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Mar 27, 2025
It has been quite some time since I've written a review on this website, but Blue Box (i.e., Ao no Hako) left me with mixed feelings that compelled me to pick up the pen (keyboard?) once more. I will preface this review by noting that I am quite a bit older than the characters in this show; hence, instead of being able to self-insert and understand the character's perspectives directly, I am viewing the story and romance from the lens of someone watching their teenage child fall in love (though admittedly I am not *that* old).
From a production standpoint it is difficult to argue that
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Blue Box is not a good show. The art and animation are both fantastic and on-par with (or above) the standards set by other acclaimed sports anime. The music does well to set the tone of each scene, and although it doesn't quite stand out, it does well to keep you immersed and connected to the show. The sports side of the show is similarly well animated and the show does well to establish rivalries, exemplify growth, and portray disappointment in not yet being able to accomplish one's immediate goals. I would argue, however, if you are looking for a sports anime this probably isn't the right place to look. The show focuses rather heavily on the "love triangle" between the leads Taiki, Chinatsu, and Hina and the sports aspect of the show is only the supporting actor in that tale of romance/drama.
Now, if you are looking for a romance, then you're in the right place - but that leads me to my primary gripe with the show. The romance in Blue Box feels awkward. To briefly recap the outcome of the series (if you want to avoid spoilers, you'll want to avoid this part): Taiki chooses to reject Hina, his childhood friend who is enamored with him, to continue to pursue Chinatsu, the female lead of Blue Box. The reason this outcome feels "awkward" is two-fold: the show spent too much time building up Hina as a character, and too little time building up Chinatsu as a character. Usually, if this problem occurs and the scales of how much each character was built up are at least close to equally weighted, then it's not a problem. However, for Blue Box, this scale is tipped entirely to one side. We learn so much about Hina, witness her trials and tribulations as a viewer, are given perspective into her emotions and thoughts, and see her aggressively pursue Taiki throughout the show. For Chinatsu, on the other hand, we are given a sparse few scenes of her spending time with Taiki (with a relationship that almost feels like that of an acquaintance, rather than a love interest) and are given minimal insight into her thoughts, feelings, and emotions aside from the fact that she may or may not like Taiki romantically. As is often the case with these kinds of shows, they'll tease at diving deeper into these topics for the female lead, but it never happens.
The problem with this dynamic is it makes Taiki's infatuation with Chinatsu, and his resultant rejection of Hina, difficult to understand. From the viewer's perspective Taiki admires Chinatsu, but the show doesn't give meaningful justification behind his feeling of love for her. The logic used by the show is almost that of "I admire Michael Jordan as an athlete and have seen how hard he works, therefore I am in love with Michael Jordan." While this type of logic might work well in a slow burn romance (which this is), it falls apart when a love rival is introduced who is anything but a slow burn. The show gives you every reason to like Hina, she is a well developed character, but almost all of this development feels like it was done to make Taiki's rejection of her more painful. If Chinatsu (and the relationship between Taiki and Chinatsu) had been better established, then the viewer could better understand the nature of that rejection and experience both the pain of that rejection and the subsequent acceptance of Taiki pursuing someone else (which I imagine is what the show wanted to accomplish, and perhaps what the manga does - I don't have context on the manga), but unfortunately it falls short of establishing that feeling.
In the end you are left with a show that has fantastic animation, good music (honestly I quite liked the OP), a decent sports "side-story" and an awkward character dynamic that feels grounded in the fact that we spent the season building up to a painful rejection and not much more. At the end of the experience Taiki still cannot fully explain his affection toward Chinatsu, and the final progress we make in that regard is that they agree to go out on Saturday (which they have done before, and doesn't really do well to indicate that we've made any headway toward the show's key romance). Perhaps this will be addressed in S2.
I would recommend Blue Box with mixed feelings. It's not a bad show by any means, and it does do well to portray certain emotions, but it leaves the viewer feeling like something is missing. Perhaps I'm just getting old and jaded; if I had a child and they conveyed this story to me I would similarly be confused - but perhaps that's the point - perhaps these are the kinds of emotions and oddities you go through in high school and it will connect well with that audience.
