Rate the last anime you watched out of 10

Nisekoi Season 2 - 8/10

I've fallen behind with the Manga but this season felt largely like a holding pattern of those in between chapters. Still enjoyable though.

-edit-

Forgot I also watched the Strike Witches Movie

Felt somewhat like a longer episode, decent but nothing ground breaking.
At least this time when she got her powers back they didn't disappear at the end, that sucked in S2 and I'd of totally lost it if they did that here.
 
Last edited:
Kizumonogatari - Parts 1+2

Having only seen Bakemonogatari prior to this, I'm unsure quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it.

It's still got all the hallmarks you'd expect of the series, with the agressively artificial setting, off-kilter direction and flippantly existential dialogue, but it's a bit grander in scope and I appreciated the greater emphasis on action. The level of fanservice is about where you'd expect - not severe, albeit highly fetishised - but the only thing I really objected to was that I found some of the more expository scenes a little boring. Monogatari seems to live on its quirky style and quick wit, so when it's not doing anything visually interesting and the dialogue isn't being clever, it feels a bit unremarkable - the story itself really isn't that complicated, when you get right down to it. Mercifully there wasn't much of that though - it held my interest pretty well and there are some real standout action sequences, particularly in the second part.

Actually my one other negative comment would be that I'm very glad they showed both parts together - had it just been the first, I'd have felt rather cheated. There are a few nice cuts, but part one does feel a lot like it's just setting things up for part two.
 
Free! Eternal Summer

This was an enjoyable second season that basically provides more of the same sort of thing as the first season (which is perfectly fine). It's still an appealing mix of character driven comedy with occasional light dramatic content and a good dose of heart.

While the first season is occasionally referenced and has affected our characters to make them who they are in this second season, I do think it'd be possible to jump into the second season without needing to have seen the first. If you watched the first season afterwards you'd know how certain events would turn out but I wouldn't say the first season was entirely unpredictable and the actual details of events (not to mention the comedy) are probably more important so I don't think anything major would be lost.

I have to say, I do think this season benefits from having Rin more directly and openly involved in the show. In the previous season he often stayed in the background due to the need to keep him somewhat mysterious, with that restriction removed we get to spend a lot more time with him and he's one of the strongest characters in the show. I wasn't entirely sure about him through most of the first season but, for me, he stole the majority of scenes he was in this time around.

I'm still not entirely sold on Haru as the main character, he suffers from a tendency to be mysterious in a similar way to Rin and he has the added disadvantage of having everyone talk about how great he is. On the plus side, this season actually takes that situation and builds some effective drama out of it and that makes much of the issues with Haru retroactively easier to accept (in fairness, the first season did something similar so it's probably easier to accept Haru in general if you're following on from the first season). While I still tend to prefer other characters, I do have to give the show credit for making Haru more of an actual person rather than just a magical superbeing for everyone else to look up to.

This season introduces some new characters, which has it's good and bad points. The new characters have some strong moments, with Momotaro mostly being there for comedy and Sosuke having a solid dramatic storyline and helping to drive some of the other stories too. On the downside, the show already had quite a few characters and a tendency to leave some underdeveloped in the first season, so that trend does continue here with most characters only getting an episode of attention (and some not getting even that) while only a few get more in-depth storylines. It's especially disappointing to see certain characters have a further reduced role when they clearly had some potential that the show doesn't seem interested in making anything of.

I should probably give special mention to the OVA episode, where even Haru manages to have some strong moments. It's all very silly but it's also quite entertaining and it probably does benefit from the background we've had on the characters. It doesn't include any major developments but it still feels worthwhile and is a pretty nice way to round out the series on a fun note.

Overall, this was another enjoyable season of a solid and entertaining show. Certainly worth a watch if you enjoyed the first season and it'd probably be worth a try if you have any interest in shows with light drama and slice of life type comedy.
 
Battle Girls: Time Paradox / Sengoku Otome - Momoiro Paradox

This was kind of an odd show, it has elements of action, slice of life comedy, fanservice, haremish romance and yuri (kind of essential to the harem/romance, given the all-female cast). It doesn't really do much with any of them though, so it's hard to say exactly who the target audience is.

I suppose it's mostly a very light comedy with fanservice elements. The fanservice isn't always particularly strong though, some of the outfits are fanservicey (several characters wear bikini armour) and there is some detailed nudity on a few occasions but that kind of fanservice doesn't feel like a major focus. I suppose the yuri aspects would mostly count as fanservice in this case, with only a little relevance to the almost non-existent plot.

The character designs are okay, although they kind of remind me of characters from other shows and that may be part of what I liked about them. Much the same applies to their personalities (in as far as they have personalities), they're all fairly basic but vaguely reminiscent of characters from other shows. Still, I feel like I should give special mention to the "villain", Tokunyan, probably mostly because of the name (well, it's technically a nickname) but I did also find her "evil" antics quite amusing.

I'd hesitate to call this a bad show, at least partly because I found it mildly entertaining, but there's really very little substance to the show. Things happen in the show but the events never seem too important and the characters don't really grow, change or reveal hidden depths. I think it'd be fairly reasonable to call it "mindless entertainment" and I suppose it does achieve some success if that's what it's aiming to be.

I don't think I'd be likely to recommend the show to anyone and I'm not sure I'd watch it again but I can't say that I regret watching it either (even if I could have spent the time on better shows instead).
 
Expelled from Paradise

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this because I hadn't read too much about it beforehand, I thought it might be a flashy action heavy film but it's actually kind of a quiet character story (with a bit of flashy action for good measure). More specifically, it's a story about three characters, with different backgrounds and perspectives, who each grow through their interactions with each other.

I also found the film to be surprisingly fun. There's a fair bit of talking in the show but the characters can be fairly charming and the film avoids having the dialogue drag by always having it delivered in interesting ways or while also giving something to watch. It also doesn't restrict itself to just telling everything, many of the developments are shown in the way that characters act or through their expressions. Some of the dialogue could potentially feel a little preachy, with one of the main themes of the film being that freedom and choice are important aspects of life, but this is only occasionally likely to be an issue and only for people who especially dislike that kind of thing. For the most part, the characters each express slightly different opinions and it rarely feels that any character is being outright denounced as wrong.

