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Apr 18, 2018
Violet Evergarden suffers from lazy writing and exploits one of the easiest ways of creating a sad story...
I'm an emotional guy that cries easily at sad scenes yet this anime didn't really pull my tear ducts out as much as I hoped it would. With the exception of episode 10, I didn't feel very much.
Let me get straight to the good and bad parts of this anime. Let's start with the good: the art and sound are just excellent. It's a very pretty anime.
The story, however, is lackluster, as the episodic composition of the show doesn't allow the audience to fully care about the side
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characters' stories. It becomes a drag watch. You mostly care about the MC since she's the one getting to learn something. Combining these side characters with the general speed of the show makes the pacing feel atrocious. It's absolutely slow at times and not in a good way. There are anime that pull it off by being atmospheric in their slowness, but Violet Evergarden does not. These slow scenes are just filler between actions and it's an absolute bore, but...
Episode 10 got me. For the sole reason that I knew what was gonna happen and a naive child was involved, and the episode played out beyond my expectations, exceeding my predictions. Being positively surprised I treaded onwards.
Back to my initial point, the show overuses loss to create a feeling of sadness. Writing sad stories is very easy when loss is involved. Every human being is hardwired to become sad about a loss, and to me this indicates a very lazy writing style. It's used in almost every episode in some form or another and this becomes a burden on the viewer. Better are stories that can invoke sadness through complex plot devices such as failing expectations and more subtle use of loss and beauty.
The MC doesn't help much either. We get not much internal dialogue or narration, nor do we observe her very much in isolation so that she can reveal her true self to the audience.
Overall, it was quite enjoyable, but I wouldn't rewatch it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 16, 2018
I normally don't like SOL anime with strong characters and I'd rather watch more human, normal characters such as in Nichijou and Non Non Biyori. However, I really started to like this show from the first two episodes.
Alas, that all fell apart during episode 3, 4, and 5. The story did not evolve with the pace we were introduced to in the first two episodes, and it became stale. It could've been a solid anime, and I honestly gave it a 6 from the first two episodes (which is really good)...
Himouto! Umaru-chan shows us the life of a perfect highschool girl in public and an
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otaku in private. Initially this is a fun idea. We see how she handles the changes but this gets tiresome quickly.
As for the story, there pretty much is none. The art and animation is just fine, and the sound isn't really interesting at all. There aren't any songs I can remember. As for the characters, the overly emotional reactions to mundane situations get annoying. "But you like Nichijou, you should love overly emotional reactions!". Well it's not the same. The reactions just aren't appropriate for this show and they quickly cause me to disassociate with the characters.
I guess the only thing good to come from this show are some smug anime girl memes, but that's about it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Apr 16, 2018
TL;DR: Solid, realistic and complex characters and relationships. Fun fights. If you can emotionally invest, you may like this.
DARLING in the FRANXX is the new coming of Neon Genesis Evangelion paired with Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and hints of Kill La Kill. In this wonderful mix of styles we get to experience a marvelous story that takes us into the chaotic and emotional mess that is childhood & puberty.
It gets its mecha and teenage drama from Evangelion, the style and cartoonishness from Gurren Lagann, and the Ecchi seems mostly to like that of Kill La Kill.
Contrary to popular belief, this show is not about
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surviving in a post-apocalyptic world fighting giant monsters with mechas, oh no no. Rather, it's a metaphor for the emotional turmoil our main characters are going through. They're thrusted into a cold and callous world in which they're abused and restricted and they have to deal with it.
If you can get emotionally invested in characters then this might be a show for you. You will experience sadness and hope and many other emotions. The show accomplishes this remarkably well and, in addition to this, is able to hold my attention. It's well-paced and the characters are relatable and likable. There's no real edginess or pretentiousness to the characters.
I'll update this once the show is done.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 14, 2018
Nichijou is my favorite anime of all time. Why? Because it's relatable. Because the characters are well-written and likable. It's not an edgy or pretentious anime. It keeps it real... well... to some degree at least.
Some may think Nichijou is absurd but I have to disagree strongly. Yes, there are absurd scenes, but these really aren't absurd. Instead they are metaphors for the emotions that our characters experience. The show takes the simple feelings we get from everyday interactions and experiences, and exaggerates them to the extreme. So much so that it becomes entertaining if not funny.
