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Nov 6, 2020
When Vinland Saga was recommended to me I was told to expect action and a little gore. I had no idea I was in store for a blast of history and some really nice characters along the way
The show itself centers around war. As anyone would expect with such a thing blood and guts come with the territory. What some would not expect is to see some real personality in some of the barbarians that are put in our sights. I know I would probably appreciate the show a little more if I had a better understanding of the time period as well as
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the region of the world and its happenings at the time, but I don't think its needed to enjoy the show for what it is.
Thors, the Troll of Jom is probably the most well known and strongest of his kind. He finds himself in a unique spot and makes a choice. The choice itself not a bad one but given what his people are and how they view things he is cast in a bad light for it. Something happens and thus the story pushes on as we follow Thorfinn and the start of his crazy journey.
Along the way a lot of things are as one would expect. Lots of greed, lots of ego, lots of battling. While that's happening we basically get to see Thorfinn grow up amidst all of that. All the while still laser focused on the events of the past. I can't say I blame him or anything but that for me was a little bit of a turnoff.
I was pretty happy with the was Askeladd handled a lot of things that were thrown at him. I really respect him as a character. He wasn't the biggest brute type of guy but he certainly could hold his own physically on the battlefield and made up for the deficit with his intelligence. I'm certain I'm not in the minority on this but he is my favorite character in the prologue. I think he did a good job of looking after Thorfinn along the journey as well. A character in my mind who is worthy of the title "King"
When you have seen as much as I have you kind of have a general grasp of what to expect when you tune into specific genres and this was no exception. The one thing I can say about Vinland saga is that for me it had enough of its own footprint (If that makes sense) to stand out enough for me to really enjoy this one.
If you have time and like this type of thing or want to experience it for the first time, I'd say put this into your watched list. There's a good chance you'll enjoy it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 28, 2020
Yuri!!! on Ice is yet another Sports themed series that's been done in recent years. I personally don't know what was the true spark for the explosion of the genre, but man am I glad it happened and there have been so many unique entries in the last ten years or so.
A lot of the Animeverse, young and old has at least heard of Captain Tsubasa and Major in some form or another. I thought I had seen the limits stretched with Boxing, (Hajime no Ippo) only to wait a few years to see Volleyball. (Haikyuu!!) Let time do its walk along the line some
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more and we get ballroom dancing. (Ballroom E Youkoso) Let it continue further and here we arrive at Figure Skating.
I gotta say I really didn't know what to expect with this one and I think because I hold some of the ones I mentioned above in such high regard Yuri!!! on Ice had a lot to live up too when it comes to its peers in the sports genre. For what it's worth I really did like the series overall even though my score might not seem to reflect it in comparison.
It might not have been the first series to bring more feminine males to the center of attention but I definitely applaud the show for being the first that I saw to do so within the sport genre.
I know there was development and change in almost every one of the "mainstays", especially Yuuri, but it feels like the focus of the show was relationship building. Especially between Yuri, Yuuri, and Victor. (One more-so than the other of course) I think this is one of the shows strongest points.
The single most powerful part of this show for me was actually the soundtrack. Yes, there definitely were some cast members who brought there own impact when they were on the screen, most recognizable was JJ and all of his "style" but this shows music really stands high above everything else for me. Even if you never watch the show I would 100% recommend searching for the soundtrack and giving it a whirl. If you like instrumental or Opera or are looking for a place to start trying either you wont be disappointed.
Overall I really enjoyed this short adventure. At first I kinda didn't like the way it ended because for me it felt so unsatisfying but one of the reasons why I wait a while (2 or 3 weeks sometimes) to write my reviews is so I can fully digest everything. I can say now that I've cooled down and absorbed everything I don't mind the way things ended. I can see plenty of value in the finale that made it to the screen.
At the end of the line when I look out over the cliff and see the other mountains beyond the part of my horizon that has my sport genre I can say that Yuri did good things. Its peak may be a little shorter than some others in the area but it had a whole lot to live up too with the giant peaks of other sport anime in my archive. It deserves a watch from any sport anime fan who can appreciate a slight Yaoi spice without diving in head first.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 27, 2020
It has been about 9 years since I saw this original installment. It came up in conversation with a couple friends not to long ago and that made me want to re-visit this.
