Jeoffrey

For me, A Galaxy Next Door is a slightly above-average romantic fairytale that I'd give about 5.5/10. What was interesting about it, apart from the fact that the local princess has a "stinger," was that the main couple got together quite early, so they had more room for classic romantic interaction. In other words, they had more time to go on dates. On the other hand, I can't say that the show had a strong emotional impact on me. I didn't become fond of the main couple or anyone around them. I also found the animation mediocre, sometimes slightly below average. The music worked only occasionally, mainly in the last episode, where more things seemed to happen than in the whole series. It works as a breezy romantic fairytale, but it's not a series that I would need to see again in the future. I don't feel a strong desire to see another season, but if there is one, I will watch it.

The hero gets reincarnated into the same world for the second time after having already saved it before. It sounds like an exciting and original concept that has potential! I'm sure it won't be just a pile of silly clichés and plot twists like "Jesus, it's you, Secu! I haven't seen you in a while. Remember how you saved us last time? Now you have to do it all over again!" I'm sure there will be fascinating characters, not just another boring harem trying to get close to the hero at the nearest opportunity... Okay, I could put up with that. I can handle the fact that the series works with the given theme in a weird and awkward way, throwing one character after another at you that you only get to see in passing, like, "Jesus, it's you, Secu! I haven't seen you in a while..." Then, after being rescued, they disappear who knows where. But then Toma appears in the eighth episode. The main villain doesn't seem scary at all from the beginning but is apparently behind everything, especially the morning sickness of our hero. The moment he revealed the motivation behind his actions, I couldn't take any more. SPOILER: I can handle a story where a group of enthusiastic girls and boys crave the attention of the main hero. The problem is that the main villain is the biggest simp of the whole story, who is offended that the hero once stopped paying attention to him. END OF SPOILER: I felt genuinely embarrassed for Toma... Plus, neither the animation nor the music is a masterpiece, the fights are pretty dull, and the writing is awkward, so you can't blame me for not giving it more than 3.5/10 after those eight episodes I've seen.

At first, I couldn't really get into this series. Akane seemed extremely stupid to me, and Yamada seemed like an emotional stump in the style of Saitama from One Punch Man. I was trying to figure out why this anime was so popular, thinking it might be because it's set in the world of video game players, which many people can relate to. I should be able to relate to it, too, being a gamer myself, but there wasn't that much gaming in it after all; it was more of a backdrop, like in Recovery of an MMO Junkie. However, I gradually started to like this romantic comedy. It was because its humor worked on me, and I found myself laughing multiple times per episode. It was also because the animation felt strong at the right moments and depicted powerful romantic moments enhanced by a beautiful work with colors and filters. The last episode in particular had many intense and well-executed scenes. This is how an impressive romantic comedy finale should be done. I also found a way to connect with the main characters. I can't say I'm really into them, but I have no problem rooting for their relationship. So, from an average romantic comedy, it gradually became slightly above average, and the final episode reinforced the overall impression. I'm giving it a 7/10.

If I had to describe Heavenly Delusion with just one word, it would be unsettling. It combines two storylines reminiscent of the recently aired The Last of Us. However, due to its strangeness and absence of zombies, I would instead compare it to the game series Fallout. The second storyline with the school is something between The Promised Neverland and From the New World, and both storylines are very unsettling right from the first episode. A single look at the local school will make you feel that something is wrong, and Kiruko and Maru's first encounter with the strange creature will put you on edge. Plus, from the first hints, you start to feel uncomfortable about how the two storylines may be interconnected. New unsettling questions keep coming, but the answers to them are even more unsettling. Kiruko has a secret, which is extremely unsettling. Watching her examine her own body and connecting it with her secret is uncomfortably unsettling. The children at the school are strange, the whole school is strange, everything feels very unsettling, and when the local authorities' agenda starts to reveal itself, it becomes extremely unsettling again. The moment you realize how the two storylines are linked and start to wonder if you saw Kuku twice in the episode entitled "Kuku," everything becomes even more unsettling. And then there is the ending with moments that are not just unsettling but downright unpleasant. However, the way some characters deal with them is again very unsettling. Is it the end? Not at all; I want to know more. Leaving me without all the answers is – you guessed it – unsettling! In short, I have to praise this series; there is always something happening, and it always hits you hard. I was intrigued by the world and its characters, and everything felt well thought-out in terms of the story and its impact on the viewer. I would also like to mention the high production value, with the animation definitely being among the best of the season. Except for one episode where the style visibly changed, it was fairly consistent. So, the experience was not always entirely pleasant, sometimes slightly beyond what I would like to see. However, I am still curious about what will happen next, even though I know it will continue to be very unsettling. 8/10

