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I can return by death
*Note: All movies/specials of completed series as well as completed shows i watched during my childhood go into the "on hold" section, so that the completed section is only the number of actual series I have finished watching.*
*Note #2 electric boogaloo: I don't rate shows that I watched during my childhood, and give a rough estimate of the "episodes watched" count.*
*Note #3 --> account was censored by anti free speech (((mods/cucks))) for being real af so this will no longer be active here. Thanks for stopping by <3*
Rating Scale:
1234 - Shit
5 - Watchable, nothing more, nothing less.
6 - Average with at least one redeeming quality.
7 - Enjoyable throughout
8 - Very good. (Enjoyable and enthralling)
9 - Great, top tier
10 - Future Diary
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All Comments (57) Comments
(life rune in the background)
Sword Art Online is a pioneer of its genre in that, the source material dates from all the way back in 2002 (.hack// being of the same vintage). This is important to note as with all pioneering feats, there is an initial sense of wonder and hype, followed by disappointment as the same concept is refined and improved upon. To give an example, the Victorians pioneered the underground railway in London, a marvel at its time but it was soon realised that they dug the tunnels too small. The tiny, overcrowded trains of today cannot be appreciated for its breakthrough in technology. SAO, due to its nature therefore shows the same seemingly obvious flaws that only become apparent in hindsight.
With that said, SAO is a fantastic piece of work considering how the author was only a high school student at the time, and how he ventured into previously unexplored territory. The author and the subsequent adaptation by A1 pictures successfully manages to impress the intended audience; the teenage market. This is done through a careful blend of adventure, cliffhangers , pacing, deux es machinas and a good cast of girls.
The show starts off with a highly interesting premise with players in a perfectly modelled virtual reality. Since their consciousness is surrendered to the NervGear hardware, the only way to return to the real world is through the “Log Out” button which has unfortunately gone walkies. We follow the life events of our protagonist, Kirito as he battles his way through his ups and downs, which is not limited to fighting.
Kirito also faces a daunting challenge emotionally, as the stakes are exceptionally high. A death in-game equates to death in real life. These obstacles flesh out the human nature of Kirito’s character in great detail. His behaviour, emotions and actions are closely related to his recent happenings and experiences. Kirito starts off as a social recluse who prefers to limit his interactions with other people. This leads him to shun the cooperative nature of MMORPGs and plays solo. Through a chance encounter, Kirito manages to befriend a group and re-learn the significance of friendship and comradeship, and how that improves his mental well-being. This does not lead to the unrealistic result of Kirito becoming instantly socially adept, as he faces further obstacles and setbacks that push him back to his reclusive old self. Such flaws truly show that Kirito is simply a mere mortal with variable emotions and feelings, which serves to connect with the viewer with empathy. For Kirito is only the strongest player in SAO due to his effort and research, rather than simply being perfect. Only through real experience can Kirito grow as a person, and the growth is closely tied in with the story.
A1 Pictures is to be commended for only highlighting the most significant parts of Kirito’s story as he fights to clear the game. Thousands of hours of level-grinding which was normal in the Everquest era of 2002 (when SAO was written) has given way to achievement caps relating to the hours you play in a day in 2012 (when SAO was adapted). To put it in simpler terms, the firms that make MMORPGs implementing such caps means the community has democratically voted with their wallets that level grinding is far too troublesome and boring.
We are therefore treated to relevant side stories instead of level-grinding filler. Each of these side stories involves an encounter with a supporting cast with wide variations in personalities and nature of the quest. Through the use of variety in the story, not only do we get to see Kirito develop, but also the world. The viewer is introduced to the world of MMORPGs involving Guilds, Raids, Smithing, Conspiracy and even a compelling virtual romance that becomes the foundation of a timely rejuvenation of Kirito’s character. Relationships however, are a two-way street and Asuna’s (the main heroine and Kirito’s girlfriend) worldview is also seamlessly influenced, and improved. The two-way nature of the relationship really makes it convincing, and leaves a lasting impression. The end product is an Asuna, despite her obvious flaws as a human, becomes a character whom many would look up to, due to her dedicated and faithful nature that was born out of hardship.
