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Mar 3, 2024
An entertaining watch, even though I thought it tried to pull in two directions at once and ultimately did not do enough in either.
The film obviously has had a lot of warmth poured into it, which is reflected in both design and personality of its characters. The FL is bright and warm, albeit plagued by anxiety. The ML is straightforward and a quick thinker. Together they form a cute couple, it's just a shame their relationship and characters were not explored further, as I don't think that what's been shown is quite enough to mark this as a romance. Rtaher, it feels like an
...
abridged summary simply showing us the headers of each chapter, but skimming through the contents.
On the other side is the political - and I hesitate to eve use the word - "intrigue", which is straightforward in the best case, and naively oversimplified in the worst. I mean there's a literal *wall* you can get a ladder to cross over and on one side it's a dry desert and on the other it's *immediately* lush forests, lakes, rivers, and rain. That's not quite how climate biomes work, so I almost felt it would have been better to claim it's some sort of magical wall that causes those stark differences. The left Minister (the actor ikemen) used to be a nomad.. 5 years ago and now he is the boytoy of the princesses (plural) and the - yeah a figurehead, but still - minister? And then the moment he gets in contact with the ML he suddenly finds his ministerial chops and pulls off - together with the ML who is a civil engeneer and has no political acumen, seemingly - this grand scheme to unite the countries that have been fighting for the past millennium? None of these make sense to have been so easy. The only positive point about any of this was the Crown Princess turned out to be something more than a cliche mean older sister. Ultimately, just like with the romance, the political aspect falls short of being a fulfilling plot point.
Overall, I think this film suffers form not spending enough time on developing either of its main points: romance or political intrigue. If either one was properly developed, the other, brief as it is, might have served as a good enough backdrop for the main element that is fullyt realised, however since that is not the case here, one feels quite unsatisfied after finishing the whole thing.
Still, the characters are likeable and what there is, is fun to watch. I never felt the need to just turn it off and never found myself rolling my eyes at the characters/plot. If you have some time and want a quiet watch, this will do the job. Just temper your expectation and don't expect a grand romance or deep plot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 22, 2021
Well, how to describe this anime?
It's as if you tried (and failed) to cross Akatsuki no Yona with.. somehow Evangelion (of all things), with character design akin to Lovely Complex and complexity of a table leg. MC behaves like Risa (Lovely Complex) manierisms-wise, but always needs to be rescued, and ML is basically Jin (Samurai Champloo), but flat.
That should paint a sufficient picture without going into spoilers. And yes, the first few eps (especially the first one) were really good, I know. Don't be seduced though, it's a trap (and not the good kind).
Now, the story:
A girl, lost to her 'family' for 10 years,
...
is found in a red light district and saved from having to work her first night there. Turns out she's kind of a big deal and she carries a lot of very valuable secrets. So, naturally everyone wants a piece of her and so, she's promprly dispatched on a journey to 'find out the truth' with a bunch of bodyguards. The first few eps draw an engaging picture, there's questions that need answering, some more-or-less-magical secrets, danger and - of course - looooove. Sadly, once you crash from the initial high, the story propmtly drives itself off the rails and finally straight into lala-land (not to say bat-shit-insane-land).
Art:
Ah. In this, this show shines like a fricking house on fire (and we, the moths, drawn by the blaze, inevetably fly closer and closer with each episode, ready to be charred whole). Character designes and animations have a sort of nostalgic feeling (with types of expressions not seen often in 'modern' anime) and serve the series really well. There's a LOT of care out into animating the characters. There's one scene, where a character stands with his back resting on a wall of a narrow corridor and he blocks the way of ML with one of his legs, which he rests on the opposite wall of the corridor. When he finally puts his leg down, he actually, VISIBLY, shifts his weight and twists his hips slightly from the leg he's lowering, and rotates his hips slightly thr other way. It's such a minute action, however it had me rewinding the scene, just to see the animation frame by frame. It's very rare to see this level of commitment in a tv series. Backgrounds can be quite stunning at times as well.
Sound:
Honestly, other than Fena singing that tune, I can't really recall any other music. I know it was there, just nothing stood out for me, so that I would commit it to memory. Seiyuu of the MC and ML absolutely killed it though! MC with the quirky Risa-like voice and ML with the husky, scratchy, paced sentences. Really well done, that.
