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Jun 28, 2023
Have you ever wondered what it is like for a person to be a part of the entertainment industry? Well, Oshi no Ko is the answer to that question and emphasizes the truth behind the industry while adding a little uniqueness to make this one stand out more than usual. From the genius author of Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Aka Akasaka, this latest adaptation of his work exceeded my expectations when I first heard about the anime announcement. But looking at Oshi no Ko as its series individually outside of Akasaka's fame for Kaguya-sama, this anime shows how well the production values have been like
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since the beginning of this adaptation. In this review, I will express what Doga Kobo has been doing successfully during the spring 2023 anime season.
The overall plot and concept of Oshi no Ko primarily focus on what it takes to be a part of the entertainment industry, the consequences of becoming part of it, and the diverse types of fields that are not how the public views entertainers on the surface. All the while, it features a supernatural twist that makes the story intriguing while maintaining its consistency throughout the eleven episodes. At the same time, it tells two different tales between the two leads, one focusing on a revenge plot, while the other, desiring to become a famous entertainer just like her idol was in the past. What makes this story stand out is how it starts. The first episode not only has movie-length, but the way it introduces characters, making one of them the supposed central part of the story, and then twisting the ending of the first episode to allow the viewers to take in the events that transpired on-screen. From there, it dives into various elements of the entertainment industry, such as idol culture, mangakas' works getting poor adaptations, and even cyberbullying and cancel culture on social media.
The anime's story is complicated as there is a lot to take in from the first episode, but it then calms down enough to prioritize specific parts of the anime. It starts with a teen idol revealing to be pregnant with twins, so she goes on hiatus to give birth to her babies while desiring to continue working as an idol after giving birth. During the events, the reincarnation aspect goes into play as her doctor gets killed by a stalker and reincarnates as her son while also giving birth to the boy's sister, who is similar to the doctor, but the boy does not know the truth. While it focuses on the idol working through tough times in her career while caring for her babies, the first episode's ending leads to a tragic event that forever changes the baby boy's path in life. From there, the twins are now teenagers attending a high school specializing in the performing arts and go into two different stories. The boy wants revenge on the person who caused the event, while the girl wants to become an idol like her mother. Because this is a manga adaptation, the studio was able to animate the first four arcs, which introduce more central characters that leave an impact on the viewers.
When it comes to the characters, I say that the important ones got a lot of introductions settled in with this anime. The main breakout character of the series, Ai Hoshino, has made a lot of impact on the anime community with her charm and her status as a prologue character as she triggers a chain of events that leads the story to its development, which can be notable in the first episode and the music video for the anime's opening. Aside from her, the rest of the main cast stood out in their unique way. The twins, Aqua and Ruby, were interesting, as the former is the one that wants revenge. However, Aqua's manipulative personality made me a little unsure if he still has a bit of redemption in him if his character arc gets darker. Ruby, on the other hand, has a lot of potential. While it's her voice actress's first significant role, she wants to live up to Ai's fame and dreams of becoming an idol in the newly formed B-Komachi. Among all the side characters, Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa stood out the most with their character introductions. The former had self-doubt in herself built up after losing her peak as a child actress, while Akane stood out the most to me. Aside from Ai, how she returned after getting canceled that almost caused her to take her own life, and utilized method acting to the point it gave me chills was what made Akane my favorite character in the series. If this anime ever gets a second season, I would love to see these characters get more development, as they are a pretty good cast.
The direction in everything the anime produced is a masterclass move on Doga Kobo's end. The character animation in the little details was charming, while the dance scenes for the idols were perfectly choreographed in 2D animation. What made my watch experience intriguing was how the lighting was used in an episode. Whether each moment looked beautiful for a tragic event or to create a build-up towards a crucial character moment, the ability with which each episode is directed was outstanding in its own right. Also, the soundtrack for Oshi no Ko has been the most immersive I have seen in a long time. The OST impacted each scene, making it even more emotional in certain moments and smiling in the rest of them. I also cried at the end of episodes 1 and 6 for how the music was played in the climax. The opening by Yoasobi is phenomenal. Not only does Ikura sings it great, but the lyrics are also perfect for Ai's overall character. The ending song by Queen Bee is nothing to ignore too. The beginning notes used for the significant parts of an episode ending made it even better, giving me that feeling when an episode ends on an insane note. The voice acting is amazing as well, with the marvelous Rie Takahashi, Megumi Han, Manaka Iwami, and many others bringing the characters to life, with Manaka Iwami imitating Rieri's Ai Hoshino as much as scarily possible. The production values have been consistent from the beginning, and you can tell this is a passion project Doga Kobo has been putting love into.
Overall, this anime has been nothing but amazing for me to watch this spring season. Not only were parts of it relatable since I used to have similar dreams, but how most episodes' direction was oddly tragic, yet beautiful to watch. I know Akasaka will do this story justice, so I hope he continues to build off the characters introduced in this part. Take the importance of Oshi no Ko to heart, especially with episode 6 in mind. I loved this anime so much, and I highly recommend this one, as it is so worth the watch with the movie-length first episode and phenomenal production quality.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 25, 2022
Spoiler Warning:
Out of every single anime that came out this spring, this one is easily the best anime of them all. Spy x Family lived up to the hype that developed with the announcement of its anime adaptation. Not only that, everything the anime did bring justice to the manga, but it made the series even better animated. For the first time, I was caught up with the manga before the anime started. However, my perspective will be from both media without any massive spoilers for the future. Without any further doubts about this adaptation, here are what I believe the anime handled neatly without
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any significant problems.
The overall plot of Spy x Family contains various elements that made this series intriguing, mainly the consistent use of many genres. Out of all the types of anime genres, this anime did great with action and comedy while occasionally having romance among two of the main characters. The combination of those two adds an element of interest as the anime not only focuses on how the characters live their lives but also shows how contrasting they are from their true selves. What I love most about this anime is that everything that occurs, whether funny or not, all lead to one important goal. After realizing that, it only made me want to see more Spy x Family and eventually see how the series would end in the far future. In terms of pacing, it's been consistent, with one or two chapters getting adapted for each episode. Despite the anime being slow, I'm glad this adaptation didn't rush through the source material and gave time for the studios to go at their own pace.
