- Last OnlineYesterday, 5:44 PM
- BirthdayNov 1
- Location753
- JoinedNov 27, 2015
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Jun 27, 2018
1 of 1 episodes seen
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4
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
This is the coziest episode of one of the coziest series in history. The first part is cute, but ultimately a throwaway story that others have summarized. The main story is the gambling. It's everything Hakumei to Mikochi does best: let these characters just do their own thing, enjoy the situations that unfold, and watch the (very low key) chaos fly.
I truly felt like I'd want to be nowhere else in a snowstorm than in that exact place, gambling, drinking, and generally having fun with exactly those four people...although I damn well wouldn't be betting money given certain individuals...*cough*
It was precisely how you'd want
to hole up on a cold, snowy night. Good friends, games, sharing jokes, hot food, and a bit of alcohol to warm you up even more. It made me feel nostalgic for some nights like that in the past. I suppose it made me feel a bit sad, although I laughed much more. But I think that's part of Hakumei to Mikochi's charm as a series. It reminds us of the most important things in life...many of which are unappreciated in your average anime series.
I'd rather live in the small, simple, quiet, and charming world of this series than any giant dramatic anime of any kind. I truly hope we can see more Hakumei to Mikuchi to come. I would hate to say goodbye to the lovely art and exceptionally high quality adaptation that we've seen in this series. It's been faithful to the manga and a gift to all those who have enjoyed the experience.
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May 25, 2018
6 of 6 episodes seen
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0
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
4 |
| Animation |
4 |
| Sound |
4 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
Softenni is known as a lolicon show. The series itself was really not particularly extreme, except for some silly and predictable fanservice. (Nobody cares about seeing pantsu but whatever.)
These specials throw it all out there. Do you want to see 13-15 year-old naked anime girls? Here you go. Uncensored.
In terms of quality they're quite good. If you enjoyed the series then absolutely give these specials a watch. It's the same humor and not just throwaway trash.
But, if you are uncomfortable with the 100% nudity plus lolicon, and have concerns in that regard, I do not recommend these videos.
Nov 9, 2017
24 of 24 chapters read
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8
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Art |
5 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
Before reading 1F, I'd seen a variety of reviews online. Thankfully I ignored several of them and read the manga anyway. It's a very detailed story of the life that workers faced (and still face) at the epicenter of an unimaginable disaster.
The value of the manga is that it doesn't attempt to diagnose or encompass the entirety of the Fukushima disaster. There are many other well-researched and compelling books that can offer readers that experience. What 1F provides is the chance to experience the daily routine that defines the perilous existence of those who have chosen to face a set of dangers that most
of us would avoid at all costs.
1F can, at times, be dull. It can also be frustrating, especially when it describes the conflicted nature of most employees at the site: they're proud of their work but aren't always welcomed in the communities they're helping, they're working hard but know that the system by which jobs and wages are allocated frequently enriches middlemen at the expense of the people putting their health at serious risk, and they know that they can't do much about any of the high-level problems that make their lives more difficult.
The real difficulty lies in assigning some sort of exact valuation to this narrative. Its informational content is absolutely indispensable to anyone seriously interested in what's gone on at Fukushima. On the other hand, the artwork is rather pedestrian and you certainly won't get anything in terms of character development. I think that these latter concerns are a much bigger issue for non-Japanese readers because we're just not familiar with the utterly pervasive nature of manga in Japanese society. Manga is, of course, primarily for entertainment, but it's used for just about anything else too. Westerners may have "XYZ for Dummies" books, but in Japan manga is perfectly acceptable as a mode of communication that encompasses much more serious work.
1F may not be for everyone, but it's indispensable for anyone who wants a unique and exceptionally well-observed account of what only a few very brave individuals have endured to make Japan safer and more secure.
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Jun 23, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
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6
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
3 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
It's not a good sign when the most compelling scene of a new anime series occurs before the opening credits in the first episode. Clockwork Planet was pretty much all downhill from there.
I recall noticing a comment on some website or other noting that this was the ultimate chuunibyou show, and I'd say that's about right. Clockwork Planet plays out as an endless variation on weird anime-centric fetishes instead of something resembling a real story. I was initially attracted to the show because I thought it might involve some kind of steampunk aesthetic, but I was quickly disabused of that potentiality. Instead, you have
a ludicrous notion that the entirety of planet Earth was reconstructed with gears, cogs, and endless other mechanisms. Evidently this world also includes artificial intelligences that are also made entirely of clockwork parts.
Now, this is not necessarily a bad premise for a series, but Clockwork Planet makes absolutely no effort to explain, justify, or even marginally expand on this initial concept. Instead, you get a lot of incredibly dull bickering between the two protagonists, and even more ridiculous interactions between them and a few clockwork-based humanoid creatures. It's barely worth expanding on this aspect of the show, but the male protagonist spends a ton of screen-time obsessing over two female clockwork entities to the point that it really becomes creepy. Obviously this is the intent, and it's acknowledged quite a few times during the 12-episode run. But why? Who cares? Not me, at any rate.
