Rate the last anime you watched out of 10

March Comes in Like a Lion

Having largely ignored this series while it was airing, due to general apathy, I wasn't really prepared for how good this story of an isolated professional shogi player learning to forge relationships with those around him actually is. The journey of a year in protagonist Rei's life is an emotional trip, flitting between great highs and lows, but it never once felt overly saccharine or melodramatic, always tempering one extreme with elements of the other, and rarely resolving its dilemmas in the way you'd expect.

There is a game in there somewhere, but far from the technically dominated, Akagi-esque setup I was anticipating, the minutiae of shogi is almost irrelevant. Shaft are absolutely in their element here, using their quirky visual style to convey the progress of matches so much through gesture and atmosphere, that sometimes we needn't even see the players facing off for more than a few moments, let alone a complete game. There is a brief explanatory section that offers some insight into its workings, disguised as a children's book, but Crunchyroll haven't translated this. It's a disappointment, but by the end of the series, I certainly felt like I understood the gist of what was going on well enough for it not to bother me.

I'd really hoped to avoid any terrible metaphors, but ultimately, I think that while other shows may have many of the same pieces, what sets March Lion apart, is it's ability to play them all in just the right order, at exactly the right time. This surely is one of the great achievements of television anime in the 2010s.
 
Love Hina 6/10
Not as funny as I remember from 10 years ago and I found there to be a few pointless boring episodes. I'll stick with the manga in the future.
 
Dai-Guard 9/10

Loved this show. I like the fact that Dai-Guard isn't an indestructible super robot. the internal board room battle and army rivalry is something i'd never seen done before in mecha anime so that was all interesting. ultimatley this was just a feel good, fun time.

The characters are all great, the interaction between them all is good. Shirota's development over the series is really good. I like how wee see things from a civillian point of view and how it effects the everyday lives of normal people.

sadly i can't give it 10 because the monsters are never really explained, we're told they're a new natural phenomenon and that humanity will just have to treat them as a new type of natural distater. This was a rather disappointing explanation. I wanted to know what they were, what they wanted, where they came from and ultimately how to stop them permananty.
 
Saga of Tanya the Evil

I have quite mixed feelings about this show overall. There is certainly more to it than sheer military fetishism; the aerial combat is genuinely exciting and it's occasionally quite clever in its retelling of World War One, but I found it difficult to invest in its overpowered and unlikeable protagonist who seems to face very little credible threat to her progress for long stretches of what isn't a terribly long series.

I firmly believe that you don't need to like a main character so long as interesting things are happening to them, but I honestly found the middle section quite tedious and often aimlessly grim, when we weren't zooming through the skies. It does redeem itself a little with an interesting final reveal in its last episode, but I wouldn't be clamouring for a second season anytime soon.
 
Please Tell Me, Galko-chan

Kind of surprised at how fan-servicey it could be at times, but this was a really sweet little series - funny without ever being mean. Would happily go for a second season.
 
Future Diary 7 - 8ish/10
I did really like this series, it has an interesting premise to begin with and wraps it up in quite a thriller angle, it does have a central romance but the way it gets there I'd say is the start of the faults with the series. Dues Ex Machina, the God of space and time grows weary, and decides to find a succesor. Enter yuki, an average high school student with an inusual habit of keeping a more objective diary on his phone. Dues gives Yuki the diary entries he would have written the next day, he then meets yuno, who seems to be stalking him and finds himself on the run from a local serial killer. After the two dispose of the serial killer, Dues reveals to yuki and 10 others that they all now have diaries written 90 days in advance, and the catch is that their existence is tied to the diaries, the serial killer is the first contestant to die in a survival game with the prize as godhood. Yuki must survive the brutal efforts of 9 others with the aid of a girl who's clinically obsessed with him.
I'm just gonna put the flaws up for now, the romance with the central couple doesn't really work when the creep factor has been at 11 a lot of the time, and even after someone find an inherent weakness that all diaries share, they still use the diaries like it's gospel, which leads to some dumb diary vs diary fights and stupid decisions, particularly in the second half. the twist is a little different to other series of it's type though, making for a bit of a melancholic ending.

