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Apr 3, 2018
No fear, no spoilers are here.
When I heard that a second season for Overlord was coming to town I was nothing short of overjoyed, because I did not really think that I would get another chance of seeing Ainz Ooal Gown in action unless I wanted to resort to the manga. In addition to the fact that Madhouse, at the time that Overlord was produced, wasn’t exactly known for creating follow up seasons for some of their titles. Hence, my optimism regarding another season of Overlord popping up was rather low, and that’s putting it mildly. Though, at the time, I reveled in the fact
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that I was proven wrong and the anime was given a chance to continue. The thought of seeing Ainz and the bunch on screen put a huge smile on my face, that is until the show actually began.
Let me ask you this, what drew you to the show? What made you like Overlord to begin with? On the surface it is just another Isekai. A show about some random otaku who gets sucked into a role-playing game and is thrust directly into battle as some overpowered character. So, what made it so attractive? Sure, the world was interesting because it was filled with mystery and exploring what secrets are hidden within this new environment, along with understanding the economic and political systems that govern this land are all great prospects on their own. However, I loved the show because the main character (AINZ OOAL GOWN), along with his lovable bunch, were so unique and enjoyable. They were the prime reason that made this anime stand out from other Isekai for me. Ainz's monologues made him seem relatable, human, funny, and above all normal. I loved the fact that he was ambitious and was portrayed as an antihero, but at the same time maintained a sense of morality, plus he didn’t let things get to his head too quickly. You can see him testing what he can and cannot do or what can and cannot get away with, and you can visibly notice the conflict that is occurring inside him, having to continuously keep up this undead supreme ruler persona in front of his servants, which obviously differs from what his true personality is like. Moreover, his character seems far different from that of normal Isekai protagonists; he never goes about creating a harem and never prioritizes his love affairs (though this might have to do with the fact he is an undead, though I am not quite sure). Add to that a group of wacky, funny, and compulsive set of servants, whom were all interesting in their own right, and you get a show that was capable of being entertaining, engaging, and comical all at the same time.
Now mind you, most of these elements continue to exist throughout this second season, though at very scarce amounts. The screen time for all these characters gets cut down substantially, to the point that I began wondering if Ainz, Albedo, and the other guardians like Demiurge and Shalltear were actually still the main characters. What ticked me off the most was that, whenever you would think that the show had finally shifted its focus onto one of the original cast, it would almost instantly switch its attention to somewhere or someone else. This occurred whenever Ainz or one of the original cast members entered combat with another person; the footage would be abruptly interrupted and would be diverted somewhere else only to return when the fight was almost done. The only exception to this was Sebas who actually had more time dedicated to him than almost all other guardians combined, hell maybe even more than Ainz himself. Now he isn’t a bad character of course and I felt that through him we got a glimpse of the potential that all guardians have to develop and evolve into unique and interesting characters that would make the show even more engaging in the future. In addition to the fact that we got to experience how the values of the original creator of each guardian continue to persist within them and help shape them into who they are. They no longer feel the same as the servants displayed in season 1 who follow their master without second thought or are devoid of any features asides from the ones that their creators had transcribed to them. It felt at times as though I am watching a show about the development of artificially intelligent beings and how they may perhaps eventually break free of their makers whom they had previously revered or worshiped as gods. However, to be frank, for me, Sebas is probably the least interesting character out of all of guardians, which diluted the excitement for me, and the characters that were around him were devoid of any significance and were simply plain or perhaps even awful. This second season was so oversaturated with side characters who I didn’t care for, that I thought I was watching Fate/Aporcypha; and to make matters worse you are never given a chance to actually get invested in them anyways, since both arcs felt half-baked. For example, the show never goes back to revisit the characters who were introduced in the lizard arc, which diminishes the significance of their existence.
