Back to TheAzureSky's Profile TheAzureSky's Profile

Epic, exciting, and suspenseful; but it’s restrained too much by some annoying characters and pacing issues.

★★★☆

Everyone’s heard of this so I don’t have a lot to add. No snarky comments, no witty remarks. I’m sure someone wants me to tear this apart for being overrated and overhyped; that it’s actually a really terrible show like Sword Art Online, and anyone who likes it must be a goddamn commoner with shit taste. It’s so popular it’s getting a Marvel comic crossover.

It has a great premise. It’s exciting and suspenseful. It manages to make silly looking giants genuinely scary, and so it does a good job of ... creating tension. It gives you little bits about its world like history and how its technologies work. Though, it has two major flaws.

The characters are a little shallow, but they’re serviceable. There’s a huge cast so you’ll find someone you like even if it’s just for their quirk. The main character is annoying—which in itself isn’t bad. I’d rather have a main character that makes me feel strongly about them than a vanilla, blank slate. I’ll give the author the benefit of the doubt that he purposely chose such a main character. It’s a bold move, and that’s respectable. If you do find a lot of the characters irritating then good news because they become much more tolerable later on. Plus, because the cast is so big the irritating characters are balanced out by more sane ones.

The biggest issue is the pacing. There are 25 episodes and it could’ve been cut down because there are too many slow moments for such an exciting premise. The moments that you do want to see are just glossed over, and there’s too much talking when it could’ve just been shown. Even some of the moments that are intentionally exciting feel stretched out. I’m constantly reminded of The Walking Dead TV series where parts in the comic that took a few pages are stretched out for a whole episode.

And fuck if the opening isn’t exciting.

The material is good, no arguments. If it had fixed its character and pacing issues then this seriously could’ve been a legendary show. Probably in the top 10 of all time.

Smart, fun premise. You’ll keep watching to see how they solve the problems, but there’s too much fan service and not enough tension.

★★☆☆

Imagine a fantasy world where there’s no war or crime. All conflicts are solved through games. You have an issue? You bet on it. This was the first episode, and it had me hooked. What a great idea. I’m going to watch a smart show about smart characters who use smart ideas instead of powering up for 10 episodes and punching the shit out of each other.

And what I got was some of that, but mostly fan service.

The two main characters declared they ... would never lose at any game. So naturally the most interesting direction you can that take is to put them through situations where they can or will lose. You should always have bigger obstacles than your characters can handle. This is character development and makes stories exciting.

They’re also described as NEETs and hikikomori. NEETs are young people who are “Not in Education, Employment or Training” while hikikomori are adolescents or adults that are extremely withdrawn from society, shutting themselves at home for years. This would’ve made for interesting character development except it never has any bearing on the plot. There’s no growth or change from being a NEET or hikikomori. It’s just tacked on as a shallow way to relate to its audience.

There’s also too much fan service. The other characters aren’t much more than wish fulfillment and are there to look good. Except there’s nothing inherently wrong with fan service. The issue here is that it’s taking the place of genuinely good story telling and character development. If the characters had more depth I wouldn’t have minded.

Look, I get it. You can make really interesting, unique works, but it’s risky. Or you can make something with proven appeal and pulls in revenue. Anime is already a struggling industry where only the hardcore fans (otaku) command the market with their money. It’s capitalism, and there’s nothing wrong with that. So I have hard time faulting No Game No Life for pandering. It’s a struggle between letting the work stand on its own and taking into account external factors like the consumer market.

What I do have issue with is people overrating it. The fun of the show comes from the main characters solving what seems to be impossible challenges. In their fantasy world, humans are the lowest ranked civilization. This was a good choice, but each episode’s puzzle or conflict isn’t solved in a satisfying way. It only SEEMS clever, and the way it’s solved isn’t natural. It felt like the writer worked backwards instead of building off progressively harder obstacles.

This is the same issue I had with the TV show House M.D. There’s a medical mystery, the show spends an hour dancing around it, House has an epiphany, and it’s solved. The medical issue is solved when the writers say it’s solved. The show is still fun, though, and House is a great character.

I do love the premise as it invites stories around tactics and strategy instead of who has more chakra or the higher power level. The art is vibrant and colorful. Everything has a dreamy glow to it. Even with all my issues with it, the show was still entertaining, and I don’t regret finishing it.

Fantastic vampire action and violence; but dull characters, erratic pacing with too much melodrama and an overpowered main character.

★★☆☆

It has all the flash and gimmicks to trick you into thinking it’s good. It has vampires, action, blood, swearing, violence, gore, sexuality, darkness—everything that’s just “cooool” and “matuuure.”

Let’s not forget its “badass” hero Alucard—whose name is “Dracula” spelled backward, by the way. Goddamn that is so fucking cool I’m hurting. He’s so powerful no one can beat him. Except… that is the problem. Because none of his enemies can even touch him all his fights are boring filler. You’re actually left rooting for the villains.

