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Mar 22, 2016
The best way to describe Konosuba is one trick pony. If the comedy doesn't do it for you, you will probably hate this show. Now occasionally it was funny, but the repetitive nature of Konosuba will wear you down and it's not like anything about the humor changes, just the situation. Admittedly, it was only funny during certain situations which is a problem for Konosuba stemming from it's foundation. Without anything to build on, the show can appear bland at times without the comedy.
Unfortunately, there’s no backbone to the story. The show takes an episodic approach for a simple underlying theme of friendship and
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wackiness. Now Konosuba has some charm to it, each character meshes and the setting is somewhat diverse, but it’s hard to immerse oneself into the world. When everything comes off as a joke, it’s hard to be impressed by the somewhat clever storytelling. Right off the bat from the first 10 minutes of the first episode, I knew this show would be a joke in itself, but scary thing is it could’ve been okay. The biggest problem with Konosuba is the same thing that can make it good. It suffers from a prison school like parody skit based “comedic” heavy trope. Episodic nature of the story may also hinder anyone from getting attached to the setting and conflict.
The characters have flare to them. A bright spot in this show are the characters, which have personality and their own charm. When I said the characters mesh, they have a decent chemistry together and isn’t as stagnant, especially with the 1:3 ratio of boy to girl. Interactions aren’t focused on blushing, touchy, teasing blah blah that many shows suffer from. It’s not cringy to watch like some shows, but the characters are lacking in resolve. Their half hearted at best and unlikable, especially aqua. It’s a shame because they suffer from the episodic sequence and storytelling. Their not as impactful as they could be, even if it is all a joke. Also pacing hurts the show by having awful side characters that leave a lot to be desired.
Animation and sound are pretty cool, a lot of vibrant colors that match the mood in a given scene and the color palette of each character fits who they are, whatever that means. Sound is good too, not as upbeat as I would like in a fantasy but its relaxing. Also adds to the comedy.
Konosuba was a weird show to watch and especially critique. I can’t tell if I like it or not; it has no hook but it keeps me hooked, it’s not funny but it’s funny, and characters are so dissatisfying but real. I was hoping in the back of my mind that it would become a harem, perhaps indirectly, but it’s better how it was than if it was a harem. The foundation of the show is comedy and that makes or breaks it. I believe it’s both its strong and weak points, but for those who are into occasionally funny innuendos, look no further as this is an above average comedy, however a below average piece of fiction. Eye of the beholder is subject to subjectiveness.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 10, 2016
Despite the score, this manhwa is a bit special in it's own regard, and I like to be fairly critical whenever reviewing. This way, I don't completely rip a series just cause and I don't feed the fandom if there is one. I always end in the middle, sometimes anyway. I RECOMMEND TO READ THIS IF YOU ARE INTO HEAVY DRAMA AND ACTION. Getting past that shpeal, Witch Hunt is a fairly average manhwa for the wrong reason.
The story comes off as generic at first, but it's a little bit deeper than what the viewer reads on the surface level. It's clear as daylight that
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this manhwa suffers IMMENSELY with absolutely TERRIBLE pacing in the first 20 chapters. I'm talking going from meeting someone at a party and getting straight to it afterwards. The pacing is so bad that it may come off as an incoherent piece of fiction, but it really isn't. Obviously the bad start will throw off new viewers, but I urge readers of this review to bare with it, as the story picks up around chapter 20, and quite fast as well. The protagonist and heroine have weird chemistry and it feels somewhat pretentious at first, but they get fleshed out about halfway into it and bit by bit, everything falls into place regarding their relationship. Whoa, I said relationship, THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE (yet). The story gets pretty interesting, particularly because of the main conflict, which involves one of the main characters past. It's not something you see everyday nor is the problem solved in a generic way. Nail biting cliffhangers, although it suffers from a bad storytelling sequence.
