- Last Online33 minutes ago
- GenderMale
- LocationAnime World
- JoinedNov 5, 2011
Also Available at
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Jan 20, 2019
13 of 13 episodes seen
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38
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
Close your eyes and picture a moment in your life that really affected you. It could be anything like made you into the person you are today. As humans, we are bound to change in some ways or another throughout our lives. Especially in our teenage years, we can be easily influenced by others and events around us. I can safely say that without a shadow of a doubt, we have all experienced change in our lives some way or another. It’s called growing up.
Like most sports shows, competitors experiment with themselves to be the best they can be. Tsurune lives as an example
of a rare form of sport not seen too often these days in the anime medium. In fact, what exactly is Tsurune? The term itself refers to the sound of a bowstring made when an arrow is fired. As you should expect, that relates to archery when a bow fires an arrow. Adapted by studio Kyoto Animation, Tsurune feels like an anime that could raise a bar. In 2018, there were several sports shows that made a noticeable presence so where does Tsurune really hit the mark?
To be fair, understanding Tsurune as a sports show isn’t difficult despite not being a very popular sport. Be honest, when was the last time you’ve watched a competition in real life or TV about archery? The only time I remember is during the Olympics on an international scale. As a competitive sport, it deals with individuals and teams trying to shoot their arrows to land the center of the target as close as possible. That’s the base of the rules and scoring applies to the performance of the archers. There’s time limit, signals to be followed, and styles that each archer adapts to perform their best. Even the equipment plays an important factor on the result. However, don't be too alarmed. Archery isn’t really hard to understand and this show is more of a character driven story.
If you’ve seen the promotional poster and trailers, then you’ll easily recognize how producers made the cast. Characters are built with a bishounen features to attract audiences and most of them look young and healthy for competition. Deep down though, characters faces inner problems that runs deep in the veins of their past. The most prominent example is Minato Narumiya, the main male protagonist and first year at Kazemai High School. Despite being an experienced archer, he lacks confidence in the present timeline due to a tragic event of the past. Remember what I said about how humans can be changed especially when we were young? Well, here you have it. Minato battles his personal demons throughout the show and we see how he feels detached from himself. The story explores his past regarding his relationship with parents and how events influenced his character. It’s a type of self-discovery where the main character has to accept his past and move on to build a better future for themselves.
Luckily for Minato, he has friends and supporters. His childhood friends Seiya and Ryohei brings him to join their school’s archery club. After encountering the mysterious Masaki in the forest one night, Minato became fascinated by archery again despite having forsaken his bow. Now obviously, the idea isn’t easy as it sounds. Being part of the archery club also means that Minato has to deal with his past. Despite this, he experiences change in his character thanks to the positive influence of Masaki. With the club, Minato’s emotional scar begins to heal. You’re probably wondering at this point if the show will maintain this sort of melodrama throughout the rest of the duration. Make no mistake that while this show can be quite moody, there are still much room for fun and entertainment. Because at the heart of the show, we have the archery club that is growing alongside Minato. The show offers competition, character relationship building, and even a training camp for the team to grow together. While the anime advertised itself as a cast with a male dominant cast, there are even girls joining too. This doesn’t change the general tone of the anime though as the story is still built around the main characters. The more I watched this anime, the more I felt compelled to understand them. Even after half the show, there are moments where I wonder how these characters became who they are in the present. So in a sense, this show has a feeling of mystery. After seeing a good deal of Minato’s past, I think people may feel sympathy for him. Or maybe not. Maybe you want him to be a man and deal with it like a mature adult. Either way, the show does a fairly consistent job at building Minato as a character.
In a sports competitive environment, there are rivals and a name like Shu Fujiwara is no pushover. As a prodigy, he and Kirisaki High School stands as a challenge that the Kazemai archery club must take on to prove themselves. Not only that, the club also faces the pressure of competing in the regional tournament. It all feels too real when we see the emotions and look on the characters’ faces. Then again, competition pushes everyone to be their best so it’s assumed that pressure is a common experience. The bottom line is, the competition itself feels like you’re there with them. Every second, every minute, every moment counts.
From the start, it’s no surprise the anime is produced with sheer amount of visual quality. Kyoto Animation is recognized for their high quality production so naturally, a show like Tsurune would get a similar treatment like Free. Now, I don’t want to compare the show but it’s easy to make comparisons with some of the character designs. Tsurune does have less man service as the visual performance lies in the photographic scenery of camera angles. It draws the audience to see how archery is treated in the anime medium and to be quite honest, I feel like the producers hit the mark. (that’s not a pun by the way). Similarly, the soundtrack plays on a serene tone from the start and shifts between melancholic and dramatic depending on circumstances. I’m not too familiar with the director but they got the point across to the viewers in the safest way possible.
Watching Tsurune reminds me how people can change but often times, it’s a difficult journey. For Minato, he had to realize the truth and accept it. There’s a lot to say about his overall growth process but definitely watch this how to really understand his character. To me, Tsurune made itself as a show that emphasized on human feelings and change. Maybe once you’ve experienced this anime, you can realize it too.
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Jan 1, 2019
13 of 13 episodes seen
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14
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
Cast in a world of food wonders and desires, Emiya-san Chi Kyou no Gohan came together as a series that offers delicious entertainment. While I can’t say I’ve been a fan of recent Fate adaptations, there was no doubt that in this alternate world, it manages to awaken a certain food desire within me as well.
Welcome to the Emiya’s family and a feast of epic shenanigans.
Pleasing to the eyes is no less than the world of food. As humans, we can’t survive without it and in the world of Fate, Shirou and his friends brings in a new form of excitement with them. These
13 episodes captures the magic and essence of Shirou’s culinary skills along with other Fate characters. We all know Shirou right? The boy is the mage apprentice who made his on screen TV debut back in 2006. Prior to watching this series, my expectations is aimed at a high caliber slice of life to please.
