Jeoffrey

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is considered by many to be one of the pioneers of the isekai genre, however, I would not expect anything too sophisticated! It is just that the source light novel was among the first books published with this theme, and this one, in particular, was originally published in 2012. It was published before isekai light novels and anime series became as mainstream as they are today, and is from the same period as, say, Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, and Overlord... It is, therefore, no surprise that as this light novel series was successful it attracted the attention of anime studios. Indeed, an entirely new animation studio was indeed created just for this one anime! Studio Bind Inc. is a Japanese animation studio founded as a joint venture by White Fox and Egg Firm animation studios, who now primarily try to adapt these light novels as accurately as possible. Admittedly, the main reason was to have better-organized resources and work, however, it still remains a very unusual case. Anyway, you can really see the care and love for the source material in this adaptation. Visually it is a gorgeous stunning feast and some of the fantasy landscapes stand out so wonderfully, the environments are incredibly rich, with meadows, forests, but then again also landscapes with inhospitable desert and dead vegetation... The world is very elaborately detailed, everything is beautifully painted, it is really something to admire. The whole world has rich fauna and flora that are gradually explored in addition to the lush expansive landscapes. In addition, it also becomes increasingly apparent that this world also has much to offer culturally and historically and we learn about it and try to understand the diversity and richness of everything that is around us through the eyes of a young boy. If I had to sum this anime series up in one sentence, I would say that their world is very detailed and well thought out! The pace of the anime series is nice and gentle, there are no real issues there, it draws you in and holds your attention. I think it is a refreshing idea to follow the main protagonist being raised from birth, through his childhood, to see him (slowly) develop and discover the world around him. Plus everything is superbly complemented by voice actor Tomokazu Sugita's amazing inner dialogues, which gives it an added dimension. Then, there is the fact that we have a thirty-four year old man having to play a young child working through various traumatic incidents from his previous life which really makes it something different. It is not like, say, By the Grace of the Gods, where the main protagonist is just acting as a child, not a man trapped inside a child’s body, and so the whole isekai aspect is completely unnecessary. In this show, the fact is, that because the main protagonist is really indeed an old(er) person trapped inside a child’s body, and originally from our world, this element plays an important part in the narrative, both in the positive and negative sense. What I mean by that is that the main protagonist often acts in an unnaturally adult way, he interacts with other adult characters on a completely different level than he should be able to considering his age. He uses devious tactics and various tricks and subterfuge to get his way. As far as negative influences are concerned, in the original world, the main protagonist was a rather strange and not very pleasant character, he was affected by bullying, social isolation, and was rather suspicious... Anyway, here in the new world, he has to struggle with these strange aspects of his character, and it becomes apparent in one of the episodes that him being a deviant freak is an extremely important part of the storyline. Rudy has an almost unhealthy interest in sex, which leads to some weird and sometimes unnecessary ecchi scenes (especially considering the age of the characters and the fact that Rudy is an adult man in a child’s body). However, yet again that is partly explained by the fact that the main protagonist is obsessed by sex and is a grown man on the inside who suddenly has real opportunities not available to him in our world. Plus, because sexuality is a normal part of adulthood in this new world (as it is in ours) and there is no TV or internet, adults indulge in sexual activities much more often and do not have to worry about other people’s opinions because it is normal in their world. After all, from our current perspective, even Rudy's father could actually be seen as an immoral deviant freak. However, because he is an adult man with a weakness for women and the story is not set in our world, I am willing to let a lot of things slide. On the other hand, I would probably appreciate it if Rudy would save his sexual appetites, ideally for fifteen years or so, because the lustful looks of a little six-year-old kid strike me as kind of weird and unnatural (What do you want to do about it kid, you cannot even get an erection yet?!?). Well, all right, most of the ecchi scenes still make some sense according to the context within the storyline, they seem to happen naturally in that sense, and it is the first time in a long time that I actually thought the unnecessary sexualization (fanservice) was appropriate. Even though, after saying that, I was wondering whether the story could have somehow worked without it, but the problem is that the main protagonist may not have been able to display his base characteristics, plus some of Rudy's internal dialogues would not have been as funny, so the show would have perhaps suffered slightly from it. Also, I have to say that the characters are very memorable in general - they all have really distinctive personality traits and characteristics that will probably help me to remember exactly who is who and what they are like when I return to the show after some time away. None of the characters seem exaggerated or unrealistic, in fact, quite the opposite. Another thing that I think is the way the storyline was incorporated into the opening and ending is just really great. It means that the anime series does not hang about wasting three minutes on its theme songs before the story starts, because they help draw you into the original and natural atmosphere of its storyline. This in fact means that you get a lot more bang for buck from each episode compared to what other anime series have to offer you. It is the exact opposite of a classic shonen, where apart from the two parts with the theme songs (opening + ending) you lose another x amount of minutes with a long recap of what was going on in the previous episodes = here not one minute is wasted. Speaking of the soundtrack, well, I think it is great and quite distinctive too, and it is impossible not to notice how it enhances everything just perfectly. The bottom line is that Mushoku Tensei is a careful and precise adaptation, which was a real labour of love, and which, thanks to the gentle pace, you can really get into and be looking forward to the next installments.  ------ EDIT 19.12.2021 - Part 2 (Ep.12-23) This part continues well according to the standard already set and provides you with further development of the individual characters and the plot. The story develops nicely, and the most powerful bosses of the world it is set in finally appear. In this regard, the anime series shows its strength again beyond the remit of an action-packed show. It is different than most isekai anime series because even though Rudy is OP in some ways, it is still clearly obvious that he still has a lot to learn and that there are still other and much stronger characters, so he is far from the top of the food chain. In other words, Rudy still has room to develop. You know that anything goes and that the main narrative, that big game between the most powerful that every fantasy adventure anime series attempts, is only slightly putting its head above the parapet. The main story is something anime creators often introduce unnecessarily quickly, although, in this show, it nicely paves the way for the next big surprises and "turning points" that are sure to come. A good story never lays all its cards on the table right away, nor does it give the main protagonist everything for free. After all, even the creators of good shounen anime shows know that it is pointless to provide the protagonist with the power to beat everyone right at the beginning because the audience is interested in the journey to the top and wants to be at least a little worried about the characters during that journey. I was also quite pleased with the way Rudy's becoming an adult was handled, which I was quite scared of due to the ecchi nature of this anime series. However, it was all done tastefully, logically, and naturally, so a big thumbs up there. I should also praise the last episode, which had a psychological edge, and again brought me a bit more in touch with the main male protagonist's past life, character, and development. This anime does everything right and is an incredibly high-quality show. After a complete first season, I am awarding this 9.5/10.