Hence, the major issues with this sequel occurred because far too many characters were introduced for the sake of expanding the show beyond Nazarick, causing the anime to transition at a very quick rate. Introducing new characters and expanding upon the secrets of Yggdrasil was something that was going to occur eventually and was something I was excited for, but the way it was executed felt rushed and left a lot to be desired. I simply did not see enough of the outside world or leant enough about the people with in it to truly care. The show for me shined whenever the focus shifted from the lackluster political game that was shown, to the original cast. I personally could never get enough of Ainz, Albedo, Shalltear, Cocytus, and the twins Aura and Mare.
The quality of the animations remains, for the most part, unchanged from the first season and has perhaps slightly improved, though CGI elements were introduced to the show; something which is perhaps becoming the new norm. The OST of the show was fine overall, with the best piece of music in the show being the ending, which I never skipped. Though, the opening of the first season was far superior to this.
I truely hope that season 3 capitalizes on the potential that this show has to offer, because, despite being disappointed, my affinity and enthusiasm for this show has yet to vanish.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Mar 24, 2018
This show was quite deceptive, from its title I thought it was going to be about oranges or vitamin C, but oh boy was I wrong. Though with all seriousness, this show delves right into the sole reason of why you are actually watching it to begin with, which is LESBIAN LOVE! Oh Yea! The show is in no way apologetic about it and presents the viewer with what he or she wants right off the bat, with an opening that sets the tone for the rest of the show. Showing our two hot, non-blood related, incestuous love birds hitting it off with some tongue
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action a couple of times throughout that minute and a half opening just to make sure you don’t skip it (I sure as hell didn’t, these scenes were the most enjoyable part of the show!).
Hello and welcome, I am a unique MAL user here to bring you a unique and short review, because you don’t have the time to read and I don’t have to time to write (it’s mostly because of the latter though)!
If you don’t feel like reading here is my TL;DR: You’ll get more satisfaction from watching a Yuri hentai than this.
Story:
The story is about this girl called Yuzu who moves to a new area and transfers to a new school because her mom had remarried a deadbeat dad who never seems to be around, erm sorry what I meant to say was a father who loves helping other children abroad, and in the process got herself a stepsister called Mei, whom she falls in love with right away because she sexually assaults her (I wish this would happen in real life, this way I would have had a harem by now...). Ever heard of love at first sight? Yea, here it’s love after a first kiss.
I am going to be honest when saying that I went into the show not really expected much out of it, because all I really wanted was to watch some girls hit it off, but somehow despite this it managed to disappoint. Yuzu, who never seemed interested in girls, falls in love with Mei for no apparent reason asides from her forcefully imposing a kiss out of the blue. What followed after that was by no means romantic, it was molestation or perhaps even rape; for the next few episodes all we ever saw was forceful sexual harassment to the point where I felt that each of them was developing Stockholm’s syndrome. Things kept going this way even after a love triangle was established, with the new girl being as kinky, if not more, as they are. I mean yes sure seeing girls forcing themselves on each other was fun the first few times, but the joy of it wore off quicker than I thought it would. Though to be honest all this frustration was my fault, I thought that some Yuri would be enough for me to be satisfied with a show that I didn’t expect much out of anyways, but I was wrong. The worst part is that it had potential to touch upon the subject of incest in a serious way, since we saw some feelings of regret, hesitance, and doubt among both our main characters at the start. Both questioned the morality of their actions and their relationship for some time, which would have been interesting had it been well explored. I believe that the show should have focused on the stresses that they could have felt while hiding their love affair and could have explored their long-term goals and expectations of this romance knowing that they may not be able to take it to another level or may have to indefinitely keep it a secret. Another issue that the show, unfortunately, fails to capitalize upon the idea that a person’s environment can shape a person’s sexual orientation. I used to be in a school were the girls and boys where segregated, so I got to witness and experience some of the things that the show tried to portray, such as girls holding hands and acting like lovers, even though they were not supposedly gay.
Instead of trying to focus on social issues such as those mentioned above, the show chooses a path of redundancy where events that we had previously seen and experienced kept being reiterated. For the first time in a long while I felt like my brain was on cruise control; something which I rarely experience when watching a show, which pretty much means that what is going on in my head is far more entertaining that what was playing on the screen.