I didn't care because, for all of its action scenes and supposedly intense narrative drive, Clockwork Planet had nowhere to go. The characters don't really develop, and really it's pretty generous to even call them characters at all. You're essentially given a set of archetypes and asked to care about their actions and choices when (a) they're really just constructs serving as mechanisms to advance the plot, and (b) they never really develop in any noticeable way. If the overall plot had been at all interesting, then I think it would be possible to forgive some lack of decent characterization, but I couldn't be bothered to care about that aspect of the show either. As far as I could tell, things happened, characters popped up when necessary to advance the rather meaningless story, and then it all ended. That's it.
I was incredibly disappointed by this show and I would not recommend it to anyone. It's not vile, but it's pointless. I know that the goal was to create some really cool show with "meaningful" plot developments and genuine emotional depth, but I cannot possibly imagine how the mess that is Clockwork Planet could ever attain even the level of an average but uninspiring series. In a way, perhaps that's appropriate. Clockwork Planet, in a sense, lived up to its name. The show runs like an odd little machine ticking away, without a point or purpose. By the time its mechanism ran down at the end of episode 12, could anyone really have been bothered to wind it up again? I certainly could not be bothered.
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Mar 24, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
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9
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
The first season of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu was the absolute best anime of Winter, 2016, and very possibly the best anime of that entire year. It was certainly the most moving, truly adult, drama I've seen in a long time. Appropriately enough, since rakugo is the art of storytelling, the first season took the form of a story within a story, telling an incredibly moving tale of a complicated friendship, tragic choices, and the repercussions of those actions for people living in the present day. It was haunting, memorable, and it's been a very, very long year waiting for the sequel.
The second season starts
with a recap told in the form of a rakugo tale--this was an absolutely perfect, and perfectly logical, choice. You're immediately transported back into the space of the rakugo theater, and anticipating the next chapter of the big story ahead. This time, we're completely in the present day (or at least as much as is possible, as history and memory always informs the present for the characters in this drama), and instead of learning about rakugo's past, we get to see how it's faring in contemporary Japan. We also learn how, or whether, the main characters can move forward with their own lives.
The real joy of this show is to see how Yakumo (the perpetually stubborn, dissatisfied, depressed, and yet extraordinarily charismatic rakugo master), Konatsu (now a mother, and thankfully just as stubborn, prickly, passionate, and intelligent as always), and Yotarou (a newly-minted rakugo star, always playing the fool but clearly much smarter than he likes to appear) interact. There's absolutely no reason in the world for these three to be connected. From decades-long resentments to daily irritations, the only way to explain it is that they're a (very unconventional) family, and sometimes you don't get to choose those deep connections that bind you far more powerfully than you may ever realize.
In a very real way this is a terribly moving romance, one that ties three disparate personalities together in their love of rakugo and their fundamental love for one another. Yotarou’s centrality in this dynamic becomes a major theme over time, but the magic is in observing the intricate dance of recrimination, guilt, and reconciliation that defines Yakumo and Konatsu’s roles in this drama. If you aren’t reduced to tears when watching the final scenes of episode ten, then you’re far stronger than I am. It’s one of the most powerful and genuine moments in any creative form that I have ever experienced.
This show is written and directed exquisitely, giving time for characters to develop slowly, allowing conversations to unfold naturally, and always making room for silent spaces that are more overwhelming than traditional dramatic crescendos in almost all other series. One of the most beautiful and memorable moments is a very small scene in which Konatsu’s infant son interrupts Yakumo while he’s playing the shamisen, and in that encounter we learn much more about who Yakumo really is than most shows convey about a character in an entire episode of “big” revelations. Gestures, glances, and the smallest alteration of an expression are powerful in this drama, and the animation takes full advantage of the ways in which visual elements can encompass nuances that words cannot. As the episodes progress, keep close watch upon how Yakumo is drawn. The level of care given to his face and body is eloquent. The animators tell stories in every line.
The second season of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu may just be better than the first. After living with this story and its protagonists for a while, it's easy to appreciate the nuances of personality and dialogue that imbue almost every scene of this show with subtle emotional resonance. After the enormous revelations and emotional impact of season one, even small developments now take on new dimensions. Plus, this season is about the future. It's exciting to see what happens next. After falling in love with this story and its characters, I never wanted it to just remain in the past. I'm glad that we can look forward as well, even with the full awareness that progression through time, while it carries hope, also entails self-doubt, continued pain over past losses, and uncertainty as to whether what’s to come will necessarily result in happiness.
