Jeoffrey

Sure, the mecha genre is not exactly my cup of tea, even though I thought this show was pretty good. I also think Gun Sword is a bit worse than Trigun, although certainly not that much worse. The "Planet of Endless Illusion" setting is unique; I like the characters, and the atmosphere is also quite good. The narrative is a typical "revenge tale" with not much happening until about the eleventh episode, and there are stand-alone episodes. However, "Claw" (i.e., the man with a clawed right hand) and his crew start to get the show a lot more interesting. The narrative begins to build more. We find out more about Van's backstory, the motivations of the various adversaries, and other rogues, and it is quite an interesting ride. So this is a pretty respectable show. 7/10.

I enjoyed The Empire of Corpses a lot in terms of its animation and soundtrack, despite the fact it had a really peculiar narrative. Sure there is an alternate reality, it is a science-fiction movie, and it is once again an assortment of all sorts of characters and myths, and they are trying to find answers to some important questions. Dr. Watson longs to find out what the nature of the soul is and how to return it to the animated body of his friend, whom he has named Friday for purely practical purposes. There are two bad guys, each with a very odd motivation, although one is somewhat understandable. Anyway, throughout the movie, I struggled with what is this soul, what is right and wrong, and the answers I got are so, well, mediocre. There is quite a lot going on in the two-hour running time; there are many action scenes and zombies. Still, I find it kind of disjointed, too convoluted, and frankly peculiar. In conclusion, I think it is a quite interesting science-fiction movie, and I probably got the point of its narrative even though somehow I did not fall for it, and it did not impress me. 6/10.

"Nothing special happened, just the usual..." Well, that is not true at all because this is a thoroughly unusual, crazy, and in every way original production. It is a coming-of-age story where older girls are a very big deal to twelve-year-old boys, and love is a very complicated thing. It has a narrative set against a backdrop so crazy that you simply sit with eyes wide open, waiting to see what Naota Nandaba comes up with next. The narrative has such a great pace that it did not let me stop to catch my breath for a minute. The characters are great; I thought Haruko and Mamimi were cool, and Naota's classmate was interesting too. I had never seen such an original collection of great female protagonists before, and I quickly fell in love with them. Furthermore, the sultry vibes and sexual tension between the girls and Naoto were good! The comedy element was great, unpredictable, and also original. I also thought the soundtrack was awesome, I love live music of this kind, and it suited this show perfectly. So, in conclusion, there is a lot going on, and I enjoyed it immensely. 9.4/10.

In his original work She and Her Cat, Makoto Shinkai managed to cram a profound, very powerful, and sometimes even gloomy narrative about the relationship between a girl and her cat into a few minutes. The black and white animation suited this beautifully, and the short running time helped create a very powerful experience. Fifteen years later, this narrative has been resurrected, and this adaptation is animated by LidenFilms Kyoto animation studio. They have managed to come up with a similarly profound narrative about the same subject matter. However, it is not as intense because of the longer running time. Because of the pleasant colors and filters, even the bleakest moments do not seem nearly as gloomy as Makoto Shinkai’s original work. However, if I take it only as a tribute to Makoto Shinkai and an elaboration of his original ideas, then it is not bad at all. It has got a suitable atmosphere, it flows along nicely, and there are even some trains for Makoto Shinkai's liking. Certainly, the original production is unique. However, even this version is also pretty good, in my opinion. 6.5/10.

Mitsudomoe is cute and funny too. It is also quite silly, the characters are interesting and very original considering they are young girls, the stories can also be entertaining sometimes, and the opening is good. Generally, it has most of the attributes I like in an anime series. Still, if I were a hormone-ridden fifteen-year-old teenager, I would be having the time of my life. However, when you are middle-aged, you expect a lot more from entertainment than just constant bawdy blue jokes, double entendres, and perversion, so even though I sometimes felt entertained, I am afraid I will quickly forget what I saw. The final impression of this show is only going to be slightly better than average. 6,3/10.

Judging by the first few minutes, it seemed like a James Bond-style version of the movie The Nut Job. I can neither confirm nor deny that, though, because I could not tolerate more than fifteen minutes of it. The animation is ugly; the animals are weird and too human-like looking, making them unattractive and not very watchable. The whole thing is way too colorful; it hurts your eyes. Also, the trees are pink! I have nothing against pink. However, there is so much of it in places it is scary. The main male protagonist is supposed to look really cool, and I guess this whole thing is supposed to be awfully cool too. However, I found it awkward, and it just did not work for me. The dialogue also had a really scary "quality", at least in the first few minutes I saw. I could not stand it, and if I had given it a few more minutes, I guess I would have just had to give it a pass because I have not seen anything this obnoxious in a long time. Even that stupid movie called Agent F.O.X. I saw recently seems a little less ridiculous than this. The only thing that was not completely tragic was the soundtrack and the opening credits, which looked like something out of the Pink Panther movies, or at a push, the James Bond movies. If I had to rate it, it would be on the borderline of BOO! and one star; however, since I stopped being tortured in time, I am not going to rate it.

The action scenes in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 4 - From the Memories of Hatred are quite passable. However, the twists are not as surprising as in the previous installment, and the whole thing seems quite strange in places, especially the revolution and various betrayals. I think it is a little too convoluted, albeit still pretty decent. 7.5/10.

When Julius Kingsley turned up in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 3 - The Brightness Falls, he seemed pretty damn familiar, and now that his true identity has been revealed, the true fan in me has awakened, and I have to award that last star. The funny thing is I did not recognize his entourage at all, even though the boy still looks the same; well, it had been a long time since I had seen the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime series. Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 3 - The Brightness Falls was the weakest episode from this movie series in terms of action (there is hardly any). The beginning, which was about life among elderly Gypsy women, is really quite boring. However, I understand that a bunch of main protagonists have to "make friends" somehow. However, I liked the politicking in the second half a lot, all the plot twists were interesting, and most of all "His Highness" was there, so I am very satisfied. Otherwise, for those like me who did not know, the five-part movie series takes place exactly between the original Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion's first two seasons. 9/10.

There is a bit more action going on in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled - Episode 2 The Torn-Up Wyvern, and the narrative starts to unravel, so it is even a bit better than the first movie. 8/10.

Well, I cannot claim yet that this is going to be as big as the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime series, even though, on the other hand, it seems like it is just a teaser so far, introducing us to the characters, setting and hinting at the storyline. As for the setting, I would honestly rather watch the conflict from the other side because, for some reason, I like Britain a lot more than the EU. So I would rather watch the "Holy Britannian Empire" gradually take over the world in this show, and I would love to hear my favorite lines like "Yes, Your Highness" and "Yes, Your Majesty" once again, although what can you do? Despite that, the setting is still just awesome, with the conflict between two world powers, where England is part of the EU and the enemy referred to as Britannia is actually all of America, including a substantial portion of Russia (yes, there is no mention of America, even though its colors are very clear on the map in the opening). All this creates a very interesting backdrop. The characters are not bad either; Akito comes across as a strong and capable MC with a dark past that has taken a toll on his psyche, so he comes across as a bit of a nutcase in fights and a bit of a cold dude at other times. I can relate to this, so I am happy for now. The main female protagonist is not very remarkable so far, although I expect the girl to be revealed more in the next episodes and not seem so uninteresting. Oh, and, on the Britannia side, there is once again someone who has a "Geass"  and for that alone, I felt a certain excitement that makes me want to tackle the next episode. The animation is good, apart from all the CGI mecha. However, even that is pretty easy to watch, so the show is above average in that respect too. It is a good start to the movie series, so hopefully, it is not going to go wrong in the next part. 7.4/10.