Jeoffrey

A Certain Magical Shitshow! You just do not see something as hectic and confused as this part of the anime series. Even readers of the manga series told me that this was incredibly "rushed", so it is, therefore, no wonder poor Jeoffrey was completely lost at times. Is it that someone is fighting someone, only to end up fighting someone else with the help of the first someone, then without the former, then perhaps fighting the latter, while someone else fights the former with the latter, while someone else fights against the first someones with the second someone, and then a fourth someone fights the first someone, or is it the fifth? That is kind of what it seemed like... Fortunately, it contained at least some reassuring things, and so Touma is still Touma, and he will pretty much punch anyone, without any prejudice or discrimination - regardless of race, faction, or gender. Index, after whom the show is named, is not actually in this season very much, and Railgun does not really get much of a look in either, so it is good that at least it has some pulling power from Accelerator and another likable main male protagonist who should maybe get an anime series of his own as a reward (because, why the hell not?). Anyway, the action scenes are really entertaining and fun to watch, even if I did not really understand who was fighting who and why. The soundtrack is also really good, - in other words, if you like Mortal Kombat because of the killing, brutality, and gore (and somewhere some weird narrative hidden in the campaign), then this anime series is for you... If you want a sophisticated narrative, then try reading the manga, where you might get what you want, or who knows, perhaps you are going to find what Jeoffrey could not in this show (not without some help from Wikipedia). This was not Misaka Worst, however, it is still clearly the worst season of Index so far - as it is a frantic and rushed magical shitshow! 5.5/10.

Special academies and girls fighting mysterious creatures are my "favorite" subject matter! However, I have to say that this anime series is actually not bad; it is even relatively easy to watch, and it does not feature a lot of unnecessary fan service. The narrative, while not being precisely brilliant, is nevertheless relatively straightforward in the first half and because of the true identity of the villain, it is even quite entertaining. I clearly thought I would award the first half three stars, and I would even rate it good (like 6/10). Admittedly, I felt like I was in trouble during the first episode. As I mentioned in the first sentence, I do not enjoy this subject matter (the quotation marks there meant I was being ironic, in case you missed that). This particular show starts with a tournament (which can sometimes be a lengthy and tedious sequence for an anime series as well). However, everything is quickly and surprisingly resolved, and the storyline, which is then introduced, seems entirely original and even enjoyable. SPOILERS Then there is some chasing around, some characters trying to convince others what is actually happening, and then there is the final confrontation END OF SPOILERS. Well, if it ended there, I would have been relatively satisfied and would not even have to think about the rating. However, the second half came along, which strikes me as a kind of ham-fisted narrative setup. It practically just repeats the formula from the first half of the season in a much more complicated way, with a few tweaks and twists that are pretty predictable. In other words, I simply had the feeling that the second half of the season was rather pointless. I mean, I legitimately thought much less of the show (like 4/10), however... When I compare this anime series to other special academy shows, this show is clearly above-average. Concerning the characters, I cannot say any of the girls were particularly irritating, even though I did not fall in love with any of them either. So, the characters were basically OK. I enjoyed the fight scenes; the katana fights were good-looking and were decently choreographed. The fight scenes with the aradama were also OK, so overall the fight scenes were all good. I have probably talked enough about the narrative; however, to sum it up - it was not brilliant, even though it was interesting at times. Yes, it had a few (but really only a few) surprising moments. So giving a bad rating would be unfair on my part, however... If I were simply comparing it to how much I enjoyed all the other anime series I have watched, I would not award this show more than three stars. However, I am awarding the first half of the season 6/10 and the second half of the season 4/10. Putting the two together makes an average score of 5/10 for the whole season.

