Jeoffrey

I found the fourth season quite intriguing. It answered a lot of questions I had and demonstrated that the narrative of the show is quite well thought out and everything about it was very enjoyable. I have nothing to complain about, as I have said before, as I quite like science fantasy shows. I even enjoyed all the scheming and divisiveness that this season threw up because I love intrigues! Actually, Double Trouble is (a non-binary person using the pronoun “they” is a strange concept for me personally, although nothing I could not handle...) an interesting character, and I actually enjoyed the way they were playing their devious games with the other characters. There is a lot of emphasis on learning lessons about friendship, which are more complex than My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and at least two characters learn that having friends is the most important thing. I am curious how this will turn out because I saw how Captain Picard dealt with the Borg, so the question is whether this will be anything like that... A lot of the characters are finally getting somewhere - the way they gradually transform is quite noticeable, and to be honest, I can predict how they will develop further quite easily. I was also pleased to see the narrative has changed, and characters that were not very interesting before now have a more important role, so almost no one is superfluous. 8/10.

I have attempted to watch this anime series twice, and I just could not get into it. The first time I tried to watch it, I took a cursory look at one episode when the show had just come out (I do this with every new anime series, and if something does not feel right, I pretend I have not seen it) and was put off by the animation and the fact that it is about anthropomorphic animals. I am not a big fan of CGI, which is probably obvious from my other reviews, and I did not particularly like how they use it in this show, even though it is supposedly top quality when used in this style of animation. When I saw the hype around it, I watched a few more episodes and got the impression that this is a Romeo and Juliet style story, where the former does not know if he wants to eat or fuck the latter which seemed pretty weird to me. "Well, okay, I shall come back to it later..." I thought. Then the next year arrived and suddenly animal anime series were all over the place. There was Nekopara (I gave up on that within minutes), Seton Academy: Join the Pack! (I could not even get through the first episode) and even something about Oda Nobunaga reborn as a dog (the previews were enough to put me off). So then I got kind of fed up to the back teeth with animal themed anime series, and perhaps I missed out on a great anime series I do not know. Fortunately, the next year BNA came along which I really enjoyed, and because of that I decided to give Beastars a second chance. I managed to watch three episodes, and then totally gave up on it (I actually watched the third one this morning, after a two-week break + I took a cursory look at some other episodes). I am afraid that this show is just not for me for some reason. Sure, it is certainly full of allegory, and maybe it is an interesting romantic drama, although I am not sure I want to think about the sexual exploits of anthropomorphic animals. Maybe some people are into it, although personally I just find the idea of a wolf shagging a rabbit plain weird, and I found other such strange pairings are equally bizarre. I am not being narrow-minded, this subject matter does not offend me, it is just that there is too much of it in this show, and so I am out of my comfort zone. I just could not relate to the characters and build a positive relationship with them. The whole thing was just too weird for me, and it was as enjoyable as stroking a cat’s fur the wrong way (in keeping with the animal theme...), and although I get what the phrase "a gentle wolf" used on the Netflix website means in this context, it is still an oxymoron to me personally. So no! I am not going to finish Beastars (dropped after episode three), I am not going to give it a third chance, and if I had to sum it up in points, I would simply award it 3/10 at most.

Yeah, it was great to be young... This movie is about a youth rebellion against the establishment and is full of social satire. I cannot say it was anything brilliant, or fantastic, or shocking, it was just pretty cool. I found myself rooting for the main characters and their rebellion was quite charming in the end. Meanwhile, only someone not paying attention would have been surprised by Aya because at least two of the scenes clearly indicated that particular twist and really you could have just put two and two together, even though for some it may have been unexpected. Personally, I found the Mallet thing a much bigger surprise. Do you know what I am talking about? So just watch it... 7/10.

Something tells me that the second and third seasons of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power were actually supposed to be a single thirteen-episode season because otherwise, I cannot explain the differences in pace and suspense. If these seasons had been aired together, the gradual intense build-up, and the very intense denouement, which was what the third season was about, would have made more sense... In other words, what played out in the second season and was left open, went into overdrive, and it had quite an impressive ending with no shortage of tension or emotion. This season was good, it was very good, and I have been into exactly this kind of science fantasy since I played, for example, the Might and Magic RPG series. Personally, I thought it was definitely the best season so far because of the well-executed conclusion to this particular chapter, and I am quite intrigued as to what is going to happen next... 7.5/10.

