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Feb 17, 2023
My Hero Academia (MHA) an already declining in popularity manga and anime (this coming from a fan since season 1) hits it's 5th season, which not only contains one of the most beloved story arcs from the manga, but also one of the most hated ones as well. So what does Bones decide to do? Pad out more than half the season with the chaff, and leave little to no time (NOT EVEN AMPLE TIME) for the Villain arc.
Plot wise, nothing was changed from the manga, and if anything they made the joint training arc a little more dynamic and fun. BUT WHY? An arguably
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meaningless arc that exists only to display and show off the powers of characters that could've been explored much deeper and efficiently ALL THE WAY BACK in the tournament arc! Was the animation good? Yeah sure I guess. Did they explore Deku's connection to OFA more? Definitely and that's all good and fine, but 12 episodes of just straight up meaningless fights!? Come on Bones.
But the inclusion of this arc would've been fine, if it wasn't at the expense of the Villain arc.
ONE OF THE MOST if not THE MOST beloved arcs in the entirety of MHA for the way it shakes up the formula, and truly shows how the League Of Villains have grown from being complete losers to an actual threat, is SHAFTED to say the least. Not only is the preamble for the main body of the arc long and arduous in anime form (at least it felt that way), the animation for some of the most pivotal scenes is the animation equivalent of AFO's wrinkly-ass, preserved plum face. One of my favourite scenes from the manga is where Shigaraki tears through a crowd of civilians with his newly strengthened decay ability, so imagine my shock when that scene became down graded into a literal before and after shot in the anime, I mean the MANGA HAD MORE FRAMES! And before you say, it was out of their skillset or budget, there is test footage from other scenes in the arc that didn't make it in, that look 10x smoother than the final product, and from the movies we've seen them produce for the series, we KNOW for certain it isn't a skill issue. AND if it was a budget issue, WHY NOT DIVERT THE FUNDING FROM THE LESS VISUALLY DEMANDING ARC THAT CAME BEFORE!? Idk i'm not part of the industry and i won't claim to be or know what I'm talking about, but still, it just seems odd that such a widely beloved arc didn't get the love it needed.
Conclusion, the visuals in this season are great, but just at the wrong moments. It's problematic when you can say the manga animated it better than the anime. Story wise? It's more MHA, if you were a fan of the fights and/or story before, you'll probably still like it here now.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Feb 17, 2023
'Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu' or by its localised english title 'A Whisker Away' is a movie you can watch for sure, whether you should is an entirely different story. Now I don't dislike this film for what it is necessarily, but because of the potential it had, that isn't to say the film itself is still quite dull. When I first saw the trailer i was instantly gripped by Studio Colorido's visuals, bringing forth vibes of their previous project 'Penguin Highway' and a presence akin to that of a ComixWave production, that is to say I was excited. Counting down the days till
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i could watch it, yet when the long-awaited day arrived and I had finished the film i was left...unsatisfied.
One of the biggest criticisms comes from the main character's actions towards the boy she likes, in that if the roles were reversed and it was instead a male pursuing a female in such a manner, being cancelled would be the least of his problems. Not only that, the lead in question isn't even very likeable, being quite full of herself and doing little to make the audience sympathise with her except through her persistence in turning her unrequited love into one that is reciprocated. This fact isn't helped that by the end of the movie despite all the bridges she's burned and a-hole moves she's made, she gets the boy and we are expected to leave all her flaws in the past as if they hadn't unfolded before us mere minutes ago.
Aside from characters however, the plot and story itself is also quite lacking. The pacing of the film just feels odd from what I recall, with the use of some non-linear story telling making the overall film quite messy in my opinion. Not saying that it's impossible to achieve effective non-linear storytelling in an anime, but this just isn't the best example of it. Also the cats we HAVE to talk about the cats. Although the design of the cat island denizens are fantastic and nowhere similar to the box-office 'smash hit' Cats, they feel underused, especially when you consider that half of the promotional material seemed to lead viewers to believe bulk of the movie would take place on the aforementioned cat island. (SA: it doesn't) This combined with the lacklustre and somewhat goofy final confrontation turn this film's plot from a fantasy world traversing coming of age story, into just a bad coming of age story, with a sprinkle of fantasy. However, I will admit I went into this film hoping to find a Your Name adjacent film (in terms of story and not production value) and thus may be biased when judging the plot, however I still do believe this film's plot is still lacking and does not provide an entertaining nor fulfilling journey, with characters seemingly changing their emotions and motivations like the wind.
Perhaps I judged A Whisker Away too harshly, as a Makoto Shinkai simp and die hard fan of his biggest mainstream hits, but I have no doubt that this film was intended to ride the highs of those films and if not compete with them, at the very least try to gain similar appeal, to which I would say it gloriously fails at. An overall forgettable film with the most memorable aspect of which being how socially unacceptable the main character acts, combined with the fact that this was a Netflix production is a recipe for a movie that will be lost to the annals of Netflix's ever growing anime repertoire. It's nothing short of a miracle how this film can remain, and Your Name can be ripped from their library.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Aug 24, 2022
Manga needn't always take itself seriously or have convoluted plotlines with time travelling shenanigans or endless drama at every turn, sometimes all a manga needs to do is be a slice of life about an ex-yakuza who's living his best life! I first picked up Gokushufudou or Way of the Househusband as an experiment, as the cover was enticing and the allure of the aesthetic of the titular character Tatsu was too great for me to resist. What i found however was perhaps one of the only mangas, nay BOOKS that I have truly 'laughed out loud' at. The characters are charming, the adventures are
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wacky yet still having some credibility and believability to them, and even though an overarching plot is lacking, I stay up to date just to see what Tatsu, the Househusband has gotten himself into this time. Overall, a charming piece or manga media that is honestly funny and a great change of pace for someone who reads waaaay too much shonen and the like.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 24, 2022
Makoto Shinkai's storytelling truly shines in Your Name/君の名は and Weathering With You/天気の子, however Shinkai's Garden of Words/言の葉の庭 is an underrated composition that flies under the radar (imo). Although Shinkai's films as of late utilise a lot of music composed by the RADWIMPS and have a meticulous soundtrack, the concise and visually stunning Garden of Words finds it's tone in a sense of reverence and pensiveness, as the story's two focal characters begin to unfold and divulge more of their secrets. That isn't to say the music is negligible, as the soundtrack accentuates key moments as the music follows what unfolds onscreen in true Shinkai style,
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and Motohiro Hata's rendition of Senri Oe's 'Rain' perfectly brings the film together. Although I cannot sing enough praises for this movie, I will acknowledge that if you're looking for a new film to fill that Your Name/君の名は or Weathering With You/天気の子 hole in your heart, THIS FILM IS NOT WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR! Instead what you'll find is a very grounded piece that explores the turbulence of life juxtaposed against the somewhat ironic beauty of the chaos, like a chance encounter with someone on a rainy day.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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