The introduction doesn't really give the best impression, starting off with a mixture of fanservice and action that doesn't really seem to be saying much. It does, however, work quite effectively as a way to introduce the home of Angela (one of the main characters). We don't see too much of Angela's home during the film but the brief glimpses that we do get generally felt like enough.

The show does have a sci-fi setting but it doesn't examine any of the sci-fi concepts it brings up too deeply. There's only ever one "copy" of Angela, whether she's in a physical body or not, so there aren't any questions about what digitising might mean in a spiritual sense nor are any similar issues examined. This generally works quite well, the world building is sufficient without being too distracting and the main focus remains on the characters. The film essentially treats all of the characters as people, regardless of whether they are digital or physical, and that benefits the kind of story it's telling.

The art and character designs for the film are generally quite good. Angela's old school sci-fi outfit is perhaps a little silly but feels appropriately so, and the other character designs are fairly effective (if not necessarily entirely unique). The animation is probably where some people will struggle, since it's a slightly odd CGI style. I didn't have an issue with it for the most part (and there are some scenes where it works fairly well, or at least isn't noticeable) but it is somewhat distracting a little too often. I wouldn't say I'm the most perceptive when it comes to seeing details in animation, so if I notice times where the animation feels too jumpy or unnatural then that's probably a bad sign. Still, I didn't feel that the animation issues significantly undermined my enjoyment of the film, so if you're more likely to focus on the story and art than the animation then there's a reasonable chance you'll be fine.

Overall, I did enjoy the film quite a bit. It's not necessarily the deepest or most impactful film but it has it's moments and is pleasantly enjoyable as a whole. There's a good chance I'd watch it again and I'd probably recommend it to people who enjoy more character focussed sci-fi.
 
I really enjoyed Expelled From Paradise - mainly just because despite the CG visuals, everything in it, from the hard sci-fi tone to Angela as a character seemed like such a retro throwback to the 'golden days' of anime sci-fi (the 80s - early 90s) that so many fans lament there isn't enough of these days.
 
Yuri on Ice-Episodes 1-6 (Dropped)

Yuri on Ice is an incredibly popular show at the minute, and to a lot of people it's their favourite anime of the Autumn. However, to me, it's the most bafflingly series I picked up this season. Not because of the show itself, but because of the rampant popularity. You see it topping the Crunchyroll popularity graphs and the MAL score is crazy high considering far better shows are currently sitting at less than an 8/10. Everywhere I turn, I see people pouring heaps and heaps of praise on this and I just do not understand it. Not only is it the worst show I'm watching out of all this season's crop, I'd almost certainly say it's the worst show I've seen of any season this year. I haven't liked it from the get go, but I gave it 6 episodes and it just still did nothing at all to impress me.

To get the massive elephant in the room out the way first, I didn't just dislike this anime because of the yaoi. I won't lie, I don't like yaoi, and I didn't like the yaoi aspects on display here in particular. I'm not a homophobe or anything like that, I think that goes without saying, or at least I'd like to think, but this kind of thing doesn't appeal to me. With that said, even if I distance myself from my bias, I still don't think the whole yaoi fan service thing works at all. I thought it was an incredibly distracting element, and the relationship between Yuri and Victor seemed mostly played for laughs. There were a couple of more genuine moments between the two but the bits that seemed to play the whole yaoi thing for laughs massively outweighed the more serious side of their relationship. This just comes across as mindless pandering to the fujo crowd and I'm surprised more people haven't called this show out on the endless bait. I'm not a huge fan of fan service aimed at straight men either, so perhaps the fact I don't like either kind of fan service gives me the perspective to see it for what it is, but the fact that most male aimed fan service shows get almost universally derided yet this is so popular comes across as a little hypocritical from the anime community as a whole. However, I digress.

As well as the rather disappointing relationship between the two lead characters, I must also say that I wasn't even a fan of the characters in this show to begin with. Having only seen the first 6 episodes, this is the one area where I think I can give the show the most slack, because there is still another 6 episodes or perhaps more, if there is a follow up season, to flesh these characters out a bit more than I saw here, but I thought each and everyone of them was not only lacking in the development side of things, but they weren't even massively likeable characters anyway. The Japanese Yuri, I felt, was just an incredibly boring character. I never really feel attached to him, and as such, I never felt any investment in the outcome of the ice skating events that occur throughout the show. Victor was just a total annoyance, and was always the one at the center of all the yaoi centric jokes that fell flat and felt like bait, and the Russian Yuri was just a plain unlikable jerk. I guess he might be some kind of tsundere type, but I didn't really see enough of him to come to that conclusion, and what I did see I really didn't like.

Perhaps the biggest crime committed by this show though is the fact it is boring. This was mainly the case in episodes 5 and 6, but the general direction of the series at that point was what made me decide to drop it now. The actual competition sequences on display here are just incredibly dull. I've been told this is just because I don't like ice skating, but I find that excuse to be a rather poor one at best. There are a ton of shows about subjects I wouldn't like outside of an anime that I love. I have less than zero interest in swimming, yet I still adore Free!, I don't like brass band music, yet Sound! Euphonium is one of my favourite shows of recent memory. Basically, just because I don't like ice skating doesn't mean that it's impossible for me to like an ice skating anime, yet I still ended up quite disliking this. The thing is, all of the ice skating routines by the various different contests all looked identical, but set to different music. I'm not saying they are all the same, but they feel all the same. There are only so many times I can watch a guy spin around in a sequined costume before they all start blending together in a blur of sameyness. Even the direction of these scenes feel identical to one another. If the director varied up the angles or added in some more interesting moves, even if the moves aren't realistic, it would have done a ton to help out in staving off my boredom.

Despite the fact I did end up heavily disliking this show, I will give credit where I think credit is due. This is my first time watching an anime by the studio MAPPA and I was generally quite impressed at the level of visuals on display here. It's not the best looking show I've ever seen in my life, but I'd certainly say the quality was above average, especially in the ice skating bits. They may have been dull as dishwater, but that doesn't mean they weren't pretty to look at! I also can't fault the voice acting in any way, that was also pretty great, and the opening, Time to Make History, was a song I begrudgingly started to like far more than I should, and the visuals of the opening were also top notch.

In the end, I don't think I'll ever see the appeal of Yuri on Ice. I gave it a fair shot, watching half of it, but at this point it just feels like masochism. Every week I'd hope I'd finally get it, but it just never happened. I am quite happy that so many people do seem to be loving this show, and I'm quite jealous of the fact they can get so much enjoyment out of it, but for me, I just genuinely can't stand it, and as such, I won't be watching any more of it.

