Jeoffrey

"UMU Extra: Last Monogatari" really only has ten episodes? Anichart promised thirteen, and the end of the tenth episode, interesting as it was to some extent, it certainly did not provide a satisfactory conclusion. So, I felt like I was watching a horse die before it reached the finish line. It was a weird anime series at all... I was probably most amused by the UMU counter, which a funny subtitle writer added in for a few episodes (which I thought would have been an excellent guide to the drinking game). Aside from that amusing weirdness, I also liked the treatment of the different floors, so varied and at times imaginative and well done - well, the studio that brought us the Monogatari anime series did not disappoint. I would also add something about Saber, who was so weird she was actually cute. Plus, there was also Rin, because damn, who is not fond of Rin? Anyway, unfortunately, that is kind of it; the fights are neither epic nor interesting. To a person who is not familiar with the game, the narrative is going to seem weird and uninteresting, and well, the main male protagonist? I think I would rather have had the girl who kicked the bucket right at the very beginning... 4.6/10. Edit 01.08.2018: So they were not bullshitting on Anichart, and there really are thirteen episodes; we just had to wait a while for the last three. So, today I finally watched a reasonably satisfying conclusion. It was satisfying mainly because there was an ending, and it may have made a little sense. I got another eighty minutes (because the last episode is over forty minutes long), the UMU counter stopped at eleven this time, which is surprisingly relatively low. I said goodbye to the weird and chatty Saber, who I still actually quite like even with all the UMU. I also saw a blonde version of Rin, which was a novelty. There were some pretty short fight scenes and a bunch of philosophizing and debating about human society and whether it makes any sense to save us. However, my impression still has not changed. I did not mind this new entry in the Fate universe, even though it is different from what I am used to (if only because the battles are Instanced rather than Battle Royale style). It is pretty weird, and I cannot say I am incredibly fond of it. However, all things considered, I may have enjoyed it a bit more than the whole Fate/Apocrypha, even though you know I am not going to award this more than 5/10 anyway.

Imagine that Mozart and Salieri were little boys who met each other by a magical piano deep in the forest. One had an incredible talent while the other was working so hard, and they both somehow consciously and unconsciously helped each other grow. Forest of Piano is a poetic and lovely movie that I got into mainly because I was very interested in the first episode of the anime series, which started this year. I am grateful for it; it was sweet, endearing, and (also) funny thanks to the girl who imagined playing the piano in the toilet in the company of her dog. I am definitely greatly satisfied by this movie accompanied by classical music, which is close to my heart. 9/10.

It is so easy to find faults with this follow-up to the first season of Overlord, especially when the main shortcoming is the all-too-common absence of the main protagonist. After all, everyone expects to watch the main male protagonist rise upwards, conquering everything around him along the way. Well, you should have watched a different show, because, in this show, they spend quite a bit of time on what we call worldbuilding. In other words, this show does not simply revolve around the main protagonist. It is interesting to see how the NPCs, who were previously flat and only acting on pre-programmed action, begin to think for themselves and work towards a common goal. Well, this is what happens during the second half of this season because the significance of the first half of the season with the lizardmen still kind of escapes me. While in the second half, I got to know the character Sebas with his weaknesses and I also got to know the cunning and perfect sense of subterfuge displayed by the Demiurge. Yet I do not know what I was supposed to learn from the first half of the season. Mainly, I suppose, how the courting rituals of lizardmen work. I guess I also saw things that even the main character had no intention of seeing. I am wondering if the whole anabasis lizard thing was somehow extremely beneficial to the plot and if the new characters in this subplot were going to be somehow important to how things develop in the future. I have no doubts about the second part, and I believe we are going to see more of the psychopathic princess Renner, or maybe Evileye (my new favorite character), because after all, even Brain Unglaus is coming back. In other words, I do not really know what to make of the second season, because I could easily do without one half of it, while the second half is again just divine and shows how our main character has "everything under control," even though many times he himself does not know how to. However, this whole show, the strategy of playing by yourself a little bit and with other people a little bit, still amuses me a lot, and I still like Overlord. I am still looking forward to future episodes – just please do not make them as irrelevant as those with the lizardmen. 7.5/10.

The original Garo anime superhero television series attracted me with its first treatment. I consider it a quality anime series; I was very disappointed by the follow-up "Crimson Moon," and I was waiting to see what would happen with the brand next. Well, it seems that the screenwriters came up with the same concept as The Yu-Gi-Oh! brand (because the first series  was also good, in my opinion, even though the follow-up (GX) was much weaker). In other words, if you want to pick up interest again and make people forget the previous more inadequate effort, then you need a more mature and badass main male protagonist. You also especially need motorbikes (and that is how Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's was made)!!! Of course, that formula works in this show too. Everything is darker, more mature, more thought out, and just so one-hundred-percent cooler than the previous series of Garo. It has an interesting narrative and exciting fight scenes (except for the disappointing final fight scene when I expected an epic gold x black fight like they did in the middle and then nothing). I had no problem with the characters (especially Sword and Gina). All in all, I thought this anime series was pretty good, and I am going to forgive it for the fact that the conclusion is "a bit too much like The Matrix." I think this is the best Garo. 8/10.

