Jeoffrey

If I were a realist, "Yakuza nanny" wouldn't get a very good rating from me, because I don't have to be a Yakuza expert to suspect that this isn't how things work in real life. The skeptic in me would chime in that there is no way there can be so many seemingly tough men with hearts of gold. I don’t think I belong to the target audience. Many of the male characters are designed to act in a certain way to impress the female audience as much as possible. The main character is a rugged but sensitive man, who softens when he starts taking care of a little girl. Such an ideal family man is bound to make many a girl's heart melt. But there's something for the others too. A cute, lonely girl with a tragic past who gradually starts to open up and make new friends thanks to her protector is simply a likable and sweet concept that might appeal to older men, family men in particular. And the series does sell this to me. It is greatly helped by the fact that the last couple of shows I've seen with this theme, i.e., building a sort of parental relationship between a grown man and a little girl, were quite disappointing. What makes this one great is Kirishima himself. I still vividly remember pathetic male protagonists from shows like UchiMusume, or Deaimon, that make Kirishima seem extremely likable, nice, and above all, quite normal. Okay, I wouldn’t have felt this way if I had seen this right after Barakamon or Usagi Drop. The timing was right, I guess. I was also charmed by Jaeka’s cuteness. I enjoyed the interaction between the main couple, the emotions worked for me, it made me smile, and I was even moved at times. On the other hand, the fourth episode felt like a failed and pointless joke that didn't fit the overall mood and made me cringe. Plus, the Yakuza setting doesn't really work because it's too idealized, and sometimes it seems like it’s only there to create drama and show how tough Kirishima is and how he's changed. It’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, I quite enjoyed the series, I liked the chemistry between the two protagonists, and it was all so sweet. On the other hand, the more I think about it the more it falls apart as a whole. The supporting characters are mostly likable, or interesting at least, but they're not distinctive or strong enough for me to want to write more about any of them. The animation was nice and colorful, it fit the overall mood, and I found the music decent as well. A strong three or a weak four?  I'm giving it a 6.5/10

