Category: Review

Pure Good versus Pure Evil, a perfect blend of drama and action combat while portraying the themes of good vs evil, sacrifice and justice.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood marks the beginning of a massively well known franchise, displaying the iconic origin of Dio Brando and the righteous but naive Jonathan Joestar. The story begins with George Joestar, Jonathan’s father who gets caught in an accident in which he believes an elderly passerby saved his life. Little did George know, the man was a conniving thief who wanted nothing more than to rob his unconscious body. Several years pass and believing he owed a debt to the old man, George adopts his son, Dio Brando. The naive and weak but high-spirited Jonathan welcomes Dio in friendly arms but Dio wants nothing of the sort. Dio seeks to turn Jonathan’s life into a catastrophe but also has something far more sinister in motion. Jonathan must put an end to Dio’s schemes and reveal them to his father before it’s too late.

Phantom Blood displays a far more serious tone than anything that comes in the later parts of the franchise. With the nine episode runtime, the series is heavily plot driven requiring the need for simple and straightforward characters, Jonathan as the pure good and Dio as pure evil. While the two characters don’t have much progression, they are masterfully developed through the many choices they make on their journey. They are sharply contrasted by how they acquire their powers, and the sacrifices they must make. Dio receives powers from external sources whereas Jonathan must struggle to master techniques and abilities. While Jonathan must put everything on the line to defeat Dio, Dio has absolutely nothing to lose. The hero is consistently tested through heartbreak and turmoil, but it is exactly that which makes him stronger, far stronger than anything Dio can hope to be. Whatever the outcome of their final showdown, it is made abundantly clear that the one who places the entire world over himself will inevitably succeed.

I rate this anime 8/10.

The Promised Neverland is a one of a kind, thrilling and intense masterfully executed anime adaptation.

Review

The Promised Neverland follows the story of three happy-go-lucky children in an orphanage with a bright future ahead. Connie, a six years old child has been adopted and is set to leave the orphanage to meet with her foster parents. She leaves with her caretaker but Emma and Norman (oldest residents of the orphanage) realise that she has forgotten to take her favourite teddy bear. They enter the forbidden gate to catch up to Connie, however, in a twisted turn of events, Emma and Norman see her lifeless body dangling inside a truck. Emma and Norman manage to escape while discovering their caretaker’s (Mama) secret.

The Promised Neverland is an intense and thrilling experience. You rarely find yourself able to catch a single breath in any episode. As Emma and Norman make plans to escape with with their entire family, there is a lingering presence you can sense that they’re being watched at every step. The stakes are kept at an all time high with the addition of the possibility that any one of them could be “adopted” next. Every move counts and any wrong move can result in death. This predicament helps to keep the viewer engaged and on edge, anxious of what’s to come.

Each character is made unique and interesting by displaying their most prominent traits at the forefront of the screen. The anime does an excellent job at putting the viewer on the characters’ point of view. Often times, the camera will literally give you a POV of what the characters are witnessing and you will genuinely find yourself sympathising for the characters and their tragic crisis.

Recommendations: If you enjoyed this anime consider watching Shingeki no Kyojin. It has a similar levels of atmospheric tension and every episode is about survival.

I rate this anime 10/10.

Anime with a very unique premise but fails on its execution.

Review

Kanojo, Okarishimasu or Rent-a-Girlfriend is about a university student Kazuya Kinoshita who just recently got dumped by his girlfriend after a mere one month of dating. Seeking solace, he rents a beautiful and charming girl Mizuhara Chizuru which sparks the beginning of their whacky and confusing relationship.

It is frustrating to witness a unique take on the saturated genre then fail to execute the themes it tries to portray. Rarely did I find myself rooting for the guy who manages to sneaks around and stalk people while playing the victim card for doing the things he knows he shouldn’t do. Fair enough, I mean the character is self aware of his shortcomings so he will definitely try to become better right? Wrong. You will not find any character progression here. That’s wishful thinking. What you will find is your typical “I’ll do better next time” type of guy who uses the self pity card to get whatever he wants. But tomorrow will never come for this guy, in the 12 episode runtime, he is the same unlikable person he was in episode 1. In fact, the more I try to understand this guy, I come to realise that the author doesn’t even attempt to flesh out his characters. Aside from wanting a girlfriend, I don’t actually know what Kazuya’s goals and aspirations are. He has nothing that makes him even remotely relatable or likable.

There are far better romance comedy anime for anyone to be wasting their time watching this half-hearted anime about love.

I rate this anime 5/10

Overall, I really enjoyed this anime. Run with the Wind is the quintessential anime to show a series can be founded on any premise so long as the characters are well established and engaging.

Review

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru or Run with the Wind is an anime about long distance running. Haiji Kiyose has a dream to run the Hakone Ekiden Marathon before he graduates from his university but hasn’t been able to do so because of an injury on his knee. Now on his fourth and last year of university, his knee has finally healed enough for him to start running again. Through schemes and tactics, he gathers 9 other recruits for the ultimate race and begins their training.

This is an anime about running. Just how captivating can a story about running be right? Well let me tell you that this anime is just as much about running as it is about the characters and their goals and their aspirations. It’s as much about running as it is about people’s dream and learning to live in the present. It’s as much about running as about growing as an individual and them doing something that gives them hope and happiness. What’s made abundantly clear early on in the series is that this anime is not about competitive running and made even more clear that the characters have no desire to become the best in the sport. It’s simply about accomplishing what one sets out to do, not quitting for some half-hearted reasons.

The story has a slow pacing but for a very good reason. It meticulously fleshes out the characters and their internal struggles into completion. Every character is complete with their own unique predicaments and struggles. Whateve their reasons may be, they all chose to start running. What they didn’t choose is the responsibility that comes with being in a team where everyone is relying on each other for support. If one is to fall, all will inevitably fall. Whether it’s guilt or regret, this reliance and being relied upon is what forces each of the characters out of their comfort zone to strive to become better. There is no big bad the good guys have to defeat, just people with their bubbles learning about responsibility and to deal with their problems.

I rate this anime 9/10

This is hands down my favourite romance anime. It is such a unique take on the genre containing some very captivating and likable characters.

Review

Kaguya-sama: Love is War is about two extraordinarily intelligent students working in the student council of a highly prestigious High School. They are both madly in love with each other but don’t have the guts to admit it. Therefore, the only logical choice in their mind is to force the other to confess in a heated mental war in which everyone caught in the crossfire is nothing but a pawn or casualty.

I don’t think any anime has a title so accurate to the story being told. In Kaguya-sama: Love is War, love is quite literally, war. The heated exchanges between Kaguya and Shirogane are a sight to behold, firing like bullets as they attempt to gain the upperhand on the other while anyone that walks by is blasted into oblivion. This is only one of the many hilarious gags that is executed to perfection in the series. The two self-absorbed protagonists are sharply contrasted by Chika Fujiwara, a girl working as their secretary who is completely oblivious to the heated war that’s raging on and usually works as a foil to their schemes. The story focuses majority of the 12 episode runtime on the two central characters, giving them plenty of space for character development and progression which the writer uses to their full advantage. This anime is fresh, unique and executed extremely well. You will find yourself captured by the characters in this engaging and captivating story about love.

You can watch this anime series for free on MyAnimeList.net by clicking here.

If you enjoyed this anime series, consider checking out the recommended anime series by fans on the MyAnimeList website by clicking here.

I rate this anime 10/10.