Hakumei and Mikochi is a pleasant and endearing anime series that is not about any significant subject matter, rather the opposite. It is about the everyday joys and worries of the little people. This show is a perfect and relaxing slice of life anime series with likable characters, engaging animation, and a soundtrack that will please those who want to relax for a few minutes every week and enjoy something calm and relaxing. Nothing more (which many people might consider a negative) and nothing less. 8.2/10.

I enjoyed the beginning of this season quite a lot. There is a great setting and several interesting characters. I really enjoyed the first two episodes especially, and at one point, I expected everything to turn into a revenge-type narrative worthy of John Wick. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and I experienced my first disappointment, which was compounded by finding out that this anime series would consist of several stand-alone episodes instead of one continuous coherent narrative and also that it would revolve a lot around the game of baseball. Sure, using baseball to draw parallels between friendship and other things around it could be cool. However, in this show, it just did not fit with the concept of assassins somehow. Likewise, I was expecting a gritty, gory, and astounding spectacle, and instead, it was more of a buddy action crime drama anime series where some of the sequences were pretty good, and others not so much. I was also quite annoyed by how Lin kept getting into trouble, and then his companion Banba had to get him out of it. It was such a weird parallel to rescuing a damsel in distress. Overall, it was not that bad; it was just not what I wanted it to be. Also, even for what it was, it still was not as good as it could have been. Otherwise, it could have been something like my favorite movie, The Last Boy Scout. Still, it is a pretty likable and, at times, an interesting piece of work. 6.4/10.

After the Rain is a pleasant, easy-going show with a lovely romantic setting and genuine problems facing most of the rather friendly characters, and I have to say this show was always enjoyable and refreshing. I really like the main two protagonists as a couple, and I enjoy their romantic and (equally interesting) personal adventures. Plus, in addition to the main two protagonists, another rather sweet couple is slowly coming through. Their occasional interactions were as enjoyable as those between the main two protagonists. I found this show to be a really well-produced piece of work. 8.2/10.

This show has the same fundamental problem as the smartphone anime series already mentioned by Scalpelexis. The main male protagonist, Satou Pendragon, is overpowered, has incredible abilities, and solves everything far too quickly. Unlike "smartphone," though, it explains his status and where he picked it all up in a much better way. However, let us be honest, it is done in the classic "online video game logic" way that gamers might like. For example, the fact that he solves some things using in-game aspects like the unlimited number of valuable items seems quite funny. Even though the funniest thing is all the titles the main male protagonist gets - I wonder if he got some for, say, wiping his ass after doing a big poop. Otherwise, like the smartphone show, it is a harem anime series with a lot of fan service. However, I personally thought Satou Pendragon himself was really way different. In the end, this is the reason I do not mind this anime series. Satou is a pretty laid-back character who does not want to stand out in any way, even though because of his abilities and personality things just kind of happen around him. Satou is also not shy of women, he has a positive attitude towards them, and he has firm principles about who he will go with and how far he will go. OK, his principles are pretty strange, and not everyone will like them; however, in other words, this is a main male protagonist who is not going to fall apart at the mere sight of a girl. Satou treats his harem with respect; he is aware of what he is in charge of. I also found the rest of the characters quite endearing; they are not the typical sort of group of screaming hysterical girlies trying to impress the master, who could not care less about them. Sure, most of them are formulaic harem characters, but despite that, I found this cocktail quite decently mixed, and some of the girls are even cute. So I thought this anime series was not that bad in the end, even though it is clear that it is not absolutely amazing either - 5/10 in my book.

I found this Final Arc worked as a fitting conclusion to the ReLife anime series. It was much more heartfelt and emotional than the original anime series (it was in fact also much more intense because there was little room for an ending, in my opinion). Plus, because of the way it affected me, I cannot say it was simply an average show. The conclusion is a pleasant watch for all the romantic souls out there. There is a bit of psychology, and everything all revolves around the one logical problem that must have occurred in the ReLife experiment. Even so, we have to admit that the conclusion was predictable and I would say almost obligatory after all that happened in the anime series, even though this Final Arc still manages to be moving and delight weaker individuals. 7/10.

I was not expecting the MadHouse animation studio to let me down, and they, of course, did not. I got a pleasant, sweet, and adventurous journey that felt quite realistic actually. I got an entertaining and occasionally dramatic anime series (the penultimate episode and its depth challenges even Violet Evergarden), with real emotions and friendship. Sure, people could criticize it for its naivety; however, the naivety did not bother me at all. In fact, I would go as far as to say it helped me to really relax. This anime series is accompanied by a pleasant and really well-produced soundtrack and features excellent animation. For example, the Antarctic locations look really beautiful. All in all, this is a really well-produced adventure, and our journey is accompanied by four amiable girls and two very attractive women (plus a few other characters). I enjoyed them as much as the time I spent camping this season. Thus, the rating must be legitimately the same, and I am also going to say that this is one of the best anime series of the "winter 2018" releases. 8.4/10.