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This is a pretty damn bad anime. A whole lot of nothing happens and I actually really like the Senogoku Period and Nobunaga's story, so this should be up my alley but nope!

There is absolutely zero characterization, just very brief goals that come out of nowhere with no meaning. They say they care or want this and that for no reason but we're made to just go with it. Probably the worst part of this anime is there is no sense of where they are. We don't see any traveling and despite them just instantly transporting to one province to another, looking identical, there's no ... sense of space or tangibility that grounds these characters. Mino, Oumi and Owari look exactly the same with the tiniest of differences, the only reason I know they're in a different place is cause the anime said so! They live in some CGI green plain land! Time also just barely exists, days, weeks, months and years just go by with no visible changes or development. The characters exist in this void of nothing burger.

I thought this anime could at least have some interesting fun characters but they don't even focus on any of the girls! That's the least they could do! Characters are just presented and then instantly forgotten for the next set of characters.

The only thing this anime has going for it, the ONLY thing is the art style and animation quality. Not so much actual animation, it's rather basic but the designs and digital processing is pretty good, especially for its time, it looks better than most anime nowadays. Shibata and Toshiie were the only characters I looked forward to seeing.

But yeah this is an awful anime, don't waste your time as I did, I just needed some background noise but my god this was a bad anime. Seek help.

Have you ever wanted to get into Rurouni Kenshin but never found time or the OG anime seemed too old for you? I think this series is a great way to get into the franchise! HOWEVER, only as an entry - here's my story.

I've always liked Rurouni Kenshin but never got around to watching the original anime, I watched the Live Action movies first actually and quite enjoyed them! I tried giving the original anime a watch and I'm not into Shounen much to begin with, especially ones that drag out things so I lost interest within 3 episodes. However I still respected and enjoyed ... Rurouni Kenshin. When I heard this anime was coming out and when it started airring, it resparked my interest in Kenshin! This remake is very streamline and actually more faithful to the original manga, it gives you the very base story line of Rurouni Kenshin. However while waiting for the episodes, I decided to revisit and properly give the original anime a chance and well, I can see why many people prefer the original anime still. It's slower but it gives the proper time for the viewer to invest in the story and characters. The music is also far much more better, it has this very "classic" feeling, campy but a welcomed campy feel to it. Kenshin is like a folktale character, he's like Robin Hood or Wong Fei Hung, he's the guy with a story that inspires those around him and gives the idea that everyone can redeem themselves no matter what their past is.

This new remake is a flashy clean version, it does what it's intending to do but misses what made the original so special. It sounds lazy but there's no other way to put it, this version is missing the "heart" that comes within Rurouni Kenshin's story, despite it following the Manga closer, Anime and Manga are 2 different mediums meaning they're consumed differently, story beats hit different from reading a still image to watching an animation.

Everyone is voice acted quite well, Rie Takahashi's Kaoru is very cute and has some spunk. Soma Saito's Kenshin is decent but it holds no candle to the original JP voice actress, there's this strange masculiness that she provides over an actual male voice actor that makes her the better Kenshin in my mind. Sanosuke sounds more like a delinquent in this version and less stoic than the original. The music as many people have pointed out is extremely lacking, no real stand out OST at all. I do like the first opening and ending theme though. I swear one of the OST in this remake is inspired by Pink Panther's theme, it's when they talk about women or girls, you can't miss it.

Animation is rather lacking, they make up with it with smart cuts to give the illusion of intense fights, you could say they're being true to the manga by making sure to translate those pages to keyframes. Kenshin's fight with Kurogasa was noticeably well done though compared to the rest. I'm not a fan of the thicker outliners and I personal nitpick but I think the art style is a little too round looking? If that makes sense.

Anyhow despite what I'm saying, this is still a great watch! It's just sadly in the shadow of the Original 1996 Anime and Manga. I highly recommend this if you've ever had any interest in Rurouni Kenshin! Because starting this could spark your interest in checking the OG Anime!

8/10

This is a high concept, high potential anime, however it is unfocused and bites more than it can chew.

The anime started off very grounded and easy to grasp, however it slowly kept piling up these themes and concepts without properly developing them or going anywhere with them. They sort of just vaguley start something and then abruptly end it. Or explain something without actually explanining something. It gives more questions than answers in the end, leaving you feeling like you want more, which was fine at first but towards the end, you're honestly lost.

It's not a shounen or battle anime by any means. The ... fighting doesn't really make sense or mean anything. There is no strategy. Poker is more intense than these fights. It's not a comedy, it's not a slice of life. It's more a style and concept anime, very theme driven. But it doesn't have any real direction.


