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This anime ranks in my top five of all time. It exudes a classy, art-house vibe, with exceptional world-building, aesthetics, and character development, all deeply rooted in Japanese high culture. As someone who loves ravens, I particularly enjoyed seeing them woven into this fantasy setting. The series is split into two arcs, both of which I found highly engaging. If I had to offer one minor critique, it would be that the two arcs could have benefited from separate opening themes, though this is hardly an issue for me. The first arc beautifully captures the elegance and regality of court culture amid political intrigue, while ... the second arc delves into a macabre mystery threatening societal stability. Both were exceptionally well-written.

The main character is such a wimp. He is ungodly powerful but keeps wanting to be a NPC. He also has the typical Shounen problem of "don't kill anyone even if they're threatening to decimate your friends". He has such low self-esteem that he can't even accept a woman's confession either. It starts off strong in the first half but becomes a slog near the second half. It feels masochistic and emasculating.

The MC's robot companion is smarter than him, and the MC's character develops at a slug's pace as his supposed love interests acts depressed. He is also naive and jeopardizes their lives by being ... unwilling to kill in self-defense.

The MC is an immature brat who is all talk and no action, lacking centeredness and resoluteness. His indecisiveness causes more problems. How can I respect a powerful man who literally wants to be a NPC?

The female lead from I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss is more intelligent and stronger than the man in this one.

This is a very poorly written film. It tries to emotionally pull you in, but a little bit of reflection will show just how empty of depth it is. Here are some questions that show how nonsensical the film is:

1. If the Lorphan are so wise and have lived so long, then why didn't they have either a proper defense of the village or pass down any wisdom to their own people? Moreover, why is Maquia so unbelievably dumb about everything including being a parent? They seem clueless to the outside world and weak. None of the Lorphan seem particularly bright. Shouldn't they all be ... wise from the accumulated Hibiol across all the ages?
2. Why is a race of ancient dragons such cucks? It doesn't make sense for them to be tamed by a corrupt empire and repressing emotions. Ancient dragons would fight back and try to escape, and they seem clearly capable of it.
3. Why does Leilia refuse to escape with the Lorphan? Because she wanted to see Medmel, her daughter. Leilia put up with a lot in solitary confinement, even seeing her own kindred murdered. Okay, then why does she try to immediately jump down right after she sees her daughter and then abandon her? Why did she sacrifice so much to see her daughter and tell her to forget about her? It's completely senseless. Leila doesn't act like she is an elder of the clan.
4. Why has there been no coup attempt on such a corrupt and stupid king? The chief of the guards seemed like he disagreed with his decrees, so why do they just unthinkedly follow such a short-sighted incompetent king? The way the politics plays out is unrealistic.

Finally, I want to touch on what truly annoyed me about this film: the atmosphere of genociding an ancient race does not meld well with the irrational desire to raise an orphan not of your own race, which is also to the detriment of your own people's survival. Maquea could have just left Ariel with the other mother at the idyllic hut. Instead, she selflessly works for years to support Ariel who starts to develop "incestuous" feelings towards her (note, they're not biologically related so it's not technically incest but it is still awkward).

The entire film is an awkward mess, full of characters repressing emotions, even the supposedly ancient and wise Lorphans. They seem to have no emotional regulation such as Leilla's acceptance of solitary confinement and Krim's insanity.

Just reflecting on this gives a headache. It doesn't deserve such high praise. It's a senseless film that tries to emotionally pull you in, but the character motivations are poorly analyzed and there is next to no lore or world building.

Witches is a remarkable work of vision and surrealism. I have previously read Children of the Sea by Daisuke Igarashi. They share many common themes. These themes include the inadequacy of words in describing the non-dual ultimate reality, myths of ancient cultures hinting at deeper metaphysical truths, and the ecological world possessing hidden spiritual essences.

There are four main stories in this omnibus. Each story focuses on a particular witch and includes oneiric, surreal plot twists; some of them can be quite striking, whereas others are haunting. Each story challenges the reader's sense of normalcy, making him or her question the nature of the universe and ... their place within it. Daisuke Igarashi's stunning artwork captures this theme very well.

Each story ends with tragedy for a specific character. Nonetheless, it is done in a symbolic way that encourages a person to learn from both the joys and the struggles of living harmoniously with nature. In addition, this book instills a deeper sense of reverence for the human body. The body is nature's temple.

Some parts may come across as overly didactic, but I did not mind because I believed it added to the atmosphere. I will conclude this review with a quote from the third story:

“Life is born in the stars. Planets die and become dust.
Somewhere, they are gathered again and mixed anew.
They are reborn as a new planet. And again, they die.
The memory of life is engraved in all things…
Amidst the repetition.”

