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Dec 23, 2022
I think people will look at the premise of the show and notice that it's about rakugo and formulate their opinions on whether they should watch it or not because of that. And that makes sense. As rakugo is a main element of the work. However, I think it has so much to offer outside of that focus of rakugo. There are great characters and character interactions as well as some strong themes of found family and performance. Uchi no Shishou wa Shippo ga Nai is able to take these ideas and make an incredibly compelling and heartwarming story.
The center of this story is
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the idea of found family. The main focus is on a tanuki who doesn't have a place to go. Her father is dead and she dreams of carrying on his legacy of the traditional tanuki values of pranking others and having fun. But as times change those values have been lost and the world has moved past them so there isn’t a place for her to call home. And so that brings on the central idea of the show which is Mameda finding a place where she can fit in and thrive.
And she's able to find this in rakugo. The show does a great job of showcasing how someone who is weird and not like a normal human, because she's not one, is able to fit in with other performers who also have their own weird mannerisms and atypical ways of behaving. I like how they're all generally able to accept her despite some of the weirdness that she has. And I like how nice all the interactions end up being. Even if they don’t trust her at the start, or look down at her, those around her see her earnestness and can’t help but root for her.
Her relationship with Bunko is a highlight. Despite how closed off she is, she is able to relate to the position of Mameda because of the similarities that the two of them do share. They're able to create a connection and she's able to grow a bond with Mameda despite the differences in personality between the two of them. They're both able to let each other grow. Bunko is very competent and skilled, but she has issues of loneliness and closed offedness. These issues are able to be tackled with the inclusion of Mameda in her life. It's nice seeing her barriers slowly erode and seeing her get close to Mameda and seeing her take on a mentor role. The pair just have a lot of natural chemistry between the cynical and wise Bunko and the earnest, optimistic, but very foolish Mameda. Mameda is the perfect character to bring Bunko out of her shell because of her earnestness and her willingness to push for the things that she wants. It's a great example of how being positive and determined can have a positive effect on those around you. In the end, while Bunko certainly had reservations before taking on Mameda, it's easy to see that they're bond is beneficial to the both of them and how the two of them make a tight knit and valued family.
Mameda in general is a really good character and is the highlight of the show. Her personality is really cute and fun. I think they did a great job in giving her a simple but strong backstory so that we can empathize with her and really want to root for her, while also making her have a fun, charismatic personality that makes her a blast to watch. She has a wonderful combination of earnestness and optimistic foolishness. It's great seeing her get stuck in her foolish ideas of grandeur and see her get ahead of herself and her dreams to have only to have reality make itself heard where she really stands. It's also just wonderful to see the amount of excitement and passion that she has for her dreams. She is a very animated character with a lot of fun reactions no matter whether she succeeds or not. Whether we get to see her excitement when she succeeds, her disappointment when she fails, or her silly reactions when she gets ahead of herself it’s always a treat to watch. Regardless of what happens, she always has a fun response to it. Her determination and support for others is really fun to watch, her impulsivity combined with her optimistic and caring nature makes for a great combo where we get to see her try to help others and do her best despite the odds. Her silliness and earnestness just makes her a perfect main character that I loved watching.
The themes of the show are also really good. The show is able to use the idea of performing as a way for Mameda and Bunko to find a place for themselves. Despite them being non-human creatures they were able to find a place in human society and find the place that fits them even though one might not think that it would. It also brings home the power of fiction and what a work can do. The ideas that it ties to rakugo are not exclusive to rakugo and still work for other forms of fiction. Such as the idea of being able to lose yourself in fiction and find this whole new world. The idea of being able to take their pranks and use them to express themselves via fiction is a great one, as it allows them to be accepted for who they are, while still fitting in with society. Ultimately it works well, both as a heartwarming story but also as a good message that people can find a place somewhere. The idea that all these performers are a bit out there and all have their own circumstances is a good one. It helps with the idea that anyone can fit in. There's so many unique ways that one can approach art and showcase art, that for everyone who is a bit out there you can find yourself a place in art and in fiction to be able to express yourself and showcase your own craft. Ultimately, it is a very positive message and it can be seen in this show with a lot of different characters with different backgrounds that are all able to come together and put on great performances.
Art wise and sound wise, I think it works really well. I don't think the art stands out but it looks really nice and I think its cuteness works well for the general tone of the story. I think the sound was also good. The performance is really worked well. I am untrained and not very knowledgeable on rakugo but I thought that their craft seemed good.
