Rate the last anime you watched out of 10

hqdefault.jpg

A girl who fights monsters. Basically Japanese Buffy, but with a katana instead of stakes.

But under the careful guidance of Production I.G, the simple premise and seemingly overused vampire setting of Blood+ is turned into something more thoughtful and satisfying. Originally a 2000 movie titled "Blood: The Last Vampire" by the same studio, Blood+ has a similar premise as Buffy in that it has a girl as the Chosen One destined to fight vampires, but that's where the similarities mostly end. Instead, the protagonist, "Saya Otonashi", goes on a more dramatic and epic journey that's not too different from your traditional Shakespearean protagonist, one that's larger than life and goes beyond the American formulas of "vampire hunter by night."

Also, it's sad. Like incredibly sad. Like "Buffy almost looks like a Disney sitcom compared to Blood+" sad. While the anime starts out like any typical shoujo or even shounen anime, where the main character has good times with her friends, just fooling around like there's no tomorrow, things become bleak pretty fast as people start dropping dead, and Saya becomes so numb that she curses her own existence and literally just wants to die. Try that for depression, Buffy fans.

This sorrowful tune will constantly play throughout the series as the characters lament their morbid situation.

When I first heard of this anime back then, I dismissed it as just another typical vampire fighting story. In many ways, Blood+'s plot is traditional like that, lacking that need to insert unexpected twists or self-parody elements you see in modern TV. What you see is what you get, which is a bit of surprise considering that Production I.G. was known for much more complex works like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. When I saw the studio's name attached to such a seemingly generic work, I was naturally intrigued and gave it a shot, and you do see some elements of their style here, like the heavy use of political jargon (without being too excessive that the plot becomes confusing) and the unrelenting use of mature subjects. In fact, much of the morbidness found in their Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelation adaptation could be found here, with characters often questioning the worth of their own existence, and their morality and motivations are often blurred in grey, including the kind-hearted Saya herself.

But what stands out in Blood+ is its hope in all the doom and gloom. Most vampire anime tend to just emphasize on how brutal the world is, but here, the optimistic Okinawan idiom, "Nankurunaisa" ("everything is gonna be alright," as said by Bob Marley) is constantly repeated by the characters as a catchphrase to remind themselves that the sun would shine again tomorrow in the darkest of nights, no matter how many times the good guys lose (and boy, do they lose a lot).

Another distinctive element found in most of Production I.G.'s anime is its patient exploration of the side characters. Like literally, the anime can be very slow in "getting to the good part," but never was I bored by the story because it's always focused on something important, be it character development, character revelation, or just a reflection of a character's philosophy. Much like Buffy, there's usually a theme in each episode and a message to be learned by the characters.

Arguably, the best part of the show is its avoidance of romance as an easy way to attract the audience. Much like Buffy, there is a forbidden romance sub-plot in Blood+ too, but it's rarely focused on, which is good, because they are fighting a literal war where people die everyday. Kissy smoochy stuff like that just wouldn't make much sense, and it's befits Production I.G.'s nature to keep their worlds realistic and believable.

Overall, Blood+ has been a satisfying and solid experience worth giving a look. It's not Production I.G.'s best, and I do favor Hellsing Ultimate over this just because I like my action to be more fun and exaggerated, but this heart-rending story is well-crafted and emotional enough to be worth a look.

8.5/10
 
Last edited:
Angel Cop (1989)

A decently produced bubble economy thriller, hamstrung by dreadful writing, it wasn’t as mad, bad and dangerous to know as it’s reputation led me to hope, but it has a certain crass charm to it. Not that there isn't the kernel of a good idea here; it's like watching an Italian b-movie that tries to marry Ghost in the Shell with Scanners, then throws in a bit of tokusatsu for good measure. Ultimately though, I think the main points of interest are the hilariously awful English dub, and the baffling array of genuine talent that seems to have been squandered on the art design.
 