The main ... characters are supposed to be the one putting up a struggle, not the other way around. The only time I was excited about a fight was when the villains felt like they could pose a challenge. But then Alucard whips out a power up, and I’m left saying “Oh.”

For a show with gorgeous animation and fantastic action it’s dull and forgettable. It’s like an attractive person without a personality. There are pacing issues where it slows down to be melodramatic and rambles about nonsense philosophy. I get that you need to let us know character motivations, but giving 10 minute speeches isn’t exactly keeping me awake. It also tries to be funny with some lighthearted, cutely animated moments, but it only ruins the mood.

I still actually recommend watching this but only if you’re slightly interested. It’s helpful to watch good and bad shows. It’ll give you an instinct on why something is good or bad. I enjoyed this my first time, but I certainly wouldn’t watch it again.

A funny, relatable slice-of-life about an awkward high school girl with social anxiety.

★★★★

I’m so used to watching Chinese cartoons with cute girls doing cute things. They’re shows that tell me, “We know you love this garbage. Remember to buy the blu-rays and any shit with their faces printed on it.” So when something comes along that doesn’t pander I’m caught off guard; something with a meaningful character I’m reminded that I’m still a person that just wants a connection to another human being. Tomoko, the main character, isn’t cute and she doesn’t do cute things. To put it gently… she’s a fucking loser.

And I love ... it.

There’s a genre of humor called cringe comedy. A good example is The Office. It’s a type of humor where we watch characters get put into awkward situations. You’ll be embarrassed for them, but you’ll be glad they’re not you. Except, sometimes the circumstances will hit too close to home. You’ll get a little PTSD about high school (or the war). What happens to Tomoko will feel very familiar to a lot of you.

That’s part of what I loved about the show. There are moments that will feel like it was lifted right out of somebody’s life—and it was! Apparently, the author took a lot of stories from her own school days. But what I loved more was how real Tomoko felt.

She’s a disgusting, awkward, pretentious, lonely, procrastinating, daydreaming, petty, delusional nerd.

I’ve got no complaints. It ends abruptly because it’s only an adaptation so enjoy the show for what it is. Blu-ray sales were low in Japan (which proves those moonspeakers have no taste). But good news is this did better overseas.

Fantastic animation with charming characters but ruined by a directionless story.

★★☆☆

It’s these cute girls, man. They lure you in with their looks, and keep you watching before you can realize the show is kinda shit. I couldn’t stop because the main character was adorable. Big glasses, fluffy pink hair, oversized grandma sweater—how could I resist?

The other characters were likeable, too. They had enough chemistry to keep the show amusing and from becoming a chore. The animation quality is fantastic. Every episode is just great to look at. The action scenes are dynamic and surprisingly well done. The soundtrack is memorable, especially the opening and ending ... themes. So far it sounds like Beyond the Boundary should be 7 or 8 or 9, right? But this show proves that even all those great qualities can be suffocated by shit plotting and story.

Let’s start with the story—as in there is none. There was something that resembling one. Something about stopping the demons. Whatever story it had was lost in the bad plotting. Every episode felt disconnected from the bigger picture. They were still enjoyable, though, because of the sheer charm of the characters and animation quality. There was always questions raised but never answered.

Somebody is going to say (and they always do), “You didn’t pay attention.” As if that’s a good defense. As if people watch something and deliberately not pay attention. No one is asking to be spoon-fed a story. That’s boring. But you know what else is boring? Watching an overly-complicated, confusing story, too. It’s your skill as a writer to balance between those two extremes. You need an understandable story, but you also want to keep it complicated enough to be mentally engaging.

The show felt very directionless, and when you don’t have focus you can’t get invested. I even had difficulty coming up with a summary so I didn’t bother. Even if it had a very basic (but clear) plot it would’ve been a much better show. I would’ve given it a 7 on it’s animation quality and characters alone.

I would still recommend it just for the excellent animation and decent characters but only if you can tolerate the incoherent story.

Amazingly average, saved only by a charming female lead that talks like Yoda.

★★☆☆

It’s amazing what a cute girl will get you to do—even watching a very mediocre show. I’ve noticed a personal trend that I’m willing to put up with a lot of shit just to see more of a cute Chinese cartoon girl. I really need to get outside and talk to more 3D women.

Let’s start with the show itself. There’s nothing memorable about it, but the thing is...it’s not bad either. Average, mediocre, ordinary, so-so, middle of the road. It’s inoffensive. Doesn’t really strike at you. No lasting impressions. It’s like going to ... a Ben & Jerry’s and picking vanilla.

What I’m trying to say is that it’s “okay.”

The show is carried all by Chaika, the female lead. She’s adorable. She talks like a retard. Her grammar is criminally bad—but charming as fuck. She talks with incomplete sentences. I don’t care. I just wanna pet her and feed her and tell her nice things.