It's become a yearly tradition that the AT-X station makes an adaptation of a manga or novella from the adult category. As soon as I find out that there will be three versions of a series, I know exactly what to expect and, as the man of culture that I am, wait for the last version to come out – the uncensored one. There's no point in watching any other. Over the years, I've seen, for example, the fun and well-thought-out Ishuzoku Reviewers a pretty boring Sexmission, and a nightmare in the form of Redo of a Healer. I never really know what's next to come, and how much I'll (dis)like it. This one wasn’t easy to evaluate for me, so I had a look at the reviews on MAL, which surprised me. There are basically just two types of reviews on Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World. Men of culture consider this to be a below-average isekai with very good sex scenes. Since they watch it precisely for these scenes, they usually give it at least an 8/10. The other group rants about how shows that glorify slavery do not deserve a good rating as slavery has no place in the modern world. It’s certainly true, but I wonder what rating these radical moralists would give to shows like The Rising of the Shield Hero, which has the same theme, although it works much better for reasons I'll get to. I was astonished that no one discussed the quality of storytelling and worldbuilding. No one seemed to notice that, even though Shachi Sogano may be a pervert worthy of damnation, he has an undeniable talent for explaining pretty much everything that happens in his world. To tell you the truth, I rarely come across an isekai that goes to so much trouble to explain skill leveling and gaining new abilities, and how things like dungeons, magic, and items work (the explanations are even more detailed in the manga, which I've flipped through, so the novella might be the same in this regard). Honestly, I liked it a lot. Finally, there’s a system where you have to meet certain criteria or perform an activity to gain a skill. The leveling works on a similar principle as in Skyrim, so if you want to improve a skill, you have to use it as much as possible. Everything has its rules here, even society, which is very different from ours, and some of the things that are considered normal there would be repulsive and immoral in our world. And the show works with that. How many isekai have you seen where the main character feels bad after killing his first enemy, particularly a human? This show does deal with a situation like this, albeit briefly (it's him or me and this is simply a different world). The same goes for the moral issue of slavery. I repeat - slavery is an abomination and has no place in our modern society. But this is not our world, our rules don't apply here, and we have to take this fact into account. The show gives us more arguments than that, and it's not just the lame motivation of the horny protagonist who thinks the best way to get into a girl’s pants is to pay for her. Of course, it does play a role as the main character is a relatively normal young man with a fairly normal interest in sex. But there are also practical reasons, like the fact that nobody really wants a budding adventurer in their party, and if you do get recruited, you might get cheated, robbed, or killed, which just won't happen to you if you own a slave (and there's a logical explanation why). One review on MAL says the protagonist is a total pervert but the funny thing is that he doesn't actually want to buy a slave at first, but he is simply convinced by the above arguments as well as being caught in the grip of his own libido upon seeing the girl for the first time (besides, who would the poor girl end up with if he didn’t buy her...). The series doesn't present slavery as a cool concept (unlike, say, Minerva no Kenshi), but as the most logical way to expand your party, profit from it in the long run, and have fun in the meantime. True, it could have been done better. For example, The Rising of the Shield Hero puts the hero in a position where buying a slave is the only possible way to get anyone to join him at all, which most moralists are able to understand. The same thing could have been done here, too. All it would take is to show more and explain less. In practice, it might mean adding a plot about how the protagonist has trouble getting someone to join his party, and when they finally do, they get cheated or ripped off. That way, people would be more willing to accept it. The author must have realized this over time and included a similar situation when presenting the reasons why another slave needed to be purchased later on. The author had been building up to it for several episodes through small mentions and situations, also explaining why the next slave had to be a dwarf. Another moral problem people have with this series is the fact that the main character has sex with his slave (as it happens in other isekai series, such as Black Summoner). I don’t get these complaints. If I buy a slave girl who also provides sexual services, it's only logical that I won't play chess with her in the evenings. Moreover, it’s explained that "accepting affection" as the author poetically calls it, is a social norm, and if it didn’t happen, it could negatively affect the way a slave would view her master and also how those around him would view him (if he mentioned it in public). I don’t think it’s just about a horny guy who wants to get laid. He does own the girl and it's expected of him (and he wants to do it), plus he even asks for permission... I have no problem with that. What else could be an issue? Sherry? Okay, this may seem like fan service for a certain group of viewers that nobody particularly likes, but it’s a sixteen-year-old dwarf, so it explains not only the lore (like in Genshin, for example) but also the race with which a certain physical build is associated, which is mentioned in the series. Now let’s address something that will be of interest to the more cultured among you. The sex scenes are really well done. They reflect how the hero and his girls gradually get to know each other, from the slightly chaotic and inexperienced beginnings to the wild switching of positions and various other practices. The animators did an excellent job. It’s not strictly hentai so the scenes are quite subtle. I liked them much more than those in World's End Harem, and visually even more than Interspecies Reviewers (especially the animation style). The only thing I didn't enjoy was the choice of music for the foreplay. A scene with two girls in the bathroom to music that sounds like something from a slapstick movie seems stupid and doesn't fit the mood. But enough about that, I'm Family Friendly! After reading all this, you might get the impression that I really enjoyed this series. Why only three stars then? Well, mainly because the dungeons look like something out of a 90s RPG, and the visuals are lame compared to the likes of Danmachi. The monsters are anything but interesting or scary, and you just don’t want to watch six episodes of the hero fighting what looks like Sudowoodo from Pokémon or trembling in fear before a killer bunny. It also lacks an interesting backstory, a reason to actually go on the expeditions. Doing so strictly for the money seems boring to me, almost like having a regular job. The parts where the hero destroys the bandits are the only ones that make it seem like there’s something important going on and the way of eliminating them is creative, especially considering the fact that Michio is not an OP superhero (he's just a regular guy who got a few bonuses for pre-ordering the game and has some skills that NPCs don't have, but nothing totally over the top). He has to find other, slightly sneaky but effective strategies. Then there's also a lot of emphasis on finding a place to live, and buying furniture and weapons. There's a reason why most series leave this out - it's usually boring. I understand that Shachi Sogano, who likes to explain everything, can't help himself and it's actually quite original. Still, it becomes too much of a ‘slice of life’, and the adventure feels like a boring trip to work or to the supermarket. It’s definitely better than Redo of a Healer, it's definitely more interesting and polished than World's End Harem, so I guess it’s closest to my impression of Ishuzoku Reviewers. 6/10

