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Jan 14, 2020
I have been seeing these Nekopara girls everywhere I go, whether it be memes or figurines. So I figured it's about time I see what all the hype is about.
After watching it, I both understand, and don't understand why the hype has lasted so long. This series is certainly unique in the sense that it knows what its audience wants, and is full on unapologetically ballsy in giving it to them.
Basically, it's the world if catgirls existed as a separate species, and you could legally own them.
Which is a fun, cute, kinda "freaky", but equally as disturbing idea. I ain't shaming anybody for it,
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I can (and definitely do) dig it. But I also recognize that the show is so unique in how blunt it is about it that there's an underlying sense of discomfort - At least with me.
Maybe I haven't reached that level of degeneracy yet XD
The only way the show could be more blunt about it is if they openly said: "Oh yeah, you can **** them."
This all being said, I'm not factoring my score on any of this. In fact I applaud the fact that it doesn't pander to the "politically correct crowd."
I give it a 5 because it bets the entirety of the show on that single attribute. Outside of that single trait, there is literally nothing else to be found here.
There is no plot, there is no character apart from tropes, there is no direction, there's nothing.
I wouldn't say it's bad, but I definitely wouldn't call it good. It's the definition of nothing. It's as vanilla as vanilla can get.
(Pun not intended)
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 13, 2020
This will be a spoiler free review.
I was pretty late to the bandwagon with this one, but I'm glad I finally sat down and watched it.
I almost gave this show a 10, but I stopped and seriously thought about it. I questioned why I thought it didn't deserve a 10. I had already written this review, but didn't feel right with the rating.
All my complaints were minor, such as one character being the definition of annoying (but gets more likable), or sometimes the pacing gets slightly too fast.
Everything about this show was done with care and quality. The artstyle is unique and striking, every
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setting is incredibly atmospheric, the characters are all likable and have depth, the writing can seamlessly go from serious to comedic, the writing always has some underlying message to convey, and the world is fleshed out and alive.
But I think the reason I can't give it a 10 is I don't consider it a masterpiece. I think it's getting close, but it doesn't give me the mentality of "I couldn't make some aspects better."
Because that's what a 10 is - it's unable to be improved on.
Demon Slayer can be improved in some areas, most notably the simplicity of the story. Not that simplicity is bad, but it lessens the impression it leaves on you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 6, 2020
This will be a spoiler free review.
I was actually really nervous going into this movie. Code Geass is my favorite series ever, and I guess Western media has gotten me to dread when a studio digs up the grave of an old show. So this movie had a lot to hold up to in my mind, since the original holds such significance to me personally. Mix this with friends telling me "it's pretty alright", and you got one nervous fan.
But they were right - "it's pretty alright."
I'm pleased to be able to say that the movie handles carrying the torch of the original in a
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very respectful way. That being said, I still recognize season 1 and 2 to be their own things, while this is just an added bonus. The writing is done in such a way that you are able to consider this canon if you so choose, or not. Props to them for their subtlety.
Actually the whole movie is really high quality, though I could do without the CGI bits. But it never gets too distracting.
All your beloved characters make an appearance, and I mean everyone. They all get their moment in the spotlight, but never feels too forced. More so it feels like a respectful homage.
Despite all this praise, and the irrefutable quality of the movie and production - it pains me to say it was meh for me. I don't know what it was, but I found the movie to be missing... Something. What that is I have no idea. It wasn't bad, I didn't leave mad, but I also wasn't floored by it.
Worth at least a watch. Don't worry, it won't ruin the original.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 30, 2019
This will be a spoiler free review.
This is another show that just *barely* made it to an 8 for me. My rule is anything that's an 8 or higher must either have an artistic message to state, or it at least sticks out in your mind. This show succeeded in the latter because of the humor and characters.
The story was pretty basic isekai. Seen Konasuba? Then you pretty much know the setup.
All the characters are likable, and funny. Rista is one of the funniest characters of the year in my opinion. The animation style really plays off its comedic strengths, or perhaps the comedy
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plays off the animation. Either way the show never failed to make me smile, or get me laughing. It also manages to be somewhat touching at times.
But I think one of the show's biggest strengths also hinders what it could be.
I am genuinely impressed how much of a coherent journey they were able to compact into a 12 episode format, all the while without ever feeling too rushed or cluttered. But I really think this show would seriously benefit from a 22-25 episode format, as we could spend more time with each character, or build upon more of its world. Assuming it kept it's same level of quality, but given more time, I'd say this could be an easy 9 for me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 24, 2019
I won't claim to be any sort of authority on manga. In fact this is, as of the time of writing this, the only manga I chose to list as read. The rest I read a hundred years ago, and would need to re-read them to feel right about marking them as read.