To my delight, this series delivers exactly just that. First, let’s talk about the animation quality. It has a watercolor style that makes the show feel very lighthearted, a contrast to some of the Fate TV series and movies. It’s necessary to bring in a more casual audience as there’s no serious storytelling going on here. Every episode focuses on Shirou and his ability to cook. On the menu list, we got tofu, shrimps, sandwiches, chirashizushi, gratin, fried rice, among others. A main selling point is the light comedy elements as characters takes on much more casual roles than their Fate counterparts. Ever want to see Saber go shopping? What’s it like to watch Lancer working at a fish market? How about seeing some of badass volleyball between the servants such as Saber and Shirou vs Archer and Lancer? Or a peaceful Berserker who isn’t bent on destruction? It’s there. To make things flow even better, we get characters such as Caster and Illya making their appearances who are much more human than you’d expect. Everyone comes together into this series like a family and it’s hard not to smile when watching them together.
And let’s not forget the character relationships. Saber and Shirou has been an iconic pair that any anime fan can identify from the Fate universe. Here, we don’t see them fight as a duo but rather enjoying their life as normal teens would. This also extends to other character pairs with bonds that you’d want to keep an eye on. For instance, Rin and Sakura share a sisterly love during one of their cooking sessions. Illya and Berserkers shares an unbreakable bond more as friends than master/servant in this series. The big picture to see here is how these character pairs have important relationships despite how simple the story is.
I’d never thought there would be a day where I would indulge into the world of Fate, came back, and call it an enjoyable experience. This anime offers more than just culinary foodgasm but instead a light slice of life show for its character cast. Fans of the Fate universe should watch this with a relaxed mind and anyone can embrace this show for what they throw at you. It’s 13 episodes and that’s all is really needed for a delicious enlightenment.
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Dec 30, 2018
12 of 12 episodes seen
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20
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
3 |
| Story |
3 |
| Animation |
4 |
| Sound |
3 |
| Character |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
History has a famous name and it’s Joan of Arc. As a heroine of France, she’s a peasant girl that became a commander with a level of charisma that few could match during her era. She's a village girl that became a legendary figure. But Ulysses is far from a legend. It’s a show that deserved to be burned by fire.
That may be a harsh thing to say and it pains me to actually mention it. But as someone who enjoyed the author’s previous work (The Ambition of Oda Nobuna), this was nothing short than a damnation. You’ll probably want to know the who, what,
how, and why. And make no mistake, prepare for disappointment.
For starters, you should discard any historical facts about the show altogether. This is more of a mixture of fantasy, history, action, and drama thrown together. While many people may have heard of Jeanne, few probably know of the name, “Montmorency”. As the main male protagonist, I question his motives as an alchemist. In the beginning, he tries to discover the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone. The man has potential to create a world without pain and suffering after what he’s been through. The actual result ends up with him summoning a Fairy Queen. Her name is Astaroth and she promises to teach Montmorency on how to become a Ulysses. What is a Ulysses? In their world, it’s a supreme being with unimaginable powers. To be honest, having a set up like this already sets off a lot of red flags.
As for the story’s plot, we don’t meet Jeanne until after going through a background story about Montmorency and his childhood friends. The most prominent is Arthur de Richemont, who happens to be his secret love. The first episode spells doom for these kids when Richemont is seemingly killed while Montmorency experiences the reality of war. While I dare say the author made a memorable impression of the tragedy event, it didn’t make me care much about the main characters altogether. There wasn’t much chemistry between the protagonists and Montmorency hasn’t been established as a character. Why should I also care about Richemont besides her name and social status? However, I don’t want to sound too off base since that’s the early portions of the show. In the preceding episodes, we finally get to know Jeanne d’Arc, the titular main character. And oh boy, that red flag sailed high in the air.
I know this show is far from historical accurate but Jeanne’s debut is also just dreadful. It’s far from paying a homage to the historical figure when she has blonde hair and also a childish personality. As a 12 year old, it’s hard to care about her beyond what she brings into the show. It doesn’t also help that the majority of the cast are also much younger than their historical counterparts. But when she becomes a Ulysses, her child persona disappears and becomes a completely different being. It’s like an inner demon awakens inside of her and makes Jeanne into a killer. Only in this show, they seem to portray her Ulysses persona to be some sort of heroine. The way I see it, Jeanne feels like a weapon of war rather than a person. While she does have a personality, her character lacks morality when “saving” people by resorting to killing. She sees Montmorency as someone to trust in after they establish a bond with each other. But to me, there’s little more character bond than an alchemist and his partner. Sadly, the show’s character relationships are poorly written with little creative thought. The childhood friendships between Montmorency, Richemont, Charlotte, and Philip gives off a pseudo-harem stench that hardly develops anywhere. Then, there’s Astaroth (who isn’t even human) so her lack of common logic at times is thrown out the window. Weak character bonds and chemistry made the cast look like poor actors on a stage. If we talk about other characters with status, there’s guys like La Tremoille. As a sadistic human being, it doesn’t take long for the man to reveal his true colors and his intentions against Jeanne. And by this point, I knew pretty much every antagonist in this show is more like disposable waste.
Luckly, there’s something in it for fans who are interested in seeing a well-polished war story, right? After all, the show does take place during the 15th century when France and England were engaged in warfare. Unfortunately, I’ll have to be the bearer of bad news. Challenging myself to watch this series with a focused mind was tough when it’s just bloodbath slaughter on the battlefield. In later episodes, I find less and less devoted to see who would take the French throne. Even some of the more noticeable characters like La Hire feels out of place. Seriously, who wears that sort of shaggy outfit with twin barrel guns? I think the author went over their head to make the characters look fashionable but it came out as nearly unbelievable. Oh and be prepared for a host load of fan service in the form of kissing. It’s not just a soft gentle kiss either as many scenes show French kissing with tongue and saliva. Don’t mistake that as romance though as it’s more of a process necessary for the plot device of the show. Studio AXsiz has a mixed reception of their projects and to be honest, this anime can join that list too.