(As an aside, since MAL has us leave star ratings, I rate on a scale of 5 - 10, not 1 - 10)
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 17, 2017
Life is filled to the brim with experiences to be had. There are so many things one can accomplish in this world that it can become easily overwhelming; a pestering question for each individual is who do they want to be in this world of overwhelming choices, what do they want to accomplish, and what are the things they can do to reach for that goal?
Sometimes this abundance of choice can be so overwhelming that it's hard to choose. It's hard for one to determine what they love enough to pour themselves into; and sometimes you might not feel a deep connection with any
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one activity. The start of this anime conveys that exact thematic element when we are introduced to our main character Tatara. Tatara shares with the audience one of the many human barriers we face as we grow and learn to understand ourselves; not knowing what he wants to do, or where his place may fall in the world. He starts out apathetic, unmotivated, and not having a particular preference for any path in life.
This is when Tatara finds dance. In a more specific depiction; Competitive Ballroom Dance. Through dance Tatara is able to find himself, to better understand others; and to immerse himself in a world more vibrant and colorful than anything he could have prior imagined. He finds his place, he finds his passion; and through it he finds his motivation to grow and not only become the best version of himself, but to help others achieve the same.
Welcome to the Ballroom has consistently been one of my favorite shows since its release in the Summer season all the way up until the end of the Fall season. It's not only pushed its way through two seasonal bouts of anime but managed to stand above the rest consistently (at least, in my own opinion). It's because I enjoy this show so much that I decided to delete my preliminary review for it simply for the sake of being able to compose a review of the whole show; and, to start this newly composed review, I want to focus on my favorite part of this show: the characters.
The characters in Welcome to the Ballroom were; in the best terminology I can think of, balanced. Competitive Ballroom Dancing is a coupled sport; meaning it involves both a man and a woman, and each must play their respective parts in order to excel. I've never seen a series that incorporates both the male and female roles so fluently; we don't simply see our lead character grow - we see his partners grow with him. We explore Tatara and what leads him to the world of dance, we experience his growth; but through the series we witness the growth of his changing partners; Shizuku, Mako, and Chinatsu as well. To be able to so thoroughly explore each character; male or female, is something I normally don't have the pleasure of experiencing in anime. I was able to fully relate to both the male and female, the lead and follow, and because of this was able to thoroughly enjoy the growth of both characters through dance. I was able to understand their world; how their worlds are different from each other; how their worlds are different from my own; and how those worlds combine in their dancing and my viewership. That's an absolute pleasure, and if I were to recommend watching this anime for any one reason in particular, it is this one.
Aside from the depth with which the characters are fleshed out; the show does not fall short on story, art, or music either. The story follows a very standard sports show format, but the pacing is phenomenal and I was left each week feeling like I wanted to see more rather than underwhelmed with any sort of lack of content. The art was beautiful, and unique - given that with the many anime I have seen this was a rare art style to come across; and the music was in given moments exceptional. To comment on the OST I'd have to say I quite enjoyed the OP and ED, as well as the compositions that made the dance segments seem all the more engaging; there were times where the music wasn't of much interest, but this complimented scenes where the music was not suppose to take the forefront of the viewers attention; and when the music was meant to take a forefront... Oh boy.
To say the least I quite enjoyed Welcome to the Ballroom; more so than many of the sports animes I've seen because of how the characters were incorporated, and far more than I had thought I would stepping into the anime. I highly recommend this show; and I hope others can unexpectedly enjoy the world of Ballroom Dance as I have. Now stand tall (or sit up straight(?)) - "Your posture reflects how people see you" - and go watch Ballroom e Youkoso.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Aug 16, 2017
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations follows the Naruto series much like one generation follows the next; the series and it's elements have been passed like a torch to the children of the series.
The opening statement for this review should be that the main audience this show is meant to appeal to is not the prior Naruto audience. This anime has tasked itself with appealing to two different audiences; the prior generation whom followed Naruto Uzumaki and the current generation who will now be following our new protagonist Boruto Uzumaki.
