Reviews
Saikyô no Shienshoku [Wajutsushi] Dearu ore wa Sekai Saikyô Kuran o Shitagaeru (2024)
Nearly anything goes to become the strongest
Noel is born as the grandson to the strongest seeker known. However, once he begins his training, it becomes quickly apparent that his class type will never allow him to become the most physically dominant seeker, so he goes hell bent trying to become the most powerful through other methods, by nearly any means necessary. While Noel does follow a set of morals, some of his actions and decisions can be absolutely vile leading both the wicked and the innocent to suffer. These despicable actions do appear to pull at his conscience, but this is what it takes to rise up in his world, and he'll allow no-one and nothing to stand in his way on his ascent to power.
This anime has been keeping me enthralled with its mix of battle and strategy (the strategy being reminiscent, though not quite as adept as the Moriarty series). This series is currently at the top of my list, as I look forward to how many lines Noel is willing to cross and if he can amass the power he's dreamt of to rival or surpass that of his grandfather.
Za Faburu (2024)
Funny, well written life-takes of a hitman trying to be normal
Fable is funny from the start, but it's my type of humor so it might not be for everyone. The humor is based on ironic situations and the unexpected events that play out around one of the deadliest and enigmatic assassins in the underworld, especially when he's trying to live and act as a normal human being during his sabbatical.
The writing sets up the characters will, from the MC who finds joy in the simplest of things like a low brow comedian with terribly written scripts, to his various "attempts" at normal life. The group that agreed to host him and his administrator are set up really well too, as some try to protect the group from what they perceive as his potential bad influences on the org, to other weebs who fanboy at his skills and accomplishments. Fable inspires the type of trouble you don't want to get mixed in yourself, but which you wouldn't mind posting to IG from across the street.
Kaiju No. 8 (2024)
Hate rating early but loving it already
This anime man.... It's really about the mc, more than it is about Kailju. Mc is a well written, likable character and you can't help but get caught up in his ups and downs. You feel for when he experiences hopelessness and despair, but his hope and heart are just infectious as he does his best to live his dream of joining the defense force. When the kaijus are up and the chips are down, and Hibino gives it his all...all I can do is smi-cry. The comedy and timing are fantastic, as is the choreography of the score in the climactic scenes. Everything comes together and builds towards great feel-good moments as Hibino fights his hardest every step of the way to pursue and fulfill his dreams of glory within the defense force.
Pluto (2023)
True sci-fi, warning of the future from current events and conflicts
This is a great sci-fi mystery series. It's a true sci-fi series in that it takes current conflicting situations (AI, war conflicts) and extrapolates the good and bad possibilities into the future based on the current issues they're facing. The story telling is very good, humanizing robots who develop emotions and hopes and dreams, just as much as humans do. Character development is equally as good, especially learning the ups and downs that Gesicht faces in his job as a detective and in his personal relationships. I only noticed a couple of small plot bandaids to smooth things over, but otherwise, it's a really well told story and warning of the consequences of the greed that causes war and the ensuing escalation that develops from the pain and hatred of wars.
Undead Girl Murder Farce: Free For All (2023)
This is the episode
Series started as a pretty interesting supernatural thriller mystery with a few decent action sequences. Good stories, clever capers, some decent action. About 80% mystery thriller a 20% action. Good enough to hold my interest. This episode is THE one that starts with the big clever caper twists, and then without warning, transitions to 80% Action thriller with tight sequences, great animation, and captivating action editing/ cinematography.
The setup is great and the plot makes sense in a world of supernatural strength monsters and humans with superhuman strength and skill. If you found the previous 6 episodes a little tedious or falling short of the series' potential, well here's where things start picking up. If you found the previous 6 episodes fun and still lively, well, with this episode you're in for a treat!
Burakku Kurôbâ: Mahôtei no Ken (2023)
Clunky story and plot, but good action
Non-canon piece, so there's minimal character development. The story is rushed and the plot has some nonsensical parts to patch the story, but it's good action so save it for when you have some downtime. It'll give fans a bit of feels from being able to see the characters in a new story, but really doesn't contribute to the characters long term or the series arc. Characters mostly end the movie the way they started, just with a bit more battle experience. The only possible contribution to the main arc might be calling up the new characters in from the movie into the main arc in the future.
