Jeoffrey

I like anime series about flirting and picking up girls with an interesting background story to add a layer of depth to all that dating. For example, all the seasons of The World God Only Knows so far have gotten 5 stars from me, and the show belongs to the best of this subgenre. The first season of Date a Live got me hooked too. The show revolves around likable girls and even the male protagonist, Shido, is quite nice. I found the whole concept of dating to save the world original and fun. The animation and music are also great. I really enjoyed the first season and I’m giving it a 7.5/10. The second season brings more of the same, which gets a bit boring at times. Fortunately, Kurumi more than makes up for this. I’m sure that anyone watching Date a Live instantly has a favorite character and waifu. Even those who have only heard of Date a Live know Kurumi!  It’s also clear to the writers that this girl has a lot of potential, which is why she has her own spin-offs. The second season gets a 7/10 from me. But there's a little problem. If I've already seen and identified the best girl of the series, what chance do the other girls have of attracting my attention and making me interested in their story? By the third season, I started noticing that it was basically the same thing over and over again, and the overall background story was unraveled with the speed of a tired slug. Plus, the third season probably has the least interesting new girls yet. It centers around Origami who I wasn’t all that crazy about in the first place. While there are hints and revelations concerning the main storyline, there’s hardly any suspense. Third season only gets a 5.5/10. By the fourth season, I was downright annoyed with the concept of the endless harem with a constant supply of new girls. Once Shido picks up his latest victim, he basically reduces her to an inconsequential character with only a couple of lines at most in the later episodes. The ensemble of girls trailing behind the protagonist seems unnatural, and they each get only a line or two in each episode to show that they’re still there. Even my favorite girls from the first two seasons have become mere shadows of what they used to be, just background characters, while the story moves on, adding more girls to the collection, who are subsequently also reduced to background characters. What I like about The World God Only Knows is that it knows how to work with this and brings each storyline to a satisfying conclusion in order to focus on the next one, with all the individual storylines adding to the larger point of the whole story. The first two-thirds of the fourth season were just plain boring (new facts about the powerful organizations don’t help it much, either), but Kurumi saves the day again. As if she knew what I'd been missing (the previous two new girls in this series are hardly as interesting as the ones from the first two seasons who have become inconsequential by now...). She's all "Ara, ara..." and sexier than all the other girls combined, who are just following the main character around. She finally lets us peek into her tragic past, shows us what she's been up to all along, and convinces everyone that she's simply the best waifu for the main character. The storyline about the First Spirit gets a “mighty big” surprise at the end, which was obvious to me right from the start because Aya Endō was hardly even trying to change her voice. Anyway, the last third improves my impression of the fourth season, and my overall rating of it is 5.5/10. The fifth season could be the last one. It's probably clear where things are going and who needs to be picked up now, and honestly, I’d be happy if it ended there.

I was never a fan of chibi collaborations that take characters from well-known shows and put them all together in a common setting, ideally, an ordinary high school, where they interact with each other and reference their original series. Or rather, I wasn't interested in this concept. I mean, I haven’t even seen Isekai Quartet yet, and I know all the characters and series that appear in it, and the isekai genre is currently closer to my heart than romantic dramas and visual novels from Studio Key. I wasn't originally planning on watching Kaginado, but I ended up enjoying it because the stories are witty and fast-paced, I know many of the characters, and even after all these years I still get most of the jokes and references. Even all the voice actors who have returned to their roles seem to be enjoying this series, as well as the writers, who are just playing around with all sorts of ideas. The first season gets a 6/10, the second was slightly better thanks to the arrival of the heroes from Angel Beats, and I’m giving it a 6.3/10. I'm glad to have watched Kaginado. It convinced me that I shouldn't dismiss projects like this. I might even give Isekai Quartet a try soon.

This anime relies on absurdity and conversational humor, a combination that can work well, but only if at least one of those things is actually funny, which is not the case here. While it felt like something out of Monty Python in terms of storytelling, the whole thing lacks energy and a greater depth. The absurdity does work in the sense that unexpected and crazy things happen, but there’s never a spark and it rarely makes you smile in spite of a good punchline. The conversational humor is unfortunately repetitive, so you know what to expect after a while, and Carla’s comebacks are no longer surprising or funny. I can't figure out if the writers were trying too hard here, or not at all, but a comedy that isn’t funny doesn’t deserve more than a 4/10 from me.