After seeing both the anime and manga, I enjoyed how both anime studios handled the story during the spring season. At first, it starts with the titular spy of the series getting tasked with a difficult mission, which requires him to start a family. What makes this story enjoyable is how the family all hide their true selves to maintain good relations with each other. I like how despite all of their actions as a family not being genuine, they will eventually develop into something real, and I'm excited for that moment to come. Even though most of this first part focuses on school life for the family's "child," that also develops into a crucial factor in how the story will progress. Another aspect of this story is how it foreshadows the events for the second part of this fall season. And that those additions will continue to improve the story's quality when it gets adapted. If the series maintains the balance between action, comedy, and school life, I believe Spy x Family will continue to grow into an incredible story.
In terms of characterization, the series did an incredible job handling the three protagonists of the story. For Loid, I enjoyed how he was funny on certain occasions, even though he maintained a stoic composure. As for Yor, I loved how she's handled her character. Especially as a woman who's an assassin while giving her many sweet moments with her "family." Out of the three of them, Anya is the best part of the entire series. Not only are her moments a great source of memes, but her portrayal as a telepath brought this series even more greatness. Anya is my favorite in the series, and I wouldn't be surprised if she is the breakout character of the anime. As for the other characters, all of them were elegantly done. Yes, that pun was intended. However, one of the members of the cast named Yuri was annoying. I believe his character is handled decently in appearance, but I didn't like his sis-con towards Yor, as it only creeps me out instead of being funny. Not only is the character design for this series drawn neatly, but the voice acting is one of the best I've heard this season. Everyone sounds amazingly voiced by well-known voice actors such as Takuya Eguchi and Saori Hayami. But Atusmi Tanezaki deserves my respect to voice Anya in a different tone, unlike her other characters' vocal range. On a separate note, I love how Loid and Yor's voice actors are the same as Hachiman and Yukino from Oregairu.
To my initial surprise, the two studios that animated Spy x Family were both Wit Studio and Cloverworks. With the former keeping a good track record of well-animated series and the latter recently producing beautifully handled anime last season. Whenever Wit Studio animated, the fluidity of the action scenes and visuals were as great as in their previous works. For Cloverworks, they did a great job with the tinier details, such as the expression on Loid's eyes in episode two. Understandably, the anime's consistency between the action and school scenes would result in less animated content, but I found it enjoyable regardless of the animation standards. I believe they did an incredible job taking the source material from one chapter and fleshing it out into an enjoyable episode to watch beyond simple animation standards. I'm happy Wit Studio is still in business, and I appreciate Cloverworks taking their time with the pacing.
I love the music direction they went for this adaptation. At times, it heavily represents the spy aspect for Loid while having intense music for the action scenes and light-hearted music for when the family is together. The usage of the melody for each moment can fit in with the anime's atmosphere during specific moments. Among all the songs in the first part of the anime, the insert song "TBD" is my favorite because of how used during episode five. For the opening song, "Mixed Nuts" by Official Hige Dandism, not only was it catchy, but the use of instruments describes how chaotic the series is in a nutshell, as well as how the tone change makes the opening even more memorable. The ending song, "Comedy" by Gen Hoshino, is one of my favorite anime ending songs this season. Its calm tone expresses how wholesome the anime can be while maintaining a gentle beat. Both opening and ending music were my favorite songs to listen to this season, and the melody was perfect for them.
Overall, Spy x Family lived up to the hype manga readers produced, and the production gave justice to the source material. Not only were the music and animation incredible, but the characterization of Loid, Yor, and Anya all have great chemistry with each other, which sets the stage for any future possible endings when the series reaches that point. With the way the first cour ended, I look forward to seeing how Wit Studio and Cloverworks continue the second half later this fall. Thank you, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, for your incredible directing, and I hope you'll continue to make Spy x Family a great shounen to watch. For now, I'll continue to feel "waku waku" towards the entire series for each chapter and episode of the manga and anime.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jun 16, 2022
Spoiler Warning:
I shouldn't have judged this anime by its cover when the trailer first came out. "Ya Boy Kongming" was unexpectedly a surprise to watch. Not only was the concept strange at first, but by some miracle, it worked out incredibly well. Not only was its premise engaging throughout watching the twelve episodes, but it also reminded me how much I love music in any media, from anime to video games, and continuing the list from there. Witnessing the first three episodes aired in the beginning motivated me to continue this series, and it's worth watching this season. With that, here are some of the
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things Ya Boy Kongming did that I enjoyed the most.
The anime's plot was first about reincarnation, but more like a reverse isekai situation combined with the aspects of the singer/idol industry. At first, it was strange watching a Chinese tactician getting reborn in the modern world, but towards the second episode, it made me realize that this series is so much more than just that. As for the music concept of this anime, it feels like it's brought to life when it's animated, giving life to the music sung by the characters. In a way, it also does a good job accurately portraying the music industry, especially towards the latter half of the series. Even though I don't know much about the music industry, I feel that the anime sets realistic standards for the protagonists by not making them magically achieve everything in twelve episodes. But by showing how important hard work can be, I'm proud that the heroine was able to accomplish another big step toward her goal. With the way the anime concluded, I would be excited if they announced a season two with enough source material to animate.
The anime's story is simple to understand, Chinese tactician Kongming, getting reborn into his younger years in modern-day Japan. Along the way, he meets a woman who's trying her best to become a famous performer, so he helps her to achieve her dream. Along the way, Kongming uses many stratagems to help her succeed as she makes friends with certain people that help her become a better singer. Finally, the overall goal motivates the heroine to stand out as a singer. Overall, all of these concepts may be simple, but it gets straight to the point, and the pacing of all the events is well done. However, the story itself is just that but adds some breath-relieving moments to calm down the tension now and then. What I love most about this anime is the payoff the heroine gets when she prepares for a significant event, and it succeeds thanks to her and Kongming's efforts. As a former high school singer, I understand how much she went through to make it this far into the music world, and I could feel it through her songs.
