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Mashle is decidedly average in every aspect. Its characters? We’ve seen them a million times. Over-exaggerated comedy? We have that too. Plagiarism disguised as parody? ALL OVER THE PLACE. But I gotta give credit where credit is due: the animation is alright.

:)

That’s it.

Really. There is nothing more to praise Mashle for.

So now, let’s talk about the bad:

... The character design has no distinct quality. The OST is uninspired. The characters are shallow. The jokes get saturated and are predictable. The narrative is a textbook shounen replica. And the parody… well, let’s go into details first…

Mashle plays the parody card by not taking certain story elements seriously, but without subverting any expectations or using these elements in any meaningful or intelligent way. The parody “events” are just that: events. They are barely even attached to the main story because the show plays out as any other mediocre shounen and takes that part seriously. Okay, so, maybe the main character is a subversion of the shounen genre, when we put him against average narrative tropes… And sure, that might be the point. But that’s just a cop-out from One-Punch Man.

What about the Harry Potter parallels then, you might wonder? “I betchu that’s great parody material!”, you might say. Well, no. They hardly have any relation to the story, aside from the simplistic overarching parallel of the story taking place in a magic school with different groups inside (the rest of the elements taken from HP are simply used for gags).

Okay then, what about the gags? “They have to be good right? Look at the score on this show, something must be capturing the audience’s hearts!” Well, again, no. The gags can be summed up to: exaggerated character quirk put against a “straight man” and/or the simple saturation of character quirks (e.g.: Mash is so strong he can’t open doors, he breaks them; Mash loves cream puffs, so he thinks of/eats them in unusual moments; Red haired guy takes himself too seriously, as if he were the main character; Blonde girl is a pervert; White haired dude is a hardcore siscon; etc…). All characters can be summed up to one characteristic or two, which are played for laughs AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN, to the point of exhaustion. That is, except when the story is busy trying to SERIOUSLY justify that single characteristic in a long monologue/flashback in the middle of a fight due to enemy provocations which then provoke the well-known transformations and rage fueled power spikes.

Taking it all into consideration I still can’t say Mashle is BAD… it’s an okay, inoffensive show. I’m not that critical about my anime, after all, entertainment is entertainment, and being COMPLETELY cliché and predictable doesn’t necessarily take away from the enjoyment. For that reason, Mashle is perfectly average and perfectly enjoyable, if it suits your tastes.

HOWEVER,

I did not rate it 5 (an average score for an average anime, duh). And you might be wondering why. Or not? Anyway… it is because I have a beef with the main character.

Dude… at the end of (almost) every fight Mash sympathizes with the villain and forgives their behavior and the evil-doer (which up until that moment was nothing short of a psychopath) suddenly has a flashback that “justifies” his actions and comes to the realization Mash is Jesus and repents for his sins. PLUS, Mash is always fighting to defend the weak and oppressed. It’s the wet dream of a bullied kid. We get to watch Mash watching someone get humiliated for half an episode, so that then he can take action and his violence be justified because he is Sanctity incarnate. Rinse and repeat.

Bleach consists mainly of 3 canon arcs, the first and the last being the highest quality ones. In between them there is a whole lotta filler and the messy, gigantic and contrived Las Noches arc. So, what I'd recommend you doing if you are planning to watch the show is: watch the entire first arc (episodes 1-63) and then skip the filler arc that follows (which is not that bad, so if you are having fun, go right ahead: episodes 64-109). After that, the Las Noches arc begins (it's the one about Aizen). The beginning is fine to get an idea of what's it about, ... but it won't make any difference if you just skip ahead to the main fights (which are fights that Ichigo partakes in). I'd just watch the 3 main ones (Ichigo x Grimmjow - all three times they face each other; Ichigo x Ulquiorra; Ichigo x Aizen). Really, the story here doesn't matter. And that brings me to my next point:


*(minor spoilers ahead)*


The story doesn't matter.