I get it now. I think what the show wanted me to experience is some sort of war story with emotions and character struggles. What I got instead is a show with poorly adapted historical figures that almost feels like an insult to the real Joan of Arc. I’d advice from committing to this show unless you’re absolutely curious about Mikage Kasuga’s work. Avoid this like the plague and don't look back.
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Dec 29, 2018
12 of 12 episodes seen
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19
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
4 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
4 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
Here lies a dark hero built with armor and a burning desire to destroy goblins. A man with little words, he speaks through action and is a nightmare to the goblin race. If you live in his world as a goblin, be afraid, be spiteful, and be prepared to die. In a world of darkness such as Goblin Slayer, death is a common word in the community. It’s the sinister truth that cannot be avoided in a world of fear.
Isn’t the Internet just a wonderful place? Almost anyone these days with an education can pretty much write out their own fictional tale in some way
or other. Granted, most of us won’t become accomplished writers like Kumo Kagyuu. As an author of the original light novels and manga, it’s pretty clear that he was aiming to make Goblin Slayer into a dark fantasy story. As a testament of dark fantasy, what does Goblin Slayer really deserve?
There’s a book out there called “Controversy Creates Cash” by wrestling personality, Eric Bischoff. To be honest, controversy is pretty much a word that describes Goblin Slayer from the start. In no less than a single episode, we get Goblin Slayer in the most gruesome ways possible. A fair warning before you read on: expect goblin rape. While the adaptation certainly does tones it down, goblin rape exists and may sway viewers’ eyes away. Being a dark fantasy, goblins are the embodiment of evil and serves as the main antagonists. I should also say right off the bat that the goblins in this show lacks morality and behaves in a hive-like manner. In other words, they aim solely to torture, torment, and kill. There’s zero amount of characterization about any of them as they lack basic human principles. Even their strategy seems to involve mindless slaughter in Blitzkrieg-like ways to overwhelm enemies. In general, goblins is portrayed as monsters that you should give absolutely no sympathy for. They are the symbolism of evil and it’s up to Goblin Slayer to annihilate them.
As a titular character, Goblin Slayer bears a responsibility for himself. That is, he is the main carry of his party consisting of Priestess, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, and Lizard Priest. Goblin Slayer is what I’d describe as a specialist. He solely takes on missions that involves slaying goblins and seems to avoid any others when requested. To me, I find this type of character portrayal to be risky. I mean, it gets more and more obvious that there’s little character development for Goblin Slayer himself. Sure, there is companionship that he develops with his party members. This in turn grows into a level of trust but throughout the show, I never felt compelled to understand him. Even with some background story, he still just feels like the poster boy of the show with little characterization. I’m not even sold on his character role after realizing he’s solely build to slay goblins. It’s pretty obvious that some of the female party members like Priestess and High Elf Archer begins to grow a certain level of attraction towards him. But what does our dark hero have in mind all the time? Goblin Slaying!
By mid-season, I think it’s easy to also dissect the rest of the cast. As the main female protagonist, Priestess is the antithesis of Goblin Slayer. She’s a gentle 15 year old adventurer with an innocent mind and willing to help others. The story progresses as she develops a growing trust towards Goblin Slayer although that’s pretty much it. We don’t get much characterization about her and as time elapses, it feels like she’s just a standard adventurer playing the role of a mage like from some RPG game. The 2000 year old girl known as the High Elf Archer brings in more attitude into the show with a somewhat childish personality. This is a contrast to most of the other members of her party as she tends to react in outbursts. The Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest makes up the support of the party to provide invaluable assistance. Unfortunately, both characters are often overshadowed by the girls and Goblin Slayer himself. The only time Dwarf Shaman shines the most is when he gets into bickering with High Elf Archer. For the Lizard Priest, he’s also more of the calm and character with few words. But really, this type of character casting is pretty much like following a video game. I’m not inclined to say Goblin Slayer pay homage to adventure games but it has that sort of feeling. Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t equate to a well-polished set of characters. Even the Sword Maiden suffers from this with her tragic past. Sword Maiden’s character pretty much represents the dark horrors of their world from her suffering. It’s obvious that she’s hiding her own insecurity and anxiety since her trauma. The reminder of the support cast like Witch and Cow Girl fills little more than dimensional adventurers with no character development whatsoever. And that’s not a good thing to see.
You’ve come this far and wonder if Goblin Slayer’s story is capable of outshining the character cast. To be general, there’s some condensing and rearrangement for the adaptation don’t expect everything to be faithful. That’s just the base of it though. The main story deals with the conflict between goblins and humanity. I didn’t really understand the true purpose of the show even to the very end. It seems to be a gore feast made with the intention of showing the horrors of a dark fantasy. The show feels like a video game at times but hardly plays like one. This show is certainly not an isekai though so don’t mistake one as such. But to be plainly honest, I think Goblin Slayer didn’t capture the essence of effective storytelling. It’s botched by textbook characters with mediocre writing at best and controversy at worst.
Despite being a dark fantasy, Goblin Slayer stays truthful mostly with its premise and content. It evokes feelings of horror with its grimy art style and graphic violence. Character designs are equipped with fantasy attributes such as the elf ears, priestess robes, lizardman’s body structure, dwarf roughness, etc. But you should also expect fan service. Characters like the Witch and Cow Girl are the most prominent examples of this. I’d dare say that the author was trying to make some of the female characters as sexy as possible for little reason but to appeal to fan service. Speaking of which, the goblin slaying itself pretty much draws the gore and violence on every chance it gets. While I mentioned the anime being toned down before, there’s no doubt the producers wanted to get a point across. And that’s to show how sinister the world of Goblin Slayer can really be.