Boruto Uzumaki is a solemnly different character than Naruto was; he's spoiled both in the sense
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of material wealth and in his ease of acceptance by the village. He does not bear the same burdens that Naruto did as a child, and for this reason he has troubles with entitlement and acting, for lack of better phrasing, "bratty." But, with this said I do not think the show lacks in proper characterization or character development. Boruto is a child, and he acts as such. He lives in a modernized version of the ninja world; one where there's abundant peace, computers, video games, and a lessening need for the occupation of ninja. Boruto (at this present point in the series) does not know struggle; what he does know is that his father's work is keeping his father away from him, and having shared happy experiences with Naruto prior to his inauguration as Hokage he is bothered by this fact.
Boruto acts very much as a child would in this situation. He meddles, and causes trouble; but still bears many of the same traits as Naruto (being someone who is there to help others). He's simply living a different young life than Naruto; and for this reason expresses the same traits Naruto did at a young age but for different reasons. In other words he acts up due to lack of attention from his father; rather than a lack of attention from the village.
What makes this show interesting to watch is this very characterization. It gives a chance to those of us who have followed Naruto through his journey to see how his child acts; whom knows little of his journey because he was not there himself. It gives us a chance to see how these new ninja students live in a modernized world that's in a state of peace. It allows us to again watch Boruto grow and change; much like Naruto did, but with a different start and a different end.
Boruto is meant to appeal to the new generation; someone they can follow and admire. The current generation likely does not know of Naruto's accomplishments or has not followed the series, and so they can echo the sentiments of Boruto - they don't know the story. This anime gives both the prior viewers a chance to follow Naruto as he learns to be a father and Hokage; but also serves the purpose of showing the current viewers Boruto's journey - which will likely contain the same character development Naruto did.
Having been a heavy advocate of the Naruto series, and having watched the entirety of it; I enjoy Boruto. I fully recognize that Boruto is not a show made for me, but rather for the kids of the current generation. I think the characterization of the children is done well, and they bear enough resemblance to their parents whilst expressing unique traits from their different lifestyle growing up that it makes sense. I'm interested to see the series progress with a mix of enjoying the company of my own hero, Naruto; and seeing how the new children develop into fine ninja as well.
Boruto is a follow-up to the Naruto series that I can advocate. It knocks at modernism as we see skyscrapers accrue, to-be ninja playing game consoles, and clothes which were prior tattered and torn after training (such as those worn by ninja students) looking pristine and clean. It gives us a chance to follow another story of growth, hardship, and much more; and for that I'm excited. It's the next generation of Naruto, and I'm looking forward to seeing where we are headed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 10, 2017
Do you recall how you felt when the Sword Art Online series first begin to air? That fascination you had towards the entire concept of being trapped within a virtual reality; where death in the virtual world meant death in reality as well? Where you got to experience that unique sense of adventure, romance, and fantasy? If you do; then be well prepared to have this movie, Sword Art Online: OS, reintroduce that long-lost feeling to you.
As a fair prerequisite to this review I'll note that I watched this movie last night in the theater during the special "One Night Only!" showing promotion that seems
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to be the standard for most anime movies in the U.S. So, my opinions and feelings about the movie as a whole are still quite fresh.
I came to write this review with two intentions: to give my honest thoughts on the movie and to detail my feelings about such; but also to make sure the all too prevalent incentive to knock down the S.A.O series doesn't misconstrue the reviews and/or depictions of this movie.
To begin this review it'd be best for me to give my honest opinion: I thought this movie was really "cool," for lack of a better term. It's a movie which invokes the giddy young-child-esque feeling inside of you; the same feeling we all had with the start of the original Sword Art Online series.
In the theater I had two young children behind me who couldn't help themselves; they talked constantly and were clearly excited. In most situations this would be an offensive gesture; but to better clarify the feeling this movie evoked I couldn't help but relate to their youth-bound wonder and almost wanted to join in on the conversation.