Magical Destroyers tries to be an original series that celebrates otaku culture and the power of free will, but the question is to what extent it succeeds. It is a series with the most imaginative and peculiar – simply the most unique opening of the season, both visually and musically, promising that the actual show will be just as crazy and creative. However, the first problem is that it does not always succeed. Some plotlines are decent and well-written, while others are just a hodge-podge of half-baked ideas. There are great episodes with exciting plot twists, where it seems like the author has everything planned out in advance and knows what he wants to say. And then there are filler episodes with maybe one promising idea that doesn't get fully developed to make the most of its potential. The biggest disappointment, and what brought my rating down to average, is the ending. The second-to-last episode, Magical Destroyers, was decent. Everything was revealed and fit together relatively well, and I was pleasantly surprised and eagerly anticipated what the authors would ultimately "cook up." However, the actual finale lacked impact and emotion. It felt utterly unsatisfying and bland to me. Yes, it managed to convey the main idea of the series about free will that was mentioned before, but I didn't feel anything – actually, I felt disappointed and had the nagging question, "Is this it?" Maybe it's just me. Perhaps the authors put their heart and soul into the show, but I didn't see it, I didn't feel it, it didn't work... So, this crazy mishmash, which seemed to have ripped off a bunch of other anime series (making me doubt its complete originality) and which had the potential to be truly entertaining and creative, ended in a very bland and unimpressive way. Considering that none of the characters appealed to me, and most of the battles lacked the proper intensity, I'm giving it a 6/10, and the more I think about the series, the worse it gets. So, I'd rather end my review here...

Kenjiró Hata is back with another advertisement for a happy marriage, essentially the same as the first season, maybe even more sterilely romantic. It's almost amusing and strange to see how the main couple gradually get to know each other but still keep acting like teenagers experiencing their first love. But if you want to learn how to achieve happiness in marriage, the recipe is still there - just be attentive, observant, sincere... Want to know more? The series might even teach you how to hug correctly! Plus, it introduces a new couple, showing you how to start a relationship (and that you don't need to almost get run over to meet your soulmate). The problem is that besides the romance, there is nothing else here. The series lacks juice, something interesting, instead of just watching the cute main couple. The hints that there might be a big secret around Tsukasa don't really do it for me. There was only one comedic scene in the series, which I'm used to from Hata's Hayate. It is significantly less compared to the first season, and humor would really benefit this series to spice it up. It certainly didn't harm the first season. So, it's more romantic, cuter, less comedic, with a subtle hint of some future drama, which I already know won't turn into the next Your Lie in April. Is it better than the first season? I don't think so, but it's still okay, so I give it a 6/10.

I did enjoy the second season a little more than the first. There was less of that weird juri bait that the first season was filled with, and there was more likable rivalry between the main heroines. I was thrilled in the last episode when their shonen golf abilities literally fused together. The familiar old opening song remained as if the creators knew it was trending among fans and that no one sings the chorus like "Venus Line...". It's a shame that the first half about the loss of memory and forgetting who is whose child felt like something from a bad Mexican soap opera. It did make sense and spiced up the relationship between the two girls, but as a plot twist, it just felt kind of cheap... The second half also had its big drama, which was a cliché for a sports anime, but I don't want to criticize it too much here. When it's about health problems, I can relate much better to the story, and it gives the series a bittersweet touch, making the happy ending stand out even more. The excellent finale almost made me give it a weak four stars, but in the end, with a clear head, remembering the unexciting first half, I decided to give it a strong three stars. 6.4/10

