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In the sea of mediocre cartoons, violence, objectification of teen girls harem and shonen series, with a great impact barges in CITY.
Originally written by Keiichi Arawi, author of Nichijō and Helvetica Standard, CITY the animation is a true and precious gem.

Art style obviously inspired by the revival of the city pop music and it's pop-art envelope. Score reminiscent of Nichibros and Pat & Mat by Piranhans. And finally, humor that isn't relying on simple slapstick or stretched cringe, but truly absurd and abstract jokes or long buildup with satisfying reward.

Titular CITY is a small city placed somewhere in almost rural Japan.
Story follows multiple characters, weaving ... their interlacing storylines and interactions into tightly knitted fabric that will wrap around the spectator bringing weirdly cozy and warm emotions.

Giving off strong summer vibes, always sunny CITY, is a place where weird hairdresser, slackers, busy families, noodle sellers, impossible animals, rich and common live their own lives.

It is hard to even sketch up main story without focusing on explanations how who when and why... But! There are two middle schooler girls having their tight friendship with everything silly people would do in that age. There's group of sophomores and young adults, figuring out what they want.
There are two families filled with great cast of characters.
Police officer, antique trader, weird snake... snake-like creature. Actually, more weird creatures! Theatre troupe. Pastiche parody of Tezuka's weird scientist professors and comically well written stereotypical anime butler.

Great art style and direction. Animation that mixes in clay-like 3D and even crafted scenography. Mentioned soundtrack that completes each scene and story.
Everything just works.

It is just so rare and refreshing to get series, that is this well balanced at what it wants to do.
Might be best anime in many, many years.

If you liked Nichijō or even enjoyed some Monthy Python sketches and jokes, want cozy escape from reality, this series might be just the right thing for you.

Must watch if you loved The Taste of Tea or Symbol.

In the early XV century, in kingdom of P(oland), in a Korean-mmo inspired city with comically artificial "medieval" design unfolds a story that ticks all of the tropes for low quality series.

Rafał, a gifted if not prodigal kid played by veteran Maaya Sakamoto is thrown at the viewer. There's no chance to establish real connection between character and what is happening in the series. Rafał i just a gifted kid who under sudden spark of inspiration throws away faith in the name of science. Any moral dilemma is suggested - told not shown. A cardinal sin in visual medium of animation.
Rafał's foster father, whose first ... name is noble Polish surname, Potocki ordered kid to drop his passion / gift and pursuit theology. This is another issue with the series because theologists were educated. If a kid was chosen to study under guidance it meant the obvious talent was recognized. So this is another huge plot hole.

Now the big question arises - why being interested in physics and astronomy would be so bad to have interest in? Because, according to narration, it is against teachings of Bible. Which isn't and never was. Studies and science was used to enforce the teachings of God, so this is yet another fallacy. It wouldn't irk me if the series was fantastical creation but it is heavily and obviously inspired by reality. And it is bad.
Low quality animation doesn't help, and multiple effect-shots and glitter can't hide what lurks under veneer.

Series also introduces morally bankrupt inquisitor or rouge priest who travels remotely connected by proxy to some formal ruling or church power, and randomly performs acts of gruesome violence. There's no tension or depth yet again. Evil priest Nowak (surname as name yet again) just persecutes people for a cheap shock value.
To counter this "evil" character, we got Hubert.
Hubert is "reformed" priest/teacher who takes Rafał under his wings and ask a major question: ya boy, wanna study, or learn about the universe?

And now there are some barebone of a structure of a series, but I already dropped it. But hear me out: there are those, who will look past cheap animation, surprisingly bad soundtrack, average voice acting, laughable backgrounds or pretense of any meaningful depth, and they blinded by their hatred for quality, will glaze over insultingly bad series adding it to another "great-masterpiece" rated ones on their lists.
But those, who seek the truth, proper quality of the long gone Golden Era of anime, will reject this turd wrapped in thin layer of shining fool's gold - or so, to paraphrase turgid narration of this cartoon.

Orb on the Movements of Earth is rebuff to anyone who expected more serious or scientifically rich take. Heck, even those who just wanted more history inspired science-fiction x magicks type of a production will be disappointed.
Nothing wrong with series that embrace its own mediocre nature, but I do have issue, when animation committee chew on history and spits something insulting intelligence of its own viewership.
If only art-side could pull this series it wouldn't be half bad. Sadly, like I mentioned before, production value is not really here.
All the aspects and makings of a proper "mid" series are here, but just don't do much. And especially as a Pole, series like this are offensive to Polish culture and heritage.
You can't make something that is this bad and not expect at least a raised eyebrow.

So again to summarize my experience, Madhouse released real stinker with this one.
None of the aspects of the series worked here.