All of the above really shows that the writers performed an exceptional job. The accurate portrayal of the fickle nature of human emotions, and especially during the tumultuous years of adolescence really brings the show to life. The level of language, and the tones used by the voice actors were highly appropriate. They successfully avoid Kirito sounding like an aged professor with a PhD in SAO, and a realistic mix of rational decision making and emotionally-charged angst is used.
The quality of writing continues with the way the villains are portrayed. The first major villain, Kayaba is an accurate rendition of the genius, lost in his own world, which he seeked to control. He is the prime example of a person termed as a sociopath. The best aspect of him however is not his character itself, but the way he integrated himself into the storyline, and produced the most unexpected plot twist. This twist is a very crafty, and convincing one due to it being totally out of the blue yet in hindsight, perfectly plausible.
The second villain, Sugou on the other hand, is the purest example of a villain in recent times. Villains are meant to be bad, but not all can be successful at being bad and unique at the same time. A recent, highly successful example to compare is Raoul Silva, the highly-acclaimed villain in James Bond’s Skyfall. Not only was Silva bad, he was amusingly bad and obviously received pleasure from just being plain ‘badass’. In SAO, Sugou betters Silva by not only bringing amusement, but also the purest feeling of disgust against the character. In essence, Sugou is the victim of his own success, and the show goes to great extent by detailing his personality and motives. The icing on the cake is when Sugou subjects Asuna to the unthinkable, further solidifying the author and A1’s innovative risk-taking with the series.
Although show is somewhat lacking in all-out battle action which comes across as strange, due to its highly suggestive title; the art of swordcraft, the worry is misplaced. The rarity of such scenes only serves to enhance the excitement during the boss battles. The immersion is further exemplified by the convincing use of light effects during animated scenes. This highly appropriate use of animation technique serves to amplify the effect of each, and every single hacking and slicing motion. Instead of Diablo-style hack and slice spamming, we are treated with the significance of each motion. A1 Pictures have clearly taken on board the mantra of quality over quantity.
Unfortunately, following the mantra means the show tried to cover too much, in too little time. An attempt at too much quality in too little time. SAO attempts to provide a realistic and varied portrayal of the world of MMOGs. They have unfortunately made the pioneer’s mistake of being far too ambitious. Some characters are casted a little too far to the side and that includes those that greatly influenced Kirito’s development being one-episode wonders. This is especially evident in the ‘Aria’ sub-arc where A1 Pictures attempted to cover too much ground in a single episode when Asuna was introduced. Nevertheless, while this may seem detrimental, the flip side is of course, the less intrusive nature of the side cast. This approach avoids the trap of character bloat which other series have fallen into. Despite the blunder with ‘Aria’, Asuna gets the focus she needs later in the series.
The excellent writing and animation is greatly amplified by the renowned composer, Kajiura Yuki who worked on the music. The style of the music resembles her most recent previous work (Fate/Zero), but is sufficiently different to set it apart, reminiscent of the time she worked on Mai-HiME and Tsubasa Chronicles back-to-back. She forgoes her usual techno, and instead utilizes a greater reliance on classic instruments and the orchestra. A highly appropriate decision as the art of swordsmanship and the resulting swordfights are traditional in nature. Despite classical instruments being rather ‘soft’ in comparison with electronic music, Kajiura delivered beautifully with the softer style actually multiplying the effectiveness of the battle scenes. Her mix of opera in the battle tracks only serves to give a sense of ‘epic’, seen in the likes of “The Lord of the Rings”.
It is important at this point to mention that SAO actually has two, highly distinct arcs. The second arc is not a death game, but a race against time. It also gives a much-needed change in pace from the seriousness that hung over the first arc. Unfortunately, the benefits of a slightly light-hearted arc is also its downfall. The sense of urgency from the race against time was not portrayed in the best manner, with Kirito taking seemingly pointless detours, which in actuality was in fact, perfectly reasonable. A1 Pictures disappointed in this regard, disconnecting the viewer with the character’s decision-making. Nevertheless, the detours sets the foundations of Kirito developing in the real world, and explores his relationship with people that are the closest to him. Aside from the minor drawback, the quality of writing is still very good (but not excellent) and the quality of animation and music is maintained.