The action, the characters, the fantasy setting, the story: it’s just whatever. If it didn’t have Chaika it’d be given a 3 for being so ordinary. As vanilla as it felt, I still enjoyed it.

Expected a twist on harem anime, but was disappointed by how boring and silly it became. Not even funny enough to tolerate.

★☆☆☆

Why do I keep being surprised when MyAnimeList gives me another shit recommendation? I saw the 8’s and 9’s (even some 10’s); I saw the 5-stars; and I read the reviews telling me it was funny—that it’s not your typical harem show.

I love a good story that parodies, deconstructs, or puts a twist on clichés. And this show sort of, kinda does that? But not really because so much of it falls flat. The premise is actually much better suited for a more serious ... story.

The show starts funny so I had hopes. I expected to get funnier and wittier, but it actually got more and more dull. It became tedious after halfway through. When a show gets boring I switch over to the dub because I can’t stand being forced to read subtitles for a shit show. It’s a chore. The dub actually made it funnier and more bearable.

The story has a different girl every few episodes for our main guy to seduce, but the girls are so one-dimensional. It makes no sense when the show’s premise is supposed to be an attack on clichés. The girls are supposed to represent typical female archetypes in dating sims, but there weren’t any twists or anything unexpected about them. It was played straight.

The main character doesn’t even seduce them in a clever or interesting way either. It just happens without any real struggle or conflict so you’re left with the girls’ stories to support the plotting.

The only character I liked was Elsie, the female sidekick. She was ditzy, funny, and made the show tolerable. She carried half the show for me. Elsie actually cared about the demon contract. She cared about trying to seduce the girls (because her life depended on it).

I wished for a lot more of her because the main character was so uninteresting. I couldn’t relate to him. He was bland and just didn’t seem to care that if he didn’t fulfill his demonic contract he’d die.

The premise deserved a better story than this. Here’s how it could’ve been much more engaging.

- Take it more seriously.
- Should’ve been a character drama that focused on his growth as a person.
- He’d mature, realizing he shouldn’t have such an unhealthy obsession over dating simulators.
- He’d be forced to interact with real women and find out that real human interaction is far more difficult than a video game.
- You’d see him struggle, you’d see him learn, and you’d see him develop.
- It can still be funny. The 40-Year Old Virgin is somewhat like this. It still had great characters and a character arc while remaining funny.

I’m not going to bother with season 2. The show was amusing (at first), but it’s not worth sitting through 12 episodes for.

An action show that takes itself too seriously. It’s so bad it’s good.

★★☆☆

Golgo 13 is a rare show I will stop thinking for. To take it seriously would be a mistake. It’s not how you watch it. It’s a show that’s so bad that it’s good. There’s a campiness I don’t see in other shows. To describe Golgo 13: it’s a Japanese person’s interpretation of American action movies. The plots all involve fresh, exciting ideas like the mafia, the CIA, the military, assassins, politicians, beautiful women, exotic places. It’s the James Bond of anime.

The main character is Golgo 13. His real name is Duke Togo. ... He’s so goddamn cool it hurts. He talks so little I swear he makes up 2% of the dialogue. He has very little back story. Even his code name, “Golgo 13”, is only rumored to be based off Golgotha from the bible. He has literally the same expression on his face every episode. I don’t think he ever smiled in the show. Even when he’s having sex his face never changes.

He’s a legendary sniper and hitman, costing 3 million per assignment. He never fails and he never misses. Since he never loses, there’s very little tension from if he’ll be able to accomplish the mission. The actual fun of the show comes from what the assignment is, how he’ll do it, and how he gets himself out of complicated situations. His assignment could be shooting the string off a violin; how is he gonna kill someone who never shows himself in public; or how is he going to break out of an Alcatraz prison? It’s just clever enough to be satisfying.

First, to really squeeze any entertainment from this show, you have to watch the dub. I swear they must be using the same three voice actors every episode. It’s the same gruff, tough guy voice for every mafia boss and henchmen. The dialogue isn’t anything to write home about it. There’s a lot of fascination with guns and how cool they are.

The animation is very bland and flat. Color doesn’t exist other gray and extra gray. There’s a lot of still frames. Poor guys must’ve been working with a budget of a high school play.

I never watch opening songs. I skip them even in shows I love, but for Golgo 13 I always do. It gets me pumped for the episode.

Golgo 13 is not a show you take seriously. It’s cheesy. It’s campy. The dialogue is stiff. The settings and stories are cliché. There’s plot holes everywhere. It tries very hard to be cool and takes itself very seriously. But even through all this it manages to be fun (and clever) enough to watch.

There’s 50 episodes. There’s no continuity so literally pick any at random and hope you’ll get a fun episode. Sit with your friends, get drunk, and poke fun at it. That’s how you watch Golgo 13.