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Gzerble

  • Joined Jan 5, 2015
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New Game!

Aug 1, 2018

We should get this out of the way first: New Game! is to lesbian undertones what being burned alive is to slight discomfort. Now that this is done with, New Game! is the anime equivalent of a cute sitcom without any bite but a whole lot of cute. There is no negativity, only some fan service and cuteness. There is no real drama, only people liking their job and cuteness. There is nothing edgy, but there is a mildly quirky cast and cuteness. You may have noticed my subtle hint, and by hint I mean blatant repetition, that New Game! goes about as all-in on cuteness as possible without an adorable... See full review

5.5/10 story
7.5/10 animation
6.5/10 sound
5.5/10 characters
6.4/10 overall

Sweetness & Lightning

Jul 28, 2018

On the surface of things, Amaama to Inazuma is actually trying to compete with Usagi Drop. We will have to start here because of how well regarded (and loved) the latter is. The parallels are there: it is the heart warming story of a single father trying to cope with raising an adorable little girl, in a pure slice-of-life format. There is no character arc, there is no complex plot, there is just parenting and cuteness and life. No shortage of commonalities, obviously You'd say "but this show focuses on making food" and that both is and isn't really true. This is a unifying device, trying to give... See full review

6.5/10 story
6.5/10 animation
5.5/10 sound
7/10 characters
6.6/10 overall

My Wife Is the Student Council President!

Dec 30, 2016

Okusama ga Seito Kaichou! has a terrible writing, and is a terrible show. This should be stated outright. There's flimsy excuses for nudity and sexual content, and really, all else is thrown out by the wayside. That being said, it has great writing and is a great show, because it's basically all flimsy excuses for nudity and sexual content. My main issues with the subject of sexuality in anime are simple: the characters, whatever their excuse, waffle about and do nothing. They aren't actual teens who despite whatever moralistic lessons taught to them are curious and want to explore the subject. It cripples... See full review

3/10 story
6.5/10 animation
6/10 sound
4/10 characters
5.3/10 overall

91 Days

Dec 27, 2016

A by the numbers revenge story, with a backdrop of gangsters during prohibition. There, you don't have to see 91 Days anymore, because I told you everything you need to know. I kid, somewhat. It's actually surprisingly good. Not too many people are hit with the dumb stick, the plot twists (in as much as they exist) aren't moronic nor over the top, and the solid execution is pretty good. My main issue is that this is aimed at mature audiences, and as such competes with other media aimed at that crowd... and as a gangster story, it is downright sub-par. The fact that it's animated is neither here nor there... See full review

4.8/10 story
6/10 animation
7/10 sound
4.5/10 characters
6.5/10 overall

Yuri!!! on Ice

Dec 20, 2016

I once saw two guys making out, and that was the gayest thing I ever saw, until Yaoi!!! on Ice Yuri!!! on Ice. I mean, yaoi bait isn't a new thing. Teen girls have finally reached the point of equality that they squeel over two guys kissing in an exact match to the way guys love watching two girls making out... and this is marketted right at that. And yet, the animation is gorgeous, the story is completely standard (except with two guys instead of a guy and a girl) but well executed, and we get a by-the-numbers sports/competition anime. If two guys being obviously (and at times flamboyantly) gay doesn't... See full review

5.5/10 story
9/10 animation
6/10 sound
4.5/10 characters
6.4/10 overall

Kodomo no Jikan: Kuro-chan to Shiro-chan

Dec 3, 2016

This is bad slice of life that sheds light on a character that no one cares about, and just isn't enjoyable. It would have been something that may have been cool had Kodomo no Jikan been something that was amazing. If the visuals were spectacular, it could have been a lot more fun. But since the show devolved into an attempt at a Bakemonogatari type tapestry of characters that utterly fails because they aren't that great, it just ends up being completely irrelevant to the strong points of the show. There's a mention of this later on, because Kuro is relevant somehow, but seriously, this is entirely... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 animation
?/10 sound
?/10 characters
2.5/10 overall

Kodomo no Jikan: Kodomo no Natsu Jikan

Dec 3, 2016

OK, finally an OVA that goes full-on irreverant OVA, with the expected beach episode. Yeah, this show finally has a beach episode, because you know, it wasn't about the fan service before. It's actually one of the best written ones, managing to feel a lot more fun and light hearted than most of the other parts which want to take things too seriously. Don't get me wrong, you'll still cringe at times (naked elementary schooler groping a sleeping man's cock and saying "no way that'll fit"), but overall, it's better than most of this series. Yeah, if you got this far on the list of things out of... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 animation
?/10 sound
?/10 characters
4/10 overall