Overall, it was a really strong show that has a lot to offer. It has great characters, great character interactions and a whole lot of meaning to it. The heartwarming ideas of found family are fantastic and Mameda’s spunky and silly character creates a wonderful viewing experience. I definitely recommend for others to check it out and to look past the rakugo focus if that is deterring them from picking it up. There's a whole lot that this work has to offer and ultimately is one of my favorite shows of the year.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 8, 2022
It's rare that a show is able to completely hook me in from the start but that's what Waccha PriMagi was able to do. With charismatic characters, good comedy, and hints in the background for a deeper plot, it seemed like Waccha was prepared to use its time well and create a stellar show. And in the end Waccha was able to live up to that potential and ended up being one of my favorite shows.
Waccha's characters excel in both being fun characters to watch on screen and as being deep and interesting characters that grow throughout the show. The issues that the main characters
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each have are developed and tackled well. The show being four cours allows each of these issues to be explored through out the span of the series, which gives both a lot of nuance and development to these aspects of the characters, but also gives them a more meaningful and realistic development as they are approached through out the show rather than covered for an episode and then forgotten about. All the while the episodes that focus on these various issues work really well, and provide a lot of good viewing experiences. A good example of this is Miruki. When she's introduced she is presented as a selfish idol, only looking out for herself. But as the show goes on and she gets more screen time more of her personality shines through including a lot of the unique characteristics that drive who she is and the outlook that she has. This development and characterization does a great job of making her feel very real and admirable despite the negative qualities that she has. It also does a good job of showing the viewer why some of her negative qualities are there, and gives a great nuanced picture of her.
The character's charisma are all top notch too. The characters have fun personalities without feeling overly gimmicky or shallow. The interactions between them as well as very fun to watch, as they can bounce off of each other in great ways. The mascots in particular have a lot of great chemistry together. It's always fun to see Myamu and Chimumu bicker with each other as the two's silliness play off well against each other. It's also nice to see bonds like Matsuri's and Hina's where Hina can both be a mentor to Matsuri that helps her get experience and suck into the PriMagi, but also can be a sort of rival at the same time. Each of the various characters between the cast are able to have strong bonds with each other and provide something in their interactions with different characters. The cast is just really fun and likeable. Each of the characters is pretty much able to carry an episode on their own and utilize their unique charm to make the episode fun.
The plot also developed well. The hints that they dropped at the beginning towards conflict in the background where explored later and even brought out a strong theme on the role of technology versus the power of magic when it comes to idol performances and other entertainment like it. Waccha was able to tackle these ideas in various ways with different character's relations to the main theme, without making it overly focused on these thematic ideas. It was able to do this by having these ideas be central to various character's development and plot. They fit into the puzzle pieces the Waccha created itself with and paired well with the natural development and character based issues that the characters were dealing with.
At the end of the day, I really loved this show. It was the show that I looked forward to the most for the past year, with characters that I absolutely loved seeing on screen. Episode after episode Waccha was able to provide a whole bunch of entertainment and enjoyment. The cast has been one of my absolute favorites and ultimately it's hard to say anything but I love this show. It was a great time watching it, and there were so many heartfelt and resonating moments from it that I really enjoyed. It basically fulfilled all that I was hoping for at the beginning. So I'd easily recommend others to watch it. It's really good. I wish I could talk at length about all the specifics I enjoyed about it but I wanted to keep this spoiler free and give an overview. I hope this was fine enough. Personally though I loved the show, and I hope you all enjoy it too. It was a magical watch and I hope for more of it in the future.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 25, 2022
Coming into Luminous Witches I was hoping that I would have a good time with it. I was expecting more or less a typical idol show and I hoped for a decent amount of fun moments in it. But what I certainly did not expect was the amount of emotional power and impact that each episode had when I watched it. Luminous Witches shines because of this emotional impact. This combined with the fun slice of life moments made a complete show that has a lot to offer.
The fun moments are pretty easy to explain. The Luminous Witches idol group is made up of members
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of the Strike Witches army who for whatever reason wasn't fitting in their previous post. This created a fun aura around the group as most of the members tended to be more on the incompetent or free spirited side. Many fun moments were had with the members of the group creating chaos with the differences between them, or the silliness of the characters and the antics they got up to. Probably my favorite character for this was Mana who is a great example of this. Her free spirited nature made her into a fun character to watch, although not the best solider for the army. She was paired up with a sleepy character named Maria, and the various moments they had together were very fun to watch. The contrast between the two made for many humorous moments. The familiars were also utilized well for comedy as they had their own moments especially with Moffy. Luminous Witches knew when to have it's characters be charming and funny, and these fun moments generally did a great job of making the characters more endearing.
But those emotional moments are really where the series shined. Episode after episode, the strong resonant emotional impact kept on rolling in. Luminous Witches didn't just hit once or twice, it hit episode after episode, and nailed this melancholic hope combination. Many of the episodes focused on the struggles of the girls in the idol group, or the civilians that were effected by the war. There was a wide array of different issues covered with these struggles as each story covered something different, showing the different ways that war can effect someone and the situation that they're in.
