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We, humans, are always an interesting bunch of creatures. The difference between us humans from animals is that we have dreams. Dreams we set as our goals with. We chase down our dreams in the road of life, hoping to reach self-satisfaction and eternal happiness. Sadly, not everybody has a solid resolve to chase down their dreams, while some don’t have an end goal in their life, making the destination of life confusing and frustrating. But even with those odds, we still continue to move and keep on running in different directions. We still chase down the unknown answer we seek. This is what Kaze ... ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru, better known as Run with the Wind, is about. This anime is not just an anime about track and field. But this anime also about our struggles in life, instead of walking forward, we decide to run-away aimless.


(Short Synopsis)
The show started off on one faithful night when Kakeru was being chased down by the convenient store for shop-lifting, this caught Haiji attention, after chasing down the culprit, Haiji realizes the potential of Kakeru in running, He then immediately offer Kakeru free residents in Chikusei-so apartment which Kakeru impulsively accepts. We are then introduced with 8 other college students residing in the apartment studying in the same university Kakeru’s attend to, which is Kansei University. After the welcome party of celebrating Kakeru’s residency as the 10th resident of Chikusei-so, Haiji later revealed that the apartment was formally the dormitory of the Kansei University Track Club. This further reveals his true intentions, the sole purpose of creating a 10 person track and field team to participate Hakone Ekiden, a prominent university marathon relay race in Japan, this explains why the apartment provided cheap rent and free food. Residents that sign the contract permitting them to live in Chikusei-so apartment are required to participate in the track and field club activities, or if they refuse, they immediately need to pack-up and leave. Unfortunately, the resident of the apartment cannot afford to move to another apartment so they have no choice but to participate in the club activities. This sparks the start of the main plot of the story. Honestly, the first few episodes are slow and boring for me. Around this duration, the plot focuses on introducing uninteresting and not so impressive batch of college students that has nothing special going for them. Frankly, in the first episode, it makes me believe that they have no chance of winning and they are too far away to reach their goal in reaching Hakone Ekiden. For the reason, not all of them are willing to join and given that the majority of them are not even runners. It is kind of funny and interesting for me to see how this show will go on later episodes since this kind of joke will die out fast in a few episodes.



Content Below Contain Spoilers.
(The Analysis)

Plot & Characters (9/10)>>> 6.3pt
Everything changes during the latter half of the series when some serious team exploration and internal conflicts take place. The narrative of the show drastically changes, from having an easy-going, light-hearted comedy narrative, about a lackluster team blindly aiming to the top. To a bona fide character-driven narrative that focuses on self-discovery, confrontation of one’s doubts and fear, and an inspiring drama story about mediocre individuals working together, to become something they never imagine they can ever be. This is the time where I got myself immerse and felt invested in Kansei University team efforts, as further I go to discover their struggles, and better know them as a person. As the series progresses, my entire viewpoint of the show changes for the better. I like what the show's narrative is aiming for. As the show continues to flesh-out its character you will discover that each character has a purpose. Their personality and life issues are relatable and easy to identify with. I admired the dedication of the show in representing each character, including the supporting cast, on how important they are in the team, each individual’s contribution matter and everyone is equal. Everybody is important and special on their own rights. This is another thing that impresses me in the show. It actually explains to us the importance of teamwork. It casually explains teamwork, even a person who doesn’t play a team base sport or play sport, in general, will easily understand the message the show is trying to convey. It promotes trust and faith to your fellow men. Life felt more meaningful when someone trusted you and give your life meaning. It always felt good when people rely on you and admire who you are. It is always reassuring that somebody got your back on critical times; this is how the entire Kansei University team felt over time, every time they run. Even though they were forced to run in the first place they gradually soon discover the hidden benefits and joy of the entire scheme. They realize that running gave them the opportunity that they never have the chance to experience before, and that is to live and spend your life with a purpose, without worrying or thinking too much. Even though the interpretation varies from each individual team member, the general message of living your life the fullest in the present is solid. Each individual character of the team has a solid development and resolution, it felt satisfying. I like how organic each character grow and mature towards the end. The show truly respected its character. Starting from the not so interesting and mediocre individual, developing to highly inspiring and respectable figures, we can look up to. The show truly did a good job of handling its basic story and basic character direction to the fullest. In the end, the entire team runs with an open heart, no longer forced to run. They eventually succeeded in their goal to reach and be the top of Ekiden. This makes the ending the show more impactful memorable as a whole. They didn’t just win the battle but they won the war! They open the path of a bright future that awaits them to chase down, on the never-ending road of life.


Music (7/10) >>> 1.4pt
In connection with the overall theme of the anime about teamwork and inspiration, the soundtrack, OP and ED music add-up with the emotional soul of the show. I always like the soothing atmosphere the soundtrack provides, it is relaxing on calm times. The soundtrack impacts me the most when a certain point is reached; especially when it comes to character resolves, the music presented it in the fullest form. This provides characters internal monologues and achievements memorable. Music is always the best way to convey emotions to its audience. It always felt good that you can comprehend the character's current emotional state by just listening to the theme of the music. The show did a good job with this technique. Even though some moments are objectively dull, but because of the carefully chosen musical score, that dull moment becomes impactful moments of the show. Personally I like the soundtrack and ending theme of the show. "Reset” by Taichi Mukai and "Michi" by Taichi Mukai is certainly going to my playlist. The ED music provides motivational and inspirational good vibes, every time I listen to it.

Art Style & Animation (7/10) >>> 0.7pt
The art style and animation are alright. It fits perfectly with the theme and characters. I always like the simple design of characters, since I focus to identify them more on their personality. Its mundane atmosphere during calm times is alright, it blends well with the slice of life theme. But I do give it credit towards critical scenarios. The well-crafted change of pacing between mundane backgrounds to colorist/white atmosphere during important character moments, combine with monologues and impactful music composition certainly creates a good formula. Overall the art and animation it’s good for a slice of life, sports anime standard. Even though I found CGI Cars or CGI running men rather disturbing to look up but that’s my personal preference.


Enjoyment (7/10)
Personally I am not a sporty person. I prefer indoor activities more than outside. I like to play on board games than physically exerting myself. I just got interested in the synopsis of the series. And it is a kind of sport that I haven’t seen before. It’s not about boys playing with their balls but rather boys running marathons that are 10km to 20km so I gave it a try. My expectation of this anime direction would be somewhere in the line of ballroom e youkoso about a mediocre character going for the top. Considering studio I.G is adapting it from a material that I certainly never heard off, made it more interesting. Studio I.G had never failed me before when it comes to basic slice of life with sports before.
It’s a good thing I trusted my instincts and experience. Turns out I like the show. Even though it started barely weak in the first few episodes but became more solid as it goes on. I love the moral lessons this show provides, I like its characters, I love the ED music and the animation style. I really enjoy it from the middle to finish.