Best Tokyo Ghoul  season? Well, I donť think so! I am sorry; but I found the brainwashed Kaneki living under the identity of Haise Sasaki quite boring. His entire Quinx Squad was full of characters I could not relate to over the course of twelve episodes. So then, when someone in the show was in danger or even died, I was left completely cold, and it did nothing for me. I was expecting suspense and great controversy since the former ghoul was now an investigator. I was expecting characters from Kaneki's past to make imaginative and interesting attempts to bring back Kaneki's memory. In addition to that, I was somewhat disappointed, probably most of all, that one of my favorite characters, Gourmet, was reduced to a wreck for most of the season. He only woke up towards the end to achieve what? Well, even the rest of my favorite ensemble from the previous seasons were just there. They belong in this world, and their turns are probably still waiting for them, even though that could only happen next season. I did not enjoy watching the narratives and investigations from the other side. The best bit was probably the auction part and then the season finale itself, where at least something was finally concluded. So, I can say that after this rather mediocre and uninteresting season, I am at least looking forward to the next one. However, the storytelling was quite good; everything was presented clearly and understandably. The action and fight scenes were again full of gore, with so many severed limbs. Well, all the nice things for some people. All in all, it is a real shame that I enjoyed the fight scenes, even though I could not care about the people in them this time... 5.5/10.

I have been wondering for a long time if there is anything unique about this anime series apart from "being about vampires". In other words, I am wondering if there is any good reason to give it a better than average rating. In the end, I found nothing to warrant that. There are just some cute girls messing about with cute vampires. The vampires do not suck blood, but rather order it through Amazon. They do not bite, but rather just flirt with the cute girls occasionally and do all sorts of supposedly cute vampire things. However, it really is cute (which you can tell just by the fact that I have written the word cute five times already and I have no desire to rewrite this...). The show occasionally caused me to smile here and there, and I probably liked all the characters, especially the main two protagonists. While I am actually quite satisfied, I somehow still cannot bring myself to award it more than 6.3/10.

I could fully understand that from an ethical standpoint, a narrative featuring a woman with such an unhealthy obsession with little girls, combined with the things she occasionally let out of her mouth, is basically really horrible and not really something to be messed about with. However, this is actually just a comedy, an exaggerated satirical comedy that no one should take too seriously. This is not (in my opinion) pedophile fan service, there are no overly erotic scenes and there are no scenes with a strongly suggestive erotic subtext. Therefore, I think there was no reason to watch it nervously. The narrative is really sweet at times, featuring a likable child protagonist with a sad backstory, a few psychological issues, and a woman with an extreme and completely unhealthy interest in this child, and there is yet another woman, who has completely over-the-top masochistic tendencies (among other things). This show is quite weird, this show is quite crazy, and this show is often a bit stupid. However, after saying all that, I still quite enjoyed it... So personally speaking, the entertainment value of this show is unfortunately largely overshadowed by my personal reservations regarding certain moral grey areas, and so in the end I am not going to go below 5.5/10.

Somehow I just cannot think of anything to say about an anime series mixing Joan of Arc with the Philosopher's Stone other than that it just seems like a bunch of tedious crap to me. Dropped after episode four - 2.5/10.

I had not reviewed this untill now, and something tells me that now is the time to fix that. Even after almost two years, I have no problem remembering the narrative of Violet Evergarden (at least the bare bones of the narrative), I remember most of the characters and my impressions of it at the time. So it makes sense that, unlike some of you, this anime series must have left a mark on me. I cannot easily forget the stunning animation and great soundtrack. As far as the emotional aspect is concerned, some of the narratives touched my heart and I was also intrigued by the show’s premise of delivering feelings in the form of letters, which in this day and age is probably rather neglected because of modern technology. However, (and, I am agreeing on this with Zíza), I also remember some of the narratives where the emotions seemed quite forced and came on too strong, and so it never really got to me and did not seem natural enough to consider giving this anime series the highest rating. I liked the main female protagonist Violet, and I liked her efforts to understand human feelings, especially the one the romantic poets thought was the most beautiful. I also liked her almost machine-like nature, which gradually became much softer. I was personally very satisfied, and it was a pleasant experience. 7.5/10. P.S. If you are a pragmatist rather than a romantic, then, of course, you are going to see some things from a completely different point of view, even though we can all at least agree that the animation is breathtaking, so if you want to see magnificent graphics/visuals…