Characters:
Somehow the show’s plot stands out more than its characters. From what I had experienced, this show simply consists of a group of sexually frustrated female high schoolers who all seem to want to find true love. Now this is not a bad thing on its own of course, but the way these characters were presented and the way they approach their supposed love interests are rather identical and nonsensical. The one character that stands out happens to be Matsuri, and not because she happens to be interesting, but because she has the squeakiest voice I have ever heard! I had to take a step back whenever I heard her speak, her voice was incredibly weird to listen to.
Animation:
The animations of the show do the trick, meaning that they are not particularly good or bad. However, the show did have some pretty weird and sometimes even awful CGI, especially when the cars were displayed. Though overall they were fine.
Music:
Similar to the animations, the music does the trick. The opening and ending of the show were fine and mildly entertaining, though will did not leave a lasting mark. The same thing applies to the OST of the show which, in general, never really stood out or distracted me, which means it was just fine, not bad or good enough to make my eyes pop wide-open O_O.
Overall:
I do not recommend you watch this because, even though I am no expert when it comes to romance, I am sure there are far more satisfying shows than this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 23, 2017
Plot:
Obsession, repression, insanity, and thrill-seeking, these are all topics primarily emphasized in Kakegurui. What was interesting in the show was that gambling, for me, was really just a tool to deliver a message; because if we are to judge Kakegurui simply as a gambling show it would be plain awful. The setting is rather generic as the show occurs in a school, although to be fair it is a rather “special” school that is built on gambling. The hierarchy is constructed based on who has the most money, which the general rule of thumb anywhere, and who is the most competent gambler, meaning who is
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the most adept in psychological warfare. Consequently, fortunes can be overturned since practically all students are engaged in gambling their assets away with hopes of securing their immediate and long-term futures; giving those who are financially disadvantaged a chance at a better life, or so it would seem. The first few episodes were very intriguing as we are introduced to how the organizational construct within the school functions. The school employs a system similar to the one demonstrated in Assassination Classroom, where a specific class (a social class in the case of Kakegurui) is designed for those at the bottom of the pile; who are naturally repressed, ridiculed, and discriminated against by their peers. Individuals who accumulate large amounts of debt sink into the lowest tier possible within the hierarchy, a social class known as “house pets” whose job is to basically be used to increase the morale of other students. The system would incentivize students to continuously enhance their gambling skills by showing them what would happen if they are to fail, a message conveyed by the misery that house pets usually suffer. On the other end of the spectrum, you would have the student council who sit on top of the food chain and basically dictate everything that goes on in the school and are the ones responsible for implementing and maintaining the contemporary structure.
All was working just fine until our main character, Jabami Yumeko, arrives and turns the system on its head, as is expected. Now, this all sounds nice and interesting, but things start to turn south as the show progresses and the world building rather comes to a halt. Many things in the show seem illogical or perhaps unexplored, we were never shown what the role of instructors or even adults was in general, which is very odd since they are within a school. The show depicted the school as being an independent organization functioning with minimal interference from the principal or teachers, as the only ones who actually wielded any form of power and were in charge of basically everything were the student council. This becomes more apparent as the show progresses since members of the council seemed to have the ability to do anything including having interrogation rooms or even weaponry. We do not really know how the council came to hold so much power or who granted a student council so much authority. The show justifies the extensive jurisdiction of student council members by stating that they hail from prestigious families whom are highly influential and are the root cause for students have such vast authority. Furthermore, even if we are to overlook such elements the show grows to become rather repetitive and formulaic, unfortunately, as Jabami Yumeko battles a new villain each week in order to reach the top; defeating each opponent in rather similar and predictable means.