5/10

Blog Version
 
Last edited:
Firstly, I'm not saying 'keep watching it' because if you hate something then you hate it. Everyone has a show or two that they can't stand despite the overwhelming popularity they seem to enjoy everywhere else, and sometimes it's baffling to see everyone praising the shows you hate (I remain mystified by Konosuba myself). But I do think you asked enough questions in your detailed summary to justify some answers, so here are mine :)

I'm just a casual fan, so if I make any factual mistakes here I'm sorry. I know literally nothing about ice skating and only watch each episode once.

Yuri on Ice-Episodes 1-6 (Dropped)
far better shows are currently sitting at less than an 8/10

Maybe Drifters is just too highbrow for some people. But seriously it's one of the few titles even my other half, who is way out of the target audience, is following this season. Ratings on aggregator sites aimed at restricted demographics don't tell the whole story by a long shot, but I do think it's a genuinely decent show.

Not only is it the worst show I'm watching out of all this season's crop, I'd almost certainly say it's the worst show I've seen of any season this year.

I'm just going to assume that you haven't watched many shows this year and it's suffered in comparison to all of the actually-aimed-at-you titles you've been following, because I find that difficult to believe even if you don't like the genre. I mean, I don't like Magical Girl Raising Project at all but I can see the appeal of that and it's still a mile better than a lot of other shows. Have we all forgotten Big Order so quickly?!


I still don't think the whole yaoi fan service thing works at all. I thought it was an incredibly distracting element, and the relationship between Yuri and Victor seemed mostly played for laughs. There were a couple of more genuine moments between the two but the bits that seemed to play the whole yaoi thing for laughs massively outweighed the more serious side of their relationship. This just comes across as mindless pandering to the fujo crowd and I'm surprised more people haven't called this show out on the endless bait.

In my opinion, there's a core difference in the way the gay romance elements in YOI are being portrayed which makes it something of a rarity in its genre. Most serious 'yaoi' (and really, I wouldn't call anything that happens in YOI 'yaoi') is either full of angst and tragedy or a completely unrealistic comedy played for laughs. Very few BL titles that make it into anime form manage to portray the same sex relationships as stable, happy, realistic or even healthy. This is because the audience loves drama and high emotion, but it's also a bit depressing when you see the same tropes time in, time out without ever seeing anyone just being happy and relaxed around the object of their desire. Most of the healthy BL relationships in mainstream anime are imaginary (or at best unconfirmed) and fuelled by little more than the passion of fujoshi. Real relationships aren't pure and lovely or full of rehearsed pickup lines and pouting; they're full of comical moments, funny memories and awkwardness. That's the kind of atmosphere that YOI is presenting to us so successfully, and it's why it's caught the eyes of even non-BL-fans who have an interest in same sex relationships (whether it succeeds in avoiding the usual pitfalls of the genre long term remains to be seen).

I lumped it in with the BL genre for that response, but I also want to note that I do see YOI as a proper sporting anime first and foremost. The elements getting me on the edge of my seat each episode are the jumps in their skating routines and the moments when the scores are announced, not Viktor teasing Yuuri in the bath. The teasing is very much a part of Yuuri's growth in that awkward time of his life where he's maturing into a fine adult, but it's not the main point of the series and there's a lot more to his relationship with Viktor than sexy baiting to appeal to horny female viewers.

With the comparison to fan service aimed at men, I've always categorised that into two types. I can give Prison School, Queen's Blade, Seikon No Qwaser and the like a free pass because they're all really, really funny and self aware about their fan service; they're great, clever (!) shows in spite of their seedy premises and obsessive focus on heaving breasts. Quite a lot of titles pitch fan service just right. Then there are fan service shows that just throw breasts, panties and weird sexual situations in for no reason in a horrifically disjointed way, like a lot of recent light novel harem adaptations ostensibly about something else, and the scenarios often come across as demeaning (despite being objectively far less explicit than in the fan service titles I actually like). I will criticise the latter type of show forever, but that doesn't mean I'm criticising all fan service aimed at straight guys. Just the type which annoys me. If I never see another boring male lead falling accidentally onto someone's boob in an implausible way and then getting slapped, I can die happy.

Going back to YOI and specifically focusing on the fan service moments, they also fit this pattern of being completely self aware. That first episode shot of Viktor in the bath made my other half laugh out loud because of how outrageously, knowingly and unashamedly blatant it was. Neither of us found it 'sexy' at all - we barely knew the guy at that point - it was just funny. And that's great. It's over-the-top and light hearted, and nobody's being shamed or demeaned along the way. It establishes Viktor's personality in a playful, harmless way.

The Japanese Yuri, I felt, was just an incredibly boring character. I never really feel attached to him, and as such, I never felt any investment in the outcome of the ice skating events that occur throughout the show. Victor was just a total annoyance, and was always the one at the center of all the yaoi centric jokes that fell flat and felt like bait, and the Russian Yuri was just a plain unlikable jerk. I guess he might be some kind of tsundere type, but I didn't really see enough of him to come to that conclusion, and what I did see I really didn't like.

Totally your opinion and you're within your rights to have it, but I liked Yurio. He's prickly but he's also really, really young and portrayed accurately as such instead of like the precocious adult-in-a-childlike-body types who often appear in school anime. I don't know much about his background, but if he's skating on the world stage at that age he's obviously a serious perfectionist and he's going to be highly strung. The characterisation seemed spot on to me and they didn't even ruin it by making him spend the entire series as a villain - he's simply a rival to Yuuri, a youthful prodigy with skinny proportions who pushes the older man into stepping outside his comfort zone and trying harder to be worthy of Viktor's time.

I really like Viktor but he's a complicated guy and there's a lot which is obviously still unanswered about him, so I'll resist writing an essay on that topic for now. Complicated adult characters are like jewels in anime when it's so dominated by dizzy teenagers with superpowers.

The actual competition sequences on display here are just incredibly dull. I've been told this is just because I don't like ice skating, but I find that excuse to be a rather poor one at best.

