Reviews

The intensity of the episode came in waves one after the other. The necessary content to keep audience hooked to their seats after every crest of an episodic high point. And there were many in this one.

I might not know the history of events that well, but by storytelling POV this episode worked really well. A level of taste with uncertainty and anticipation, the likes of which are rarely expressed in fiction (though here, derived from factual history), kept my heart in my mouth for the most part of the episode, peaking towards the end.

The penultimate episode of the season have brought high expectations for the final one. Looking forward ahead.

Released three weeks after Toriyama-san's demise, Sand Land marks another one of the remarkable artist's great works.

A simple plot of a Sheriff and a Demon prince teaming up in the desert wastelands in the search for water, Sand Land felt a nostalgic return to watch Toriyama's Art Style once again. Adapted from the manga of the same name after over 20 years, Sand Land keeps the charm of Toriyama's storytelling ways and gags.

Compared to his magnus opus, Dragon Ball, Sand Land keeps to a pretty realistic approach against the previous power-driven action, with witty tactics often proceeding the story instead of the common beat-em-up. This aspect itself shows development in Toriyama as a writer of manga, which needn't require fist-fights and whooping actions all the time to relay the intensity.

The Animation was great, especially the emphasis provided towards the subtle movements and nuances of the character movements. The whole of the character animations were pretty much done in 1s (full 24 drawings in a 24 fps Animation format), which gave incredibly smooth movements. 3D elements of the BG mixed with 2D elements were a pleasing new rendition, compared to Toriyama's earlier anime adaptations.

Nostalgic references from the Dragon Ball anime series are evident and are often pleasing.

Overall, it has been a pleasant watch with the first 7 episodes of the Season. Awaiting eagerly to complete the rest of it.

A so-far good Season brings in the penultimate episode with lot of emotions, proper significant stories, and with a bang. It is hope restored for the show, considering some of the few not-so-good episodes that popped up in between the Season.

Great character arcs of Jamie Tartt and Ted Lasso, played in a great way by Phil Dunster and showrunner Jason Sudeikis, respectively.

Nothing much to say except for being an outstanding penultimate episode, which prepares for the finale next week.

A good episode entertains the audience, but a great episode makes the audience feel the emotion of the characters and the story. And this is what this episode has achieved.

We know that Ted Lasso is not a show based entirely on football but also upon the characters based on the wonderful sport. We have indeed received enough footage of Lasso himself in this episode to be satisfied and yet it feels the whole thing's becoming more of a filler as of late with side-tracks including Keeley's POVs and all that. It's great to see unique relationships but capitalising and putting extra screen-time on them beyond need is boring and side-tracking away from the fun parts of the show. Not to mention all the rich-person themed storylines are often not so streamlined with what Ted Lasso as a show was all about. It's becoming a show-off of commercialism. If they are taking football as a theme, they should justify it. If they are taking people and relationships as a theme, they should try to keep to the themes. Not get into some pompous plutocratic storylines. Else, in the end, it was a satisfactory episode. I hope the show doesn't become a drag by the end of the Season.

Now, this is what we were all expecting. Don't get me wrong on the matter than I'm lingering on the past season of The Mandalorian. That I am, but that's beside the point.

Boba Fett's own arc hasn't been the fire that everyone's been expecting. The Book of Boba Fett has been a mellowed down action story compared to what Mando had to show us in the past two years, and that's completely cool with Fett's re-introduction back in Tatooine. It's a good start.

But frequent flashbacks have haunted the entirety of this Season, and it is kind of fresh to find a different perspective (and thankfully, no flashbacks) in this particular episode. Indeed, everyone's glad to find Mando back but it's not only his presence that makes the episode great. Better storytelling, dialogues and characters that had left good impressions back in the previous seasons have returned and told the episode with greater care in storytelling, the kind that Jon Favreau and his team had implemented upon creating The Mandalorian (and also, respecting the Star Wars anthology aftermath Return of The Jedi, 1983).

The Book of Boba Fett had its weaker moments (esp. With Episode 3, which I prefer not to emphasise here) that may have brought doubt to certain fans. Also, there has been no screen time for the protagonists that lead the season, but I guess this episode was meant to juxtapose Mando's POV and connect with Fett's plans by the next chapter.

But in the end, things are likely to turn tables for the greater good in the coming episodes. Let's hope for the best!