Out of everything that intrigued me, the characters and their development were a secondary factor that motivated me to continue watching this anime and forget that the overall concept of its premise was confusing at first. I'll be honest, seeing how the anime portrayed Kongming made me somewhat curious about The Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. And it was surprisingly accurate to events during that period. Among all the characters, Eiko is my favorite, mainly because of her perseverance as a rising star, but the way she sings helps other characters with their development. With that, I believe that Eiko will become one of the candidates for "best girl" this season. As for the other characters, especially Kabetaijin and Nanami, their inclusion in this anime made it even better, with Kabe's rap battles and Nanami's backstory as a performer. This anime did an incredible job at making them key factors for Eiko to achieve her goal for the anime's remainder, as their influence also shows how Eiko develops as a character and a singer. When it comes to music genres, it portrays how each character is suited for each type of song, and they all complement the story favorably. All while revealing that everything was planned using Kongming's high intelligence, showing how important he is still to the story while working out his tactics off-screen most of the time.
Considering the previous P.A. Works anime I've watched, this didn't have as much unique animation as those works. However, that doesn't mean it's hard to watch. At times, the quality of the visuals fits the atmosphere given whenever a performance was occurring, such as the moving transition between angles when Eiko sang in episode two. The best part of P.A. Works's consistency was the expressions and choreography, mainly how it does a good job bringing the characters to life along with their voice actors. As the animation made the characters stand out, even more, as it goes well with the art direction for each location that scenes take place in, making any moment a character sings feel more magical to listen to every time. Despite not reading the manga, I feel like the coloring for the location of each performance brought even more life into the anime, making it stand out for that factor.
The music is a crucial part of this anime, as not only does it have a catchy opening and closing song, but the soundtrack throughout each episode plays an important role. For the songs with vocal singers, such as 96neko singing for Eiko, the way she sings does a great job singing whenever the music plays. Her songs, such as "Be Crazy for Me," not only demonstrate good use of English, but the appropriate usage of her singing makes each song in this series resonate within my heart, and I commend the anime for doing that. As for the rest of the soundtrack, they were phenomenal. So much so that I quietly applauded after every moment any of the characters performed. The opening song is a cover of the original version used for the anime, containing a catchy beat, which motivated me to watch this after the first three episodes already aired. As for the ending song, I love how the melody stays consistent and that it eventually continues to grow throughout each character introduction, mainly with Kabe and Nanami singing giving the music even more flare. My thoughts on most songs are a mix between energetic and bittersweet as it portrays the atmosphere of specific episodes.
Overall, "Ya Boy Kongming!" is easily a hidden gem of the Spring 2022 season, and I don't regret watching this at all. Not only was the music and animation beautiful to witness, but the characterization of the cast impressed me with how far P.A. Works went with this adaptation. I thank Honma Osamu for his stellar directing. As well as Hikota Genki for his incredible soundtrack played in each episode. Without them, this wouldn't have been special for me to watch. This adaptation is hands down one of my favorite music anime, and I'm hoping the series will get a second season in the future.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Apr 1, 2022
Spoiler Warning:
Once again, it's time for another re-review, this time with the second part of this anime. Part two of The Case Study of Vanitas blew my expectations away from the first half of the series. The way the production for this series functions made me realize many aspects of this anime that I missed in my previous review. The concept of vampire anime never interested me, and after the second part, I can now say that this series is, by far, the most intriguing vampire anime I've ever watched. From here, I will further explain what the series did great and what the anime
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could improve on in the future with its production.
Continuing from the first part of the anime, the second half focuses on a different area that introduces more characters who play significant roles for most of the episodes. Once the first half of the second part ends, it then returns to Paris to focus on developing the primary cast even further. What the anime does right is the emotional and dark tone of the characters' backstories, showcasing how tragic their lives were when they were younger. The execution of those backstories is so well done that they make us feel sympathy since certain flashbacks are hard to watch, and this anime did an incredible job with that aspect. While I find the comedy part of the anime to be a good point of relief, it can sometimes be overused, removing tension from serious scenes at times. Even though it didn't bother me, what somewhat surprised me was the anime's pacing. Unlike the first half, the second half was a little fast-paced, cutting out certain parts from the manga to adapt the entire thing in just twelve episodes.
The story itself resumes Vanitas and Noe's journey to Gevaudan to learn more about a beast residing in said location. After a while, the primary cast struggles through many obstacles and eventually saves the two characters in that arc, allowing them to live in peace. For the remainder of the second half, the anime further dives into the backstories behind the main characters and later adds tons of intense and dark moments to make each episode more notable. At first, I thought this series was only about two vampires that bicker with each other working together, but the expansion of the characters made the anime even more intriguing to watch. The fact that each of the primary cast has their characters expanded makes is what made me love this anime. Considering the events during the final episodes, I'm intrigued to see how the story will continue to unravel after everything we witnessed in the finale. If everything in the story gets written neatly, then this could be one of Jun Mochizuki's masterpieces, but for now, all we have to do is wait.
As usual, everyone in this series is still enjoyable to watch. Even with all the introductions to brand new characters, what makes each one of them intriguing is their chemistry between one. The romance between Vanitas and Jeanne is one of my favorite character interactions. Seeing as though they developed genuine feelings for each other is reassuring to watch. Another well-written chemistry is between Vanitas and Noe. Even though they dislike each other, they still work together. Such moments are why I find them one of my favorite anime duos. As for the backstories of certain characters, such as Domi, not only does it expand on how they truly feel on the inside, but it shows how tragic it was as well. After watching each backstory, I felt sad that they went through such pain, and some characters like Vanitas went through even worse hell. Overall, the balance between the comedic and tragic moments is done neatly. I believe that such a combination of those genres can put us at ease after enduring the painful past of each of the characters.