Can confirm that this is just you. I don't like ice skating either (actually, I hate all sports) and I still hold my breath during the competition sequences. The animation is absolutely incredible for a television series and the differences in each skater's style, physique and personality come across fantastically. If you can't appreciate the skating at all then yeah, the show is going to drag.


Sorry if this comes across as 'I'm right and you're wrong' (it's just how I type, not deliberate) but I'm really liking the show and it's rare that we get something delicate and lovely like this in between all of the (actually baiting) team sports tournaments and moe school clubs. I hope you enjoy the other shows you're following more!

R
 
I appreciate the response, Rui! Whilst I can't say anything is going to convince me to pick the show up again, it is nice to see some detailed writing about why people like the series. Despite the amount of people that do praise YOI, I don't think I've seen anyone actually put into words why they like it, at least, not in as many words as you did.
Maybe Drifters is just too highbrow for some people. But seriously it's one of the few titles even my other half, who is way out of the target audience, is following this season. Ratings on aggregator sites aimed at restricted demographics don't tell the whole story by a long shot, but I do think it's a genuinely decent show.

This was more referring to Flip Flappers, which is probably my favourite show this season, a show that actively moved me to tears last week, and is currently sitting at a 7.6 on MAL, or Scorching Hot Ping Pong Girls, which is another sports show but one that actually manages to be entertaining and also has good characters, that is on a criminally low 6.8. As you say, these scores aren't the be all and end all, but it does annoy me when shows I actually like a whole lot are being overshadowed by a series I see as poor and heavily flawed. Of course, not everyone sees YOI like that, but to me it's just frustrating.

I'm just going to assume that you haven't watched many shows this year and it's suffered in comparison to all of the actually-aimed-at-you titles you've been following, because I find that difficult to believe even if you don't like the genre. I mean, I don't like Magical Girl Raising Project at all but I can see the appeal of that and it's still a mile better than a lot of other shows. Have we all forgotten Big Order so quickly?!

No, I'm being 100% honest, I can't think of a show from any season this year that I have found as flawed or as just plain dull as Yuri on Ice, I can assure you that, it's no hyperbole. That being said, it's the first show this year I watched purely because a lot of people told me I should be watching it. I had less than zero interest in picking it up before everyone started going on about how great it is, whereas all the other shows I've seen this year I watched because I was actually interested in them.

In my opinion, there's a core difference in the way the gay romance elements in YOI are being portrayed which makes it something of a rarity in its genre. Most serious 'yaoi' (and really, I wouldn't call anything that happens in YOI 'yaoi') is either full of angst and tragedy or a completely unrealistic comedy played for laughs. Very few BL titles that make it into anime form manage to portray the same sex relationships as stable, happy, realistic or even healthy. This is because the audience loves drama and high emotion, but it's also a bit depressing when you see the same tropes time in, time out without ever seeing anyone just being happy and relaxed around the object of their desire. Most of the healthy BL relationships in mainstream anime are imaginary (or at best unconfirmed) and fuelled by little more than the passion of fujoshi. Real relationships aren't pure and lovely or full of rehearsed pickup lines and pouting; they're full of comical moments, funny memories and awkwardness. That's the kind of atmosphere that YOI is presenting to us so successfully, and it's why it's caught the eyes of even non-BL-fans who have an interest in same sex relationships (whether it succeeds in avoiding the usual pitfalls of the genre long term remains to be seen).

I've never seen a show that attempts BL/Yaoi before, so I can't comment on if this is different or better than it's counterparts, but I still maintain that the relationship just doesn't work in YOI, for me. As I say, all the comedy just devalues it and makes it seem like it isn't really a relationship, more that Victor is constantly harassing Yuri. This is more so in the earlier episodes when Yuri seems less open to Victor, but I thought Victor's constant attempts to hit on Yuri were not only annoying, but kind of forceful. I'm just not seeing this cute relationship you describe.

there's a lot more to his relationship with Viktor than sexy baiting to appeal to horny female viewers.

Perhaps I'm just dense, but I really don't see it as anything more.

Going back to YOI and specifically focusing on the fan service moments, they also fit this pattern of being completely self aware. That first episode shot of Viktor in the bath made my other half laugh out loud because of how outrageously, knowingly and unashamedly blatant it was. Neither of us found it 'sexy' at all - we barely knew the guy at that point - it was just funny. And that's great. It's over-the-top and light hearted, and nobody's being shamed or demeaned along the way. It establishes Viktor's personality in a playful, harmless way.

I can't say I ever interpreted it at being self aware, but again, I could just put that down to me.
I really like Viktor but he's a complicated guy and there's a lot which is obviously still unanswered about him, so I'll resist writing an essay on that topic for now. Complicated adult characters are like jewels in anime when it's so dominated by dizzy teenagers with superpowers.

As much as it's a can of worms I'm not sure I want to open, I'm just really not seeing this complicated character you describe. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot to him, for my perspective. As you say, we still don't really know a lot about him yet, but to call him a complex character at this stage seems ludicrous to me.
 
This was more referring to Flip Flappers, which is probably my favourite show this season, a show that actively moved me to tears last week, and is currently sitting at a 7.6 on MAL, or Scorching Hot Ping Pong Girls, which is another sports show but one that actually manages to be entertaining and also has good characters, that is on a criminally low 6.8. As you say, these scores aren't the be all and end all, but it does annoy me when shows I actually like a whole lot are being overshadowed by a series I see as poor and heavily flawed.


Flip Flappers is interesting to me as I really like the look of it but found the first episode the emotional equivalent of watching paint drying. I will admit to not having yet got around to watching Scorching Hot Ping Pong Girls, mainly because every time I suggest it my other half suddenly finds household chores inexplicably interesting...

(We do both like Keijo!!!!!)

Both of the series you mentioned are heavily aimed at the 'traditional' audience of nerdy male fans, though. I think it's ok to have shows aimed at different audiences, but it doesn't mean that one type is objectively better than another. I can see why the key art alone would turn a lot of people off SHPPG - it looks like a creepy lolicon series and comical school club sports anime are a dime a dozen. That may be a completely unfair conclusion, and I'm definitely going to give it a chance eventually now I have Internet again, but it doesn't exactly try to fill a completely underserved niche the way YOI is doing. It's catering to a safe, established audience (which notably doesn't include people of my demographic). YOI is doing things differently, and that alone makes it stand out with people tired of the same old content every season.