Characters:
Mostly covered this in the first paragraph. I've only given it a fair out of consideration for the first few episodes, which I still think were excellent. But the fact remains, the characters felt flat and there wasn't really any change, or depth. It strikes me as a series that would benefit from 24-26 eps, rather than the one-seson-long schtik. Well, it is what it is.
Enjoyment:
I've given fair, again, out of the consideration for the initial episodes. Because gods know you will need all the goodwill you can gather in order to get through the mess of an ending that this anime shoved down out throats.
Overall:
Medicore. I really wanted to score it higher, the first few eps I was certain this is an 8 at the very least. The middle, sadly, fell towards 6 with its pointless meandering and thoughtless plot and then the absolute blathering mess of an ending eroded that further still.
Watch it if you fancy the visuals, just don't expect the quality of the first few eps. It's all lies.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Nov 11, 2019
PSA: The first part was written after I read the initial 7 volumes and that's what my praise refers to. I've just finished the remaining volumes and my... opinion on that lies below the initial review, under the spoiler warning (because I discudd the very ending, so read only if you're fine with that).
I'm amazed by this *shoujo* manga.
(no spoilers per-se ahead, just some general comments about overall character development and their relationship used to illustrate my points. The front cover posted above can tell you about as much as I have below, so feel free to read on, unless you wish to go into
...
the manga 100% blind, but then what are you doing here, reading comments, huh?)
The setting itself is average enough, I admit. We have Asahi - a girl (a child, really) that's whisked away to another world, finds a friend (..zone-kun, hee hee), gets sacrificed to a Water Dragon God by mean villagers and so becomes his Bride. Queue typical shoujo tropes...
...Not! The characters are what makes this manga a one of a kind masterpiece.
Because it turns out that a god, who lives eternally, feels neither pain nor hunger, has no need for sleep and is able to spend decades idly staring into the distance, who while being aware of humans, can only muster to display for them mildly disdainful indifference, and who generally is closer to a force of nature made aware, rather than anything resembling humanity, that god is made a main character and Asahi's love interest. ..Can you imagine?
But. This wouldn't be much of a masterpiece without a solid female lead. So let us look at what Asahi, our heroine, brings to the table. When we meet her first, she's just a child. A rowdy one, enough to provide a passing entertainment for a bored god. Even though she is scarred and wants to go back home, she does what she can even then. And as she navigates through her new situation, she adapts. She doesn't whine. She learns how to survuve and slowly builds a life with what she was given. It's so rare these days to get a heroine that is not a whiny moe-blob, an ever-blushing maiden or an inept idiot who's not capable of thinking or doing anything by herself.
The absolute best part about this manga is, therefore, watching the relationship between the Water Dragon God and Asahi unfold. At the beginning she's terifird of him and rightly so. But because she's adaptive, perceptive and quite smart, she's able to gradually understand Suijin-sama's (Water Dragon God) way of thinking, how he sees the world (and humans) and acts the way he does. She grows to understand and accept his.. limitations and, in turn, he slowly gets pulled closer. Because his 'entertainment' is getting more and more, well, entertaining, he - extremely slowly - starts to *learn*. Not any such tropes as how to be a gentleman though, no. He starts to slowly expand his emotional range. Where in the beginning we have this immobile... pond, that can be set to either indifference or mild irritation, slowly, very, very slowly, some colour starts to be injected into that never-changing, ever-lasting puddle. And every single time we see some progress, we know exactly why and how this happened. There's no beautiful eyes being batted at him to make his cold heart skip a bit. There's no mighty god coming to rescue the heroine in great anger every time she's in trouble and realizing his feelings thanks to that (bleh..). There's no of that bullshit cliche in here. What we get instead, is this masterful feeling that makes you go "ah.. yeah, this really IS how an eternal creature like that would be, isn't it?" as we see him and his indifference and the excitement as we see the smallest of ripples appear, when it is earned. Because that's just it - they both earn what they get. As you read, you can clearly see that Asahi is indeed worth the changes she makes in him. And, in turn Suijin is slowly growing, causing her to change (emotionally, towards him) as well. They influence each other, and stand in this sense as equals. And, as a result, evolve together.
