I WAITED YEARS TO DO THIS REVIEW HOPING THIS ANIME WOULD FALL OUT OF THE SCORES BUT SINCE IT HASNT I AM GOING TO HAVE TO WRITE A REVIEW. FIRST OFF, LET'S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT: SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU IS NOT JUST SOME RANDOM ANIME YOU CAN BINGE ON CRUNCHYROLL WHILE MUNCHING ON DORITOS AND PRETENDING YOU'RE CULTURED. NO, NO, NO! THIS IS A MASTERPIECE OF JAPANESE STORYTELLING THAT'S SO DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE TRADITIONS OF RAKUGO THAT'S RIGHT, RAKUGO, THE ANCIENT ART OF SOLO STORYTELLING PERFORMANCE WHERE ONE PERSON SITS ON A STAGE WITH NOTHING BUT A FAN AND A HANDKERCHIEF AND WEAVES TALES ... THAT CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF EDO-PERIOD HUMOR, TRAGEDY, AND HUMAN FOLLY. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT RAKUGO IS? PROBABLY NOT, UNLESS YOU'RE A NATIVE JAPANESE PERSON WHO GREW UP HEARING THESE STORIES FROM YOUR GRANDPARENTS OR ATTENDING LIVE PERFORMANCES IN YOSE THEATERS! IT'S NOT JUST WORDS; IT'S NUANCE, IT'S TIMING, IT'S THE SUBTLE INFLECTIONS IN THE VOICE THAT CONVEY ENTIRE WORLDS OF EMOTION AND CULTURAL REFERENCES THAT GO BACK CENTURIES! AND HERE'S THE KICKER: WITHOUT THAT CULTURAL CONTEXT, YOU'RE MISSING LIKE 90% OF WHAT MAKES THIS SHOW BRILLIANT! THE CHARACTERS' STRUGGLES WITH TRADITION VS. MODERNITY? THAT'S SHOUWA ERA JAPAN, POST-WAR RECONSTRUCTION, THE CLASH BETWEEN OLD FEUDAL VALUES AND THE NEW WESTERN INFLUENCES SWEEPING THROUGH SOCIETY! THE RAKUGO PERFORMANCES THEMSELVES? THEY'RE LADEN WITH PUNS, IDIOMS, AND HISTORICAL ALLUSIONS THAT ONLY SOMEONE FLUENT IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND HISTORY CAN FULLY APPRECIATE. SURE, SUBTITLES MIGHT TRANSLATE THE WORDS, BUT THEY CAN'T CAPTURE THE RHYTHM, THE DOUBLE ENTENDRES, OR THE DEEP-SEATED CULTURAL RESONANCE THAT MAKES A RAKUGO STORY HIT LIKE A TON OF BRICKS. IF YOU'RE NOT NATIVE JAPANESE, YOU'RE BASICALLY WATCHING A SHADOW PUPPET SHOW WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE LIGHT SOURCE IT LOOKS PRETTY, BUT YOU'RE CLUELESS ABOUT THE DEPTH! NOW, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WESTERN WHITE WEEBS WHO GO AROUND RATING THIS 10/10 ON MYANIMELIST OR REDDIT, ACTING LIKE YOU'VE UNLOCKED THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE. SPARE ME YOUR PSEUDOINTELLECTUAL BULLCRAP! YOU'RE THE SAME CROWD THAT BINGES RICK AND MORTY AND THINKS YOU'RE A GENIUS BECAUSE YOU GET THE MULTIVERSE JOKES AND QUOTE "WUBBA LUBBA DUB DUB" LIKE IT'S SHAKESPEARE. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT YOU'RE RICK AND MORTY FANS IN DISGUISE, CHASING AFTER ANYTHING THAT SEEMS "DEEP" OR "ARTSY" TO BOOST YOUR EGO AND IMPRESS YOUR ONLINE ECHO CHAMBERS. "OH LOOK AT ME, I APPRECIATE RAKUGO SHINJUU, I'M SO SOPHISTICATED!" NO, YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE JUST LATCHING ONTO SOMETHING EXOTIC TO FEEL SUPERIOR TO THE "MAINSTREAM" ANIME FANS WHO WATCH NARUTO OR ONE PIECE. BUT GUESS WHAT? WITHOUT THE CULTURAL BAGGAGE, YOU'RE MISSING THE HEART OF IT ALL! IT'S LIKE CLAIMING TO LOVE SUSHI BUT ONLY EATING CALIFORNIA ROLLS FROM A GAS STATION. THE TRAGEDY OF THEIR LIVES IS TIED TO THE DECLINE OF RAKUGO IN THE MODERN WORLD, A COMMENTARY ON HOW WESTERNIZATION AND MASS MEDIA ARE ERODING CULTURAL HERITAGE. IF YOU'RE FROM THE WEST, HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY RELATE TO THAT ON A VISCERAL LEVEL? YOU CAN'T! YOU'RE WATCHING IT THROUGH A FILTER OF YOUR OWN BIASES, THINKING IT'S JUST A "SAD STORY ABOUT FRIENDS" WHEN IT'S A PROFOUND LAMENT FOR A DYING ART FORM THAT ONLY NATIVE JAPANESE FEEL. LET ME DRAW THIS OUT EVEN FURTHER BECAUSE I'M NOT DONE YET IMAGINE TRYING TO EXPLAIN RAKUGO TO SOMEONE WHO'S NEVER HEARD OF IT. IT'S NOT COMEDY SKETCHES; IT'S A ONE-MAN THEATER WHERE THE PERFORMER SWITCHES BETWEEN CHARACTERS SEAMLESSLY, USING VOICE AND GESTURE TO PAINT VIVID SCENES. THE STORIES ARE OFTEN FROM THE EDO PERIOD, FILLED WITH SAMURAI, MERCHANTS, GEISHA, AND EVERYDAY FOLKS DEALING WITH LOVE, BETRAYAL, AND SOCIAL NORMS THAT ARE UNIQUELY JAPANESE. HOW CAN A WESTERNER, RAISED ON HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS AND SITCOMS, GRASP THE SUBTLETY OF A PUNCHLINE THAT RELIES ON WORDPLAY INVOLVING KANJI HOMOPHONES OR REGIONAL DIALECTS? YOU CAN'T! YET HERE YOU ARE, FLOODING MAL FORUM WITH "THIS IS THE BEST ANIME EVER" POSTS, ALL WHILE SECRETLY SKIPPING THE RAKUGO SCENES BECAUSE THEY'RE "TOO SLOW" FOR YOUR ADHD ADDLED ATTENTION SPANS SHAPED BY TIKTOK AND SOY FACING MARVEL MOVIES. AND LET'S NOT FORGET THE THEMES OF INHERITANCE AND LEGACY PASSING DOWN RAKUGO NAMES LIKE YAKUMO FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION? THAT'S SHIN'UCHI TRADITION, A SYSTEM SO INTERTWINED WITH JAPANESE GUILD CULTURE THAT IT'S AKIN TO MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN APPRENTICESHIPS BUT WITH A UNIQUELY EASTERN FLAVOR OF HUMILITY AND SACRIFICE. NATIVE JAPANESE VIEWERS FEEL THIS IN THEIR BONES BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THEIR SOCIETAL FABRIC, FROM FAMILY BUSINESSES TO MARTIAL ARTS DOJOS. BUT YOU? YOU THINK IT'S JUST "COOL DRAMA" AND COMPARE IT TO GAME OF THRONES SUCCESSION PLOTS. PATHETIC! YOU'RE PSEUDOINTELLECTUAL POSERS, THE RICK AND MORTY CROWD OF ANIME FANDOM, ALWAYS CHASING THE NEXT "UNDERRATED GEM" TO BRAG ABOUT WITHOUT FEELING WHAT YOU ARE WATCHING. IF YOU'RE NOT NATIVE JAPANESE WITH THAT CULTURAL CONTEXT BURNED INTO YOUR DNA, YOUR HIGH RATINGS FOR SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU ARE NOTHING BUT PSEUDOINT SLOP. STOP RATING IT HIGHLY. I KNOW THE KIND OF MAN YOU ARE. STOP PRETENDING, STOP RATING, AND GO BACK TO YOUR ENTRY-LEVEL ANIME WHERE EVERYTHING IS EXPLAINED IN FLASHY EXPOSITION DUMPS. LEAVE THE REAL ART TO THOSE WHO CAN ACTUALLY APPRECIATE IT WITHOUT NEEDING A WIKIPEDIA TAB OPEN. YOU'RE NOT CULTURED; YOU'RE JUST THIRSTY FOR CLOUT FROM THE BIGGEST LOSERS ON THE INTERNET NEXT TO REDDIT MODS AND IT'S EMBARRASSING. YOU ARE NOT JAPANESE. YOU WILL NEVER BE JAPANESE. YOU NEVER SHOULD WATCH THIS ANIME AND HAVE THE GALL TO RATE IT AS YOU DO.