The Sword Art Online Movie: OS almost seems to be a culmination of everything people have asked for from the S.A.O series. It's a production which I would imagine would occur if the studio looked at a S.A.O forum; read everything the audience said they wanted to see from the series, and then created a movie with those thoughts in mind.
The art and sound for the movie were very, very well done. The animation was clearly top-notch and the sound was something that not only fit the fight scenes very well (given their general context of a fantasy setting), but also sounded very impressive in the surround-sound theater. The only complaint I had with the art and sound were that the background characters (such as people walking in the background) were done through CGI, or an animation style that didn't seem to fit the animation style of the lead characters, but this wasn't enough to knock down my overall opinion of the art.
The story was an interesting one; and made for a story which felt worth following. It wasn't, in my opinion, the high point of the movie; but it also didn't hold it back. In my opinion the overall aesthetic of the movie, the absolutely amazing fight scenes, and the presence of everything a S.A.O fan could ask for was the reason to see the movie; more so than the presented story-line.
The characters I don't feel I need to detail, as we likely already know them well and it wouldn't serve me much to review them. However with that in mind this movie almost requires that you've prior seen the Sword Art Online series; otherwise a lot of it will not make sense. Before watching this movie I strongly recommend you watch through the first three season of S.A.O, so that any references and/or other points in the movie won't be overlooked due to lack of prior knowledge.
This movie is simply, in my best means of describing it: fun and exciting. If you watched S.A.O and ever thought "I wonder ---" then that wonder may be well fulfilled in this movie. There's a sense of realism in the movie that I've not seen in many animes; there's a clear respect for the wants of the fans, and whilst there were plot holes and other elements which could be negatively focused on; I don't think they did much to make the movie any less enjoyable. The same way you can take almost any series and focus on the negatives to make it a "bad" series, you can do to S.A.O - the problem being people have picked out S.A.O as one of the series that is common place to only look at in a negative light. This is why I wanted to write this review; I don't want this movie to be criticized to the bone like all other seasons of S.A.O have; I wanted to stand up and let anime fans know : If you like S.A.O, then this movie is, without a doubt in my mind, something you should see.
Enjoy your time at the movies! (Or on your couch at home watching the Blu-ray / DVD)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 26, 2016
I want to premise this review with a statement: Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan is a(n) comedy anime; there is no plot, storyline, drama, or any other aspect of the show other than comedy for which it should be reviewed. Therefore, the following review and the score I've given this show are in relation to how well the show preformed as a comedy anime.
Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan follows the eventful life of Saiki Kusuo: a young man who happens to have been born with every psychic power one could imagine. With such powers it's no surprise that Saiki's life is so eventful; however it's not
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Saiki himself who creates this busy and energetic life, it's his eccentric and out-going group of friends. Saiki, if anything, wishes for a quiet and simple life; his friends however don't have the same agenda. In the midst of attempting to hide his psychic powers, manage his bustling group of friends, and deal with his giddy family; hilarity ensues.
Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan is by no means a story driven anime. It's a succession of short 4 minute episodes which are meant to make you laugh. The show is meant to perform and express itself as a comedy, which is does very well. Each character is hand-crafted to be unique enough that they pique your curiosity and get you to laugh when they come around. All the way from a(n) eighth-grade syndrome inflicted boy fighting off the notorious "Dark Reunion," to a self-absorbed bishoujo you'll find that each character comes off in their own way and does a fantastic job of adding to the show's comedy.
Each skit presented within the anime made me laugh; I found there was rarely a dull moment and none of the anime's writing came off as lackluster or poorly done. Each joke has substance, and it reminded me of the same style expressed by latter series Gintama.
The art and music are fantastic for improving the show's atmosphere and comedic vibe. I need not stumble too far into reviewing the art and music, because there's not much in this area I'm looking to comment on; however I did want to leave something here that you'll understand once you've seen the show, something which should sum up my feelings on the music selection in the anime: "JUDGEMENT KNIGHTS OF ♫"
If you're on the prowl for a good comedy anime, do not pass up Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan. I strongly recommend this show to anyone reading this review; get ready for a good laugh and some light-hearted fun. Hope to see everyone here for Season 2!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 5, 2016
If I asked you what came to mind when I mentioned the words "cool," or perhaps "suave," what would your answer be? For the students at Gakubun Prefectural High School the answer would most definitely be "Sakamoto."