Luminous Witches did a great job of showcasing these different struggles while staying true to the feeling and not overdosing itself with the sad feelings. These sad moments were generally understated rather than made to be over dramatic. The OST in particular was utilized well, knowing when to play itself up, but most importantly knowing when to let itself be understated and let the negative moods build up. The mood setting for these struggles was perfect as the show still managed to have fun moments all through these struggles but still set up this feeling of sadness surrounding them. The negative effects of war shone through the work extremely well, not by being overly depressing but by showing the negative while also giving a lot of positive and showcasing the resilience of the main characters to fight through it and to try to help each other and those around them.
I loved seeing the main characters help each other out and always have each other's back. The idol group was split into subgroups to help with the various parts of creating their idol show, which worked well as the different subgroups got focus and were able to be built well and gave a lot of power to their bonds. It was very heartwarming to see that despite the circumstances, despite the fear, and despite their differences they were able to come together and support each other. Each character in the group had their own struggles and their own unique situation in life. And each of them were covered, helped, and made them feel together in the group. And all of these struggles and episodes hit well leading to a strong group that was hard not to love.
I also really enjoyed the framing of the idol group in world. I loved the focus on bringing music and morale to the people and the ability that one has to help others out despite not being on the front lines in combat. I feel like often times morale boosting and other less direct ways of helping tends to be overshadowed and underappreciated, so I enjoyed them showcasing what their music and spirit can do for those effected by the war around them.
Overall Luminous Witches shines. It offers a strong cast, a good amount of fun moments, and a whole bunch of emotionally impactful scenes that warmed my heart so much. If you want some great heartwarming content I highly suggest that you watch Luminous Witches. All of those heartwarming moments, a fun cast, and some fun moments makes a great show that is very worth watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 30, 2022
Machikado Mazoku: 2-choume is a magical show, and not just because it focuses on Magical Girls. But rather because it is a top-tier CGDCT that manages to excel in both fun comedic moments but also strong storytelling and character writing.
Machikado has always excelled at it's comedy and the same comedy stylings that made it such a fun and unique watch in its first season are back in the second season. The same quick humor and attention to detail returns although this time with a slower speed outside of some of those comedic moments. There are still a lot of fun whimsical moments in the background
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and a lot of fun gags that interline with the anime quite well.
That said as good as the comedy and fun factors of the show are I think what really sets Machikado apart and make it shine are it's characters and the story. Both were already good in season 1 but it's nice to see the seeds of good writing be expounded upon in season 2 and have also see the growth of the characters as they bond with each other.
With Shamiko's character we get to see her grow into being a very dependable member of the group and while she still fails at times, she is far removed from her old role of struggling at everything and trying to best Momo. As Shamiko and Momo spend more time together and their bond grows closer Shamiko realizes what Momo means to her and rather than fight her she seems more interested in helping her and trying to aid her in her quest to find her missing sister. But this growth doesn't just extend to Momo but also extends to her other friends that she see's struggling, like Mikan. Despite her demonic nature she has morphed into a magical girl like role, where she puts herself on the line to help those close to her, whether it be taking the risks needed to go into her subconscious, or whether it be working herself too much in order to get information on Momo. Seeing the cheerful and supportive Shamiko grow and stop being much of a punchline is really wonderful to see and it's so satisfying seeing her blossom and become someone admirable and strong in her own way.
Momo has also grown a lot and I absolutely love her growth throughout the season. She was already fun as a kuudere who had an obvious preference and liking towards Shamiko but that seems to be even more clear in this season considering how jealous she gets when Shamiko does things without her, or when her friends are bonding together without her. Her complex mix of emotions from season one are back and are built on as she grows closer to others and her kuudere persona slowly fades away. It's also fun seeing that now that there are things that she really cares about and wants, she is no longer able to have the upper hand so often and sometimes gets bested. It's also fun seeing her accept her role of being a servant of Shamiko and the wonders of black Peach Momo.
The side cast is also really strong. Mikan gets more deserved screen time and her character gets a lot more fleshed out in the new season. We get to see her struggles and backstory on how her curse got to form and how the events around it effect her. Despite how pleasant and happy seeming she can be, there are issues that she has to deal with as well and I like how the show explores them. I like how the show was able to explore her loneliness due to her self-sacrificing nature and her curse.
Added to that the new characters that were added are quite fun. Lico is a great addition to the cast whose quirks and disregard for others is quite fun to watch. I also like how well her and Shirasawa's inclusion are able to flesh out the demon world and give examples of other demonic characters in the show, as well as give Shamiko an opportunity to see others like her.
