Ars is pretty decent fantasy overall (albeit quite predictable) but I would rather watch secondary charcters than main ones.
And speaking of it, I get that Oni Mai my be to controversal for this site but it seems that both Ars and Chilling in my 30-s are so unpopular noone botherd to create pages for them. I though they are far from worst this season.
Edited by Nachtwandler on Feb 26th 2023 at 4:44:56 AM
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Ars is competently executed orthodox RPG fantasy, I'd say - by which I mean, it feels like the sort of thing you'd get as a PS2 game from a series like Tales Of. It's got a solid party of characters you could imagine turn-based or (gimmicky) real-time battle movesets for, a monster-of-the-week format, the merchant who's inexplicably the same in every town... none of which is bad at all.
I'd gladly take "charmingly jank PS2 JRPG" anime over a hundred "nauseatingly detailed but only on stat sheets and level up mechanics and the rest is bog standard" anime.
Edited by RedSavant on Feb 25th 2023 at 5:59:53 AM
It's been fun.Honestly, after the drought of anime films in my country last year, Suzume and First Slam Dunk being released so closely is just awesome. Here's hoping Gridman Universe got a quick release here as well. Spy x Family Movie is pretty much a given considering it's popularity.
I'm definitely gonna buy the 4K BD of Suzume. After buying a new Sony OLED, I got myself rewatching Kimi no Na Wa and Tenki no Ko and the quality is amazing.
Edited by jun_kagami on Mar 13th 2023 at 2:10:35 AM
Final Reactions: Fumetsu no Anata e S2
Overall, it was satisfying! It followed the manga to a tee, and it had the hallmark moments that made me bawl internally! Can't wait for the next season, where it will likely adapt the already-finished present-day arc! Yes, there is gonna be a 3rd season
!
Edited by thuse on Mar 12th 2023 at 6:31:02 PM
Hmm, I might need to check out Suzume in the theaters then, if it's closer to Your Name than Weathering With You.
Final Impressions
- Hikari no Ou: Apparently episode 10 was the last episode for season one, and it might have been a bit too abrupt of a cutoff point. At the same time, this was always a show that benefited from being somewhat disjointed. Not to say it's incoherent— while nothing has been properly explained, at least we can formulate working theories on who the gods are, what the spiders are, what the Flickering Flame is, and so on. I expect season two to reveal that Hikari no Ou is in the domain of science fiction. And with mounting tensions in all factions, I also expect the story to blow up in a most spectacular fashion. On the other hand, characters don't act and react as realistically as I would have liked which might be intentional. And while the inscrutability of the story works in its favor, the inscrutability of the janky animation does not. It is legitimately hard to parse what's going on in a number of scenes, especially the more hectic ones. Some of the scene transitions are very awkward too, in particular the odd placement of several stills. Not my favorite out of this season's crop of excellent fantasy anime, but it's up there.
- Danmachi S4: If we're speaking of fantasy anime I'd place over Hikari no Ou, here's Danmachi, and yes, it's wild to be saying that. But like its main character Bell, this freaking harem-romcom action-fantasy hybrid punches damn well above its weight. It started off with an encounter with one of the most dangerous monsters the heroes have ever faced, and it only gets much, much worse from there. The training wheels are off and the Dungeon is ravenous for Adventurer flesh and blood. You can feel the desperation of our heroes as they struggle to survive, a far cry from their previous EXP farming jaunts. Bell was also particularly interesting here— he's grown from an overpowered but hapless nice guy you can find in a couple dozen other anime, and become an effective leader of his party, a formidable, forward-thinking dungeon diver, and a bonafide, awe-inspiring hero. We also finally learn how Ryu became notorious as a killer vigilante, and the slow unfolding of the fate that befell her Familia is quite the elegantly told tragedy. There's some noticeable parts where the execution obviously could not quite grasp the ambition, but it was ambitious regardless, and that is worth the praise.
I'd been off Crunchyroll awhile, but now I'm back, and am giving "Tomo-chan Is A Girl" a try. I mostly like it, but I'm kind of mixed on Misuzu. I think I get what they're going for - That she's posessive of Toma and so gives her bad advice to try and keep Tomo & Jun from getting together - But sometimes a character like that just rubs me the wrong way, even though I realize its a starting flaw to develop out of.
Edited by diddyknux on Mar 21st 2023 at 9:13:26 AM
- Nagatoro S2: Well would you look at that, something resembling romantic progression. We sure have come a long way from Nagatoro bullying Senpai to tears, huh? Well, open wishing for kisses aside, if you liked S1, this gives you more of that, except Senpai takes a couple half-steps towards gaining a modicum of confidence, so that's nice. Needs more squiggling.