And I personally love it.
If you're bored of never changing relationships between the MCs (Dengaki Saisy, Ore-sama teacher - I'm looking at you..), relationships that are flat, simple and predictable.. then look no further. For me, this is just as good as Akatsuki no Yona (albeit not plot wise) and I recommend both highly.
*edit*
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Spoiler warning - Spoiler warning - Spoiler warning -
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After reading the remaining volumes, my rating fell down to 7.5. I love the earlier volumes just as much as I used to, however it really is a shame the manga went the annoyingly.. flat shoujo route in the end.
Asahi has decided to let the Water Dragon God eat her, because she wanted to save his life and be with him, when it finally got to her that as soon as he sends her away, he will, indeed, die. It was her choice to make, whether it was the right one or not. But nope. Subaru pulled her out by force and pushed her back into her own world. I mean, I get it, being worried and stuff. But what gave him the right to decide that - the most important thing that will ever happen in her life most probably - for her? It just pissed me off, especially the shoujio vibe it was wrapped into. And I don't mean any feminism bs, like we don't need no mens to decide for us and such. No. I simply mean it as one person taking it upon them to take the choice away - and the right to decide ones own fate - from another. That's juyst not cool.
And even *then*. There should have been cequences. You can't have your cake and eat it too, that's not how life works. And yet. Asahi is not raging on Subaru. Water dragon God does not die and is, in fact, being sent to our world and finds Asahi in the end. And he's fine! And they just... get back together, in her garden. And they live happily ever after, the end. How? how does a god do that? How does their life look like? Will he get a job? Is he human even? Or will she be like a priestess in here, just working by day and living it out with her god-husband in the night? What about her family? Do they find out? What of Kurose and his god? It's all just... flat. Something amazing turned into a usual shoujo mush and fairytales. I feel dissapointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 6, 2019
What is this exactly?
I've read 80 chapters and this is what I'm currently wondering.
It's not action.
There are barely any fighting/war scenes and even when they do appear they end within a few panels. For the most part, the fighting, the war etc are being TALKED about by our characters, but we don't actually *see* anything happening more than their everyday lives at the HQ.
Drama?
Well, yeah there is drama. However, to be honest I'd classified it as slice of life and not drama. The reason is that it's all infuriatingly episodic, with everything kinda rubber banding to its default state after the mini-arc ends. And I
...
say MINI, because, despite the number of volumes, there's no real 'arcs' or larger plot points (other that the most obvious ones, like that they are the shinsengumi, what they strive for.. etc). For me real drama has to have impact on the characters.
Gender-bender?
Yes. This one I can easily agree with. Kamiya does seriously try to live as a bushi. However, that doesn't change the fact that her femininity is CONSTANTLY underscored, highlighted, talked about, EVERY freaking character and their grandma is secretly in love with her. And she just. Won't. Stop. CRYING! ARGH!
Historical?
Indeed. In the sense that it's akin to attending a history class where someone talks about all these historic events but you don't actually get to SEE any of that. And in the rare cased you do - it'll be a panel here and there and then it'll quickly pan away from all that and let you admire the SKY while TALKING about what happened and the result.
Romance?
Haha...hah...ha... *sigh*
There are touching scenes, I'll give it that. However. There's NO development, no progress. At the beginning you think it's just slow paced and get all excited for what will happen. But then, as you read and read and read... it starts to slowly dawn on you that no. Nothing's happening. And when something finally MIGHT happen and you see a faint glimmer of hope that their relationship will finally start to evolve... it's turned into a bloody PUNCHLINE. A gag. And so you laugh. Because what? You'll cry? Nah, you're not the heroine.
Slice of life?
YES. This is it I think. It's a slice of life about the everyday life of the Shinsengumi. With the emphasis in DAILY life. You see them eat, bathe, shit, fight, laugh, cry, fart, sometimes die or go to the red light district. They talk about important matters, but you don't really care because you won't see any of that anyway. They are an interesting bunch and it's quite entertaining to see them carry on with their lives, but don't expect character growth. It's like there's this default state for all of them, and after every mini-arc, they just kinda return to that default state. Rinse and repeat. Over and over...and over again. Fun!
6.5/10 because it did keep me for 80 chapters before I lost my patience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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