"Sakamoto desu ga?" is an anime which focuses around our main character Sakamoto. The niche of this anime is that Sakamoto is the coolest guy around; always figuring out the best answer to any given situation. Now, the plot of this show may not seem extraordinary, nor do I proclaim it to be; but the show manages to grasp your attention with it's own unique style. This show
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couples easy to follow scenes with a nice jazz-styled OST to create a calming vibe. The anime does a perfect job of creating an atmosphere where the viewer has time to sit back and unwind.
To follow, there's another element of the show that I felt made it worth watching. The show inspires you. Sakamoto throughout the duration of the series always manages to find the best answers to even the trickiest situations; a trait which is inspiring and admirable. Watching Sakamoto pull off the feats that he does leaves the viewer with a sense of wanting to do the same in their own lives. It gives you the initiative to live like Sakamoto, without fear or regret, finding the best answer to all questions; which I feel alone is enough to make the anime enjoyable.
To add to the inspiring atmosphere that the show creates there's also the comedy, which of course is meant to be the focal point of the show. The comedy wasn't phenomenal, but there were very few points in the show where I was not laughing or at least cracking a smile. The anime does not pull off too many hysterical jokes (that's not to say there aren't any), but it does pull off consistent quality ones; a feat which will leave you happy and laughing throughout each episode.
The OST, I have to mention, is also very well done. The aesthetic of the music develops a calming and fanciful environment in which we can watch each character live their life. The OST is truly fitting of the anime's genre and purpose; and for that I must give it high regards.
The art is very-well done, surprisingly so for a show that doesn't involve any extensive fight scenes or breath-taking scenery. There was even a "fight scene" at one point during the show that was animated better than some of the big fights I've seen in animes with extensive budgets - that, to me, says a lot about the quality of the work that went into the show.
The only downfall I'd have to mention about the anime is there's no evident story-line to follow. If you're a sucker for a good story, then this anime may not intrigue you. The purpose of the show is to follow the comical school life of the coolest guy you may ever know, Sakamoto; but at the same time that's all it is. There is not meant to be a story to follow simply because that's how the show was constructed. There is, however, a small underlying plot device that defines the show and is the reason I am giving it such a high mark. This underlying plot device is hinted at in the anime itself, and I will make a point not to spoil it here.
To conclude this review; I hold "Sakamoto desu ga?" in high regards and I loved sitting down to watch the show each week. It's relaxing, fun, consistently funny, and a great show for anyone who wants to unwind and laugh. I would definitely recommend this anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 26, 2016
If I were to ask you what you aspired to be, what would be your answer? Everyone lives their life chasing dreams, no matter how big or small. Dreams, goals, aspirations; these elements make up each individuals world and are part of what keeps life unique.
The dreams we focus on throughout the anime Boku no Hero Academia are those of Izuku; a young boy who aspires to be the greatest hero in a world filled with heroes. This is no menial task, seeing that each man and woman in this world was born with a quirk (superpower) that gives them a clear advantage over young
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Izuku who was curiously born without one.
Now, originally I had planned to give this anime a lower score (8 or 9) to try to tend my review to a larger audience. The reason behind this decision was because the show itself was nothing notably different or unique. The story was that of a young man who wanted to be a hero, and who accomplishes such through blood, sweat and tears. In retrospect, it's a story we've seen hundreds of time throughout the years in anime.
Now, take a moment, and peer at the world "originally." I had *planned* to give this show a lower score because I knew some people felt it generic. This is something I had considered around episode 5 - 7. I've now finished the show, and have tossed that idea in the trash and burned it.
This show, in my honest opinion, is a must watch of the Spring anime season and is well deserving of a 10. The story is indeed something we've seen a multitude of times before, but this show took that story and made it special. I've seen so many zero to hero animes that I never would have imagined watching another that could illicit the emotions this one did in me. This show managed to pull my full attention and to really immerse me in the world it was meant to portray.