It is it entertaining though, seeing the Black Bulls' epic teamwork again, Yuno's effortless elegance, and Asta's persistence. Now bring on Season 5 already!
Dune: Part One (2021)
Great visuals, awful sound editing
Score might've been higher if I'd seen it at home with subtitles on. Great visuals, pretty decent plot movement.
However a lot of the story gets lost because half the dialogue is inaudible as the sound effects are deafeningly loud and painful and the decision was made to have the characters whisper about half the time with a loud score playing or sound effects playing. I'm sure the story would've been great, as Villanueve is a great storyteller, which is why it was excited to see his adaptation of Dune. I understand whispering for performance effect but the dialogue volume has to be increased if the scene is set to loud effects or music. I tore up some napkin to place in my ears, and the effects and percussions were still too loud and painful at times. This is very fixable, as a trailer for the Batman played right before Dune and every spoken word was clear and audible in that trailer, even when set to dramatic score or sound effects. I hope this can be fixed in a re-master and in any subsequent productions.
Shi Guang Dai Li Ren (2021)
Sentiment, laughs, and thrills
This show is so well written. It sets up deep sentimental moments based on various relationships between family, friends, and lovers. If you don't cry and laugh through this series, you might not be human. The time travel compliment is definitely an interesting aspect to create the thrills and provide the story infrastructure, but the setup of emotional relationships is the series't rue strength. I never thought I'd be the type to be into sentimental dramatic scenes and payoffs, but this show has changed it for me. Would recommend to anyone.
Mahô shôjo Madoka magika: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)
Trippy animation, arthouse writing, but entertaining concepts
The packaging is definitely off brand for the series. The cover art and opening music theme portray a series that looks like it'll focus on teen romance and relationship drama. And magic i guess. The show then becomes a journey into fantasy/sci-fi and fatalistic existentialism. The art is interesting, as various scenes into the witches' territories are a bit psychedelic. The story was a bit loose and jumbled, but it evolved with enough interesting concepts of mankind's place on earth and in the universe that it kept me sufficiently entertained through the end.
If you're expecting this series to be the greatest series ever or a masterpiece due to the other reviews, well, don't raise your expectations too much. I guess it might be, depending on your taste, but if it isn't, well, you can always throw Death Note or Food Wars on standby.
Thunderbolt Fantasy (2016)
Amazing puppet action, but it's really about the comedy
I'll admit that the puppet action is pretty good. The best part of the series though is the great comedy writing, putting the characters in the most awkward or difficult situations for their character. They're able to have this much fun by solidly developing the characters so that the audience gets to know what they value, what they love, and especially what they hate. Especially great is the chemistry between Shang Bu Huang and Gui Niao, who knows exactly how to push all the right buttons.
Jouran: The Princess of Snow and Blood (2021)
Slow burn art house story
Watchable but really slow, with characters changing their minds all the time about who they are with little to no setup on why they break character.
Plot is also a bit of a mess at points. Figures though as the series is more about how to inject moments of heroism or poignancy or tragedy without any setup of it. Decent stylized animation, but the lazy writing is a bit of a disappointment. Watchable enough if you're running out of media though.
Castlevania: The Endings (2021)
One of the greatest action sequences in animation history
The drama, stakes, and character interactions are written superbly through the battle scenes. The animation and camera perspectives are exceptional through every minute of action. What resulted were intense group battle scenes that flowed together effortlessly, leading to individual and team battle scenes that were fantastically choreographed and heart poundingly intense. Chains, swords, and magic painted together a masterpiece of an animated action kaleidoscope.
Short term, this episode surpasses Demon Slayer S1E19 as the best animated action episode I've seen in the past 5 years.
Long term this episode will be looked back on as having some of the greatest animated action in history.
Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song (2021)
2 Eps in, sugoi. Looking forward to the rest
First episode is not terrible, introduces the premise and it's a key to setup the rest of the season. Second episode is the payoff. This is where the humanistic relationships that the protagonist starts shaping the story and character layers, and where the sidekick quirky comedy starts to shine. The premise of the dangers and benefits of AI haven't been fully explored at this point yet, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the writers handle this topic and how it relates to our current world. Finally, the action and animation are first-rate, which makes me really look forward to the upcoming immersive journey.
