Back to kasigah's Profile kasigah's Profile

Show of hands: who like innuendo?

Thought so.

Story: 6

The story is... unique in execution, but not in design. It's a tale of political extremism, where certain viewpoints are all but destroyed to make way for a more "peaceful" and "healthy" society. If you've read Fahrenheit 451, you know where this is going.

Rather than books being banned, it's lewd material. Shimoneta is a tale of extremism in censorship, to the point where you can be arrested for saying just the wrong word, pornography deserves destruction with absolute prejudice, and sexual education is about as existent as Miyazaki's respect for otaku.

While I greatly enjoy the idea behind the ... story, however, the execution is a little lack-luster. Many episodes are simply a conflict-of-the-week, and the very last episode existed more for fanservice (both visual and emotional) than for plot/character progression.

Art: 7

The art's actually fairly well done. The character designs aren't fantastically unique (brown-haired protagonist, circle under the eyes scientist, gorilla-like brute, silver-haired symbol of purity, etc.) Still, the animation flowed fairly well. Nothing stand-out, but certainly not bad.

Sound: 6

The music complemented the scenes pretty well, and there were censorship noises that matched the words being bleeped, rather than just being a constant drone of actual bleeps. Still, it wasn't fantastic or all that memorable, and the opening was WAY too cheesy.

Characters: 7

Now the characters, are actually pretty good. I'll get my one gripe out of the way first: they're fairly one-note, sadly. Save for the male lead, very little progression occurs, and the three main characters act more as symbols than actual people. Effective in this story, but they could have been done better. That said, let's talk about their effectiveness as symbols, shall we.

First up is Kajou. The female lead and head terrorist, she's definitely great at symbolizing the anarchy of "freedom for dirty jokes above all else". She's constantly spouting innuendos, dirty words, and lewd gestures everywhere. It's almost to the point where you wonder how ANYTHING gets done with her. She seems to have no focus, or goals other than making her next dirty joke. A symbol that freedom, without direction, just leads to chaos... and annoyance.

Next up is Anna. Our resident symbol of the purity of the show, she, naturally, has no knowledge of how sex, love, or arousal work. Guess how well that turns out? About a third of the way through the show, she goes off of the deep end, mistaking her sexual attraction for the male lead for love. This, in turn leads to assault, breaking and entering, theft, stalking, attempted rape, and baking cookies using sexual fluids. Yeah. Just got REALLY creepy. A massive symbol that purity, when forced onto others without their consent, or proper education, leads to the same chaos that you were trying to prevent.

Then, we've got Okuma, the male lead and straight man of the show. He's constantly having to mellow out Kajou's... eccentricities, while trying to stay away from Anna because he can't bear to tell her that she's becoming the very impurity that she's been trying to fight. Honestly, he's the best symbol of what a nice compromise between educated chaos and self-imposed purity can do as a stabilizing force in society. Heck, he even gets to grow by learning that he shouldn't force total purity on himself, lest he stagnate. Plus, all work and no play.

Enjoyment: 6

This will drastically change based upon your tastes. A lot of the humor either involves crude jokes or slapstick. The slapstick was brilliantly done, and I found myself legitimately laughing out loud in several spots. Some of the crude humor was enjoyable as well, from innuendos to sex-based puns. Still, it went over the deep end SEVERAL times, making it uncomfortable in parts.

Also, there's Anna's breakdown. Starting at about episode 4, it starts off funny and just gets very dark and disturbing. It lightens up a little towards the end, but not enough to make me stop cringing every time the psycho was on screen.

Overall: 6

I can't recommend this to everyone. For me, it sits on the fence between a 6(fair) and 7(good). It all depends on what you can stomach. If you hate crude jokes, avoid at all costs. This show ain't worth it. However, if you think you can stomach them, disgusting cookies and all, and you enjoy societal satires, give it a try. Not a must-watch, but it had high-points.

I've never been a big fan of either the ecchi genre or the harem genre. However, with how much this has been hyped lately, I thought I might find something different. Not really.

