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Jan 7, 2024
A promising concept, but a mediocre anime. If you are interested in the music itself (some of them were actually great), you might as well watch the past music videos from Paradox Live official YouTube channel - no need to waste time on this anime.
With high-quality character design and music already in place, the anime should have injected soul into the characters by telling great backstories - which arguably is the hardest part, of course. This show clearly fell short, trying to juggle the large number of characters (>10!) only led to flat storytelling that are difficult to empathize with. Despite a stunning ep.1, production
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quality fell quickly. Even the live performance weren't satisfactory - sometimes the visuals and music didn't match at all.
Setting aside the promotional value, the anime itself is quite disappointing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 7, 2024
The use of cinematographic language in this season was truly splendid, to the extent that I feel it was a waste to use it on the plot of Jujutsu Kaisen.
The Kaigyoku part was particularly noteworthy, with nuanced storytelling and thrilling action scenes. Almost every episode had its merit. Ep.25 (Kaigyoku) featured mini "haunted house" exploration, effortlessly created a suspenseful atmosphere with clever camera transitions. The battles in ep.28 (Kaigyoku: Shi), whether intense or ethereal, are all superbly executed. Ep.29 (Gyokusetsu) flawlessly matched camera and sound to reflect the shift in character mindset (Recall the transition from the sound of a shower to rain to applause?
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So neat!), and repeatedly used spatial relations (e.g. endless corridor) to capture the feelings of characters.
As the show transited into Shibuya Jihen part, audiences were continuously treated to creative visuals. Battles could be depicted in so many ways: it might be dazzling with endless rotations (ep.31), or breathtaking with a mix of dynamic and still moments (ep.33), or super imaginative with a combination of light, shadow, color, and symbols within confined spaces (ep.37). Of course, there were some disappointing moments as well - e.g. Itadori's battle in ep.32 was overly simplified and dull; the battle in ep.41 was cool, but filled with chaos and abstraction. Still, small failings wouldn't distract the audience from overall excellence; this season contributes a wealth of outstanding animation.
However, it's precisely due to the excellence in production that the flaws in the plot become more unbearable. Characters' levels could fluctuate unpredictably (for example, Nobara's performance in this season was very confusing, compared to her performance in last season). Characters' destiny were handled casually without apparent logic - bunch of characters appear and exit with a little fragments from their past - it's so hard for audience to empathize with them.
I believe that if the director and crew's talent were applied to a more thoughtfully crafted screenplay/manga/novel, we would see some truly exceptional anime. I'd still recommend this anime, but solely due to its cinematographic value.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 6, 2024
This is an anime that must be watched without logic; in fact, absurdity is one of its selling points. It's utterly brainless, with absolutely no intention to make any sense: within 5 minutes, it thrust the audience into accepting that the main character, Aijou Rentarou, had to have 100 girlfriends simultaneously. Each female character represented a adorable stereotype (tsundere, quiet, smart...), and their sole purpose was to make the audience feel their cuteness, just like Rentarou did. The girls' stories and emotions were trivial; we only needs to know that they love Rentarou unconditionally and in a ridiculous way.
The anime definitely exceled within its own
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niche (i.e., harem romcom). The character designs were very cute, each possessing unique charm. The staff went all out to exaggerate the comedic elements with great creativity. The quality of production remained consistently high throughout. Because the anime's premise is implausible in reality, the audience wouldn't question the logic or motivation, and could simply enjoy it as a comedy. "Can this anime get even more outrageous?" is the question that kept me watching.
I would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy harem anime. However, due to the inherently trashy nature of the harem genre, I wouldn't give it a higher rating despite its good production.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 5, 2024
This anime seemed ambitious. The first half is an elegy for the bygone golden age of galgames, while the latter half is a paean to human imagination and passion. If the creators chose to focus and deep dive on either one, this anime would likely have been a better show.
