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Yes, it's studio Bones...and yes, it's Hiroko Utsumi, director of Free! and Banana Fish. But I believe that this is more than just another passion project of an original sports anime. It's one that's done with lots of respect towards the skateboarding community, more than just being one that's an easy inspiration to Tony Hawk: Pro Skater. Are you ready to SK∞ to Infinity and Beyond?

In the history of anime, sports shows are regular to showcasing what kinds of sports are actually all about, but in rarer cases do we actually get some specific ones, from Welcome to the Ballroom's in-line skating to Yowamushi Pedal's bicycle racing. Whereas in SK∞ the Infinity, skateboarding (or it's more correct term of street skateboarding), is a discipline which focuses on flatground tricks, grinds, slides and aerials within urban environments and public spaces. Street skateboarders meet, skate and hang out, in and around urban areas referred to as "spots", which are commonly streets, plazas or industrial areas, or as shown in the anime, the secret place called "S". It's there that like-minded skaters settle for no-holds-barred competition purposes.

It's interesting that Bones has contracted an animation studio known as Studio No Border for the skateboarding designs, and all of this comes from acclaimed French artist Thomas Romain and his small team of multimedia creatives. Having first worked with Shinichiro Watanabe for both spaceship design in Space Dandy and world design on Carole & Tuesday, and working with other studios to produce background design, world art concepts, comics, board games, video games, and animation projects at that time. So it is from that one fateful meeting of just a regular meeting at studio Bones where Thomas Romain and his friends met up with producers who were working on the SK∞ anime, albeit with some reluctance of acceptance since his small team of has had quite the crunch from numerous projects. It's there that they help make the skateboard designs that are strictly peculiar to each and every character in the anime, and knowing director Hiroko Utsumi's extreme sense of attention to detail, Thomas Romain and his small creatives got to work on relentlessly illustrating and negotating with Utsumi from the designs down to the technicals. And that's a hella work that's done to make this show stand out.

For context, Studio No Border designed nine skateboards, and some other designs lke the “S” sticker and the decals, which are the illustrations underneath the skateboard. Here is the list of employees that worked on SK∞:
- Juliette Mercier (skateboard design for Reki, Langa, MIYA, SHADOW, Cherry Blossom, JOE, ADAM)
- Stanislas Brunet (skateboard design and decal for Kikuchi, skateboard rough for Cherry blossom)
- Ayumi Kakei (decals for Reki, Langa, MIYA, sticker of the “S”)
- Thomas Romain (decal for ADAM)
- Loïc Locatelli (decals for JOE and SHADOW)

It's all of these details that tend to miss the public eye, and I really have to commend director Hiroko Utsumi and Studio No Border for creating such a lush show that has skateboarding fans rave in joy of how it mimics the true representation of the sport.

Anyways, since this is the typical "newbie comes into town and learns a new sport" trope, I won't bore too much on its setting, but this is a lil' bit special: Reki Kyan, being an avid lover of skateboarding, working part-time as a mechanic and creating his own custom boards, meets Langa Hasegawa, a half-Japanese, half-Canadian transfer student who grew up as a snowboarder. In typical fashion, both street skateboarding and snowboarding skills can be interchanged as long as the skills required are fit to do so, and Langa immediately gets the hang of skateboarding after the enthusiastic Reki gives him an invitation to the secret "S" skateboarding races and having to race one of its regulars unequivocally, further cementing his position from being the half-assed rookie to a fully-fledged skater.

Being a character drama story, this is where Utsumi places very heavy emphasis onto characterization, and for the most part, has excelled well just like her last series on Banana Fish:
- Both Reki and Langa "Snow" Hasegawa are "brothers for life", from their first initial coincidential meet-up to where they're now: skaters for life, treading through every success and failure, nook and cranny, blood, sweat and tears of relentless training. Whether happy or sad, elated or depressed, these two gay guys definitely have the affinity and not the hots for each other.
The double-parallel life of the "S" skaters:
- Hiromi "Shadow" Higa, kind florist-cum-dirty tactics skater;
- Miya Chinen, junior skater champion whose skills are inspired by pro skater Rodney Mullen's style;
- The double "childhood friend" of Kaoru "Cherry Blossom" Sakurayashiki, calligrapher-cum-AI skater and Kojiro "Joe" Nanjo, chef-cum-childhood rival with Kaoru. These two goofballs are like mature adults that can go head-to-head in the most immature and childish fashion.
- The double Master-Assistant of Ainosuke "Adam" Shindo, politician-cum-legendary "S" skater and assistant Tadashi "Snake" Kikuchi. Even though the wealthy Shindo Family of aunts are of corrupt sound and mind, Ainosuke is but a victim to upholding the family's honours, by hook or by crook. Assistant Tadashi who've been staying by his side since childhood, teaches the lonely Ainosuke the art of skateboarding, not knowing that it'll prove fatal as time passes with Ainosuke associating pain with love, a twist of psyche.

