Anyways. Let's begin.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: POTENTIAL SPOILERS....I TRY TO AVOID IT BUT FOR STUFF LIKE OUR FIRST SHOW IT'S HARD.........I SUGGEST WATCHING THIS SHOW BEFORE YOU READ MY ARTICLE.
That is what happens to our heroes: Emma, Norman, and Ray. I'm going to try and be as spoilerless as possible even though a major reveal has kind of happened but what do they plan to do ?? To fool their "Mama" and escape their farm, past the demons, to freedom; however, their mom knows that at least a few kids know something. What can happen ??
Many twists and turns in the surprisingly horror themed manga adaptation straight from the pages of Shonen Jump and let me tell you this is a pretty messed up show and not something I thought was serialized there. But I've been reading and reading and watching and watching. Gawd damn they did such a great job, while missing a few plots points here and there yes, but it's edited for time. Emma, Ray, and Norman are each fantastic characters. Emma is a spunky, energetic, older sister to everyone, she loves them all like family which is why upon finding out she insists everyone come when Ray and even Norman to a degree vastly disagree with the idea; saying that it's just going to get them killed. Ray is....the typical moody side character....he's the Sasuke and Ishida of this series; but he's intelligent and always is thinking of ways to help himself and his best friends Emma & Norman. Norman is a genius, pure and simple, he's the smartest kid and thus the most important kid to "mom" as the demons only eat brains; it's his mind that helps concoct their massive escape plan. An escape plan that has several bumps in the road that the kids need to work out.
Honestly, anymore and I ruin it.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 10/10
I love that quote and it honestly fits this anime perfectly. The Rising of the Shield Hero (which I'm just going to say Shield Hero for short) is a fantastic anime in the isekai style. 4 great heroes: The Bow Hero, Sword Hero, Spear Hero, and Shield Hero are all summoned from other worlds to combat these demonic waves that will destroy a continent and they are the only ones capable of stopping it. Each hero, we find out, has been summoned from a different period in Japanese history with Naofumi (the Shield Hero) being the oldest one from our current time and all other heroes from the future. That being said this new world reminds each of them of video games they've played, whereas nothing like this Naofumi has experienced. Side note: the Sword Hero says this other world reminds him of the VRMMO he plays in his time and the character is voiced by, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, the same guy who voices Kirito in another "sorta popular" isekai show. It made me chuckle when I first heard it.
One thing I didn't chuckle about is what happens to Naofumi, like I discussed in a previous article, the Princess Myne and King frame him for rape and he becomes obviously known as a terrible person throughout the kingdom. Rather than accept it, he plays along and becomes the terrible person he's seen as, at least for a little while because through his interactions with others you can clearly see he is a caring and compassionate person. His "slave" but only in title, actually more of his best friend (and potential love interest) Raphtalia and the Queen of Filolials (a bird race) Filo; are what keeps Naofumi grounded. Especially after he "breaks" and acquires his Cursed Powers via the Rage Shield, these two bring him back to reality and keep him from going overboard and killing people. Naofumi's kindness doesn't get lost on others, many people eventually see him for the great person who he is. Including the Queen, who goes out of her way to make sure that her daughter and husband receive punishment for what they did.
It's a very good mix of storytelling, action, it's a nice dark fantasy. But just like Naofumi says himself in the show, "this sounds like a light novel".
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 9/10
The father of manga (and potentially anime) Osamu Tezuka wrote and drew Dororo from 1967 to 1969; it received an anime adaptation the year it finished in 1969. It's 2019 now and we've seen a new adaptation of the Dororo manga appear and like I said, it's amazing. My favourite thing about this adaptation is the way they stylized it. Dororo, like almost all manga, is black and whitie as was the original anime; we live in a day and age where I'm not sure that a black and white anime could properly succeed. So what the artists did was draw the entire thing in a dark palette; much of it looks black and white with enough colour to make it stand out and stylized. It is by far the nicest thing I've seen. Add to that the traditional period music, with it being set in Sengoku period of Japan, the amazing voice acting on all the characters parts. Just, I don't have a bad thing to say about this show, it's so good and you can tell it's hitting home based on the number of Spring 2019 shows that have a similar theme to Dororo.
What is that theme ?? What is Dororo's story ??
It's the story of Hyakkimaru, a boy born with no internal organs, legs, arms, eyes, ears, skin, etc. because his feudal lord of a father struck a deal with 48 demons (though the 2019 anime condenses it to 13 for episodes sake) saying that they could take anything from him in order to provide him power and give his region strength. He's meant to be thrown away upon birth but the midwife leaves him adrift in a boat where he's discovered by a doctor, who raises him and makes prosthetic limbs for him (including two katana underneath his fake arms). He then goes about hunting the demons and each one he kills he receives that part of his body back. Along the way he meets our title character the little thief Dororo, who also is the one to give him the name Hyakkimaru; even though most of the time he's still referred to by Dororo as "aniki" (brother). Dororo travels with Hyakkimaru to find these demons but he also teaches him about his newly acquired senses, about compassion, about things that until he met Dororo he couldn't or didn't understand. The end goal after getting his parts back; find who cursed him and bring vengeance upon them.