I hope Seven Seas will translate and publish more of Daisuke Igarashi's masterpieces in the future!

The romance in this anime was subtle and well-done. I think a lot of negative reviews calling the characters "flat" come from people with false expectations. It's realistic for two artistic and sensitive souls to fall in love with each other, and the way the Hakubo tied to it to the main female character's musical aspirations made sense. The plot progression between the male landscape painter and female violinist was handled with a lot of care and depth.

There has been a large trend with romance anime to include quirky and rambunctious love interests (e.g., Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!). While I think that may ... suit the palate of some people, it is unfair to judge other romance anime with the same standards. Hakubo is a much slower and tender in a manner that feels more authentic. The classical music in this anime was incredible, and some scenes, such as being inspired by the breathtaking twilight, were conveyed well. I think people who are deep into classical music or landscape painting would like this anime.

My only complaint is some of the background art in certain areas did not jibe well with the character art. Some of the background art contrasted the character art a little to much, but overall, it was a good anime I highly recommend if you're in the mood for a subtle, heart-felt romance story that involves two artistic youths.

Merc Storia feels like a very underrated anime to me, and I think this has to do with the expectations with which people approach it. The story basically begins in an idyllic cabin near a village. The protagonist, a boy, comes from a lineage of "healers", people who help tame the monsters of a world. His father, an oft-journeying healer decides to visit him one day and gives the lad a bottle with a miniature watery girl. As the story proceeds, we find out the boy is actually afraid of monsters unlike his father, who is always gone, much to the dismay of his mother ... and himself. Eventually, he decides to go on a journey to uncover the mystery of his friend, the girl in the bottle. During his journey, he tames monsters and gradually overcomes his fear, becoming more empathetic in the process.

Now, while this may sound generic, its execution has more charm, much like a wholesome JRPG. The villages he visits on his way all have a story-book charm and great visual appeal. He explores a cheerful fairy village, a bird kingdom where its avian looking inhabitants enjoy singing, and much more. In each village, there is a problem that arises due to a monster that has gone out of hand, which the boy ultimately tames with his healing powers. The anime has about 6 story arcs in separate novel villages, and each one contained nice artwork, an interesting quest, and allegorical message.

What makes the anime great is how the background art has so much detail and charm, giving off the same feeling of being lost in Zelda-esque world. Each village looks distinct from each other and truly gives off a wholesome JRPG feeling. Moreover, the various inhabitants of each village have unique designs that makes the world feel alive, as if one is really on a Zelda-esque journey. Likewise, the problems that arise within each village are interesting and resolve in unique ways. The monster designs also have a lot of appeal, which reminded me of Breath of the Fire 4's dragons in some respect. They have a pleasant style to them.

Overall, I feel as if people should approach this anime as if they want to relax with Zelda or a cozy JRPG. Approaching this anime for a complex story will lead to disappointment. Instead, it is best to keep in mind the stories are minimalist much like Zelda Breath of the Wild's quests in Rito, Goron, Gerudo, Kakariko, and etc. villages. They all have their charm and sense of idyllic ambiance, which is really this anime's high-point.

Besides Merc Storia, I have yet to come across an anime that has captured that wondrous adventurous feeling found in Zelda.

The original manga of The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi has a much more subtle, evocative message than its movie adaptation. The manga's primary theme involves coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, and it has a more magical realist touch that blurs the line between inner and outer. However, the movie solely places emphasis on believing in oneself, which feels trite by itself. It, thereby, changed significant plot elements, which degraded Aoi Hiiragi's original numinous vision. Moreover, the manga has many oneiric scenes that the movie left out, some of which tread on metaphysical territory that is difficult to discuss without ... spoiling. The manga has a high-art vibe that makes you question whether our inner worlds could be considered "alive" and what it means to bond with other beings; it effectively conveys such profound, deep questions through its use of ambiguity during key moments, giving it an ethereal and mysterious atmosphere. The manga somewhat resembles a story by Kenji Miyazawa.

Overall, I recommend the manga. The movie did a disservice to Aoi Hiiragi's vision. It is very hard to appreciate a movie adaptation when you see how superior the original source material is. Granted, I still recommend watching the movie but only after you've read the manga. It is nice to compare and contrast them. Finally, on a humorous note, the title "The Cat Returns" doesn't make sense in the context of the movie's plot, but it does makes sense in relation to the original manga.

The manga is one volume and pretty short. My criticism of the movie is that it changed the fundamental meaning of the story. The movie did adapt pretty much everything from the manga, but it changed some significant plot elements.