Apr 21, 2022
I really loved this adaptation! I had a blast watching it every week and was always excited for each new episode. Of course, it's not perfect, it does have some flaws which, depending on your preferences, may affect your opinion really negatively, but I personally had an overwhelmingly positive experience!
I loved the story, though that's kind of a given, since I'm a fan of the manga in the first place. Nevertheless, it's worth mentioning that this anime does a great job adapting the whole story of the manga and very faithfully at that. There are very few things that have been changed or cut, but
...
they're really inconsequential. I absolutely adored the "Osorezan revoir" arc in particular (which shows Yoh and Anna's backstory), easily the best part of the anime for me and one I've wanted to see animated for years! And it did deliver beautifully, it actually made me cry. Another thing I adore is the ending - not gonna spoil anything, but I love how the main conflict gets resolved and how different of an approach it takes compared to other shounen that people are used to. The story has some very interesting themes and lessons that it wants to showcase and Yoh's catchphrase "Everything will work out" is really soothing and definitely something I needed to be reminded of.
The pacing was a bit of a problem at times, it was rushed during the first 12 episodes (because they were adapting things which were already done in the first anime adaptation) but after that I had no issues with it, except for some of the episodes closer to the end. It does have a faster pace than usual, but it genuinely didn't bother me - I prefer a faster pace to having to slog through filler episodes.
Something I definitely need to mention is the soundtrack - the music of the show is absolutely phenomenal! Yuki Hayashi did an amazing job with this, the music is original and very memorable, I listen to it all the time and it's quickly become one of my favourite soundtracks ever! I literally can't praise it enough, the show would not be what it is without it!
Speaking of sound, let's also mention the VAs - they were all amazing, they really fleshed out the characters and conveyed their emotions beautifully. The show even managed to bring back some of the VAs from the first anime, which was great and really took advantage of the nostalgia aspect. Overall great performances! The characters themself have always been my favourite part of the story - each of them having a distinct personality and motivation, and each of them being given their time to shine. Unlike some other shows, this one does not focus solely on the main character while sidelining everyone else, it gives opportunity for each character to have their own moments. I also love the relationships between all of them.
I really liked the art and the colour scheme they used. The animation, though, is admittedly a bit of a problem. It's nowhere near as good as one would expect from an anime from recent years and the fights don't look as good as they should. This and the pacing are, in my opinion, this anime's biggest issues. Other than that, though, I think the adaptation did a great job!
It's inevitable that a lot of people will try to compare this to the original anime from 2001 and, while I'm sure that nostalgia is a factor and a lot of people will prefer the old one based solely on that, I can say that I definitely think this one is better. It tells the story the way it was intended to be, unlike the old one which had a good beginning while following the manga and later got bogged down with fillers and ended in the most typical shounen fashion.
Overall, I had a great time watching this, it reminded me how much I love this story and these characters and I'm really happy it exists in the first place. I may be really biased but it is what it is - this anime brought me immense joy, flaws and all, and I'm really going to miss it! Thank God they've already announced a sequel!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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