Rate the Last Anime You Watched Out of 10

[Dai]

Clannad (both seasons)

I am not binging a prodigious amount of anime don't worry, I just watch a few things in sequence (normally 3-5 different anime) so I can watch across a few different genres. I started Clannad a few weeks ago I think.

I was going to give this a solid 8.5 overall but, for me at least, I think the ending was slightly spoilt from what I envisioned it was going to be. I still don't think the huge eyes were a good character fit but I was able to overlook them (⓿_⓿)

Spoilers ahead:

The first season I could kind of take it or leave it, it was very moe, and pretty light-hearted especially compared to season 2 (After Story), however I think it was necessary for it to exist to really make AS build on it.

AS was a whole different level for me, without being spoilt somehow I got to like episode 9 or so and I just got this overwhelming sense of sadness as I knew Nagisa was going to die, I didn't know how I knew, but I did.

Of course we hit her death around episode 16, and I think I was just a total mess from then onwards, it's the saddest an anime has made me since Violet Evergarden. I thought the sadness would end with her death in an episode or two, but no, it carried on for the next 8 or 9 episodes in bursts

I actually wanted it to end with a bitter-sweet happy ending, Tomoya raising Ushio with the help of Sanae and Akio, he's lost Nagisa but Ushio becomes the redemption and his reason d'aitre.

Instead we got a slightly cop-out ending in my opinion, with Nagisa coming back to life via multi-verse theory or similar. For this reason I can't give it the 8.5 I wanted to give it overall.

I think a lot of what KyoAni does is a good fit for my tastes and I want to watch some more of their shows, I've not seen them all yet.

8/10

Yes, the end was definitely jarring. KyoAni's decision to downplay the game mechanics at work throughout the story would have been the correct decision if the ending wasn't so totally reliant on them. The idea that this town is a place where one's good deeds build up positive karma in a tangible way is something that the anime only alludes to in the vaguest of terms. The show buries the fact that Tomoya is ticking off quests on his way to a 100% perfect ending, but doesn't replace that mechanical game logic with more organic foreshadowing of what could happen. It also doesn't help that After Story ditches the fantasy elements almost entirely, becoming a straight contemporary drama until the moment its deus ex machina abruptly resets the universe.

 

[Neil.T]

The Relative Worlds
This had one interesting idea, but the movie's execution left me cold on just about every level.

For what it's worth, I saw it at Scotland Loves Anime in 2019 and really rather enjoyed it; it certainly surprised me in that regard.

I'll be looking forward to watching it again on Crunchyroll in early July.

 

[Azar]

Clannad: After Story Episode 18 is the best anime episode of all time and no one can tell me otherwise!

 

[Lordhippos]

That whole series of episodes was really good imo def my fav in the whole thing.

On a personal note I try not to get attached to individual episode quality too much, have a hard enough time just trying to rate a whole series/show out of 10 without trying to do the same for each episode within it

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

School Days is actually kind of ridiculous, go into it with an open mind and you may well enjoy the way it turns out.

It's not a good anime but is certainly comically entertaining and I think all anime fans should watch it just for the experience. I wondered what all the infamy around the MC was about as he was dull as duck (@ayase I'm going to use your PG swearing techniques to improve my filthy habit in real life heh), only to see everything go spectacularly off the rails later. Didn't make any sense until I read about the VN source material.

Interestingly I could remember loads of season 1 but almost nothing from season 2. I think season 1 is excellent. For me the first third of season 2 is dull and deals with a bunch of characters I dont care about. Once it gets back to telling the main story it is excellent though.

Yes, the end was definitely jarring. KyoAni's decision to downplay the game mechanics at work throughout the story would have been the correct decision if the ending wasn't so totally reliant on them. The idea that this town is a place where one's good deeds build up positive karma in a tangible way is something that the anime only alludes to in the vaguest of terms. The show buries the fact that Tomoya is ticking off quests on his way to a 100% perfect ending, but doesn't replace that mechanical game logic with more organic foreshadowing of what could happen. It also doesn't help that After Story ditches the fantasy elements almost entirely, becoming a straight contemporary drama until the moment its deus ex machina abruptly resets the universe.

Clannad: After Story Episode 18 is the best anime episode of all time and no one can tell me otherwise!

