Jeoffrey

New and modern adaptations of well-known anime series are rarely successful these days. There are always going to be fans of the original anime or manga series who will claim that the new adaptation is significantly worse. When it comes to Kino's Journey, unfortunately, this new adaptation is not very good when compared to the original. The animation is not as pleasant, and the use of CGI is once again detrimental to the look of the show. The soundtrack does not convey the atmosphere as well as it did in the first anime series. The magical atmosphere that fans loved is simply gone. However, is it really such a big deal? The narratives are still reasonably well thought out and almost always surprising in some way. The dialogues between Kino and Hermes are pretty endearing. I found both of these characters and also Shizu and his group attractive. Perhaps I should have been irritated or angry that they made a magical anime series into something like this. However, from the deluge of shows I have seen, it is still at least an average or slightly above average anime series, in my opinion, because of the narratives, characters, and a few really great moments. Indeed, for an anime series like this, just an above average rating is not good enough, and for me, it is disappointing in itself that I feel that way about it. However, it is not going to get any better than 6/10. If I wanted to give it a worse rating, I would have to go and re-evaluate a large number of other anime series I have already seen. This is because I have seen a lot worse than the new adaptation of Kino's Journey.

This movie is sensitively filmed, with an excellent soundtrack and nice animation. The fact that the author draws on his own experiences and has revealed a lot gives this short movie a certain vibe, and even without words, it manages to say quite a lot. This movie is one man’s tribute to friends and family. At the same time, it portrays someone struggling with his life and sexual orientation, a common subject matter and not so shocking in these days of political correctness. However, in this movie, it is portrayed in a very human and relatable way. Even for a person who is by no means someone who looks for this subject matter, it is entirely understandable and believable. 8/10.

There is not much bath fan service considering it is a narrative concerning a spa, certainly much less than I would have expected, and personally speaking, I am happy with that. There is a lot of cuteness, and perhaps it is sometimes way too forced and too much, in my opinion. Surprisingly, I thought the show worked much better when dealing with various incidents with the gods and other people than when the girls were dealing with their problems or being cute with each other. Still, it is an enjoyable show that someone like me (i.e., a person with a thing for cute things and cute animated girls) found it pleasantly relaxing and occasionally put that satisfied smile on my face that is the measure of quality when it comes to this concept. 7/10.

Initially, this looked like it would be just another show full of nonsense with characters endlessly fighting against some strange aliens from outer space. At one point, I was in the mood to drop it, give it one star for the effort and properly have a go at the irritating mascot Fried Shrimp, which really wound me up. However, then came the first surprise, which I had not expected at all. It caught my attention as I did not really expect there to be a "plot twist" actually. However, quite surprisingly, the originality and creativity of the show started to come through, and I began to get really into it. I felt that the outcomes of the main protagonists were understandable. It is sometimes a futile job to create something that is original and is not simply a copy or repetition of someone else's work, and I myself, as a writer, also struggle with issues around creativity and plagiarism quite often. I sometimes wonder if my work makes sense, who I am doing it for, what I expect from it, etc. So actually, this whole subject matter has been quite close to my heart at times. Moreover, there was one more surprise at the very end, which made me quite happy. In other words, there was another unexpected "plot twist," and so the last fight scenes and the denouement, which again had too much of that stupid Fried Shrimp, did not really bother me anymore. The plot twist is why I cannot rate this production negatively, even though the show has a lot of shortcomings. I could write about how they are very obvious; however, I do not want to, because you can really see the show's originality and creativity (especially in the second half of the season). 5/10.

At first, I thought this show was based on an interesting idea, and at one point, I got to thinking how I was going to react; however, that is about it. The melodrama inadvertently became a comedy, and I had the urge to laugh at almost every death. I sometimes could not hold myself together, even in the most intense situations. Well, when I was not laughing, I was putting my head in my hands or shaking it and wondering WTF I was watching. The show features a unique collection of bullshit, stuff that just does not make any sense at all, and moments that left my sanity reeling. However, the show is also extremely stupid in places that (as SonGokussj said in his review) you want to see more and see if anything else could beat it. I am not going to award it BOO!, even though, rationally speaking, it was rubbish most of the time. In addition, there is the fact that it should irritate me that this is meant to be a serious drama and horror movie. However, on the other hand, I did have fun at times, even if it was degenerate and low-brow entertainment because you should not laugh at someone else's stupidity. 2/10.

Even for me, this is just a mediocre show. You can tell it was produced by the same mangaka behind Gantz. However, this show does not surpass Gantz in terms of having an interesting narrative, characters, or anything else. It does not even get close. The main protagonist is entirely true to form, going nowhere, Mr. Inuyashiki failed to elicit any strong affinity from me. Of course, Hiro is the more interesting character, losing himself in himself and trying to develop. His internal struggle is probably one of the most interesting things going on in this show. However, unfortunately, this is not dealt with in any extremely dramatic or well-executed way either, so Hiro’s character did not really impress me that much, and I guess I will soon forget all about him. Next, I read an opinion about how this show makes the subject matter of redemption interesting. Simply put, what needs to be done in order for society to forgive a person. Speaking for myself, I have to say that I do not find the way the show portrays that as interesting or surprising in any way. The answers I got in this regard were perfectly clear and expected. To sum up, I did not find Inuyashiki a thrilling spectacle because the things that were supposed to be gripping were done for effect, and the rest was too predictable. 5.5/10.