I didn't expect that I would enjoy Otaku Elf so much and that it would become a series that I would look forward to. Initially, I was a bit afraid that it would be another bizarre nonsense in the style of Kumamiko, so I was delighted when I realized that the otaku elf is actually a likable elf named Elda. I quickly became convinced that this would be one of those pleasant series that would make me smile in every episode, warm my heart, and occasionally laugh with various details and pop culture references. I also liked the elf's occasional comic facial expressions and the chibi, which reminded me a bit of Himouto! Umaru-chan, even though it didn't play any vital role here, it just made the scene more entertaining. But I really loved all the little details that gave the series a new dimension. You might think that Otaku Elf will be about an elf who is an otaku, and yes, that's true, but there's more. Otaku Elf is an educational program full of various interesting facts about life in the Edo period in Japan, brought to you by Red Bull! I fell in love with the way Elda described life in Edo. It reminded me of how my grandmother told me about what life was like in her time. She used the same heartfelt tone, and you would believe Elda was there. I was also taken aback by the blatant product placement in the first episode and the ending. However, unlike the Skittles commercial in the new Shazam, the Red Bull advertisement here is subtle; it fits perfectly with the character and the environment, and above all, it really made me want to go and buy some Red Bull. I also liked all the other little things, for example, the opening. I can listen to it for hours as background music while working, and it hasn't gotten old after three months. It combines modern music, traditional Japanese elements, and musical instruments. That combination of traditional and contemporary and its perfect harmony is also reflected in the whole series. Damn, I even like the elf logo here. I would have used it as my profile picture if it wasn't so wide. But it's not just the little things that are well done here. Another interesting theme that the show lightly touches on is the contrast between human mortality and the immortality of the elf. You can feel it when they talk about Koito's mother. It is accompanied by many references to the past and traditions. Even the opening shows how everything around the elf changes; people grow older while she remains the same. However, the theme is not explored to such an extent as to make you depressed about it. It doesn't spoil the unique, lovely, and fun atmosphere. It is only subtle, and it's up to you how much you want to think about it. I liked the animation; the accompanying music was excellent at what it was doing; the characters grew on me, and I enjoyed the interaction between Elda and her miko. The portrayal of the elf as an otaku and hikikomori and the habits that go with it was also well done. When I think about the negatives, the only thing that comes to mind is that the other elves and their miko in this series had such little space that they almost felt unnecessary... For me, Otaku Elf was great in many ways, it fulfilled my expectations and then some, including many great details, and it deserves praise for that. 8/10.

Maybe I'm too shallow, but I wouldn't say I liked the characters' visuals and design. Similarly, I didn't find any likable character during the first two episodes. I was waiting for something to grab my attention. I wondered if something interesting could be gotten out of the premise about how suddenly all the bad girls want the bullied loser protagonist. It didn't convince me. It was clear to me that besides the main heroine, the series would introduce several "bad girls" who would save the hero from trouble while he would "save their souls." And, eventually, everyone would save each other?!? If it were at least funny enough for me to smile once per episode, maybe I would keep watching. Unfortunately, I dropped it after the second episode without rating it. My initial impression wasn't worth more than one star.

I consider myself an animal lover, and any series showing me that animals are really cool has a chance to succeed with me. Too Cute Crisis has one huge problem, though: it uses the word "cute" or "kawai" in Japanese too much, and unfortunately, it just repeats that word over and over again instead of showing me those cute animals. In fact, this series, which shows the behavior of an ordinary cat, clearly loses to a one-minute Nights with a Cat, and if you really want to see "cute" cats acting like real cats, then watch Insomniacs After School, where the cats are adorable even when they don't play the leading role. Simply put, if you keep shouting how cute something is, and then another character shouts the same thing every five minutes, it doesn't mean that the animal becomes cuter; it just gives the viewer a headache, and those who turn "kawai" into a drinking game will be dead drunk after ten minutes. One thing I can give to the creators is how they managed to capture the stubbornness of some pet owners, the idea that almost every owner is occasionally fanatically convinced that their pet is the most amazing thing in the world. It's similar to some parents and their children... But here, everyone is fanatical, so it seems too exaggerated and ultimately stupid, like frantically shouting "kawai! kawai!". The animation is not outstanding either, and the music didn't appeal to me at all, so I didn't enjoy this series, but since we are all animal lovers, I'll give it an average rating of 5/10 and overlook its flaws.