I can't think of anything that was better than average about this series. The characters, the story, the animation, the action, the romance, the music - everything was strictly mediocre. Yes, there were a couple of things that kept me interested. There are one or two questions I want to know the answer to, so I'll probably watch the second season, but there was nothing that I particularly enjoyed. The world of the series looks interesting at first sight, but the show fails to sell it to me. There are practically no real villains either, and the one that is supposed to be scary is a paper umbrella. On the other hand, there's nothing that bothered me or made me stop watching, and the story made more or less sense to me. Neither great nor terrible - 5/10 for the first season.

I cannot say that I did not enjoy this show. In fact, I kind of already knew beforehand that I might be interested in it because as a mischievous person in my youth who was sometimes rejected because of my appearance (and who also had no discernment and so always went crazy for the prettiest and nastiest creature around, thinking he could see her hidden beauty as well) I actually see this as a subject matter pretty close to my heart. The idea of revenge also appealed to me then, and the naive belief that everything would turn around and there would be a romantic happy ending appealed to me even more, being a hopeless dreamer in my youth. There are a lot of the standard tropes, a love story worthy of a soap opera, and the ending is actually quite predictable (even though we are going to have to wait for a second season, because no one knows yet if it will ever be made). However, it is easy to watch, you might even smile at times, and the main female protagonist is such a strange combination of being insufferable and inner beauty that I grew quite fond of her. I quite liked the male protagonist too, and I found his efforts at supposedly cool behavior and cruel revenge in contrast to his indecision and confusion (yeah, the boy is starting to get into it) quite likable. So, I was intrigued, although not as much as I would be looking forward to each new episode. With this show, it was more like - "New episode, OK, why not?". In the language of numbers, it is 6.2/10.

