Jeoffrey

Considering how attractive the idea behind this show was, I was bored far too often. It is not extremely suspenseful, there is nothing really profound about it, and it is relatively slow and drawn out. We are trying to get to know the characters, the rules of the world it is set in, and most importantly, get out of here somehow (preferably with your life). However, nothing was interesting enough to keep my attention. To be completely honest, when they revealed the backstory of the bad guy, for example, it was almost really irritating. I am sorry, but I am joining the ranks of those who were not impressed by Kokkoku. In addition, the ending and how they resolved the whole Juri thing made me deduct a few more points from the rating of this anime series. 4.5/10.

This show is full of silly parodies, loads of comedy, and pure entertainment. Yes, the second season of Mr. Osomatsu offers it all. Though this time around, I was perhaps even more entertained. The anime's writers once again showed that nothing is sacred to them and that they can make weird, crazy, or even stupid fun out of just about anything. Moreover, this time they convinced me that they could do much more. Personally speaking, Gintama is the king of the comedy anime series, for example, because they can make a funny episode during which the main characters spend the entire episode sitting around and talking about where Gintama is now heading. Well, they did that in this show in a part of one episode as well. Gintama can also switch from comedy to a much more serious show and the anime's writers make it believable and moving. In this show, the episode that moved me the most was called "Iyami, Alone in the Wind." Gintama is sometimes an epic action-packed show with fantastic fight scenes. Okay, so there is only one king, in my opinion, although Mr. Osomatsu is well on his way to becoming "the second one". 8.5/10.

"Pedobear marched in like a lion" and brought with it several moments that, in connection with the nine-year-old girls, were so powerful that some critics in the comments section on various websites called for immediate intervention by the police or the FBI itself. However, Jeoffrey is not that prudish and did not find much inappropriate material in this anime series. Sure, there is some fan service, even though I do not think it is over the top. I did not think it crossed the line as much as, say, Eromanga Sensei. So I am going to put this controversial topic to one side and get on with the rest. It is not only full of incredibly cute girls, but the anime’s writers also attempt sports anime-style action. The game of Shogi is shown more often in this show than in, say, March Comes in Like a Lion, even though that one focuses more on characters, relationships, and ordinary life. This show can also be about everyday life sometimes; it is just much more about classic (read: clichéd) quirks, misunderstandings, and again, slight ecchi. Even this approach, as you can see, has no problem finding its fans, and I somehow cannot award it less than 6/10. The rating is thanks to all those cute girls (hell, it even has a tsundere-Loli).

Slow Start is a cute anime series with many likable characters and the classic concept of cute girls doing cute things. However, the overall impression suffers most because it came out in the same anime season (Winter 2018) as several others. Unlike shows about camping and Antarctica or shows like Mitsuboshi Colors, I could not really find anything that special about this show. In other words, Slow Start was at the bottom of the list of enjoyable shows I wanted to watch this anime season. On the other hand, it is a real shame because this anime series has some good qualities. It is easy on the eyes,  Kamuri is a Kawaii Over 9000, and the other characters are pretty interesting too. Still, I felt like I had not seen anything new. It reminded me of Yuru Yuri, Hinako Note, and other similar anime series, and this was all kind of mostly the same as those I had already seen. I am almost worried whether I have just had way too many cute girls; maybe just in this anime season. However, I am going to be fair. While I do not think Slow Start deserves any negative ratings because it is not so bad compared to the anime series I mentioned previously, I still have to evaluate my impression of watching it. It is just near the better average. Someday, when the year’s releases will be full of fighting shonen and special academies again, I am going to try and give this anime series another go, and perhaps I will enjoy it a bit more the second time around. 6.3/10.

School Babysitters is quite a relaxing anime series full of childish cuteness. Little Kotaro is an example of the ideal child that every parent would wish for - calm, understanding, quiet, loving (in other words, unrealistic). Similarly, the main male protagonist is an example of a conscientious teenager who loves his brother more than anything (because he is the last one left of his family), is understanding, and caring. All in all, it is such an unrealistically calm, sweet, and sometimes overly cute show that it is quite a pleasant anime series to relax to. However, I subconsciously realized that raising children is definitely not as much fun and peaceful as they are portraying here. The anime's creators occasionally show a few minor pitfalls connected with caring for young children. However, everything usually works out OK in too much of a kind of "rosy" way. As far as the humor goes, when some kids do something cute, it sometimes makes me crack a smile briefly. However, when some adult characters attempted to make jokes, it usually did not turn out very well. 5.5/10.

I was not quite sure about this show at first; however, now I can confidently say that this anime series beautifully represents a happy childhood and shows what is so beautiful about being a child. For someone who grew up in a time before smartphones, computers, and other conveniences that eat up our time today, this is an incredibly enjoyable, endearing, and nostalgic affair. It is nostalgic because when I was a kid, every free day was filled with outdoor adventures with my friends, there was always someone who came up with a new silly idea, an exciting game, and the world was colorful and fascinating. Plus, I was always learning and discovering something new. Sure, it was not like that all the time, everything had its downsides, and some things could make growing up very unpleasant (kids can be cruel). However, when watching this anime series, there is none of that. I simply remembered the good times, and I had fun thinking about the ideas and naivety of the main characters, what they came up with, and enjoyed every adventure. It is energetic, silly, and really very funny and cute in places. I love shows like that. This anime series was just so good and I was not just thinking about what was happening on screen. I was thinking about real life, my own past, and, as I wrote before, everything that was so cool during my own childhood, for probably the first time while watching a "cute girls doing cute things" anime series. So even though it has some shortcomings, like the background music, which is sometimes quite distracting (the opening and ending were perfect, though), I cannot help but say that this was an outstanding show. 8.3/10.