Script written by Shingo Irie didn't innovate, just reduced already flawed source material to essence of bad. Direction by Kenichi Shimizu proved that senior animators aren't always good outside their main skill set, even if they had one well received series, like in this case, previously directed Parasyte: the maxim.
Throwing Kensuke Ushio who made well received scores to popular series like Dandadan or Space Dandy, also didn't result with something note worthy.

If someone enjoyed this series - good for them that they could glance over horribly cheap, and low brow, product.
I couldn't.

I've came to this manga years ago and just periodically read few chapters.

Compared to Hitoshi Ashinano's probably most known series, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikko, this tittle is much simpler and have very little world building or characters.

Story follows young adult, Isaki who is capable of flying airplane without proper license.
Piper PA-18 Super Cub, or just "Cub", is owned by middle aged woman Shiro and hers much younger sister, Kajika, often tags along, as she's too small and weak to pilot Cub on her own.

Shiro and Isaki have an agreement that instead of paying any money, he'll do some flying chores and deliveries for plane owner.

Later ... on, another young pilot is introduced: Sayori. She's a hot headed and energetic, as much as Ashino could make such, character.
She pays great respect for Shiro, who apparently is well regarded pilot and character, in the region despite hers laid back, borderline lazy, drunk-aunt attitude.

Problem I have with this story is that even for Ashino, it is barely holding itself. Art is reserved and character design is simplistic. Stylized anatomy is too close to parody with elongated and stretched figures, and very deformed heads and faces - as if the author didn't feel like drawing.

All six volumes were published in the span of six years, and for me, it does feel like story should have had stayed a one shot as it originally was, because how aimless it feels most of the times.

What initially been reserved, stylized or a just choice in most places, later felt like tired or messy obligation to finish the chapter, and eventually entire comic series.

Worst offender though, must be the finale and resolution.
It tried to answer some question, none wanted to get answered. It tried to bond everything together, but ended being cheap or superficial at best. If it wasn't so much out of the blue than perhaps it might be working, but it ended being kind like those exposition-dumps, bringing whole experience to low, disappointing feeling of being cheated.

It is a nice read, specifically if you know Hitoshi Ashino and his other works, or just enjoy laid back and calmer slice of life, but still is just lacking any proper value.

It really should've had been one-shot, and one-shot only.

Moeblob the Anxiety is rather silly series about socially challenged girl, with depersonalization-derealization disorder manifesting at every social event.

Hitori Goto, heroine of the story, suffered a social outcasting trauma due to her mental issues early onset manifesting as inability for decision making and reacting in social situations.
Instead of being properly treat and rehabilitated, girl was left to develop her mental issues into serious, debilitating condition leading to more and more downward spiral resulting in developing grandiose delusions in hers early teens.
Inspired by daytime tv talk-show with some moderately successful band, Goto decided to realize hers delusionalisit dreams by becoming a rockstar.
She borrow guitar from hers ... father and by sheer coincidence, turned out she had dedication and skills which helped her develop certain online notoriety for doing online covers of famous songs (which further pushed her detachment from reality and society).

Shortly after becoming a high schooler, Goto is faced by the reality that hers lack of self worth, social anxiety and delusions won't let her realize hers dream of playing in front of the school.
That's when eighth-grader syndrome kicks-in, and she starts bringing guitar to school, hoping it will be enough of an interesting feature for someone to approach her, and leading to formation of a school rock band. Which in a weird way happens, and the story unravel into further checkmarks of "kid in a band" trope.

Goto, aka titular Bocchi, is catered by deus-ex characters which for unknown reason accept her on a whim, push her into social and personal growth leaving wide gap of slapstick and abstract humor. Which in this case, works really well with all the abstract skits being clay figures, composite segments, crude 3D animations and such, rather popular during current online "content meta".
Though, supporting characters are flat. Each other girl have one obvious quality and one obvious flaw and only males in series are spineless father and mean-looking manager for the other band.

Another gripe I have, is how music starts as normal but well composed pop-rock, which quickly evolves into some mad tremolo tap-hammer-on festival not many teen guitarists can really pull off. It falls too close to that Suzumiya Haruhi concert where one android-girl just uploads herself with mad skills of guitar playing because... anime.
Same issue here. Playing simpler music and suddenly jumping into technically complex arrangements is out of place.

Series which does much better personal growth is obviously BECK, and the growth is not 13-15 year old kid becoming prodigal shut-in genius and another one advancing from no skills to on-stage improvisation in months, but normal progression which takes years.
But music is not the scope of Bocchi the rock, it is just background for making same old jokes.

Next thing that really is just in your face and hard to skip is how uneven the animation quality is. Some episodes are just all over the place, and I'm not talking about gags.
Smartly injected rotoscopy and 3D animation of concerts, stage playing should work on most people though. But pixelated and blurred photography for most of the backgrounds is just lazy.
And speaking of lazy - beach episode did not fall into "bikini" cringe, but sure took a nose dive during festival and maid-cafe part.