Most of what happens doesn't impact the story in any major way as it progresses into the subsequent arc. Therefore, each arc can be seen as a standalone, without much loss. And that's because: Characters do not progress, change or evolve (beyond acquiring new powers and changing their visual); Secondary characters are often forgotten after they have served their purpose (which is usually to help Ichigo become stronger for no apparent or credible reason OR for comic relief - which is a big pet peeve of mine, because I do NOT find Bleach funny in the slightest); The powers the characters acquire and transformations they suffer often do not respect any logic and are explained in a exposition scene as an afterthought; And last, but not least... Ichigo's learning curve always reaches its epitome when the plot urges him to finally fight. Suddenly, he overcomes previous hurdles and unlocks mysterious powers and easily defeats the villain. These sudden breakthroughs don't feel earned and often don't have any logic to them. It's just an easy way out of an impossible situation.

And so, because of these many, MANY flaws, I actually really respect the new 2022 season that came out. In it, they do a very commendable job of trying to close the many gaps left behind by the messy writing of the original Bleach series, and they go a step further trying to connect all the dots and make some comprehensible developments in the story. But anyways, this review is not about Thousand Year Blood War...

Even so, Bleach, despite all its shortcomings, does some things right. Those things are:

1) having a progressively overpowered main character. Ichigo is strong from the get go, but there is always room AND need for improvement. That way the story doesn't stagnate and the conflict arises from each new stronger opponent he has to face. This context enforces Ichigo to continually develop... but he never really changes. His powers become greater after each new foe but his demeanor is, AT MOST, a little more serious due to his previous experiences. The "transformative action" concept is taken here to an exclusively visual interpretation. Each breakthrough in Ichigo's power is marked by a completely different style: his hair grows, his hair gets short, his clothes get shredded, he gets extra unnecessary accessories, he loses all of the extra unnecessary accessories, etc etc. It's a mess.

2) the build up. Right from the beginning of each arc we are presented with the villain and his powers. Every subordinate of his serves the only purpose of making us perceive him as even stronger. And so, the build up to the final fight is always very intense, as each fight only further escalates the magnitude of the powers at play. This keeps the action flowing and the stakes high and the pay-off always delivers.

3) (from a certain point) the animation. The specific moment from which the animation clearly improved is debatable. Undoubtedly, the last arc is completely different - quality-wise - from the rest of the show, but the first signs of improvement in the animation were already present in the last Ichigo x Grimmjow fight scene. The scenes (side-character fights) that followed that battle were still terrible, but then again, those fights were, in-itselves, pointless. When we get to see Ichigo face Ulquiorra, Bleach peaks. Aizen x Ichigo, although silly (and Ichigo's power unexplainable), is a cool as heck fight scene. All of this is undoubtedly very important in an action-centered shounen series.

Having all that in mind, one can clearly (and without controversy) say that Bleach is bad. But should you watch it? Yes. Bleach is the best kind of bad out there. Just turn off your brain, skip over the boring parts and have fun!

I've watched the SAO series back when I had only just begun watching anime. Since then, my taste in anime has matured a lot. For that reason I cannot compare my enjoyment from back then and the one I got from watching this movie. I can't compare the plot or characters, as the eyes that once saw Sword Art Online are now long gone. I loved it back then, and watching this movie makes me feel like I was right to enjoy it. Makes me doubt all the hate it was given. However, now I see that the plot is pretty bad. It feels like ... an excuse for the action to happen. If you think too hard about it, much won't make sense, but that's fine. It entertains. It doesn't waste much time either. The focus is clear: Action. Maybe for that reason that it doesn't fall apart.

Strangely enough, watching this movie wasn't nostalgic at all. It felt new. Perhaps, as it was mentioned by others, I felt that way because they really did something different. And I believe that thing is focusing on the action.

The character drama is still there, but it doesn't feel forced, just out of place. Like it was borrowed from another story. It is not necessarily bad, it just doesn't evoke any strong emotions.

What matters the most is done right. The visuals are beautiful and the action scenes are stunning. I saw a little bit of the Fate series in it, but hey, the producers are the same, and it works, right? So it's all good.

For those that liked the rare development in the romance area that the original series presented us, rejoice! It is here to bless us with its grace. I love it when the characters actually get into a relationship before the series end! We get to enjoy that beautiful feeling with them. I hope it will catch on, because I get real frustrated of all these romance-bait-harem anime.

The idol girl (Yuna), with her songs in the battles was pretty dope and well placed. A good excuse for a good fighting soundtrack.

