Jeoffrey

I am trying to work out what I thought was good in anime season Summer 2020, get it straight in my head, and the naughty, mischievous little boy in me who gets off on causing a stir just screams that this anime series was fantastic! If I had to live in a fantasy world, until recently I would have liked to have been reincarnated as Momonga from Overlord (because I have a thing for bad guys, especially if they are a badass, powerful, two-meter-tall skeleton who is a strategic genius with his own harem, that would be pretty damn cool). After saying that, however, at the moment I think I would rather be Anos Voldigoad throwing out cruel lines like "Did you really think that would work?", making even a tsundere girl act all cute in my presence, having my own fan club that writes songs about me, and being so powerful that no one and nothing can bring me down - that is next-level overpower fantasy. I have seen a lot of anime series with strong protagonists and none of them were this funny and stupid at the same time. It has been a long time since I have laughed at something like this and found it all so damn cool at the same time. Anos Voldigoad makes everything look easy, he has fangirls singing his praises which are ringing in his ears whilst promoting a message of peace more effectively than the entire Hippie movement. He is cruel although he is also fair, and his punishments are severe yet appropriate. Anos is the manifestation of a resolute, stalwart, and perfect male protagonist with an easy-going personality who takes everything in his stride, he is an over-the-top character who does not come across as foolish, plus he is also a man who knows how to treat women. Plus, I have not seen so much potential for memes in such a peculiar cringe-fest anime series in a long time either. I love originality and there is plenty of it in this show, it is a collection of dreams-come-true based on other clichéd fantasy anime tropes where I wondered what a really good main protagonist would do in that situation. This show very much revolves around the main protagonist and the other characters only get a chance to shine when he allows it. The only one who rivals him is Lay, who, over only a few episodes, is involved in a romantic storyline that is better than the entirety of The Twilight Saga. The fights between Anos and Lay seem to have a real spark, and there are some very awkward moments between them (so it is a bit of a bromance, too). The action had momentum to it, which I liked too. This was a real treat for me - every Saturday, as soon as a new episode came out, I was on it, and I usually felt well-entertained and full of anticipation for what they had in store next. I was afraid that they would not be able to maintain that level of craziness, and that it would fall into the typical tropes, that Anos would not be able to pull it off even with his charisma - however, it was OK, and every episode had something to make my jaw drop and I would be in awe, because of how over-the-top, stupid, or on the contrary how brilliant it was. On the other hand, there is the cool rational voice in my head that says I cannot award this show five stars and put it up there with the best shows I have ever seen because after all, it was a load of over-the-top bullshit. So my two different personalities agreed to a compromise, and I am going to award it the strongest four stars I know and talk about it wherever I can and with whoever I can, and maybe one day I am going to find someone who was as blown away by it as I was. However, when all is said and done, the ratings on other databases give me hope that I am not going mad, that maybe my tastes are not that weird, and that this was a really cool anime series. One day I am going to come back, full of confidence with the words "I hope you did not think anything was going to stop me", and I might increase the rating I awarded (at least if I watch it again sometime soon). Absolutely ridiculous 8.4/10.

What I like most about In/Spectre is that it does not follow in the footsteps of typical supernatural whodunnits about someone attempting to solve a mystery. No, this is not about solving the mystery itself, it is more about the different interpretations. In the last episode, there is something about how powerful the human mind is, and how it can create countless different scenarios for almost everything, and this is what really fascinated me. The main female protagonist is able to describe different plausible versions of what could have happened, and at the same time gradually break down what you believe, until she can actually convince you that the sky is not blue, and water is not wet… The way she does it is really very verbose and so fans of action-packed shows are probably not going to like this. However, if you like to think about stuff, speculate, or at least enjoy looking at things from multiple perspectives, then you are going to really enjoy it and be blown away. Add to that the fact that the supernatural aspect of the show works, the main characters have the right chemistry (yes, it reminded me of Gosick), plus this anime series is interesting even when there is no supernatural mystery being solved, which makes it a superior immersive experience even for discerning audiences and an altogether smart and interesting show. 7.5/10

This is such a pretty run-of-the-mill relaxing anime series about a young boy who completes various tasks with calmness, a smile and an army of Slimes. Worried about dangerous monsters in the neighborhood, or maybe just ground in grime on your new clothes? Well, Ryoma can sort anything out for you! You might just find the complete peace and quiet relaxing as there is no unnecessary drama. However, if you look and focus on the quality of the animation you might notice that it is not that great, and for example, the motion of the horse-drawn carriage looks very peculiar. You might also wonder if the entire isekai premise of a man who is almost forty years old inhabiting the body of a little boy is completely underutilized, unnecessary, and almost non-existent after a while. The main male protagonist does not act like a man in his prime and uses his knowledge and experience only sporadically. In other words, if the isekai element had been left out and the screenwriters had just used the premise of a young boy chosen at random and blessed by the gods, then almost nothing would have changed. Anyway, the point of this anime series is not the story or the lack of suspense, and it is way too early for romance - it is merely a show to pass the time and enjoy a nice Sunday nap to. Nothing more, nothing less, I am not going to remember it in a month, however, for now, it has served its purpose. 5/10.

