Jeoffrey

This is such a poor, predictable fantasy movie about how a blind boy saves the world when no one but him actually believes it... If you like fantasy, demons, and colorful fight scenes, then this is a decent way to spend an hour and three quarters, however, I do not think I am going to remember it after a month... 4.5/10.

"I am the Batman'' is not going to catch on in Japan, "Okay, I am a sixteen-year-old Batwoman" is already taken, "Okay, so I am the Black Fox"... It is not a bad movie, though the hero's origin is kind of clichéd, a lot of the twists (Mia, 000) including most of the narrative are pretty obvious, and I did not think the moral dilemma about killing was very convincing either. However, on the other hand, the characters are quite likable, and even the atmosphere of hero (or if you want superhero) movies is present now and then. Surprisingly, I did not mind the CGI used in some scenes (like with the killer robot). It is not something I would be too into, as it was a bit predictable, yet it kept my attention. The pacing is too rushed for my taste, however, it does not detract from the final impression I got from the movie due to its straightforwardness. I would rate the villains as rather weak, although I did not see that much of the main villain, and the other villain was just a crazy jealous scientist... In other words, it is not as good as it could have been, even though at the same time I do not think it is that bad - average I think it is called... Also, given the fact that I found it intriguing and would like to see how it continues, I am going to give it 5.5/10 in the end.

Let us start on a positive note. Carole & Tuesday has at least one good new song per episode, sometimes two and they are quite varied, as are the singers who appear. Let us just say that the Mars of the future is much more progressive than we are in 2019 in terms of diversity and openness to certain subject matter. Thanks to the way this show is, there is a good chance that everyone is going to enjoy some of the music and characters in this anime series. Unfortunately, it is quite likely no-one is going to like the main two female protagonists.  While it is interesting that the two main female protagonists are socially polarized and each have their own problems, they still come across as very uninteresting in my opinion, so it is quite possible that no one is going to really care about their different predicaments. Moreover, thanks to such a strong focus on the music, there is not much significant character development for the main female protagonists, their predicaments are simply dealt with rather at the very end, and to be honest, by that point I really was not able to care less about how their problems were solved. I was also not able to care less about any of their petty melodramas. In addition to all that, I was not able to build a relationship with the central couple, I could not relate to their problems, in other words, it left me cold most of the time. In all honesty, it did not help that the first half of the anime series could be summed up in one sentence "One hundred and one ways to (not)make it in the music industry". In the end, instead of the main female protagonists it was Angela and her subplot narrative that I found much more interesting. I thought the most likable character was Tao - and I thought even DJ Ertegun was much more funny and better than the main double act, even if he reminded me a lot of DJ Paul Bulva most of the time. The ending itself, which has a quite endearing message, was the thing that really saved this show for me, although it did make me feel like sparking up a joint, putting on my John Lennon sunglasses and going to a campfire so I could sing Kumbaya My Lord. Well OK, sure, singing is not going to solve the world's problems (maybe not even with flowers), however, singers and other personalities are able to point us in the right direction.... So, one last time - I liked the soundtrack, some of the supporting characters, the animation and a message which is perhaps better than Greta Thunberg's. I could not enjoy the narrative’s pace, I did not really get to know or relate to the main double act, in other words, I did not enjoy this anime series in any significant way, so I am simply awarding it 6.3/10.

One of my work colleagues loves Sword Art Online and is counting down the days and hours until they release the follow-up to Sword Art Online: Alicization. I took a leisurely look at the last few episodes of this season again today, and figured that since I had already written a few throwaway sentences about the previous seasons, I was not able to leave Alicization without a review from myself. I really liked the beginning, it was almost a bit of a return to its roots, and the whole thing feels more mysterious and interesting than anything in the second season. Kirito got into a new "bromance" which I did not find as exciting as some yaoists did, who were inspired to create a lot of different fan fiction and fan art, however, surprisingly I did not find Eugio irritating at all and I actually got quite used to him. I liked the setting and the blending of the two realities, and I liked the fact that it is again something a little different, if only because Kirito has to cope without all his friends and his harem this time (though it is clear that "Asuna is coming"...). The fight scenes were really good, and as someone who likes good action series (and yes, I prefer sword fighting action series) I quite enjoyed that aspect of it, unlike others. So for me, this was a pretty cool third season and a pretty decent show worth 7.5/10, and in a few days the War of Underworld will start, where hopefully there will be more of our Alice.

It is too bad this anime series was not able to get a more experienced studio with a slightly bigger budget to handle it. Because let us be honest, you just do not see action scenes this bad - completely chaotic and full of maddening edits that look like someone made it during an epileptic seizure. In other words, when you lack the resources and talent to animate fluid movement, you get static shots and edits that look like they came out of a rapid fire AK-47 assault rifle, and it all looks rather monstrous. Oh, aside from the hacked up action scenes, there is also the CGI which is used on the cars, for example, and is also not something Jeoffrey wants to look at. While the rest of the show is not all a complete waste - this is an average crime drama albeit with very likable characters (led by a main double act who have good chemistry) and a suitable soundtrack. Normally, I should have enjoyed it, because these "buddy cop" thrillers where the main protagonists are sneaking around trying to solve something at least a little interesting have always been quite popular with me since I used to watch Moonlighting. However, the graphic art style and the fact that I did not find some parts (like TylCat) were not that interesting only gives me the feeling to award it 6/10, which is a shame considering how much I liked the main duo (and most of the other characters). I would have liked the second season if someone other than the gentlemen from Millepensee animation studio had been in charge of it…

The second season has some interesting moments even though there are fewer than in the first season. Some of the twists, such as one unexpected return, make me a little embarrassed rather than pleased. Yes, the last episode stands out and is probably the only one that is fully comparable (has the right feel) to the episodes from the first season, the rest are (+/-) about one point weaker. 6.1/10.

