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Jun 14, 2016
In order to gain something, we must lose something with equal value.
That was something that screamed at me during the series. One can argue that sometimes you can gain something just by, for example, working hard, but that does not fit into this context whatsoever.
The main character of Parasyte - the maxim - gains something incapable to humans, but, it was at the expense of a piece of his own humanity.
What I initially thought of as a generic and typical plot turned out to be a perfectly told and executed storyline, rich with well-made characters and meaning. There's really not much more
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I can say about it, but the fact that the storyline had a great build-up from beginning to end. A possible flaw may have been that it lacked a definite climax but that aside, I reckon the story had progressed quite satisfactorily.
Character development? Let me tell you about the character development. It was done so well that it honestly broke my heart at times. Shinichi's hardships and accomplishments all played a part in making him into the character he is. Watching all of those factors in play from beginning to end – I can't say it didn't leave me, as a watcher, not feeling anything.
Migi's cold and inhumane nature juxtaposes Shinichi's altruistic and kind human heart, so the two make an unlikely yet well-matched combo. That's honestly all I have to say – the characters, especially Shinichi are all very well developed.
Adding to that note, all of the females in this anime are extremely perceptive, and I mean all of them. Not just the main ones but even the side characters too; it's actually quite amazing watching the writers incorporate this little fact into the show.
The art had a style unique to the series, and was something that had grown on me. It's often quite dark at some scenes but it all contributes very well to the overall genre and mood of the anime. Together with this art style, the music was befitting of each scene, I especially loved the opening and ending theme songs, I think they offer a nice contrast to each other.
Parasyte offers an extremely accurate and realistic standing of how the world would react if there were indeed other life forms coexisting on the planet with human beings. It portrays the reaction humans would have, the thoughts that they'd process and the actions they'd take in response to discovering such a thing – and I believe this is very close to what could actually happen (that is, if aliens were actually real).
The anime explores what it means to be human, and fathoms further on the idea of greater life forms other than ourselves, and why they too, have the capability to question the meaning of their existence much like we do. It teaches us about fear – true, human fear – and how deeply it roots in our hearts.
The thing that makes this series so precious is the fact that it seriously and strongly questions humanity as a whole. For an animated work to tread on a such philosophical journey while doing so successfully and with characters that connect with the audience so meaningfully, it'll have to be one of my all-time favourites. Despite all my praise for Parasyte, it's a series that should definitely not be passed by unless you really can’t handle a little bit of gore. But hey, there's a censored version just for you guys too.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 14, 2016
I can easily sum up this anime in one line;
"Started from the bottom now we here."
Yep. That's it. That's the whole anime.
Chivalry of a Failed Knight was more or less a great watch; it has all the essence of a magical action anime you'd ever want. Minus the flaws which I'd go into to detail with just in a bit.
The development of the plot is exactly like Shokugeki no Soma – or Food Wars if you prefer – and you'll know what I mean if you decide to watch this anime. There's really no progressing, long-run storyline behind this show –
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heck, it's just 12 episodes – and it's just about a guy who starts out being the worst student at his school and he eventually climbs up to the top, and naturally, he makes a friends along the way. Romance between the main pairing did progress quite quickly, almost too quickly, but you grow accustomed to it over time. While all that is in play, throw them in a school setting, give them some swords and magical power and bam, you have Chivalry of a Failed Knight.
The characters had all this personality in the beginning and well, it declined as the show went on. It didn't all go downhill but I felt like they lacked development quite a bit as the story progressed. I liked Stella in the beginning; she was headstrong and had this flare about her – and by flare, I mean quite literally – and as soon as a couple episodes passed, I felt like the writers took that away from her, making her a complete tsundere. Not particularly the kind I'd like to see either. But fear not, she regains some of that personality here and there in the later episodes. In my opinion, Ikki didn't exactly have any character development at all actually. He remained the same from beginning to end to me, which of course was a bit disappointing. There was no real climax that his character undergoes. This also goes for majority of the cast – they all had great initial personalities and character but it either declined or didn't develop within the span of the 12 episodes. I also felt like characters such as the ones in the student council, Alice (Nagi Arusuin) or the Demon Princess girl (whatever her name was) should have been explored more, they were such interesting characters.
