and there is only one season, which is incredibly disappointing. But if you enjoyed it as much as I did, go read the manga! It's complete, and while I didn't have time to read it in it's entirety, I'm so glad I read the final few chapters. Kawai-sou wants to tell a realistic, touching romance-story between two flawed high schoolers, and it triumphs in that regard.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 22, 2021
As someone that enjoyed the Demon Slayer show, I did not like this movie. To explain why, I'll need to discuss some light spoilery stuff, so spoiler warning.
To my dismay, so many shonen anime movies fall into this trap of pitting the heroes against what I'm going to call a "giant blob monster." These monsters are incredibly boring because they tend to have limited movement (which means stiff animation), and they tend to be made with CGI. They probably do this to make things easier for the animators, which I understand, but it's a bummer because this is a movie and movies are
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supposed to be more visually impressive. CGI can be done well, don't get me wrong, I just don't like it combined with anime. 9 times out of 10, it's very obvious and/or very ugly, and it was very, VERY ugly here. And the event that lead to the creation of this giant blob monster was very, VERY stupid. Usually I'm fine with suspending my sense of disbelief, but this felt extremely out of place for Demon Slayer.
This first villain doesn't even really pose that much of a threat to our heroes. The sleep mechanic that was used was dealt with relatively easily. And the 3 MC's are helpless against the second villain, which is personally really unsatisfying. I care about Tanjiro and Inosuke, and while Tanjiro actually had a decent fight against the first villian pre-transformation, it just didn't compare to his previous fights from the show, and Inosuke only had some blobs to easily slash through. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I wasn't satisfied with the action those two got.
Thankfully the second half was a bit better. The second villain was far more interesting, and the fight was much more visceral, explosive, and fun. It would have been even better had we had more development for Rengoku prior to the movie. He's a fun dude that I've got respect for, I just wish there was more of him. My issue with the second half again comes back to the main group being relegated to the sidelines here. I think Rengoku is cool, but it's very frustrating seeing my favorite characters be useless, especially since this is immediately after a training arc in the show so they wouldn't be so useless.
I hate to only outline the negatives so I'll outline some positives real quick. It doesn't outclass the Rui fight from the show, but the final fight was still really sick. And they manage to sprinkle some charming character moments throughout the film. The scene where the young boy with tuberculosis developed respect for Tanjirou warmed my heart, Inosuke made me smile being his wild goblin like self, and Rengoku was a bit of a badass. BIG FAN of the bold, will-of-iron types. Also I really enjoyed the music, oddly enough some of it it gave me some Nier vibes, if you've played those games. And I did rag on the sleep mechanic, but the first villain does try to take advantage of Tanjirou's counter to it, that was a pretty clever moment.
In summary, I did not enjoy the first half overall, and the second half was fine but it could've been better. I'm sure this arc is significantly better in the manga because it does work very well to set up the next arc. As a movie, on it's own merits, it just didn't do enough for me to ever want to watch it again. Unfortunately I can't say "don't watch this" because it's probably necessary viewing for the second season. Best I can say is at least it goes out with a bang.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 6, 2021
If I had to describe it in one sentence, Vinland Saga is like listening to one of those mesmerizing campfire stories told by your charismatic grandfather that kinda forgets where he was going with the story half way through, then remembers and finishes it with aplomb.
The first half draws you in with spectacular visuals, likable characters, and a plot that's not new but still somehow harrowing. The Viking setting is certainly refreshing. The animation is brought to life by fierce combat and characters that make subtle movements, gestures, and facial expressions. Time is carefully taken to set up our main character's purpose of revenge,
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and he makes some harsh decisions to stick to his resolve. Characters such as Askeladd and Thorkell really steal the show too. Honestly the show is worth watching for it's first half alone.
The second half loses a lot of steam. It changes from an adventure/revenge story to a political romp. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and the way it's done is a logical progression of the story, but I just did not care about the political climate of Vinland Saga. Lots of time was devoted to marching, which was boring. Some of the brutality made my stomach turn, though at least it makes sense for a show about Vikings. There were payoffs sprinkled here and there, and there was more Thorkell which helped a bit. But there was a string of six or seven episodes where I was just waiting for something interesting to happen.