Now before I say anything else, the animation and the art production were very worthy in this episode, and thus, Star Wars shouldn't waste budget on such nonsense. The plot was simply awful. Dunno who thought of the idea, but the fellow should best write fanfiction away from Star Wars or any decent original content. Just took the whole legacy as a joke. This episode was an insult with no story, no distinct music (John Williams and Goransson would be disappointed), and cliche characters. The theme in this episode just didn't fit. What were they thinking?

Code Geass is an anime with different opinions from various audience groups and yet for the larger part considered on the positive side. And I agree in this regard, especially as the story progresses ahead through the episodes and into Season 2.

The Good & the Bad:

1. Amazing animation - Top-notch in terms of the average anime, with fluid action sequences.

2. Amazing character/mecha design & design consistency, and the research done on the plot.

3. The screenwriting was well-done for the major part despite instances of typical/common anime references which seemed cringe for Code Geass's vast idea. It seemed to please and lure the usual anime/teenage audience. Veteran viewers would recognise this. This goes along with the fanservice and school-life, the latter which did connect the vast plot of the story, and yet there were certain instances that could have been omitted instead of certain parts of the Season 2 done at a better pace.

4. Good music, esp. With the First Season opening and ending. Soundtracks became a little repetitive as the story progressed, but were enjoyable for the most part.

5. Great and flawed main characters. Most of the side characters had the basic required amount of screen time explaining their characteristics, which is good writing. And yet, there were instances of annoyance and character interactions that are not worth remembering, with much stuff happening in the story. Also, common and sometimes cliché dialogue mannerisms compared with the usual anime.

6. Fast pacing was an issue throughout the series and is very noticeable from Season 2. Movement of characters through various locations as the plot became more complex led to the skipping of scenes that could have been put in-between through more screen time and brief explanations. It was a mess during certain parts where too much was going on in the short time. Dunno if the production's allowed to do so, but they should have relaxed with the speed of things that were happening in the show.

7. The previous points cover the topic of Deus ex machina in few cases where an impossible situation becomes possible since in-between scenes were ignored in the fast pacing. I like the idea of the plot and screen-time moving with the POV of the protagonist or any of the major characters, but skipping in-between scenes allowed the situations of unexpected rescues or hindrances in the story to hold without much effort. A flaw in writing, and it's the fault of the limited screen-time.

8. Great final episodes of both the seasons. Great ending. Patience is needed to observe the fruit of the whole story.

9. Code Geass is based on world politics and military genres for the most part. Due to this and the plot observed in the show, there are certain clichés without which the anime would have become a masterpiece in storytelling and the mecha genre.

Clichés -

A. School council - This had a meaning in Season 1 but seemed an obsolete idea by Season 2 where the plot seemed filler and away from its intentions as the whole thing became more complex. It seemed some sort of every major event's going to happen in the school itself, despite Season 2 being a worldwide problem.

B. Kawaii characters - There are characters like Kallen and C. C. who are relatable female characters with development as the plot advanced, and there are characters like the Japanese & Chinese Princesses who are merchandise for the show. You know the type.

C. Fan-Service - I have stated this point here above, and need to emphasise again. Fan service being a small part of an ongoing plot can be forgiven, but here, together with school life they have separated fan service with big chunks of episode time and festivals. No wonder certain parts of Season 2 were cluttered and messed up beyond notice. Money-making through swimsuit/bikini babes is important after all.

Conclusion -

It is a great show, just short of being a masterpiece in terms of an anime or a TV show. It is a must-watch for anime enthusiasts as well as for audiences who are not into anime.

One can compare the pitfalls mentioned above with shows like FMAB or Hunter x Hunter (2011), which are considered masterpieces amongst all anime or even amongst all TV shows. Code Geass had everything to become one of the very best in terms of anime, with magnificent animation, intriguing characters to in-depth plot research. And yet, it fell a little sideways with cliché tropes hoping to gain support from the younger generation, resulting in rush, clutter, and a few cheap moments. A pity.

People have mixed opinion over this TV series, and I have understood some of the reasons after watching around 150 episodes into the series. Despite the negative viewpoints from viewers, including ardent Naruto/Naruto Shippuden patrons, I'd say the series 'Boruto' is based on a different foundation that differs from its predecessors.

As you may all know, the Naruto anime/manga was known for a lot of tension, action and inspiration throughout the entire series. Compared to that 'Boruto' is a much mellowed down version. If we consider 'Naruto' as a game played in Hard mode, 'Boruto' is for the most part considered Easy gameplay, and I make this analysis on the basis of its story and the legacy left to it after 'Naruto'. But contrary to the lack of stake, I won't say that 'Boruto' is something bad to watch for someone who have/haven't completed Naruto. As a fellow Naruto enthusiast, I say it's worth the try.