This show features a mediocre battle royale-style killing game, even though it loses any sense of suspense because of its concept, which reveals who is going to die next to the audience. So the only interesting thing about this show is probably the character’s individual narratives. However, only a few of them were memorable and had something about them. In a few months, I might have been able to come up with a rabbit, a monkey, a bull, and (clearly the best for me) a tiger. You could not say I found it boring, although I did not find it that entertaining either. So, in the end, this is a bland and unspectacular show worth 5/10.

For me personally, this was the best season of Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma so far, and I am looking forward to the follow-up. To cut a long story short, I finally got the whole Elite Ten Council! As a luxurious addition, a real bad guy turned up (with the voice of Aizen from Bleach to boot) who is charismatic, has a proper game-plan, and everything was starting to give the impression something was really starting to happen. While those previous seasons could be described as classic sports anime, where the central focus was food preparation, where we have individual competitions, a tournament, training, etc., in this season we finally get conflict, politics, and a clash of different approaches to cooking. It is just even more interesting than it was and still just as delicious and amusing. Once again, after each episode, I was left incredibly hungry. However, there is the suspense I was missing in the past. Personally speaking, I am completely satisfied, and so far, I do not have much to complain about. 9.5/10. EDIT 07.06.2019 - COMBINED WITH THE REVIEW FROM 25.06.2018 of Food Wars! The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc. The second part of the third series of Food Wars is once again very interesting and exciting. The conclusion is thrilling and has a taste of the big decider, and the competition with its few rounds is very good. However, it is clear that the future (the regular fourth) season will contain a lot of flashbacks, a lot of shokugeki and long monologues, and sizing up egos (even though people who like that really do exist, like me) and that this competition will be really long and probably drawn out (which in turn could turn some people off watching the next season). But back to the "Totsuki Train Arc." It was interesting to see how the main protagonists would cope with the tests that were set up so that they had no chance of passing them. Sometimes it is incredibly unrealistic and almost ridiculous how much the examiners tried to make it difficult for them. It was just too obvious how much the screenwriters tried their best to shock audiences with what the main protagonists have to overcome and, of course, shock with how original they ended up being. On the other hand, I did watch the interesting Yukihira x Hayama showdown. There was also a glimpse into the backstory of Yukihira's father and his generation, revealing the motivations of the main bad guy Nakamura. Anyway, apart from that, it is once again a classic, very tasty experience, and I had the urge to eat something myself while they were preparing food. There were some amusing moments when the judges consumed the food, and it was all wrapped up in decent animation and had a great soundtrack. I am not complaining, and for me, this anime series, especially as a lunchtime accompaniment (or just to whet my appetite before a meal), is a great and tasty experience. 9/10.

What started off as just a bunch of cheesy jokes and something I only watched because Susu was incredibly cute, I kept watching because the show gradually started to get better and show its strengths. The most substantial aspect, in my opinion, is the love stories. I found the idea of souls connecting, the way the couples reconnect, and how their backstory is revealed really good, and each of the narratives had its own charm. I started to enjoy watching some of the other characters as well, not just Susu. I am now looking forward to more in the future (the Chinese original manga is still going, so I hope there will be a second season). So, in the end, I was pleasantly surprised, and I could say that I found this anime series quite intriguing, and even though it had a lot of idiotic moments, there were an equal amount of strong and heartfelt ones. 6/10.

Despite holding out until the very end of the first season, I only saw hints of what I expected from this anime series in the last episode. This is an anime series about dancing and everything that goes with it. Dancing is said to have many expressions and forms; some dances are sublime, subdued, and beautiful; others are lively and sexy. However, in this show, all the dances look the same most of the time, lacking expression, movement, or any emotion. All we get are the barest amounts of dance sequences and then lots of slow-motion and dramatic expressions. The ​​dynamics are only illustrated, not demonstrated in most cases. In other words, the biggest problem with anime series about dancing is the performance of the dance itself most of the time, and I did not feel anything. The only way I learned anything was through the comments of others who were watching but not actually dancing. This felt weird because I did not notice and could not see the dancing the others were talking about at all. During practically every episode, the show reminded me of sports anime like Kuroko's Basketball and Haikyu!! etc., and of the fact that this concept does not really suit dancing at all. The dramatic expressions of the main protagonists and the insane (even though only illustrated) drive killed any elegance that I think dancing should have. If they had taken inspiration from Yuri!!! On ICE, where most of the figure skating numbers were engaging, magical, full of movement, emotion, and elegance, then it would have been an excellent anime series (even though they probably would not have been able to pull it off production-wise, because the animators would have been really incredibly busy). I would have then been satisfied at the very least. After all, even anime series like Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul had much (VERY MUCH) better, more heartfelt, and beautiful dance scenes. This is why I am at a loss; I have just watched a decent sports anime with a pretty average narrative and the main protagonist who visibly develops. Despite this, at the same time, I have also seen an anime series about dancing whose most significant weakness is dancing. So even though I finished the season, I did not feel anything except for a bit of a shiver at the very end (the last episode is quite good, in my opinion)! 5/10.