I thought the second season was too short and somehow I do not have the feeling it broke any new ground. Neither did I feel it had any interesting or suspenseful atmosphere. Sure, there were a few surprises, although nothing that made me sit glued to the monitor. Even the Shadow Weaver backstory was not even half as good as I thought it would be... This season is just full of hints of something yet to come I guess, so I am moving on and expecting season three to be much better. This second one is like a 5/10.

At the start this looked like quite an interesting and peculiar show, though I wondered how much this 2018 Netflix series would have in common with the original 1985 Filmation show (although I have not seen the eighties She-Ra: Princess of Power so it is difficult to say). What I like about this version is the depth of the narrative, in particular all the mystery surrounding the "First Ones". The planet's various essences and the way they maintain harmony are also quite interesting - kind of like the sci-fi anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender. This first season also reminded me of Superman (as the heroine has her own Fortress of Solitude after all), and of course Star Wars (the original trilogy), perhaps because of the way the main female protagonist is conflicted about completing her training and the attachments she has to others. Likewise, the relationship between Adora and Catra is very compelling, turbulent, and complicated, which I enjoyed to a certain extent even if I am still kind of unsure exactly what I think of this couple. I am not really crazy about some of the other characters like the other two from the main trio (Glimmer and Bow) although I think that could change in the next season. The characters I was most invested in were Shadow Weaver, Hordak, and Sea Hawk. I did not particularly like some of the other princesses (Perfuma, Mermista) and do not think they are going to change much, although I think it will be interesting to see how the charming and reckless mad scientist Entrapta develops. Of course, there is a talking unicorn with rainbow wings who considers freeing the other horses, and I had to face-palm the moment he appeared! Well, I am off to watch the next season because this got me quite intrigued. This show is a fine science fantasy that has a lot to offer, it is also very strange at times and I am still not sure if I am completely into it... 6.4/10.

Is Studio Trigger presenting an X-Men anime series? Or maybe it is called Beastmen? Well, actually they ended up calling it Brand New Animal! Welcome to Zootopia, a city full of animals... Not again! Well, welcome to Anima City, a city full of animals that are not exactly animals... It depends a lot on how much you like the Trigger animation studio because this show is full of their famous trademark style. Michiru is another classic Trigger main female protagonist in the vein of the protagonists in Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco and Little Witch Academia. The animation is very creative, uniquely colorful, and dynamic. It features a well-thought-out and entertaining narrative with a very intense, almost over-the-top conclusion that was right up my street. Is there, however, something that I think makes this a significantly above-average show that pushes what I would perhaps expect from this studio to new levels? Nah. I do like the productions by Studio Trigger, how they produce everything in a dynamic and visually interesting way. When I compare it to a lot of other anime series, BNA: Brand New Animal is based on some really good ideas, it is designed well, and has a great ending. The fact that I like Trigger's trademark animation style and also the excellent soundtrack makes it fun to watch. However, perhaps Studio Trigger’s productions are starting to all look a bit samey? This is the first time I am in a situation where that question has really bothered me and that is not a good thing... Well, all right, I did enjoy it, even though it took a little longer than usual for me to get into and relate to the main protagonist and other characters, and I am going to add some extra points for the last two episodes, which were great and had one really great twist (even if it was an absolute dog of a clichéd plot twist, or rather a three-headed wolf beastman of a...). 7/10.

At this point, it is probably quite clear who gave me the heads-up regarding this anime series, so this review (my first review of a hentai anime) is down to my colleague and friend Honza135, who can write about animated porn as if it were the most sophisticated and romantic work he has ever seen... The funny thing is that some of the things Honza135 wrote about did not really catch my attention although I then discovered other elements in the show that made me rate it as a slightly above average anime series. I will agree that it has quite an interesting narrative considering it’s animated pornography, it is not simply there as a set-up for the main guy to be able to fall into the arms of yet another girl. I think that if you took out all the sex scenes, and developed the show more carefully, the basic framework of the show could work as at least an average fantasy anime series. As far as eroticism is concerned, at first, I found the sex scenes quite boring (having sex in only one position does not do it for me) and short. Although the scenes gradually got better as they were longer, more sensual, and explicit in nature, and later they even show sex in different positions which I like (in real life and on-screen). I really enjoyed the originality of how the anime’s creators managed to get the main male protagonist into the panties of yet another female protagonist. I do not mean using the now-legendary one-liner, "You came into the men's bedroom, so you have to know what is going to happen next..." because that would definitely not hold up in court. I mean the storyline involving the blonde noblewoman with "side effects'', or the possessed nun, and I found the reason why the witch wanted a certain ingredient in her potion quite amusing. That was definitely more amusing than the gratuitous and stupid slapstick comedy, like in the scene Honza135 mentions "where she grabs him by the ear and drags him through the house" which made me want to just bang my head against the wall, because it was absolutely ridiculous and appallingly bad. Apart from the simplistic slapstick comedy scenes, the animation was quite charming and enjoyable due to the fact I like that art style. As for the girls, they were quite cute, they were pretty, although I did not have a favorite (except maybe the aforementioned witch, who struck me as quite sexy with her dark mysterious vibes, although SPOILER, unfortunately, she was not next in row, end of SPOILER) or any special fondness for the girls with ponytails (if I did, I would not have dropped Gonna Be the Twin-Tail!!). However, all in all, I thought it was a very good show and the main male protagonist seemed pretty cool most of the time. He never fails to miss any opportunity, and so I would say he is a healthy young man, although I understand it would have been better for all the romantic souls out there if, for example, the end of the second episode was moved to the end of the whole anime series... 7/10.