There's finally peace in the ninja world and it's not bad to view the same places with a different perspective. It may not be the same as the Akatsuki storming a village or Orochimaru's olden days, but it's not so bad to see the characters that one have cheered through 'Naruto' settling down in peaceful lives. It's kind of similar to what humans want in real world. Peace after war. And truth be told this is not beyond facts. 'Boruto' kinda has the new Slice-of-life added to its predecessors' genres.

If you are looking for story development and high-level action, I will say that you won't be disappointed if you can keep going with the series. It starts slow, but builds up better than I expected at certain parts, worthy of 'Naruto' material. But discretion, you won't find such instances for the major part of the anime. Added to that, since it's based on peacetime, there was far lesser anticipation and tension than 'Naruto'. The story plot's predictable for the most part. Not to mention, the whole thing's mostly filler. Despite the manga, forget any manga canon. You won't find much of that here. Studio Pierrot does it again.

The animation has nothing that has any worth of note for the most part. It grows worse at certain parts as the episodes increase. But there are noteworthy fighting sequences in rare situations despite the flaws.

Average soundtracks for the most part of the show. If people can remember, I'd say most of them began watching Naruto because of the story development, the characters and the Music of Part 1. None of the aftermaths beat Toshio Masuda's musical score from Part 1 which included some of the most recognisable tracks like - Sadness & Sorrow, and The Raising Fighting Spirit, something which differed in overall themes in comparison to Yasuharu Takanashi's later compositions. If you are expecting Part 1 soundtracks in Boruto, you may actually be surprised if you stick with the series long enough.

In the beginning, the characters introduced in Boruto relied mostly on the ones from before. But that's not so the case as the series progresses. The protagonists develop through their parts as the series moves ahead, along with the old characters. As for the side characters, a few of them are above average whilst the rest are average at best.

In a nutshell - Boruto isn't bad as some people may say, but is no Great anime either. There's nothing amazing to observe except for few instances through the many episodes, which in rare cases better than Part 1 or Shippuden in terms of action and direction. Naruto fans shall enjoy with a little patience and that's true for other anime enthusiasts, who can find this show fun and easygoing.

As I watched the first few episodes of the show, the review title was the first thought that came to my mind. What if Hatsune Miku went on a futuristic rescue operation? To an extent, yes, it indeed gave a taste of unoriginality, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the show.

The persona 'Vivy' had a pretty stoic perspective to her objective, 'My mission is to make people happy with my singing', a main character which felt distant in terms of connecting with the viewer. I guess her being an AI could make it relatable. But speaking of characters, it leaves a lot to be desired, considering we have seen typical characters like Vivy (the reserved and stoic android protagonist) or Matsumoto (the annoying know-it-all side-kick). There was much less character development than it could have been done in the show.

Despite having the ideal looks within the female AIs and the perfect body in terms of anime tropes, I'd say most viewers would forget the whole writing.

The script had a lot of dialogues (esp. For Matsumoto), which seemed to brag on about the knowledge the writers had about technology, put into writing the whole thing, instead of actually developing the characters whilst the screen-time given. This was one of the reasons of average writing I felt in the story, added with tawdry sentimentality often times to compensate, to make an average viewer believe the show being a 'masterpiece-of-the-year' or some similar disillusion. The dialogues were at best average, since I couldn't find anything new compared to previous anime in similar genres. It can be said, the writer(s) of the show were academically qualified, but not in artistic sense.

The story as a whole had a simple basis with a long in-story timeline. It did feel distant in the beginning but began to develop over time. There were certain good instances of drama through the show, capable of expressing genuine emotions. But these are few. In a small way, the story felt disconnected through the characters, during shifts between the various timelines. Sometimes the whole thing felt rushed through the action or character sequences, which could have been done better if the creators breathed a moment and redone in a slower progress of story, focusing events and more on characters. Though by the end of Episode 11, I'd say the story has developed well enough to be appreciated by the common viewer.

Animation was top-notch, Wit Studio doing an amazing job. But on contrary, Vivy's overall production reminded of its studio predecessor - Great Pretender. Though not as bad as the latter, Vivy showed similar lines of average writing as to 'Great Pretender', the latter which was a script disaster with poorly written characters, despite the amazing animation and art direction.