For galgame enthusiasts, ep.1 is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, featuring names from the heyday of galgames: _Dokyusei_ (Elf), _Shizuku_ (Leaf), _Kanon_ (Key), _Rance_ (AliceSoft)...Aaaaaand the ending theme was composed by Shinji Orito from Key, with Lyrics by Kotoko (a pity that it wasn't sung by her!). As the main character, Akisato Konoha, time-traveled to
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the past, the audience got a glimpse of how the galgame industry progressed. Even younger viewers would find this part quite fascinating (at least I did!): How illustrations were done with a scanner and mouse in the era before Photoshop and tablets? How to achieve rich shading and texture with very limited color palettes through dithering? How did game developers react when transitioning from PC-98 to Windows? It reminded me of _Shirobako_(2014), which similarly depicited tons of domain knowledge about anime production.
Unfortunately, portrayal of galgame industry remained on surface-level and of very small scope. The first half of the show focused extensively on Konoha's soliloquy and interpersonal relationships, which became quite repetitive. The latter part, starting from ep.7, obviously attempted to explore the possibilities of the time-travel premise. While the efforts were commendable, the story was quite messy with too many questions left unanswered. For this reason, two parts of anime felt disconnected, despite all the foreshadowings the creators tried to put in.
Imagine you work in a declining industry that you are very passionate about, and you had the chance to go back to its golden age - what would you do? Create your own project? Transform a company? Or change nothing and simply enjoy the industry's prosperity as an observer? I believe all these angles could have led to interesting and plausible stories. The key is to make one choice, and tell the one stories with all seriousness.
The anime has other shortcomings as well. Konoha wasn't an adorable character to begin with - she was really loud and had a sharp voice which I couldn't bear with. Her behavior was so unpolished, which didn't align with a 19 y/o character with work experience. Starting from ep.4, the animation quality began to falter, sometimes resulting in weird distortion. And of course, the most severe issue is the plot as I mentioned above. Overall, I felt the anime squandered an excellent opportunity to build a story around galgame industry.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 4, 2024
I heard that the manga was great; to be fair, the storyline was quite interesting. But the production of this anime was so bad that I considered dropping it multiple times.
The anime can be roughly divided into two parts based on progression of the story. The first half is a (relatively) light-hearted and comedic isekai adventure, contributing most jokes to the show. However, most humor felt "forced", and the overall pacing was slow. It seemed that the creators wanted the viewers to be patient, but the quality of the production simply couldn't sustain such a leisurely pace for the story to unfold. A substantial portion
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of the first half turned out to be quite boring for me.
When the story finally delves into the more exciting part, the other flaws became evident, unfortunately. Emerging characters were formulaic, the dialogue often gave me cringe, and the plot felt fragmented due to the slow pacing. The animation was even worse - I'd be better off just reading a vomic. I didn't abandon the show out of curiosity, but the weekly 24 minutes was a torture for me.
Despite all the hate, as a viewer who hadn't read the manga, I'd still give it a 4 out of 10 (rather than an even lower rating) purely for the storyline. If there will be a second season, I probably won't watch it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 1, 2024
A refreshing horror anime! Good horror anime has become increasingly rare. Quality is lacking even for adaption of quality manga (like Junji Ito's). All impressive horror anime that I can think of are from over a decade ago, such as *Another* (2012), *Higurashi: When They Cry* (2011), and *Shiki* (2010). Early 2010s was indeed a golden era for horror!
Without horror elements, this anime should be called "Dark Pokémon." The main story follows a very standard formula: battling, defeating and capturing enemies (growing the team), and ultimately challenging the final boss. Therefore, even though it spans 24 episodes, viewers won't grow weary of it after the
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horror elements becoming routine. Instead, they'll focus on how the protagonists continues to battle and delve into the background stories of the enemies (some of which are quite fascinating).
The beginning of the story (ep.1-9 or so) presented (seemingly) standalone exorcism episodes. They acquainted viewers with story settings, and contributed some of the best action scenes in the show. This part exudes a classic horror movie vibe hitting the right note (urban legend, jump scares, etc). Personally, I feel this part could have been more concise to quickly get into the subsequent part. But compared to other animes that keep dragging, *Dark Gathering* is already a well-paced one.