Characters are different. Admittedly, the slow start made me want to "drop" this immediately, but I liked the character design so I stuck with it just to do it. Never would I have thought that I would find decent characters within such an uninspiring start. The main protagonist and heroine meet early and it's really open as to what they are and why the way they are the way they are. It was really confusing when I read it, but when the truth comes out, everything seems to make sense and give them a lot of depth and meaning. The relationship between the MC's is pretty awkward though. The antagonist(s) are interesting too as they directly tie in with one of the main characters. Several chapters are dedicated to their relationship and the reader probably will feel empathy for one side, if not all. Not too psychological, but that element is there and it creates for some decent drama.
Animation is pretty cool. I like the character designs, its not something I've seen, especially the main heroine. Also there is an obsession with a red head in manhwas. The action scenes are quite confusing, but none the less are detailed enough to get the point across. I recommend taking a 2nd look at the action panels because they are really hard to grasp at first glance. If the SFX noises were properly translated and put in the right places then it wouldn't be a problem but alas its what we get.
Overall, not too bad of a read. Despite the slow start, it comes out being quite a thrill and each chapter leading into the next with purpose. Ultimately, pacing is its biggest issue as it starts horrendously, and even then it still feels like there are things missing within the plot. Lots of depth in these characters, as well the supernatural beings in general. Admittedly, you can probably read the first 5 chapters and skip to chapter 20 without fretting too much. That's a problem in itself, but I do want to get a decent word out for this Manhwa, which honestly surprised me because it looked really uninspiring. This whole thing might be satire of witch trials but what do I know?
EDIT: as of chapter 86, this manhwa has gone down the drain in what seldom quality it had and has fallen into mediocrity. I won't change my score for the whole thing seemingly as it is unfair to the review, but score doesn't really gauge opinions and thoughts. Be wary of this title, as its very little writing and more art work than anything. CHAPTER 86 IMO, WAS THE LAST STRAW
Another Edit (completed): Ending was too rushed, very bittersweet in a neutral way, don't know whether to feel positive or negative about it. Leaning towards negative because the last 10 chapters were purely action and little narrative. Made the ending that should've touched the audience's heart, made me feel like it was just the author realizing his/her mistake and ending it abruptly. Overall, not a great read at all, but somewhat tolerable.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 14, 2016
It's totally okay to watch a show with low expectations. Sometimes to balance a great anime, you gotta watch a bad one just to put you back in your place. It's a requirement to have watched poorly done shows so you know where your tastes are and also broaden your horizons. The Asterisk War serves as one of those shows that will give you appreciation of shows like High School of The Dead and other shows that have poorly written stories and brick wall characters. This is a must watch if you need to remember that there are really uninspiring anime.
Storywise, not much to say.
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Gary Stu comes to new school, all the ladies fall for him the end. Sounds like the typical harem anime because it IS a typical harem anime. The whole thing is a tease and shows snippets that relate to the protagonist indirectly, but fails to establish a basis for it. What I mean if that sounded pretentious, is the lack of an overarching conflict. We follow young Ayato, but for what? All we see is him turning red at every little female physical contact.
Deus Ex Machina phenomena is arguably always going to break a show. I think it works in this show's favor just because there weren't really any upsides to begin with. It gives a little more excitement in what was a lackluster show. Arguably it isn't phenomena but foreshadowed. Ayato's power makes zero sense considering the circumstances revolved around him and that the whole show seemed to have miss the point was just bad writing on many levels. But hey, what more to look forward to in a show then a guy's head in between breasts?
The chemistry between the characters is awful and blame the story telling for that. None of the characters mesh well and there isn't any positive to get out of observing their actions and motives. They all suck. If gary stu didn't fit the description of the main protagonist, then I don't know what to believe. This guy is the most uninteresting (for lack of a better word) fuckboy. Something that works against the show is that it was really trying to take Ayato's circumstances seriously. The tropes are quite abundant and make all the female characters seem like cut outs of cariactures placed in an anime. And to munch the very uninteresting main protagonist at that. The Asterisk War really is a tease when it comes to scenes of sexualizing the females. Cuz boobs and butts sell right? I'm losing brain cells trying to think of anything to write for this show.