Their existence is key in another way in that they showcase Sakura's plan for the city and the wonderful legacy that she left there. Demons were able to live there peacefully and happily and intermingle with the town without prejudice or negativity. Those that see a talking tapir aren't freaked out by him and just accept it as part of their day and move on. The conflicts of the light and dark clan don't span the city and they're both able to relax and be happy without having to worry about being attacked to much. And when they do meet they're able to share information and interact with each other peacefully and work together at times. Ultimately Sakura did a lot for the town sacrificing herself both to protect the town but also to help out the demons who lived there and keep them with a happy, stress-free life. And ultimately her vision is working out well and works out very well as a watcher. Seeing all of these different people with different backgrounds be able to enjoy life without strife is quite nice. And it's fun to see Shamiko herself have such a nice life now despite the curses that she had been under before. It's fun seeing all of the positivity she gets from friends, family, and all of those around her. And ultimately this creates one of those things I love to see from CGDCT shows. This wonderful world and community of everyone trying to help each other, root for each other, and just share wholesome and happy moments with each other. Even the scariest member of the cast, Shion is doing a lot to help the cast. It's such a supportive and nice environment and it's really nice to see how wonderful of a place they live in and how they're able to make things better.
I also have to mention I really love how the show looks. The art style is really rich and everything looks really nice in it. It's very colorful and looks very nice and fits the very cute manner of the show. It also knows to use other art styles when needed such as some psychedelic and wavy art style when dealing with Lico's amazing cooking. Overall it feels very shiny and it never feels like it's lacking in quality. The animation as well works well with being stylized and chopping working well with the fast paced humor that it has.
Overall Machikado is a top tier show that is able to have both a compelling story-line, fun and interesting characters, and a lot of humorous and cute comedy. It's a great show that's well worth the watch. I highly recommend it and at least in my opinion it's one of the peak shows in the CGDCT genre and one that any CGDCT fan should watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 25, 2021
Show By Rock Stars is what Show By Rock # should have been. Rather than try to make up a grand plot and rehash the previous season Show By Rock Stars is a celebration of Show By Rock and the many bands that have stared in the anime throughout its many seasons. Stars carves out a nice balance between the slice of life band growth focus of Mashumairesh and the band celebration and focus that it’s aiming for. It even has a hint of a plot as a homage to the first two seasons. And personally while the two areas of focus can be
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at odds at some times I think Stars does a good job of satisfying the both of them.
The focus on Mashumairesh the band was quite good. While the highs from the last season aren’t able to be met the content covered in this season is still quite strong. The strong characters are still on display and their charm is still in full force. However the focus shifts a bit to Delmin and Ruhuyu rather than Himeko and Howan. This was nice as they didn’t get as much focus in the previous season so it was nice to see them take center stage this time around and have their own issues and relationship explored deeply. They already were pretty decently developed but I loved seeing them get closer. It was definitely one of the highlights of the season. I also liked the general issues of their band’s growth and place in grand scheme of things. They utilized the stardom of the other bands quite well to contrast their own weak standing, making the situation feel quite realistic and not over-dramatic. In general it was nice to see how they reacted to seeing all of these bands. For example it was nice to see Himeko get to interact with Criticrista the band that she admired for so long. Overall I’m quite pleased with what they were able to cover with the main band. My only issue with what was covered is that sometimes too much time was taken away from the main plot of focus of the episode so sometimes the situations felt a bit more rushed than they should have been.
The focus on the bands was also quite nice. All of the main bands from the previous seasons were able to play a decent role in the season and each got their own episode to shine in. The content and focus of those episodes shifted from band to band but I think worked well with the charm points of the bands. For example a band like ShinganCrimsonZ focused more on humor and had one of the funniest episodes the season while Bud Virgin Logic focused more on development of its lead member and her growth after the events of #. Across various avenues of focus each of the previous bands got ample time to shine in the spotlight. It was nice to see all of these bands that we knew and loved back doing their normal band activities and just enjoying their music and lives. Ultimately I think ironically the only band that didn’t get their time to shine this season was Plasmagica who ended up being utilized as a recurring supporting cast rather than a band getting much of a focus themselves. And while it was nice seeing the end result of their growth and their future coming into full bloom they never really had a strong focus in any of the episodes and never really had time for their characters to be revisited again which was a shame. This again sort of goes back to the issue of having limited run time. There’s only so much content they could do with the bands while also focusing on the main two bands from the previous season. Ultimately choices had to be made, and while I don’t agree with all of them I do think that they did a great job of including all of the main bands and letting their fans see them another time.