Overall Impression (8.4/10)>>> A Solid Very Good Show
I always prefer a show with a slow start but with a solid foundation from the middle to ending, than a promising start with unstable middle and ending. Run with the Wind proves, that even with a basic plot and a basic set of average individuals characters can present a narrative that can rival the sophisticated stories with complex characters. It proves that a deep and meaningful message can be made on the most mundane of setting. I admire the flow of the writing of the story, how it presents and develops its characters overtime is certainly commendable. I wish more anime like this are produce and more people support this type of shows. Run with the Wind is certainly a rare gem for me. The message it represents to me is a tear-jerking a life change experience.

There are many reasons why we love something. We started out to love something by self-discovery or influence by others around us. But sometimes to love alone is not enough. Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! It is a love letter to its audiences. It confesses its feelings on why animation is amazing in the first place. Let’s explore what this anime is all about.

The content of the text below contains spoilers.

Plot (9/10)+ >>> 2.7pt
The story is about 3 main female protagonists that formed a club dedicated to the production of high-quality video animation. Despite the massive difference of each character has they ... manage to co-exist in one agenda. Produce the best animation their heart desire while having each individual's personal gain. The plot portrays the complex processes of anime production. It explores both the enjoyment of the creation of animation projects and the struggles in dealing with deadlines and problems during production time. This problem includes a sudden change in the concept of the storyboard, technical difficulties, and last-minute fixes. Impressive enough the show tries to explain things casually for the viewers. It never felt like a boring documentary about making an anime but an interesting adventure that both educational and inspiring to see. What I always love about the series is at the end of the day, the result of the product they made reflects their capabilities and hard work. It is amazing that each episode has this little homage to classical animation like small tanks with a sophisticated list of features, dystopian mad max style characters, dragonfly base airplanes that has some questionable design choice and up to the vast wave of crazy ideas and invention that is only one's imagination could offer is the only limitation, These scenes are very fun to watch. I like how these little small details contribute to the grand scheme of things. They take advantage of this ridiculous idea for the creation of their own anime project. The show has some solid consistency in the story. If you are paying close attention enough, you can some of their past ideas. This anime certainly deliveries its messages in a nice way that almost everybody can relate to. It did a good job of showing the audience how much the creators love animation and anime in general. The anime is a work of passion. It didn’t shy away from the idea of not everything is perfect, there is always room for improvement. The girls never get self-complacency. They always think of better ways to improve their craft. You are always excited about what they are going to do next.



Characters (8/10)+ >>> 3.2pt
Eizouken has three main female protagonists which have completely different personality and interest but have some chemistry and personal gain that allows them to coexist with each other. I am going to break my thoughts and opinion on each main character and summaries a little on the side cast eventually.

Asakusa, Midori
• First of all let’s start with the first female protagonist Asakusa, Midori. She is the first character to be ever introduced in the show and she is the reflection of your typical Japanese introvert that just really loves anime in general. Her pure innocent, childish, creative and imaginative nature is her key point as a character, she also reminds me of Monkey D. Luffy in some extent on how innocent she sees in the world but her big ambition to create amazing things that is out of the box that fascinate me the most, she is a likable character. I always get surprised on her cool ideas every time her imagination goes wild. She might be timid and quiet and sometimes lack confidence but she makes her imagination flies! It surely going to fly above the sky.

• As the series progress, Midori character slowly developed. Evidence of her character development is that she socializes with other people more instead of only Sayaka. She was able to express her ideas and able to make people understand what kind of story and what particular direction the project needs to be but of course it won’t be possible without Sayaka and Tsubame helping her back. Also for every anime, they produce Midori improve her craft by making a more sensible story, more consistent scenarios and she always makes her story better than the first because she becoming more self-aware of the storyline she made. Midori also reflects a much more simple representation of an anime director. Her ideas and direction matter in the entire anime production. She is the mastermind of the project. I like how subtle they present the pressure you have to endure in running your project and how critical your role in ensuring people are following the direction you gave them and how big the responsibility you have to bear. But in the end, Midori becomes an impressive leader winning the trust of her peers and other people alike. If I ever work in an anime industry I will gladly follow Midori's direction and approach in making anime.

Kanamori, Sayaka
• Sayaka is the complete opposite of Midori, she is definitely a little more matured and serious for her age. She doesn’t move on free passion but practical gains, she is more organize and level headed. She always planned in advance and has complete control of almost every situation. She can clearly get what she wants even if the teacher and student council object her motives. I really like her personality, she reminds of an absolute boss of a character like Lelouch in code geass or Light in Death Note. You are always surprise on how far ahead they were against their enemies and will always have some counter solution on every worst case. Sayaka was nickname “Kanamoney” by the student council which is funny since her motives are always pushed by money but again I wouldn’t really blame her. Anime is certainly expensive to make and without money how you even retain the quality you promise to your viewers and money what’s make the anime industry alive in the first place so I won’t argue about that. Her advance planning and calculative approach are one the reason that their projects are on schedule and moving because sometimes the team procrastinates from time to time and somebody needs to break the ice.

• As the story progress, her character improves becoming less selfish and reconsidering more on the welfare of her comrades. She learns to trust her comrades more and willing to take the risk even it goes completely against her schedule planned. Even though she occasionally contrasts her comrade’s ideas from time to time but her intentions always seek for best approach that will both improve their current state and give them fair compensation for the team’s effort. Interesting enough Sayaka even though not interested or passionate in animating his the willingness to learn and to leap an extra mile to further help her comrades by relieving the ma power and to provide the team with the necessary equipment needed to make their work easier even though she acquired the said equipment by shady means. Even though Sayaka counters the innocent nature of the team, she represents the harsh reality of the real world and also gives some upright commentaries of some hardship of being a producer and desk producers since they function as the backbone of the industry and the project itself. If you work position is related to operations of a company related to production, man-power distribution, planning and logistic you will certainly understand why Sayaka is not the brightest person in the group, because I know her position is hard. As the show continues she later given a short character arc of her pass that further redeem her personality thus her money scheming antics really has some deep motives around it and impressively enough for a good cause. Spoiler Alert, She is doing her best to save her beloved shopping district from becoming irrelevant just because of unfair reasons. Overall I really like her character type. Functioning as the devil’s advocate providing some necessary criticism to the show and I am come to appreciate her cold commentary of the real world which the student councils and teachers ignore so much because of scandal and issues. Remember kids, schools don’t even teach you how to pay taxes.