With a man of few words, Goblin Slayer is the man of the hour but unfortunately, this show doesn’t live up to its catchy title. While I’d say there were some memorable moments in the story, the show itself is ultimately too transparent and gets tedious fast. By the end of the show, I didn’t find a true understanding of what this was really about. Companionship between the adventurers? Showing the grim reality of a dark fantasy world being populated by malevolent goblins? Or is it perhaps something more that the author wanted us to experience? Personally, I wouldn’t look too far because in the end, this was just another anime that wasn’t a big deal after you’ve seen what it is. A show like Goblin Slayer may be talked a lot this year and more years to come. But, controversy will always be part of those talks.
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Dec 28, 2018
13 of 13 episodes seen
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135
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
0 |
Watching Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara (Iroduku) is like a taking a journey into a storybook adventure. But in that adventure, there’s magic, creativity, and feelings that’s hard to be put into words alone. Produced by P.A. Works, I had high expectations for Iroduku considering their recent lineup. Being a powerhouse studio, P.A. Works has always captivated me with their wealth of ideas. From school life dramas to a dark thriller about vampires, this studio continues to establish themselves with their creativity.
To my delight, Iroduku turned out to be yet another show that made me realize how an original anime should be done. Believe me,
this seemed like a hit or miss in the beginning that looked like an average modern teen soap opera. However, I would say not to judge too fast as the premise itself possesses great potential for a storyteller. From the beginning, we are introduced to the city of Nagasaki where magic is also part of normal life. We meet main female protagonist Hitomi Tsukishiro who happens to be a 17 year old descendant from a family of witches. What we know about her early on is that she has a disdain towards magic. It’s because she lost her sense with colors and also became distant with people. The plot involves her grandmother Kohaku who decides to send her 60 years into the past so they can reconnect. To be honest, this show became a modern fantasy about self-discovery even with the time travel gimmick. At the center of it is Hitomi Tsukishiro.
I’ll say right off the bat that the show will test a bit of the audience’s patience. The pacing in the beginning is slow and doesn’t jump over itself to sell its core concepts. But that’s not really a negative of the show. I came to realize that the directors wanted to help the characters grow especially with important relationships. From the first few episodes, it’s shown that Hitomi is not a sociable person and finds it difficult to open herself to others. That soon changes when she meets Yuito Aoi and the photography club. Through their influence, Hitomi begins to climb out of her shell. For some reason, Hitomi is also able to see Yuito’s colors in his drawings. This is important as it enables the both of them to connect on a more personal level.
Indeed, Iroduku shines best when it’s able to capitalize on the character relationship development. Hitomi and Yuito is a prominent example. The show commits to developing their relationship from strangers to close friends. It felt like the creators wanted us to experience both of their character growth alongside them. Significantly enough, Hitomi does develop from a withdrawn witch girl into a more mature woman. This is thanks to the positive influence of Kohaku Tsukishiro, who also joins the Photography Club later on. What I find interesting about Kohaku is her outgoing personality and loyalty to her friends. From the beginning, she seems like the opposite of Hitomi and is easily open to others. At the same time, she’s also a bit of a troublemaker for her experiments with magic at school. While I can’t say she is a flawless character, Kohaku brings in a lot of hope for character development. Hitomi begins to regain her sense of magic but also able to make new friends. It’s a very simple and acceptable way to see her character growth.
Now you may be questioning yourself if this show contains romance as part of its storytelling. While the show itself isn’t adamant on building romance, it does exist in some ways. As the story progresses, it seems Hitomi develops some feelings towards Yuito and vice versa. Their photography club president Shou Yamabuki also begins to show an attraction towards Hitomi. Meanwhile, there’s Asagi Kazeno in the club who has an obvious crush towards Shou. You get the idea. Not to mention, misunderstandings ensue early in the series when Kurumi (vice president of the photography club) took a video of Hitomi coming out of Yuito’s room. Romance angles exist in the show but really doesn’t overshadow the story’s flow. P.A. Works have been known to make anime with romance content that can get be stale and overly sensitive. Thankfully, Iroduku isn’t the case even though it exists.
Still, the big question to ask yourself is what’s the most you can get out of this show? At best, this show works in wonders as a character driven story with a creative modern fantasy atmosphere. Every character in the show brings something to the table for their role. The show’s main push though is Hitomi for her character growth and self-discovery. Whether you like it or not, the story focuses on her growing with more self-confidence and plays a central part in regaining her sense of magic. She even gets on better terms with characters like Asagi after the two understands each other more. Meanwhile, we also get some unique symbolisms. The most prominent one is the golden fish that symbolizes hope. Not only does Hitomi finds her own world now, she also grows to accept magic. This is also thanks to Kohaku’s presence as she wants to make her granddaughter happy. Magic plays a role and she wants Hitomi to experience the best out of it. As you may expect, the show also contains time travels tropes. But really, this isn’t a show about fixing the past but rather about changing a character in a positive way. I’m probably going easy on this show in some ways but everything felt like it flows so well from start to finish. From Hitomi joining the photography club to experiencing cultural festival together with friends, P.A. Works manages to sell this series as a modern coming of age fantasy.
Even if this show isn’t your cup of tea for its drama, the technical content is a feast for the eyes. P.A. Works once again manages to showcase their talent with high level production quality. It’s very well polished that makes the show itself look like a work of art. It’s easy to also accept the show as a modern fantasy with the relaxing setting and lush backgrounds. Magic itself is portrayed in aesthetic style with blending of unique colors. As it’s part of the plot, the show’s visuals manages to capture the essence of that at its finest. My only pet peeve is the character expressions. An easy finger to point at is Hitomi for having the same face for the majority of the show. I get the creators wanted to portray her as a withdrawn girl in the beginning but it’s hard to sometimes feel empathic about her on the surface. This is a contrast to pretty much almost every other character. As you may also expect, this show is very melancholic especially during some of the more emotional episodes. The theme songs reflects that as well along with voice mannerism in those cases.