VOICE ACTING IS VERY BAD. My ear was bleeding due too Saya and Kirin's voices oh my goodness. It is awful and to hear baby squeals and "jealous" grumbles is reason enough to AVOID this show. I say it's a must watch because this might set the bar low enough for anything to come after seem like a masterpiece. We're all masochists when it comes to anime though so it's okay. Sound is underwhelming but the EDM is a good twist in action scenes.
As for animation, it is the Irregular of magic high school esque. Flashy colors and CG stuff. Considering how little action there is, animation isn't really great. Lot more exposition than there is fighting and we know how that works out in a harem.
I came into this show knowing it was going to be bad so I didn't really think of it as anything I haven't seen before. It brings nothing new to the table, nothing inspiring, no noteworthy scenes. It's just a letdown in all aspects besides I guess teasing if that has any credibility. I'd surf the internet if I wanted to be uninspired but I guess the one thing the show has going for it is it's opening. Its pretty cool, not that cool but its okay. A typical harem that lacks a resolution is what can best describe The Asterisk War.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Jan 5, 2016
EDIT 7/19/18: Imagine giving another chance to a series that already self destructed just because so much time was invested. The result? A tremendous loss. Yeah, I'll take this L because I was hoping that Tokyo Ghoul REEEEE would be anything but droll, but it consistently let me down and it got to the point where a chapter of porn was the highlight of the entire sequel. The characters continue to display unlikable traits, poor interactions, and just god awful dialogue. Accompany it with unclear art direction and you got Tokyo Ghoul REEEEE. The rushed ending was a secretly a blessing because readers just couldn't
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stand the last chapters looking like rough sketches. And the final arc was actually the most poorly constructed idea I've seen in literature. It tried to be Persona 5 so badly, but it ended up a regurgitated idea with poor execution. I really gave Tokyo Ghoul REEEEE a shot, and the 120 additional chapters I read since the initial review did not improve my opinion of this godforsaken manga. Thought Urie was bad? Toru Mutsuki takes the cake as the biggest POS in manga.
Talk about a complete farce of a sequel, RE does not live up to it's expectations that the predecessor set for it. While Tokyo Ghoul wasn't amazing, characters had distinct personalities and the action was abundant. It is what I expected Tokyo Ghoul to be. RE takes on a different tone, shifting to a new cast of characters and taking the route of delving into the other side of the faction, the CCG.
Tokyo Ghoul didn't focus heavy on one faction, equally balancing both factions of Ghoul and CCG. Some psychological elements were present which made the story feel like there was tension and had some emotional impact. RE fails to set up in what was suppose to be a coherent action/fantasy story. With the focus on a squad within the CCG, expect a lot of exposition-heavy panels which is pretty insignificant to the story as it reaches the late 40 and into the 50 chapters. Much of the story felt stagnant with the exception of the late 50 chapters where it is looking like it's following its predecessor's footsteps. Everything leading up to that point feels like a waste of time as well with the few plot twists that pop up. It's almost as if the reader was supposed to be incredibly bored to lead up to a few chapters of action and adversity. Above all, the story just isn't fun. The stagnant nature of it with lots more dialogue then the author knows what to do with makes for an incredibly boring read.
The new cast of characters feature a squad within the CCG. All of them are poorly characterized with the exception of the main protagonist who is only interesting because of his alter ego. One guy for the WHOLE story just thinks about getting promoted within the organization. That's about it for that guy, I mean talk about one of the worst motives coupled with forced reactions in other situations makes him easily the worst character in RE. The other characters are very bland as well, making it seem like RE would've been better off having high school kids save the damn world vs what RE offered. The mindboggling thing is the previous cast of characters that made Tokyo Ghoul interesting get little panel time. Reading the first 20 chapters, the reader has to wonder if this is the sequel to Tokyo Ghoul.