Angel Cop (1989)

A decently produced bubble economy thriller, hamstrung by dreadful writing, it wasn’t as mad, bad and dangerous to know as it’s reputation led me to hope, but it has a certain crass charm to it. Not that there isn't the kernel of a good idea here; it's like watching an Italian b-movie that tries to marry Ghost in the Shell with Scanners, then throws in a bit of tokusatsu for good measure. Ultimately though, I think the main points of interest are the hilariously awful English dub, and the baffling array of genuine talent that seems to have been squandered on the art design.
All things considered I think describing the dub as awful is unfair. For the time it's from and the show its dubbing it's actually very good. The lobster line was great and the dub script often elevated moments in the series. The acting was a bit hit and miss but for the time had way more hits than I expected. That's how I felt anyway.
 
Last edited:
Blood+ . . .
That was a very thoughtful post, SpideyWrex; I enjoyed reading it.

Blood+ is a series I've had an interest in seeing for some years now, but it's never had a release in the UK. It seems that, anytime a distributor has enquired about the license, Sony has priced themselves out of business by asking for an unrealistic amount of money for it.

I did once watch the first episode of Blood+ online somewhere (around the time when Blood-C came out here), and I liked what I saw. I've heard a lot of comments similar to yours about the slow pacing, though, so I don't know how much of a problem that'd become over the course of such a long series.

That was really interesting to read in your post as well, that Okinawan phrase; I'd never heard of it before, so I looked it up. It's nice to see an anime set somewhere other than Tokyo, and for it to make good use of the local culture in the script.
 
I did once watch the first episode of Blood+ online somewhere (around the time when Blood-C came out here), and I liked what I saw. I've heard a lot of comments similar to yours about the slow pacing, though, so I don't know how much of a problem that'd become over the course of such a long series.

Yeah, it's definitely no Hellsing Ultimate, I can tell you. It's very contemplative, with characters often soul-searching when they're not fending for their lives. But they do fend for their lives, so it's not as if it's an entire series full of pretentious self-reflection either, and there's plenty of blood, bullets and katana-slashing to be found. It's just that, because the good guys tend to lose so much (with many friends and loved ones dying along the course of the series), they need a pep talk every episode or two. The political aspect of the show doesn't help speed up the pacing either, but like I said, they are far and few between and aren't ubiquitous enough to affect the plot.

50 episodes is a lot to swallow when it comes to such a slow-moving plot. I actually stopped watching around the 25th or 30th episode and didn't pick it up again 'till recently, a fact that I regret because that was when the plot really started to intensify in a Hunter x Hunter "Chimera-Ant" style. It's still slow, but slow with meaning, so if you like shows that focus more on character development than just mindless action, this is a suitable anime.

Glad you liked my review. :D I hope you get to experience this anime someday.
 
Your Lie in April
Not gonna be a long review, especially when I've already shared most of my feelings on the Discord server in #anime-spoilers. Instead, I'll just share a few thoughts here.

It's a bit of a mess in terms of pacing, really. The impact at the end just isn't as strong due to its constant focus on side characters I couldn't really care much about because 1) they are not well-developed enough, and 2) as much as the anime tries, they still retain a lot of shounen elements that bugged me.

One of the biggest reasons I couldn't cry at the end was probably because I had the ending spoiled for me ahead of time, but also probably because I just didn't really like Kaori all that much. Had they developed her much better and in more empathetic ways like a certain character in Monogatari SS, I might have cried at the end just as much as I did in Monogatari SS. Seriously, I was pouring buckets during that Monogatari episode, I believe I've mentioned several times. 🤣

Overall, the anime should have just focused on Kousei and Kaori alone. The music was not bad, even though I'm not a fan of classical music. The animation was well-enough enough, but lacks any style that differentiates it from 2010s SoL anime. Let's call it a...

7/10
 
LGH_MOVIE1_KEY_1200x450.jpg

War. War never changes.

Among the sea of anime, I have searched high and low looking for the best of the best, the most original and unique stories ever exchanged among weeb-kind. Among these myriad stars that shine across Japanese animation, one franchise stands out from all of them as one worthy of respect, one anime held in higher regards than the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, Evangelion and even Ghost in the Shell. It's considered to be the greatest tale ever told, the masterpiece that nothing could hope to surpass, not Serial Experiments Lain, not Mushishi and not even Cowboy Bebop. Its name: Legend of the Galactic Heroes. This is its pilot movie.