The animation in this adaptation itself focuses more on the visuals in most scenes than the action scenes. After watching both types of those scenes in the anime, the former is what Bones did better in terms of its quality. That said, even though the fight scenes were smooth, I felt like the visuals in them were also the best part, as it shows just how beautiful the anime is when it features those moments. On a separate note, whenever there's a comedic moment, I love how most of the characters become chibi and describe how funny each scene is when it is animated. Even though the animation was wonky at times, it's still well animated for most anime moments. Once again, this anime's strong point is the breathtaking visuals, such as whenever the Book of Vanitas is used by the said character himself. I know that Bones still gave this series justice, and I look forward to seeing future series animated by them.
I love the music composed in this series. I never mentioned it before, but the one that created the soundtrack for this anime is none other than the famous Yuki Kajiura. It only took me a few songs to realize that she made the music, and it matches the anime's atmosphere so much, and they sound incredible. By far, the pieces: Destiny Waltz and Inverse operation are my favorite OSTs in this anime. Kajiura did a splendid job composing each song, and it matches the vibes of each area perfectly. The opening song, Your Name by Little Glee Monster, took a little while for it to grow on me. But I find it to match the winter vibes that took place in the first half of the anime's second part as well as how it also came out during the winter 2022 season. The ending song, Salvation by MONONKVL, is not only a catchy song, but it also foreshadows what will come in anime when future chapters are eventually adapted.
Despite the many flaws in this adaption of Mochizuki's work, The Case Study of Vanitas as a whole is a work of art. From the character expansions to the change in tone, this anime took me by surprise and is one of the best anime that studio Bones ever adapted. The beauty in the visuals and soundtrack were breathtaking, and it works well for the content of this series. Even though the anime adapted almost the entire manga, I'm nervous the anime might go the same route Black Butler took with its second season. Even though it may take years for another season to come, I hope a second season gets announced with enough source material in the future. I'm looking forward to seeing how the characters will continue this incredible story from this point onward.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 24, 2022
Spoiler Warning:
Whenever I think of the phrase, "Never judge a book by its cover," this anime will always come to mind. Ranking of Kings was an experience I never expected to be good, but now, I understand that I truly love this anime to bits. There were so many incredible moments that made me tear up and cheer for the protagonist to achieve his dreams, which made this anime even better. Even though I never read the web manga it came from, Ranking of Kings is one of the rare moments an anime is better than the said manga. There are many things the
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anime did incredible with while occasionally having its flaws.
So many events occurred in both cours of the anime that each had their moments of excitement. At the same time, it was heartbreaking, showing the audience why this anime got classified as a seinen series. The central moral that I noticed is never giving up on your dreams and achieving them despite the challenging obstacles. Throughout the series, the anime progresses from the protagonist getting mocked for his physical disabilities to earning respect from the entire kingdom for his brave actions towards the series's climax. What this anime did phenomenal on is the backstories of many central characters. They all connected perfectly and made the story even more intriguing to learn about other characters' perspectives. However, the double-edged sword in this anime was giving characters who committed unforgivable acts redemption. Although they suffered, the fact that they get off the hook seems unrealistic, but I can somewhat understand why they would go that route. The overall pacing combined with these aspects is neatly done, and I enjoyed seeing all of them watching this anime.
The story primarily focused on the main protagonist's growth as a person and as the prince of his kingdom. In the beginning, there were many character introductions, showing what the characters appear to be like, but in reality, they act differently from their appearances. After the smooth beginning, the anime progresses to the protagonist's training arc, the chaos begins to bloom back in the central kingdom, which sets the tone for the second half of the anime. Despite the slow pacing for the second half, it gave the series its share fair of justice. Even though some parts of the second half were slowly paced at times, what they did right was the emotional impact that it left on the audience. The emotional backstories and the motivations on both sides made this anime a roller coaster of emotions, making each episode worth watching. As for the ending itself, I loved how it ended, and if they continue to make a second season from there, I would be down to watch it.
What I loved the most about Ranking of Kings is the characterization of the central cast. Not only are their designs give off reminders of Studio Ghibli movies, but it also takes the phrase, "Never judge a book by its cover" very seriously. The protagonist, Bojji, is one of the most relatable anime characters I've ever seen. Even though I'm not deaf like him, seeing Bojji working hard to save his kingdom brought me to tears, as I can personally relate to his journey. His progression to one of the strongest characters in the series made him one of my favorite anime protagonists of all time. Another character, Kage, although he seemed evil at first, he eventually became a great friend for Bojji, always being by his side, and became one of my favorite anime duos to date. As for the other characters, such as Queen Hilling may look mean, but they have endearing sides to them that made their characters more likable. As for the villain, Miranjo, I feel like her redemption wasn't the best, but with time, it could be worth it, but I still don't forgive her for causing the anime's events, even before it occurred. Overall, the central cast in the anime is one of my favorites in terms of characterization, and I loved how they did this route for them.
I was not expecting the animation and the visuals to look amazing, but Wit Studio was able to make it work for the art style. The fluid animation during the action scenes and the colors for this anime was a sight to behold. It easily matches the tone for both parts of the anime, and I enjoyed how much love it got. However, I felt like the animation for the second half was decently done, but it's understandable as Wit Studio is still going through financial problems. Aside from that, the quality was consistent, rarely any mistakes, and gave the right impact for when there were fight scenes in a few episodes, such as episode 21, which I consider to be the best episode in the series. Thank you, Wit Studio for animating this series, and Vivy. I enjoyed your animation so much, and you're my favorite anime studio ever.