I thought to myself, why not indulge in a little bit of retro throwback in the morning and watch something that is as old as I am? I happened to stumble upon this little movie while browsing one of the anime sites, and I am not gonna lie, I was pulled in by the poster... However, the movie is nothing special, the narrative is pretty far-fetched, as is the main male protagonist, although it is still watchable. The main male protagonist is actually quite lovable, and the eighties were a time when ecchi was not just a bunch of stupid unexpected shots and random, supposedly erotic situations. There is some real eroticism going on in this particular movie. Anyway, it did not do anything for me except that I now know that in space cats and dogs can be quite fond of each other and, once again love wins the day. 4.3/10.

The coronavirus pandemic afforded me the luxury of time to start catching up on leftovers from previous years, so after the recent heads-up on the interesting Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo, I figured it was time to check out some more of Grek1's recommendations, this time from AkiCon 2018. I am not exactly sure why I picked I My Me! Strawberry Eggs, perhaps it was because I was intrigued by Grek's reference to SJW and could not understand how he meant it, although now I pretty much get it... I started watching the first couple of episodes and thought that someone like me, who is familiar with the three most famous cross-dressing movies (Some Like It Hot, Tootsie, and Mrs. Doubtfire) could not have been very shocked by anything in this show. Wrong! Anyway, it also reminded me of some other movies and anime series, like Ranma ½, Great Teacher Onizuka, or even Fack ju Göhte/Suck Me Shakespeer... At first, this anime series seems like a really crazy, wacky, goofy fun comedy and probably the closest thing to the aforementioned Tootsie. This is nothing out of the ordinary for someone who has seen anime shows like this before, although what is interesting is the setting, the jokes are just insane, plus, it has a promising plot twist. From the second half of the season, specifically from the eighth episode onwards, this anime series starts to come into its own, and there is a lot of food for thought. Gender discrimination (and all the prejudices associated with it) is the first interesting subject matter which features throughout most of the season, and this theme is brought to a head in the eighth episode, and perhaps surprisingly, rebellion against this obvious injustice is resolved quite logically for the school and its students. It seems surprising how an anime series that is this crazy can suddenly deal with the subject matter in a completely serious and natural way, say what needs to be said, and more or less resolve everything to my complete satisfaction. Then comes something even the most hardened SJW would not expect - understandable defiance with a reasonable attitude, outlining the problem in a different way to how it is perhaps done usually - I had a pretty good feeling about this episode... Then, it just keeps on going! They tackle the anguishes of adolescent romantic relationships, with the storyline being pretty clichéd. However, in the end, I was still left stunned with only one question in my mind - what is actually unacceptable in the context of romance, and therefore love? The ending itself was perfectly acceptable and satisfying according to my own established standards. However, the question remained, as well as the thought of whether this was really the best ending... This anime was a pleasant surprise that scored points with me in just about everything it set out to achieve. Very entertaining, interesting romantic relationships, lots of ambiguous issues, and well-thought-out solutions. It still resonates with me now... The characters were very good, Fujio and Akira (plus Kuzuha actually), were very believable and probably the most normal in the whole anime series. However, the most interesting character was definitely the landlady with her special training and motorbike, who adds another dimension to the narrative during her last conversation with the headmistress (and causes me to imagine another narrative - a prequel, which I would now like to see...). If it all were just a silly comedy, like the first few episodes, I would have rated it as slightly above average, knowing I found it quite entertaining. However, thanks to all the interesting implications, now I do not even know who I am, yet feel I have just watched something that was very good! Run, Fuko, run!  8.3/10.