If you think all that has been hyperbole... you would be half-right. Probably. But having re-experienced the film that started it all, I feel that such a legendary series requires a sufficient amount of dramatics. This introductory movie proudly displays the three important aspects needed for a thinking man's anime: politics, philosophy and strategy. Considering the year this film was released in, its style and animation still stand out as distinctive among other anime of its time. Its substance, on the other hand, is unquestionably amazing.

Let's start with the good points. This is not your average anime. In the 59 minutes it has to tell the story, "My Conquest is the Sea of Stars" manages to dig quite deep into both the politics and the philosophies of warfare more than any of the original SW trilogy (or even some of the most renowned war films) ever did. Rather than glorifying and romanticizing warfare, the film features a vast cast of characters who share realistic view-points on a war that's been going on for 150 years. Rather than focusing on superficial aspects like "a galaxy long time ago in somewhere far away," the movie's opening narrative talks about the history of mankind and their constant relationship with battles and warfare. Even among the allies of this short tale, the characters have small skirmishes among themselves, whether as a bar fight or bickering between the higher-ups and the soldiers forced to follow orders. Even the meaning of what a soldier is in times of war (and whether if one should just blindly follow orders) becomes an actual discussion in the movie. As another reviewer once said, "It's an antithesis of Star Wars." In short, expect very heavy analysis for the rest of the time you're spending with this franchise.

The good thing is, even though it's exactly as political and topical as the reputation had me believed, it's inaccurate to call it "dry" and "preachy". The panache and humor it has keep things from becoming unenjoyable. Most importantly, the wonderfully-written characters are the glue to hold those less interested in politics and more interested in a good story. There's rarely a black and white morality featured here and the realistic personalities easily help anyone to relate and connect with any one individual of the movie - almost anyone, but I'll get to that later.

The two protagonists are charming enough for the pilot of the OVA, but I find Yang Wen-Li more relatable than Reinhard at this point. That's not to say Reinhard is poorly written, however. He's an intelligent strategist the likes of Lelouch Lamperouge and Light Yagami, but without the ego that comes with either. Instead, Reinhard focuses on maintaining minimum casualties in his battles. And as if that isn't already an arduous task in times of war, he also has to navigate the political minefield his superior, Fleet Admiral "Gregor von Muckenberger," has set up for him. Gregor has the utmost disrespect for Reinhard due to his background as someone who (supposedly) only got promoted because of his connection with his sister. Needless to say, Reinhard is unlike any intellectual you've seen in the landscape of anime.

Wen-Li is a pacifist, but isn't afraid to take down the enemy to protect his people and allies - not out of a sense of patriotism, but more out of the obligation to cherish life. What's interesting is that he's pretty flawed for a pacifist, keeping him from becoming a one-dimensional saint. He knew that the actions of his obstinate commander would get his fleet-mates killed, but chose not to be too forceful with his superior so as to prevent any conflict.

The one hour feature is largely just two space-battles that set up the atmosphere and universe of LotGH quite well. The dialogues let you know that the writers aren't forcefully leaning against any one political view, and the discussion on men's tendency for war merely serves as a reminder of our human nature, not a lecture. However, there's one thing that hold this back from being a masterpiece, and it's ironically the best part of the movie as well - the characters.

Not all characters are morally-ambiguous; some of them are even outright cliched. You still have your drooling male perverts forced in to glorify some of the more 'morally-righteous' side characters to make them look like heroes; basically foils serving as plot-device. This first flaw is probably a product of its time, so I could at least turn a blind eye. However, there are also the antagonists of this film, the 'superiors.' Gregor has an understandable reason to disrespect Reinhard, so I have no problems with him, but Wen-Li's commander (Paeta, I think was his name) is an incompetent buffoon and thus easily stands out among the rest of the well-written characters. Scenes featuring him were obviously the least interesting parts of the movie.

Aside from that small gripe, the rest of the pilot movie works quite well for newcomers of the franchise. The soundtrack used belongs to the classical kind, featuring the likes of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 and Ravel's Boléro, very fitting pieces that set the tone for the kind of epic and poetic space opera you'll come to experience for 110 episodes. And it all ends with a promise of deeper explorations in the relationship between Reinhard and Wen-Li, one that will further intrigue audiences into checking out the highly acclaimed OVA.