A bland story coupled with terrible characters made RE easily one of the worst reads in all of literature. The more I think about it, the more I would have rathered read an economics book. It's complete shift in tone is what did it in and the open ending to the first season doesn't help. Actually, it makes RE look even worse because of that. Lack of personality within characters made for a tough cast to follow and ultimately connect with. The opposing faction was more interesting and all the reader gets in RE are little snippets of the things going on behind the scenes with minimum dialogue. I can't see RE getting any worse from here on out though, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It absolutely baffles me that I can browse the internet and find that this POS can lead in manga sales. The Tokyo Ghoul franchise is on a 90 degree downhill rollercoaster and avoid this if you can.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Dec 29, 2015
"Watching Aria is like becoming one with your inner bliss and flowing at the tempo of the show making it feel warm." - someone
"Embarassing remarks are forbidden!" - u already know
This show serves to remind us of enjoying the little things, even to a cheesy and sentimental degree. Agreed that people today overlook the things that make them happy and take it for granted. Only until it's gone do you realize how much impact it had. Both the Origination predecessors take on the position of fleshing out the world and basically introducing the characters. Nothing really happens in either but are necessary to watch before
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watching Aria the Origination.
Aria the Origination develops the characters a great deal as compared to the predecessors. The thing that makes this season so great is because of it's switch in tone and orientation. Previously it served as a relaxing, slice of life that didn't tell much of a story, rather try to put the viewer into it's setting. Now that there is an ending in sight, the show finally starts moving it's plot and execution was strong. The first half of Origination follows a similar pattern to the predecessors, but are a little more focused on the three main undines, Akari in particular. However, the second half really ramps it up and takes it up a notch almost to a fault. It literally went 0 to 100 real quick. This is what makes the Origination stand out compared to the Natural and Animation (and its top 100). A bit lackluster when it comes to the cheesy things and doesn't really have an impact on viewers besides preaching to appreciate the small stuff. Origination leaves open knots within the story, like supernatural events, and some episodes were there just to be there. Still, the 2nd half of the show is what really stands out and it's storytelling is engaging and rewarding at the end.
Characters step it up a notch. The one thing about Origination that stood out from the get go was the realistic character interactions. Previously, as mentioned, the very cheesy and sentimental quotes are very heavy handed within the series. Characters didn't feel real, more like fantasy that would go with the script to emphasize the message of the series. With Origination, the drama is handled carefully coupled with distinct character personalities. This makes their interaction that more impactful, enough to drive the story and make it one worth telling. It appears some episodes exist just to be there and yes this is an episodic piece, but to introduce new side characters then gloss over them for the whole series doesn't seem right. Especially because some side characters do get screen and development time. Animation and Natural were used as the foundation for each character's personality and Origination capitalizes on each, making it more meaningful when they interact. The characters feel real and act like their respective archetype.
I loved the animation style of Aria in general. It's the same throughout the series but the munchkin faces and glistening waterways are cool. It's kind of embarrassing, but the childlike animation really fits with the show and actually really fit each character. Colors are pretty cool, pretty eye candy for a 2005-2008 series. Akari's munchkin face and figure is really funny in particular.
Sound is awesome. The show knows what it is and therefore has the perfect score for it. Relaxing, vibrant, and above all calm. Not much suspense in the series so there's no heavy hitting violin stuff but the soundtrack was utilized perfectly in each scene in Origination. The Undine theme is one of my favorites and honestly, could've been used through the whole show without it dropping in quality. It fits the bill that much. Very solid soundtrack.
It amazes me that on MAL, there are more user entries for Origination than Natural, which is Origination's predecessor. What makes Origination as good as it is certainly are the first two seasons. Their lackluster sentimentality makes the 3rd season stand out even more. The show is not for everyone, admittedly took me 3 weeks to finish the entire series just because it is very slow paced and binge watching it was impossible considering how unengaging it could be. For any new viewers, take your time with this one and give it a chance. Aria is a quality series within the slice of life genre and it may influence a different outlook of life.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 15, 2015
The Breaker will be considered the prequel and New Waves the sequel.
Martial arts has always been intriguing and looking at stories where characters who are weak, wanting to get stronger is a journey of self discovery. In some ways, media that projects this topic is relateable to viewers because most of us want to follow our bliss and find a path that truly fits us. For The Breaker, Shi-Woon is the young boy we follow to search for his path of self discovery. This review reflects the series as a whole rather than just this sequel.
