Scalpelexis

And even though it was following an upward trend, this episode went back on the ice. You can't root for Mr. Detective and his lady, even though the creators are trying to push us to do so with the force of a locomotive. And by sheer coincidence, the lady boss starts acting and doing nothing so that suddenly everything can fall out of their totally ice-sure slingshots and everyone has the opportunity to turn their backs on her. Lazy.

[Season 1] After watching the first season and reading some of the comments, I can see why the ratings are so far apart. JoJo is a bible of macho shōnen that takes its mainstays to absolute extremes: Eccentrically (un)dressed posing upstarts, WTF absurd twists and turns (where the other side is totally surprised, only to quickly figure out how it all happened), pathos-infused battle monologues par excellence where pride and friendship as qualities basically tower above all others. Like believing lies the bigger they get, I often had trouble distinguishing (especially in the first half) when we were going for level 100 seriousness or making the biggest joke and totally satirizing the genre. I came to the conclusion that the first storyline with the boring, morally uptight Jonathan Joestar is just that, an attempt at epicness mixed with seriousness, a style that not only clearly rubbed me the wrong way but was even painful. Sure, it laid the necessary groundwork for the JoJo saga, and we witnessed the birth of one of the most iconic shōnen bastards, but playing it off as anything more without a shred of gray matter never works. I was downright irritated by the dusty, constantly incompetently addled Speedwagon character, who was only there in order to constantly call out radio-announcer style "JoJoooo!". The spasmodic first half was more than made up to me by the arrival of the new generation of JoJos, Joseph Joestar. Unlike the principled Jonathan, Joseph is a charming circus clown who is at times duller than lead, only to subsequently pull out comically creative solutions to the most convoluted situations. Adding to the already rather lightweight Indiana Jones mood is Joseph's sympathetic rivalry with his pompous sidekick Caesar and, most importantly, the sublime performance of Joseph's voice actor, Tomokazu Sugita. "OH MY GOD!" is meme-legendary nowadays, and I can't think of a better version of "NANI?!" than from here (all culminating in a hilarious Roman restaurant scene). The joke-filled second half is legitimately more entertaining, and my low threshold of tolerance for the genre has been successfully displaced by the frequent laughs. I won't deny that the lameness of the fights and the frequent shouting has somehow improved, but the story is still as hollow and predictable as an episode of Ulice, although the pompous musical score with its almost disco-like colorization is at least original. It's not worth another installment for my part, but at least I didn't leave as crestfallen as I initially thought. 3 stars

The revelation of one of the biggest possible points/the secret of the identity of the main engineer in Episode 1 was uncharacteristically disappointing; it had been something to work with. The protagonist did not engage me at all.

What doesn't kill us liquefies us, and when you call into the pond, the pond echoes back. At around the same time as Weathering with You we get another "liquid" romance. Despite the very common centrality of water, which both films are lovingly occupied with (but here more in the form of preparing coffee), Yuasa has chosen a viewpoint that is purely optimistic in times that by contrast are considerably gloomy and in a setting more limited both in terms of spatial size and number of characters. The first 1/3 or so successfully sells happiness and good cheer, artfully building the main versatile couple's relationship (finally it's not about keychains and mall dates), and while I have reservations about Minato (he comes across as the default smiling robot, walking encyclopedia of goodness, all-powerful), I'm rooting for their love like crazy. Less to my liking was the middle section, where I won't deny a decent amount of creativity and charm, but the constantly resonating main mission a) grates b) doesn't come across as very strong, we get a tape stuck on one song, and one character invincibly ignores an unfortunate condition in exchange for top form in the "sour lemon" profession (magically switching to the opposite at the end). The ending improved my impression as, despite its deus ex machina and prescience, it's still magically abstract, and even I rode my wave in satisfaction, thanks mainly to the amazing final water sequence. Overall, however, the film is especially rich in those positive colors, and despite Yuasa's classically simple artwork, his world has a picturesque quality, accompanied by a fittingly younger generation’s soundtrack. I won't peg it as a unique experience, but it's a fine one-and-done to lift the mood on a rainy day. Getting warmer, getting warmer! A weak 4 stars