There’s probably countless ways to accept this show but the simplest way is to embrace the character growth of the main protagonist, Hitomi. My initial impression of the show grew from a story about magic to how characters can change thanks to others’ influence. Character relationships play a big role for its ability to capture the significance of their growth. Once again, P.A. Works shows how valuable their original anime can be. And to me, I can’t help but recommend Iroduku for those who wants to experience more.
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Dec 28, 2018
13 of 13 episodes seen
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82
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Love takes shape that the universe may never have a precise answer on. Can we all agree that human emotions can never be truly understood? What does it mean to be in love? Why do people fall for each other? In our world of imperfection, we will never know the truth to this question. Humans are imperfect and we were built that way in the eyes of our creator.
The art of anime adaptations is a fascinating subject that takes many forms. I’m very open minded about just about any genre although when it comes to yuri and shoujo-ai, I’m rather indifferent about it. Recent adaptations
of the shoujo-ai genre hardly made an impression on me such as Citrus or Netsuzou Trap. Both of those shows let me down big time with their aggressive stance on relationships. I wanted to see a softer side of the shoujo-ai genre without subscribing to sexual same gender relationships that relies on shock service. Thankfully, Yagate Kimi no Naru is the answer.
I’m not too familiar with the community related to shoujo-ai works but it’s clear that the manga has popularity. The series was launched in April 2015 from the Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh and in the present, it has over 500k printing copies and ongoing. However, I was also curious about the anime adaptation after seeing the staff involved. Director Makoto Katou made a rather interesting impression back in 2015 when they directed a mystery light novel adaptation called “Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation”. While this series doesn’t contain much mystery, it definitely made me wonder if it has a similar mystique. Indeed, watching Yagate Kimi ni Naru (Bloom Into You) finally gave me a shoujo-ai that I desired.
Right off the bat, we meet Yuu Koito, a first-year high school student who has a love for shoujo manga. From her perspective, it’s easy to see what love is on a fictional level. It isn’t until a second-year student named Touko Nanami comes into her life that she really begin to experience what life and love is. Similar to Yuu, Touko also has trouble experiencing love although it’s clear that her mind is set to understand it. As a student, she is very admirable for her dependable personality and someone the freshmen look up to. However, all this seems to be masking her insecurity. The truth is, Touko has many weaknesses underneath her cool persona. It’s shown throughout the series that she feels loneliness due to her past and Yuu becomes the only person that she trusts in. On the other hand, Yuu seems to be more wary about love and wants to experience it. However, her view towards love is not as dedicated as Touko. She wants to experience love but often denies feelings of it. Yuu’s personality is more the opposite of Touko’s as she is indecisive at times, including her own future. So to say the least, how can these two develop a genuine relationship?
Honestly, I think the main draw of the show isn’t to see if the main characters can get together as a couple. Rather, it’s about how characters experience love and what love really means to them. Realistically, both characters views love in different ways although it’s clear that they lack experience in it. Touko is the more obvious with her insecure personality where she often isn’t sure what to do to make happy moments with Yuu. On the other hand, Yuu often believes what she experiences to be more of a fantasy than actual love. I guess part of that comes from reading all those shoujo manga although as the series progresses, she begins to grow out of her shell. The storytelling continues to test the two’s relationship on many levels. It’s a show that capitalizes on bringing in drama and thankfully, I can say that it accomplishes that very well. The drama sells with the character personalities, behaviors, dialogues, and realistic feelings. I’m also more pleased to say that everything in the show felt very real. Characters behave like humans do especially for high school students of their age. It’s a time period when young people want to get the best out of their lives and love is often a prominent part of growing up. To me, this show manages to capture the essence of character growing up while discovering what love is about.
While Yuu and Touko are the most prominent characters, it’s hard to take eyes off of some of the others. Sayaka Saeki is a good example as someone who used to attend an all-girls school and became a close friend with Touko. The two work together as part of the student council but it’s very clear that Sayaka sees her more than a friend. Love is the easiest way to describe it. It’s also easy to see why she falls for her too considering their similar personalities. Both Sayaka and Touko are hardworking individuals who are willing to help others. However, Sayaka is perhaps less outgoing compared to Touko and thus, not as easily as approachable. The series doesn’t dedicate to their relationship but it’s interesting to see Sayaka’s vision of love. In essence, she hides her feelings and is not someone that’s easy to read on the surface. This is a contrast to both Yuu and Touko as those two tends to say what’s on their mind. On a lesser extent, we also get to see the relationship between Miyako and Riko which is shown to be very healthy in nature. Their relationship is relaxing and almost like a contrast to the drama that we see so often in the story.
As for the shoujo-ai genre, I think it’s pretty easy to recognize that pretty much all the main characters are lesbians in one way or another. Some are to a lesser but it’s pretty clear from the start. What were you expecting though? The anime advertised itself as such with the same gender relationships so be prepared to subscribe to that from start to finish. But as a show with a lot of drama, I should say to watch this with a careful focus on the characters. Watch for what they say, how they behave, and their intentions. For me, I find the most complex character to be Yuu since her personality is often sarcastic and believes too much into fictional love. This is true especially in the beginning where it became hard to know what she really wants. The more I watched though, the more I came to accept Yuu for who she is and her quest to discover love. And that’s what I find so entrancing about this show.