I'll do my best without spoilers for the prequel
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or this, but the story seems to follow a linear path for the predecessor, where as prequel opens the world up to other factions within the Martial Arts community(Murim). The Breaker does a great job fleshing out it's story with giving us the perspective of other factions, but the same cannot be said about New Waves. The premise is run of the mill and seen elsewhere, but the series has an edge with the awesomeness of Chun Woo. The dude is a beast and is the most feared existence within the story and his effect on the plot and characters are executed well. While it is a broken record by the end of the series, his existence brings meaning to each character. At the end though, the series leaves a lot to be desired mainly because of inconclusive ending and some plot holes(eggs).
Characters are a mixed bag, most development comes from Chun Woo and Shi Woon. Nothing is wrong with that though since they are probably the only interesting characters within the series and the oldhead in New Waves. The first season handles Chun Woo and Shi Woon with care and we see both of them blossom, whether it is a good or bad thing. However, I did feel like the flash back memories that we see are out of place and always come up in convenient times. Not only for these two, but for other characters as well. It is not the best way to go about justifying the character's actions and beliefs and seems a bit forced. Also, New Waves becomes awfully stagnant in character development. There is a limit to how naive some can be and to push that limit creates a repetitive vibe.
The side characters are very forgettable, I mean all they do is contribute to the plot. It's what their there for but at least give them some characterization instead of sexualizing the females and showing us how emo some of the male characters are. Some female characters I have in mind are definitely useless to the series as a whole. A LOT of plot convenience and flash backs drive some of these characters and I wasn't fond of that while reading The Breaker and New Waves.
Art is pretty cool, really brings out the characters emotions and action scenes are well defined. Picturing the scene in my mind with the SFX already seems really intense. Wasn't expecting in this series, but fan service was existent and probably was the only form of comedic relief which was eh.
Overall, The Breaker has more ups than downs. Obviously all reviews are subjective and people are titled to their own beliefs and enjoyment, but the inconsistent flow of The Breaker can turn off people. It is an enjoyable, action shounen read. Looking for a good cast of characters, you may or may not find it with this one but there are certainly some interesting characters in this series. The story was OKAY; it deviated from what I thought was gonna be and went into bumblefuck direction honestly. Give it a read if you like a protagonist in search of self-discovery.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 9, 2015
EDIT: this edited part will be my thoughts on the finale of Girl's Of the Wild's, specifically from where I left off with the original review. The original review will remain below this edited part.
It's hard to picture something I use to be fond of be turned into a heaping pile of horse poop. How something with great direction and characterization turns into an insipid delusional drama fest is beyond me. As previously stated, the writing for the series went all over the place 50 chapters in, and now at the end of it, where has that direction gone? It's puzzling because the ending
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was clearly axed, ending in the middle of production. What does that say about the writing of the series? The mangaka did not know where to go with the story and it really showed, chapters with little significance and progress, character traits that were never seen etc.
The biggest problem I had with the final chapters is how much it deviated from the roots of the webtoon. The direction the story took was a slice of life drama that DID NOT include any fighting. cuz y'know, Wild's is known for fighting. Instead Jaegu, the main protagonist, became a self loathing depressed existence that offered nothing to anyone else's problems. Arguably, this fits his characterization from the beginning, but there's this thing called character development and when readers are 260 chapters in, we expect that to be a given. Apparently not. Ingui had little to do with the story in the 2nd half, most of her time is spent away from the setting, yet the story still revolved around Jaegu's lingering thoughts for her. huh???? Many more things happened between chapters 220-255, but due to the inevitable axed ending, none of that could ever be used for a reference (imouto-like character). Overall, this was a hard webtoon to finish through and through. It's shifts in tone are incredibly rushed, pacing is inconsistent, and characters lose a lot of the charm that made readers want to follow the story. An incredible disappointment, Girl's of the Wild's falls into the category of "to live doesn't mean your alive."