Story: 5
Like any harem anime, the story is basically just this.
1) Guy meets girl
2) Guy meets more girls
3) Fanservicey hijinks ensue
4) ??????
5) Profit

I'll admit that one think I enjoyed about the "story" here is that it played up a comedy of errors fairly well in many places, at least more so than most other harems I've watched. Sadly, every genuinely funny moment or genuinely heartwarming moment is immediately followed (and ruined) by scenes ... that can best be described as sexually awkward. (Full-on bestiality jokes, anyone?)
All-in-all, it does better than most harems that I'm used to in this department, but that's not saying a whole lot. At least it didn't ruin an awesome premise. *cough* Highschool DxD *cough* Rosario+Vampire *cough*

Art: 6

The art has a couple of standout moments, and some of the faces designed for the characters are outstanding. Other than that, though, it's fairly bland most of the time. Not bad, but certainly nothing to write home about.

Sound: 6

It's a'ight. I've heard better acting, but it's not awful. The soundtrack is kind of limited as well. Not ear-bleedingly bad, but not in any way memorable. However, special note to both the opening and ending, both of which are both catchy and done by the va's of the show. (It's not important, I know, but I love it when shows do that)

Character: 6

I've seen WORSE characters. Honestly, while the archetypes themselves were a bit stale, they felt fresh being in this environment. Sort of? It's... hard to describe, honestly. Certainly not amazingly brilliant characters, but at times they could be charming. Followed shortly by times of being awkward. See story section above.

I will however give special note to the primary character. Darling-kun (his real name is Kimihito Kurusu, but no one seems to fricking care in this universe) is one-note, but he does something truly unique for this genre: he's a nice guy.

*sigh of disapproval from the audience*
Hang on. I mean this in a genuine sense. He's got no ulterior motives. He's not trying to get in bed with the girls (quite the opposite, as a matter of fact). He's not trying to woo anyone, or get anything. He's just a decent human being who treats the girls forced to live with him, and pretty much the rest of the world, with kindness because, you know, that's what good people do.

Too bad he's boring as sin other than the design they gave his eyes for most of the show.

Five characters (collectively known as MON) are actually kind of fun, and I kind of wish they'd gotten their own, more comedy-action oriented show. Sadly, overabundance of fanservice apparently took precedent.

Enjoyment: 4

As stated before, there are some moments that are genuinely funny. (Yay!) There are also some moments that are genuinely sweet. (Awww) Unfortunately, they get ruined about every two minutes, because heaven forbid we have a joke without masturbation references or a loving moment without boobs being shoved in someone's face. It's a real buzzkill, and unless you're here to make your box of Kleenex weigh a little less, you won't be enjoying this show that much. If you are here for that reason, seek help. They are part animal, for heaven's sake.

Overall: 5

I can't highly recommend this. Is it better than most harems? Eh, sort of. Not by much though. If you aren't into the harem genre, this certainly won't change your mind. All-in-all, I'll just wait for Ouran the Gender-Swapped version. At least then I could laugh/cry for more than thirty seconds at a time.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Well, after my foray into NGE several months back, and the subsequent review I gave it, I feel a little embarrassed after watching this movie. EoE is much needed for the series, and it drastically changed my opinion on the entire message of the franchise. Without further ado, let's get going.

Story : 8
Yes! We pick up pretty much where the show left off, right after the defeat of the 17th angel. Asuka is hospitalized, Shinji is, understandably, spiraling into depression, Rei is... somewhere, and Seele is trying to take over the world.

...
Of course!
...
...
Okay, it's a bit more complex than that, but spoilers. For me, this story is the metaphorical phoenix of the franchise, raising the characters from the ashes of their various depressions. Especially Asuka. Thank goodness for that one.

My only issue, and it's what keeps this at 8, is that by the end, it feels like we're having seven messages hammered into us at one time. Add to that that they're all layered beneath 27 layers of symbolism, and it gets a little hard to follow. It hurts my appreciation a little, but doesn't come anywhere near ruining it.