I wasn't sold on Clannad's hype watching season 1, though I did think it was still pretty good on its own, but After Story did knock it out of the ball park for me. Slow to start and a bit dull no doubt (isn't adult life sadly just that mostly?) with continuing foreshadowing but yeah just emotionally abusive thereafter heh. Episode 18 and those around it are all pretty heartbreaking and I remember swearing at the TV during episode 21: "ah come on, you are ****ing joking right!?!". It was just so very sad that I honestly, very happily accepted that very flawed ending just to help serve as a panacea. I do wish they had a chance to focus more on the other characters (which still seemed to pointlessly feature heavily in the opening credits...), even if through some OVAs.

 

[Dan]

Attack on Titan (Season 3) - 8/10

When I first started watching I thought I’d missed something, it seemed to start after something that I didn’t see. I even went back after 2 eps to check the end of season 2. I presume they just skipped over something. I have to say I generally felt the first half seemed like a different show. I did however think the 2nd half was superb (despite some really annoying things see below) and I really enjoyed it and it rescued the season for me. So overall it’s. 8/10… Gonna leave the final Season till part 2 is out and tbh I’m a bit burned out on anime again so gonna take a break and knowing me will be back when the dark nights come around (I never enjoy anime as much when it’s light, it’s like I need the dark atmosphere ).

Spoiler: Some things I really didn’t like in the 2nd half

Moving their consciousness in to other parts of their body to survive, I mean come on.. seemed like a way to drag it out longer.
Levi has the beast Titan and doesn’t kill him, then decides after he’s escaped that he has to kill him

 

[ActionFaust]

Attack on Titan (Season 3) - 8/10
I have to say I generally felt the first half seemed like a different show. I know it had a new Director and the art style was slightly different but it didn’t feel the same.

Season 3 has the same director as Season 2 and the same character designer and chief animation directors as past seasons so I'm not sure where you heard that from. Only change in staff I remember is WIT's make-up animators not working on this season.

I don't recall it seeming that different from past seasons myself but it's been a while.

 

[Lordhippos]

SSSS. Gridman

Time to get real.

I am a bit annoyed with this one. I love a lot of what Trigger/Gainax do, KLK 9/10, GL 8/10, Darling in the FranXX 8/10. I even liked NGE despite it's ramblings towards the end and non-sensical plotlines that made no sense until you read about them based on some game released years later.

Gridman though just felt.. flat _______. The characters were kind of boring, I don't care that much about Kaiju or Mecha to begin with (I like elements of it in things like GL and Darling when done well, but I prefer the focus not to be actual mecha or kaiju).

I actually fell asleep whilst trying to watch this, not once, but twice. That is pretty unusual for me, normally if an anime sends me to sleep it's a bad sign unless it's right before bedtime. I probably would have dropped it a few episode in but I own it, and it's short, so I figured I might as well least try to watch it.

If DYNAZENON is more of the same then count. me. out!

I was very much hoping for more with this anime. Am I missing some nostaglic 80's/90's mecha/kaiju animation viewing here? Darling was significantly better as a more recent adaptation. I have not seen everything Trigger have put out.

Art was only mediocre imo, sound was OK but everyone sounded kind of bored, and music, not even Sawano could have salvaged this for me!

5/10

 

[Neil.T]

SSSS. Gridman
...
5/10

I've only watched it the once, on Crunchyroll, but I've got it on Blu-ray where it awaits rewatching. I very much enjoyed it, as I almost always do. (The almost is only because of Kiznaiver. )

This is what I wrote in the Your viewing journal thread back in 2019:

SSSS. Gridman
I have a desire to watch any anime based on one of the Japan Animator Expo short films, and this is the second one to be adapted into longer form, following on from Dragon Dentist a couple of years ago.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Studio Trigger come up trumps with their action scenes yet again, really conveying the sheer size and weight of Gridman and his enemies. The characters themselves are very memorable and engaging, and I found myself really invested in their stories — so much so, in fact, that I could see this as only just the beginning of the Gridman story. I'd love for it to continue, anyway, because it feels from these 12 episodes that the writers are far from having exhausted the potential of the whole setting. The script is something to write home about too, with a skilled mix of drama, humour and pathos, and there's also some disarmingly naturalistic dialogue from the two main female characters, Akane and Rikka, especially.

