Category: Anime Reviews

Vinland Saga Anime Review – 90/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo, Vinland Saga

There are only a handful of manga out there that I believe to be masterpieces. Works such as Berserk, Vagabond and Monster. That come to define a time in manga history, such as Berserk. That are perfect in their execution like Monster, or are a work of art in every panel like Vagabond. Fewer still are the manga that get anime adaptations worthy of their legacy. We need look no further than the recent Berserk anime adaptations for evidence of that. However, I believe that Vinland Saga, written by Makoto Yukimura of Planetes fame and adapted by Wit Studio has gotten, just that. An adaptation that captures the beauty and story of the original peace. That not only adapts it faithfully, but also designed specifically for an anime’s format. Changing what needs to be changed for the new medium, without losing much of the original work.

So onward friends, for honor and glory! The review awaits!

(Disclaimer: I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Also this review contains minor spoilers in song names and such. Carry on.) Continue reading “Vinland Saga Anime Review – 90/100” →

Hoshiai no Sora Review – 60/100

by SuperWooper, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Sports, Hoshiai no Sora, Reviews by SuperWooper

It’s often said that sports anime aren’t really about sports, but about the characters who play them. Not every show in the genre is so dedicated to its cast as to deserve such an assessment, but series like Cross Game, Ping Pong, and this year’s Run With the Wind prove that sometimes it holds true. At the beginning of the fall 2019 season, Hoshiai no Sora looked as though it would join their ranks as a sports anime that put people first and athletics second. Unfortunately, it ended up prioritizing not its characters themselves, but the creation of uniformly damaging family lives for nearly a dozen middle school kids. What’s worse, these difficult situations were often introduced in a given episode, only to disappear for weeks at a time, and in some cases never to be revisited. And when the show finally began to focus on tennis near the end of its run, it paced itself far too quickly, resulting in a wholly unsatisfying finish. Were I to describe Hoshiai no Sora in three words, I’d go with overstuffed, unfocused, and inconclusive.

Continue reading “Hoshiai no Sora Review – 60/100” →

Dr.STONE Anime Review – 71/100

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

There are few genres more ubiquitous than Battle Anime. From classics like One Piece and Naruto to the modern like Kimetsu no Yaiba and Black Clover, they are everywhere. Constantly trying to one up or explore the idea in new ways. As a consequence of this, a sub-genre began to appear, cleverly called “Non-Battle” Battle Anime by Super Eyepatch Wolf. In these kinds of anime, it rare for a conflict to be physical in nature. Whether it be cooking in Food Wars or gambling in Ultimate Survivor Kaiji, a punch is rarely thrown. Dr.STONE by TMS Entertainment however takes this one step further, removing the battle portion entirely, unless you count battles with nature herself. And it is here, in the survival and science rather than physical combat, in a celebration of what it means to be human, that Dr.STONE excels.

Without further ado, it’s time to get into the review.

(Disclaimer: I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Also this review contains minor spoilers. Carry on.) Continue reading “Dr.STONE Anime Review – 71/100” →

Mononoke Anime Review – 75/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Horror, Mononoke, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday

I have reviewed a lot of odd shows recently. From Paranoia Agent to Serial Experiments Lain, they each had their own… je ne sais quoi, their own unique flavor. Keeping with that trend is Mononoke, a sort of Horror Anthology reminiscent of Tales From the Crypt or a Stephen King short stories collection. Though where those went for a more classic sort of horror, Mononoke aims more for a permeated dread. Working to bring horror from the actions of man, but basing it on traditional Japanese monsters. Like a sort of mix between Stephen King and Mushishi. Little jump-scare horror, with more slow built environmental and naturalist horror. How’s that for a sentence you thought you would never read, eh? Made by Toei, directed by Kenji Nakamura and spun-off from the final arc of Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, I believe Mononoke succeeds at just that.

So without further ado, let’s dive in. And make sure to stick around until the end to find out what series will next be featured on Throwback Thursday!

(Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers. Also, I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Carry on.)

Continue reading “Mononoke Anime Review – 75/100” →

Mix: Meisei Story Review – 75/100

by SuperWooper, posted in Anime Reviews, Mix, Reviews by SuperWooper

Mix is, by my count, the eighth Mitsuru Adachi work to be adapted to animation. I’ve only seen one of the other seven, so it may not be my place to say this, but Mix probably ranks around the middle of those eight. Its main cast is complex, but the non-baseball players among them slip from the series’ focus near the end. Its visual presentation is drab, only springing to life during isolated scenes. Depending on which source you use to watch the show, you may experience a crippling audio issue that buries the dialogue beneath a string-heavy soundtrack (I recommend Commie’s version, which fixed this problem). And yet, for all its shortcomings, Mix retains that signature Adachi atmosphere of emotional realism, mixed with an unpredictability on the baseball diamond that keeps things fresh. The characters may not have completed their arcs in this truncated adaptation, but they’re still the lifeblood of the show.

Continue reading “Mix: Meisei Story Review – 75/100” →

DanMachi2 Anime Review – 40/100

by Amunchet, posted in Anime Reviews, DanMachi, Reviews by Amunchet

“Is it Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon” burst onto the anime scene as something of a B-tier cult classic.  2015 saw Season 1 massively outperform expectations  – ignoring the occasionally shoddy animation – to bring excitement and mostly fan service (and the cosplayer favorite: the Hestia ribbon).  Now, four years later, the much anticipated sequel has concluded.  How did DanMachi2 do?