The music associated with the show did relate with the protagonist's basis, but seemed too J-Pop for a sci-fi anime aimed at viewers of various locations in the world. Let's say, K-On was an anime about music, being based on real-life Japan. Thus, the music influenced in that show could be understood. As for Vivy, it didn't focus well on the music side, despite it being a co-musical show. The songs they sang sounded like disjointed prose, and instead, the viewer might have been eager to continue the story ahead.

In a nutshell - Anime/manga fans would like the show and it's worth the watch, there's no doubt. But critically speaking, it's an action-based musical anime set in an upcoming dystopia. Seems too much to focus on, I'd say. Not to mention, the run-of-the-mill recurring character types that have plagued anime. Some things need to change hereafter long periods of ignorance, lax structure and abuse of the same in the industry, providing the viewers with stories/shows with great potential and yet substandard executions. A show cannot be deemed great, let alone 'a masterpiece' if this cannot be realised. A thought of concern regarding basic quality.

Returning back to the Shonen genre, I wasn't disappointed. Jujutsu Kaisen shows potential and good promise from its initial episodes.

Hunting spirits/demons/evil things have been part of anime since times old, but that doesn't mean Jujutsu Kaisen is any way boring. Good execution of the story has kept me going through the episodes with eagerness to look forward to what's coming up. Along with instances of amazing action-animation sequences and decent characters, it is notable to appreciate the first opening and ending themes, having a nice taste of funk.

A pleasing and interesting start. I'm not surprised this anime is an adaptation of Weekly Shonen Jump. The magazine has often led to manga-adaptations that are worth giving a watch.

A good watch for Shonen-enthusiasts. Hasn't been disappointed as of yet. Looking forward to Jujutsu Kaisen during its run.

This show's made to look smart, but it's not up to the mark over its execution. Had great promise with all the visuals at the beginning (OP theme and the unique Art Direction) but came out more of Conceited Storytelling than the wit it was supposed to execute. Overall okay, but not great. Thanks to the average execution of the show.

Often predictable plot. And a poor cast of characters.

The show is mostly based outside of Japanese context. It could've been better with its writing and a more experienced director who has a better idea of the world outside beyond that of anime stereotypes.

It felt like a show trying to force itself to be amazing.

The anime lives up to its eponymous name. It conveys itself as a 'Great Pretender' in terms of execution. Pretends to look a classic, but ain't.

Trying to enforce consumerism, with real-life references to its snooty script. The only great things in this show corresponded to Freddy Mercury's ending song, the Opening Theme animation, and the Art Direction. The rest was a big let down.

Disillusion of a show against its first glances. Almost comparative of an Oscar Bait, which has no critical acclaim.

A plot with minimal lucidity shrouding its pitfalls with degenerative Fanservice that goes beyond all measures. Not to mention cliché, confusing, and boring for the most part. At the least, I'm not surprised the anime is rated near a 6-point, but sadly it's worse than that. And as usual, a portion of the Japanese Animation budget is preserved for unworthy shows such as Plunderer, a name which seemed an irony to the content shown on the screen. Enough intro, let's rate.

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Story - 3/10 - I've seen and read much fantasy-based fiction, and this is one of the worst stories I have watched. Dunno of the manga it's based on, but I don't have to read the comic itself to say the plot is third-rate all the way. From what I can derive, it's simply a big mess of pre-existing ideas, insincere emotions, and excessive fanservice to deceive viewers of an already bad anime.

Fanservice is becoming a major problem with most of the bad anime productions taking in stories from the gutters which flimsy creativity has to provide. I'm not saying Japan produces no good anime these days, but the bad ones are getting easier to make with better-animation technology, making the overall situation worse. The anime is mostly intended for a male audience. But the fanservice in this show is simply disgusting.

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Art - 5/10 - Colourful backgrounds and all that, but that's a method to be found in animes that try to deviate the viewers from its plot and characters, the latter which have nothing to show here. Nothing amazing to speak in aesthetics.

Character designs are very generic - 'cool-looking' dudes and 'cute' girls with no originality. I wonder if the anime production, or in a part, the original illustrator himself put any effort or research into any originality. The writer must've watched/read a lot of bad manga/anime to arrive at such dullness. One does not always need 'cool-characters', let alone a whole cast of them, to make a story good. That just shows how shallow this whole production is.