But a shoutout to Daldal, her character had a lot of personality, characterization held up right to the end, and her internal conflict was endearing and complicated, making her relatable. It's a given but even in this series, the best girl always finishes last.
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Chapter ended 213.
Original Review:
How many of us has grown up with the struggle and see others who flaunt their wealth? This theme of commoner vs aristocrat is portrayed throughout a lot of media and it works well because it is something relate-able and issues we see throughout the world today. It's not deep with this story, but there are elements of it and it drives the story. At least for the first few chapters.
The story throughout the first 30 chapters is very well written, with awesome development of the situation our protagonist is in. The way it was going seemed like it was going to be a really deep story filled with personification of wealth vs poor. Unfortunately it deviates from that and becomes quite a boring read, with no sense of direction and switches tone from serious to something I can't even describe. I initially didn't look at the genre's but after the first 30 chaps it was definitely working up to a action/romance with yaknow ACTUAL genuine romance and relationships but nah nah. It really falls off and leaves the reader wondering what he/she just read.
This may sound like a broken record already, but throughout the first 30 chapters, each character has a sense of purpose to be in the story. Great characterization comes along with our main protagonist and his backstory fleshes everything out making him someone inspiring to readers, someone to root for, someone to sympathize with, and above all, relatable. However, he slowly falls into an anime/manga trope character where hes dense and has a sense of "great" justice. The main female characters are without a doubt, badass and it really sets them a part from a lot of females in the anime/manga. They are handled properly, until chapter 30 where they begin to fall victim of tropes and sexualized. Later into the series, an introduction of a boatload of characters doesn't make it any better either as they follow the similar pattern of being reduced to common archetypes.
Art is fantastic for the most part, this is the first time I'm reading this sort of manga. Color makes everything seem alive and character designs are distinct. Action is very solid, showing us the good stuff as this is a martial arts story. I don't know if it's just me but the character designs seem to change as the story progresses, which makes me feel some sorta way and it isn't positive.
This manga is the definition of good elements gone wrong, squandered potential. So many things that made it good started getting disregarded and the lack of direction of the story really hinders it from being a favorite of mine. It is a fun read, good eye candy, but there is just so much the writer could've expanded upon, instead we are left with a sloppy landfill.
1 day after writing this review, I caught up to the latest chapter as of december 10th. While the story picked back up near chapter 170~, events leading up to that are still very redundant. It is unacceptable for 100 chapters to be used without any sense of direction and therefore retains the same score I originally gave it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Dec 4, 2015
The action genre may have been the genre that pulled in many anime fans, such as those long running shounen series that is widely known in the West. Growing up, those were the sort of things found on mediums like Toonami and introduced the medium of anime to the West. Being someone that falls into this category, I wasn't fond of the long running series, but always have a guilty pleasure of finding enjoyment in the action genre. I have been watching action/adventure series recently and stumbled across this which had a not so interesting premise but a promising first two episodes. Well this show
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certainly left a mark on me, a deep wound filled with venom that gives me nightmares just thinking about.
The plot is simple and its good that it is, anime series that expand upon the simple plot seem to do well. Chaika introduced a lot of plot points early and it seemed like it was going to have promising payout had it been handled correctly. Unfortunately for those who have watched it, no answers are given and frankly the new plotpoints brought up are just not interesting. Really, this is some of the most simplest, watered down type of writing which a 10 year old with imagination could come up with! So many plot points are shrouded in mystery and the writer had one job, to answer those in a fluid manner that doesn't detract from the overall plot yet we are given new things to think about. Closure of these ideas are critical in good story telling and if the reader of this review is looking for that, pass on Chaika.
Characters are boring, stereotypical archetypes that we find in tons of anime, exception being the male main lead, Toru. He has actually has characterization to him and I've grown accustomed to seeing "me vs the world" kind of archetypes, so I don't mind his actions. However, the rest of the cast is reduced to satisfy anime tropes. The ditz, the childhood friend jealous, dense antagonist, blah blah. Full of lame characters with lame interactions, and also the females are reduced to sexual eye candy which isn't a problem itself but the show is not very subtle with it. Development is an issue as frankly it was non existent and they seem to be there just for the plot to move along. It is a poor excuse at moving the story along and seemed force.