There is so much I can find fault with regarding this anime series, as I am a regular fantasy RPG player. It centers around a game I know does not really exist, yet I still find myself really annoyed with the idea that anyone would even consider releasing a game like this sometime in the future. The anime’s creators have clearly never heard the word "balance" (or the well-known English phrase "balanced game"), and so the main female protagonist Maple gradually gets to the point where she becomes more like the final boss with advanced skills that leave you scratching your head. Then there are the methods Maple uses to come by those abilities. You would have thought that this girl, if she were in The Legends of King Arthur, would have discovered Excalibur just by tripping over it on her way to the bathroom. Rationally speaking, I found it completely unconvincing, because nothing could ever happen in the way they portray stuff, and there are an incredible number of coincidences that take place, pushing everything to ever more absurd levels, the skills all add up to completely cover over any possible real limitations our main female protagonist may have, and unexpectedly - it is really entertaining! It is like watching a small child who really enjoys burning ants with a magnifying glass. Something inside you is screaming - damn it, this is so wrong, however, when you see the passion and unconcealed delight of that little innocent human being, it is strangely heart-warming... Everything in this show is insane, light-hearted and playful, so at times I just did not know whether I was watching Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, So I'll Max Out My Defense, Pokémon, Godzilla or some new season of Mobile Suit Gundam. In addition, the high standard of animation is to be commended, the fight scenes are especially praiseworthy as they are extremely detailed. In other words, it is good to watch, very entertaining and imaginative, with lots of likable characters. That is the reason why I am joining the Maple fan club. "Cute girls are breaking my game!" 7.8/10. P.S I was going to throw in a cheesy Bethesda joke and compare some scenes from this anime series to, say, the Fallout 76,  when the giant airship Prydwen appears… well, maybe next time.

Intense romantic teasing is probably another popular theme for Japanese authors now. It started with Teasing Master Takagi-san, which was just kind of playful and childishly innocent, then along came Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! which threw in a great deal of silliness plus some undesirable ecchi eroticism, and now we are on to Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro, which takes it all a bit further again. Okay, so let us start with the first episode, which I almost gave up on. Honestly, I thought they went in really hard, and I was like, "This is not teasing, this is plainly harassment!" I remained unconvinced at first, I found it way too harsh and unnecessarily over-sexualized, plus, I did not even like the main protagonists. I was like, I just could not understand why the senpai did not do anything when they were calling him a fucking weakling and a raving masochist. To be quite honest, I did not like Nagatoro much either, I just do not like people who bully others in order to prove their superiority over someone because they are weaker – as it is generally considered pathetic. Thankfully though, things started to get better as time went on, and I gradually started to take it easy, so I was able to laugh at the jokes, and I watched the initially very strange relationship start to develop in a quite realistic and pleasant way. I soon realized that Nagatoro was maybe not as bad as I had thought and that she also had her weaknesses, which she tried to hide by doing the opposite of what she thinks or how she feels – I think it is called denial in psychology. Even the senpai started to become tolerable, there were moments where I thought I was starting to see him have some balls, although he never stood up to his tormentor, however, that started to become more and more logical as time went on and as their relationship developed. I also began to notice that Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro is unique in showing some of the characters' expressions, because if I am honest, for example, Nagatoro’s smug faces are something you do not normally see in anime. Likewise, you can tell that the author is a man who, until recently, made his living writing hentai (and some of his work is really really bizarre, like the thing with the monkeys – trust me, no one needs to see that!) because you gradually start to notice that he is actually very good at evoking and portraying sexual tension at certain moments, which gives the teasing more power and depth. So, in the end, I am still not convinced, unlike others, that I would want someone like Nagatoro near me, but I have gradually grown to like this anime series quite a bit, actually, and so I can easily award it a strong three stars. 6.4/10.