The music in this anime was consistent for when the tone for each scene was right, either making it emotional or intense. It matches the fantasy and medieval theme Ranking of Kings has and made me feel like I was also in that world. The opening and ending songs were phenomenal, combined with the stellar animation. For the first half of the anime, Boy by King Gnu matches Bojji's character in terms of tune and is easy to listen to whenever it plays. The ending song, Oz by Yama, is beautiful, making the music sound emotional, showing how much emotional impact is for the anime. In the second half, Naked Hero by Vaundy and Flare by Milet matched the change in tone the anime took smoothly and sounds incredible to listen with the beautiful visuals used for the openings and endings. Each song has its moments, and they all suit the entire series to a T.
Overall, Ranking of Kings is another masterpiece created by Wit Studio, and I'm glad I didn't skip this series last fall. Even though there were slight flaws in the anime, it also matches the moral of how you can be amazing even with those flaws. Thank you, Yousuke Hatta and Makoto Fuchigami, for directing this adaptation and Jefferson Melo for the incredible writing. Watching this anime meant a lot to me, and I will dearly miss this series so much. Even if they decide to release a second season, I was satisfied to experience this masterclass anime until the very end.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 19, 2022
Spoiler Warning:
There were many things I realized throughout my time watching this second half of this series, so I want to give Eighty-Six a re-review, this time going into better detail. This series is a masterpiece, everything about it was phenomenal, from the storytelling to the animation and music, and I regret not acknowledging the little details. I now understand that this is more than just a simple mecha anime. This anime adaptation had so many intense yet realistic moments, and the aspects that relate to reality are perfect in terms of story direction. Although the number of delays during this second half was ridiculous,
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the wait was worth it. For now, here's how I felt throughout my time watching Eighty-Six.
First off, I'd like to show my respect to the incredible director, Toshimasa Ishii, for directing this phenomenal adaptation and for everything he's done with the series so far. The portrayal of racial discrimination still lingers with this series, and I found it portrayed perfectly, making it similar to the real world's situations. The amount of emotion-driven moments made this anime what it is: a roller coaster of emotions. The writing in this series is some of the best I've ever heard, taking in the representation of human emotions the characters feel throughout the episodes and making the content so well done in that field. The voice acting also made the characters feel like they came to life with their raw emotions during the remaining episodes. The events from the first half to the second half are connected perfectly, and the way the season ends is beautiful. I am excited to see what will happen next in the future.
The story for the second half of Eighty-Six continues from the cliffhanger last spring. The anime also continues to focus on two sides of the story. It expands further into the war with the antagonistic force in the series. However, another primary plot point the anime takes note of is the male protagonist's continuing character arc. During the anime's second half, it focused on Shin finding his reason to live, even after the events of the first part. The story is incredibly realistic, showing what war is like, even if it involves AI as the central force of good and evil. Many moments made this anime shine, such as a massive battle that even outshines the previous half. The season's climax is easily one the most anticipated moments to be animated, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Combined with the two-month delay, the final two episodes were the best in the series. Everything about that part of the story is incredible. Here's hoping that the source material will give its justice when the later volumes of the light novel get adapted.
Even though many new characters were introduced, their spotlight was easily stolen from the returning cast. Most of the character's designs are still as beautiful and realistic as it originally was in the first part. However, the primary characters that stole the show are Shin and Lena. Shin himself is easily one of the most well-written characters in the show, portraying his character arc perfectly. Shin finding his reason to keep on living is inspiring in its own right personally, and it's also relatable to certain people as they want to know what they want to achieve in their lives. Even though he's serious most of the time and tends to go crazy during battle, it was still intense to see him overcoming his obstacles, but it's worth the content to see him find happiness. As for Lena, her character development deserves respect, even if it was off-screen most of the time. Despite having the same personality at times, she now found her resolve, earning her the nickname: Bloody Reina. Seeing those two finally meet was done so beautifully, and it was worth over twenty episodes of waiting to see the potential for their character arcs to improve in future seasons. As for the other characters, I wish they received an equal amount of character development as Shin and Lena, but there's always next time, which shouldn't be a problem.
Even though I felt like the anime should've aired during 2022, the animation during the exciting moments of the series gave it the justice it deserves. The usage of CGI is one of my favorites in anime, and it's not looking out of place with the background and was smooth in the final product. The visuals in this adaptation, primarily the ones in the eleventh episode are so done beautifully at times. At times the visuals look beautiful, but depending on the location of each episode, there is so much more meaning to it. A common thing that appears in the anime is spider lilies, which portray death, foreshadowing character deaths. However, it doesn't always mean that, and I liked it very much. The bars made the anime feel like a cinematic experience, but it also relates to Shin realizing his reason to live, with him meeting Lena for the first time. At first, the bars are black, but once Lena steps into them, it turns white, then fades away, giving Shin even more character development. Overall, the animation made this Eighty-Six improve even more to become gorgeous in terms of quality.
I'll be honest, I never realized that Hiroyuki Sawano composed the soundtrack, but it was one of the most emotional music I've listened to in anime. The moments the soundtrack was used in each episode made it feel like it was worth the delays we had to endure. Even though one of his songs sounds similar to the first opening, it still sounds beautiful, giving the last two episodes justice from waiting two months for its arrival. The opening and ending did incredible with expressing the same tone the anime contains. The beginning song for the opening animation matches with the struggles the cast of Eighty-Six endures, but the way it ends makes it feel like they'll reach their happiness after overcoming many hardships. The ending sets the stage for the next part of the anime, but the raw emotions in the singer's voice were powerful that it made my heart tremble at least once.
Overall, everything about Eighty-Six is a masterpiece. The storytelling and writing are some of the best I've seen in anime adaptations. The animation and music made each scene perfectly. It's been a long time since I've seen a good mecha anime, and this series may be my favorite in the whole genre. Despite the delays in production issues, the anime adaptation gave justice to the source material, and I look forward to seeing how Shin and Lena's relationship will kick off in the future. A-1 Pictures, you better make better production decisions for future anime, and please make more seasons for Eighty-Six, it deserves to be successful.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 29, 2021
Spoiler Warning:
I swear anime titles are getting even more of a mouthful to say. Banished from the Hero's Party (etc.) is an underrated fantasy anime that doesn't feature any isekai aspects. This mix of action and slice-of-life was unique since most anime in the fantasy genre rarely touch on the concept of a slow and quiet life these days. However, that doesn't mean that they don't work the combination of those genres made this series enjoyable. With those in mind, these are the parts of the anime that I liked and what could've been improved more.