Art and sound both were pretty great. The music in Show By Rock is great as usual. The bands are a treat to listen to and I really enjoyed the OST and the way it utilizes the various openings from previous seasons and incorporates them into the soundtrack. The performances were great and there were a lot of great new songs introduced in the season which were very nice. Art wise it looked great with the same style and charm that fills Midi City and the world of Show By Rock. While I do miss the Studio Bones style for some of the characters the overall art looked consistently great throughout the season.
Overall while it doesn’t live up to either original Show By Rock or Show By Rock Mashumairesh, Show By Rock Stars is a very welcome addition to Show By Rock. There is enough meaningful content to make the season well worth while and a good lot of band cameos and focus to really celebrate the bands of Show By Rock. Ultimately I think it’s a great watch for fans, and one that at least this fan enjoyed very much.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 22, 2021
Don’t be fooled by the memes, Pui Pui Molcar is more than just a show that rose because of meme value. Rather Pui Pui Molcar is a perfect example of innovation and charm that utilizes its short runtime to the fullest.
Molcar introduces us to a world where guinea pig cars are the norm and it is quite cute. It’s an interesting premise and it’s executed quite well. There are fun skits with them which utilize the premise quite well. We get to both see the molcars on their own having fun and doing their own adventuress, as well as how they tie in with
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the humans in society. We get to see the workings of the molcars and there’s some interesting world-building into how they function. And it’s not as if Molcar only relies on its cuteness to work, it also has a lot of great ideas that go along with it. There are very movie references and humorous ideas that they bring to life with the show. They also have a good amount of twists and interesting ideas in their comedy. The molcars are so fun to watch. Their humorous mannerisms and actions are very much fun and it really makes the show work so well.
That said what really sells Molcar is the fantastic production. The sound design is incredible. Molcar wouldn’t work nearly as well if it weren’t for the cute noises they make when waddling, or when they see something scary, or when they’re happy or really just anything the molcars do. Each action they have as a corresponding adorable reaction from them and it gives me life. The visuals also look amazing. Rather than go for a typical animated approach they went for There are so many unique molcar designs littering up the full screen. The backgrounds and world feels fully realized with lots of care taken to make everything look great and fit exactly what they’re trying to go for. I also really like how they used the toy people to really sell the world and bring out the sort of toy feel that it has. Overall I’m really impressed with how great Pui Pui Molcar looks and feels. The production does a great job of selling the show and really elevates a great silly idea to a short that stands out and provides so much fun and joy.
If you haven’t watched Molcar I really suggest you do so. It takes less than an hour to watch it all and it’s very cute and fluffy fun. I’m sure most of you will be charmed by the molcars and their cute mannerisms and sounds.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 28, 2020
A show doesn’t have to be complex or meaningful to be good. Sometimes all you need are some endearing characters and a whole bunch of fun and silly setups and it can create an amazing show that’s a complete joy to watch. And that’s basically Fruit Tart. While Fruit Tart may not have the same level of development or depth that other top tier CGDCT have, it does make up for it by being unique and having a lot of fun.
The premise of Fruit Tart is simple, you have a couple of rejects and put them together into an idol group. There they try
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to make their mark on the world and rise up in the ranks. To do something they haven’t been able to do recently in their careers. Succeed! The start does a good job of showing their goal and their struggles and giving backstory into their characterization. While their characters aren’t very deep, the characterization they get early on gives a good baseline for who they are and why they would be fun and endearing. And they are set up well for that. The characters are well designed in their appeal, and most of them are given all of the things they need to succeed: distinct personalities, great character designs, and moe insecurities.
With this set up we are treated to a lot of fun shenanigans between the cast and a lot of very fun interactions. The characters fit together quite well to create adorable and humorous interactions. Pretty much all of the main girls like each other, and have very selfish desires. And often they show case them more or less, whether they think they’re being subtle or not. And personally I find it adorable seeing them care so much about specific parts of each other, as well as the levels of denial they have about it. As dumb as their desires may be, they are consistent, cute, and match up well with their characterization which enhances the cuteness quite well. Take Ino for example. She loves idols so much that she wanted to be one and adores cute girls quite a lot. This matches up well because her interest in cute idols plays into her own motivation to become one. So the very same nature that leads her to covet Roko is the same nature that got her into this business and shaped her mindset. Another good example of this is Roko someone who wants to prove her own maturity due to her stinted growth and who ends up coveting Nina part due to her body which likely lines up with how Roko would like to be, but also because of her motherly demeanor which is a good balance to Roko’s immaturity. There is sort of a cycle through-out the cast of them both admiring and desiring each other and what each other has and the interactions that stem from them are great.
Their behavoir and status also makes them so easy to root for in their goals. They really do live up their status as dropouts and even when they succeed it's through effort both on their parts and on those around them being won over by their loser charm. Their relations with the community around them is quite nice and it's great to see them grow and gain fans despite their limitations. It's very satisfying to see them climb the ranks together as losers especially since they never really lose that label even as they grow. They may still get fans but they're still the loveable endearing losers that they are.