Kodomo no Jikan: Ni Gakki

Dec 3, 2016

Dead horse, beaten. Kodomo no Jikan has run it's course, and should have died. The gimmick has gotten old, they don't get points for audaciousness anymore, and quite frankly, this is filler for filler's sake. The main character (which the show barely attempts to hide her as being second to the teacher anymore) gets some character development, but then beats it into the ground. But it removes the aspect of her as a naive child in favor of showing her trying too hard to be an adult. This makes this a lot sadder than it should be. Of course, this is just forced drama, and a cheap attempt to show that her... See full review

?/10 story
?/10 animation
?/10 sound
?/10 characters
3/10 overall

Kodomo no Jikan: Rin's Classroom Diary

Dec 3, 2016

Yeah, this is just a recap of the series and the first OVA, which is slightly less fan servicy and more about the touching moments. It doesn't make it better. If you already watched the series, you don't need this. If you haven't watched the series, watch that. Waste of time, skip.

See full review
?/10 story
?/10 animation
?/10 sound
?/10 characters
4/10 overall

Kodomo no Jikan: Anata ga Watashi ni Kureta Mono

Dec 3, 2016

OK, so you've seen Kodomo no Jikan and you came back for more. You probably aren't going to dislike it as much as I did. It's a missing part of the first season, and plugs in some of the plot holes there (which anyone could sufficiently gloss over, and as such were skipped). I was able to somewhat tune out the lolicon implications, so I'll just crush this a little less. The animation is somewhat improved over the series, and the audio is still pretty good. When outside of the fan service, it's actually pretty good. The still frames do a better job conveying the emotions in the show. That being said, the... See full review

1.5/10 story
6/10 animation
7/10 sound
2.5/10 characters
4.5/10 overall

Kodomo no Jikan

Dec 3, 2016

Getting it out of the way: eww, eww, eww. Ecchi with nine year old girls. And not subtle ecchi. No, blatant and extremely intentional sexual situations between a grown man and a nine year old girl. Eww. Kodomo no Jikan could have been a great show had it not been so blatant in the way that the writers actually meant for it to be a full-on sexual relationship but toned it down for sales purposes. Eww, eww, eww. But about what this show does right. I fully agree with the Japanese ideal that youth doesn't require a character to be completely asexual otherwise you are crossing some moral guideline. Everyone... See full review

2/10 story
5/10 animation
7/10 sound
2/10 characters
3.5/10 overall

Mekakucity Actors

Nov 26, 2016

Mekakucity Actors is the real deal. The complete package: good writing, excellent art that fits it well, and a complete and satisfying arc. It doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer, isn't reliant on tropes that make the inner otaku squeel with joy (though they do exist), and doesn't go down the beaten path. In case it wasn't clear, I really like this show. Don't get me wrong, it has cliches I don't like. There's the overuse of singing as a way to move the plot, the characters aren't written nearly as tightly as they should be, once again we're dealing with a bunch of teens with the main character... See full review

8/10 story
9/10 animation
7/10 sound
7/10 characters
8.5/10 overall

Alderamin on the Sky

Nov 24, 2016

A lot of shows are just promotions for manga and light novels. But most people who watch anime couldn't care less about those, we just want our entertainment. The list of shows that are so blatantly incomplete that it ruins all their potential is painfully long, and it hurts a lot more when there is some great art and a lot of effort put into a show that is disposable by design. Alderamin on the Sky is yet another show that has one season that doesn't stand on its own. There is no gentle way to put this, but the structure of the show is all sorts of wrong. From the endless talking about the far future and... See full review

1.5/10 story
7/10 animation
4.5/10 sound
3/10 characters
3.5/10 overall

Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash

Nov 22, 2016

Wow, people are suddenly trapped in a fantasy world where people fight to get stronger and there's a ton of fanservice. Welcome to not Sword Art Online 5, also known as Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, with some of the most gorgeous art out there. The best thing about it? The butt. Seriously, there's nothing much special here beyond the art and the fan service giving proper appreciation to booty. There's thin (at best) writing, so that's what we're left with. This show would have been amazing in 2010-2012, but now it's just run of the mill... with some ass to make up for it. I could tell how it tries to be... See full review

3/10 story
9/10 animation
6/10 sound
2.5/10 characters
5.5/10 overall

Death Parade

Nov 19, 2016

Death Parade isn't good. Take a little bit of Hell Girl and add a drop of Twighlight Zone ripoff, and this is what you have. For a series so hyped up when it aired, it didn't live up to it. The philosophical points are underdeveloped and flawed. The psychological aspects are aimed solidly at people who don't know psychology even on an amateur level. There is no real depth, just a pretense of depth. But hey, that opening is amazing. Seriously, the opening of the show is amazing. It'll have you singing "boom boom boom" like a moron, and loving the hell out of it. Still, for something so... See full review