The new film from the director of Sora yori mo Tooi Basho (Atsuko Ishizuka) has a similar modus operandi but it’s not as entertaining or engaging as the series. Sure, it has an awesome and powerful ending where everything falls perfectly into place, and the little hints that Ishizuka has hidden in the story start making sense. There's also a certain element of surprise as I didn’t really expect that. The way the main theme of the film gets accentuated is delightful because most of the time it just feels like a simple adventure of three friends. However, you have to turn a blind eye to certain things in the ending that only make sense from a somewhat idealistic perspective. The biggest problem for me is the fact that only the last quarter or so of the film was truly interesting and intense. The rest was just an ordinary, unexciting narrative, sometimes filled with supposedly deep dialogue, but not enough to enhance the action happening on screen. Everything only really starts to work at the very end. As I said, the finale may well surprise you and it might even improve the overall mediocre impression, as it did for me. In terms of animation, it’s decent, the music is distinctive, and the ending makes it great. 7/10

Honestly, I didn't believe that a story concerning a lion dance with a simple premise about a bunch of underdogs trying to win a competition could get me interested. The only thing that seemed interesting about it at first was probably the lion dance. However, I Am What I Am actually won me over in the end by its depiction of the local conditions, a strong social dimension, a well-chosen theme, and its overall message. As I've already said, I initially found it quite run-of-the-mill, but gradually got immersed in the plot, and found my way to the main character and a few others. I also started enjoying the choreography of the lion dance and how vividly and impressively it was portrayed. On top of that, I appreciated the seriousness of the problems the heroes faced, and the fact that the writers weren’t trying to idealize or sugarcoat anything. It made me enjoy the finale quite a lot. I was rooting for the boys, and the essentially bittersweet conclusion was satisfying. The animation is very decent, even charming during the lion dances. The score was also good, though I wasn't crazy about the chosen songs and tunes. None of them really stuck in my head. It's probably not the best I've seen of Chinese animation, but it definitely deserves a decent 4*. 7.5/10

Going through my older reviews, I came across a mention of this hentai and realized it was missing from the database, which was a shame... So, it's here now, and I can rate my first encounter with Japanese animated pornography. For a seventeen-year-old boy at the turn of the millennium, who had never seen anything like it before and who, watching shows like Yu-gi-Oh!, One Piece, and Case Closed on the RTLII channel, hadn't actually thought that cartoon characters could (or should) have sex, it was a groundbreaking experience. Until then, it hadn't occurred to me that I might find hentai interesting, or that it might broaden my horizons concerning Japanese animation. I guess I was also lucky that I stumbled upon this fairly (un)ordinary revenge story that does (not) turn out as planned, and I’m glad I didn’t see some nasty tentacle hentai first... Honestly, I liked it a lot at the time, the story was passable, the scenes were just right, and even the censorship was kind of okay. My seventeen-year-old self enjoyed Orchid Emblem very much. It expanded my horizons, and I still consider it a slightly above-average hentai (at least it has an interesting story). Of course, given all my nostalgic memories, I'm going to be severely biased, to use a sexual analogy - you never forget the first time...

Even though the Yuru Camp girls have grown up, it hasn’t affected the atmosphere of the film. It's still got that nice feel, the characters have hardly changed at all, and the animation is still good (except for the CGI cars and motorbikes on the roads). The music nicely complements it, contributing to the overall delightful and relaxing experience. Plus, we get to experience camping from a fresh and original perspective. Instead of the usual "let's go camping" it's "let's build a campsite" this time. The interesting tips, instructions, and recipes that were a nice added value in the series are still part of it. On the other hand, it’s almost too long, and the theme didn’t draw me in as much as traditional camping and the experiences that go with it, so I didn't consider it a big deal when there was this one moment when things didn't go exactly according to plan for the girls. Still, I consider it an enjoyable two hours. I'm glad I got to learn more about the fates of my favorite protagonists, and I'm looking forward to the third season which has already been announced. 7.7/10

I'm of the opinion that if you want to have a truly comprehensive overview of something, you don’t only need to know the best but also the worst that there is to offer. After all, it's good to find out where the rock bottom is. Then you can say to yourself that the anime you've just watched is terrible, but it's still better than, say, Pupa or Vampire Holmes. Similarly, 3D animation has its Trolland (and now Foodfight!). So, when one of my favorite users rated this today and I found out that it’s supposed to be the worst 3D animation given the year of production and budget, I prepared myself for the worst and went for it. And it's really bad - a dumb, repulsive, and pathetic film that made me wonder where the 65 million dollars went. Certainly not into the animation, direction, or script. The only person who seemed to have made any effort was the guy in charge of the music, but even that couldn't save the abomination that was happening on screen.  Imagine a dumb B-movie detective story wrapped in the most amateurish animation you've ever seen. The movements of most of the characters and some of the objects (such as a plane) feel jarring and unnatural, the characters look artificial, and the creators couldn't even handle complete basics such as making the characters' eyes look at least somewhat lifelike. On top of that, the textures (grass, sidewalks) are terrible and look like something out of a retro game from the early 90s. The dialogue is a chapter unto itself, and its dullness certainly didn't help me follow what was going on. Even the humor is incredibly cheesy. I had a few laughs at how bad the whole thing was, but it only lasted me for the first few minutes. After that I just stared open-mouthed, wondering what the hell I was watching... 0/10