I can't emphasize enough how well I like all
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the characters in Nichijou simply because they seem realistic. They're all flawed humans, just like the rest of us, and that makes them feel real and authentic.
Visually this anime rocks. It makes no reservations about the style and freely changes it depending on the current atmosphere, and really makes style changes stand out. This is a method of telling a story I've seen very rarely in anime, and it's absolutely brilliant!
Sound? It's simple and enjoyable. Couldn't've wanted anything else.
In essence, this anime is my perfect anime. There is not a single thing wrong with it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 12, 2018
Should you watch it?
- If you tolerate SOL anime that are not pretentious or edgy, that may seem "boring" or "simple", and feature normal people, then you may like this anime.
TL;DR: Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san falls in the category of what I like to call "serene", and is similar in atmosphere to Non Non Biyori. Characters are almost perfect. Solidly good show.
Story: 9
To be honest there's very little to the story, however, we must assess it in slice-of-life genre that it belongs to. The story is simple, boy meets girl, girl teases boy, cue the romantic undertones.
Art: 7
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It's alright I guess. Nothing stunning but nothing bad either. The animation is quite nice.
Sound: 7
A nice, simple, mostly piano and flute based soundtrack.
Characters: 9
Initially wanted to give it a 10 but got progressively annoyed by Nishikata's reactions. They're too extreme and should've been handled better. Instead of reacting outwardly with screams like he so often does, instead he should have had internal conflicts. An alternative is to use metaphorical devices such as in Nichijou, where an exaggerated reaction is obviously not part of their reality but goes to show the state of mind of the characters.
In Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, this is absolutely vital. The female MC seemed to be a little too stiff at times. She is almost always smiling and in a good mood. I'd love to see some more emotions from her. Even with her stiff emotional role, when other emotions do come though, it leaves a huge impact.
The show thrives on its characters and really needs to nail this aspect to be considered good.
Enjoyment: 10
Regardless of the flaw in characterization, I still thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was not boring. I care about these characters... even about the other characters that are involved. They're all likable and their personalities are distinct. They're not over-the-top moe or unrealistic.
What the... I'm talking about characters again?
Overall: 8
Anyway, it's a solidly good show and deserves a strong 8 in my opinion. If it fixed up the character flaws I might've given it a 10 even with the OK art and sound.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 10, 2018
Made in Abyss completely surprised me. It's probably my all-time favorite anime. Why? Because it presents us with a unique blend of adventure, good characters, and a great mystery to be explored.
Story: 10
The story itself is outstanding, even though it doesn't make a lot of sense sometimes. What government allows children to venture into dangerous areas? Besides that, the world itself is simply amazing. We're presented with a world of mystery and danger. What is the abyss? Why is it here and how does it work? All these questions only aide to increase the interest in the story.
Art: 10
I'm not disappointed by the manga author's
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art. Go look him up. He draws very detailed and beautiful pieces. The anime does not forego his work. It recreates the scenes from the manga beautifully. The world of Made in Abyss is simply gorgeous.
Sound: 10
Kevin Penkin has created an absolutely stunning soundtrack that fits extremely well with the show itself. My favorite songs are "Hanezeve Caradhina" for its awe-inspiring grandiosity and "Tour the Abyss" for its ominous chill.
Character: 9
The characters in Made in Abyss are not simple or 2-dimensional. They're people and don't follow a specific *-dere trope like many other anime do. Our protagonists Riko and Reg are both just people, they have their ups and downs and definitely do act like children in many ways, having flaws and making considerable mistakes. The characters are very likable. I was not annoyed by them at any point. Giving it a 9, what I miss here is internal dialogue.
Enjoyment: 10
It's just excellent overall. The pacing sometimes slows down and speeds up, and I think this is fine. It allows the anime to explore some aspect of the characters and world, and skip over unnecessary details when it just wants to progress. The initial 3 episodes, nothing much happened, but these are vital to introducing us to the relations that the protagonists have and how society above ground functions.
Overall: 10
Made in Abyss is my favorite anime of 2017. It's simply a little gold nugget covered in dirt - that is - its first few episodes and childish look may deceive you, but once you get past episode 3 you'll see there's an entirely different kind of experience waiting. Hyped for the second season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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