Adam's Kanji name is also interesting: stylized as 愛抱夢 (but spoken in Katakana), his prominent attack is the "Love Hug", and for those of you who know your languages well, it's a direct translation of that. Even down to the symbolisms of the skater status, Adam is labelled as the "Matador of Love", donning a matador costume and mask. Word is that he's looking for his "Eve", someone to match his unequivocal skating skill levels, and Langa is the supposedly new rookie that he has his eye on. Take a step back on that to realize that this is just like the Bible's representation in the Book of Genesis: Adam (Ainosuke), Eve (Langa) and the Serpent (Tadashi), the "Fall of Adam" becoming synonymous with the fall of humanity (skating) that brings forth dissent of their attitudes. It's these symbolisms which add up to the testament of how Hiroko Utsumi is THAT meticulous, and can greatly ramp up the experience of SK∞ as a whole.

I mean, come on, it's studio Bones, you know that you're gonna get some good visuals and animation, that is hardly a surprise at all. The best parts are not just the skating action itself, but what most people will easily miss are the presentation of the visuals for both the OP and ED, and that they're also directed by Utsumi herself. It's rare that songs like Rude-α's "Paradise" and Yuuri's "Infinity" are given the proper treatment of syncing both songs with the animation, beat by beat and coupled with amazing visuals for the OP and funny skateboarding fails for the ED. Just lovin' those pumping beats and chill lo-fi songs.

This is an exemplary example of a show that even with unintended production hell (like Wonder Egg Priority), has maintained with stride and careful planning to deliver the ultimate experience of a passion project, and I can definitely feel the call-backs to said directed shows helmed by one of the most prominent female directors of the modern anime age. A job well done, and a massive thank you to both Hiroko Utsumi and Bones for making this fine show.

SK∞ the Infinity: Skating is Infinite.

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"You are worth more than you know, capable of more than you think, and loved more than you can imagine."

Undoubtedly the rom-com of the season, Horimiya has the potential to be great in every aspect of the genre, but the elephant in the room is obviously CloverWorks and the production team behind this show: the classic case of quantity over quality. I'd like to think that we're playing a baseball match with CloverWorks for Winter 2021: Strike 1 for the horrible adaptation of The Promised Neverland (Season 2), Strike 2 for the abominable business practices of hampering Wonder Egg Priority's Behind-the-Scenes tragedy of director Shin Wakabayashi and his production team, and finally Strike 3 for what is a total-misfire repeat of Strike 1 of going for a loose and inconsistent adaptation of the original source material (since it's basically marketing for the already completed manga). And you're out!

"You say "There's more to this than meets the eye" when you think a situation is not as simple as it seems to be."

The main star of the show is the central couple: Hori Kyouko and Izumi Miyamura, two very distinct people, and so different-yet-alike each other. The former is a perfect social butterfly but the truth that she’s a brash homebody; the latter hiding a gentle heart, along with piercings and tattoos while under a gloomy façade. Both have things that don't want people to know that are best kept in secret, and a chance meeting proves to break the mirrors of their perceptions and in the perchance, solidify their relationship altogether within that short span of time. As time grows, both Hori and Miyamura learn of each other's quirks and what makes them tick that helps make their relationship grow stronger by the day. Kinda cute in spots, and to the people whom are having a relationship with their significant other will definitely feel those puppy-love moments that are relatable...well, except for some cringe S&M moments (unless the girls are like bad-ass Hori that secretly adores boys like bad-ass Miyamura, and vice versa) and the eccentric familial conditions.

"If I look at the one thorn that is in my side of all my life, it is my weight. I fret about it, I'm anxious about it, being an actor on TV - it drives me insane. It just seems to be something that plays a central part in waking up in the morning and thinking: "How am I with myself today?" - Deborah Mailman

You would think that for such a self-titled show that all you're gonna see is how these two central characters would blossom, right? But instead of the rose that we got with Hori and Miyamura's relationship, there are more thorns on the stem of the side characters, as significant or insignificant as they may be (that's to your POV that I won't judge). By themselves, the side characters can be taken as a side story altogether, but since they're connected to the main bubbly girl, I'd guess that this works primarily to advance their circumstances, rather than being tied onto the main couple, and for a rom-com that deems to be a romantic "drama" altogether, I'm not sure if mixing in too much of slice-of-life moments is a good choice. Pretty much like Tomozaki-kun, the best way to infer is through the clique method:
- Toru Ishikawa, Yuki Yoshikawa, Akane Yanagi and Hori herself.Toru being avid about his prospects of getting together with Hori only diminishes when he sees that the central couple are getting closer, quicker than it looks on the outside. Instead, he tries his best to steer clear of that direction, leading him to Yuki...but not quite the "closeness" as of yet. It's with the fickle-minded Yanagi that consciously brings Toru and Yuki close together, despite both playing the friendship treatment of going so far as to notice the affinities they have for each other. A potential couple, but played off as one of friend-zoning.
- Kakeru Sengoku, Remi Ayasaki and Sakura Kono (with a wild Toru on the side): the Student Council trio. For the most part, both Sengoku and Remi has had quite the relationship with each other: a weak but capable guy and a bubbly, playful girl whose differences match one another, and they're as close to being realistic and vulnerable towards each other in their moments of time alone. Sakura is quite the character that most people will feel quite frustrated about, but for those who've gone though the love ennui moments of noticing your crush from afar, you'll definitely find yourself in Sakura's shoes. She's an introvert through and through, but someone who's an extrovert when trying to reciprocate between the give-and-take of feelings, as such when she develops a crush on Toru, only to find that his kindness is returned, but not in the way she expected it to be. And it hurts real bad.
- Miyamura, Koichi Shindo and Makio Tanihara (with a wild Hori on the side): the middle-school "Happy Three Friends" of a convoluted past. The reason why Miyamura is surfaced as a lonesome otaku geek at the beginning is because of Tanihara and his clique of friends who used to bully Miyamura for his ostracized looks, to the breaking point where what Miyamura once confided in was taken away from him, leading to the gloomy aspect. It's only through Shindo that Tanihara would come to start accepting Miyamura for who he is, with the heart talks between both cementing the reconciliation years later. Other than that, Shindo is the casual butt of a joker, and with Hori adding into the equation only makes the S&M aesthetic look more prominent.
- The others who have significantly less screentime: Shu Iura is the objectively loud airhead of a character whom is exactly like Shindo, Honoka Sawada whom is seen as the detractor of the Horimiya relationship, and the Hori family of a beautiful, yet somehow kinda "broken" family (in particular to Best Dad Kyosuke).

