- Last OnlineOct 25, 2020 10:23 PM
- GenderMale
- BirthdayMar 9, 2000
- LocationChiang Rai, Thailand
- JoinedJun 24, 2020
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Jul 7, 2020
**SPOILER FREE REVIEW***
In anime circles Shinsekai Yori has long been a show famed for its maverick plot and borderline experimental elements. I only recently had a chance to watch it and thoroughly relished the experience -- the show is truly an animated phenomenon. Of course, the animation is consistently good, with tasteful music and realistic sound effects to complement the narrative.
What makes Shinsekai Yori a standout production, however, is its meticulously crafted tone, which is vital to the development of the central theme -- individual struggle against unrelenting authority. At the outset we are transported to a dystopian isolated village in the 30th century
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A.D. that operates on questionable ordinances, to the constant dismay of its children. All the mysterious events that unfold thereafter, the characters' variously portrayed reactions, and the accompanying dialogues are ingeniously engineered so as to give the show its characteristic air of somberness.
Oftentimes it features disturbing scenes, which could be hit-or-miss depending on the viewer (given the fact that this show seems to be aimed primarily at adolescents). Sometimes characters act in ways that I know will alienate many people. However, ultimately, the success of a show grouped under "horror" in MAL is best judged by the intensity of its characters' effect on the viewer. I cannot satisfactorily relate to you how tense I was, sitting in my armchair, throughout the entire run. That alone attests to how much of an impact the characters can make -- they are outrageous and irrational in a way that commands attention and sympathy. But then again, the "school"/ "slice-of-life" impression the show gives may mislead people into thinking it a happy-go-lucky coming of age, but do not be fooled -- Shinsekai Yori is in every sense of the word a horror movie.
The plot of Shinsekai Yori is complicated, and requires patience to digest over time. Thankfully, the studio in charge has enough budget to finance 25 episodes, which gave the director just enough space to do it justice in my opinion. Almost every subplot courses through the standard dramatic structure and resolves nicely in the end. Still, sometimes you have to apply your own conclusions to make the whole thing work out. Not a big issue though -- things will fall into place eventually.
If pressed to identify Shinsekai Yori's faults, I would say the worldbuilding/ exposition aspect is somewhat lacking. Here's human society a thousand years into the future, yet objects appear that shouldn't be there, and people speak of the past as if it were too distant to even think about, while retaining themselves various elements of contemporary civilization. (The characters should, in reality, look upon today's society as we would medieval Europe.)
Also, the time skips are confusingly sudden, often unexplained, and not very well placed. As viewers, we are not given nearly enough time to come to terms with characters' changed personalities and perspectives, which unfortunately takes away from the unity of the show.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who's willing to invest emotionally in the plot and characters. But, as I have said, this show is very heavy and dark, so it's probably not one to leisurely kill time with.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 6, 2020
Warning: this is an enjoyable comedy without any meaningful plot: there's simply this psychic teenager who, as problems arise, uses his supernatural abilities to benefit himself and, to his own surprise, others. But this anime should not be misjudged simply because it lacks sophistication. A funny show already is, as the descriptor implies, fun.
Naturally, the success of such a desultory, plotless show depends on the strength of its characters. In this regard, Saiki Kusuo is worthy of praise. All the characters have distinctive, memorable personalities and remain in character throughout. Together they give the show its signature forward momentum that keeps it enjoyable to
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the casual viewer. I get the feeling that the director knows exactly which character to introduce in a given comedic situation to maximize the fun. While these characters do not demonstrate the kind of character development viewers would expect in a more sophisticated setting, they fit well with the overall vibe of the narrative.
As each episode contains around four to five sub-stories, some more compelling than others, the show inevitably has its own ups and downs. But the amusing raillery between each character will keep you hooked and not defect to another show -- at least not too soon. As far as I am concerned, the successful delivery of the gags owe themselves to the admirable work of the scriptwriters, who have created consistently entertaining, ingenious and smooth dialogue, as well as comedic asides introduced at the right moments. On another note the episodic structure of the work serves well to accommodate the goal of delivering snappy, uncomplicated gags that even the most inattentive layman can savor in his leisure.
If there is anything I take issue with in this anime, it would be the art style. Granted, this kind of show can thrive even without elaborate theatrics found in Your Name or Weathering with You, but the art I saw at times left me wondering if the animators were on labor strike, or perhaps were operating on an extremely tight budget. Oftentimes lines and dots are not smoothly connected, and limb movements can seem out of place and clumsy. There is also evident overuse of still shots, which can make the meticulous viewer feel betrayed. Still, this is a relatively minor problem in the grand scheme of things, and I would recommend Saiki Kusuo to anyone who is not averse to simple-minded, straightforward humour (delivered through somewhat subpar animation).