In perhaps a coincidental timeline, we also get Troyca as the studio. It's the same one that worked on Sakurako’s Investigation with the exact same director. As my first impression, this anime managed look colorful and vibrant with its character designs. There’s a feminine charm for the majority of the cast that really brings the elegance out of the characters. The emotional context are captured with the vivid details of body language and human expressions. The background visual quality is also stellar with a certain degree feeling of photorealism. Some of the scenes during the mid-season episodes like the ones with the bridge stands out the most. Last but not least, I would like to mention that character voice mannerism for the main cast is portrayed with supreme talent. Not only did I feel attached to their personalities, these characters also sounded like they belong in this anime from the beginning.
Ah, it’s about damn time. I’ve been indifferent about shoujo-ai shows for a good while but after seeing Yagate Kimi ni Naru, I may change my mind. This show managed to capture the expression of love in ways that exceed my expectations. It seized opportunities to recreate a sensational drama without stepping over the line. Keep your pants on because you’re not going to get sexual shock content all over your face. What you get is a drama done right in the most entrancing way possible. It's almost perfect.
read more
Dec 26, 2018
1 of 1 episodes seen
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12
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
I hate colds. It's been a long time since I've caught one but just to think about it makes my mind boggle.
Watching Hataraku Saibou (Cells at Work) once again brings in an experience that few can match this year. I'm talking about the exploration of the human body in the most creative ways. Returning to this franchise felt like yesterday despite the gap of a few months. My first impression is how the humor works so well when we see how the human body functions.
For this particular special, the common cold is the culprit. When we picture a cold, it's often about a runny nose,
cough, sneezing, or a sore throat. This episode took that and made into a humorous gag with how cold operates in the body. It's creative enough to show how colds operate yet also keeps in pace with the effects. In response, Killer T cells make their reappearance and I'd describe them as a blend between badass and goofballs.
From this special, I also realized it never lost sense or touch compared to the original show. The characters still had the personalities of what I had expected and in no less than 24 minutes, we get to see how they react. However, I would definitely watch the original season first to get a better understanding of the franchise as a whole. In retrospect, it's important to realize what the creators wanted us to experience:
An ingenious anime with colorful creativity and realism with its own story.
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Dec 26, 2018
13 of 13 episodes seen
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72
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
What do I think about Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai? It’s an amazing show. That’s the simple way to say it but the complicated way is explaining it from my perspective. To be fair, I think this anime gets judged based on a lot of facts before it even aired. Like for instance, the brainchild behind the light novels is the same person that made Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. (The Pet girl of Sakurasou) Anyone who has seen that anime may think what to expect from this show. But I think a bit differently. Hajime Kamoshida helmed the
storytelling for both series but there’s quite a bit of differences. I don’t want to talk too much about comparison because the fact is, Bunny Girl Senpai pretty much stand out a lot on its own feet.
But let’s get the most obvious out of the way first. When you see that key visual on the anime entry page, what really comes to mind? On the front is a beautiful long haired beauty dressed in a sexy bunny outfit. When you look at it, she could probably resemble a playboy girl on the front page of a magazine. The visual impression alone had my interest although it’s clear that the anime isn’t just about a bunny girl. It’s about a boy named Sakuta Azusagawa in which his life changes forever after encountering our poster girl, Mai Sakurajima in the library. At the heart of the series is also a mysterious phenomenon known as the “Adolescence Syndrome”.
Now I should say right off the bat that you’d better be prepared for social commentary. This is essentially a very talky show with no shortage of dialogues. In fact, it explores many social problems that is very real in our world today. Anxiety, depression, bullying, inferiority, isolationism, lack of confidence. You name it. If I had to guess, there’s probably someone out there in your life that also suffers from something along those lines at one point or another. So in many ways, it’s easy to say this show is relatable on a realistic level. But you’re probably thinking that logic makes no sense considering the set up for the first few episodes. Indeed, Mai’s debut in the anime is perhaps way too bizarre to be considered real. It could even be considered surreal. I mean, who has ever seen a girl in a sexy bunny outfit walking around in a public library?
Until I realized what this show really wanted us to experience, it sort of reminded me of an anime known as “Bakemonogatari”. My first impression of the fated encounter between Mai and Sakuta felt similar compared to that series. We have a regular guy meeting a girl under unusual circumstances and they begin to connect on a more personal level. What does make the first few episodes for this anime more distinctive is the amount of human emotions shown. Early in the series, we get a confession from Sakuta as he expresses it with brutal honesty. That love confession defines Sakuta as a character who isn’t afraid to hold back his feelings. In fact, Sakuta seems like a guy who doesn’t care much about what others think of him. Some people would call his behavior as cynical and anti-social. Indeed, Sakuta isn’t a guy that’s easy to make friends with but he does truly have people he cares about. Mai and his sister, Kaede are perhaps the two most important people in his life. That brings about his relationship with them. From the beginning, he and Mai develops a strange bond that blooms from strangers, to friends, and to a couple. Their relationship develops more and more despite some of their similarities and differences. It’s shown that both characters suffers from some anxiety issues. However, Mai’s problem suffers more as she fears about being forgotten. On the other hand, Sakuta is indifferent about how the world and doesn’t even care if everyone hates him. (with exception of his closest loved ones) The first arc details the show exploring their deep inner problems. In fact, these inner struggles manifest in the form of the mysterious “Adolescence Syndrome”.
As I watched more and more of this series, it became easy to see the direction of the overall storytelling. Each arc contains a story that deals with a different issue and a different character. However, several recurring themes apply and the most prominent is the amount of social psychology. There’s meaningful interactions that is essential for the plot and character development. I’m quite impressed how much every arc made me feel invested by these different characters. The second arc explores Tomoe, a schoolgirl that gets involved in a time loop. Think of Groundhog Day or the Eightless Eight. At this point, I knew what this show as aiming for: having the main protagonists help conquer their problems while solving the mystery of the Adolescence Syndrome. Tomoe’s problems involves her fear of losing friends is another example of a social problem. It paints the picture of people suffering from problems that they try to avoid yet seemingly need help in doing so. That’s where Sakuta comes in to deal with them. He’s like an anime life coach.