It's just sooo good.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 10/10
The show tells stories in such an interesting fashion. Which is also something that needs to be said; this is a show that is meant to tell stories and that same reason is why this show makes NO sense at times. The stories are told in arcs: Boogiepop vs Manticore, Boogiepop vs Imaginator, Boogiepop at Dawn, Overdrive: Boogiepop vs King of Distortion. Each in small like 4 or 5 episode chunks but not told in a conventional way. To explain, it's almost best to wait until an entire block is finished before watching it. The first episode of Boogiepop and Others, is the beginning and end of the arc at the same time, and if that sounds confusing it is.
Let me explain to you first, who Boogiepop is. Touka Miyashita, the sort of main character, her mother took her for a psych evaluation because she sometimes talks in a "strange mans voice" that man is Boogiepop though at the time he had no name. No name he just knew that he appears in some form when enemies of the world appear; which normally is the kind of talk that would have someone committed for testing. The only reason Touka never was committed is that she, or rather Boogiepop, deduced at the time that their psychologist WAS one of those enemies and they made sure to make them aware that they would not escape. It was a great moment. A moment that comes WAYYYYYY in the middle of the series, when Boogiepop explains to a character we meet in the first few episodes named Echoes how he received his name, "When I detect adversity approaching, I float to the surface. That's why I am Boogiepop---phantasmal, like bubbles." And how they came to be in Touka's world. So, while that set of episodes would make much more sense to come first they take place in the middle of the series, then the first VS story: VS Manticore takes place randomly out of order episodes wise. The rest makes more sense. But now that the show is over......I think (there are many more light novels that could be adapted but as far as this goes it is temporarily done) I suggest watching it.
Boogiepop's stories are eerie, they are interesting, the character himself is unique and very cool. To see Touka talking to her friend, one that gets too close to danger too often, switch from her voice to suddenly Boogiepop without being given away is chilling. They are great stories and I plan on picking up the light novels that may not be adapted into anime form. The voice acting made this show unique as well as a bland palette of colour but one meant for a dark show like Boogiepop and Others.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 10/10
Is a way to start off, basically by seeing the front artwork is what you'd assume. Harem with classic protagonist. Not quite. One aspect of the Quintessential Quintuplets that makes it unique is you know that our main protagonist Futaro Uesugi is going to get married to one of these girls as the whole story is told via flashback on their wedding day. You just don't know which girl as they are identical quintuplets. Itsuki, Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba, and Nino; each girl is characteristically unique from the other. Itsuki is stubborn, kind, and diligent. Ichika very much acts like the oldest sister, providing comfort to everyone, but as a wannabe actress puts that ahead of all else (also has a crush on Futaro, not quite as much as her other sister but it is there). Miku the quietest, shyest, but most studious sister (with the biggest crush on Futaro). Yotsuba is hyperactive, happy, always willing to lend a hand, but is the least intelligent sister. Finally Nino, is a tsundere.
I mentioned intelligence a couple times with the description of the sisters, the reason being that they only know Futaro as he is hired by their father to tutor the girls because all of them are failures as students. Futaro jumps at the chance as he is a high class academic and because his family is in debt and their father is rich and willing to pay to assist his daughters. They want nothing to do with his study sessions at first, only Yotsuba and her dedication to all things joins, but he eventually wins them all over...........unfortunately even though he wins them over, they still don't study that much.
My personal favourite, as of course all fans must have, is Miku and though it would seem cliche for the girl who fell for him first to be the one he marries it is highly possible and an outcome I would enjoy. I say this because as of right now, I don't know if the anime is going to go past the usual 12 or 13 episode length most do, but I started to read the manga as well to get ahead in the story because of the cliffhangers. I don't know which of the five sisters it is, but they are always going to be interlocked as a group, one couple and 4 sisters-in-law.
The art in the show is very vibrant and colourful, the characters are really fun and interesting, the voice acting is great, it is a fun and funny show to watch. A light-hearted, slice of life, rom-com, to enjoy.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 9/10
Great way to start off my synopsis and thoughts isn't it ??
Well, I've explained the premise of Domestic no Kanojo (Domestic Girlfriend) to several of my friends and they just make a face at me, some sigh, some go wow, and one buddy of mine had a good chuckle at the idea. So let's start off. What is Domestic Girlfriend about ?? Well imagine a high school student, Natsuo, being in love with his high school teacher, Hina. Fair enough those kind of things happen all the time; many people have crushes on their teachers. With it being a one-sided thing though when a girl, Rui, asks him at karaoke, "do you wanna bang?" he's like "I got this" (not that he said it that way). Afterwards we find out Natsuo's dad plans to get remarried and his new wife-to-be is coming over for dinner and she's bringing her daughters to meet Natsuo and his dad. Her daughters being Hina and Rui. Thus leaves Natsuo in a position that many wouldn't expect, he's in love with his soon to be step-sister and he banged his other soon to be step-sister; neither of them knows this about each other and their parents DEFINITELY don't know about this......odd situation. Now, in the West, we immediately look down upon this and just wow okay nope......however, things are slightly different overseas, not that this is common but definitely not as frowned upon (or so I've heard). But yes, DUMPSTER FIRE.....CAN'T LOOK AWAY.....HOW WILL THIS CRASH AND BURN ??!!!