Once again, I was going to give this about 7/10 tommorrow, after scolding myself with hot tea in the morning
 
Future Diary 7 - 8ish/10
I did really like this series, it has an interesting premise to begin with and wraps it up in quite a thriller angle, it does have a central romance but the way it gets there I'd say is the start of the faults with the series. Dues Ex Machina, the God of space and time grows weary, and decides to find a succesor. Enter yuki, an average high school student with an inusual habit of keeping a more objective diary on his phone. Dues gives Yuki the diary entries he would have written the next day, he then meets yuno, who seems to be stalking him and finds himself on the run from a local serial killer. After the two dispose of the serial killer, Dues reveals to yuki and 10 others that they all now have diaries written 90 days in advance, and the catch is that their existence is tied to the diaries, the serial killer is the first contestant to die in a survival game with the prize as godhood. Yuki must survive the brutal efforts of 9 others with the aid of a girl who's clinically obsessed with him.
I'm just gonna put the flaws up for now, the romance with the central couple doesn't really work when the creep factor has been at 11 a lot of the time, and even after someone find an inherent weakness that all diaries share, they still use the diaries like it's gospel, which leads to some dumb diary vs diary fights and stupid decisions, particularly in the second half. the twist is a little different to other series of it's type though, making for a bit of a melancholic ending.

Once again, I was going to give this about 7/10 tommorrow, after scolding myself with hot tea in the morning

Have you watched Redial OVA? Its a better ending
 
I did see it a while ago, but the Kazé release I got doesn't have it. I did forget to mention the mumur clips but they really don't fit into any kind of review

interestingly and somewhat frustrating the new US release has redial as part of it, for me it's a really important part of the series so I may be tempted to double dip at some point.
 
Food Wars(S1)!

Solid, solid show, pretty darn hilarious and a whole show around anime food? Err yes please, dick tease for S2 though, gotta wait for Sentai to dub that! Honestly don't have any complaints, set out what it wanted to achieve, I guess the only thing I didn't like was the prelims for the Fall Selection did drag a bit towards the end.

9/10.
 
Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017)

A wonderful screwball comedy companion piece to the Tatami Galaxy, Yuasa's latest film channels something of Martin Scorsese's After Hours, as a young college student tries to endear himself with a sweet-natured colleague, while the two have very different experiences of the same raucous night.

Even if you didn't entirely care for the Tatami Galaxy, with its verbal wash of dialogue, I'd still recommend checking this out - the film dials that back and instead thrives on its surreal visuals, often recalling the extreme weirdness of Mind Game, but with a more inclusive warmth that ties everything together.

Oh, and yes, Johnny is back :)
 
Last edited:
I hated Tatami so much I dropped it only a few episodes in and yet I'm interested in checking this out, I'll probably trudge through the series before doing so but I can say that I'll enjoy it.
 
Girls und Panzer Snow War OVA

A half-length episode showing Akiyama and Erwin's reconnaissance around the Pravda battle to find tank locations. Some great Yukari moments in this OVA from Singing to Impersonating Pravda students.

Not the most action packed episode but it still has some great moments and who wouldn't want more screen time for Akiyama and Erwin?

Giving this OVA a 10/10 would be seen as a little silly for most people, but the series, much like Strike Witches, has always been something that I've come back to countless time and still really enjoyed. So although this OVA isn't a 10/10 for 99% of the people on this forum, you're asking me to rate part of my favorite series, I might be a tiny bit bias
 
Hyouka 8/10

This series has allot of affection and hype surrounding it and it's easy to see why. The animation is gorgeous, the soundtrack is spot on and the characters are very likable.

It's not without issues though. Many of the mysteries are trivial/ mediocre I can think of the why my teacher liked helicopters as a particular low point in the series. Where it does shine is the charter interactions which is probably why the festival arc and the last couple of episodes are my favorite parts of the series. I feel the characters are wasted at times and it's only really near the end do do see some development between the group dynamic. This is probably why there needs to be a season 2. Overall its an above average show with some wonderful characters who are wasted at times. But honestly the series is pretty charming as a whole.

8/10 (Chitanda is life!)
 
I hated Tatami so much I dropped it only a few episodes in and yet I'm interested in checking this out, I'll probably trudge through the series before doing so but I can say that I'll enjoy it.

The usual complaint I see about the Tatami Galaxy is that people are put off by the walls of dialogue, presumably due to the subtitles becoming a distraction, but if your dislike runs deeper than that, Night is Short may still not be for you, I dunno.
 