I guess my expectations were too high, which I had from the relatively good trailer and the fact that Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who has worked with Studio Ghibli on his previous movies, directed this. The feeling that I was watching something like a Studio Ghibli anime movie persisted almost the whole time I was watching the movie. The only thing is that perhaps all of the aspects of the movie were at least a notch worse. The enchantment and feeling that I was watching something unique that I wanted to see again were not there whether we were talking about the characters, the narrative, the atmosphere, or even the message the movie was trying to convey. Sure, it is a decent movie, the animation is well-produced, the soundtrack is also excellent, so in other words, it is all a pretty likable fairy tale. However, it lacks intensity, more playfulness, and creativity (certainly compared to what I expected) - it lacks charm. I do not want to say that I am disappointed; however, I simply do not see it as a slightly better than mediocre offering. 6.6/10.

There are many anime series that revolve around food consumption, and almost every season, there is a new one. However, you do not see that many anime series concentrate exclusively on one type of food anymore. I was reminded of Dagashi Kashi (whose second season is also just ending with half the number of minutes per episode). The main female protagonist was also literally obsessed with her chosen food, introducing different variations and telling us new facts all the time. In DK's case, she is passionate about sweets and snacks. Anyway, for my taste the anime series about Ms. Koizumi's love of ramen noodles is too flat, repetitive, and lacks any wider perspective or development. Ms. Koizumi is cold and she only likes ramen noodles. She simply does not care about anything else. She has a stalker who has an unhealthy obsession with Ms. Koizumi (which is supposed to be the set-up for some amusing situations) and does not care about anything else except for ramen noodles because that is all Ms. Koizumi cares about. There are a few other characters; however, they are utterly forgettable. In other words, you only get what the title of the anime series promises and nothing else. There is no progression, no closure, and it all happens at a full twenty-four minutes per episode. It, therefore, starts to get a bit boring by the middle of the episode because you can predict the ending of most events almost immediately. It is a good idea to watch an episode before a meal (lunch or dinner), as it could help you work up your appetite. However, I found this show had no other purpose and the only person I would recommend this anime series to with some enthusiasm would be a ramen noodles fanatic like Ms. Koizumi. If only they existed. It is not a terrible anime; it is undoubtedly a watchable affair (after all, I got to the very end of the first season). However, somehow, I think that if the episodes were half as long, as was the case in the second season of the Dagashi Kashi as mentioned earlier, it would have probably been more efficient, and maybe I would not have got so bored so often...3.5/10.

"If you are not going to let me win, why did you give me a heart so I could feel all this pain?". I have to say, creating such an intensely powerful backstory with the movie for the cheerful and colorful anime series, which is full of thrilling games is just genius. It reminded me of Adventure Time and the feeling I got when I started to delve into the history of the world it is set in and fully understood the meaning of the screenwriter's line about sweet candy with a bitter secret. In other words, the movie's narrative is well thought out. It contrasts wonderfully with the anime series, even though it still makes some reasonable assumptions about the main protagonists and a lot of the other characters. There is a lot of interesting subject matter regarding human nature, the power of determination, the nature of the human heart, plenty of strategies, plus some very thrilling and emotional moments. The movie's soundtrack is excellent, as is the animation, and the setting is breathtaking. It is all good apart from a few pretentious fight scenes where the CGI feels a bit too much at times. Sure, a few things could be faulted; the dramatic and emotional elements feel too forced at times. However, I have actually gotten quite used to this sort of thing with anime series. There was an initial surprise that this was No Game No Life, except it was fascinating, intense, thoughtful, and highly satisfying, which left me with a really good impression overall. 9/10.

When I heard that there would be a remake of an animated series that was a big part of my childhood and that I was pretty fond of as a kid, I was curious, even though I was also pretty skeptical. It is rare for a modern remake to appeal to the new and old audiences alike. A good remake is something that is basically just as appealing to someone who knows the original show as it is for the new audience. However, they did it again! Sure, it took a while to get used to the new style of animation; however, when I heard the old familiar opening theme again, I decided to give this whole animated series a chance; I mean, it kind of sounds the same, and different at the same time. Plus, in a similar way with the theme tune, on the one hand, everything is so familiar and seems the same; however, on the other hand, it also appears new and different in some ways. It is still a mesmerizing, adventurous show with likable characters and exceptionally well-written narratives. There are several surprises, like the new look of Mrs. Bentina Beakley, and the triplets Huey, Dewey and Louie are much more distinguishable from each other this time, plus each has slightly different characteristics. In addition, we see Donald Duck much more often, too, which is nice. On the other hand, most of the characters were in the first animated series and will be familiar to older viewers, like The Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold, and Launchpad McQuack. In other words, this new remake honors the original animated series and its fans can look forward to numerous references, Easter Eggs, (like Scrooge's garage, for example) while trying to be much more dynamic, suspenseful, and not afraid to go its own way in some ways. In conclusion, this is a decent remake... 8/10.