Jeoffrey

I did not exactly like this movie! Where are the X-Men, horror, a supposedly strongly romantic narrative, and also, suspense? Well, all this is supposed to be there, although I did not really find any. It is a rather unscary horror movie! The X-Men appear in this although it feels more like they belong to a TV show than a movie because the characters do not really have enough screen time, so it does not really work. The romantic narrative is not really very believable, there was too little chemistry, and it felt like it was just tacked onto the screenplay. Towards the end - maybe - there is a little suspense... So, I stand by the fact that this was a flop of a movie. I am not going to watch it again and there is no need for a sequel... 3/10

Osamu Dazai is very popular and literally a national treasure in Japan, so it is no wonder that many movies and TV shows are inspired by his work. While his short story Ningen Shikkaku (English: No Longer Human) is a rather compelling examination of one man's life and his existential crisis, this movie, based on that, attempts to translate this crisis to a futuristic society. Does it work? Well, I do not think so really, because a lot of things were somewhat chaotic, confusing and the whole thing was very impersonal in my opinion. Even though I got the movie’s message, I still could not relate to it, and the whole thing was much less interesting and powerful as a result, as it did not present existential issues in simpler terms. In other words, I guess the producers of the movie just tried to put too much in it, so the pacing struggled with its overly complex exposition, and someone like me was struggling to properly take it all in and make sense of it all... So, did it dazzle me? Truth be told, not really! Neither did the CGI animation. Sometimes it can be an interesting movie, sometimes it is weird, sometimes it tries too hard to impress you with its details, and sometimes it is just one big NO-NO... It is inconsistent 5/10.

Well, this anime series is very interesting, there is no doubt about that. The animation is very well-drawn, the characters are quite believable, and even the cat (Pack) is actually pretty cool. I have not read the original manga series, so the show still managed to keep me in suspense, intrigued, and surprised. The idea of going back in time and recording that position to create a safe point to return to later to finish a certain sequence looks like a very well-executed idea to me. Plus, all the stuff that goes on in the main protagonist’s head, the way he handles and then mismanages the repetitive sequences, was getting more and more interesting as the episodes went on. Personally, I am simply on the side of those who consider Subaru to be a very good realistic male protagonist. In other words, at times he acts like an absolute champ (though there is no reason given for this), at times he is a total asshole, at times he is falling apart, at times he is a massive show-off, and in the end, he handles everything in such a way that I am still rooting for him despite all his flaws. In other words, I think it is handled well from a psychological perspective and I find the main protagonist’s break-down and his mental states much more believable and forgivable than Kirito's break-down in Sword Art Online second season (since so many people feel the need to reference Sword Art Online...). Add to that all the mindless violence, the numerous death scenes featuring the main male protagonist, and the way he handles it all, and you have got a show that is action-packed and really great on the psychological and mystery side of things! Moreover, it does not run out of juice, quite the opposite, so I quite often just stared at the monitor in disbelief and took in almost every minute with bated breath. As for the ending, I liked it too. I had no problem with the scene where he battles a whale (why a whale? because it is a fantasy + you do not remember Captain Ahab...), although I do agree with the argument that the fact it was a problem needed to be solved begs the question “Why was it there in the first place?”. On the other hand, the battle with the whale was an engaging spectacle. Oh, and the ending itself? Even if there was not going to be another season, it was still a very agreeable and pleasant ending, which was of course over-emotional, which is admittedly a cliché in anime waters. However, it is still better than leaving me strung out like a junkie waiting for his next fix with an even bigger cliché like a mega cliffhanger. I just really enjoyed Re:Zero. 9.2/10.

Personally, I have one minor problem with the third season of Aggretsuko, and it is affecting my feelings about the show and my final rating. I like whole Aggretsuko a lot, because it shows ordinary everyday life, and, moreover, from a world that is very close to me personally, as I am a person working in admin (read office drone). There is an interesting look at everything from many different perspectives, which I also appreciate, and I really like that most of the characters are quite believable. Well, yeah, the third season has a significant change of setting, so some of the issues that are addressed do not seem that relevant to me. I have never been in debt, so I cannot relate to the main protagonist’s struggle with that particular situation. Plus, how am I supposed to appreciate the Japanese view of the world of showbiz (and the whole Japanese concept of "idols") and the problems surrounding it? I have to confess I do not know much about it personally, so I have never cared much for it to be honest... On the other hand, I understand the point this season is making, again I appreciate how fairly honest they are when dealing with the problems depicted and their ability to see that there is more than one side to the story, which is what actually matters in the end. However, this is the first season where I could hardly see myself, or anyone I know, in any of the situations... The only character who saves this season in my opinion is Haida, who is once again fantastic, and I was far more interested in his romantic troubles and emotional conflicts than anything else. I also ended up really enjoying the very end of this season, which was again a bit far-fetched, yet gave me a chance to feel like I "connect" with everything again before the next season. In addition, even though it was not the right show for me at this time, I cannot say it was not enjoyable, (especially at the end) so I am going to count to ten and knock off two points. 8/10.