The beginning of the series didn’t manage to catch my attention. The heroine does enter a mysterious and magical new place, like when Alice falls down the rabbit hole. However, it doesn’t make you care, there's no magic going on, it only serves as a backdrop for the story. Similarly, a few other characters show up for obvious reasons, but the film doesn't tell you much about them. There are a few hints here and there, but all the revelations are left until the very end, but there is no lead-up to them, and the first two-thirds of the film just drags on and on. There are very few situations and moments that make me feel anything, and apart from Kokoro, there's no one to root for. The themes are powerful, but the only time I felt unease was in the scene where the main character's classmates "came to visit".  The last third of the film is paradoxically very good, it shows that the story is well-thought-out and everything is nicely interconnected. It even managed to get to me emotionally at times. If the film was shorter and denser, and the atmosphere was built up from the very beginning, it would have been great. As it is, it's kind of okay. What’s more, I guessed two of the three big secrets right off the bat, so most of the big bombs that were dropped at the end didn't quite hit where they were supposed to. What the film has going for it are the visuals, A-1 Pictures did a great job. As for the music, however, it was only slightly above average, which sums up my impression of Lonely Castle in the Mirror as a whole - slightly above average, a 6/10 at most.

I finally got around to watching the show that I’ve heard so much about, a classic that every anime fan should know. I didn’t manage to escape a few minor spoilers, so I had certain expectations. I suspected that Madoka would be exactly the kind of series that would mentally destroy me like Made in Abyss, and I would be bawling my eyes out like I was when watching Clannad. I thought it would be one of those unforgettable experiences that I wouldn’t want to repeat for at least a decade. It’s true that Madoka is an incredible rollercoaster of emotions, alternating wonderful feelings and sweet moments with incredibly depressing ones, escalating to a point where I felt uncomfortable. It works very well emotionally, including the finale, which is quite over-the-top, reaching almost biblical proportions. However, it does bring everything to a decent close, even though it feels bittersweet just like the whole series. Everyone on the creative team that made Madoka knew exactly what they were doing.  You can tell by the show’s premise, the carefully thought-out twists, as well as the score. The high production values and the overall execution of the series, combined with an incredible amount of imagination on the part of the writers, is what keeps you interested, hooked, and enjoying this wild, intense, and surreal ride which sometimes makes you feel as if you were under the influence of drugs. It’s obvious from the first episode that this is the work of Shaft Animation Studio. The cinematography is excellent. They know how to create an atmosphere through the use of color, light, shadow, and depth of space. The backgrounds have elaborate details, and the camera captures the movement in such a way that the action looks great right from the first few frames. Most importantly, the editing work, although not as striking as in the Monogatari series, is so distinctive that you recognize it right away. And then there are the psychedelic fights with the witches. First, they make you wonder what the hell you’re looking at, but when you focus on the detail, you start noticing a lot of subtlety and hidden meaning. On top of it all, there's Yuki Kajiura's brilliant score, which is a bit subdued this time (compared to Noir or .hack//SIGN), but still amazing and distinct enough to make you fall in love with it the first time you see Mami transform. Even though the series has only twelve episodes, the first three (or rather two and a half) don’t go all out, but slowly bring you to the top of this imaginary roller coaster to gain enough height for a proper ride. To anyone who isn’t familiar with Madoka I recommend hanging in there until the end of the third (ideally fourth) episode, even if you don't like the character animation (which is deliberately cute to create a powerful contrast) and you think it’s just another cute anime about girls saving the world – which might not be your thing. The deconstruction of the genre, the change from a cute mahou shoujo to a depressing, intense drama full of powerful themes and symbolism that diehard fans rave about doesn’t start until the fourth episode (though an attentive viewer will surely notice the signs much earlier). Madoka is an unforgettable series where everything works as it should. The series knows exactly what it wants to say and where it wants to take you. Apart from the slower opening, the pace is fast, and there is always something going on, yet there is enough space to flesh out the important characters, also thanks to there not being that many of them. I don’t really have much to criticize about this show. It was a powerful experience, absolutely perfect in many ways, which I truly appreciate. 9.5/10