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Sound - 4/10 - Nothing new. Very generic once again. The usual Background Music was mundane and you'll see the semblance in similar anime.

I'm furious at certain points when the music tries to draw in cheesy emotions in moments that are so predictable, a fellow with a decent mind would simply quit the show.

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Character - 2/10 - Hands down, one of the worst cast of characters in the fantasy genre. The protagonist is a sleazy degenerate who shows himself as a cool, capable fellow, when the situation needs. It almost describes the bad bipolar stereotype seen in most of such quality anime.

The initial shots of the first episode itself gave me the low hopes for this anime, and the same became lower during that school Arc after around Episode 10.

The story is partially-based and driven by the theme of militarism, and Japan itself had its own share from the past. It simply shames the nation's past when the show elaborates the statement - 'Army that doesn't kill?' in those episodes, where bloodshed was shown without much restraint. I mean, Imperial Japan laid waste to most of East and South-east Asia during WW2. Even their present-day JSDF has prestige. All this anime had to show was a bunch of non-connectable characters, who believe militarism is fun. This shows how disconnected the story is to decent storytelling and the effort needed for it. The disillusion of the basic sense of realism is in its peak, and the only thing that keeps the last adhesive among the audience is the Fanservice, which is pointlessly cancerous and stupid.

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Enjoyment - 3/10 - I won't say there were no instances of humour and fun, but all that is nullified by the cliché tropes, uninteresting and confusing plot, extreme use of fanservice, crummy and insincere emotional scenes, conceited/unoriginal character designs, high predictability, and in the end an overpowered/Deus ex Machina/pervert protagonist who was simply dull.

Enough said.

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Overall - 3/10 - This kind of show reduces the IQ of the decent audience, leading to degeneracy, with ideas of deceit and insincerity thrown over creativeness, bellowing a message of insult to the hopes of good content that's produced in Japan and the world.

One the isekai anime from 2019, I'd say it's one of the better shows in the genre. To begin with, during the first few episodes, it seemed obvious of the pitfall the protagonist was going to face. But despite that, the overall drama was done well in those episodes, and pretty much enjoyed the growth relating the protagonist Naofumi and his team.

An anime made by the studio, Kinema Citrus, I took up 'The Rising of the Shield Hero (will be referring as Shield Hero)', because of the studio's reputation from its previous amazing production of the anime, Made in Abyss. Appreciating the wonderful art and music from Made in Abyss, Shield Hero had both. Kevin Penkin returning with another score, I'd say that the music was decent, but not great. It doesn't come close to Penkin's work in Made in Abyss. As for the graphics, Shield Hero has indeed better art and character design than many others in its genre. Character designs were decent enough and can appreciate Kinema Citrus's effort into it.

Now, regarding the story, despite being an isekai, it has its own sets of original ideas, with more than simple plots into it. There's no point in discussing the story, but on average I can say it's decent and enjoyable. But the one thing I did not appreciate much as the other factors were the characters. I'm not saying they are bad. As a matter of fact, they are much better than the original SAO (and the only SAO I've watched. Rest are intolerable), where the characters were simply horrible. The characters in Shield Hero lacked characteristic ingenuity, which is a common occurrence in other isekais, the ones which are average. In other words, the writing had less life into it. Naofumi and Raphtalia, being the stars of the show, have the most described writing, detailing their characteristics, and yet there's a blandness in them every so often. The lack of character dynamics and the delivery of often monotonous dialogues.

Dialogues were often monotonous, cliché and within rare times downright cringe. For the most part, I did not feel the depth within the characters, which connect viewers to these characters' lives.

It can be believed that isekai are inspired by the RPG/JRPG games from the olden days, but speaking of those games, many of them had amazing script throughout the story. Indeed, old 8/16-bit games (Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda) have inspired new original stories into full-on Television series, but fundamental qualities are there no more.

Some of the originality concepts of Shield Hero also comes into question, when Filo, one of the protagonist's companions is a downright a Chocobo rip-off. Who cares if she has a human side? That's just fanservice anyway. Braggy/cocky characters with literally no cognitive abilities to think, are another stereotype shared with other trash isekai shows.

Unlike Made in Abyss, Kinema Citrus has done a poorer job in the production. Fast-paced plot amongst the episodes often left me wondering when the protagonist lands in a new location without any indication. That also included in the build-up of suspense during action sequences. The script is partly to blame for this.

But despite its pitfalls, Shield Hero is one of the good anime of 2019, if not great. Despite the pitfalls, Kinema Citrus had done a better job than other isekai anime.