The main character and the characters first introduced get sidelined half way through the anime. The main character just ends up literally being a backseat driver. As if he's just going along the motions of what the plot is making him get into for the sake of "plot". The main antagonist, sigh. Like it's just not well developed his reasoning and methods, he just feels stupid in the end. We don't see any proper development on the main character. Aside from main character affecting his Professor's future/present we don't see many consequences for the main character's actions and to begin with, the main character for most of this series isn't willingly doing these things, he's just told "This is what you should do" "Thisi is what you gotta do" like a puppet. He has no goal or desire of his own aside from liking his crush, however that plot point gets dropped half way through and then remembered at the end. It's quite a shame.

I really wanted to like this series, it started off pretty thrilling and entertaining, however towards the end it just piled up on these problems and lack of direction and focus that it got lost along the way and became meaningless.

I need to write this to put my thoughts at peace with this anime. SPOILERS BTW

Oreimo, Oreimo. I knew it wasn't going to be an anime for me that is why I didn't watch it for so long but I decided to give it a chance and push forward to see if it had anything actually good that I might had been prejudiced about.

Sigh. I kinda enjoyed season 1, it surprised me with some aspects, such as seeing Otaku culture and people getting into anime and how it feels to have it as a secret hobby or how it's percieved by outsiders. It was ... interesting and a nice look. I also kinda liked the characters, their banter, interactions were fun. I especially liked Kirino and Kuroneko's arguing, it's just fun seeing people nerd out and get passionate over things.

But.. as many other people have said, Season 2 drops the ball and hard. Season 1 wasn't amazing to begin with but it had its moments of nice insight and good fun. Season 2 on the other hand... it started off fun and interesting like how Season 1 was but then when it got to the "drama" parts it made me feel uncomfortable, like it felt forced, came outta left field. "Did I miss an episode or something?" "Why are they doing this!? This is a weird way for a person to act". I don't often question anime when I watch it but man, Oreimo is special. I felt like I was losing brain cells or like had a hangover and woke up with amnesia. Characters just suddenly changing or doing things that are so unncessary or like there isn't much focus, instead it's focused on forcing drama and harem elements.

I quite like Kuroneko and Ayase. Kuroneko surprised me and I can see why people like her, she seemed like the most normal out of all the characters until she suddenly isn't. Same with Ayase, she takes a sudden 180. I do like episodic episodes or episodes focusing on 1 girl for the harem theme but the way it flows to the next or executes it is horrible! I just keep feeling lost as if I hadn't been paying attention, when I had been trying to.

I like Ayase but I don't understand why she likes the main character, it just didn't process in the end and felt forced. 1 episode characters would start dating and then by the end they stop dating. Then it turns out it was all a ruse to expose someone's true feelings but then it just sorta doesn't go anywhere with that or ever focuses it properly. It then just decides to do more harem bait stuff!

Tsk, I need to come to a conclusion. This anime was frustrating to watch and enjoy. I wanted to enjoy it in the end since season 1 was decent. But I didn't. Season 2 decides to take a horrible melodramatic turn and go full harem without any proper way to transition to those themes smoothly. It's forced, it's messy and it's frustrating to say the least. And I've seen NISEKOI and I quite enjoyed it, sure it had its characters acting dumb and melodrama but Nisekoi also allows itself to be funny and entertaining for the most part. Oreimo, nope.

And I haven't even said a single thing about Kirino's romance and how it goes down in the end. Of course the main character would pick his sister, it's the damn name of the show of course. What truly mattered is how we get there and the themes that get explored. And well in the end I was thinking to myself "How and why did we get here!?" Tsk. A huge disappointment.

I have been putting off watching Cowboy Bebop but I finally watched it to see what all the fuss is about. I tried watching it 5 years ago but I dropped it 4 episodes in. I knew it was a good show but it just didn't vibe with me and I got caught up with other anime that interested me. However I decided to watch it after watching the horrible Netflix Live action. This has been bothering me for the last 4 days, giving me great headaches and I've actually had trouble sleeping, trying to piece everything together and figure what my problem is with ... the show...this is more just for me to bury my thoughts once and for all and hopefully some people can resonate with it.

Cowboy Bebop is an episodic action anime, meaning most of the episodes are self contained and can be watched generally out of order, say you missed 1 episode and came back the next week, you won't be lost unless you roll unlucky die and miss some episodes that briefly connect with each other. I can imagine this anime would be great back in the day, the glorious days of VHS, DVD and especially TV. I'd love to watch this anime if it was on TV, but in this day in age and especially in Australia that ain't ever happening. The anime is about bounty hunters who are haunted by their past and they are trying to cope and live out of their past however they have to confront thier past eventually or find closure.

