Jeoffrey

I have been thinking a lot about Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout and if I could say something meaningful. However, although the subject matter is interesting, and the show is absolutely crazy, there is not much to say about it. Some jokes are hilarious, others are ridiculous, and others are plain stupid. It is simply either hit or miss as far as the comedy goes. The main couple mostly drives the show's atmosphere. Most of the supporting characters are kind of cookie-cutters and mostly repeatedly do the same thing, so you get tired of them pretty quickly. And yet it is quite a shame because what good is a boy who looks like a parody of Kirito from SAO, for example, if the story barely uses it at all. And so the only ones I am going to remember are Tachibana and Jinguuji and their strange relationship, which is mostly good and sometimes amusing. It at least goes somewhere. I might even be tempted to watch season two because of the way things turn out with them, except that nothing else here really caught my interest. And again, it is kind of a shame, because there are some interesting ideas. However, mostly I feel like the anime's creators cannot keep them going, so they just fizzle out. The mediocre animation and the soundtrack did not impress me very much (especially the background music). So I can sum up my overall impression in one simple word - average. 5/10.

She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man is not a very good show. The animation is a complete shitshow, and whoever was in charge of designing the CGI monsters did not try very hard, in my opinion. The result is some very ugly, lifeless, and artificial-looking creatures with weird movements and terrible detailing that really are not much to look at. They hardly inspire fear and the CGI looks terribly sloppy. The other thing that kind of irritates me about this show is that in the preview of the show they went on about how inside the VRMMORPG, a young boy played an old male sorcerer trapped in the main female protagonist's body. However, this does not come up much within this show. Most of the characters are just doing what they did in the online video game and sort of investigating stuff, although it is not particularly interesting. Some of the bigger investigations seem only to be taken up when the white-haired sorcerer is back among the living, and the tables are turned (it just seems like the wise King Solomon did absolutely nothing for thirty years). Plus, the whole exploring and investigating thing works just as stupidly as it does in In the Land of Leadale, so they are just trying to give the impression that something interesting is happening during the journeys and that they are somehow meaningful. However, the crappy narrative and atmosphere make the whole thing feel like a sidequest. And Mira's travels are just as boring as the fetch-quests. The comedy element does not work at all. Some situations (like the constant dressing up of the main female protagonist in her new shabby costumes made by friend Solomon, or the distracted Fricka's constant nagging of the main female protagonist) seem rather embarrassing. Add to that the final episode with the big battle (which seems to have come completely out of nowhere although it is supposedly an online video game so I should not have expected anything more than that), with zero suspense. The fight scenes themselves looked terribly static, tired, and crap and the only person who put in some effort was the illustrator who wanted to make it more colorful. So here we have an anime series that does not work at all because it seems nobody put in any effort, so it is no wonder I cannot award more than 3.5/10.

I asked a few people if they thought "The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt" was better than "How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom", and most agreed that they thought The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt was better although I disagree with them, if only for the reason that The Genius Prince has not convinced me that he is actually a genius. The Genius Prince is an intelligent man who pursues his ambitions and is successful with his cunning plans, although only half of the time. In my opinion, a genius is a person who can anticipate several steps ahead, who has everything thought out in detail and even has plans for all eventualities should something go wrong, or who can improvise quickly and efficiently. However, Wein manages to do that only twice all season, and most of the time, everything is so dryly presented that even the most elaborate schemes were not entertaining for me. Plus, when the wannabe genius finds someone who is supposed to be on the same level, the whole thing just works by having the characters forge plots but keep repeating lines like "I know that he knows that I know" to reassure the viewer that we, therefore, have two terribly clever characters. This aspect, however, does not come across as dramatic, more just stupid or laughable. Speaking of comedy, one of the main arguments why The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt is supposedly good is the fact that it does not take itself too seriously. However, I have to say that I found the situations which were perhaps meant to be funny rather sparse, and at times, it just seemed childish, like some of the main male protagonist's behavior, I guess. So this anime series is just an average, sometimes boring, and stupid show with a few likable characters and here and there a good idea, but which was not very good. I am awarding 4.5/10. Despite my feelings, many other people like it, so perhaps it is just me because I took it too seriously and found it hard to follow.

