Tag: Review

Diabolik Lovers

…this is most obvious insofar as there being literally no explanation as to what defines a vampire within the world in which this story is taking place. There is a limit to the educated guesses a viewer can make about what vampires can do and what significance they have based on their portrayals in mythology and in other media; loose commonalities like blood sucking, having fangs and being immortal are on such an unimportant surface level in the grand scheme of things that it feels more like the characters in Diabolik Lovers are role-playing as vampires than anything else.… Read more.

Trigun / Trigun Stampede

…some would describe Trigun as a show consisting of “mostly filler”, but that is a gross misrepresentation of the truth when in actuality, each and every one of those “filler” episodes is so deeply important and strictly necessary for the viewer to appreciate and fully experience the show, filler in name only simply because of the way in which Trigun’s anime adaptation deviated from the original source material it was born from, or the way in which those filler episodes arguably “deviate” from the main plotline, a semantic and technical distinction so unbelievably misguided it is astounding.… Read more.

Gangsta

…I already made mention that I appreciated the show presenting its subject matter in a multifaceted and thoughtful way, but narratives like these largely defined by the way in which the events happening within them speak for themselves absolutely need strong resolutions in order to have impact or tell a story effectively—Happy Sugar Life is a really good example of that, a show that would be absolutely pointless and ultimately waste your time if not for the way in which it ended allowing it to make an impactful statement about the things which took place during its runtime.… Read more.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

…that’s part of what defines Cyberpunk as a genre—the chemistry and camaraderie between members of an effective, close-knit team contrasted against dark undertones of hopeless, futile struggle to overcome a rigged system and individual chase after lofty, ultimately doomed dreams, and it’s this particular element which makes Cyberpunk: Edgerunners immediately more engaging than the video game that it spawned from.… Read more.

His and Her Circumstances

I am a firm believer in the notion that a good story is not about coming up with a good idea, but strong execution of whatever idea it is that you do have; essentially, good writing is not about coming up with premises, it’s about the ability to make something compelling out of even the most basic premise.… Read more.

Watamote

…and you know, let me say this right off the bat—Watamote (with the full Japanese title of “Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!” or the English title of “No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!”)… Read more.

Bocchi the Rock

I found out about Bocchi the Rock sometime either around when its first episode aired or shortly before then—I got recommended some random article about it and thought it seemed interesting, so I put it on my ever expanding plan-to-watch list assuming it was probably obscure.… Read more.

Happy Sugar Life

Happy Sugar Life is an anime adaptation released in 2018 by a small animation studio called “Ezόla” responsible for making only three shows between 2018 and 2020. From what I can tell, they may very well not even exist anymore. But holy fucking shit, the legacy they’ve left behind in Happy Sugar Life is something to be celebrated.… Read more.

Arknights: Prelude to Dawn

…I kept playing despite the insane length that experience has been padded to for the sake of trying to appreciate the genuinely entertaining parts of the game buried beneath hundreds upon hundreds of hours of endless auto-battling and tedious grind. At its best, the game is very polished, visually appealing, has an excellent soundtrack, boasts enjoyable, unique tower defense mechanics and—more to the point—a relatively interesting narrative.… Read more.

Madoka Magica

…before we talk about that, though, one major thing I forgot about this show before rewatching it is that it’s actually very action-oriented, so much so that I felt like I was watching an over-the-top shonen battle as opposed to the psychological thriller/horror anime that Madoka Magica is supposed to be.… Read more.