I found that by the end of the series I had grown very fond of the protagonist for his die-hard attitude; and had found myself inspired by All Might, the same man who had inspired our protagonist himself. All Might was one of the best representations of a role model character I have seen, he was actually an adult I looked up to in an anime, which is truly something special after all the side character adults I've seen in shows who are simply there to crack a pun every episode or two. To add to this, each character in the show was given a unique personality that didn't fit any prior anime cliches, something I feel is uncommon in this age of anime.
The sound work in the show was fantastic. The OST fit the setting and genre of the show, and the OP and ED are both ones I looked forward to listening to each week. The art was well done and I never noticed any 'lazy' frames or glaring mistakes - the animation was smooth and enjoyable.
All in all, I really enjoyed watching Boku no Hero Academia. The show felt very much like "Haikyuu" in the sense that you wanted to see each character succeed and left the show each week feeling motivated to be the best version of yourself. If you've not already seen this show, then go watch it - if you dropped it because you felt it was generic, I suggest revisiting it; it's well worth watching.
Now get out there and be your own heroes; I'll see you again for Season 2.
PLUS ULTRA
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 27, 2016
What would you change if you could revisit the past? Would you change your actions, your relationships; or would you perhaps do everything in your power to help someone else?
Originally, I wrote my review for Boku dake ga Inai Machi under the pretense that I had thoroughly enjoyed the anime; however, because of this I felt I may have been too biased and tended to ignore or avert my focus from the aspects of the anime which were poorly executed. After reading through various other reviews for Erased I've determined that I should rewrite my review with two main purposes: the first being to focus
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on the good and the bad with hopefully little bias, and the second being to actually motivate people to watch the show. At the moment the reviews for Erased seem very negative which would turn away many potential viewers - I feel this doesn't do the series justice seeing that many viewers (as one can tell from the overall rating of the series) did genuinely enjoy the show.
In an attempt to write a holistic review I'll focus on 5 key elements: Story, Art, Sound, Character, and Enjoyment. To begin I'll focus on the Story.
The Story of Boku dake ga Inai Machi, or Erased, was not "bad." By no means was it perfectly executed but I felt it expressed what it wanted to express very well. To start this section I want to make note that this anime WAS NOT MEANT TO BE A MYSTERY ANIME. There are so many viewers who were disappointed by the mystery aspect of the show unaware that the mystery was not the show's purpose. It was stated in an interview with the director that Erased was meant to act as a suspense thriller under the guise of a human drama. The mystery element of the show was simply there to offer support to the suspense; rather than to be it's own focal point. If you go into Erased looking for a fantastic mystery anime then you will be disappointed, as you should be, seeing that the show was never meant to be that.
With that said, I felt the story was very well executed with the purpose of being a suspense thriller. Each episode was left off in such a sense that the viewer had the giddy tension of "I must see what happens next!" which does well to support that the story, at least in the manner of suspense, was well executed. The human drama portion of the show did not do as well as the suspense portion in terms of execution; I felt the child abuse, child neglect, kidnapping, and relationships in the show were done well but not as well as one would expect from a human drama focused show. The show did express well some elements of human drama; such as the idea that child abuse is heavily ignored even when witnessed by adults. Nothing was done about the abuse Hinazuki was subject to up until Satoru took a stand; which seeing as Satoru was a child during the time in which he took that stand does make a substantial statement about child abuse and the help provided for such a situation in reality. One element, though, which I felt was strangely executed in the human drama aspect of the show was Hinazuki's reactions to the abuse. She almost seemed indifferent about what was happening to her; which was a bit odd. Perhaps it was meant to express that she had become emotionally inept but without such an explanation it just seems strange to the viewer.
Next you have the means by which each characters ended up the way they did, in terms of emotion and behavior. This topic was lightly reviewed throughout the series but I felt could have been done much better. In a human drama the way each person is acting is important, and therefore, the means by which they ended up acting this way is equally important.