A pretty decent anime that works best in the moments when the main couple is dealing with their past and present, that is, when they're trying to make sense of the situation they are in and move forward. This is when the emotions are powerful and I enjoy it so much that I’m willing to see past the fact that it's about a romance between stepsiblings, which isn't exactly my thing. What the show portrays really well is the conflict between family values and romantic feelings that can be hard to suppress, especially when the breakup didn’t provide a real closure for both characters (time would have made it possible, if they hadn’t been forced to be together again). There is nice chemistry between the main couple, even in the moments when they're just teasing each other. What I didn't enjoy very much were the supporting characters who were quite bland. The only thing I found interesting was Kogure and Akacuki’s past and Isana's occasionally funny behavior. Everything else, including most of the Irid family, somehow didn't grow on me. The anime was intriguing in the important moments, but there were only a few of them, and powerful romance and intense drama was sparse, so it all felt somewhat lackluster. On the other hand, I still consider My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex more engaging and intense than most of the episodes of A Couple of Cuckoos, but more about that later. A four would be too much so I’m giving it a strong three - 6.4/10.

I haven't been tricked like this in a while! I should feel pissed off, bitter, and annoyed. The whole time, I was expecting certain things to happen, and the series knew my expectations very well, it even built them up using subtle hints, only to troll me in the end and have fun at my expense until the last minute. I feel like the South Park boys who were tricked by the great G.R.R. Martin himself. I like a good joke, though, and I’m giving the show some plus points for this. So, what did I think of Smile of the Arsnotoria the Animation? Honestly, it was an average slice of life with an interesting setting, but the show failed to sell it, so the magical academy didn't seem half as magical or interesting as I had hoped it to be. If I wanted to be blown away by a magical world, I'd rather watch Little Witch Academia again. Here, the magic school is more of a backdrop. Instead of learning something about magic and the rules of this world, I got to see many tea parties, girls fooling around, and uninteresting plots. Basically, it was just cute girls doing cute things in a magic school environment. There were also hunters of witches who were out to get the girls, which was an interesting concept that was used to build at least some tension. Most importantly, it was there for a reason. As for the characters, the concept art was really good and the girls were all cute, especially Tori of course. In terms of character, the girls weren't that interesting, original, or distinctive (although the line-up was quite diverse). They weren’t particularly memorable, so I don’t think I'll remember more than just one or two of the girls a month from now, and probably only Arsnotoria in a year. I’d normally give this an average rating, but since the show managed to fool me so well, I’m giving it a 5.5/10. I only recommend it to hardcore CGDCT fans, though. The rest might be disappointed and might not appreciate the joke.

I was quite blown away by Jujutsu Kaisen when this series came out, but it's been a while since it aired and other better shows have come out since then, so I no longer find it so amazing and extraordinary. Even the best thing about the series – the beautiful and technically, choreographically, dynamically, and aesthetically excellent fights – has been surpassed by Demon Slayer. But I was looking forward to this prequel anyway, and I am far from disappointed. It's got a simple and straightforward plot. Admittedly, it would have benefited from a longer running time. Yuuta's transformation into an incredibly powerful character feels very rushed, and it lacks a bit more character build-up and training to make it more believable. Then again, it would have probably slowed down the pace. Just like in the series, I noticed a lot of clichés and things that feel like they've been ripped off from elsewhere. But it works, so who cares? Plus, the last third of the film is incredibly awesome and full of great fights that are a joy to watch. Who cares that Rika looks like a rip-off of Alien and Predator, or that the relationship between Satoru and Suguru smacks of Dumbledore and Grindenwald (that is, if they were really just friends), or that Suguru has exactly the same agenda and motivation this time around as Grindenwald. It's nicely portrayed, it works, and I do enjoy it... There's even space in the movie for a convincing build-up of the relationship between Yuta and his classmates, so even saying something like "I don't know if your intentions are good or bad, but I want to kill you - because you hurt my friends" makes sense. Whether it's better than the series, as some claim, I'm not entirely sure. For me, both the series and the movie have a good storyline that is easy to follow. It's equally amazing animation-wise and decent music-wise. I'm looking forward to seeing when and how Yuuta appears in the series. Hopefully, it will happen in the second season next year. 8/10

