Jeoffrey

I was not quite sure about this show at first; however, now I can confidently say that this anime series beautifully represents a happy childhood and shows what is so beautiful about being a child. For someone who grew up in a time before smartphones, computers, and other conveniences that eat up our time today, this is an incredibly enjoyable, endearing, and nostalgic affair. It is nostalgic because when I was a kid, every free day was filled with outdoor adventures with my friends, there was always someone who came up with a new silly idea, an exciting game, and the world was colorful and fascinating. Plus, I was always learning and discovering something new. Sure, it was not like that all the time, everything had its downsides, and some things could make growing up very unpleasant (kids can be cruel). However, when watching this anime series, there is none of that. I simply remembered the good times, and I had fun thinking about the ideas and naivety of the main characters, what they came up with, and enjoyed every adventure. It is energetic, silly, and really very funny and cute in places. I love shows like that. This anime series was just so good and I was not just thinking about what was happening on screen. I was thinking about real life, my own past, and, as I wrote before, everything that was so cool during my own childhood, for probably the first time while watching a "cute girls doing cute things" anime series. So even though it has some shortcomings, like the background music, which is sometimes quite distracting (the opening and ending were perfect, though), I cannot help but say that this was an outstanding show. 8.3/10.

I guess my expectations were too high, which I had from the relatively good trailer and the fact that Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who has worked with Studio Ghibli on his previous movies, directed this. The feeling that I was watching something like a Studio Ghibli anime movie persisted almost the whole time I was watching the movie. The only thing is that perhaps all of the aspects of the movie were at least a notch worse. The enchantment and feeling that I was watching something unique that I wanted to see again were not there whether we were talking about the characters, the narrative, the atmosphere, or even the message the movie was trying to convey. Sure, it is a decent movie, the animation is well-produced, the soundtrack is also excellent, so in other words, it is all a pretty likable fairy tale. However, it lacks intensity, more playfulness, and creativity (certainly compared to what I expected) - it lacks charm. I do not want to say that I am disappointed; however, I simply do not see it as a slightly better than mediocre offering. 6.6/10.

There are many anime series that revolve around food consumption, and almost every season, there is a new one. However, you do not see that many anime series concentrate exclusively on one type of food anymore. I was reminded of Dagashi Kashi (whose second season is also just ending with half the number of minutes per episode). The main female protagonist was also literally obsessed with her chosen food, introducing different variations and telling us new facts all the time. In DK's case, she is passionate about sweets and snacks. Anyway, for my taste the anime series about Ms. Koizumi's love of ramen noodles is too flat, repetitive, and lacks any wider perspective or development. Ms. Koizumi is cold and she only likes ramen noodles. She simply does not care about anything else. She has a stalker who has an unhealthy obsession with Ms. Koizumi (which is supposed to be the set-up for some amusing situations) and does not care about anything else except for ramen noodles because that is all Ms. Koizumi cares about. There are a few other characters; however, they are utterly forgettable. In other words, you only get what the title of the anime series promises and nothing else. There is no progression, no closure, and it all happens at a full twenty-four minutes per episode. It, therefore, starts to get a bit boring by the middle of the episode because you can predict the ending of most events almost immediately. It is a good idea to watch an episode before a meal (lunch or dinner), as it could help you work up your appetite. However, I found this show had no other purpose and the only person I would recommend this anime series to with some enthusiasm would be a ramen noodles fanatic like Ms. Koizumi. If only they existed. It is not a terrible anime; it is undoubtedly a watchable affair (after all, I got to the very end of the first season). However, somehow, I think that if the episodes were half as long, as was the case in the second season of the Dagashi Kashi as mentioned earlier, it would have probably been more efficient, and maybe I would not have got so bored so often...3.5/10.

"If you are not going to let me win, why did you give me a heart so I could feel all this pain?". I have to say, creating such an intensely powerful backstory with the movie for the cheerful and colorful anime series, which is full of thrilling games is just genius. It reminded me of Adventure Time and the feeling I got when I started to delve into the history of the world it is set in and fully understood the meaning of the screenwriter's line about sweet candy with a bitter secret. In other words, the movie's narrative is well thought out. It contrasts wonderfully with the anime series, even though it still makes some reasonable assumptions about the main protagonists and a lot of the other characters. There is a lot of interesting subject matter regarding human nature, the power of determination, the nature of the human heart, plenty of strategies, plus some very thrilling and emotional moments. The movie's soundtrack is excellent, as is the animation, and the setting is breathtaking. It is all good apart from a few pretentious fight scenes where the CGI feels a bit too much at times. Sure, a few things could be faulted; the dramatic and emotional elements feel too forced at times. However, I have actually gotten quite used to this sort of thing with anime series. There was an initial surprise that this was No Game No Life, except it was fascinating, intense, thoughtful, and highly satisfying, which left me with a really good impression overall. 9/10.