With the pattern of the story structure, I knew what to expect as Sakuta also helps deal with problems involving Rio Fubata, Nodoka Toyohama, and even his own sister, Kaede. I should say that at times, the manifestation of their problems feels like a superstition. We get doppelgangers, body switching, and memory loss. It’s rather creative how they represent each of the characters’ inner struggles while capitalizing on the psychological appeal. One character that manages evade these social problems is Shoko Makinohara. Regrettably, I’d say that compared to the other cast members, her presence is easily forgotten despite her connection to Sakuta’s past. Speaking of which, Sakuta has problems of his own that includes his troubled past. He even suffers from a physical scar on his chest due to his sister’s Adolescence Syndrome. Throughout the series, I think it’s important to realize how the creators managed to capitalize on its emotional content. The final arc in this anime adaptation shows Sakuta as a kind brother who is willing to do anything to help his sister. It’s the type of family bond that is emotional and contains a lot of heartwarming moments. And even as emotional as the story gets, this show still finds time for comedy such as with Sakuta’s lewd comments about girls and his dry sense of humor.
It’s interesting to note that CloverWorks is involved in this project. They’re a studio rebranded from A-1 Pictures as its own identity. To my delight, they managed to capture the essence of this show perfectly. The main selling point of the quality is the character interactions. Because this anime consists of a lot of dialogues and interactions, it’s important to capitalize on their social lives. Thankfully, Cloverworks knew what it was doing as it draws out human emotions of the various characters. Characters such as Mai, Kaede, Tomoe, and even Sakuta are firm examples of this during more of their emotional moments. The visual quality also stays consistent throughout the duration of the run without relying on it too much. Bravo CloverWorks, you’ve made quite an impression this year already.
The opening theme song “Kimi no Sei” is perhaps one of the catchiest ones for its usage of lyrics and delivery. It contains a variety of characters and while it’s not anything too unique, it captures the surreal-like feeling of the show. There’s even Mai in her iconic bunny outfit. Additionally, there are interchanging ED theme songs performed by the various voice actresses of the characters. Each of them follows their respective arc but all of them earned my praise for their consistent delivery.
This show may have a long title but it only took me a short time to accept what it really is. The amount of social psychology content made the story flow on many levels with each arc. Almost every character in the end felt important for the overall themes of the series. And while I can’t say Bunny Girl Senpai may be recommendable for anyone, I’d definitely giving this a try if you’re thirsty for meaningful character relationships and dialogues. It’s not a Bakemonogatari 2.0 and in fact, I’d say Bunny Girl Senpai is much more appealing than what it appears to be.
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Dec 25, 2018
12 of 12 episodes seen
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32
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
2 |
| Story |
2 |
| Animation |
3 |
| Sound |
2 |
| Character |
1 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
Damn. Seriously, God damn. Conception, you really made me wonder if there’s a ceiling of just how terrible a show can really be. I should say right off the bat that video game adaptations these days rarely make the break for an audience. But here we are in 2018 and we got a show about pregnancy. That’s right, a show that literally has a plot about pregnant characters and an insufferable protagonist.
I have not played the original PSP exclusive game. There’s actually a remaster coming out for the PS4 but that’s not on my bucket list either. 2019 has way too many great games for
me to care about this. But the real question is if you should give a damn about the anime adaptation known as Conception.
In the medical world, conception is pretty much the action of conceiving a child through. Bear in mind that the show is branded with this premise as it’s pretty much the selling concept. The catch now is that Itsuki has to form relationships with “Star Maidens” after being transported into this world known as “Granvania”. The show pretty much dedicates to Itsuki’s quest to produce Star Children in the hope of restoring order. I get it. The premise of the show is absurd and you may be confused on how to approach this. The simple answer is to just let go. I mean, let go of your inner thoughts and watch this with some popcorn. It’s pretty much a show that’s so bad that it has potential to be the worst of the year.
But damn, is it really as abysmal as it sounds? Maybe you should stop judging the cover and watch it with an open mind! I wish. Challenging myself to watch Conception is like taking on the second round of Fear Factor. It tested my mental limits to wonder how much I can watch this without puking. But it wouldn’t be fair to say that Conception is really the worst anime of the year. After all, it may have some potential with its cast of stars? Well, let’s take a look. The main protagonist is Itsuki Yuge, a high school student without a big goal in his life. There’s nothing remarkable about him until we find out his role early in this show. Not to mention, I could say Itsuki is like a puppet. He does the job assigned to him despite feeling conflicted. I should mention that Itsuki is a good person at heart but someone that doesn’t fit with a popular crowd. He’s pretty much just a normal guy with an abnormal task of forming relationships with the Star Maidens. This brings in the question of just how much we should expect his relationships will develop. The easy way to look at this is the plot structure. It has 12 episodes so naturally, common logic dictates that he’d get at least one episode with each girl. Well, not exactly. In some episodes, he tames not one but two! I’m not going to go into details but every episode’s title that has “child” in it should make them sound obvious.
The Star Maidens themselves consists of 12 different girls with each of their distinctive personalities. From whatever the creators had in mind, it seems every girl represents a textbook personality that you’ll recognize. Some like Mahiru is the typical friendly girl next door type. Others like Femiruna display a degree of aristocratic mannerisms because of their social status. We even have a girl with split personality in the form of Liris and Lirie. But I don’t think any of these really traits matter. The real question we should ask ourselves is if we should care about them. Quite frankly, it’s a big fat no. Let’s face it, this show not only has an intolerable plot but also suffers from pacing. The early episodes quickly dives into every character relationships in the most straightforward way possible. There’s no buildup, little emotions, and lack of charisma. Instead, we get Itsuki and his robotic-like dialogues that saturates the series. It gets painfully awkward to watch when we also get a mascot character taking the form of a talking bear. You may initially see as a cute addition to the show but don’t let a character like Mana fool you. Behind that cute flying animal’s appearance is perhaps the most perverted character in the entire series. It seems he tries to get every chance for Itsuki to commit to the Star Maidens in the most ludicrous way as possible. In some episodes, it seems Mana has developed a strange attraction towards Itsuki himself. At that point, I pretty much stopped questioning the logic of the show.