Mizusaki, Tsubame
• Tsubame is a young charismatic amateur model that is extremely popular inside and outside the school. She came from a rich family with reputable status in the showbiz industry making her lifestyle totally different between Midori and Sayaka's average lives. She is always intrigued by the commoner’s way of living. She acts like a passive observer that questions a lot of thing in her surrounding thus giving some exposition to the setting and to further flesh Midori and Sayaka's personality. She always helps lighten the mood in the group. She shows compassion for the little things in life like an automated washing machine and public hot spring which she never experiences because of her wealth and prestige. She always gets excited about Midori's creative adventures. It always fun to play around using your imagination. I kind of miss the old days when I was a kid where we don’t have smartphones and internet to keep us occupied. Back then we use our imagination to make things fun which sadly most kids this day don’t do much. When it comes to the money she is no surprise at the expense, her reaction is different from Midori when it comes to expenses, given her status but she is not smug about it. Even though her status seems intimidating on paper, her passion and skill toward animation, back up with proper ethics towards her peers, make her valuable assets to the group, She is a bit frank from time to time, but her intentions are pure. Tsubame is responsible for most of the motion and character design and anything the moves with some complimentary support from Midori every step of the way. Her strong drive to make high-quality animation is truly remarkable and inspiring. She represents the burning fire of enthusiasm of young and passionate animators that loves making impossible things into a reality. And I salute you!

• Midway in the show, Tsubame built her confidence. Because of the help of her new comrades she was able to experience and apply her passion to the world. She was able to make an anime with complete freedom. Spoiler alert. She then eventually shows her parents what she is made off. Thus, as a result, acknowledge her capabilities as an animator and making her parents proud. I will complement the show for not having an over the top drama in this kind of scenario. The parents just accept their novel defeat and let their daughter do the things she wanted to do. For starter tsubame already foreshadowed her friends that her parent doesn’t restrict her much on anything except for anime which is sometimes downright plot conveniences for me. But I like how the show resolves this plot issue that started on episode 1 and doesn’t overstay its welcome. In the end, it was smooth sailing for tsubame.

Side Characters
The only thing I see to be the weakest point of the show is the side-cast. I love that the anime focuses more on its main characters in the majority of the episodes, but I saw some potential with the side cast. Sadly, they receive so little airtime that I barely have nothing to say to them. But I will try to summarize each.

The Teachers & Student Council
• They function like your typical antagonist of the show. There is no main antagonist of this show and the only available ones to create conflict are the teachers and student council to slow down the club's goals. But for the most part, conflicts are resolve by Sayaka alone but the show gives them some reasonable merit why they act this way. The student council is just following the rules and regulations for the safety of the school and the student, their actions are justified in many degrees since they are there to resolve the inside and outside conflict which most schools in the world have. So to say they are just doing their jobs. And to be honest Eizouken club is literally making a lot of shady things that break the rules of the school. The best example of this is when a lot of Sayaka's transaction is straightforward against the school rules and regulation, blackmailing other clubs to make some favorable give and take situations for the Eizouken club is indeed questionable that is not how a high school student should be doing in in their school years. We also have the Fujimoto-sensei that is sort of relevant in the story but he only reminds me of his Miyazaki-vibes and nothing more. A notable mention is the Council President and Ms. Secretary-san. The council president is kind of cute but the rest that I said about the teachers and the study council defines her personality. And lastly, Ms.Secretary-san which is actually the only side character in the student council that has some personal interaction with the Eizouken club especially with Sayaka but too bad it was not explored any further.

Doumeki
• She functions as the sound director of the club and does serve a major role in the show. Sadly she is lacking a character arc and the only thing I remember her is being blackmailed by Sayaka and that’s all I can say about her and I don’t even recognize her as a person really, I only see her as a tool for Eizouken to improve their craft.

I would love to include other side-cast but they are just too irrelevant to be even to matter at this point. They have some wonderful scenes like the robotic club and some members of the art club but it just really not worth mentioning. This is the weakest point of the show even though it didn’t go out of focus on what the show intends to do but I think solidifying it side-cast is something that shows can actually offer. Ping Pong also has a small cast but it did make even its side characters more organic and memorable but then again Eizouken still has the most solid main cast. It reminds of little witch academia when it comes to friendship.

Music (9/10) >>> 1.8pt
So far the music director of the show is hitting the spot. I really appreciate Kimura, Eriko for handling the sound direction and Oorutaichi for the music they are certainly doing their job well in making the show memorable and exciting to watch. The soundtracks are really great. I enjoyed listening on each track because they give off some good vibes that will make me energetic every time I listen to it. Moving to the opening of the show "Easy Breezy" by chelmico is good in introducing the vibes of the show, it is not amazing for my taste bit certainly good for the show is the direction of being fun and creative. The ending song "Namae no Nai” by Kamisama, Boku wa Kizuite shimatta is really something to write upon. The ending provides me some intense excitement. The ending is certainly the music I love the most in the series because it adds to the overall message of the show. Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! In my viewpoint has provided the best soundtrack and music currently this year 2020 from the time I made this review. This just to show how much I appreciated and love the effort the staff dedicated for its music and soundtrack.


Art (10/10) >>> 1pt
The animation and art style is certainly the strongest point of the show for me personally. The art style works well with the plot and characters. I like the setting and the character design even though they are simple but for me, I like simple design characters with some depth and personality than highly detailed characters with no human-like personality and motivation of a robot. I like how dynamic the animation tense to be when it can action pack scenarios. I felt the animation is alive! You can clearly see the passion and love that was invested in this short animation. I never get bored watching the animated short films and I always have a blast watching them. They really show you how much they love anime.

Enjoyment (10/10)
From the time I watched the first 4 episodes of the show I completely love it. Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! Reminded me again why I love anime in the first place. Anime provides as a different view of the world. It opens up unlimited possibilities and scenarios that we will not never ever experience in real life. It felt like an adventure watching the show with different stories and characters. It fills out the void inside me.. Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! It is about freely doing the things you want without giving any regret. Remember if you do something you don’t like, it is work that will never end but if you do something you truly passionate about, then you will never have to work in your life. This certainly a life lesson I learn in the anime that I will truly cherish in my heart.

Final Thoughts (Overall Score 8.7/10)>>>(9/10)
Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! It is an amazing experience. It delivered the message very well to its audience in conveying its message on why people love anime and how people start loving the medium. It is truly just an anime that expresses how much the creator's love in making anime!

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (TV)

Overall Score: 5.8 meaning (6/10)

General First Impression Ep-1 to 6 & (Ep 7 fan service episode but at-least not dumb as the other LN's )

Attempted Impression:
Admittedly around my age and interest especially when it comes to LN adaptation especially in "High School Setting". I always expect it is either your boring and nothing happen school romcom or the worst kind, the pretentious overthinking one that think it's smart but do absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of themes making perfect time waster and brain cell killing annoyance. I am looking at you SNAFU. But gladly it hits a ... middle between the 2 aforementioned statement, making it just right for me to bear with and to develop interest and respect for it almost.


Actual Impression.