It finally did with the last episode. If you're like me, and you're struggling to march through the rest of the series, take my word and follow through to the end. I might actually start reading the manga because I really want to know what happens next. It has its flaws for sure, but the positives FAR outweigh the negatives.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 26, 2021
Man I love shounen. Nine times out of ten, the trick to making a good one is implementing just enough new “pizzazz” to differentiate it from everything else. Jujutsu Kaisen is the rare case where a show doesn’t really do anything different, but still sees a ton of success. You’ve got super powers, monsters, and an organization/school training kids to fight those monsters with those super powers. The only new thing JK does is put the villain inside the MC’s body, but even then, the villain only makes a handful of appearances. So why is JK so popular?
In my opinion, it’s the production value and
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the characters. As I’m sure most others will mention, the animation quality is pretty high throughout the series. The art is consistently very pretty, and while some movements can look a little choppy, there are several high-quality fights throughout the show. One fight in particular took HALF the episode’s run time, and it was amazing. The OP’s and ED’s are incredible too, though the first half’s set is much better than the second half’s imo.
Now you can polish a turd super nice, but at the end of the day, it’s still gonna be a turd. Production values are great, but they’re only one piece of the puzzle. The other, arguably larger piece, is the characters. The side characters, in particular, are a treat. Gojo is a pretty boy troll that usually steals the spotlight when he’s on-screen. Nanami had a touching backstory I really appreciated, and I LOVE Maki. Probably because she’s got some Rock Lee vibes going on (no powers but still strong), and he’s one of my favorite characters of all time. Toudou is really fucking funny, as well entertaining to watch. And Miwa is best girl. Most of them don’t have super complicated backstories, they’re just really fun to watch. They do cool shit or they’re being goofballs. I like seeing characters being goofballs, it makes them feel so much more real. Perhaps that’s just a preference thing. Odds are, you’ll find someone to latch onto in this show.
Last thing I want to mention are the “Jutsu Strolls,” short stories played at the end of an episode. Some of these shorts are forgettable, but the good ones are either hilarious or heartwarming. My favorites involve Gojo trolling Nanami, and Mechamaru, a character I wasn’t expecting to care about AT ALL. These remind me of the “commercial break shorts” of Haikyuu S1-3, which I also adore, one of those extra cherries on top of something already really good. Some may be annoyed that they subtract from the run time of the episode, but I’m of the mind that small things like these shorts add to the show in the long run.
As far as complaints go, I don’t have many. The power system is very loose, by which I mean the author can sort of do whatever he wants with it any given moment. I prefer power systems to have set in stone rules. The overall story isn’t super compelling and the other villains aside from Sukuna aren’t very interesting, and I worry that once we know Sukuna’s end game goals, he won’t be interesting anymore either. Jujutsu Kaisen is not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I had a LOT of fun watching it, and that’s kinda of what I’m here for.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 25, 2020
This is basically a guilty pleasure show. And I enjoyed it. Please forgive me.
If I'm speaking honestly, I'd have a difficult time telling someone they should go out of their way to watch this show. Uzaki is quite flat (in terms of technical quality). Lots of still frames, lazy use of speed lines to fake movement, practically all the side characters are just there to shine more light on the two MCs, and a good chunk of people are going to find our titular goblin obnoxious.
BUT. If you saw a PV or the first episode and genuinely enjoyed what you saw, give it a
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shot. Personally, a short, big boobed chick that either wants to play games or torment me is my EXACT kink. I enjoyed watching Uzaki and Sakurai interact, it's amusing. And sometimes while watching them, I think, "Huh, so this is what having a girlfriend must feel like. Seems nice." Sometimes I need that. Yes, I am extremely aware of how pathetic I am. My last two nuggets of praise are that occasionally, cliche situations arose in the show, but they didn't end in a cliche manner. You'll kinda get what I mean when you watch the first episode and the beach episode. It's nothing spectacular, but I appreciate the writers not going down the same damn rabbit hole for the millionth time. OH and the ED is fantastic, you SHOULD go out of your way to watch that at least once.
That's pretty much it. If you enjoy Uzaki's antics, you'll enjoy the show. It certainly won't bring you to tears, through laughter or heartache, but it'll kill 20 minutes and put a smile on your face.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 24, 2020
I have been following the Webtoon almost since it began, for the majority of it's 10 year run time. I occasionally fell off because I got distracted with work or school, but I always came back. I was a little concerned with all the hype surrounding it, but I think it's a solid adaptation.