This show is a masterpiece of storytelling, as it should be. It knows that life doesn't often proceed by giant dramas and great occurrences. Life is the incremental accumulation of moments, and these sedimentary layers, overlapping across lived time, comprise each of our pasts. As every new memory, experience, or choice is added to that slowly forming bedrock, the character of the whole is forever changed. While we are a product of our past, the present continually shapes us into something new. It's captivating to see these layers form in Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, and it's joyful to see how life is always surprising, intoxicating, and forever a source of beautiful, shimmering stories.
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Mar 21, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
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3
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
3 |
| Animation |
4 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Character |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
A number of others have mentioned Stella no Mahou's similarity to New Game!, and I think that's about accurate. If you needed a moe fix in the 2016 autumn cour then this was the right choice. But aside from indulging in all the typical moe tropes, there's nothing to recommend this to casual viewers. The story is nonexistent, the humor is missing in action, and the character design, overall artwork, and animation quality are just barely acceptable.
New Game! was bad. It added a good amount of panty-shots and other standard fanservice to a thoroughly boring show about working in a videogame studio. But, at the
least, New Game! did add a tiny bit of realism to how a videogame gets made. Not much, but enough to drive a minimal plot and justify a ton of moe antics. Stella no Mahou couldn't even scrape that much substance together; even the "big" finale at Summer Comiket just seemed like a forced march to the final credits.
I have no issues with moe per se, and it's always good to have a relaxing show that gives you a break from big drama anime, but Stella no Mahou was a total waste of time. Viewers would have been better off hunting down older and better shows than spending time on this forgettable excuse of an anime.
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Mar 20, 2017
1 of 1 episodes seen
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11
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
It's always interested me that Urusei Yatsura, a wonderfully hilarious comedy manga and anime series, inspired two of the strangest and most compelling anime films ever made. The basic material of the series is hardly deep: Ataru acts like a lecherous fool, Lum electrocutes him, and then we move on to the next gag. So why, then, did anyone come up with Beautiful Dreamer, an extraordinarily moving and very funny examination of human desires, the nature of consciousness, and the basics of perceived reality? That's a question for another review, of course, but it leads directly into the total mystery that is Lum the Forever.
Since the film was released, Lum the Forever has sparked endless debates over what it's really about. Is it as deep as Beautiful Dreamer or just a crazy mess of false leads and mind games for gullible anime fans to ponder when they aren't off polishing their collections of precious waifu figurines?
I don't claim to have an answer to that question. A peremptory look at the amount of material about Lum the Forever online can provide anyone who's interested with a cornucopia of theories, analyses, and perspectives that I couldn't possibly summarize. If you're intrigued by this film, and you want to explore Lum the Forever's meaning in greater depth, then I hope you will. I only want to argue that it's a truly great film that deserves much higher status and visibility than it receives these days (2017).
One thing that I think makes a lot of the Urusei Yatsura anime world seem so unapproachable is that newcomers may feel intimidated by the sheer amount of stuff out there. One might assume that since Lum the Forever is the fourth movie, you ought to have a deep understanding of the many characters that were introduced over the years. Don't worry. Much like Beautiful Dreamer, the cast is limited to the core members of the story. Even if you've just watched a handful of the anime episodes, you'll be fine. Urusei Yatsura is a pretty basic comedy. It's not like you need full backstories or any huge history lessons. This ain't Mobilesuit Gundam. Jump in and take a chance.
What Lum the Forever provides is a beautiful and strange story that takes Lum, Ataru, and the rest of the Tomobiki kids on an emotional journey through a captivating landscape. It pushes the Urusei Yatsura universe in ways that Beautiful Dreamer also does, but while that film was ultimately an intellectual journey, Lum the Forever works in a much more literal dream state -- our emotions and subconscious processes are tapped much more directly here. The logic is that of dreams, and defining an exact linear plot or overarching structure is less important than the experience itself.
Sure, you have a plot about making a fairly ridiculous amateur movie, the death of a cherry tree, and some very unexpected things happening to Lum and her place in well...actual existence.... I thought the movie was immensely entertaining even without getting too deep into what it all meant. The animation is really beautiful, especially in its use of color, and if you see this film as a dreamlike experience with deeply emotional overtones then that's the best way to approach it from the start.
There's not as much comedy here; it's a story about growth, change, and the acceptance that life, and one's experience of lived time, simply alters despite one's hopes that a certain "perfect time" will forever remain constant. And in this sense, Lum the Forever complements and completes the lessons of Beautiful Dreamer. In the latter film, the ultimate message was that it's futile and meaningless to attach one's self-definition to the false security of one treasured moment in time. Lum the Forever illustrates the need to move on from such moments, even when that process is painful and feels like a disaster. At the end, the film offers hope that even such difficult changes ultimately resolve themselves, and though we have to relinquish certain attachments, it doesn't mean that the next stages in life are worse or less important. Love goes on, and memories are to be cherished.