The Plot (5/10)
Getting straight the point premise of the setting is all about the student enrolled in prestigious school where they considered the "BEST TO THE BEST", "THE ELITES" & the "CREAM of the CROP!" but there are still discrimination of "Class Room Ranking" which to be fair not bad in presentation and they actually back it up with "Pointless Point System" to further push the idea that classroom ranking indeed "matter" since this determine their privileges. I kinda like the notion you need to save money and don't over spend because this how real life works anyway but the way how the school address this sort create the "force shock factor" but I am not going to blame the school for it's one those harsh method you can only learn on personal experience example are as follows. School doesn't teach you how to pay your taxes and also the school doesn't teach you how to get job with stable income, they will give some pointers but good luck discovering the rest by your own and this how common sense work so I am not going talk shit about the anime about it but I still consider the point system irrelevant since they're student the have far more points than other student "spoiler alert" class B student has a Million Worth point than a class A student with thousands point let that sink in for a moment that's reminds of real life where the billionaires the business owners are low i.q bosses and the workers are high i.q ace student. So yeah the premise is basic and not that original in the first place. I can give a lot of example of other anime that also did the lower and upper class privileges where lower class only get wooden cabin than upper class with high class luxury rooms but you get my point.


Moving plot progression it's fine even the point crisis got forgotten in episode 4 where the focus switch on character interaction and sub character and main personal conflict which nice to see since it will going to boring if you don't care about the cast that have a major goal even how shallow it is in an adult who graduated highschool perspective. It has some consistency to the point atleast I am not annoyed watching to the point it's ok watch in a marathon run. Not going to give further spoiler but that's what the plot and story could offer so far. Pointless School System that only serve as mere motivation to forward the plot and some tension and plot twist atleast foreshadowed to the point it's there not for the sake of convenience or the need to push the story faster than it needs to be. It has some build up to it even it is not extravagant or mind blowing.

Characters & How interact with the Plot (6/10)

I am not particularly picking high standard when it comes to character in a show because it doesn't need super deep or extremely complex "MC" or super shocking side character it just need to have seed initiatives that will interact with the plot and let them write "themselves". You can actually have a good show with starting characters that is not so complex or simple 2 dimensional ones. Sadly the characters in this anime are archetypes that compress in a setting but unlike their archetype counterparts they are base around, they can stand on their own and have some nice interaction that felt natural in the setting even though objectively they are still fictional on the most part but the way it complement with the story and scenario kinda compensate on the lack complexity they have as elite student so it deserve my respect and interest. I'll give it added bonus for once this character try to think like elite student and same goes to the side character doesn't feel like space and time feeler for the protagonist to show of his amazing OP skills. I don't get any of that so it get a plus in my book,



Artstyle (7/10)

It's alright animation is good, character design are not original but they are clean to look at and recognizable. Like I said they are base on multitude of establish archetype the behave exactly the same but get bonus for being annoying or stupid they elite student after they should respect themselves more.


Music (5/10)

It's alright but it's forgettable. Does it impact the plot or the narration? Nope it only serves as a good atmosphere built but you wouldn't consider does cores unique for the anime. Even the OP and ED is forgettable. It's not bad or above average but it doesn't make you identify the anime is all about in the first place. OP will think it's a suspense thriller detective type but actually no in sense it's not all about detective and thriller but it's has some slice of life element and some mind games on to it. The ED is melancholic but it doesn't over dramatize scenario, moody atmosphere or their is nothing in the show that will make a tragedy given it is a school premise nobody actually dies or got "amputated" in the limbs.


Overall Impression.

Is is a bad show or good show?

-No it is not both it is just interesting enough to stand among other show that also have equal amount of ideas. Meaning school class hierarchy system that will broken as time passes for liberation?

Can it be a stand alone? Meaning do I still need the LN to understand the story.

-After watching the first 6 episode able to understand the current story, "disregarding the background stories" yes you can understand it without relying on the source but I could be wrong on later episode.

-It is recommendable
No it's not. It don't care much on a general audience and other might see it as other generic school dramas.

-Do I enjoy it? I"ll give a (7/10 Personally)

Yes I did enjoy it but that somewhere around episode 4 to 6 when I got introduced on more character outside class D because it made a sense of conflict since not only class D is trying to aim to the top but also Class C and Class B and Class A sense of power struggle that it open to multiple possibility.



This is my first impressions for now but it might change after I finish watching episode 8 to 12. Since it is open to possible pit falls and holes.

Anime Review No.1 2019 Version

Manaria and Friends or "Mysteria Friends" still baffle me on what purpose it was made. Nobody asked for this. People wanted to have more high quality epic quest and explosive action but we get the total opposite it still set in the same universe of the title it base around however the only motivation I will have to watch it is that it's related to Shingeki no Bahamut which by the
way a good show and must watch if you have the time after reading this review.


Art ( 6/10) Above Average

Right of the bat that show is already promising in ... production value. Good Color Palette, Interesting character design but sometimes it's feels unoriginal if your going to base their design on certain archetypes. The background is really gorgeous and beautiful. This is my friends what Mysteria selling point and strength is. For a Slice of Life Anime it will actually work well but then it won't blend to much to the character and the setting the universe is base around. Frankly the background design can be shove to any anime with Harry Potter Style of School and nobody will notice the difference and so Manaria Art Style and beautiful setting is also plain forgettable because nothing of impact it delivers both the character and the story which is sad that if this atmosphere dynamic was used properly then Mystria Friends will be a magical of an experience.


Sound (5/10) Average to Fine

The score is great and relaxing no question ask and no denying it matches the art style and atmosphere especially the ending credits feels like your old movies playing in the background really feels like slice of life but that's the only praise this show going to get from me honestly.


Plot (3/10)

If you are looking for an interesting or engaging story you won't get in Mysteria Friends even for an average slice of life where you see character slowly grows and develop while the same time have good grasp of the people or the side character that surrounded them. They did actually tried to introduce this character and have a few seconds and less than 5 minute to know them but sadly the show focus spending most of the screen time on Grea and Anne which only show mild and shallow interest in relationship they blush a lot, stare at each other, give small dialogues on each other and stuff and that's it. Too bad the show did actually present some interesting action but it is not fully utilize a Slice of Life with a few action here and there combo, doesn't actually sound bad, it even make the show somewhat memorable and more enjoyable than dawdling 15 minute breakfast time anime where the moment you finish eating the show ended and of to work. This is how I watch Mysteria actually to be honest.


Characters (3/10)

Mysteia Friends is the title of show so from that I have the first impressions we will get episode by episode that each minor character will be introduce and presented as folks living in the magical school. I expected for each character introduce we will give a brief and clear understanding on how the world and daily living work in Mysteria Friends. I urge to learn how do they learn magic, how different is a magical school from an ordinary school in the real world, how humans, mystical creatures and "DEMONS" interact with each. With this question in mind, Mysteria would be a promising show but in the end as I mention before we get more Grea and Anne spending a huge amount of time on the same place or botch around on a secret place where nobody will ever bother to go there.