So obviously I'm not a huge reader.
At least - I wasn't.
I picked this up after finishing the anime, making it the first manga I picked up in years.
*Insert Reading Rainbow theme*
Yeah, once I started, I couldn't stop. This series is by no means a masterpiece, or some deep philosophical text -
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But it's just fun.
I don't think I've ever had a book, of any kind, make me laugh before; this might actually be the first one to pull it off. It's the characters, and the presentation that make this series. The author knows the value of delivery and expressiveness, and it really shows in the final product. Jokes are delivered with the perfect amount of dramatic effect, and it really brings the characters to life. You know each of the characters, you get familiar with them, you get attached, and you know how each one of them would react in certain situations.
The series is constantly evolving throughout, but it rarely if ever feels contrived. Not giving anything away (not that it's important), there was only one instance where I was like: "Ehhh, this feels forced, and kind of out of place."
But pretty much immediately afterwards, the series more or less openly states: "Yeah, this was a one time deal, and we're actually closing the door to this route from here onwards." So I forgive it.
But the characters are constantly evolving and maturing throughout the series, you see how they adapt to their change in lifestyle. I suppose the best way you could describe it is you see how they settle into their new lives. Despite this, no character ever becomes unrecognizable.
The situations they are placed in never feel stale, or repetitive. The author sometimes makes each chapter it's own situation, and sometimes it'll be a new (short) arc. He keeps it fresh by never focusing too much on a single character, every character gets their moment to shine. From that, you actually are able to take away unique morals and lessons from each chapter, as each character offers a unique perspective. But Tooru, Kobayashi, and Kanna are always there to act as an anchor to keep the series grounded.
So far, I have loved this series, and look forward to future chapters.
This paragraph will contain minor spoilers for the anime and manga. The anime and manga don't feel too different in terms of tone, I feel they kept pretty true to the source material, with a few exceptions. Tooru most notably. She's less, how should I put it? Submissive? Like she is in anime. In the manga (along with Kanna) she's more of a smart ass. Which isn't a bad thing, I never found the small difference distracting, it still felt like Tooru. I know the beginning of both the anime and manga share the issue with having the pacing go too fast, but I am unsure whether I simply adapted to both, or it levels out. So in the case of Tooru, I am uncertain if there's an actual difference, or
if you perhapss get so closely familiar with her, you don't notice the evolution of her becoming comfortable enough to be a smart ass. The only change I was not a fan of in the anime in comparison to the manga was the changes they made to Tooru's dad, who appears in the final episode of season 1. In the anime, he is portrayed more as this all powerful, totalitarian antagonist. Whereas in the manga, he only initially appears that way, only to be shown to be somewhat of a goofy old man, and a doting father. Personally I far prefer the manga version, but I suppose they needed a season finale, so they made him it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 9, 2019
This will be a spoiler free review.
This was a fun show - I thoroughly enjoyed it.
That being said, this show just *barely* reaches an 8 out of 10 for me, and for only one reason:
- I have a rule that anything 8 or higher needs to either have an artistic message it tries to convey, or at the very least, it sticks out in your mind.
It does the latter, purely because of the characters.
The characters are all very likeable, and they play off each other's personality well. While the show never had me busting out laughing, I did either have a grin
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or smile on my face the entire way through. Tohrue is a character you wish was real, though I suppose that can be said for many other anime. She has depth to her, and doesn't feel like a character with a cookie cutter personality. Surprisingly Kobayashi, the main character, also has depth. I say surprising because, at the end of the day, this show is still fantasy escapism. With most shows like that, the main character usually doesn't have much in the way of defining traits, they're moreso a placeholder for the viewer. I could be biased there, as Kobayashi as a character is very much similar to me. But I will say she does have a few "placeholder" traits, such as her inability to make a definitive move when it comes to her and Tohrue, everything is implied with her. Which is admittedly a cookie cutter trope.
People often compare this show to Senko-San, which I think is an unfair comparison. While yes, this show is superior to Senko-San in many ways - I'd argue to say Senko-San was much more ambitious in the mission it set out to accomplish. Where Kobayashi (and technically Senko-San) is fantasy escapism, Senko-San could be more accurately described as a "fantasy escapism simulator", even going so far as to include point-of-view scenes. They put all their eggs into one basket when it comes to character development, so in that respect, Kobayashi thrashes Senko-San.