To answer that question, a word on my grading criteria.  For me, each show has 50 points to earn and 50 points to lose. Points are earned by going above and beyond the norm – showing me something I hadn’t seen or making me feel something unexpected.  Something that makes me applaud.

Points are lost when I feel a component of the show was below average or less than acceptable in terms of animation, storyline, etc.  Something that takes away from the show as a whole.

Let’s take a look!

Continue reading “DanMachi2 Anime Review – 40/100” →

Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime Review – 70/100

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

It’s hard to find a more ubiquitous genre in anime than Shounen. Maybe romance/moe-blobs, but it’s a close race. With series like One Piece and until recently Naruto, being a constant presence each season/year. Often this makes it difficult for newer series to break into the anime market in a meaningful way. With the recent success stories of that being My Hero Academia and Black Clover. However, with this season, I think Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba can stand toe to toe with its contemporaries and stand proud. As the series, written by Koyoharu Gotouge and adapted by Ufotable, has broken into the scene en force. Even managing to break into the mainstream on social media like Twitter with some episodes, really showing how far anime can reach today. So the question then becomes, what does Kimetsu no Yaiba do right? What does it do wrong?

Without further ado, let’s dive right in and see if we can’t answer those questions.

(Disclaimer: I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Also this review contains minor spoilers. Carry on.)

Continue reading “Kimetsu no Yaiba Anime Review – 70/100” →

Youjo Senki Movie Review – 85/100

by HelghastKillzone, posted in Anime Reviews, Saga of Tanya the Evil

Outside of a very few exceptions, I have come to despise the isekai genre with its predominantly self-inserted overpowered male protagonists, massive harems, fan-service bait and overused fantasy settings. Youjo Senki is none of those things and it has gained a very special place in my heart where it features the combined arms of a magical World War One/Two, realistic military environment and a villainous main character. Aside from character title cards and a couple of very brief flashbacks, the movie expect you are familiar with its television series as it goes straight back into its worldwide war.   Continue reading “Youjo Senki Movie Review – 85/100” →

Fate/Stay Night Heaven’s Feel – II Lost Butterfly Anime Review – 91/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Reviews by AidanAK47

Long time no see and strap in cause this is going to be a long one. I will preface this review with the assumption that you have seen the first movie of this trilogy and this movie as well as the assumption that whomever is reading this knows what a command spell is. So basically expect spoilers after this first paragraph while I place my general thoughts at the beginning. To throw my final estimate on this right now I will say that Heaven’s Feel II is just as good, if not better than the movie preceding it. Ufotable truly have done great work in bringing this route to life and with two movies out of three adapted as well as this then as long as Ufotable doesn’t make any major missteps in the last movie this will be considered a perfect adaption with only nitpickers trying to amplify its flaws(Take note that nitpicking is to follow this paragraph.) The animation is steller, the music is…well I think Kajura held herself back enough to make my usual complaints of her less evident, the adaption of the source ultimately makes it better by cutting out the bloat and extending fight scenes which were originally nonexistent and the atmosphere and pacing is engaging from start to finish. For those curious I will confirm that yes there is a sex scene in this movie though temper your expectations as it is a sex scene on the level of which you would see in a PG rated romantic comedy. So I am afraid you will once again have to rely on doujins if you require some porn. Funny as it is though I would say that the strongest element of this movie isn’t the fight scenes, character interactions or the further developments of the holy grail war. But the show stealers here is when the story veers into horror as it’s there where Kajura’s soundtrack truly excels and highlights the utterly unnerving nature that the villain of this piece is. The “shadow” captures a near Lovecraftian level of unknown malevolence and any time it’s on screen is a showcase of just how powerless anyone is to oppose it. The combination of CGI and 2D animation makes it truly otherworldly and unsettling, almost making the uncanny effect its advantage. The story is dark to the point of giving Fate/Zero competition as developments long awaited and wished are finally happening to the cast. If there is a detriment it would be that some great scenes with Illya and Kirei were cut to make the runtime reasonable which is understandable but somewhat disappointing. So if you have already watched the first movie and was interested enough to move on to the second then I doubt you need my encouragement to continue.

Continue reading “Fate/Stay Night Heaven’s Feel – II Lost Butterfly Anime Review – 91/100” →

Serial Experiments Lain Anime Review – 78/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews by Lenlo, Serial Experiments Lain, Throwback Thursday

Serial Experiments Lain is weird. It is a series unlike any other, wholly unique in anime, both modern and historical. Every aspect of it, from presentation to narrative, is best described as an experience. It is because of this that I believe Lain is a must watch, if only to experience a piece of anime history. That said, Serial Experiments Lain can hardly be said to be an “enjoyable” series. It is certainly evocative, Serial Experiments Lain will bring about emotions and force you to confront reality in a unique way. But I at least did not end the series thinking I would watch it again anytime soon, and this density will no doubt be off putting for many. However while these may keep it out of my favorites, it is without a doubt worth your time. Lets go.

(Disclaimer: I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Carry on.)

Continue reading “Serial Experiments Lain Anime Review – 78/100” →