Animations:
The animations in the series were just fine meaning that they were not bad nor special, but rather represent the standard you would expect of a modern day anime. Although, I must say that two things stood out while watching; the facial expressions of students and the fanservice. I must admit, I was not a fan of either. The facial expressions that were displayed by many of the characters were rather disturbing, especially at the beginning of the show, though luckily they tuned things down towards the end. Meanwhile, the fanservice was rather distasteful to say the least; as characters would normally become increasing aroused as the stakes would go higher. Though their heightened “sensations” were depicted in a rather disconcerting manner as characters would exhibit suicidal tendencies rather than pleasurable emotions, which was a turn-off for me. Though on a positive note their uniforms looked really good.
Music:
The ending for the series was the one musical piece that stood out for me, I really enjoyed its rather “hip” style. I did not enjoy the opening so much, though I was interested in the images it was showcasing which displayed and foreshadowed some of the events in the anime. I do not recall paying much regard to the music that was playing during the show, as no single track attracted my attention through the anime; which rather means that it was neither bad nor good.
Characters:
I think this is the dimension that the series suffered the most. I honestly did not care for any of the characters, including Yumeko, Suzui, and Saotome, even though they are considered to be the main cast. In fact, asides from Yumeko whose name was brought up 100 times each episode, I had trouble memorizing the names of any of the characters. I felt disconnected from all of them, especially that the show did not explore their backgrounds, motives, and experiences; despite the presence of adequate material to go on. A fine example of this would be not displaying the relationship of Yumeko and her sister, who is supposedly bedridden in a hospital. The show simply does not explore issues that are considered essential for the progress of a solid plotline. Another seemingly important issue that was not explored in-depth was what were the true motives for students who are apparently poor to join such a prestigious school, aside from money? Plus what prevents them from leaving immediately once they become house pets? Issues that could have easily been explored if the spotlight was given to Suzui for an episode or two. Moreover, I truly wished that the show had focused on the morality of having such an oppressive system, showing the life that house pets have to endure; something that, again, could have been focused upon if Saotome was given some screen time off the gambling table.
Though on a more positive note I did enjoy the political game that was played between students, where alliances would constantly shift depending on who is in power and what certain situations require.
Overall:
Nonetheless, despite all the downsides of the show I still found it entertaining at the very the least. I came back to watch it every week even though I knew what the outcome was going to be, and that is where the show’s value lies, entertainment. It never really attempts to do anything more than being an episodic anime that gives its viewers an injection of adrenaline week in week out. Although, question marks will be raised as to whether the show will be given a chance to rectify its errors in a second season since the series received an anime exclusive ending. Either way, I can recommend the show for those who want a spike of adrenaline from a series that relies on the psychological aspects of stress in general, and gambling in particular, to thrill its audience. Though be prepared for an anime that goes directly into its main themes, without giving much thought to any other sideline or underlying concepts.
Thank you for reading
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Sep 20, 2017
Similar to the show this review will be rather short and direct to the point.
The idea of the show is rather simple, boy loves girl or girl loves boy, and things get rather awkward for some reason. The show goes directly into rapid fire mod and introduces us to couples after couples right off the bat, although this may sound negative it turns out to be a rather enjoyable and successful formula. However, if you have watched any romance or comedy (that has some romance) show in general, then you have most likely already seen most, if not all, of the possible situations that
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the couples in this series are put in. The “problems” they face range from the couple being shy to being immature or even naïve at times, and like other romcom anime, characters would sporadically be placed in “embarrassing” situations.
The score that I gave the show by no means reflects the enjoyment that I had watching it. If I am to rate it solely based on enjoyment, it would be much higher than what I have written, because the series never failed to make me smile or make me feel relaxed; however, I had a few problems with it. The foremost being the characters, this is probably the first time I have ever finished a show without remembering the names of any of the characters. I never really cared to actually know what their names were, to begin with; most will argue that “It’s just a series of short gimmicks, you aren’t supposed to emphasize on who’s who”. Well I mean yeah sure, but at the end of the day, that makes the show lose a lot of its value (to me at least) because I will easily forget about it soon enough. Moreover, I don’t know why I could not binge watch the series, meaning I could not get myself to watch more than two episodes in a row despite the show being rather short (I waited till the show approached its end before I started watching it). Normally that would actually be a good thing because it would mean I am “brooding” over it, but in this case, I just felt I was getting an overdose of “wish-fulfilling pre-teen love”.