First I have to admit that I do have a nostalgic link to this series, but I do want to attempt to lay out the good qualities the show has. The characters are pretty good, to begin with. Anak and Endorsi have compelling motivations and back stories. Khun's wit is entertaining,
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it's fun to see him prod people into doing what he wants. And then there's the star of the show. RAK WRAITHRAISER BABY. He's hilarious, adorable, and he puts his money where his humongous, loud mouth is. Crap, the nostalgic love is overpowering my desire to remain unbiased...
Then there's Baam. LIGHT SPOILERS. I am usually the first to denounce boring ass MCs, but not here. Yeah his character is kinda boring, but the reason why he is boring is interesting to me. He is literally a blank slate. He's only ever interacted with one person, Rachel, who taught him everything he knows. So his motivations and actions all make sense. They're what the only friend he knew, for who knows how long, taught him.
The music is incredible. If you watch the show for nothing else, do it for the music.
Perhaps the biggest draw of Tower of God, to me, is the world SIU has created. The lore is unbelievably extensive, the way things work inside the tower is fascinating (there are pages upon pages of Wikipedia articles discussing the history of important characters and events if you're a nerd like me that's into that kinda stuff). This is going into manga territory, but it also continues to build on itself, the stakes getting higher and higher as the series progresses.
My concern with the hype is that I know that this series will not be for everyone. The pacing can feel off sometimes, it's not exactly action packed, and while I like the characters, I understand that they aren't God's gift to us weebs. If you don't like the main cast, it's harder to get invested in what's going on. Additionally, the anime did change a few interactions and while some were improvements, others felt janky.
There are flaws for sure. But if you can sift past those, I think the nuggets of gold you'll find are worth it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 20, 2020
One thing I greatly value in a story is whether or not the actions of the characters are believable given the circumstances. "Sing Yesterday For Me" does that, for the most part.
Really what I'm getting at is that the story feels like it was constructed from very real human emotions, a project developed from passion and not a product from greed. There are the occasional exceptions, scenes that clashed with that view and decisions of which characters to focus on that I did not agree with, which prevent me from giving it a higher score. But overall I was really pleased with the final
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product.
For the positives: There's a refreshing lack of cliche. It's still there, but it felt like there was markedly less of it here than in the average show. My favorite episode introduced a new character that immediately had me making assumptions of how things were going to progress. I was delighted with the direction they actually took. The thoughts and feelings of most of the characters feel real, like something a person would actually do (even if it's excruciatingly frustrating), and that's something I value. The music was really beautiful and relaxing, the art style is pretty, and the EDs blew me away. I also enjoyed the themes of moving on from the past.
For the negatives: I absolutely hated one particular character, and mildly disliked another. Mileage will vary depending on you feel about the cast, and, in my case, how forgiving you are. The few cliches that are there might be a bother for some, but I was okay with them in the end. It is relatively melodramatic, which I understand is a turn off for some, though oddly it was a plus for me. Perhaps the greatest sin the show commits is who it decides to focus time on. Unfortunately for me, there was a lot of focus on the character I mildly disliked. Though I will admit that their development intrigued me.
"Sing Yesterday For Me" warmed my heart in the first half, left me emotionally conflicted with the second half, and ultimately satisfied with the conclusion. If you're looking for a melodramatic romance that doesn't feel like a cardboard cutout, I would absolutely give this a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 17, 2020
There was one moment I vividly remember from this show that nearly had me crying from how hard I was laughing. It was that one moment that kept me painfully crawling towards the final episode, only to be left disappointed.
The premise is interesting enough. The characters aren't great, but you don't always need great characters for an enjoyable piece of entertainment (I am much more forgiving of this in comedy shows in particular). Save that one joke that beautifully stuck the landing, I just did not have the same sense of humor as the writers did. One particular gag (that unfortunately recurred throughout
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the show) regarding the poor MC's dad left me disgusted, and the remainder of the jokes were forgettable.
Which leaves the romance. There were a few sweet moments here and there, but overall it just felt stale. This show put most of it's eggs in the comedy basket. I actually do recommend watching the first three episodes for that reason, if the jokes tickle your fancy, you'll probably be in for a good time. But if you didn't laugh at all (or only once) during that time, I would give this one a pass!
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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