There are a lot of good shows aimed at guys right now and that means there is a lot of competition with similar shows making other perfectly decent ones seem more forgettable in comparison. There's nothing else like YOI airing right now. Not All Out!, not UtaPri, not Haikyuu!!, not DoriFesu. It has a unique identity. And frankly even just starring adults as the leads instead of kids or 'adults' who are just kids with bigger boobs is a great reason to watch it. I'm old. I can generally relate better to shows about older people.

No, I'm being 100% honest, I can't think of a show from any season this year that I have found as flawed or as just plain dull as Yuri on Ice, I can assure you that, it's no hyperbole. That being said, it's the first show this year I watched purely because a lot of people told me I should be watching it. I had less than zero interest in picking it up before everyone started going on about how great it is, whereas all the other shows I've seen this year I watched because I was actually interested in them.

You're either weird or uniquely fortunate in your choices of shows. Having said that I've never watched a single thing anyone told me I should be watching and liked it unless I'd already expressed interest first. Other people have a poor grasp of my taste.

Seriously though, Big Order.


I've never seen a show that attempts BL/Yaoi before, so I can't comment on if this is different or better than it's counterparts, but I still maintain that the relationship just doesn't work in YOI, for me. As I say, all the comedy just devalues it and makes it seem like it isn't really a relationship, more that Victor is constantly harassing Yuri. This is more so in the earlier episodes when Yuri seems less open to Victor, but I thought Victor's constant attempts to hit on Yuri were not only annoying, but kind of forceful. I'm just not seeing this cute relationship you describe.

I don't really understand why you're separating comedy from romance so strictly; laughing together is how the best relationships blossom from my experience. Not taking things seriously 100% of the time should never devalue a relationship. Viktor's teasing doesn't come off as serious to me (early on I think he'd have been very surprised if Yuuri reciprocated) and he doesn't do anything that actually makes him uncomfortable - confused, yes, but in a respectful way. They're both adults. I'm still not even sure there is a romantic relationship there; Yuuri is obviously riding out a very complicated emotional wave during each sporting event and all of his excitement, tension and elation come together in his trust for Viktor. And boy, did he need someone like that in his life. He was really struggling before Viktor started offering him that kind of emotional support. He had plenty of friends in the industry and seemed to be on good terms with lots of people, but there was nobody he could speak frankly to and come out of his shell for. Viktor's eccentricity turned out to be the push he needed to find his own inner strength.

I'd be more concerned with Viktor's behaviour if Yuuri was actually uncomfortable with him or younger, but the way it's portrayed comes off as quite lovely to me. Viktor fooling around gives the uptight skater an excuse to lighten up and stop viewing himself so critically every time he does something. You can see it in the way his confidence starts to rise until he's actively teasing Viktor back and standing by his own decisions instead of passively following his coach's lead.

I can't say I ever interpreted it at being self aware, but again, I could just put that down to me.

Visual fan service like nude pans across athletes in the bath are more comical than sexy in content aimed at women, from my experience. There's far more titillation in a lingering gaze or a possessive hug than in lighthearted pans across a guy's ass in a completely non-sexual situation. The creators want the viewers to have fun and question whether they really just did that, so they incorporate a few frames of over-the-top silliness per episode (it's also probably in part to emphasise the difference between the uptight, introverted Japanese character and the bolder, exotic foreigner). There are no sleazy lingering shots of the characters in provocative poses, no accidental crossings of boundaries or other questionable elements. The Swiss skater might come across as being an outright fan service character since he's very, uh, open, but again, I didn't find him sexy at all - I felt that the show was presenting him as someone who thoroughly owned his own sexuality to give Yuuri another type of rivalry to contend with, this time on a personal level.

As much as it's a can of worms I'm not sure I want to open, I'm just really not seeing this complicated character you describe. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot to him, for my perspective. As you say, we still don't really know a lot about him yet, but to call him a complex character at this stage seems ludicrous to me.

The way Viktor acts comes across to me as very nuanced - he's sunny and outgoing, but also very calculating. There's a lot going on in his analysis of Yuuri's performances (and general behaviour), only some of which he ever directly addresses in the script. We see flashes of his temper and desire to be controlling from time to time, but it's tempered by his genuine hunger to be surprised the way he's always yearned to surprise his audience and his passion for Yuuri to succeed.

You can try to pigeonhole him if you need to pigeonhole things to relate to characters - maybe he's a do-S, or a top, or a senpai-type, or a tsundere - but that's selling him rather short based on his actions over half a cour of anime. Why is he so desperate to push himself instead of being satisfied by being the best in the industry? Why is he so good at reading complicated emotional wobblings just by watching someone else's body language at a distance? Why is he apparently single and completely unattached when he's so stunning and confident? What does he see in Yuuri that enriches him as a person? I really don't think the relationship is a one-way street of a gorgeous foreign saviour pandering to a washed-up Japanese skater just because he has nothing better to do. Viktor is deeply enjoying his time with Yuuri, benefiting from professional growth as a skater and personal growth as someone who has probably always been treated in a certain way because of his skill and status. His relationship with Yuuri is completely unique in his life, from all we've seen, and I'm sure he knows the younger man has a great deal to teach him too.

In short, the way he's presented makes it easy to read into him as being complicated. He's an adult in every sense. It's very different from most characters in (especially) high school anime titles who are each about as deep as a puddle. When a lot of anime characters can be completely summarised in a single line description e.g. 'tsundere with a dark past' or 'lecherous onee-sama' or 'hot-blooded tomboy who is embarrassed about her country accent' or 'jealous childhood friend', complex characters become really appealing.

R
 
I don't really understand why you're separating comedy from romance so strictly; laughing together is how the best relationships blossom from my experience. Not taking things seriously 100% of the time should never devalue a relationship. Viktor's teasing doesn't come off as serious to me (early on I think he'd have been very surprised if Yuuri reciprocated) and he doesn't do anything that actually makes him uncomfortable - confused, yes, but in a respectful way. They're both adults. I'm still not even sure there is a romantic relationship there; Yuuri is obviously riding out a very complicated emotional wave during each sporting event and all of his excitement, tension and elation come together in his trust for Viktor. And boy, did he need someone like that in his life. He was really struggling before Viktor started offering him that kind of emotional support. He had plenty of friends in the industry and seemed to be on good terms with lots of people, but there was nobody he could speak frankly to and come out of his shell for. Viktor's eccentricity turned out to be the push he needed to find his own inner strength.