3/10 story
8.5/10 animation
8/10 sound
2/10 characters
5/10 overall

My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy

Nov 19, 2016

Do you not cringe as some guy debases himself? Would you like another vapid harem with a male lead that has no business whatsoever having any girl like him? Do you want another series without resolution other than a cheap cop-out? Well have I got the show for you! Noucome is the reason why otaku culture deserves mockery. When people point out the tropes (you know which ones) and say "this is why you're all called weirdos", it is because of shows like this. Tone it down, for crying out loud. This show is what the most over the top flamboyantly gay people are to the LGBTQ community - you can't... See full review

2/10 story
7/10 animation
6.5/10 sound
1.5/10 characters
3.5/10 overall

Drifters

Oct 29, 2016

Drifters had a lot of hype behind it. Hellsing has an iconic place in anime history, and this is supposedly what comes next from the people behind it... and boy does it show. The art style is distinct and very much geared to be memorable, it has the same bits of silliness interspersed in the super-seriousness, and there are plenty of people getting hacked to bits. These are all good things. But people forget that while Hellsing is definitely awesome, it isn't all that great as a show. Sure, it's not bad, but it isn't great. Likewise, Drifters has not reached a point where I can say "wait, this is... See full review

4/10 story
8/10 animation
6.3/10 sound
3/10 characters
6.2/10 overall

She and Her Cat: Everything Flows

Oct 28, 2016

She and Her Cat: Everything Flows is amazing. Running four episodes that without the opening and ending are under six minutes a piece, it is more poetry than storytelling in order to achieve an emotional impact. And yes, it's yet another melancholic piece by Makoto Shinkai, and yes, he still works far better in shorter forms than he ever did in his longer ones. You can say many things about this, but She and Her Cat: Everything Flows is extremely well crafted and thought through. It is not to be compared to most anime, because what it does is fundamentally different from a literary perspective. It is... See full review

7.5/10 story
8/10 animation
9.8/10 sound
9/10 characters
9/10 overall

SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist

Oct 28, 2016

"All I see is a sweet girl happily eating a giant mushroom! The only aspect which puzzles me is why she has an abnormal amount of saliva trickling from her mouth" - Anna (summarizing the premise) Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai is a terrible show for horrible people. It is also a magnificent show for those who want something a bit different. On one hand, it is low brow ecchi with a side of stupid, while on the other, it is surprisingly clever with it's subtext and has an outrageously funny execution. Needless to say, I loved it. Very few shows manage to both... See full review

6/10 story
7/10 animation
7/10 sound
6/10 characters
7.5/10 overall

Parasyte -the maxim-

Oct 24, 2016

Parastye -The Maxim- tries really hard to be deep and edgy. It doesn't suck at it as bad as Tokyo Ghoul does, but in many ways it's flawed. Even so, it manages to be good despite all the issues which plague it. There are a lot of things going for it.The writing isn't terrible, the art is overall well done, the characters are usually justified when being stupid, and surprisingly enough, it's rather sweet. First and foremost, we're talking about a monster story. It's supposedly modern horror, and at that it kinda fails. It doesn't go deep enough into the psychological aspects to be that type of creepy, it... See full review

6.5/10 story
8/10 animation
3/10 sound
6/10 characters
6.3/10 overall

My Hero Academia

Oct 22, 2016

My Hero Academia isn't good, but thinks wishing hard enough to be good is close enough. Dear god, that's so wrong. Super hero school, yeah, been there, done that. The bullied loner wants to be the best ever, I mean, that's aiming right at being like everyone else. There is nothing special about this show. There is no redeeming quality. There's just a slow pace and mediocre copy-pasted characters in a generic sandbox that is executed worse than other shows. At times I may have been slightly critical of shounen. And by that, slightly critical could be replaced as "with few exceptions, complete... See full review

3/10 story
6/10 animation
4.5/10 sound
3/10 characters
4.3/10 overall

Nisekoi:

Oct 16, 2016

Right. As if anyone expected something that isn't more of the same. Seriously, Nisekoi isn't going to, and shouldn't, change. So it didn't. Yay? Here we get a clearer direction: it goes full on slice of life, and drops the flimsy pretense of an actual plot. This is a harem show for crying out loud, it isn't as if a plot is necessary anyways. Go watch some adult BS for that. Everyone else will expect constant excuses for why nothing changes, a bit of fan service, and some gorgeous art. This isn't what you signed up for? Then how did you get past the first season? Seriously, this show isn't about things... See full review

2/10 story
9/10 animation
6.5/10 sound
4/10 characters
6.6/10 overall

Nisekoi

Oct 16, 2016

I dislike teen romance. I hate harems. I loathe school life. Tsunderes, the sickly girl, the shy dorky one, and basically every female character is a cliche that makes me want to stab someone. I detest everything Nisekoi stands for. And this is played as straight-up as can be. I hate myself for liking Nisekoi. Really, this should have caught me frothing like a rabid dog waiting to tear it to pieces. Perhaps because everything adheres to the cliches, what is left is not to think about them but rather the execution. And wow, does it dazzle. No forced darkness or angst, no intense drama, just a lot of teen... See full review