Honestly, I had mixed feelings about the first season, but Kaguya ages like a fine wine and it keeps on getting better with each new season. Ultra Romantic made the most of what it had been building up to during the previous episodes. It added something extra and delivered a finale that I'll fondly remember long after I’ve seen it. It took two seasons to convince me that the writers can work well with all the characters (and not just the main ones) and the third season keeps up this trend. In addition to the central couple and the wacky Fujiwara, there’s Ishigami and Iino again, whose stories and characters continue to develop in interesting ways. They are (newly) joined by Hayasaka and Tsubame. Even less important supporting characters have interesting things happening around them. To top it all off, the main storyline excellently builds up to a finely thought-out finale that fully deserves to be called Ultra Romantic. It wasn’t until the third season that I was fully convinced of the show’s exceptional romantic qualities. Yes, the first season already had a great moment in its finale, and the second season took it up a notch. However, the third season had so much romantic tension that you could cut it with a knife. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that I enjoyed to the fullest. In terms of romance, the finale is a 10/10. Plus, there was an increasing number of moments that had me laughing out loud. The fifth episode about rapping is the comedic top of the entire series so far, and probably the funniest episode in the entire spring anime season. Another thing I started noticing (with my increasing interest in Kaguya) was the awesome combination of different and original animation styles, filters, and movement... The animators did their best to sell every shot and emotion. I've only started appreciating it now (but better late than never). I'm curious about the next season. The manga is still running and the true fans who have read everything are saying that the quality doesn’t let up even after this peak, and there’s a lot to look forward to. Hopefully, they're right... Today's Battle Results: Kaguya wins! 9.3/10

Miss Kuroitsu from the previous season convinced me that this witty and entertaining Super Sentai parody/homage can be entertaining even for someone who doesn't know much about these shows and has never seen their appeal. Love After World Domination is enjoyable and imaginative, twisting some tired clichés of the superhero genre, and adding an original and sometimes unexpected look behind the scenes of the world of heroes and villains. This time, it also features romance in the form of forbidden love between arch-enemies. Super Sentai Romeo and Juliet! I like the main duo, Desumi is cute, and Fudo isn’t half bad either. Neither of them knows much about love because they haven't had much opportunity to experience it. It's sweet and slow, almost to the point of puppy romance, but it does move forward. It doesn’t fail to put a smile on your face and make you root for the characters. There are some good jokes regarding the Super Sentai setting and the constant effort to keep the forbidden relationship a secret from everyone. The romantic element spiced up the show and made me enjoy it even more than the already mentioned Miss Kuroitsu. 7.5/10

I'm not going to sugarcoat it - I really hate the Japanese concept of idols. To me, it's nothing more than a façade that’s trying to deceive you by showing you perfect people without flaws. I’m not buying this because everyone has their imperfections, and I find the concept of idols artificial and fake. I can never be sure that the person I'm supposed to look up to isn't a complete idiot, and the idol concept is set up in such a way that I'll never actually learn anything about the idol’s true self. It’s all just empty marketing phrases designed to fool the masses. I also don't like the limitations that there are in show business. You have no official personal life or love life, you simply belong to the fans. An agency controls everything about your public persona, the people you work with, what you do, and where you perform. Forget about privacy, freedom, and your own personality – these things are inconsequential and need to be suppressed as much as possible. What you get instead is a gilded cage, emptiness, falsehood, backstabbing, and unhealthy competition. Plus, it has become a cult in Japan, the fans are aware of their status, and all it takes is one jerk and nasty things can happen. This is why I try to avoid anime about idols. I have no desire to be fooled by how everything is presented as an amazing dream factory. I got sick of VTubers from Hololive for much the same reason. I started noticing certain social-pathological phenomena that are present in the idol industry. I am all the more surprised that this anime caught my interest and even made it to the end. It’s mainly owing to the likable and exuberant protagonist. She is a bit of a goofball, but she’s just the kind of positive person that you want to have around. She seems to energize everyone around her. Hiyori is simply a nice girl who has no relation to idols, but she has to get the hang of things and runs into all of the pitfalls of the industry that I mentioned. The show doesn't present the concept of idols as a walk in the park, but as a place full of problems that can be dealt with. The principles of the business still apply, but at least it doesn’t make me completely sick. Even smug and insufferable idols can actually become pretty cool guys with the right influence. This show is so well written that it managed to blunt the sharpest edges for me. There were even moments that I quite enjoyed. Unlike Hiyori, I'll probably never have admiration for idols, but there are moments when some of them might at least earn my respect. This show earned it for the clever and entertaining way it presented the whole thing. 6/10

I loved Komi-san in the second season, too. What this season has going for it is that the chemistry between Tadan and Komi works much better. I really appreciate that things are happening on the romantic level, too. The main character also gradually starts developing. Besides her amazing facial expressions, she utters a couple of shy words here and there, sometimes even a sentence, and I'm still rooting for her along with the whole school. However, the series also has one major issue that struck me during the first episodes of the second season, which is that it has too many supporting characters. The problem is that new ones keep on appearing because the main character wants to have a hundred friends, but this also means that many familiar characters end up taking a back seat (especially the driving force behind everything - Najimi). Only one in 10 or so new characters is actually good (and not just another one-dimensional cliché). Since the supporting characters are usually just one-dimensional, their interactions with the main characters are too repetitive and the show runs the risk of becoming boring. It hasn’t happened yet because more and more characters are added to the mix. They each bring something new. It’s usually something simple that will eventually blend in with the remaining ingredients, but at least something is happening. Can it go on like this indefinitely? Won’t the imaginary cup of minor characters overflow? The fact that the focus has shifted to the main couple, who are starting to move forward without help from outside influences (like Najimi in the first season) is something that might save the show from constantly having to come up with new characters. I trust the writers; they haven't let me down yet. Komi and co. are still fun for me to watch. 8/10

