Author: Lenlo

Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 Anime Review 48/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Action, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Reviews by Lenlo

Another year, another season of Kimetsu no Yaiba. As what is most likely the most popular, and profitable, current Shounen series being produced, it’s no surprise Kimetsu no Yaiba got a 3rd season. The thing probably prints money. So you would expect at least some of that money to make its way back into the series, either in the form of grander visuals, longer schedules, larger time frames, better writing, etc. Yet the sad truth is that we don’t appear to be getting any of that. In fact it appears to me that this 3rd season, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Swordsmith Village, is the worst season we’ve got yet. Why could that be? It’s still directed by Haruo Sotozaki, still animated by Ufotable, and the original story still Koyoharu Gotouge. So why then is this the least excited I’ve ever been for the series? Let’s dive in and find out, but before you go on, which demon slayer hashira are you?

Be warned, this review contains major unmarked spoilers for Kimetsu no Yaiba Seasons 1/2 and minor unmarked spoilers for Season 3. It also contains major Season 3 spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 Anime Review 48/100” →

Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 – 11 [A Connected Bond:Daybreak and First Light]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kimetsu no Yaiba

Welcome all, to the double-length grand finale for Season 3 of Kimetsu no Yaiba! With double the runtime we have a fair amount to talk about this week, so lets jump right in!

Starting off my immediate question is: Did this need to be double length? Did it really? Personally, I would say no. Cut out a lot of the more useless flashbacks, the last minute tricks, the extended back and forth’s, this could easily have been a single episode. The only reason to make this a double feature is to add a bit of weight. That said, as far as endings go… This ain’t bad. In fact it’s better then I was expecting. We got a nice visual/setting change as the sun came up, a shocking amount of legitimately emotional gravitas, the first in the season, and some actually decent comedy. As far as endings go, this is more then the season deserved. At least until Yaiba managed to shoot itself in the foot. Again.

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Dr. STONE S3 Anime Review 75/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Dr.STONE, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo

Whether or not it’s actually the case, hat tricks feel kind of rare in anime. A 1st season? Simple enough, get your adaptation. A 2nd? Good job, you held out, already in the upper half. A 3rd?! Well that’s when you start thinking a show might actually get adapted all the way to end. And it’s those hallowed halls that Dr. STONE is stepping into. Animated by TMS Entertainment with original story by Riichirou Inagaki and original art by Boichi, Dr. STONE returns with a new director at the helm, Shuuhei Matsushita. How will his take on the best non-battle-battle Shounen currently being made compare to that of the original director, Shinya Iino? Can he bring it back from the brink after the dip that was Season 2? Well I’ll give you hint: Abso-freaking-lutely. This is the best season of Dr. STONE yet. So without further ado, let’s jump in!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Dr. STONE. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Dr. STONE S3 Anime Review 75/100” →

Dr. STONE S3 11 – [With This Fist, A Miracle]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dr.STONE

Welcome all, to the final episode of Season 3 of Dr. STONE! This week sees Kohaku break a rock, Senku connect with his dad and the team find the platinum. A fair amount going on this week, so lets dive into it!

So as far as finales go, Dr. STONE is a weird one. The actual content is good, there’s no denying that, and we will talk about that as we go. But as an experience… This feels more like the half-way point of a season then an actual finale. Yes, the platinum was retrieved and we know what our next steps are. But no one on the ship has been saved yet. Kohaku/Ginro/Amaryllis are still stuck in the Inner Palace. Ibara/Moz/Kirisame are still out there, and still dangerous. Nothing has really been resolved. It’s more like we’ve finally reached a point where both sides are on equal footing and a real conflict can start to take place. Like things are going to start heading towards a climax. And that’s a bit of a shame, because this is very much a “Wait for next season” sort of ending.

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Kemono no Souja Erin – 5/6/7/8 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kemono no Souja Erin, Throwback Thursday

Welcome all, to week 2 of Kemono no Souja Erin! This week is the conclusion to what I view as our “prologue”. We’ve got mystery, tragedy, and mediocre comedy! Lots to talk about this week so lets dive in!

So before we get to far into it I want to talk about the music. 8 episodes is enough to get a feel for that I think. Composed by Masayuki Sakamoto, Erin’s OST is really interesting to me. Most of the time it doesn’t have much going on, it’s very much in the background and doesn’t announce its presence. But every now and then it switches to these folksy insert songs, from childhood lullabies like “Lalalila Lalila” to these more emotional, family oriented songs I have yet to find the name for. While the core stuff doesn’t wow me, these are really good! And every time they come up they leave an emotional impact I wasn’t expecting, really accentuating a scene. They aren’t meant to be diegetic, as Soyon is still talking to Erin over the song. Yet they feel diegetic, and that gives them this extra unexpected weight.

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Vinland Saga S2 – 23 [Two Paths]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Vinland Saga

Welcome all, to the penultimate episode of Vinland Saga Season 2! Vinland Saga continues riding high this week with another heart wrenching episode. I’m going to do my best to avoid repeating myself this week, there are only so many times you can call something the “Best Anime of the Season” before it starts to get old. But it’s true. It is. Now lets jump into it.