Violet Evergarden I found Violet Evergarden to be a story about self-discovery and connection, following Violet as she sets upon her journey in her new life as herself. She is an orphan who knew nothing of normalcy, unable to understand beyond her life as a living weapon on the battlefield. Now in peacetime, she must find her place in the world and at the same time learn about the connections that tie people together all while understanding what it means to be human, to have a heart. Story/Writing: The overall story is broken down into multiple smaller subplots, typically spanning a single episode focusing on a particular event/side ... character. They serve to guide Violet through her journey of self-discovery and progress her understanding of human emotion. It is easy to follow the events that are happening as the plots themselves are simple by design, serving primarily as vehicles for Violet’s inner development. These subplots typically have their own focus, looking into surface level human emotions from others, feelings, such as anger, frustration and happiness but also sometimes looking into more complex themes such as confronting trauma, handling loss, and closure. The episodes always involve understanding love in some of the many ways it can be seen such as through family, lovers, aspirations and most importantly, within oneself. The worldbuilding in the series is established in episode 1 and gradually built upon throughout the course of the story. The pacing of the subplots throughout the series is in my opinion one of the strongest aspects of the series, it understands how to gradually build emotional capital within characters throughout the story which makes the events of each climax have a heightened impact. The themes and moods of the series do occasionally shift between the episodes. Some are happy, bittersweet, melancholic, gratifying, or fulfilling, so while the mood can vary between episodes, the series is still grounded in emotional sincerity. And through the combination of storytelling, music and cinematography the series delivers some of the strongest emotions that I have personally experienced watching anything. Characters: It is my own opinion that any form of media, be it music, movies, TV shows, anime, and paintings, all serve the purpose of inciting emotion. Violet Evergarden captures feelings of loneliness, relief, sadness and closure to name a few, and is delivered through Violet herself and the supporting cast. The characters within Violet Evergarden are built up, relying on direct, indirect, and non-verbal storytelling methods, which when combined provides subtle, dense, and natural feeling character progression. The characters are complex, we as the audience are given the opportunity to know about them on their innermost level and the relations they have with others within the story, all the interactions between them feel in character and serve a purpose in forwarding the story. As a viewer, the emotional investment and attachment I felt towards Violet is incomparable to any other character I’ve ever seen. Being a first-hand witness to her growth through her journey and all she has gone through has developed an unparalleled attachment which persists during and after the series. The side characters in the series were also able to be effectively developed in their limited screentime, giving the audience a high level of emotional investment into them, before reaching their conclusions by the end of each episode. Overall, the characters share the trait of having significant emotional attachment to another character(s), and with the focus of the story being Violet’s emotional and inner growth, it’s the tragedy and mending of these inter-character relations that build upon her, providing us, the audience with a plethora of characters who all carry with them significant emotional weight for us to experience. Animation/Sound Design: Kyoto Animation delivered another in a long line of visual art wonders, the creative direction amplified the emotional magnitude of scenes, through the efforts of framing, composition, cinematic cuts, and subtle pauses. The quality of animation is also of the highest standard, fluid, articulating character motions and smooth camera movements, realistic wind, and fabric effects, consideration of foreground elements and soft lighting, all these elements put together make it a complete visual experience. The art style of the series is something I found very appealing, soft lines, in a semi-modern setting, filled with vibrant colours and beauty, every episode has multiple visually striking sceneries to take in and the visual design of the characters, especially Violet is nothing short of breathtaking. This combination of animation quality and art style are what make Violet Evergarden a visual masterpiece able to convey and amplify intense emotion through visuals alone. The original voice acting is phenomenal, in every scene Violet’s emotions are being poured out and heightened by the voice acting, this could also be said about the voice acting of the supporting characters, especially the VA for Claudia Hodgins, Takehito Koyasu. Evan Call deserves all the credit he receives for the Violet Evergarden soundtrack, it doesn’t simply support the emotional storytelling in front of us, but it enhances it, intensifies it across the wide range of emotions that are felt throughout the series. Closing Statement: Overall, the story of Violet Evergarden is beautiful from so many angles, it’s a visual masterpiece with the creative direction from Kyoto Animation elevating the story, bringing life to the world and Violet’s journey. Evan Call’s score for this series is nothing short of perfection. The storytelling knows how to set up characters and a narrative, build toward a climax garnering emotional investment from the audience, then execute, delivering waves of intense emotion each episode with devastating effect and consistency. I personally have no caveats, this series is unimprovable to me. Nearly every aspect on its own can be seen to have been given meticulous attention and is a work to behold and appreciate in isolation, combined they all elevate each other and produce the masterpiece before us. I would recommend this series to anyone who has a deep appreciation for aspects such as music, character development, and more advanced directing tools such as camera angles/framing etc. And I would strongly recommend this story to anyone who wants to experience emotional storytelling and soul-seeking. Those viewers who find themselves seeking an action/spectacle-driven story, constant positive, feel-good moments or faster pacing might want to put this series on hold for the time being. Thank you for reading. Overall Score: 10/10

I'm giving this an 8 just because I really liked the movie and the OST. It's also ironic I gave it an 8, considering that number is the main drawback of this series. The Melancholy of Harui Suzumiya is a high-school slice-of-life anime sprinkled with a bit of fantasy, mystery, and fan-service. Personally, I didn't think the fan-service was that intrusive. If you get a hard-on from 2000s art style, then you might need to slow down on the gooning. I can't really call this a harem-isekai since Koizumi is also there, and the show is based in the real world. I also can't call ... this a fantasy Shonen since it's mostly just high-school clubbing activities. Think 'Hyouka' but with less detective-mystery stuff. In fact, the show is relatively easier to consume than Hyouka since it mostly focuses on everyday club activities than actual mysteries. The real mystery, however, lies behind Harui herself (and what supernatural occurences are happening around her). Along with the movie, I enjoyed the series as a whole. What I DIDN'T enjoy was that god-awful "endless 8" arc where they drew the same exact plot over and over again across 8-episodes. The main characters, though, are very interesting. Kyon is basically Hotarou but with more personality, and Harui is basically Chitanda Eru with severe ADHD. The rest of the cast, however, are a mystery in their own way. The whole show revolves around satisfying Harui's excitement. Eventually, they all banded together and created the "SOS Brigade," a school club focused on solving mysteries and helping students. Everyday, the gang would be dragged along by Harui to accomplish whichever activity suits her mood. And everybody has no choice but to go along with it. That's the whole premise. Lol just kidding. There's actually more to Harui than you think, and you're gonna have to watch the show to find out.

You do have to admire Tsui Hark for even daring to attempt creating an animated reinterpretation of one of Hong Kong cinema's most beloved supernatural romances. Rather than trying to outdo the iconic 1987 live-action film, this fascinating, if often overlooked, animated version reimagines the story through stylised visuals and heightened emotional clarity. It's as frenetic as any Tsui Hark production, with the animation embracing a storybook aesthetic; it's visually enthralling with lots of fluid character movement, expressive faces and backgrounds that feel pulled from classical Chinese ink paintings. Forests drift in mist, spirits glide rather than walk and the supernatural elements feel ethereal instead ... of frightening. While the animation occasionally shows the limitations of its era with some uneven motion and a glaring disparity between the computer and cel animation, it compensates with atmosphere and mood. The world feels dreamlike, perfectly suited to a tale about love that exists between life and death. The film does stay remarkably faithful to the core of the legend, with the animated format allowing the story to streamline its emotional beats, if slightly less playful than in the live-action version. Ultimately, standing as a complementary companion to its live-action predecessor rather than a replacement, this animated Chinese Ghost Story trades iconic performances and kinetic action for visual poetry and emotional restraint. It's not perfect by any means, with its thin attempt at making the legend more child-friendly falling short, but it's a considerable accomplishment and just so irresistibly charming that, for any fan of the original, it's worth watching.

