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Oct 11, 2019
10/10. Outstanding. Brilliant. MUST WATCH
"Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"-esque show, with episodes of pure comedy, yet very well-done serious moments. A great cast of characters, emotional, smart yet never pretentious, and ultimately focused on family, friendship, personal growth and happiness.
Gintama is a shounen anime at heart, with the general theme of friendship and love prevailing. HOWEVER, it is so, so much more than that.
Comedy- Gintama is extremely hilarious. Truly funny, using all kinds of humor exceptionally well; parody (of other anime, japanese culture, general themes/issues/events), situational humor, slice of life, dirty jokes, repetitive character quirks, and the
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most commonly utilized "straight man/ funny man" routine. As you consume more and more of the series, the comedy grows as well- at times, simply the appearance of a character is enough to induce fits of laughter, before the character even speaks. As a foreigner and someone with limited anime experience, some of the references may have gone over my head yet are not at all missed- I was so busy laughing at the jokes and references I DID get that I had no time to worry about what i was missing.
Action- A strong suit of Gintama, the action follows the "show, don't tell" philosophy. The fights are fast, brutal, beautifully animated, and depict "realistic" combat. Despite having MC plot armor, the fights are often full of tension, due to the exceptional world-building and storytelling that accompanies the serious arcs.
Drama/FEELS- As an older viewer, one of the stand out elements of Gintama is its Drama. Never melodromatic, heavy handed or particularly in the spotlight, and always balanced by comedy, the emotional moments are the highlights of the show, bringing out the best Gintama has to offer. For adults in particular, while the themes are often universal (love for family, friendship, duty, responsibility), an adult perspective truly enhances the impact and meaning of many emotional moments. This includes romantic relationships, both parent/child relationships, duty, personal honor, and the expression of one's self. All things that hold immense emotional impact and meaning when one has personal experience and understanding of these events. Gintama manages to explore both heavy and lighter emotional drama without ever feeling angsty, melodramatic, 'forced' emotions, nor ever coming off as a Hallmark channel feel good special.
Characters- You will fall in love with the characters of the show, and as you progress through the seasons, will be able to grow with them and understand them all. There is a plentiful variety of characters, with each character (main and side) getting tremendous amounts of development. Gintama manages to produces realistic characters with believable motivations, emotions and desires, while at the same time often being a comedic template and joke set-up. The duality each character possesses mimics the tone and execution of the show itself, perfectly balancing comedy and drama. The characters are expressive, relatable, animated and interesting, coming together to form a brilliantly cohesive world. The side characters get as much development as main characters, and each has their own moment to shine in the spotlight. Moreover, characters introduced for individual episodes or small arcs (2-3 episodes) are oftentimes more developed than main characters from other complete anime series. The detail, nuance and care put into crafting characters, world and story lends to an incredible viewing experience.
MUSIC+ART- well animated. The soundtrack is incredible. Incredible, emotional and very fitting. Combined with visual presentation, an outstanding and effective use of the medium.
Gintama is a show which appeals to the heart. It is incredibly endearing, and ones appreciation for the show grows with each episode watched. Although never incredibly complex, the show proves that emotion comes from the soul-- you will laugh, cry, laugh hysterically and then bawl your eyes out while watching the show, often in the same episode. Incredibly self-aware, the show is aware of anime/shounen sterotypes and will use those to play off/on our expectations.
In closing, Gintama is a show that doubles what you put into it. If you watch it with an open heart and free of expectation, it will give you laughs worthy of top comedies, action better than any classic, and emotional empathy beyond any drama. If you go into it expecting to hate the humor, or hate the pacing, or hating the characters, perhaps you might not enjoy it. As all things with life, and as one of the many lessons from the show, that's OK. Life is meant to be lived, enjoyed and shared with others. If Gintama brings you no positivity, feel free to walk away- just know that you are walking away from potentially one of the best shows across any medium, let alone anime.
TLDR MUST WATCH. 10/10. COMEDY/DRAMA/SOL/ACTION Great for all ages, but as you personally grow & mature you can appreciate/understand elements of the story/characters/situations better.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 11, 2019
Planetes is a masterpiece; a standard for realistic sci-fi, drama, romance, comedy and more.
A mature show detailing the lives of adults in an interesting setting, Planetes is as far removed from standard classroom anime as possible.
The show begins and contains a great deal of SOL comedy which slowly morphs to include more romance and drama. A grounded and realistic portrayal of sci-fi is a plus, with interesting plot points and world building to help get engrossed within the anime.
The SOL comedy slowly rises until a dramatic, emotional climax: believable, intelligent, and endearing, the show grows to present characters one
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can connect with and care about.
Ultimately, an outstanding show which is a must see for any and all viewers interested in : realistic science fiction, sol comedy, emotional drama, grounded romance, or a generally mature show far from the standard high school anime.
TLDR: MUST WATCH, particularly for adults or viewers interested in a more mature story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 11, 2019
On my scale, 10 is the best of the best (S Tier), 9 is outstanding, no faults (A Tier), and 8 is great, very good, outstanding, BUT ... (B Tier).
Romeo X Juliet was on pace to be a 9 through 16, 18 episodes, and if the ending/story outcome was different could have ended up a 10. Unfortunately, the ending fell short and left a somewhat sour taste on an otherwise outstanding series.
Characters were well done, the story is an interesting take on a classic, and the setting adds intrigue. Not an expert on art/music, but the soundtrack was well done and
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the art was pleasing.
Romance between Romeo X Juliet is refreshing- no high school timidness, shyness, inept characters etc. A mature, adult, if somewhat "puppy love" -esque romance. Juliet is particularly well done, with her character as the Red Whirlwind an outstanding addition. Romeo is a few notes less complicated, yet still endearing, and his mid season arc with the mines and village definitely helps add some depth and balance to the character.
I was absolutely loving this anime until the final act, where the insertion of a supernatural element derails what was previously a grounded inspection into humanity, fate, love.
The closest comparison i can make is when the source material is a light novel or manga that wont see further adaptation other than a single anime season or an abrupt cancellation; the last 2 episodes in particular seem totally out of left field, depart from the tone of the story and present character 'development' which is head scratching. This is simply inexcusable for an anime where the source material if a completed work of over 500 years; either the planning was glossed over or the execution failed, neither of which is a particularly satisfying explanation.
Still, all that being said, Romeo X Juliet is an outstanding romance anime which stays mostly clear from common anime tropes, especially for adults who are rather tired of 'classroom' 'shy MC' 'unable to admit his/her feelings MC', or any number of other childish rubbish. The majority of the series is engaging, interesting and definitely a pleasant viewing experience with a good deal of intrigue. Depending on your interpretation/expectation/tolerance for supernatural 'deus-ex' type endings, you may have an even better interpretation than I did.
TLDR: Outstanding, refreshing and interesting version of Romeo X Juliet, a well done romance/adventure/action/drama. A must-see for those fatigued or uninterested in standard anime romance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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