Perhaps it is my complete and utter lack of real life experience in the matter that is preventing me from being able to like the relationship between the two, I'm going strictly by other romance anime I've seen and liked. Of my favourites, whilst there is generally some comedy, there are a ton of really heartfelt emotional moments that really endears me to the couple and tugs at my heartstrings. In YOI, there is very little of that, and the comedy itself is painfully unfunny to me itself, which probably another reason why I disliked the relationship so much.

The way Viktor acts comes across to me as very nuanced - he's sunny and outgoing, but also very calculating. There's a lot going on in his analysis of Yuuri's performances (and general behaviour), only some of which he ever directly addresses in the script. We see flashes of his temper and desire to be controlling from time to time, but it's tempered by his genuine hunger to be surprised the way he's always yearned to surprise his audience and his passion for Yuuri to succeed.

You can try to pigeonhole him if you need to pigeonhole things to relate to characters - maybe he's a do-S, or a top, or a senpai-type, or a tsundere - but that's selling him rather short based on his actions over half a cour of anime. Why is he so desperate to push himself instead of being satisfied by being the best in the industry? Why is he so good at reading complicated emotional wobblings just by watching someone else's body language at a distance? Why is he apparently single and completely unattached when he's so stunning and confident? What does he see in Yuuri that enriches him as a person? I really don't think the relationship is a one-way street of a gorgeous foreign saviour pandering to a washed-up Japanese skater just because he has nothing better to do. Viktor is deeply enjoying his time with Yuuri, benefiting from professional growth as a skater and personal growth as someone who has probably always been treated in a certain way because of his skill and status. His relationship with Yuuri is completely unique in his life, from all we've seen, and I'm sure he knows the younger man has a great deal to teach him too.

In short, the way he's presented makes it easy to read into him as being complicated. He's an adult in every sense. It's very different from most characters in (especially) high school anime titles who are each about as deep as a puddle. When a lot of anime characters can be completely summarised in a single line description e.g. 'tsundere with a dark past' or 'lecherous onee-sama' or 'hot-blooded tomboy who is embarrassed about her country accent' or 'jealous childhood friend', complex characters become really appealing.

R

I suppose there is a bit more there to him than I imagined. I never really put any thought into his character if I'm honest, and that still doesn't change the fact I find his personality and actions throughout the show to be incredibly annoying to me. Personally, I'm not averse to characters who fit into troupes, and I'd even call myself a fan of a lot of the troupes currently in anime. I suppose it's nice to have someone who goes beyond them, but if he isn't a likable character I enjoy watching, it all seems moot.
 
Perhaps it is my complete and utter lack of real life experience in the matter that is preventing me from being able to like the relationship between the two, I'm going strictly by other romance anime I've seen and liked. Of my favourites, whilst there is generally some comedy, there are a ton of really heartfelt emotional moments that really endears me to the couple and tugs at my heartstrings. In YOI, there is very little of that, and the comedy itself is painfully unfunny to me itself, which probably another reason why I disliked the relationship so much.

Everyone's experiences will be different but maybe that's a fair way to look at it. In my own relationships, I spend 99% of the time fooling around and less than 1% of the time in heartfelt emotional moments; my other half makes me laugh so hard I shed tears every day but I can count the number of dramatic emotional moments in our relationship on one hand even though we've been together over a decade. And not a single one of those dramatic moments happened during our early courtship. Emotional drama makes for wonderful stories (it certainly fuels a lot of the BL genre overall) but I'm also ok with the drama being understated so that the sweetness of the relationship is at the forefront instead. It actively bothers me how poorly couples are represented in fiction - but it's even worse in western entertainment, where the vast majority of wives exist only to spur the tortured hero on in some misguided attempt at revenge or to act as a foil ruining his schoolboy antics with his friends. Just give me some happy couples for once who mutually support one another through their problems and happier days!

It leaks out into the real world too. I don't know how many times I've had to say/hear "I actually like my husband/wife!" in response to someone trying to play us against one another for drama. The world of romantic fiction has a lot to answer for.

I suppose there is a bit more there to him than I imagined. I never really put any thought into his character if I'm honest, and that still doesn't change the fact I find his personality and actions throughout the show to be incredibly annoying to me. Personally, I'm not averse to characters who fit into troupes, and I'd even call myself a fan of a lot of the troupes currently in anime. I suppose it's nice to have someone who goes beyond them, but if he isn't a likable character I enjoy watching, it all seems moot.

I think that's why I jump in to defend shows like YOI so passionately; there are already scores of shows every year featuring simpler characters designed to appeal to those who like popular tropes (that's why they are tropes in the first place, of course). YOI is a bit special to those of us after something different, and heaven forbid we don't get many opportunities to celebrate that - hence all of the 'I'm quitting anime!' posts on forums from people suddenly declaring that it's all action shows and high school girls. That's why people on the periphery of most anime's target demographics react so positively whenever anything else comes up; finally, something has been made for them. It's rough to read that people lucky enough to be catered for by the majority of big budget shows are hating on it just because it's different. The kneejerk reaction from the KyoAni elitists over Free! is another example of a dominant demographic throwing its toys out of the pram over something that never actually destroyed anime for them anyway.

*ruins these lofty opinions by excitedly waiting to watch the next Keijo!!!!*

R
 
YOI is a bit special to those of us after something different, and heaven forbid we don't get many opportunities to celebrate that - hence all of the 'I'm quitting anime!' posts on forums from people suddenly declaring that it's all action shows and high school girls

I think people who say they're quitting anime just because a lot of it has action or is set in a high school are foolish. Sure, I suppose I'd be down for a bit more variety, but just because a show has action in it or is set in a high school doesn't mean it can't have really good story and characters. Take the recent Sound! Euphonium. Sure, that's technically a High School club show, but if you watch it, it's so much more than that, with some genuinely great drama and a brilliant cast of characters, so to dismiss it because of the setting is just plain stupid. Not saying that you do that specifically, of course.

It's rough to read that people lucky enough to be catered for by the majority of big budget shows are hating on it just because it's different.

I'd like to think that if I spent the time to write out over a thousand words of criticism it's clear I don't dislike it just because it's different. Even if you do disagree with what I said, I still stand by it and find it to be perfectly valid, and to dismiss them like that is a bit unfair, in my opinion.
 