The plot focused on two stories at once, the Hero
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and her former party member living their lives. Even though the main protagonist got kicked out of the hero's party, I like how they managed to supplement it, showcasing how he focused on his retirement from his heroic life after getting banished. From that beginning, the story introduces the other central female protagonist, and things start to get interesting there. Eventually, the hero's journey and the couple's developing relationship merge into one story. I loved how they managed to do that, but the pacing for those events seemed off at times, especially with the action scenes, and it left out a bit of detail from the source material. There were some unanswered questions left out from the thirteen episodes, and I wished they could've covered most of those parts of the anime. Nevertheless, the slice-of-life features can be considered the best aspect of this series.
In terms of the story, it's simple, from the long title. The main protagonist got banished from the hero's party, so he decides to live a quiet life in the countryside for his retirement. Throughout the thirteen episodes, the primary focus was the protagonist taking his banishment into stride and eventually getting to live with a beautiful warrior who wanted to be with him. Soon, their relationship blossomed quickly, and the two reunited with the hero, who's also the protagonist's sister. Overall, the story of Red and Ruti was an intriguing part of the series, as it reminds me of a double-sided story eventually merging into one whole plot in total. Once again, it's rare for fantasy anime to also be a slice-of-life series, but it works out so well. I enjoyed how they eventually reunited with each other and let the hero be free. However, the only part that I didn't find most of the action scenes enjoyable, as they were underwhelming at times, and the time I got to know the main couple made me look forward to their wholesome story than any more exciting parts.
For the characters, I loved seeing the relationship between Red and Rit getting developed at a nice pace throughout the episodes. I'll be entirely honest, I felt kind of jealous at the chemistry they had, and it reminded me that single, but I still liked their relationship. You can say that their love is the one thing that kept the interest in this anime alive. In terms of character development, Ruti had the best one in the series. It's a nice change to see that the hero needed to save the world doesn't want to be that person, and I'm so glad that Ruti achieved freedom from her blessing in the end. The character design is generic to other fantasy anime, as it features goblins, elves, and even hybrid monsters, which is nothing new to me. However, one of the character designs was changed from the manga from a demonic woman to a goat, and I felt disappointed how they made that decision. Overall, the characters were very endearing, and seeing how much impact they had on Ruti and how the Red's influence is crucial to her life was bittersweet. Red and Rit are definitely in the contender for best anime couple of fall season. And it was surprising to see their relationship eventually reaching to doing the deed, which is rare for me in other anime.
My one main criticism is the quality of the animation. I understand that a slice-of-life series wouldn't be too flashy, but the action scenes are another story. I've never heard of the studios that animated this series, but the fight scenes were too underwhelming to me. The fluidity for those action scenes got cut into slideshow animation at times. But not as much, but this adaptation got created that way due to the budget for the series. Ironically, the slice-of-life moments between Red and Rit were oddly well animated, which is strange, but I didn't complain about it at all. If this anime gets a second season, I hope the animation quality can improve, even if it's a tiny bit of it.
The soundtrack for this series is generic. As someone who watched tons of fantasy anime, it's nothing special at times. For both the opening and the ending song, they both match the theme of the anime. Just listening to those songs put me at ease, and I loved how it sets the tone for what to expect for each episode. The opening described how Red and Rit will get to experience the start of a new day while living with each other. The ending felt like the end of the day, and the main couple will eventually take it easy for the remainder of their time together. If this series had more action, then those songs would be out of place with the vibe of the anime. In short, the music was a nice change of pace to the other anime music I've heard this season.
Overall, Banished from the Hero's Party is an underrated fantasy anime that did a great job developing the relationship between Red and Rit. It also did a great job portraying Ruti's character development, allowing her to achieve freedom from her Hero's Blessing. The soundtrack and animation isn't the best part of the anime, but I still enjoyed how decent it was, and there is still room for improvements in those aspects. I'm relieved that this series isn't an isekai because I'm starting to get tired of watching many of those despite them being goated. The mix of fantasy and slice-of-life genres in this anime is well done. From how Red and Rit's relationship got further, I'm interested in a second season to see how the story will progress from there.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 23, 2021
Spoiler Warning:
The long-awaited anime adaption we've all been waiting for and did not disappoint one bit. Komi Can't Communicate hits on a wholesome level with all the cuteness that this show produces and how it gives Komi her character development in the process. I can relate to Komi as I also struggle to make friends during my life, so this review may include my personal feelings about the struggles she went through. With the combination of the slice-of-life genre and a bit of romance between the central pair featured, this series became set up to be one of the more notable media in the genre.
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With that, here are the likes and dislikes I had for the anime adaption of Komi Can't Communicate.
The plot centers around the central male character helping out Komi-san overcome her communication disorder while also trying to accomplish her dream of making one hundred friends. Throughout each episode, it showcases the types of friends that she befriends first, even if the cast of this anime is too eccentric most of the time. As she makes friends, Komi also gets to experience youth as a high schooler that she rarely got to enjoy in the past. Even though the pacing for each episode may be too rushed, the chapters from the manga are short. So it makes sense for each event to cut right to the chase. Seeing Komi's progress from each episode is endearing as she is continuing to improve on herself, even if she struggles with her communication disorder most of the time. The only past I didn't like was how the entire school treats Komi. I get that she has a great character design, but she should still receive treatment like a regular girl instead of the school's madonna.