Sound was...wait there were sounds? Probably was but my disatisfaction for everything else must've lowered my perception of other elements. OP/ED are ok, good animation for it I guess. Sound for the voices fit their archetypes and really brought the tropes to life. Not a fan.
Animation was underwhelming to say the least, action anime should have action scenes. There was a lot of building up/setup for the fights and a lot of them ended up being a 30 second moving with commentary type of scene. In the end, resolved within seconds and not impressed. Also, what is up with the females eyes??? Who knew everyone would have mascara or eye liner w.e the fk it is above and below the eye?
Chaika is like waiting in line to get a video game at midnight and you just reached the door in the long line. People who have bought the game say there is only 10 copies left and you're the 11th person in line. Thats the feeling I get from watching this. Anticipation for plot points and the disappointment from not getting any answers. I am usually a fan of action/romance/adventure but this is just on a different level of poorly handled. Too much is left to be desired and while I haven't watched the 2nd season, I doubt any answers are in that as well. I stress the plot for the show because there are too many convenience factors within it. Characters were too meager and inconsistent for me to remember.
SPOILERS
and wassup with the romance being between a 14 and 20 year old. The brotha has a partner at the same age right next to him. SMH japan ur doing it wrong
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Oct 5, 2015
I typically do not go into new anime shows with any sort of expectation mainly because it would limit my perspective of the show. A lot of talk about food wars went around and it was time that I watched the show. However, Food wars is not an exception to the expectation rule I use. As with any show that I start with, I am always looking forward to an enjoyable show until it comes down to whether I decide to write a review on it. Food wars happened to be within this criteria and was very enjoyable to watch, yet there were many lacking
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elements to the show.
There were many ways to interpret the story of the show. Ranges from guy who wants to be the best chef for the sake of being the best to guy who is looking to be the best to surpass a role model of his. I decided to interpret it as the latter and it overall lead me to believe that the show had a really vague conclusion. In hindsight, the show didn't seem to follow a linear story line, rather focus on the lot of characters that we are introduced to. However the intended interpretation was of this anime, it was executed nicely with detailed script. It was like watching one of those reality tv food shows where competitors are shown capabilities on the outside while delving into the philosophical elements of them as well. Well done story line even though there wasn't an overlying climax to look forward to.
The biggest fall of this show were the characters. I try not to compare anime within reviews but I felt that there was a big flaw within the show that another show had. After some cooking scenes, we get to see a snippet of a character's backstory as to why and how they learned to cook the way they do. Is this what it means to give meaning to a character and make us give a damn about them? I do not think so, this is what I call the Akame ga Kill! effect. It is cool to learn about the character's through their past, but if its just for a moment and is disregarded towards the end of the show, then its meaningless. Even our main protagonist is not interesting, he sorta gives off the tatsuya vibe from Mahouka. Being the phenomenal star of the academy, lots of competition involving him does not provide the feeling of suspense, because one way or another due to plot convenience, he will come out on top. He does have redeeming qualities though, pretty much defying all the shounen type protagonist we see in shows lately. Arrogant, confident, and funny to boot.
Also the focus of characters seem to shift wildly. The first few episodes gives off a feeling that the chick on the front of the cover photo for the show is our main antagonist, but shes just plot armor'd to no avail. Then we have the shining gem of the show, another effect I like to call the Megumi effect. Seems in some anime I watch, the Megumi girl is always the most developed and the shine of the show. She seemed to have most of the screen time above all other characters besides the protagonist. It was certainly a breath of fresh air watching her because she stands out from the crowd of professional heir's, being borderline failure and timid at that. By the end of the show, she really is something and the best characterized character of the show by far. All the other characters suffer the akame ga kill effect and are really not memorable. There were interesting qualities in some of them, but they dont expand upon them like they did with Megumi.