Highly Recommended.

9.5/10
 
Free! Eternal Summer (Rewatch 6?)
As hard as I fight it this confirmed to me Free! is my favourite anime, favourite KyoAni show etc. Sound might be if I put my critic hat on better but Free! just makes me happy and ES is currently still peak Free it has the highs of the characters and the low and does still work as an ending even though how much more has there been 4 films and another series and another 2 films to be released in english to go.
10/10
High Speed! Free Starting Days

I dont get why this film seems to be ignored by people, directed by a great man RIP Takemoto it is definitely the most "normal" KyoAni part of the Free franchise I think because of Takemoto's direction as the sequels do try to merge both styles Utsumi and Takemoto but you can tell they lean more towards Utsumi's. This introduces 4 new great cast members, expands on people and Sosuke and is now required viewing for S3 and my main point why hasn't this been seen by many people. I think its FUNI's slow release of it (3 Years after JP Cinema) and the fact that people were turned off by the middle class ages even though S1 revolves mostly around the events of Elementary affecting high school. I think this is neat and now my favourite Takemoto work and I appreciate more and more and more each time.
10/10 RIP Takemoto
 
Free! Eternal Summer (Rewatch 6?)
As hard as I fight it this confirmed to me Free! is my favourite anime, favourite KyoAni show etc. Sound might be if I put my critic hat on better but Free! just makes me happy and ES is currently still peak Free it has the highs of the characters and the low and does still work as an ending even though how much more has there been 4 films and another series and another 2 films to be released in english to go.
10/10
High Speed! Free Starting Days

I dont get why this film seems to be ignored by people, directed by a great man RIP Takemoto it is definitely the most "normal" KyoAni part of the Free franchise I think because of Takemoto's direction as the sequels do try to merge both styles Utsumi and Takemoto but you can tell they lean more towards Utsumi's. This introduces 4 new great cast members, expands on people and Sosuke and is now required viewing for S3 and my main point why hasn't this been seen by many people. I think its FUNI's slow release of it (3 Years after JP Cinema) and the fact that people were turned off by the middle class ages even though S1 revolves mostly around the events of Elementary affecting high school. I think this is neat and now my favourite Takemoto work and I appreciate more and more and more each time.
10/10 RIP Takemoto
This reminds me that now I have a region Free blu ray player I should look into buying more of this show. I enjoyed Eternal Summer but it's the only part of the franchise I've seen.
 
Saga of Tanya the Evil

Well I have to say this really is a cut above the usual isekei. It really managed to show the horrors of war and get into peoples emotions. The art, designs and animation were amazing. The battles, while chaotic, were still easy to follow and understand. Honestly it might have enjoyed it more if it wasnt an isekei but just about an actual maniacal 9 yr old who excels at war. But the premise of her taking on god by fighting the world is still an interesting one. Also the fantasy setting while still being a recognisable mix of WW1 and WW2 was well done.

Most of the show is an 8 but two episodes in particular, the one which showed the true brutality of total war (ep 8 I think) and the final episode that slowed down and allowed characters to talk about what war is really elevated it for me.

9/10
 
I think that one of the major reason that Tanya The Evil is so cool is because of the way it mixes and matches various tropes to come up with a totally unique spin. The movie is really breath taking with it going up to 10, I really hope we get some more of this addicting series.
 
Last edited:
Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045

While not up there with the original two seasons, the continuing adventures of Kusanagi and co. in a world of sustainable warfare and trial by social media, proves a surprisingly worthwhile late sequel. The vinyl-figure looking CGI wouldn't have been my first choice, but really, I stopped being aware of it after the first couple of episodes - even if it lacks the sophistication of its previous instalments, the story is an entertaining yarn and is more than strong enough to carry the show. Happily, it also gets the characters right, which is something I don't think Arise quite managed.