All in all, it is SAO. It isn't a masterpiece, but you'd be dreaming to hope for one. It's fun and entertaining. It has some AMV worthy battles and cute little moments between Asuna and Kirito.
It's pretty good.

An interesting world with nothing to offer.

Haibane Renmei, like many other anime, presents to us an slightly mysterious and compelling world where humans and Haibane - angel-like creatures - coexist. The relationship between said creatures and humans is one of kindness, nonetheless, an uneasy feeling hovers near. Something feels out of place. For that reason, at first, I thought Haibane were being used (and maybe abused) by humans, something the protagonist would slowly figure out...

...HOWEVER...

...that concept wasn't explored...

...and what we are left with is, rather than a mysterious psychological thriller, a slightly mysterious fantasy anime with pretentious philosophical themes. The false sense of mystery is ... an excuse for the teenage level philosophy about themes like death.
These subjects aren't explored directly. Instead the anime opts for a "metaphorical" approach... but it's hardly deep at all. It only presents us real life situations with a fantasy twist. It's simple. It's pretentious.

Now, I'd like to discuss the worst part of the anime...
Yet, another surprise: it's quite hard deciding what part is crappier: the art, the characters or the story.

But let us start with the art. It's pretty obvious the budget was really fucking small. The animation is hentai-level. Background is either static or a loop of the same scenery. However, I must praise what must be praised. Props to the choice of colors. They really fit AND set the atmosphere.

As for characters, there really isn't any redeemable features about them. They are ridiculously one dimensional (even though they are 2D drawings! What a feat!) therefore extremely predictable. And to top it off, they fucking annoy the fuck out of me.
I don't care enough to remember them, but what I know is: the protagonist is weak and useless. You know that clumsy-shy trope every shit anime uses? She's basically that, but, somehow, far more annoying.
There are a few other characters that get on my nerves as well (but I guess the whole anime does...), but I only remember the smoking woman. I had hopes for her. Had. In the past. She's just as empty as the rest. There is some kind of backstory that explains why she's the "carer" and that's about it. Just like the others, one characteristic summarizes her entire personality.

I wonder where in the world the person who wrote this lives. Where can I find a human being with one only trait?

As mentioned before, the story is deceiving and pretentious. Falsely deep, as I like to call it. However, not only it is shit, it is also slow. But wait, don't judge me yet for not enjoying the good ol' slow burner, first, let me explain: there are 2 types of slow paced stories. First: e.g. Breaking Bad; A slow burner that takes it's time to expand the characters' personalities and make a bond between the character and the viewer whilst creating suspense and tension. And Second: e.g. Haibane Henmei; A slow piece of shit that takes it's time with fillers to add nothing at all to the overall experience of the show, besides boredom. Well, there IS teenage-level philosophy. If it floats your boat, who am I to judge?

Voice acting isn't the worst but it's annoying. The OST, ED and OP are fantastic. A damn shame there is no anime to back it up.

In comparison, at least NGE was really good at being depressing.

*If you're interested in reading this manga, I advise against reading the whole review, therefore only read the TL;DR at the bottom.*

Story (2)
You have the summary here on MAL, so no point in wasting time explaining that.
The MC's aquaphobia is used as an topic for conversation with every girl in the manga, whom he later has sexual intercourse. The basic premise is that one of the girls he meets knows who he is, but the mystery is obscured by the many hentai-like ecchi scenes (specifically, one per chapter).
The story is basically that: MC meets girl, talks to her about his condition, has sex with ... her (mind you he has a girlfriend) and then it's like nothing ever happened and he goes back to his girl.
*His fear of water is treated horribly. In the first chapter he passes out because a little bit of water splashed on his face, but a few pages later he's fine with entering the pool. Really?

Art (7)
Main reason to read "Hanma Meido" is the ecchi. And its done very well.
All girls are sexy, their bodies are wonderful, even if their facial expressions aren't phenomenal and even, at times, quite displeasing. Clothing is also very well drawn and erotic.
Other details, like the background, are very poor and forgettable.