And it takes a ton of twists and turns, two other girls fall for Natsuo, Rui ends up falling in love with him despite her saying otherwise, Hina already did love him but she was also someone's mistress at the same time, she breaks up with dude and moves out to start dating Natsuo, they end up sleeping together, he ends up costing Hina her job because the principal finds out. Their parents eventually find out. DISASTROUS TRAIN-WRECK.......CAN'T LOOK AWAY........
Basically, Gigguk's dumpster fire analogy is perfect. And honestly, umm this is just pure trash, funny trash though because the show does a great job at developing their characters. The lack of plot leaves tons of room for character development, in a way that is.....hard to explain.
I ONLY RECOMMEND IF YOU WANT A TRASHY, FUNNY SHOW - 7.5/10
The whole idea is that love is war because whoever confesses their feelings first losses all the power in the relationship, the dominant one, the stronger one, is the one who is confessed to. Kaguya and Shirogane like each other a lot but neither will say anything; neither wants to lose the edge. Each episode is split into mini episodes, each as a "battle", with a narrator who will say at the end who wins the days "battle". The show is very cleverly crafted that way and even though we only meet a few characters other than the four main student council members that's all that is really needed with the couple extra providing minor support. While the art is okay and leaves something to be desired, there's some game it reminds me of but I can't think of it, it's the story and comedy that drives this show. I don't think that as many memes and stuff would come out of this show if it weren't perceived as one of the funnier shows of the season. The personality of each character also provides so much to this series. Kaguya: the serious tsundere, Shirogane: the other serious tsundere, Chika: the funny ditz, Ishigami: the scared but emo kid, and Hayaska: the I can't believe I put up with this shit character.
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is just a fantastic trip through the difficulties of love, why sometimes it is way more difficult than we make it out to be, and how that can often be our own doing.
HIGH RECOMMENDATION - 8/10
But onto season 3, the whole thing kicks off with the newest Spirit, Narumi is caught by Shido (or at least she thinks so) in her original form. That of a more tiny girl instead of the more grown up and busty girl she was impersonating; she swears revenge on Shido and goes out of her way to make life miserable for him. At the same time, determined to find out what happened to her parents, Origami joins the villains in order to fight Shido's Spirit girls and her former friends. While trying to kill those Spirits she ends up becoming one herself, harnessing the power in order to fight them, and after going back in time finding out SHE was the Spirit that killed her parents. This causes a massive shift and she goes "inverse" unable to control her power; Shido goes back in time (all thanks to Kurumi) to try and solve the problem. He eventually does and in traditional fashion, seals the girls power.
I've always been a fan of the Date A Live franchise. It's just a fun watch, with fun characters, it can be interesting or dull depending on your outlook.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A CHILL WATCH - 7.5/10
This go around, after defeating the Demon Lord Orc at the end of season 1, Rimuru and company continued to build their community; the village is eventually so big and becomes recognized by the Dwarven Kingdom as its own nation, the Tempest Federation. He is visited by a Demon Lord again, what with power being so high, but this time rather than fight Rimuru befriends this new girl named Milim. They become "besties" and she helps defeat a giant monster of evil incarnate that attacks the nation; it is also something that leaves other nations worried as not only is this powerful slime in charge but they also have the protection of a Demon Lord. Rimuru just has one thing on his mind though, fulfilling his promise to Shizu; so he travels to the human capital to teach a group of abandoned kids with high magic all of whom like him and Shizu came from another world. They'll all die unless he does something so similar to the high ranking spirit Ifirit that possessed Shizu and gave her a longer life, he decided doing something similar for the kids was necessary. And upon traveling to the forest to find said spirits, they find another Demon Lord, who used to be the Fairy Queen, and like Milim she's harmless and befriends Rimuru. After all the kids are saved Rimuru travels back to his nation. The only thing bothering him as he leaves is one of his students was possessed by a spirit with the same power and vibes that Veldora (his own dragon spirit) possesses. (I know why but we shall leave that).
Like I said, it's a show that's well worth watching whether you're a SAO fan, a fan of other isekai like: ReZero, Konosuba, or Overlord, or just an anime fan. I can't think of anything bad to say about Slime.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 8.5/10
Someone that in order to save this world and free Alice, that they need to stop.
The biggest problem they face is that as they climb said cathedral they encounter many Integrity Knights from the original holder of Eugeo's Blue Rose Sword, Berculi, to Alice herself, and several others. Each encounter plays out vastly different and I don't want to ruin how any of these battles take place because each one is awesome. Up until now, it is a season that I could argue is one of the best, if not the best, season of SAO; because it is flushed out and full of interesting characters that play off of each other, Kirito isn't an overpowered all-mighty hero, everything seems more......human.
It's still set to go through Spring 2019 and Summer 2019 as it is set as a "four-core" meaning a full year of the show. I think they've done a great job with this, it's only gotten better as it has continued.
RECOMMENDED TO SAO & NON-SAO FANS - 8.5/10
But.