The second season is just as well produced and entertaining as the first, delighting in the addition of more interesting characters and the development of the original characters - for example, I have gotten used to and enjoy Director Ton espousing his words of wisdom throughout, although the main thrust of the entire second season seems to actually be the chatty little bugger Kabae, who shows another distinct and this time endearing part of her character, and this was a pleasant surprise. In other words, it turns out that the animals, like the humans they represent, are not just a bunch of empty stereotypical, cliché, and formulaic characters, they are all much more complex and complicated than we would expect. Likewise, the narrative introduces some new, as well old familiar (from the first season) subject matter, that, once again, too often will leave you feeling this is too much like real life... I am definitely very content and even the second season gets 9/10.

This is a delightful and endearing allegory with animals, where you are going to probably end up naming your friends and colleagues after some of the characters, as it is very much "true to life" at times. You are probably even going to see yourself in some of the animals and start thinking that maybe you have unacknowledged issues with work, love, yourself, or maybe with the people around you and that shutting yourself away for a while and screaming at the top of your lungs into a microphone is not actually a bad idea... 9/10.

Amphibia is created by Matt Braly, who was a part of the production team of the TV show Gravity Falls, however, the first season turned out to be quite a disappointment. It has no real charm, lacks suspense, and even a bit of originality. If such productions are supposed to reveal something about their creator, then from what I have seen so far, I would say that Matt Braly is a guy from the American deep south who grew up on a farm, and as a young kid loved observing animals (like catching frogs in a jar...) and had a close relationship with his grandfather... Am I right about that? Well, actually I have no idea, although the nature of this TV show seems to be absolutely consistent with that idea. The whole world it is set in is actually a kind of a miniature version of our own nature. I would not be surprised if someone told me that the main character had just been shrunk and had not really gone anywhere... On the one hand, as this is a familiar environment (as a small boy I also caught many little creatures in glass jars and observed insects and other small animals), I can relate to it. On the other hand, however, nothing surprises you much. There is nothing enchanting, interesting, or mysterious - and a lot of things are just cribbed from a basic knowledge of wildlife. I did not get on with the people in this show, I was never really into that (nowadays I think those folks are called KKona, years ago they were Rednecks)... Then there is the classic problem of the struggle against oppression, then the struggle for self-realization and self-discovery related to growing up, the generation gap, and relations between family and friends - there is quite a lot of interesting subject matter here. To be honest, though, I have seen better shows dealing with these issues, or at least in a more interesting way. Is it fairly predictable and primarily aimed at children? I guess so. The show is very simplistic, there are no complicated twists or surprises, so kids can easily digest it... Are the characters friendly? I think most of them are quite likable, and I think the best one is Grandpa Frog, although I think the younger generation would slam him with the tag "OK boomer"... Am I going to keep watching this show? Yes, I am. I do not find it exceptionally entertaining, although occasionally it is amusing and it did hold my attention, so I did not feel it was a complete waste of time. At the end of the first season, my feeling is to award it 5.5/10, which is enough reason for me to watch the second season. However, as I am more of a flywheel kind of guy, if it has stand-alone episodes and is as disjointed as the first season, then I might even get quite bored…

It happened somewhat like this - I was excited, entertained, and intrigued by the first season - so much so that I started reading the manga series (which is a big deal considering how lazy I am). I enjoyed the second season a little bit less - some things were simply much better managed in the manga so it made more sense to me. Then, this season came out and I began to feel bored - the big reveals came across as completely uninteresting (however, that may be because I already knew them), the pacing rather tired me out, and visually I found the graphics almost jarring. After the sixth episode of the third season I did not feel I was really getting that much out of it, and it was not really worth watching this adaptation at all. I would rather read the manga series again, where the potential is explored in a much better way. I did not feel like writing a review, and only did it because one of my favorite users just threw up a review, and I thought it was a good idea to add my two cents. I dropped the show after the sixth episode, as I thought this anime series was quite lifeless... As for a rating, what I saw of the third season is like 3.5/10.

It could be said that the second season is just one big mama drama set against the backdrop of preparations for the qualifying rounds of a regional competition. Again, it sounds very clichéd and basically just starts to deal with more supposedly complicated relationships and one character's past. As in the first season the well-functioning chemistry of believable characters, and a sense of atmosphere means the dramas and twists resonate well, or if you like, come across largely as the screenwriters intended and the audience wants. I again enjoyed it and thought that the number of clichés was not bad enough to significantly ruin my impressions of the show. On the contrary, it had scenes (like when the old granny was properly told off) that were just excellent. Even the final big performance felt much better and more believable this time (like the best the protagonists have given us so far). Thus, my fears that the second season would not work so well, that it would drown in uselessness, or God forbid I would stop rooting for the main characters, did not happen, rather the opposite, and I enjoyed the second season a bit better than the first one, perhaps thanks to one of the new characters. 8.3/10.

I cannot say I enjoyed the second season as much as the first one, and my feelings about it were more or less the same. At the start, I was trying to get to know some new characters and to reacquaint myself with some of the original ones. That massive sob story episode, in particular, disturbed me mentally, although I guess it was necessary for them to get it out of their system... At first, I found it very boring, wondering why I had said the first season was "above average" when this season is nothing special. Then things picked up, the great war started and I suddenly found it quite entertaining, and sometimes I was a little excited for the next episode. I only started to like the character Ocoho after a while, and I also grew to like some of the other characters a bit more too, like Grimm, Captain Dragunov, and the  "dark side" of Mélie. So in the end, I am awarding the second season 6/10, and I am looking forward to watching the third season.