Wise Man’s Grandchild starts off strong and tricks you into thinking you’re about to watch something decent. The setup is interesting, the power fantasy is there, and expectations are high… for about five episodes. After that, it becomes painfully obvious the author has no idea where the story is going. The plot doesn’t move forward — it just exists. Conflicts appear, get instantly solved, and then we’re back to dragging things out like there’s a word quota to meet. And let’s talk about the isekai “twist.” The main character supposedly has memories from his previous life, but you’d never know it. Those memories don’t affect his personality, ... decisions, or worldview in any meaningful way. Remove the isekai element and absolutely nothing changes. Peak wasted potential. Characters are bland, stakes are nonexistent, and every problem is solved by “MC is overpowered, next scene.” What could’ve been a fun power fantasy ends up feeling lazy and directionless. Not terrible, not good — just forgettable. thank u for reading and get a job .=>

Although not my style, it's in Chibi-form and there are a lot of characters: 27 in total, I highly recommend Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru Churutto! I didn't try to learn all the characters, but I just feel the vibe: they were simply lovely, kawaii, oishi and hontōni shiawase; cheerful and truly happy! I can also say that the characters are all very well-rounded and totally (ir)realistic. If you have a bad mood or being very sad, just to watch Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru Churutto!, it helps a lot, or in my case: Manmen'noemi de ippai ni narimasu! (It makes me smile from ear ... to ear)! Check it out yourself! It takes you less than 20 minutes....

A beautifully done anime that isn't afraid to jump into exploring some of the most horrific themes around mental health, trauma and bullying. The characters are well constructed, not having any one person you can absolutely hate (other than the parents), and the contrast between bright Takopi and the bleak surroundings only serves to further highlight how horrific the situations truly are. My only gripe with this series was the development of Shizuka - I didn't find her arc entirely faithful to her character development, and some of her reactions felt oddly out of place. In the end though, the message feels really well conveyed - ... everyone is dealing with something, you can persevere despite your trauma and you don't have to do it alone. Takopi teaches us to communicate and try to talk to understand each other better- a message that only seems to get more relevant every day.

I already am as caught up to the manga as much as possible as of writing this so i can fully say THIS IS A ROMCOM YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS. HOLY THE CHARAS ARE SOOOOOO CUTE/funny/cool and it's a proper slow-burn romance with everyone having their own quirks. Some characters are even shady and they don't stray from their characterization The animation is beautiful, and i find myself actually watching the intro song which is super rare for me. Also the voice acting is incredible, our main girl is really getting to work those lines. Art style is gorgeous, I love the comedy ... of Tamon's aura and essence. Obviously the boys are proper hotties. And I enjoy that all of the characters are not just chronic blushing (or overly-polite) messes, they are normal and can be more stern/awkward/thoughtful moreso than some other romcoms I have witnessed. You'd think the story would be a lot more predictable considering the base plot but I am not an Oshi of anyone and so a lot of the content/jokes/talks the main girl has with her friend group is fresh and new to me. Also, yes the female mc has healthy female friendships <3 somehow that can be rare in anime.

Pretty solid isekai. Not too crazy compared to a lot but I really enjoyed this other-side of isekai where the mc goes for revenge.The characters were very different and felt fitting by the end of the anime. Good development and skipped a lot of random scenes which i actually preferred than seeing the same lvl up narratives in most newer isekai/ fantasy anime. Wondering if/ how they would develop a continuation of the story? Characters has good personalities and nice art style to them as well. Could have don’t without the use of “GD” so much there’s no sense in using our Father God’s name ... in vain. You can create just as dramatics without using it. Enjoyed the anime and hoping to see some further adaptation(s). 🙂

Accept My Sweet Sadistic Love Gushing over Magical Girls is the show about appreciating magical girls, and seeing them triumph and struggle against evil, and it's hot. Fetish anime cum in many variants, some are complete garbage and not worth talking about, but then there are those that are executed so well, that they become masterpieces. this is one of them. The characters are so good for this sexual comedy. They are so chaotic and have good chemistry and the funniest moments, It's a joy to see. and if you are a sadist then the main character will speak to your soul. The animation is sexy, expressive and ... really makes the moments exciting to watch. The music works wonderfully it has a good comedic timing with what is happening. It's explores the many kind of masochisms there are, and even some that most people would find uncomfortable like diapers. It's a show with a true sadistic heart. would recommend.

I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible, with no major spoilers. First of all, I just want to say I can understand why people dislike this show. It's certainly not for everyone. It has many flaws, and its certainly nowhere close to perfect. But, despite this, it also has a lot of things that it does RIGHT, which is why I am still giving it a 10. Lets talk about the flaws first. The animation isn't amazing. If you waltz into the show expecting jjk style visuals, you're going to be disappointed. But the thing is, you get used to after a while ... and forget about it after a few episodes. And its not *bad* bad, its just... mid. Another major flaw that some would argue that this show has is its harem aspect. Now this... is not entirely true. The MC clearly prioritizes ONE girl from the start, and does NOT change his mind about her throughout the show (or in this season atleast, I have not watched the other seasons so I can't say the same about them). There's no indecisive bs like in most other harem animes people tend to watch. Yes, some of the other girls cling on to him for a bit, but he does NOT change his mind. He's locked in with his partner. And thats what I really like about this MC. Now, lets talk about what this show does right. there are two main things that stood out to me, which is why I enjoyed this show so much. The first is the character growth and development. (Almost) all of the characters in this anime go through some form of major change or adaptation throughout the course of the show. The MC starts off as a useless nobody and ends up becoming a total badass by the end of the show. And he EARNS that power, which differentiates it from people like Kazuto Kirigaya. You actually SEE his struggle and his will and determination to grow stronger, which lets you, as the watcher, actually view his growth throughout the show. The second is how loveable and admirable some of the characters in this show are. If you are someone that gets attached to characters easily, or doesn't get easily annoyed by side characters, then you will absolutely enjoy this anime. The three main girls in the MC's party each have their own unique and admirable qualities to them, and even if a couple of them DO start out a bit obnoxious, you gradually begin to like them more and more. And as I said before, they mature and grow throughout the MC's journey. The first 5 and last 3 episodes are the undoubtedly the best, as the middle episodes are more filler and definitely aren't as engaging. Nonetheless, this is still a great show, and I think people judge its flaws more than its strengths for sure.

You may not feel like you’re watching something completely new, but what you will get is an anime that handles familiar clichés really well. And honestly, I think what matters most isn’t how original something is, but how well it’s executed. The main characters are genuinely great. The male lead might seem emotionally distant at first, but he’s not the typical cold, lifeless protagonist you see in many romantic comedies. His personality actually has depth. The contrast between him and the female lead creates a surprisingly natural and well-balanced dynamic that makes their relationship feel comfortable and believable. I’ve watched plenty of anime built on similar clichés, ... but what sets this one apart is how confidently and clearly it knows what it wants to be. The story doesn’t drag things out unnecessarily or rely on forced misunderstandings. Everything flows smoothly, which is honestly the key point here. I also really fell in love with its sense of humor — it’s light, well-timed, and genuinely enjoyable. I find myself watching it with a smile, and that’s exactly the kind of anime we need right now. 😊 We’re only at episode 4, but I’m almost certain it will continue without losing its consistency all the way to the end.

Guess this is gonna be my first review :3 I’ve become a rom-com stan over the years, and anything that has decent animation, solid characters, and a slightly above-average plot usually wins me over. Busu ni Hanataba Wo did just that. I’m always rooting for the underdog, and this was right up my alley. A shy, unconfident protagonist liking a more attractive man is a trope that isn’t done enough, and it was handled really well here. Yes, there were moments where Tabata was more clueless than I’d like to admit, but it kept the story sweet, innocent, and heartwarming. I loved how they tied everything together ... and involved all the side characters really well toward the end. My only critique (more personal than anything) was the expansion of the side characters and their love interests (or blooming ones). Hopefully there’s an OVA or a season 2 that expands on it, but if not, they did a great job ending it where they did. 7.5/10

I have a lot of series logged on MAL most of the classics, and I’m sure I’m missing a lot that I haven’t seen. My account is over ten years old, and I have never in all that time written a review for a show once. Even for shows I revere as my favorite. I tell you all this to emphasize how important Steins;Gate is. Not only is it a masterful lesson in storytelling, It’s one of the few pieces of time travel media that is able to keep its footing. If you like anime this show in my mind is now required viewing. Despite ... its origins being a visual novel, I believe this show is truly a benchmark for the medium of anime as a whole. This is what anime is and what it should be, it truly took me back to my time as a child, when I first started watching anime. It’s also now joined the “made me cry” club. But alas, I’m rambling. Go watch it, you won’t regret it. Tuturu and El Psy Kongroo. Doesn’t matter the world line kurisu will always be best girl

Champignon no Majo initially delivers exactly what its synopsis promises. The first two episodes establish a clear tone and direction, creating an engaging experience that feels confident in its storytelling. However, shortly after this introduction, an event occurs that significantly shifts the course of the series. This change cannot be discussed without spoilers, but it alters the narrative in a way that slightly weakens the overall impact of the story. Visually, the anime stands out in a very positive way. The art style is charming and distinctive, making use of intentionally blurred white areas to evoke the feeling of a story being told, which complements the ... atmosphere well. Both the opening and ending themes are particularly strong, with the opening being especially memorable and effective in setting the mood. The characters are another highlight, as they are generally interesting and well-presented. While the direction the plot takes after the initial episodes is not especially appealing, the series is still ongoing, making it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion at this point. Overall, Champignon no Majo remains an enjoyable watch. Despite reservations about its narrative shift, it offers strong artistic presentation and appealing characters, and there is still room for the series to regain the momentum established in its opening episodes. Note: This review was originally written in Brazilian Portuguese and translated into English.

Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin. Full Series Review: This anime is like that one uncle at family gatherings who tells war stories: raw, emotional, full of "friendship is everything" vibes, but halfway through you realize he's told the same story three times already and you're still waiting for the punchline. The good: The art and animation are shockingly solid for 2010. Madhouse gave the reformatory that suffocating, lived in feel, damp walls, flickering lights, sweat dripping during fights. The brawls are brutal and grounded, and the quieter rooftop moments hit with real weight. Mario’s arc is straight up legendary. Starts as a hot headed kid who solves every problem ... with fists, ends as a calm, thoughtful man who thinks before he acts. That transformation is one of the best character arcs in anime, period, earned through pain, betrayal, and small acts of loyalty. The ensemble cast feels human too: Joe’s fear, Suppon’s scheming, Mario’s growth, everyone has clear strengths and flaws that make their friendships feel real and earned. The tone shifts are smart. The pacing keeps changing, prison hell, revenge quests, romance, escape attempts, it keeps the 26 episodes from turning into pure misery. The bad: Episode 13 is a slap in the face. A full recap episode that treats you like you have goldfish memory. "Hey, remember everything that happened? Let’s watch it again!" What a waste of 20 minutes. Sakuragi is too perfect, tall, handsome, smart, strong, universally loved. He feels like a shonen protagonist dropped into a gritty drama. The rest of the cast is flawed and real, but he stands out like a glowing angel in hell. Noboru is unrealistically saintly. He’s so pure, so forgiving, so self sacrificing that he stops feeling human. In a place this brutal, that level of goodness isn’t inspiring, it’s just not believable. He’s basically a walking halo in a sewer. The villains (especially Ishihara) are cartoonishly evil. It works for the theme of systemic cruelty, but sometimes they’re so over the top they feel like comic book demons instead of real monsters. Final verdict: Rainbow is a powerful prison drama that nails friendship, survival, and post war grit. Mario’s growth, the art, and the tone shifts carry it hard. But the recap episode, pacing loops, Sakuragi’s perfection, and Noboru’s saintly behavior keep it from being flawless. It’s not Shawshank Redemption, it doesn’t touch that movie’s level of tightness and emotional precision, but it’s one of the best anime takes on the genre. Watch if you want raw emotion and real character growth. Skip if you hate repetition or need constant action. The manga might be cleaner, but the anime’s visuals and Mario’s arc make it worth the ride. 8/10 +4 for Mario’s legendary growth, solid 2010 art, animation, and smart tone shifts. -2 for episode 13’s lazy recap, pacing repetition, Sakuragi’s unrealistic perfection, and Noboru being a literal walking angel in hell. If you’ve seen Shawshank, this is a solid anime companion, not better, but it holds its own. If not, watch both. Rainbow earns its place, even if it stumbles a few times.

Sinceramente, no se porque alguien en su sano juicio vería este anime xd. Es una carta de amor al incesto entre hermanos de una edad un tanto cuestionable (sabiendo que la prota tiene 14-15 y el prota 17). Los personajes son arquetípicos: una tsundere, una fría, una estudiosa, una popular y el típico protagonista que tiene absolutamente 0 personalidad, pero que conquista a todas. Y por mas de que estas personalidades funcionen relativamente bien en la trama explotada y repetitiva de una historia de romance sin sentido, no hay que olvidar que es una historia de un incestuoso. Romances son iniciados con cada uno de estos personajes, ... pero es la historia de un incestuoso. La hermana es la peor elección por tres obvias razones: 1- es la hermana biológica. 2- es menor de edad. 3- se odian mutuamente. Transmite una idea asquerosa del incesto, del amor toxico (enamorarse de una persona que odias, que sano!) y de pedofilia (comun en japon, lamentablemente). No lo recomiendo.

What did I just watch? It really fills me with disappointment with humanity that this anime has a 44% recommended rate, how twisted and porn addicted is the average anime viewer? I'll keep this review to only the 1st 2 episodes to avoid any relevant spoilers, also because I couldn't stomach finishing the whole thing. In redo of a hero we follow Keyaru, an unfortunate young kid who gains a healing power that forces them to relive the pain of those he heals, however he also gains battle and skill experience from those situations, the worst part for him is that a twisted princess decides to ... make him drug-addicted to deal with his reluctance to heal as it is too much of a strain for him, and also makes him a sex slave as his mark of the hero makes his fluids very valuable (why not just store his pee or something?). We begin at the end of his journey, where he is gifted with the chance to redo his life, and he well... He decides to go back to being addicted and gang-raped daily, why you may ask? Well, he wants to take revenge on the princess, he could've done it in many other ways but I guess he liked being in that situation, I don't know, characters in this anime don't make a lot of sense... and when he does take revenge, it happens in very graphic detail, from her being cornered and her clothes being teared, to him threatening her so that she acts as if she likes it and desires him, followed by a very violent scene where she begs him to stop and how she is in pain and... You get the idea. But the worst part comes right after, he deletes her memories and makes her believe she loves him. Really dark shit. I found this anime in a normal website, not a hentai one, When I saw (uncensored) at the end of the title I imagined some gore or titties, I didn't imagine the author's rape fantasies being depicted in excruciating detail, given the focus on sick fetishes and lack of an interesting story, you just know that Rui Tsukiyo, the author, is a profoundly disturbed porn addict. Steer away from this unless you found my description alluring for some odd reason.

"I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too" is all you would expect from an anime with that title. It is from the same vein as solo levelling: The MC comes across a videogame-like power that transforms him into a physically imposing, powerful being with unique access to secret places filled with mysterious ways to grow and earn money. What saves solo-levelling for me are the very well-done fighting sequences with high-budget animation and a main character that, while initially weak, grows into an interesting person in a setting with lots of world-building. This anime doesn't have the ... same quality in either animation or writing. For example, our character seems to find a way to become rich from the get-go, along with powerful weapons, boosts, medicines, and an extremely convenient appraisal skill that clears any doubts about the mysterious new world he finds himself in. This 0 to a 100 approach limits our MCs character development, so he's meek and unlikable. Besides, the world isn't all that deep; a lot of the discovery is ruined by the appraisal skill, and there doesn't seem to be an overarching plot leading to any complexity around his newfound powers. The fantasy aspect of finding an easy and fun source of income and magically losing your excess weight (and becoming super tall and muscular) just doesn't allow for any complex characters, it lacks creativity and is too unrealistic to feel authentic, I'd rather watch a character that comes across a double-edged power or if he's gifted let it at least be a good plot around how they apply their powers.

First off, let's make one thing clear: This is the epithome of crack comedy, so if you analyze it through the same lens you'd do with any other anime or if you look for logic or verisimilitude, you lose. I think the point here to grant you an anime where the male lead goes through all possible romantic situations with every anime female character cliche you can imagine and, in the process, make you laugh from the absurdity of this very idea and the situations that could arise from such setting. On this matter, the show does deliver that. It's hilarious how the characters realize ... the INSANITY of what's happening and then turn around and go have lunch together like "you know what? this is fine". I laughed every episode, I thought the cookie-cutter characters were well used in terms of comedy and I genuinely liked the male lead's personality, that's why I'm giving it such a high rating. But yeah, fair warning, you should sit this one out if you are bothered by oversexualized body types or lolis, sexualization of teenager characters and any form of romantic interaction between them and adult characters. Jesus, this has so many red flags lmao If you decide to give it a chance, my tip is: watch how you feel about the first two episodes. If you laugh and get curious, that's a green light. If it bothers you for any reason other than the male lead's apparent "Nice Guy" speech (he's really not like that), better drop it cause it only gets more on crack. Good luck!

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! is a very fun adaptation for those wanting to get more into Senran Kagura without playing the games, and on its own, it's solid Turn-Your-Brain-Off entertainment. The girls are fun, have humorous and cheesey scenes, and it makes you feel like a little kid watching a generic Good [Blank] VS Bad [Blank] show. They even avoid showing blood minus one single episode near the end, and there isn't a single real onscreen death. It really does feel like a kids anime minus one thing-- amazing fan service that actually can manage to get you in the mood. I'm serious, ... the fanservice here is good shit! Not every anime has to be deep, philosophical, complicated or emotional. The emotions Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! induces is the same feeling you got when you were a kid watching a suspenseful scene on television. You know there won't be any real stakes, but damn you still feel all that suspense and might even tear up a bit (like me) during the final fight. I believe this is a good anime if you like ecchi, anything else Senran Kagura related, generic shows and easy entertainment. It also has really damn good animation and sound! If you've gotten to the point where you're reading reviews, at least watch the first three or so episodes, okaayy?