Character (1)
They are as shallow as the pools in this little manga. They don't have ANY depth; They barely have a single characteristic to define them. The protagonist simply lusts after every girl he sets his eyes on, and these, who are a deformed cookie-cut trope cliché, simply let him do as he pleases.

Enjoyment (6)
Even though this manga is so bad it's insulting, if you like ecchi you will enjoy it.
It's as simple as that.

TL;DR
"Hanma Meido" is so horribly written it hurts, so just skip through the pages and you will get the gist of the story. Then, appreciate the ecchi that you "came" to see.

Skill of lure was one of the first manga I've started reading, over an year ago, and boy, I loved it. And still do.
I finished the manga a few months ago, but when I saw it again in a website, I just had to write a review to show my love for it.

Story (9)
Simple, though, extremely hilarious. Seriously, I've never laughed so much reading a manga like I did with this one.
It's about a guy that often ends up in situations that cause misunderstandings and make women think of him as a perv. Cliché right? Well, yeah, but it's still better than those harem perv ... clichés, because this one is well done and believable.
Later on, a friend of his starts giving him lessons to get a woman. How to handle'em, smooth talk and shit like that, I tried to learn too, but if I did, I wouldn't be here writing this crap, would I?
The MC, then, starts using these lessons to stop embarrassing himself and get this beautiful girl named Sena. If you want more, hell, read the manga.

Art (10)
I fucking love the art on this manhwa, it's gorgeous and funny when it has to be. The expressions are priceless, funny and extremely detailed like no other.

Character (9)
You just have to love Sunbae.
All characters are charismatic and just great. Lol. Just don't expect some psychological perspective or some deep shit like that, Skill of Lure is a romantic comedy and it knows what it is and does it well.
The 3 main characters are all likable, and the ones that are annoying, do a good job at it.

Enjoyment (10)
No heavy content with psychological analysis and dark surprising twists in the story. It's simple and fun.
If you want to feel happy and have a good laugh, look no further, Skill of Lure is THE manga for that.

Overall (10)
Skill of Lure is a great example of cliché done right. It uses an overused concept and makes the best of it. The best of the best.
So now I've said it all and said it again, and what are you doing here? Do yourself a favor and read Skill of Lure this instant.

Review free of spoilers.

The daily life of the students of Lilian Girls' Academy. That's about all this show is about, and yet it absorbs you into its world and doesn't let you go, but don't be fooled, even though it's addicting, it is still slow paced and very dramatic, if you rush things you might get bored. Try watching only a few episodes a day, that way it'll maintain your interest and you won't get tired of it. Savor it slowly.
Every episode you learn something new about one of the characters, even if it's only an supporting character that only appears in a couple of ... episodes, you still get to know everything about them, how they are involved with each other and the situation they are at. You get to like all the characters.
Just like in real life, Maria-sama ga Miteru has sad, happy, dramatic and fun moments. It deals with the relationship of the girls, how they solve their hardships with the help of their friends, and how they get over past problems.
At first their personalities might seem shallow and cliché, but after a few episodes you start to understand the reason they are that way and how they change because of the ones surrounding them.
Creating so many characters with original and likable personalities and the way they interact with each other is the strong point of this show. Even if you aren't a fan of yuri I would still recommend, as lesbian romance isn't the focus of the story (only 2 or 3 actual lesbians in the 1st season) what you get is sister-like relationships.
After saying all I could about the story and the characters without spoiling anything, I shall now talk about the sound in the anime, and sadly, background music is forgettable (I really don't remember it lol) voice actors couldn't fit better, perfect for their characters. Opening and ending songs are very fitting and enjoyable in my point of view.
And now, for the art, well, I love it. The main point of the story is its characters, so what matters is them. Basically hair and eyes is what makes the difference in between any and every anime character. In Maria-sama ga Miteru, I loved the shoujo-ish art (especially the eyes). Animation was sometimes robotic, but I don't pay much attention to those details because the anime isn't action based so animation isn't all that important.
The background is crappy but well, I spent more time reading than looking at the art so it really didn't bother me (those who watch with subs will understand).