All in all, the excellence of the individual components (e.g. sound, animation) come together at the end to give the viewer an anime that is pleasant to see, awe-inspiring to hear, and minds in intrigue with the story. A1 Pictures has successfully created an adaptation that entertains a wide variety of audiences. SAO is a must watch for fans of adventure, fantasy, romance and even harem. Even the detractors derived a whole new level of entertainment, expressed in forms not limited to reaction videos on YouTube. The product’s success is clearly seen through pure, objective evidence by means of Blu-Ray sales as viewers have overwhelmingly embraced SAO.
Overall, SAO gets an excellent 9/10. A truly enjoyable series that crosses an extremely wide range of anime fanbases which is no mean feat. It is probably fair to deduct a single point in light of the slight weakness in ‘Aria’ and in the second arc but not any more than that due to the amount of ground that required covering in order to complete Kirito’s development.
Now that I’ve mentioned ‘Aria’, there is another anime of the same name. This series must never be watched, for it involves girls simply rowing boats for 3 whole seasons. Worst of all, a ‘moeblob’ (in other words, ‘moe[brown stuff]’) loli character is introduced, being evidenced by her having an S-tier Zettai Ryouiki. The wise community must avoid such monstrosity going after easy cash and stick to shows of a deep and profound nature, such as SAO.
Story- 10/10 - The story is well written and they do a great job taking from the manga, obviously things are gonna get left out or the time of an event may change but nothing to truly ruin or change the original story line. It stays enjoyable through its entirety, Throughout the series it has some very graphic parts that give it the horror feel but it's still a very enjoyable watch even for people not super into gore.
Art - 10/10 - The art is fantastic, not just the character's but the scenery as well. The different ghoul's kagune look awesome in color and motion ( especially Tohka's).
Sound - 10/10 - The music for this is just amazing i really cant praise it enough. The intro is the perfect song for this series, TK from Ling Tosite Sigure has a very unique sound to him and it just fits so well with this dark and unique story.
Character- 10/10 - The characters in this all have very unique personality's that you get to experience,They all become rather lovable , even the bad guys, While Kaneki may be the main character you really get a feel for a lot of the cast, who they are, what they like to do, their past, it feels like you're watching over a city as it's story about ghouls and investigators unfolds and not just watching 1 character go through life and the struggles that come with it.
Enjoyment - 10/10 - I personally really enjoyed this, enough to watch it several times over. The story is intriguing and there isn't a lot of filler like some anime's have. With only 12 episodes to work with in this season they did a great job keeping it interesting and moving the story along at a decent pace.
Overall this is a really great anime, it is definetely a 10/10 show, i recommended reading the manga first then moving onto this and the next season so you can really get the full experience of what the author has to tell. I did my best to not do any spoilers ( which is tough cause i totally want to rant about this explaining why i rate this so high among everything i've seen, but no spoilers for you!).
So first allow me to say this, Tokyo Ghoul is simply amazing. The story, the art, the character. Zenbu. As for sound? That did it. Words fail me. The moment I listened to the song, I was hooked. The song fits the anime perfectly. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it to my heart's content. *sigh
So let's go down to the details.
We have Kaneki Ken, a shy and bookish university student. He was a regular customer of Anteiku (a coffee shop run by Yoshimura, a ghoul, which serves as a refuge for fellow ghouls in 20th ward) where he met Rize, the binge eater, he instantly had a crush on her but he was about to have the surprise of his life when she attacked him after their date. One thing lead to another, he woke up feeling strange. Thus, his nightmare began when he discovered what he'd become.
I love tragic hero stories because I sincerely believes that those who have experienced the most painful things are the ones who are capable of deep understanding of life, that is if they stick to their values, have the wisdom to endure and the courage to protect the most important thing to them.
Honestly, all the characters have their own story to tell. This is the reason why it's painful to watch because you understand where they're coming from and it's hard to ignore. Although it's almost impossible, I hope they come to understand each other and break the chain of revenge. *sigh
However, I must say, even though I haven't read the manga I feel that the pacing is a bit fast and rushed. Somehow, I know there are many skipped chapters I can understand the disappointment of those who read the manga.