Usually I LOVE episodic anime, I slightly lean to enjoying more slice of life / comedy anime but I do have some action anime I enjoy. The nature of episodic anime allows for freedoom and more subtle exploration of characters, which is great! It can slowly build up to something and in the end have a huge payoff. That sadly isn't the case for Cowboy Bebop. The tone of serious episodes to hilarious episodes is kinda like emotional whiplash in a binge setting. It's a double edged sword that doesn't work off of each other I find!

The way it does characterization and character development is through very very small crumbs or there would be some episodes dedicated to a single character or episodes dedicated to the entire team! I'm not sure how to put it into words.. It feels disjointed or left me with wanting more. I needed closure and I hoped I would get closure. However maybe that was the theme and tone the entire anime was trying to go for, sometimes we don't get closure and problems come and go and we move on. That may be so but it doesn't help me feel like I'm enjoying the show. I feel blue balled. I believe, had Cowboy Bebop used its episodes a little smarter and would make mini arcs to give the proper time and breathing space for us to take in the emotion these characters are feeling. 2-4 episodes dedicated to these character episodes and between those arcs, definitely go with the episodic tone and have enjoyable moments but at the same time, allow for things to progress despite being essentially filler. Yeah that's another thing, it just didn't.. feel like anything progressed, for some reason my mind just couldn't process these growth or appreciate the somber tone. I can see it, feel it but I can't emotionally grow attatched because it seems like before I even can, the episode ends and another episode begins! It feels like the tone it was going for was to talk about adult life, how things are sadly complicated for each and every person but we don't talk about it, how every character has a problem and backstory and that they don't want to tel anyone. How we are basically drifting and how sad things in the past got that, that is what we have to deal with, the off chance of missing or seeing someone, creating a butterfly effect, a true tragedy. The best way for me to describe this theme IRL wise is once being close to someone in high school, all your high school friends but then as we grow older, we drift apart, had we kept up with a few or tried better or had we not cut someone sooner, things would had been different. Or learning a lot from a co-worker but sadly the job ends and you basically never see or talk to them again. How basically our time is limited for us to care about others. Cowboy Bebop does convey that emtion and theme very well.. but I.. I just don't know. I didn't enjoy the way it expressed it in the end, I needed closure! I needed some pay off! Some direction that it was building to something. It just suddenly ends.

I wish Spike was actually the main character and more of the episodes were anchored by him, so that we have a POV to work off of. So that everything is more personal and the way he learns, we learn. Have the syndicate plotline hinted at or the actions of the crew slowly build to a point where they HAVE to confront their pasts. The actions and consequences of the funny episodic episodes or semi serious ones could build towards the next major arc! But there's none of that! The episodes I enjoyed the most actually are the slice of life / comedy episodes like the entire crew getting high on mushrooms or Spike meets Andy who is just like him in everyway and it only annoys Spike.

I can't vibe with the story or direction of the anime. However the characters, art and music is of course first class, amazing quality. Has it's own character and its world hmmhh pretty decent. I wished there were more location shots, so we can see the entire area and get familiar with the planets so the characters revisiting them would feel like a treat!

This show is basically the god father of these type of episodic action anime anyhow! It created this sub genre! Darker Than Black was basically created by the same people and objectively Darker Than Black is worse but I actually enjoyed it more, it had mini arcs which allowed for more time for us to be invested in the character of the arc even though they'll probably die but we also saw small crumbs of the Main Character and it often involved HIM being apart of the problem. Black Lagoon! I haven't finished it but so far, it feels more focused than Cowboy Bebop and the characters work off of each other much better. A Certain Scientific Railgun is basically a spawn of this genre as well, I reckon Railgun perfected it and found the perfect balance between episodic and plot, where the standalone episodes still build towards something.

Cowboy Bebop is definitely unique but it's not for me sadly, it has every point that I should enjoy it, every reason I should enjoy it, however in the end it was a let down for me. I feel like Cowboy Bebop is sadly overrated to be honest, maybe had I watched it on TV back then I would have loved it, but as of now, that is nothing but a pipe dream.

Pizza Review! (I review and describe the anime with a pizza analogy)

Prison School is the pizza that I personally would avoid like the plague. I just wasn't interested in its grotesque and nasty looking toppings and ingredients. I thought to myself that I wouldn't enjoy it at all. But when a friend sorta forced me to eat it with him, I ended up really, really, REALLY enjoying it. It definitely was grotesque and disgusting looking, I normally don't like my pizza with anchovies. But aside from all that the flavours it also gave was just so overpowering and meaningful. I found myself bewildered at how ... much it managed to change my mind.