It was an overall good experience, and look forward to the show's coming seasons. Hoping the writing and overall character dynamics would improve, it would be a better show to watch. Shield Hero can be said pretty much a common man's isekai starter.

Overall: 7/10

Firefly, a show that might not be known much in the publicity limelight in the present day. It is a show of critical acclaim, and I mean it when I say this show is underrated awesomeness. The plot is based on a spaceship crew that travels around the 'Verse with the genre of Western Cowboy brought to Space. Broadcasted in Fox Network during 2002, it is perhaps the best Space Sci-fi TV show ever made. I would have been pretty much confused with the said statement when I had heard of the show. Being a sci-fi fan myself, I'd say the show caught my attention from the moment I watched the first episode.

Created by Joss Whedon, the story follows the journey on the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity, led by Captain Malcolm Reynolds (portrayed by Nathan Fillion), and his crew of transporters who would fly under the radar of the Alliance government to perform interplanetary jobs of cargo runs and smuggling. Everything follows the business life of the crew until two passengers get on board the ship as paying passengers on the planet of Persephone, turning the crew's usual sojourn more hostile. The story follows the adventures of Captain Reynolds and his crew through various jobs and circumstances of trouble that they face through space.

The show broadcast during its initial run was a big fail, due to the mess made in marketing and planning by Fox Network, who had scheduled the show during the 8pm block on Friday nights. The entire series consists of fourteen episodes, of which the show was taken off air after the 11th episode following the continuous low ratings on TV. Little did Fox know that it could've been the best Space Sci-fi anthology of all time. Now you might ask, what made the show special?

The story is something that I haven't seen anywhere before. Indeed, sci-fis have their reputation for including aliens, intergalactic wars, and all of the cliché, but this show's story is amazing because of the reality it is connected to. For the most part, the above said sci-fi elements aren't much present, especially no aliens. Now, some might feel disappointed with this but I assure you, it was really well-written with an uncanny yet crafty screenplay that entertains the audience throughout the series. It's rare for me to say for any TV media (TV shows, movies, anime) that I wasn't bored at all throughout the series. And I mean that for Firefly. As a matter of fact, I was very much eager to continue the next episode despite each episode lasting around fifty minutes, and the pilot episode, an hour and a half. It's not only because the story and screenplay were amazing, but also the fact that I wanted to observe more time with the Serenity crew, representing various backgrounds and characteristics, each of them amazingly written and unique in their own way.

The acting has been great if not excellent with no objections for the most part. The actors representing the characters matched well and represented the 'family' of felonious protagonists with the story. The graphics and cinematography were amazing throughout the show, representing situations of fun, remorse, tense, and action, to the best of my expectations. As a matter of fact, despite the show being cancelled from TV mid-air, Firefly won a Prime Emmy for Visual Effects.

The opening theme seemed odd in the beginning. As for the rest of the soundtrack, I didn't believe it could've been better for the show. It fit perfectly right into the context of the series, mixed with space and western-spaghetti feels. As for the opening, it grew out to be a recurring favourite later once the series ended, revolving around in my mind and its unique mix of cowboy music and space-based lyrics resounding the entire story, long after the series was completed.

I enjoyed the series all the way, and made multiple re-watches of the episodes just to feel home in the Serenity. The series has a follow-up film named, 'Serenity' (released in 2005), worked on by the same actors and directed by Joss Whedon himself, but in end, it is regrettable for the series to have ended in just a single season. It had much potential and critical acclaim, despite its broadcasting failure, the sole reason that led to the cancellation of this series. It hurts, but in the end, we have to deal with what we have got and cherish the great work done by the entire team of Firefly.

Score (out of 10):

Story/Screenplay - 9.5 Sound - 10 Characters -10 Acting - 8 Cinematography/Graphics - 10 Enjoyment - 10

Overall: 9.6/10

The scores would make more sense if you are an ardent enthusiast of Sci-fi and Space-based shows, or if you've already watched Firefly.

Pokemon has become one of the greatest franchises in the world, surpassing more than a thousand episodes with over twenty anime seasons. Amidst everything else, most of the audience would've remembered the beginning of it all when Ash met Pikachu for the first time. The episode is a landmark in the history of anime leading to many youngsters from the late 90s to indulge into the world of anime and manga.