After watching this I read the manga as to what happened next. I can't help myself. And so I'm so ready for season 2. Bring it on!
And oh, I haven't mention that aside from Kaneki, one character that I really love so much is Hide. I kind of know the feeling of having a best friend since childhood so my heart really goes for Hide for being such the best best friend Kaneki could ever have.
*I'm currently reading Tokyo ghoul:re, I wish Hide is
somewhere alive, please.*
10/10 so much feels. Amazing.
Some people claim that this anime is a bad adaptation of the manga which I completely disagree with. While this is not a perfect adaptation and some scenes have been changed around I do not think that this makes this Anime bad in any way. It is more like a slightly different take on the story which is still very good in its own right.
Having read the manga the manga and the anime are for the most part the same. There are some scenes in the anime which have been rearranged and a few smaller scenes that have been cut most likely due to restraints of the 12 episode anime format, but overall it is very close to the manga and does a great job of adapting all of the main scenes.
I will say that Kaneki's character is presented slightly differently in the Anime as opposed to the Manga though. In the Manga he does come across as being more competent and heroic due to the slight change of a couple of key scenes and the omission of another quite major scene in the last arc. So I recommend that people check out the Manga as well to see this difference.
I wouldn't say that this spoils the Anime though it actually made more sympathetic towards him in a way, so it is a different take on his character similar to the original Evangelion series and the rebuild movies. Kaneki is a bit more passive and reactive in the Anime as opposed to being more of a proactive competent protagonist in the Manga.
If you don't like the more sensitive reactive kind of protagonists then you may dislike the main character in this Anime. I love those kind of characters though so its a matter of taste.
This anime kept me on the edge of my seat and it was very addictive and I couldn't wait for the next episode. The main themes of humans and ghouls trying to coexist and the complications emerging from this were well explored in the story and character interactions. The story goes into a lot of detail in fleshing out the setting to show the different perspectives of the ghoul and human characters. The picture painted is not a black and white good vs evil story but a multi layered one with different shades of grey. You will sympathise with both human and ghoul characters and also despise some of the human and ghoul characters, so the anime does a good job of getting you emotionally involved with the story.
The production values of the anime are overall very good with some awesome battle scenes and great music and sound effects. Special note must be made of the voice acting which especially for the main character really stood out as being exceptionally good.
This is probably the bloodiest anime I've seen and the attention detail in the fight scenes and blood and gore really was spectacular. You do really need to watch the uncensored version of this Anime. I feel it is unfair how people have marked this Anime down due to the censorship of the TV version because the Uncensored version of this Anime really does do the Manga justice in the level of gore. It is actually more gory than the Manga in certain parts with one new added scene in particular that really was very disturbing and very well executed.
The are a couple of standout scenes in this anime which really got to me emotionally, the pacing was very good to lead up to these events and they made this anime really memorable.
One particular episode is up there with the best I've ever seen in anime so I highly recommend this anime to everyone.
Tokyo Ghoul really was an intense and unforgettable experience, - 10/10.
I guess what I'm really looking for in posting this is some closure/answers in stuff that may have been addressed in the manga and not the anime (I skimmed parts of it and saw the ending was slightly different, for example).
Initial Impressions/Review - I was first impressed by the colors and pacing, both of which I thought were lacking in Parasyte. In the first 6 episodes or so, I was in love with the series. The characters were reasonably complex and stood out from one another, the story dark, the combat bloody, character actions made sense, colors were vivid, and flashbacks/background stories were brief, but quality and really made sense/made you feel for the characters when they were presented. The pacing was good; never felt rushed, it never felt slow. The quality was consistent up through episode 9. I was fascinated by the world that was being built.
And then that all fell apart.
In episode 10 (or around there) Aogiri (or however you spell it) Tree is introduced. Some big battle is coming. Yet, we don't really know why. We were just following Kaneki, the folks of Anteiku, the storyline relating Nishiki and Gourmet, and then the conflict with Kaneki, Touka, and Hinami + parents versus Mado and Amon, who were consistently brought up throughout the series. This all made sense and was great. An encounter with Jason is similarly foreshadowed.