I think people who say they're quitting anime just because a lot of it has action or is set in a high school are foolish. Sure, I suppose I'd be down for a bit more variety, but just because a show has action in it or is set in a high school doesn't mean it can't have really good story and characters. Take the recent Sound! Euphonium. Sure, that's technically a High School club show, but if you watch it, it's so much more than that, with some genuinely great drama and a brilliant cast of characters, so to dismiss it because of the setting is just plain stupid. Not saying that you do that specifically, of course.

I watch the first episode of everything available to the UK as a matter of point to try to avoid my preconceptions completely blinding me to a good show or two. In this particular case it didn't work for me, but even acknowledging my mild bias against school settings there are still hundreds of fantastic ones out there which are relatable even to crusty old people without hearts. And some of my favourite titles directly contradict my own preferences because they break free of the restrictions of their genre - I absolutely love Zettai Karen Children even though it's a shounen series (bleh) about a bunch of spunky girls (argh) with magic powers (again?) flouncing around in school uniforms (...) and every cliche in the book.

I'd like to think that if I spent the time to write out over a thousand words of criticism it's clear I don't dislike it just because it's different. Even if you do disagree with what I said, I still stand by it and find it to be perfectly valid, and to dismiss them like that is a bit unfair, in my opinion.

Apologies, I didn't mean you specifically by that! Watching six episodes and engaging with a discussion about why you did/didn't like various aspects more than exempts you from having dismissed it out of hand, unlike some of the people on the Internet who just seem to go 'ice skating, borrring' or 'too gay, can't watch it' (?!) without really thinking about it at all.

I think it's perfectly ok to like/dislike something just because it's not your cup of tea. To take Sound! Euphonium (I'm afraid I haven't tried the second season), I thought it was fine but not for me. I couldn't get into it at all, and I'm completely immune to the charm of schoolgirls which is a bit of a problem in titles which rely on the viewer getting emotionally attached to watching over them struggling against the challenges of their club activities and social groups. I don't think Sound! Euphonium is objectively bad, but I also don't think I could ever get into it even if I watched it for hours on end.

R
 
Apologies, I didn't mean you specifically by that! Watching six episodes and engaging with a discussion about why you did/didn't like various aspects more than exempts you from having dismissed it out of hand, unlike some of the people on the Internet who just seem to go 'ice skating, borrring' or 'too gay, can't watch it' (?!) without really thinking about it at all.

I misinterpreted, I apologize.
 
Your Name. Score: 10/10

Quite possibly the best anime movie I have seen. Amazing details in the animation, excellent original story. Seriously if you're in doubt about seeing it at cinema, do yourself a favour and book to see it if they are doing more shows in your area.

If Anime ltd are doing an ultimate edition they have a buyer right here.
 
Konosuba

Yet to see the oav, but in general, this was consistently a pleasant surprise. I didn't bother with it at all when it was airing as I thought it just looked like generic fantasy nonsense timed to cash in on the popularity of Re:Zero, but I had no idea it was played as a straight up comedy instead. I thought it occasionally came across as mean spirited in some of Kazuma's exchanges with his party and I felt it peaked a little sooner than expected (succubus brothel was not all I'd hoped for, tbh), but this was easily the funniest series I've seen in a long time. Keen for second season.

Your Name

Yes yes, I've been a terrible stick in the mud; this is a very good film and I'm glad I went to see it. I don't think it necessarily has a lot of weight to it (maybe it's just a matter of how much you connect with it emotionally?) but in terms of execution, it's very hard to fault. I do slightly wonder if Shinkai is making a conscious effort to court a wider audience, as this really isn't what I would have expected from one of his films at all. It's clearly informed by his past work, but it's also far funnier and more upbeat than I was expecting.

In all honesty, my initial reaction is that it's the greatest film Mamoru Hosoda never made - it seems like exactly what Hosoda's been groping for over the past ten years, but never quite manages to achieve. That is probably doing Shinkai a disservice though - in terms of his filmmaking, he is no more Hosoda than he is Miyazaki. In any case, I'm tempted to go back and re-watch his earlier films, see if my feelings have changed any.
 
The Red Turtle: Review (2016, Film)
It’s rare to see a film that both respects and trust the audience, a film devoid of exposition or a big grandiose plot, like the protagonist of the film itself, The Red Turtle exists in isolation, daring to swim against the tides and in doing so drifts to the upper echelon of animated films. The Red Turtle, a silent masterpiece that within its silence has more to say than its contemporaries.
QIXVhxo.jpg
Pyf7Ser.jpg

The first Studio Ghibli co-production, beckoned by the familiar but slightly different splash screen at the start of the film, this time the ever so lovable woodland spirit shrouded in a red background instead of the blue one that we’ve all become accustomed to over the last 30 years, still serving the same purpose as it had in the past, signalling the kind of film that the audience is in for, a film that is beautiful to look at, captivating to listen to, one that is delicate in its depictions of nature and appreciative of every second that the audience spends with it. Indeed The Red Turtle is a gorgeous film in more ways than one and this hand drawn wonder dazzles from the very first frame. It’s instantly recognizable that The Red Turtle looks a little different to the in-house Ghibli films of old, from the characters beady eyes to even the way in which the characters move, which makes sense since the characters in The Red Turtle are CG models which affords them with more nuanced and intricate movements. As weird as it may sound, The Red Turtles European roots are instantaneously apparent at first glance. Everything within this hand drawn/CG hybrid film looks detailed in ways the standard Ghibli film doesn’t, representing a more true to life take on its visuals, be it the ever changing clouds in the sky or the foliage that decorates the island. At the same time, what I noticed was a remarkable level or restraint being demonstrated with the visuals and cinematography and what I mean by this is the fact that every frame displays the bare necessities in order to create a sense of place whilst still feeling both palpable and real.
xFZ2W51.jpg
wvFWNwy.jpg