As a rule, MADHOUSE animation studios chose the material that should be of great interest to their audience, and I think they rarely took a wrong turn. This show looks interesting from the opening. You could speculate if it is going to go in the direction of a government conspiracy, coup d'état, power struggles within a government agency, or deal with various cases of various frauds and crimes within the different state branches. You could even assume this is not going to be the kind of show that grabs people by how good it looks. The characters are not particularly beautifully illustrated, although to be fair, I guess that is in keeping with the original manga art style. Also, this show is not going to captivate people with tons of action and violence, as it seems more like they are going to go for a story that focuses on solving things with reason rather than force. The problem with this show is that it consists mainly of dialogues between the characters, so there is not much chance of action. Plus, everybody is trying to be mysterious, even though in reality, a lot of stuff happens. Also, when the stuff happens, they give the impression that it just happened and came out of nowhere but did not really affect anything. Even the biggest twists are presented in a dry, emotionless way, so any atmosphere and interest go more and more down the drain with each passing episode. I kept waiting for it all to kick off, and it just did not. Most of the time, there is such a really long wait for something you think is coming, and even though you are right to expect it, the longer you wait, the more you start to not care, and you are left wondering if it was really worth it. In conclusion, the last episode is definitely the best of the whole season and more or less gives a reason for everything that came before it (so it does not feel like a complete waste of time). However, although I really enjoyed the last episode, it could not redeem the oddly unengaging majority of the show that got me to that point. It is not bad, even though it is probably the most boring and least dramatic anime series about a government conspiracy I have ever seen. However, because of the last episode, a couple of likable characters, and a good soundtrack, I eventually awarded it 5.2/10.

Expecting any kind of sensible idea or even a calm, relaxed show from a Japanese slice-of-life comedy simply called (translated) "Idiot Girl" is naive. This show is just stupidity of unbelievable proportions that takes human folly and stupidity to total extremes. At the same time, this show is a spectacle full of energy and stupid jokes; however, it does not come across as bad, quite the opposite because of the rather endearing female protagonist. Yoshiko is simply an elemental force of unbridled energy who just wants to have fun, eat bananas, hang around her friend, and experience love. I managed to grow quite fond of this bonkers, shouty and perverted girl. I like people with unquenchable optimism and zest for life, who can give less enthusiastic people strength and can power them with positive energy. So this show, no matter how silly, managed to keep me awake, and sometimes pleasantly entertain me. In addition to Yoshiko, there is the character Akuru, who is the opposite - responsible, considerate, and a good student and their interactions are interesting. I can also confirm that there is a certain spark (except for all the punching). The rest of the characters are more or less there to fill out the show, though. There is more fun interaction between Yoshiko and a bunch of local kids than between the rest of the supporting characters. So as a kind of crazy and refreshing summer anime series just to sit back and relax, it works. This show is, in addition, also unmitigated simpleminded bullshit. So while I am tempted to give it that fourth star because I found Yoshiko's character and the energy in it very refreshing, I am not going to because my brain just cannot allow it and Yoshiko is not here to stuff a banana in my mouth. 6.3/10.

Akiba's Trip: The Animation is what it looks like when a bunch of young, crazy, over-the-top otaku gets the chance to make an anime series for other over-the-top, crazy otaku. At least, that is how it seems to me because this is insane, occasionally amusing, and full of people getting undressed. Since making up reasons for clothes falling off accidentally, and undesirable boobie/hand collisions is boring and corny, they simply declare that the only way to save Akihabara is to merely make people strip down to at least their underwear; when they are attacked by "something". There is actually not much to fault about this show. Like last season's releases such as Hip Whip Girl: Keijo!!!!!! this show just does not mess around and incorporates the ecchi element as a perfectly natural part of the plot. There is simply "If you want them naked, then just go and take it!" Whether that is right or something you are comfortable with, you are going to have to figure it out for yourself. As far as the action goes, it is quite charged, as there is almost always something going on. Sometimes the comedy element comes to the fore; sure, the jokes/humor are wacky; however, there is at least some comedy. For the avid otaku, there are plenty of costumes (you are going to love the blonde character), different ways of speaking using endearing interjections, and of course, the setting itself. So, in my opinion, Akiba's Trip: The Animation, just like last season's already mentioned Hip Whip Girl: Keijo!!!!!!, is once again an anime series where its target audience is obvious, and I am once again kind of out of it. Dropped after the second episode, and it is not that bad (if I rated it, it would be around two-three stars), even though it is nothing for me.