The Fantasia Sango: Realm of Legends anime series ultimately failed to convince me in the end. Somehow there was nothing particularly interesting, original, or great to enjoy about this anime series. It is easy to watch although it is also like watching paint dry. Basically, it is a very ordinary story about four somehow supernatural hunters who traverse the world in the first half of the series and face a new "monster of the week" style danger in each episode. In the second half, the anime’s creators focused a bit more on the individual characters and managed to come up with at least a somewhat reasonable serious life trial for each of them. This made for a couple of pretty decent episodes. And then there was the final confrontation, which brought to a head all the characters had been through so far and how it had brought them together. However, even there it did not seem to have much of an impact because I found the whole thing too predictable, very generic, and sometimes quite boring. I liked the opening and I also quite liked Shourei, even though I felt like the anime’s creators were unsuccessfully trying to emotionally blackmail me with her story the whole time. I am awarding a lukewarm 3.5/10.

Princess Connect! Re:Dive has not stopped being entertaining and pleasantly surprising for a second season. It is a mystery how the anime’s creators managed to make a fun promo for their role-playing video game while investing so much into it that the quality is evident in almost every frame. Therefore, the anime series stands up as an above-average show. I do not get how they managed to come up with a story that would work for both players of the original Cygames video games and someone completely unfamiliar with the Princess Connect! franchise (because the Re:Dive anime series is not the actual beginning of the story). So even I have no problem getting my head around the plot, and I get most of the more complex plot twists, which explain for example why Re:Dive is in the title. Plus, all the lore in the story is so cleverly delivered (through dialogue, small details, and hints) that it gives the viewer room to just figure most of it out on their own, connect the dots, and build a strong and interesting atmosphere at the same time. The emotional aspect and the characters (and there are many) work together with the excellent soundtrack and animation. They make for a powerful experience so I thoroughly enjoyed every episode. Of course, there were also some slightly weaker parts, as the first half of the anime series could basically just be described as a fun video game promo. There is a new interesting story in almost every episode. Plus, three or four new characters were introduced as well, as they needed to be shown as part of the gacha game presentation (it introduces new characters that either were did not appear in the first season or were added to the game between the first and second season). But even so, it was well thought out and connected to the main plotline, which came into full swing in the second half of the anime series. In the end, each of the characters (even from the first season) got at least a little bit of screen time during the conclusion without it looking silly. The aforementioned second half was an amazing ride - in terms of its pace and character emotional responses but mostly the incredibly good fight scenes especially in the one between Mana and Labyrista which was terribly original, with greatly implemented CGI. That was one of the best purely magical fight scenes (i.e., practically non-contact) I have seen in anime so far. It was just that even when fighting, you could see how much effort the anime’s creators put into it, and so they had atmosphere, intensity, and were sometimes insanely colorful. To summarize, Princess Connect! Re:Dive got me again. At first it made my Mondays better, and then made me hungry for new episodes, and again deserves at least 8/10, and I wonder if there is going to be a third season sometime in the future because I would be very happy about that.

Rust–Eater Bisco does a few things very well, although that is wasted because of some of the absolutely blatant nonsense in the last third of the season. The setting is very good, it is imaginative, full of incredible creatures and plants, and obviously, the anime's creators had tons of imagination on tap. It may seem like most of what we see on screen was created by the anime's creators sitting down and randomly throwing anything they could think of together whether possible or impossible that could look cool in a post-apocalyptic Japan. They somehow managed to bring it all together, and along with the brisk pace and energy of the narrative, it just works. So I did not mind the giant flying fish, overgrown crabs, hippos, mushrooms, and who knows what else. This anime series was able to present them as a matter of course, and I could go with those ideas and have fun. Likewise, the whole post-apocalyptic setting was something the anime's creators were able to sell to me. During episode five, I was reminded of some of the better side quests from the Fallout video game series (Little Lamplight, the cannibals, etc.). At first, it was interesting and original. The chemistry between the central couple worked, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, although then it felt like the anime's creators did not care that the narrative made sense. They just wanted to cram as much stuff as possible into the show. Therefore, I was left scratching my head a bit at some of the stuff going on, and even the most dramatic scenes seemed to be lacking substance and meaning. For example, one of the main protagonists teleports across the map to be at the right place at the right time. She did this even though it did not make any sense at all to get there quickly. On the other hand, the other main protagonist manages to infiltrate a fortress and get next to the main bad guy unseen, and unfortunately, not even I saw it, so I simply could not believe it. I have seen lava that does not burn and probably the worst plot armor since Fairy Tail. The big twists stopped working, and I only started to enjoy it again halfway through the last episode. Overall, the rest of the time was more dominated by a slight annoyance at how stupid the last third of the season was and lacked substance just for a quick "wow" and "cool." So an anime series that I liked and enjoyed at first became something I finished out of obligation, and even the final scene and the decision to make the protagonists outlaws again for some (and in truth quite stupid) reason killed my appetite for the follow-up season. Therefore, Rust–Eater Bisco gets only 5.5/10, and in the words of Angry Joe: "You done fucked it up!”

