Mar 22, 2020
I actually truly enjoyed this show and thought it was very entertaining. Most folks who didn't enjoy it felt this way for one or more these reasons:
~ lacks logical consistency
~ lacks unique/relate-able characters
~ female characters, despite being strong, are too 'one dimensional'
~ poorly written script
~ too 'edgy' (whatever that means; calling a show with violence 'edgy' thus = bad is such a cop-out argument imo)
To address each line item:
1. No logical continuity - It's a fictional show so this is basically a non-issue. Most fictional stories aren't entirely logical i.e., any and all superhero comics and cartoons. I can easily break down the logical discontinuities
...
in any anime or manga ... but its LITERALLY a CARTOON so why the heck would I do that ...
2. Generic characters who lack personality. I definitely can lend some credence to this point . On the other hand, I think too many critics ALWAYS want characters to be 'relate-able' and/or 'fallible'. Sooo many people desperately want to associate with protagonists that have similar personality traits and I honestly don't know why. It could be for personal validation but its almost self aggrandizing and insecure to me. I personally like characters who are really bad ass compared to myself, calm, cool, collected, and capable of quickly adapting to insane situations. Yes, the main characters are kind of cheesy at times but the supporting characters really steal the show [example: Hiiragi Ichirou aka 'the florist', who literally uses his sigil to keep hiss heart pumping blood - that was so awesome and clever to me.]
3. Female characters - this also kind of ties into what was mentioned above but I really don't feel like those characters are given enough credit. Sure, their backstories are never really explained but:
A. Shuka Karino ~ she is so strong and deadly yet cute. I also have a huge weakness for romance for the sake of romance because I really do believe in 'love at first sight'. So having a long drawn out emotional explanation about love interests between characters isnt really necessary, for again ... A CARTOON.
B. Rein Kashiwagi [aka 'the information broker'] ~ talk about a character who makes extremely logical decisions in the face completely asinine impossible situations. Shes courageous and composed at all times despite only being 13. I don't understand why people overlook this character; particularly those who say 'ThIs ShOw iS tRaSH Bc It ISnT rEalistic' - Her decision making is both highly clever and very realistic considering the absurd circumstances in the story.
4. Cheesy dialogue ~ yes I agree with this 100%... but again this is literally an f'ing CARTOON. Not a Pulitzer Prize winning piece of literature or something.
5. Too Edgy ~ finally, 'edgy' ... I hate this term. Maybe people are just too sensitive to gore and gratuitous violence? Maybe people think its for 'shock value' only to distract the viewer from micro-analyzing every detail and inconsistency in the plot? Okay, I enjoy Quentin Tarantino movies very much despite the absurdity and excessive violence, I like the Matrix even though it often doesn't make sense. I LOVE Elfen Lied, I thought Mira Nikki was amazing. I love 'Battle Royale'. 'Btooom' was honestly not very good at all. GANTZ had a lot of violence but also wasn't very good (actually I hated GANTZ for a laundry list of reason).
Basically, just because something is gory, controversial, or 'edgy', doesn't automatically make it a good/bad story and doesn't mean its 'trying too hard' in my book.
Give me ANY manga, anime, comic book, fictional book, or cartoon with a cool (even seemingly absurd) concept, some protagonist(s) I can admire and aspire to be like, little bit of comedy, awesome fighting, romance, and I am a happy camper. If I want to be bored I can read a psychology textbook, Atlas Shrugged or watch a civil war documentary lol.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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