The show is about a brother duo that for the most part is living a normal life with a few.... "adjustments". Okay, their life BEFORE the incident was pretty normal. After the incident things are not exactly so anymore.
The two brothers, Edward and Alphonse made a mistake. All humans do in the course life. They were young, and emotion got the best of both of them after a tragedy. Ed moreso then
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Al but still they both took part in defying the one law of alchemy that seems to be absolute: To gain something you must use something of equal value. In short, "equivalent exchange".
The story follows the duo along their travels to find the philosophers stone. It is said to boost ones ability with alchemy significantly. The reason they want this stone is not to try the original plan again but to restore things to the way they were before they made their mistake. (Trying my best not to spoil anything here)
Along the way Ed does find himself working for the military which he admits hes just doing what he has to do to get what he needs to reach his goal. We meet a pretty big cast of people in the process, both in and out of the military, from alchemists just like Ed to everyday average folk. Some more righteous than others as well. I will say while we don't really get to see to much into the cores of any of the supporting characters they definitely are exposed enough that one could like/dislike most of them. For example while I can't say I agree with some things Scar did I can respect him for his reasons. Lastly out of the seven sins I both like and respect Greed and Lust the most because they thought and acted for themselves more than any other sin.
The journey was long and difficult for the Elric brothers and its possible that a lot of people didn't see the deepest darkest secret coming at all. I know I didn't, it even caught me off guard when I re-watched. Through it all I believe the brothers grew as people, especially Ed. The ending was a little lack-luster for me. All the hard work didn't exactly result in nothing, but it resulted in a similar starting line being re-drawn with different circumstances and then the show cuts to black. I know the reason for that and I will say that I'm so glad I decided to watch this series first way back instead of starting with Brotherhood in 2011. That leads me to the last bit...
Anyone wondering if they should watch this or Brotherhood first I believe its best to watch this one first. If you do watch Brotherhood first this version which does have its own unique story will most likely lack in almost every way possible in comparison to Brotherhood. This is simply due to the fact that Brotherhood does actually follow the manga a lot more strictly. This one seems to be just loosely based.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 13, 2020
Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai really hit me when I first watched it 8 years ago. I been thinking back to some of my previous watches and this was one of them. I figured I'd re-watch since its been such a long time.
The show itself is centers around Yuuta and through some unfortunate circumstances his nieces are put in a very tough spot. We find out at some point a similar situation happened to him and his sister is the reason he chooses to do what he does. I certainly admire him and even his sister for what they chose to take on.
Throughout the course
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of the show we get to see a lot of how something like this can really take it's toll on a person, or people in this case and also how having someone to lean on is probably the best thing in the world when it comes to swimming through a rough sea so to say.
In terms of the characters in the show. they all do a good job of bringing something to the table and adding to the whole course. Obviously some will be more favored than others but for me, especially among the family members, if you were to change anything about them and what they bring to the show, it would certainly have a bigger impact on the final result than some might realize. This show still has the cutest character I've ever come across in all my anime watching, Hina. It also has my most favorite female who I really thought deserved more screen time, Raika.
The scene at Hina's recital and her reaction to seeing what she did really stuck with me. Even though we never get to see the end result in this season, in my heart of hearts I still think Yuuta and Raika would be a phenomenal pair walking through life with each other and supporting the girls as they grow up. I still forget sometimes that both Yuuta and Raika aren't that much older then Sora. They both spend so much of their screen time acting well above their own age.
If you are looking for a Slice of Life with a little more of an adult theme to it and don't mind the possibility of some tears being shed then I think this one would do wonders. It's short but does pack a few heavy doses of goodness.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 11, 2020
Darling in the FranXX takes place in a sort of unique place. It's not technically post apocalyptic in the more common usage of the genre. You'll have to watch to find out what I mean... The show itself does incorporate mecha and I like the way it does so. It's setting focuses around a group of children who are just trying to make the best of the hand they were dealt.