The visuals are pretty strong and do a good job of showcasing the cuteness of the characters. While the characters can be drawn very simply for scenes where they are not showcased, the show really knows to make the characters look adorable when it matters Giving very well drawn and adorable pictures that flesh out well whatever joke or emotion the character has for maximum cuteness. I don’t think the show would work as well without its art as it is a keep component in its success. The sound is also pretty strong and there are some nice idol tracks. The 2D animation for the idol sequences are also pretty cool and are a notable difference from other idol shows, and are one that really showcase the cuteness of the characters. While the art can be inconsistent it knows when to shine to give off maximum cuteness.
I can’t say Fruit Tart was really deep but it was a whole lot of fun. Strong characters and character interactions are what makes a CGDCT good and Fruit Tart excels at both of them. Because while they may not have the depth they certainly are endearing and it’s hard not to enjoy their dumb choices and desires and their weaknesses and charm points. They truly embody the mouse house and I loved watching it. While it doesn’t hit the highest of high points, it is a high tier CGDCT for me, and one that is well worth a watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 21, 2020
Isekai has come out in full force recently giving us a lot of different isekai adaptations, many of which appeal to the same sort of video game inspired wish fulfillment sort of set up. And while there is nothing wrong with this on paper, it does end up feeling very samey when these wish fulfillment isekais hit on the same notes over and over again. Endless power, lots of cool video-game like abilities, and a harem of cute girls. I get the appeal but it often leaves a lot to be desired to me. On the other hand there is Kami-tachi. Don't get me wrong
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Kami-tachi is certainly still a wish fulfillment anime, and even includes the overpowered MC that everyone is in awe of. But it also provides something unique and valuable. Release from the oppressive modern day working environment.
Ultimately I think this is the shows biggest appeal and I think it works with it well. It shows you the pains of modern Japanese working society and gives you good backstory into the main character and what he had to go through. The many tired nights he had to spend working. The lack of progress or happiness because of these shackles. The early episodes do a good job of setting up this environment. And that combined with our knowledge makes a strong basis for the change that he'd want to see and his initial worries when it comes to authority and work in general.
And then we get healing. While isekai certainly isn't normally made to be an iyashikei, I do think the idea of isekai can make a great setting for iyashikei and that certainly is the case here. To me Kami-tachi is a very effective iyashikei because of that set up, and because the idea of having a nice peaceful life where one is appreciated and builds up their life is pleasant. We see the characters around Ryoma care for him and give him praise and basically give him all of the things that he missed in his former life. We see him appreciated for his work. We see him get joy out of his work and out of helping others. We see him make bonds with those around him and have them support his growth. This may all seem normal, and it really should be. But when placed with the backdrop of toxic environments, it feels nice to have one that is normal and caring. And that's what makes it so effective to me. That's what makes the healing so effective. It's just so nice to be able to remove someone from these negative environments and put them into a good one and see them grow and become happy from there. It makes me feel warm and happy inside and I think that it does a good job of showcasing this theme of good working environments and also shows how much life can be better with a good working environment. This theme is actually pretty well thought out throughout the whole show. One notable point of it relates to the many slimes that he has tamed. While slimes are often unimportant creatures, and they are in-world here, Ryoma has tamed many of them and cares for all of them. He treats them all as pets and sets up an environment for them to be themselves and enjoy themselves. These slimes can probably be comparable to a company work structure where the slimes are the peons at the bottom of the structure, usually nameless in the eyes of the company and there to do the dregs of the work. And slimes fit that as they are nameless and faceless, the way that companies can often view lower-level employees. But all the same Ryoma cares for them and treats them like they matter. It just adds to the theme that's there and the positivity and pleasantness of a good environment.
I do also like the bonds between Ryoma and his new family. They take him in and give him a new support system and care for him. And again given the context it just makes it that much more pleasant. I also like the bond between him and the princess as they seem to get along well and have just genuine care and interest for each other. One thing that I quite like about it that is different from the typical isekai formula is there is really only one potential love interest for Ryoma, and that is Elia. And Elia also happens to be quite capable and skilled in her own right. Their interactions with each other were quite nice and I enjoyed the two of them supporting each other. Let allow Elia enough room for her to stand on her own and I think overall she is a good and endearing character. While I wouldn't really describe any of this as special, but it's pleasant and cute, and given everything it's quite nice.