Black Clover (2017)
Great episodes except every 4th
About ¾ of the episodes are great with Asta and friends overcoming discrimination based on class and magic ability, bonding and relying on each other in order to better the kingdom and serve its people. Magic battles and animation are really well done.
The biggest problem with this series is the enormous number of filler episodes. About every fourth episode, the story shifts from magic, friendship, and action to romance, culture, and personal hobbies. It's like they switch entirely from shonen to shojo stories. These character-building side stories can be baked into the regular magic stories instead of taking an entire episode or 2 to explore in an attempt to draw in more viewers interested in romance. This is like a business trying to capture two different segments and ending up pleasing neither.
Kemono Michi (2019)
Simple fun
Pretty straightforward, simple story, but pretty fun with the ridiculous love for animals and beasts. Stays true to its wrestling roots with the fighting moves and spectacle.
Shokugeki no Soma (2015)
Funny and heartfelt
This is prob my favorite anime ever. I'll admit it, the fan service drew me in, but what i found inside was a true gem of a dish that made me laugh and cry, and in the end left me with a warmth in my soul, much as I'd imagine Megumi's cooking to feel like.
The comedic gags throughout the series are pretty solid, but the sentimental stories are really what kept me coming back. Soma's rivalrous but fun relationship with both his dad and his friends set just the right tone of tenseness and tenderness throughout the series. When he or his friends or themselves at risk to support each other, it builds just the proper tension to enhance the artwork and visuals of the cooking scenes to be hyperbolically over the top dramatic.
And speaking of dramatic, the musical score throughout the series is exceptional! I had the season 1 ost playlist on YouTube last night as i was doing my own cooking in my kitchen and the time flew by and my dish ended up tasting like joy and love!
I'm glad the series ended in season 5 as you could tell the writing was running out of steam, as they all do in most series. The final season starts off a little lackluster and the storyline is a bit contrived, but midway through, it starts to pull in the
Overlord (2018)
A few plot holes, but fun stuff, good pacing
That's pretty much it. Mindless entertainment, some good vehicles to get you emotionally invested, good action, and strong characters. Not a whole ton of explanation on the story but it's not needed for this piece. The cat has tight team chemistry between both the allies and their enemies. Easy to watch fun flick.
Tigtone (2018)
Juvenile guy humor, but an absolutely guilty pleasure
The characters and voice actors are absolutely priceless, especially the guy who plays Tigtone with his raging melodrama. With 12 minute runtimes, they keep the ridiculous fantasy plots and stories light, but the characters so develop over the season.
Hope we get a season 2!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Alien Commies from the Future! (2020)
That's a wrap
The beginning and middle seasons were the best. Time travel into the future was kind of okay, but it got away from the core of the show, and now it's gone off the rails. Usually I'm ok with shows taking different directions, but the writing is completely different now. Plot holes and cliche tropes abound. I mean, humans fighting robots hand to hand and winning/not getting killed? Has anyone ever seen the Boston Dynamics YouTube videos of CURRENT robots irl doing backflips?!?! The only powered agent uses their powers ONCE when fighting deadly sentient robots and decides to engage them hand to hand for the rest of the fights.
There's way less suspense and thrills written into the show this season, and way more time spent on just filler, not even meaningful character development. Seriously, wasted time filler poke the train ride in episode 2 where literally NOTHING HAPPENS.
I'm guessing this lack of story is due to COVID-19 absolutely eradicating the time for writing, and they just went straight to filming. "Ok guys, so you've probably noticed you didn't get scripts? Yeah, neither did the production crew. We're gonna try something new this season, you guys are gonna ad lib your lines and we'll do the same with the story. Alright, go team!"
Gonna take a break from the series for a bit. IMDb peeps, lemme know when some coherent writing comes back. In the meantime, see y'all at Rick and Morty's.
Into the Night (2020)
Pretty good thrilling scifi suspense series
So for the reviews complaining about the contrived characters, just remember, these are mostly first class flyers, so the characterization is actually pretty accurate 😏. Even if the characters are a bit contrived, if rather have established contrived characters than lazy contrived storylines.