As the story went on I started thinking back to some of the other mecha type shows I've experienced over the years and realize almost all of them have some kind of aspect where the
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cast is put under some serious emotional stress. Darling in the FranXX is no different and as the show progresses the cast experiences more and more of this.
The show is a little tragic but touching at the same time. The main duo goes through a lot, with good reason. We end up seeing just how cruel it got in that world and I felt for both of them. It was nice to see how both of them really thrived together because they had each other to lean on. The supporting cast got to shine a little bit here and there as well. There's a lot of little intricate things going on around the main duo that you can't help but notice and also be drawn too in their own ways. The show itself definitely doesn't forget to remind the viewer of just what period of life the cast is living in from time to time. There were some nice bonds built throughout the series that I appreciate.
Darling in the FranXX for me is really well told, at least for the portion that is focused. Sure, there are somethings that could have been done a little differently. Sure there are the few times where a "miracle" seems to happen and all the sudden the heroes come out on top from a dire situation. I think I'm lucky that I can accept that as part of the fictional world and not have it cast a dark light on every show I see with this aspect. Yes, we know not everything has a happy ending but a happy ending is what most of us wish for even if we know it's not always reality. I'd even go as far as to say that even with those "miracle" moments sprinkled in the ending of the show isn't exactly the happiest. The world is just making the best of the hand they were dealt and pushing forward. If the next part of this show were to come to TV I'd definitely sign up for continuing the adventure.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 7, 2020
Chrome Shelled Regios is set in a world where cities are mobile. What makes them move are spirits. The spirits are often free to wander as they see fit and various things can happen based on what a city comes across in its travels. It could be another city, or a horde of monsters. The city at the center of the story is Zuellni.
The main character in all of this is Layfon. He has a bit of a troubled past and has left his original home looking to start fresh. He himself was hoping to leave the military behind which is why he came to
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Zuellni, a city that focuses more on growth through education and general knowledge rather than military prowess.
Layfon being a very gifted person in the field of military arts combined with his experiences growing up giving him various abilities like cooking, and being able to express himself pretty well compared to his fellow cast in his age group as well as a few other things lead to some unforeseen things.
The show itself actually has a few good characters in it and although Layfon is undeniably the center of attention there are some very strong supporting characters as well. I'll touch on the two I think did the most growing through the show. Nina goes through her own major trials but also has her strength in leading which Layfon admitted himself he is terrible at. Felli just has a lot going on...She's very shy and has trouble with her emotions. The show explains the reasons for that but she and Layfon clash on things because of the difference in viewpoints between them in the beginning.
Ultimately both Nina and Felli admire Layfon for what he has that they lack. Sometimes admiration can lead to attraction. This combined with May and her reason for admiring Layfon can make this show seem like a closet Harem but I really disliked when I saw that term thrown around before I decided to re-watch this recently. It really isn't like traditional Harem out there.
This show for me is amazing. While the setting is not so unique, because there are a ton of humans trying to survive in a monster ridden world plots... The characters and story around the civilization as well as the small complexities that are woven into them are great.
P.S.:
I thought much like my Hellsing re-watch that I'd overrated this show but I think even my novice self from back in 2010 when I first watched it got this one right. I'm sure not everyone will think this is 10 worthy but really this is one of those gems that I think deserves more eyes on it. It really saddens me to think that this one won't ever be continued. I really would like to get my hands on the visual novel to finish this...
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 5, 2020
Golden Time's most broad genre to me is Slice of Life, followed by Romance. It takes place at a pretty normal college with typical things you'd expect to occur within campus life. The show follows Banri and takes place right after he has mostly recovered from a tragic accident.
This show has most things you'd come to expect from the Slice of Life and Romance mix. Good bits of fun times mixed in with some drama brought on about various circumstances or just miss understandings that can certainly happen given the setting of the show and age of the cast.