Art: 7

Evangelion has a budget this time, and it shows. There are a few moments where Hideaki has a few... questionable choices (live action scenes seem a bit out of place, and the sex symbolism everywhere is a bit unnecessary imo), but it's still beautiful to behold.

Sound: 9

Again, bigger budget. More beautiful music to work with. Also, same sub and dub va's as before. All in all, everything sounded wonderful.

Character : 8

Halle-freaking-lujah.
We'll start with the obvious: Gendo is a prick. He gets an explanation for his prickery, but he's still a lovable prick.

Rei is more in the background this time around. :( I'll live.
Asuka stands up for herself and find a reason to live again. (Thank you, Hideaki. It was much needed)
Shinji realizes that fear and pain are necessary, and that individuality is enough reward to trudge through them.
I can't spoil Misato's growth, but it's just wonderful on all fronts.

I still had a couple of issues with the end results, though those seem to just be personal feelings. I'll leave it at 8, as I still was happy with what I got.

Enjoyment : 8

All in all, this movie was the ending Evangelion needed. There were several cathartic moments, and I can't praise what this did for the overall franchise enough. My issues with the show still stand, but this movie was wonderful. My enjoyment was hampered slightly by the, at least I think, overuse of symbolism at points (seriously, Sephirot from Kabbalah? We get it, you like religious symbolism), but for the most part, I felt the symbols were better utilized here than in the show itself (the crosses mean something this time around, yay!).

Overall : 8
I don't know what more I can say here. Definitely a must watch for the series. I still have two pieces of advice while watching though.
1) Don't watch with parents or children. Sex metaphors abound.
2) Have good-natured friends, or booze, around. This stuff gets very trippy, very fast.

I love this show. I hate the second season, but I love this show. Now, as a warning, I'm aware of the manga, I'm aware that it's supposed to be better, but I have not read it yet. So, no manga bias in any direction going forward. Let's go everybody!

Story : 8
Tokyo Ghoul's story is very character driven, and at some points it even feels a little like... I don't want to say slice of life, but there are a couple of moments. The biggest theme of Tokyo Ghoul is that of Identity Crisis, something I think was very well done here. In addition, this ... show has some of the best world building I've ever seen, only outclass, in my opinion, by Log Horizon. The show gives several examples of various types and classes of ghouls, from binge eaters, to gourmets, to that one guy that gets killed episode one. Screw you, Nishio.

That said, there are two general issues that drag this from a 9 or 10 to an 8. First, there are a LOT of plot holes early on (e.g. How come falling pipes manage to hurt Rize, a ghoul shown to have some exceptional speed?, How did the CCG get quinques in the first place, if traditional weapons can't hurt ghouls?, etc.). The other major issue is the lack of an ending. Several plot threads are left hanging. This wouldn't bother me too much, since there is a second season, but I'll tackle the issues with that another day.

Art : 6
The art style is well done. The character designs are, at least to me, quite cool-looking, and I love some of the mask designs as well. However, I can't compliment the animation because I CAN'T SEE MOST OF IT. The show is littered with unnecessary censorship. If you watch this show, watch the DVD/BR version. Apparently, the censorship is supposed to be gone in that.

Sound: 9
The voice acting was solidly done. Currently, there is no dub (I can deal), but the original va is brilliantly done, and even features the wonderful hamming of Mamoru Miyano.

The soundtrack is pretty good, though nothing stood out TOO much to me. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the opening theme. Unravel is one of the best songs I've heard in a while, and nearly every remix of it I've listened to has been enjoyable, even, shockingly enough, the dubstep version.

Character: 9
Tokyo Ghoul's strongest point, by far. Going hand-in-hand with its world building, the characters are wonderfully explored. The MC, Kaneki Ken, is a character who starts off wimpy, falls in love (okay it was more of a crush), and loses his entire sense of identity. Ah, to be young again. But seriously, as much as he cries and complains about his new situation, he handles it quite well, and as time goes along, he finds the virtues of his fellow ghouls.

Hide is the stereotypical best-friend character, though that didn't stop me from liking him. The best way to describe Touka would be a tsundere, though that's not necessarily a bad thing here. She's still awesome, but not overly fleshed out.