I'm always interested in at least seeing what Yuasa has to say, even if it just amounts to me just giving it a shot, his work and craftsmanship is at least worth that. I haven't really loved anything he has done outside of Ping Pong which is top 5 for me, but I admire the auteurship that he displays. Not only that but the barrier to entry for watching a movie as opposed to sitting down for a full series at least for me is easier especially when I go to the cinema with my friends/family, a lot of that has to do with the way I consume my media but I guess I'm somebody who generally just enjoys the cinema experience in and of itself and so even if I don't really like the film, I still usually have a good day out. Even if I come back negative I feel like as a fan of film and animation I will have gained something, plus I'll grab something nice to eat after!

As silly as it sounds in the end it's hard to turn down the proposition of watching an anime film at the cinema 5 mins from my house, the novelty alone is enough! I mean thats pretty much the only reason I watched Your Name, the reason? Why not. (And if it's on a Tuesday or Wednesday I get 2-4-1!) But sitting down for 11 episodes, I ain't got time for that, especially with those subtitles, first world problems and all that.
 
Gosick 10/10. Flawless.

I don't think I have seen an anime this good in years to give a flawless rating too. Think the last one was FMA:B about 4 5 years ago whenever I watched it. Seriously this show was terrific, great characters, great writing, great story, great music. I literally cannot think of a single problem I had with it. Good stuff.

Side note: always difficult after watching a great series as to what the next one you watch, if you know what I mean!
 
I've been giving the anime I've watched ratings out of five since I started posting in My Viewing Journal. Here's all of the ratings I've given so far:
Ranma 1/2 (4/5)
The Sacred Blacksmith (3.5/5)
Knights of Sidonia Battle for planet nine (4/5)
The Tatami Galaxy (4.5/5)
Sailor Moon/R (4/5)
Tokko (2.5/5)
Samurai Flamenco (4.5/5)
Tokyo ESP (4/5)
Penguindrum (4/5)
Sankarea (4/5)
Shakugan No shana seasons 1-3 (4/5, 3.5/5, 4/5)
Evangelion 1.11 (film) (4.5/5)
Shangri-La (4/5)
Shiki (4.5/5)
So I Can't Play H (3/5)
Spice and Wolf (4/5)
The Future Diary (4/5)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (4/5)
The Dissapearance of Nagato Chan (3/5)
The melancholy of Haruhi-Chan Suzumiya & Nyoron! Churuya-San (4/5)
One Punch Man (4.5/5)
Tokyo Ravens (3.5/5)
Trigun (4.5/5)
Tsubasa (4/5)
Utawareunomo (4.5/5)
Watamote (4/5)
Welcome to the NHK (4/5)
Wish upon the Plieades (2.5/5)
Xam'd lost memories (4/5)
A-Channel (3.5/5)
Aesthetica of a rogue Hero (3.5/5)
Steins;Gate (rewatch) (5/5)
Amagami SS/+ (3.5/5, 3/5)
A Silent Voice (film) (4.5/5)
Amnesia (2/5)
Angel Beats (4.5/5)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (Rewatch) (5/5 All time favourite)
Baldr Force Exe (3.5/5)
Ben To (3/5)
Black Butler II (2.5/5)
Black Butler: Book of Circus (4/5)
Cat planet Cuties (3.5/5)
Code Geass/R2 (4/5, 3.5/5)
Daily Lives of High school boys (3.5/5)
Dance in the vampire Bund (3.5/5)
Date A Live/II (3.5/5, 3.5/5)
Diabolik Lovers (2.5/5)
Dusk maiden of amnesia (4/5)
Flowers of evil (3/5)
Golgo 13 (4/5)
Ground control to psychoelectric girl (3.5/5)
Gundam: Reconguista in G (3/5)
Gunslinger girl/II: Teatrino (4/5, 3.5/5)
Haibane Renmei (3.5/5)
Hakkenden: eight dogs of the east (3.5/5)
Hetalia: World Series (4/5)
Hidamari Sketch (3.5/5)
Hunter X Hunter (4/5)
Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon? (3.5/5)
Is this a Zombie? (3.5/5)
Invaders of the Rokujyoma?! (3.5/5)
Kids on the Slope (4/5)
K-on! And K-on! The movie (4.5/5)
Kurau Phantom memory (3.5/5)
Maoyu (3.5/5)
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (3.5/5)
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (4/5)
Little witch Academia (4/5)
Moonphase (3.5/5)
Jojo's Bizarre adventures: Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency (4/5)
Lupin the Third: the woman called Fujiko Mine (4/5)
Lupin the Third Part 1 (3.5/5)
Lupin the Third Part 2 (Incomplete)
Moribito (3.5/5)
Night Raid 1931 (3.5/5)
Didn't realise I'd watched so much
 
Back
Top