Overall I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected and ended up caring for every character in my own way. Truly a masterpiece. One of those that creates its own world and invites you in, so that you can enjoy happy moments or feel depressed with sad parts as if you were there. It's not everyday you pass through such a beautiful and deep story like Maria-sama ga Miteru.
There are those who hate romance. Those who hate drama. Those who love action (shounen). Those who don't endure melodramatic stories.
If you are one of "those" you probably won't be able to enjoy like I did this anime, and so I can't recommend it for you, one of those.
But if you like drama and slow-paced animes, don't brush this one aside because it is worth all your time for all 4 seasons.
I definitively recommend Maria-sama ga Miteru.

THIS REVIEW CONTAIN SPOILERS

Mystery animes should make you always curious to know what will happen the next episode. This one doesn't.

This anime presented great potential at the beginning, showing Sakuraro and the "Shounen" discovering a person's bones and solving the mystery behind their death. I thought it would be like that the whole series. But then, it changed.
The cases they solved were really boring and some even useless, it just didn't make me want to know what happened, because for me it really didn't matter. Then the story continued with some (light) drama and raising our curiosity showing a little of Sakurako's past, but at ... that point it isn't that much interesting anymore, it seems rather obvious what will happen.
What caught most of my curiosity was: who the hell is Sakurako's fiance?

Art: 9/10
Really well made character's expressions. Background full of details. Coloring is also great, really vivid (I guess I could say that.)

Story: 4/10
The show is very slow paced, even too much. There are some useless episodes that don't add anything up to the story, but overall is nice.
Hard to say this but, the "explanation" is really good. What I mean is that they introduce the case to us with many details, and develop the story from that point flawlessly, but that's what causes the a anime to be very slow paced.
Differently from what I expected from the begging, solving the mysteries is not something thrilling. They try to make something dramatic but it doesn't feel all that deep and I can't really relate to anything, so it just feels shallow. I have the impression that it's sometimes forced, because they try to make a big deal out of little stuff. For example in the episode which the Yuri girl lost her grandmother. They made it sound like her world ended, and yet the old lady was already missing, so it was expected that she was dead. And yet they make it look like something really sad. Maybe some people will identify themselves with the girl, call me cold but, I simply don't have the compassion to feel sorry for her.
The true story begins at episode 10, when the anime is ending they start what should've been already solved by that time.
Ending an anime the way they did, only if they are certain of another season, because basically everything was left unsolved.

Sound: 8/10
Background music is good, sound effects fit in perfectly, opening and ending themes are also great.

Characters: 5/10
The story doesn't help the genius MC because the cases are really boring, so solving them doesn't make the MC look as smart as she is.
But I still like her and how cold she is, asking questions with no remorse and then solving everything on her own.
Something which bothered me a lot was that the personalities of some of the supporting characters somewhat changed through the story. Not some big change, but at some parts they acted outside their character, for example the Sensei, at one episode he acted really cool and said some nice stuff, but at the next episode he didn't leave his mark and it really annoys me these subtle changes.
Something else that bugs me is that whimpy cry-baby shounen. Can't he shut up? And why does he feel sick when he sees bones? They are just freakin' bones.

Enjoyment: 5/10
Good as it is, it just doesn't make me cry out for more episodes, desperately refreshing the page, begging for the release of an new episode.
Well, that was too much, but you get the picture.
Even though I really appreciate a good drama and mystery, this one doesn't make any of them truly enjoyable, leaving nothing else for the viewers.

Overall: 6 (Fine)
Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru is entertaining but it lacks depth to its story.
Showed great potential but it really disappointed me.

What happens when you try to make an anime out of a nukige

Story: 2/10
Not giving 1 because it actually has a story, even though it's just as bad as any hentai out there because this kind of Demon Lord setting is extremely overused, so creating a good story with it is a hard thing, but many enjoy even if it's just like the others, so it's like an assurance to have audience.
The plot goes like this: "Basara!" "Aahh!!" *Random Ecchi Scene* -> *Some bad attempt to make MC look badass* -> *Fight Scene* -> Repeat the cycle
Before watching the first season I thought Shinmai Maou ... no Testament was an parody of Highschool DxD, but after watching episode 5 of the second season I noticed they didn't intend to stop their shitty parody there, because they tried to copy Akame ga Kill and Shingeki no Kyojin but it was so badly done I had to laugh.
What bothers me the most are those borderline hentai scenes in the middle of the episode. They are so random that in the next scene it's like it never happened. Besides, if I wanted to see these kind of scenes I would be watching hentai, for god's sake.
So much time is lost with stupid dialogue: "What do you think will happen to me?" "Don't worry, I will always be with you". Whoever the fuck wrote this shit doesn't realize that this doesn't make the MC look good, because the smooth talking is so repetitive it sounds like hentai.
After the shit-chat one of the characters goes all out (or it seems to us) to look good, but in the end he/she just explodes something or doesn't do anything at all.