It's a hit or miss anime depending on 1) if you even like what the trailer has to offer and 2) how much anime have you've seen. "Yeah, sure, why not" is what I most thought of during the viewing of the anime. Pros: The soundtrack is rather distinct for an anime. I happen to enjoy it, but it's definitely decisive to an audience, specifically for anime which never really sounds like this. The art was acceptable, nothing too striking, but had some flair to it with vibrant colors. Decent character moments that were pleasant to watch, although it felt as if it were going through the ... motions for what a typical story is like which leads me to the cons. Cons: The story feels uninspired. Nothing about it is terribly unique. The good guys are good because they're simply good people that want to cure the rust disease. The bad guys are bad because they don't want to rust disease to be cured. (There is definitely a commentary on big pharma with this work, but it isn't saying anything new/interesting and doesn't focus enough on that aspect besides a single episode.) The mushroom keepers, who are thought of as bad, are actually good guys, without much nuance to it. Our two characters encounter people they don't like, and through they're kindness, make people like them. Pretty standard. The characters are normal characters you'll find in every action anime. The hotheaded but nice one. The kind, gentle one that is very capable despite appearances. A mentor/father figure. A big chested girl. A bratty girl. And an evil for evil's sake villain. They have some dimension to them, but it's not a unique perspective on them. There's a BL thing between the two characters that feels like it's in here just for get some yaoi interest from fans. In fact, most of this anime feels like a mash up of whatever would draw in certain fan demographics. It wants to tell a story, but doesn't have to confidence or the ability to do anything different with it. If you've seen a decent amount of action anime, you won't find anything fresh here

There's no real good reason for me to give Cosmic Princess Kaguya a mixed review. It hasn't done anything wrong. In fact, all of it is pretty damn decent and some of it is genuinely good. So I'm fully ready for this review to get 8 little shocked emojis in the corner and be universally hated by everyone, but I have to say my piece. MANDATORY PLOT SPIEL: Kaguya follows a regular girl named Iroha whose life is changed forever when she… raises a girl from the moon who becomes her lover / business partner in a virtual world of idols? Think VTuber Ready Player One, ... or like a really weird Bocchi the Rock. None of my issues are with that. The plot is a little strange, sure, but somehow also a bit predictable and unoriginal in parts, and definitely serviceable. Certainly not the worst thing about the movie. No, my problem with Kaguya is something far less concrete. An intangible, growing, burrowing feeling that wriggled its way inside of me as the nearly 2 and a half hour movie played on. By the middle of the movie, I was able to place this discomfort. It grew from the impossible-to-get-by, inhuman, unnatural smoothness of the product in front of me. The glossy animation. The time-tested humor. The choice of song covers. It all felt too… safe, in a weird way, too rehearsed, too slick. It feels soulless, just barely functional enough that the hollowness doesn't immediately gnaw away at you, but you can certainly feel it in the slower parts of the movie. That sense that there's nothing behind the eyes, so to speak. The energy of passionlessness dripping off of it is only covered by the effort put into the animation and voice acting. But, then again, is the animation and voice acting that impressive? Or is it merely made to look impressive when not thought too hard about, to give off the vibe of something well done without actually being well done? For a movie that preaches so much about how a fulfilling life is lived wild and free it feels so measured and carefully formulated, not to be the best possible movie but to be the most widely appealing. This movie has been called a "celebration", but it was as I listened to Kaguya mangle a cover of Happy Synthesiser, and later all the vocaloid staples, that I had to stop to ask myself, a celebration of what? Why are there femboys, and VTubers, and furrys, and nekomimis in this movie? Why is it yuri in the first place? The cynic in me knows the answer is because that's what’s popular right now, and that's what sells anime movies. The people are starved for good yuri, and love an anime femboy, and throw themselves at VTubers and furries, and so that's what the movie does. Not because it has any real respect for these things, but because anime fans are easily ‘bribed’ into throwing money at trash. It just feels like yurislop. I mean, hell, I'll take yurislop over the regular mainstream garbage anime executives push down our throats any day, but that doesn't make it any better. There's something off about this movie, something holy impure just behind the screen, that means I simply cannot enjoy it. But now I'm really losing myself in my criticism. Look, this is by all regards a good movie. It's well animated, it's well voice acted, it's nicely put together. Who am I to judge a perfectly good movie? I mean, go take a look at my profile, behold the trashness of my taste in yuri. How can I, of all people, call this movie bad? But, at the end of the day, when I consume yuri media, I want to feel the pure emotion behind it. I want to feel the creator's joy and sorrow and excitement, the things that make this strange little genre so important to me. And when I watch kaguya, I can't feel anything but the excitement of an executive getting a pay check. Until we larp again, omgkawaii2

People call Lotm as the greatest piece of fiction ever.After watching the anime I was really impressed but I felt like the direction of the show was off. So I read the novel and I was genuinely shocked to see how brutally they had cut so many scenes from the novel just so that they can finish the first book in one season. Now that I think of it, it's really absurd that they adjusted the entire book 1 in just 13 episodes. This is why the pacing of the show feels too fast. I was really disappointed with the anime after reading the book ... and finding out that lotm was never supposed to be so fast moving. The lotm world is enormous and the power system is so detailed it feels surreal to think that a person can think to such an extent. Honestly speaking the anime should have been of 24 episodes, but even then I belive it won't be enough to complete the book one as it is. They skipped so many things from the book. I know a lot of the things weren't important to the story objectively but however it is those small details and pieces of information that makes lotm world so complex and overwhelming. Lotm is known for its crazy detailing and complex world building which is due to the slow development of the story as it helps to showcase the lotm world more vividly. The anime is really great for non readers but those who have read the novel sure has complains with the adaptation. I wish they don't treat the other parts as this one and make proper amends otherwise another masterpiece work would be led to a waste. It has got really great animation and Cgi but however the direction of the show is underwhelming making it confusing for the non readers and thus not leaving a remarkable feeling as the book did. That's the reason I have given it an 9/10 . Personally I have a biase for lotm as I feel lotm has the best and the most complex power system I have ever seen and it has the best world building and the most unique main character. Therefore I have given it an nine otherwise giving it an 8 would be the best. It's still a really great anime it's just you need to pay attention to the screen all the time and not be absent minded as missing even a normal conversation can lead to confusion further in the show as it did for me initially. Hence you need to be all locked in to watch this so that you can understand what exactly is going on. However I would recommend to read the book first and then watch the anime.

There are very few anime that brings a piece of peace to your life, it calms and soothes your mind to such an extent that there is a constant smile on your face without any specific reason. Barakamon comes under that special category. Personally I watched this anime during a stressful and hectic phase of my life and thus i believe I was able to enjoy this anime even more, so you can call this review a bit biased but i believe overall this anime is definitely worth watch. With a fresh plot the anime blends the Brilliant animation with it's calm music and bgm in a ... commendable manner which give the anime a healing sort of vibe. The scenario is realistic and down to ground with good character writing, making the story more relatable. Moreover the passion of Sensei for caligraphy adds a needed seriousness to the story at moments which balances the entire vibe quite well. You are definitely gonna fall in love with this anime by the time you complete it and you will find yourself asking for more. Even though it's only 12 episodes but the impact it leaves on our mind is commendable. It leaves you with a more refresh and happy mind which makes the time spent worth every minute.The rewatch potential of this anime is very high;I personally feel that people will already plan to rewatch it as soon as they finish it because ofc they would want to experience this comforting journey once more atleast.

An exceptional season with greatly improved art style, animation, music as well as directions compared to seasons 2 and 3. Although the animation may seem a bit stiff from time to time, it's mostly quite fluent and smooth, and the music carries great emotions befitting of the scenes shown. This season introduced a lot more characters at once compared to previous seasons, and each one of them are given enough spotlight to shine, which is admirable. The story covered this time is also one of the greatest arcs in the whole series. For anime-onlys, this is definitely an extremely solid season, but people who have read the ... manhua would've spotted a LOT of cut or changed content (some for the better, but mostly a downgrade from the original), which somewhat leaves me slightly disappointed in that aspect. Otherwise though, this season is arguably the best so far in the anime series.