Despite everything, I really enjoyed the show and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a rather “heart-warming” experience. For better or for worst the show does not try to become anything more than what is written in its synopsis. An easily digestible romcom that delivers its intended goals, and does not outstay its welcome.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Aug 7, 2017
No fear no spoilers are here.
Fate/Apocrypha has taught me two important things:
1) Gender is a confusing issue in the Fate universe (and in the real world as of late)
2) Astolfo is best girl...I mean guy...I mean trap!
The review:
I cannot but say that I was absolutely enamored with the Fate franchise after watching Zero, and continued to feel so (to some degree) with Unlimited Bladeworks. Although, when I first heard that a fate show was going to be animated by a studio other than Ufotable I was a bit skeptical because I wasn't really sure what to expect, and to add to that I hadn't
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heard the best of things from Apocrypha to begin with from "veteran" fans of the series (people who actually played the visual novels) as they told me that it happened to be the worst adaptation of the series. So was it really that bad? I don't think so.
Plot and characters:
The setting occurs in a parallel world to the Fate/stay night series where a "Great" holy grail war is occurring, after the grail itself had been stolen for some years. So what we have are two factions (red and black) fighting to gain control over an omnipotent device that grants wish(s), then that war will be followed by a "civil war" between the members of the faction that actually wins. The masters and servants of that side will tough it out so that 1 pair (master and servant) ends up winning. Well, that is what was have been told in the first episode anyway. The story itself is not really "heavy" thus far and has yet to really develop, and I think it will take some time to do so because of the sheer number of characters and events which are occurring simultaneously, and is the reason why I opted to merge the sections regarding the plot and the characters, because from what has been implied so far is that, similar to the other Fate series the story will revolve around the characters rather than the events themselves. It was interesting to see for the first time a composition of 14 pairs of masters and servants rather than a typical seven because it meant that I get to some more "cool" powers and noble phantasms. However, the issue of having too much of a good thing actually became perhaps somewhat "bad", and that is seen by most of the people who review the series; as the aspect of having a massive cast being presented involves actually keeping up with all of them, or so I thought. Now I sorta am used to exploring a large cast from previous Fate adaptations (not as big as this of course but big nonetheless), which is why I am "digesting" it so far. Though I must admit, even though I am not really feeling any empathy towards any of the characters thus far because none have been "Fleshed out" just yet and a big question mark remains over the motives of most; especially that many of the servants and masters seem to be acting in a rather illogical way. But nonetheless, the large cast has not really bothered me too much, though it has given me a rather clear message; which is that many "are just there". Meaning that a lot of the characters will either not be explored, are there just for fan service perhaps ( the loli assassin seems to fit that part) or will end up dying soon down the road, which is fine but I do hope they begin the "culling" soon.
Art:
The animations are pretty good for the series. Yes, I know that they are not as good as what Ufotable presents, but good either way. I did not expect another unlimited budget works anyways. Although I must admit the fan service did catch me by surprise, I do realize that the Fate novels were (or are) an "adult game", but Ufotable managed to downplay any implications that it actually is. I am not saying I am against fanservice, but it seems attad "forced" here.
Sound:
The overall music playing in the background when the series is running is fine I guess since I did not really notice it much, which rather means that it was not too bad or good. However, I did not like the opening for the show, I listened to it the first two times then began skipping it, but the ending is fine.
Enjoyment:
I think that this category is all that matters when watching a show really. An anime could be the most brilliant piece of art out there, but if I didn't like it, it wouldn't mean anything to me. So am I enjoying the series? Hell yea. I mean sure I know I am not watching a masterpiece, but then again I just came for the action and so far it has delivered.
Overall:
I will update this review as the series progresses, though as it stands I can recommend this anime for people who just want to some "popcorn" time, because I think most would say that it is rather enjoyable and entertaining.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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