For Side Character Impression:
Frankly I don't even know or even remember at this point the names of the side cast. All I can remember is the elf ear girl, the loli racoon looking fox, the sensei who is obsess with cosplay and this cool looking body guard who stalk around in the background. Yes this how I see the character which literally explain how poorly they are portrayed in this series even though they deserve better


Main Cast Impression:
This how I can describe Grea, She is a humanoid dragon princess meaning half human and half dragon that have huge dragon tail and horns. She shed her skin like she is going on mensuration and she blushes around Anne even on the most mundane conversation. She is shy to sleep with other people especially with Anne because she hugs her tail and finally she is very strong because she have dragon blood of course. And that's about it.

And Anne personally I don't see anything new on her personality. She is genius prodigy that can cast high level spell, she is royalty, respected and love by the people. She make rash decision that counter her position as a princess, she can't swim for some childish reason. And lastly she is madly crazy for Grea for no any background reason to tell why they have this so called deep relation ship.


My final thoughts about the characters that they are shallow. Nothing significant changes them in the span of 10 episodes for them. Looking back to episode 1 and episode 10 nothing actually change in the story except for graduation and that's it. I don't get any sort satisfaction on finishing mysteri nor a sense of accomplishment. It only just ends and surely enough this anime will just be forgotten and fans will just watch it because of Rage of Bahamut is attach to it alternative reference. It sad this show can potentially show the other side of the story without the epic battles and quest. But in the end all we get is forgo-table Slice of Life Fantasy anime that people wouldn't care after finishing it, unless your into the lesbian princess x dragon girl fetish.

Anime Review No. 33


It is surely fun to watch something that is under the category of historical and horror and with a small fraction of thriller from time to time but this show kinda show the opposite on what I mention.

Plot (3/10)

The historical theme is nothing more than a setting itself. Nothing very informative in the era. Any war events that took place will obviously result to casualties by default. What's made it intriguing is the first intro where we are presented with demonic and griming scenario of gruesome scenes and emergence of abominable entity that blend perfectly well in the situation but sadly ... it just few second saving grace and we will be lead to small conflict in a small town and sometimes places devoid of people kicking of the war conflict which is shown in previous scenes which toned down to a simple isolated horror movie where the huge majority of the public doesn't matter. Personally there is even some bias in the conflict where almost every people is completely useless against this monster and the protagonist miraculously slay them even though he have no experience fighting monster and in the first place while he's subordinates are also the same as him a"ninja" wielding the same weapon and skill get easily killed by this monster. It is like the monster are begging to be killed by our shallow minded protagonist.


Character (3/10)

Moving to the characters and skipping the potential the plot could offer, for example the horror of human fighting diabolic beings beyond comprehension which work really nicely as a horror and thriller mix but no we only get 1 protagonist tracking down his old chum that suddenly betray their clan because of "birth origin or being the son of the devil" that got triggered because the blood of people that die in the war serve as nightmare fuel to unleash the monsters from within him and the other side of the world. The motivation start out as a political interest where a ninja killed their lord and then successfully escaped and now been chase down by "elite assassins" because that the possibility of a rumor that their lord has been assassinated will affect the foot soldier fighting moral against the opposing faction. I see this as good starting point for the story. But seeing the protagonist the only one that can defend himself against this monster while the other elite ninja get easily "dismembered" without giving any reasonable resistance. Kinda blow's off of a reasonable risk that anybody could die and kill this monster. I see the protagonist plot armored for he can beat almost every monster he encountered at "full health" it will be more reasonable that other ninja is already wounded it but no this is just pure plot armor at best. Their is nothing even scary or intimidatig in the main or even the side cast.


Also mention that the personal motivation of the protagonist toward his old friend that betray their clan is vaguely presented and overly abuse. The only personal flashback the show can even present is him and his old friend running and "chasing something in the meadow". In a written narrative this something of depth but repeating this scene like over and over again is just seems lazy and it doesn't justify enough how desperate the protagonist to go out of his way regardless that a "order" is executed to stop chasing him.

There is also some love interest that doesn't add up in the story that they just add. They shove in a mysterious women just so the protagonist will have a mouth speak. Overall all the characters are forgettable and no interesting or unique rate even visible in the entire show. Even the main antagonist motivation is too vague as motivation. The motivation of human being because people kill each other and the time for a new race to emerge to reach world peace and prosperity is a very cheesy get go. Heck even reasoning that the monster exist because of the "evil intention of human heart" is the reason why they even exist. The idea is interesting but really just too vague and not really focused. The conflict is more personal rather than everybody is affected. Overall the presentation is weak.


(Sound 3/10 and Animation 5/10)

The only saving grace about the show is that it is well animated at it's time. Some really good gore scene, blood and designed monster and some good action but that's all about it. Sound in the other hand isn't anything write home for. Voice acting is simple enough and the only interesting dialogue I ever get is in a spidermonster with good line but we didn't get any good speeches afterwards and everything is dull and boring.


(Enjoyment 3/10)
I only enjoy the action and blood spill and the interesting intro but after than that full disappointment. The show really lack a strong cast and even a immersive setting. The monster are just their to be killed nothing interesting about them and the ending is just meh where the protagonist lives and got the girl which function as a trophy than something to actual support our main character or further extend the story.

Overall (3.2/10)

I thought the show could potential be a shorter version of berserk, devilman or Ninja Scroll but I am vaguely wrong. It certainly lack the elements what I love about the mention titles. It didn't give me any scary ideas or even a fruitful characterization which make it a fail as an historical, horror or an action thriller. What I get is a time waster OVA of the 80's and not even an fun one as a guilty pleasure.

My First Manga Preview. Manga First Impression No.1

The continuation of the one most beloved magical girl franchise title "Card Captor Sakura", Took place 2 years after the events of the initial series. In these new chapters, Sakura is now attending middle school along with familiar faces from the previous. The story started where the original manga left off and that’s the copacetic reunion of Sakura and Syaoran.

For over the course of time some changes are indeed present that made the sequel consistent towards the prequel. One such thing is the maturity of some characters and the interaction of syaoran and sakura ... but they still retain the personality that made them recognizable so I will say the characters are ok. I am looking forward for further development of sakura and syaoran relationship since even though we already know their feelings from each other which is no doubt strong; it still evident by the fact that they are not a couple and some hint possible romantic bonds might occur in future chapters that the series might possibly bring

Moving along to what the new storyline has to offer from chapter 1 to 4. Here’s my first impression impugn. First of all it look good to see the characters again with their quirky jokes and their friendly interaction with one another, no complaining about that but it seems like card captor sakura goes back again into square one for the third time. I would like to bring out is that sakura is back hunting “new cards” again and this all her previous cards are indeed reset back to powerless card. It’s not really a problem for me if sakura is going to hunt new cards again but the previous cards losing power and started to renewed again is something that is already done before in the prequel so it’s might be better if sakura still have the previous card working and since nothing actually happening in sakura powers and there is no logical reason behind except the fact there is new mysterious being introduced is something I won’t believe to be logical. The conclusion I would say is that there is an interference from unknown force which is the only the thing keep the story moving forward.

