Jeoffrey

Bungo Stray Dogs is the kind of show where I can easily predict what the new season will be like – an initial flashback to introduce some of the characters and their relationships, then a slower build-up to create the atmosphere, and then in the second half everything suddenly takes a turn, things get going and there’s an awesome action, drama, psychology... This time, however, the main storyline is open-ended. It ends at the height of action when everything is still in motion, pieces are literally flying across the chessboard, and two geniuses are playing their game in which nothing is ever the way it seems at first glance. Even though one of them may have twenty moves planned out, the other one is still one move ahead of him. I’m having a great time trying to predict the unpredictable, which I mostly fail at, so the series keeps on surprising me. Even though the twists get increasingly wild, everything still makes sense within the universe and in terms of general logic. It really is quite a ride. Another strong player has joined the game, the stakes are damn high, and things aren’t looking up for the main characters this time. The only thing that slightly annoys me is that all the characters have plot armor. In a conflict of this magnitude with so many extremely strong players, it's just not possible and some casualties would lend it some gravity. Of course, even this fits into the whole "expect the unexpected" concept that this series excels at. I'm very satisfied, though not enough for five stars. It might happen in the next season as it has an excellent starting point. 8.3/10

Inglis reincarnated to finally gain full control of the sword, except that she rarely uses the sword in fights (or any other blade for that matter), and mostly just kicks and beats everyone. There is a spirit of an ancient and powerful king in Iglis’s body, except that apart from an explanation of her unnatural abilities, it has absolutely no effect on the story. The protagonist certainly doesn't act like a wise ruler, let alone a man. It's hilarious at times, except that half the time I was laughing at the show rather than with the show. The animation was pretty good, except that the characters' faces are weirdly deformed at times and the CG monsters are awful. It may seem like I wasn't excited about the series at all, except that I enjoyed it a lot thanks to a likable and energetic protagonist who wants nothing more than to punch everyone in the face, friend or foe, and then will devour an entire feast with equal passion. I do realize how bad and even dumb it actually was in many ways, except that it’s part of what made it enjoyable for me. 5.5/10

Season 2 of In/Spectre was a tad better than the first season. I just love this series. I love how it can build a story, lead you in a certain direction, and then effortlessly knock everything down and build it up in a completely different way. Plus, I find that the format of several shorter stories suits the series much better than the single long and rather tedious main storyline in the first season. I consider the part with Yukionna particularly good. She is probably the best waifu of the whole winter season for me. But I also like Kotoko a lot. I love her energy and her demeanor, I’m simply a sucker for her. I'm enjoying the way the narrative works, and the many points of view and possibilities I get in a single plot. For me, In/Spectre is an awesome and entertaining show. 7.8/10

This show was great, or to put it another way, it was right up my alley. It took me a while to get used to the unusual storytelling style. Individual episodes feel like they're pieced together from several short stories that tend to focus on different characters or have different themes, but gradually everything comes together nicely and starts making sense by the third episode. I really enjoyed some of the stories. My favorite was probably the one about the ninja and the witch, which moved me more than many other romantic plots from this season. Of course, the four main characters grew on me as well, and I savored the last few episodes with them. I appreciated every character, though. They were all instantly memorable and interesting in their own way. Plus, the way they were stylized made me think of Pratchett. I also liked Saitou, who doesn't have any supernatural powers. He simply knows his craft and is happy to help. I liked his motivation, I was happy for him as he found a world where he finally felt appreciated, and I also enjoyed all the beautiful and crazy romances happening around him. The humor was great, and I enjoyed the many excellent and unexpected punchlines, as well as the silly and cheeky ones. In short, I had a really good time, and despite a rather awkward opening and animation that was only slightly better than average, I don't want to give it less than 8/10.

Ryoma is here again to expand his business, discover many new kinds of slime, invent what the world hasn’t seen yet, and once again solve each and every problem of every single person who happens to come his way, always with a great big smile on his face, without any problems or unnecessary drama – effortlessly. It’s exactly the same as with the first season. If you watch it while dozing off on a Sunday afternoon and just let yourself be lulled by its vibe, it will be a relaxing watch. The moment you start thinking about it, you’ll start looking for flaws, and they won’t be hard to find. Plus, as with the first season, I will hardly remember Ryoma in a week... 5/10

When watching a series where two worlds intertwine, and things from one world interfere with the other, I have a pretty good idea about how things should work, and I can guess how society would react to such drastic changes and things that were previously unknown. Well, such notions of how a fantasy feudal society would react to many of the conveniences of the modern world greatly diverge from what I've witnessed here. It’s also why I found a lot of the situations incredibly dumb, unrealistic, and inadequate. I had a hard time believing that things could work like that. The last two episodes, which felt like a failed parody of Gate, pretty much took the cake. My overall impression of the series was only saved by its relaxed atmosphere and a fairly likable main character, but it wasn’t enough to change my mind about this being incredibly silly, and not in a good way. While it was watchable, I just didn’t buy it, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't give it more than a 4/10.