And then we meet a dozen CCG officers and another dozen insanely powerful ghouls, many of which are never explained who they are, what their purpose is, why they got so powerful, or any number of things. For example, Arima is only introduced once or twice early before being the most powerful force in the CCG in a seemingly random fashion 12 episodes later. Other characters that basically come out of nowhere (and I will get many names wrong) are Shinohara, the council overseeing the CCG and their main leader, Juuzuu (why is he so strong and his craziness allowed in such an organization? I'm expected to believe that 2 flashbacks, one involving him being brought up in that battle arena forgives everything?), mouth no-eyes mask ghoul with super regeneration, the twins, bandage girl, clown mask Bon Clay, Jason's blonde disciple, and Bleach-wannabe (in the robes and red mouthguard).
All of a sudden there's this big battle involving all of these characters in addition to the ones we've become acquainted with throughout the series (and Touka's brother, kind of random...) and we're expected to care? I don't know what they're fighting over, where they're fighting at, what any of their motivations are, or anything. We're just suddenly thrown into a huge battle. The characters being fleshed out and their reason for fighting were a huge part of what made the start of the series strong - none of this is here.
And while this is happening, our main character plays no part. He just gets tortured by Jason for 3 episodes. Torture will destroy a man. It's true, not that any of us have actually experienced it, so there's a lot of give with a personality shift. It only makes sense, after all. Unfortunately, Kaneki's change and power-up is unfulfilling and seems to only happen "because it has to." He kills Jason. Great.
Unfortunately, the problems only continue with the first few episodes of Season 2. People continue to fight, in a prison now. The combat, which was strong in the start, is laughable for a period of time. Example - Amon and Akira take on 20+ ghouls at once, who literally stand there while they watch their comrades run in 1 at a time only to be taken down by Amon. Amon then stands there while Akira is almost eaten by Jason-disciple and only steps in after Jason-disciple is given a huge chunk of time to fight Akira alone and starts to eat her. At the same time, Juuzuu takes down the two twins in a ridiculously easy fashion and many other previously important characters aren't involved at all.
Meanwhile, Kaneki is going on a rampage, fighting some incredibly strong unknown ghoul (who never comes up again?). There's no motivation anymore. His character is an empty shell. The story tries to explain it a couple episodes after by saying he was becoming a "kakuge" or something (a mad cannibal Ghoul with extra powers, I guess?). It doesn't really work.
Now, the series does improve again after that, for the most part. Everything revolving around Amon and Akira, Anteiku, etc. makes sense after that. The final battle against Anteiku makes sense. Many characters, who we have come to care about (as we care about Anteiku), such as the Manager, Irimi and GoApe, get more development, as do some of the police. The combat in the final act is great. The only questionable character decisions are really on Touka (who runs around a lot and needs the screen time, apparently) and Kaneki, who is pretty random at this point.
The ending I can believe - there was no happy one here. But so many things were left unanswered:
Questions/What happened with -
1) What was the point of the author - why was she introduced, how did she know so much?
2) Why is Arima suddenly the strongest character in the series?
3) Who was no-eyes-mask-man?
4) Who was bandage girl? Is that the Manager's child?
5) How can (assuming bandage girl) become a full-fleshed monster? Every other ghoul (bar the Manager himself) just adds weapons/armor to themselves via their kagune. She literally becomes a monster. Why?
6) What happened to the Twins? They run from Amon and then are never heard from again. How did they become ghouls?
7) Touka x Kaneki never happened, I'll take it - but why was her character so worthless in the second half? Her brother is helping lead the most powerful ghoul organization - why was this never mentioned? Why do the two not get closure in a scene together?
8) Why was everyone so obsessed with Rize? She was powerful and crazy, sure, but it seems like she's the focus point and there was a lot of foreshadowing towards her unknown past. Nothing ever came from it.
9) What happened to everyone else? Bartender chick, mask shop guy, etc.?
10) Why is there the Ward system? How long have it and the CCG been in place? Is the CCG the main governing authority or just the police force? What does the Ward system actually mean/do?
That's about all I can remember right now. I love the world, the color, the characters. It was really disappointing to have everything end the way it did. If the manga touches on any of this, I would love to hear it. Thank you.