The original games consisted Pokemon as characters existent to primarily fight battles, and advance the plot. This episode showed that they can feel emotions just like a human. It has been more than twenty years since this episode had been released, and yet it's widely praised, despite the nostalgia it might bestow upon the early watchers of the show. Pikachu and Ash made me feel. A good episode entertains the audience, but a great episode makes the audience feel the emotion of the characters and the story. A great start to the Pokemon anime along with the Indigo League (Season 1), which are a must watch/rewatch for enthusiasts.

Of all the things that I had watched the previous year, Jojo Rabbit overwhelmed most of them with an utterly unexpected surprise. A recent satire of a film that was officially released during October, 2019, Jojo Rabbit describes the life of a young kid named, Johannes 'Jojo' Betzler (portrayed by Roman Griffin Davis), who was involved into Hilter's Youth camp during the final years of the Third Reich.

Based on the book named Caging Skies by author Christine Leunens, the movie revolves around Jojo and his imaginary friend Hitler himself (thankfully he was the pigmentation of Jojo's thoughts, deviated and satirical on the screen), plotting around Jojo's life as a devoted Nazi. As the story progresses, ten-year-old Jojo begins experiencing the truth behind the Nazi regime and begins to doubt the whole thing. Well, enough with the synopsis.

Jojo Rabbit despite a comedy-drama, reminded of acclaimed films from the older days like Das Boot (1981), Schindler's List (1993), The Pianist (2002), and Downfall (2004), relating to the evils and flaws surrounding the infamous Third Reich of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. But Jojo Rabbit brought in a perspective that was unknown to the audience. It played along with a serious plot where things could've gone wrong in the smallest mistakes. Indeed, Nazi Germany is remembered as a black-part of modern history, and people might not agree with the film's portrayal. But in personal opinion, it was done in a much-justified manner, despite the historical facts.

Amazing acting work by Roman Griffin Davis, Taika Waititi (also the director) and Scarlett Johansson, along with special mentions to Sam Rockwell, who had portrayed Captain K. Some of the elements in the film may have seemed obvious, but some of the comic scenes were simply hilarious and original (eg - the Yorki Panzerschreck scene). I was pretty much hooked into the film from the beginning, mostly for the uncanny satiric depiction of all the characters in the given scenarios. Despite being a comedy-drama, there were intense scenes that gave the movie more reasons to understand in depth.

A genuine movie in most of its runtime with happy and down moment. It was indeed a really wonderful and enjoyable experience to watch the whole way. If you are sensitive to subjects related to Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, or the Second World War, do employ discretion. But I'd highly suggest everyone watching this film due to its humanistic message and its moral understanding.

I'm really happy to see that this film is still on the very top of the ranks all these years, and rightfully so, I'm glad that most of us agree to it. Amongst many films, Shawshank Redemption touches our souls in the most humane way. A film of art indeed, but it serves its purpose to the fullest extent. It is a movie that touches the souls of real lives. It makes us feel human.

The messages in this film are worth consideration, whilst the ending is one of most beautiful ones in cinema history. But enough has been said already, and I'd repeat most of them. As a conclusion, I'm proud to have watched this film. And it won't be the last. Rejoice for Shawshank Redemption.

When I watched this anime for the first time, I knew that the author, Akihito Tsukushi, had put a lot of thought and love into the story and its development. I have watched a lot of adventure anime, and I have to admit the fact that this is the best one made in the past few years. I would even go on to say that it can be grouped within the mentions One Piece, Dragon Ball (referring to Part 1 of DB series) or Hunter x Hunter in terms of Story quality.

The characters in the initial episodes provide thoughts of a light-hearted anime by it can be assured that the story is much more dark and deep. It falls into the genre of Dark Fantasy and excels at it just as in the Adventure genre.

Kinema Citrus deserves the credit of this show for making it into a masterpiece from Tsukuchi manga, and I can assure you that justice was done with this show. And that's all. The music is one of the main factors displaying the emotion in this anime, and it's one of the best soundtracks I have experienced in the whole of anime. Kevin Penkin is one of the rare non-Japanese music directors to have been involved in an anime. And it paid off pretty well for Made in Abyss.

Review points: Story - 9.5/10. I have mentioned the story quality above. It won't justice if I try to mention things here. Watch the anime, you'll understand what I mean.

Characters - 9/10. Unique characters, not belonging to usual tropes in present-day or previously made anime.

Animation - 10/10. Just glancing into the show's scenery and landscape gives you a mystic vibe. Really beautiful animation.