An excellent series outright, and episode 10 on its own is one of the very best single episodes of anime I have ever watched. Another excellent outing for Trigger as a studio, and for Japan Animator Expo as a showcase of innovative ideas.

If DYNAZENON is more of the same then count. me. out!

I've only seen the first three episodes, and my memory of Gridman is a bit fuzzy at this point, but I reckon they're quite different. I would say that Dynazenon actually dials up the naturalistic dialogue.

I also think the series does an outstanding job with the mecha element, having them be tossed around like gigantic toys. The mood as a whole feels like a deliberate clash of the boredom of everyday mundanity and the fantastical and impossible.

 

[ActionFaust]

Funny enough I actually preferred SSSS.GRIDMAN compared to the likes of Kill la Kill and Darling in the FranXX. KLK is one of my least favourite of Imaishi's works and I'm convinced Nishigori's brain fell out when directing FranXX. Amemiya and Yoshinari are pretty much my favourite directors when it comes to studio Trigger.

I think it's a good reminder that at the end of the day a studio is just a building. Outside of Imaishi's influence there are other director's with their own styles. In the current state of the industry it's much better to look to the staff list rather than the studio.

 

[Lordhippos]

I think it's a good reminder that at the end of the day a studio is just a building.

Absolutely, I love a lot of what KyoAni does for instance but I don't like everything they do, I have to try and treat each show as it's own thing, some things resonate with me and others don't.

I've only watched it the once, on Crunchyroll, but I've got it on Blu-ray where it awaits rewatching. I very much enjoyed it, as I almost always do. (The almost is only because of Kiznaiver. )

I think this one has just escaped me and I can't really point my finger and say why, I think you and I like some of the same types of show, but no matter how much I wanted to, I was just bored throughout Gridman.

I'd put this as the worst thing I've tried to watch since that Smartphone Isekai!

 

[Dan]

Season 3 has the same director as Season 2 and the same character designer and chief animation directors as past seasons so I'm not sure where you heard that from. Only change in staff I remember is WIT's make-up animators not working on this season.

I don't recall it seeming that different from past seasons myself but it's been a while.

Do u know what I think I’ve done. Looked at the chief director on one season and when I checked the other ive looked at the Director... whoops



As for how it looks, it’s defo different... not much, quite subtle but I noticed it. Has a more shiny look to it... sorry only way I can explain it.

 

[Professor Irony]

Despite having ended up liking Gridman, it did take a while to grow on me, and I think I can understand being a bit bemused by it - certainly the response on the forum seems to have been quite divided. Again, my memory of it isn't the freshest either, but I don't think it ever felt like there were particularly big stakes in the story, or at the very least, it didn't seem to have an especially strong sense of there being an imminent threat. It does seem to be leaning on childhood nostalgia for things like toy-commercial robot anime, sentai action shows and even hobbies like model making, but given the unexpected rug pull at the end, I'm a bit puzzled by what the overall intent with that even was. Sometimes we need to put away our childhood fantasies and face reality? Answers on a postcard.

Dynazenon does have a similarly unhurried "okay, we'll save the world or whatever" vibe to it that I found a little frustrating to begin with, but things seem to have fallen into place for me a bit faster with that one, and it wouldn't surprise me if I end up liking it more overall.

 

[WMD]

Interesting views on Gridman. Like Neil I'm firmly in the enjoyed it camp.

Heres what I wrote when I watched it:

SSSS Gridman

Wow. So much to unpack. Especially as for much of the show the theme is "meaninglessness"

Spoiler: Thoughts

Everytime glasses guy tries to give exposition someone kicks his ankle to shut him up because 'the how' doesnt matter. There is no meaning to what is happening. How everytime someone tries to get the opinion of Gridman he just says everyone has a point and nothing is achieved. How Akane slowly loses meaning in her life as shes so inwardly focused. How the name of Gridmans helpers the Neon Genesis Junior High Students, a name repeatedly mocked, as if to say theres jo need to care about deeper meanings (NGE being a show that's all about the deeper meanings).