To those that were expecting some sort of tied-up conclusion, or even a fanservice OVA... skip this. It is an offensively generic episode detached from the actual anime with little bearing on the story. The ending is even more open than the anime's. It basically contains 24 minutes of what feels like the cheapest and most soulless plot one could come up with; seriously, it's that bad. If only it was a beach episode, then at least it would make up to its emptiness with fanservice, of which the anime itself had plenty. So cheap it even reuses the OP from the main series.

you can summarize this anime in one word : PERFECTION frieren is a way of life, you breath frieren, you wake up frieren, you sleep frieren if you doesn't like it, you didn't deserve to been born it's better than everything in the world ! better than shingeki no kyojin, steins gate and full metal alchemist reunited ! it's better than haikyu even if there is no sport in frieren ! it's better than the lunch your mama did in your childhood ! it's better than every dr*g ! ... it's even better than sleeping with somebody ! it's a massage and a jaccuzzi in same time there is no better story than frieren, even the lord of the ring sound like a crappy latest season of stranger thing the animation bury demon slayer the music bury every songs made by master sawano the humor is better than konosuba the mimic chest's joke is better than PH "step bro i'm stuck" section you MUST watch it, every days, every weeks, every years you must leave your friends, your GF/BF or your job to watch frieren all the time there was no anime before frieren, there wil be nothing after, frieren is the whole anime history by itself i want this only anime with 63 seasons the greatest story of all time, travel from point A to point B with randoms events and some flash back memories, BRILLIANT !!! the mangaka is a genius, i never saw that before The music is epic, even if none of it particularly stood out to me, don't try to understand it's the frieren effect the animation of this walking simulator is so good now even real life looks like a power point demonstration you must love frieren, i love her so much, i want her in real life... i love her so much i want to cosplay her even if i'm a big 100kg dude i want to be a mimic chest to swallow her i love her SO MUCH i want to be a review moderator on MAL to delete negative or critical reviews with spurious motives (any resemblance to an existing moderator is purely coincidental, nobody could be that petty and childish) WATCH FRIEREN or you will have missed out on your life I'm getting chills writing this review because I have PTSD from this excellent anime

Honestly speaking, I had a lot of expectations for this anime, because it truly had that much potential! Other than the generic Isekai components like summoned heroes, warring nations, OP game-like stats, blah blah, it boasted a dark fantasy where the MC faces betrayal due to political turmoil and chooses to become an assassin. All of which sounded very exciting and reminded me of anime like Arifureta and Shield Hero! In fact, the first few episodes even gave me a lot of hope that this anime was going to live up to its description. Alas, as these anime usually go, after the first few episodes, ... it turned into the usual borefest of the same old “edgy hero finds damsel in distress and falls in love” trope. All the side characters felt like they only existed to react to whatever the MC was doing. The plot was reduced to nothing by how quickly complex situations were resolved with no real consequences. Political conflicts, life-or-death fights, and betrayals get wrapped up in an episode or two with zero lasting impact. The important character-building parts felt rushed, and the other nonsense had more focus / detail. They tried to give the MC an edgy personality, probably to enhance his assassin class, but all they did was portray him with a resting b*tch face, a sour mood, and an all-black wardrobe. Booooringgggg. That’s enough negativity, there was one singular redeeming quality. The only positive aspect of this anime was the art and animation. This was the only reason I bothered to even finish the anime. I enjoyed the level of detail that was shown in the background landscapes along with the characters as well as the choice of vibrant colours! Not worth the time.

I've finished watching this anime, and let me tell you, it gets better! The first few episodes may seem a bit slow, but after watching the entire series, I believe it was necessary to set the foundation for the series. I actually liked that this series was 24 episodes long which allowed for character development! This anime is a charming slice-of-life anime that has romance, gourmet, and lots of camping elements to it! It's actually very educational, and I found myself enjoying learning about it, since I don't have much camping experience. The romance is pretty slow-burn but it is because of the characters' backgrounds and ... personalities. The characters really complemented each other well that their age gap wasn't much of a problem. In fact, I found it pretty adorable. It was really nice to see an adult cast, too! Definitely resonates better with an older audience. This depicts a more mature romance, which is not overly mushy but still sweet at the same time, and how it is necessary to have our "alone time" too (I sound old now, don't I? haha). When I saw their dynamics, I was like "oh, they're so in a situation-ship now." The art was pretty decent, some scenes were beautiful, while some were simpler, but I didn't really mind so much as the storyline was good. Anyway, do give this a watch! I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did!

As a fan of harem anime, I can’t deny watching a harem anime. A guilty pleasure that is like junk food, bad but sometimes so good. This anime is very good for satisfying my craving. The usual antics between MC and heroines who are also his childhood friend. Feelings have been developing as they grow up and now the MC is confused if his friends really like him romantically or more platonically. The situations and circumstances are very similar to what has been shown many times but I do like the boldness, tsundereness, and dereness each heroine displays and is always a fun experience to see unfold. Shout ... out all harem lovers

This anime has no idea what to do with itself besides an inordinate focus on gags that get stale and boring very quickly. Honestly someone has already written most of the points I want to state. This anime isn't a space anime, isn't a sci-fi anime, isn't a harem anime, isn't an action anime and isn't even an Isekai anime. It is a gag anime and a very bad one at that. The gags are repetitive. Literally all of them are introduced in beggining and there is no introduction of new gags later on. They also get boring very quickly. Honestly this could have been ... a great anime if it simply focused on story and got rid of the gags completely. The story moves fast in the first few eps but after that it doesn't move at all. It is the obvious case of someone coming up with a good idea and then having no idea to go forward with that. It simply stays in place and starts repeating stuff after that. The standout is amagi. Especially the voice actress of amagi. She makes it so that amagi (the emotionless robot maid) is the one who is the best character in the anime. I would have given this a 3-4/10 otherwise. Don't waste time on this. There is no story nor is there slice of life and the comedy is just bad. Like what is this anime for is something that even it's makers won't be able to answer.

Hamefura X leaves a lot to be desired in comparison with the first season. In the latter, she had a clear goal: avoiding the "Destruction Flags" and making back-up plans for exile, which is exactly what led the other characters to be so fascinated by and dependable of her and also gave us so many funny scenarios. On this season the protagonist, now free from any signs of destruction, just enjoys life and, in consequence, very few things end up happening. Recollecting the events at the end of it, I realized most of them were only important for character introduction and ground settling for another ... season, so it felt kinda pointless, too slow-paced and overall really boring. I feel like whatever they have in stock for a third season could've been developed on this one if they cut most of the bullshit of backstories that could've been a simple dialog, missions that were unnecessarily long and added absolutely nothing to the lore and entire episodes of the characters reaffirming Catarina's importance or fawning over her to the point of exhaustion. The only thing I liked about this was the romantic development between some characters but it was constantly swept away by the character's denseness (not in a comedic way) and the side characters just disturbing because of jealously but taking almost no iniciative, which left us with basically nothing. To summarize, I think this season was a waste of time but the last episode hints on more exciting things to come, so if you want to keep up with it like me, watch it or maybe read the episode summary on Wikipedia. Idk you do you

Clevatess is a show about defeat and resilience. It is surprisingly confident, restrained, and honest about what kind of story it wants to tell. One of the show’s strengths lies in how it treats strength and power. Competence is not assumed, and progress is shaped by limitation and consequence rather than convenience. Characters are allowed to struggle, adapt, and change at a believable pace. At the same time, the story avoids clear moral labeling. Central forces are neither framed as heroes nor villains, remaining difficult to read and intentionally uncomfortable. The world is not handed to the viewer through too much explanation but how it is experienced. Events ... often precede understanding, and meaning emerges through consequence. When explanation or flashback appears, it is either brief or deepening what has already been felt rather than clarifying everything in advance. Combat is bloody, gory, and unforgiving. Violence feels necessary and often shocking, but rarely indulgent. It supports the tone instead of overpowering it. Some 'unnatural anatomy' and a fair amount of yelling should be tolerated, but they never dominate the experience. Clevatess was better than expected. You will likely want more time with the characters and the story. It can be recommended to viewers who appreciate restraint, earned character growth, and stories that show more than they tell.