2/10 story
9/10 animation
6.5/10 sound
4/10 characters
6.6/10 overall

Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World

Oct 9, 2016

Do you know that Batman vs. Superman's Ultimate Edition is R-rated? I suppose that the studio green lit that after Deadpool's success. But it's R rated because of a few f-bombs. It's a lie, it's promotional BS, and it really doesn't change the movie from being PG-13 in all but name. Re:ZERO is not Sienen. The blood is explicit, characters die (but not really), but this isn't really aimed at a more mature audience than any other shounen show. We have the dumb protagonist who flaunts his stupidity and will win at everything because determination (but actually because he's completely overpowered beyond... See full review

4/10 story
8.5/10 animation
5.5/10 sound
4/10 characters
4.5/10 overall

ReLIFE

Oct 8, 2016

ReLIFE is an odd take on a coming of age story, has a harsh strawman argument against modern society which hides within it a subtle jab at Japanese culture which strikes a lot more to the heart of the matter. Of course none of that would matter hadn't the show been good. And don't get me wrong, it's good. There are plenty of valid criticisms, but that won't change the fact that this is a surprisingly enjoyable show that's quite refreshing. The premise is simple, and basically states that the heart of the show is first and foremost a character study. Now, as these go, the protagonist's trials and... See full review

5/10 story
7.5/10 animation
6.5/10 sound
6.8/10 characters
7.1/10 overall

Tokyo Ghoul √A

Oct 7, 2016

Gaping plot holes? Check. Protagonist looks like he went on a shopping spree at Hot Topic? Check. Tokyo Ghoul isn't good, and it's second season is a waste of time with some cool action scenes. I'm sure the manga had some added depth, but dammit, this anime just fails to live up to the mediocre first season. The animation is great, the sound is serviceable, and the cast is a slight improvement... but the writing took a wrong turn, and too much is missing. If you loved the first season for it being edgy and cool, then you probably won't have any problems with this... but seriously, that's about it. Tokyo... See full review

2/10 story
8.7/10 animation
5/10 sound
4.5/10 characters
4.5/10 overall

Tokyo Ghoul

Oct 7, 2016

Tokyo Ghoul starts with some promise but ends up more dissapointing than that one Guns'n'Roses album that took twenty years to make and kinda sucked. It had the potential to be great, but in the end, shies away from anything truly subversive that could have made it a classic. So the premise is great; monsters that are men, men that are monsters, a world made of gray areas where those with morals end up being ground down to dust due to the unkind nature of it all. Instead we get emo vampires and over the top tragic backstory. Anime's greatest strength and weakness lies in it's endless references to past... See full review

3/10 story
8.7/10 animation
5/10 sound
4/10 characters
5/10 overall

Food Wars! The Second Plate

Oct 6, 2016

I'll start out by saying that the second season of Food Wars! is not as good as the first. Yeah, I said it. The show takes a turn for the serious, and becomes more of a tournament show than a light hearted one. The fan service is less blatant, there is less humor, but more seriousness all around. This is not a good thing. Sure, we get a bit more about the characters, and a lot more dramatic a set up. But if you really cared for those things, than this show wasn't for you and you can still find better. Don't get me wrong, Food Wars! remains light hearted and fun, but less so. Instead of elaborating about... See full review

2.5/10 story
8/10 animation
7/10 sound
4/10 characters
6.8/10 overall

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Souma

Oct 6, 2016

You had me at tentacle rape. Food Wars! is everything both good and bad about Japan at the same time, and it is glorious. Shameless fan service, a silly shounen plot inside a competition anime, various mumbo jumbo about cooking which is sometimes kinda true and at times just wrong but feels right... this show is the Donald Trump of anime. It has everything you should absolutely loathe about Japanese animation, yet is just so funny and you can't be sure if the charisma is intentional or not. This is a show that everyone who attempts to view as an adult should hate, but everyone loves. Because perhaps... See full review

3/10 story
8/10 animation
7/10 sound
4/10 characters
7.8/10 overall

I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying: 2nd Thread

Sep 24, 2016

I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying: 2nd Thread carries on from where the first season ended. This is still the story of a young married couple, who still (despite being married for over a year) find each other inexplicable at times. Here ends the dry description and starts the subjective view. This series is an honest to god feel-good slice of life show that might exaggerate a bit, but is grounded in realism. I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying: 2nd Thread is the greatest example in anime of a positive adult relationship. The levels of adorable here are so extreme that it usually... See full review

8/10 story
7/10 animation
9/10 sound
9.5/10 characters
9.5/10 overall