first, make getting to the choices like "Episodes" watched easier to edit. i've only seen the first 3, of course.
S1 one started beautifully; one of the best first episodes ever. it kept its essential soul for most of the way, but became more and more of a battle series. S2 is nothing but a series of on-going fights made very confusing by characters coming and going. the main character? lost in the noise. the purpose of this series has disappeared: the pain of watching loved ones come and go. it's simply brought up and then tossed aside.
hugely disappointing.
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ok, somehow the site automatically thinks i've not
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Sep 21, 2022
Warau Arsnotoria Sun!
(Anime)
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This is an anime that rewards patience and a calm mind. This is not an action show; the plot is minimal. That is the case with the Monogatari franchise as well: a series in which story matters far less than presentation.
The artwork is gorgeous. The cute girls are very cute, and it matters little that what they do most is sit around, have tea and baked goods, and chat. There is just something about how it's done that makes this series work. The impending doom of the evil, murderous men that pop up now and then adds an edge to the show that cuts through any ... 
Aug 19, 2022
Hoshi no Samidare
(Anime)
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Yet another potentially good show that dragged itself into unwatchability.
The basic concept was pretty interesting: A threat hangs over the planet, and the girl swears to stop it so she can destroy the Earth instead. Her next door neighbor, another vapid boy with nothing in his life to give it meaning, decides to serve her. And he interits a supernatural lizard with no powers but who now declares the boy to be a knight of some kind. Turns out the knight’s only power is to run away from danger. And then more guys show up who want to fight, who oppose the girl, who are knights ... 
Jul 27, 2022
Kinsou no Vermeil: Gakeppuchi Majutsushi wa Saikyou no Yakusai to Mahou Sekai wo Tsukisusumu
(Anime)
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So, yea, expecting much of anything from this was a fool's errand, but the mutt-and-jeff trope can often lead to an enjoyable story. And I always live in hope that fantasy animes can provide some kind of fun and escape.
KnV was somewhat promising despite the ridiculous size of her breasts. Anime production is run primarily by grown men who are still 14-year-old horndogs inside. But what's pathetic, beyond the endless and pointless sexualization of female characters, is how cowardly they are. Not just in regard to Japan's idiotic laws and standards on what can be shown or not (is a pixelated penis somehow less "indecent" ... 
Jul 23, 2022
Engage Kiss
(Anime)
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I wanted to like this show, with the demon fighting demons. I was even willing to overlook how convoluted the plot was, with the whole thing about contracts with demons not being clearly explained and yet central to the story.
But in the end, I just could not take the stupid, hackneyed, cliched, and stupidly pointless menage-a-trios jealousy side story. "Hey, let's have adults in this story and have them act like 14-year-olds!" And everybody on the story committee, said "Wow. Brilliant. How fresh and innovative." If the show were better on other fronts, I could tolerate that. But it's not. It's a second-rate story, and ... 
May 11, 2022
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
(Anime)
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I generally enjoy KyoAni a lot, but one thing about this show just got to be too much: Yuuta resolves far too many of his own issues by hitting Rikka, repeatedly. yes, i know, it's just supposed to be silly and possibly cute. a random chop here & there is one thing; this is repeated, over and over. no idea why anyone thinks that kind of thing is fun or cute. it's gross, unncessary, and ruined this anime for me.
mal demands a longer review, but i've said all that i have to say about this. pretty stupid. but i'm used to mal having certain pointless ... 
Mar 11, 2022
As one reviewer put it, Cute girls doing cute things, and the cute thing is fishing. Unfortunately, despite the potential for this being both a chance to share what some love about fishing while at the same time dealing realistically with some of life’s deeper tragedies, this series opts for superficial sweetness that had me dropping it after episode 9.
Both main characters have lost a parent at a young age, but the pain of that loss is treated like a trope to make the plot work. Instead, everything works out well – the two girls are now sisters and get along great – and their ... 
Jan 5, 2022
Ousama Ranking
(Anime)
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In case you get distracted, as I did at first, by the art style, keep watching. Yes, it's simplistic and even childish. But this is how the original webmanga was drawn – actually, this is an improvement in terms of quality, skill, etc. It's a style, and it serves a purpose: to tell a story.
No one takes Boji seriously as a prince, and he seems simple-minded. But being deaf and not having been taught how to talk, he lives in his own world, exploring the city and the land beyond the walls. His father and step-mother love him, and the knights and guards care about ... 
Dec 6, 2021
Saihate no Paladin
(Anime)
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Will, the protagonist, was never the good part of this anime. His three guardians were what interested me. (Having Horie Yui's voice as one of them was bonus points.) The pathos of their circumstances, and the changes having this young human to care about, was touching and why I kept watching.
Now that Will's on his own doing the usual isekai thing, the show is unwatchable. He's bland and pointless. The story has no movement. I couldn't even remember the previous week's plot. Then they bring in that over-hyped "halfling" as if to capture our hearts with her energy and singing, and that was that. Had this ... 
Nov 27, 2021
Heike Monogatari
(Anime)
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It's hard to give any show a 10, but I find I can't give Heike Monogatari anything but. It's not perfect, but it's just so damn good.
Many shows start well then fizzle; others build to an anticipated climax that goes thud. HM never builds in that way; too much history and too many characters are coming and going for that kind of suspense. But each episode's story is a gem that works to make the too-short series hold together well. And I imagine rewatching them without the week's delay will make it even better since characters can be better kept in mind. The ending was amazing. ... |