Ideally I would want to paint this picture as someone whom has been in a relationship, but for the general audience, whether you're in one or not, Horimiya is as bare-bones as it can be, trading the romance aspect for its comedy of the Pareto Principle: 80% comedic slice-of-life, 20% romance.

“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness — and call it love — true love.” – Robert Fulghum

I find it quite the fascination of not just the OST that Horimiya has, but more of less its visuals and the intended picture of how people are supposed to perceive both the small and big moments, and this is something that I have to give the animators credit for. Starting off with the OP, it's interesting that there's 2 variations of Miyamura's theme: the 1st half where Miyamura is just like his old self, from reaching for the cube alone to most characters feeling dejected and frustrated, to the 2nd half where Hori's hand reached out for Miyamura with the cube, to the director's credit roll of him slicing the monochrome feel to showcase the colours of life with happiness overflowing. Capping off with the ED, it's using the twixt of a mix of animation in a dress-up model style between the central couple. Even with scenes that are depicted in the style of the OP of the potential couple-like feels, it's these Easter Eggs that not everyone will notice, but I thought it's worth mentioning. As for both OP and ED, it sounds great, no faults there.

If I can sum Horimiya up in a quote, it'd be this one by the famous Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley:
“You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”

As mentioned in the beginning, it's a loose adaptation of HERO and Hagiwara Daisuke's manga of the same name, but if I'd reckon something that the anime lacked over the manga, it's good progression. The anime felt mostly like the typical slice-of-life situations of characters gone awry, and though the allegory of what got lost as the series progressed, so to did the anime that had to relinquish some good character development moments for simpler ones, and that to me, is a shame of how much Horimiya could've been on par with the manga, but it wasn't meant to be...

...or so could be best said: "The source material is so much better."

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I have a legitimate question for you GoHands: How many times do you want to copy-paste your works? As if the plagiarism issues on the new-but-now-abandoned Tokyo Babylon 2021 isn't a red mark enough, I don't think that Project SCARD here is any different: it's just the aesthetic of K that has the appeal of the Hand Shakers universe.

The story aspect isn't all that different from Hand Shakers or even W'z for that matter: just use an exploitable item that breaks the balance of the world, pit characters in a cat-and-mouse chase and see who can outplay, outwit and outlast. And that is most certainly the case for Praeter no Kizu: have everyone don tattoos of Greek mythology for names and fashion senses, whether may be weak or strong.

The characters....just exist for the story. Call forth the next-gen "hero" to take over the outgoing "hero" and challenge the status quo, and that's the case for Kai Yamato. Add in the double-team of GoHands's loosely designed K-inspired Bishounens for the added exposition effect, and that's as basic as how characters go.

I probably don't need to mention even after these few years that GoHands have largely stuck to their psychedelic 3DCG model that's the studio's bread-and-butter, but it's certainly better than that one series that tries to "trump a genre all over the world". Even the music is unremarkable, and yes, even to the instrumental ED.

To be frank, we've all gotten used to GoHands at this point, and whatever Shingo Suzuki and team will be cooking up in the future, it's gonna be largely written off on the side.

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The beautiful and loveable camper girls are back, with twice (or longer) the distances of the camping journey, twice the moving action, and twice the fun, all in the same Iyashikei package as how Season 1 was like exactly 3 years ago from Winter 2018.

To quote ANN's Christopher Farris (full credits to him, some parts paraphrased):
"Obviously there are anime with more grand storytelling ambitions and meaningful idea communication than C-Station's calculatedly comfy cute-girl camping compilation. But in a season, as with any other, that included projects walking a razor's edge of their own success or outright collapsing under their own efforts, Yuru Camp sticks out for the wonderfully consistent entertainment value it spins out of its humble content week after week. Actually...maybe ‘consistent’ isn't quite the right word: "RELIABLE" – that's what Yuru Camp is worth representing. It's the kind of show I'd purposefully let myself get to later in the day: An atmospheric exercise in unwinding, and one that I could count on to be coherent in terms of presentation, production, or just those all-important vibes. Even in cases like the unexpected swerve into more serious storytelling (where I could charitably rechristen the series to ‘Stressed-Out Camp’), they never turn away from the natural course of its always-present edutainment elements to a literally heartwarming conclusion, using the situation to also demonstrate the bonds that followed these friends around even on their individual camping excursions.