As I personally wasn't blown away by Shinkai's previous highly successful work, I approached Weathering with You with a reserved attitude thanks to the reactions around me, and probably enjoyed the film more than I would have expected because of that. Where anime manages to captivate me with an unrecognized intensity compared to other styles is in those beautiful, sweeping images with breathtaking detail and harmony. I would rechristen Shinkai the best anime documentarian because his worlds are breathtakingly captivating, perversely perfect, meticulously scripted, and to the satisfaction of us all, he doesn't want to stop for a moment! There isn't a scene where the camera doesn't, at least for a moment, pan to the drops on the windowsill or turn the clouds into a woozy model. The whole film is drenched with water in all its various states from beginning to end, until I forgot what was actually happening on the screen. And perhaps good for Shinkai, because while he's a very capable director, on the other hand he's an incredibly stubborn screenwriter. The story had a solid, weighty beginning and was sailing along until we encounter the main element of Shinkai's classic magical realism: the main couple's relationship interwoven with a dose of the supernatural. The "happy" part didn't brim with any deeper substance and failed to buy me enough. There's not enough smiling and sunshine being doled out, the other characters' side stories don't have the strong grounding and continuity with the main one that I would have liked, and then when it comes to resolving that oh-so-unhealthily over-plotted conclusion and denouement, it has all the pull of an engine running at half speed. I liked the idea of using Hina's powers, but this plus was more than outweighed by the over-repeated allusions to age, which ultimately felt like more of a hindrance than the cranky weather. We're not on supernatural levels, are we, so why, why? The conclusion was a decent smattering of odd decisions by several characters, so I appreciated the finish afterwards in the form of a return to magical scenes to soothe the soul. For this alone, I'd recommend Shinkai leave the script to someone else, as it's the last (and huge) march to the very top for me. Oof. And I'm going to pat myself on the back for managing to comment on this without comparing it to the very similar Your Name. A weaker 4 stars. Tokyo is scary

[Watched 1 episode, first impressions] Hoho, this was more fun than I expected! Imagine a bored James Bond who has unlimited capital but very limited empathy. Honestly, in real life I would never get along with such a person, but on the anime screen I give him the green light 24/7 and just go crazy! Because not only does Daisuke look terrifyingly good (#nohomo), his breach of universal rules looks as elegant and simple as smoking a cigar. Not to mention he is dubbed exceptionally well. His sidekick will play his balancing moral counterpart, and I believe they both have stories to tell from their heavily influential pasts. Aside from the yucky CGI cars, it's got some awesome audiovisuals, the music in particular has real oomph. I'll be keeping an eye out for future episodes.

Commentary on Part 1: You just have to accept that things will most likely slow down and calm down after an awesome treatment like we got in the 2nd and 3rd seasons. Except that I hadn’t imagined it that way. The first half of the series is safely the worst thus far of an otherwise excellent anime. Kageyama's training camp has a little something going for it (which is pretty much because of Kageyama himself), and I didn't need the gift of prophecy to figure out that all those national team candidates will one day be on the other side of the net as Karasuno makes his way deeper into the tournament. Let's remember what makes Haikyu!! so great: In its best parts it serves up suspense, action, and even here and there a funny moment. It's as if there was no trace of these attributes in the parallel Hinata storyline; he himself doesn't undergo any more complex development himself, time simply stops completely for a few episodes except for suffering Hinata's obnoxiousness. In the second half, thank goodness we get back into game rhythm! I'll make a fist now and then, give a chuckle now and then, and that's what I want from Haikyuu!!!. Graphically, I found the previous series cleaner and more playful, here I can feel slightly sloppy sequences, but nothing that spoils an otherwise good impression. We've got the weakest season behind us, but the next one promises to make up for it properly. 4 stars / Commentary on Part 2: I'm getting more and more uncertain feelings from this, and I feel like I've reached the stage where Haikyuu!!! can't bring me anything new. This doesn't necessarily mean anything negative, but the enthusiasm with which I devoured more and more episodes of the previous season is outta there. Not only do I expect that the boys from Karasuno are simply good and if by chance they don't win, they'll at least play an even game. The problem is that one of the main assets of the series has turned into a liability. As Haikyuu!!! has managed to portray even the opposing players sensitively and commendably, and has given almost every single one of them at least a hint of a unique soul, we've accumulated too many of these characters on the set in the meantime, and I'm losing my natural interest in following the history of the 3rd alternate opponent in the second round. Unfortunately, the anime stubbornly clings doggedly to fully introducing all of the characters, and unfortunately does so sadistically right in the middle of a game. The viewer all horny for volleyball action must painfully delay his "climax" until it starts getting downright annoying, plus there are more than a few scenes that are more than a little static. Towards the end, following the established templates, we get things up and running again, the tension of the game could literally be cut with a knife, except that due to the disjointed beginning I am a bit more distant towards Kageyama & Co., because we are still too much devoted to the feelings of our opponents and thus I cannot enjoy the game woes and delights of our heartthrob champions fully. Even animation-wise, it's not quite right: the body proportions cease to be proportional and instead become slightly flatter, and for the sake of the series I won't comment on the ultimate graphical fiasco of Episode 2. Overall, I can't shake off much of the bland aftertaste and unfulfilled satisfaction that, by this point, this brand has rather guaranteed. We'll see if it gets better. A weak 4 stars