One thing I can say that's different
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about Golden time is that it takes place in an area of the spectrum that you don't see too often. There are a whole lot of the high school, and a good bit of adulthood Slice of Life and Romance mix but I can't think of one thus far that actually takes place in college, which is the age range literally right before adulthood.
The story itself is truly a bit tragic by nature. Seeing Banri go through his struggle made me really feel sometimes especially because of how it impacted the supporting cast. The show has some really good supporting characters for Banri and they all have their place. Hayashida undoubtedly is his MVP. She is hes light when he gets lost in the fog. I feel most for her. She is definitely the most brave in the show having to carry what she does and my favorite overall character.
We do see a lot of growth from the start of the show to the finsh in almost the whole cast of kids. Hayashida being number one for me, right after her is Kouko. I actually didn't like either of them through most of the show for different reasons but their own growth ended up causing them to grow on me. I can't say much more without spoiling...
Golden time is definitely one of those shows that is gonna be loaded with opinions on how the links ended up. I have my preferences but I am satisfied with how things ended up. Ultimately the three most important ones were "set free" in my opinion. If you like or want to get into either the Slice of Life or Romance genres I say this is a nice place to start. You'll be taken on a little bit of a ride but will more than likely enjoy the experience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 3, 2020
Note:
Skip ahead to the third paragraph if you are only interested in the review.
Hellsing itself crossed my mind not to long ago. This show was one of the first that I really started my dive into Anime with. The shows like Pokemon, Dragonball Z, Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh were experiences I had from my very young years watching Saturday mornings on a few different TV networks. At that time I didn't know any better and I didn't really pay attention to the whole category really. I just knew I liked cartoons and Saturday morning had a lot of good ones.
In high school I started to
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find a lot more about Anime in general and in the summer of 2006 is when I decided to start to explore a little bit of the Anime world. I remember Hellsing was one of the ones I chose toward the end of my first major Anime binge. Fast forward almost 15 years with the OVA finally being completed, I wanted to go back to watch the original before starting the OVA and I gotta say, those 15 years, with a couple hundred other Anime TV shows and movies under my belt, have really changed my view on the show just looking at my old rating. The original Hellsing isn't bad by any means but I definitely think I gave it to high of a rating originally due to lack of experience in the Anime world. It has now been adjusted.
Review Start:
The show takes place in England. Hellsing, led by Integra is one of the organizations in England tasked with keeping order and the general population safe. Their main specialty, dealing with various alternative human lifeforms that seek to cause trouble. The shows main character Alucard is a vampire himself and is Integra's right hand man.
Through the show we see a small link to real world history and I definitely appreciate the tie in. I remember having to do a project on a piece of the history that was referenced. It has been many years since then. I think I would have enjoyed the show more if I remembered more of the history I learned back then.
Along the way we meet a few crazy characters. If there was a competition to see who would win the title of most psychotic I have NO clue who would win but my bet would be on Anderson. Victoria and Walter bring a lot to the show for me even though they are support characters. Victoria does a lot from light-hearted bits and pieces to the rough and tumble brawling. Walter for me falls into the category of "boss level geezer". Basically without any spoilers he's got that Zeno from Hunter x Hunter or Sarutobi from Naruto vibe. He might be old but hes certainly still not someone to mess with. He probably won't ever see the spotlight on any godlike geezer countdowns because of the universe he's put in but man I would have loved to see a different take on the show maybe 40 years earlier when Walter and Alucard were doing their thing the first time.
The show itself is not for the faint at heart. It is a very mature show with a lot of blood, guts and gruesome things. If you don't have the stomach for that sort of thing you definitely should skip it. If you can or you just like vampires, zombies, ghouls and the like, then you'll more enjoy the show.
P.S.
If you are wondering about this one compared to the original I can safely say that this version has a lot more content within it and is organized a little better. The first series is good in its own way but similar to what the 2011 Hunter x Hunter did to its predecessor, Hellsing Ultimate is the better overall version by far for me. Admittedly at the very end my enjoyment of the show lowered a little bit. I understand why things happened the way they did and certainly appreciate it all, I just think they could have laid it out a little differently and expanded on a few things, thus having the flow feel more satisfying.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 28, 2020
This season picks up right after the rebel team swept the first round in the team shokugeki. Anyone missing the all out shokugeki element of the show will surely enjoy this season because its packed with them.