It's something Yuru Camp has always excelled at: Embracing the communicative culture of our modern world by letting the girls share their special times via sending texts and photos to each other. It's appreciably distinct from the anti-technology bend that you might expect from a series that's otherwise all about the great outdoors. And isn't that the perfect mash-up of exactly the kind of comfort food we need right now? A beautiful anime acting as a virtual travelogue for all the scenic spots we'll be able to make it to ourselves in the not-too-distant future (darn you COVID), and a reassurance that friendships necessarily maintained over digitized distances for the time being are still the valid connections we need them to be. Yuru Camp is a cuddly Iyashikei series that seems totally humble in its ambitions at first pass, but it humbly handles those ambitions perfectly. For example, Rin sending Toba-sensei to look after her friends in the freezing mountains, this show brought us some warming comfort at the exact time we needed it."

And I have to say that I totally agree with his final commentary. In such a stacked season where we're all coming out from the depths of managing COVID better, and with every studio and production team trying to cash in on whatever projects (new or sequel) they can operate on to earn back some income (at the expense of health, I'm looking at you CloverWorks with Wonder Egg Priority), it's the consistency of smaller studios like C-Station to just work effectively on just 1 show (or 2 at max) and keep the same production quality as their previous works. And going into Yuru Camp for its 2nd outing, it's entirely the same as about what you'd expect of the series if you've watched Season 1 all those years ago: the same Outdoor Adventure Club cast with central leads Rin and Nadeshiko; the absolute perfection of C-Station's production quality to mimic the real-life shots of Japan's geospots from mangaka Afro's rough but delicate work; and every feeling and emotion that is worth the joyride of experiencing camping with friends for life, whether connected physically or technically.

If I have to add what makes Season 2 pop out more of what Season 1 has already been established, it's more character development that adds the charm into what is already an endearing and relaxing slice-of-life show. In regards to both Rin and Nadeshiko, Season 1 is abscondly absent of their families' POV (though there were some instances, but not a lot), and this sequel went in full with their involvement, which helps make the relations more heartfelt and heartwarming, not to mention the added experience of going through more learning lessons. Adding to that is the fact that the Outdoor Adventure Club has always been just Nadeshiko, Aoi and Chiaki for the most of Season 1. So to see that the camping journey team has expanded to the entire cast (Rin, Ena, even teacher-cum-advisor Minami Toba, even Aoi bringing in her younger sister Akari for double Inuko gag jokes) with their camping skills and know-how upgraded with age and maturity, it has been a dream come true for fans of both the manga and anime, and Season 2 exceptionally delivers that experience to a T. As with a new season that brings forth a new OST, while it isn't on the levels of memorability of Season 1, I'd still think that both Asaka and Eri Sasaki did pretty consistently well with the peppy and Iyashikei-like comforting sentiments respectively.

All in all, as everyone have shared in the same heartbeat: Yuru Camp is enjoyable and relaxing Slice-of-Life wholesomeness at its peak. If all the recommendations aren't doing you a great service already, then hop right into Yuru Camp, where the Great Outdoors are waiting for you: Ready to shine forth its glory, nourishing the very heart and soul of what it means to be a camper: being friends with strangers (that become life-long ones), whether camping in groups or going solo, and not forgetting to share and communicate the feels-good wonders that beckons the heart of hearts.

"Just always smile and Seize The Day!
Sunrise is waiting for us~
(So life is wonder, It's precious time for us) Piece by piece~
(Yes I'm so happy, Shiny...) Yeah-heh~~~"

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Coming off the hedges of the reboot in 2019, I knew that this reboot which aims to be more faithful to the LN that it was based upon will be average, and guess what? Though the original 1998 Orphen is good on its own right, Season 1 is largely that boring and uninteresting (except that I love the OST there).

Come forward a year or 2, and we get the continuation of Orphen, conspicuously titled Kinluck-hen, or the Kimluck Church arc. This promises to be one of the better arcs in the LN, and Season 2 here is entirely dedicated to the long arc. Though back then trying to read this super long arc is a pain, at least give some credits to Studio Deen and the staff team for adapting this part that has somewhat of a right length of content...though I don't really care much for the plot as its lore was of some heavy exposition that only a minority will care about. I know I'm definitely not one of them.

Otherwise, everything here is just the same as Season 1, no changes whatsoever, except with a new OST that sounds fine. Once again, both Shoutarou Morikubo and Mai Fuchigami aces somewhat with the new OST, though I find that I jig better with Season 1's OST. A nitpick, but this is plenty fine.

A better showing than Season 1 overall, but to me, it hinges a lot like 1999's Orphen: Revenge that as decent as it could be.

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HOO BOY, I've been on the fence and don't really wanna talk about this one, but since it has already garnered quite the reputation for being the latest show in a series of "Hell of a Dumpster Fire" shitstorm of "dark, voluptuous and edgy power fantasy" series to come out of the unhinged "I can't believe it's not 𝐻Ǝ𝒩𝒯𝒜𝐼" degenerate culture of a "genre", might as well give it a go. Anything and whatever goes for the most gut-wrenching guilty pleasure of the season, and I already know that I'm gonna get flamed for this...BUT I DON'T CARE TWO FLYING F*CKS, because as a straight male (too bad I ain't one with an abalone), I may choose to say that I absolutely hated this show to oblivion, but deep within the depths of the rabbit hole...lies PEAK FICTIONAL SATISFACTION. I've already warned you AT THE VERY BEGINNING that if advices from The Anime Man or Gigguk (and eventually Mother's Basement) aren't enough WORD for you to drop this show, be my guest, because you're about to enter this deep hellhole of what Joey describes it best: 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓟ở𝓻𝓷: The Anime. WTF Japan!?