After ep.10, where the anime delved into its "Pokémon" part, the creator's boundless imagination was revealed. Various attributes, personalities, and backstories of evil spirits required diverse strategies. Of course, the eerie atmosphere was still there, but the viewers' attention had been drawn to "How would the protagonists tackle the next battle?". In the latter half of the anime, I gradually grew accustomed (or a little fatigue) to the horror, but my curiosity about the story's development persisted until the very end.
The anime excelled in both plot and atmosphere; but I wouldn't give it a higher score due to its less-than-satisfactory production. It's evident that the budget was limited: the characters often came across as rough, and the battle scenes frequently feature almost static key moments. Nevertheless, the fact that the anime provided such great enjoyment despite resource constraints speaks to the excellence of original manga, and the staff's good handling of horror theme.
Additionally, I think choosing Hanazawa Kana as the voice actress for Houzuki Eiko was spot on. The ending theme song, performed by Hanazawa was also excellent.
Despite the flaws, the anime is definitely worth watching if you find recent horror animesunsatisfying!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 1, 2024
Firstly, this is NOT a racing anime; it uses racing as a backdrop to explore the personal growth of the characters. Therefore, a significant portion of the show focuses on depicting the characters' actions and emotional transformations, with only about 20% of the content dedicated to racing. Compared to *Initial D* (1998), the anime is closer to *Run with the Wind
!* (2018) - which can be a bummer for racing enthusiasts. But for someone like me (who knows little about racing), watching it has been a fantastic experience.
(Spoiler alert: The following section contains spoilers.)
The central plot revolved around the young racer Asahina Haruka and the
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photographer Madoka Kouya, both confronting their pasts and untangling the knots in their hearts. They met by coincidence, but it's not your clichéd "mutual redemption" story. Instead, their encounter served as a catalyst for them to reflect and grow. The story also portrayed the growth of some supporting characters, particularly the two racers on the rivaling Belsorriso team.
My favorite part, without doubt, is when Kouya picks up his camera again. The anime referenced Eddie Adams, but Kouya's journey reminded me more of another photographer, Kevin Carter. The first half of the anime also shaped Kouya's story to be (seemingly) about media ethics. When Ep.9 presented the full scope of the story, it also fully fleshed out Kouya as a character: we cannot help empathizing with his agony as a "bystander" in a disaster.
The episode also depicted the dilemma and beliefs a photographer, or journalist in general, has to confront. Viewers may have their own opinions on Kouya's decision to publish the photo, but the anime at least provided an acceptable explanation. Emotion climaxed when Mr. Shouzou showed Kouya the photo, and asked him to "continue taking pictures, Photographer". At this scene, I found myself tearing up much like Kouya.
What's equally compelling in this episode is the impeccable control of character emotions through the cinematography, brought to us by the storyboard Mr. Kato Makoto. When Haruka and Kouya was having a conversation outside of the supermarket where they first met, they are rarely seen in the same frame to give a sense of nervousness and awkwardness. Outside an ice cream parlor when Haruka opened his heart, the softserve was given two shots when it melted and dripped as Kouya's inner turmoil intensified. After the tsunami hit, camera tilted up little by little along with Kouya's breath. Mr. Koto was detailed-oriented as usual, allowing viewers to genuinely feel the characters' emotions.
(By the way, the fan scallop in ep.9 looked absolutely mouthwatering! The scene by itself was a great regional revitalization promotion.)
The original character designs were done by Ms. Shimura Takako, whom I like a lot; the characters looked delicate, yet exuded a playful sense of liveliness. They were perfect for all kinds of movements, let them be exaggerated or subtle.
There are also many cleverly executed cinematography moments. In ep.4, the accident scene was depicited as if the viewers were stepping into a photo amidst the sound of rain. It made a clear distinction between current and past, and
For instance, the scene depicting a car accident in the rain in ep.4 makes you feel like you've stepped into a static photograph amidst the sound of rain. This not only creates a sense of "not being at the scene due to narration" but also ingeniously aligned with Kouya's career as a photographer. The racing scenes often featured low-angle shots almost skimming the ground, better showcasing the intensity of the competition compared to long shots. When portraying characters' close-ups, often only half of their faces were shown, effectively conveying subtle emotions like hesitation, awkwardness, and contentment.