Granted, as nice as this is I do think the show has it's downfalls. There are other plot-lines in the story that go more towards action and battles which in my opinion don't work as well. The overpowered MC aspect of isekai is still at play here and while I think it's mostly fine, the major battles is where it suffers the most. Simply put the show doesn't have the animation budget to make it look good and the action tends to distract from the novel aspects of the show, and it's iyashikei atmosphere. The art itself is pretty weak and there is some pretty bad CGI at times, most notably the horses.
That said ultimately I do think Kami-tachi has something big to offer, it's positive working environment and iyashikei moments were very pleasant to watch and were something I quite enjoyed. Overall it's nice and pleasant and generally a good time to be had with a nice theme and some healing. So I do recommend it to fans of such a theme, or people that want to relax. Personally I think it's worth a watch for that at least.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 26, 2020
It all starts with a girl from the middle of nowhere with a dream of music and making it big. Now if you heard that before I wouldn't be surprised at all since it seems to be a commonly used trope in media. But despite the start there is so much that Show By Rock Mashumairesh!! is able to do with it that puts it a cut above the rest. For while our main character, Howan, comes to the big city with dreams of rocking the world what she gets is something even more powerful and meaningful, strong bonds and friendships and a tight knit
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group where she can belong.
The big highlight in Mashumairesh for me are the characters and their interactions. The way that the characters are built up I think are quite organic and are done exceedingly well. Despite most of our cast being in a band together from the start it's clear that they are new to this and that they aren't that close to each other. Mashumairesh does a good job of having them interaction with each other and provide fun moments while also showcasing the distance that they have. This allows them to grow closer together and become more of a conceive whole which is one of the main themes of the show. There are a couple of arcs about the characters and how their friendship grows and I think it does a good job of showcasing how distance is created despite being able to interact daily and have fun. There is a lot that goes into a friendship and while fun times and interaction is great and usually leads to a strong friendship there is even more that can make a bond strong. And while a casual friendship is nice, in order to get more and to have more there needs to be a connection made, one the allows the others to see more of the person exposed and to accept it for what it is worth. And while I think the whole cast does a great job of opening themselves up to each other and connecting, I think there are two really good examples of these strong bonds in Delmin and Ruhuyu, and Howan and Himeko.
Delmin and Ruhuyu get less focus but I think there is a lot of strong bonds showcased between the two. They play into a tsukkomi and boke type of interaction with Ruhuyu being the tsukkomi and Delmin being the boke and I think it's done very well. They bounce off each other really well and there is a lot of liveliness and fun in their interactions. Ruhuyu plays herself up in a really fun way and I enjoy seeing all the different ways she tries to force her lunatic theme into everything. And while at first it is sort of accepted as the show goes on Delmin and the others poke fun at it and rib off of it more and more usually in fun ways. It's just fun seeing the way that they play around with each other. It feels like an authentic friendship experience one where each party isn't afraid to tease each other. This also happens with the band as a whole and Himeko as they grow closer to her. Overall the two of them are able to develop and get depth in the process of them becoming better friends. So even though their fun interactions were there from the start their bond is able to become so much more as they share more of themselves with the band. This is not just true of them but the whole band leading to strong characters and a strong impactful bond.
Howan and Himeko's relationship is in my opinion the highlight of the show. It's very nice to see a bond come from nothing be able to grow into a thriving powerful relationship between the two of them. They clearly leave an impression on each other with their interactions and you can see how the two of them are able to become so close to each other over the course of the season. One aspect that I really liked was how the show covered Himeko's initial distance from the group, how she handled herself, and why she did it. Despite being in the group from the start the show does a great job of showcasing her distance and her issues even despite not addressing them into later. It then is able to expose those issues while she gets development and in that process she is able to grow closer to the band and in particular Howan. It felt like Howan and Himeko were a perfect pair together and were both able to fill up what the other needed most. The two of them share something special and it's magical to see. It's specially nice to see how Howan's joining effects Himeko and how she ultimately grows from it. They also just make a very adorable pair that melts my heart.
The main characters were of course the focus but there were other important characters that I think were also done well. There was the boy's band, who doesn't get as much focus and thusly doesn't have the same depth but does make up for it in comedic moments. They too have parallels with coming together and growing closer although they were much more antagonistic to begin with. They have some strong episodes that show how music has grown on them and how they themselves have grown on each other, which I think went well. There was also a ShinganCrimsonZ cameo which had to be some of the funniest stuff from the show. There was also ReijinSignal who got a good amount of development despite the limited time they had in the show and served as a very good counterpoint to the main band. One of the interesting aspects that Mashumairesh covered was the difference between playing music for fun and bonding and playing music to strike it rich. And while the two can (and do) go together I think there is a clear divide between ReijinSignal who is a professional band, that is adeptly skilled at their craft and Mashumairesh and the paths that they take. The show does a good job of showing their different paths and the ways that it effects them and what they can gain from it. Both paths are looked at as valid, and are just different paths.