This is an abstract review, but I suppose the film demands that in a way. You can take this movie apart in detail but from my perspective it's best to enjoy it most of all for what it is: a full experience, one that contains a great deal of emotional depth and hard questions for those who love Urusei Yatsura. Nobody may ever really be able to explain the plot, but for me, I'll always remember this film for how it made me feel. It's a movie that fans of more recent and more experimental, more popularly acknowledged anime should see. It's a film that often gets forgotten because it's just one more installment in a giant, rather old franchise that doesn't get much attention these days. Those who don't watch this movie are missing out. It's daring, beautiful. and haunting. I hope you'll give it a chance.
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Feb 18, 2017
1 of 1 episodes seen
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9
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
4 |
| Story |
4 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
This is pretty much the definition of filler. I believe that the general explanation for this recap was just because there were 13 weeks in this cour where Youjo Senki had to run, so the studio used the opportunity to splice something together since they didn't have the budget, or enough story material, to make an actual episode of new content. I suppose that's better than a situation where they just ran behind schedule and had to scramble, but it's not much of an excuse even then. I like Youjo Senki a lot, but the story isn't all that complex, and the animation isn't that
amazing, that some kind of clip episode was warranted.
There's zero reason to waste your time on this.
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Dec 31, 2016
12 of 12 episodes seen
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6
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
Bernard-jou Iwaku has no right to be as good as it is. It's just a set of very quick gag shorts that proceed at lightning pace, shoving a ton of book references and witty book-nerd rants into just a few seconds of decent, but ultimately uninspired, animation. So...blah, right?
Well, no. I admit that I was drawn to this short because I love books and I couldn't resist the premise. I kept watching because the antics of Machida Sawako, the laziest reader of all time, were hilarious. And I just couldn't get enough of her hilarious trolling that inevitably led to regular meltdowns on the part
of Kanbayashi Shiori, the overly serious tsukkomi to Machida Sawako's boke.
But then things changed. We got to see this lovely little friendship develop between Sawako and Shiori. It was genuinely sweet and it didn't seem forced. The final episode was truly moving and it made me hope for more. I didn't want it to end.
I hope we get to see more of this series. It started off as a light entertainment and ended with moments that really made me fall in love with two wonderful book nerds. I'll miss them.
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Jun 30, 2016
12 of 12 episodes seen
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264
people found this review helpful
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Flying Witch is possibly the best iyashikei (healing) anime ever made. If you love Aria, Non Non Biyori, and the Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou OVAs, then this is a must-see series. Flying Witch stands out because it makes even Aria look action-packed. Every moment of every episode unfolds naturally and organically; there's a very subtle but unmistakable message that humans (witch or otherwise) are truly inseparable from the earth, plants, wind, and sky. There's no overt conflict, no overly energetic comedy bits, and really no plot. I have no idea how an entire episode dedicated to the coming of spring, taking a few walks, and picking
fresh wildflower buds for tempura can be utterly captivating, but that's why Flying Witch is so magical.
One thing that's particularly refreshing is that all the characters, even ones from the magical world, are portrayed in a very realistic manner. Instead of relying on eccentric behavior to drive the story, the show just lets people be themselves. This is particularly important for the character of Chinatsu, a grade-school girl who's the younger cousin of Makoto (the titular witch of the series). It's great to see her reactions because she doesn't act like any of the anime tropes you might expect to encounter, nor is she given any odd quirks to make her more of a stand-out (e.g. Renge from Non Non Biyori). Chinatsu's just a normal kid, and that alone makes her a rare and wonderful creation.
Similarly, Chito, Makoto’s cat and familiar, actually acts and is animated like a real cat. Chito can be lazy, likes taunting the neighborhood dog, and goes on inscrutable adventures that only another cat could truly understand. I’ve followed a few cats on their adventures in my time and Chito is exactly like those real world felines. There’s a wonderful moment in Episode 5 when Chito decides to take a nap with Chinatsu, and the animators take the time to depict Chito circling around a few times before finally settling down. This is exactly what every cat ever actually does, and this show has the generosity to let Chito be true to Chito. All anime cats should be so lucky.
Generosity is perhaps the best word to describe Flying Witch. One can’t help but notice the small kindnesses that every episode contains. Whether it’s helping out with simple household chores, ensuring that a caterpillar finds a safe spot to feed on fresh leaves, or keeping a new friend company while she runs errands, one is constantly reminded of how these tiny actions are often so much more meaningful than the occasional grand gesture.
Flying Witch is a moment of utter serenity in the frenetic world of anime, and its real magic is in giving its viewers the chance to reflect on the smallest moments in daily life and realize that those can be the most enchanting of all. Flying Witch shows that a butterfly…or a caterpillar…is as beautiful and moving as a cathedral.
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