I found Hinami incredibly relatable, especially since she's the character who essentially loses her innocence, and oddly doesn't crumble completely because of it. Plus, as a Japanese language student, I love the whole "How do you read this kanji?" thing.

Tsukiyama is just plain brilliant. Creepy, but brilliant. Moving on.

In the CCG, we've got two major characters, Mado and Amon. Mado is easily hate-able, which I can approve of in an antagonist if it's intentional. Amon is a brilliant foil to Kaneki, representing Kaneki's once-held beliefs about ghouls. He's your 'lawful good' character for the show, and I think the whole moral issue with him was wonderfully executed, at least in this season.

Last, but certainly not least is Rize. She's the whole reason we have a plot, and I love her for it. After Kaneki is implanted with her organs, she starts speaking to him like a mix of subconscious and conscious thought. And. She's . Amazing. My only issue is that, like the plot, she just... ends. I would have loved to see her fleshed out more. Was she always a binge eater, or did something drive her to that? Was she sincere with Kaneki, liking books and him, or did she lie just to get another meal?

Enjoyment : 8
This show was a ride, and I don't think there was a single episode that I disliked.

Overall : 8
This show would be an instant recommendation if the second season didn't ruin what good this first season set up. I still think it's brilliant, but I find it hard to recommend something with no good resolution.

Hallelujah!

So, if I had to give a reason for SAO to be in my top 10, it'd primarily be because of season two. It's still DEFINITELY a guilty pleasure, but this season wasn't AS bad.

Story: 7
Actual narrative! There are three arcs this time around: Gun Gale Online (GGO), Calibur, and Mother's Rosario.

GGO is actually quite well done. Death Gun is actually an intimidating villain, killing people because he can. His motivations are weak, which hurts the story category a bit, but hey, we're comparing Kayaba and the Fairy King, so I'll live.

Anyway, it's up to Kirito, super spy, in his new androgynous avatar (hi-jinks ensue) ... to hunt down Death Gun and bring him to justice! Along the way, he meets Sinon, a sniper who don't need no man to be a BAMF. Heck, Kirito even gets.. *gasp* character development. For two episodes. Why do you do this to me, SAO? Unfortunately, they set up an interesting foil to Kirito, and waste the potential. Again, it keeps the story at a seven, instead of an eight.

Calibur is filler. It's canon filler. Skip if you like. You're only missing explanation for a weapon reskin, and it's not like it matters. Kirito could kill a man with a plastic spoon if he wanted.

Mother's Rosario is a primarily character driven arc, and it finally gives Asuna the character growth she deserved since episode two of season one. It's quite good at making you love these arc-specific characters, and I'll admit, I did cry a little at the end. It has its issues *cough* Asuna's mother *cough*, but it was still wonderful. Heck, Kirito does something besides be the guy who always wins. Oh, Mother's Rosario, I love you.

Art: 8
Second verse, same as the first. It's very pretty. Moving on!

Sound: 7
The music, especially the openings, was great this time around, though it didn't stand out quite as well to me, so I've dropped from an 8 to a 7. The voice acting is the same as well, though the English dub seems a little better this time around. Still better in Japanese, but at least my ears aren't committing seppuku.

Character: 5
Kirito is still awful. Asuna is still non-existent. Suguha is practically non-existent as well. Yui is a plot device.

What pushes this up this time around are three major characters introduced this season.

Sinon is brilliant. I'll say it now. She suffers from what appears to be severe PTSD, and she's using a VRMMORPG to act as therapy. Since I've done research on VR anxiety therapy (fear specifically, but PTSD was in my team's research), this is a plot point I can legitimately enjoy. Plus, she grows so much in the GGO arc. Too bad she just becomes harem fodder come Calibur. Also, and here's the part where we should be upset guys, she's disrespected with some of the worst fanservice I've seen in a while. Like, her first episode: cameltoe. Don't do this to me SAO. I'm trying to like you, but you keep pushing me away.