The anime is filled with foreshadowing and callbacks that are too numerous to list. In the final episode, Haruka's winning through overtaking was actually hinted at in the first episode already (I almost missed it - until I rewatched the ep.1!)
Overall, I consider "Overtake!" to be a well-thought-out, emotionally charged, and highly accomplished anime. Would recommend it to anyone who wants a casual, racing-themed recharge!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jan 1, 2024
A rather peculiar anime that left me momentarily uncertain about how to classify it, and its reception is bound to be polarized. For those seeking complex story and high quality production, the anime would be a disappointment. However, for those looking for something a bit eccentric and keep you hooked, it might be worth a shot.
Despite starting off with tense war scenes and some intriguing element, the story took a sudden turn when we entered the life of our protagonist, Kurou, a jobless *genin* (a lower-ranked ninja) who lived a rather unpromising life. The show was filled with Japanese-style dry humor; it's easy to mistake
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as a datsuryoku-kei comedy at first glance. The nonsensical comedic situations persisted even as we reached the middle of the series (for example, the entrance exam in ep.5).
As the narrative gradually unfolded, the truth and conflicts slowly came to light. Audiences were naturally drawn to the plot itself, and started to connect the dots on the "laughable" details. Absurdity remained, arising from the disconnect between the content and the narrative tone: the story frequently featured technology and abilities that seem unrealistic and comical, yet all the characters were really taking them seriously. The misalignment created the feeling of "absurd in a serious way", which was one of the pleasures of watching this anime.
In the first few episodes, the story presented itself in a nonlinear way. Viewers were forced to jump among plotlines and characters of different time and places, until they eventually converged into one coherent narrative. While it is a commonly used approach, the presentation in this anime was a bit messy given the weekly release schedule. Watching the show in one go would likely enhance viewer experience and highlight the story's compactness.
The animation of battle scenes left much to be desired. Most of the time character movements lacked fluidity, and their poses failed to convey the sense of action. To cover up these shortcomings, static frames and black screens were frequently employed. However, it's worth noting that the anime's selling point isn't the quality of its battles scenes; it was rather unimportant. Therefore, these issues won't significantly impact the viewing experience.
The last episode added a touch of melancholy to the anime. It played with viewers' expectations, but the viewers would still find it easy to relate with reality. Hope to see more of such wacky works!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 1, 2024
I really wanted to give this anime a positive review. The first episode skillfully blended narrative and performance. It was like a breath of fresh air waking up my drowsy senses. The portrayal of the "black" company life in the first half was both humorous and despairing: obscured angles in the cramped office, or dimly-lit horror vibe outside the office. The visuals even gradually shifted to black and white without me realizing. When the protagonist, Tendou Akira, started the zombie chase, the animation exhibited astonishing expressiveness while transitioning to color – it was truly remarkable. On top of that, there were so many splendid moments
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that it's impossible to list them all.
Starting off on such a high note, no wonder my expectations exploded on this exaggerated comedy + road movie. I thought it was an exaggerated comedy road trip movie, and patiently watched the ep.2-3 with all the "character introductions". Starting from ep.4, it began to feel somewhat tedious. While there were still exhilarating action scenes (such as the ones at the aquarium in episode 5), the clichéd plot and lackluster content began to surface. The story veered between being humorous (though it gradually became less funny), action-packed, emotional, exaggerated, and realistic – it left me feeling disjointed. The only consistent factor was that the characters gradually became one-dimensional, turning into mere "labels"; I could no longer empathized with any characters.
I guess the delay in airing the anime made things worse. The last three episodes were so bad, with shallow character motivations and a faltering story. Such an ending actually left a bad taste in my mouth. If it weren't for the incredibly captivating first episode, I would have rated this anime a 5 out of 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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