The forest is detailed with foliage for example, but only one type of vegetation at a time, such as bamboo. The framing and composition within The Red Turtle is minimalist in approach, often exaggerating and focusing on the huge blue sky, the grainy sand, the ocean and the horizon on which the two meet in the far, unreachable distance. The juxtaposition of the detailed leaves and foliage and the plainness and flatness of many scenes conjure up a sense of simplicity that is often not felt in animated films. It’s a delicate line to walk but the two complement each other effortlessly here. Simplicity is a fantastic descriptor of The Red Turtle, but simple doesn’t mean devoid of any depth or nuance.
LEYBpyb.jpg
zGuKK8U.jpg


hD2Adht.jpg
j8u9D2G.jpg

What makes this film special is the lack of dialogue and this matched with the lack of nuanced facial expressions brings forth an interesting proposition. The Red Turtle is a tightly knit, efficient film, one devoid of distractions and the lack of voice acting plays into this. A criticism that I have noticed from people in regards to this film is the observation that this film lacks real drama and thus any real motivation to care about its cast or its world. What’s interesting about The Red Turtle, and what surprised me about my experience with it was the fact that, indeed this film is one that lacks tension or any real crescendo, something that I didn’t expect going in. Although people’s opinion on this will differ from person to person I would hesitate to call it a negative trait, because although I can understand just why this may not resonate with many audiences, it may be the strongest aspect of this film for me. The Red Turtle is not a film about survival like many other films surrounding a castaway, from the offset it becomes apparent that the main character in this film is self-sufficient and able to survive on the island. The audience quickly discovers how he catches his food, where he sleeps and finds shelter, and so what you have instead is a film about a man’s relationship with nature and when you look at The Red Turtle from this angle you quickly begin to understand how it fits into the Studio Ghibli catalogue. While watching The Red Turtle, I felt as if I was observing a person rather than watching a movie, not much really happens and yet I felt captivated, unable to draw my eyes away from the screen. A vast majority of The Red Turtle is depicted at a distance which supplements the notion of this being a film in which you observe nature. The Red Turtle is a film that chooses not to speak directly to the audience both figuratively and literally as Director Michaël Dudok de Wit builds a sandbox and allows the main character to roam and interact with the very nature that surrounds him. Events take place within this film that conjure up a sense of tension however I found that these scenes played out in ways that yet again are intended to be passively observed rather that encouraging active participation from the audience. For 80 minutes, like the main character himself you find yourself stranded on an island, devoid of distractions, instead absorbing everything.
AGdAcV6.jpg
poouugx.jpg


8f0IA2r.jpg
g2PgVa7.jpg

By spending a vast majority of the run-time observing the island, it too becomes a character, ever changing and evolving. The Red Turtle very much like every Ghibli film that precedes it is without a doubt a film about nature and man’s relationship with it and so treating the island with the same level of respect that graces the main protagonist is fitting and appropriate. The level of detail applied to the chiaroscuro of the island for one is admirable with efforts placed to even the minutest of shadows that decorate the island. Lighting and shadows play a key role in allowing the viewer to gain bearing on the many characteristics that define the island, for example due to the way that the sea is animated in The Red Turtle the depth and clarity of the water can sometimes only be inferred by the shadows that the floating objects cast onto the sea bed. Similarly the state of the water and its calmness is often defined by the reflections cast onto it. Like within de Wit’s previous shorts he utilities shadows and lighting in order to define the weather and the time of day by playing with the contrast, width and length of the shadows that are cast onto the environment and so as The Red Turtle progresses these conditions change naturally thanks to the carefully considered natural color pallets used which adapt handily to the changing surroundings, from the vibrant stretches of day to the grey nights. These variations of lighting that embellish the sky as days turn into nights make for incredible scenes that are haunting in their beauty and striking in their simplicity.
BkFmZf2.jpg
RMh2OBX.jpg


GU4nMFV.jpg
DVASRe3.jpg

What I noticed a lot while admiring the visuals for The Red Turtle was the fact that even at its most static, during the quiet moments, everything still has motion to it. The garments on the main character ripples in the wind, the clouds slowly drift across the sky amidst the long establishing shots and what this does is inject a sense of life into everything. The textured canvas and charcoal lines adhere to the minimalist guidelines set forth by de Wit’s previous shorts Father and Daughter and Le Moine Et Le Poisson. The aforementioned shorts however rely on the audience in order to fill in the blanks due to their more abstract and flat visuals, utilizing sketches with uneven strokes, evocative of the kind of penmanship seen in calligraphy and ukiyo-e paintings from the Edo period, not unlike the aesthetic utilized for Takahata’s highly lauded masterpiece The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. The Red Turtle on the other hand goes for a more realistic look, resembling the works of Georges Prosper Remi, a style that director de Wit has utilized in the past on commercials such as this one for United Airlines. As mentioned previously and unlike his previous works, the characters in The Red Turtle have discernible faces, however as I also mentioned these designs are nondescript and simplistic and this coupled with the lack of dialog means that emotions are conveyed to the audience through body language, gestures and motion but also through lighting, composition and music which often provides a voice for the character. Speaking of visual composition, what I found interesting was the use of perspective and like de Wit’s previous work each frame is kept simple and uncluttered with characters and objects positions being used as a means of providing bearing and perspective for the viewer. A vast majority of the film is shot from an isometric angle and so often the only thing filling up the screen real estate is the sand and so de Wit uses the characters and objects positioning as a means to define space and orientation in frames that are also evocative of ukiyo-e paintings but also has the added benefit of obscuring objects outside of the frame that helps disorient the viewer and creates the effect of making the island look a lot bigger due to the viewer’s restricted perspective in these shots. The Red Turtle is a visually gorgeous film which looks as beautiful in motion as it does in stills with the fantastic uses of colors conjuring up dreamlike images. The Red Turtle is de Wit’s minimalism refined to a point that is almost devoid of imperfections.
y7DaLVl.jpg
QyznmPN.jpg


X8SaZe3.jpg
hUnEY59.jpg

Although The Red Turtle is removed of words, you still hear the characters breathe, grunt, gasp and exclaim and likewise the sounds of waves crashing against one another haunts the audience. The music is equally haunting in its beauty, adding an emotional depth to each scene whilst also providing a voice for the main character and his thoughts and feelings.
0DyM8e0.jpg
gRMmQQy.jpg


Even though The Red Turtle is a film in which not much happens, I still felt constantly stimulated by both by the rich, sharp and detailed images and the ambiance that the sound provides. It’s a beautiful, well-crafted film that combines everything de Wit has done up until this point refined to almost perfection, culminating into a tour de force that is a breath of fresh air. The Red Turtle is simply, beautiful.

9/10
 
Back
Top