Lastly, after reviewing the connotative elements of the story, we come to the plot itself. The plot was a tad ambiguous. There were a few parts of the show which felt "unnecessary," or at the very least placed strangely in the order of events. Personally, though, I felt each scene whether it bore any relevance to the inherent story or not was enjoyable in its own right. Erased is more like watching a series of events which are unique in their own sense, rather than following one chronological story. The underlying chronological story is there to build upon and produce an end result, but each scene itself does not necessarily lend itself to that chronological plot. Some people may dislike this plot style, some people may love it; it's strongly a matter of preference.
I will now move my attention to the art and sound. I, personally, felt the art and sound in this series were both done quite well. Now, that's not to say there weren't any frames that felt awkward; it was evidently noticeable that in a couple of the show's scenes things were drawn very strangely or poorly. However, for the majority of the series there was evident time and precision put into the art which really brought out beauty in the series. The sound was well executed and I felt it fit well to a suspense thriller series. I'm not particularly a sound-focused mind so I'm afraid I can't go too into detail regarding the sound production throughout the anime; though, there was never a moment where I felt the sound work was done poorly or was out of place. Some sounds seemed a bit loud, but that's about as far as I could go with genuine complaints. All in all the sound and art production for Erased was well done and fit the series itself very nicely.
Next we move to the characters; the characters in Erased are a very important aspect, seeing as the show was primarily meant to act as a human drama. Personally, I quite liked the main character, Satoru, because for the majority of the series we got to see him act out the life of a child with the mind of a 29-year-old. I've seen many reviews note negatively that when Satoru would get flustered talking to the girls he was trying to save doing so would express a tone of "pedophilia." I highly disagree with this logic as to me it seems the creator was trying to represent what happens when a 29-year old mind is stricken with the emotions of a young body. Not to mention it was interesting to see him attempt to continually keep up an act, masquerading around as a young boy when in reality he knows much more than those around him do.
Following Satoru we have Kenya, who I feel could have been built upon better. Kenya was a very intelligent friend of Satoru's, yet didn't seem to impact the story too heavily. Aside from believing in Satoru and accompanying him, he didn't seem to impact the story much; though I don't feel his character was wasted because having a friend who understands and supports the lead is important in-of-itself.
Following we have Hinazuki, who I felt was a well-conveyed character. I personally liked the way Hinazuki was scripted, but felt her reactions to her own situation weren't quite "normal." Her reactions didn't much fit what was happening around her, but again I've referenced this earlier and gave my supposed reason for it. Aside from the strange reactions to her current predicament I did enjoy the innocence of a young child vibe that Hinazuki presented, along with her genuine reactions to finally receiving some compassion from others. These two aspects blend together to make Hinazuki a well-fitted character for her role.
Lastly, we come to Airi; a coworker of Satoru who believes in him throughout the story more than the others. I feel the purpose of Airi's character was to add some romance to the human drama in construction, however aside from that she didn't play much of a role. Now personally, I love to see romance subtly thrown into a series because I feel it adds to it, but people will have differing opinions. This comes back to my statement earlier that Erased is more like a sequence of events that roughly correlate to the main plot but don't follow it dominantly.
The other characters in the series were well constructed, though played only subtle roles in the series as a whole; up till the end at least, which I don't plan to spoil.
As the last statement, I will review my enjoyment of the series. I highly enjoyed watching Erased. I'm going to be honest when I say that although I can see the negative elements of the show people are upset about I wholeheartedly do not feel that took away from it being a great show. It kept me engaged and built suspense, just as it was supposed to do; sure the mystery was easy to solve and only took me a few episodes at most but that was the point! I feel, just as I'm sure a majority of others do (based on the show's rating), that good and bad entwined Erased was a good series. Of course, this is entirely my opinion; just as this whole review has been (notice I've used 'personally' multiple times), and opinions are subject to differences. (of course it should be noted that even though this review was based on my opinion I did stick to my goal of alleviating as much bias as I could) - Some may love the show, some may hate it, but I definitely don't think it's an anime that should be passed up by any means.