I was apprehensive about Noir at first. It did have an interesting plot, and I found the mysterious significance of "Noir" intriguing, but it lacked something more that would really get me hooked. The action was nice, actually quite awesome for a 2001 anime (for example, the stairwell shootout scene made me smile by reminding me of the latest John Wick), but it lacked stronger emotions, intensity (to make it seem like something major was happening), and I found the first half awfully drawn out. It didn’t help that the series kept repeating certain shots. Seeing little Mireille winking for about the fifth time in six episodes having just found her parents, I couldn’t help thinking "Why?". These shots, which were meant to set the mood and remind us of important moments from the first half, worked in the opposite way. Since I was binge-watching the show, I found them annoying. It robbed me of my time, the atmosphere suffered, and the story was unnecessarily prolonged. Similarly, the quality of some of the "cases from the ordinary life of hitmen" was fluctuating, Sometimes I enjoyed them when they had a significant connection to the main plotline or there was an especially good villainess (yes, a villainess – most of the male characters in the series are hardly worth mentioning, except for maybe Mireille’s uncle and Miloš Havel). However, there were also episodes that I could have skipped, and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. The unraveling of all the mysteries felt really drawn out. Sixteen episodes into the show, the heroines didn’t seem to know much more about the enemy than the name. The last issue for me is the lack of blood. Considering how many people die in the series, it seems weird and unnatural that only two scenes feature actual blood. It’s as if the characters weren’t even human beings. Whether that was the creative intention, as with the repetition of scenes and the attempt to keep emotions to a minimum because the story is about hitmen, I have no idea, but none of it really worked for me. Fortunately, there were also some great episodes in the first half. It might seem weird but the most interesting and powerful one for me was the one about the nighttime tea party. What really improved my overall impression was the second half, or rather the very last third (from the return to Corsica). That’s when everything gets going, all the secrets start to unravel, and the emotions and even the flashback scenes start to work, making Noir a five-star show. Another thing that makes it outstanding is the soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura. Just like in .hack//SIGN, the music is striking and unforgettable. It fits perfectly with what's happening on the screen. I admire the wide variety of musical themes. There are epic chants, sometimes there’s a bit of electronica or even bagpipe music. There’s even a track that will make you think of Italy. The amazing diversity is something to appreciate about Yuki Kajiura's work. Both the opening and the ending theme are also amazing. In terms of the music, Noir is a clear 11/10. All in all, I enjoyed Noir, literally devouring every episode towards the end. I understand why it’s so highly rated, but I have to factor in that it failed to draw me in at the beginning. 7.5/10

.hack//SIGN is definitely a unique experience. It's been a long time since I watched an anime that relies so heavily on dialogue. Dialogue is what moves the plot forward, fleshes out the characters, and builds the atmosphere – I wonder if there's a scene in the entire series longer than two minutes without anyone speaking. It sure demands a lot of attention from the viewer. In addition to answering all sorts of burning questions, there is a lot of wisdom and many details in the dialogue that give the whole story a lot more depth and help you get to know the characters better. The characters are what it's all about. They are very well written and despite being avatars in a computer game, you can guess who they are in real life from their behavior well before it’s revealed in the story. I also had no trouble understanding them and their motivations, including what made them decide to play the game in the first place. As for the story, it's not as complicated and complex as the authors are trying to present it through all the extensive dialogue. The important things are clearly stated, sometimes even repeatedly, so if you pay attention, you shouldn't have a problem following everything. If you are not paying attention so carefully, you should at least understand the gist. Although, to fully grasp the final epilogue (Episode 28) you probably need to know the game series as well. I didn't recognize half of the characters. What’s definitely worth mentioning is the music. I don't mean the opening and ending - in fact, the opening was the most boring part in terms of music. What I mean is Yuki Kajiura’s score. You can’t help but notice it right from the first episode, it literally steals a large part of your attention in many shots, it's always there, it sounds incredible, and alternates a lot of interesting and memorable motifs. Even when a single motif is repeated, it is arranged differently to evoke a slightly different mood and feel unique again. I don't know if I've ever heard such a powerful, intense, and amazing score before. It's been a long time since felt the need to listen to the entire soundtrack after just a few episodes. On the other hand, it was so musically intense that it sometimes distracted me from the dialogue, which can be a problem in a series where dialogue plays such an important role. Plus, there were moments when the music didn’t fully match the mood of what was happening on screen. For example, the cheerful banjo music doesn’t go very well with the moment when Sora has just killed two adventurers and goes to ask the third one for some information. The cheerfulness feels completely out of place here. Anyway, .hack//SIGN is a real treat, and, judging by people’s reviews of other series from this universe, it is probably unrepeatable. The premise of a player trapped in an MMORPG game is not an original concept. It’s been already done in SAO, yet I probably wouldn't recommend .hack//SIGN to SAO fans. This just isn't a series for everyone. It's very chatty, and if you're not paying attention, you might even feel like there's not much going on because the pacing is a little slow (to put it mildly). As for me, I was patient enough, I got hooked by the mystery, found all the questions intriguing, and needed to find answers to them + I discovered an amazing OST that I’ll be listening to while working for another few weeks. 8/10 P.S. My favorite characters are Bear, Crim, BT, Mimiru - in that order, and the best track from the OST is Key of the Twilight.