What starts out as a silly comedy about a prisoner who is a bit of a weirdo grows over time into a pretty well-produced heroic space odyssey. It features some pretty interesting characters, and an entertaining and narrative full of suspense, that easily keeps you glued to the screen for the entire first season. The pacing is quite slow at first, packed with a ton of jokes, even though only some are actually funny. However, as it starts to get more serious, it gets better and better and it inspires that feeling of wanting to know as soon as possible how it will all turn out. On the other hand, it is full of heroic pathos, with characters throwing out one cool line after another, and at some moments it seems so terribly over the top that I was laughing even in the most serious situations. Was that their intention? Well, personally speaking, I do not know, however, the only thing stopping it from being "perfect" was the classic "I love you" - "I know..." conversation. However, despite all that, I was really entertained by the show, as it managed to keep me glued to the screen for a few hours and enjoy it all in its entirety, as well as perhaps appreciate that the characters just had to be killed off in this show, so who knows what will happen in the second season... 7/10.

"So, did you like it?" asks Misaka Misaka curiously. "Did you think it was clearer and more interesting than the last part of the TV series with Index, and more suspenseful than the entire anime series with Railgun?" asks Misaka Misaka enthusiastically. "I tried to be as adorable as possible, even though the director did not give me much of an opportunity in this show because it was much more about the main protagonist, the Accelerator, and it is also named after him, so it is understandable that he had to be in it all the time instead of me." explains Misaka Misaka. "Sure, he keeps going on about what a Great Villain he is, even though I did not really buy it most of the time anyway, and despite that he is still so emotional in such a beautiful way." says Misaka Misaka dreamily. "On top of that, there is a mad scientist, a giant overgrown carnivorous plant, an uninteresting main female protagonist who is just like a Bond girl, and then there is this other Mikoto Misaka clone who is always meddling and does not even let me clean his room!" says Misaka Misaka angrily. "I think you should at least give us three stars, for all the gore, good fight scenes, decent action sequences, good soundtrack, and clear narrative..." says Misaka Misaka listing all the positive aspects of this anime series... 6.4/10.

The second season is more or less in the spirit of the first, except, I guess, with the difference that the innocent competitions and games have become much more about how the main female protagonist is trying to hook up with the main male protagonist. It is much more about that supposed romantic element, which doesn’t work that well because of Nishikata's wooden nature, and sometimes it is not even that funny. The other supporting characters are given less and less screen time, and the main focus is on Takagi, who seems to literally want to put Nishikata in the situation where he is forced to choose between making a move towards a relationship with Takagi, or just losing another bet. Nishikata is therefore simply pushed into dealing with the same dilemma over and over again - if he does this, it is going to be embarrassing, however, if he does not, he is going to lose again... So, with the way Nishikata is, it all ends up the same way in most cases, and even when he is finally pushed so hard that you could talk about some kind of development, you still feel like that development is just once again a tiny step. So my question is - does someone like Nishikata deserve someone like Takagi? I for one do not think so. However, Takagi is of a different opinion, and so everything just repeats itself again, and most of the time it is just going around in circles, and it gets boring and pretty exhausting... Plus, that is why I was not so entertained, and the second season is not going to get more than 6/10 from me.

A Certain Magical Shitshow! You just do not see something as hectic and confused as this part of the anime series. Even readers of the manga series told me that this was incredibly "rushed", so it is, therefore, no wonder poor Jeoffrey was completely lost at times. Is it that someone is fighting someone, only to end up fighting someone else with the help of the first someone, then without the former, then perhaps fighting the latter, while someone else fights the former with the latter, while someone else fights against the first someones with the second someone, and then a fourth someone fights the first someone, or is it the fifth? That is kind of what it seemed like... Fortunately, it contained at least some reassuring things, and so Touma is still Touma, and he will pretty much punch anyone, without any prejudice or discrimination - regardless of race, faction, or gender. Index, after whom the show is named, is not actually in this season very much, and Railgun does not really get much of a look in either, so it is good that at least it has some pulling power from Accelerator and another likable main male protagonist who should maybe get an anime series of his own as a reward (because, why the hell not?). Anyway, the action scenes are really entertaining and fun to watch, even if I did not really understand who was fighting who and why. The soundtrack is also really good, - in other words, if you like Mortal Kombat because of the killing, brutality, and gore (and somewhere some weird narrative hidden in the campaign), then this anime series is for you... If you want a sophisticated narrative, then try reading the manga, where you might get what you want, or who knows, perhaps you are going to find what Jeoffrey could not in this show (not without some help from Wikipedia). This was not Misaka Worst, however, it is still clearly the worst season of Index so far - as it is a frantic and rushed magical shitshow! 5.5/10.