There doesn't appear to be a higher purpose to this show with an agenda of altruism or viewer education so far. Mostly a straightforward suspense thriller with a scifi premise. Very solid performance from the cast staying true to their characters while allowing room for character development.
This series had me excited to see what would happen at each turn. And yes, you have to let the science and logic slip a bit if you're detail oriented, so just let it go and try to enjoy the twists and turns of the ride (literally?). Looking forward to season 2.
Absurd Planet (2020)
Fun take on nature shows
No-one can even approach Planet Earth's level of camera work and storytelling, so this nature series decided to take a comedic approach instead. It's fun and light hearted and easy to watch. Might not win any Emmys, but it's an entertaining way to pass 20 minutes and you might learn something along the way... Which you prob won't wanna share at the water cooler unless you wanna get a nice visit from HR.
And for the salty reviewers complaining that it'd be a great nature show if only there wasn't the irreverent narration... What'd you expect from a series entitled "Absurd! Planet"?!?!
Only feedback is maybe give us a little more info on the topic on screen. Eg, when we see the bombadier beetle, we could use more info on what its weapon is made of. Or for the stinky creatures, what actually makes them stink. Just like a short blurb or graphic on that info would do great. Looking forward to season 2!
Tales from the Loop (2020)
Art in slow mo
Dark: We're gonna try to be the slowest series streaming now
Tales From the Loop: Wanna bet?
Ok, so i actually like Dark. It's slow, but intentionally so to let the storytelling and beautifully shot scenes really burn in. But the story actually progresses, whereas Tales From the Loop feels like, well, an infinite loop.
Interesting concept(s) (so far I only got one concept from 55 minutes of storytelling), but i can't figure out the symbolism or meaning of the scenes. Some would say that's my fault for never having taken grad school level literature classes, but I blame that on the writers not providing enough context in the story. At least i gave it a shot and watched one episode.
La casa de papel (2017)
Great writing and performances S1 & S2
Well, I only finished S1 and S2 as i think that's prob where the original production ended. I'm guessing S3 and S4 are cash-in seasons so i won't ruin the series for myself.
But really, this series does a great job of investing in the characters with all of their strengths and flaws, the crime sequences are meticulously crafted story and the plot devices is thoroughly explained. With as complex a plot a this one, if course there are gonna be a couple of bandages to smooth out the logic, but compared to anything else I've seen, they're not too objectionable or groan-worthy.
Fun series, great performance, and great storytelling make this series a must-see.
Bumblebee (2018)
Got fooled by the ratings, still Transformers patchwork working
The only real difference between this and the other transformers movies is this one has a funner vibe, with a little less action. Had one decent fight scene at the end, but the rest of the movie is just a patchwork to completion. There's no valid reason work in to the movie for the main character to be present in like half of the scenes, so i guess at least the other Transformers movies had that going for them. The cast pulls off decent performances, which is a decent testament to their talent working with the subpar material. Bumble me disappointed.
Carnival Row (2019)
Watchable if you can forgive writing shortcuts / plot holes
It's sort of Lord of The Rings meets Downton Abbey meets Pan's Labyrinth. Basically a fantasy romance political thriller that explores race, imperialism, and class. The physical world that is explored in this series is imaginative and a bright spot for Edwardian / Steampunk fans.
Performances by the cast are pretty good. The part that suffers is the writing, not necessarily if the concept or the world, but the plot is led from point to point by lazy shortcuts. The initial romance is a bit contrived, Philo has a friend whose role/storyline seems to make no sense or is just a time filler, and a bunch of interlinked events seem to just conveniently occur when they're needed to.
I've enjoyed movies or shows where i could get past the shortcut styled writing, but that was only because other elements like action/visuals/dialogue held my attention. Carnival Row doesn't have enough of those elements to allow me to overlook the clumsy plot holes, especially since it moves so slowly during the romance and the class/race/political conflict portions.
Overall, i think they tried to capture too many viewer segments. People into fantasy/action/crime thrillers may get bored by the class/status and romance portions, and people into romance and race/class intrigue may get turned off by the violence and gore. I prob won't be tuning into season 2.