Background music was ok and lofi, chiptune-like theme of Bocchi was actually nice. Band songs though were bland, characterless, and too much focused on merch-sales rather than "indie band/livehouse" vibe one would be expecting.
Voice acting is another proper part. Goto was well acted and maybe older sister-manager felt really miscast.

Personally I just loved those chibi animations during end credits. Just really sad, how OP and ED songs were just safe and pretty weak in general.


All in all, this series was enjoyable for what it was, but coming from memes and general praises, it didn't leave strong impact.
Not something I'd recommend to anyone, except people enjoying CGDCT to be honest.

Sappy story, with extra bestiality.
This film is a reminder that some ideas or projects are just doomed because how bad they are.

Story follows some average girl who starts sleeping with super cool and edgy guy, who turns out to be an reverse werewolf. Wolfmanwere?

There are few bits, enjoyable moments, like that one where ex-student, now bestiality enjoyer mother moves out into sticks and lives a "simpler, closer to nature" life, with her bastard mutant children. But that's it.

Except one deus ex scene, to trigger mentioned above change of scenery, film is predictable and boring.
Story is simple, and boy oh boy, does someone had hots ... to put some doggy x student girl action, am I right? I am.
Also finale build up is so obvious and poorly delivered, I had to pause for a moment to rethink why should I keep on living, when I waste my life watching such crap movies.

Music is forgettable just like voice acting. Backgrounds are best part of this whole film, chara design fits my preferences but is obvious cost-wise pick and doesn't fit story that well. Plot holes are large and everything else is just barely working together. Very so-so.

Final verdict:
vaush/10 (but with dogs, instead of horses)

Spotted flower.

Or rather: waisted premise.

It started as a weird spin-off or an alternative take on archetypes from Genshiken, but all went south for no reason really.
Last time I was this disappointed about pointless turnarounds and shockers, was when I did watch the Disney's Star Wars trilogy.
But from the top.

Me, like probably most people here, looked at this series because of the author's previous works, the "Genshikens". Those two series were long serializations about students spending their free time at the uni manga and anime club. Something like Big Bang Theory, but funny and sans cringe.

So "Spotted flower" takes archetypes from that series, looks and traits, ... mix it up, and leaves the reader with pregnant wife and hers husband, who likes to rub out to some loli and shota porno games. Like any normal Japanese man would, right?
Wife is progressively getting more into her pregnancy, and because of that, and how actually many men feel, she wants sex and her husband is reluctant.
Funny shenanigans happen, comedy, slapstick, slice of life and some dirty adult jokes as well. All is fine.

This manga started before Genshiken Nidaime (second Genshiken manga "season") really took off, and surpassed that publication because it was made at slowest pace possibly.
And as the Nidaime started devolving into weird harem-gay tropes for no good reason, same did happen to this series.
It degenerated.

For me personally events in the series, which should be a one shot, or 2-5 chapters at most, are just random.
There's the power-duo of husband with weak character and his wife, who's strong and rather direct, which is then supplemented (to call it lightly) with 10 or so "side characters", who take the lead and derail the narration.
Series goes for a full plate of cheap soap opera plot twists.

I'm wondering if those events are some repressed urges? Or did Shimoku Kio and his editor just spent too much time indoors and forgot how world filled with humans works? Even for a comic series, and I've read some unbelievable junk, events in Spotted flower just don't add up. None is cohere after few chapters here.
Those are, again, just disconnected events, and plot holes are filled with more and more idiosyncratic people, popping every chapter.
Narration is chaotic and story just loses its core to wander aimlessly around some weird fantasies I presume?
It would be all good, if it was connected with buildup, premise or at least some logical hints. But nothing like that was present before hand.
Story just randomly drops the bomb, and the drama ensues - just like in Nidaime? No. Just like if you were reading a book about carrots, and in fourth chapter there would be only explanation how different diesel engines work, and no more mentions of said carrots.

Because I was following said previous works for very long time, and it was probably the only serialized comic that made me wait at night for the next chapter to be released, this off-brand "Genshiken" is tarnishing the good memories I had of the adventures of the otaku club members. Author unintentionally made a stinker, and I have so little words to stress this fact until I go into excessive swearing to express my anger.
It's that bad.


After reading what is available as of May 2024, there's just this one question: why?


If you are also someone who knows Shimoku Kio because of Genshiken - just stay away from this. If "Spotted flower" is your first read from this author, just know, it's probably his worst piece to date.

DISAPPOINTED!!/10

Great start and even greater left down.

After rather long break from anime, I came back to this series and was pleasantly surprised.
Initial premise, mood, design, feel of the series was good, despite mediocre opening and very bad ending songs, which became premonition of what this series would become.