Death Gun was also great. As mentioned previously, he's intimidating, but not well thought out.

Yuuki is our last character of note. She's only in Mother's Rosario, but she's so good in that short time. She's an adventurous, bubbly young girl who only wants to beat one boss alone with her friends before she must leave the RPG. I won't spoil too much, but bring tissues.

Enjoyment: 5
I had more issues with this one this time around. The villain disappointed me, the art wasn't quite as entrancing, and there was FAR too much fanservice. Still, it was alright, and I did have a few moments that I laughed, or cried, or just grunted out of a sense of awesome.

Overall: 6
Should you watch it? Well, moreso than the first season. This one did more for the series, and I hope that any future installments follow this trend of writing improvement. I look forward to the day when I can give an SAO season a 7

Why is this in my top 10? I have no clue. I think I just needed a guilty pleasure. This show screws up on SOOOOOOOOOOOO many levels, but I still had fun watching it. I think I'm turning masochistic. Send help.

This will only be a review of season one, as season two is a WHOLE other ballgame(with oddly, the same overall rating from me. huh)

Story: 5
*bangs head on desk*
Not gonna lie: this story is a train wreck. For those unaware, the story has two very distinct arcs. The first is referred to as Sword Art Online (often abbreviated SAO), and the second is Alfheim Online ... (or ALO).

The SAO arc actually has a solid premise: a few thousand people become trapped in the new VRMMORPG-MP3C3POXKCDLMNOPAARPTTYLROFLMAO. Sorry, got carried away there. The main catch of this RPG is that players cannot leave the game, any attempts from the outside kill them, and if they die in the game, they die for real. It's actually a thrilling premise, and the show's villain, Kayaba, starts off with quite the intimidating entrance. The problem with the SAO arc's story is in the narrative. It's full of poorly executed time jumps, and it often feels like vital information got skipped. (Like, seriously Klein, what happened to that freaking revival item) I'll praise the story in the first three episodes, but after that, it just begins to spiral into chaos and fluff. So much fluff. So many contrived romances.

The ALO arc skips those problems entirely (thank goodness), but it kind of lost something important along the way. Like a GOOD PREMISE. ALO is basically Super Kirito Brothers, and Kirito's princess is in another... video game. Now, as I said earlier, the narrative is fixed, with this arc taking place over only a couple of days, rather than two years of fishing minigames. Plus, this is the arc with the well-written, albeit poorly thought out, romance. I'll touch on that in a bit. Oh, and the villain in this arc is stupid. And a rapist. I HATE this arc.

Art: 8
SAO's high point. This show ALWAYS looks pretty. It's no Fate/Zero, but it's flashy as hell and a JOY to watch. It has a few slow moments, but even then, the art direction is solid. I can't praise it too much, since critiquing art is my weak suit, so let's move on.

Sound: 8
Many would argue that this is Yuki Kajiura's weakest work, and it may well be. HOWEVER, it's still gorgeous. If you don't believe me, go to youtube right now and start listening to Swordland. I'll wait.

You back? Good. As far as voice acting goes, I've got to give props to the actors. In the original Japanese. This is one of the few shows I've ever seen where I listened to the English dub as well and ran for my crucifix. This dub is BAD, especially in episode 3. The original actors put genuine heart and soul into their work, and the dub just sounds so... wooden. Listen to subs, most definitely. Oh, and the openings are phenomenal. Both of them. Watch them now.

Character: 3
*bangs head on desk harder*
It's so bad. I can think of two characters I legitimately liked in this season, and one of those two was in ONE episode. As for the rest of the cast: apathetic at best.

Let's start with our hero: Kirito. He's boring to no end. He'll always win, no matter what. Even if it defies several laws of physics/program rules. (seriously, you gave Klein a revival item in episode 3, and never explained it being used in the show. Why didn't you use it to save Kirito? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?) Calling Kirito a Mary-Sue would be an insult to Mary-Sues. Plus, harem king. FOR NO REASON.