- Ningen Fushin: This was... alright, I suppose? The animation tended to feel a little off a lot, though I didn't notice any severe, dimenension-breaking jank in the second half of the season. It also didn't get really interesting until the Stepping Man arc. Mostly because Olivia shows up, and she's a goofy superwoman that almost feels like she should be in a different show or something. At least it was a fun kind of jarring (seriously, backflipping through a roof from a sitting position is so bizarre that even Nick can't comprehend what he just saw), and not inexplicable, like... the idol that keeps showing up and not really doing anything beyond talking to Nick sometimes? Also, the final episode just hits us with Argas having killed Nick's parents, and he just is okay with that? I feel like the anime has to be fucking with me again about the details, what was that flashback even about?. Overall, I guess I wish Olivia was one of the main characters, she provided most of the entertainment; the party's dynamics weren't awful beforehand, but they also weren't doing a whole lot of super interesting stuff either. Poor Zem though.
Final Impressions
- Ningen Fushin:
![[up] [up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png)
already mentioned the math test-fisticuffs hybrid and
has mentioned the recurring character that shouldn't be recurring at all. The show is full of stuff like that and it was kinda all over the place. But hey, math quiz version of chessboxing. That's something.
- MagiRevo: The core of the story is the relationship between the titular princess and genius, and their slowly budding romance is a delight to behold. In general this anime was at its best when it focuses on those two and their interactions. Bubbly, mad-scientist Anis and prim and proper Euphie are each also likable in their own right. The action sequences are considerably more flashy and fluid than you'd expect from a non-action-focused anime. However, the show falters when it tries to be dramatic and serious, as characters debate with somewhat abstract platitudes that sometimes doesn't track with what's been shown onscreen. So not quite revolutionary, but still very enjoyable, and let's not forget it blessed us with not one, not two, but three kisses. Always nice to see hard confirmation of yuri.
Final Impressions
Kaina of the Great Snow Sea: Interesting story from Tsutomu Nihei, as it doesn't feature a lot of recurring plot elements from his other works. The few that are present, however, are always exciting to encounter. Nihei's knack for building mysterious sci-fi worlds shines through, giving us ginormous trees that reach up into space, a vast sea that's filled with a liquid that's decidedly not water, and giant balls of fungi that rain down to said sea, like snow. There's a lot to chew on, and I loved every bit of it. The character writing is decent; Kaina strikes a good balance between a naive outsider and a practical thinker, whereas Ririha embodies the plucky princess archetype. The main antagonistic force, on the other hand, is laughably shallow. It's hard to even hate them, they're just playground bullies. Another thing: this season feels unfinished, because it is. There's a movie coming out which will presumably pick up where the series left off.
I know a lot of people who were turned off by the 3DCG, but I thought it looked nice. It looked a hell of a lot nicer than several fully 2D anime I've seen this season. There were some scenes where I thought the 3DCG failed to capture the emotions they were trying to convey, but for the most part the movements were fluid, the models didn't look off, and it was overall pleasant to watch.
Final note, in my book this had the best OP. That piano coupled with the soft singing is addictive.
EDIT:
More Final Impressions
Revenger: A showcase of stylish murders with generous helpings of blood splatter. Though it also has aspirations to being more than gory schlock. It tackles themes such as living with the guilt of being a murderer, but frankly, any aesops it tries to impart don't manage to stick. Only the main character Kurima gets a decent amount of development, meanwhile the plot is so predictable it's boring. Which wouldn't have been a problem if the writing had more panache, but alas. Revengers means well, but it's a bit lacking in execution. Wouldn't say it's bad, rather, it's only alright. The ambition is admirable, but this is something you watch for the snazzy kills.
Edited by fillerdude on Mar 23rd 2023 at 8:28:43 AM
Final Reactions:
Revenger: Yeah sorry... Even with subtitles, it was a bit hard to follow, especially around the middle... Maybe the manga adaptation will clear things up, but I honestly do not know...
Onimai: A very wholesome- oh who am I kidding! This show is sus to the rim! First it was Kaede, then Asahi, then that one scene with Momiji in the final episode... Well, nevertheless, it was an interesting watch to say the least...
Hyouken: Mainly your typical school fantasy series to the end... I might need to rewatch the final episode again, but that's mainly it...

Just watched The First Slam Dunk. All I can say is, it's the Sannoh match adaptation I've been waiting for. The focus on Miyagi which gives him more depth is excellent and the cg is surprisingly good. I can see why the movie is such a success in Japan.