So a question emerges if there’s anything redeemable about Conception at all. Well, I wish. Gonzo is known for some of their more aesthetic works but from this show, you won’t see that. What you get instead is poor animation quality that looks like something from a hentai. I took a look at some footage from the original game and this anime didn’t make the characters look any better. It honestly looked like a show made in the PS2 era with outdated visual quality. And of course, sexual fantasies is all over the place. Expect a lot of scenes in the bedroom as it is part of the “plot”. Can you believe it? Conception has a plot! Normally, I’d make a joke about “watching this for the plot” but by the end of the show, that joke wouldn’t even be half funny.
After watching Conception, I probably also lost a good dozen amount of brain cells. I’m an avid fan of roleplaying games but Conception is pretty much the worst example of being in such a category. It could have been something to satirize the fan service norm or a cleverly crafted parody. What we get instead is an abomination buried by Gonzo and the insufferable character cast. I wish there was something positive to say about this anime honestly. But seriously, if you want to save some brain cells, then stay far away from this atrocity.
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Dec 24, 2018
12 of 12 episodes seen
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34
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
I should have probably ate something before reviewing Golden Kamuy. Even thinking about this show makes me hungry and it’s not what I had in mind. But hey, seeing this golden egg return again for a sequel is such a welcome delight.
Remember, this sequel continues from the first season and now indulges on the continued quest of Sugimoto and his ever daring adventures. It makes a memorable return with the first episode introducing Edogai Yasaku, a taxidermist. Right off from this season, he shows his true colors with his expertise related to human skin. While not being an actual killer or sadistic as Tsurumi, I
dare say that he’s not someone to be underestimated. An early alliance also sparks between him and Tsurumi. Speaking of which, do you remember Tsurumi?
Serving as the lieutenant of the 7th division, Tsurumi is one of the key antagonists in this show. Many words can be used to describe him such as erratic and unstable. In the second season, he shows his ruthless behavior again although at the same time, I find his sarcastic tone and unpredictable personality to be most welcoming. It adds surprising elements that makes the plot much more fluid. But of course, who can forget about our Saichi Sugimoto and his companion, Asirpa. The pair became inseparable and their adventures continue with even more stakes on the line. Joining them is also Yoshitake Shirashi, the goofball butt monkey. While many see him as a comic relief with his carefree attitude, he does play valuable roles in this season. It’s easy to sugarcoat him as the middleman between the two main characters as well.
However, I believe the second season is both plot and character driven. Early in this season, Suigimoto’s group deals with Edogai but we also shouldn’t forget about the man known as Hijikata. His past with Shinpachi is important to recognize due to their similarities during their younger years. In addition, we also take a deeper dive into his past when he was once a prisoner at Kaboto. And I think it’s one of the many things that makes this show stand out. It makes the audience care about characters like Hijikata. Even though he isn’t a prominent figurehead like Sugimoto, his past made him evolve as a person to where he is today. I should probably warn you though. This show is not light on violence, whether physically or mentally. But by showcasing its content in such way, it makes this anime that more realistic.
Speaking of the plot, Shirashi gets caught that puts his life into jeopardy. While the audience may dismiss his capture as lesser importance, we should remember that he is in the hands of the 7th division. That’s the same group known for their sadistic tendencies thanks to their charismatic lieutenant, Tsurumi. The plot also brings in new characters like Kiyohiro Suzukawa, a deceptive man who is able to slip into the ranks of enemies. I should probably also mention that while Kiyohiro is more or less a con artist, his role brings in suspense to the plot. It makes me want to see them succeed in recusing Shirashi regardless what dangers await them. Eventually, the plot turns into a cat and mouse game. We get to see the main conflict escalate into fights for survival. Thankfully, Sugimoto still retains his military skills and we see them in action against the 7th division. On the other hand, the show also explores the character connection between Tanigaki and Kenkichi. I’ve mentioned before but this sequel is also very character driven that explores the past relationships between important characters. Kenkichi may seem like a minor character at first but the show reinforces the idea of how human lives can be so fragile. The second season establishes an important concept about how broken their world is and what characters can do to change it.
Now while I can say this season can get deep and emotional, there’s also a decent amount of lighthearted moments. If you remember from the first season, food is a part of the show that eclipses more than just a gimmick. That’s because food is essentially for survival and we get no shortage of those from this season. Asirpa brings in her knowledge of the Ainu culture with her as well those survival skills. We even get woodcock hunting as a showcase of one of her many talents. I should say that Aspira is a breakout character. She and Sugimoto has been through a lot together and despite some of their personality differences, they work together well as a pair. My impression of Aspira this season is no less different than the first season as she continues to educate viewers about Ainu culture. In later episodes, her eyes also play important role in a case that adds suspense to the story. But don’t let that fool you from the show’s motives. It has a great amount of balanced content between the light and dark. In other words, this season has an emotional and serious story but always has time to find moments to make fun of itself. If you don’t believe me, just check to see how much man service this season really became.
Thanks to what it has established, I say without a shadow of a doubt that Golden Kamuy Season 2 is more than just watchable. It’s a show that manages to capitalize on its variety of genres and bring in a exhilarating story. It has a larger-than-life character cast with important purposes. With each passing episode, I felt more compelled to watch more. And so should you.
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