Next up is our female lead, Asuna: the biggest insult to tsundere lovers everywhere. She starts off well enough, the resident BAMF of the show. She later becomes a generic love interest, which I was alright with because she could still hold her own in a fight. Then, everything changed when the ALO arc attacked. She gets princess peach'ed and nearly raped. Twice. I. HATE. THIS. ARC.

Next up is one of the two characters I actually enjoyed: Suguha. She's Kirito's cousin/sister, and she starts playing ALO after Kirito gets trapped in SAO. She's the most fanservice-heavy character in the show, but I never felt like she was too bad in that department, though people would disagree with me. (Guys, FMA had cleavage too. It'll be okay. At least it's not HOTD) My big issue with Suguha is her romance subplot. Remember how I said ALO had the well-written romance. Yup, this is it.

So it starts off incestuous. I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the cousin romance thing, since in Japan it's not the taboo that it is in America. (note: I do not endorse or support sexual/romantic relations between cousins, or incestuous relations of any kind. I'm just not here to call out other cultures because of their differences). My issue is that they were raised as BROTHER and SISTER, and that's still a taboo. Seriously, like wtf guys? And to make matters worse, they make her fall in love with Kirito twice, since the two are unaware of the other's RPG personas. Like, don't set up incest and try to make me feel for the girl. BAD Sword Art Online. Got to the corner.

The one other character I liked was Sachi, and she showed up for one episode. She's about the only human character in the show, and in that short time, I felt a connection to her. She was terrified, and alone. You know, how a person should act when faced with life-changing circumstances like SAO. Heck, she gives Kirito's character depth and weakness. For about ten minutes.

The rest of the cast are primarily minor, with only Klein getting any more than one episeode. Well, I mean, there's Agil, but he's got like five lines of dialogue, so he might as well have been in one episode. I stated my thoughts on the villains above.

Enjoyment: 6
This was a roller coaster. At times, I loved the show. The action scenes were glorious. At times, I hated the show. Use the revival item, Klein! Why are you so useless? I'd keep it at five, but I'll be nice and bump it a point for the music's sake.

Overall: 6
Should you watch this show? Only if you'd already set on it. While it's in my top ten, I can't recommend it. It's just not worth it. If you've got nothing better, be my guest. Personally, I'd recommend Log Horizon. The art's not quite as good, but the world building and characters are much better, and at least the faffing about doesn't detract from the story.

Don't lose your WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY


Okay, with that out of the way.

In your MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND

Sorry.

I have a LOT of admiration for this show. Given, I see some issues with it, but I also see some great aspects as well. Please, if I begin gushing, feel free to slap me.
...
Story: 7
The story's alright. It's Gurren Lagann with clothes. Start of with one villain, who just wants to oppress. Overcome villain. Find new villain who wants to completely enslave humanity. Explosions ensue. The premise is pretty goofy, but hey, sometimes it's nice to appreciate the goofy. One issue I do have is the obsession with fanservice in this show. It's starts off well enough, a symbol of putting aside personal shame for the sake of achieving goals, but after about episode 3 or 4, it just seems to be fanservice for fanservice's sake.

Art: 6
The art here is all over the place. Sometimes, we get over the top fight scenes, with swords clashing hundreds of times a second, explosions everywhere, and people falling from the sky. Other times, we get a still character moving across a still background. It's quite jarring actually, but if you can get past it, this show can be eye candy.

Sound: 8
The voice acting, both sub and dub, are done quite well. I personally prefer sub, as Satsuki just sounds all the more intimidating, but preferences. The music is a LOAD of fun, from fitting character themes, to Blumenkranz, to Before My Body is Dry.

WE HAVE TO BEEEEEEEEEEEE AS OOOOOOOOOOONE
*slap*

Thank you. All in all, this show's just fun to listen to, and I can advise looking up the soundtrack. You'll have fun. I promise.