Animation; oh boy. This a mixed bag for me because while the food looks very appealing and detailed, the ecchi scenes were just out of place and over the top. The biggest problem with these foodgasm scenes is that they take up so much screen time and are really drawn out to the point its just a nuisance and obnoxious. Yes the food is good, all the side characters with different colored hair are going to have good food. We don't need 3 minutes of screen time of them orgasming over it. It really took away from the feeling of achievement you get when you see a character succeed. However, I really love the miniature figures of characters in comedic scenes and the white eyes. I seem to have a guilty pleasure for that type of animation and it fit the script when it was used. But the drawn out scenes of glorifying the food was a no no for me, after the first 5 episodes I was no longer able to stomach it.
Sound is forgettable. Both openings are mediocre and the 2nd ED was as well. However, the first ED is by far one of my favorite ED's out there in anime, and I believe that most people tend to only remember openings rather than endings. This one was able to catch my attention and was unskippable for me. Soundtrack wasn't memorable at all. The supposed suspense filled scenes didn't have any music which was a bonus since that's what makes it suspenseful. Besides the recycled instrumental theme of the ED/OP's, soundtrack was mediocre.
Overall, a very fun watch. I applaud the writer of the show since it was very informative, bar some unrealistic traits to some cooked meals. Character interactions are funny and story is good. Lack of tension limited the story though since the main protagonist was really strong. Many characters were one dimensional, many were disregarded, and u think a 24 episode series would justify having well developed characters but even throughout the show, new characters just kept popping up and making prior ones even more forgetful. Animation is a hit or miss for viewers, miss for me. But despite all of it, I recommend watching it since its addictive. Who doesn't like watching the production of food?!
megumi wifey material :)
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Sep 28, 2015
TL;DR: pacing is awful, characters are generic and removable, + for sound and animation, poor conclusion.
I felt like I've been betrayed after finishing this show. Yeah the general premise of it isn't by any means original, but given the circumstances of the show, it could have been a decent rom/com. Ironic enough the score I'm giving it is classified as "decent." The show has a promising first few episodes, filled with comedy more than anything else.
Really, there isn't too much to say about this adaptation because it lacked a lot of development in every aspect. The story seemed to follow the usual trend of
...
boy meets girl, they fall in love with each other, beat around the bush for 10 episodes and then conclude with a cute scene at the end. Certainly I thought it was going to be like this but the last 2 episodes decided it was okay to do the inexplicable. Not going to spoil it, but what happens pretty much kicks everything prior down the drain. Makes me think that whoever did the anime adaptation decided (from what i heard) to change it from the manga. If the manga was like this then -_-. Overall for the story: worked up to nothing, falls flat and leaves a lot to be desired.
Characters are all very generic. We got the goody two shoes male protagonist, the dense main heroine, the jealous kuudere heroine, the childhood friend, and the hentai heroine. Nothing special by any means and as a matter of fact, this show really revolves around the male protagonist and the dense and jealous heroines. The other two seem to play no part in progressing the story and seem to be in on screen for no particular reason. All the other characters are generic side characters as well. The most interesting character to me was the principal, but she had very little screen time and it would've been nice to know more about her. Yeah the characters lacked a lot of originality, but some redeeming qualities were their interactions. It was funny for the most part, but most of the drama filled scenes seemed forced. Characters were not memorable.
Sound was overall decent. The opening animation seemed to give off the wrong impression of the show, but it was catchy. The ED has to be one of my more favorite ED's out there. Most of the soundtrack was forgettable, one stand out though being the one @ the pool scene. VA's were eh sound effects eh.
Animation in this show is different from a lot of other shows where it really focuses on the facial features of characters. It is really bubbly and does a good job projecting the emotions our characters are feeling. Action scenes could have been better.
I liked this show for the first 9 episodes, but it definitely dropped the ball with it's pacing. A lot of questions were left unresolved and some (what i think) key scenes were brushed over just to be one of those "remember when" moments. There were too many removable characters for me to really give a crap about the 3 main ones. I really am disappointed in how it ended because I was enjoying the slapstick humor. Too many plotholes and too many plotpoints that were completely disregarded.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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