For the artistic drawing, I shall honestly say the art style still retain and distinguishable from the later. Considering the fact that it is almost 17 years since the completion of the manga from 1996-2000. So here I give clamp applause, not most manga artist retains their hand drawn style. For the new cards, I like the idea of having glossy transparent cards and the new design introduce cards; it’s interesting, especially the names.

Overall I the new Card Captor Sakura have a good potential start. Even it suffers from recycling the ideas and themes that already been used in the previous story. It didn’t get rid of the fact that the characters are still worth reading for.

For enjoyment, I am reading the chapters solely because of the likable cast since you won’t be reading this without finishing the former which is very solid of its own. I would like to expect more character exploration between the cast and since this is new beginning, introducing new characters to add some flavor might not hurt the story.

I will update my preview after read the following chapters. So I am looking forward for some improvement of characters and the revelation but I am also prepared to the possible outcome that the sequel might not be as good as the former.

Movie Review No.6

Mind Games is a very weird show about the “Game of Life”. Directed by Yuasa, Masaaki, the guy popularly known for using weird art style but one the few active directors in modern times that have amazing talents. This is anime is so crazy that the creators might have smoke weeds before they made it but that’s a joke. In reality this is how Yuasa make his shows which give the titles he made with novelty.
Moving to the main review of the show.

Art (8/10) (+)
For starters the thing you will remember about Mind Games very clearly is the uncanny background and character ... design. The anime don’t follow the traditional or the mainstream style most anime to date uses a lot. The unnatural atmosphere of the movie made a good advantage in portraying good cinematography and artistic expression towards the show. It really works well in the psychological and dementia themes. And because of the art style it is more easily to distinguish on when it’s trying to become funny and serious just by looking at the intensity of the colors and how the shape and imagery moves from one frame to another.

Music (6/10)(+)

For the music there isn’t much to say. The music did perfectly fine in the show’s atmosphere. It did a good job in setting up the mood but is the OST worth remembering? In my personal taste not really.


(Might have possible spoilers)

Characters (6/10) (+)(+)

For the Characters they are just all right. Personally I don’t see the characters really special or worth remembering. They are indeed flesh out enough for them to have some depth but because of small time and how the plot work out towards the end, all their struggles and conflict is put to waste deleting the possibility of progression. And why is the show didn’t have any progression towards the end you can always blame Kami-sama of the show for that.


Plot (7/10) (+)(+)

The message of Mind Games is pretty simple. Live your Life to the fullest and everything will be alright as long as you have a positive attitude and enthusiasm. It’s pretty amazing from the start and from the end this is what the story is trying to represent without using any long and pretentious dialogues. The characters here clearly do what they say. If they are going to live life in a crazy way they really going to do it with style. The Romance part here is pretty decent because the main character have a pay-off on his old childhood. But sadly the biggest drawback of the story is the finale.

(Warning this part has Spoilers)

On Personal Enjoyment I can say Mind Games is a good for watch show. This type of themes is really obscure you literally won’t find this anime every day and unless you deepen the search in the medium you won’t know the title even existed. In my last statement while the finale is a mess is because there is no actual ending everything got set to zero again and the last information you will get is that the story has no real ending meaning we are down the conclusion those everything that happen really matters or does Yuasa is just playing around in our minds like sort of a game?

If you think it critically the show is playing with our minds, our ideals, our believes and many more that conflicted in our lives. Having this kind of idea did mind games did what its supposed to do on its audience? Is everything just an illusion? Is God like to play with our primitive lives that always get repeated from every generation?

Mind Games is open to self-explanatory about the “Game of Life”. Everybody can draw their meaning according to the type of life they have.

Overall (6.5/10)…….Near to (7/10)

Mind Games is not appealing to everyone on its concept and others might get even confused. Mind Games is Highly recommended for people that is open minded to the theme concerning about the complexity of life while having a very bizarre atmosphere while drawing it.

Recommendation:

Another similar concept of Mind Games is “Tatami Galaxy” directed by the same director. Tatami Galaxy is improve version of Mind Games with deeper and comprise themes and a desirable conclusion. I highly recommend it if you are looking for obscure type of shows.

It’s now the year 2016, new challenges and obstacles awaits us in this following year and let me start the by introducing you guys the Movie Princess and what I think about it.

Plot (6/10)+ Character (4/10)-
The story is very simple but very slow paces in presenting its wonderful message. The concept of the story is good for it promotes freedom by self-discovery and believing in one self to achieve its goal and wishes without relying to any superficial solution which are magic that bent reality. Princess Arete is a good deconstruction of princess stories for it teaches us that dreams can be ... achieve by determination and prior knowledge than relying on fairy god mothers and epic level wizards to turn the tables. The show became anti-escapism for Arete resolve her troubles by herself which is impressive for me because most princess stories I ever read or watch are mostly saved by the prince or by their magical spell caster guardians. But the biggest weak point of the story is the characters in general; they are presented in a overly dry manner that it’s hard for me to take any care or sympathy for them. Characters lack actual depth in the story. The interaction is unappealing and not interesting. The characters are not exciting or dynamic. Arete should be dynamic given the role of a smart princess and the wizard Boax is not very intimidating given he’s presented to be the antagonist of the story. Sadly to say he is one the dries fearsome wizard I ever known even the wizard in the Smurf looks more interesting. Nice presentation of message but very shallow on character presentation.

Music (4/10)- Animation (5/10)-
In a magic fantasy setting, music and animation of the setting is very important in hooking the viewers to care. But for fairytale scenery Princess Arete loses for it doesn’t have any appealing atmosphere. The animation is just very gray and gloomy. As for the music it’s doesn’t have any good BGM and the other song are just plain forgettable.

Enjoyment (3/10) Overall (4.7) >>>> (5/10) Average
Even with the great concept and idea the anime holds I cannot denied towards the entire course of the movie I really get bored watching it. I watch fairytale movie for excitement and epic adventure that’s what the children audience wants to see in the first. I don’t recommend this movie to be watch for the children for this anime doesn’t have action or any exciting magic for the kids to enjoy. The reason why I not very positive about the movie because I have seen lots of great fairytale movies with more exciting premise and good morals. Studio Ghibli did a lot of deconstruction of fairytale in the past but they are still exciting for the kiddies to watch.

In Conclusion Princess Arete is not a bad show for it has good message that can be thought provoking and inspiring but it will take a lot of patience and tolerance for one to get the message fully which is not very rewarding if you take account the time you invested on it. There are other good deconstruction of fairytale out there worth the check like the movies of studio Ghibli made I highly recommend you check it out.

Anime Review No.17

Just recently finish “One Punch Man” Today and re-watched the episodes 2 times just to confirm what I actually think about the show.