Character: 8
The characters MAKE this show. Well, and one other aspect, but I'll cover that in the next section. Ryuko and Satsuki are brilliant, and Satsuki even graces my favorite characters list. Ryuko is strong-willed, hot-headed, and rather foolish. However, she sticks to her guns, if not her morals. She never gives up throughout the series, and because of her stubbornness, she ends up growing quite a bit as a character. She's not perfect by any means, but she's fun. Satsuki however... The woman is intimidating, domineering, stoic, inspirational, COMPLETELY goal-oriented, and forever a joy on the screen. Plus, girl got good eyebrow game.
The other characters are okay. Not bad, but maybe not amazing. Mako was quite funny at times. Ragyou was a character you just LOVED to hate. The Elite Four pinged off of each other well. Senketsu was actually one of my least favorite characters. He's not BAD, but he never stood out to me too much.

Enjoyment: 9
It's not a ten because of the aforementioned fanservice. However, I'd like to posit that Kill la Kill is a BRILLIANT satire. It starts off simply making fun of the magical girl genre. Eh. Then, it makes fun of the anime high school setting (get it? because the school LITERALLY determines the living conditions of these people : high school is life) But that's not the true brilliance. Over the top explanations of attacks, to the point where I sometimes felt that the characters were staring at the camera, those cheeky jerks. Mikisugi is a parody of Sosuke Aizen (he pulls off his glasses, and his personality and hair drastically change). Ragyou is a parody/homage to Gendo (have you seen her office). Isshin Matoi is a parody of dead anime fathers (seriously, how he treated her was terrible. Why would she fight to avenge him? Because the plot demands it, Kasigah!) And then there's the compilation episode. My gosh. This... this is the greatest moment in anime history. I won't spoil it too much, but this is an episode that you must watch. I believe it's episode 18 or so, though I don't remember. Seriously, stop reading this. Go watch the compilation episode and come back. I'll wait.

Overall: 8/10
This show is a barrel of fun. If you can't stand fanservice, I can't recommend it, but if you think you can handle it, please watch this show. It's not the "Savior of Anime" that so many believed, but boy does it have high points.

Thank you!

Anyone who's read my Neon Genesis Evangelion review knows that I'm not the biggest fan of the show. I decided to give the Rebuild series a try, and so far, I've been quite happy.

Story: 8
Once again, we're back with the "Shinji, get in the robot and fight the Lovecraftian horror" plot. As I said before, I love this premise, especially since the Evas hold the risk of serious injury to the pilots. This movie shows it off even better, with some scenes showing damage ACTUALLY happening to the pilots while it's happening to the Eva. Plus, by the end of the movie, you feel ... that sense of victory that comes from overcoming self-doubt, as well as a giant monster.

Art: 8
Evangelion has a budget this time around, and it shows. While the art direction isn't phenomenal, it was quite beautiful this time around, especially with the sixth angel. All-in-all, it's pleasant on the eyes, and quite the spectacle at times.

Sound: 8
Second verse, same as the first. Sound was what I praised NGE for, and most of the stuff is the same this time around. I noticed a few more soundtracks this time. The voice actors are, for the most part, the same. However, they got Colleen Clinkenbeard to play Dr. Akagi, so bonus point

Character: 8
Hallelujah, there is some growth! Bear in mind, this movie covers the section of the show before everything started to spiral downward, so where the characters go from here could still be less than hopeful. HOWEVER, as of this movie, you get to see growth in the characters. Misato starts to worry about Shinji, treating him like a little brother. Shinji begins to face his fears, and it feels like he's fighting for more than just approval by the end. His growth isn't complete, but hey, first arc. Rei begins to act a little more human, but again, the growth isn't complete. Gendo is still a prick. I'm still accepting of this fact.

Enjoyment: 8
All in all, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It never once felt like a pool of depression, but rather a tale of "It can get better." If I had to recommend one Evangelion over another, I think it's definitely be the Rebuild universe over the original show.

Overall: 8 (huh, eights across the board. Way to go, Hideaki!)

I realize that I'm likely painting a target on my face with this one, but here goes. Please read to the end, as my recommendation may surprise.

The biggest sin of NGE, in my opinion, is wasted potential. Be warned, I'll be touching on spoilers here, though I'll try to avoid any actual plot developments.

