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Shigurui is not for the light-hearted. It's dark, violent, gore-y, rape-y and showcases the cruelty and callousness of humanity. You'll feel bad for some characters, possibly even root for them, and for others, hope for their downfall.

The plot is one of revenge, pride, and power. There's a lot of fodder characters who get slayed, but the core main characters are pretty interesting. We come to know their emotions and motives. Rather than a linear progression, the anime begins with an introduction of two handicapped samurai who are about to engage in battle, then the story follows their rivalry while meandering into backstories.

The traditional Japanese ... OST is excellent and totally sets the mood: amplifying the intensity of what is happening on the screen.

I enjoyed the suspense and uneasy intense atmosphere of Shigurui. Tedious at times, but it's a real slow burn that forces you to focus on the details. The fights and art were well done.

I don't recommend this anime to those who hate gore and slow burns.

The Promised Neverland ambitiously indulges in a multitude of genres: mystery, sci-fi, horror, thriller, action, fantasy. The arcs vary so much you wonder if it's the same manga.

One of the highlights of the introduction arc is the main trio. Emma, Norman, and Ray are interesting separately, but even more so when they are plotting together. They balance each other well: Emma who is kind-hearted and athletic, Norman who is intelligent and weak physically, and Ray who is cunning. In my opinion, the story suffers a little when Norman is shipped off and we don't see him on-screen for many chapters. Same thing happens later on ... when Ray becomes side-lined and more of a secondary character than primary. Anyway, I think Ray and Yugo had the best character developments (from isolated and thinking about one's self to sociable and concerned for others). To me, Emma is very much a Shonen MC, for better or worse. Meanwhile, most other characters remain static; they are easily influenced by Emma, Norman, or whoever is in charge, and their ambitions tend to remain as "let's protect our family" or "I hate demons" without self-evaluation.

Story: 6/10. While the initial arcs were 10/10, I found the final arc to be lacking. The bittersweet ending couldn't make up for the 'convenient' occurrences. Things just went too smoothly and there weren't high stakes like the Jailbreak arc.

Character: 7/10. Some interesting characters. Emma's courageous yet naive personality is pretty much what moves the plot along.

Art: 9/10.

Overall: 7/10.