Story: 8 A fantasy story about Hitomi Kanzaki, a high school girl who gets TPed on another planet and gets involved in a war for the survival of Gaea, Earth's « twin » world. She will discover quite soon why she's here and how she can help her new friends in her particular way. Art: 6 An anime series visually rooted in the 90s, nothing special really (apart from the weird noses). I watched the UK BR version, the grain is nice on this one (old anime often get hardcore degrain which is annoying). Very expressive faces and eyes, quite shôjô-like but in a good way. Sound: 8 The OST is really ... good and helps immerse yourself in this universe. Soft tracks, fun tracks, sorrowful tracks, fight tracks, you have everything ! Special mention to the epic 4th track of OST 1 (« Danse of curse », you're welcome :D). I advise you to listen to the three OST albums, even without the anime series, it's great ! Characters: 7 Very nice set of characters although I wish some were more developed but I guess it's the fault of the episode count cut from 39 to 26 :'( No black and white here, only shades of grey for them, you never know when you'll change your opinion on a character, no matter which character... Enjoyment: 8 Finished it in 3 days which almost never happens Note: 8

The animation in this show is passable. But the writing is just terrible... the MC comes across as a pompous child. It's practically unwatchable. No attachment is developed with any of the character they just keep marching forward with more sloppy writing that doesn't even make the MC look good even. Apparently the writing for this "story" if we can call it that is all about producing the most content as possible... I have no problem with that if it were even good at all... how can you mess up so bad that you make your MC completely unrelatable and detestable.

I am definitely not a Yaoi, BL or Gay Anime kinda guy. But i dig this Anime, Not a masterpiece but nice relaxing casual anime nonetheless. Somehow the story and the setting gets u hooked, not to mention the music is very good too. Don't worry about the gay scenes, the hardcore 'Butt Stuff' is censored, and kissing happens not that often too. u are here for the plot ! Character build up is good, coz its not just 2 main guys fell in love and started banging, lots of other characters to build up the 2 main characters, other events that happens. And they Bang ... each other bcoz they have to. Anyway I urge everyone on the fence to give it a try, its not as gay as it looks. Overall interesting story.

Imagine: your iPad baby little cousin who only ever seen Netflix CGI animated shows is talking about mangas to your drunk as hell uncle at a family gathering and your uncle tries to summarize that one manga he read 30-40 years ago that he kinda liked. The vision your cousin has of this mess is basically what Trigun Stampede is like... I was even shocked to learn that this WASN'T a Netflix show. They could've changed all the names and titles and they would've been able to defend their rights to that new work in court AND WIN because of so remote from the original work ... this weird reboot is. If you never read Trigun, like Netflix shows, don't want to think much and want to watch a badly written "dark", gory and badly animated CGI one with a conventionally attractive twink; this show is for you. If you've read Trigun and were hoping to have modern design take on the futuristic dark comedy where the viewer is rewarded for watching and is kept at the end of its seat in anticipation for the next bit of information that will bring a new light to the story; run from it. However, if you've read Trigun and like to hate-watch shows, this is also for you.

Plastic Little is synthetic, short-lived, fun pulp. Don’t expect meaning. Enjoy the shine! It is a short (~40 minutes) OVA that comes from a creative environment that no longer really exists: strong production values, a clearly defined niche audience, and absolutely no interest in smoothing edges or justifying itself. What you see is exactly what the creators wanted to make. Confidence first, restraint optional. From a sci-fi perspective, Plastic Little delivers surprisingly effective world and atmosphere building for its runtime. Everything feels right without ever stopping for any explanation. Ships, technology, and scenes of public places suggest a larger universe. The animation and overall production quality are ... excellent, and the visual world-building carries far more weight than they do in many other anime. The action is another highlight. It is dynamic and exciting to watch. At the same time, it is clearly staged, and wildly unrealistic while presenting itself with a straight face as realistic. Physics, inertia, and survivability are cheerfully ignored. But the visual clarity makes it work anyway. It is executed with skill and confidence. The characters are as good as you can expect from a 40 minute movie. However, they are strictly functional and exist only to support tone and momentum rather than growth or depth. This isn’t a character-driven story, and it never pretends to be. And that’s fine. And there is fan-service. Lots of it. It is entirely unapologetic, unhidden, sexualized and integrated into this anime’s identity. In a context of the 2020s, this will likely be the most divisive element. There is no irony, no justification, and no attempt to soften or contextualize it. Whether that is off-putting or refreshing depends entirely on the viewer. Judged on its intent, the 1990s and the execution, it is honest and consistent, albeit a bit cringe nowadays. The title, Plastic Little, turns out to be perfectly accurate: synthetic, glossy, lightweight pulp. No depth promised and none required. As a title-to-experience contract, it delivers exactly what it advertises. For viewers accustomed to works that explain themselves, to justify their excesses, Plastic Little may feel alien or even hostile. It just assumes the different media literacy of the 1990s: Genre literacy, tolerance for pulp and sexualization, and acceptance of inconsistency in exchange for style and confidence. Taken on its own terms, Plastic Little is a visually strong, time-locked artifact of the OVA era. Not essential viewing, but absolutely worth its runtime if you’re curious about a period when anime could simply be shameless, stylish, and unconcerned with future judgment.

I quite liked it hoenstly, the storyline as always pretty and has a macrocosm of the natural disasters and a loose connection with the passage of time. Through researching the disasters of the movie especially, 11, it showed that it was tied to the tsunami where she was a kid. I liked how shinkai makoto templed with time once again and of course radwimps did not fail to deliver but I felt the romance was a bit too forced this time, and there were a bit of 3D animation that wasnt to my liking. But, overall still happy and again brainwashing soundtrack du dudududududu

10/10. The fights are a bit exaggerated but thats what make this donghua show really cool. Normally I would only leave a review on show that is solid in everything from story to action(fight scenes) however just for the action and CGI of the fights alone this is the first time I will ever leave a review purely just based on that. The story are typical generic Chinese BL trope. Born and forced to be enemy but cant help falling in love. That is why I wasn't gonna leave a review on this show. But because the fights scene are so good I just had to ... leave a review here. 10/10 Animation quality probably one of the highest this season in 3D AI category. The only thing I hate about it is the show is not in full screen and instead its one of those donghua show that have a cinematic look a black bars on top and bottom of the screen. I would enjoy it more if it were full screen but atleast the animation quality is so good that I dont mind it.

At first, I didn't really appreciate the principal character, (I find that kind of character with that extroverted personnality too off sometimes compared to how extroverted people are in the real life, considering this is a story based and inspire by our real world.) but it gets better after a few episodes, and we discover a protagonist smarter than we could think off, and able to think, ask and listen the other characters and act in consequences, a good point that sometimes is missing in that kind of show. Overall it was a pretty good anime who also have good songs, it was an important point ... since the plot turn around music groups. The main story is a bit already seen, but it was still great to watch, the side story are really cool, it almost make me shed a tear in the lasts episodes, haha. So, it's not the anime of the time, but if you like that kind of little story with no fuss, I think you will like it!

After finishing both seasons, I finally realized what Solo Leveling is all about: an action-packed Shonen where the MC gets stronger and stronger while the rest of the characters get sidelined as under leveled NPCs. Unlike SAO where Kirito fights with Asuna and other human beings, Sung Jinwoo fights with the toys he collects from dungeons (items, weapons, etc). In this world, people are "born" into their power level, ranging from Rank E through S. If you are born Rank E, you stay rank E for the rest of your life. No amount of hard work or training will change that. Because Sung is the ... only person on Earth who "reawakened," he's also the only person who sees the world as a videogame. As a result, Sung can now gain XP, allocate skill points, and earn quest rewards, which allows him to become stronger than his current rank. The power system of Solo Leveling is designed to showcase just how OP the MC is, and every other character is third-rate useless. This anime truly lives up to the name "solo" levelling because the power system is exclusive to the MC only - and everybody else is just there to watch. The A-Rank hunters are basically useless, the S-Rank hunters just aura-farm (but end up being useless anyway), and Sung Jinwoo is a God who always comes to the rescue. Solo Leveling is like a really addicting drug with a lot of side effects. If it gets you high enough, you're willing to overlook all its shortcomings. There are many interesting side characters in this show who were robbed of screentime because of Jinwoo's aura-farming and dungeon crawling. The boss fights and enemies are fine, but they just took too much screentime from the other characters. I don't want to see just boss fights. I want to see Sung coordinate attacks with Choi and Baek. I want to see Sung go on a date with Lee Ju-Hee. I want to see Sung and Yoon Jin-Ho have a bromance story. Anything that resembles human character development alongside the MC. But because of the how the power system is designed, and how the show is squeezed into 12-episodes, the characters are barely given any backstory or screentime, which lowers the stakes for most dungeon battles. Besides Sung, the side characters in Solo Leveling are never introduced properly. In SAO, Kirito fights with Asuna, and they coordinate attacks. Because Asuna, the Black Cats, and Klein are all beloved characters, the audience is afraid to see them die. Fights in SAO keep you on your toes because any of your favorite characters might die at any moment. Here, I couldn't care less about any of the characters Sung was protecting, let alone remember their names. Despite all my nitpicks about this anime, the epic battles and flashy fights are way too good to ignore. If I never watched SAO or Hunter x Hunter, there's a universe where I would have given this an 8/10. I think the main reason why Solo Leveling gets a lot of flack is the way it copies a lot of elements from those shows. And knowing how MAL critics are, they will jump on that hate bandwagon despite how enjoyable the series actually is. Ignorance is bliss. Watching Solo Leveling with an open mind makes you realize just how delicious of a snack it is; a hotel snack you'll probably try once but never again.

Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is an interesting anime with very strong production values. The animation is stellar, with consistent quality in every episode and attention to detail that makes it feel like a high-budget project. The character designs are visually appealing, and the cast looks distinct and well-presented. My main issue with the series is the shallowness of its story. Character development often feels strange, and the pacing is extremely slow. At times, the show creates unnecessary confusion without offering meaningful payoff. After finishing the first season, the emotional or narrative reward simply wasn’t there for me. The main characters have moments that feel dumb or ... unrealistic, which makes it harder to fully connect with them. The ending of the season was especially confusing and, in some ways, even a bit uncomfortable or stalker-like, without going into spoilers. The final episode stumbles and lands in an awkward space where the payoff just doesn’t work. This is a very slow-burn romance, very slow. You’ll need a lot of patience to get through it. If you enjoy high school romance and are willing to take your time, you might still enjoy the journey. However, if you’re looking for something more mature or emotionally complex, this probably isn’t the right anime for you. There’s also little to no humor here, at least for me. The show is pure romance slice-of-life. One highlight, though, is the bromance between the male characters, which feels genuine and well done, and may even be the second most important element of the story.

All in all, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is a great anime, but the ending slightly weakens the overall experience. The series is very different, creative, and brave in how it presents its ideas. The final episodes aim for an even bolder, more experimental approach, almost like the author is directly speaking to the audience. While that’s an interesting idea on paper, it doesn’t land as strongly as the emotional conclusion the story was building toward. For me, ending the series around episode 23, with a stronger emotional payoff, would have worked better and pushed the show closer to perfection. Despite that, Orb remains ... a very strong and brilliant anime. Score: 8.5/10

4/10 Bad adaptation with good animation, the problem is its just so unfaithful to the source by too much skipping good parts. 1st episode was a clear 8/10 when it came out because it pique my interest BEFORE i read the manga when it just came out, i continue to the manga after episode 1 because its so interesting that made me can't wait. After i read the manga and watch new episode after finishing the manga, its actually mind blowing how they skip a lot of beryl gardenant cool scenes. The massacre of the bandit hideout in the manga was so satisfying compared to ... the anime which should've been the showcase on how strong beryl is. Genuine disappointment for the manga readers. If you're that interested with this title, please read the manga, its so much better than the adaptation. But if you like this title and fine with the anime and don't have any intention to continue or read the manga, you can ignore my review.

Easily the worst anime I can think of having seen. The main character breathes and it was the perfect thing to do just at that moment that leads to the perfect outcome and everybody clapped. Every character is an NPC without any personality including the main character, the main character speaks in stern monotone and solves everything that happens just because the writer wills it so, everyone else exists just to be amazed at his genius. It's not even fun bad but just terrible. You will never get the time you spent watching this back, do not watch unless you have a brainworm.

This is not a bad show, it's even good, but I can't in good conscience say it's truly number one among every piece of animated media to come out of Japan. Also, as someone who speaks German, it is very difficult to take the show seriously when the writer clearly decided on every proper noun by typing a word into google translate and just running with that. The show doesn't hit the same when you realize its the adventures of Freeze, Distant, and Strong while reminiscing about some dude named Heaven. That girl named Laufen sure does run fast, that Denken guy sure is thoughtful ... and that übel girl has a bit of an evil streak to her, doesn't she? I wonder if they're going to have difficulties crossing the Difficult Mountains on their way to the city of Door. It does take you out of it a little but you don't know any German, this won't really apply. On the plus side, it is refreshing that, for the most part, this is a fantasy anime with world building that doesn't make it feel like a video game or rely on the isekai trope as a crutch to introduce the world to the audience, although it definitely reads as the writer's D&D campaign. The pacing is well done, they do a great job of weaving together the contemporary events with memories of Freiren's past adventures. The characters are where the show falls apart just a bit. As I stated above every character is named by taking a word, translating it into German and that is also how that character is going to be characterized with little depth for most characters we meet. The dynamic of the main three cast members is a bit of an issue. Freiren and Fern don't really feel like distinct characters, their personalities are too similar so they end up being more defined by their more unique character flaws, which makes Fern rather unlikable because she doesn't communicate her feelings well, so when she gets upset, she simply comes off as unpleasant. Freiren is simply defined by being aloof to how others around her feel, except when she inexplicably isn't and she reads someone 100% correctly. Overall, the show is enjoyable for an audience looking for a fantasy anime that lacks many of the distasteful tropes that have been plaguing the genre as of the last decade. It's not overly grimdark like RE:Zero and it's not a deconstruction of the genre like Konosuba. Frieren is more like a modern Record of the Lotus War. A solid fantasy adventure but it's not really worthy of the pedestal that it's been placed on.

frieren:the aimless journey (bro @gaussian_ , let me keep my review up why do you keep deleting it with no reason?) story/plot - 5/10 a thousand year old elf frieren goes on a journey after defeating the demon king with himmel, heiter, eisen. while the others have a limited time until their death, frieren does not and this adventure with them was just a chapter of her life. Frieren wants to understand humans and their feelings better on this journey and especially Himmel's. The idea doesnt sound bad, but it is. While i was watching, i was always waiting for something to happen. the story has no direction nor ... point, making this have an episodic and repetitive feeling rather than something meaningful. characters 4/10 frieren has lived 1000 years but is just starting to understand humans. she learns more in some months than in 1k years. her expresionless nature makes her feel not human at all which the show wants us to feel something for her. the other cast(fern,stark) make this even worse, with their childish like behaviour and annoying pointless dialogues which feel forced. the flashbacks with himmel are there just to bore you(naruto shows us how you can make a dead character interesting with Itachi), while frieren does the opposite making himmel feel superior in thinking and talking than a thousand yo elf. depth/themes 5/10 the themes are passage of time, memories, mortality, relationships etc. These seem interesting, but they are not dug upon well, with frierens quiet nature.The development the characters get is forced and goes nowhere having no payoff. also at the end of season 1 we get a pointless mage exam, which the show is supposed to be deep but plays off a typical shounen exam which is surprisingly more enjoyable(from 3/10 to 4 enjoyability) than the wanna be deep episodes that are presented before. art style/animation/sound 5.5/10 animation is very good in some scenes, which i personally dont care. art style is typical clean but generic fantasy art style which looks a lot like isekai.sound ordinary medieval music nothing to be amused about. world building 4/10 the worlds in fantasies play a major role and here there is a huge lack of it. there are no memorable places in this show, we are not shown anything big in particular. magic system is lacking and we just know that humans and elves exist and a demon king without many details.(will we get them after seasons?i dont know and i dont care i prob wont watch, you need to show something in the first season atleast) enjoynment 3.5/10 not much to say, just that this felt like a chore to watch and i dont recommend this to anyone who wants to explore an interesting fantasy world or meet a deeply developed main character or funny cast. overall 5/10 please get this off number #1 AND #2. how is it ranked above fmab and steins;gate??season 2 with 2 episodes in is ranked at #1 this is a joke. if you like it, you probably just do for the vibes, which is ok and in hope you get some payoff at the end of all this, but im not willing to wait for all the upcoming boring seasons just for its world, characters and "plot" if you can call it that to reach a good point. If this was ranked #4518 i would have no problem with it, but it makes me tremble when im trying to sleep knowing this takes both the number one and two spot on mal.If this was just advertised as a slice of life chill fantasy then id pass, but its shown as something bigger than it really is(an average fantasy). Advice: if you want to take a good nap after school/work or anything tiring frieren is the way to go

Visual novels are notorious for having terrible adaptations. Their length makes any kind of adaptation difficult, and most studios just don't invest the necessary time, effort and episode count to do these longer narratives justice. Steins;Gate is one of the few exceptions- you won't lose too much from watching the anime. However, it shouldn't be considered a substitute for the original. If you really want to experience Steins;Gate in all its glory, buy the visual novel on Steam (but not the ELITE version). As for the anime, there's not too much to say: it's Steins;Gate and Steins;Gate is really good. The infamous complaint about the ... opening being slow is undeserved; if you have an attention span beyond that of a five year old, it isn't slow. They get into the time-travel quickly and all the 'slow stuff' is necessary for the later plot twists to have real impact. The characters are memorable, the excellent OST is retained from the visual novel and the voice performances are great. Sure, I find the animation a little generic and lifeless in comparison to the HUKE art, but it certainly doesn't ruin the experience. This is a good adaptation of what might be the best visual novel out there, so it grades out at a 9.