Story: 5
The story of NGE actually starts off rather strong. Eldritch abominations are attacking the world (primarily Japan), and only might mechs known as Eva-Units can defeat them. The only catch, only certain children can pilot these mechs, and doing so requires mental synchronization with the machines (in other words, if the ... robot's arm gets ripped off, the pilot gets to feel it). I love this premise, and it proves a great deconstruction of the genre. The problem is that eventually the story devolves into a pity party so full of skin-deep symbolism that there's no real... victory involved. There's bad ends, and then there's spiraling into a whirlpool of depression that aims to take the world with it.

Art: 5
The art direction is actually rather solid. Character designs are unique, for the time (really everyone else began copying this), and when the show does an action scene, they do a wonderful job of it. Sadly, the limited budget of the show leaves us with several scenes that consist of stills. Still, props for doing a great job with what they had.

Sound: 7
A true high point of the show, this is where a great chunk of effort came it. Even the dub is quality, and it's a 90's dub. I came in expecting a few laughs, but I was pleasantly surprised. The music is well-done, but not varied. I mean, I love fly me to the moon, but pick another song, Hideaki.

Characters: 3
Hoo-boy. This is the hardest part for me. It's not that the characters are bad, per se; it's that they had wonderful potential for growth, and then stagnate AT BEST. Shinji is a whiny wimp who looks like he'd fit in well in a coming of age story. Sadly, he stays in the whole "Somebody love me!" stage pretty much the whole way through, and the few times he does grow, some event comes along to destroy it. Rei is an... acceptable excuse, but that's going into spoiler territory. Clever naming though. I can approve. The other likable characters all have something come along to ruin the growth they've had (again, heading into spoilers, so I have to be a little vague). Gendo's a prick. I am accepting of this fact. Moving on. Asuka................ she could have been great. She could have been one of the best characters in the show. She starts off selfish, and abusive, and arrogant. It's shown later that she came from a damaged family. But rather than realizing that there are people who care about her, that she doesn't need to prove anything, she just spirals into depression worse than any other character.

Enjoyment: 1
I know this will vary heavily from person to person, but what I love most in a story is character growth. As detailed above, I didn't get that AT ALL, and it really hampered my enjoyment of the show.

Overall, should you watch this? Yes. At least once. The show has some virtues, but I felt those virtues were heavily overshadowed by the themes of depression that began to permeate the show. It can be done right, but I don't think NGE was the show for it. Just be sure you're in a stable frame of mind when you do watch it. I've met those who actually fell into bouts of depression after watching this show's conclusion. Oh, and thanks for reading to the end.

This will be a review of both seasons together.

It takes a LOT to get me to binge watch a show, and this did it.

Story: 10
Where to begin. I mean, you know you've got a great story ahead when the premise is an epic war for the Holy Grail. Then, add to that the fact that each of the characters has their own drives and ambitions for the Grail, plus a dash of flashy magic, and you've certainly got an enthralling story from start to finish.

Characters: 10 (only because there is no 11 option)
I have never seen a cast of characters this strong in my life. ... The only show near this quality is FMA:Brotherhood, and that's high praise from me. Even the despicable characters are the kind you love to hate, and even the minor characters have depth. I often found myself saying, "Huh, the prick has a point." That said, two characters that I MUST point out are Waver and Rider. These two are PERFECT. Rider steals every scene he is in, and several times, I found myself wanting to hug the guy, if it wouldn't mean serious back problems after the fact. Waver, on the other hand, is the best example of character growth I've ever witnessed, and as a writer, he is the type of character I STRIVE for.

Sound: 10
Epic choirs. 'Nuff said. Oh, and Crispin Freeman is in this, so there's that.

Animation: 10
This animation has two modes: beautifully fluid and "my eyes! I wasn't ready for this much flashy! I am unworthy!" I've seen only a handful of animations that could compare, and they were Miyazaki movies, and I still found Fate/Zero's art direction far more awe-inspiring.

Do I recommend this? Yes. This show will have you hanging on the edge of your seat from start to finish, but have a box of tissues nearby. And maybe a punching bag.