The story is pretty generic, as it focuses on Komi meeting the central male protagonist who learns of her predicament in a prestigious school filled with eccentric students. However, the entire school fawns over her because of how beautiful they find her, so they give Komi special treatment, even though it frightens her. While I liked the aspect of the protagonist helping Komi make a hundred friends, the rest of the events in the anime is too generic. However, to overcome the events' simplicity, Komi's influence on anyone that looks at her makes those events interesting to watch. I also liked how the main protagonist gives Komi the chance to act like a regular girl for once. The concept of getting special treatment and getting the opportunity to be like a simple girl was the best part of the story, in my opinion. In the future, I hope there will be a time where Komi will continue to receive simple student treatment instead because the unnecessary madonna treatment is already getting old.
The characters in this anime adaptation were unique when they receive voices to make them come to life. First off, one of the main protagonists, Tadano is probably the only student that treats Komi like a regular girl. His impact on Komi's life is the most wholesome and endearing moment in the whole anime. At times, there is a romance between Tadano and Komi, but it slowly develops until the moment is perfect for a confession. As for the titular character, Komi, her character design is beautiful, but her personality is adorable. Her character development may be slow, but getting to she her learning how to experience her high school youth sets her apart from the rest of the main cast. On a separate note, I love how they give her voice actress "the Nezuko treatment" to add a bit of humor to her character. As for the rest of the cast, their personalities are as unique as their design. I felt like Najimi is the breakout character for the series for how lovable they are as a source of comic relief. However, the yandere of the anime, Yamai Ren, is the worst character in the series, especially her never stopping her simping for Komi. In total, all of the characters were interesting except for her.
The animation itself gave the manga the justice it deserves. I'm surprised that OLM was the same studio that animated Pokemon, but I should be since they did a great job animating Odd Taxi. I loved the manga vibe they kept, making most of the scenes hilarious and informing at the same time. However, because this anime is part of the Netflix jail, the translation is terrible, so the fansubs on anime sites are way better to watch this anime. As for the way the studio animated the cast, the character designs made the characters look cuter and made their expressiveness intriguing to watch. However, the animation's peak for this series is the opening and ending song music videos. Both of them look straight out of a movie, and I love it so much. As for everything else, the manga vibe is the best, and I hope they stay consistent with it in the future.
I loved the music played for the beginning and ending songs from the first season. For the opening, not only does it sync with the animation, but the tone and lyrics for the beat itself match the theme for Komi Can't Communicate. The singer also sang the third ending for Fire Force, so their general tone matches how Komi wants to make many friends and overcome her communication disorder. The ending song quiets down the hype from each episode while showing the friends Komi made as a result. Both of those songs sound beautiful while matching the tone that the anime adaptation gave off after a long wait for its release at the same time.
Overall, Komi Can't Communicate inspired me to overcome my difficulties making friends, understanding that it's not impossible to make a goal come true. The anime gave the manga its justice from the animation, music, and even the manga vibes it kept when it got animated. Some of the students may be annoying with them simping over Komi, but some of their voice actors made them sound fun and intriguing to see how they'll match their personalities. Even though I don't have a communication disorder, I understand how Komi feels, which is why I found this series to be a masterpiece in the making. I'm excited to see how the romance between Tadano and Komi will develop, and I look forward to the second season releasing next year in spring.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 22, 2021
Spoiler Warning:
It took a lot of convincing but watching this series was intriguing, despite Rui Tsukiyo's more infamous work. The World's Finest Assassin may have one of the mouthful titles in Japanese media to date. However, the concept for the story is different than other isekai series. This anime can be a hit-or-miss depending on the content, and it has its positive and negative aspects the anime adaptation is known for in this season. I was ready to drop this anime, but I eventually stuck to it in the end, and I found it to be a unique change of pace among other isekais. With
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that, here are the good and the bad that I found in this assassin isekai.
The plot is very intriguing as the protagonist's goal isn't becoming a hero and saving the world from a demon lord, but to assassinate said hero to prevent that world's destruction. The central aspect of this anime is the protagonist's buildup from specific events in his new life that allows him to develop his assassin skills. It focuses on the protagonist becoming an assassin and an aristocrat while gaining knowledge from those titles to improve his plan. The pacing was decent, showing tidbits of the protagonist's previous life and eventually moving forward with his new life in another world. I'm very interested in seeing a prologue series on the world's finest assassin, as well as looking forward to seeing how further in the story will get progressed. Even though the Hero assassin plot point is going slowly, I'm hoping this anime sticks with that aspect to keep the anime consistent. In total, I loved how the story's central goal is the opposite of what a generic isekai would contain.
The story itself is simple from reading the title. The world's finest assassin from earth dies an unexpected death and gets reincarnated in another world as part of an aristocratic family. After the prologue, the anime shows the protagonist learning how to assassinate his targets while understanding his feelings from his previous life. During each of the episodes, the protagonist meets three girls, who he developed a connection in those episodes. Eventually, they were considered his tools, except for one of them. Although I'm still anticipating for the hero to have more importance, I found the plot points in this first season to be unique even without the hero's reveal in the last episode. However, I also found the story too generic as the protagonist is similar to other fantasy anime protagonists in terms of power scaling. But I still had no problem with it at the same time. With the way the story in the first season ended, I hope there's a second season to show more on the hero and why they're a massive threat to the fantasy world.
The characters have their charm in terms of their character traits and importance to the story. I love the character designs in this anime, especially with how their eyes are colored. For the main protagonist, Lugh, not only does he have that drip, his personality has its moments. At times, he acts calm and composed when planning his assassins, but he also breaks character whenever he's around the three girls occasionally. The other three girls, Dia, Tarte, and Maha, not only have unique designs, but their backstories are intriguing as well. One is royalty, while the other two had to endure hardships until they met Lugh. However, the relationship between some of them can be controversial, especially Dia and Maha being somewhat related to Lugh, even though they aren't blood-related. However, I liked how Lugh has his standards as he loves Dia but still treats Tarte and Maha with respect as his comrades. Overall, the characters' backstories are tragic, and their likeability is consistent throughout the show.