Other than the flaws in the main cast, the villains lacked both screen-time and complexity. The antagonists shown weren't very well strung together into the series as I'd like them to be. There was no depth in their character nor their involvement with the plot or the main cast whatsoever.
Also, another thing that bothered me was that major implications – possibly direct reference and inclusion – of incest and promoting of incest (damn you, Alice) was also a big no no for me. It's probably a thing in Japan, I don't know, but for me, it was a bit of a turn off.
Chivalry of a Failed Knight had generic art like all harem-action-comedy-school-magic based anime but I absolutely loved the concept of Blazers, devices, Noble Arts and all that. Their weapons sort of remind me of Bleach and the fight scenes remind me of Guilty Crown which proves how top-notch they are executed. I for one, think that the action and fighting scenes are especially well made. Each frame is perfection and honestly, I could not ask for anything more. I love everything about the fight scenes, from the way they summon their weapons to the way they use it; it's just all very badass.
All in all, Chivalry of a Failed Knight is simply a to-go for some, and a no-go for others. Despite its flaws, like most anime do have, it's a series I recommend you should watch – just ignore the pinch of incest added into the mix. The only reason why I stuck around was because of the action sequences and awesome magic powers they had. I can't stress enough – the action is perfect, if only they prolonged some of the fighting scenes. The ending has given me some sort of closure but strongly hints a possibility of a season 2, but we all know that ain't going to happen any time soon.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 2, 2016
I just finished my last three episodes of Rokka no Yuusha today, after binge-watching 9 episodes straight and going to sleep at 5AM. This anime had piqued my interest even before it was released just from the character designs.
This is my first time ever writing a review and I’ve decided to do so because of this very anime.
The story’s got good potential, but I felt as if the anime failed in being able to flesh it out completely and rather, it just did one massive – literal – loop with the story. You’d know what I mean if you decide to watch it.
Don’t get me
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wrong, Rokka no Yuusha – or rather, Braves of the Six Flowers isn’t an entirely bad series. It was quite good, but just to an extent.
I honestly loved the character designs; Flamie’s design was the whole reason I wanted to watch it in the first place. Adlet’s hair was a bit too flamboyant for me, but in a way, I guess it matched his character. The other characters were done nicely as well; Goldov was a hunk and you never really get an insight on why Nachetanya decided to dress up like a rabbit or if Hans cat tail was fake or not. The 3D-ish take on the fiends were quite interesting and personally – this is probably just me though – I find the smoothness in their art oddly satisfying. The overall setting of the anime was rather typical of an adventure-action anime, so it was nothing new.
In terms of storyline, I’m going to keep saying that it was indeed a wasted potential. I’m just so mad because it could’ve been so much more – but it wasn’t. The whole mystery genre didn’t really work out too well for it either and on top of that, the action genre played its part and yes, I admit that some fighting scenes were rather decent but all in all, there was no climax. I felt like there was fighting in there – especially between the Braves – just for the sake of fighting.
Honestly, character development declined as the series went on. Especially for Adlet’s character. He had such a strong appearance in the beginning but its original flare was lost and then regained then lost and then regained and so on… However, a little bit of Adlet’s initial personality which drew me in did eventually make a solid comback towards the end. Nachetanya was poorly developed, in my opinion. Her character was a little all over the place and inconsistent, and that caused me to feel put off about how she was portrayed. She had the potential to be a main-main character – if you know what I mean – beside Adlet, and I believe that was what she was meant to be but then she was cast aside way too early in the story. Goldov was the one character that eventually became transparent towards the end, and it’s a shame because he was a character I really wanted to see come to life a lot more.
Overall, Rokka no Yuusha isn’t bad. It just has a few holes here and there and you might become annoyed at how frequently you hear the phrase ‘I’m the strongest man in the world’ but if you’re into some adventure and some spot-the-imposter mystery, I’d say to give it a shot. If a better job was done with developing and tweaking the plot and characters a little, it could’ve truly become a gem. However, as it stands, I’m quite disappointed even after finishing the series and I know this sounds horrible but its left me with an inkling of a ‘maybe this wasted my time’ sort of feeling. Horrible, I know, but quite true.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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