Brief Scoring:

Plot: (7/10) Good for being a satire of super heroes parody

Characters: (7/10) Good for having distinguishable and cool characters

... Music:(10/10) I like the OP and ED and also the BGM (This is kinda subjective)

Animation: (10/10) High Production Values

Overall: (7.9/10) A good heavy action-comedy anime (Worth recommending to others)

Overview

Plot (7/10)

The story is down to basic. Evil Monster or villains will appear in every episode then Saitama will arrive and end it with “One Punch” and that’s it. This is the primary of formula of the story. You can already know what the story is all about by just reading the title in solid English “ONE PUNCH MAN”.

The joke of beating anyone with one punch on every episode can be very boring and less thrilling because you already know that saitama will win no matter what and how strong his enemy is. But let us not forget that this anime is a “Parody”.

Almost everything in it is a joke that you don’t even bother take it seriously that’s where I like about the anime. It’s not trying to be something different or pretending to be something. It’s superficial setting with silly looking villains and silly looking heroes with silly world building.

My Statement why the Plot is already a parody to begin wit:

A world where the police force and military doesn’t exist for protecting people and only people with fancy or funny looking consumes are there to save the day. I don’t even see Cops patrolling around. Oh wait if cops exist then there will be no “Class C” hero to exist.

 A world where countries doesn’t exist and it replace by cities from A-Z like the person who named the areas is a 4 year old wanting to memories the Alphabets..

 A world where monsters, super villains, aliens and mystical being exist but humanity is still not on the verge of extinction even if a lot of city just got constantly attack and destroyed instantly. But people can still continue their normal lives because there houses can be built easily within a few days .

 Wait if cities got destroyed so fast why is there isn’t any casualties? It’s a that show didn’t care because we are watching it for the action and comedy and not the drama duH.

 I am amaze on how abandon cities like city Z have a working electricity and water system are working properly. Some people live there because of the “cheap rent”. Saitama don’t mind because no monster spouting like mushroom can’t kill or beat him. It’s just your normal super hero life.

Lastly the story just focus on the action more while making a joke on every serious aspect it has. Well that’s parody being sane about it will just waste your brain cells.

Characters (7/10)

First of all I like all the characters of the show because they are presented to be cool and awesome. The super villains have a fair share of awesomeness too but someone just have to throw everything in the window to prove everything is a joke to begin with and that guy name is “Saitama” and nobody knows his complete name. Saitama is already OP in his universe because nobody can’t even levels him in actual combat. But he can be beaten by a simple contest of eating the spiciest ramen and beaten by a "cyborg” while at it made it another joke.

It’s pretty boring seeing a “God-Mode” character walking around trolling everybody. Same feeling when I am playing video games while “God-Mode” cheat is on.

There isn’t much character depth in the show but seeing mumen rider determination around sea king arc and pretty prisoner status. I am convince there are some motivation to drive the characters around. It lessen for me see the characters as spectacle or a plot device in the show. Each character represents a parody on their corresponding reference with some deep message lurking around. Character development is present in the show. Genos learned from his mistakes and able to improve it even he also got his ass kick all the time. I won’t to mention everybody since there character development is too small to even considered a major change.

As for character fleshing out, the show did a very good job explaining a preview about the heroes and the bad guys. I like the side characters more than saitama but I dislike Tatsumaki and her tsundere character because among the entire cast she is the common archetype and the most annoying. I see her as a waifu bait than an actual character to care about.

Music & Animation (10/10)
(Subjective)
The opening music “Hero” is just awesome and it’s work good to be Background music too. You will know you’re watching an action heavy show by just listening from it. BGM is good for the action and change of atmosphere. They know how to shift serious tone to comedic tone and same goes to the animation. The ED Hoshi yori Saki ni Mitsukete Ageru is a good ending song well it did make me relax after every ending episode.

The animation for one punch man is superb.The action scenes are well animated. Good action is what I am aiming for one punch anyways and they didn’t hold back on the fight scenes. It’s a superhero theme show there are bound to have heavy action. It already surpasses the action flick of the remastered manga version so yeah.

Enjoyment (9/10)
I got a lot of fun watching One Punch Man seriously. I like the battles, I like the goofy characters, I love the super ignorant super villains and anti-hero characters. I like the dumb comedy of the show and that is all. One Punch Man is good time passer. It’s not a very entertaining story but it did a good job on presenting on what the show is all about. The best “Action-Comedy” I watched this year 2015.

Overall (7.9/10)
This anime is not for everybody. People looking for complicated and super serious super hero stories won’t like the show much but if One Punch Man to be rated generally it’s good enough to be average or above average and next to decent show. I see One Punch a breath of fresh air. for over the years I am watching anime with super power theme, I am just getting overpowered beta males that wins fame and glory while gathering a harem. One Punch doesn’t have that kind of formula. Saitama is super strong super that nobody has the right brain cells to even see it. Saitama got tons of hater and even called a cheat. Some anime do use the OP character getting hate formula but that is in a serious tone while OPM just make it a harmless joke.

My main point here that people are taking OPM seriously even if the show itself is already giving indirect hints that show is superficial and a complete parody. I accepted what the show is all about and for that I enjoy the show because I know from the very start on what the anime is planning to be and that is “One Punch Man”.

This is my opinion not yours. Everybody have different reference.

Anime Series Review No.16

Score:
Plot: 8 (Very Good)
Characters: 8 (Likable and Memorable)
Music: 8 ( Worth Listening Too)
Art style: 8 (Very good)
Personal Enjoyment (9/10)

Overall: (8/10) (Very Good) ( my enjoyment don’t add with my actual score)
...
(My Defence)
This Review will only focus on the 1st season alone any events of the 2nd season won’t affect this review. The rating is solely for first season alone.
In more than a decade I have seen many card game base titles that focuses mostly in promoting the product than making an actual plot or real characters to care about and sadly mostly those titles target demographics are little boys that are meant to be mind control for them to beg for their parents money or ask them to buy this cards. One anime did that tactic very well and that is Yu Gi Oh Duel Monster for perfectly appealing its target audience to buy the cards for childish logic it’s cool and awesome. But is that a basis of a good card game show? Does card game show need to sale big to be credited as a good title? For me, it’s not good if you are watching the show not because of its character and actual story, then you are just watching as T.V commercial than an actual show. And let’s be honest we just watch Yu Gi Oh to see what’s card Yugi will use and you will find that card and buy it and eventually use it to feel like you are that character. This is prime example of good marketing strategy not a good story presentation. I won’t expand this further since this is not the anime I will focus reviewing on.

Now it’s time focus on my main review on “Selector Infected Wixoss”. How is Yu Gi Oh short preview relevant to this Selector review? Simply because Selector Wixoss is the very first serious card game anime title that has ever been release. Yu Gi Oh also made the card game genre look serious but in a mature perspective it’s ridiculous. Saving the world with a bunch of card is a child fantasy that adults or mature minds like me won’t buy as a serious story. Selector in the other hand is very different. The anime focuses on the internal conflict of its character that blends very well in the story progression. The card game Wixoss is only a decoration and a plot device to create a trigger for the story to move forward breaking the boundaries of expectation on most people who have already encounter the card game formula stories.You don’t even need to know the rules of the game to understand the main story.