While the characters and their interactions were definitely the highlights there were a lot of other strong aspects that made the show shine. The art in general was very nice and I love the style and atmosphere that Midi City has. I think it perfectly captures the mood that it's trying to go for. This dark and night-life filled city with its neon lights and filled to the brim with music studios and the like. It feels like a great combination of the rock and the pop styles that the show and game at least traditionally cover. You can feel the music scene that revolves around the city, that rock 'n roll experience of staying up late, playing gigs, and having a lively city with so many bands running around. The atmosphere of the show is really nice in general and the show knows how to set up its scenery well to match the feelings such a place is supposed to invoke. The character art also pops and looks very good and strong which is nice. As expected of a music anime the songs are pretty good and nice to listen to. The choice to have many Show By Rock songs from the game show up in the background on the radio is a good unique way to both get those songs played but to have actual realistic background noise in places like the eating establishment that they frequent.
Overall I was very happy with how Show By Rock!! Mashumairesh!! turned out. Being such a big fan of Show By Rock!! I was anxious for how it would turn out especially with the whole focus on new bands but I think it went very well and it managed to live up to my expectations. I'd personally recommend it and I really had a lot of fun with it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 18, 2019
Houkago Saikoro Club is a simple show that manages to succeed with its accurate representation of playing board games along with the character development and heartwarming interactions that are brought on by these games. There are lots of fun moments that can happen during a board game and the show does a good job of communicating these moments and showcasing the fun, glory, and growth that they get from playing these games.
The characters in Saikoro Club are generally well developed and showcase a good example growth that is tied in well to the subject matter that is being focused on. In the case of
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Miki we see a girl who is not only an introvert but is very shy from being bullied frequently in her youth. Her mental state reminds me of my own back in the day. She is hesitant to join with others and makes a beeline to and from school not stopping along the way. She is unable to bond with others, and has this feeling of loneliness rooted in her. But then she meets a friend. And along that she is introduced to the world of board games. The usage of board games both is nice as a tool to get her to open up and to be able to interact with friends, as well as use an activity that is able to provide group interaction while also allowing Miki to be her introverted self. The growth that we see from her is real and the games provide a good mirror as we see her grow in the action of the games. It's not as if she's not an introvert, she always is. But her timidness shrinks and the moves she plays in the games become grow bolder, showcasing her growth.
In the case of Midori, we see someone who already enjoys board games a lot and already is more put together from the start. However she does have a dream, one that she has been working on for a while, but that was pushed more to the back-burner. I really enjoyed the development of her dream as she was pushed to continue it and go outside of her comfort level. It's nice to see her missteps guided through and the development that her dream goes through, as she tries to push it towards reality. There are choices that she makes that make sense in thought but actually negatively effect her dream and keep it in its infant stages without growth. I like how the show was able to call out these patterns and give better advice to fuel the dream and push for the best result the dream could have. Not only did the advice and path make perfect sense to me, as the information given was all correct, but it was nice to see this growth and showcase the common failings that can happen in the path of making a dream a reality. While this dream is specific to the focus of the show I think there are good parallels that can be made with many dreams, and provides general good advice for dreams. I liked how the show didn't just make the dream happen but managed to have realistic set backs that I think are common for many people to go through even outside of the medium that Midori was focused on. It's a nice change to shows that focus more on overly dramatic roadblocks rather than the more real roadblocks we push ourselves into.
As a fan of board games myself it's fun to see the board games played out. I think the explanation of the games is excellent. Especially with how well they're able to explain the base rules, have it still be entertaining, and not have it take too much time. I have been introduced to a lot of new games and have had to bare through a lot of awful explanations. So to see good explanations for these games and to not be bored is quite a boon in my opinion considering how boring (at best) they can be in real life. The games themselves were fun to watch. It was cool seeing games that I had played before being played in an anime. Some of the games looked quite interesting too and made me want to play them myself. While how well the show was able to showcase the game being focused on varied from episode to episode the bulk of the games were fun to watch and had nice interactions between the characters. In particular the game in episode 2 was fun to watch as you could see the character's naivete and lack of skill very prominently which led to very funny results. These moments in playing board games are highlights of them and can be quite fun to watch and see.
The graphics and sound quality of the show is a much more mixed bag. The show isn't wowing it with its production, although it doesn't have any quality issues either. It's very average to the point of being exceedingly average, if that's even possible. It looks fine. Never great but never awful.
Overall Houkago Saikoro Club is a great anime that is able to use it's subject matter and give good development and growth based off of it. It has the heartwarming interactions and fun that is needed of a CGDCT, and never fails to be a fun little ride. It's a modest show but it fits together really well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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