Art: 5/10
Without censorship it looks like hentai, with a little better animation. The demons are nicely done so in the character aspect, all good.
I don't think having the characters use other clothes is that much of a hassle, but in Shinmai Maou no Testament it seem quite troublesome because either the characters have no clothes at all or they wear their school uniforms. Even in hell. Literally.
Animation is so bad that it makes the fights seem "lifeless", and in a futile effort to cover the poor animation they make everything blow up. But it's still no good.

Sound: 7/10
Opening song is actually nice, if it wasn't for those sound effects in the background that ruin the whole song. The rest of the sounds in the anime are almost all from explosions. Maybe some music when there are fights, but nothing special.

Characters: 2/10
No character development. For the contrary, they go back the steps. It's so annoying when Basara and Mio almost have sex one scene, then next scene Basara calls Mio his sister ("Don't touch my imouto!!"). Siscon much?
Everyone is so emotional, it's like they have some kind of emotional disturbance. They see one of their friends get hurt and go full rage mode so often it doesn't even affect me anymore.
The MC looks so cool, then when he finally fights, he's actually weak as fuck. Every. Single. Time. *sighs*. Got to give extra points because Basara isn't oblivious to the girls' feelings, like any other harem MC. And he actually does stuff to them (even though they don't go all the way).

Enjoyment: 2/10
The series is so simple and cliché is just painful to watch, there is almost no enjoyment. Everything I expect to happen, happens. There is no mystery or thrill whatsoever, because the plot lacks creativity.
At least the MC doesn't run away from the girls when the time comes, but they could implicitly show the characters having sex, after all those ecchi scenes are close enough, so it wouldn't hurt to at least say that they crossed the line.

Overall: 2/10
It's not worth your time. If you want an actual action/harem anime that has both "plot" and plot you can go watch HSDxD. This one here can be considered a cheap copy of the first.
Basically no romantic development (when you think it developed it goes back to square one), cliché/unrealistic dialogue (hentai-like), boring fights and meaningless fan-service.
I'm sure a hentai of this would suit it far better than an entire shitty anime.

A big and united family can overcome any hardships, or can they?

Story: 8/10
The very well paced movie starts off showing us what is "Oz" and how much the world is connected to it. Not a very creative beggining, but it's understadable.
After the explanation, the actual story begins; Kenji goes with Natsuki to her family house for work. When he gets there he discovers what exactly is the work, that is, to pretend to be Natsuki's boyfriend until the end of their trip.
If you want to know the rest just read the synopsis >.>
From that point the story develops the characters ties and sets the plot ... (for many: the boring part). With that done the drama is created and they have a reason to do what they do (no spoiler :P)
After the whole dramatic part, we are faced with thrilling action. The whole family unites to save the world from chaos! Pretty cliché huh? But it's still very captivating and well done.
In short, to create the whole drama the plot develops slowly, but makes it worth it at the end.

Art: 8/10
High amount of details in facial expressions. Exceptional work done with "Oz". Top notch animation.
Loses points in the actual model for the characters.

Characters: 9/10
As I mentioned before, the movie is very well paced, so the introductions to the characters (explaning what they are capable of) and character developmenting (personality creation) are smoothly done.
You might get attached to some characters and be disgusted with others, and that only shows how remarkably well created they are.

Ejoyment: 8/10
The start and the whole "save the world" part aren't all that new, but are still quite enjoyable, to shake off that cliché they touch a rather controversial subject: the social network. And they do well with that.
Also, the big, happy and united family and the problems they face is something touching to be seen.
A truly fun, sad, tense and happy anime for the whole family.

Rather short review because I tried to not spoil anything.