Let’s be honest, there’s nothing groundbreaking about this show. Those who see it as a cross between Overlord and Goblin Slayer are right for the most part. However, what makes this a great show in my view is the amount of fun Arc is having during his adventure. The hero of the story is an honest, valiant, and incredibly likable guy who takes unadulterated joy in every job well done and is generally glad to be there and enjoys every (even the smallest) fantasy surprise he encounters along the way. It's hardly a secret that when you see someone who is having fun and really enjoying themselves, you'll probably enjoy watching them too. Joy and enthusiasm are contagious. I not only liked the main character, but his whole crew as well. Some of the dialogue was quite hilarious, so, for example, you could say that the local elves were actually from Canada. I even like the mascot, Ponta, and the way the show was able to sell her to me. I’d even consider buying a Ponta plush toy if I saw it somewhere. The last episode and the final battle of the giant monsters seemed pretty epic and interesting, and it looked very nice animation-wise. Sure, the series has a lot of flaws. The story may not be very strong at the moment, but it definitely has the potential to be fleshed out thanks to all the plotting in the background. Most of the villains are poorly written. They’re just ordinary creeps with the same quality as the goblins I mentioned earlier. The repetitive rescuing of damsels in distress feels just as cheesy at times. What made me enjoy the show was the overall atmosphere and energy, mainly owing to the main character, and the fact that everything feels like a real adventure told with passion and a sense of humor. 7/10

I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting a little more creativity from a show about cute ghosts healing overworked and tired corporate slaves, at least in terms of fun. There’s no deeper level, the writers weren’t even trying, simple cuteness seemed to be good enough for them. Everything here is supposed to be kawai, and in every episode, a famous voice actor tells us exactly when it's supposed to be kawai, but it only works for me about half the time. There's also quite a bit of emotion, but it's often unnecessarily tearful without there being any actual drama. There's not much situational humor either. And there's also nothing to make your brain work too hard. It’s an uninspired cute show that you can relax with but without any therapeutic effect on my mind like the girls achieved with Shachiku. I just didn’t feel it. Honestly, even Senko-san, which has a similar concept, was much more entertaining and imaginative than these ghosts. Animation-wise, I found it kind of sloppy.  It was enough to make everything kawai, but I can't say I particularly enjoyed the colors and character designs. It's not a bad series – it can be relaxing to watch it after a hard day, or even before going to bed. It's just that, when you compare it to Kobayashi-san or Senko-san for instance, it is weaker in all respects. 5.2/10

I wish I could say I enjoyed Daimon and discovered a recipe for true happiness in it, but unfortunately, it didn't happen and it's largely Nagomu's fault. They say that in every man there is a child, but I guess there's not much else in the protagonist besides a child. All the time, I couldn’t help thinking that a 30-year-old man just wouldn’t act this way. What was worse, the show itself was aware of this, and everyone starting from the main character's father to the main female character, often found Nagomu just as annoying as I did. I just didn’t buy the chemistry between the main characters, which was based on the relentless Nagomu putting pressure on Itsuka and trying to get closer to her. I don't like it. It doesn't work for me in romantic comedies, just like it didn't work for me in this show where it was supposed to lead to a kind of father-daughter relationship. And yet Itsuka is nice. She is nicely portrayed as a young girl wanting to appear stronger but still trying to come to terms with the fact that her parents abandoned her. I had no problem understanding her and at times I almost felt sorry for her having to be the voice of reason speaking to a 30-year-old man. There were other things that struck me as childish and silly, including how the main character dealt with some of the problems that came his way. The show tried to convince me that Nagomu was successful with women. Given the fact that one of the girls couldn't even tell her parents what her lifelong dream was and the other one had already kind of broken up with the main character in the past - well, let’s just say that the female characters weren't the sharpest pencils in the box – an eccentric clown like Nagomu could actually have a shot with them. At first, I was having a good time and I liked the atmosphere. Then I saw the main character enter the house of a complete stranger and use traditional Japanese dogeza to solve a problem that was basically none of his business and that the girl could have dealt with on her own just fine if only she'd tried to communicate in a sincere and honest way. That’s where the show lost me. I switched off my brain, trying to put up with Nagomu's childishness, and eventually made it to the end. It could have been a sweet series full of powerful emotions, and maybe it was for some people. For me, it's just one big "meh". Good thing that there was all that candy, at least it gave me an appetite and a reason to give it a 5/10.