To understand what Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi a.k.a Redo of Healer all about, let's go through the checklist of tips of what defines a killer revenge story plot:
1) Motivation for revenge is key! It can’t be something petty, or make the hero look weak (e.g. enacting revenge on a girl for breaking his heart aged 16 just makes him look like he’s never grown up!) It needs to be bigger than this, so…
2) Make the reason something juicy and multi-layered to add motivation and keep the reader (and even the heroine) guessing why it has affected him so deeply.
3) Beware the revenge plot based on a misunderstanding: This can get very frustrating for the audience!
4) Spare a thought for the person in the wrong: Their behavior needs to be just as, if not more, well motivated as the person seeking revenge years later! Perhaps they did something bad, but for a very good reason...?
5) There needs to be more to your character than just a thirst for revenge that has consumed and driven them for decades. Otherwise they may seem like a crazed psychopath, or even worse, a pantomime, 2D villain!
6) Remember, revenge is not an emotional conflict! What else will keep your characters apart (or together) once they’ve resolved the issues that trigger the revenge plot?
7) Heroes/Heroines out for revenge...use with caution! They can work brilliantly, but he/she must be very well-motivated as it is essential your hero/heroine has the readers’ empathy.
8) A revenge plot is, by definition, driven by characters pushed to their emotional limits. If you’re drawn towards very dark-hearted heroes seeking vengeance for past sins, you might need to work that bit harder to persuade us why why should fall in love with him...especially if his behaviour is particularly outrageous!
9) The power balance in a revenge plot is inevitably skewed towards the avenger...so make sure the other character has personal traits that allow them to balance this out!
10) And the best way to seek revenge...well, in the bedroom of course 😉 (for some series!) They do say it’s best served hot...!

And does the main no-nonsense wreck of a "homewrecker" MC that is Keyaru fit all, or most of these descriptions? Yes and no. Maybe that's why author Rui Tsukiyo's research that more women than men are drawn towards this, it's tip-top "Redo Wednesday Culture" levels of degeneracy that's unprecedented ever since SAO's "rape" scenes, Berserk's "rape" levels of brutality, Shield Hero's misogynistic "revenge" plot (that gave the justice that it did), and Goblin Slayer's premiere episode of pure goblin-on-human "rape" thrashing. ALL OF THAT, combined with the emotions of watching Interspecies Reviewers' levels of 𝐻Ǝ𝒩𝒯𝒜𝐼 plot that's like Rance IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY. Hey guys, we're witnessing modern classics in the Winter season, from Attack on Titan, to Ex-Arm, and now this one. Pure "goodness" that's simply unrivalled upon the depths of the trashiest "masterpiece" anime ever made and seen on the deepest depths of the earth.

Want to know how the MC Keyaru is like? I'll do the honours in the form of a meme:
This is Keyaru.
Keyaru is a healing magician who can use healing magic to save every human being, because it's the strongest class.
Keyaru is subdued and subjected to pretty much EVERY SINGLE kind of torture you can think of.
Keyaru is being drugged, being forced to submit from both genders' misogynistic ways of torture, from NTR to pure rape.
Keyaru has lost everything related to him: the village, his family and his purity/virginity.
Keyaru longs for revenge upon this corrupt kingdom who's been hampering the liberty of its citizens and subjecting them to death without trial.
Keyaru is smart to find out that he can "Heal" the corrupt world by Redo-ing everything, thus so...
Be like Keyaru. "Heal" all the pent-up revenge, and f*ck away with his toys.

I wouldn't be complaining if Keyaru was already a broken human being both physically and mentally, he is WIRED to be like that by the very kingdom that houses him, along with the other "Heroes" who are also broken in their mentality and thought processes a lot to subjugate whatever the hell they're up against, let alone someone who they can use as a tool. And yes, everyone in this revenge story are TOOLS: SEX TOYS if I can infer best. All the sexual fanservice favourable girls here are also like Keyaru, mentally broken by whatever circumstances that deem them as usable tools with all of the bestiality that's going on, whether human or beast. Keyaru treasures his tools and friends well, and that's about as "morally" good or bad this shitshow has grown to be, with the popularity that even trumps established series in sales...BECAUSE SEX SELLS.

If there's a studio that is infamous enough to do shitshows like these, you know that you know there's ONLY ONE who can do the job one-up better: TNK. School Days, High School DxD, Sin: Nanatsu no Taizai, even Senran Kagura. There's no shortage of raunchy Ecchi shows that only this. You definitely get what you're "paying" your eyes and ears for when you're watching a show made by TNK: it's purely for the "plot", and nothing else. Don't watch the censored version, watch the Complete (Uncensored) Recovery version. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

You know the music, it's pretty much straight-up 𝐻Ǝ𝒩𝒯𝒜𝐼-ish, it's as if you're watching a gory and violent version of Rance! But if there's someone to thank for the nightmare-ish feelings, it's Keyaru's VA Yuya Hazumi. He's a relatively new Seiyuu, but to think that Keyaru would be his very first work (if you discount the very mediocre Actors: Songs Connection) at being the main character, as someone would say: "He probably slays all the thots IRL with that mighty chad voice." or "I bet he gets plenty of PUSSIES spawning behind him every time he speaks...CHAD." Even to Flare/Freya's VA Ayano Shibuya, this is her 3rd Seiyuu work (and the first main character work), you can tell just by the "rape" scene that she's incredibly talented. Always have known Minami Kuribayashi for some great songs, and the OP is no different, as is ARCANA PROJECT for the ED. Such parallels between tainted dark terror and pure white innocence that I can't get enough of.