I am pretty pissed! Akebi's Sailor Uniform could have been the best new anime series of the winter’s releases and gotten a five-star rating if it had maintained the depth and strength of the last two episodes. The animation and soundtrack were very enjoyable; some shots were stunning! Even the narrative has an undeniable charm. The subject matter of finding friends is presented in a pleasant atmosphere and in a fun way, plus, it is also quite moving. Unfortunately, I only really enjoyed the last two episodes, which I thought were almost perfect. The rest of the season was quite weak in comparison; some situations seemed a bit strange and out of place within the overall anime series. It turned out differently from what I would have liked. My initial idea was that Akebi's Sailor Uniform could have at least gotten a strong four stars, like 8/10. It could have even been a top series for me from the very first episode if only one of the anime's creators (and it is probably Mr. Hiro himself) had not decided to bring in all his weird fetishes! We are obviously dealing with a person who has an unhealthy fascination with women's legs. I think he is the type of gentleman who solicits pictures of naked feet from female streamers on OnlyFans. Or at least that is how obsessive I found it, as I got shots of women's feet at least twice every episode, and they were even part of the opening. OK, I understand that fan service for horny people is in every other anime series nowadays, and I guess I should be glad that it finally got to those who like women better from their waist down. However, I think it should somewhere where it makes some sense and not in this show! This show was trying for a nice atmosphere, putting a beautiful and colorful scene in every other shot that looks lovely and heartfelt while interspersing it with a woman's feet here and there, or some other weird detail of a woman's body like lips, etc., because it seems like a perfect union. However, it is distracting for those who do not share that particular obsession, just as cramming in any other fan service would be. It is disturbing because such random shots without context do not fit in such a pleasantly paced anime series. What about the nail clipper scene in the first episode? Perhaps most people have tried that in private at some point; however, I am not sure it is good to put that in the show and the first episode. Someone's weird tastes ruined a great anime series, and I was wondering WTF I was watching and what it was all about. Only the last two episodes convinced me that Akebi's Sailor Uniform deserves at least a 7/10, and at the same time annoyed me even more by showing me how great the whole thing could have easily been.

The final rating for this show was decided by the last episode, which was very enjoyable, had a good fireworks display, and a decent love story, which almost did not resonate with me during the previous episodes. I do not know what it was. After all, according to many, it has the best waifu of the whole of this winter's releases. However, I stayed kind of cold towards Marin most of the time, even though she is a nerdy, awkward young girl who is very passionate about her hobby, understands other people's interests, is open and honest, and treats people without prejudice. Perhaps it was Gojo's fault; he came across as shy and nondescript, reacting too nervously and unnaturally for me in certain situations. However, he was a likable enough guy, with a healthy passion for the cause, willing to support everyone at the right moment, and wearing his heart on his sleeve. Or perhaps it was more an effort by the anime's creators to force-feed a bunch of supposedly erotic moments and supposedly funny scenes into a cute anime series, even though I did not find them amusing. Any comedy in this show was worse than the love story. Anyway, I could not take away from the anime series' qualities. The animation is decent, the soundtrack is respectable, and the message that if you enjoy something, go for it, even if someone might have a problem with it because there will always be someone else who will appreciate your enthusiasm, was interesting. On the other hand, as much as I love shows about creative people with a passion and enjoy watching the making of something (regardless of what it is), along with all the effort involved, I did not get the hobbies of the two main protagonists which passed me by here anyway. I understood what the characters enjoyed about it all, although subconsciously, I knew that neither doll making nor cosplay, and probably not even photography, would appeal to me personally. I have nothing against those activities, but I did not enjoy fancy dresses as a kid, and I guess I did not grow out of it. I did not watch costume making with a tenth of the enthusiasm of the main characters. While I appreciate how nicely the series described some of the processes and showed me how much time and money it takes, how much work and attention to detail is required, I am still sure that in a week, I am going to have nothing left in my head. So while I largely recognize that My Dress-Up Darling is an above-average anime series in some ways, many things failed to appeal to me. I personally found that did not work for me. So I was on the fence about giving it the four stars until the last moment. However, as I wrote, the last episode convinced me. 6.5/10.