The show is self aware, even breaking the 4th-Wall during segways, which always brought a smile. But it never felt out of place, it gave the show a sort of charm and identity to it, which permeated throughout the show.
I can't wait for season 2, I want to see more of these characters. But if I had some advice to give to the author, I'd say I'd like to see more character progression now, and not just character development.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 4, 2019
This is one of those shows I really wish I could give an 8, but I just can't. In my mind, anything 8 or higher must either have a well presented artistic message to state, or firmly sticks out in your mind.
Don't get me wrong, the show accomplished exactly what it set out to do, which was to essentially create a "If you had a fox spirit girlfriend simulator". What the show does do, it does it relatively well, I enjoyed the show overall. But the show's shortcomings cripple it's ability to be anything more than fantasy escapism.
The show has virtually no plot.
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Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but doesn't make it stand out. Yes, it's a slice of life show, which isn't supposed to have any sort of grand Odyssey for a story. But I've seen slice of life shows be done far more eloquently - "Ascendence of a Bookworm" for instance.
I liked all the characters, though the main character is essentially a placeholder for the viewer.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD:
Well actually, due to a lack of plot, you could consider this minor, or major spoilers, as it essentially involves the entirety of "the plot".
This issue I know wasn't intentional, as they needed some sort of plot to allow progression and some form of struggle, but in my experience it kind of hindered my ability to enjoy the show.
The entire show, they drop hints that Senko being there is only temporary. This is a major issue, as the show tries to get you attached to her. So the entire time I'm watching, I'm wanting to get invested, but with the threat of all that being demolished by the end made me constantly wary of Senko. To top it off, the show (and not the character's actions) also makes you question Senko's motives.
I wanted him, or her, to say the words "I love you" the entire way through. Not because I was on the edge of my seat, as if it were some extravagant love tragedy. But because I needed some sort of definitive clarification of where they stand, so I can say: "OK it's safe to get invested in these characters". I didn't get any sort of definitive statement until the very end when he said "Let's stick together". That's it. Had I gotten that statement sooner, I would have enjoyed the show far more.
So what are my final thoughts?
It's a fun, warm, charming little show, just don't expect the well to run deep. I honestly hope this show gets a second chance with a season 2, because despite people's complaints about some of the characters being one-dimensional, I actually see a huge reservoir of untapped potential here. There are so many different directions they could take this, with both plot and character development. Maybe Kuroto could propose to Senko, and hijinks ensues when they tell the priest that she's a real fox spirit. Or maybe Kuroto finally finds a better job, and requires him and Senko to move across country, or maybe overseas. Maybe Senko meets Kurotos parents, or Kuroto Senko's parents (does she have parents?).
Regardless - Like I said, there are many different directions they could choose to take it, and I really hope that if they get the the chance to evolve this show further - They take it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 26, 2019
Whenever I rate a show, I start at 5; which in my mind, is a cookie cutter show, that is about as average as average can be. I then move up or down accordingly so as to give the show a fair chance in its own right. It's not a perfect system, as I will likely not bother watching a show 4 and below. But it allows me to review each anime on an individual, one to one basis.
Now then, the important bit: Will you enjoy watching it?
Probably - but it's a mixed bag.
I actually struggled to review this one, as the things the show
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does right, it does really right. But same goes for the things it does wrong. I'd like to give the show an 8, I really would, but I just can't.
I will speak in very vague terms, so as to avoid spoilers.
The main issue with the show comes with its inability to commit towards a narrative direction. The show's response to this issue seems to be resetting back to the starting point, pretending as though progress or decisions have never been made, both figuratively and sometimes literally.
If you need an example of this issue, look no further than the main character Yukki. The actor did fine, it's the writing that's the problem.
Narratively as a whole, Yukki is incredibly inconsistent as a character. Characters are supposed to develop as the story does. That, or just stay the same - Not do both.
It's like the old song "One Step Forward, and Two Steps Back" (Nobody gets too far like that.)
Yukki keeps moving towards maturing as a character, always to have one thing cause him to undo about 70% of his character development. Which I suppose fits with his character, but the manner in which it's done, it becomes infuriating after a while.
So it always feels as though the plot is slightly ahead of the characters in tone the entire way through. Though the plot is occasionally guilty of this too. But if you overlook these instances (which you shouldn't have to, because that's just poor writing) it doesn't affect the pace of the story.
The show constantly felt as though it wanted to take off, but was being held back by it's writing at every chance it got. Like telling a horse to slow down. Despite these glaring flaws, I enjoyed the show, and I honestly think it could have been something much more had the writing been more consistent.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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