Direction - 9/10. The anime isn't completed as of this review but till the end of the 13 episodes, I can say that the Director did his job well. Looking eagerly forward to this show and story.

Music - 10/10. Breathtaking. Beautiful and exotic soundtracks. Reminds nostalgic feelings of old games like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario and Final Fantasy 5 (SNES). Hands down, a Masterpiece!

Conclusion - 9.5/10. A great story that's been told and yet to be spoken through the manga and the anime. The sad thing about this show is that many people are not aware of it. It's a masterpiece that deserves the attention of any other popular anime and hope that people gets to know of this show.

Hoping Masayuki Kojima, Kevin Penkin and the Kinema Citrus crew, decide to take up the further seasons of Made of Abyss, and if so, hoping them to perform an awesome job like the first season.

The incompetence and overconfidence of a person in a great industry is a grave bane to the outcome. Incompetence makes mistakes, overconfidence creates them. But amongst all, as described in this episode, are LIES, deemed to be the greatest mistakes in fragile situations, which feeds on the chances of grave aftermaths without compassion or trial.

A great work by HBO with this wonderful, yet morbid and horrific ending of the disaster of 26th April, 1986. Justice has been made to the truth. Vivid and near-real life descriptions of the circumstances are showed in this episode. Good music.

A personal rating of 10/10. Great job!

This episode showed the sacrifices that were made to save the Soviet Union and the world from the Chernobyl disaster. It was not a war where men were sent to fight for his country, but instead, a battle against the grim existence of nature, called Radiation. It is an enemy which cannot be defeated with weapons and propaganda. It is shown as an enemy of entire humanity. It is an enemy which can turn you against your dear ones. It is an enemy which results in killing thousands of innocents; humans, animals and other beings. It is an enemy which shows no mercy.

The sad fate of the victims of the disasters are mentioned in astonishing and outstanding detail. People might complain about the animal situation in this episode, but it did happen and the truth is painful often than not. They should understand the facts regarding the situations, instead of complaining of animal issues. The slow-pacing in the episode of the various instances described the feelings and tragedy of the scenarios with grace. Good music. Everything seemed near perfect. A score of 10/10 justifies this episode.

Unlike most war films or shows, this mini-series seemed a mixture of a documentary and a military recount. The best aspect of the story was it's realistic approach. Not much of drama, but instead being able to entertain the audience with mundane military activities is something of an art in itself. Lack of dramatic music makes this mini-series more pragmatic, something which describes the story with an unbiased judgement. Really entertaining and a must watch for War-film and adventure enthusiasts.

Okay, fine. I have seen enough of the genre where a brother and a sister lives alone in a house. But here they make the excuse that they are not related by blood. This statement is really important so that any kind of development in the romance side is not frowned upon.

Eromanga Sensei started decent at the beginning describing the life of a Light Novel author, and the competition behind the profession. The author is just a basic teenage kid writing some crazy long light novels of around a hundred overnight. From an anime perspective, anything is possible but is it really in the real world?

The story developed until around the 8th episode, after which there seemed no point in continuing the show. Can't say how it went in the light novel, but the anime seemed like a filler from that point and sucked bad. There were too many coincidences for the young light novelist, which favours his way to his victory. The plot failed to show how the written quality of the protagonist was in his novels, but instead viewed a lot of erotic and ecchi artwork to pump things up. FANSERVICE once again.

It felt as if the show was running away from the quality aspects which could've made the show good. The show took a shortcut and the common solution of pointless Fanservice. In the end, the show turned out to be a disappointment.

To a common viewer, the anime might be found a bit weird in the first glance, firstly due to the quick narration of the protagonist character 'Watashi', and the unique and liberal art style.

The story might seem to have a lot of repeating scenes in the initial episodes for the viewer, but then again the story basically follows the concept of parallel universes to support it.

I can assure you the story builds up pretty intense and captivating in the later episodes. The ending is very justified to personal opinion, and worth the time of viewing the 11 episodes to the end.

Genres include - psychological, slice of life and romance.

For an anime like The Tatami Galaxy, I would've given a review of 8, or 9 at best. Factors like - witty and unique direction, the unexpected flow of the storyline, working the anime in a lower budget (due to numerous real-video scenes), and good anime opening/ending have earned it a 10 from self.

It wouldn't be hard for anime enthusiasts to complete the 11 episodes.

For common viewers, do give this show a scrutiny till the end. Assurance that the conclusions are to the worth.