Actually, 2045 just feels generally snappier than Arise did, although I think 2045 does start with an advantage, in that it's a straight sequel and doesn't have to bother establishing things too much. By contrast, I think Arise struggled to establish its own identity, coming across as a bit non-committal over what it was trying to rewrite and what it wanted to keep.

My only major issue with it, as others have already mentioned, is that it's clearly half a series and it just suddenly stops. With no obvious date for its continuation (afaik?), it would have been nice if they could have wrapped this on the conclusion of a minor plot thread, even just to tide things over in the meantime.
 
Dorohedoro

Following an amnesiac lizardman and an impossibly tough chef on a deranged, ultraviolent quest to kill a powerful sorcerer, I’d hovered around the Dorohedoro manga for years, but decided to hold off reading it to watch the anime instead. I really was not disappointed; it’s an absolute joy. From its elaborately designed world to its frequently graphic (yet utterly absurd) violence, Dorohedoro feels like a throwback to the old school in the best possible way. The real strength of it is in the characters though; despite the fact that they all do awful things, they’re all still strangely charming and likeable - you end up genuinely caring about this band of gimp-mask wearing killers.

While the use of 2D/3D combo animation is noticeable at times, I think it's a fair trade off, as it's certainly allowed Mappa to get remarkably close to the scratchy-yet-detailed look of the manga. I'd go as far as to say that I think it's probably the most successful example of this approach I've yet seen, and I'd quite happily take more adaptations of visually complex content in the same way.

The only slight issue, as others have noted, is that it doesn't have much of an ending. I'm sure it's hard to find a logical end point for a 12 episode series cut from a much longer manga, and this isn't a bad place to jump off, but I feel like it could have been cut in such a way to make it more dramatic. As is, it feels like the show kind of peters out a little bit in its last few minutes.

Nevertheless, this is easily my favourite anime series I've seen in a long time, and would probably be my pick for series of the year, had it just managed that final flourish to close on.

Also, 'Do I like it more than Eizouken?' Eh.....
 
Her Blue Sky-I really enjoyed this-the fact that Mari Okada wrote the screenplay was a deciding factor. The overall vibes the movie gave was fantastic, the characters (especially Aoi) were very well done. The ending was a little unexpected but enjoyable. Overall I'd give it 8.5 out of a possible 10 points.
 
After War Gundam X - This is the best AU Gundam as Tomino wants me to discount Turn A it’s the most interesting due to it’s setting basically being what if colony drops occurred also I like that Tiffa is the new type not Garrod I also enjoy the ending trying to end the emphasis on Newtypes that Gundam has/had. 9/10
 
Wave, Listen to Me!

A light comedy drama about a motormouth waitress unexpectedly given a shot at being a radio talk-show host, slightly biased though I may be (never got into Blade of the Immortal), I feel this is the best thing Hiroaki Samura has ever done. It's so refreshing to see a witty, well written series about adults facing very adult problems in life, as opposed to anime high school for the millionth time. It doesn't quite capture the rough-hewn quality of Samura's impeccable artwork and people have justifiably taken issue with the way it handles its rather stereotypical gay character, but otherwise, I think this is easily my pick of the season.

Area 88 (1985)

While some of its attitudes and design quirks do age it, the first anime adaptation for Karou Shintani's story of a young airline pilot shanghaied into fighting for a foreign legion, still holds up well with its highly unusual premise and packs a surprising emotional punch. It needs a little suspension of disbelief for some of the more outlandish set pieces, but protagonist Shin's struggle to escape from his service, while freedom from the war can still mean something to him, gives the series a strong narrative foundation, while the gun-rattling dogfights are consistently exciting. The action is particularly well handled, with inventive shot composition that feels like it would have been difficult to achieve in live-action at the time, and genuine weight to the scenes of planes being downed. Rarely does anything just explode; even though this is not a gory series, aircraft are ripped apart in very visceral and diverse ways, to the point where I think I visibly winced every time someone got taken out.

Presented as two 100 minute films in the version I watched, I think the first is the most successful. The second part does an admirable job of tying everything up within the anime's brief runtime, but feels less focused and didn't quite manage to invest me in the minor characters fates' as well as the first did. I also feel like they missed a prime opportunity for one of those proper '70s freeze frame endings...
 
Back
Top