It's almost like an anti-trigger show for much of the run. The way that episode 8 acts a season finale, that instead of getting big and bombastic at that point the heroes have to decrease their size to roll out.

It's interesting then that the true resolution to the show comes from various characters accepting their meaninglessness. Glasses accepted he has no role in the story, Hibiki accepts he was never in the show to begin with, Rikka accepts she and everyone is a fake. And crucially Akane accepts that to have self meaning can only be achieved by accepting that its born from how others see us.

Theres a bonus feature on the blu ray where some funination staff talk about the show and it's super interesting to hear their theories. I wont spoil them here are they were a bit different to mine but I like their interpretation of the brief live action closing shot.

 

[Neil.T]

I think you and I like some of the same types of show, but no matter how much I wanted to, I was just bored throughout Gridman.

I would agree, dude. But yeah, you can't win 'em all, eh?

I'd put this as the worst thing I've tried to watch since that Smartphone Isekai!

That phrase there would make a great bit of clickbait.

I haven't seen Smartphone, and it's not on my watch list either, so I guess I'll never know fo' sho'.

 

[Lordhippos]

That phrase there would make a great bit of clickbait.

These two simple tricks will let you reincarnate with your Smartphone!!

 

[Professor Irony]

Doctors hate this one weird trick!

 

[WMD]

Kino's Journey
I went into this series with zero knowledge or expectations. I even thought it was a movie for some reason. I have to say it was bloody brilliant. The story of a kid named Kino and their talking motorbike Hermes as they journey from place to place.

The most interesting thing about the series is how it questions what it means to live, what it means to survive and what it means to be a part of a community. The places Kino gies often have strange views in these ideas which perhaps work for them. And Kino acts as an observer as they pass through. It's a tough and sometimes bleak world with people doing what they can.

Most episodes are self contained stories and theres no grand arc or destination in mind, just the journey and its many varied stops. It's a fascinating series. If you like shows like Girl's Last Tour, Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei then I think you'll like it. It's not like those shows as such (and those are 3 very different shows) but I think if you like them you'll like this. Its interesting and different and worth checking out.

 

[Dai]

SSSS. Gridman

Time to get real.

I am a bit annoyed with this one. I love a lot of what Trigger/Gainax do, KLK 9/10, GL 8/10, Darling in the FranXX 8/10. I even liked NGE despite it's ramblings towards the end and non-sensical plotlines that made no sense until you read about them based on some game released years later.

Gridman though just felt.. flat _______. The characters were kind of boring, I don't care that much about Kaiju or Mecha to begin with (I like elements of it in things like GL and Darling when done well, but I prefer the focus not to be actual mecha or kaiju).

I actually fell asleep whilst trying to watch this, not once, but twice. That is pretty unusual for me, normally if an anime sends me to sleep it's a bad sign unless it's right before bedtime. I probably would have dropped it a few episode in but I own it, and it's short, so I figured I might as well least try to watch it.

If DYNAZENON is more of the same then count. me. out!

I was very much hoping for more with this anime. Am I missing some nostaglic 80's/90's mecha/kaiju animation viewing here? Darling was significantly better as a more recent adaptation. I have not seen everything Trigger have put out.

Art was only mediocre imo, sound was OK but everyone sounded kind of bored, and music, not even Sawano could have salvaged this for me!

5/10

I enjoyed Gridman, but I like Ultraman, so that's not surprising. Gridman may have Trigger's usual visual style and quirks, but under that veneer it's very much a tokusatsu show dressed up as an anime. Trigger shows usually target horny 15-year-olds, but tokusatsu skews to a younger audience, and the episode plots tend to be more streamlined as a result. Gridman sits somewhere in the middle.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Gridman though just felt.. flat _______. The characters were kind of boring

I'm in the middle here with Gridman as I did like it overall (7/10) but also not as much as others. I thought the main antagonist was great, with one or two other interesting characters but also felt a fair few others just seemed superfluous. Maybe just twelve episodes was not enough runtime to develop them all but to counter that, the similar runtime Planet With (hidden? gem) did a fantastic job with most of it's many characters. I wish there was more drama in relation to the antagonist's story rather than the bits that I didn't like which were mainly down to the Sentai/tokusatsu elements (not surprising given that I hated power rangers even as a child).