Season 3 didn't change my overall impression of the series, although the beginning seemed promising, and I had more laughs than I did in the previous seasons. I also liked the newly introduced characters (Lierre and Persephone I) including Hatsune Miku’s cameo. It was incredibly goofy, the fourth wall was broken more often than usual, there were plenty of pop culture references as well, and the blend of familiar and new characters worked well and presented more interesting interactions and relationships. From the sixth episode on, however, there came a part that I’d call "Jashin-chan travels around Japan", which I found much less enjoyable. It smacked too much of a travelogue for my taste, and some of the jokes referred to local folklore, so they kind of fell flat on me. I didn't get to laugh that often, and I didn't find myself particularly culturally enriched either. That said, the opening punchline about why the main character has to run away was pretty good. It's a shame that the conclusion of the story wasn't as original. The last couple of episodes were back to normal, and two new characters were added (Arte and Ecute) but they didn't get enough screen time for them to grow on me, and before I knew it, it was over. Plus, the finale which the writers should really put an effort into, seemed weak. As far as I’m concerned, it was one of the worst episodes of the series. Even though the quality of the episodes fluctuated, on average Jashin-chan comes down to 6/10 and I wouldn’t mind if there was another season…

It's been about two or three years since the original RWBY was widely recommended to me, and I remember watching the first two episodes and not getting hooked at all. It has great characters, awesome fight choreography, a decent story, and excellent music – at least that’s what I've heard. I’m not crazy about the style of animation – I found it annoying after two short episodes. I just couldn't see the appeal of it. Maybe it needed more time, the animation supposedly gets better in the following seasons, but I wasn't in the mood for it, and I didn't have the time, so I put it off indefinitely. I wasn't originally planning on watching this reboot/spin-off either. But then three episodes came out at once, the summer anime season was just starting, and I didn’t have anything interesting to watch, so I figured I'd give it a shot. The first three episodes were really good. I liked the characters and the setting, and Ruby's first fight in the city in the first episode looked decent. The next fight, where the teams were to be formed, wasn’t as great and interesting, though. I was still curious to see how it would continue after the promising beginning. The main part of the story turned out to be quite disappointing because it wasn't half as imaginative as I had expected, and it didn't even meet my expectations for an interesting dream world animated by the Shaft studio. If you were expecting creative work with editing, color, camera, and composition based on the animation studio, then you're out of luck and probably should look elsewhere. Even though the setting had a lot of potential, in terms of animation and the use of color, music, and movement, it's an average anime that doesn’t stand out except for the first and the last two episodes. The rest is dull, not only in animation but also in terms of the story, with a few good ideas concerning various aspects and pitfalls of the human mind. What kept me watching were the characters, their motivations, relationships, and interesting background. On the other hand, I had a hard time believing they were that close, so "the power of friendship that conquers all" trope didn’t work for me in this case. Maybe if this happened further on in the story, when the girls already knew each other better, it would have been more convincing. In the end, what saved it for me and made it less dull and mediocre was the ending. The writers seemed to have made more effort in the last two episodes, so the fights in the penultimate episode were great, and the final friendly fight in the cafeteria was probably the best one. But it was all too little, too late, which is why I’m not giving it more than a 5.5/10. I'm curious to see what fans of the original RWBY will say about the series, as they are able to compare the two shows. I promise I’ll give the original another chance.