When I heard that there would be a remake of an animated series that was a big part of my childhood and that I was pretty fond of as a kid, I was curious, even though I was also pretty skeptical. It is rare for a modern remake to appeal to the new and old audiences alike. A good remake is something that is basically just as appealing to someone who knows the original show as it is for the new audience. However, they did it again! Sure, it took a while to get used to the new style of animation; however, when I heard the old familiar opening theme again, I decided to give this whole animated series a chance; I mean, it kind of sounds the same, and different at the same time. Plus, in a similar way with the theme tune, on the one hand, everything is so familiar and seems the same; however, on the other hand, it also appears new and different in some ways. It is still a mesmerizing, adventurous show with likable characters and exceptionally well-written narratives. There are several surprises, like the new look of Mrs. Bentina Beakley, and the triplets Huey, Dewey and Louie are much more distinguishable from each other this time, plus each has slightly different characteristics. In addition, we see Donald Duck much more often, too, which is nice. On the other hand, most of the characters were in the first animated series and will be familiar to older viewers, like The Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold, and Launchpad McQuack. In other words, this new remake honors the original animated series and its fans can look forward to numerous references, Easter Eggs, (like Scrooge's garage, for example) while trying to be much more dynamic, suspenseful, and not afraid to go its own way in some ways. In conclusion, this is a decent remake... 8/10.

Sometimes it only takes one episode to know where a show is headed. And so "the Rape Wars" continues... Dropped after the first episode.

The first movie was a reasonably transparent but cute and funny parody of Indiana Jones with various allusions to other well-known movies. However, the second installment is just an ordinary and mediocre spectacle that is not even that funny. The narrative is by no means surprising. Most of the jokes revolve around the Mummy, which only pushes some of the other characters (who were, in my opinion, funnier in the first movie) further into the background, which did not really work for me. 5.5/10.

Devilman Crybaby is simply something you do not usually see. I have to say; it is rare to come across something so explicit, violent, action-packed, and insane as this. Plus, probably because of Netflix, there is none of the typical Japanese censorship, so I may have seen the most severed limbs and animated women's nipples I have ever seen in one day. It probably would have been one of the goriest spectacles ever if the anime's creators had not decided to make the demons' blood yellow. If you found, say, Inuyashiki way too gnarly, then this is several levels more and at an insanely rushed pace. The first few episodes flew by, and I needed to take breaks between the episodes to process everything I had seen properly. In other words, this is a show that wants to shock people, and nobody gives a shit. However, it often comes across as confusing, incredibly over the top, and I sometimes thought that this was just too much. The ending, on the other hand, tries to be philosophical, pose challenging questions, and of course, stay as cool as possible until the epic conclusion itself. Well, sometimes it works (who is the real demon here anyway?), sometimes not so much - and it is the same with being moved emotionally. I ended up feeling torn because this anime series was simply full of contradictions. I am just not sure if it was all meant to be like that, or if it was just way too overblown (probably purposefully over the top), intelligent or completely stupid, interesting or weird, artistic or completely tasteless... 6/10.

Okay, first off, I am going to admit that the longer running time really benefited this anime series and the whole project. It meant there was more room for the plot, the portrayal of the characters, and their melodramas than in the previous movies from same setting by HoneyWorks. Also, despite that, there was a massive romantic trope and the conclusion was quite sensitively done. In general, the storyline was a bit too clichéd sometimes and I almost choked as I expected to hear something like the line SPOILER ALERT "your brother saved her for you" END OF SPOILERS, and I thought I was going to take the whole thing and throw it in the imaginary trash can... There were no extreme surprises; however, it is a romantic comedy, so the end is entirely predictable. Everything was transparent and apparent even though, on the other hand, it was pretty enjoyable with likable characters that I already knew quite well because of the previous movies. Also, this time there is an excellent soundtrack that emphasizes the atmosphere very well. So, in the end, this series serves as a nice slice of romantic escapism. 7/10.

Once again, this is a decent, understated and sweet romantic anime series that is simply delightful. The characters are likable and also quite realistic. The narrative is not complicated by any means; however, it is still quite unpredictable. Even though everything actually ends in a way that leaves you with the feeling “yeah, that is how it was meant to be,” the road to it is winding and sometimes strange. However, I guess that in the end, that is just how life is. So this show was a pleasant surprise, unspoiled by the fact that the best female character, in my opinion, ended up left in the shit. Despite that, however, I guess that a good half of the audience was completely satisfied with the outcome (and I am not actually upset with the way it was done either, it made sense that it was meant to be that way). 7.5/10.