I enjoyed Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - The Second Act more than the first season. After all, the show’s narrative followed the story more strictly. There were some touching reunions that I was subconsciously looking forward to from the beginning. In the end, everything came to a pleasant and almost too much of a fairy-tale-like conclusion. Although there is still room for a follow-up, I do not know if I want one. In the beginning, I did not even know if I cared about this whole spin-off thing, even though, in the end, I enjoyed it. As with the first season, the soundtrack still works great, as do the member berries and most new characters (I even managed to get on with Towa in the end). The concluding story was not half as dramatic as I expected. It had its strong and weak moments, although overall, it was engaging and sometimes entertaining. The villains were not just evil either, they were rather misunderstood, or perhaps they could not express themselves. The season finished at a somewhat suspenseful but otherwise quite enjoyable pace. The second season, therefore, gets 7/10.

In a word - surprise! After all, a power fantasy adventure with an OP main character (and I do not care if he is an isekai or not) whom many girls crowd around usually turns out badly for me because most of them are cookie-cutter characters. The characters are often quite stupid and totally clichéd, trying to show me how awfully powerful is the generic main male protagonist. Plus, I am supposed to therefore respect and admire him for that (like his harem does), even though there is nothing really special about him character-wise. However, The Strongest Sage With the Weakest Crest is somewhere a little different, in my opinion. It is as if its creator Shoto Shinko used his brain when writing this. He managed to turn an anime series I went into with a ton of preconceived notions (that it would be another version of the same old thing) into a pretty fresh show that I even enjoyed watching. What did Shoto do right? Perhaps just the fact that he did not base the entire story on the fact that we have one strong and invincible male protagonist who takes everyone down with his finger up his nose and pulls solutions to problems out of his ass. Mathias thinks that it is better to share his skills with others because it might save his skin one day, and most importantly, having capable people around him who can take care of themselves and be useful makes sense. So he teaches his girls, he teaches normal students, and unexpectedly it has some impact. He even goes so far as to give the other characters room to grow on their own, not interfering if he knows it is in their power to win and knows they are going to learn something by doing so. It is not just a boring one-person show with an over-the-top fighter who takes it all in stride, and because of that, it makes you suddenly like the main male protagonist a lot more than many of his ilks before him. However, it is not just what is done right. The anime's creator has managed to build an interesting world in which the main villains operate so that you see the activity has long-term plans, not just some short-term perspective. The demons are believable with their long-term plans, and more importantly, they are carrying them out, so you perceive real consequences. Yes, it again gives you the impression that there are demons everywhere and behind everything, and you are afraid to even look in the toilet, lest the demon is there. However, the atmosphere is quite good and works well at certain points, so the threat feels much more real and powerful than in similar anime series. Plus, we are introduced to everything relatively early on; there are no cryptic hints that we are going to find out the villains' plan at some point (usually in the last episode), and it would not logically work with the way the world it is set in. The narrative builds up that way anyway. Back to the main male protagonist, there is one more thing that is true about Mathias. Even though the show tells us he is the strongest sage of all, it does not tell us he is the strongest being on earth. It shows that without some of his tools, not all of which he has immediately at hand, and without thinking about the problem and its solution, he could look bad. A hero, in other words, always has some limits, so there are situations where he has to prepare himself. Realistically, he would quickly lose if he just walked into a fight like some other similar protagonists. Unlike other fantasy power anime, there are moments when you might even be a little worried about the main male protagonist (and his team). As I have stated several times, this is always good for the overall atmosphere. You could argue that some of his gadgets and strategies are quite silly. You could also argue that the way some situations (such as the last episode) are resolved, gives the impression that the anime's creator wanted to make things as easy as possible for himself within the show's narrative, and some stuff could be described as the proverbial MacGuffin. However, I have gotten so used to cutting corners with the plot and nonsense like that over the years of watching anime series that it does not annoy me unless it is explicitly punching me in the eye. The other thing that works here is the composition of the main protagonists. The chemistry between them is very good, and everyone has a role to play, both within the story and within a specific role within the group. It is actually not a harem anime series (unfortunately for some, fortunately for me). It is clearly defined what or who each character likes, and even one romantic relationship in fact develops somewhat normally by the standards of this kind of anime series. The Strongest Sage With the Weakest Crest is not a groundbreaking anime series. It is nothing brilliant or breathtaking. The action scenes are weak (sparing wherever possible, a lot of things happen off-screen, do not expect any smooth sequences full of punch exchanges either), the animation is mediocre, and the soundtrack is nondescript. There are some clichés and tropes typical of this genre that I am not a fan of. Also, I was not too fond of Nina Tamaki's voice for the main character. Despite all that, I have no problem giving this series a 6/10 after the first season because it seems that one anime creator finally made a serious effort with a fantasy power adventure with a generic OP main male protagonist. It worked quite well, so I would be happy to watch the eventual follow-up.