Drifting Home was a bit too long for my taste. I’m not saying I was bored, but I think that the message would have been more powerful if the movie was more fast-paced and intense. I only enjoyed the last twenty minutes or so, when everything was starting to unravel, and it came to important realizations and confessions. Plus, some parts were nice to watch, animation-wise. As for the characters, the film managed to capture real children’s behavior quite convincingly. The characters seemed quite believable, but you know children, sometimes they are cute, they can be surprisingly smart and honest, but their logic will just drive you crazy most of the time.  I could mostly understand what was going on in Natsume's head and she was probably the best-portrayed character. Kousuke was partially likable and partially incredibly annoying. And as for Reina, she just irritated me throughout the whole movie. On the other hand, the film worked with the characters quite well in the second half, opening their eyes, letting them move forward, sometimes holding a mirror for them, etc. The story itself was a long farewell to a house, deciphering its meaning and the message that everything is constantly changing and it’s not always easy for everyone to adapt. It’s also a reflection on the meaning of family and those who belong to it. I still think this could have been at least thirty minutes shorter, with more intensity and possibly a lot more magic. All in all, it was a slightly above-average movie for me. 6/10

I did enjoy it and actually got exactly what I expected. It managed to keep a lot of the important ideas from Cyberpunk 2077 that Mike Pondsmith’s universe is brimming with. It shows both the beauty and the treachery of the Night City and the true intentions of its inhabitants. As a player of the game with two playthroughs and some 200+ hours, I recognized a lot of the locations, the gangs, and some characters (it's a little disappointing that there wasn't at least a cameo or allusion to Johnny Silverhand, but at least I got Adam Smasher, and Wakako). Aside from being a fascinating look into the world of Cyberpunk, it's also a cool advertisement for the game, at least I had the itch to install and play Cyberpunk 2077 again. Oh, and it's obvious that this was made by Studio Trigger, which went completely wild in the last two episodes. Everything was incredibly over the top, insanely frantic, and simply awesome. The animation was excellent, the fights were perfectly dynamic and epic. The music was well chosen. It was quite striking, and it also worked well with the individual scenes. The only major problem I had was the pacing. At times I wished it wasn't so frantic and there was more time to flesh out some of the (mostly minor) characters or provide smoother transitions between twists. This is a general issue I have with Trigger. They just don’t know how to take their foot off the gas. What they do instead is step on the gas even more to reach breakneck speed, and I have a hard time keeping up with them.  At least in the second half, the show worked for me in terms of powerful emotions (the first half was a bit weaker). The ending got to me even though I knew it was going to end this way. It was great to visit Night City again. 8/10

Another mediocre isekai. I didn't enjoy it very much and it had a couple of annoying flaws. What annoyed me from the start was how the main character acquired his first monster and his OP powers. Becoming powerful by literally tripping over things and being handed everything on a silver platter is just lame and dull. I was totally disinterested in the main character. He seemed to have almost no personality, he handled most things without emotion, just drily commenting on things. He didn't really do anything that would make him likable or relatable. He was just there doing kind of ‘cool’ stuff all the time. I was only half-entertained by the story. Part of it was just the main character walking about and helping out here and there. The giant conspiracy that the writers tried to incorporate into the story didn’t work for me. Even though the plans of the secret organization seemed spectacular and were supposed to pose huge risks to the world, I didn’t really feel any suspense. How could it possibly work when the protagonist figures everything out right away? The series didn't even really manage to sell me on the world in which everything takes place. A lot of the secrets were either boringly revealed straight away or only vaguely hinted at, perhaps saving the answers for the next season. Considering how boring this one was, I highly doubt I'll bring myself to watch another one. It’s a shame as it seems to be a nice combination of fantasy and mysterious futuristic technology, but we don’t get to find out much about why the world works the way it does. Even the last fight, which was supposed to be the climax of this series, barely worked. After about a minute of explosions and constant repetition of the same spell, I couldn’t believe I was still watching this. Even the finale and the major moments when the show is supposed to come up with a deeper message and give the whole journey from point A to point B some kind of meaning was quite boring because it lacked strength and significance. It’s partly because I forgot most of the side characters the moment the protagonist left their town. The only thing I ended up enjoying was the goofiness of the protagonist's slimes, which is not enough for me. 3.7/10