The animation is questionable at specific parts of the anime. One of the studios, Silver Link, is well known for other fantasy anime, but their quality for this series wasn't the best. At times, the animation is incredible for the magic, but at the same time, the use of CGI for the horses and the knights was awful. However, there were certain moments where the CGI was done right, such as the missiles shot, but it still wasn't enough. For some reason, the lack of lining around the characters bothered me, but it still wasn't as bad as it looked. The only thing that needs to be improved is the consistency of good animation, but if the CGI is necessary for living this, I understand since those may be hard to animate in 2D.
The reason why I got into watching this isekai is by how amazing the music is, mainly the opening. The soundtrack during the episodes, they were pretty generic. Each of the music sounds like any fantasy anime, but at the same time, it made some references to the title card sound that plays in Dr. Stone. However, the opening is a different matter compared to this anime's soundtrack. The opening song sounds incredible, the beat and the vibe it had is similar to K-Pop music, and it was catchy at the same time. The fact that it also got me to repeat the song multiple times shows how much of a masterpiece it is with each play. The ending song is more peaceful as it calms the anime down. Because it focused on Dia, it had a relaxing tone which also contains a note change to show how each episode changes Dia's face in that ending.
Overall, The World's Finest Assassin is a generic yet intriguing fantasy isekai created to date. The soundtrack sounds incredible, and the characters are intriguing to watch. The only things I wish were that the animation and certain parts of the story could've been better, but some aspects may be hard to fix for the studio. Aside from those flaws, this isekai has the potential to develop into a finer story and grab the attention of those who love watching anime such as this. With the way this anime ended, I'm hoping a second season gets revealed soon to explain more about the Hero and continue Lugh's plan to assassinate them.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 21, 2021
Spoiler Warning:
If you think about it, this anime is nothing more than a prologue to the gacha game coming next year. Takt op Destiny was a double edge sword as it can be either liked or hated depending on its content. Aside from the questionable story choices, the collaboration between Mappa and Madhouse was a feast for the eyes. For an anime original, this anime has difficulties for others to watch. I enjoyed it, even though the anime's flaws are too noticeable at certain times.
The plot and its events were a mix in between intriguing and generic at times. I loved the concept of
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a music-based action anime and found it unique, especially how the Musicarts are after famous pieces. The world-building in this anime wasn't my favorite. Even though it took place in America, I didn't find it interesting as I am an American, so I already know what those areas would be like when they get revealed. The goal of reaching New York while fighting D2s was generic that it gets repetitive over time, but the anime was able to make the fight scenes look incredible. Even though I liked the battles, the other events, such as villain reveals and their motives in the past are pretty bad. The writing for those reveals could've been better, but I wish the villains weren't too generic as it was too obvious from their status. Many plotholes were left untouched, but I believe that the game will explain them more thoroughly.
Despite enjoying the story of Takt op Destiny, it is the weakest part of the entire series if not understood properly. The plot of Takt op Destiny focuses on the main protagonist, along with his Musicart and childhood friend reaching New York while hoping to bring back music. And to accomplish that goal, he must defeat the D2s in the process. At the beginning of the series, many tragedies occurred around the protagonist's life, and it was the cause of his journey. Towards the end, it's a final battle set up for the game with some high-quality animation, lots of character development, and death flags. The story started strong, but its quality decreased as each episode was released. While I found the story to be action-packed and emotion-driven, I enjoyed all the music-related substance to be enjoyable and its ending to a great prologue to the story to come in the Takt op game.
The characters are a hit or miss, but I found their interaction with each other good. The designs for them look amazing, especially the Musicarts. The central trio of Takt, Destiny, and Anna was fun to watch, plus their appearances are well-detailed. At this point, the character designs by Mappa are starting to become more notable to me, but I don't have a problem with it. As for the other characters, such as Lenny and Titan, both of them were the best designs in the entire series, plus their personalities made them an instant fan-favorite to me. In terms of the villains, their outfits look cool, but their motives for being evil didn't agree with my standards. The only negative aspect of the character interactions is the confusion related to relationships. Even though Anna is a good character, her kissing Takt made no sense as there was no romance in their relationship one bit. The character development for Destiny was the best part of her partnership with Takt as she became more human emotionally while maintaining her kuudere character trait. Overall, the design is incredible, but the interaction is debatable based on specific characters.
The animation was the carrying force that kept the hype for Takt op Destiny alive. Because Mappa and Madhouse collaborated, the fight scenes were smooth and straight to the point. Its visuals for the energy attacks were breathtaking and show how supernatural Musicarts are in the anime. At times, some of the non-action parts were stiff, such as Takt's piano playing. But it might have been complex to animate that, but the CGI for Takt playing the piano was implemented neatly. Overall, the visuals and animation in the action scenes are the best part of the anime, and it made up for the decent story we received. Here's hoping that Mappa will continue to animate future anime like that and for Madhouse to stay in that level of animation quality.
The music is a crucial part of the series. Along with the many references to famous pieces, such as Beethoven's music, the soundtrack for the anime was phenomenal. The sound design is incredible, and the concept of music itself was another carrying factor of the anime. The opening is peak fiction, starting quiet, then transitioning to an exciting tone. That part of the opening is the best and is my favorite part of that song. The ending was more peaceful than the opening, but the transition from Cosette to Destiny is intriguing symbolism for acceptance, which matches the song's vibe. As someone who loved music anime such as Vivy, the soundtrack is already a masterpiece, as those songs were created by famous composers from the early decades.
Overall, Takt op Destiny had its issues, but in my opinion, I enjoyed this anime so much. The animation and soundtrack are spectacular, but the only thing that could've been better is the story. Many questions remain, but I look forward to those plotholes getting explained in the game. Even though this anime is hated by many fans, it can be considered the prologue for the game adaptation released in the future. Despite the NTR moments and cringy story choices, Takt op Destiny is an intriguing beginning that started strong but left everything for the game to complete the remainder of the story.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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