In Summary, Erased was a good overall show with both it's positive and negative elements. It wasn't executed perfectly and many aspects of the work could use improvement, but it's by no means a 'bad' anime. It breaks all the clichés we've seen far too much of and finally gives us some interesting material. I would recommend Erased to any fan of anime, clear and simple.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 20, 2015
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Osu, otherwise known as Your Lie in April was a breathtaking series which bordered on the edge of perfection. The show excellently displayed the passion and emotions carried by musical art and left the viewer with a different outlook on musical performance as a whole. Your Lie in April does a fantastic job of immersing it's audience through captivating and beautiful art combined with exemplary music choice and placement. This immersion is a core component of the show and is also the reason I felt it deserved a perfect score.
The story of Your Lie in April isn't too elaborate, nor
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is it fanciful like that of many other animes. The story presented is both plausible and realistic; it's a great story and makes for an interesting watch, though nothing about it stands out enough to define it as exemplary.
The show truly stands out when reviewing it's art and sound. The art throughout the show was very well done and quite consistent; some scenes, particularly that of the final episode were entrancing and showed the true beauty of the show's artwork. I could not bring myself to give Your Lie in April any less than a perfect score for it's art. The musical composition of the show was also very well done. The show focused particularly on classical music; the only downfall of which may be an adverse affect on viewers who do not have a preference for such. It's sensible to believe however that even those who dislike classical music will find themselves immersed in the show through the art and emotional evocation alone. Though, for those who do enjoy classical music you will find the choice of music as well as it's placement throughout the series to be quite extraordinary.
The character development throughout the show was superb. We watched Kousei (the protagonist) change as a person from start to end; we were allowed to witness him overcoming the struggle of losing someone important to him at a young age and as a result were able to see him grow as a person. Along with Kousei we were given an in-depth look at the past and present of both of his rivals: Takeshi and Emi, his childhood friend Tsubaki, and the heroine Kaori. Extensive understanding of each character is difficult to achieve in a twenty-two episode series, making Your Lie in April exceptional in terms of character development. There were a few characters who did not receive the same level of development; though not enough was left out to demerit the viewers emotional relation to each character.
As a whole, Your Lie in April was an exceptional show which I would avidly recommend to anyone who enjoys anime. If you decide to give the show a chance I hope you are able to enjoy the experience as I did. Thanks for reading!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 15, 2013
How do you feel / How did you feel when you enter(ed) your high-school every morning? Were you greeted by an accumulation of friends? Did the girls all swarm you and fawn over what you did? Were you always the "popular" kid?... No? Me neither, and that's why I enjoy this anime.
The anime revolves around protagonist Hikigaya Hachiman who is a entirely rejected and remarked as "gross" by those who know him. His goal in his high-school life is to remain a loner and to avoid making friends. He does what he can to make himself unnoticeable by his classmates and he doesn't draw
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attention towards himself.
However you can only remain a loner so long before some event comes around and forces you to end up stuck with other people. In a normal high-school, that would probably be a group project, which ends shortly and you can return to your loner style of life, but Hikigaya isn't so lucky, as he is forced into a club in which his goal along within the female protagonist is to fulfill people's requests.
The anime is a great slice-of-life. It portrays perfectly how a loner feels and acts in a school environment, and it's hilarious to watch the protagonist attempt to fit in with the club he's stuck in. The comedic aspect of the anime focuses highly on the use of sarcasm, so if you're a fan of sarcastic comedy then I definitely suggest you give this anime a watch.
The character progression lacks a little, but I can't say too much as I have only seen a few episodes so far, and there is hints that it will reveal more about the how the characters turned out the way they did. Aside from progression however, the way the characters act serves for a great laugh and if you're a loner yourself you'll find yourself really relating to the protagonist.
The sound does a great job of fitting the mood of each scene, and there are even some moments where it can express the sarcastic remorse within a scene of constant sarcastic dialogue, so that no scene gets stale even if there is continued dialogue.
The art is beautiful, the characters look great and the scenery is always well drawn. They don't move much out of the school, but when they do venture out (such as to the mall in an episode) you can see just how fantastic the art is.
I really enjoy this anime, and if you enjoy slice-of-life comedies I feel you would too, so check it out!
- Shane M
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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