Are you ready for the no-nonsense Porno adventure that reeks full of some of the most fanatical and fantastic garbage shit, because Redo of Healer is inviting you into a trance of an "adventure of a lifetime", one that is not boring, and there's some degeneracy to be had to grow on you. This is NOT for the faint-hearted dweebs who love to complain or shit about it, and if you do, prepared to be slayed by the revenge edge lord that is our Master and Lord Keyarga, Saviour of the World.

MUHAHAHAHAHA...may the guilty pleasures never end...

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This is the first time that I'll be reviewing a long-running series, so spare the pardon if there's any for pleasantries. But without further ado..."Please marry me, Sister Lily! I won't give up until I've hit my limits!"

"If you flip the 10, it becomes a 01!" - Some Jerk a.k.a remember how Black Clover was despised by everyone?

Black Clover is one of the many myriad of Shonen shows that Weekly Shonen Jump has been banking on imitating the success Shueisha once had since the diminishing of the Big 3 (One Piece, Bleach, Naruto), alongside many other WSJ titles that have constantly received headlines for breaking sales and adaptations that make up the modern age of the anime landscape. Unfortunately, at a time when the Big 3 were all but fizzled out of the community's eyes, there was but one mangaka amongst the many other Shonen authors who were trying to get the attention of Weekly Shonen Jump to have their works publicized...his name is Yuki Tabata. Being a sophomore into the manga industry, his first work of the short-lived and then cancelled 3-volume long Hungry Joker was not received well, and if you know anything about the intense competition of Weekly Shonen Jump: "If your manga doesn't sell well, we will take it off indefinitely without trial. We have more titles that we are ever ready to sink our time and resources into promoting new material and publicity to the large population who are always ever hungry for more." OK, shame on you for the first try. But take a look at his second work...and yet it still doesn't sell when this came out in early 2015 when it was serialized in WSJ. But Shueisha at least had a good idea that while this work started off being blantantly and averagely similar to the Big 3 in terms of the story and plot, and so they released the first volume thereafter in June of the same year. And to say the rest is history is an understatement, because even in the Oricon charts, Yuki Tabata just couldn't do enough to maintain the growing popularity of his work, only selling within the Top 25 and not even cracking the Top 10, even after the anime adaptation came out (at least for the 1st year running). It's only through the sheer talent of director Tatsuya Yoshihara and his production team at Studio Pierrot that would propel this "then infamous, now famous" work into the greatest of great oblivion with the passing of time, that Yuki Tabata finally can breathe a heavy sigh and continue developing Black Clover into one of the many modern Shonen juggernauts that we know today, selling from the thousands to the millions.

I'm not gonna say that what Yuki Tabata did here was plentiful, the story plot was rife of a roller-coaster ride of the usual Shonen tropes and cliches that quickly garnered attention as one of the worst series to be published and then through Studio Pierrot's infamous low-budget visuals, another strike as one of the worst modern Shonen shows that aired back in 2017. Heck, I probably would not want to include what Black Clover is all about, you can refer to the MAL synopsis or even Wikipedia to read it. In a nutshell, think of the Big 3 and the main MC's aspiration of "I want to be <fill in the blanks of the usual Shonen archetype>", add in a fellow rival, and there you have it. It feels just as awful as any kind of minimalistic story from the start, and the usual shenangians from some heavy power fantasy action to the occasional comedy that just doesn't feel as cohesive, and that's not to mention the immense boredom that quickly sets in if you're not the type to stick around for just "one more chapter". Not gonna lie, the first thing that everyone will remember is the crudely annoying MC that is Asta, especially in particular towards newbie VA Gakuto Kajiwara at the time when he first debuted with Asta. Try to compare the criticisms from Day 1 of the anime to now, and most people will say: "I still remember the days when people hated his voice days after his debut on Black Clover. Although I also wasn't very fond of it too, I found it very funny later, gotta love him and his voice acting now." or "I used to think that he (Gakuto Kajiwara) did a bad job with Asta...I take back what I said. His voice matches Asta completely and it's not bad at all, I've gotten used to it overtime." We've come a long way, friends. To see a rookie VA on his first debut getting flamed for all the wrong reasons, to now seeing the light that no one can replace Gakuto Fujiwara for the long-term investment.