I wanted to hate this pizza, I wanted to find every excuse to drop it. But I gave it a chance and each bite kept proving me wrong and it ended up being one of the funnest and tastiest pizza I've ever had. It does have anchovies on it and it's not for everyone, I don't like anchovies but I persisted and it was way worth it.

Story - 8/10
Art - 7/10
Sound - 9/10
Character - 9/10
Enjoyment - 9/10
Overall - 9/10

Pizza Review! (I review and describe the anime with a pizza analogy)

Aoharu is like a really poorly made pizza. It's under-cooked and wasn't handled with care. For some reason some parts of the pizza was cooked really fast while other parts weren't. It had pretty bland ingredients as well, nothing revolutionary or exotic about it at all. Tasting it made me cringe and I could instantly pin point some of its major flaws. Despite all of this though, I was never bored or disgusted by it to the point of wanting to not finish the pizza. Despite it being poorly made, despite it being handled ... lousily, despite it having bland ingredients it was still enjoyable. The chemistry they have together did make it fun and while it was trying to make this interesting taste and failed horribly, I was never at any point while eating this pizza not interested in it. It was able to trick me and make me want to try it all.

Aoharu is literally a pizza that is hot garbage, objectively it's terrible. It's poorly made. But it was still a nice experience and was enjoyable for what it was. Give it a chance and you might enjoy it, it definitely ain't for everyone though. I do question myself afterwards as to why I actually enjoyed garbage and all I can say is it was a fun shitty pizza.

Story - 6/10
Art - 7/10
Sound - 7/10
Character - 8/10
Enjoyment - 7/10
Overall - 6/10

Pizza Review! (I review and describe the anime with a pizza analogy)

Kokoro Connect looks like a fun and promising pizza. It looks interesting, its toppings look exquisite and fun. But alas in the end, with the direction it took the pizza became a mess. It's enjoyable at some points but then in the end it drops the ball and a nasty aftertaste happens. And at some parts, you're left confused or felt like it had some missed potential in its flavour. The ingredients and base are definitely enjoyable but what it chooses to with them in end, it fails.

I really wanted to enjoy this pizza. ... It had things I like on it but what it does with it in the end made it turn out disappointing and unfocused. If it wasn't trying to be so unique or dramatic and gave time for itself to cook its ingredients for me to enjoy I would have liked it much more. It took itself too seriously and was aiming too high, when it should have been easier on itself.

Story - 7/10
Art - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Character - 8/10
Enjoyment - 8/10
Overall - 8/10

Pizza Review! (I review and describe the anime with a pizza analogy)

Rakugo is like the pizza that is criminally underrated and looks boring and strange that no one would ever order it. But those who are brave and curious enough to order it get to enjoy an amazing pizza. The toppings look uninteresting but they're actually extremely interesting when given a chance and the flavour is so deep and meaningful that it hits you hard at some points. After taking a bite you will be looking at the pizza in shock and confusion and think "How the hell is this so good? Why am I ... enjoying this?". Rakugo has a distinct taste with it and it's not for everyone but it's got a really nice aroma, texture and flavour to it.

Rakugo is the underrated pizza, it's the pizza with yogurt on it. For those willing to go out their comfort zone and for seekers of strange and unique experiences in taste, it's definitely a great pizza.

Story - 9/10
Art - 8/10
Sound - 7/10
Character - 9/10
Enjoyment - 9/10
Overall - 9/10

Pizza Review! (I review and describe the anime with a pizza analogy)

Amagi Brilliant Park is like a classic pizza, it's fun and simple. It's not trying to be revolutionary and on the surface it looks like a mediocre pizza. But just because it isn't revolutionary doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable to eat. But if you stop for a moment and appreciate its taste, beyond its surface it actually has some complex flavours to it, however it would take a while to appreciate it beyond its surface as a fun light hearted pizza that most people can enjoy.

It may have weak and simple flavours, with ... simple and basic ingredients but because it has so many fun and simple ingredients that in itself makes for a new flavour that is a delight to enjoy. This is a rare case where Quantity actually beats Quality.

If you're looking for a gourmet or deluxe pizza, Amagi ain't it. However if you enjoy simple classic pizza and are able to see and appreciate the nuance in a classic pizza and just want to have a good time, Amagi definitely is it.

Story 7/10
Art 8/10
Sound 8/10
Character 8/10
Enjoyment 9/10
Overall 8/10