While story was still fresh, and little details were present about titular character - Freien, a thousand or so, years old elf who is lazy but talented as a magician - story was good. It kept bouncing between collage of memories and current events.
Despite indifferent, almost unpleasant or passive-aggressive nature of Freiern, the more of her backstory ... was unveiled, the more this character became somewhat close.
And then it started going downhill.

Cliche, tired tropes, and eventually, more and more younger-lo0oking girls started to pop-up.
Frieren turned out to be god-like magician with One-punch man level of unrecognition, by most, of hers true powers.
Events began dragging worse than most uninspired side-quests in ancient RPG game.
Basically, series got boring.

Side characters are the same - purple mage girl is cold, antisocial idiot who can't read relationship or human face-to-face ques, besides polite, passive aggressive formalities. And redhead boy, who has no spine whatsoever, is also un-killable, godlike warrior trained by Freieren's former party member (just like purple girl btw).

So instead of slow paced, slice of life series, this cartoon drifted into action-comedy with scenic, long, dragging scenery and landscape shots, some action, some memories, some boring background characters, some more old memories of events which would become deus-ex machina to push forward very formulaic format of the episodes.

Maybe my fault was expecting it to be something closer to Aria or YKK, while focusing on the overall concept of how "eternal" character like Tolkien-like, long living elves are lonely because of their lack of concept of time and mortality of other races.
Or might it be that this adaptation just lied about being something else in the hook, first 3-4 episodes and then drifting into mediocre fantasy adventure animation lacking adventure?

Well, that said, I feel lied to.
Last time I've seen this level of "accidental" trolling was when I believed one weird guy and watched Haruhi Suzumiya season 2.

Anyways - I have my guesses about elf loli and "hero" after-death relationships, I'm tired of people shipping purple and red teens together, or even worse - Freieren and monk elf... Uh.

My opinion is a hot take because you people can't handle the truth. If a series is just a bit, initially, better than average product, you fall into trap of judging it highly.
Funeral March of Freiren is not bad, but the longer it goes, the weaker it gets. It lies, and have horrible openings and endings, and those, obviously, are the most important aspect of every cartoon (that's a joke).

First 4 episodes are 9/10
Later you can remove 0.25 point per 10 minutes of the show - I gave it 4/10 because it's not bad and had just a little amount of cheaper and quality moments. But story, despite initial quirk, is house of cards build without said cards. It's an illusion.

Final score: overhyped/10

I've started reading TGWOK back when it was still going.
Revisiting it decade later was a mistake.
You can't enter same river twice, and you can't enjoy bad series when older.
As a kid, it was a silly time filler, and my taste in Japanese comic books was really bad apparently.

The story is that Keima, a young sociopath impassive in common life, just wanting to play his simpleton dating sims, bumps into Elsie - a bottom dreg demon from hell who's mentally challenged.
"Hilarity ensues" as the unconventional duo deals with shenanigans, dating "real women" (other teenage girls), and it just drags for ages instead of ending in a ... maybe 2 volumes as it should.

Art is is acceptable. Characters are not. Gags are gagging with how boring and formulaic they are.

It's a product of its times, back when harems were still "hot", so not worth reading if it isn't 2010s.

One of those series that aren't really bad, but neither are good.

Izou is a high schooler and is facing his fate of dealing with medieval courtesan who cursed his great-great-grandfather and now returned as a demon to fulfill her unrequired love.
In short, it's like Urusei Yatsura but with ghosts and demons instead of aliens.

Art is heavily stylized but also chaotic. Tiring to read.
Story done a million times which is generic slapstick/ecchi/action/romance/whatever.
Characters are one dimensional, flat, and changing on a whim to allow joke or "drama action" to happen.

Felt a lot like an attempt to make series which could get a cartoon adaptation. Soulless.
...
Not the worst, but feels stale.

Where do I even begin?

Whole premise is that one horny kid wants to sleep with another girl who's allegedly is selling herself out.
And after that series go full discord mod/redditor admin mode, and it just gets worse with every few pages.

Art is average with better or worse moments, but it gets actually almost all right trough few later volumes I've regretfully checked.

Story, again, is just horny kids doing intercourse/petting, and the "hilarity" following that. Characters are one dimensional without any positive traits - everyone is scum or degenerate, just like everyone involved in publishing this trash.

If this was a series about adults, sure. There are ... things like Henzemi, but it's about 13-16 year old children which someone invented, someone else read and agreed on to pushing forward publishing, so more people would read it.
I mean, come on? It's not even subtle - later on there's literally a scene where a kid is proceeding into intercourse with older, sadist girl, and ends up with his own cum covering himself. And it even gets worse later on.

It is just pedo porn, and there's no excuse or walkaround about it.

Disgusting trash, author and everyone involved should be locked up.