If you asked me personally Selector Wixoss caught me off guard. I thought it was just a card game show that’s promotes the game but I was wrong. After watching the initial episode and reach the middle I concur that this anime is indeed special. I never expected J.C stuff to be serious in making an actual story about this franchise and it earns my highest respect. Take account J.C staff made tons of forgettable adaptations so I rarely expect them to make any special anime especially it’s a card game base adaptation so there is no source material that the show can base its Plot and actual characters. This is now a matter of talent and good directing.

For the Entire Overview I segregated the Elements of the series in 4 categories, Plot, Characters, Music and Art. This element will affect my overall score of the show. My enjoyment is a personal rate so even if I liked in the bottom of my heart, it won’t affect my actual score and so my score is base on the actual quality and substance the anime have.

(Plot 8/10)

The story of Wixoss as I stated in my introduction is original. It doesn’t have any source material to base from unlike adaptation of mangas, video games, visual novels and light novels the studio and the creator have the right to follow the original story to be adapted or not follow the source and create a different story which make it an original. But Selector is a special case since it source material don’t have any actual story in it because it’s just a card game. They can use the existing cards to create the avatars but the core characters and main story is something that is very hard to establish. Good directing and talent is needed to create a successful original story. I will inform you guys as an extra knowledge, not all anime originals ends up to be good story usually anime originals have the biggest chances to fail since unlike adaptations that have plot source on it, source materials plot have more time to be created than anime originals. An author or video game developer have a huge amount of time to construct a story and characters and will just worries the additional continuation that will be added eventually when the author would like to extend the story more and the preparation can be planned from start to end without any deadlines. But when an anime original project starts a short amount of time will be given to plan the story from start to end with the deadlines pressuring the production. This is why I am very impress on how Selector Wixoss turn out.

Going deeper in the topic, let’s tackle more about the actual plot of selector. The story revolves around Kominato, Ruko an introvert girl which has no friends and lives with her grandmother and big brother. One day her grandmother gave her a deck of cards to help her earn friends by playing with the other girls and befriends them. Wixoss was once a popular game for boys but as the passing of time it became very popular to the girls, But unexpectedly a girl suddenly awakens from the inside of the cards her grandmother gave her and immediately the card started to talk, this card are called LRIG’s”, and this started Ruko’s path as a special player called a “Selector”.

In the long run ruko met other girls that have similar LRIGS that revealed that the simple card game that is primary purpose is to make wishes come true have darker truths. The simple and innocent card game became something darker and psychological. It’s not a simple card game to fight for your wishes anymore but a battle that determines your ideals and desperation to counter fate. In a few episodes the psychological parts of the anime greatly immerse with the plot and as the more details have been uncovered about the card battles.

The stake got higher in a considerate way that will keep you intrigued in the outcome of the conflict. Selector Wixoss are one of those rare types of stories you won’t get very much in every season in modern anime. The story is the first is left incomplete and a cliff-hanger is expected but the enjoyment of the quality of the plot just sums up the enjoyment and make it worth waiting for.

Characters (8/10)

All the main cast of the series are likable for the reason even there is a cute girl pandering on their looks but it didn’t dominate their actual personality as a normal teenage girls undergoing puberty and social conflicts with society. I don’t see them as 1 or 2 dimensional archetypes that stay like what they are from the first and last episode. The characters are not dynamic but just alright to add the tension of the show. There is nothing much to explain about them to prevent further. (I won’t break down the characters yet since there is an S2 that cop with the whole character development and fleshing out).

Music (8/10)

(Opening )

Killy Killy Killy Joker by is clearly an awesome opening for Wixoss because it represents the excitement and thrills the show has to offer. And I see it as a fine job in making viewers hooks on the events of the show. I really love classical music and this opening is the best for bringing out classic music with modern pop style. Every time I hear it in my earphones it really reminded me the excitement wixoss has provided me with.

Background Music(BGM)

BGM is properly executed. At times of serious battle we get this funky retro music that spices up the battles and at times the BGM shift to a more serious tone when the psychological mentally is taking place. The BGM is not that unique to any card fights and psychological theme anime but when it is done right I can denied to rate it very good.

(Ending)
“Realize” by Yume no Matsu Basho is something that is extraordinary for an ending in nature. Unlike the opening and BGM, the ending didn’t give me the excitement or tension instead it intrigued me to understand the mystery of the setting. The song “realize” is giving some kind of message on the mystery aspect. But in reality some are just design background of the city no need to over think here.

The last image of the ending video shows a central building and a little girl it has a meaning but I won’t spoil you guys to know the message beforehand. The message is easy to depict as you just need to go on with the series so chill with it.

Art style (8/10)

The cute girl pandering I mentioned before is something that seems out of place in this type of genres. The girls here are pretty cute and moeish in visuals but it didn’t damage the show overall because the grayish dark colors of the background gave the thrilling psychological atmosphere. And in default the girls are not acting cute. So my conclusion the girls are not what they seem to be.

Another commentary I can give is on the battlefields where the actual card game battle took place. The area is just Ok even its visual is very similar to other magical girl theme series which uses grayish and metallic gears as background to depict tension.

Lastly the movement of the characters here are not “Exaggerated”. You won’t see any physic defying movements here, only in the actual battlefields where LRIG’s are fighting each other. Does this make the show boring? It made the show even mature and serious. This is why I like it so much.

Enjoyment (9/10)
Let this score be my personal enjoyment of the show. I really love a properly executed story with plain but extremely relatable characters. The characters are not cool but they surely are respectable girls. The studio didn’t make an obnoxious fan service out of their panties or a yuri to add some flavor.

Subtle emotion shift is properly made because it doesn’t shift tone from serious to normal very fast which most anime do for comic relief. And lastly this is the very first serious card game theme I ever known of that is suitable for mature audience. It’s fresh during the time it is made which made me appreciate it more.

Overall (8/10)
I think J.C Staff should be making more of this kind of titles. I don’t mind the “MOE” art style as long as the story and characters are properly executed to the point even the people who dislike this type of anime themes will appreciate it.

Selector proves that a good show doesn’t need a lot of fan service to keep the audience watching. A good script writing and directing is the key to hook the audience.


(Personal Opinion)

My idea is a minority outside the Japanese target audience so my opinion is not the majority of what the japenese audience like. I like fan service too but not too much but the thing that hook me from anime are decent shows with incredible story and respectable characters. If the fan service is too overblown to the point the only thing I can remember are bloodshed, the boobs or the underwear the female’s are wearing this mean I only see the anime for guilty pleasure not its actual content. Take this as an advice. I am not against in people liking fan service oriented shows but as I grow mature I see decent shows more worth remembering than any other.

I wish we get more shows like Selector Wixoss coming up every season. Decent and respectable characters are the best.