Trigun Stampede is an original adaptation that offers a slightly different take on things. The series doesn't bother with an introduction, and it doesn't put any mysteries in front of the viewer, as if the writers relied on you being familiar with the original 1998 adaptation or, even better, the manga. On the one hand, it's a shame, because all the mystery surrounding Vash, Wolfwood, and the whole planet was what I enjoyed most about the original series. This way, it killed the atmosphere for me a little. Plus, the beginning was really hasty, one of the characters was replaced with a brand new one, and Meryl was given a different job. There were several things that made me feel as if it wasn’t the Trigun I knew. Vash, on the other hand, is still Vash. He is the kind of person who wants to protect both the spider and the fly, and while his intentions are good, things rarely go according to his plan. Gradually, it becomes clear that this creative decision - to step on the gas at the beginning, not to dwell so much on all the Gung-Ho-Guns that have been given enough space in the past, not to hide what most viewers already know anyway - was intentional. Trigun Stampede focuses on what the first adaptation leaves out, that is, the plotline around the "Plants", the real motivation of Millions Knives, and the falling-out between the two brothers. I've read the manga, so I know that it’s a major plotline, and it annoyed me that the original adaptation leaves it out. Anyway, from the second half onwards, the series knows exactly which story it wants to tell. As far as I remember the manga, the writers have done a great job. Especially the finale excellently builds up the confrontation of the two brothers' perspectives (both of which are equally understandable). Let me just briefly comment on the animation. If anyone thinks that the 3DCG animation is terrible here, they know nothing about 3DCG animation. As far as Japanese 3DCG is concerned, you should watch at least one episode of Ex-Arm to be able to put it into perspective. Sure, Japanese 3DCG is not the absolute top. Compared to Pixar, there is a lot of room for improvement, especially regarding character movement, but Orange did an excellent job in Trigun Stampede and you can tell that the studio just keeps getting better at it. The facial expressions in particular are better in the 3D models than in the classic 2D and make it possible for the characters to express more intense emotions. Plus, some of the effects and close-ups of various devices are much more detailed thanks to 3D animation. Sure, movement can get tricky at times, and the tentacles (and there are quite a few of them) and similar effects still look jarringly artificial, but on the whole, the animation is decent, easy to get used to, and often pleasantly surprising. The whole season was a nice surprise for me. I’m giving it 7/10 after watching the awesome finale tonight, and am curious to see what the already-announced next season will be like.

I didn't have high expectations for this fantasy, so I was surprised to find that it was pretty good. The story makes sense, the main character undergoes development and even gets further than most average anime protagonists (SPOILER He settles down, gets married, and starts a family END OF SPOILER). Aside from a few repetitive jokes that aren't really that funny, the story feels kind of simple and commonplace. Yes, there are various clichés, and it’s obvious who Dariel really is practically from the first episode, but it doesn't ruin the atmosphere and the universal message of tolerance. In fact, it makes even more sense. I liked Dariel a lot. It was partially because he’s close to my age so I found him easy to relate to, but it was also thanks to the very good voice performance of Tomokazu Sugita, who did an excellent job. It’s not a show that will leave a lasting impression on me, but it worked for me as an easy, relaxing watch. 5.9/10

I was quite intrigued and entertained by the first season and the movie, but the second season just bored me. New characters weren't properly introduced, and it was just a single mission without any major exposition. The series counts on you knowing everything about the girls/ships, and the writers don’t feel the need to introduce anything else or create new intricate plots. There’s a conflict, which you are already familiar with from before, and there are the girls who are actually warships, which you’ve probably realized by now. Their new adventure features other characters you may know from the game, and if not, they’ll be introduced only briefly, because that's all you really need to know... The series does have a nice pace thanks to the lack of filler (although it didn’t really make me feel anything), but covid caused an unplanned extended break to my viewing, and I didn’t find the motivation to return to the show after that - I have seen 3 episodes and they were only worth 3.5/10.

What Avengers: Infinity War is to the MCU, My Hero Academia – Season 6 is to MHA. It’s an epic battle of good versus evil. All the elaborate worldbuilding from the previous seasons has paid off. No character is left out in this massive conflict. It's the first "Avengers Assemble" moment where we see all the major characters from the two generations in action, fighting a threat beyond anything that’s ever happened within the universe. Some villains are fleshed out so well that it makes you sympathize with them or at least understand them a little. Just like in Infinity War, it's just an introduction to the Endgame, which starts with The Dark Knight in this season. Season 6 is what fans have been waiting for. If you're still not convinced of its qualities, then it's probably time to admit that it's just not for you... It’s the best of MHA so far, and it’s also the answer to my fears about where things would go after the slightly unconvincing previous season. It’s a promise of even crazier things to come, a demonstration that MHA can be a really cool shounen, with deeper themes and a darker atmosphere. I want to leave some room in case the Endgame is even better than Infinity War (which I can’t say about the MCU – I like IW better) but considering how many emotions it made me feel and how much I enjoyed it all, I cannot go below 9/10.