Overtime, we get to see the extensive character cast of Black Clover, and I'm still going to rely on my gut feelings here: each and everyone of them feels like cardboard cut-outs that are worth surmising to invoke the feelings of just blantantly plagarizing from other Weekly Shonen Jump works, and that's where Yuki Tabata can be faulted with trying to make do of the cliches and tropes of the Shonen genre that worked well at the time. The problem is with his way of execution of character traits that we've seen way too often to try lifting inspirations from one source to another, so much so that it becomes overbearing and full of cringe. Let's say Asta's rival Yuno. He's a skilled Wind Magic user, blessed by the gods to have magnificent power for OP prodigy powers, and as indicated by the magic books known as Grimoires: he's the four-lead clover magic user. Now tell me if any of those traits are lifted whether in and out of context of similar characters you might have seen throughout your read list of Shonen lookalikes. But as further evidenced, it's with the passing of time that helps distinguish each and every character to their types and whatnot, giving us the audience enough time to digest about what makes them tick and work, and appreciate them for their presence to the different progressing story arcs of the main series.

You know me, I'm very critical when it comes to studio productions, and Studio Pierrot to me, stands as one of the worst studios to ever exist, even if they adapt works that often lose out on the quality of the source materials that fans so desired to see on the small screen. Black Clover is no different with the stigma that Pierrot productions tend to have, and for 1001 good reasons. But once again, like I've said at the beginning, it's thanks to director Tatsuya Yoshihara for helming this long-running project that has seen its fair shares of highs and lows. Black Clover might've started on the wrong foot for being the similar case towards Studio Deen at being decades-old studios with variable quality, for the test of time stands between the production staff team to stand in the gap and make their efforts worth it, and the payoff was certainly worth it in the long-run that was only destined to run for the full length of a year, that subsequently got lengthened and amounted to 3.5 years worth of time that increased the hype with some episodes having the Asta trademark of "I will hit my limits!" that expressively shared the experience of sticking in the long-run. AND BOY, DO THOSE EPISODES DELIVER with at best 9-turned-10/10 ratings that even trended on Twitter. YES, Black Clover IS BIG in both Japan and the West, and with Crunchyroll being the biggest benefactor that this show has garnered the No. 1 top spot in 80+ countries, you can't certainly lie at where Black Clover is now with the insane popularity. To that I say, great job Pierrot for making me love a show that I now endear as one of the many Shonen long-running series that I can recommend.

Even the music can't be understated. For as many as 13 sets of OSTs within the 3.5 year long run of Black Clover, we've definitely heard some "diamond in the rough" gems that we've gotten used to overtime, with many songs that really stick out to be the series' representatives when it comes to recognizing that it originated from Black Clover. Sound director Hajime Takakuwa certainly did wonders at what he does best, but for this one I have to give props to the many artists that have contributed cult-classic songs, from the OPs: Kankaku Piero's "Haruka Mirai" to Vickeblanca's hit songs "Black Rover" and "Black Catcher", and EDs: Itowokashi's "Aoi Honoo" to Faky's "four". These are just some of my top favourite songs from Black Clover, but there's just too many to list them, because most of them are bangers in their own right (with some just being decent at best).

Like what @Goober-fish has said: "Whatever the case may be, Black Clover is my ultimate guilty pleasure and I wave that 10 with pride." And I reverse the words of some jerk that said the sentence at the beginning: "If you flip the 01, it becomes a 10!" Black Clover may have started with being a score of 01, but looking at it now, it's definitely worthy of the 10 score in every possible way: the story that got better overtime with the characters, the insane Pierrot animation quality and right down to the fantastic OSTs that we are graced with to our pairs of eyes and ears.

Never have I thought that I will return from a hatred of a stigma to loving them for Shonen shows, and even if I or you have never watched the Big 3 before, Black Clover is EASILY the best recommended entry show for anyone wanting to dive into Shonen shows...that's if you can last all 170 episodes in one go. Thanks Black Clover, now it's no longer just a guilty pleasure, and I'm an addition to wearing that 10 with pride.

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YAPPE...a surfing anime! Let's go ride the Waves! Surfing Yappe!! Show must go on!
...only except that this is not only just bad, but it's boring also, catering to the niche audiences. And being the TV version of a 3-part film trilogy released in October 2020, I'd presume that the reception for this is moderately lukewarm (when COVID is still a thing), but who the hell was thinking to green-lit the "complete edition" TV version to milk more of the mixed-media project. This should've just stayed in Japan and not come out either way, we don't need mediocrely bad shows like this to waste our precious time.

There have been many sports anime, but if there's anything to prove this Winter season, is that the unknown have risen and emerged from the depths of the sports themselves, from volleyball to figure skating, and skateboarding to surfing. But as one can say, those representations are nothing if the shows they come from aren't as good as they are, and in the case of "Wave! Surfing Yappe!", the case in point inferred is true. There's no story for this, it's just the usual shenanigan case of a newbie being invited to the world of the sport, learning tricks and treasuring friendships along the way. Think along the lines of Sk8 the Infinity, only that it fails to do everything decently, despite being faithful from the supervision of the Nippon Surfing Association, the supervision cooperation of Surf Magazine and Murasaki Sports.

I've gotta say that this show knows how to "bait" a story just because there's nothing going for it, but through the characters instead:
- Your typical newbie Masaki Hinaoka who is drawn to the sport and giving it a try before being fully immersed in the sport. But Oh My Gawd, never have I hated such a character playing the usual tropes and cliches, just in a very irritating manner that with Tomoaki Maeno's voice, increases the cringe tenfold. What's the point of repeating the show's tagline and the same quote umpteen times over when once is already excruciatingly bloody to the ears? This is not how you want to paint the central MC as a young, angsty happy-go-lucky teenager, and that to me, is a make-and-breaker.
- Thw two initial surfers alongside Masaki, Shou Akitsuki and Nalu Tanaka, both pro surfers, but with the former looking like the most gay and pretty Bishounen and the latter, a foreign student who's well-versed overseas. Also, please don't try to "bait" people by removing characters off for seemingly no rando reason for the sake of character "development", it just doesn't work that way (unless you can call it anime logic).
- The rest of the pro surfers ranging from a reigning champion, an otaku, the analyst, and much more. Needless to say, these characters are all cookie-cutter ones just for interaction purposes and give some "Wave!" of steam for the surfing competitions. Just very mediocre.