The core of this weeks episode was the climax of Vinland Saga’s thematic arc as well as Thorfinn and Canute’s meeting. Personally? I absolutely loved everything about this. Yeah, it ends without conflict and they sort of just walk away from each other. On a purely physical level, you might see it as anticlimactic or unsatisfactory. But thematically? Narratively? This is the conclusion for both of them. As Canute puts it, Thorfinn came to him with nothing but a request. No manipulation, no ulterior motive, no plot or plan to trick him into something. Just a genuine, heartfelt, honest request. This is probably one of the few truly honest interactions Canute has had since becoming King. He can simply…open up to without fear of being taken advantage of or judged. And it’s because of that, this proof that the Vikings can produce someone like Thorfinn, that he chooses another road.

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Kimetsu no Yaiba S3 – 10 [Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kimetsu no Yaiba

Welcome all, to the penultimate episode of Kimetsu no Yaiba’s third season! This week is all about Kanroji, the premier waifu of the season, from her backstory to her fight with the Upper Four. We have a lot to talk about this week, so lets dive in!

So, Kanroji. This is her episode. And you know what? It’s not bad. Overall I’d call it an improvement over the last few Tokito-centric ones. And you know what I think the biggest contributor to that? Her combat style. Everything about it is simply far more visually appealing. Her ballet-like movement, the poses, the moonlight flashing off her sword and the patterns it draws in the air Even the after effects of her attacks on the wood, the little burn marks and ash left hanging in the air. Kanroji has all the flare that has been missing from the rest of the season. It’s a damn shame she has so little screen time, because I think she could have made the arc much more memorable on that front.

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Dr. STONE S3 10 – [Science Wars]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dr.STONE

Welcome all, to another week of Dr. STONE! This week our girls go on an infiltration mission while our boys play with magnets. I promise that isn’t a joke, it’s actually what happens. Don’t believe me? Then lets dive into the episode!

Overall this was a pretty standard week for Dr. STONE. Some comedy with Kohaku, a serious moment with Ginro and a fair amount of science with Senku. It seems that Dr. STONE has found a pattern it really likes, and it’s one I think works well. What really makes it work though I think is how Dr. STONE is constantly switching up its groups. Splitting them off and merging them back together, giving each member moments to play off of others in new combinations. Stuff like Gen and Kohaku’s back and forth, or Kohaku and Amaryllis manipulating their way through the Palace. These are different from say… Senku’s relationship with Gen, or Senku and Kohaku. Different pairs lead to different jokes and banter. Overall, I like it.

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Kemono no Souja Erin – 1/2/3/4 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Kemono no Souja Erin, Throwback Thursday

Welcome all, to another season of Throwback Thursday! As I said before, this time we are covering Kemono no Souja Erin, also known simply as Erin, a 2009 fantasy drama from Production I.G. and the same creator who wrote Seirei no Moribito, a personal favorite of mine. Before we jump in, a quick word: This is a long series. 50 episodes! As such, I’m going to try to do 4 episodes a week. However I make no promises about being able to keep up that pace. As such, some weeks will be 4 episodes, some 3, some might even be 2 if I get particularly busy with Grad School. I apologize, I will try to get through this in a reasonable pace so we can get to The Big O, but it’s a long god damn series. So with that out of the way, on to the show!

So first up, let’s talk about Erin’s production. My initial impressions are that… It’s fine? There’s nothing particularly impressive about Erin’s visual style to me. The character designs especially feel a little off-putting, with faces leaning more towards an anime aesthetic then say Seirei no Moribito’s more realistic one. In fact there’s really only 2 things that stand out at all: The backgrounds and the stylized Touda sequences. The backgrounds are these nice, large watercolor-like spreads. They aren’t tremendously detailed but they are rather stylized, and I think they help cover up some of Erin’s compositing issues, both 2D and 3D. As for the stylized Touda sequences, these are rare but when they do happen they are quite striking. Bright colors, sharp lines, styled almost like ancient cave drawings of monsters. They really fit the beastial Touda. Overall while Erin isn’t to impressive visually, I wouldn’t say it’s bad either.

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Vinland Saga S2 – 22 [The King of Rebellion]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Vinland Saga

Welcome all, to another episode of Vinland Saga! This is a big week, perhaps the best episode of the entire season. We have a lot to talk about this week so lets just dive right into it!

Starting off I want to talk about last weeks episode a bit, and how I hope this one cleared things up. There was some confusion, not just here but in other communities I am part of, that questioned why Thorfinn didn’t just… Beat them up. Or dodge away. Or literally anything other than the punching bet. Well that’s something I think Vinland Saga answered pretty clearly this week: What kind of peace negotiator comes with a drawn sword? Thorfinn is committed to non-violence, not just for himself but in demonstrating it to others. And that’s what this bet was. A demonstration, neigh a condemnation of violence in all its forms. He didn’t take the bet on some stupid “I’ll just take anything the world throws at me”, he had a plan to avoid most of the damage. And it’s because of that plan he felt comfortable with this choice.

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