Slightly weaker than the first season, but still a pretty cool and enjoyable show. There seemed to be less humor and fewer of those absurd, over-the-top, and hilarious moments about how insanely powerful Maple was, by which she was ruining the whole game. I only laughed once or twice per episode (one of which was usually at the end during the "community chat"), which seems pretty little for Bofuri. It's as if the author realized at the end of the first season that this joke won’t do, and a change of approach was in order. The main character needed to be put in situations where the reader/viewer would worry about her, to set the stage for another story. There is only one moment in this season where Maple gets a crazy new upgrade while everyone around her tries to catch up with her. Half the season is like Pokémon again, which I don't really mind since I'm used to "pets" and "mounts" from playing MMORPGs. However, there is a noticeable change in the finale. It is a celebration of teamwork, instead of Maple single-handedly kicking the final boss's ass with everyone around her merely standing by in disbelief. So instead of a "super übercute heroine", it’s a show about "we can do it as a team", and I'm not sure if I'm happy about it. Maybe I liked to watch the absurdly strong Maple... Anyway, I did enjoy this season quite a bit, I liked the many different locations that were introduced. The show convinced me that the game world of this VRMMORPG was incredibly rich and made me want to experience it as a player. I also had no problem following all the characters’ stories. Bofuri is the kind of series where I love the main character, I like 2-3 other characters, and the rest are just OK. What this means in practice is that there is no one I didn’t like, including all the "pets". It’s quite an achievement for an anime with so many characters! I was also intrigued by the ending which showed even more new characters and clearly set the direction in which the story would go next. I'll be happy to watch another season, however, I doubt that I'll enjoy any sequel as much as I liked the first season (even if it was mainly about that one joke) 7/10.

In spite of Disney, the creators managed to make the most out of very little. The finale in particular was incredibly powerful, so even the "last season" is worth five stars. 8.5/10

Season 3 of Orphen is as mediocre, B-grade, and occasionally silly as the previous two seasons. Not much has changed, the only thing that has improved is the music, which I actually liked this season, and it worked in connection with the story. The animation is still rather weak, and the dialogue still feels forced. The story doesn’t offer any powerful emotions or coherent ideas. This season gets a maximum of 3.9/10. But despite all that, I'll still be watching Season 4! Why on earth? Because, for me, this is the equivalent of the live-action fantasy The Outpost. It's strictly a B-grade fantasy. I doubt that I’ll ever give any season a better rating than 5/10, but I want to finish watching it so that I can compare it to everything else. I mean, to be truly able to appreciate the pinnacle of gastronomy, you should also know what ready-made meals from the supermarket taste like. I hope that makes sense... And if not, take it to mean that I'm a fantasy fan and I'm willing to finish a series that isn't that great simply because it's a genre that I find interesting. Who knows? Maybe Orphen will surprise me sometime in the future, even though I'm not getting my hopes up...