From a production standpoint, Asahi Production will definitely not ring a bell of hints and whizzes, because most of the works that this low-budget studio have done over the years are objectively uninteresting, boring and at times, unappealing. Heck, I'd even say of the 2 shows that this studio have pumped out this season, I'd recommend Tenchi Souzou Design-bu (a.k.a Heaven's Design Team) as the better show anyday, indefinitely. Honestly said, it can tackle some good 2D animation, but the 3DCG (especially on the sea of waves) is pure poggers bad, more than looking unremarkable, prosaic, and unrealistic with the way these Bishounen characters try to ride the waves just for the looks.

Of all the things that this show managed to ace is the music, and for good reason: it combines the songs that it uses for both versions of the same source material. But even then, it's full-on Bishounen stuff so I can't imagine the general populace will like tunes like these that only appeal to either the Shoujo or the Josei audience.

I've already stated my case earlier, and I'll emphasize again: this TV version should have been completely canned since I presume that the film trilogy didn't do all that well in Japanese theatres. It's only because of COVID and decent backing that the TV version is made accessible as a means to watching the complete 3-part film in 12 episodes, with the same overall content combined time. But whatever it is, please go surfing at your own leisure. This show is an easy skip for all the right or wrong reasons, and I can't fathom people watching this will be satisfied on a decent level.

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I've already done a review for the 1st season of the "new" manga-cum-anime, so refer to that if you're interested.

But without further ado, it's just the same as Season 1 with all the same bells and whistles as I remembered how the anime looked in its average decency. The only story plot here is that of the Legendary Utensils: collect them all, and defeat the Underworld Cooking Society with ringleader Kaiyu. Otherwise, it's a direct copy-and-paste that I've gotten used to overtime with acceptance.

A new season comes with new music, and the OST is just OK, nothing that really stands out.

Overall, while this sequel season is fine, just go read the completed manga instead.

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It's been almost 3 years ever since CyGames' Uma Musume came out, and while Season 1 back in Spring 2018 only garnered moderate attention, it was enough to make it stand out amongst the other shows that aired in the similar time period. Fast forward the same time to Winter 2021, and it was even a surprise that Uma Musume would get a sequel season with almost everything intact from the story basis to the characters, albeit the only change now is with a new studio.

In a nutshell, if you remembered what went through in Season 1 all those years ago, the same plot template can be found here: 2 central horsegirl characters, accompanied by their own team with rival teams and horsegirls, and most importantly, staying true to the history of their legacy and remitting the exact same emotions and feelings of the former.

This sequel season changes the main roles from Special Week and Silence Suzuka to Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, and for the most part, the character story established here is indefinitely stronger than just the student-teacher relationship of Spe-chan and Suzuka. For the most part, both Teio and McQueen have been very competitive horsegirls, from Teio bearing the exact same story basis of Season 1 with Tracen Academy's Student Council President Symboli Rudolf and looking up to her as the inspiration of being a horsegirl, to McQueen bearing the prestigous family name to uphold high standards. Friends-cum-rivals, winners or losers, lead or support, do or die, there's traits that will keep all engrossed in the tight loop of experiencing emotions like a true horse race of smiles and cries to the breaking point of bets earned or lost.

New to Season 2 are more characters from the game, and adding to what is already an extensive list of the Uma Musume character roster. Included are the horse girls from Team Canopus: Ikuno Dictus, Nice Nature, Twin Turbo and Matikane Tannhauser, and individuals like Mihono Bourbon and the underdog Rice Shower to give some semblance to the "antagonist" story feature that Season 1 lacked with in the rival segments of the show. For the most part, it's as what you'd expect if you've watched Season 1, nothing is new here, and I'm fine with it since the characterization has been carried forward with minimal changes and such.

As anyone would've guessed, when a replacement studio comes in, there's bound to be some legitimate worries, but I can safely say that Studio Kai has kept everything that P.A. Works have established (it's still helping in production cooperation). With the improvement in the 3DCG camera work of the horse races to make it look more realistic and appealing, it's largely for the better since P.A. Works didn't really do a great job on the production of the horse races in Season 1 with everything being 2D. Nonetheless, this could've been a double studio cooperation work, but I understand why Studio Kai (which only existed to produce Netflix anime) is chosen as the lead animation production studio.

Music is just pretty much the same ear-punching goodness carried forward, and I'm fine with this season cutting out the Winning Stage for the horse girl winners entirely since it only existed to promote the game back when Season 1 aired, otherwise this is no right to exist in this season since the characters play the integral part this time around.

All in all, for a pretty competitive season, Season 2 brings a pretty compelling story to say the least, and top it up with some needed improvement in the animation spectrum, you have a sequel that is the same as the last, but leaps and bounds better for a nice touch.

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