A series of 3-on-3 battles between Central and the rebel team is the entirety of this season and plenty of the cooking explanation, moaning, over exaggeration and Ecchi that normally accompany it are back in full force. The entire supporting cast is included in their own way but their interactions is extremely limited compared to all previous seasons. While I understand why it had to be this way I
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do think that the lack of "instant comedy", ruffling feathers or lighthearted comedy bits between various members of the supporting cast is the reason why I enjoyed this season slightly less.
There is plenty to be seen though throughout. We finally get to see a little more of whats underneath the upperclassmen a little more. Cooking styes, personalities, even a few habits. I was surprised by a few things we learned about a few of them. I have always liked Rindo the most out of the upperclassmen and learning a little about her made me like her even more. Her laid back style combined with the fact that she doesn't appear to have an ego the size of a mountain just because she's the second seat of the elite ten even though she seems to have self confidence
The rebel team came together pretty nicely even if their were a few clashes around the season. That doesn't lose points for me, just pointing it out. It was also really nice to see some other people that weren't Souma really shine in a few of these big time shokugeki. There was little bits of teamwork during the battles between a few of the rebels which was cool to see. There's some insane growth in people like Aldini and especially Megumi. It was pleasant to see them take their step forward in a heavyweight fight for lack of better terms since I'm pretty wiped out right now.
I do feel the last battle was a little sloppy... Not just because of what was happening on the rebel team during the battle. Quite honestly I expected some clashing between those titans but something about how things happened combined with remaining time presented as well as what happened during the final battles deliberations... It just felt super awkward, and super rushed in the last one or two episodes of the season.
My time spent getting back into and caught up on Shokugeki no Souma has been very enjoyable and I certainly look forward to watching the fifth plate whenever it completes. I honestly didn't expect to completely power through the seasons I hadn't seen the way I did.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 27, 2020
This season picks up right where the last one left off. Erina and Azami have their minds blown and shortly afterwards Erina explains a little bit of her past to Souma. Souma then cooks for her in an attempt to do what he swore he would do very early in the first season of the show. Souma does help Erina figure something out.
We find out next that the school itself has advancement exams and if you fail these exams you can not graduate from first or second year. Needless to say it is the final cut of students that are trimmed away from the bulk
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of the student body. This advancement test will be in phases and as you pass each phase the students will travel throughout Hokkaido. Souma just helping Erina to realize something very important makes Erina want to help him as well as the rest of Polar Star who have all grown on Erina to pass these advancement exams.
Not gonna lie, it was nice to see a kinder side of Erina for me even though it did take a little getting used too. She still manages to maintain some of her snottiness but it's a nice change and I wouldn't say it was "too much too fast" that it was extremely awkward or anything like that. She was still pretty tough on them but she knew what was gonna happen considering all of Polar star and the few added additions were gonna be zeroed in on. Her seminars came in very handy as expected given the situations presented. (Trying not to spoil things here.
The "rebels" as a whole do really well for themselves and then a few "shocker" things happen. (Trying not to spoil much here again) There is some build up right before a Shokugeki and then the season comes to a close in the midst of that Shokugeki
All said I really enjoyed this season. The show itself has certainly changed pace a bit. There's no doubt but that is certainly to be expected considering the kids are all melding together now. You have Erina where she is... In the presence of the people she is... I never would expected to see her at Polar Star dorm with consistent drop ins from the Aldini's and Mito when this whole series started. Even Hayama is coming out of his shell a little bit thanks to a few people. There's no way the shokugeki would run wild anymore. They did all that and became a make-shift group of friends. Plus how can any of that continue to happen when they are constantly having to face the short end of the stick because they are all being super targeted for expulsion. Considering I've seen many Shounen before this one I think I know whats gonna happen with the shokugeki of course but the ride that this show has taken me on so far has been a very enjoyable one and I hope it continues to do so.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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