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 6, 2020
**SPOILER FREE REVIEW (none other than those found in the synopsis)**
"Imitation is the highest form of flattery mediocrity can pay to excellence," writes Oscar Wilde. The quote is something I have always adhered to as an anime viewer, as a show that does nothing but rip off elements from other successful shows is bound to prove mediocre at best. Realizing that Otome Game is going to be another product of the tired isekai genre, I had my guards up early. Then the first episodes took me by surprise with a novel premise: 1) the main character assumes the persona of someone she previously knows as
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a fictional character, and 2) the main character is fully aware of her own fate in the new world. I then decided to stick with the show until the end.
In terms of execution and story-telling, the show is fine and is certainly not pure garbage. The pacing makes sense and the animation is consistently acceptable. There is clear (though somewhat limited) character development. However, the elements of the show that appealed to me in the first place turned out to be very unsatisfactorily capitalized upon, which detracted from the final score I have given Otome Game here. Firstly, the overarching tension between the eventual demise of the villainess at the hands of her peers and her goodwill towards them was very easily resolved -- so easily that I wonder, "Then what's the point of introducing it in the first place?" Although we viewers know that the underlying conflict has been resolved, our extraordinarily dense protagonist has no clue and struggles through life believing the same cruel fate will still befall her. This misguided belief constitutes the material for around, well, six or seven episodes towards the end. Secondly, far from proving useful, the protagonist's foreknowledge of events, which she never utilizes to her own benefit, simply burdens her with additional cause for concern. Here's probably the only skill the protagonist has got in her favour but it's just sitting idle on the shelf. Why, indeed? Well, it's because the original conflict has disappeared altogether and there is simply no need for countermeasures. Now, even if we were to remove her prescience from the mix, we would have the exact same storyline -- minus her unsettling shrieks of apprehension about the future. To sum up my issue with this show in one sentence, I would say it lacks unity. The scriptwriter attempts to throw in too many things into the pot and it spills over: yuri romance, reverse harem, villains with a past, school life, isekai, magic, otaku-stuff, and many other things. In particular, there are too many characters, none of whom receive adequate treatment. The result is diluted cardboard characters who seem, on a metaphorical level, to be fighting for screen time. In the end, the director apparently gives up hope of ever reconciling these elements and resorts to a ridiculously convenient and abrupt ending, which I noticed significantly brought down the MAL average score. Overall, this is an anime that showed promise initially but went off track along the way. Watch at your own peril.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 5, 2020
I will try my best not to leave out any spoilers in my review.
Nejimaki Seirei Senki first caught my eyes with its unique character design and, emboldened by the high score MAL had given it, I decided to give the show a shot.
With nice visual art, well-placed suspense and sensible pacing, Nejimaki turned out to be enjoyable enough. However, there is simply nothing new to gain from this show except for a few minor aspects of the art style. Here's a modern-day Odysseus who, through his strategic acumen, finds his way up the military ladder. As commander on the battle field, he has a few
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trustworthy comrades at his disposal. What a pleasant surprise of a plot, isn't it? The protagonist fell short of becoming another Mary Sue, though, as the scriptwriter did try to throw in some promising internal conflicts and obstacles in his way, which, in the end, were overcame so conveniently and effortlessly that it was all but meaningless. Overall, while the execution was acceptable, the entire storyline might as well have been predicted from the beginning.
Apart from its regrettable lack of original elements, the anime also relies too much on standard tropes: tearjerker scenes, ridiculously stupid and self-centered antagonists, a vain but capable rival, out-of-place intimations of romance, a clumsy, useless friend who looks up to the main characters, etc. In fact, some of the characters at times seem like ready-made, arbitrary figures whose sole function is to advance the intended plot. For instance, we know that our protagonist has training in "science" with his scientist-mentor and devotes his early childhood to scientific pursuits. It is never really explained how his knack for science translates into his strategic insight. Rather, we are forced as viewers to come to terms with his skill sets because they are needed for the story to function. Also, the princess, a precocious girl who struggles to live up to her royal responsibilities, ironically comes off as a self-absorbed and unsympathetic brat who not infrequently makes ridiculous demands of others. If the writer means for us to relate to her childlike naivete and desperate effort to "grow up," then I'd say he has failed miserably. Given her role as a main character who serves as the common soul and spirit of her subjects, her dislikability also results in the story losing much of its charm and vigour.
If you want to watch an enjoyable - though not remarkable - war/historical anime, then I'd recommend this show. As the anime ended with the conclusion of the first arc, expect some unresolved subplots. I have never read the manga, so I'm basing this review purely on the anime adaptation, but I do hope season 2 happens at some point.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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