[Watched 1 episode, drop] That time I got reincarnated as a pervert furry. Anime about murder games are still all the rage, and Gleipnir contains other unflattering qualities similar to other predecessors: characters less likable than a wasp's nest consisting of a loser and a psycho that couldn't outwit noodle soup. The manga's author focuses a lot on greedy female fan service (suicide with your shirt unbuttoned?) and it indeed... turning into a giant stuffed animal with a revolver in its pocket? Huh?

[First impressions] After Vinland Saga, I was looking forward to another anime set in Europe. With a setting and protagonist akin to Akari in The Animation, as opposed to the aforementioned gondolier in Neo-Venice, young Arte struggles to make it as a painter in Florence in an era when ladies were allowed to pursue the field as no more than a form of pastime. The slight feminist undertones are understandable, but what bothers me are the typical shōnen elements. While Arte is pleasantly passionate and single-minded, she acts a bit like a clown without any reasonable self-reflection on the possible consequences of her decisions. I'm also a little uncomfortable with the typical Japanese characteristics of medieval European behavior, such as bowing with arm sweeps and/or phrases like: "I look forward to working with you!". I was hoping for something similar to Nodame Cantabile, since Arte is a bit reminiscent of Nodame, but it looks like this anime will stick to a slightly more lighthearted storyline. Edit after the last episode: First of all, my apologies to Jeoffrey for spoiling the show with my comment :-) About halfway through, I sadly thought I'd take one more star off Arte's rating not only for the inane attempt at romance, the repetitive jokes on account of Arte's antics, but mostly for the heavy wallowing in the "One Thousand and One Problems of Women in a Man's World" theme. I understand women had it tough at the time, but at the very least, the viewer expects the plot to use this ethical issue to build and nurture a payoff. Wrong. Arte doesn't use the gift of opportunity to sell female ingenuity or creativity to overcome those obstacles; instead, she tragicomically reverts back to the fundamental idea: just be a man. Fortunately, Arte picks up by the second half, and even though it doesn't devote itself much to art, it starts serving up relatively sweet stories about interpersonal relationships that, while lacking a lot of depth, are moving (the 10th episodes always tend to be the best). When all is said and done, not much happens; everything is actually nice, everyone is nice in the end, and everyone understands what’s right at the most important moments. Relatively adequate for a less intellectual relaxing movie. For 3 stars.

For me it was better than the first season. We received a decent sketch of what could be called a "story". Instead of the overblown action with no backing from season 1, we turned it inside out and pondered, pondered, explained, wove webs, whispered, and dusted off the books. This wouldn't have compromised my enjoyment and reason if it hadn't taken too long and if they hadn’t needed to "savor" the tedium of Alucard and Belmont's childish horseplay and Dracula's tormented anguish racked by indecision, whether they wanted to or not. It all fits together and makes sense, I’m not saying it doesn't, but from episode 2 onwards I felt like I knew exactly how it was going to play out and what was going to happen. The foreshadowing in place culminates in an excellent, action-packed penultimate episode, realizing our wet dreams and fulfilling our longed-for expectations. The fight scenes in Castlevania are TOP: The choreography is extremely creative, the script is brimming with ideas on how to use the heroes' and villains' abilities, and it's all wrapped up in exclusive graphics. The impression is slightly dragged down by the unnecessary last episode, where I was asking myself questions like: "What? Another season? But it’s over, Isn’t it?". I really liked the main trio, led by the pleasantly likable Sypha and the less sleepy Belmont compared to the first one. Overall, it's not that glorious, with good passages interspersed with bad, less action than we'd like, and too much yawning even for the prime minister. "Why can't I talk to him?" "Because you've never met anything you didn't immediately kill, fuck, or make a boat out of."